It’s Getting Time to Say Goodbye

On no account had I thought it could have ever come to this, but after almost two months of straight poker, I’ve had enough. I never thought this to be possible but this game has become everything in my life. It seems that when I spend every waking moment eating, breathing, and cursing this game that I love, I become embedded on the face of a rock wall, small birds flying in circles around my flattened head as I lazily drift like a feather to the desert floor. People told me this would happen; I never believed any of it. How could I believe when this was a game that gave me so much excitement, so much mental stimulation, so much entertainment? I have nothing left but to bow my head to those who warned me, and admit I was wrong.
It should be known that this is not because of the sessions – the repeated sessions – in which we had to sit helpless and patient as we took one beating after another. Perhaps this is part of the annoyance but it was not the sole contributor. It is true that after three bad fourteen-hour days in a row the last thing you want to do when you wake up on day four is jump onto the felt. But these mind numbingly confusing bad beat days are not the thing has me looking forward to a break from the cards.
I’ve talked before about my distain for the interior design of the casinos across the US. A boringly dull echo of color schemes from one casino to the next. Lights flash in your face, trying their best to divert your attention in their direction. This is why some of my favorite times on this trip have been the days of rest while deep in the woods, far away from people staring at a screen, robotically pushing a button over and over again. It’s sad that poker has had to take such a close proximity to the world of casinos. The only common ground is the tools used for the game – the cards, the chips, the felt. You may use the same tools to build a bed as you would a boat, but I doubt Columbus would have gotten very far after throwing a mast atop a cot.
Even though our bankroll has lifted itself from its dangerously low points that it enjoyed living at for an uncomfortably long amount of time, we will soon be signing off. But have no fear. Though we will now be high tailing it to Vegas to set up some more serious jobs, we still have articles to come. Look forward to a comprehensive article about Tunica’s jewel, and our favorite poker room, the Horseshoe. I will also be flying back east for a quick once over of Mohegan Sun’s new place in CT. They have opened their doors and we have heard nothing but good things.
ThePokerAtlas is not done on the road. We have many more adventures to encounter, and many more tables to defeat.

nathaniel@thepokeratlas.com