(As sent to the BARGE mailing list. Subscribe now!)
Best BARGE Evah. What happened? I’ll have to wait for your trip reports to find out those details.
I hoped to write a trip report, telling wonderful stories, but I know that if I did that now it would not be cogent and it certainly would not be complete. This year, more than ever, BARGE was a blur to me. So much, so fast that no amount of Adderall could compensate. So many wonderful happy faces. So many beautiful smiles and so many loving arms. Tears are coming from my eyes as I write this. So many amazing people reached out to me this past week that it was completely overwhelming for me. Is it possible to receive too much love? Can I ask for more? (foreshadowing….wait for it).
In 1999, I was invited to come to this event called BARGE to play poker. In the time between 1999 and 2015, I learned that poker is just an excuse for 190+ amazing people to gather together in one place and reunite as a family. Like all families, we have struggles and conflicts. There are sibling rivalries, but there is also an immeasurable amount of respect.
In my lifetime I have made mistakes. Some of them involved my BARGE family. Most have been forgiven, some have not. I guess that’s understandable. One should not get to define the duration of one’s own penance. I have tried to give as much as I could to BARGE. I have received much more in return. And so, on Saturday evening, I requested a microphone and I tried to tell a story of what BARGE means to me and why you all are an important part of my life. It was risky. Perhaps it was too hokey. Perhaps it was out of line. Perhaps it was uncomfortable. But it was genuine and it was real. It is what I call the spirit of BARGE. I know of no other way to speak than from my heart.
This Trip report ends up not being a tale of fun, frivolity and self-indulgence. Instead, it is an acknowledgement of how special each and every one of you is. In trip reports, it is nice to acknowledge the people who contributed to your joy. There are many ways to make contributions. Sometimes it’s sharing a meal. Sometimes it’s a drink. (Ok, a little more than sometimes). Sometimes it’s an attentive ear, a supportive word, a kind gesture, a hug, or even a smile. Sometimes it is simply being there, so that a friend knows that he is not alone. I would be remiss if I failed to mention those people who made this BARGE very special for me. Without going in to details about each and every moment (there simply isn’t the time or the mental ability to recall all of that) I will simply list the people who were there and are very, very special to me:
- Warren “Must be first” Sander
- Doug “@dgr” Grismore
- Russell “Messenger of Doom” Fox
- Frank Irwin
- Steve “Crunch” Daniel
- John “JZK” Scheinberg
- Ashton “Ashton” Applewhite (guest of John “JZK” Scheinberg)
- JP “Mr. M” Massar
- Caryl Aronson
- David “Meeee” Aronson
- Dan “ADB smalltalk” Goldman
- Masanobu “Masa” Fujioka
- Suenghee “Sue” Fujioka (guest of Masanobu “Masa” Fujioka)
- Paul Zuzelo
- Suzanne Zuzelo (guest of Paul Zuzelo)
- Stephen “bozo” Blackstock
- Michael “Mike” Chow
- Paul “prmcm” McMullin
- Andreas Wolfram
- Donald “ADBBingo” Rieck
- Louis “Bob_O” Ogus
- David “sam_6” Lawful
- Alex “Maverick600” Ziselman
- David Low
- Jim Anderson
- John “Schecky” Caldwell
- Jennifer “JenLeo” Leo (guest of John “Schecky” Caldwell)
- Rob Fagen
- Nathan “Woodstock” Hess
- Lisa Hess (guest of Nathan “Woodstock” Hess)
- Joe “Chiprider” Long
- Sean “oscar” McGuiness
- Ross Poppel
- Rich Strauss
- John “muscatel” Grout
- Steven “Steve” Markowitz
- Steve “SteveLB” Lewin-Berlin
- Adam “Allknight” Bachrach
- Debbie Bachrach (guest of Adam “Allknight” Bachrach)
- Dan “dann” Nussbaum
- Karl “SmartMeanFatKid” Kirchoff
- Shae “$hae Money” Martinez (guest of Karl “SmartMeanFatKid” Kirchoff)
- Steve “stevew” Watanabe
- Oliver Juang
- John Lloyd
- Sharon “Shaza” Goldman
- Peter “ADB Foldem” Secor
- Randal Hennemuth
- Travis Coleman (guest of Randal Hennemuth)
- Janace “Jan” Pierce
- Mike “ADB Howler” McBride
- Sue “Howlerwife” McBride (guest of Mike “ADB Howler” McBride)
