Los Angeles Trip Report Part 1
by Nolan Dalla
On 21 Oct 1998 17:48:18 GMT, in rec.gambling.poker nolandalla@aol.com
(NolanDalla) wrote:
It's been about a year now, since I posted a trip report to RGP. Before
posting this report about my travels to Los Angeles and Las Vegas -- which
should be very detailed (meaning long-winded, light on strategy but heavy
on name-dropping) -- I need to give readers out there some background as
to my motivation(s) for this trip.
About once every year, I take what I call an extended "poker road trip."
I travel alone and make it my intent to do three things: (1) Play poker
(2) Play poker, and (3) Play poker. PK, now you get the idea. Sleeping,
eating, and other personal necessities are secondary to the game. I
don't read a newspaper or watch TV during the entire process. The world
could end, and I wouldn't know it (OK, that's just a slight exaggeration
perhaps). My goal is to get as intently focused on poker as I can
possibly be. I find it advantageous to play in totally different
surroundings -- away from my usual hangouts -- such as the TROPICANA, TAJ
MAHAL, and BINION's HORSESHOE. I'm not traveling to socialize or have a
good time. This trip is about one thing and one thing only: MAKING
MONEY.
"Making money." That's what it's about, especially since (and I hate to
admit this in front of everyone) I have not been playing up-to-par in
recent months. I intentionally by-passed the opportunity to do the more
social thing, which was to attend FARGO II (up at FOXWOODS) in lieu of the
opportunity to go somewhere and build up my bankroll. This marks the
first RGP event that I have missed in three years. My view in choosing a
road trip over FARGO is/was that playing against tables of RGPers does not
exactly have a tremendous amount of positive EV. I have noticed an
appreciable increase in the talent level in these events (BARGE, ATLARGE,
and FARGO) and if it is the goal to build one's bankroll -- then attending
an RGP function is not exactly the best place to try and accomplish that.
Greener pastures lie elsewhere. Past road trips to Europe, the Pacific
Northwest, Arizona, Foxwoods, and the South were financially successful
even beyond my own expectations -- and gave me the opportunity to refine
my game to where it should be AT ALL TIMES. However, Atlantic City, for
several reasons, has not been as financially rewarding for me recently, as
I would have liked. So now it's time to get back on the road and focus on
playing my best game.
The following trip report will likely by written in multiple parts. I
shall write it off the cuff, from memory (I have no notes to rely on since
at the time my intent was not to be the RGP road journalist). Therefore,
some details may be lacking (Hey, there's only one MIKE PAULLE in this
world). Since I am also sensitive to the fact that most people out there
are not going to be interested in the "NOLAN DALLA Story," I will try and
give as much reference to other poker personalities that I encountered
(and there were many!), since those names will most likely garner the
interest of people who read this newsgroup. Therefore, let this last
point serve as a warning that there will be heavy name-dropping throughout
these posts. I also apologize in advance if my tone comes across as
arrogant or disingenuous to anyone. I am simply trying to convey what it's
like to LIVE and BREATH POKER for ten straight days, especially for the
benefit of those who have never had the opportunity to do a poker road
trip.
Finally, if you are not interested in general game conditions (In LV and
LA), personal encounters with poker pros, my opinions about various
cardrooms, stories, etc. -- and/or do not like long posts which at times
meander off on wild tangents -- then place the following posts in the DOUG
GRANT file.
Assuming I survive your initial scrutiny, I hope you will enjoy the trip
report to come.
Yours Faithfully,
NOLAN DALLA
Published with the permission of the author.
Reproduction without the author's permission prohibited.
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