ok poker fans we are back in atlantic city where the november rain has given way to a cold and windy, albeit sunny day as the calendar flips over to december.
estrella and i take our time waking up but eventually shake off the cobwebs and head down the famous boardwalk towards the tropicana. we like to walk but today it's a depressing walk with only a handful of vacationers greatly outnumbered by the panhandlers, ne'er do wells, and the latest abomination to pollute this poor man's paradise..... the timeshare peddlers.
i think back, and not that far back, to how great this stretch of boardwalk once was. players could hit a brand new poker room at revel (now ocean). showboat had a nice little room right up against the boardwalk. now it's not even a casino. taj mahal was once the king of the east and the site of famous
rounders scenes. now it's given way to pokerless hard rock. bally's and caesars
both had rooms. they then built a joint "world series of poker" themed room in the wild west section that connects the properties. historic action photos of greats like bobby baldwin, stu ungar, doyle, and others decorated the walls. today estrella and i gaze sadly at a room that is basically gutted and littered with cardboard boxes.
down at tropicana we pass a man wearing a world poker tour hat.
but he's not going to find any action at the trop.
signs tell us that while "boogie nights" disco remains open behind the construction, the poker room remains closed....now supposedly to december 9th. there are doubts that it will ever reopen.
heading back up the boardwalk i point out two ne'er do wells as we duck down st james towards the (cash only) irish pub.
"keep an eye on those two when we leave the pub," i caution estrella who calls the gentlemen some kind of spanish seafood.
inside the pub is decorated like a hallmark christmas town and seems a million miles away from the dreariness of the boardwalk...instead of just a couple first downs.
outside the icy winds have blown the ne'er do wells, timeshare peddlers, and most of the panhandlers into isolation.
it's just me, estrella, and the ghosts of the game.
thank you for reading.
game: no game
year : +109 (4-2)
