Kandy Kruise 2008
I fi rst heard about the Kandy Kruise towards the end of the summer from my friend and BLUFF columnist Antonio Esfandiari, who said it was a can’t-miss event. Well, one thing led to another and BLUFF became one of the media sponsors for this fun-fi lled cruise. What better way to spend a long weekend? A cruise out of L.A. fi lled with music, poker, entertainment, partying, and plenty of beautiful people.
After much anticipation I made the long drive from Vegas to Long Beach, California with my girlfriend Jennifer. Being from the East Coast, I always feel a bit of a thrill when I’m near the Pacifi c, and this was no different. We arrived at the pier only to fi nd a huge line of people mingling, fl irting, and not minding one bit how long the line was. Not being a huge fan of lines myself, I was able to pull the sponsor card and we made our way to the much shorter VIP line, where incidentally I met up with the winner of the Kandy Kruise Johnson and his wife.
While waiting, we were able to catch a glimpse of the that was waiting for us. If you have ever been on a cruise know the feeling of seeing the ship for the fi rst time. These ships are so much bigger than they appear on television it’s essentially a fl oating high rise turned on its side. Little did I know that in a few hours it would be turned into a nonstop party, the likes of which I have never before seen. we boarded the ship we were greeted by some of the lovely Kandy girls, who not only welcomed us but also gave all the info we would need to keep up with the weekend’s festivities.
Jennifer and I made our way down to our room, luggage in tow. When I opened the door I was shocked. It was the biggest room I have ever seen aboard a cruise ship. A nice king-sized bed, separate sitting area with a huge couch, television, bar, a walk in closet, a full-sized bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, and to top it off a nice big private balcony that would soon overlook the Pacifi c ocean. This may not see, to be too extravagant, but for a cruise ship where each room is typically a small box just big enough for a bed, this was like the presidential suite!
Not long after we got to the room and began unpacking there was a knock at the door. A delivery! I love deliveries! It was a welcome aboard gift bag fi lled with goodies. There were gift certifi cates, shirts, fl ip-fl ops, two bottles of booze, energy drinks, bottles of Mojito and Margarita mix, a vibrator for the ladies (no, I’m not kidding), and, of course, a copy of BLUFF Magazine.
Jen and I quickly made a few cocktails and made our way up to see what was happening on the rest of the ship. Even though the boat was still boarding, a full-fl edged party had broken out all over. There was a DJ in the atrium and another at the pool. The Kandy Kruise crew was busy setting up the pool deck, which would soon look like a high-end Las Vegas pool, complete with VIP cabanas that were accented nicely with white couches, chandeliers, and your very own Kandy Cabana girls to take care of your every need.
By the time we were at sea I doubt there was a single person in their room. The ship was packed with girls in bikinis and guys ogling them, all dancing, drinking, and having an awesome time. The fi rst night was highlighted by the Palms Hotel & Casino “Music is the Currency” party up by the pool. We were also introduced for the fi rst time to the contestants of the Miss Kandy competition. Did I mention I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the judges?! After a long and tiring evening it was fi nally time to call it a night. I tried to soldier on and continue to party but there was no way I had the stamina that this group had.
The next day was more of the same, a nonstop party on the pool deck. Luckily I fi nally ran into the man who turned me on to this whole experience, Antonio Esfandiari. He was stationed in his VIP cabana getting ready to judge the Miss Kandy contestants in their bikinis. With Antonio were his dad and his best friend Tony, who both seemed to be enjoying the Kandy Kruise to the fullest extent. We sipped cocktails, danced, and watched the beautiful ladies strut their stuff one by one on the stage. It’s not as easy as you would think trying to rate these girls, they all are so confi dent and had absolutely no fear being on stage in outfi ts skimpier than most people’s underwear. On our scale of one to ten, I don’t think anyone on my card got below a six. My top pick was a girl who made a bikini out of skittles… taking the phrase “taste the rainbow” to a new level!
That night featured a white party and when I made my way to Antonio’s cabana I learned that he was napping. What? Antonio? Napping? Did I really party harder than Mr. Poker Like a Rockstar? I guess so. He missed out as his buddy Tony took over his judging responsibilities. Luckily for Tony, it was not a very diffi cult job, and I think he rather enjoyed it!
After another full day and night of partying in the sun, I had totally forgotten about the poker tournament, which was to be played the next day. I woke up Sunday with a raging hangover and headed to the poker room. I was greeted by tournament director extraordinaire Matt Savage and given my seating assignment. On top of the cash, the tournament would award some sweet prizes including a private jet rental, a private yacht for a lucky winner and twenty friends, and an exotic car rental. Not too shabby at all. It defi nitely gave us something extra to play for.
I sat down and quickly noticed that for a fun cruise ship poker tournament, I had quite the table draw. Antonio was two seats to my right and Brian gtsarrasth Rast was directly to my left. From the fi rst hand I was waiting to be moved, as I raised it up with Qs Js, and Rast quickly moved all in for 9800 more. I obviously folded, but it was a defi nite wake up call that I needed to shake this hangover off, and shake it off quickly.
I got my wish and was moved to another table where I noticed Doug Lee in the seat across from me. If youfre not familiar, Doug is best known for winning a WSOP circuit event a few years back. I chipped up a bit when I turned the nut fl ush in a three-way pot, and then again when I raised with K-Q off-suit and got called by Lee. I bet the king high fl op, bet the turn, and checked the river when a third spade hit. Lee mucked. He was eliminated a few hands later when he and an unknown player got it all in on a jack high fl op. Lee held A-J for top pair, and his opponent 8-8. The turn was the miracle 8 and Lee was gone. A few hands later I looked down at two jacks, and the same unknown who knocked out Lee had just reraised an early position raiser, I moved all in and he quickly called, showing me the immortal nuts Ah 5h. Mind you the blinds were maybe 200/400 at this stage and we both had over 10k. Of course he fl opped a fl ush draw, and then hit his ace on the river for a monster pot. Although I wasnft out, I was crippled and was out soon after. A gentleman named Craig Rudolph won the tournament, so congrats to him.
The fi nal night I was pretty worn down from the previous two days and the poker tournament from earlier. The evening was highlighted by a performance by Shwayze featuring Cisco Adler and DJ Skeet Skeet, the performers behind the recently popular song Buzzin’ and stars of the MTV reality show by the same name. We also crowned Miss Kandy Mindi Smith, who won all sorts of goodies. Congrats Mindi, it was a hard fought battle.
When we fi nally departed on Monday morning, I was very much looking forward to sleeping for the next week. The Kandy Kruise was amazing, and if you ever have the chance, I would highly recommend it. In fact, there is scheduled to be another one sometime this spring. Be sure to check out www.kandykruise. com for details, and maybe I’ll even see you there!
