Okie Vegas

Are on my site for now.  I will post a bunch of videos here starting on Tuesday.

IT

What Okie-Vegas Means To Me
by GCox25

Almost 4 years ago now, a few of my online buddies and I hatched a plan for yet another blogger get-together. It was almost certainly while we were all still playing online poker every night and it was almost certainly after having had a few pops throughout the night that the plan came together.

I had just made my first trip to Vegas the past December and had met a ton of people that I had been reading on a regular basis. We won’t get in to how that trip actually came about for me, but suffice it to say, it wouldn’t have happened without the kindness of another blogger.

Anyhow, after spending the majority of those 3 days liquored up and slinging cards or hanging out with a bunch of like-minded, very nice poker bloggers, I felt like more of a part of this group than I ever had before. Prior to Vegas, I had been blogging for about 7 months or so, with the only reason being that I wanted to get to know some more of these people that I had been reading on a daily basis.

Fortunately, some time during the summer months, I had the opportunity to meet up with Maudie and DuggleBogey at one of our local Indian Casinos and played poker for most of the evening. Once we were all seated at the same table, the three of us had a blast chatting and getting to know each other. Maudie even dropped the hammer that night for a winner against, as I remember, a drunk aggressive guy two seats to my right. Duggle also called out my hand on one occasion, nailing it like he had known me all my life.

Anyhow, after that meetup and the subsequent trip to Vegas in December, where I had a very LARGE time, btw, I really began to feel like I had somehow managed to become a part of this little group and really began to feel like I fit in within it.

My online crew, which consisted mainly of Jordan, TripJax, DNasty, SteelerJosh, WillWonka and Kipper back in those days, somehow hatched a plan for that very summer. What it turned out to be was Okie-Vegas 1. Unfortunately, the whole crew couldn’t work it out to make the trip, but when I picked up TripJax and SteelerJosh at the airport, that first time, we instantly became better friends than you can become online.

Don’t get me wrong, I have alot of online friends that I’ve never met and that I genuinely like, but meeting somebody face to face, shaking their hand (or in my case, hugging it out) and getting to know them in person, that ups the ante, at least for me.

TenMile drove down from a nothern state and joined our hijinx for a while that first year. DuggleBogey and Maudie, of course, met up with us at the casino and joined us for the 2-table home game tournament in my blistering garage that year, as well.

After that first year, I wasn’t really sure there would be another one, but, of course, it did happen and we had more show up that 2nd year and even more than that last summer for OV3. Okie-Vegas 4 is definitely going to happen this summer, July 8-12 in case you didn’t already know, and after that, who kows? Okie-Vegas 5 the following year?

That’s not something that I’m willing to commit to just yet, but if things go the same as they have the last 3 years, I’m sure I’ll be committing to it after a couple hundred Keystone Lights on my front porch at the lake. You see, it’s not the poker, it’s not the nature of meeting up with virtual people from online and it’s not about the partying. For me, it’s all about the people.

I’m not going to name names, because I will inevitably leave somebody out and I certainly won’t mean to exclude anybody. For me, every single person that has been to my lake place or my home in OKC or to the casino with us during one of these events, is like family to me. I grew up with no brothers and no sisters, an only child, which will probably explain alot to the psychology professionals in the group, but I’ve never had a big problem making friends. That’s one of my specialties actually and I, more often than not, find that nearly everybody we come into contact with, has something in common with us. It’s just our job to find out what that “in common” is and then take it from there.

I don’t consider what I do to be anything that any one of these folks wouldn’t do for me, were the situations reversed. I enjoy being the host, as does my wife, and anything more than that, well, that’s just us. We are pretty simple folks down here in Oklahoma and it doesn’t take a lot to make us happy or for us to have fun. We fit in with just about everybody in just about any situation and through the 3 years of doing this so far, we haven’t run into one person yet that we wouldn’t invite back into our home again.

