Storm brewing

After a brief rest in the room, I headed over to the Rio to meet up with some poker friends who were down here for new years. When I was crossing the pedestrian overpass I saw the strangest sight I've ever seen on the strip...no traffic. And I don't mean very little congestion either. I'm talking zero cars. Starting at 5 pm, the police shut down the entire strip for as far as I could see. It was just like the movie "I am Legend" ...except for the fact that there were still people around and all the strip was still lit up completely...but other than that...exactly like the movie.

I also noticed that there must have been a New Years moratorium on the card flicking peddlers on the strip. There were guys selling shirts and glow sticks but no leaflets.

By the time that I was passing through they were already staging the strip for the fireworks show. The police were moving miles of metal barricades to expand the walking area to take over the outer two lanes of the roadway while the inner lanes were being reserved for emergency vehicles. They also had ambulances parked in each partition of the strip to whisk off anyone who got a little too exhuberant. I did not encounter one car on the way to the Rio and that includes taking Flamingo road over the highway. Anyone who tells you that shutting down the strip would paralyze the city is mistaken. Taking a cab would be doable though slower and more expensive going around the long way.

And as if that weren't enough, they also shut down access to the casinos. In an about face maneuver the casinos actually prepping to turn people away. I tried to cut through the Bellagio to take the sky bridge over the street but they had shut that down. On my way out they had signs posted on the makeshift fencing that hotel guests should be prepared to show their room key to get back in. The rumor is that they even shut the doors and don't allow any ingress or egress during the period right before to right after midnight to avoid any New Years shenanigans. And presumably as a precaution to revelers being ground up in the machinery, all escalators were shut down as well.

The stroke of midnight was still a few hours off by the time I was passing through but all of the preparations were clearly indicating something major coming up. Perhaps it is the logistics of shutting down the strip which explains the absence of a July 4th fireworks show.

New Year's Eve plans

Texting John and Ken from Sea-Tac. "I'm on my way down to Las Vegas. Where are you guys going to be tonight?" We agree to meet up at the Rio around dinner time. I update John as I land and get settled into my room. The plan ends up being to meet at Rub's a BBQ place at the Rio.

New Year's Tour

Hello avid readers of the blog (both of you).

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am back on tour this week. I
just landed and got my room at the oh so luxurious Tropicana. OK so
it's not so great but it is a room and the price was right for a room
on the strip for New Year's eve.

Las Vegas on short notice

So at poker on the 26th John kinda mentions off the cuff that he was going to be down in Las Vegas with Ken and company. He said that he had a cheap room at the Rio that I could split with him. I'm of course not opposed to going to LV in general but I usually plan more than just a week in advance. I kinda blow off the idea but check airfare the following day and it's a respectable $315 round trip. Doable. Plus Marsh/Rosa and Jason/MB were going to be down there starting on the first so I text John and ask him if his offer is still good but I didn't see any response so the idea was withering up.

Went about my business for the next day or two then checked back on Saturday and the same roundtrip tickets were now $415. Zoiks! That's the travel industry for you! So the trip moved from the "sure why not" bucket into the "meh prolly not" bucket. But since I know how wacked out the travel biz is I went ahead and checked out Expedia (dot cooooommmmmm) and found that I could do Mon-Fri with airfare at the Tropicana which is OK for a room and the location would be central to Marsh/Rosa in the Luxor and Jason/MB at the MGM. A rate of $600 for air and room is totally reasonable considering that I'm booking two days before leaving. Then as I'm checking out the web page asks me if I want to apply my $100 e-coupon...ummmmm...helloooo?...ya, that would be a good idea. So five days four nights and air for five bills. I knew rooms were cheap starting the first but wasn't expecting to be able to get a room on the strip on New Year's Eve for a song. I type in my 16 digit account siphon and I'm booked. Las Vegas, here I come!

No fireworks

Once again, the strip is devoid of fireworks shows. Don't know why LV doesn't have fireworks for the 4th but they don't. SOME cities even have two different shows but oh well. I head out around dark and get another smoothie for dinner. Cashed out some dirty blues at Bellagio and saw a couple fountain shows. Came back down the strip and stopped by the MGM to play some poker but the 1/2 list was three pages long so I bailed. Headed back to Hooters and watched the action there for a few hands before heading back up to the room. Set the alarm so I don't miss my flight.

Under the 115 degree weather

I go to bed and also wake up with a sore throat. I take some cough drops and some immunity boost when I first wake up. Lie back down and end up sleeping past noon. I make another run to Bellagio and processing chips is producing horrible yields. I am running across some of the worst chips ever; worn, streaked, edge rounded, smudged, mis-registered printing, and combinations thereof. It's almost as if someone came came through and picked over the lot and pulled out hundreds of the very best chips. What has the world come to?

And this is how we fold our cards

Sit down at Caesars for some 1/3. I basically see nothing for hours. Low this and offsuit that and six gappers or worse. I am able to limp into some pots with medium pairs that don't hit. I end up in the big blind with Q9 suited. Flop is low and paired. Checked around. Turn is a 9 and I check/call 15 for some reason. River is a T and we check it down. I am notched by K9. Fold fold fold and fold some more. Then after a while I fold more cards. Then I run into a hand where it limps around and a the guy ahead of me makes it 25 to go to clear out the field. I look down and I see Jacks. By far my best hand of the night. I sit and pause and I can tell that I have his attention because he has been on my right for a couple of hours so he knows how tight I am playing. I mull it over and remind myself that just because it is my best hand for the night doesn't mean that it is the best hand for this deal. I decide that if I play these then it is going to be a pre-flop push. I could not just call. But by now I have taken so long thinking that I have passed the Aces or Kings insta-push. If he has AK and he puts me on Queens or lower he is priced in to a coin flip. I end up mucking them. Did I mention that I folded everything? And just because the guy in seat 4 sits down with 100 and raises to 20, gets put all in and insta-calls with Kings dominating the Nines of the guy who put him in, then doubles up first hand, no big deal. Then he gets Aces two hands later and takes down another pot...but who's counting? Doesn't matter. I'm playing good poker and just not getting cards. No AK, AQ, AJ, or AT. No Ax suited. No suited connectors. No big pairs except for the Jacks that I mucked. I know that I have five tons of fold equity built up but I am reluctant to try a steal because the player to my left with a dozen stacks and a wad of hundreds has been calling just about every raise 25 or lower and being aggressive post-flop. And since he's sitting on my left, I can't even try to avoid pots with him in it. So after I blind off a stack of chips, I decide it is time to hang it up for the night. I stop by the Bellagio to trade in some more supplies and then stop by NYNY for a smoothie and a pretzel. Head back to the room and write up the night's events. We'll try again tomorrow and try to get on a heater...or at least get some more folding in.

Outs correction

Upon further review of the videotape, judges have ruled that OESFD only had 14 outs since the diamond that paired the rag on the flop would have boated me up.

Also, quick weather report in case anyone can't guess...it is freaking hot! Over 100 easy. Cabbie was saying that they were forecasting over 110 in the middle of the week.

Running into the nutiest of nuts

Wake up from my nap around 5:30. Head back over to the MGM with my 171 left over from earlier in the day. The table is loose. I see a bet of 20 re-raised to 60 and called by what turns out to be 53 for bottom pair 3 kicker no draw except to the trips that he hits on the turn. A guy pushing all in with 27os after making the sucker end of the straight only to be insta-called by the might Q5os on the top end. I resolve that I am going to play a big pot and will get paid for it.

After about half an hour or so I limp UTG with AcTc. Seat 6 stares me down. I know that he knows how tight I've been playing. He raises to 15. I happily fold. I sent a small probe into the table and it did the job of collecting information.

I sit and fold hands for some more until it is time, time for the big hand. Seat 1 opens for 11. Another caller ahead of me and I pick up Jacks. I am playing for a set or better and flat call. One more caller behind me for about 45 in the pot. Flop comes black King, Jack of Diamonds, and a rag to complete the rainbow flop. I am first to act and am positive I will get a bet behind me so I check. Second check. Original raiser makes it 25. Folds to me. I announce raise. I want a call because I give him credit for a King and know he needs to catch some combination of runner-runner to pass me. He asks how much I have behind and I count out another 87. He calls my 40 raise. Turn is Qd. I would have preferred a blank or even a King. No matter. He is not so loose as to have called with just a gut shot so I figure myself for still ahead and push my remaining 87 in. He calls. Can you say worst River ever? The Ace of Diamonds peels off and he shows KdTd for a runner-runner Royal Flush. I inspect the board and announce "You're good." to the amusement of the table. I tell my end of the table that I have no problem losing to a Royal Flush. I decide to pack it up and try a different venue. As I am leaving the guy asks if his King was good. I refrain from asking him if he has been paying any attention whatsoever to the play for the past hour or two and tell him I had trip Jacks. I am digesting the hand as I am digesting another smoothie. My assessment was correct on the flop. Turn was horrible due to the 15 outs that it gave him but my 87 still denied him proper odds though I understand the allure of the OESFD and can't fault him for his call. Most of the deck still helps me going to the river and I will double up the majority of the time. Cards just didn't fall my way.

You win some you lose some

Feel like I'm on my game. Good focus. Nothing too out of line. Got paid a little when my overpairs hold up. Buy in for 200.

See a flop with QJos. Flop is Jack high. I lead and get one caller. Turn is a Ten. I put out 15 and get min raised back, heavily implying JT. Not sure why but I called. River is one of my three outs. Now I lead out 50 because I'm quite sure that he is not going to be able to lay down what I think is JT. He mulls and even shows me his cards. I shrug as if to say "that's a good hand". He calls and sees that he got drawn out on. That puts me up to 300 or so. Then I see a flop with Ad9d. Flop is Ace high two hearts. I lead and get a caller from old Asian guy. Turn is a Queen. I protect again. Call. River is more paint. I check he thows out 30 and I feel behind but make an orange belt call. He limped in with AJ. Gave some back there. Knew I was coming in light.

