Party Poker Blog

"We didn't break any attendance records at that first meeting, but the fact that 30 complete strangers showed up for a random weekend of gambling and guzzling booze spoke volumes to the fact that maybe this poker blogging thing had legs, and maybe these people were pretty damn awesome."
FTrain - before the third Gathering

How many folks showed up for this event? 120+?

Yeah, I think this poker blogging thing might have some legs.

And damn, new awesome people showing up every year. It's an incredibly eclectic and diverse group of poker bloggers feeling like they're part of something bigger; a community and a shared passion. I've said it for four years now - poker bloggers are brighter than your average bear. If you've attended, you know of what I speak.

Per tradition, I'm not going to regale you with my silly stories of drunken cowboys, British hooligans and poker bloggers milling about Sin City. There are far better writers out there than me doing so.

So I'm here to link em up.

But there was a certain point in the Geisha bar where I just sat there, a huge goofy grin on my face, watching everyone. Seeing old and new friends mingle and laugh and let loose in Vegas did my heart some much needed good. And that's why I love these events and the crazy people who make time in their busy lives to show up and celebrate our collective debauchery.

As an added bonus, no one made fun of my having to sit on phone books at the poker table. And plenty of bloggers happily gave me a boost into bar chairs.

And while I resist the urge to recount some of my favorite memories of this past weekend, please do me a favor, and go read these folks Trip Reports. But allow me to give a huge shout-out to Falstaff for setting up an incredible tournament (do we need a dinner break next year? I kid, I kid) - to Joaquin for winning the tourney and the coveted Golden Hammer trophy - and to my poker hero, Johnny Hughes, for showing up and imparting some wisdom to us goof balls.

You may need to scroll down or go back to the home page on some of these blogs as they are on a Part 2 or 3. It's well worth the extra click, trust me. And please let me know if I forgot anyone - I'm sure I did. Putting this list together was a bit of work and I'd like to make sure it's complete. And please check back - some of these folks have posts pending.

In no particular order I present:

Dr. Pauly
Up for Poker
Poker Stage
poker peaker
Drizz
Gambling Blues
Al Can Hang
High on Poker
The Obituarium
Online Poker Thoughts
Buddy Dank
Poker Girl in Vegas
Jen Leo
Gary Cox
Craig Cunningham
Beer City Poker
Mrs. Chako
Dr. Chako - In Iraq
Betty Underground
Bobby Bracelet
Disco Finery
Schaubs
CK - BWOP
Mene Gene
Poker Perspectives
TripJax
FTrain
BadBlood
SheVerb
The Fat Guy
Vegas Miami Don
Trauma Poker
Feeding the Addiction
Res Ipsa Poker
My Little Poker Blog
Poker and Misc Stuff
This is Not a Poker Blog
PokerKat
Poker Grub
Poker in the Weeds
Dead Money Inc
Poker Works
Poker on the Boundary
Recess Rampage
KuroKitty
Astin Cubed
Shane Nickerson
Bacon Mary
Bam-Bam in Bedrock
Bayne's Poker Suffering
Blinders Poker
Jacks R OK
Mattazuma
Aimlessly Chasing Amy
I Had Outs
Change 100
Runner-Runner Rebuy
Instant Tragedy
Poker Wannabe
Mr. Subliminal
Poker Jones
Bankroll Experience
Zeem
Smokee
Byron
Love Elf
Surly Poker Gnome
Geek and Proud
LJ
Yestbay1's Poker Blog
Fuel
Special K
Steve T's World
Heather

"Poker is also a social lubricant that brings together people from all walks of life. College kids. WWII vets. Staunch Republicans. Pinko liberals. Men. Women. Other. Red Sox fans. Yankees fans. Sanitation workers. Politicians. Chefs. Stockbrokers. Immigrants. Jocks. Norwegian teenagers. Former Star Trek actors. Military doctors. Lesbian nurses. Hippies. Grandmas. Taxi drivers. Even bacon loving fat kids from Hilljack, Indiana are playing poker with vegans from Orange County. Humans making connections with other humans. We live in such a disjointed society that poker is a rare instance when people are coming together."
Dr. Pauly

Amen.

I'm always a tad melancholy upon returning home from the poker blogger gatherings in Vegas. There's such a flurry of great people, deep belly laughs and activity for 72 straight hours and it's all over in the blink of an eye. There's just never enough damn time.

This was a fantastic trip for me, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. In fact, I spent a goodly amount of time just listening and simply enjoying others conversations this go around. It's easy to do with this group, trust me.

And so, I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. And for those of you who couldn't make it, you were missed.

I'm in full recovery mode, but I'll be compiling a full list of Trip Reports for your reading pleasure ASAP.