The question I got from my Mom and from alot of my local friends was “so, you’ve invited a bunch of people that you’ve never met and only talked to on the internet into your home?” That’s correct, that’s exactly what I did that first year and that’s exactly what I’ve done for the past two years as well. And, that’s exactly what I’m doing this year. I’ve met most of the folks at some point or another during my two trips to Vegas, but if you are on the fence this year, let me extend the invitation to you, personally:

I would like it if you came to Okie-Vegas this summer. I promise you that you won’t feel out of place and I will personally guarantee your safety and well-being at my lake place and in my house. The Keystone Lights are already cold and I’m sure there is still a bottle of Southern Comfort somewhere in that trailer at the lake.

To all my great friends who have made this trip in the past, please come again this summer if you can make it happen. As I’ve told alot of you, I know we all have things going on with family, jobs, etc. etc. but if you can make it happen, I will promise the opportunity to crack my Aces with 7-9 off-suit. I’ll probably go on high-ball tilt immediately, but I’ll get over it in a few beers.

It has been and will always be about the people.

GCox25

I talked to Gary and it only makes sense that while I’m on “review” for my blog, I should blog over here about the excitement that Okie Vegas has for me.

So I’m going to tell you a story of two years ago.  Let’s go back in the wayback machine and all say together

DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO (Nice flashback Garth)

I had just finished an outdoors/camping remote, broadcasting for the group that I had been for years and years.  I was uncertain and scared about :

a. Going to Oklahoma.

b. Meeting a bunch of Poker Bloggers.

c. Going to Oklahoma.

But in 2007, I was discovering a new carefree and soon to be overused part of me.

“The I don’t care, let’s try something new.”

So I started at 6P, heading up to Ft. Cobb Lake.  Now for some of you that were there you could barely remember me, after drinking the Official Beer of Okie-Vegas Keystone Light but I was there.

I can remember as the sun went down and I was driving in Oklahoma. I could hear the banjos play.  Every time I checked the directions that Gary gave me I knew that I was the butt of a practical joke.  But he kept saying “Keep on driving”.  Keep on driving.  It seemed forever for me to get there but as I started to park the car I knew I was with good people, who helped me remove stuff into the car and waited to start a tournament until after I got there. Good people.

I had gotten there and some Jackoff decided to play a practical joke on me. You see I was going to flop the quad kings but lose to runner runner Maudie’s Royal Frush (tm BWOP All Rights Reserved).

But I knew something was up when 23Skidoo turned to Jordan and says to him “I have a King!”

Heh was Skidoo Skidooed!  I spent the rest of the time while we played tournament donkey fun, into a drinking contest with Skidoo of which I won.

A good time was had by all and the next morning, I was surrounded by strangers, but embraced by friends.

I think sometimes the greatest moments are those where you just sit back, in a strange, new place and think.

That’s what Okie-Vegas is to me.  The weekend of thinking and drinking.  Though I still remember falling off the golf cart last year and other tales that I will devulge as we get closer.

But if you are on the edge, the cusp of coming, and thinking why? I’m going to give you a reason every week as long as I am reminded to give one.

Reason # 1 : All the Keystone Light that you can drink. I mean, lets truly examine this propisition.  It’s Oklahoma, that means 3:2 beer. So you can pack down MORE and MORE with less of a hangover.  I think you really need to think about this…

If you are on the edge, comment here and I’ll give you a PERSONALIZED Reason why YOU should be in Fabulous Okie-Vegas.  See you there.

Sean

It’s Personal!

Don’t cry OOOSSSUUU.

Somebody get him a Hello Kitty band aid.

Let’s get some more videos and pictures. Kat’s wonderful video is up, but I know there are several more out there including “Cat Wrangling 101″ Photos out there include the infamous Buddy Dank ASS Whoopin. Would also like to get a history up of OV 07, OV 06.  Additionally if anyone would like to put up a post please let me know.

Welcome to the new Okie Vegas site!