Later on I get in another hand with old Asian guy. I am bestowed with my trouble hand in the BB and must endure a free flop which comes JTT. Lead out with a pot sized bet. He smooth calls. He only has 39 left so I put him in in the dark before the turn card. He calls. Turn is a blank and right before he shows his KT which has me dominated, I boat up with a Q on the river. I apologize for the suckout and he takes it in stride then leaves the table.

Do we see a theme here of coming from behind?

Next key hand. Seat 4 bumps it to 12 and I am ready to snap off the action if there are too many other players but no one else comes in so I smooth call. Flop is a glorious low paired board. I am putting him on a lower overpair or maybe AK and I assume I'm good. He checks to me and I bet a shade below the pot. Call. Turn is another low card that might make a flukey straight draw. He checks to me and I go ahead and put him in for the remainder of his low stack, maybe another 50 or 60. He shrug calls and gets the bad news that his Queens have been notched. He grins and passes his chips over. I am now up about a stack and a half.

Seat 1 makes it 12 to go, Seat 4 calls and I call with AKos. Flop is A56 two Spades. I lead for 30, a confused hesitant call from the raiser. Call from the third party. Turn is a Queen. I don't like that card. I lead for an even stack and make it 100 to go. Raiser pushes all in. He is the only guy at the table who has me covered. I felt like he was on a weaker Ace like AQ and just caught up. Fold from the third party and I make a begrudging fold. Queen actually save me some money there. I talked with the guy later and he said he flopped top set when the case Ace came out. Argh. That knocks me down and eats into my sugar.

I open with AsKs for 7. Get a raise to 15 from Seat 2 who has been moving chips around. Folds back to me and I want to see all five cards so I put him in for the rest of his stack of about 50. He calls and shows AA. Hmmmm. That wasn't what he was supposed to have. In retrospect the min-raise was a hint but he had been doing that often enough for me to dismiss. His Aces hold and I pay him off. Now I am sugar-free.

I sit for a few more orbits then decide it's time for a break and lunch so I pack it up and get a Subway Melt and a Gatorade from across the street. I will head back over after my nap.

Rise and shine

Finally feel like my poker head is on straight. Going to get a breakfast smoothie then hit MGM for some 1/2.

Big Blind Special

I decide to head over to the MGM Grand. Buy in for 200 and elect to wait until the blinds hit me. Pick up a reasonable 45os and get to see a flop for free...or at least pre-paid. Flop is 44T two Spades, not a bad flop. I throw out a pot-ish sized bet of 8 to chase off drawers and I figure I'll just take down a small pot. Three callers. Uh oh. I know if someone else has a four that they may well have me out-kicked though I think 34, 45, and A4 are my most likely foes and any random 4 is ahead of me unless someone is a glutton for punishment and and came in with 24. At this point I want the turn to be a non-Spade, non-Ace, non-Ten, preferably a Five if I had my druthers and what comes off? The case Four. That works too. I now have this pressure to throw money into the pot because a) I want to throw off my opponents b) I want to build the pot and c) the guys back home will kick by butt for not betting it. I am now trying to calculate an optimal value bet without it looking like I'm trying to calculate an optimal value bet so I make it 20 on the turn trying to keep everyone in. Three callers! Huh? Well maybe one or two players have a Ten but the Spade drawer must know that a House beats a Flush, no? River is a third Spade. I check the board to make sure that I can't possibly be up against a straight flush (weak/tight!) and decide that 40 is the right number for the river. Call from the presumed Ten. Fold from the guy on the other end of the table. And a call from old guy in the 1 seat. I'm first to show and open my hand to the other player's dismay. No one else shows. I rake a big pot my first hand and I really wish I had position on that hand because I think I could have gotten more but I'll take the stack and a half addition to my chips.

Lock down poker for a few more orbits. Try to limp with a couple hands and get raised out. Flop trip threes in the BB again with Kd3d. Bet it and take down a limped pot. See a flop with Ad7d. Flopped two diamonds on a JJQ board. Checked around. Turn is an Ace and I bet it. One caller. River is a diamond. Checked to me and I put out 12 to try to get a value payment. No customer.

Cash out up 134.

Cannot defend

I decide to jump in to the Hooters room and try a quick 1/2 game. I buy in short for 100. I diligently fold away until I see a flop with AQos. Flop is Q high with two hearts. There's about 12 in the pot and the player ahead of me makes it 25 (?) to go. Based on the play I've seen so far, I can't give him credit for a hand. I raise it to 50. He mulls it over and stares me down. He comments that I haven't played a hand so far. He calls. Turn is a blank and I push for the rest of my stack, about another 30 or so. He makes a begrudging call. River is a heart and he hits his junky flush. Time to move on.

Sunday Night no Poker

Got up bleary eyed and did not declare myself in suitable condition for poker. As one of my poker books puts it "NOT PLAYING well beats NOT PLAYING WELL." So in lieu of donking off chips at Sunday Night Poker I decide to treat myself to a show instead. I had been meaning to try a discount ticket place on the strip. I find that one of my top shows is available so it is a quick dinner at Panda Express then on to the Venetian to see the Blue Man Group. My ticket was off to the side but in front of the break in seating. I figured for a concert style show that sight lines would not be critical so I wasn't too concerned about going to a place selling leftover tickets. Two thumbs up for a unique and entertaining show. Recommended.

Afterwards, I head down to the Forty Deuce club in Mandalay Bay for a night cap and a little conversation and dancing with some friendlies. Not cheap...but I'm worth it. After a couple of dancers finish their show, I head back to the room and call it a night.

No room at the inn

I'm pure carry on so it is a quick jaunt from the airplane, to a no-wait taxi line, to the esteemed Hooters hotel and casino which is probably the closest large casino/hotel to McCarran. I had originally planned to play cards all night then check in for Sunday but I'm now on the fence about that plan since I hadn't gotten much quality time sleeping. I ask about an early check-in and the desk clerk told me I could check in but it would be another 109 for Saturday night. I think about it a little then pass.

I check my bag at the bell desk and head out into the world. The flight cabin announced that it was 95 degrees in LV when we left Seattle late Saturday and it feels like it. The arid desert heat is intense even after midnight. Head over to New York New York via MGM even though I am 99% sure that the smoothie shop is already closed...which it was. Track down some snackage at an all night food court. I have a hint of that "didn't get enough sleep before traveling" headache. I decide that it is better to go ahead and pony up the bucks to get the room after all so I head back over to the hotel. I inquire about checking in early but now there is no room at the inn. Waaa waaaah. I snooze, I lose. Well actually I don't snooze. The clerk tells me though to check back in a little while for when people start doing early checkout.

I come back a little while later and a different clerk says that on Sunday the chambermaids don't start until 10am so it won't be until even later to get in. Hang out a little more and there is an announcement that the "poker room" is going to open up a 1/2 table 50-200 buy in. My head is not straight but I figure I could head over and scope out the table at least. Maybe buy in for a bill and just play lock down poker. Slim pickings. One other interested player and a female poker n00b. Wait a while longer and no other interest. The n00bette wants a lesson so the dealer takes out a deck and goes over the rules and some strategy. I chime in with helpful hints and explaining terminology...because that's just the helpful kind of guy that I am. The lesson actually ends up taking an hour or so since everyone was just killing time. Head back over to the desk and finally get checked in around noon. Time for some sleep.

Side note: Backpack was scanned twice but I did not have to have chips hand inspected this time. A rarity.

Delayed flight

Not only were we about 30 minutes late to board the plane but we were taxiing out on the tarmac when the pilot told us that we would have to return to the gate because there was a discrepancy between the head count on board and the manifest. I don't know what the problem was for sure but there were a couple of females who had switched seats and there was a foreign family who were questioned. I didn't see anyone taken off so I think it was just a mistake in paperwork. Touched down about 90 minutes late.

Here we go again...

SEA to LAS. Night flight out. Will touch down after midnight and find something to do before checkin on Sunday afternoon. Focus this time is to have 100% of expenses paid for by the tables. Flight and room are 4 bills and change and I've already toked the shuttle driver and bought a wholly unfulfilling fish and chips from the Ivar's. More work to do!

Final session at the MGM Grand

After getting up in the morning, we checked our luggage at the MGM Grand so we can make a quick getaway to the airport. A quick bite to eat then it's to the cardroom. I sat patiently and folded a bunch of really truly bad hands. Seems like I had a duck in every other hand. The big blind was very kind to me though. I flopped top two pair twice, nut straight once, top pair 2nd kicker once, all from the big blind. Big blind specials indeed. Each time, I took down the pot without a struggle. Unfortunately, in early position as the BB, I had to act first and didn't get any action after I protected my hands from draws.

I call a raise with AsJs. Flop is J88 two clubs. Seat 5 bets, I think of raising since I think he has a weaker Jack but instead decide to call. Seat 3 calls behind me. Q on the turn, Seat 5 leads again and I call again assuming that we both have Jacks and mine is better or at worst tied. Seat 3 smooth calls. River is a blank. Seat 5 checks, I check, Seat 3 now bets out for 20. Hmmmmmm. I had him on the club flush but now he's betting. Could he have been slow playing an 8? Sure didn't seem so. Seat 3 calls and I tell myself that I'll see the showdown anyway so why call? But I call anyway and Seat 3 shows 9T for the open ender on the flop and I contributed to his getting pot odds to draw. Should have popped on the flop.

Later I see a flop with ATos. Flop comes T high. Seat 4 leads for 10. I bump to 25. He mulls it over then mucks. I show him my hand to confirm his intuition that he was behind. He appreciates it and does the "good hand" table rap.

