Rick J @ Bellagio

Rick J plays at Bellagio 5 days a week.

Current game is the 30-60 Omaha/8, but he actually prefers the 40-80 Mix Game. He'll play some other games and play higher every now and then (like when wsop in town) but really prefers the edge he has at those Bellagio games. He has played in casinos all over the country and has been a winning player since the 1960's.

Rick retired to Las Vegas about 6 years ago to lead a happy life after being a CPA, lawyer, and a business owner. He blogs a sports handicapping site;

http://www.rickjshandicappingpicks.blogspot.com/


and this includes some poker comments too. These Poker Comments are excellent - go read them.

Now -- here's the funny parts.

--I've known Rick since 7th grade in 1959 and went to Jr High and High School with him. We, of course, tore up the games there as teenagers.

--I saw him once during college in the late 60's. I was visiting friends at Champaign and saw Rick in the Union hustling some guy at pool.

--In 1973, I was a young bureaucrat and opened the morning paper to see Rick being sworn in as an attorney and working here in Springfield. We played much bridge (no poker) for a year or so - then he moved away to be a District Atty. He also was Barry Greenstein's bridge partner about this time.

--The next time I saw Rick was 1999 at Harrahs East Chicago poker room. I had a rack of Red and was going to a 10-20 holdem table. He had a rack of Green and was going to a 40-80 HOSE game. We had not seen or talked with each other for 25 years and then end up in the same cardroom. I saw him a couple other times up there over the next 3 years. Phil Tanner played in the game with him a couple times and said that Rick played even tighter than I do.

--I talk with Rick about every summer in Las Vegas. Haven't joined him at his table yet, though. He seems very happy and secure in what he is doing. He is recently remarried to a young asian beauty. Seems to be a trend with the Springfield guys who move to LV.

Now -- go read his poker comments.