I was evicted for snoring at 2 AM last night and was sent to the bunk bed in the rear of the bus.  “WE” ran out of Breath Rights; NOT a smart thing to do on a cold night.

I was up a little before eight and got the coffee brewing and logged on to PokerStars.  I missed my European “gang” that I normally find when I log on at oh-dark-thirty.  What I ran into this morning was a bunch of guys trying to make a living playing poker and waiting for some “fish” to join the party.  I’m sure they thought I was “their” guy but surprised the bunch and took first.  I ran the numbers again this morning and at my current ROI I’d have to play five days a week for four and a half hours each day to meet THE numbers.  MORE poker is looking a lot like a hot bath…once you get in..it isn’t so HOT! 

Today was a gorgeous day; crisp but dry with lots of sun.  Judith never made the bell until nine thirty.  We talked about the day then I headed outside to enjoy the sunshine.  I unloaded the truck and took all the stuff out of the storage areas in the trailer.  I got out my trusty jack and fixed the collapsing beds; something that Camping World was supposed to do and failed miserably.   With that done I packed away everything in both the trailer and truck and we are good to go for tomorrow’s departure.

I watched the clowns from “the big three” begging for money today in Washington.  Is there any doubt why these companies are in trouble?  It took six, yes six, private jets to bring these guys from Detroit to Washington to beg for a 25 BILLION dollar handout.  Do you think they will spend it prudently?  Yeah, right!  They DON’T deserve the money, but will get it…BECAUSE!

The market didn’t like what was unfolding today either and was down 4oo plus points, flirting with a five year low.  This is NOT a time for the faint at heart!

I talked at length with Lou Parrague, President of Capture, who runs the company in the transition period from our ownership to employee owned.  We are half way through the process and he has done an outstanding job.  Lou has his finger on the pulse and knows how to make tough decisions.  He led Capture to a 10% increase in revenues this past year and is getting out of the blocks with a STRONG first quarter.  He just got back from China where he put together a deal for us to buy cards (plastic) direct making us way more competitive.  Because of his efforts Capture just landed a deal for TWENTY million cards. :>)

We had planned to drive into Vancouver to go to the Banana Leaf but opted to save the gas and time buy eating a few blocks away from the park.  The old trick of finding a full restaurant and pretty well knowing the food is good is becoming more difficult.  Most restaurants we drove by today were almost empty; I’m sure a sign of these uncertain times.

For the past week we have been buying diesel below three bucks.  I wasn’t sure I’d ever see that again,  but………………

Tomorrow we stick the truck and trailer in the storage area here in Surrey and head north.  Buddy gets her first plane ride and that should be a new experience for us all.  We have a foot of snow on the ground at River House pretty much assuring us of a White Christmas; the reason we are heading North instead of to the warm and cozy south.   Judith’s idea, NOT mine!

This morning my internal alarm clock, set for 6 AM, was faked out by Mother Nature throwing a thick blanket of fog over the Columbia River.  I thought there would be no problem in waking up at six as I hit the hay at eleven.  The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray………..I awoke at ten to eight knowing I was already way behind the eight ball.  I threw on my clothes and headed up to check on Darrell.  He had been up for hours and was itching to cook some BLTs as a getaway breakfast. 

I decided to leave my cues at Darrell’s where they would not only be safe but be out of the humidity and cold up at the storage space in Vancouver.  Darrell decided to photograph a few so he can send me the pictures to put on E-Bay. 

Judy headed off to work a little after eight.  She is at retirement age and keeps threatening to quit but her employer keeps urging her to stay. 

I had hoped to be on the road at ten but with the late start I was happy to hit the trail north at eleven thirty.  We had good traveling weather today which ranged from light fog to bright sunshine.  We blasted through Seattle and never even slowed down until we had three hours under our belt and were only an hour and a half from the boarder. 

