So got woken up by a phone call at 7:30A.M. Instead of hiking through possible thunderstorms, family decided they would go to Atlantic City.
We got there about noon, parked at Caesar’s. Walked down one way towards Showboat, toured the amusement parks. The family splits here, with some of us invading Trump Taj for free money, the kids and their uncle exploring the amusement parks and getting an addiction to go-karts, and me going off to see if I could make some money putzing around on slots. (The poker rooms were full up, I figured there was no way for me to get any gaming in..)
I putz away 20 bucks, the rest of the family get delayed and I find myself bored in Atlantic City with another hour to burn. (Usually a bad thing.) I walk back to Showboat, and get lucky enough to score a poker table (2/4 Limit), and make back some of my cash. This is a great table but I’d agreed to meet my family at 5:30, so I rush back after winning just a couple of hands.
Then the slot players turn out to be delayed AGAIN, leaving me to lounge outside the Taj.. Just to see a really tall fellow hanging out by the Amusement Park. Its Penn Jillette, completely casual, hanging out with his family. I leave them alone, as I often do with celebrities, as I figure they usually are just trying to have a nice day with their loved ones unbothered by the unwashed masses.
I wander over to the Tropicana, where we finally all link up, and snag a huge stomach busting dinner at Carmine’s. We stagger out of Carmine’s, and as we get to Caesars I muse about trying to snag free parking. The kids jump on this idea, figuring “HEY lets do the go karts again!” My uncle is all for this, as I think he’s getting addicted to.
… I go on Video Roulette, drop twenty trying to get free parking, then win it all back and ten more.
Finding myself with another 40 minutes I walk down to the poker room (following a very pretty white dress) and sit down at another 2/4 table. I PROMPTLY win sixty in the first hand with a river flush. (Classic limit scenario, had flush and straight draws, with a ton of callers before me, so I had to keep going..)
Later had KK and took another pot down, but bled away a little bit with blinds and broken draws. On my very last announced had, I land pocket fives, which improve to trip fives. Unfortunately, I have one person on a draw who rivers a straight and busts my fives. That’s OK — since I started at the table with a rivered draw to nail five people, its only fair for it to happen to me. I left the table still ahead by 37 dollars on a 60 dollar buy in.
After ups and downs I landed 42 dollars ahead, between dinner and other food my trip was basically paid for.
And I got the free parking.
—–
Postscript 1: On the way back we ran into traffic on the Garden State Parkway. We passed by near work, and found the cause. A horrific accident, looks like both sides of the road had been shut down, and there was a white SUV that skidded, flipped, landed upside down on the driver’s side ON the divider railing, and skidded some MORE on the railing itself.. Three fire trucks and two ambulances, one with their sattelite antenna raised, and about 15 people crowded around the truck. Thankfully, we did not see visible blood on the outside, but… Well, one hopes they get the guy out, cus it was clear the only way he was being removed was by cutting him out….
Postscript 2: Got home, got to my floor, and startled two women who were CLEARLY dressed to go out and impress. I was speechless. One of them (I think the one who lived on my floor) said an almost embarrassed “hello” — I think I responded likewise but I was still a little too brain broken to do much else. A pleasant “eep sorry almost ran you over” ending to the evening.
Postscript 3: Surprise, one more. I think I’m going to sleep in on my holiday day… But I’ll probably check on my parents.
Postscript 4: Last one, I swear. HOUSEWARMING IS IN LESS THAN A WEEK! WHEEEEE!
