So, you call this place G-Vegas, huh?

G-Vegas. Anyone who is in the know knows what G-Vegas is. If not then you have been missing out on some of the better poker post of the past years. But I always wondered if it truly lived up to its name.

Like a call up to the big leagues, I made my plans when I got the invite to Mastodon Weekend. It was my chance to see if G-Vegas was truly the Vegas of the east.

Gambling- No way this place can have Vegas in its name if there isn't some gambling going on. There was a poker tournament held by, as Pauly called him, the Mayer. Held in a beautiful restaurant with a bar right near by and ladies serving cocktails. But that wouldn't be all. The game du jour was Big Deuce, a frustrating game that would have you cursing within 3 hands. Add in some NLHE and PLO and sure there was gambling. And that was just during the pokering. These degenerates live for the prop bet. Whether it be Drizz donning a purple ladies shirt for $40 or BG gobbling down 13 jalapenos for $20, there were prop bets being slung around. Score this as a YES for G-Vegas.

Booze- Plenty of booze around this town. In fact, each place seemed to have a good selection of beers. None of these bars that just had the mass produced Miller, Bud, or Coors only. No place that considered Blue Moon to be their only craft beer. The Barley Room had 72 beers on tap. 72! Each time we went into a new place there was at least 5 beers that caught my eye. Place after place was like this. Amazing. Plus they had SoCo. Score this as a YES for G-Vegas.

Friends- Brad estimated 30 degenerates from around the country were coming into town. People from Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Columbia, St. Louis, and Toronto to just name a couple. Do I need to say how great it was to see everyone again? I always know how great it is when I begin to already miss everyone in the last couple of hours before it is over. That was the feeling late Saturday night. Score this as a YES for G-Vegas.

Dive bar- I don't know how to describe the affinity people have for the Geisha Bar at the IP. There is something about that dumpy little bar in that dumpy casino that just feels like home. Is it the sometimes surly bartenders? No. I think it was because it was close to your hotel room and you could always pour yourself into the elevator and get up to the room. I think it is like that old pair of shoes that you still have. You use to wear them either when out playing sport or walking about. They then became a work around the house shoe. Now they are green because you use them to cut the grass. But it is still comfortable. That is the Geisha Bar. That comfortable shoe that has the strange smell. Or maybe it is the hookers. The comparable G-Vegas bar would have to be Connollys. Connollys Irish Pub was the comfortable shoe. The amenities were nothing to brag about. On Friday we walk in and some guy is on stage playing guitar singing away with a bongo player crouched down to his right. Yes, that is right. A friggin' bongo player! Good service and another good beer selection made this place good. Score this as a YES for G-Vegas.

Hookers- I know what you are thinking. You saw that I mentioned the hookers at the Geisha Bar but stopped there. I know what you are thinking now. Did Connollys have hookers? Let me start by saying I was amazed by the beautiful women I saw in G-Vegas. Cheap Trick says it correctly. Southern Girls you got nothing to lose. It makes me wonder what a G-Vegas hooker would look like because I did not see any hookers at Connollys. I think that normally would be marked a YES but hooker watching is a spectator sport for this crew. Score this as a NO for G-Vegas.

Dry air- This isn't a good thing. I don't know about many of you but after 2 days in Vegas I can feel my skin drying out. My lips are chapped. My nasal passages are messed up and I feel like drinking a gallon of water. That is how I felt in G-Vegas as well. Two days and I using the skin lotion in the hotel. Score this as a YES for G-Vegas.

Good food- Ribs, steak, chicken club, sushi, bacon waffles. All were great. About the only thing that sucked were some wings that didn't agree with me. I think they tried to kill me. I only wished I could have ate at the Waffle House or maybe Beef O'Bradys. Beef O'Bradys. Say it. It screams goodness doesn't it? Score this as a YES for G-Vegas even though Sharkeys tried to kill me

So there you have it. The scorecard screams that G-Vegas lives up to its name. Now I try have to wait 359 days until Mastodon Weekend comes around again. Believe me, if you get the call, answer the phone.