The wife and kiddo had a Girl Scout weekend camping trip and I wasn't invited, so what's a degenerate gambler to do? Haul ass to Vegas natch.
Booked once again for four days and nights and the fabulous Harrah's Hotel and Casino right smack dab in the middle of the strip, I touched down Friday morning, dropped off my bag at the bell desk and made a bee line across the street for the Mirage.
Their 11am tournaments are soft but fast, just how I like 'em. I call their poker room the Time Warp, because after playing with the daily grinders at Commerce, who know how to 3 bet light and bomb the river no problem - it really is like stepping back into another era.
Free diet cokes are also a plus. Too bad I gave them up for my New Years resolution.
The dealers are crusty but capable and friendly enough. And the competition, oh the competition, is friendly and mostly fishy.
With just 35 runners and only $600 for first place, there was very little pressure and I had a great time splashing around in the early levels. By the second break I was thoroughly short and ecstatic to get my chips in pre-flop with AA. Unfortunately they got cracked and I was out, with not even the Aces Cracked promo that the Mirage runs applying to tournament play. Boo!
Had a bite to eat and headed back to my hotel. Checked into the room and er... relaxed. Headed back downstairs just in time for Harrah's 3pm donkament, also $60.
Chipped up quite a bit early on. I was excited to see that the structure was just fine for the price point and had no antes. Best of all, they didn't race off the green chips, they rounded them up! Just like I do in my garage.
As my stack shrunk a bit and the money approached, I managed to get called by check raise jamming a flop of Qs9s7h holding Js8s by an opponent who had a red Q10. I blanked and I was crippled. Happy to get my money in this way with two ways to win (hit or get opponent to fold). I was a bit of an underdog only because the villain had one of my outs, it was a coin flip otherwise.
With 4 bigs in my stack it wasn't long before I hit the rail.
Ah well, no monies yet. I had it on my schedule to play the Planet Hollywood 7pm - but walked down there to discover that they had a $1000 guarantee for first and the $500 guarantee for 2nd, which is great but it also meant for sure that much tougher players would show up. As poker these days is all about game selection, I was pretty tired and for sure knew that I would be negative EV. So I walked all the way back, grabbed a pizza at CPK in the Mirage and signed up for the 7pm in the Time Warp.
Alas, as it was Valentines eve, all the nice friendly tourist poker players were out with their significant others - and the only ones in attendance were degenerates who knew how to play the game in 2014. I tightened up a bit and went into SoCal playing mode.
I made a great squeeze move against the capable TAG on my right with 710os, my one good spot that I picked to chip up. Otherwise my timing was off and I was out in less than 2 hours. I was card dead, but really I didn't see that as THE reason for busting. It was one of many factors and not even the most important one - that the table was full of capable rec players and 2 semi-pros was really why I headed back to the room early, Granted, my bust out hand was pretty gross, my 99 losing AIPF to the not quite monster stack with Q9. Oh well.
All in all it was a fun day, results notwithstanding. Good decisions just about all, no major mistakes.
I met my homies Sven and Dan the next morning at the 9am Bally's. The good news was, it was a $65 tournament with a $1000 guarantee. The even better news was is that there was quite an overlay with only 3 short handed tables.
I was firing on all cylinders and my timing was fairly awesome, picking on the right tight/passive targets and gave the handful of loose/passives a wide berth. Again I got my money in good several times, and this time my better hands held up.
The money quickly approached, we were 4 handed and Dan was one of the shorties. I floated the idea of taking $65 off the top for the bubble - the two other players declined as they had both re-bought. Okay fine. Needless to say, while I never soft-play a friend, I certainly didn't go out of my way to tangle with Dan as he struggled to hold on.
In the end it worked out for him, he managed to outlast the spewy long haired tourist on his left and was in for some monies. After he busted the lady across from me offered an even money chop, which I politely declined as she had refused my bubble offer and I also had a 3 to 1 chip lead.
Things were looking great as I wore her down a bit more; she would shove with any decent hand and I could easily fold. When I had a hand I was willing to go with I would simply min-raise and she would fold. The latter happened more than the former when I had KQ on the button and min-raised; she finally jammed over the top and I happily called off.
She had KJ and the board ran out harmlessly, until the river when her 3 outer hit. Sigh.
