Just got back a few days ago from Atlantic City. I have been to every major gambling mecca in the U.S. i.e. Biloxi, Tunica, Foxwoods, all over California, but this was my first time in AC. I rarely play tournaments, so there had never been a need or desire for me to go there before, especially considering I live in Vegas.
Two years ago, a good friend of mine Jeanne introduced me to Big August Recreational Gambling Excursion (BARGE). It takes place every year in Vegas and has been at Binions the last two years. BARGE started in 1991 when a few people that posted on the usenet group rec.gambling decided to meet up in Vegas. Usenets were the earliest stages of what now are known as forums as we know it. The first ever BARGE in 1991 attracted 10 or so people.
http://www.barge.org/barge_history.html
Since the first BARGE, two other annual Excursions have since started. One in AC (ATLARGE) and one in Foxwoods (FARGO).
Most of the people that come are not poker professionals, just enthusiasts and part time players. Most have full time jobs. The only three people (I believe) who participate that would be considered known name are Any Bloch, Bill Chen, and Nolan Dalla. Andy and Bill began posting on rec.gambling in the early 90's well before they were known names.
These excursions are really a lot of fun. The people come from all over the United States and tons of friendships have been made dating 15+ years. A lot of members schedule their vacations around these events, with many coming to all 3 each year. The people are all cool. Old timers, youngsters (relatively speaking) and a mix in between. There even is a high percentage of females that come as well.
There's usually 3 or 4 tournaments, a couple dinners and a low key banquet the last night. The tournaments are like $120+ buy in's but they're fun. No one is really playing to make money. This year the tourneys were a Limit Holdem/08/Stud event, a 2-7/razz event/ and a NL event. When anyone busts out, everyone in the rooms starts clapping and yelling and mocking them. People bring goofy bust out gifts to give when they get knocked out. Last year some goth chick gave me some packaged alcohol drink in this plastic container that looked like a cock. Andy Bloch gave away and Ipad.
Ok, so it really is a lot of fun. I have made friends with quite a few people in the four events I have gone to. My friend Jeanne called into my last radio show on the other site (lol thats in homage to how Druff refers to it) and told me she had a free plane ticket she wanted to give me to go with her. I agreed on radio I would. I ended up bringing my buddy Steve the bodyguard as well.
First off, fuck Delta. I don't care if the shit is free, I'm not flying Delta ever again. Ended up on the tarmac 2 1/2 hours before we took off with no updates from the pilot or staff on the status. No drinks, food etc. Finally we take off and they compensate us by offering us a free alcoholic drink. I actually make my connecting flight in Memphis to Philly, but of course they lose my luggage.
When I get to Philly, I have to fight these pricks tooth and nail for a free hotel room across the street from the airport so I could be there when my luggage got in the next afternoon.
My girl Jeanne gets to Philly on a later flight at like 6am and meets me at my airport hotel. We sleep a few hours and head back to the airport to get my luggage and head off to AC, which is about 45 minutes from Philly.
I had asked Jeanne if I should bring my GPS but she swears up and down she knows how to get there from Philly. We get in the car and she starts using some fucked up app on her phone called "where am I" to get directions to AC. We end up circling the city of Philly for an hour and realize AC is 10 miles FURTHER than when we left. All the while, she is on the phone with Karina Jett complaining about some razz hand a guy played awful against her the day before oblivious to the fact that we are closer to Delaware now than AC.
We finally get to AC, the 45 minute drive taking well over 2 hours. Although many people have told me over the years how ghetto it is, I still couldn't picture it in my head until we were driving through the ghetto approaching the casino.
We check into the Taj. ATLARGE is held there every year. The people love it because they give us amazing room rates, the poker room will start any game/any limit/any time for us and basically cater to us. I had planned on staying a few nights at the Borgata but since everyone and all the socializing was going to be at the Taj, I booked my room there for a week.
The first thing I noticed was that the Taj wasn't quite as ghetto as I had expected. Friends had compared it to me as an "Orleans" type property. Although they were a lot of interesting characters there, the place was not bad. The standard room I got had a flat screen, was spacious, had a fridge, view overlooking the Atlantic and the boardwalk, and was clean.
Steve was arriving later that night via train from Philly, so Jeanne and I had about 6 hours to kill before we picked him up from the train station. We decided to head to the Borgata and play some poker. The Borgata was very beautiful and looked brand new, even though it has been open for 7 or so years. It's definitely the crown jewel of AC, but in Vegas it would just be a mid level resort imo.
