Unfortunately, this post is not the start of a return for me but merely a notice to some of the few people who are still subscribed to my feed that I’m not going to be attending the WPBT Summer Classic this year. I had the time booked off and was planning on going, but things are just too crazy at work at the moment for me to get away. We landed a rather significant client with a rather tight timeline so I’m stuck here.

Since I’ve mostly fallen off the poker bandwagon I’m not going to miss Vegas too much (though I have been reading WSOP coverage avidly) but I do regret that I’m not going to get a chance to reconnect with some of the friends I made on previous trips.

Have fun guys!

That should have been my first hint. If I can’t turn out a decent tale after something like that then my heart obviously isn’t in it anymore. I’ve felt guilty about not writing it up just about every day since I came back from that trip. I’ve got this great stuff in my head just waiting to be transcribed but somehow it just never came out. I’ve even got a few sentences that I love in a partially written post, but I can’t seem to find the energy to finish it. I convinced myself it was because I came down with the Gracie Death Flu when I came back and by the time I got better I was just too far removed to write about it properly.

But I was reminding again this past week that while an interesting event in my life will immediately get me thinking about trying to capture it in a post, the follow-through doesn’t come. This past week I got sucker-punched in a bar (don’t worry, I’m fine, though sporting a nice bruise) after little to no provocation. In fact, I couldn’t quite believe I had been struck, though I did have to scramble to retrieve my glasses from the floor. And I never even saw the guy who hit me, before or afterwards. I had this grand story of confusion, careful detective work and finally revenge but when I got to Sunday night without capturing any of it in physical (or digital) words on the page, I realized I’ve moved past this outlet I’ve maintained for the past two years.

Some people will probably say “Duh! He’s written a bare handful of posts in the past year.” And others, though perhaps less sarcastic, will have come to much the same conclusion. I have no plans to tear the site down, so it will likely stay here for at least another year and I’ll likely keep it tucked away somewhere on the web for perpetuity when I get around to finding it a more permanent home. Who knows, I may even follow in the footsteps in bloggers greater than I and resume after a bit of an official hiatus (don’t count on it). And I don’t plan to abandon poker either, though it will continue to be sporadic. I also have no plans to completely severe my ties to the poker blogging community. I’d love to attend the odd poker tournament here and there if they’ll still have an alumni member. And I’ll definitely keep reading them and try to keep in touch with some of the friends I’ve made.

So, thanks to Iggy for pointing people at my blog back in the day. Thank you to Pauly for always being supportive and being friendly even when it’s a chore. Thanks to Hank and Felicia for being so welcoming to a newbie way back in the day. Thanks to Poker Grub, Mean Gene, Joe Speaker and Pauly again for giving me aspirations to write better. Thanks to Gracie and Pablo for being far and away the two coolest people I met on my Vegas trips. And that’s saying something, because I met a lot of exceedingly interesting individuals. And thanks to more poker bloggers than I can properly mention without leaving someone off. Al, Joe … crap, actually it really is impossible to mention them all. Suffice to say, if you remember me you can be sure I remember you and I’m thinking fondly on those memories right now.

And most importantly, I’d like to thank you each and every person who’s ever stopped by here to read a post. Blogs are one of the stranger things to come out of this interweb thingie and it constantly amazes me that anyone has any interest at all in reading anything I have to say. See you around.

But let’s get the important things out of the way up front. Thanks to Bill Rini for organizing the whole thing (and anyone else who gave him a hand). Thanks to the Imperial Palace for running a awesome tournament. It exceeded all expectations. Hell, who would think they’d be stupid enough to have an open bar for bloggers for *seven* hours. Thanks to Barry Greenstein, Charlie Shoten and Michael Craig for speaking at the event. Pokerstars hooked us up not only with a ton of great swag but an extra $2000 in the prize pool. For that I am extremely grateful. And thanks to Full Tilt for contributing some free merchandise themselves.

