Friday, August 13, 2010

Doc? bammer? thoughts?




AP
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2010 file photo released by Antarctic Heritage Trust on Feb. 8, 2010, one of crates of Scotch whisky and brandy is pictured after they have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. One of the crates of the Scotch whisky that was trapped in Antarctic ice for a century was finally opened Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 but the heritage dram won't be tasted by whisky lovers because it's being preserved for its historic significance. (AP Photo/Antarctic Heritage Trust) ** MANDATORY CREDIT, EDITORIAL USE ONLY **

Saturday, August 7, 2010

It shoots through schools

I wonder if that line from the movie, Johnny Dangerously, would fly in today's world without some misguided mothers group getting their panties all in a bunch.

Anywho, we buried my aunt yesterday. It was an awesome ceremony. Family from all sides showed up and everyone celebrated hard in her honor.

Aunt Sue was a big part of my poker playing upbringing. We spent most holidays at their house growing up and always played some sort of card games on Friday and Saturday nights. I remember being 10 and getting yelled at for chasing a straight in stud from one of my uncles or much older cousins. Fuckin' panzies! HA! The memories~!

I kept a good face throughout the day. You have to realize that my aunt and uncle could never have kids so we (my brothers and sister) were like their kids. My aunt was a mother to me as much as my own.

My older brother did the eulogy and he was all torn up so I supported him by being the wise ass brother he'd always been to me. It worked. He got through it and appreciated the sentiments.

My aunt decided to be cremated, but still buried in the plot next to her husband. The urn was placed in a wreath of flowers beside the grave site and the priest offered everyone the opportunity to walk up and touch the urn at the end of the ceremony to say a last good bye.

My 4 year old (bad ass) son, all dressed up in his little suit, hanging out with his 7 year old cousin had been pestering me to get to Wawa the whole ceremony. He was anxious to leave. When we lined up to say that one last good bye, he walked beside me.

When it was his turn, he walked up to the urn, gave it a fist pump saying, ""'sup aunt Sue" and walked away. Everyone started laughing and the priest held out his hand and the kid high fived him saying again, "sup cuz". My mom looked mortified but everyone else was in tears.

Aaaah, that's the good stuff!

Poker seems to be going well in PA. There's rumblings that Harrah's in Chester may be adding an additional 20 tables at the end of September. I'm guessing that's going to be determined after Parx opens their room on September 1st.

Parx resides 30 minutes away, north of Philadelphia, and Harrah's is south of Philadelphia adding to the high competition factor. I know Harrah's thinks they will win outright because they own the WSOP brand, and after all, invented poker. (swear to god, I've been told that by several Harrah's management. It's their culture).

We'll see how they do going up against an 85 table room 30 minutes away with much better structures and pay outs.

I'll be hitting some of them up in the next coming weeks and will give you a detailed report on all rooms, the conversations I have with the insiders, and what particularly the strategies are shaping up to be as it relates to player retention. Which at this point, seems to have been overlooked. It pretty much has been open the doors and they will come, but any poker room manager will tell you, without a retention program, you aren't going to prosper, or even survive.