Live (Barely) from the Derby

JAM said:
The move is to try to get a suite with a kitchen off-site and eat back at the room. I know having the room on-site is the nuts, and it make it easy to attend and compete in all the events. At the Old Executive West, folks complained about the food options too.

Oh, the sacrifices we make to enjoy pool sometimes. :cool::p:love:
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Yeah. A lot of us really didn't know how good we had it. This is particularly true of the early Derby's. Parking was easy. Seating for big matches was plentiful. You could actually walk down the main vendor hallway without worrying about your cue case smacking someone in the face. There were plenty of food choices within a five minute drive. All of those conveniences don't even take into consideration how basically anything non-violent was not only tolerated but, in many instances, encouraged. (That last part might sound ominous to some folks who weren't there. But you'll just have to trust me on this one. It was AMAZING and at no point did I ever feel unsafe.)

I mean, it felt like a the center of the pool universe just happened to be at a cool older hotel for nine days. Now it feels like a casino that just happens to be having a pool tournament for nine days. And, to be honest, I get it from a business perspective. But I definitely don't like it.
 
VarmintKong said:
14 dollars for Brussel sprouts?!? I can’t believe anyone would willingly pay money to eat those. That’s almost as bad as ordering a plate of liver and onions.

What in the world is potato “purée”? Please tell me they didn’t just try to church up mashed potatoes? I imagine potatoes so runny that they bring them out to you in one of those silver milkshake cups; two people at your table here’s two straws. Set it right in the middle and you can look lovingly into each others eyes, while you suck down that “purée.”
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I didn’t touch the Brussel sprouts.

The potatoes were the best part of the dinner by a mile. The steak was good. I had the filet.

Was amazing service and atmosphere. Was fun catching up with JRB. The wine(his choice-was very nice). Was a great occasion. When great occasions happen I don’t sweat the price.

Aside from dinner it’s was a fun day yesterday. Didn’t bet a dollar, was great pool to sweat, spoke to lots of friends and had a great time.

The only downside is the casino now feels like a casino with pool tables in it. I suppose after all the years in Vegas I’m just burned out on casino’s. However it’s not horrible, just feels “corporate”.

Just happy to be here,
Fatboy😃<——-doesn’t know what he’s eating tonight
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
Yeah. A lot of us really didn't know how good we had it. This is particularly true of the early Derby's. Parking was easy. Seating for big matches was plentiful. You could actually walk down the main vendor hallway without worrying about your cue case smacking someone in the face. There were plenty of food choices within a five minute drive. All of those conveniences don't even take into consideration how basically anything non-violent was not only tolerated but, in many instances, encouraged. (That last part might sound ominous to some folks who weren't there. But you'll just have to trust me on this one. It was AMAZING and at no point did I ever feel unsafe.)

I mean, it felt like a the center of the pool universe just happened to be at a cool older hotel for nine days. Now it feels like a casino that just happens to be having a pool tournament for nine days. And, to be honest, I get it from a business perspective. But I definitely don't like it.
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You explained it better than me:

I mean, it felt like a the center of the pool universe just happened to be at a cool older hotel for nine days. Now it feels like a casino that just happens to be having a pool tournament for nine days.

That’s dead nuts accurate!!!!💪💪

It feels like pool at a casino, which is better than nothing of course. But it doesn’t feel like ground zero for pool, and the milk drinkers are out in full force(vanilla people) I like character’s. You feel like you have to be on you best behavior because of security. Nobody woofing at anyone, it’s just not rough around the edges. I don’t have the right words again-but it just feels “like a casino with pool-not (pool)”.

Fatboy <——-misses the past
 
JAM said:
The move is to try to get a suite with a kitchen off-site and eat back at the room. I know having the room on-site is the nuts, and it make it easy to attend and compete in all the events. At the Old Executive West, folks complained about the food options too.

Oh, the sacrifices we make to enjoy pool sometimes. :cool::p:love:
https://www.amazon.com/Secura-9100M...ocphy=9014252&hvtargid=pla-348953862649&psc=1
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No need to go miles away when you can get an induction cooktop like this

For $75, I got one of these and I can make grilled cheeses, soups, pasta, and stir fry. The only limiting thing is the size of the refrigerator. Being able to make something hot for dinner and relax is so much nicer than I originally planned for. I view it that if I’m here for a week, I’m going to actually live. Not just survive on meager portions. 🙃



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measureman said:
Isn't having food delivered from other venues an option?
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Maybe at best. This land they paid $12 for 20 years ago when they built this joint. It’s the worst place possible.

Starvation is a common theme here.

Billy Cardone was walking around last night 1am not late and couldn’t find anything with sugar in it to snack on. I couldn’t figure it out either. The ice cream joint disappeared 4-5 years ago. There’s vending machines j heard. Haven’t seen them. If you have a car 15 minutes away is circle K.

This event has outgrown this venue now. 500+ in 1P & 9B I heard. I’m not sure where near by +/-100 miles is a better idea. I know they were contacted up for a long time several years ago. I forgot the year and couldn’t mention it if I remembered. Point is we are here for a few more years best I can recall. Then we need a bigger boat hopefully with food.