Thursday
I arrive in Vegas at about 11:30pm Thursday night and being unable to raise anyone on the phone I decide to check out the Imperial Palace poker room. I play only one hand before my cellphone rings. It’s Gracie.

“*crackle* … can’t hear … *crackle* … Excalibur … *crackle*”

Good enough. I cash out and hop on the monorail. When I arrive at the MGM I bump into Joaquin, looking a little worse for wear, heading back to the hotel. He tells me that everyone is at the Aladdin. I am skeptical.

“Yeah, they are storming the Aladdin … wait, that’s not right.”

“Excalibur, maybe?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” And with that he lurched into the open monorail car.

At the Excalibur I meet up with a bunch of bloggers and end up at a table with Pauly, Gracie, Derek and Otis’s brother Jeff. Despite the blogger-heavy table, there were plenty of dead money at the table. Unfortunately the fish would just not take the hook and despite the fact I was able to take some money from the table, the suckouts were frustrating. But the company more than made up for. More bloggers than I could possibly remember dropped by to say hello to Pauly, but I didn’t take enough notes (a theme that ran through the weekend). It was nice to see old friends and new.

I’m pretty sure the night ends with Grubby, Derek, Pauly and myself up at the McDonald’s for some food before heading back to the hotel. The chicken mcnuggets I got were better than they had any right to be. Grubby was even kind enough to give us a lift back to the hotel.

Friday
When I get up shortly after noon I take advantage of my first free buffet coupon. (Thanks again for setting everything up, Bill) It’s not great, but it’s food and it’s free. Afterwards I spot Pablo and Gracie in the poker room and after confirming arrangements for the dorky excursion later that afternoon I find a seat at a 3/6 table. Once again, I find myself ahead after a few hours. This will not be a theme repeated throughout the weekend.

The dorky excursion was fun and a great chance to chat with some bloggers away from the table. I don’t want to out everyone, but scaring Maudie in the first ride was one of the highlights of my weekend, though I did feel very bad about it afterwards. The rides were actually a bit better than I remembered, but that might have been because I was with a bunch of people enjoying themselves. And I’m glad I wasn’t the only one geeky enough to answer most of the trivia questions while we were waiting in line.

After that it was off to the MGM in anticipation of the mixed games set up by Joaquin later that night. Unfortunately I got stuck in a 3/6 game away from all the bloggers and didn’t get the notice when the mixed games opened. I got on the list soon after but was 20 spots down. I was not pleased. Being down in my 3/6 game wasn’t helping either. Bad luck and then a bit of tilt combined to take a large chunk of my buy-in.

Of course, my money lasted a lot longer there than it did when I finally got into the HORSE game. I was at a table with Pauly, Derek, Gracie, Daddy, Al and … ah, and here is where the memory and notes run a little thin. Of course, it didn’t help that drink service at the MGM was constant. I was pretty wasted and only barely remember buying an extra hundred in chips from Gracie at the table. Someone told me the next day that I was playing with an EPT champ but really, I can’t be sure. But it’s a damn good excuse for losing more money. So yeah, there was an EPT champ at my table. And forget the people who said he was playing like a donkey. Donkeys quarter pots, which I can assure you I didn’t do … more than once … or twice. Definitely not more than twice.

Hmmm…this post is already starting to go on. I think I may save my recounting of Saturday and the prolonged blur that was Sunday and Monday for another post.

If I don’t get back here before then, I hope that all three readers have a very Merry Christmas. Or an enjoyable holiday or your choice.

The weekend was a roaring success despite the horrible illness that is now incubating in me courtesy of Gracie . She thinks it is Avian Bird Flu but I suspect it is something even more horrible. I just hope that I don’t infect the entire plane.

I think I will avoid the grand mult-post saga that I attempted last time I partied with the bloggers in Vegas, but even still, more information is going to have wait until I am a tad more coherent. But I promise I will tell the tale of the bathrobe. Maybe after I sleep for 48 hours.

