Redbelly
Flush
When I was a young pilot in Portland, OR trying to build hours I flew with my instructor and 2 other pilots to Reno for some cross country experience. We stayed at the Fitzgerald's Casino and I was 19 years old. I knew I shouldn't be in the Casino part of the Hotel but I had a bunch of quarters, found a machine in a corner and began "quietly" playing a game in which you insert a quarter which lands on a flywheel and is projected onto one of 2 or 3 platforms that are covered with other quarters where mechanical "pushers", if your lucky, push your quarter into other quarters that fall onto lower platforms with other quarters and "pusher" arms where if you are REALLY lucky more quarters are finally pushed out and drop into a collection tray for you to collect and "Win"! It turned out that there was another aspect to the game that I had not noticed (I was just hiding and trying not to get caught "winning"!). Along the back of the machine was a tin cup, just bigger than a quarter, moving left to right, back and forth... also not noticed by me was the fact that this machine was connected to a GIANT slot machine with a Huge lever. So I'm playing and all of a sudden bells, lights, sirens, start going off and quarters begin to "clank" LOUDLY into the metal tray! TWO HUNDRED clanking noises!!! I AM GOING TO JAIL!!!! I had been "lucky" and one of my quarters had been flung into the tiny metal cup awarding me with $50 dollars! I'm not EXCITED because I know that I AM GOING TO JAIL! A crowd begins to gather because it takes A LONG time for TWO HUNDRED clanking quarters to drop in to a metal tray! People begin to congratulate me and also begin to say, "Pull the lever"! "Pull the lever!" ... Oh dear GOD! I'm being punished! Because I "won" I now get to draw further attention to my crimes and spin for even more illegal winnings! I can't tell you how much I DON'T want to pull that lever! All I want to do is collect my $50 and bolt! Eventually I pull the lever and thank God I lost! Clanking stops, someone finds me a plastic bucket and I flee to my hotel room with my winnings! Amazingly no one arrests me! The excitement of that event was probably the beginning of my enjoyment of casinos and eventually playing poker and now building my Redbelly Poker Room!
With no arrest and no criminal record I was able to continue to pursue my desire to become a professional pilot. No one could have told me then that I was going to be flying at a major airline, playing poker, and own custom poker chips! I have now been flying airplanes for 32 years and having just checked, I have just shy of 25,000 hours logged or 1,040 24 hr days, or 2.85 years flying. Crazy!
I have been with SWA since 1994 and just celebrated 20 years with an amazing company.
With a passion for poker and a passion for flying and a chance stumbling onto a "chip forum" website I began to dream of a custom set of poker chips! I quietly lurked for a long time watching some amazing sets be built.
In 2011 I happened to sit next to Michael D. (eventual purchaser of ASM) at a poker tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in Vegas and struck up a conversation. When I found out he was a part of ASM I shared some of my thoughts and ideas and he said I should definitely keep in touch! I did and the resulting road has been STRAIGHT DOWN HILL, FAST, ON SLIPPERY RAILS WITH ROCKETS ATTACHED!
A great many fine people from the "other" forum helped in guiding me to my eventual sets and I will always be very humbled and grateful for their help and expertise. They have fed the "monster" that I have become and it has been an absolute ball! One name in particular must be named however and that is Erik (Ttttubby) who did the original inlay artwork! He has been an amazing part of this journey and has gone over and beyond with countless requests for "All things Redbelly"! My appreciation for his time and talents is endless!
About the Inlays and artwork. Ever since I thought about a custom set of chips I knew that the name would be "Redbelly Poker Room". Simply stated, I love my job! It was a no brainer! The SWA paint scheme resulted in the nickname "Redbelly" jets. EST.1994 for the date that I was hired. The "heart" between the Poker and Room was chosen because we refer to our company as the "LUV" airline. To celebrate my 20 years with SWA I recently added on to my set (THANK YOU CPC!). A special inlay was made that replaces EST 1994 with 1994-2014 and at the bottom I replaced Poker Room with "Thanks (heart) Herb!!". Herb was the founder and beloved CEO of SWA and I was fortunate enough to know him and be around him during my early years with the company in Dallas. His leadership and vision is the reason that I will be fortunate to someday retire from SWA with 36 years at the same company. Something very rare in the airline industry. The 1 1/8th inch inlay is just slightly larger than the normal 1 inch inlay. I added this inlay to my T100's, T1K's, and my $5 Cash chips. I also added a T25K chip and a Commemorative chip!
I'm not out of ideas yet and there is a story hiding that I am eager to share with you all but that will all come later... for now I hope that our new family will enjoy "All things Redbelly".
Thank you Tommy for making room for us!
Some pictures...
With no arrest and no criminal record I was able to continue to pursue my desire to become a professional pilot. No one could have told me then that I was going to be flying at a major airline, playing poker, and own custom poker chips! I have now been flying airplanes for 32 years and having just checked, I have just shy of 25,000 hours logged or 1,040 24 hr days, or 2.85 years flying. Crazy!
I have been with SWA since 1994 and just celebrated 20 years with an amazing company.
With a passion for poker and a passion for flying and a chance stumbling onto a "chip forum" website I began to dream of a custom set of poker chips! I quietly lurked for a long time watching some amazing sets be built.
In 2011 I happened to sit next to Michael D. (eventual purchaser of ASM) at a poker tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in Vegas and struck up a conversation. When I found out he was a part of ASM I shared some of my thoughts and ideas and he said I should definitely keep in touch! I did and the resulting road has been STRAIGHT DOWN HILL, FAST, ON SLIPPERY RAILS WITH ROCKETS ATTACHED!
A great many fine people from the "other" forum helped in guiding me to my eventual sets and I will always be very humbled and grateful for their help and expertise. They have fed the "monster" that I have become and it has been an absolute ball! One name in particular must be named however and that is Erik (Ttttubby) who did the original inlay artwork! He has been an amazing part of this journey and has gone over and beyond with countless requests for "All things Redbelly"! My appreciation for his time and talents is endless!
About the Inlays and artwork. Ever since I thought about a custom set of chips I knew that the name would be "Redbelly Poker Room". Simply stated, I love my job! It was a no brainer! The SWA paint scheme resulted in the nickname "Redbelly" jets. EST.1994 for the date that I was hired. The "heart" between the Poker and Room was chosen because we refer to our company as the "LUV" airline. To celebrate my 20 years with SWA I recently added on to my set (THANK YOU CPC!). A special inlay was made that replaces EST 1994 with 1994-2014 and at the bottom I replaced Poker Room with "Thanks (heart) Herb!!". Herb was the founder and beloved CEO of SWA and I was fortunate enough to know him and be around him during my early years with the company in Dallas. His leadership and vision is the reason that I will be fortunate to someday retire from SWA with 36 years at the same company. Something very rare in the airline industry. The 1 1/8th inch inlay is just slightly larger than the normal 1 inch inlay. I added this inlay to my T100's, T1K's, and my $5 Cash chips. I also added a T25K chip and a Commemorative chip!
I'm not out of ideas yet and there is a story hiding that I am eager to share with you all but that will all come later... for now I hope that our new family will enjoy "All things Redbelly".
Thank you Tommy for making room for us!
Some pictures...
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) I have a couple of Lucky Dog's shirts and I LOVE them! (