Jeh and I are wrapping things up and agree to do a couple more orbits. I'm successfully avoiding the "-itis" and folding bad and even marginal hands. We are on the last orbit and Jeh calls UTG. I pick up my best hand of the day, pocket Jacks. I raise to 15. New guy in Seat 9 calls. Everyone else who has been paying any attention whatsoever gets out of the way. Flop comes T 9 rag. I lead for 25 and Seat 9 makes an emphatic stack slamming all in. Action is back to me and I'm confused. It seems so pre-meditated that I consider that he also has an overpair and was waiting for no Ace to hit and for the board to come below his pair. But then I think AA or KK would likely have re-raised unless he's being sneaky with them. I also consider a T9 two pair or a set. I am in the tank and I apologize to the table. I get reassurance to take as long as I need. I partly feel obligated to the table to give them a showdown after taking so much time and in the end I really can't take credit for making anything other than an "-itis" shrug call and match the 70 or so he raised me. He flips AT for top/top and I show my overpair. The dealer flips the Turn and she throws a dagger my way when an Ace hits the felt. Audible suck-out-gasps from the table and I can't catch my two outer to regain the lead. Dealer apologizes to me and I say it's OK because "I'm sure the other player will give her a big tip for that hand." I forego the option to play the remaining couple hands and go to cash out. I break convention and tip the cashier even though I didn't end up for the session and take home 25 of my original buy in of 200. And so ends poker for this trip.

Late night snack courtesy of Planet Hollywood

Ryan and I cashed out and Ryan had the presence of mind to ask to get comped at the restaurant next door. Pays to ask because we got $25 worth of beverages and sandwiches for being raked a few hours. Not a bad deal. I ordered a turkey club, ate half, gave the rest to Marsh at the table.

Took down two pots all night

After we stopped by the WSOP at the Rio, some of us went back to the hotel to play some cards. In a session that lasted a few hours I took down a total of two pots. Mostly just hung out and talked with Ryan and Marsh when we were at the same table.

Picked up QQ and raised it up to thin the crowd, got one caller. Flop came out all low cards and there is a weakish 10 dollar continuation/probe bet to me. I re-raise to 25. He goes away.

Pretty much just dwindle within the 100-200 range for a while. Ryan on my right doubles through Lou Diamond Philips with AdKd and he is almost unstuck. Later on I pick up the same hand and raise to 15 few callers, totally missed. Few rounds later I pick up AdKd AGAIN and raise to 15, three callers. Flop is an uncomplicated A68 rainbow. I size up the pot and look at my stack then decide 45 is the right number. 3/4 pot sized bet and enough to commit me even if something really ugly falls on the turn. I'm not getting away from this hand regardless of action. Lou Diamond Philips calls me. Turn is another Ace and I throw in the rest of my chips, about 75 which at this point is a weak bet compared to the pot. No call and I have a small pile of sugar for the first time tonight. I see a few more orbits worth of cards and end up cashing out for 214 for the night.

I'm losing to THIS table?

So Ryan and I play downstairs at the Planet Hollywood poker room. It would be funny if not so tragic. First hand I play is when I get 37os in the big blind. Even make a comment about how bad my hand is and how I am gld I didn't need to voluntarily add chips to the pot. Flop is K37 and I lead out 10, about pot sized. One re-raise to 20 and a call. I bump another 25 on top to put re-raiser all in and tried to send a message to caller to stay out. Message not received. Turn is a 5. I check/call to try to keep pot small. River is a 4 and he pushes all in I call off more chips to see K5, yes, top pair garbage kicker that called two re-raises pre-flop. I am down to about 50 now. Add on another 100.

Tired, more later.

Trouble hand is back on my bad side

See a flop with QhTh which treated me so well last time when I flopped the nut straight that paid in full. This time I flop trips on a TTJ board. I lead out and get four callers...huh? I realize that I can already be drawing super thin and am treading carefully and I'm trying not to overplay my hand. Turn is a 9 which gives me and open ender but also puts out the other most likely side card to a Ten. I bet and get called from Seat 2 so at least it just us two now. River is an Ace and I put out 35 to value my trips. He comes back over for 45 and I make a crying call feeling that I am surely beat. Sure enough he sat on T9 and domination once again is not what it used to be.

I also get felted with my 8sTs. I turn an open ender and four to the flush. River give me a flush and I bet out. I get raised for the small amount of chips I have left. The A and Q are on the board so only the Ks or Js beat my flush. He held Ks4s.

Rebuy for 200. I raise and get callers with QQ. Flop middle set and lead out but get no customers.

Cash out for 235 so I'm down 165 for the session.

Premium hands

Played for an hour or so playing pretty tight. Saw a flop with AKos, missed. Raised to 10 with KsJs, missed. Raised to 10 with KdQd, missed. Limped in with 5d6d and flopped middle pair and an gutshot. Led into the flop with 25 which was about 3/4 pot sized bet. Called. Turn is an Ace and I have to slow down. River is a Queen and I have to fold to a bet. I raise with AK and flop top two pair. Lead out with a weakish bet hoping to get raised but end up taking it down. Raise to 15 with AdKd and the flop comes out low but with two diamonds so I continue with a 3/4 pot sized bet and take it down. I've been whittled down and but come back to about a stack and a half.

On the road again

Here I am back down in Las Vegas for yet another bachelor party. Flight was delayed and we spent about 45 minutes at the gate. I didn't realize this until we landed. That explains why I woke up about halfway through the flight and stayed up for the rest of the flight since I slept while we were on the tarmac.

I will be busier with other activities this time so won't be playing poker as much but I will be blogging whatever poker action there is.

Miscellaneous memories

As other hands come back to me, I will list them here so this entry will update periodically for the next couple days.

Brad (Brandon Ditto clone) confirmed that indeed Shawn Marion was playing at the other table. 1/3 NL table for those curious.

On Monday, a player came back from the table and was telling everyone that he was walking through the sports book and couldn't believe Pete Rose was sitting in there hanging out and signing autographs. I say "Did you just say you were surprised to see Pete Rose in a sports book?" Dealer laughed, everyone else missed it.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Sunday night I when I was in donk mode I really wanted top play a nice junk hand, 3s5s. But Mother India makes it 20 to go pre-flop and that was about 1/4 of my stack at the time. I fold, easily, but begrudgingly...just in case. Flop is As4s5d. Turn is a 2 that would have filled my straight. River is the magical 2s that would have won me the hand (duh) and a $250 high hand payout. But the other 99.9% of the time that hand hits the muck as soon as there is a raise to me so the EV on a $20 call to triple up to $240 and win a $250 payout doesn't quite add up to a call. Would have limped with it at that point though. Hee haw.

Sunday Night Poker. Three handed between New York Tony, Brad Stone, and Frankie Avalon. Flop is 6s8s9s. Lot of thinking and betting on the flop. Nothing out of control though. Maybe 15 or 20 from each person, no raises. Turn is the 7s. Interesting. 50 from Tony. 100 from Brad. Frankie calls. Tony moves all in for a shade less than 150. Now Brad asks if that re-opens betting for him to re-raise. Dealer says no. Brad calls. Frankie calls. River is the mother of all blanks. Brad bets something (75?) and Frankie calls. Frankie has 89 for top two pair. Brad show 4s5? for "a straight AND a flush". Tony shows the greatest hand in the world, As5s(!!!) for a flopped nut flush and a turned sucker end of the straight flush. He was worried that Brad had the Ts and or TsJs when he wanted to re-open betting but Brad Stone is just a donk.

Later on in SNP, Brad Stone pushes all in on an Ax3 flop as first to act. Kid to his left insta-calls. Guy really liking his hand makes a crying fold. Brad shows AJos(huh?). Kid has bottom set. Crying guy folded AK. I was talking to cryer and we both agreed that calling Brad was no problem based on previous play but you can't call after a follow up insta-call. Ahhhh...the power of position. Turns out Brad would have rivered a Jack anyway so it ended up saving him money. Brad Stone ends up handing over 5 bills to Kid over top pair third kicker in maybe a $50 pot pre-flop. Yikes.

Check-out at the Flamingo was mercifully quick even around check out time.

I was in a different wing this time and I think it must be newer because the air conditioning was much much better than last time. Getting downright cold in the room despite the temps being probably 20 degrees warmer outside.

The lines for getting into the Pure nightclub were even worse this time I think. I ran into a couple of guys at the airport who were also there for a bachelor party and they sent a couple of their group ahead to wait in line starting at 8pm. They met up with them at 10pm just before they got in the door.

I have been carding in to log hours. Each hour is worth a whole dollar in comps (that's sarcasm by the way). Still, it beats nothing. Guy ahead of me in line at the fried rice place ran his rewards card through the register to redeem a free meal. He bets the horses and churns a lot more money through the casino than I do. Poker rooms are actually one of the worst returns on investment that casinos have but they all have to offer them because the patrons want to play poker and they can't afford to not have one if the casino down the street has one.

For those curious, Brandon Ditto used to work at my old job. He is not a celebrity or anything despite what he may think.

Right after a shuffle machine mishap, there was everyone's stories about how the shuffle machines don't work. One gal said "One time, I had the exact same hand three times in a row!" Some pointed out that that would mean there were two different decks involved. I declined to ask her whether or not she would find it more peculiar if she *never* got two identical hands in a row.

Floor had to be called over one hand when the winning hand was flashed to one end of the table including the other player at showdown but was laid face down on the table. Everyone agreed that the face down flush whose cards had already been put into the muck was the winning hand but the dealer could not award the pot. Flush eventually got his pot since showing the other players constituted tabling his hand. He was warned to make sure the dealer sees the cards too though.

Revisionist History

In the interest of full disclosure, I will be going back through and editing the blog to correct spelling, grammar, and memory errors. I will not however be substantially changing content...like where I correctly predicted the winners in all those sporting events.

It's the black piece of luggage...with wheels

Landed at Sea-Tac after another successful nap. Picked up luggage from the carousel. Waiting for the shuttle to take me to the car. They announced that some luggage arrived early and to check the holding area by the wall. I didn't see anyone pick any luggage up. I think it is a diversion they tell to give passengers something to do while waiting.