The thing I am least looking forward to is showing off my lovely new mustache. I got roped into joining the Mustaches For Kids Toronto campaign by a co-workers and have been devoting all my follicular might to growing a sweet stache … for the kids! Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to raise a lot money so far, so my embarrassment has largely been in vain. But I shall persevere, despite being an easy target for drunken ridicule.

While I’m talking about charities, I should probably mention one of my favourite charity’s at this time of the year. Three years ago, the two guys responsible for Penny Arcade started the Child’s Play charity aimed at supporting children’s hospitals across the United States – and this year Canada and the UK. It all boils down to is … actually, why don’t I just use their own words to describe it for you.

For two years now we’ve set up and organized a charity called Child’s Play. We set it up because we were angry the media decided to blame all the world’s problems on games and gamers. Basically they said that gamers were bad people, and we thought that wasn’t right. Apparently, you guys agreed: through Child’s Play you sent nearly a million dollars in toys, games, and cash to the sick kids in Children’s Hospitals around the nation.

That was awesome. You guys have proven over and over again that you are an overwhelming force, and you really came through and made a real difference to the millions of kids that Children’s Hospitals care for each year. So we’re doing it again this year, only this time we’ve expanded Child’s Play to more hospitals around the U.S. and even some across the globe so you can send toys to a hospital a little closer to home.

Child’s Play works the same as last year. With the help of hospital staff we’ve set up Amazon Wish Lists full of video games, toys, and movies. You can go to each hospital’s list and buy a toy, and that toy will be sent to the hospital. Some of these kids are in pretty bad shape. imagine being stuck alone in a hospital over the holidays–so getting something from a fellow gamer would really raise their spirits. Some of the stuff the hospital will give away for kids to keep, while other gifts (like consoles) will be kept by the hospital for patients to use throughout the year.

I have been a gamer my whole life and have always been a big believer in the value of play in the life of kids (and adults) so this charity has a special place in my heart. I’ve already made my donation to the local Toronto Sick Kids’ Hospital. I know there are a lot of charities out there who need your money (particularly at this time of the year) so I’m not saying that this charity deserves your money any more than any other. But I would ask that you think about all the blessings that you have in your life and try to pass some of that on to those that may not be as fortunate.

Unfortunately, I’m going to look a little bit different than I did last year. Against my better judgment I have agreed to participate in the Moustache for Kids 2005 campaign to raise money for the Make-a-Wish foundation. What that means is that, starting this past Friday, I will be growing a mustache for five whole weeks (and accepting donations to the Make-a-Wish foundation to help offset some of the embarrassment). That will put the Vegas trip at about week four. It’s going to be mortifying, but I just have to keep telling myself “It’s for the Kids”. Of course, I am much less worried about my week-four mustache than I was about my week-zero clean shave. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been devoid of facial hair and it makes me look about half my age.

And in addition to my plentiful embarrassment, there was a kick-off event at a local pub this past Friday. Not only was a mortified to be in public with my bare face, a local news crew was also there doing a puff piece on the campaign (which runs in multiple cities across North America and has raised over $75,000 for charity) so I ran the risk of being on the local news. I commented that they were probably going to have a shot of me eating dinner. The coverage did end up in that evening’s news and while the focus of the piece ended up being on one woman who will be wearing a fake moustache every Friday throughout the campaign (and 24/7 if she raises more than $1000), they did feature some shots of the other participants, including a closing shot of me…stuffing my face. *sigh* And apparently it was repeated a couple times on the local 24-hour news station. I haven’t seen the footage yet, but as soon as one of my co-workers gets it copied off his PVR, I fear the worst.

Even more depressing, I’ve got to sit down and read some documents for work, so my afternoon isn’t going to get any more pleasant. Maybe I’ll order some pizza for a break later.

Thanks to the folks at Pokerstars for setting the tournament up. It was a lot of fun, despite the disappointing finish. It was also a reminder that I have a lot of bonus stockpiled at Pokerstars that I should get cracking on.