Going Broke, Taking Markers, Getting Help

by G-Rob

So what's the best part of the NBA Game 7 showdown between the Spurs and Hornets?

A) A close back and forth game in which the defending champs escape elimination against an exciting upstart opponent.
B) The pregame show in which Charles Barkley admits skipping out on $400K Vegas marker, admits having a gambling problem, claims he's quit gambling for good, but emphasizes that "for good" doesn't mean "for-ever"!
C) The fact that we laughed at Mr. Barkley while playing poker at GucciRick's.
D) The fact that I stayed up all night to play at GucciRick's and went to work the next day without sleep.

Pathetic, no?

Barkley

By now you know the details of the whole Barkley thing, but for the totally out of touch, a quick recap.

Barkely likes to gamble.

Barkley takes FOUR SEPARATE $100K MARKERS at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Barkley leaves casino without paying said markers.

Lawman come a-lookin' for Mr. Barkley.

Barkley pays $40K to cover court costs and $400K to the Wynn.

Barkely stops gambling.

"For Good"

PacMan Jones

The News:

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The Las Vegas district attorney says suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones has paid a $20,000 gambling debt to a casino.

The DA says that Jones found a way to pay off his debts within 24 hours of a criminal complaint being filed, and that the case is now closed.

Court documents filed Friday showed the DA was seeking a felony arrest warrant for the 24-year-old Jones unless he made good on three casino markers he received last Sept. 3 at Caesars Palace.

Jones paid a total of $21,675, including $1,675 for DA's office processing fees and penalties.

Skies are said to be clear in Vegas tonight as Jones is now less capable of "making it rain."

G-Rob

The closest I've ever come to taking a casino marker was in New Orleans this January when my friend, Uncle Ted, asked for a "marker" when he went to take a piss.

He thought "marker" was a device for saving one's seat.

Luckily, we were killing that particular blackjack table at the time.

I have gone broke in Vegas before. It was the first time we went and long before our gambling became the subject of a blog. I shared a room with some gangster-type from Chicago named Carmine. I only took $400 and lost almost all of it playing $5 blackjack at the Barbary Coast. I called my wife near the end of the trip to see if she'd notice me taking out another $400 from the ATM.

Um, she did.

I've almost been broke in Nassau and only a last minute rally brought me back in black. I lost all but my last $100 and used that to play $1/$2NL in the same room where PokerStars was hosting a WTP event. Luckily, I played well, avoided nasty beats, and went home nearly even for the trip.

That said, despite my two tough trips, I have my gambling under control. For now.

I'm not saying forever!

| G-Rob's Thoughts