Final tally: Up 576

Not exactly getting back everything from last trip but I'll say that it is a lot easier to flush a buy-in than to make one. Was up in the 800 range for a while before donking set in. I know the holes I need to patch. I am still continually learning more about the game and what I need to do to improve. Had some fun. Took measures to plug some leaks before donking. But overall, poker was cash flow positive and that was definitely where I wanted it to be for this trip. The benchmark I wanted to hit was at least 500 bucks or 100/day. I had hoped to do better but as long as I cleared the minimum I'm OK with that. I would prefer that poker would have paid for all trip expenses so going to Las Vegas is free and I was there for a while but fell back. Just need to work on the game more for NEXT time!

Getting to airport not as bad as advertised

Cab line was only a few people deep and was moving quickly. I asked an asian couple with luggage if they were going to the airport and if they wanted to split a cab. The husband said "I don't think so." Ouch! Dude, where's the asian love? I think his wife must have spoken with him because after a little while they had reconsidered and agreed to share a ride.

Traffic flowed freely and the lines through the airport were running very efficiently. Hats off to McCarron Intl. And for the first time in recorded history, I did NOT have my bag hand searched while packing boxes of chips.

Quick stop for the regular smoothie (they were out of my regular, the Stratosphere, so I had the creamsicle one instead) and Burger King meal with a Cinnabon dessert and I have plenty of time to eat a relaxed meal while waiting for boarding.

A big blind's worth of sugar

After a while of being in "the zone" (not the Donk Zone) the cards started cooling off. A haze had started to settle in and the pokerness wasn't flowing as much so I tightened up to guard against donkage. Back when I was zoning, the cards were both more suited and connected. Flops were clearer. And chips were more flowing toward me. But those days are gone now. I saw a few flops that didn't hit.

Then I got into a seven way flop holding ATos on the button. Flop came out JQx and early position led out a weakish 10 which got called by three others and I could cap the betting with a gutshot to the nuts and a possibly good over card. Seat 5 was doing all the table talk for me saying that there is a gut shot and a KT open ender out against him. Turn comes an Ace and it checks around to me. I throw out a 60 (3/4-ish pot sized) bet. No one fought back and I take down a sizable pot.

One other hand of note was where I had pocket Nines and rivered a 9 which also completed a possible single card straight. Occasional maniac from the 8 seat puts a nice and tidy little 100 bet on the end. Options would be to fold, call, or raise which would essentially be a push for me though I think a pure min-raise would show more strength. I stand up to inspect the board and make sure I am reading it correctly and the occasional maniac had recently shown down a similar single card straight hand and collected a bill for his troubles. I fold.

I ask the table about how when I should leave to catch a 10:45 flight. 7 seat who was playing with the deaf guy and me last night said he is a cabbie and that lines are going to be hellish. Be in the cab line by 8:20 he said. I played a few more rounds and as my stack started to dwindle. I decided I'd play one more orbit until I was UTG again and that would leave me with one BB worth of sugar. As I got up from the table I wished everyone well. The cabbie said "come back soon". I turned around and said "I'll be back in two weeks..."

Better table

Came back from lunch to a much better table. Maybe Shannon Elizabeth was right. My reads are sharper. The cards are better. The fish are bigger. Some chips went to seeing some flops. Took down some pots.

Bumped into jumbo fish. Flop was 855 two diamonds. I had As8s and led 15. Two callers. Turn was another low card. I go 50, fold, then miss fishy hems and haws then pushes the rest of her stack which is about 50 anyway. She thinks I am jamming the pot with a diamond draw. She turns over pocket 4s...i.e. underpair to the board.

She also called off all her chips in another disaster. King high two spade flop and her AK is in the lead. 25 into the pot, called. Turn brings a Spade and now she gears down to a 5 bet. Gets re-raised to 35. She doesn't like it but she calls. Fourth Spade on the River. And she is so short stacked and feels pot committed enough to meet the other's chips in the pot. She has no Spade. Other guy has AsTs turn the Nut Flush and have a spare Spade to boot. Did I mention she normally plays limit?

Cards are drying up so I am taking a break to clear the brain and come back refreshed. Keeping an eye on the clock to make sure I catch my flight.

Fortune cookie

I didn't notice this before but on the back of the fortune cookie that said "Drink to your health", they print daily numbers (3 4 2) and Lotto numbers (33 39 32 26 28 18). So helpful!

Bad table

Sat down for about 90 minutes and at a hyper-aggressive table. The atmosphere along with being card dead was a bad combination. There was a bunch of guys in pissing matches every other hand. I completed a straddle bet for 6 with Ah7h and missed. I also saw a flop with AQos and missed. Only other playable hand was a KQos when I was in the big blind and we chopped.

So after 25 dollars of pre-flop money I decided to take a break and get some lunch. I am trying to figure out how I manage to see so many flops back home and how I could possibly be so card dead down here.

One last Special Fried Rice and Gatorade dining in for ol' times sake.

Sunday Night Poker recap (cont.)

After getting felted by overvaluing my Kings, I rebought and got sucked into a friendly game. There was very little raising so I saw more speculative flops. I saw a flop with 9hTh and flopped a Ten high flop with two hearts. I led and was called by Frankie Avalon a couple seats to my left. Heads up. Turn is a heart and I check my flush and let him bet. I think a little then call. River is a Black Ace, perfect since he may have been calling all the way with an Ace. I throw out a steal looking value bet of 50. He thinks for a while and min-raises me back. Normally I would be sure I was beat except that I saw him call off over 150 in a huge three way hand where he showed down two pair on a board with four spades! So I have to look him up and he shows KhQh. Grrrr. I already threw down a weaker flush earlier this weekend and could have done it again if I hadn't seen his play earlier.

Now I am in short stack mode and looking to double up. Not good. In retrospect I think I would keep my play level higher if I would top off instead of go into short stack mode. Called off the last of my short stack when I got priced in to a Spade draw and a backdoor straight. That blanked.

Added one one more stack and I reverted into donk mode. Limped with 4h6h in the SB then the BB raised it up to 10, and with two other callers I capped betting for the extra 6. Flop comes 46A two clubs. I check, the fish who raised puts in 30 or so. One caller then back to me. I push. BB thinks hard then calls off his stack. Other player thinks then folds. BB shows KK (with an Ace high board?) and my hand holds up. My stack is healthier now.

I call a straddled pot with KsJs. Guy to my left pushes for about 60. I have him on a total steal attempt and with the dead money in the pot and no one else behind me I call. He shows random Queen. We both flop our high card then I trip up on the turn and he's drawing dead on the river.

Then the table becomes short handed and that is bad news. They reduce the rake but the blinds are torture. Floor promises us more players soon and a stream of tourists come and go. One couple stops by and they ask what the minimum buy in is and the Floor says 100. They politely decline to play.

They finally have to break the table and move two of us to another one. There is a hilarious astute deaf guy at the other end. Great fun to play with and definitely knew his stuff. He called down a guy pressing hard on all streets with the Jean Enersen on a King high board. Afterwards he signed to his friend that he knew he had nothing. Then he pigeon signed an A frame shape and a big circle...whatever that means...I don't think it's flattering.

I enter a pot with AK, two callers, then short stack pushes for about 50. I instantly make it clear that I call and am trying to isolate for what feels like a race but to no avail as both other callers come in also. Flop is all low. I check and there is a 50 bet and a 100 raise behind that. I fold. 50 better thinks about it then pushes for another 100 on top of that and is insta-called. Bettor shows JQ for two overs and a gutshot. Raiser shows top set of Nines. All in shows bottom set of Sixes. Bettor gets lucky and catches his gut shot. Raiser (deaf guy) is beside himself and makes his opinion of the play known.

I see a flop with AT os and the flop comes T high two diamonds. Short stack tosses out 25. Guy to my right calls. I take my stand and ship in my full stack. Lucky gut shot to my left actually folds this time. Short stack shrug-calls. Caller in between us folds. Shorty shows KdJd for two overs, gut shot straight and four to the flush though I have a runner runner nut flush redraw. The turn and river miraculously dodges shorty's 18 outs and I get back to two stacks. The table is disintegrating and I see a couple more free hands then call it a night. And head to Subway for a breakfast sandwich.

Sunday Night Poker has always been donkish for me albeit at lower stakes. At least I am seeing the warning signs and recognize when I am flirting with the Donk Zone. Next step is to step in and do something about it. At the risk of sounding too Shannon Elizabeth about the situation, there has been a correlation between my results and my attitude at the time. I broke from game plan, didn't take my breaks. Changed my starting hand requirements. Didn't lay any made hands down. More stuff to work on...

Deviation from plan = not good

The news is not good from the Sunday night session. Down 298 in the donkish-most fashion.

Opportunity lost? About an hour in, the guy under the gun who has been playing short stacked goes all-in. I look up from the table to see his 75 or so chips in front of him. I even make a "zoiks" movement to accent the fact that I don't know what the guy is doing. He has literally been sitting there for as long as I could remember and has not entered any pots that I could think of. Here he is, hasn't played a hand all night, first to act and he puts in 75 to pick up 4 dollars in blinds. Folds around to me and I am cursed with Queens. I had either Aces or a crappy hand and now I am in the tank. I've seen moves like this before in tournaments where someone pushes with Aces and tries to make it look like a blind steal when in fact they are really trying to solicit someone they have badly dominated. I've done that before even. So my range of hands that I would put someone on in that situation are AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK or so. I'm only really a big favorite against JJ and the odds of QQ are very remote. That leaves the majority of the hands as coin flips or crushing me. I ask the table for time to figure out what I want to do. Maybe he is making a move with nothing or a small pair but it just doesn't make sense to me. He could do the same thing with a raise to 20. I have no money invested in the pot and I just know I would be kicking myself for calling off 75 and running into Aces. If he wanted to just steal some blinds with a small pair or random hand then why wouldn't he do so from last position after there are more callers in the pot? Then again one could argue that if he really did have KK or AA in first position then he might have limp/pushed instead though that would require someone along the way raising. The arguments and counter-arguments raced around in circles in my head. I ended up folding. He first said he had Aces then changed his story later to saying he had a small pair. Whatever. Weird weird hand.

