World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League

When I first relocated to Augusta, I lived in a hotel, alone, for a month before Dood joined me. Although the Marriott downtown was good to me, it offered me no way to pass the time. I found myself staying at work until 7:00 at night to keep myself from going insane. When I decided that I was not going to become "one of those people" I figured I would search for a poker league in Augusta...and I found one!!!

The World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League was formed in February 2004. I heard a rumor that Doyle Brunson started the Amateur League himself and then the WPT took it over, but I will confirm and get back to you! I haven't been able to dig up any factual information on that yet.

The league is free to join and is offered pretty much throughout the US. Bars and restaurants can sign up to host tournaments. The only requirements to join - you have to be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver's license. Around the Augusta area, there's a game almost every night.

Well, free poker, what fun is that? It's a great way to meet people, learn to play poker, practice playing poker and trying out different strategies once you get the game under your belt. You can also win a $10,000 seat into the actual WPT tournament to play with all the big dogs if you win
tournaments or earn a lot of points! You can read more about the various ways to win your glory at the WPT link.

I must warn you - you will run into ALL SORTS of card players in this league. Players like Dood and me, who are there just for fun, players that like to play everything (donkeys as they are called), players who like to chase, players who take it way too seriously, players that get drunk, players that get drunk and angry, players that get drunk and happy....I often find myself giggling by people watching.




We have also found some great bars by playing at the different venues. If you like to play poker, want to learn how to play poker, want to kill some time and meet new people, I recommend finding a tournament or league through the WPTAPL and signing up! It's kept Dood and myself entertained so far!!

Mayor's Master Reception at the Botanical Gardens

For those non-golfers and non-Augustians, this week is the Master's Golf Tournament. The city of Augusta thrives during this time as golfers, celebrities, tv networks and fans flock to be a part of such a prestigious event. As we've noticed over the past few weeks, if you live in Augusta, you either hate Master's week, or you love it. Many people will go on vacation this week just to get away from all the hustle and bustle or leave so that they can rent their home out. Then there are others that enjoy all the business that the week brings. This one week brings so much to the city that it's hard to not want to get involved!!

Last week, we started to notice the first signs of Master's week.

Fans and ticket scalpers started to set up camp all over the city. They even invaded our only Dunkin' Donuts!


Then we started to notice the "Golf Traffic" signs all over town...



Dood and I decided to hang around town and see what all the fuss was about. Although we didn't have tickets to any of the practice rounds or the actual tournament (we were able to go to a practice round a few years ago - and it was amazing!), we still wanted to take part in the action.

Each year, the Mayor holds a Master's Reception to honor one of the golfers. This event is held at the Augusta Botanical Gardens in downtown Augusta. We were familiar with the gardens as it was right next door to the hotel we called home for a few months! The reception also brings out food vendors all of the city and they are all equipped with booths and free samples! This year, over 50 restaurants came out with food and wine - everything from the small restaurant / business owners such as the White Elephant and Wine World to chains such as Blimpie, Red Lobster and Sticky Fingers. With the free food, also comes the free food partakers...and they seem to come out from the woodwork. I remember waiting in line at the Sticky Fingers booth as they were handing out free ribs (only 1!) and the lady in front of me complaining that there wasn't any meat on her rib and she should get another one!



We were lucky enough to meet up with some friends and really spent time chatting and people watching. I do not recommend coming to this event if your sole interest is the free food. It is absolutely NOT WORTH IT! But, if you're there for the people watching, socializing, the ceremony and the gardens, and only partake in the food because it's there, it really is a great experience! The gardens are beautiful and the atmosphere (aside from the greedy food fiends) was laid back and relaxing. A total Southern experience!



We were able to see the honoree and two time Master's Champion, Mr. Ben Crenshaw, and hear all about his life and golf accomplishments as the Mayor presented him with a key to the city.



Next year, if you happen to be in Augusta around Master's week, I highly recommend gathering a group of friends and heading over to the Botanical Gardens to the Mayor's Master Reception!

First Friday and Nacho Mama's

Beginning in March, downtown Augusta hosts an event called First Friday. The first Friday of each month, Broad Street Art galleries and studios extend their hours, vendors line the streets, musicians come out to play and people fill the sidewalks. The event extends from 7^th Street up to 12^th Street on Broadway. This event highlights Artist’s Row, which contains various art galleries and studios as well as antique shops, restaurants and bars. This event goes on until December when it actually gets to be a little chilly!

This was my third First Friday and because it was the weekend before the Master’s week, I felt compelled to experience all the happenings! Turns out that many establishments downtown were numbered with a "golf hole." Visitors are given a golf card and these numbered establishments represented a hole on an 18 hole golf course. You could check off that hole when you visited! What a great idea!

As we headed toward the bars, we passed by some endearing children playing on the sidewalk, something that you don’t normally see anymore!

I enjoy downtown Augusta so much because it is so quaint and friendly.

There were fire dancers out last month performing on the street and this time around, there were bands playing in the Augusta Common as there were Hot Rods and Muscle Cars lining the streets around the Common. Augusta’s new Roller Derby was out in full force trying to gain some community support for their newly formed team. Visit Augusta Roller Derby to get more information!

Dood and I met up with some friends at Nacho Mama’s. I am a fan of Nacho Mama’s and my first experience at the establishment was about 2 years ago on a business trip down to the area from Massachusetts. We all headed into this “hole in the wall” joint as I called it back then and the food was AMAZING!

Nacho Mama’s is located on 976 Broad St in downtown Augusta. The restaurant offers a selection of nachos, of course, tacos burritos, quesadillas, pastas and salads. It is really a fun atmosphere with items called Sunburn, Daddy, Bombs and Seizure Salads. It’s fast, it’s good and it has a great bar! If you can snag a table outside (like we did), you can sip on Margaritas and munch on nachos as you watch the passer Byers on a First Friday night! It’s a great location for lunch, dinner and the casual drink! It is definitely one of my favorites!

First Friday’s are a great way to see downtown Augusta in all of its glory. I highly recommend planning a trip to Augusta around the first weekend of the month just for the event! And while you’re downtown, head to Nacho Mama’s for a Bomb burrito and a margarita!