Vegas, Day 1 and 2

Hello all. I've had people giving me guff, so I guess I better get to posting. Boats gave a pretty good account of the week, but here's my thoughts and spin.

We arrived early on Sunday, getting out of Cincy on a 9am flight. Luckily, the IP had a room available when we arrived at 11am, so we were able to drop our stuff off and head out.

We go to meet up with a friend and hope to play in the Venetian in their noon tourney. No luck, they are down for their Deepstacks event. Record fields of 900+. Amazing setup. Unfortunately, this time around I never do make it back to play in the 4/8 Omaha Hi/Lo game. Such is life.

Since Dave and his wife have a rental car, we are lucky enough to have a ride up to Binion's to play in their Poker Classic. Sunday is a $150+10 NLHE game. I get into a good comfortable spot and am doing pretty well. We get to level 6 and I'm still average stack or just below. Sitting directly across from me is a Joe Hachem look alike. The guy has the glasses, the "soul patch", the long sleeve, black, ratty t-shirt. It's so sad it's kind of funny. Anyway, he has been hammering on my BB for a few rounds. I finally played back with JTc and shoved over the top when I was getting short, and he called. My str8 hit and he doubled me up. So we have a history when we get to my bust-out hand.

The blinds are up to 300/600 and I have about 8400. Hachem-wannabe again opens in MP for 1800. Folded around to me and I smooth-call after finding 66 in the BB. Flop is a wonderful J J 6. Gin! I check as this guy C-bets everything. True to form, he bets out 3500 into the 3900 pot. I think, then check-raise all in. He beats me into the pot and slams his KK down, saying "I got you this time!" My response "Not this time, I'm ahead sir." And table my 6s full. The poker gods obviously hate my response and deliver a J on the river, giving him the bigger FH. GG me.

We stick around and get onto the list for the 1/3 PLO8 game to warm-up for the action on Monday, and Mike is ahead of me on the list, so he gets the first seat. I sit in the 1/2 NLHE game and drop 100 to the rock in seat 9 that, when he plays a hand, refuses to fold. I raise to $10 with AQc and he calls in position. The flop is 7c9cTh. I bet $20, he calls. Turn is the Js, giving me the OESD and nut flush draws. I bet $40, he calls. River is a blank and I bet $40 one more time. He insta-calls and tables 7s5s. Bottom pair, no draw. Nice. I can't find a hand versus him and get called up to the PLO8 game.

I slowly start to creep up, but the jet lag is hitting me. Finally stand up and take a walk to see what's going on in the NLHE tourney, and see the Hachem-wannabe has been doing good work with my chips, and is 3 out of the money. Just one hand and I could have been there, but that's poker. I wanted the call and just got unlucky. I head back and Mike looks like he's ready to go as well, so we call it a night. I count and end up down for the session about $30, so I made back $70 of what I'd lost in NLHE.

Not a good start, but I'm not too upset. I played well and was thinking about hands instead of just reacting. I took my time, weighed my options, and didn't go on tilt, even when I was getting the worst of it. I felt good about the day on Monday, where we would be playing in the PLO8$210 at Binion's.

Day 2
Well, I try to sleep, but I keep waking up. First time is 4am (7am eastern). I manage to doze on and off until about 7am and finally give up. Will be a long day if I FT the Binion's, but I just can't sleep, so I get up. Mike is up too, so we shower, and hit the strip. Breakfast at BK next door at O'Sheas food court, then down to MGM on the monorail for some early NLHE. Mike loves the room and always does well there, and I haven't played in it so I decide to give it a shot. I originally at at a different table than Mike, but I do get a table change as there is an all-in-or-fold guy that is a pain sitting to my right. When I move, I sit with $200 and bleed, but have some great reads. Here is the big one.

I have AcAd in MP and the UTG guy opens for $12. I smooth call (yep, there's my first mistake) and we get 5 in to the flop. Flop is AhKjTh. The SB that was a caller leads out for $2 and we all laugh. The pot is $60. Then UTG does something that starts to smell fishy. He calls. I decide to raise to $17 to see where I'm really at. Next player re-raises to $67. Button Calls. SB folds, surrendering his HUGE lead out bet....and then UTG smooth calls again. Now I'm in full-blow spidey sense tingling mode. Mike is to my right so I show him my AA, and then muck. He's going nuts. Says I'm a moron, that the pot odds say I have to call and hope to hit my boat. Turn is the 2c and UTG checks. The $67 raiser now shoves for $80 more, button and UTG both just call. River is another 2 and Mike whispers "See, you should have stayed". I say "nope, that's not good enough". UTG checks and button checks. UTG goes nuts, saying "How could you not bet there!!!???!!" He's berating the button. Then he shows his QhJh for the flopped Royal. Spidey sense was right and I was drawing dead. All-in shows his monster ATo, and button mucks what he claims is a small flush.

