HPO - St. Louis version

The Championship Main Event of the Hollywood Poker Open starts today at Hollywood Casino-St. Louis. It's the 21st of 28 events in the tour's first stop here, and with a $1,620 entry fee things should be hopping. I hope.

The tournaments so far have been an embarassment for our city (Maryland Heights, a suburb in West County St. Louis), I'm afraid. How could Hollywood host such a big event with construction everywhere in the place, looking ugly and third-worldish and small? Hollywood Casino should have done better. Shame on them! Grade so far: C-minus.

There were two mega satellites for the Championship Main Event last night (Thursday). Two more Mega Sats are planned today, plus two Turbo Sats; entries to them are either $245 or $125. These satellites should help boost the field for Saturday's Flight B of the Main Event. It starts at noon local time; the Flight A starts at a similar time today, leading up to Day 2 for survivors at noon Sunday. The Championship Final Table is at noon Monday.

With all the construction and disorganization at the casino, I haven't done much playing so far. Not as much as I hoped to, as I would've liked to. The Seniors (Event 7) and Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better (Event 13) tournaments were on my original agenda, but I've stuck to the ring games. A bit of variety, a bit of action, an agonizing long wait for seats (am I back at Bellagio? gimme a buzzer, no one can hear the PA!). Breaking even has been the sad pattern; still waiting for that solid run of goodness + luck.

Ah well. Back to the rings this afternoon, and then the final Mega Sat tonight for a place in Saturday's Main Flight B. If it's not meant to be, there's always Saturday's 7 pm $125 No Limit Nightly (Event 26). No, Chop, I will not enter the Ladies NLHE (Event 27) on Sunday afternoon; I look awful in drag. But I don't mind watching and schmoozing. And waiting for my ring name to be called again.

And no matter how frustrating and @*!%x$ the HPO's local debut has been, I'm still enthused because there's still the Heartland Poker Tour's latest St. Louis invasion coming up April 19-29 at River City Casino across town. It'll be HPT's third trip to town. They do things better, although it looks like Greg Raymer won't be there to defend his ME title because of other obligations. I really miss the the WSOP Circuit when we used to have a Harrah's (that's the property Hollywood bought), but one makes do as best one can.

Good cards and timing would help a lot too! G'luck all...