The other day I had a truly amazing experience. A uniquely New Jersey experience. During the day, I paid a visit to the brick-and-mortar Borgata Casino in Atlantic City and then, later that night at home, I had a blast playing on Borgatapoker.com. From the day's beginning to its end, I had the thrill of playing in one of America's best casinos.
For those who haven't done so recently, I strongly suggest paying a visit to Atlantic City and stopping by The Borgata. I was anxious to check out some of the new amenities the casino had to offer. I'm talking, of course, about the new outdoor pool area and the Borgata Beer Garden. The pool was packed with the hotel guests who had plenty of room to lounge and swim in the massive pool. However, it was the new beer garden that really impressed me. A rectangular covered bar with ceiling fans which guided the Atlantic breezes to every corner of the structure. Surrounding the bar were cushioned lounge chairs as well as Adirondack chairs where people sipped their ice cold drinks. On one side of the bar area were picnic tables where I watched a couple playing Jenga (the giant pieces provided by the bar), ping-pong, and something that looked like the plinko game from The Price Is Right. The beer garden is another great addition to the casino and I hope you have a chance to check it out before the weather turns cold.
At night I settled in at home to continue my Borgata experience on Borgatapoker.com. Over the past couple weeks I've been playing well, consistently placing in the top half of the tournaments in which I've been competing. However, that night started a bit rocky for me. I was playing in the Sunday night 8:15 pm EST Guaranteed $750 bounty tournament. I typically start tournaments off pretty tight, which probably isn't a good idea for me to tell you that just in case you play me in the future. I made some pretty silly moves and at the time of the first break, I was down to $1,620 in chips from the $3,000 chip starting point. I may have made some silly mistakes but a very good player named Goodsaddle made a few great moves and cost me some hands. I eventually settled down and, during the second break, I was up over $7,700 in chips.
One point I want to make about how playing online differs from playing in the brick-and-mortar casino is that you can win achievement points while you are playing online. During this tournament, I received points for being a sling shooter, winning hockey sticks, big slick, javelin thrower, and speedster. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know what any of those mean, but I'm apparently racking up the points for some really cool stuff from borgatapoker.com. Also, the tournament I was playing in was called a bounty tournament which means I make money if I knock someone out of the tournament. During this tournament, I knocked two people out which put eight bucks into my account. Sorry to those two people I took chips from, but hey, I gotta tell you, it felt great. Getting back to the tournament, to reach the money bubble, a player would have to come in 16th out of a field of 90 to cash in. I came in 19th. I couldn't believe it. So close. But I'll give it another shot this Wednesday, August 10th, at 8:15 pm EST on borgatapoker.com at the $750 Guaranteed Bounty Tournament. Sign up and if you see DEW44, say hi because that'll be me. Hey I have a great idea, let's all grab our laptops, tables and smartphones and play this tournament in the Beer Garden!!
About the Author
Dave Weischadle is co-host of the syndicated radio talk show House of Cards® and anchor of the House of Cards® Gaming Report. Dave, an attorney, is a member of the Gaming Law Division of the New Jersey State Bar and is a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law section of the New York State Bar association.