As we approached the boarder the sign indicated a five minute delay.  We were the only RV in sight and I guess that caused us to be “randomly” selected for a full blown inspection.  We pulled over into the inspection lane and gave the keys over to two Canadian border officers.  They took over a half hour and went through both the truck and trailer.  They returned to the building together and disappeared into a room near the door.  Ten minutes later one of the guys came out and handed us our passports and told us to hit the roads.  In all the years we have been coming across the border this is the first time we had a full blown inspection by the Canadians.  On the other hand we’ve been put through the ringer several times coming into the US.  We are ALWAYS legal and don’t mind them doing their jobs.  Maybe we should put them in charge of the economy.  Speaking of which…………………

I was expecting a blood bath in the market today following the CITI layoff news.  NOT so!  The market actually was up over ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY points today.  Go figure.

The delay at the border caused us to arrive at the RV Park in the dark; NOT my favorite thing to do.  We will be leaving both the truck and trailer until early January in the storage area here at the park.  I’m not crazy about doing that but I really don’t want to drive up and back on slippery roads.  The owners want me to chain the boat to the rack, just in case.  I’ll do it to keep the peace but I think the average thief is way too smart and lazy to try to get a three hundred pound boat off the top of a truck.  The truck has a great alarm and it will go off about the time the climb up on the bumper.

Judy and Darrell are great hosts and we have stuffed ourselves during our stay.  With that said we decided to have a light dinner at a Vietnam noodle place just a few blocks away.  It was just the ticket; decent, very reasonable and minutes away.

We were back at the RV by seven and enjoyed a very quiet and peaceful evening.  We played our first gin game of the month and I squeaked out a win after Judith got off to a one hundred point lead. 

I did get back into the poker wars and finished out of the money in a 27 player MMT.  I’m trying to come up with the correct mix of SNGs, MMTs and BIG tournaments that will give me the best shot at hitting my goals for the next five months.  Hey, this is looking like a job…………….

November 17^th

I was awake a little before six excited to learn the outcome of my cue auction on E-Bay.  I’ve never sold or bought anything on E-Bay so I really didn’t know what to expect.  When we looked at the cue category it was disappointing as there seemed to be VERY little interest with an average sale price of ONLY one hundred and eight dollars.

Like most things in life it turned out to be a learning experience and I made a couple of mistakes.  The first e-mail I received form a potential buyer asked what the reserve price was and I let him know it was $390.  I don’t think I should have done that.  I think without doing that it would have either NOT sold or sold for MORE.  Live and learn. 

Darrell played poker until late last night and never made the bell until after seven.  I grabbed a cup of coffee and then he walked me through all the steps to get both the geothermal system and cameras running on my new Mac notebook.  I took lots of notes and with a little luck and patience on Darrell’s part I hope to have these up and running shortly after I get back to River House.

My Camping World nightmare continued today and I’m convinced they are one of the most screwed up companies on this planet.  They were suppose to call me by an update on the parts by night so I could get over there and get the work completed.  By eleven there was still no word so I called and asked for the manager.  I believe there may NOT be one but got an “assistant” manager who had ZERO people skills and was not one bit helpful.  Bottom line is the canopy material is in, however, they have no idea the status of the rubber seals for the slide out.  I calling the credit card company tomorrow and ask for a refund on the amount I’ve already spent.  When we come back through here I plan to pick up the material and parts and go to someone else to do the work.  Speaking of credit card companies…………….

I heard on the evening news the CITI just announced that they are firing 55,000 employees.  The next shoe to drop is the credit card company fiasco and I don’t think it will be too far in the future!!  The market was down another 230 points today and down 14% since Election Day.  I’ve been in several retail businesses here in the Portland area and there are NO customers in the stores.  Hmmm.

At eleven we headed down to Oregon City to see Judith’s cousin, Linda and her husband Richard.  There oldest son, Randy, joined us for lunch and we had a good conversation about the mortgage business.  He just closed his mortgage business, along with countless others, and is currently looking for work.  In Oregon alone there has been a drop from fourteen hundred mortgage brokers a year ago to a shade over five hundred today. 

We had another good Mexican meal; I wish I could get one of these places to open in Smithers. 

After we got a tour of their place we squeezed in a quick game of Pegs and Jokers.  It was a close game but the girls won; something they really enjoyed.

We were back in Kalama by five thirty and checked in with Darrell and Judy.  We agreed on left over pot roast for dinner and then played a couple games of Pegs and Jokers.  We won the first game and they one the second.  No one had the stamina for the tie breaker so we’ll share the title until we meet again.

