Big Slick - Card Club

VEGAS EMAILS

---- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Sellman "
To: <bigslick>
Sent: 05 January 2008 20:01
Subject: Hi from Vegas

Hi all,

Greetings from Vegas. Hope all is well with you all. I'm having a blast here as usual and will be even happier when the poker starts going a bit better. Flight was fine - sat next to a fairly fidgety kid so didn't get any sleep but I'm used to the long flight now, and the Bourne Ultimatum was good. I forget how large Ballys rooms are - dining area, 3 piece suite area, large bed and various other things all well spread out as well as a dressing area and bathroom. And centre strip at under $80 a night.

5 poker tournies so far at Venetian, Caesars Palace Treasure Island (twice) and Ballys without any success yet and a bit behind on cash games partly due to some bad beats, but its early days yet and if things dont improve I can always try to win it all back on Craps!! I've just got to stay patient. Just resorted to casino games once so far losing $10 on lobstermania slots.

Not getting much sleep - about 9 hours over the two nights I've been here - I just wake up early - I think they must put something in the air conditioning to keep people awake so they keep playing in the casinos.

Aladdin Casino is now completely transformed into Planet Hollywood and looks good. A massive new tower has been built with the name Trump on top - can't get away from that guy - when we were in Chicago a new Trump tower was being built there too - and they are well on their way to erecting some massive new buildings between the Monte Carlo and Bellagio casinos. Each time I return there are a few new changes like this.

Wish me luck and that next time my KK holds up against AK!!

Cheers,

Dave

---- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Sellman "
To: <bigslick>
Sent: 07 January 2008 221:50
Subject: Hi from Vegas

Hi again all,

I'm happy to report that I'm still surviving in Vegas and thanks to those of you who responded to my last email.

My luck on poker is mixed - still cant do anything in tournies - everything is fine in the early and mid stages, but each time I get near the cash - often with loads of chips - I bust out when favourite or in a race. However, the cash games are going fine and I have a 100% record in sit and gos. Played one, won one. That won't change since it was such a crapshoot its not worth repeating. I also won my first ever high hand jackpot with quad Kings. Only paid $85, but it was nice.

I succumbed to a bit of blackjack at Caesars Palace. Not sure why. Perhaps it might have been because they had Pussycat Dolls as dealers. I also ventured into my first game of craps last night which was fun.

I gave my big slick shirt its first outing last night at Binions and Golden Nugget (I'm currently in the middle of my 3 nights downtown). It gets occasional comments and one person thought I was one of the poker room staff. I'll also wear it to the big poker rooms when I return to the strip so that Phil's most unusual generosity in giving it to me when I made the final table of the betfair tournie will be rewarded. However, I'll still be submitting my bill at my usual mobile advertising hoarding rates.

Hope all is well with you all and see you soon.

Cheers,

Dave

---- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Sellman "
To: <bigslick>
Sent: 11 January 2008 01:34
Subject: Life is good

Hi all,

At last my tournie fortunes are turning round. Yesterday I cut deals for the prize money for both tournies I entered at Caesars Palace and Harrahs and I won in cash as well. I've got a bit of cash to invest now!!!

Over the last few days I've seen a lot of Usha and Perry - fellow big slickians - who are here for a few days but leaving tomorrow. They have each won a tournie so are having a good time.

Here's a local dealers favourite joke for the big slick dealers - What is the difference between a poker dealer and a stage coach driver? A stage coach driver only has to look at four arseholes every day.

Cheers,

Dave

---- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Sellman "
To: <bigslick>
Sent: 17 January 2008 20:26
Subject:Home again

Hi all,

I’m now back from Vegas and recovering (not too successfully) from the jetlag.

Unfortunately, the last few days were marred by feeling pretty grotty. I had a fever, a cough, and one or two side effects that would be classed as "too much information". However, I stuck with the poker through all this but with not too successful results.

Overall, the poker results were a bit disappointing. After 3 days I was down $1000 and after 7 days I was down almost $1300. I turned this right round over the next few days and after day 10 was up over $200. The next day started well and I was up another $300 when I was all in for around $250 with QQ against JJ. A jack on the river however, meant that this was as good as it got. Mixed results thereafter meant I finished a little down.

Exactly opposite to my previous trip, my tournament results were awful - just three decent wins compared to seven on the previous, slightly shorter trip - but the cash game went consistently well. Given what casinos take for tournaments - anything up to around 30% - it is probably the cash game anyway that will be most lucrative. There are plenty of dreadful players - often drunk - ready to have their money taken, especially at weekends. However, there were occasions when I was the one with a beer or two inside me. But this can work well sometimes. One guy had changed seats to act after me when I'd been playing loose aggressive just before going to bed. I raised pre-flop, he called. The flop came Jack and two small cards. I raised $20, he decided I was making a continuation bet and didn't have a jack so reraised $30 with his pocket 8s. I reraised $50, he thought long and hard then pushed me all in. I called and took a very tasty pot with my pocket jacks!!

I think I have some issues with the sin city call girls. One guy said he had been approached 5 times just walking through the MGM Grand. He wondered if he looked like the kind of guy who would need such services. No one replied since he probably did. However, I wasn't getting similar approaches. Do they look at me and think there's a guy who won't be needing our services? Or are they thinking "I may be a Vegas hooker, but I'm still not doing it with that!" OK there was a girl at Caesars who said a few words to me then backed off. And another on a pedestrian bridge at 1am who said "Hi sweetie" to me. But surely these were just normal girls being sociable....

Overall, I had, as always, a great time, even if yet again I failed in my objective of making enough from poker to cover my costs. However, while I'm not great on politics, can do no better than conclude with the words of the California governor:

I'll be back

Cheers,

Dave