I am 38 years old and have one real friend in this world. We met in first grade and have stayed close for the last 32 years. I moved out of state a couple of years ago and the annual Vegas trip is the highlight of our year.

His flight from Dallas arrived about 15 minutes before my flight from Seattle. We cabbed it down to the Nugget. Check in at 9am on Saturday morning with no incident. We head downstairs and examine the slate of college football action. After making a few selections we head to the Nugget poker room to down a few beers and catch up while playing a little 2-4 holdem (the game of champions).

We had been playing for an hour or two when we heard what can best be described as a collision. We turn around and see an elderly patron at the wheel of his rascal scooter that he somehow managed to wedge under the wooden partition that seperates the poker room from the rest of the casino. Apparently he got wedged in there and tried to "gun it" (if you can really gun a rascal scooter) afer putting it in reverse. Well, he never got it in reverse and the "walls came tumbling down." Luckily no injuries.

This wasn't as much a poker session as it was something to do while watching our college football picks disappoint us. We went to the 777 brewpub for dinner and relaxation. It was okay but not up to its normal standards. After dinner we went to Binions hoping for a little different scenery and maybe a little better game selection....Well they had hold em, hold em, and more hold em....Alas we parked our bottoms at a 2-4 table and watched the Yankees and Angels game.

A lady at our table hit Quad 2's and received $50 and a freeroll into the Playboy mansion tournament at noon the next day. One of the floormen came to the table and explained that the 1st and 2nd place finishers get hotel accomodations at Binions over Super Bowl Sunday. They will get a limo to the airport, a private jet to the Playboy mansion for the Super Bowl party, and a freeroll ($500 entry) into the Super Bowl poker tournament that weekend. Being married for 15 years I asked if I could forego the tournament freeroll and pocket the $500 as a retainer for my divorce attorney should I win the tournament. His "go to hell" stare lead me to believe that was not the case.

As fate would have it, my buddy who is also 38 and married hit quad 7's a couple of hours later. I was happy for him but was really looking forward to him explaining this to his betroved on his daily "how are you and kids?" call the next morning.

Well, next morning he is explaining this situation to his wife on the phone. I hear him say, "I don't know if he would go or not." He was telling his wife that if I had a chance to go to the Playboy mansion he wasn't sure if I would. I walked right next to Barron and said loudly into the phone so his wife could hear it, "No way would I want to got to the Playboy mansion.....I love MY wife."

After checking in with the spousal unit we went down to the Nugget Sportsbook to make some NFL picks for the day. I suck at the NFL picks. Next year I am going to do the George Castanza thing and do the opposite. I will put in my due dilligence and then go against every inclination I have towards good sense.

At around 11:45 we make the 14 step walk from the Nugget to Binions to get my buddy settled for his freeroll to the Playboy mansion. I plop down and play a little 2-4 holdem and watch the last of my football picks implode.

About 30 minutes later a 20-something dude who busted out of the Playboy tournament sits down at our table and tells everyone the story about how he got screwed on a 3 outer and knocked out of the tournament. I heard this verbatim 5 different times in the next 90 minutes: "I knew where I was. I knew where he was, but he didn't know where I was! That's what is important." Dear Lord kill me know!

Barron came by the table during the first break to check on me and give me the update on the tournament. Said he was one of the larger stacks at his table. Nothing much else. I keep playing and watching the Tom Brady throw his 17th touchdown pass of the day when I decide to go to the restroom and eyeball the tournament area. I walk past Barron and examine his stack and check the board. He was well above average with about 35 people still left.

I go back and play more 2-4. Barron comes by again on the next break saying he lost a significant portion of his chips and is now about average. I take another restroom break about 45 minutes later. I walk by the tournament area and see Barron standing up with all of his chips in the pot and his hand face up on the table. His hand was Kc-7c and the board had Ac-10c-6c-Qh-3c....Awesome he doubled up apparently. I go back and play more 2-4. After another 45 minutes I check again. Only 17 players left and it's getting interesting. I play another 20 minutes at my 2-4 and go back. The final table just started and Barron is still there. Early on in at the table the button raises to Barron's SB. Barron pushes, the BB folds and the button tanks....He talks himself into a call with 6-6 against Barron's A-K...the K hits on the turn and Barron doubles up...I quickly go and pick up the rest of my chips at the 2-4 table and return for the rest of the tournament.