Year sixty four got kicked off today in a pretty laid back manner.  I got up at seven thirty and was greeted by a beautiful sunny day.  Darrell and Judy’s house overlooks the Columbia River and today we got some interesting views as the fog came and went. 

I grabbed a cup of coffee and checked in with Darrell who was in computer hell over the remote wireless camera.  I’ve got a lot of learning to do in the next couple of days to have half a chance at getting both the geothermal monitoring and camera working when I get home.  If I were Darrell I won’t answer my phone for the next ten days.

Job one today was making a shelf to hold the TV and create a place for the DVD, direct TV box and a little storage space.  Darrell and I picked up the materials yesterday.  I drew up a plan and Darrell assembled the tools.  We made a cutting bench out of cat litter pails and we were off to the races.  By noon the job was done, the shelf was in place and Judith was headed down to the hardware store for some oak stain.  While Judith did the staining, Darrell was back to the computer wars and I did some couch warming.

The girls insisted we play some Pegs and Jokers and beat the pants off us.  Darrell wants nothing to do with Hand and Foot so it looks like we’ll be playing Pegs and Jokers.  I think it is a great little game.  Judith found a guy who makes VERY nice boards for the game and she bought a couple yesterday. 

Judith was cook for the day and made a very nice pot roast we all enjoyed.

We checked in with Louise and there is a foot of snow on the ground and another six inches expected tonight.  It looks like I’ll be plowing my way in when we get back Thrusday.

I did manage to get in one game of Poker today and managed to finish fourth in an eighteen player $10 entry SNG.  Forth played Eighteen bucks making the hourly “wage” about four bucks.  Maybe I better check into a greeter job at Wal-Mart! 

Geese overlooking the Columbia river

Waking up on your birthday morning has always been a little special for me.  I guess as we get older waking up on any morning is a gift.  I get to reflect on all the years and wonder where they really went.  I have early and fond memories of my childhood in Lagrangeville, New York living in a small farming community where it seemed almost everyone was related.  School, which I never really cared for, was kind of a blur and before I knew it my dad was driving me to Poughkeepsie to the Air Force recruiting station to catch a bus to New York and a stint in the service.  The Air Force was one of those things that I was glad I did but was even happier to be “free” and still alive when I was discharged three and a half years later.  Many weren’t as lucky as they ended up in a place called Vietnam and had their young and hopeful lives ended.  An eighteen month marriage gave me a beautiful daughter, Tina and the sowing of wild oats gave me a second, Cathy, who I really never got to know until she was eighteen.

Judith came into my life, not a minute too soon, and we faced life with a combined family of four.  Doug and Dave, twins, were all most six and about as lively as two boys could get. 

After growing up around the farm, selling seemed like legal “stealing” and has served me pretty well throughout the years.  Selling evolved into business ownership which, if the truth be known, I enjoyed less than pure selling but it paid the bills and I got better at it as time progressed.

My life goals changed when a childhood friend, Richard Wiseman, died of cancer at age fifty.  I realized if it could happen to him it could happen to me and decided to alter course and smell the roses.  Within months I had a plan in place and at age fifty five put a general manager in charge of the business and became “semi-retired”.  We purchased the land in Canada in 2000 and River House started taking shape.  In 2004 we entered into an ESOP sale to transfer ownership to our employees and have been pretty much “retired” since we inked that deal.  I say pretty much because River House has been a lot of work and much more of a business project than a home.  Someday, hopefully in the DISTANT future, it will become a Bed and Breakfast or Corporate Resort.  That possibility came ever closer as the master plan for the Smither’s Ski Hill was just approved and they will be spending SEVENTY TWO MILLION for infrastructure and even a gondola from the top of the hill to downtown Smithers. 

Along the way we have picked up countless friends, got to know our relatives better through our travels and have accumulated TEN grandchildren and even a great grand child.

So much for the recap!  Today was simple and uneventful; a beautiful ride down the Columbia Gorge on a sunny day.  We arrived at one thirty and were greeted by our wives after a seven day separation.  I was the first to be “instructed” winning Darrell ten bucks!

