iPhone blogging is too annoying and the connection is too unreliable, that I trekked out to the Harrah's business center where I can enjoy paying $35 per hour for Internet access (or $10 every 15 minutes).

But heck, I spend more than that playing slots.

I sadly bubbled out of the Silverton slot tournament.

There were only 60 people after two dropped out. My final session was a dud, putting me in 22nd with the top 20 cashing. Maybe I jinxed myself by thinking I could easily place in the top 10.

Onto The Venetian, where I ran into Mr. Subliminal, who's also playing the tourney. Walked by him at the Venetian poker room, then ended up sitting next to each other in the first session.

We finished playing this morning, with me at 10,155. Average is probably 8500-9000. Still two sessions to go, and anything can happen as my Silverton experience shows. I don't know how many people are playing, but I figure 300-500 with the top 100 cashing, and 27,000 over the three sessions should be enough to get the $100 in freeplay.

The Venetian and suites are amazing and big (I don't remember where I parked the car), but I think I prefer the smaller size of Harrah's. I ended up double-booking myself at Harrah's anyway so that I could pick up the promotion of a free $100 as a travel reimbursement.

***
Yesterday I played the 2 p.m. poker tourney at Planet Hollywood with G-Money. It wasn't a technical rebuy, but you could re-enter by rebuying.

Play was wild, with many all-ins. A guy check-raised a rag flop with 10-8 (pair of 10s), and I pushed with pocket Jacks. He called, a 10 came on the turn, and I was out.

All within 5 minutes.

I tried re-entering, but there was a wait list, so sat in a 1/2 NL game with a Phil Hellmuthian guy, who had the height, high-pitched voice, and bravura. He also had a big stack in front of him and had been there for 25 hours straight.

I don't really enjoy playing poker with people like this. I know he's trying to tilt the table, but it's not a relaxing experience.

Plus I lost my stack when I raised all-in with a flush on the river and he beat me by one.

Planned to leave, but then the whole table changed when a drunk guy from Manhattan sat down.

He introduced himself by taking off his shirt at the table and changing into another one. He also briefly exposed himself with his low-hanging swim trunks.

He began winning without looking at his cards, calling huge bets and raises. "I'm luckier when I don't look at my cardssss," he said, prolonging the "s."

Right down to the end, with a board of an Ace on the flop and King on the river, a guy kept betting and showed AJ. The drunk guy never looked, called the river bet, then flipped his cards.

First one King.

The table ooohed.

Then another King.

The table erupted in shocked laughter, and the drunk guy dragged a $600 pot.

He was now up to $1000 and kept winning, whether looking at his cards or not. And he could've won even more, had he not constantly check-called.

"I don't like to raise," he said. "I'm not an asshole. I'm a nice guy."

I did notice, however, that he only checked when he had something. And when someone checked to him, he returned by checking. When he bet, he had nothing. But when he bet, it was hard to call because it'd be for 2x-10x the pot.

Someone bumped up against him by raising preflop (the drunk guy called every raise). Drunk guy bet $35 on the flop, and the other guy raised to $135. Drunk guy called. They checked the turn and river. Drunk guy shows Ace high to win.

Then it came around to my spanking when I looked at QQ. People began shifting their games and playing most anything, hoping to hit something big against him.

I raised to $15, had a few callers, and the flop was a Jack and rags.

I bet $35, and he raised to $70. I said, "I thought you said you don't raise."

Figuring I was good, I was going to move in, but wimped out and called. I had $300 behind and wanted to make sure no Ace or King fell.

The turn was an 8. I checked, intending to check-raise. But he checked.

River was Ace. I checked, he checked.

I thought I was good and happy to get the pot. He showed J8 for two pair.

I played it poorly, but also lost the least amount I could've.

"See?" he said. "I am a gentleman. I am not an asshole."

The more Coronas he drank, the drunker he got, and he'd call off huge bets thinking he had hands that he didn't.

He constantly thought he had straights.

One time he had a 4-card straight to someone's full house.

"I had a straight," he slurred when the pot was pushed to someone else.

"A full house beats a straight," the dealer said.

"But you didn't even have a straight," a player said.

When he remembered, he tipped dealers really well, one time as much as $35.

When he lost, he gave respect and a knuckle tap to the winner. When he won, he'd say, "You are a homosexual." Along with a variation. One was: "I hope you get a black dick in your ass."

Players were on the waiting list for our table. Our table was buying him drinks, and one offered him a pastrami sandwich from Earl of Sandwich. Anything to keep him there.

After a few hours, he lost all his money, then threw out everything he had in his wallet. He rebought for $82. The bills were still wet from him swimming.

Once losing that, he went to the ATM, saying he had $25,000 in his account "and I'm only 22." On the way, he climbed a table, did a dance, and began stripping. Karaoke began in the lounge next door, and he sang a song before being booted after adding the words "wet pussy."

I liked that the drunk guy shut up the Hellmuth guy, but the table was getting rowdy (made even more so by a maniac -- but not drunk -- guy from Amsterdam) and I had to check in to Venetian and Harrah's.

Finally at 11 p.m., I escaped, miraculously getting back to even (including the tournament buy-in) plus $7.