Thursday, October 12, 2006

Why Can't I Write? And Good-Bye Party Poker

I seem to wax and wane when it comes to writing about poker. I'll write a lot of inspired, theory-type posts, and then I suddenly find a brick wall in front of me and don't feel like writing at all.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I must write. I'm here to stay. Writing has always been a huge part of my life, and I'll write regardless of whether anything gets posted.

A few things that I have never written about were trip reports from this years WSOP. Remember, Glenn won the ME seat on Party? We stayed at MGM for a week and had a great time. I never wrote about it, even though some funny things happened during that week. Another chalk mark for me getting kicked out of a poker room. This time it wasn't even really my fault, although I have such a big mouth, I can understand why CRM's and various casino employees would absolutely hate to have me in their establishment. Truthfully, if I owned a casino, I probably wouldn't spread poker. And if I were forced to spread it, I would hate people like me frequenting the poker room. I have never denied that the presence of someone like myself is more of a hindrance than a help to any cardroom.

The shock of the entire WSOP experience this year was how well we were treated by Party. I wanted to hate them. I've always hated them. Hate their software, hate the glitches, hate the way they treat players. Their apathy from almost the time they entered big-time Internet poker had left me gaping with horror. Although I don't play much on the Internet, I played on Party so rarely that I didn't even keep the software on my PC. Just the thought of giving them business made my blood curdle.

So I went to MGM with a 'tude. Big chip on my shoulder, looking for someone to hear my rants and take my abuse. I couldn't have been more shocked if I'd tried. Although on the Internet Party may treat people like numbers (dollars constantly adding up in their eyes), in person they couldn't be more polite, kind and cordial. They treated us like kings, instead of the greedy peons that we are ;)

With the closing of Party tomorrow (and yes, I do consider it over, a "closing," even if they decide to return to the US market eventually and/or keep other skill-based games running in the interim), I figured I'd probably be the one and only person who would actually write something or say something kind about them. Their live personnel was outstanding. They couldn't have been more professional and wonderful if they tried.

RIP Party Poker,

Felicia :)