“High” Rollin with the Fluge by Bill Lowblad
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008It seems like only a few months have passed since last year’s World Series of Poker. I guess time passes more quickly when you’re part of the Fluge Global Adventures team and hang with the Man of Adventure himself, our Lead Adventurer Nick Fluge.
Our “High” Rollin WSOP adventure begins the moment we exit
After checking in we decide on getting a little pre-event practice and head to probably the finest poker room in Vegas – The Venetian Poker Room for some No-limit holdem. The Venetian is a great place to play. You really have no excuse to get up from the tables as they literally cater to your every whim while sitting and playing.
We’re knocking down the competition and decide against our previous tradition of a steak house dinner and ask for the “poker room table side butler service.” We actually have dinner served by our personal butler while still taking money from the competition! How can you beat that?
I continue on with more poker but Fluge, always looking for the next adventure, decides to take his winnings from poker and beat up on the blackjack tables. We’ve planned to call it a night early in preparation for out next day’s WSOP event that is expected to last a grueling 13+ hours so I cash in my winnings and head off to the blackjack tables in search of our Lead Adventurer. I start scanning the room but before I get far, I actually hear calls of “Way to go Nick,” “Nick your en-fuego!” and find our man at the high limit table with a massive stack of chips and his own private peanut gallery. Tom, the only other player at the table is giving kudos to Nick for his stylish play. River the dealer who has his own large stack of chips from the exceeding generous largess of our Lead Adventurer is almost bursting with gratitude. Meghan, the beautiful cocktail waitress is asking if there is “anything else I can get for you “Nick?” The Pit bosses are watching with a keen eye as chips keep moving in a steady rhythm from the dealer’s tray onto the stacks in front of our man. I weave my way through the gathered ogling crowd watching the rare winner in Vegas and am introduced to the crowd. I let him know “it’s time to head out” to the immediate disapproval of everyone surrounding us. No more tips for River and Meghan, no more cosmic Karma for Tom, no more chances for the Pit bosses to recoup their looses and no more Fluge for the crowd of onlookers. The last bet brings a few more chips onto Nick’s pile and and a final gratuity for River as well.
After cashing out we exit the casino only to find the ever present Saturday night taxi line stretching as far as the eye can see. That of course doesn’t faze the FGA crew in the least and we quickly give a high-roller handshake to the valet and a limo materializes from no-where and we are whisked off to our hotel in style.
We start off event day with a great meal and head on to the Amazon Room at the
Over the loudspeaker and on the omnipresent tv screens around the room, we’re told that our event is the largest single event in WSOP history outside of the Main Event itself. 3929 competitors. Wow!
I’m at Amazon Blue table 49 and Nick’s at Amazon Blue table 19. We’re in the same row so I can see the big man from where I sit. We give a thumbs up to each other and wait for those famous words, “shuffle up and deal.”
On the first hand, reigning WSOP Main Event champ Jerry Yang is decimated and left with only 1 chip.
The first two rounds are fairly uneventful for me and I see Nick is still in his seat. We hear the ever present call of “seat open” from around the room which signifies another player has hit the felt. Thirty minutes into his event, Phil Helmuth, possibly the greatest NL hold’em tournament player is GONE.
Nick and I meet briefly at the break, but no real big hands for either of us. We’re still in there while others are dropping like flies.
Round 3 begins and tables are opening right and left as the blinds go higher. Full Tilt star John Juanda GONE, The lovely Jennifer Tilly GONE. WPT champ Eric Lindgren GONE. Eli Elezra GONE, Robert Williamson III GONE. Round 4 comes and goes with little action for me, but I’m still alive and I look down and Nick is still sitting tall in his seat. The break arrives and we discuss our hands that would never appear on a televised event for their lack of excitement. We’ve really have been biding our time and haven’t received any cards that would lead to a make a break hand.
After the 20 minute break we head back to the tables for Round 5 and 6 leading up to the dinner break. This is the period where trouble begins as the low stack tend to go all in and if luck versus skill goes their way you can get in trouble with a good hand. I make it through round 5 alive but hurt a little in chips as I donk one hand to guy with 3 pairs of sunglasses and can’t defend my blinds against the ever present raises. I still have not had a decent hand wired in hours. I look over and Nick is still going at it but I can’t tell from this distance what is in front of him. He looks back for a second and his body language gives me the feeling that we are pretty even with each other so far. I really want to make it through round 6 and regroup at the dinner break. The first 30 minutes of the hour round are uneventful with my stack staying roughly the same. I see Nick is alive as well. Next hand, I’m in late position and finally find a wired pair of 10’s. I raise and everyone goes out except a short stack in the large blind. The flop comes 447 and the large blind goes all in. Who knows what he has, I’m hoping maybe A-K but I’m pot committed and call. Would you believe he has A-4 for trips. My 3rd 10 never appears and he doubles up and I lose half about 1/3 of my stack. Three hands later what do I find, another wired pair of 10’s. I’m on the button and raise a healthy amount. This time it’s the short stacked small blind that calls. The flop comes AK rag and I know I’m in trouble. He bets out and I have to fold as I’m sure he has either an Ace or King. I’m the short stack at the table now but there’s only 20 minutes till the dinner break. Three hands later what do I find? My third wired set of 10’s in less than 10 hands. I’m tempted to throw it away as 10’s appear to be the anti-christ right now, but I figure this was meant to be and go all in. As I do, we hear that Jennifer Harmon the Queen of the big Cash games has just gone out with pocket 9’s, not a good sign. I get a caller and his pair of King’s take me down. I look over and find Nick’s seat empty and he has been eliminated as well.
Another 10-15 minutes for both of us and who knows what we may have been. We outlasted over 3200 of the players only to fall short. But what a great time.
I’ll wrap this up to at least let you all know that the FGA crew can get right back in the saddle and we headed back to the Venetian to take out our frustration on the tables there.
To make a long story short, I did well in the cash poker games and yes, your one and only Lead Adventurer kicked some major butt again. When we cashed out, I was looking for a private security guard to walk us out to the waiting limo as the Fluge was carrying a stack of Benjamins that would equal the height of a George Burns special sandwich at the Carnegie Deli.
There may be another event yet this year, but if not people will fears us in the 2009 events.