MINION Update: Unusual Staking/Investment Opportunity, Electric Daisy Carnival, Year of the Monkey and MORE.

A beautiful utopia of dehydration and overdoses.

I took this weekend off work to potentially drive for Uber because EDC is in town. Electric Daisy Carnival is basically an outdoor electronic music event where roughly 400,000 young people will converge upon the desert to dance "underneath the electric sky" for three days. Its one big freakin rave. Only, it costs a small mint to attend with general admission tickets ranging from $329 to $800 plus. Then you're expected to spend another small fortune making creative neon signs and glittery barely-there attire so you can show just how unique you are from every other attendee following the same protocol.

You are a special snowflake.

I HATED driving for Uber. I don't like having to make conversation with random people, the pay is pitiful, the liability is HUGE and I get annoyed with having to track passengers down in crowds like we experience on the Strip. I signed up because I usually have a few hours available each evening after Carter and Steven both go to bed, and I had this idea that any money (being purely "extra") could be deducted straight from the principles of our remaining auto/student loan debt. I saw it as a way to fast track our already aggressive debt elimination plan. I dedicated myself to it for the first few months it was here in Vegas and I made a few grand, but determined the money wasn't worth the aggravation. I haven't driven for them in months.

This logo is largely indicative of how exciting driving for the company turned out to be.
 

There are occasional exceptions. When a major event is in town and the surge gets super high, like CES week when I had one really long day that netted right around a grand. That was worth it because almost every passenger was a professional adult who works in the tech field. They were super interesting to talk to, and it was a short stop from the convention center to the strip hotels.

 

Woodstock meets Technology with the same level of narcotic intake as the 60's.

 

This weekend the potential to earn money is even higher. Uber is guaranteeing a minimum of $85 per ride taken from the motor speedway with a pretty massive bonus comparatively after completing just 7 rides. The catch? They have to be done between 3 and 8 am. They must be leaving FROM the speedway. Which means everyone will be hot, sweaty, high, drunk and/or in a coma. I. just. don't. know. if. I. can. handle. it. Then I think about making a grand in 5 hours or so, just driving some people down the road, and I wonder if its even sensible to pass it up. So my plan is this: I will be out there at 5 am. If its weird or people smell funny, I'm calling it quits.

Onward to more important stuff:

If just one minion can make it to the Thunderdome, JACKPOT.

Steven has applied himself to his study and poker coaching to a level I couldn't have believed possible. Mostly utilizing "Float the Turn" and watching hours and hours of reviewed hand histories, he spends his lunch break at work every day studying in addition to any down time he has at home. He cut carbs from his diet, losing 20+ pounds and dropping below 200 for the first time in a decade, hoping that better health overall will lead to better stamina and mental clarity.

I am super excited about his opportunity to play in the main event and believe he's going to run deep. Hopefully, really deep. I did the math on it and approximately $43,000 would pay off every dime of debt we have and finish the fund for a down payment on a home. We are on track to hit this goal by December 2017, but it would be really nice if he could just knock it out in one big tournament cash. Plus, if we're bringing home $43,000 then that means the investors are all getting a huge return on investment.

Speaking of which:


Last notice to WSOP investors/anyone who still wants to gamble a little and maybe hit it big this summer: If you were thinking of getting on board with the 2016 Minion Investment Team, I expect all shares to sell out by Monday. We have 30 or less left available. ALL five Minions have been named and include previously successful Minion and all around solid guy, Bill Phillips, poker industry professional and wildcard player Steven Pique, the lady-minion who won her seat Dr. Laura Langley-Crafton, the seriously talented Robert Harwell and Online Beast/Live Grinder Christian Iacobellis. We've got all the bases covered, ladies and gents. You want wild card players with heart and drive? Done. Family men with patience and gratitude? Covered. Impressive "Hendon Mobs" with proof in results? Accounted for. This is definitely the YEAR OF THE MONKEY.

Its true. This is the year. If you're going to join the team, now is the time.

Can't come to Vegas and want to win money anyway? Already here and want to offset your losses? Feeling lucky? The time is closing to purchase shares in the Minion Pool. We're less than 30 shares away from sending 5 poker players into the Main Event. For $200, you can purchase one "share". (Steven and I are already in for six shares so far, and may buy more - THATS how good of a deal it is). Our five horses all play the $10,000 tournament. All money cashed in the tournament has the $10,000 buy-in subtracted first and refunded to the investors in equal parts. Then, all the profits are split 65/35 with the lion's share coming back to US the investors! This is the only pool of its kind where you can have 5 potential Powerball tickets with one investment share. Last year, one player cashed. This year, we're hoping for 4/5 with at least one to make top 20. We have an amazing team amassed. There are no extra fees, no markup, the curator of this brilliant group doesn't take a fee (though he is a large shareholder). If you can't afford a share and want to go halvsies on one, I'll go halvsies with you. I benefit in no way from this sales pitch, so trust me when I tell you, THIS is the "staking package" you want to invest in.

Contact William Souther for information on how to buy your piece. If for some reason you're allergic to Monkey, or a sworn enemy of his dating back to the days of Gladiators, but secretly want a piece of this.. message me. I have ways of funneling money to the powers that be. Don't miss out. If you have general questions there are multiple blog posts detailing the odds and ends, but you can also ask anyone involved. There is a large private Facebook group for investors to follow the railing and get involved. This is all transparent, well run and has been established successfully for several years. THIS IS OUR YEAR! Also a special thanks to the lovely and talented Jacqueline Britton for her hard work with all the Monkey Gear this year! If you want to support the Minions and purchase a shirt, hat or hoodie, they're available essentially at cost through the Minion Facebook group to all investors, friends and family, logo pictured below.

Can't invest but want a cool shirt or a hat to show your support?
Buy them at-cost ($7 to $10 per piece) and be part of the rail support.

Thanks to everyone who has approached Steven or I with well wishes of his success in the Main. This is truly a dream come true for him, so it means a lot. I look forward to being able to write a detailed blog report of our long wait for the November 9 final table.