- Janie “Janie” McIntosh
- Martin “slickmv” Veneroso
- Linda M “Llew” Lewis
- Steve “Steve” Pierce
- Josh “Fargin Icehole” Paley
- Erin “SpiteBastard” Ramsay
- Chuck “HEChas” Humphrey
- Larry Stone
- Corey “LingCod” Imsdahl
- Kathy “Hot Flash” Imsdahl (guest of Corey “LingCod” Imsdahl)
- Nolan Dalla
- Guy “Grizz” Berentsen
- Gerald “gerdog” Petersen
- David “Heldar” Heller
- Andrea “Mizz Heldar” Darvas (guest of David “Heldar” Heller)
- Steve “Ice” Eisenstein
- Ira Wiedman
- Terry Wiedman (guest of Ira Wiedman)
- David “BronzeDodger” O’Grady
- Michael “Michael” Hunter
- Rebecca “Redbird” Kerl
- Dean “MrBookworm” Kerl
- Mark “Oldbear” Hughes
- Gillian “Gillian” Groves
- Michael “mickdog” Patterson
- Murray Logan
- Steve “Paul the Octopus” Sherman
- Len “Len G” Greenberg
- Jodi “Jodi S.” Shapiro
- Chuck “ADB Enabler” Weinstock
- Scott “Bwana” Byron
- Chris “COC” OConnor
- David “dasoussan” Soussan
- Stevan “goldie” Goldman
- Jeanne “Jeanriders” David
- Patrick “CtheTurn” Kirwan
- Scott “Samarai Bastard” Samarel
- Pete “TrayRacer” Segal
- Lynsy “Lynsy” Higgs Iwamoto
- Bruce “Cyberchomp” Iwamoto
- Sean “Formerly AAmaz0n” Morrow
- Asya “AH-see-ya” Kamsky
- Ryan “Ryan” Troll
- Derek “CindrllaMan” Gomez
- Randy “ADB Schmengie” Collack
- Carol Collack (guest of Randy “ADB Schmengie” Collack)
- Bruce “ADB Bigboy” Kramer
- Alan “Bearsfan” Veach
- Belinda “Mrs. Bearsfan” Veach (guest of Alan “Bearsfan” Veach)
- Diana “Prof Chaos” Mercer
- George “George” Wattman
- Sharon “Lil Angel” Lewis
- Barry “Mr. Raise” Kornspan
- Rick “Rick M” Mombourquette
- Michael “BIG MIKE” Klein
- Jeanne “FHR” Di Muzio (guest of Michael “BIG MIKE” Klein)
- Regis “Regis” Donovan
- Bob “Blues” Herlien
- Pauline Herlien (guest of Bob “Blues” Herlien)
- Monte “hodger” Christensen
- Patrick Milligan
- Charles “Boomerman” Natkins
- Doug “KUYA” Maher
- Beverly “Un1corness” Matthews
- Jade “JD” Matthews (guest of Beverly “Un1corness” Matthews)
- Stan Woods
- Jordan “FellKnight” Devenport
- Claudia “Claudia” Mastroianni
- Rich Korbin
- Lori “PokerVixen” Miller
- Marc “cramcram” Howard
- Ken “QB” Kubey
- Sandra Joe (guest of Ken “QB” Kubey)
- Edmund “rktsci” Hack
- Maryann “Good Doctor” Hack (guest of Edmund “rktsci” Hack)
- Larry “azalphapoker” Bierman
- Claudia Anderson (guest of Larry “azalphapoker” Bierman)
- Connie “baguette” Kellers
- Brian “Nick Name” OGrady
- Ben Gamble
- Tanya “MissT74” Peck
- Bree “Dan’s Kid” Goldman
- Jeff “Blofeld” Deitch
- Roy Cooke
- Bea Berman
- Chris “Tom Bayz” Mecklin
- Ron “8==> Box” Grossberg
- Andrew “Andrew” Bloch
- Chris “Jepstone Bastard” Jepsen
- Patti Beadles
- Michael “pygmyhipo” Maurer
- David “David” Kluchman
- Chris “Sharkbait” Kluchman
- Anthony “Karma Withakay” Goldstein
- Melanie “Siren” Goldstein (guest of Anthony “Karma Withakay” Goldstein)
- Eric Rosenberger
- Kevin “UN” Knourek
- Michelle “Shifty” McBride (guest of Kevin “UN” Knourek)
- Michael “Here 4 Chips” Brennan
- Courtney Brennan
- John “JRX” Reed
- Carol “CKBWoP” Kline Anderson
- Jared “Mr3Putt” Anderson
- Eileen Milligan
- Deron Brod
- Arthur “Cider Bastard” Goltz
- Kyle “Super-ev” Minnis
- Sabyl “Kaismom / Metryx” Landrum
- Kai “WSOP Champ 2034” Landrum (guest of Sabyl “Kaismom / Metryx” Landrum)
- Stephen “slandrum” Landrum
- Tim “Timmer” Stine
- Paul “Paul Stine” Stine
- Ronald “HappyRaiser” Nutt
- Stephen “Stevie Lowball” Rokitka
- David “ProfDC” Croson
- Jake “JakeWasHere” Hamlin (guest of David “ProfDC” Croson)
- Rachel “SurveyLady” Croson (guest of David “ProfDC” Croson)
- Mike “ValueTown” Connors
- Barbara “Kevan’s Mom” Garrett
- Peter “Taki” Caldes
- Maria “Maraki” Caldes (guest of Peter “Taki” Caldes)
- Kenny Shei
- Andrew “Prock” Prock
- Kelly “Kelly” Loyet (guest of Andrew “Prock” Prock)
- Evan “Evan” Prock (guest of Andrew “Prock” Prock)
- Katelyn “Katelyn” Prock (guest of Andrew “Prock” Prock)
- Rodney Chen
- Len Marciano
- Mary Marciano (guest of Len Marciano)
- Kevan “Kevan_fish” Garrett
- Beth Garrett (guest of Kevan “Kevan_fish” Garrett)
- Keith “ODB Phat Mack” Troell
- Kim “Tiltmom” Scheinberg
- Matt “grapes” Grapenthien
- Rich “Omaholic” Bremer
- Wendy “wendy” Freedman
