R.I.P. : Empress Poker Room

I just don't get it. The Empress poker room has been packed EVERY time I've gone which has been AT LEAST twice a week on various days at various times. Two weeks ago they added a Tuesday night no limit game so now they had two nights of no limit action with a packed table and long list all night long. They added a Wednesday night 20/40 game as well which was packed both weeks it ran. Sure they only had four tables but the four tables were packed the majority of the time. So what do they do......shut down the room. That's right folks. Sunday is the last day of Poker at Empress. I played Tuesday night and all was good. When I returned Thursday night there was a sign stating the room would be closed come Monday June 19th. A lot of it has to do with Illinois gaming laws and the number of stations they are allowed....blah, blah, blah. I was really enjoying the games at Empress......damn. Looks like it's back to Friday nights at Majestic Star II or Resorts. I might check out Hollywood Casino but I've heard the wait there is just crazy.

I owe a Vegas trip report.......and it will be forthcoming. Things have just been crazy since we returned with the kids and summertime activities.

Til then I'm looking forward to the PokerStars Blogger tourney tomorrow.

Baz Out

Vegas Baby.........

I'm heading to Vegas this weekend......Can't wait. My wife and I are meeting my sister in-law and brother in-law out there......The kids will be at Grandma's house.......Almost here.....Almost here. I plan on playing the Sahara tourney on Thursday night and the MGM tourney on Friday morning. No other plans besides playing as many ring games as possible.

I played at Empress for the first time in awhile Thursday night and doubled my buy-in. All in all a good night. I hope to get there one more time before heading out to Vegas. I was planning on taking out some of my online bankroll for Vegas but it's not where it was a few short weeks ago so I will be leaving it alone. My online bankroll has dropped considerably due to two factors. I pulled a chunk over to a second site strictly for MTT play as I really wanted to work on improving my MTT play this year. My play has improved but I still haven't had a big cash and so it's been a drain to my bankroll. Looking back I probably pulled too much aside too early for this endeavor. Secondly, I have been playing higher limits than my bankroll dictates. I have no excuse for this and didn't wise up until I had a serious drain on my roll. No one to blame but myself.

I will unfortunately be back to grinding it out online at the lower limits such as .50/$1 and $1/$2. If Vegas goes really well I will add some to it so I can stick to starting with $1/$2 and $2/$4. Let's hope I've learned my lesson.

I really need to sit down and set some goals for myself. Set a plan and stick to it. In the past I've seen my bankroll growing and pull some out to take my family on a nice long weekend vacation or rent a huge jumper for my sons birthday. I definitely do not want to stop doing these things but I need to be disciplined enough to set a goal setting and reach it before pulling out any for family fun.

I will be thinking more on this in the weeks to come.

Last summer in Vegas I would win money at the poker table only to lose my winnings and then some at the craps or blackjack tables. I need to be more disciplined this trip. I am not going to totally avoid the -EV games but I will set amounts each time and stick with it.

Hopefully I will be reporting on a successful trip.

Until then....

Baz Out