Wednesday…..September 17^th

Finally the day arrived for us to leave from California.  We were so relieved to get approval to take our vacations with all the Hurricane Ike activity going on.  We shut the house down.  Cleaned all the food out of the fridge and cut off the main circuit breaker to the house and took off for the airport.  We left early because the airport is air conditioned and we hoped to find some hot food there.  What we did find when we got there were seats available on an earlier flight.  We weren’t able to sit together but that was okay.  We would take anything to get us to California as soon as possible.

I actually slept a good part of the way to CA.  It is not normal for me to sleep on a plane especially on the way TO a vacation destination.  It shows how tired I was from the storm.  I only felt a little guilty about leaving Houston behind.

We arrived at the Orange County Airport in late afternoon.  We went to the car rental. Some cash under the table got our “econo” car upgraded to a nice SUV.  We took off for Oceanside.  Gyla found It with no problems.  We enjoyed our ride down the coast.

We were almost to the hotel when the phone rang.  It was Linda and Jan waiting for our arrival.  They came and greeted us at the hotel.  We told all our hurricane stories then we headed off to Oceans 11 for some real food and poker.  Gyla and I both played $4-8 limit but not for long.  We were beat and made it an early night.

Thursday…..Sept 18^th

We met Jan and Linda in the Lobby and went off to lunch.  Some Cruise friends of theirs have an interest in a great restaurant at the end of a large pier in Oceanside where they treated us to a wonderful lunch.  These two ladies (Judy and Karen I believe) were sisters and a real hoot.  They are frequent cruisers so I implored them to join us on the Galveston Cruise in March.

From lunch we all moved on to Oceans 11 to meet the group for our journey to Ivey Ranch.  That is where I found London and Roni.   As I recall Hillary, Maui, Bonita, Julie, Cara were all there too.   (Please forgive me if I’ve messed up that list.  It’s been awhile.)  How great it was to see them!  We headed over to Ivey Ranch to find there were two types of jobs.  Painting in the sun or planting in hard dirt.  True confessions here………I’m not handy at all.  I hate painting and my back and knees don’t allow me to do a lot of gardening.  In choosing which I’d do I only had to see that Sun over the fence they’d be painting and I chose planting.   Big mistake.  I just couldn’t do it and ended up picking up empty plant cartons.  I did my best but the heat got me.  Julie and I ended up on the bench at the same time.  One by one everyone else joined us.  It was surprising how much we got accomplished before heading back to the hotel for a break before the evening festivities.

 

At the hotel we went to see Tana.  She and her friends had arrived when we were at Ivey Ranch.  I was reacquainted with Tana’s friend Robin and met Tana’s  friend Karen from Missouri.

Thursday evening was a Welcome cocktail party in the tent.  It was a great party.  We had a great intro to our weekend with a round table with Linda Johnson, Suzie Isaacs, and Marsha Wagonner.  We then had wonderful heavy hor d’oeuvres.  I do think I played more limit poker that evening but I really don’t remember.  We were also thrilled by the arrival of Michelle (Agntbluez).  We were not sure if she was coming or not.  We were happy she did.   I do know it was a long day and we were in bed before midnight.

Friday……September 19^th

Friday we were up early as Gyla had scheduled a massage in the room by Linda’s favorite massage therapist.  What a hoot.  This woman was serious.  Gyla thought she would get a nice relaxing massage.  Not with Espie.  She was really working Gyla over.  I could hear the yelps all the way down the hall as I escaped to go down for one of the excellent breakfasts served at the West Inn.

Finally Jan, Linda, Tana et al and Gyla all showed up and we loaded into our minivan for the trip O11 and the Lips tourney.  I stood in the registration line with Cara (R You Freaking Kidding Me).  We talked about how we hoped we got a table where we didn’t know anyone because we don’t like playing against our friends.  Famous last words.  Not only was Cara at my table but so was Bonita (Alfbo) and DeeDee (Slygolfer).  To make matters even worse I looked up to find Pam Brunson filling the seat to my left.  One of the infamous Hold’em Hotties from OK was to my right.  It turned out to be a great table.  Pam Brunson is the BEST.  We had so much fun.  She was playing with Casper, her Dad’s card cover.  She told me her Dad had bought it back from Howard for her.  She looked beautiful and she told me she’s lost 225 lbs.  How is that for inspiration? 

The play was good at the table and not crazy.  I found that I was enjoying the camaraderie at the table as much as the poker.  Pam cracked Bonita’s aces right off the bat and Bonita was out.  I was pretty card dead but managed to keep my stack intact during the first couple of  levels.  I was content with how things were going until this hand comes up.  I’ve got J10 in late position.  It’s folded to me.  I raise the standard amount.  I get called by Pam on the button, the small blind, and Cara in the BB.  Pot contains 1200.  Flop comes J 9 7 two diamonds.  I want to bet my top pair gut shot str8 draw to get out the diamond draws.  I bet around 1500 over the pot size.  That got everyone out but Cara.  She is the one person I wanted out of the pot.  She will bet you with anything.  You can never put her on a hand.  She’s also chipped up.  The pot now has 4200 in it. 

