ARUBA

Posted: 2007-10-09 17:47:18
By: P0ker H0

3 weeks ago, I wrote about how every year I look forward to Aruba, and let me tell you. This year did not disappoint. This year I decided to go a couple days before all the action begun, because I wanted to enjoy other aspects aside from poker, believe it or not. From the moment I got off the plane, I knew it was going to be one of the best trips of my life.

DAY 1

I arrived with Mike "Wisco" Murray, one of my good friends from Madison, and had made plans to meet with debo34 as soon as we got there. Throughout the day we just laid back and had a few drinks. Phil met us later that day down at the bar, and it was just a relaxing and fun time. After the drinks started to pore, guess what happened? That's right, PROP BETS. When Phil Hellmuth and I are around each other, there is sure to be a prop bet. Especially when drinking :). Going mini golfing was mentioned and it somehow turned into Phil, betting that Wisco could not shoot even par scrambling his own ball the next day at the nicest course in Aruba. Me being the good friend I am, said there is no way he can do that. In fact I was $2,000 sure he couldn't do it. A few people over heard the bet and by the end of the night here was the action. Keep in mind some of these people have never seen Wisco golf.

Phil vs. H0 for 2k that Wisco could not shoot even par scrambling his own ball.
Phil vs. H0 for 1k at 6-1 odds that Wisco would not 3 putt a single hole.
Phil vs. Debo34 for 1k that Wisco could not shoot even par scrambling his own ball.
Shawn Rice vs. H0 for 1k that Wisco could not shoot even par scrambling his own ball.
Phil vs. h0 for 2k that Wisco could not shoot +2 or better scrambling his own ball.
Shawn Rice vs. h0 for 1k that Wisco could not shoot +2 or better scrambling his own ball.

The plan was to meet at 2 pm the next day in the lobby

DAY 2

There was a lot of anticipation about the golf match, and after lunch we all met in the lobby. We must have been talking loud about it in the casino the night before, because there were people not even betting, wanting to go see the match. We ended up going with about 15 people. Debo34, Shawn Rice, Phil Hellmuth, Annette_15, Dagny (Annette's mother) and Sassy Texan to name a few. Once we arrived at the course, we met with the course pro who after hearing about the bet, decided he wanted action at even par, and would agree to let Wisco use his set of clubs. Phil took Wisco to the driving range and after about a half hour of warm ups and pep talks, he was ready. 1^st hole par, 2^nd hole par, 3^rd hole bogey, 4^th hole bogey, 5^th hole par, 6^th hole par, 7^th hole bogey. It was looking great for me. I had so much action against Wisco and the bets I had made at even par were locked up, I was freerolling. Going into hole 8, he was +3 so he needed to birdie, par, to win the +2 bet for Phil. Amazingly he did. Wisco made a 12 foot put to birdie, and played great the last hole to par. I will give him credit though. There was a lot of pressure on him, and the course was so windy, on top of being difficult in the first place. In the end I had won 3k off of Phil. It was the start to a great trip.

DAY 3

Players had started arriving so you could feel the different energy around the casino. Cash games were starting to fill up, and drinks and music were more prominent at the outside bar. Every year we reserve our own private table and play 1-2 No Limit. It's the farthest thing from poker. Phil decided to buy in for $10,000; Annette bought in for a few dimes, along with myself and a few others. The story of the night though, goes to my mom. My mom got so drunk and decided to run over the table. She bought in for $400, and turned it into 4k in less than an hour. Unfortunately like all good things, they eventually come to an end. At the end of the night there was a hand ill never forget.

Flop comes K 6 3. I look up and see that it's my Mom and Phil are in the pot together. Well wouldn't you know it, Momma H0 goes all in for 3600 and Phil calls.

Momma H0 (3 3)
Phil (K 6)

Turn 6, river blank. Its just funny to think that 4k can get in the middle in a 1-2 NL game. Phil was nice enough to give her some of her money back, and it brought things to a close.

Day 4-5

This was the night of the UB party, and I don't think I need to explain much if you were there you know what happened. From great food, tropical drinks, naked women in the pool, it just didn't end. In fact I was put in charge of verifying whether or not they actually jumped in topless :) I met a lot of people, and caught up with some I haven't seen in awhile.

THE TOURNAMENT

DAY 6 was the beginning of the tournament and I didn't really have that active of a day. I grinded all day up and down. I felt great about ending the first day with 21k. The tournament structure was great, and it allowed for a lot of patience. I busted early on day 2 when my 1010's lost to AK preflop. I normally would have been a little upset, but one thing I had going for me was I had 50% of Brad Smithson, who at the time had a lot of chips. From the time I started watching him, he didn't lose a hand. He just never stopped accumulating chips, and it was getting more and more exciting by the day. He actually reached the final table and took 3^rd for $252,000. From the time I busted to the time he busted I was totally engulfed in supporting him. Brad is a great guy who happens to be from my home town, so I am really happy for him. Congrats Brad.

PHIL'S ANNUAL PARTY

Every year towards the end of the Aruba trip, Phil has a party in his suite atop the Radisson. I look forward to this party every year. It is hands down the most spectacular view in all of Aruba. It has an 800 sq ft. deck with a glass rail, and a hot tub, with plenty of lounge area. Mike Matusow, Robert Williamson III and Freddy Deeb were a few of the pros in attendance. Scott, the lead guitarist from Anthrax, and Pearl, who is Meatloaf's daughter, did a phenomenal duet together. Phil also had some great food catered. He also ordered 25 bottles of Dom, 7 bottles of Cristal, and 40 bottles of grey goose. I don't think at any point in time there were more than 60 people there, and by the end of the night all the booze was gone. I have to give all the credit to Debo34 though. When deciding what to drink at the beginning of the night, he through out a concoction that just hit home with everyone. The "Debo" consisted of, Vodka, Watermelon pucker, and sprite. It was a big hit, and I think everyone at the party tried it. In fact I think it's on the menu now at the Radisson.

After the party was the final table of the tournament, so I announced the action with Annie Duke, which was really fun. Not only did I get to watch my friend Brad, who was at the Final table, but I got to talk poker with Annie for 9 hours, and it was a great experience.

Overall Aruba was amazing. It was a great escape from working my bar, and I really appreciate how everyone was so nice down there. It's always a pleasure to do this trip for that exact reason. I feel like I come home with new friends every year, and I just hope this experience never ends.