How many times to I need to tell myself to not go broke with one pair? I have sat a while and posted blinds, taking down some pots here or there when along strolls in the Cowboys. I raise it up to isolate and get one caller. Good. Then I get another caller...bad. Flop comes out TT5 with two spades and I am the first to act. I throw out 50 to try to price out draws. Fold. Then Seat 9 sizes up my stack, mulls it over then raises me all in for about another 75 or so. In the back of my head I hear echoes saying "...don't go broke with one pair..." but instead I manufacture a story about what hand I'd LIKE him to be having. In a previous hand I heard him saying that he will call with enough other callers to a big raise with suited connectors. I also saw him catch a set against an overpair and his actions were more deliberate, less calculating so told myself he had an Ace/face suited in spades and he was priced in plus pushing on me would have some fold equity on a scary looking paired board. I call of the rest of my stack and he shows a KhTh so he even has one of my outs. Domination ain't what it used to be. I don't catch the case King and I'm felted.

Tired now. I'll finish more of this later.

Sunday Night Poker

As mentioned in the weekly email Sunday Night Poker is at Caesars Palace tonight. Sorry I slept in and am running behind. No one RSVP'd so I don't think anyone is waiting but if anyone is I will be there shortly. To make up for it I will let SNP run long this week.

Up $871

Tally so far is $871 to the good.

Five way chop

Oh yeah, one other hand of note. Five way hand that is checked all the way through. Board is K44 A K which is checked all the way through all streets. Everyone gets their three bucks back...well almost everyone. I, as last to act and the guy in Seat 8 get shorted one chip due to the rake. Yes I lost money on a chopped pot.

Pitch count is up

Around 2pm I decide that it's about time to head back to the room for a break. I resist the temptation to try to play until I've exactly doubled up. Though I'm close I conclude that that would lead to poor decision making so I cash out for 394 or six bucks shy of doubling up.

I run into Short Stack Stan again from last night when he sits down at the table. He is another "one bill wonder" who buys a stack, gets whittled down, goes all in, doubles up, and whose stack seems to have nine lives. He says "hey, it's Suit Guy" and he explains that that was what they ended up calling me at the table after I left. I jokingly asked him why as I sat there again in the blue pin stripe suit with lilac purple shirt and silver/purple tie.

No real big hands to report. Sweetened pots with a min raise+ bet to 7 and had good luck connecting on the flop to take down some more small pots without a struggle.

Short Stack Stan has had terrible luck with KQ. One hand had him all in versus Aces after a KQx flop which end up pairing Eights on the river to counterfeit his two pair. The guy with Aces was slow to reveal his hand and Stan chastised him about the slow roll but everyone at the table including Stan himself later realized that he just didn't know any better and probably didn't even realize that he had won. He picked up the hand about 9 times in an hour and a half and lost 8 of those times. I told him the EV on KQ is better than what he is experiencing.

I'm still feeling fresh but am taking myself out of the game to stay in form. A stop by the food court for another Special Fried Rice and Gatorade...to go. Quick walk back across the street and I'm eating/blogging before nap time.

Staying even

Playing small pots and taking down chips with top pair. Chased a couple hands but nothing out of control. Just maintaining the stack and waiting for good hands.

My trap hand gets a reprieve

I would normally fold QTos but in a limped pot with me on the button in a multiway pot I call the three chips to see the flop...just in case it comes a glorious 89J...which it did. Now I just have to try to get money in the pot without letting in the club flush draw. First to act makes it 25, Nice! Guy to his left doubles it to 50. Even nicer! Then I pull the rookie move and act out of turn to raise to 100. Ooops. The table has a distinct tell on me. Everyone folds and I proceed with my re-raise. Fold from first to act then a push from the raiser and I'm crestfallen to figure we are probably chopping. As soon as I beat him to the pot though he says "Whooops Queen Ten?" as he sheepishly turns over the second nuts 7T. I double up plus some and am just shy of 400.

Feels like Sunday morning

Up at the crack of dawn.....or 8am, whichever is closer.

Another breakfast sandwich from Subway and it's back to Caesars for some no limit texas hold'em.

One thing that has been working is getting up from the table and stretching the legs/blogging so I am going to try putting myself on a pitch count and take more regular breaks, maybe every 90 minutes or after a big hand.

A quick tip of the hat to my trusty new phone which has handled 100% of the blogging workload this weekend.

Rollercoaster

What goes up must come down, to every yin there is a yang, etc. etc. etc. After adding on a quick stack and half, I spent the few hours posting blinds limping in with hands that didn't connect and running card dead. In retrospect I should have taken a break but chose not to. I was on auto-pilot though so I didn't make any poor decisions. I was mainly just playing by the book. I may have come in with an os one gapper to try to cap betting in the SB but by and large I played blackjack hands, and tried to limp in with small pocket pairs and suited connectors. Not that there were a lot of those hands mind you. I could not believe that there was as many 47os, 83os, J2os, K3os etc. hands in the deck.

I called some raised pots with good starting hands and missed and I lost some chips when I folded what turned out to be hands that were ahead. That and blinds eroded my stack down past the 300 mark, down past the 250 mark, down past the 200 mark, and I eventually ended up fluctuating within the 100 to 200 range for hours.

Then I was dealt 4h5h in the BB and got to see a flop for free. Flop came 236 two diamonds. I lead out for about 10 to start building the pot. Then the turn brings a 4 and Seat 8 makes a big bet. Great, I thought, now I'm going to chop with someone with a random 5. I push all in for not much more than his raise and he turns over 67 for top pair and a gutshot to a higher straight. A merciful blank falls on the river and my stack is healthier.

Next key hand has me up against one of the Mercer Island kids (yes, as in from Mercer Island WA). I have trained them to recognize that when I check I don't have anything and when I bet I have top pair. So the flop comes out K high two clubs. MI kid 1 leads 20, MI kid 2 calls as do I. Turn pairs the 3 on the board and MI kid 1 leads out 30. MI kid 2 folds but as he does he exposes the King of clubs. Hmmm. One King on the board, one in my hand, and one now exposed. I know it happens but all Kings are now accounted for if MI 1 indeed has a King and not something else. I pause before calling wondering if MI 2 knows something I don't know. I call the turn bet. River is a blank and MI1 fires the third shell. I figure that there is no way he would have limped in with AK so as long as he has a King, I am at worst chopping since a boat was unlikely based on other cards on the board. I am also wondering why he isn't slowing down since my calling means I have a King and I have only shown reasonable hands down. Turns out he had KJ and I bring my stack above 200 for the first time in a while.

Then some new players come in and the table turns into 2/5 style. Seat 9 likes to raise in the dark and will defend his big blind or his straddle without looking at his cards. One hand he raised to 25 in the dark and gets three callers. Flop is 245. He bets out 100, call, call, call. Turn is an 8. And he goes all in for the remaining 90 or so in his stack, call, call, fold. River is a blank and the other two check it down. One has Kings, the other has Queens, and the original blind raiser had A3 and flopped perfect. Rakes a huge pot. Such is life in 2/5-land. I've seen crazy stuff happen like this all the time.

Since the table has changed character and especially since I am two seats away from the crazy guy who likes to button raise in the dark on general principle. I figure it's a good time to take off.

Grand total today 206. Some times you make $100 an hour, other times it's more like 50 cents an hour. But at least it was in the black.

Going to hit the hay now and try to sleep a little more at night in preperation for Monday when I won't have the room for afternoon napage.

Lost a showdown

Took a while since the Ace versus trip sevens incident but I lost a show down. It occurred to me earlier that I have been winning almost all of them. I had AJos. Flop came King high, checked around. Ace on the turn and I go 20 for a potish sized bet. Check/call from Seat 9. River is an os 9 and I think I'm home free. I'm ready to value it and instead he throws out another 20. I feel I am beat but pay off his gutshot straight that hit. Yuck. At least I priced him out on the turn. Maybe should have laid down.

Aces again. Raise to 15 with one caller. Flop comes Queen high and I lead 25. No struggle.

Guy at our table hit an 8 high Spade Straight Flush and the table got to watch the payout ceremony. 300 and change.

Up 150 quick

Second hand that I play I take down a pot when big slick connects on the turn.

A few hands later I pick up Aces UTG. I limp and hope that one of the aggressives on the backstretch of the table pops it like they have been doing about half the hands so far. Guy in Seat 8 makes it 10 to go. I raise to 30 and I'd be happy with a no stress small pot. He calls. Hmmm. Flop comes a glorious 772. I throw out 50 and he calls. I make a Yikes face to him. Turn is a Trey. More good board. I look to check his stack to gauge my bet and he says "It's all going in anyway" and we put the rest in the middle. I say I don't have a Seven but I call. He asks if I have a pair and I show my Aces. River is a King and I sweat his pair. He mucks and says he has Tens and thought I had AK or something. I am up about 150 now.

Morning routine

Woke up and relaxed in the room again this morning until the noon tourney started to clear out some room at the cash tables. Quick bite to eat at Burger King as a brunch snack. Can't wait to move on from this routine of Burger King and Subway and get back home to a routine of Burger King, Subway, and Taco Del Mar.

Up 671 so far

According to the poker log I am 671 to the good. I am concentrating on not worrying about making up losses from last time, just trying to take it one hand at a time.

An even triple up

Tipped Lita at the front desk for her help and the cashier with my two singles then cashed out a full rack and a single black chip for six bills even. I'll take it.

Head back over to pick up a breakfast sandwich from Subway. Guy behind the counter tells me they are closed for five minutes. Huh? Maybe they are resetting the computer systems. The place is dead, certainly less crowded than a few hours ago.

