Departures (Tournaments and Towns)

Man, I’m on a definite roll with the blog titles. I so could have called this one “Leaving Las Vegas”, but I did not. Even though that’s what I’m doing. And it’s also a famous song. And a movie. And a phrase you can say and it sounds like you said at least a tiny bit more than you did.

I was scheduled to depart Friday around noon, yet here it is Wednesday morning and I’m waiting to board. You know, I just haven’t been feeling that well here, been having a hard time sleeping, have some kind of cold/flu, etc. Last night the wife suggested I should come home early, and I didn’t take it too serious cause I had just kind of accepted the ‘official’ schedule.
Before heading up to my room I stopped and played a video poker machine for a minute. Yeah, that’s a leak, whatever. Anyway, there was this couple probably in their late 20’s, playing slots nearby. She was quite good looking, he kind of looked like Danny McBride (you know, the guy from Pineapple Express/Tropic Thunder). Actually they both looked pretty dated, she was just pulling it off better. I guess the guy had taken some bad losses, and he was full on losing it on her. She just kept staring straight ahead while he went, blaming her for his busto status cause she’s the one who wanted to come to Vegas in the first fucking place. And then she finally told him, in a very calm voice still looking straight ahead, to get lost, and she was tired of him hitting her. And he picks up a chair, I shit you not, and hoists it over his head prepared to smash her with it, before thinking better of it, putting it down, and throwing himself to the ground. I guess I should have jumped in, but I didn't want to get shot. So I went and found security and told them and then went up to my room. And it was just kind of the last straw for me. Vegas seemed full of villains this time. Maybe cause the wife wasn’t there to balance it out, go to a show and stuff like that. Just everybody seemed either a hustler or an asshole or both, and when they weren’t they were working for tips so they probably were.

I just decided spur of the moment to pack my bag and head to the airport, where I got a very reasonably priced ticket home. Feels good to be leaving.

Oh, and just to not leave you hanging, I had a very inglorious exit from the Caesar’s tourney. First hand of Day 2 I was in the BB and folded to a raise. Second hand I was in the SB and raised the (short stack) BB all-in with 36o. He folded. Third hand I was on the button with Q10 and open raised the blinds all-in (they were both uber tight and short stacked). Only it turns out I wasn’t opening. UTG had opened and I had missed it (due to a few circumstances that I won’t rehash here, obviously bottom line is that’s a brutal mistake regardless of cause). UTG tanked for a good time than called with A10. I was dominated and did not improve, he had me covered, and that was that. I went out in 14th. Silver lining was I crushed cash games while the tournament played on and would have had to have finished around 4th to make the same amount. Still, would have preferred a shot at winning the thing.