Have you ever busted from a poker tournament to the sound of applause? Believe it or not, it doesn’t take a major final table or the main event bubble to experience this phenomenon. Let me tell you a little bit about ATLARGE.
In the early days of the Internet there existed things called ‘newsgroups.’ Think Discord or Slack, but with much plainer text and, if possible, it was even more niche.
In the ‘90s, poker was far from a mainstream activity. Most people hadn’t even heard of Texas hold ’em. But if you found the right corner of the worldwide web, then you could also find a dedicated community whose love for the game was pure and unapologetic.
This community began hosting in-person gatherings in 1991, meeting up over the years in places like Connecticut, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. And these gatherings still happen today. The next ARGE event takes place at the Borgata Hotel & Casino from April 17-19.
This will be the 30th in-person edition of the Atlantic City Annual Rec.Gambling Excursion (ATLARGE), featuring three low buy-in tournaments (one mixed games, one no-limit hold’em, and one double-board PLO), lots of splashy cash games, and a chance to meet some of the OGs who have been there since the beginning.
One of those originals, Alan ‘Uncle Al’ Stuart, will regale you with the story of how he attended the first ATLARGE all the way back in 1996.
“I was on my way from New York to Wilmington, Delaware for business and decided to stop at Resorts [Casino] to play some poker,” he recalls. “When I sat down, I noticed that most of the players were wearing name tags and had large stacks of white chips in front of them built in strange formations.”
Just like that, Uncle Al was in the club, and he’s been coming regularly ever since.
Another thing about those ATLARGE cash games — the tips are always flying. Every dealer is greeted with shouts of “incoming!” as they enter the box. The ARGErs then throw a bunch of chips from those castles Al described at the new arrival, and continue to tip generously hand after hand.
“No one’s better to the dealers than we are,” ATLARGE organizer Stevan Goldman proudly says.
My favorite ATLARGE memory? It has to be when my good friend ‘Action’ Bob Hwang and I were playing limit hold’em with a mix of ARGErs and non-ARGErs… and neither of us were looking at our cards.
In one particular hand, Bob and I were the small and big blinds, and we’d made it to the turn with three or four other competitors while playing blind. And we weren’t making a secret of our strategy. Everyone at the table knew we both had random cards.
You might imagine that one or more of our opponents would be excited to place a turn bet in this situation. Yet to our surprise… the turn checked around! Well, when the river hit, Bob immediately led out for a bet, and I instantly threw out two bets to raise. What happened next is even more shocking — all of our opponents folded! Bob and I somehow found ourselves in a situation where we each had a 50% chance of turning a tidy profit on a hand we played without looking at our cards.
Who won? I’m sure I don’t remember. (It was Bob.) But I do remember thinking that a positive EV play dropping serendipitously out of the sky was a perfect symbolic result for an ATLARGE hand.
ARGErs believe first and foremost that poker is supposed to be fun. Generosity toward the dealers and near disdain for money are both very much in keeping with that ethos.
We would all rather win than lose, of course, but during ARGE events, winning is not the main focus. The people are the focus. Finding camaraderie and a bit of joy in a game that too often breeds bitterness, burnout, and bad juju is the focus.
Luckily the Borgata, under Director of Poker Operations Kellie deCelis, has become the ideal venue for us. They get what we’re about, and we’re so grateful for that. Not everyone does.
If you’re looking to meet some new (or old) poker friends, try some new games in a low-stakes, low-pressure environment, and do it all in a cardroom that understands and caters to this unique community, then register for ATLARGE. I honestly don’t know anyone who has ever regretted coming.
And if and when you bust from an ATLARGE tournament, your fellow tournament players will respectfully and enthusiastically applaud.
Matt Matros is a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, the author of several poker books including The Poker Brain, and a longtime ARGer. You can contact him for private poker coaching at jacksup@mattmatros.com. Find more information on Rec.Gambling events at BARGE.org.