Dinner at the Ringside was fantastic, as always.  If it isn’t the best Steakhouse in the US it is a VERY close second.  It hasn’t changed one iota in the thirty years I’ve gone there. 

Today was a “pokerless day”; refreshing.   As birthday’s go….PERFECT!

We awoke this morning to bright sunshine and absolutely NO wind!  The sky was a beautiful blue and almost cloudless.  The hills around Pendleton are just spectacular.  We are sitting in the middle of wheat country right up to the point on the hills where it becomes too steep to plant.

The market was down over three hundred shortly after it opened and went up and down like a yoyo………..again.

As we headed over to the casino on this beautiful morning, memories of going into dark and dingy pool rooms on a beautiful day leaped from my memory.  What a waste of a beautiful day; then and now!

I plunked down the entry into today’s No Limit tournament along with 248 hopefuls.  After almost ten days of NON stop playing for most of these guys they look exactly as they did when they started.  Many of these guys are TRYING to make a living playing poker.  Poker as a living may be the HARDEST…easiest job they’ve ever had.  The cash tables, something I avoid like the plague, run 24/7 here and there is action at every level.  Single pots over ten thousand are not uncommon.  I’m NOT talking chips here I’m talking hard earned (or won) CASH.

Moments before the tournament began the tournament director announced that they were adding another FIVE thousand to the last two tournaments.  Why?  The action on the slot machines was so good they wanted to give some back.  Fools and their money soon part!

Everything in life runs in cycles and cards are no exception.  I had a huge rush of cards in the seniors which no doubt play a nice part in getting the title.  I’ve been pretty much card dead ever since that tournament and today was no exception.  I lasted through two breaks and almost to the dinner break by being tight and playing very few hands.  When I only had $1500 in chips left I took a shot and went broke.  I finished 85, out of the money.  Close but no cigar.

So, as far as Darrell and I are concerned, the tournament is OVER.  What did I learn?  Pendleton is a very windy place.  Never get food recommendations from a teenager.  You can’t GIVE away a TV that isn’t a flat screen.  Indian casino food served at poker tournaments DOESN’T remind you of Mom’s cooking.  Slot machines at Indian casinos are TIGHT but NOT as tight as Darrell.  Darrell is a good roommate but NOT as good as Judith. The phrase “ Texas Hold’em takes a moment to learn and a life time to master” MAY be an understatement.  AND……….YOU are NEVER as good at anything…as you think you are!!

My poker bankroll is in great shape and will be safely tucked away.  The most important rule for poker players is to document every penny won and LOST.  I’ve done that religiously for EVERY penny gambled for the last ten years.  The second most important rule is to keep your poker money separate form household money. 

My next poker goal is to make an amount equal to my Social Security check for the next six months.  I’ll play, make that work, on the internet and work in live games when we are RVing the states.  I’ve got Judith’s blessings to give it a try and she’ll “view” it as a job and NOT PLAYING.  Do I have a great wife or WHAT!

Tomorrow is my 63^rd birthday and we are going to one of my favorite restaurants, The Ringside in Portland.  AND……..One Hundred and sixty eight of my fellow senior poker players are buying!

The Wildhorse Casino is just a few miles east of Pendleton located on a plateau.  The wind has blow constantly since we arrived on Friday and with the exception of today we have had plenty of rain to boot.  The sun shining into the RV was pleasant as we got up at around six thirty.

Darrell decided to cook some eggs and I opted for the continental breakfast and walked over to the casino.  After breakfast I decided to register for the satellite and much to my dismay I discovered that it was last night and both Darrell and I spaced on that fact thinking it was tonight.  I hustled back to the RV and gave Darrell the bad news.  We both couldn’t believe we allowed that to happen.  Oh well, getting old is the PITS!

We decided to play the UBT blackjack tournament at six and went on the internet to learn the rules and even play some practice games.  It is tournament blackjack and is different than playing against the house for cash.  Much like a shootout they start with ten players and then through elimination end up with one finalist per table.  I played a little blackjack in my time and the entry was only a hundred bucks so we thought we would give it a try.  Well, after spending several hours “studying” the game and strategies we went over to register only to find the event had been canceled for lack of interest.  Strike two!

