Part trip report, part sequel to “Gray Friday“, “Three Days in Madrid” is my latest article for the Two Plus Two Poker Magazine:
My heart beat eagerly as my eyes scanned the waiting crowd at Madrid-Barajas Airport. It’s nice to know that, after nine hours of traveling, there is a friendly face seeking out you amidst the anonymous crowd, but there was more to my anxiousness than that. The face I was looking for wasn’t exactly familiar: I’d seen it only once, in a photograph. But if Nico wasn’t here, I was going to be seriously screwed, with little money, even less knowledge of the local language, and no plan for getting to my hotel.
It tells the story of my first three days (though actually most of the best stories are from the nights) in Madrid, including significant hands that I played on Day 1A of the European Poker Tour Grand Final. Of course, I spent more than three days in Madrid, but the article is long enough as it is. I plan to share a few more stories on this blog in the coming days, so if you enjoy the article, keep any eye on this page for bonus material!
Excellent article like always. I’m hoping that there are plenty of cash game stories with colorful characters. 🙂
Sorry to disappoint but I never went back to the casino after busting out of the tournament. I’ve played poker exactly one day in the last month and a half, and that day was chronicled in detail in that article 🙂
another great trip report! love hearing reviews of your travels.
Thanks! I love writing them 🙂
Sounds like an awesome trip, but my favorite part is your perspective on poker and getting out of it what you put into it.
Great read.
great story! Here’s another reader of your blog from Madrid who would have loved to meet you in my hometown. By the way, the Rainbow Bar is a clssic place where I spent hours in my youth, not so long ago… 😉
Thanks and sorry to miss you! You should’ve left a comment on one of my PRE-Madrid posts 🙂 Maybe next year…
Awesome that you’re familiar with the Rainbow Bar. Can you confirm that it is not a gay bar? In the US there is a 100% chance that a club called “Rainbow Bar” would be, but Nico said he’d never even heard of that and had no reason to think it was.
yeah, I can confirm it is not. It is actually a heavy-metal/rock bar, it’s name comes from the great rock band “Rainbow”, I believe…