Ham, cheese, and egg sandwich to go for breakfast. Yum!

On a heater

Since the last update.

Get 2h3h in BB. Flop two pair on all spade board. Check around. Fourth spade on turn. Checks around. River fills my boat with a Trey. 10 value on the end and get called by A high.

Call a raise with Aces flop TTx. I lead 10, called. Turn is a Queen, I check call 20. River is a Jack. Check call 35. He shows KQ and I rake another pot.

Raise to 12 with Aces, no call and I show.

Raise to 12 with Kings, no call and I show.

Raise to 12 with Kings, one caller. Spike top set. Make it 10 to go. Call. Turn makes a flukey straight possible. I go 20, no call and I show.

But the big hand was when steamboat Timmy is in a hand with me. He raises it up to 12 and I call from BB with AhKh. Flop is K high and I make it 20. Timmy raises 35 more. I know he sat down with some black chips so I ask for an accurate count before proceeding. He has about another one and a half bills behind his 35 raise. I consider my options and decide to call. Turn is the Jh which now also gives me the gutshot Royal Flush draw. I check. Timmy is confused and checks behind. River is 8s, the blankest blank there is. I check and Timmy pushes all in. I am momentarily possessed and blurt out Call without over thinking it. He says Ace high and I felt him.

I have tripled my 200 buy in so far this session.

Going clubbin'

I have my table broken a second time and it is a good table for me. Lot of limped pots so I am coming in light with JKos and other sub-premiums. Also catching a run of Ax suiteds that I will see a flop with and since the action is so light I wouldn't mind paying a bet after the flop to draw.

Limp in with Ac7c and flop the nuts. I am first to act and throw out 5 to start building the pot. 4(!) callers. I conspicuously check my hole cards in case anyone knows to look for that tell. Turn is a 5s which pairs the board. I'd prefer a blank or another club but I'll just assume no one boated up or I'd find out quickly. I make it 15 on the turn and still get two callers. River is 3s and I think 40 is callable. Guy to my left calls. Other chaser has to fold. I show nut flush and he folds. I am now up 100 or so.

Kings pay

Min raise by Ditto to 6. Re-raise to 15 from motley in the corner. Folds to me with Kings. I size up Motley's stack and try to pick a number that he will call but also commit his stack after the flop. I choose 45. Call from Ditto...uh oh didn't expect or want that. Motley calls. Flop comes out Jack high and I am first to act. I say I will put Motley all in in order to communicate my hand strength but not get me in trouble in case Ditto flopped lucky. Ditto folds and Motley thinks then folds. Takes me up to about 50 bucks of sugar.

First hand in a walk

I sit down as big blind and am dealt A8os. Two callers flop comes out K high. Checks around, turn checks around, river checks around and I take the pot down with A high for a little starting sugar. Brandon Ditto's clone, Brad, is sitting across from me. I tell him how funny it is how many people you recognize even for a non-regular as myself. I told him I remembered the J7 top two pair versus limped Aces suckout and he even recalled it was at that same table and pointed out the seat positions.

Midnight snack: tuna on honey oat

Got up a while ago but decided to relax in the room a little and wait for the midnight tourneys to clear out some room at the cash tables. Subway doesn't serve breakfast 24/7 so I settle on tuna sandwich instead. Restaurants are way more crowded at 1:30 in the morning than at lunchtime.

A couple hours of origami

Hand selection is in full lockdown mode and I am living up to my table image in full. Blue pinstripe, white shirt with french cuffs, blue pattern tie. All business. I have either shown down or flashed AA, QQ twice, JJ, AK, AQ, or a pocket pair. I've managed my stack after felting the guy I caught top set on. Fold, fold, fold and I have no complaints. Sure I would have flopped trips twice in a row but I'm not playing junk hands right now.

I tinker with the idea of playing in the Noon tourney but decide against it. It is 80 to get in and 50 for rebuy/add-on. That's 130 and I want to make sure I cash for 599 or less to avoid having to fill out a tax form and have the IRS hold money back. But investing 130 up front and a few hours in an attempt to bust out or hope everyone agrees to a tax-friendly chop is just a little too much of a precision maneuver for my tastes.

Not much on the action front. Smooth call with QQ after a raise to 10 isolates. Flop comes K high and it is checked to me by frat boy. I know he is smart enough to not get out of line against me especially after our first run in. I check behind. Turn comes a Jack and he leads out. I call. River blank and he checks. I put him on catching the Jack and know my Queens are good. I check behind and he sees that he is beat and mucks.

Pocket Fours with a 722 flop. Checked around. Turn comes another 7 and Ivan is being a Stabby McStaberson and throws 10 more in. I call and I know that he will check the river now as is his pattern. I put him on A high for two pair top kicker. River comes an 8 and he checks. I show Sevens and Fours and take the pot.

Sidebar here. It's funny how many people you recognize from previous trips. Not too shocking really since poker players only have so many places to go I suppose but still a little bit of a surprise when someone you saw back during Martini-con in January walks in and sit at the next table. I mean really, what are the odds?

Anyway, another hand I call a pot raised to 12 which goes three way. Flop is all low and it checks around to me. I bet about pot sized and take it down. Show Tens to further confirm my tight honest image.

I limp into a pot with JsTs. I flop top pair and Seat 8 leads 15, no problem, I call. Turn is a 6. Seat 8 thows out 100. What? I am tempted to look him up but he has only done that move twice in the time that I've been at the table and I will concede that he may have caught a random two pair but I am also ready to look him up under the right circumstances because that bet was way out of line.

Cards are drying up and I'm at just about 200% of buy-in. I'm on a steady keel and apart from worrying about someone flopping perfect on my second best possible hand, I haven't really had any difficult decisions. I'm playing by the book straight up conservative poker. No chasing, no betting on the come, no bluffs. Just solid grinder Poker 101 and it has been working for me. When I've been ahead, I've stayed ahead. Keeping the game under control. I'm not tired but am going to take a lunch break and nap to stay in good form.

What's for lunch? Well today is something completely different: Special Fried Rice and a Gatorade to stay hydrated...TO GO! Yes, no one can say that I don't mix up my game from time to time.

So I am walking through the Caesar's gaming area and I hear "Excuse me but do you work here?" I turn around and see an elderly Chinese woman and I tell her no I don't but is there anything I can help her with? She says she is looking for the Flamingo. I tell her that I am going there and I can show her exactly how to get there. She thanks me and tells me all about her family re-union. I tell her all about the great bachelor party I am attending. I walk her to the garden area that she wants to check out (she's actually a very fast walker for being what I'd guess as 70 years old) and she thanks me again. I tell her that I'm just building up good karma points for later.

OK. My food is gone and I think that just about covers all the newsworthy items for the past couple hours. Next session I'm thinking of going to the Wynn because they chip you with stacks of 3 dollar chips. And I think the resemblance to my home games would be fun and interesting. Nap time. More later.

Hand selection

Getting a good run of cards. Saw a flop with AhQs, flop came AsKs5d. I lead 15 and get re-raised by frat boy in Seat 6. I consider what I am likely up against and I call. Turn is a spade. I check, he bets again and I call with the nut Spade flush draw. River is a blank. I check and he bets again. I call and he shows a King. Rake a medium pot.

Saw a flop for 15 with AKos. Came Jack high. He led. I felt he didn't hit top pair but folded anyway. He shows 66.

Saw flops with AJos, and AQos. Missed. Paid a min raise with 66, missed.

Limped/popped with JJ to 20. Heads up with bearded in the corner. He calls. Flop comes out all low and I lead 40, he folds.

I am up about 40 or 50 for the day and I pick up Aces in late position. Need to thin the crowd but keep one person. Decide that 12 is the number. One call from bearded guy in the corner again. Flop is good news and bad news. It comes AQJ two clubs. Top set on a draw heavy and a potentially perfectly flopped board. I lead for 15. Bearded makes it 45. Hmmmm. It is possible that he flopped perfect but I think that he might have smooth called a perfect flop despite the two clubs. I put him on two pair instead and he would be drawing dead but for quads. I decide that I'm good and have nut boat outs to fall back on if needed. I re-raise him 100. He puts in the last of his stack for a little bit more and shows QJ for bottom two pair. Two more clubs show up but does not affect the outcome and I have roughly doubled up for the session.

Blog break is over, time to head back to the table.

Waiting list

Still a little early in the morning. They have a few people on the waiting list and are going to form a table in a little while. Forgot to mention that Shawn Marion was playing a couple of tables away last night, at least according to one of the guys at my table. Don't know for sure but he sure fit the general look of a hoops guy.

Up at the crack of dawn

Well I was up at the crack of dawn but that was when I was going to bed, not getting up. Slept in until 9am or so then got cleaned up, ironed the suit and shirt and headed out. Didn't realize it but right next to the Burger King in the casino next door is a Subway. Nice. So I got a breakfast sandwich which down here is on standard sub bread instead of the soft bagel bread like back home. Talking to the sandwich girl and she is all excited because "Today is my Friday and I get the next two days off!" "Isn't today Friday?" "Yes but it's my Friday too." "Ummm...OK"

After sitting down at the past two sessions I realized that I had forgotten my ice cube card protector that I brought down. Remembered it this time so now my cards won't feel so insecure anymore.

Last night around 5am or so, the counter girl walked around and picked up everyone's players card for logging time at the tables. I asked the guy next to me about that because I already had checked in when I came in but he said that they reset the system once a night and you need to get your card scanned again or you won't log your hours. I left shortly after and asked if I need to card out since I was just logged and at the wink-wink nudge-nudge suggestion of the counter girl she said don't log out...and don't log in this morning when I show up either. Just sit down and play then log out so I am currently logging points as I eat my breakfast sandwich. Tasty. Who knew mustard tasted so good with egg and ham? OK, food's a wrap now. Heading back to Caesars.