We came back to the RV and were happy to see the PokerStars was still in business!  I logged on and finished out of the money in a MMT but did finish first in a $22 SNG and pocketed NINETY bucks.

Darrell is starting to refer to us as Felix and Oscar and I think I am beginning to see the resemblance. 

I headed over to the casino at six thirty and entered a couple of SNG but they were all in fests and that is just not my game.  I’ll give the $500 entry NO LIMIT tournament a try tomorrow and IF I cash I’ll stay for the main event on Saturday.  I think Darrell will try a SNG in the morning to see if he can win the entry into tomorrow’s game.  IF we both fail we’ll head for Kalama early Saturday morning.

What a roller coaster ride the Market had today.  It was up and down like a yoyo going above and BELOW yesterday’s close by FIVE HUNDRED points.  The exchange rate has been fluctuating as well and ended today at 1.223.  Whatever the current market represents it sure doesn’t seem to be investing.  I think there is less risk standing at the end of a crap table with your money on the come line.  I wish I had the foresight and brains to pass.  Hindsight is always 20-20.

There is still no snow at River House which is kind of unusual.  I talked with both Louise and Peter today.  Everything is OK at River House but it looks like, Babe, Louise’s horse is headed for the big sleep.  Babe is over twenty and I have enjoyed having her around the place all these years.  Time marches on.  If I was younger and didn’t leave for the winter I’d have a nice big pair of work horses around the place.  Maybe next lifetime.

I talked with Peter today and he hasn’t worked a lick on the gazebo but promised to get it finished before we return.  I reminded him of my “no ticket, no laundry policy” so hopefully he’ll get motivated by the payday at the end of the rainbow.

After being here for a week and observing the poker “addicts” I’m thrilled that selling things was my drug of choice.  My father always said “everything in moderation” and it certainly applies where cards, felt and money are concerned.

Darrell was banging around before six and I had already gotten eight hours sleep so I got up.  Darrell got the coffee on.  We seem to be getting along just fine coexisting in these small quarters. 

The weather here has been the pits. As I type this the wind is buffeting the trailer and it feels more like were in a boat than in an RV.  It has rained every single day with NO let up in sight.  The only good news is that it is still pretty warm.

I ordered a wireless camera from Amazon and we waited around until ten hoping UPS would deliver it this morning.  At ten we went over to the Casino and had our continental breakfast.  When we headed back we checked with hotel desk and they checked on the package and said it hadn’t arrived.  We headed back to the RV and logged on and played a couple MMTs.

Around eleven the package arrived and Darrell was chomping at the bit to get it set up.  It is a really cool Panasonic that can be remotely controlled and even has a speaker.  I want to set it up at River house looking out the dining room window pointed toward the fish sculpture.  When we set it up, in the trailer looking out the window, we could CLEARLY see three or four spaces away.  I want to set it up on the web site so it can be clicked on and people can see if any animals are in the vicinity.  People won’t be able to pan and tilt but it still should be a cool new feature.

At two I pulled Darrell away from the camera and computer and we headed down to Pendleton.  The first stop was at Bi-Mart, a WalMart like chain, that has been in these parts for a LONG time.  It is a membership place but allow visitors to shop as guests.  We picked up a cute toaster oven that was PERFECT.  Next we returned some stuff to Radio Shack and got a credit.  We were pretty hungry and got a recommendation for the BEST hamburgers in Pendleton.  It was four in the afternoon and the place was hopping.  It was the weirdest setup I’ve ever seen!  It was a building about fifteen foot wide and forty feet long.  It had drive up windows on both sides and walk up windows on the other two sides.  The stove and freezers were in plain sight and about 1950 vintage.  We ordered and hoped we’d get our food before the food inspector shut the joint down.  We got our food and walked to a room that was detached from the cooking area and across one of the drive up lanes.  The fries were great and the burgers were all most as good as MacDonald’s.  How old do I have to be to understand NEVER get a food recommendation from a teenager?