On a side note my room is great this year. Best room I’ve ever had here. Was renovated and nice. Just a regular room-not a suite. Beds awesome

Fatboy
 
ALT_ESV said:
No need to go miles away when you can get an induction cooktop like this

For $75, I got one of these and I can make grilled cheeses, soups, pasta, and stir fry. The only limiting thing is the size of the refrigerator. Being able to make something hot for dinner and relax is so much nicer than I originally planned for. I view it that if I’m here for a week, I’m going to actually live. Not just survive on meager portions. 🙃



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I have an induction cook top-those things are great. Problem is flying with groceries. If I drove in I’d have a well stocked kitchen and an induction cook top. That’s the plan. My fridge here is brand new-😃
 
axejunkie said:
The food situation seems ripe to have some local food trucks set up in the parking lot. They could make a killing.
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Come on, now... You know the The Corporation wouldn't allow that without a tax so large the trucks would basically be doing it for free. ☹️ And don't even think about bringing your own food and selling it. Security doesn't mess around. They are on patrol and seem to not have the ability to look the other way, which I get. They are a casino and they deal with a lot of scrutiny when it comes to laws.

But to go back to the Executive West days... You could sell anything out of your room you wanted without anyone as much as batting an eye. And I mean any thing. (Those who know, know.:cool:)
 
For what it’s worth…once you get here and are hunkered down, you can just download Instacart or Kroger and get an entire cart delivered for $10 and whatever tip you want.

This isn’t the 1980s with only Pizza and Takeout available for delivery.

I promise I’ll stop talking about food eventually. Bigfoot coming up soon. SVB and Gomez in 30 minutes.
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Fatboy said:
You explained it better than me:

I mean, it felt like a the center of the pool universe just happened to be at a cool older hotel for nine days. Now it feels like a casino that just happens to be having a pool tournament for nine days.

That’s dead nuts accurate!!!!💪💪

It feels like pool at a casino, which is better than nothing of course. But it doesn’t feel like ground zero for pool, and the milk drinkers are out in full force(vanilla people) I like character’s. You feel like you have to be on you best behavior because of security. Nobody woofing at anyone, it’s just not rough around the edges. I don’t have the right words again-but it just feels “like a casino with pool-not (pool)”.

Fatboy <——-misses the past
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You know, you nailed by saying that it's better than nothing. And by all accounts, it's quite a bit better than nothing. In my opinion, this is still the best tournament out there simply because the best players in the world show up, it has three different divisions, plus the overall winner. From a pool nut perspective, there's something for everyone. And, particularly for anyone who's never been to a pro tournament, I'm sure it would be a blast and possibly a bit overwhelming.

But, man! Having experienced The Executive West makes this feel like a bait and switch job. I know it's not as there were several factors that led to the venue change. But, holy hell. I literally saw some of the wildest, funniest, craziest, and weirdest stuff I've ever seen at that hotel. It just depended on how late you were able to stay up and whether you were in the right place at the right time. Comparatively speaking, though, it just feels sterile now. Still good. But a shell of itself.
 
ALT_ESV said:
For what it’s worth…once you get here and are hunkered down, you can just download Instacart or Kroger and get an entire cart delivered for $10 and whatever tip you want.

This isn’t the 1980s with only Pizza and Takeout available for delivery.

I promise I’ll stop talking about food eventually. Bigfoot coming up soon. SVB and Gomez in 30 minutes.
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Great call out! If you've got a room, a fridge (or even a decent cooler,) and a maybe a cooktop, that's the way to go. Hell, even without the cooktop, I'd eat cold cut sandwiches, chips, and soda every day before I'd pay what they're asking for food.(y)
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
You know, you nailed by saying that it's better than nothing. And by all accounts, it's quite a bit better than nothing. In my opinion, this is still the best tournament out there simply because the best players in the world show up, it has three different divisions, plus the overall winner. From a pool nut perspective, there's something for everyone. And, particularly for anyone who's never been to a pro tournament, I'm sure it would be a blast and possibly a bit overwhelming.

But, man! Having experienced The Executive West makes this feel like a bait and switch job. I know it's not as there were several factors that led to the venue change. But, holy hell. I literally saw some of the wildest, funniest, craziest, and weirdest stuff I've ever seen at that hotel. It just depended on how late you were able to stay up and whether you were in the right place at the right time. Comparatively speaking, though, it just feels sterile now. Still good. But a shell of itself.
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This is conservative compared to the EW days. But it’s not bad.

Maybe a EW type jamboree wil pop up again someday.

Imo there’s room for both

Best
Fatboy 😃
 
At any venue involving a gaming commission a very tight lid will kept on gambling. Someone tell me how much "action" is going on now. How many stacks are on the lights every night? Any crap games in hallways or the back of action room? 3-Card Monte games? Are the Chicago Boys, with all of their bundles of hundreds, there? Part of the beauty of EW, and what was sought to be brought forward from Johnson City, was full tilt. out of control, boiler bursting, downhill train wreck, GAMBLING -- something that organized gaming cannot and will not tolerate. DCC at EW after midnight was always rocking, it was life on the edge, maybe not quite Johnson City, but closer than what DCC is now. It is like comparing the Macy Parade to Mardi Gras.
 
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