[7/1/23] #31 - It's Just Pinball

[7/1/23] It's Just Pinball

A few guilty pleasures but at heart I'm probably described as a fairly nerdy guy who loves sports and problem solving puzzles of all kinds.

Some know this about me but I'll share that I became completely immersed in pinball for around 8 months. Setting high scores every afternoon at the 1up on Colfax here in Denver. 7 machines in total, it was a obsession I can't really explain. I joined a team but they were just there to drink beer, tourists haha.

Dink and I visited the pinball museum when it was further away from the strip and Alan instantly quit Midevil Madness directing us to air pop up hockey. He hated to lose so much that he found his edge instantly knowing I had never seen this ancient contraption that he had mastered and just crushed me. I never got to explore much. It was fine.

I had to quit pinball once football season began that year & for whatever reason I would return months later only to find my desire to play had vanished. That was years ago. The lust to play returned the last few years.

I flew into Vegas to conduct some business on a Wednesday & once the business was done. I did exactly what I've always wanted to.

Away from the numbers, the family, girlfriend, dogs, friends & decisions I entered the pinball museum at 1 pm and left at 10 PM.

I always wanted to just play every pinball game that I had only read about or played on the pinball app. Mission accomplished.

Might not sound great to you but it had been on my list for 6 years and I've yearned to play almost everyday the last year.

I have a partner in poker as a few of you have met or know of. He's much wealthier, calculated and intelligent than myself. We have been swapping pieces of each other for years now.

We made a pact to kind of go for it this year. No conscious gambling in some sense. I would play cash games as high as I can stand with the right lineup and he would focus on WSOP tournaments which is not his comfort zone either.

I think there's something to be said for being a grinder where one day it really does become a fucking grind.

Every year we have different ideas on how we are going to approach games, stakes, different situations and eventually your figuring out what you think your hourly should be and well what a freaking blast, eh?

I knew well before he did that I was going to play pretty high and I imagine he knew that he was going to play games and tournaments he wasn't necessarily familiar or good at. The ultimate test of trust I suppose.

One night I just sent a text, "coloring up, moving up" and he replied GL2us and that was it. I played for 6 hours and won 13 big bets in a game that I had dreamed of playing in for who knows how long. 7 or 8 years, maybe more.

I ran pure in the first big pot I played in a draw game where I scooped but I don't know what I'd done if I lost the first couple hands. Would I have had the nerve to rebuy? Thankful I won't ever know. The game wasn't soft but wasn't so hard that it didn't require me a decade to find the seat and buy in.

The next day I felt exhausted, worn down. My partner reminded me it's just 3 more chips per street of betting haha.

I returned to my normal mid stakes game, a bit proud of myself for taking the shot but also not eager to do so regularly or maybe never again.

A few days later as I sat in my office refreshing the wsop.com chip leader board every 5 minutes as my partner made deep runs all series long only to never final table but respectably earn a small profit and that would find us down right giddy to be honest.

I often wonder if the one thing that causes a gambler to fail besides a plan of execution is the desire to win is just too strong. Blindingly strong.

Find your pinball room even for a few hours.

The things you own end up owning you. It's only until you've lost everything that you're free to do anything- Pahlinuak

Thank you for the space as always. Sincerely your friend, Eddie