We headed back to the RV Park at four thirty and it was already getting dark.  Darrell hopped back on the camera project and I took a nap and played with my micro helicopter I’m trying to learn how to fly.  This is the second one I’ve gotten.  Tina, my daughter, crashed and destroyed the first one BEFORE I flew the darn thing!  Buddy is fascinated and it gets her undivided attention when it is in the air.

Tonight we were flicking through the channels and came upon the Dave Ramsey show.  I’ve listened to Dave on his radio show off and on for years and I think the guy is great.  He is on a tear to get Americans debt free and encourages everyone to start by cutting up their credit cards.  He even has a contest and prizes for people who send him a video of the most creative ways to destroy cards.  I hope this catches on and the credit card companies get what they deserve! 

I talked with Judith this morning; she is back in Kalama, just north of Portland.  Darrell and I plan to head back when I’m OUT of the main event which starts Saturday at Noon.  It is a two day event IF you play well enough.  Tomorrow night we play in the main event satellite and try to win a $1000 seat for a HUNDRED bucks.

Well the Market dove again today; it closed down close to another FIVE HUNDRED.  I watched Paulson on Fox trying to explain why what they thought would work a couple of weeks ago WON’T.  The longer he talked the lower the market went!  I heard later in the day that Starbucks had lost 97% off its high.  I’ll bet the executives at Starbucks are drinking things a lot stronger than lattés tonight.  Circuit City filed for bankruptcy today and who know what tomorrow will bring.

This is a picture of the picture I got and will hang proudly on my office wall.

The adrenalin was flowing, Buddy was ranking the blinds and the guy next door started running his Diesel Pusher at FIVE AM making for a measly ONE hour of sleep before I gave up and got out of bed at nine thirty.  The cash and bracelet were on the shelf so I guess it isn’t all a dream.

Darrell had been up for hours and I tortured him with hand replays and listening to my telephone calls to Judith and others telling about my BIG win!  Yes, I’m bragging.

I cooked some sausage and eggs for breakfast and nice change from the casino’s continental breakfast. 

At eleven thirty it was time to head back over and register for the ShootOut tournament starting at noon.  A shootout is where each table plays down to the winner then the remaining players redraw (get new seat assignments) and play off for the money.  Win your table and you’re in the money.  The magic continued for me and I eliminated EVERY player at the table in record time!  All the rest of the tables had seven and eight players still in the hunt.  I got GREAT cards and played them aggressively.  Winning the Seniors had a great effect and I used it to my advantage.  The redraw started at four thirty and it was just a little after one when I got back to the trailer.  Job one was taking a nap which was badly needed. 

I slept for about an hour and then got up and cooked a light lunch before heading back to the casino to finish the shootout.  The 26 table winners spread out over three tables and we started all over with low blinds and three thousand in chips.  To make a LONG story short I went a little card dead and ran in to a flopped flush against my pocket JJ and went broke finishing SIXTEENTH.  I got $388 for my efforts and was VERY happy with my results.  I’m in the hunt for overall tournament leader and a couple of good finishes in the last two tournaments and I could make the top five.  My goal for this tournament was to (a) cash and (b) make a final table.  The win and the bracelet were a nice plus and another cash or two would be WAY above my expectations.  My poker bankroll is doing nicely and I want to play in the 2009 WSOP Seniors tournament in Vegas next July.  Who knows maybe I’ll even play the main event.

No tournament poker tomorrow but I’m sure will knock off a few online SNGs!

Today started like every day here at the poker tournament.  Darrell was up moments before me at a little after six.  We got the coffee on and the computers warmed up and played a little on line poker waiting for the registration desk to open so we could go over and register for the seniors tournament starting at six thirty this evening.

At nine we headed over and had our complimentary continental breakfast.  It is beginning to look a lot like the movie Groundhog Day!  While having “breakfast” we struck up a conversation with a nice couple from Spokane that had stopped on their migration south.  I had just read in USA Today where the NEXT “thing” we are going to bail out are the credit card companies.  It seems like even thirty percent interest charged to people who don’t deserve the credit and can’t pay it back is causing them a problem.  NO PROBLEM!  It is ONLY a couple hundred billion.  Do yourself a favor and send the bastards a message and CANCEL all your credit cards but one.  I selected the one(s) that treated me best over the years meaning they didn’t try to take advantage by jacking the rates JUST because they could.

