VEGAS TUESDAY

I really wanted to play the noon tournament at the Wynn today, but it was past noon by the time I awoke. With our blinds closed and the room clock blinking 12:00, I never have a clue what time it is while I'm lying in bed. By the time I got up, Tom was long gone and I had no real game plan. I spent some time online until I received a call from an online cohort named TheGecko. His name is Jason and he is from Ontario. I had given him my number and told him to ring me up. Jason was playing $1/3 NL at the Wynn, so I headed over there after I ate. He recognized me from my final table appearance which is still in reruns in Canada. I got on the list and wound up sitting next to Gecko. I played from 5P-11P and made $600.

When I was a teenager, I was watching TV with my brother, Steve, and some guy came on with a voice that in no way matched the face it was coming out of. I said to Steve that the guy's voice doesn't match his face, and Steve asked "which one's wrong?" We had a hearty laugh and I've always remembered that line. So, on my way to the Wynn men's room, I heard the voice on loudspeaker calling out names, and when I passed the lady who was holding a microphone, I did a double take as I realized it was her who was speaking.

I gave her such a strange look that she lowered the mic as if I had something to tell her. I tried to be funny and I said 'your voice doesn't match your face, you should think about changing one." I knew it was a stupid thing to say, but I thought we might share a laugh and that would be that. As soon as she replied "oh, really? What should I sound like?", it dawned on me for the first time that she was African-American and now I was in an awkward spot. I think she was ready to go to battle, but I didn't want to get thrown out of the joint so I apologized and moved on. I'd been waiting twenty years to use that line and it didn't go over as planned.

Tom met up with me at 11P and I called it a night after winning a huge pot that doubled me up. Tom had pretty much broken even at the $1/2 NL game at Bally's and he won over $350 playing a tournament at Paris in which he finished third. I got to bed for the first time before 2A with a promise from Tom that he would get me up in the morning so we could go to the Wynn together in time to munch at the buffet before the games began.