- Claudia Gutwirth
- Jessica Gibbs (guest of Derek “CindrllaMan” Gomez)
And of course, the Binion’s Staff. All of you have touched my life in some important way.
I had mixed emotions about leaving the Board this year. I have had many, many people tell me that they believed that I could remain on the Board for as long as I wanted. That is both uplifting and humbling at the same time. I came to the Board with several goals in mind. One of these goals was to help BARGE grow and while there hasn’t been growth in the number of annual attendees, I believe that there has been a spiritual growth. Maybe not — maybe it’s just more visible now. Maybe my hokey emails, comments and speeches have opened the door for others to express themselves. Maybe not. That’s not the point — it’s not about who. The point is that it’s happening. The point is that we are evolving. The point is that growth is now inevitable.
In order for a thing to grow, there must be love. There must be enthusiasm. There are many great stories to tell, not only of BARGE 2015, but of the BARGE community itself. If you want to be part of the reason that BARGE grows, then you need to be part of the process. Tell your stories. Tell them to friends. Tell them to co-workers. Tell them to family. Tell them in poker rooms. Tell them on social media. I know you’re an introvert, but take a chance!!! I took a chance, and have been greatly rewarded as a consequence.
Six years ago, I wanted to get the ball rolling. Well, it’s going to roll, but don’t sit back and wait for it. Get behind that ball and PUSH! We are so much more than a gathering of poker players. We are a family. An often dysfunctional family for sure, but a family nonetheless. There are many people on the stage who have done, and will continue to do, a lot for this family. And there are many people behind the scenes who never ask for credit or even seek any form of acknowledgement whatsoever. And so it is that I leave the Board not with sorrow, but with great joy in knowing that the right people are in place, and the entire community itself has now taken on the responsibility not only to sustain, but also to expand BARGE. I will continue to do whatever I can to help with the process, but I no longer feel the need to be “in charge” of that. It has grown to be something bigger than I can handle. WE — all of us together, need to be in charge of that.
Our growth will not be the result of a massive recruitment campaign simply to boost numbers. It will be organic, which will result in us attracting the right kind of people. When you tell your stories, people will want to hear more. People will want to know how they can become part of this thing we call BARGE. Let them know and then follow up with them. Make them feel welcome before they even attend. And if they are the right kind of people for us, they will “get” us and they too will want to give back more than they receive. How much more can we become? That’s kind of like asking how much more can anything become. How much more can life itself become? Well, we can become all that we want to become. We can become more in everything we do. How much more? We can become all that we ask.
In the words of Pär Lagerkvist, the 1951 Nobel Prize winner for literature:
The wealth of life is boundless. The wealth of life is as great as we can grasp. Can we ask for more? When nevertheless we do ask for more, then all of the incomprehensible exists as well, all that we cannot grasp. As soon as we are able to reach out our hands for something, as soon as we get the feeling that something is, immediately it is. Can we ask for more?
In 1991, a handful of SIGGRAPH attendees sat down and played a poker tournament. Many years later, as a consequence of that action, my life changed tremendously for the better. The little things that we do can bring powerful results. The little things that we do can change lives which in turn can changes other people’s lives. Binomial expansion is cool. Ask for more and then TODAY – go do something little.
Kevin Un
(Lame Duck)
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