I add another $100 after a bit and get Ac4c in the BB. MP raises (button from the Royal hand) and 3 call ahead. I call and the flop is two clubs. I check, one bet, MP raiser raises, then back to me. I call. Bettor goes all in and Button calls. I have invested about $45 at this point, and debate mucking. I show Mike again and he says "Do the math before you muck!" and the dealer gives him a warning. I don't feel it and think I should fold, but then I do the math and there's $140ish out there. I have $140 left, and the all in has me covered as does the other player. I'm getting the right price and reluctantly call. The shover has top set (I think it was 8s) and they hold, and I'm felted. Mike is up, so we decide to cut and run to Binion's for the 2pm. He graciously pays for the cab with his winnings, and I'm not happy, I'm already down a couple of hundred and it's only day 2. Yikes!

We decide to prop bet on the entrants in the PLO8. I set the number at 215, and Mike takes the under. I hardly ever lose prop bets, but of course, the final count is 207. Sigh. The bad luck continues.

I had a blast in the PLO8 tourney. There were several folks at my table that I've played with online, and didn't even start talking to the guy to my right until the second hour. Turns out he and I played quite a bit over on FT when I was playing NLO8 over there, trying out a short-stack shove stategy developed by Predator06 in the micro-games. He knows Pred as well and we got along well online, so it's nice to have a "friend" at the table. He plays professionally, and does pretty well. I'm up and down a bit and finally pick up A25Kds on the button. My "friend" raises and I re-pot, he puts me all in and I call. I scoop the hand and this doubles me up to about 16k with 400/800 blinds. After a bit, we get a few other pros at the table. Whothedonk and RedRaider80 sit. If you don't know Red, his real name is Justin Phillips and he's the guy that hit the Royal Flush versus quad Aces in the 2008 WSOP. He's a blast and was fun to play with for a few hours.

I stay ahead of the average and finally take out Matt (the "friend") when we have about 40 left. The Top 27 pay. I get a call from Bleu, and he's on the way over with his sister, who just turned 21 on Sunday and was in celebrating. He shows up and says hello and heads off to the 1/3 PLO8 game. Then, I have some bad luck. My nut flush/nut low draw misses, and I'm down to about 18k. I manage to hang on into the money and lose another hand, but get out cheaply and am down to 12k. Finally pick up AA46 and double to 24k. We get down to the final 2 tables, and I finally get it all in with A25J and lose to A3QJ when he flops his Q. We got it all in PF, and I'm out in 17th place. I cash for $310 and things are finally turning around. Mike had already caught a ride back to the hotel, so I go to get on the 1/3 PLO8 list to play with Bleu. I go to sweat him as I'm 8th on the list. I manage to meet up with Truthiness27, a mod on the 2+2 Omaha Hi/Lo forum, and he's on the list for 1/3 as well.

While sweating Bleu, I see at least one other 2+2er at the table, MegaDisgruntled. The two of them got involved in absolutely the biggest pot I've ever seen in a 1/3 PLO8 game. 4 players, 3 of which get all in preflop. Bleu has the 3rd biggest stack at $530ish and Mega has them all covered. The pot is easily $1500-1600 preflop. The short stack shows A246, the second player (who was a donkey from the night before, information that I gave Blue earlier in his session) has K874, Mega has A2xx, and Bleu has AA3Q. Flop is 35Q, turn is the 7, and the river is a Q. Bleu and Mega chop the K874, and then the short stack 3/4ers the main pot with Mega. It was nuts, but the dealer did a great job keeping the pots straight and getting all the money chopped and done in about 2 minutes.

I stick around until about midnight, but it doesn't look like they are going to start a 2nd table, even with 9 on the list. Tru decides to leave, and I give it up too. I take the Duece back to the IP and Mike's been sacked out for a bit. I hit the sack and hope that my luck has turned.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have Days 3 and 4 up later in the week. I'll cya at the tables.