Flopping perfect, my turn

After returning from break, I bought the button and saw a limped pot for "free". Nibbled around the edges looking to find a place to jump in. Found a couple of small to medium pockets that I was able to see a flop cheaply with. Didn't connect and I let them go. Speculated with As9s and caught a nut flush draw on the flop. It went check through all streets and some guy's random Jack caught on the river to take the pot down.

Have been fairly selective about my hands. Folded AKos to a re-raise once. Turns out the re-raiser had AJ. He out flopped me but he gave a free card and I would have caught him on the turn. But I'm OK with the fold. He min-reraised and I didn't want the headache of knowing if AK is up versus AA or KK since that could be a lot of trouble. Tight fold but I wasn't invested in the pot.

Grandpa in Seat 1 has been raising a lot of pots and buying them after the flop with continuation bets. He opens for 15. I have KhJh and call. Then Seat 9 pushes in for 63 total. Grandpa thinks about it then calls. Now it is back to me and I feel like I am not ahead right now and Grandpa has me well covered. I fold. Grandpa shows Pocket 8s and Seat 9 shows ATos. I would have flopped the best hand and made a boat by the river but I folded when I was still behind. My assessment was correct of a race between pocket pairs and A/Face. Seat 1 actually came in lighter than I had thought and I suspected domination. Good laydown.

Later on Grandpa again opens for 15 and I again call with KhJh. Heads up to the flop and it comes down AdQdTh for glorious Broadway. I'm first to act and there is 30+ in the pot. I purposely open with an underbet of 10. As expected, Grandpa raises it up to 40. I've seen enough and I push all in before a scare card kills the action. I raise it 65 more back to him. He sits and thinks a little while then cuts out chips for a call. I ask him if he has a Diamond draw and he flips over Ace/rag for a super thin draw to a runner runner boat. Turn throws another Queen and the River is a Jack so my straight holds up. Glad I got the money in before the board developed more. I double up.

Brandon Ditto's doppleganger sits in to Seat 6. This is the same guy who was playing on Easter weekend and flopped J7 top two pair against a guy who Limped with Aces. When the guy with rockets got in a raising war, Ditto put him exactly on Aces and called it out before he showed. They got both stacks of I'd guess 400 each into the middle and the limper spiked one of the two remaining Aces on the river to put this guy into over-tilt. He left the table for an hour or so walking that one off. He's a table bully and I was ready to pack it in for the night anyway so I am waiting for the button to come around to cash out.

Same orbit, I limp in with 4d5d. Flop is 44Q two suited. Can't hammer the pot because there is only 9 in there from three limpers. I put out 5. Call, call. Hmmmm. Turn puts out a Ten and I figure I'm still good so I throw out 15. Call, call. And what comes along on the river but good ol' worst card ever, another Queen. Ditto checks, I check, Button checks. I show sucker end of the full house. Brandon shows AK suited. Button caught the turn with his random Ten. Scoop another one.

Last hand I limp in with KQos and flop top two pair. Throw 10 at the pot and take that down before walking to the cashier to cash out.

Bought in twice and cashed out for 245. Still above water overall but wondering how I could have played those Tens differently. That one hand dented me pretty hard and I ignored the "don't go broke with one pair" mantra. But apart from that one hand, I feel I'm doing OK. I am being very conscious about how I am playing. I am choosing hands carefully. Only chased one open ender for 10 bucks after the flop. I'm satisfied with my play so far. Haven't gotten too out of line and am sticking with the game plan.

OK, time to catch some sleep.

Whittled down and doubled up

Waited for hands for a while. Have thrown away a ton of hands. I'm having to adjust to slower pace of a full table and some really slow players. Seat 2 makes the biggest laydowns of his life 8 times an hour. Seat 9, 1, 5, 2 has changed seats three times since I sat down.

Finally can see a flop in middle position for 10 with 9hTh. Flop comes Qh86. Double belly buster, well disguised. It is checked to me and I check hoping for a free card. Turn is Kh. I now have the alluring straight flush draw. Alluring due to Caesars high hand jackpot. Checks around again. I miss the bonus but catch a flush. I put 15 on the end and get a call from A high 4 kicker (?).

See a flop with Ah4h. Flop is A77 and I lead for 10. One caller. Turn brings a 4 which can give me a sucker house if Seat 8 has a 7. I check and he bets 15. He has been betting with nothing all night so I call. River is a K and I don't worry about kicker. I check/call 20 on the end to see his 7Tsuited. Not happy with that one. Very possible I was tied or ahead so I called off chips. Made a bad steam call with Qh9h the next hand. Missed by a mile then folded. Damage limited to a call of 9.

I realize I made a bad steam call and decide to take a break when the blinds come around. Blinds are almost on me and I pick up cowboys UTG and limp. Seat 7 makes it 10. Folds to me and I decide the right price is 40 or just over half my remaining stack. 7 calls. Flop is 3s4s8?. I push for the rest of my stack and he calls with a ton of outs. A flopped OESFD with 5s6s. Two blanks on 4th and 5th streets and I double up to just over 140.

Break is over. Back to the table.

Don't go broke with one pair redux

Went down to the convenience store downstairs to get the most expensive bottle of Nyquil I ever purchased. Finally got to sleep around 6pm. Woke up at 11pm and got prepped. Quick stop for a burger and fries at Burger King and I'm sitting at Caesars with 200 behind. Sit for a while and after about 20 minutes I pick up Tens UTG. I limp to see what is going on. Seat 6 makes it 12, two callers and I cap it. Flop comes out 8 high and I check as first to go. Seat 6 continues for 45. Folds around to me and I raise to 100. He thinks about it then pushes. I put him on A8 and he ends up holding Jacks...notched.

I guess I could have laid down after the re-raise since I am only beating A8 or Nines. But in a way getting felted loosens me up. I still have sugar and I am ready to play more.

Take a small pot with J9 on a J high board beating J2.

Steal blinds and a limp as second to go with AQos.

What's for lunch?

At Marsh's request, no lunch picture this time. I splurge on the Special Fried Rice dish and get a Gatorade to stay hydrated.

I am tempted to stay at the table because Teriyaki Elvis burned through his 500 buy-in in the same time it took me to double up my 200 and we sat down into the same hand. Tasty fish meal but I will have to pass for now.

Almost done with lunch. More after I take my nap.

First hand: Aces cracked!

So I get seated. I am in middle position and there are two limpers ahead of me. I find two Aces in the hole. I bump it to 20 to clear out any speculative hands. Folds around to button who re-raises to 75. Folds to me and I push all-in to show I mean business. Button insta-calls with 6h9h(????). I am horrified. Flop brings a Six and he rivers a Nine. "Sorry dude, it's my lucky hand." he says as he rakes the pot. OK, just kidding!

Here's what really happened. I am in BB with A7 offsuit. Limped around so I play it. Five handed to a flop of 567 rainbow. Ummmm...good and bad flop. I have top pair top kicker but I can already be drawing nearly dead if someone flopped a straight. Not that that would ever happen. I lead out for 10 verbally since I still don't have any chips. Call. Call. Turn brings a 3. Now there are even more possible straights out against me in an unraised pre-flop pot. I get my chips and make it 20 to go now. Fold. Call. River is an Ace and I now have top two pair which may have counterfeited a lower two pair. I check to try to keep the pot smallish. Guy behind me throws out 40. I am behind any straight but have top two pair. I felt I was good and was willing to pay some to see a showdown. I call, he says "good call" and mucks. I show my hand and I'm up almost 100 on my fist hand.

Blinds have not even come around again and I pick up AKos. I make it 10 to go. Two callers. Flop is KQx two hearts. I'm wondering if everyone's favorite dominated hand is out against me. I'm out of position and make it 25 to go. 1 caller. Turn is an Eight. I make it 40 now. Called again. River is a blank and I again try to keep the pot manageable so I check it. Guy throws out $50. Hmmm. I sure wish I'd seen these guys play more. I call it and show top/top and have doubled up my original buy in.

Time to take a break. My head is still a little achey from staying up late so I'm going to take a nap. I'm also playing scared now that I've bumped up my stack and I can't be in that place so I'll take a break and regroup for later. So far so good...

Sheesh...it's been 12 hours since I was last playing poker

Time to rectify that situation. Checked in to the room with no drama. Took the familiar path across the street to Caesars. On the waiting list for a 1/3 table...

My two and a half hour nap is over

Got caught up on some shut eye on the flight after staying up late playing poker and packing last night/this morning.

The carousel warning beeps just went off so it's time to fish my luggage out.

Made it to Sea-Tac

So far so good. Left my place at 7:30 for a 10:10 flight...plenty of time. Wasn't sure where to park and fly. After figuring out how to get off the concourse and onto International Boulevard, I started scoping out parking lots. Right next to the exit they are running 12.95 but the prices drop as you drive further away. Then I saw a shuttle advertising 6.95 rates so I followed that to the lot. Filled out paperwork and parked the car. The attendant there was sure he recognized my plates...hmmmmmm. Took the shuttle and checked in without much hassle. Forgot to take off my belt so I set off the metal detector. Now I await the boarding call.

A little "mo"

So what better way to get ready to go play poker in Las Vegas than playing poker at home? Last night's edition of Wednesday Night Poker treated me well. Despite having two overs and the nut flush draw for 14 outs on the flop against Jason's second pair I didn't catch and got felted. Nonetheless I caught some cards including rivering Quad Fives and built the Matterhorn up to eventually cashing out for just shy of five buy-ins. Good momentum to take with me on the plane.

I'm currently packing while furiously trying to get a Windows virtual machine running on my Mac laptop so I can have it available to me down in Vegas. Gotta make sure I don't forget anything critical. Copied my itinerary information down, have my bankroll, phones, chargers, clothes, toiletries. I think I'm good. And anything I'm missing I'm sure I'll be able to pick up from the convenience store down in the lobby for a nominal fee.

