After a rather disappointing fireworks display at the beach in LA (thanks to the darn marine layer) I'm off to light it up in Vegas. My flight leaves early tomorrow, so I'll get there just in time to have lunch with one of my favorite professional female poker players. Stay tuned to find out who she is, why she loves poker and how she got to be oh so good! Back to Los Angeles on Thursday with sordid details of WSOP and more!

Last Tuesday I was stuck in the waiting room at the Mercedes dealership while they detailed my new ride and the magazine selection was about as sparse as my gynecologist's. I was just about to resign myself to a back issue of Ladies Home Journal when I stumbled upon a tattered issue of Card Player Magazine. Sweet!

So there I was, flipping through the dog-eared pages when I turned to an ad for the Hawaiian Gardens Casino. I have a soft spot in my heart for the HGC, as it’s where I played my first ever tournament. Upon further inspection of the ad I realized they have a Tuesday Omaha tournament. And what a coincidence, the dealership just happened to be only a few exits from Hawaiian Gardens. Hmmmm…

#5 on Dark Side Of The Moon. It's Money by Pink Floyd and it really IS money. I'm listening to it right now and this song gets me fired up like no other. I am seriously about to drive to beautiful downtown Commerce and kick some no-limit a**! As a huge music lover I find that certain songs induce different emotions and this particular ditty makes me want to drive fast and win money. (OK, so that happens with a lot of songs.) Regardless, I have quite the play list going and would like to share a few of my favorite pump up tunes. In addition to the Pink Floyd, what I'm loving right now is...

I am truly fortunate when it comes to my parent’s acceptance of my professional gambling career (they did meet at the track, after all). However, there are still a few things that make my Mother wince. Countless hours with my Dad and brother watching TVG (a live horseracing network), screaming at the TV for the #2 horse to pick it up so I make my exacta box, and trips to the Hustler Casino generally make her cringe. Well, Mom, get ready to give me that disapproving look I know and love, since it's time for Larry Flynt's Grand Slam of Poker. I like this particular tournament lineup and the changes they've made this year, such as the heads up tournament on July 27 and the TV style tournament on July 22. This format also has a decent amount of prize money with four tournaments that guarantee $60,000 and two that guarantee $100,000.  Check out www.hustlercasino.com for more info or check back here, as I'll be playing a few of the events myself! (Mom, this does not mean I'll be IN the magazine....not that there's anything wrong with that.....)

Upon booking GSN’s poker show, Poker Royale, I took a much-needed break from blackjack. Well, after a less than stellar performance on said poker show, I’m ready to take out my poker frustration on the blackjack tables at San Manuel. San Manuel is southern California’s latest and greatest Indian casino located in Highland, CA. This particular casino has a few things going for it, location being one of them. SM is only about an hour and a half from Los Angeles, thus making it a bearable day trip, rather than going all the way to Palm Springs or San Diego.

It also has a fairly decent blackjack game featuring six deck shoes and other favorable rules for the player. San Manuel does have a poker room which I have yet to check out, but I'll definitely scope it on my upcoming visit. One of my gaming cohorts and I will be headed there at the end of the week so stay tuned for a detailed blog of what will hopefully be a winning trip! As a side note, the casino has a promotion going called "Grab the Green" where a booth is filled with up to $100,000 blowing around in a tornado of cash! I absolutely will be signing up for the drawing, as I find these types of promotions hysterical! I'll be sure to take pictures if I'm lucky enough to be chosen for a trip into the money machine! Check out www.sanmanuel.com for more information.

Hello to all of you card fanatics out there! My name is Erica Schoenberg, better known as the "Blackjack Babe" (a moniker I would like to lose, so feel free to offer any suggestions) and one of the newest members of the 'Card Squad' team. My areas of expertise are, but not limited to, blackjack, poker and handicapping. I divide my time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, but I've been spending less time in the casinos and more time on my computer! (My skin is thanking me for this, as the smoky casino air was taking a toll!) I have a plethora of gambling stories and the new ones keep pouring in, so I look forward to sharing them with you fellow gamers!