Auditions...

Well, that certainly didn't take very long. Since I booked my trip to Nashville--I'll be honest--I've kinda been half-assin' my job search, just because I don't really need to get a new job immediately. And I'd kinda like to take it easy until I get back from Tennessee.

But as much as I'm trying to be lazy, I've already got a couple of very good opportunities in places outside of Vegas, and one of them is looking pretty solid so far--if it comes through, then yeah, my Vegas days are over. But in the meantime, I've gotten a few calls for positions here in town, too. In addition to the first application I put in, and that gal who gave me the hook-up the other day, I got another call-back yesterday from one of the top-tier rooms in town--they want me to come down and audition for them next week, too. So with all of that going on, I'm actually going to be somewhat busy over the next couple of weeks. One of my buddies has dealt the World Series for the past few years, too, and I'm spending a few hours under his tutelage this week also. I haven't applied there yet, but I'm sure I will very soon.

If I don't have an offer by the time I get back in town in three weeks, then yeah, I'll hit it hard and treat my job search like a full-time job. In the meantime, I've got to brush up on dealing stuff like Deuce-Seven Triple Draw, Pot-Limit Omaha, Razz, and even Stud, which I haven't dealt but maybe three times in the past couple of years. While I was at Sunset, it was pretty much 100% all Hold 'Em, all the time, with the occasional mixed game tossed in late at night when we got down to the last four or five die-hard drunks. But there are a lot of HORSE games at the Series (Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better), and pot-limit Omaha is a beast of an entirely different nature. I need lots of practice on calculating the pot if I'm gonna deal that one and not look like too much of a jackass.

So that's what's going on as far as the job search goes. Like I said, I'm looking, but not too hard just yet.

I've also been playing a bit. I took all my winnings from the past week--almost $900--and put 'em in the bank yesterday to pay the bills. I kept my original $165 in the wallet to goof off with, and promptly lost it all last night. Grrr.... Well, technically not all of it--I filled up the gas tank first and then had dinner with A.C. over at Macaroni Grill. But then I gave the rest of it to the donks at the kiddie table who took turns running me down. So I'll probably take the rest of the week off, just because I don't want to admit defeat and hit the vault.

The other night, though, I played a bit of 4-8 Omaha for about three hours and won $170 while I was at it. I'm not that good at that game, but there were two guys at the table who were absolutely terrible at it, and one guy who tried to just run over the rest of us. I played pretty tightly and picked my spots and ended up doing pretty well. On the other hand, it wasn't a full table, and playing that game against nine opponents is an adventure in statistical variance if there ever was one. I know my limitations, and I won't be bringing my meager bankroll down to the jackals and maniacs at Boulder Station anytime soon (some of the craziest Omaha action in town is found out there in the ghetto). On the other hand, I had a really good time and it was a nice change-up from the tedium of Hold 'Em.

Besides that, there's nothing new to report. I'm going to spend the next couple of days chillin' out here at the Batch Pad, doing all my little chores and getting a bit of reading done. If the sun ever comes out, I may actually go outside and see if my sunglasses still work. It's been awhile...

Mikey