The turn comes an 8. I have hit my str8.  Problem is it’s a diamond.  Hmmmm.  Cara bets out 800 chips.  That is a small bet for that size pot.  I get the feeling that she is feeling me out.  I reraise her.  She goes all in.   I’m stuck now.  I’m pot committed.  I call and sure enough she has something like 5 8 of diamonds and I was out.

I really hate that I got caught up in a stupid hand like that.  With anyone else the play probably would have succeeded but I’ve played with Cara enough to know that I needed to just play small ball.  Later Cara told me that she bet out the 800 to try and let me know she had the flush because she didn’t want to put me out.   Problem is all she did was give me pot odds to call.  She could have had anything from trips to a hand like mine to the flush.  You never know.

So I was out.  Gyla was still in.  I found Lucky Linda who hadn’t been so lucky either and a few others who were out.  Linda and friends were on their way to visit Linda’s sister in law.  I joined the group.  We piled 7 in our rented SUV  (thanks to our upgrade).  We had a nice drive to see some of the country side.  We spent a pleasant afternoon drinking cold drinks on Linda’s SIL’s terrace at her lovely home.

We arrived back at O11 in time to see our ladies finishing up the tourney.  I was happy to see London, SDJen, TxHallHoldem, and Riverlady all at the final table.  Go Lady Poker Sharks!!!!  We railed awhile but it was time for dinner and I was starved.  We headed out to the tent.  It was an awesome night.  The dinner was great.    The entertainment was a talent show and believe me…..it was entertaining.  River Lady sang a song from a Broadway Play and was wonderful.  The highlight of the evening was a group of ladies doing a skit to the song Good Vibrations.  It was about the funniest thing I’d ever seen.  What a group they are! 

Again we were back in our room before Midnight. Everyone was going in different directions after the show but we headed back to the motel.   We are just a couple of party poopers.   LOL

Saturday …………. Sept 20^th

Saturday was the day of the CA State Championship.  We went to register.  I found myself at the table next to the one I started at in the LIPS tourney.  Again I was in the No 2 seat and the same Hold Em Hottie was sitting next to me.  Go figure.  River Lady was sitting directly across from me at the other end of the table.  Play started and I hit a straight on the flop.  I picked up a nice pot.  It was the last one for several hours.  Like the day before I just survived.  I picked up more trash hands then you can imagine.  Someone was playing almost every pot so the stealing opportunities were slim.  I hung in there for a very long time.  I was moved to another table and got a seat next to Tonya (Desert Angel).  Cara was also at that table.  Cara had a tiny chip stack but managed to build up a nice stack.  She ended up losing it and was out.  Tonya was obviously still feeling the effects of the pneumonia.  She didn’t look great but it didn’t hurt her poker.  She did well and made the final table.

 The only other big hand I had was when I was in the hand with A10o and the flop came 10 10 10.  While I was trying to figure out how to handle it I hear someone betting ahead of me go all in.  You can’t beat that.  I was very relieved to double up.  A few hands later I had pocket 10’s and raised.  The person behind me went all in.  It was a little more to call than I wanted to but I was pretty much committed so I called.  She had JJ and I didn’t improve so my stack was short again.  I made the mistake of not watching the clock and lost my fold equity when I went into the blind just as the blinds made a huge jump.  I ended up going all in with 10 10 and got beat by an AK.  I went out about 5 before the money.

Again I was disappointed.  I hung in there longer than the previous day but I just didn’t get to play my game in either tourney.  My cards were that bad.  The only premium pair I picked up in both tourneys was KK.  I was in the blind and wouldn’t you know…….it folded to me.  I had AQ a few times but I don’t think I ever had AK.   I could have done some stone cold bluffing but it’s just hard for me to push my chips in the middle and go out with an 8 3 os because some wakes up in the blinds with a hand. 

After I went out a bunch of us used our lunch coupons to get some lunch.  I played some 3 card Poker with Gyla.  Fortunately she won because I didn’t (notice a theme for this trip).  We went over to the Quality Inn where Jan and Linda were hosting a Wine and Cheese party for the LPS and the Hold ‘em Hotties among others.  It was nice. 

Finally it was dinner time.  Again out in the tent.  After dinner they had had some surprise entertainment.  By special request the group that did the Good Vibrations number repeated the number they had done the previous year.  All I can say is OMG……..it was as funny as Good Vibrations.  All I can say is those ladies must have a lot of fun at their games.  The theme was California Dreaming and they had a Beach Boys type band and they were great.  I danced like I haven’t danced in many many years.  All I can say is OMG.  Whoever would have thought a dance with just women could be so much fun?     After that we headed back to the hotel (by now you probably could have figured that out on your own).