I was now of course happy to chop as she took over the chip lead. She stalled a bit on this through a few hands, which I happened to win. As I dragged my 4th pot she finally caved to my offer of an extra
$25 for her. She got $450 I got $400.
Nice to book a win and get that out of the way. Dan tried to persuade us to have a sit down lunch but the stubborn degenerate in me took hold and we kept focus on heading directly to the Aria for the 1pm $125.
158 runners, and many of them half decent. I have to say overall I played well. Less than an hour in this hand unfolded.
The table had been fairly passive to this point - I had avoided limping except to check through on my big blind or once in a blue moon on the button. This has become my general rule of thumb - I have gotten into more trouble speculating from out of position so many times, I've pretty much given it up.
But on one hand I had a suited 65 on the button. The button in my mind is different, especially if you have inactive blinds, as I did at this table. On the button you get maximum information and have the best chance of getting away when you are beat. So I flat called.
The fresh faced young player to my direct right didn't know it, but I had played with him before and I knew he was typically an aggressive and dangerous player, especially if he had chips. Here he had been whittled down a bit.
With four limpers seeing the flop of 652 rainbow, I was happy to bet half the pot when it was checked to me. Fresh face was my only customer and a heart 3 rolled off on the turn putting a four flush out there. He checked again, I did as well for pot control, the flush didn't concern me too much as I had already given the wrong price on the flop to draw for it. I was also hoping to induce a bluff if the river blanked - which it did.
A black queen hit fifth street and my opponent abruptly shoved. I had him covered but not by much. It was a line that didn't make sense at all, and I called fairly quickly. He was too embarrassed to show, though the dealer did flip over his cards as he walked away. He had complete air and I had dragged a huge pot.
I was surprised that he spazzed out so thoroughly, if he had put out a chunky value bet there was a chance I might have talked myself into a fold, but realistically not a very big chance.
Though I made the decision too quickly, once again - I was very pleased that it was clearly the right one; and it gave me a boost to know that I could snap off such a tricky and aggressive regular.
Nearly 3 hours later I had been moved when this amazing hand happened.
Sitting on 65 bigs, I had AA under the gun, and raised my standard 2.5x. A shortish stack of just under 20 bigs on my direct left jammed. The next player on her left re-raised about half of his 60 big blind stack. Yay.
I took a short hollywood moment, and then slid out my whole stack. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the player two to my left reach back to shove the rest of his chips in. I fast rolled my aces too quickly. He stopped mid-move, his chips clearly behind the betting line.
"Oh shit." he exclaimed. The floor was called. He was allowed to decide. He folded his kings face up.
A king came right in the window and he groaned. I was apologetic. My aces held against the short stacks AJ and I dragged a 50+ blind pot. I was relieved that things had worked out, but I felt bad for exposing my cards early. I apologized again and the floor gave me a one round penalty, my first ever in poker!
I had to stand at the rail for 8 hands, but it was worth it to be sitting on over 100 bigs so late in the tournament. Crazy.
Another hour passed and I was doing okay - thoroughly card dead with multiple aggressive players; a tough spot even with ammunition. The structure at Aria is great, but it's still a one day event. I had dipped under 100 bigs when a Euro aggro 3 bet my QQ. I calmly cut out a hefty four bet and he quickly five bet shoved. I pondered for a moment, and then decided he had been way too active for me to worry about two hands, I was happy to flip with AK for a chance at big money and would be crushing almost everything else that he had. I called off, he had aces and they held.
Back down to reality, I managed to nurse my 25 bigs stack for a long while, eventually getting down to 2 tables. At one point I woke up with KK and they held for a very nice double up. Other than that it was a lot of folding to a super aggressive and massively stacked table, until my 17 big blind stack found JJ in the small blind and 3 bet jammed, only to run into QQ in the big blind who was now the same Euro aggro who had crushed me earlier with his rockets.
He was very sweet about it and I gladly offered my hand to shake as I made my way to the counter and a $390 payday for 12th place. Later I heard that the final table chopped at 5 players evenly for $1200 apiece.
I was done for the night as I was mentally spent - I think I did go back to Mirage for their 10pm turbo, but I certainly wasn't going to count it if I got lucky and cashed. I didn't.
