Up and down in Beverly Hills? Not really, but mixed results on the day and a vow.

1/25 4/8 Green Valley Ranch

Finally, I get MVP a decent meal. My company has an arrangement with Stations Casinos to get us Buy One Get One Free buffet deals. Yum. Thoroughly decent buffet for $10. The evening is better because I can eat shrimp until they have the consistency of pencil erasers. Lunch buffets don't go so far as to offer shrimp. Sucks, but there it is. $2 more for the evening and I get shrimp.

On to the tables where I hooked a seat as we got back to the poker room. I managed to stop just short of feeling the need to do a Karen Carpenter after the buffet, so I wasn't in bad shape. The table was typical neighborhood afternoon players, average age 108, and mostly weak/tight. Very little raising, but they will always call a raise. Nice of them to give action when you get a hand.

One of the things I like about playing in the afternoons is the comradery. People aren't drinking and being obnoxious. They like to chat and joke and are much more relaxed. Nobody is there with their hats backwards, sunglasses, and staring holes through people like it was the final hand of the WSOP Main Event. Can you tell I really dislike these guys? They don't play much at the "locals" joints.

I didn't have many hands to play, but the few I did held up nicely. There was one time when I would have finished the sit very nicely indeed. Raised preflop with KQo in LP, folded the CO and button. Flop gave me an OESD and I bet the flop. Turn bricked and I checked the brick on the river. Too bad. It would have been a nice pot.

As it was, finished a short two hour sit up $71.

Then, the down hit.

I returned to the scene of a previous crime. The Wynn. Why I got there is a long story, a story which belongs on another's journal. Suffice to say, I'm back at the Wynn...for the last time.

I really don't like this room. If it were the only room where mid-limit games were consistently spread, I'd suck it up and live with it. But, it's not. I don't like the Bellagio, either, but I can live with it better than the Wynn. Or, maybe not. I can play 4/8 at about 12 places any time. Unfortunately, there really are only two places to aspire to--moving up to 8/16 and ultimately 15/30--Wynn and Bellagio. Looking forward and dreading, all at the same time.

The table at the Wynn featured loud, obnoxious morons, and a short visit by one of the floor managers who may be the biggest prick I've met working in a poker room. He whined when his marginal hand was beaten by 72o, who called his raise. Bad playing, yes, but it's YOUR ROOM, dude! Didn't you know there are bad players here? And you're such a stud that they should be respecting you because you sat down in a short game to keep it going? We weren't going anywhere, numbnuts.

Then, it got worse. Bella Abzug showed up. Most of you are too young to know the reference, I know. Think big hat, NY accent in a very loud voice, with no brake on her mouth, and you have little idea how bad this lady was. The table was not easy to live in, but when she sat down, getting into it with two other players before she played a hand, the table surrounded by little old ladies who wanted to learn how to play by watching and asking questions, it became Hell on Earth.

As always, I decided to leave when my big blind came around and I I get a big hand. I hate when that happens and it never fails to happen. KK in the CO. I raise and get all two limpers and big blind calling. Flop comes 876 and two spades. Checked to me, BB check-raises me and I pitch my KK face up in the muck.

I rarely make a mistake of this magnitude. Please let me believe it was the ringing in my ears from Bella two seats away, the chirping LOLs behind me, and that I was tired. I put him on flopping the straight when he c/r'ed me. It wasn't a terrible mistake if he was drawing to the straight or flush because if he turned it I would be drawing dead. If he had an over pair to the board, I screwed up, which is what he probably had as he didn't show his cards. He made me lay down a better hand, to his surprise, I'm sure. But, if you don't occasionally lay down a winner, you just aren't trying hard enough to win. Daniel N.

Had enough and left $82 loser. $11 down for the day. Frustration level back at zero.

**note to self** write about why I would be rammin' and jammin' the pot on a draw

The Tour is officially finished! I've filled up my chip display. 32 rooms since 12/09/06. There are still probably 10 rooms or so which I haven't hit, but fahgeddaboudit. I can't take it anymore! Not enough spread 4/8 and I am not going back any lower. If I gotta face getting rivered by some idiot's 38s, then it's going to be for a better profit overall when he misses 99 out of a 100.

1/27 Texas Station 4/8

Typical of Stations casinos, the room is okay, but not great. A little smaller with only locals as traffic. In conversation, few play on the Strip, ever. They're weak, too loose, and there were a couple of very nice donators, including one Filipino? doctor who couldn't resist playing ATC and most often folding on the river unless he caught a pair somewhere. He gave up at least $300 to the game.

I was so card dead buzzards sat on my shoulder. Incredible run of simple unplayable cards. I had 67s one time in LP and raised out of surprise. Of course, I got five callers, AKQ on the flop, and the vultures cackled. It looked like I was on my way to a very bad day to finish the Tour.

But, around 3 o'clock, there came an announcement. The Bad Beat Jackpot had been hit at Fiesta Henderson--one of 2 remaining Stations Casinos where I will not be playing--and 2 hours later, I had an extra $226 just for being in the right place at the right time.

There came a dillemma. Do I add this to my results as winning, or discount it? Had I posted a win, perhaps I'd put it aside. As it stood, I was down $87 for the card-dead day, so it goes in. My Tour. My rules.

Total overall for the Tour--

55 hours 2.8BB/hr 16.00/hr Total win $877.00

Not too shabby, I guess.

Now, when ever you hear anyone say "you can't beat the game at the lowest limits," you can tell them, "wrong. I know someone who did."

As they say in the newspaper business when there is more to come...TK