Barron has a bigger stack and is bludeoning the people trying to hang on and cash...(top 7 pay)...He continues to accumulate chips...Everything was going his way...The button orbit was timed perfectly where the blinds increased just as he got the button...It hit the final break and Barron is the chip leader 5 handed...3rd place paid like $1150 and the first two places got the Playboy package I spelled out earlier plus $120....Barron tells me at the break he just wants the money....After realizing he is on the verge of something pretty cool he calls his wife to tell her that he and I may be going to the Playboy mansion....Barron appeared to be engaged in some pretty high level negotiations with his wife....Apparently she was not too keen on the idea....I only heard one side of the conversation but there was reference to a "french made outfit, stilleto heels, and a block of cheese" should he take a dive and forego Super Bowl Sunday at Hef's place.

At any rate, the break was over and Barron mowed over a couple of more players....When he cracked the short stack's A-A with a J-9 it was pretty much done. They got down to three people. Barron agreed to take the $120 from the other two players plus the $1150 (or thereabouts) 3rd place prize and let the other two 50 something guys annoy the hell out of the Playboy Bunnies on Superbowl Sunday.

The next morning we cab it to the strip for a little NL action and a change of scenery. We got dropped off at the TI around 9 am expecting to find a game somewhere else on the strip. We know the TI is usually dark this time of day. We walk by and they have a 1-3 game going on from the night before that never broke. One huge stacked Asian kid, a 25ish falling down drunk girl, a couple guys from Sweden, a few other "typical" NL wannabees. I was sitting down for 5 minutes when I here the 25 year old girl perk up when she heard a random conversation a couple of the other players were having and interrupted..."Porn? Did you say porn? I love porn!"

I flopped a set of 6's and got no action. I raised with Q-Q and saw an A-K-X hit on the flop but the two players folded to my continuation bet..I raised Ks-Qs missed the flop but bullied my way to the pot. I chipped up my $150 buy in to about $250 when I raised $15 under the gun with Ah-Jh...I hate this hand under the gun but can't fold it...Only big stack Asian kid calls...flop is 10 high rainbow...I bet $20 at $33 pot. He calls. board is a brick. I don't think Asian kid is paired...I bet $40 at $73 pot...he calls...Damn it...River is Q...I bet out $70 at $153 pot...I'm trying to make it look like a value bet....He tanks for a minute and starts talking the hand out....He makes the hero call with A-K...I give him props for a good call..He was a nice kid and a good player..I hated my postion at the table with him right behind me but it was the only seat open. I finish the session down $12. Porn girl was flirting pretty heavily with dealer Matt when I left. I have a hunch that deal was closed.

Last night in town we played 3-6 at Nugget when I saw a player burn a whole rack of white chips in one hand....That's right $100 lost on one hand of 3-6 holdem...Fairly snug middle aged lady bets a flop of K-Q-9 and crazy black guy raises her and she calls...Turn is another Q...The board is now K-Q-9-Q and she bets out again (I wonder what she has!!!) Crazy dude calls. The river is a J...Board is K-Q-9-Q-J and tight lady bets out. Crazy dude raises and tight lady re-raises....The Nugget will let you raise indefintely heads up...The re-raise fest continues until Crazy dude has all his $$ in the middle...I was a little surprised to see that tight lady only had K-Q in her hand instead of K-K as she put all of her money in without actually having the nuts....Crazy dude gets all excited when he sees her hand and slams his down on the table like "take that!" His had was 10-6....I just watched a dude stack off $100 in one hand of 3-6 hold em...I love Vegas.

Overall, it was a great trip. Barron was a big winner and I beat the rake and tips for about 30 hours of low limit hold 'em. A good time with a good friend and a great story.