Poker and Roller Coasters: who woulda thunk it

Remember the thrill of the roller-coaster or whatever other gut gripping, death defying ride that made your adrenaline pump at the county fair or amusement park? Now think about the thrill of poker. What if you learned that it is possible to combine these two events into one tragi-comic event. . .and that there are casinos out there that are in the process of perfecting it.

Well last weekend, I found myself in Little River, South Carolina along with my good friend Wes (Big Pirate) where we hopped on a casino boat for some live poker entertainment. Little did we know that we were truly in for a WEEEEEEEE ride. If you happened to look at the weather for the south east U.S. that weekend, you would have noticed that there was a tropical storm off the coast of South Carolina- a fact that deterred neither of us one bit. In fact, while none of our other friends showed, mostly due to the weather conditions, (though I did have one friend who cancelled because he conveniently remembered that it was his wedding anniversary. . .I guess a year in the dog house is a bit too much to pay for a gambling good time), we didn't even discuss the possibility of not going out.


The boat left the dock at 12 pm. After about 45 minutes the tables opened up, and I settled into 2/5 nlhe game that in the end left me healthier in the end than I started. Financially-that is-I bought in for the 100 minimum and cashed out 225. My trips held, my two pairs worked and I was able get away from some trouble before I was hurt. Uneventful, but profitable.

The adventure though was by far in the boat ride. Six to eight foot seas left quite a few people searching for Dramamine, trashcans, deck rails and toilets. My stomach had several out of body experiences, though it was able to avoid spilling any inner body fluids. The ride kind of reminded me of Space Mountain at Disney World. By the second hour, and after a Dramamine supplement, I was counting the minutes til we were going to be back in port as little beads of sweat continuously appeared on my forehead. I haven't seen that many people puking in so many different places since I was a freshman in college and partying at a beer bash. I had to get up from the table once when I thought I was a goner, but somehow I held it in. I watched a lady run from her seat at the slots and empty her contents into a trashcan, which surprisingly brought no sympathetic like/kind act from me. I made my way down to the bathroom where I heard some pretty scary sounds. Somehow, I never got sick. Hey, I'm not complaining. . .I am grateful.

I'd kind of like to make this a quarterly event, but I promise, if there is a low pressure system off the coast, I'll be typing about the weekend plans that didn't materialize.

Thanks for stoppin by, ya'll come back now, ya hear!