Day 5 - Las Vegas
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:59 pm
Got up around 5pm, with Brad still very much under the weather from a night that didn't end until around 12pm.
I was still a bit tired so I crawled downstairs to the Luxor Poker room, bought in for $200 on the same table as my mate Ian from the night before, and instantly got into a hand which involved the best/worst call of my life.
BB with [Kd9d]
UTG makes it $15.
5 callers around to me. I call.
Flop [9s 6s 3c].
I lead for $35. UTG calls. Mid makes it $95. UTG looks very unhappy with the raise, and the raiser was someone who I seemed to have a read on. The raise looked weak. Top pair at best. Possibly straight/flush draws. The guy knew what he was doing and he just seemed to be trying to push me off what looked like top pair.
I considered pushing to isolate to take my chances, but I figured UTG was folding so I could see a turn and re-evaluate. We both had around $90 behind.
I called, UTG folded.
Turn [8s] [9s6s3c].
Not the best card. I check, he instantly shoves. Just the way he did it seemed weak. He seemed to be hoping for a scare card to get me away. I think about it for a while and make the call.
He winces and shows [kc9h]. When I call he berates me for calling him down. Yay. Must've been a good play.
I drop $165 a few hands later when I see a flop with [qc10c], flop [10h6c3s]. Original raiser bets, I re-raise and she shoves. I call and she shows [Acqh], running KJ for broadway.
I rebuy for $200 and patter around until we get a new player.
This guy is 24, is a soldier on holidays, is smashed, loud, obnoxious, rude and is ready to be beaten up by his table. He moves to our table and starts playing every hand blind. 100's of dollars in the middle without looking. Idiot.
I bide my time and get a double up through him with Aces. He gets kicked out for abusing Ian 2 hands later, leaving with $45. I leave the table $15 down, and head out for some food.
I end up at the excalibur, instantly finding a familiar face that I played with at the MGM the previous night. Guy's name is James, a very solid player, maybe a bit tight, from Illinois via Phoenix, Canada & England. Probably the only American I've ever met to not only know what Cricket is, but has actually properly played before.
Excalibur Poker
$1/$2 NLHE
$60-$300
10% Rake capped at $4
5% Jackpot Rake capped at $2 (min $20 pot)
No Post
Live Straddle available
Jackpots:
$1000 for flopped quad Queens with a pocket pair.
Ace cracked, quads or better get to spin the wheel.
Like a chocolate wheel, with dollar amounts on it ($25-$100) with a double and triple also. If you spun either of those you spun again to figure out what amount is multiplied. The money is added onto your stack.
I bought in for $300 and was instantly the big stack on the table. At the same time another player sat down next to me and bought in for $300. His name was Adam. Remember that name. He comes up in later days.
Table was incredibly easy, I was just card dead most of the time. It was so frustrating. That's said, I also hit quads 3 times in 6 hours so I got to spin the wheel a bit.
A5o for BB hit runner runner quads and I got paid on the re-raise on the river.
JJ flopped quads, no action.
99 flop K93, turn 9 river K. No king = no action.
After 6 hours I'm still big stack but everyone else seems to have between $150-$300. I was sitting on $450. Then it all fell apart. 2 players destroyed me.
One was a middle-aged guy who was at the table when I arrived, already down $400. He bought in at least $600 while I was there. He was an uber-fish. He was also getting stuck into the free drink, alternating between scotch, red wine and tequila. He was well smashed by 3 am. And then his luck began to change.
He'd be making it $30 pre, $100 on a nothing flop, getting called and winning. He started to stack up and becoming more and more aggressive because of it. I avoided him as well as I could, until this hand.
Dealt [jdjh] mid.
UTG (super tight) limps. I make it $12. Drunkard calls. UTG calls. All others fold.
Flop [qd 10h 3c]
UTG bets $20. I call. Drunkard calls.
Turn [jc].
UTG checks. I check. Drunkard bets $50. UTG folds. I CR to $165. He starts slurring at me "You got AK? I know you got AK. I don't care." He calls.
River [7d]
I check. He checks behind. I roll my set. He goes "Hmmmm, that's not good enough. He shows [9c8d]. Damn.
I'm left with around $165.
The second player was a stunning 21-year old who knew what she was doing, apart from the fact she always bet 3 times more than she should. She'd limp more of the time then smash the flop with a 3-4xpot bet it she snagged a piece. No control.
I get [acqc]. She makes it $20. I call. Everyone else folds.
Flop [as9c3d].
She bets $100. Hmmm. I had seen her make this play with a wide range (She played A8 & AQ exactly the same earlier). I wasn't sure so I should've let it go, but I gambooooled it up and shoved.
She showed AKo and the K on the turn settled it.
I rebuy for $300, intent on getting my money back from the drunkard. I was getting slightly pissed off with him now. He couldn't tell his chips apart.
