MATH Moneyboard Update, and Vegas Plans

One thing I have been completely remiss about since I got sick a few weeks back has been posting the current 2008 Mondays at the Hoy moneyboard. Although I am not at all pleased with my own place on that list, that is actually not why I haven't been tallying the total winnings every single week here. The real reason is that just tallying everything up, doing the addition and then renumbering everybody, that shit takes time. It really gives me a solid appreciation for all the bullshit Al has to go through with the BBT3 like four or five days a week. Anyways, without further adieu, here is your updated 2008 MATH moneyboard, including this week's results as well as the last couple of weeks which I have reported on but not with the moneyboard update:

1. PokahDave $1291
2. Pirate Wes $1076
3. columbo $928
4. astin $900
5. Breeze81 $825
6. dwal78 $750
7. pureprophet $728
8. iam23skidoo $698
9. Byron $685
10. Loretta8 $683
11. lucko21 $650
12. TuscaloosaJohn $635
13. twoblackaces $621
14. ChipyMcStacks $614
15. Shabazz Jenkins $605
16. cmitch $599
17 corron10 $594
18. fuel55 $593
19. PokerBrian322 $591
20. Tripjax $553
21. Roberto551 $545
22. zeroluck001 $528
23. hellory $514
24. wormmsu15 $507
25. surflexus $488
26. wwonka69 $483
27. Jordan $476
28. tilt_away $461
29. actyper $441
30. zackklemm $358
31. willwonka $346
32. Donkette $323
33. LJ $304
34. bayne_s $291
35. jmathewson_III $274
36. numbbono $261
37. Blinders $244
38. mattazuma $236
39. Miami Don $224
40. Donkey Shortz $215
41. katiemother $203
41. VinNay $203
43. DaBag $202
44. recessrampage $198
45. Wadzilla $185
46. Bone_Daddy84 $169
47. Hoyazo $152
48. buckhoya $150
48. Mike Maloney $150
50. ANIguy $149
51. BuddyDank $142
52. Martyr99 $134
53. chitwood $127
54. jimdniacc $123
55. cubanlinks $120
56. Evy35 $117
57. waffles $114
58. NYRambler $111
59. kevin_with_AK $106
60. lightning36 $103
61. BamBamCan $95
61. thepokergrind $95
63. que31dawg $92
63. Schaubs $92
65. bartonf $89
66. heffmike $81
67. HotPants29 $74
68. scottmc $63
68. jamyhawk $63
70. CheckinMyAA $62
71. PirateLawyer $60
72. peacecorn $59
72. RNallin $59
72. gydyon $59
75. DonkeyPuncher74 $56
75. RaisingCayne $56
77. pokerdad13 $55
78. jmill2525 $54
79. jeciimd $52
80. katitude $51
81. joanne1111 $49
82. AltronIV $47

So PokahDave has taken over the top spot in the moneyboard with his multi-accounting ways, while Byron and Loretta have also inched their way into the top 10 on the board over the past couple of weeks with some big performances. I think last year's eventual winner, Columbo, ended somewhere in the $1700s range for the full year, so these guys are on pace to crush that total if they continue their winning ways from the first five months of this year.

On to poker, I've been thinking a lot about my upcoming annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, and my plans are firming up little by little. As I think I previously mentioned here, I already have my air tickets on Wednesday evening, June 11, saying goodnight to my kids and goodbye to Hammer Wife here in New York City before leaving for a 9pm flight, arriving in Vegas shortly before midnight local time. My return trip leaves at 7am Vegas time, which is early as phuck but it's the only time I can get out of there and reliably make it home in time for dinner with the kids to end the weekend, so I'm going with it. Plus, if this Saturday night is anything like my last night in Vegas last summer, I won't be sleeping over the night anyways so I figured the earlier the flight is, the better for me.

So as for that first day, the plan is to do a repeat of what worked so well and was so much fun for me last year and head straight over to the 24-hour WSOP registration window at the Rio to sign up for the 2k buyin nlh WSOP tournament running on Thursday the 12th at noon. If all goes as planned, it will be somewhere between 1 and 2am local time when I'm there, and again if all goes as planned, there should be at least one if not two other WSOP tournaments playing down for the night as well at that time. Last year I hung around for a bit, started up conversations with Gus Hansen and Andy Bloch from the rail while we watched a whole bunch of name pros reach the money in the I thikn 5k buyin Stud Hi tournament at the time, and really had a blast before heading back to my hotel to get a good night's sleep ahead of my own WSOP tournament.

This year should be the same thing I hope, except that this time I will be staying in the Bellagio instead of the Monte Carlo like last year. I have always liked the Monte Carlo, and I think I've mentioned before that I had my biggest-ever run in craps at the tables in the MC, one day a good ten years ago or so now in front of my family and a whole bunch of friends where I was basically betting all the numbers and the Come on every single roll (all with max odds, of course) during what turned out to be about a 55-minute-long roll of the dice. It was sick. And as a result, I've always been partial to the Monte Carlo, and given the usually decent prices for a middle-of-the-strip casino, I have stayed there many times when I've been out in Sin City by myself.

This year, however, my sicko crazy gambling-addicted degenerate brother will be joining me in Vegas, and with all the casinos now owning one another after the last couple years' of mega-mergers, and with my brother living very close to Atlantic City and being down there playing for sick sums of money basically all the time, here's how it works. My brother calls the Bellagio, and they instantly look up all of his gambling activities in Vegas, Atlantic City and elsewhere, and immediately he is set up with a fatty suite on the upper floors of the Bellagio. So that's where I'll be. And FWIW, I'm the one who picked the Bellagio, because of all the strip hotels I think it is the closest one to the Rio, which should make the logistics of the whole trip as easy as possible.

So I'm already set to get out there and back, and I know where I'm staying. The next question is, what else will I do out in Vegas other than play in the WSOP? I would love to go out to at least one nice dinner while I'm in town this time around, and I wouldn't mind trying to get out to see a cool show as well. Anyone have any suggestions on the restaurant or show front for fun times in LV?

Don't forget Riverchasers tonight at 9pm ET. Password as always is "riverchasers". And for the first time in a while, I should actually be there since Lost is on hiatus for a week until next week's powerful two-hour season finale That Will Change Things Forever. Can't wait for that shit, and it means I will be chasing rivers with the rest of you tonight at 9pm ET on full tilt. See you then!