10/11/99 monday - columbus day
casino azstar is located in the historic district of evansville, indiana. there's several museums and historic homes open to the public in the area. i've taken a motel room a few miles north of town, just south of the airport. i get on the boat at 1:20 pm, well in time for the 1:00 pm cruise. except this boat doesn't cruise very often - apparently they've got lots of mechanical difficulties to handle! and there'll be no cruise today.
the poker room is on the first level. you enter on the third level. i go down one flight of stairs to the second level, and see a sign that says "first level closed." uh oh. did i just get screwed out of the $4 admission fee? nope! local security guard tells me that the poker room on the first floor is open. i hit the stairs, and find the poker room. there are six tables in the room, four of which are set up for stud. there are two 1-5 stud games in progress, and i'm seated immediately. there are four good ol' boys, one good ol' gal, two good young boys, and your doughty reporter. the rake is 10% to a maximum of $3 (a considerable improvement over the last two riverboats). however, the quality of play (bad) is the same! :)
the room has been open since february, and the room manager has just submitted a request to the appropriate authorities to run tournaments. i see that dealers in the room announce possible straights and flushes on 6th street in 7-card stud **even when there are only three-to-a-straight and three-to- a-flush onboard!** there's a table set up by the side of the room with coffee pots, cups, glasses and a pitcher of ice water. since the rest of the first level is closed, the shift supervisor takes drink orders, phones them up to the second level, and they are delivered by a cocktail waitress. i noted that the waitress charged players for cans of budweiser and miller light beer. there weren't enough smokers in the room for me to tell if the air quality was affected or not, but smokers are allowed to sit in the two seats next to the dealer.
the riverboat docks next to a hotel. rooms are available for between $75 and $90. that's more than twice what i'm paying at the local motel 6. the casino aztar riverboat is owned by the same corporation that owns the trop- icana hotels in las vegas and atlantic city. the atlantic city tropicana prides iself on its friendly atmosphere, and it appeared to me that the same quality is the goal of this riverboat.
they cranked up a $2-10 7-card stud game, but the only players who sat down at that table were the very few who have any idea how to play. i stayed where i was, and booked a small win ($145) after three hours. i was told that player's island riverboat, in metropolis, illinois, has closed their poker room, so i'll stay around here for another day before i head for st. louis!
10/12/99 tuesday
this is fun! each time i post something about my trip, a bunch of you send me e-mail about something or another (and, unlike the doogster, i really do get e-mail from my readers!). last night, when i signed on to post the last section, i found e-mail from rgp'er krmin@aol.com, who just happens to be employed at the casino aztar in evansville! we'll meet later! one of my drinkin' buddies asked me about elijah craig bourbon.....ahhhhh... that's good sippin' whiskey. and if the company's right, you just set right down and keep sippin' and talkin'...and talkin' and sippin'...and sippin' and talkin', until the bottle's gone and the sun is peeking over the hills....ahhhhhh.....
the dockside lounge has live entertainment mondays through fridays, from 10:30 to 3:30. tom ryan sings and plays git-tar and his buddy plays electric piano. they play c&w standards, and although it ain't the cool jazz i like, it's still nice. the casino aztar riverboat, which is actually called "the city of evansville," really does cruise. today, they've figured out all the problems, and we cruise out on the river. well, about 15-20 yards offshore. and we only go about a mile upstream before the boat backs up. there's an observation deck above the 3rd level, with deck chairs and a canopy.
once again, there are two 1-5 stud games going. in mid-afternoon, krmin stops by the cardroom. he's kinda new to rgp, and he turns out to be a really nice guy! we had a delightful chat for about 20 minutes. krmin isn't allowed to play at aztar, so he's gotta go to caesar's glory of rome in louisville. krmin thinks as highly of holly as i do! :)
jeez....this 1-5 game is something else! i haven't played a hand for 20 minutes. i'm rolled up with kings in late position. everybody calls the $1 bring-in, and i raise it to a total of $5. six players call. two aces hit on 4th street, and they check to me. my bet of $5 is called by all of them. somebody makes a small running pair on 5th street and checks to me. once again, they all call my $5 bet. nothing new on 6th, and they're still calling me. yeah, i get raised on the river by a good ol' boy who hit a gutshot wheel...
::::::sigh::::::
the cardroom does not have a rulebook for players. :( however, they do have a little handout, which explains the basics of poker.
i play to about 6:30 pm, and decide to head west to st. louis. i take a break for dinner in mt. vernon, illinois, where interstate 64 meets inter- state 57. "rural route country kitchen restaurant" is the best damned truckstop in the world! they've got "acres of parking", fuel, a weighing station, a huge convenience store, a bank of about 20 telephones, shower facilities, a video game arcade and, of course, a country restaurant. as i walk in, i see the left side of the restaurant is full - men between 35 and 60, mostly bearded, all wearing baseball caps, and wearing some kind of american flag insignia somewhere on their clothing. they're all smoking cigarettes. on the right no-smoking side are a pair of trucker buddies and your urbane urban reporter. there's stuff from buckboard wagons on the walls, and handtools, and muffin tins, and dried flowers. the special of the day is spaghetti and garlic bread - all you can eat for $5.99.
my waitress is janice - she's old, overweight, bleach blonde, not very attractive, with a smile across her face as big as all outdoors. fried chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, a small salad, cornbread and a coke come to $9.74. as janice gives me the check, i beckon her closer with my finger.
"don't tell anybody, but i'm not really a truck driver."
"w'all, honey, i knowed that soon as i set eyes on you! where ya from?"
"new york, new york."
"ha! city slicker!" and she gives me a grin to show that she doesn't really mean it! :)
i'm in st. charles, missouri, tonight, and i'll be at the station casino in st. charles tomorrow! look for the guy in the green satin tropicana jacket!
stay tuned!
tiger
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Kenneth R. Churilla