We walk into the poker room and within 2 minutes someone calls my name. I look over and its "Sue" (not that Sue!) Sue is a middle age Indian woman who lives in Vegas and for many years has played the mid limit holdem games at the Bellagio. She has been kicked out many times over the years for her abuse towards the players, dealers, and the floor. Lol fucking degen Sue is at the Borgata playing. She knows Jeanne as well but didn't know that we knew each other. I of course convince her that Jeanne and I are fucking, even though Jeanne is old enough to be my mom, but she still looks amazingly hot.
I end up playing 40-80 there and lose 600 in about 4 hours in a pretty good game.
We head to pick up Steve at the train station which is sketchy as hell with all sorts of misfits walking about.
The next few days consist of drinking, playing these fun tourneys during the day, eating some pretty good food and socializing.
I didn't play a lot of poker considering I was there a week. I had one blow up/bender in the pits my 3rd day there where I lost 6k playing baccarat but didn't chase my loses after that night. At least I got 5 of the 7 nights comped and now a never ending stream of mailers from the Taj.
It was a good trip. The cash games we played were small. They call it the pink chip game, as it uses $2.50 pink chips, that the Taj only allows for ATLARGE. The limits are 7.50/15.00 and we played about every poker game at one point that I know of.
Nollan Dalla was shit faced in one of the nights we played and went on massive tilt after a hand, but in a funny way. He emailed me a trip report he made of ATLARGE. I'll try to find it in the morning and post it in this thread. Its pretty funny.
Couple observations I took home with me. I don't get how The Taj has been in and out of bankruptcy for almost 2 decades. The minimum bj stakes are $10 and those are just a few. Most are $25 and higher. Craps were all $10 and $25 games....and they were all PACKED. Every night, not just the weekends. Many times, you couldn't get a seat at a table game from blackjack to paigow to 3 card poker if you wanted to. The high limit pit was full of Asians playing baccarat at $100 min tables. The rate (not casino rate or comped) on the weekends are like $300+ and the week in the $100's and I know on the weekend I was there, the property was completely booked. How the fuck isn't this place making money????
They're blackjack SHOE games, they do not even allow mid entry. So if you find a table you want to play at, you have to wait until the entire 8 deck shoe is dealt before you can play.
I read yesterday that New York State passed non Indian casino gaming (Vegas Style) to take effect in 2013. If these casinos are struggling now, I really think with the competition from the casino resorts in Philly, and in a couple years NY, we may very well see the end of AC.
Other notes...tons of hookers running around the Taj (All either black or Latino and mostly with pimps near by)
I was surprised at the actual number of hot females in there 20's (non working girls) that were there partying on the weekends.
Ate at whitehouse subs, which supposedly is an Atlantic City fixture. Thought it was pretty good but how many ways can you really make one sub better from the next.
I walked the boardwalk a few times, which to me was just like a white trash version of Revolutionary Street in Tijuana. Everyone selling useless shit in the stores, people begging everywhere, me apparently having a fucking sign on my face that says SELL ME SOME FUCKING COCAINE, because I must have been asked at least 7 times if I wanted to buy drugs while I was there. The first time being within 20 minutes if me stepping foot in the Borgata poker room.
Also, AC is the most anti smoke casino destination i have ever been to. Literally one bank of slots is smoking and the one next to it isnt. Same goes for table games. I was told but someone that New Jersey Gambling Commission mandates that 70% of the gaming floor must be smoke free.
Anyhow the week was a ton of fun. Even you degens on these forums would enjoy it. Make a lot of friends, connections, networking etc.
We drive back to Philly, Steve and I find out our flight to Detroit has been cancelled and are being rerouted to Minneapolis. Get there and board and again sit on the fucking plane for over an hour before take off. This time we ALL can see what the problem is. There was water streaming up and down the aisles on the floor. Like massive fucking puddles. I had taken a xanax, put on the headphones and said fuck it and passed out. The last message I heard was "This is your captain speaking. As many of you have noticed there is water entering the cabin. We're gonna get are guys up here to see where its coming from and rectify it" LOL, guess they did because I woke up next to the beautiful lights of the Strip as we descended on Vegas.
The one truly thing I missed while there was the heads up limit bot I have been playing since last year. This trip had been the only cash games I had played in maybe 6 months. No casino in AC had them. Almost all the ones I called had them, but they had been removed since. I even called IGT from my hotel room.
A few hours after getting home and getting settled, I headed to the Cosmo to bot, where I then proceeded to get crushed for 4500 in about 4 hour. I have since got 3kish back over the next 3 sessions.
Ambien doing its job. Time for bed. Hope this trip report is somewhat entertaining/interesting/
I'll post pictures and Nollans TR if anyone has any interest.
Godspeed
Zod