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There are two main benefits to living in a state that allows for cardrooms: (1) plenty of local options and (2) some of the rooms are close enough to visit in succession on the same day.

With this in mind, I took a recent Tuesday to engage in a Bay Area cardroom crawl.

My plan for the day: I'd start before breakfast (since most of these places have restaurants that offer tasty egg dishes), and hit as many cardrooms as I could before the afternoon rush hour. I challenged myself to play at least one different game at every stop. My fixed budget for the excursion: $500.

The morning began around 8 a.m. at Lucky Chances in Colma. Here, while seated at a table of $3/$6 Limit Texas Hold 'Em, I wolfed down a Denver omelet and some dry wheat toast while waiting for decent cards. To describe the action as "sleepy" would be an understatement; during the first hour of play, one of my opponents dozed off at the table.

The cards weren't much better. I lost my initial $100 buy-in after being rivered in three consecutive hands. Then I lost another $50 after that (hey, even gambling writers can tilt).

My next stop was in San Bruno: Artichoke Joe's. I've had lousy poker luck here over the years, so I instead gravitated toward California Blackjack (which is a variation of the traditional game that complies with state regs that say the house can't win). Within minutes (thanks to two well-timed blackjacks), I had doubled my $100 buy-in and walked away.

The situation improved even more at the third stop on my outing, Bay 101 Casino in San Jose. I killed 10 minutes at an EZ Baccarat table (where I won $16) while waiting for a seat at a lively $2/$3/$5 game of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Once I got my spot, I figured I'd stay and play through a cheeseburger lunch. Then I realized that two players at the opposite end of the table were terrible, and I lengthened my session to deprive them of their chips.

I turned my $300 buy-in into $627 (and could have won more, if not for a bad beat on the last hand that cost me a $115 pot).

My Peninsula/South Bay card room crawl ended at the area's newest casino: the uber-hip Casino M8trix, on the other side of the 101 in San Jose. A friend had suggested I try Pai Gow Tiles. I had prepared for this moment for weeks, studying the tile combinations and practicing online. Nothing, however, prepared me for bad luck: I lost my entire $200 buy-in in less than 20 minutes.

Back in the car, I did the math: Eight hours, four cardrooms, two meals and a net gain of $93. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday at all.

Matt Villano is a freelance writer. E-mail: 96hours@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mattvillano

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South Australia's first Apple Store draws line hours ahead of opening [update: photos and video]Get the lowest prices anywhere on Macs and iPads with exclusive coupons: Apple Price Guide updated May 25th. (Get the lowest prices anywhere)

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Friday, May 24, 2013, 05:26 pm

South Australia's first Apple Store draws line hours ahead of opening [update: photos and video]By Mikey Campbell

While Apple's latest retail outlet in Australia isn't scheduled to open for another three hours, customers eager to get into the region's first Apple Store are already queuing up, some having been there for nearly 12 hours.

Adelaide Apple Store

Rundle Place Apple Store in Adelaide. | Source: Reader Jonathan
Pictures from the scene, sent to AppleInsider by reader Jonathan, show about 30 people waiting for the grand opening of Apple's Rundle Place location, the first brick-and-mortar shop the company has set up in South Australia. The first people in line started showing up at 8:30 p.m. last night. Currently, local time in Adelaide is about 7 a.m., well ahead of the scheduled 10 a.m. door opening.

According to Apple's website, the Rundle Place Apple Store will boast a Genius Bar, in-store workshops, One to One service and business-class offerings, as well as free youth programs like Youth Workshops, Field Trips and Apple Camp.

The Adelaide Apple Store will be the first to serve South Australia, saving product owners from traveling to far away cities for repairs and browsing.

Subway

Subway offering free cookies and vouchers to those waiting in line.
A report Monday noted that Apple's brick-and-mortar outlets netted a record $58 per visitor last quarter, which amounted to an average per-store revenue of $13.1 million.

Update: The Rundle Place Apple Store is now open. Following are pictures minutes after doors opened to over 300 people.

Adelaide Apple Store

Apple Geniuses sit next to customers at the Rundle Place Genius Bar.
Adelaide Apple Store

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On Topic: GeneralFoxconn may sell own branded accessories after Apple profits dipReview: Scosche enters car radio fray with iOS connected controlFREQWorking Apple I fetches $671,400 in German auctionGoogle's Motorola issues second appeal of dismissed ITC case against AppleSouth Australia's first Apple Store draws line hours ahead of opening [update: photos and video]Today's' HeadlinesFoxconn may sell own branded accessories after Apple profits dipApple's iPhone sales tactics in Europe under antitrust investigationRelated ArticlesBriefly: South Australia's first Apple Store to open Saturday in AdelaideApple preps new retail store in Adelaide, AustraliaNew Apple Stores opening in Hong Kong, Australia & Sweden; NJ stores renovatedPhotos from Apple's latest retail openings in US, Australia & ChinaApple's first retail store in Berlin gets May 3 grand openingPrevious Comments View Alllord amhran2013/05/24 06:08pm

Another difference between Microsoft Stores and Apple Stores. You'll never see this kind of devotion & dedication in any place other than an Apple Store

charliepotatoes2013/05/24 06:11pm

Coverse tennis shoes , dirty tee shirts, ripped jeans and scruffy bears are growing old. How about new uniforms with button down shirts, tan khakies, blue blasers and penny loafers for awhile?

taniwha2013/05/24 06:34pm

A store in some small town down under, leaking roofs ... seems that AI has NOTHING to say. Boring

tarfungo2013/05/24 06:56pm

How come this article doesn't indicate which finger poppin', hip-hopping hipster or high profile 'now' band these people are waiting in line for?? The MicroSoft store that recently opened across the mall from my local Apple Store had Kelly Clarkson to attract overnight line squatters? ? \s
?

lord amhran2013/05/24 07:43pm

Quote:Originally Posted by Taniwha?

A store in some small town down under, leaking roofs ... seems that AI has NOTHING to say. BoringNothing of the sort has been reported about this store.

rogifan2013/05/24 07:53pm

Quote:Originally Posted by Taniwha?

A store in some small town down under, leaking roofs ... seems that AI has NOTHING to say. BoringApparently AI isn't allowed or refuses to report stuff from 9to5Mac as they reported new leaked info about iOS 7. A lot more interesting than anything AI reported today.

man-lee2013/05/24 10:09pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by?Taniwha? View Post

A store in some small town down under, leaking roofs ... seems that AI has NOTHING to say. Boring

I'd?barley?describe Adelaide, a State Capital City of over 1.25 mil?people?as?some??"small town". ?Regarding you other comment about "leaking roofs"?maybe?you?had got this story?from another "small town" store in NYC ;) ?Rains once more cause damage at Apple's Fifth Avenue NY store?

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/05/24/rains-once-more-cause-damage-at-apples-fifth-avenue-ny-store

spacepower2013/05/24 10:42pm

Quote:Originally Posted by CharliePotatoes?

Coverse tennis shoes , dirty tee shirts, ripped jeans and scruffy bears are growing old. How about new uniforms with button down shirts, tan khakies, blue blasers and penny loafers for awhile?

Ssshhhhhh

Microsoft might steal your idea.

ireland2013/05/25 07:36am

God, hate those things. Wuu!!

acslater0172013/05/25 10:14am

Quote:Originally Posted by Taniwha?

A store in some small town down under, leaking roofs ... seems that AI has NOTHING to say. Boring
Maybe you should take your money elsewhere. Oh wait, this is a free website.

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