So if my 'Run Good' app is correct, I haven't played poker since February 12, that's over five weeks! This is absolutely a record since probably 2010 or so. Guess the medication is working. Or is it?
Lately I've been jonesing to play cards, and it looks like I won't be able to sit down to the felt until April 2! Granted, I will be in Hawaii with the fam, so I can't complain too much; but still - that's an awfully long time without some pokerage. All told it will be 7 weeks with no gambool to speak of.
Ah well, I suppose I will be fine. In the meantime I can play online with play chips which is all but useless - although I do get an ego boost in that for every 5 sit-n-gos that I play I manage to win at the very minimum 3 of them. I suppose it is a bit helpful when it comes to the shorthanded and heads-up portion; at that point you have players who are taking it seriously and will occasionally find a fold when facing pressure. Playing heads up is not something I particularly enjoy, but I have become quite a bit better at it over the last couple of years. It really is the purest form of poker, getting inside your opponents head is absolutely critical to have consistent success at it, and that's something that I am now pretty good at.
My other favorite past time in times of a no poker spate, is to plan in my mind my poker excursions for the year. In 2016, perhaps to make up for this current poker drought, I am planning 3 Vegas excursions across the spring and summer.
First and foremost and coming up quick, I will be headed out to Sin City by plane and renting a car and staying at the Orleans on the weekend of April 9th. Arriving Thursday night the 7th and heading home on Monday morning the 11th.
The main purpose of the trip ostensibly is to reunite with all of my old high school friends from Berkeley. These days I am a pretty shitty friend, were it not for Facebook I likely wouldn't stay in touch with any of them, not because I'm a dick - but because if I'm not working I'm spending time with my kid or yes, occasionally playing poker. I'm not very social and I never really have been - this trip will rectify that at least for a bit.
But I know you noticed I used the word 'ostensibly' and you also know as well as I do that I will for sure still be playing as much poker as I can over three days, lifelong friendships be damned.
In a perfect world, I would be sticking to only one major tournament a day, setting aside poker the rest of the time to catch up with my homies. In reality, I am likely to not only play one major tournament a day, but several smaller ones as well when I bust out, early in the morning and late into the night as well. Wow I am a dick.
The major tournaments I have my eye on are the 11am at Aria on Friday and Saturday - a $240 10K guarantee with 20k in starting chips and a good structure and great room - and the 5pm $150 at Bellagio. The former location is always a great time, now even better with a bigger prize pool and more starting chips. the latter I'm sad to say I've never played at before. I'm looking forward to finally popping my Bellagio cherry so to speak.
Then, instead of being a good friend, I'll likely blow them off when I bust out and go on gambling at Treasure Island, Harrah's, Mirage and Bally's at their various low buy in shitty structure turbos that nonetheless are a good time because of their soft players and generally friendly vibe.
I have offered to stake the non-poker enthusiasts in our group, hopefully they will take me up on my offer and then fold their way to some money for me. There are six of us going, and a big part of me wishes there were ten so we could all play in a sit-n-go at the Mirage. Now wouldn't that be something!
As I mentioned, I will be staying at the fabulous (and by fabulous I mean cheap) Orleans, where once again I will no doubt try to play and cash in a poker tournament there, and probably fail. The room is for sure my nemesis - the players are very nitty and grumpy and having played there at least once a year for the past 5 years, I've managed to not cash once. Hopefully I can break that streak.
I do expect to cash at least once on the trip entire, but alas the days of poker paying for the trip in Vegas (like I did in 2010) are gone, it's very hard to pull a substantial profit playing cards in 3 days; especially in the low buy in high rake shove-fests of the smaller rooms. Ah well, I won't let my wins or losses dictate my mood - I know I will have a blast regardless.
Speaking of a blast - my next trip to Lost Wages will be over a month later, the first weekend in June, for the Colossus II at the World Series of Poker. I played in Colossus I last year and it was awesome, this year I plan to hit it harder and more seriously.
There are six entry flights and I will be planning on firing three bullets at $565 each. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10am. If and when I bust, I will head back to the Orleans for the 7pm evening tournaments. All poker rooms in Vegas are an absolute nightmare during Colossus, so I will not make the mistake of going to the strip again. Last year I tried to get into the Aria 1pm and was alternate #51. Good times.
If I still have any enthusiasm left for tournament poker after that madness, I will return to Vega$, first to stay at the Orleans Friday and Saturday night starting on the 17th of June and then moving to the Rio for Sunday June 20 through Thursday June 23. My wife and kid will be gone from the house, so rather than wallow in loneliness I will for the first time attempt the life of a grinder, playing poker every day for a week! Gee, I guess this medication really is wearing off!
I am very excited to give this a try; playing nothing but Rio Daily Deepstacks for seven days straight should be something else. I plan to play in the 2pm $235 every day. If I bust before five I will enter the 5pm $185, and if I bust after five but before seven I will enter the 7pm $135. Believe it or not, these days I have the disposable income to make this semi-dream a reality, and in actuality it is likely to only cost about as much as a single $1500 bracelet event, and that is only if I don't cash at all, which I expect I will at some point.
I am super super pumped about all this poker in my future, and I am going to be mindful to have some serious fun and not focus too much on results. I always play my best when I do this anyways, so why not be positive right?
Between now and then, I will endeavor to play a poker tournament at least once a week, so I won't be too rusty when I hit the ground running across the state line.
Can't wait!!!!