Sunday came early and I dropped by to see Sven at the Bally's 9am, though I didn't play as I was meeting Dan for the 11am Mirage. Sven did end up cashing I believe. The overlay at 9am was sick and I vowed to return on Monday morning.
As for the Mirage, it was fun. I laughed, I cried, I kissed my $60 goodbye. I made a great call to snap off a bluff early on but got crippled in an ill advised hand against someone who didn't know his ass from his elbow. When he slow rolled me, I smiled and tapped the table, thoroughly and genuinely unperturbed. A kid across the table exclaimed "Wow he slow rolled you." "No he didn't." I responded in a friendly matter. "That would imply that he knows what he's doing" I said to myself. No big whoop.
I did make the final table, but I busted in 10th place when my AK lost to KJ aipf. If it wasn't for luck I would win them all honey.
Dan had busted earlier so I joined him at the 2pm Bally's along with Sven. I was out in under an hour, so I made my way back to Harrah's for the 3pm.
Again, I played pretty awesome. Very soft and friendly table - plenty of chances to pound with big three betting and aggressive c-betting.
Three tables quickly became one and I found myself in a massive pot, AIPF with AA. Miraculously my rockets held against AK and KK and I had a monster stacken. We played for another hour or so until it was three handed and we were all about even. I was happy to take a 3 way chop for first, $350 into the wallet and another great time in the books.
Finally the evening approached - I returned to CPK to dine by myself on some pesto pasta. Dan was done for the day and for the weekend with teh pokerz. Sven was eyeballing the 7pm Aria after not cashing at Bally's. He was a bit tilted in his texts to me about being "the worst player ever" so I talked him out of the Aria tourney. It is not an event to enter if you're not feeling good about your game.
Unfortunately he took this to the next level and then hopped on a jet to go back home. Dan also flew back to L.A., but he had always planned to do so. Now I faced being alone on Monday.
After I busted the very friendly and fishy 7pm Mirage, I got back to my room and simply collapsed. I was burnt toast and didn't wake up until some drunk asshole in the hallway decided to have a one person conversation at four in the morning.
After he left, and I didn't have a chance to do something stupid like confront him, I showered. The prospect of a full days grind without Sven wasn't all that appealing. On top of this, my girls had sent me pics of their camping trip and I was genuinely sad about missing it. Even worse, they had gotten back Sunday night; when I booked my trip I had just assumed they wouldn't be back until late on Monday as it was a holiday.
So missing them terribly, knowing they were just an hour away by air - I packed my bag, checked out, returned my car and ate the hundred extra bucks (which happened to be covered by my poker winnings) to get back home. A great +EV decision all around.
Speaking of great decisions - I really think that that was what this trip was all about. Primarily in game selection. I went after the softer targets, with the one exception of the Aria, which is a great value not because of the competition but because of the prize pool and the structure. I have to say, when approaching the game these days, it really is all about choosing the right targets.
The learning curve has steepened more than ever before; if you enter a big event, with a lot of money at stake, you're going to not only get semi-pro regulars, but also serious rec players who are nearly as good.
The trade off is of course, if you stick to smaller events you will likely get weaker players, but you'll be faced with much smaller prize pools and much shittier structures. In other words, you have to get a lot luckier to have a chance at winning smaller amounts of money.
But I really do prefer this - primarily because the game is a lot more fun for me if I genuinely feel like I'm one of, if not the, best player at the table. I get to do so much more and get a lot more creative and have a lot more fun if I know I'm not going to get outplayed. Simply put; folding all the time until I wake up with a decent hand is not a fun time for me. I'd much rather play more hands, tangle and be challenged a bit, putting my skill set to good use against opponents who don't quite grasp position or stack sizes.
Come the summertime though, I'll be looking to dip into the WSOP - a much larger and more challenging arena. This vast event is it's own reward for the experience, even though it likely will involve a whole lot of the aforementioned and dreaded folding and waiting.
With any luck I will bink one of the satellites in my garage. This year I plan to have one for a bracelet event and one as a satellite for a satellite into the Main Event. It has been a long time dream now, percolating in my brain, to sit down in the greatest poker tournament on earth, and a Step 1 satellite is a great way to try and do it.
In the meantime, it will be the occasional home game, and maybe a WSOP Circuit event at the Bike in March if I get the time. If I do, you can bet you'll be able to read about it here.