It was now 4am and Brad had awoken from his coma and joined me on the table, feeling very poorly. As it turned out he had played at the excalibur the night before off his head, built a stack to $800 (with photographic proof) and proceeded to lose it all to Adam after flopping top set against a flush.
He was sat next to the drunkard built $100 in $280 before again losing it all to Adam, getting it in on the turn with AJ on a J53J board against 33. It's a shame he was such a decent guy. It would've been easier to hate on him otherwise.
Drunkard ends up walking off around the same time, cashing out for around $800. It took him 5 hands to rack all his chips and had to get a dealer to carry them for him. He had annoyed everyone by then, even though he was leaving with our money, we were happy to see the back of him.
By this stage it's 5am and I'm nearly done for the night. I've turned my $300 into $350. James has been sitting next to me the whole time and is only up $100 for the night after some major swings as well. For all the promise the table showed it's been a bad night overall.
At this time 2 21-year-old online pros (and not very good ones) sit down, buying in for max. By this time I was looking to gamble to get my money back, and first hand they played was this.
Mid with [6d3d].
I limp. 1st pro makes it $12. Other calls. SB calls. BB calls. I call.
Flop
[5d 4c 3s].
Checked to me. I bet $30. 1st pro stares at me and calls. all others fold.
Turn [qd]
I bet $85. He goes to me "Yeah, I know you hit the queen. Nice hand." and folds Jacks face up.
I show him my hand and scoop the pot. His face just has a look of shock. He said the same thing to me about 8 times in a row "You called $12 pre-flop with 6 3 of diamonds?!" He just couldn't believe it. It was like it was the worst play he'd ever seen. He asked every person on the table if they would've made that call. (Every good player said yes, every bad one said no) The count ended 5-4 his way, and in his mind, just clarified I was completely wrong.
By this stage I just snapped and said "Maybe if you weren't such a pussy and playing like a little bitch I wouldn't have bet you off Jacks with bottom pair."
The entire table cracked up and he went back in his shell after that. He moved to an empty seat at the other end of the table while I was ordering a drink. All of a sudden James pissed himself laughing.
(Back story: Common conversation everywhere I went was where I was from. Everyone thought I was English. No-one could pick my accent. We had just had that conversation before the pros sat down.)
Apparently he has said to his mate as he passed "I f***ing hate European people" in reference to me.
We had a good chuckle about that.
I lost one more hand 2 pair against a straight, was back down to $300, so I left the table at around 8am, saying goodbye to James who was leaving that day.
Bed, via Krispy Kream first for breakfast.
I was still a bit tired so I crawled downstairs to the Luxor Poker room, bought in for $200 on the same table as my mate Ian from the night before, and instantly got into a hand which involved the best/worst call of my life.
BB with [Kd9d]
UTG makes it $15.
5 callers around to me. I call.
Flop [9s 6s 3c].
I lead for $35. UTG calls. Mid makes it $95. UTG looks very unhappy with the raise, and the raiser was someone who I seemed to have a read on. The raise looked weak. Top pair at best. Possibly straight/flush draws. The guy knew what he was doing and he just seemed to be trying to push me off what looked like top pair.
I considered pushing to isolate to take my chances, but I figured UTG was folding so I could see a turn and re-evaluate. We both had around $90 behind.
I called, UTG folded.
Turn [8s] [9s6s3c].
Not the best card. I check, he instantly shoves. Just the way he did it seemed weak. He seemed to be hoping for a scare card to get me away. I think about it for a while and make the call.
He winces and shows [kc9h]. When I call he berates me for calling him down. Yay. Must've been a good play.
I drop $165 a few hands later when I see a flop with [qc10c], flop [10h6c3s]. Original raiser bets, I re-raise and she shoves. I call and she shows [Acqh], running KJ for broadway.
I rebuy for $200 and patter around until we get a new player.
This guy is 24, is a soldier on holidays, is smashed, loud, obnoxious, rude and is ready to be beaten up by his table. He moves to our table and starts playing every hand blind. 100's of dollars in the middle without looking. Idiot.
I bide my time and get a double up through him with Aces. He gets kicked out for abusing Ian 2 hands later, leaving with $45. I leave the table $15 down, and head out for some food.
I end up at the excalibur, instantly finding a familiar face that I played with at the MGM the previous night. Guy's name is James, a very solid player, maybe a bit tight, from Illinois via Phoenix, Canada & England. Probably the only American I've ever met to not only know what Cricket is, but has actually properly played before.
Excalibur Poker
$1/$2 NLHE
$60-$300
10% Rake capped at $4
5% Jackpot Rake capped at $2 (min $20 pot)
No Post
Live Straddle available
Jackpots:
$1000 for flopped quad Queens with a pocket pair.
Ace cracked, quads or better get to spin the wheel.
Like a chocolate wheel, with dollar amounts on it ($25-$100) with a double and triple also. If you spun either of those you spun again to figure out what amount is multiplied. The money is added onto your stack.