 

Sunday …………. Sept 21

After breakfast we were back to Oceans 11 for the last tourney.  This is the Tag Team Event.  It is a Benefit for Ivey Ranch.   Gyla played the Hold ‘em levels and I was going to play the Omaha H/L levels.  I’d learned OHL for this event but had never played live before.  I knew it would be a challenge handling 5 cards.  They set up cash tables that would alternate play with what was being played in the tourney.   They started with Hold ‘em in the tourney so the Cash started with OHL.  I sat down to play but really wasn’t in the mood to play cash. 

Gyla didn’t fare too well in the first level of Hold ‘Em.  I found my seat to be between Jakie (PocketJacks) on my right and Lupe on my left.  Oh Great.  Not only would I make a fool of myself dealing with four cards but I’d do it in front of friends.  In the end I didn’t do too badly.  I picked up a few chips but nothing great.  Gyla didn’t fare to well in the cash game either.  Our chips were down but I didn’t really care because I still didn’t want to play.  I made a half hearted attempt until it was my turn to play in the tourney again.  I didn’t catch much to play but managed to go out about even.  I was playing very conservatively.  That was our plan. 

I handed it back over to Gyla.  We were out of chips in the cash game and I didn’t want to put any more money in it so I just wandered around till it was my time to play again.  I checked in with Gyla just before the end of the level.  She had 1 $500 chip left.  We urged the dealer to hurry so she could get it all in before the break.  She went all in blind.  In the end she had AJs but was beat by the BB.   We went off to have lunch and to do other things.

We ended up in 3 card poker again.  We played with Roni, Tana, and London.  It was fun.  The dealers were having fun with us.  I managed to hit trips TWICE so I won about $300.  We won our buyin back from the Tag Team tourney anyway.  Linda Johnson came up to the table and we had the pleasure of teaching her 3 card poker.  She played about 7 hands and won all of them.  She walked away up about $140.  They don’t call her Lucky Linda for nothing.

Gyla got up to leave which pushed the hand that would have been London’s to the woman who took Linda’s place.  Wouldn’t you know it that hand was a straight flush.  If Gyla had stayed one more hand it would have been London’s.  That game can be just as sick as poker.

Everything was winding down at this point.  A lot of people were leaving so we said good bye to a lot of our friends.  We had the awards dinner that night.   London, Roni, Gyla, and I sat at Jan and Linda’s table.  We got to visit with Linda’s Mom and Linda’s Sister in Law who I had met the day before.  Once again dinner was wonderful.  The awards started with Linda and Jan’s top 10 awards.  They were all funny.  Gyla received an award for the one who needed to find a new hobby because she had gone out early in all 3 tourneys.  Actually that wasn’t true but it was funny.  Gyla turned the tables on them when she got on the microphone and said she owed it all to the lessons she been taking from Jan and Linda for 3 years at $300 an hour.  Everyone cracked up at that one.  Cara got the award for being a Party Animal.  (I’d explain that one but my What Happens at O11 Stays at O11.)  I wish I could remember more but I can’t.  Beautiful Crystal Bowls were presented to the winners of the tourneys and gifts given to our O11 Hostesses.  There was a lot of recognition to staff was made and it was well deserved.  It was a very well run event and I don’t give that praise out often. 

All day long they had been announcing the names of winners of drawings they were holding for cash.  It was a casino promotion.  They kept scanning our cards all weekend for entries into the drawing.  Suddenly in the tent there was this big commotion.  A woman came in yelling something and suddenly Linda got up and ran out.  She had just won $1100 in the drawing.  She truly is Lucky Linda. 

Gyla and I were headed to Michelle’s for the night so it was time for good-byes.  It was tough.  I wasn’t ready to leave everyone.  We didn’t know if we were going to have electricity when we got home and I knew I had to report to storm duty in South Houston on Tuesday.  It was tough.  We said our good byes and headed out.

We found our way to Michelle’s lovely condo and visited some with Michelle and Frank before heading to bed.  The next morning we made it to the airport early enough to have a good breakfast.  While we were eating the electricity went out in the whole airport.  They said it was the first time in 18 years that had happened.  We felt like we were jinxes.  They kept the airport running but we were going to have to go down stairs to the runway and up stairs to the plane.  That was not going to be fun with the heavy computers we were carrying.  Fortunately the electricity came on before we left so that problem was solved.

We got home to find that our electricity had been turned on and my EOP assignment had been changed to a place closer to home.  We were able to wash clothes and put food in the refrigerator again.  What we used to take for granted we now considered a luxury.  It was good to be home.

It was a truly awesome trip.  Oceans 11 casino is small but excellently run.  It has the friendliest dealers and all the food is awesome.  Suzanne Carter and crew really put on a first class event.  I won’t miss another one.