Dispatch From the Front lines --2013 US 1Pocket Open

wahcheck said:
Mr. Figueroa:

Thanks much for your nice write-up; it was a very nice read for my morning routine....Hope you do well in the tournament........would definitely like to learn more of your adventures in the adult Disneyland.....you probably already know; but I would advise you to stay away from those tables to keep your vacation costs at a minimum!
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Thanks, wahcheck. And I don't play the table games anymore. The rules and odds are now beyond stupid.

Lou Figueroa
 
Black-Balled said:
I do believe Lou is tighter than Artie B down in the ball count and on his last barrell.
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BB, I used to "love" to play blackjack and was a student of Thorpe and Rivere, but with the multiple decks and the dealers winning pushes and whatnot, I dan't anymore.

Lou Figueroa
 
pt109 said:
Sometimes I wonder about Lou...
...goes to a desert to eat seafood...
...goes to a casino to play one-pocket...:rolleyes:

Try some blackjack....they worry about blackjack players....
...they'll send limos for slot players.

A while back, a friend was betting $800 and got a blackjack....
..like me, he never settles for even money, but he finds out that they
aren't paying 3/2 for the bj.....
...so he doubles down....dealer showed a 7
..dealer called the pit boss, never seen this before...
...pit boss said, go ahead
dealer busted...my buddy eventually won $7,000.

If Bartram puts Stroud in a trap....
...can he design an escape?
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Sometimes I wonder about Lou too, pt109.

Lou Figueroa
 
hang-the-9 said:
Great write up, I got a good visual of the setup as I'll be there next week for Jr Nationals and they'll be using those 16 9' tables. I was hoping they would have a few large rows like with the 7 footers but I guess not. So much for me sneaking off to play while waiting for my son's matches. I'll have to start a post to find a guide or something for the visit, my first time in Vegas and all. Only thing I know we will be doing is going to the Rio buffet and going on the rollercoaster (both my son's ideas, we saw a food show on the Rio buffet and he is dying to go, in fact, every time he cashes in a turnament here, he puts the money away for the trip. Which works for him since daddy pays for our entry fees and food for the tournaments LOL).
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Thanks, hang-the-9 . You'll enjoy Vegas.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
105 is hot. And no, I do not care that it is a "dry heat."

Once again I find myself in this God forsaken city to play a few games of one pocket in the US Open. To this day I do not understand the internal logic that drives me to do this each year, but here I am.

Landing in Vegas shortly after noon, I decide that it is in my best interests to head over to Best Billiards and hit a few balls on a Diamond table. There, I see Fast Lenny, still hobbled by a foot injury, Bobby Cotton, and Fatboy. Best Billiards is a wonderful room. There are several Diamond 9' tables, a couple of Diamond bar boxes, 3C tables, and a private room available. The service is cordial, and at one point, Mary, comes over to my table to inform me that I have played long enough to qualify for the daily special rate and can play until 7 for the same cost.

I knock them around for a few hours until I feel reasonably certain I won't completely embarrass myself in the tournament room and decide to drive over to the Rio. Driving through Vegas I wonder how this huge, insane city continues to exist, if not thrive. The heat, the surrounding desert, the cost of water and other goods, and the casino game rules and odds that have evolved to the point of being just shy of outright robbery. I am amused to see that a certain "Breaking Bad" ethos has taken hold in the city, seeing billboards advertising legal services ala "Call Saul!" with pithy enjoiners to "Get Glen!" and "Enough Said, Call Ed." I drive by The Riv, site of past billiard adventures and see that the parking lot is barricaded off and the casino's trademark sign missing several letters.

I hadn't been to the Rio for several years. It's off The Strip, sitting alone on West Flamingo Road, and is home to the Penn & Teller magic act. Wandering the casino, over and over I see posters advertising their show and am reminded of how much Bob Jewett looks like Teller, just not as happy.

At the Rio convention center, the main tournament room is huge, with a couple hundred 7' tables organized into endless rows. At the far end of the room is the "pro" area with raised sitting for spectators, 16 9' tables, and the TAR arena. These are set up in front of a very high stage. I see CSI front man, Mark Griffin, manning a registration desk and he stops a moment to explain some of the mayhem. Among other crises is ESPN lolly gagging their exit, post-WSOP, and delaying the installation of a hundred plus tournament tables. Everywhere I look tables are being forklifted, vendors are attempting to set up, and there is a general sense of disarray around the edges.

Warming up in the pro area I see all the usual suspects. I hadn't eaten all day so I decide against attending the player's meeting (once you've been to one, you been to them all) and sit down at the bar of Buzios, the Rio's seafood house. Let me tell you: if you're in the neighborhood, the food is outstanding and I can personally vouch for the blue crab stuffed mahi mahi.

After dinner I wander back through the tournament room for one more pass, after which I decide I am beat from the long day of travel and call it a wrap. Back in my room I go online to look at the tournament brackets and see that I am to play Carl Wilson, Jr, a name I recognize as being a top flight 9ball player, but do not associate with 1pocket, at 1pm. Maybe I have a chance, probably not.

Looking further at the chart and see AZ favorite, Chris Bartram is to play Design Your Dream non-cue maker, Bill Stroud, at the same time, and I get a sense of looming cosmic retribution about to be met out.

Lou Figueroa
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Wouldn't it be great if ESPN took the opportunity to stay and do the events?

Dreaming.....
 
JB Cases said:
Wouldn't it be great if ESPN took the opportunity to stay and do the events?

Dreaming.....
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That decision would have had to been made a long time ago.

BUT, depending on the scheduling of the events in the out years, Mark may now have a cost effective entree to entice ESPN to keep their production people on site, transitioning coverage from the WSOP to the CSI events.

Lou Figueroa
 
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