Change100 at PokerWorks

I’m blogging from the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, where I’ve joined Pauly, Derek and Senor on their annual March Madness trip. Thousands of degenerate gamblers will descend upon Sin City this weekend to place their bets on the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games jacking up hotel rates everywhere. Wanna stay at Excalibur this weekend? It’ll cost you $274/ a night. Thankfully we booked early, and are 12 miles away from the crowds on the Strip. Red Rock is gorgeous and our room is seriously swank. The bed was more comfortable than my own at home, the view spectacular, and we have a 30-something inch plasma TV on which to enjoy the March Madness games during the little time we’ll spend outside the casino. Everything is white walls and dark wood and the bathroom a marble palace.

We a spectacular meal last night at Red Rock’s Italian eatery Terra Rossa with the Poker Prof and Flip Chip. I had a caprese salad and some melt-in-your mouth ossobuco served over parmesan risotto. For dessert, Pauly and I split the chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato on the side… rich and heavenly. We were in such food comas afterwards (especially the boys, who were still on east coast time) that we called it an early night.

I saw three strange things on my drive out here yesterday morning. The first was a man sitting on the edge of an overpass in the East L.A. interchange, his sneakered feet dangling over the traffic below. It left me with a sick feeling that didn’t wane until at least Pomona. Then, just as I turned onto the 15 from the 10, I ran into a huge traffic backup caused by an accident that must have just happened in the last 10 minutes or so. It was semi truck vs. Honda Civic and as I drove past the wreckage, I saw two paramedics performing CPR on a man right there in the middle of the freeway.

The third strange thing was a man about my father’s age who I passed somewhere around Baker. He was driving a navy Ford Explorer and attempting to light a tiny pot pipe. He saw me looking, balked, and then gave a wide smile as I held up my own piece in a “toast.”

We’re about to head down for breakfast, after which Pauly and Derek will place their first sports bets of the trip. Followed by a trip to the poker room. Naturally.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 8:17 am and is filed under Uncategorized.