Borgata, Bellagio, Full Tilt

Well, I am again on an airplane headed this time to Atlantic City for the Borgata deep stack event this weekend. What I enjoy about the Borgata is quite frankly, everything. The tournament and cash game areas are well designed, clean and the staff is excellent, particuraly the Tournament Director Tab Duchateau. The hotel itself is first rate; from the rooms to the restaurants, to the spa and the pool. Some of you may have noticed that my previous blog post changed a little. The part about the Bellagio was removed. Although I feel that my comments accurately reflected the situation at hand, I was perhaps hasty, in not first talking with the poker room manager, Doug Dalton, prior to publically airing my thoughts. I have since talked to him at length and found him very willing to listen and talk about my concerns, an opportunity I should have afforded him prior to blogging about them. The Bellagio is the poker leader and where the action is in Las Vegas. Perhaps my disappointment in the Bellagio poker room was fueled by the fact that it is the number one poker room in Las Vegas, and as such, I expect more from it. In fact, I did write about how I thought the tournament staff and operations at the Bellagio were excellent and as good as anywhere in the world.

Writing this blog I take very seriously, and I enjoy sharing my thoughts, ideas and feelings on poker as well as a wide range of other subjects. It is easy to forget that there is a responsibility associated with it as well. To the best of my ability I try to be accurate and truthful with my stories, but I also wouldn't want the truth to interfere with a good story. It is also never my intention to harm or disparage someone, or something without an extremely good reason. So to that end, I would like to offer my regret to the management of the Bellagio poker room that I didn't approach you first before blogging about the issues. However, just like I shoulder that responsibility, the Bellagio should do the same and realize that as the number one place, comes great responsibility. Okay, enough said, I would like to add that the views expressed here are solely my own and are not endorsed, approved, or sanctioned by Card Player Magazine, its owners or employees. In fact this blog is a window into my mind, which can be scary at times, so read at your own risk.

Playing online at Full Tilt has become a big part of what I have been spending time doing lately. Since becoming an online pro, a whole new world has opened up to me. If you would have asked me a few months ago about what I thought about online poker, I would have rolled my eyes and launched into a diatribe about the overwhelmingly negative perception I had about it. I have come full circle and have started to really like it. I do need however need help in setting up a studio to play in. If anyone has a good referral, I need someone who can do the hardware and software implementation. I am now only playing on a laptop, and without any of the ancillary software which everyone tells me about.

My experience so far keeps getting better. I am now able to play 5 or 6 games simultaneously, which a month ago I would have thought impossible for me. I have been playing a mix of sit and go's, tournaments and cash games. What I find most fascinating is the differences in live versus online play. Even in the exact same situations, online play is much more aggressive, to the point where it can be scary.

For more information on Roy Winston, you can visit his website: www.oraclepoker.net or send him an email: [email protected]