Saturday, October 03, 2009

I'm going to Washington, D.C., and Atlantic City




My friend Cardgrrl has kindly invited me to come play some poker on her home turf: an assortment of tournament leagues, private home games, and underground raked cash games in the environs of Washington, D.C. I have accepted the challenge. The games begin Thursday, October 15, and run through Monday, October 26. I understand that I have at least a few readers among the denizens of those games, and it will be fun to meet and play with them. (I briefly met about seven of her "A league" crew when they were out here for the World Series in June, but I'll have to admit I was in a pretty down mood that day and probably didn't make a good first impression. I hope they'll forgive that and give me another chance.)

Plans include a side trip to Atlantic City the first weekend (Saturday, October 17, through Monday, October 19), on one of Cardgrrl's monthly Harrah's-sponsored bus junkets. Harrah's AC will be the main hang-out joint, but I'll see if I can persuade her to take a cab to the other part of town and try playing a bit at Caesars and/or Bally's and/or Showboat, since all should provide equal Harrah's credits. Besides, it will be a chance to add to my poker chip collection.

Any reader tips about the poker rooms, hotel/casino amenities, restaurants, sightseeing (if anything in Atlantic City can be so labeled), etc., will be warmly welcomed in the comments section.

Ever since I moved here, I have thought that I should take a week or at least weekend trip to other poker venues: Reno, L.A., or even little ol' Laughlin. But I just never get around to it. The plethora of poker rooms here just seems too cushy to provide much of an incentive to go anywhere else. I'm glad to finally get--and take--the chance to do so, especially with a travelling companion/poker pal as delightful as Cardgrrl.



(Map shot above nipped from the Atlantic City page of www.thepokeratlas.com.)

7 comments:

Snuffy said...

AC tip: Go to the Borgata and NEVER LEAVE!

jay said...

Theres only ONE place to play poker in Atlantic City, the Borgata. Go there and u will love it. similar to the Venetian/MGM I feel.

Chappy & Bailey said...

Well it's been a couple years since my one and only visit to AC, but my quick impressions were as follows: Showboat had the softest competition, Borgata had the nicest room but tougher competition, and the Taj had an OK room w/ OK competition and probably the most interesting characters you will find in AC

edgie212 said...

I'm a big fan of your blog as well as Cardgrrl's, and live in NYC. I'd love to meet up with you two at Harrah's if I can get down there. I'd have to agree with everyone about the Borgata, but the Harrah's/Showboat rooms are the softest, follwed by Caesar's as a close third. Harrah's one poker drawback is that the ceilings are low, and it feels a little cramped, which is why I like Showboat's room so much. Tourney-wise both Showboat and Harrah's offer cheap 20 minute shots all day. Food-wise, if you're still there Monday night, Izkaya at the Borgata has an insane Monday night discount, and is generally the best slate of restuarnts. I also recommend a drink and a burger at the pool at Harrah's, which is enclosed in a huge glass atrium.

Keep me posted on your travels!

jeff

phrankguy1 said...

Now we're talkin about my stompin' grounds Grump. I am actually heading to AC tomorrow and staying for a few days. I don't really like the room @ Harrahs, but I'll tell you that the buffet is the best in town! Borgata is a very nice room, the nicest in the city actually, but...I don't know how meaningful that would be to someone from Vegas, who is used to having a multitude of beautiful poker rooms @ their fingertips. Go to Showboat, you can check out the Atlantic Ocean while you play. You might run next door to Trump Taj to pick up some chips and to check out the 2nd largest poker room in AC, if you go later in the evening just look for the 1-5 spread limit stud and you'll probably find that a full table of patrons have enough teeth to fill about one mouth, and enough stink to peel paint! AC is a seedy little town, but I love it! Good luck and enjoy!

phrankguy1 said...

Here's a few tips for AC travel - Cab rides are capped at 13 bucks to any point within city limits, so you can go from Harrah's to Hilton and its the same fare. You could also take the Jitney for $2 or $3, White House Subs is an excellent stop if you like a good hoagie, Jersey (Joy-see is the correct pronounciation) folks know how to make a damn good hoagie.

wiki these: The Jitney, Brigantine Connector, and also the history of AC itself is pretty interesting.

BWoP said...

I've always been a fan of the Borgata . . . probably makes sense given my love for the Venetian. They're very similar in terms of both atmosphere and level of competition.