Back to poker.  As I plunked down my $215 dollars for the seniors event that little man in the back of my head was trying to get my attention.  Deep down I know I can play and I’m getting better and justified the expense as a “learning experience”.  Darrell headed back to the trailer after he registered and I entered a $25 SNG and got knocked out pretty early.

I was back at the trailer at ten and started looking at my e-mail and was surprised and pleased to see e-mails from people having questions about the cue on E-Bay.  When I checked E-bay I had thirteen “visitors” and one bid and it had only been listed for two hours.  It was only a minimum bid but hey….it’s a start.

Around noon we headed for Pendleton with a list of things to do and the desire to find a good restaurant.  Darrell wanted breakfast (again) and I wanted lunch so we ended up at a Mexican place and had huevos rancheros and they were killer.  Darrell thought they were great too.

Next we got propane and NOT a minute to soon.  Then on to WalMart to get a new flat screen TV and a toaster oven.  The TV is fine, however, I’ll need to find something to put it on that has a couple of drawers.  The toaster gets a ride back to WalMart as it is little too large for the space on the counter.

We got back to the RV Park and set up the TV and then took an hour nap.  At five thirty we headed over to the ‘free” buffet in the hopes of getting a decent meal.  I don’t think Indian Casino’s will EVER be known for their fine cuisine. 

At six thirty we were seated, along with ONE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE other old folks for the senior event.  Before the cards were in the air they inducted another member into the Seniors Hall of Fame.  Oklahoma Johnnie Hall, a somewhat famous 82 year old poker player, led the parade of twelve hall members.  Also, in attendance were many (old) pros and several senior women that won many tournaments including the gal that just took FIRST in Saturday’s 600+ entrant event.

The first table I was assigned to had four top players and it looked like my nightmare was about to get worse.  I did manage to grab one of my poker books this afternoon and brush up a little on live tournament play.  My plan was to NOT get out of line and accumulate chips.  At the first break I had 6000 chips, at the end of the second I had 23000 chips and by the time it was down to two tables I was in decent shape; twelfth in total chips.  Then lighting struck!!  On the second hand I got pocket tens; not a huge hand but big enough to bet.  I limped in and everyone folded to the small blind who went all in.  The big blind folded and I took a deep breath, thought for a couple of minutes, and called putting over half my chips at risk.  The flop comes with TWO tens and I’ve got quads (4-10’s).  He goes broke and I’m rocketing toward the chip leader.  On the VERY next hand I look down at pocket AA.  I’m in the big blind and last to act.  I’m thinking how can I get the most out of this hand when the small blind calls all in AND an instant later the big blind calls.  Is this a dream or what?  I call, covering both players, and they turn over 88 and KK.  Wow!  This isn’t a cake walk because that gives them four outs that can beat me.  My AA held up and BAMB……there out and I have ALL their chips and I’m the BIG chip leader.  Next thing I know I sitting at the final table with my name on the board and a final table hat on my head. 

My plan was simple: DON’T do anything stupid, play tight, and let the other players knock each other out.  I lay in the weeds until we were four handed and they all thought I was a super tight player that would only play the NUTS (winning hand).  I raise a couple of times and everyone folded thinking I had big hands.  Next I got involved in a hand and a player with a medium stack raised me and I put him all in.  He thought and thought and after three or four minutes folded giving up fifty grand in chips.  He said “you really had a big pair”!  I flashed him my bluff and he lost it.  He was toast in a couple more hands.  I then knocked out the third player and asked for a bathroom break.  As we were walking to the bathroom I heard my opponent ask “do you want to chop?” It was music to my ears as it was THREE AM and a heads up match could last another hour or two.  I had a third more chips and he was tired too.  I offered to split the money, however, I’d get the TITLE and the bracelet (yes, poker players get bracelets).  He agreed.  I walked out one happy camper, with my hat on my head a 8X10 ‘champion” picture in my hand and $7228 in the kick. 

Good night!  It is four ten AM and I’m going to BED!  Pictures tomorrow!!!