Lucky we live Kauai. The common phrase we hear in various exchanges with long-time residents and recent transplants alike could not be more true. We certainly take that luckiness to heart and believe in it deeply — a true belief
Lucky we live Kauai. The common phrase we hear in various exchanges with long-time residents and recent transplants alike could not be more true. We certainly take that luckiness to heart and believe in it deeply — a true belief that is easy to recognize. How, you ask? I mean, other than the obvious beauty and abundance of our surroundings, how do I know we all feel eternally lucky?
Because just about everyone who takes some time off of the rock does the same thing: We go to Vegas. Only people who feel their luckiness cannot be obstructed would make Las Vegas their frequent getaway.
So while I’ve been on the Mainland for close to two weeks now, first attending a few of my friends’ weddings and then catching up with my family on the East Coast, I’m pounding the keys for this column while I’m on my way to — where else — that strip of glitz in the midst of endless desert.
Yup, Vegas. I’m about to put my body and soul through the longest Vegas trip I’ve ever experienced — not that there are all that many to best. Ten days. Ten days in Sin City with some friends, some plans and a whole lot of “we’ll see.”
A trip of this magnitude seems overdue. As some of you may know, after I left the NBA.com newsdesk in 2007, I spent about 18 months making my living as an online poker player. It wasn’t much of a living, but it paid the bills and I didn’t have to sit in a cubicle.
So while the main reason for my current Vegas excursion is one of my best friends’ bachelor party this weekend, the remaining seven days are designed to experience the phenomenon that is the World Series of Poker. More than four years removed from my online days, this marks the first time I’ll be attending the premier event in the known universe for any competent rounder.
Over that four-year period, I think I’ve greatly improved my live game. Some of you reading may agree, some of you may be remembering a large pot you scooped and think I’m full of it. But testing my abilities isn’t the reason I feel compelled to check out the WSOP. The weeks-long series is the heartbeat of poker. It’s the yearly physical that shows how well the community is doing, so I want to see it with my own two eyes.
Some of the folks that I play with from time to time will also be in town to test their skills at an official WSOP event or two. I won’t out them just yet, but I’m hoping to document the Kauai contingent and, ideally, report back with some successes.
If things go as we all hope and the “lucky we live Kauai” spirit crosses the Pacific in our carry-on luggage, expect some shouts of “saki bombs for everyone!” the next time you’re at Kintaro. Keep your eye on this space next week for Vegas updates.
But for now, focus your attention on Nicaragua, where the 2013 International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championship gets underway Saturday. Kauai’s Koa Smith and Tatiana Weston-Webb are among the 12 juniors representing Team Hawaii. Take a look back at “My Thoughts Exactly” from June 5 for the full team and additional event information.
• ‘My Thoughts Exactly’ appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Garden Island. Email David Simon your comments or questions to dsimon@thegardenisland.com. Follow David on Twitter @SimonTGI