I bought in for $300 and was instantly the big stack on the table. At the same time another player sat down next to me and bought in for $300. His name was Adam. Remember that name. He comes up in later days.
Table was incredibly easy, I was just card dead most of the time. It was so frustrating. That's said, I also hit quads 3 times in 6 hours so I got to spin the wheel a bit.
A5o for BB hit runner runner quads and I got paid on the re-raise on the river.
JJ flopped quads, no action.
99 flop K93, turn 9 river K. No king = no action.
After 6 hours I'm still big stack but everyone else seems to have between $150-$300. I was sitting on $450. Then it all fell apart. 2 players destroyed me.
One was a middle-aged guy who was at the table when I arrived, already down $400. He bought in at least $600 while I was there. He was an uber-fish. He was also getting stuck into the free drink, alternating between scotch, red wine and tequila. He was well smashed by 3 am. And then his luck began to change.
He'd be making it $30 pre, $100 on a nothing flop, getting called and winning. He started to stack up and becoming more and more aggressive because of it. I avoided him as well as I could, until this hand.
Dealt [jdjh] mid.
UTG (super tight) limps. I make it $12. Drunkard calls. UTG calls. All others fold.
Flop [qd 10h 3c]
UTG bets $20. I call. Drunkard calls.
Turn [jc].
UTG checks. I check. Drunkard bets $50. UTG folds. I CR to $165. He starts slurring at me "You got AK? I know you got AK. I don't care." He calls.
River [7d]
I check. He checks behind. I roll my set. He goes "Hmmmm, that's not good enough. He shows [9c8d]. Damn.
I'm left with around $165.
The second player was a stunning 21-year old who knew what she was doing, apart from the fact she always bet 3 times more than she should. She'd limp more of the time then smash the flop with a 3-4xpot bet it she snagged a piece. No control.
I get [acqc]. She makes it $20. I call. Everyone else folds.
Flop [as9c3d].
She bets $100. Hmmm. I had seen her make this play with a wide range (She played A8 & AQ exactly the same earlier). I wasn't sure so I should've let it go, but I gambooooled it up and shoved.
She showed AKo and the K on the turn settled it.
I rebuy for $300, intent on getting my money back from the drunkard. I was getting slightly pissed off with him now. He couldn't tell his chips apart.
It was now 4am and Brad had awoken from his coma and joined me on the table, feeling very poorly. As it turned out he had played at the excalibur the night before off his head, built a stack to $800 (with photographic proof) and proceeded to lose it all to Adam after flopping top set against a flush.
He was sat next to the drunkard built $100 in $280 before again losing it all to Adam, getting it in on the turn with AJ on a J53J board against 33. It's a shame he was such a decent guy. It would've been easier to hate on him otherwise.
Drunkard ends up walking off around the same time, cashing out for around $800. It took him 5 hands to rack all his chips and had to get a dealer to carry them for him. He had annoyed everyone by then, even though he was leaving with our money, we were happy to see the back of him.
By this stage it's 5am and I'm nearly done for the night. I've turned my $300 into $350. James has been sitting next to me the whole time and is only up $100 for the night after some major swings as well. For all the promise the table showed it's been a bad night overall.
At this time 2 21-year-old online pros (and not very good ones) sit down, buying in for max. By this time I was looking to gamble to get my money back, and first hand they played was this.
Mid with [6d3d].
I limp. 1st pro makes it $12. Other calls. SB calls. BB calls. I call.
Flop
[5d 4c 3s].
Checked to me. I bet $30. 1st pro stares at me and calls. all others fold.
Turn [qd]
I bet $85. He goes to me "Yeah, I know you hit the queen. Nice hand." and folds Jacks face up.
I show him my hand and scoop the pot. His face just has a look of shock. He said the same thing to me about 8 times in a row "You called $12 pre-flop with 6 3 of diamonds?!" He just couldn't believe it. It was like it was the worst play he'd ever seen. He asked every person on the table if they would've made that call. (Every good player said yes, every bad one said no) The count ended 5-4 his way, and in his mind, just clarified I was completely wrong.
By this stage I just snapped and said "Maybe if you weren't such a pussy and playing like a little bitch I wouldn't have bet you off Jacks with bottom pair."
The entire table cracked up and he went back in his shell after that. He moved to an empty seat at the other end of the table while I was ordering a drink. All of a sudden James pissed himself laughing.
(Back story: Common conversation everywhere I went was where I was from. Everyone thought I was English. No-one could pick my accent. We had just had that conversation before the pros sat down.)
Apparently he has said to his mate as he passed "I f***ing hate European people" in reference to me.
We had a good chuckle about that.
I lost one more hand 2 pair against a straight, was back down to $300, so I left the table at around 8am, saying goodbye to James who was leaving that day.
Bed, via Krispy Kream first for breakfast.
