Am I crazy? Wait, don't answer that ...
So last week, Southwest Airlines had a killer sale for flights from/to Tampa. With taxes, it came to $108 roundtrip for 10 or so cities. I quickly nabbed tickets for back-to-back September weekends in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to see my beloved Buckeyes stomp on Cincinnati and Penn State (and to pick up some of those tasty buckeye treats - even better with nutmeg!).
And then I made the mistake(?) of logging into my Southwest frequent flier account. Turns out, I only needed to make one more roundtrip to earn a free ticket! Wahoo! ... And then I saw the fine print: The roundtrip must be taken by Sept. 2. Ugh! Rivered again! So I set out on a 2-day odyssey to find a quick $108 weekend trip, pretty much just so I could score my free ticket. My wife watched in amusement as I spoutted out questions like, "Hey, what is there to do in Little Rock?!?!" I even tried to coax Fasso into flying to Chicago with me for a weekend poker binge. He laughed - hard.
I took my manic trip-searching right up to the sale's deadline before I surrendered.
But yesterday, I logged in to find a "Ding!" waiting. (No, not the bell we use in the studio - Southwest's sale sound). And guess what? The price to New Orleans dropped from $108 to $98 (hey, that's one big bet and tip in a $4/$8 game). The kicker, though, was it was only good on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So, yes, this is the August trip I booked:
Arrive in New Orleans at 8:25 a.m.
Leave New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. THE SAME DAY.
Yes, that's right, I'm flying solo to New Orleans for what will probably be at best a 6-hour session of cards at Harrah's.
Am I crazy? Wait, I already asked that ...
Christopher Cosenza is co-host of the longest running poker podcast on the planet, Ante Up! He started playing poker seriously in 2003 and his favorite players are Phil Ivey and Kenna James, though he tends to act like Phil Hellmuth if you make a bad play against him.
Scott Long, Ante Up!'s other co-host, is the author of the monthly Bet on It column in tbt*. He began gambling way too young (don't tell the fuzz!) and in the seventh grade, named his state "Gambleland" for a school project (State Animal? Loan shark, of course).
Hmmm, FullTiltForum poker weekend in Chicago July 21st and 22nd...Just a thought...
Posted by: Pokerslut | July 03, 2006 at 12:06 PM
... but if you come, please bring swag.And money. Lots of money.OK, forget the swag - just the money is fine.
Posted by: Zerbet | July 03, 2006 at 12:10 PM
The first step is realizing that you have a problem...
Posted by: Jason | July 03, 2006 at 04:58 PM
That's awesome. Except that you start some $100+ behind before the first hand ;)Well, make sure you come back with a story or two.
Posted by: Erwin Blonk | July 03, 2006 at 06:53 PM
Wish I'd known about this. I'd have booked a trip home for Homecoming in Athens at Ohio's First and Finest.
Posted by: tim | July 03, 2006 at 08:13 PM
If you guys need the holiday off, maybe its time to re-run the Q & A show from gamblers anonymus again and we'll see if Scott wants to correct any of his previous answers.
Posted by: ChicagoMike | July 03, 2006 at 11:33 PM
Ah, you guys kill me. Pokerslut, sorry, but the fare sale was only good for August flights. And Erwin, you're a "glass is half empty" type, aren't you? :) By making the flight, I earn a free flight, which is good for at least $300. So by my math, I'm starting out AHEAD by atleast a rack and a half. My name is Scott, and I have a problem ...
Posted by: Scott Long | July 04, 2006 at 12:25 PM
Well Scott, you and I are the world's top mad-methicians :)And I'm a 'positive attitude glass is half empty' type: it's half empty but I drink it just the same.
Posted by: Erwin Blonk | July 04, 2006 at 03:23 PM