Last night was a blast, and I want to personally thank Mike and Mitch from Extra Innings. I had one of the best times I have had in a while playing poker with the customers there, and though I didnt win, I came away with some nice stuff.
We played poker for 2-3 hours, with the Top prize being a Panini black box, and second Prize being a box of threads. There were about 6-7 people including people of all skill levels, me being of the lowest talent. The winner’s box had a Mark Hammill Auto from Americana out of 4, a Michael Irvin auto plate from Limited, and 3 or four other cards. The Threads box was sparce, but had two autos in it – no letter. EI will be having stuff like this periodically, ill keep you posted.
Mike and Mitch’s store hasnt been there for quite as long as the Beverly Hills card shop, but it may become my store of choice if I can continue to make the 30 minute drive from the valley. Mike has a lot of wax for you gambler types out there, and may have a few surprises up his sleeve in weeks to come. I always said that there are two kinds of shop owners with no middle, the nicest guy in the world, or the jerk who couldnt give a shit about his customers. Mike is the first one. If you guys are ever in LA and just want to shoot the shit with a guy who knows his stuff, or if you want some packs, boxes, or singles, Extra Innings is a great set up from two guys who are actually up on the goings on of the industry.
As soon as they get a website, ill post it here. Thanks again for everything Mike, you have my seal of approval any day.
FYI, Ill have a comparison up on monday, as I was lucky to experience two different kinds of shops this week. Keep a look out for that, as shops have been a focus lately on the blogs. I spent about an hour talking with Matt and Zack from BH card shop and similar with Mike from EI, both with contrasting approaches to their businesses. It should be a fun post to write.