RSS feed available

For those RSS fans out there, the Blogger.com software supports RSS feeds. Consult your documentation but you will likely only need to point your reader to the SushiCowboyOnTour.blogspot.com URL to pick up the feed and save yourself a trip to the web page.

Memorial Day Weekend Tour!

I will be making my back to the tables of Las Vegas for some more poker. I am going to try to focus on taking each hand, each buy in, each session independently. Though I ended up down last time, I am not going to try to "chase" to recoup money from last trip. If I get unstuck, fantastic. But last trip is in the rear view mirror now and I can only control what is ahead of me.

Thanks to the miracle of technology, I will be able to provide more up to date blogging than ever before so keep an eye out for updates throughout the day and night over the extended Memorial Day weekend.

Back in Seattle

This concludes this leg of the tour. Final tally: down $1805.

I will write off about a third, $600, of that to just doing recreational/donk poker. There was probably another $400 of getting my money in bad when I should have known better. The remaining $800 or so I will write off to variance due to great second best hands, cards not falling my way, getting my money in good but getting sucked out on, and just plain randomness. But this Tour is not over by a long shot. I'm going to work on getting the variance back first. Then correcting for my sins of getting my money in bad. Recreational/donk poker will be the last chunk to recover.

Even though I am stuck more than I would prefer, I'm OK with it. I got to play at least 10 hours a day, ate some tasty meals, met some cool people, found some really great tables to play at, but mostly gained some very valuable experience. It was a unique opportunity that gave me insight to different styles of poker and gives me a better idea of where I need to be to be the one who walks away winner from the tables.

Thanks for your viewership. The tour will continue later...

Last chance to get unstuck (didn't happen)

First stack I limp into a pot with Ah 9h. Flop is T 9 little card. The inevitable continuation bet comes and gets a call from another player and myself. Turn comes a nine to trip me up. Original bettor makes it 15, fold from innocent bystander. I raise and make it 45 to go. The
bad guy looks up the board and pauses a little then calls the extra 30. At this point I have 30 or so left and I am committed to this pot. If I just pumped the pot for a made full house then so be it. But I am going on the assumption that they have top pair so unless the river pairs tens, I'm shipping them in. River is a Jack and we get the money in. He flips over 87os for the winning straight. I commend him for a well played hand. Turns out the extra Nine is a blank as far as his hand is concerned and a Ten on the river would have actually won me the hand had I called on the river. Time for a rebuy.

The table is great though, a couple real characters at the table especially Copper in Seat 5. Ran into Miss Skinny Donor again. I've been at her table a few times over the weekend. Never seen her leave with money. She'll post a bill, see some flops, get short stacked, get in involved in some lotto hand, double up, then donk off some more, get felted then post another bill. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Seat 4 raises pre-flop and I pick up As8s and join in. Flop comes A88. Not bad. He leads out and I smooth call. Turn is a blank, he checks, and I check behind trying to figure out how he can catch up so I can stack him. River is a jack and he makes an over-hyped "all-in!". I ask to confirm that he is all in and insta-call only to find myself on the wrong end of a house over house hand when he opens his hand to show pocket Jacks. Again, this is one I should have thought through. Fantastic second best hand but I have to ask myself what I am beating that someone would jump all in like that with. Pre-flop raise from him should have alerted me to a possible AA or JJ. I thought that the flop hit me in the face but the "side card" of the full house is largely irrelavant. About the only thing I was beating was an overly ambitious AJ to two pair. He actually did push all in with AJ on an A 9 2 board later and got called by a guy with A9os and doubled him up. Another hand he did the same push on Miss Skinny Donor. River came a Jack of Clubs on a paired board. He pushed and she hadn't seen enough of his play to get away from the second nut flush that the river brought her. Anyway, add Full House to the list of other hands that I've lost with this weekend.

Opened up my game to adjust for the table and entered some pots with suited connectors and gappers. If I had one of those hands or a pocket, I'd see a flop. Probably 3/4 of the flops were limped around so it allowed for great play. Really connected with some flops and led the betting to build the pot and took down some big ones.

Had Q9 in Spades and caught a flop of KQ9. Good and bad. Still very very aware of the possibility that someone flopped perfect on me since JT is such a common hand for people to start with. I lead out 10 as a prober, three callers. Turn is a blank and I check. Checks around. River pairs my Queen and I'm positive that I'm good. Lead out and get no action but take down the pot. Turns out everyone else just had gutshot straights that didn't materialize. I had to tread lightly because that flop was dangerous. I was also in danger of a KQ higher two pair. Note to self, have to try to keep gaps close. I will not do Q8 and I'm going to need to add Q9 to the list.

I call a raised pot with AQos. Flop comes Ace high and I know I'm already golden. One of them *might* have AK but I doubt it because so many players down here treat AK like they were Aces and pre-flop didn't tell me that. Not drawy board. Miss Skinny Donor leads out. I call and so does Seat 8. Turn is a Q and I'm doubly good now, even up against AK which now I really wish someone has. Seat 9 leads again for more and I smooth call as does Seat 8. River blank. Seat 9 slows down and just wants to see where her Ace is at now. I min raise to 30. Get a visually crying call from Seat 8 and Seat 9 can't not call off $15. Top two pair are good and I take down a healthy pot. including $50 back from Seat 8 that I paid her on the turn and river to confirm that I was indeed out-kicked. Stupid calls they were. Board paired and gave me a chance at a split with my crappy Ace.

Miss Hawaii sits to my left in Seat 2 and she's a donor too. Try to get involved in a big pot with her because she is also in buy-donk-rebuy mode but can't find the right pot to do so with. She's nice though so I donated to her cause when she pushed all in with a short stack. She'll either quadruple up or re-buy, either is good for me and the table. Flop misses me and I go away. She shows me her hand and he has Js 9s and flopped a Nine high two Spade board. She is in really good shape. Turn brins the third Spade and Seat 4 is pushing all in. I know she's done now. Seat 4 has not shown down any small suited connectors so he's either playing Ace-x suited or a high connector. Since she has J9 that rules out anything but KQ which is exacly what he showed to win the pot. Turn out she would have been better off not catching her flush because river came another 9 and would have taken down the pot.

Got involved in another pot where I had Qh Jh (this was before I wised up about two gappers). Flop comes out 8 high and two Hearts. Round of flop bets to buid the pot. Turn is a non-Heart Ten. Checked to me and I snap off the action with a push holding two overs, inside striaght to then nuts and four to the flush. Plenty of outs in case some decides to call. No resistance and I take down another pot.

A bit of fluctuation in stacks as pots were either limped around and basically checked through all streets or built fairly large.

Despite my best efforts to get stuck an even 2 Large for the trip. I do end up cashing out for $120 when I have to leave to go to the airport. Shake hands with Copper who has since moved to Seat 8 to change his luck.

Sunday morning

Chris and I pack our things and do the automated check out on the TV. Take a short cab ride across the street from a pissed off cab driver. Overheard after a run in with the taxi line guy "...that's why I hate coming here."

When we get to Bally's a super cool bell hop saves us the wait in line and checks our bags for us as he's on the way with a loaded cart. Nice tip for him.

Once more it's back to Caesars and a double cranberried savory stuffing with an orange Gatorade to stay hydrated.

Couple of eggs in the basket Easter morning

Got up from my nap around 10:00. Got cleaned up and headed over to Caesars. Sat down watch/played. After about an hour or so, I pick up Kings and raise to 12 pre-flop. Get three callers. Three callers after a raise from the guy who hasn't voluntarily entered the pot all night. Flop comes out 9 9 5 rainbow. The paired board worries me a little but actually is good since it makes it less draw heavy. I hope no one has or wants to represent the 9. Checks around to me and I throw 35 at the pot. Every one folds and I have sugar. Couple more hours later I try limping in a couple times with pocket pairs but either get raised out or don't connect.

Next big hand is a battle of the blinds. All week I had been offering to chop blinds and even folded the button if it looked like the blinds were about to chop. I'm the the SB and the table folds around. I ask the n00b next to me if he chops and he shakes his head no. So I look at my hand and am welcomed by Jean Enersen, K5os, and I complete the blind. BB checks. Flop is K Q 7. I lead out 10. BB re-raises me to 20. I partly feel like just getting on with the next hand but I my hand is momentarily possessed and calls the raise. Turn comes another 7 and I make it 45 to go. He pays and I get a little concerned about my kicker. River is an Ace and I slow down and check it. He checks behind and shows QT. Shortly thereafter he asks for a table change. Looks like maybe he should have taken the chop....

After a while I start getting bored and open up my game. I come in with KJos and flop top pair. It's heads up and my opponent has shown to come in light so I'm confident that I don't have a kicker problem. Two diamonds on board though and he likes to chase. I make it 25 to go to charge him for the turn card. He calls and a non-diamond hits on the turn. I make it 45 to go. He comments "that's a lot to pay for a draw" and I say "that's what it is supposed to do" but he pays anyway. Non Diamond falls on the river and I try to get a value bet out of him so he can make sure that I had him beat. I put out 30. He then makes it 60 more. My mind rewinds to his comment about paying for a draw and I wonder how made he is. I scan the board and a 3 would make a straight so he may have backed into a straight and I wonder if he backed into it with a junky suited hand. Thoughout the night he has been making very poor value bets. Charging too much but when he is called he always had the goods so I decline his offer. He shows his hand anyway and he had a suited connector that gave him a two way draw on the turn so he actually didn't make as poor a play as I had assumed. Good lay down.

Later on I again pick up KJos and I can see a flop cheap enough. Board comes out KQT. Look familiar? I have top pair with an open ender and I charge him 20 for the turn card. He pays and a Trey falls. I then bill him 40 for the river. He makes the same comment about expensive for a draw. I again concur. He lets it go this time and opens his hand. He's holding a yucky J 3 os for an open ender and a pair on the turn that he didn't realize he had until we told him after his fold. I explained how behind he was and was essentailly paying money to pretty much only chop the pot and congratulated him on a good fold.

I take a break and saunter over to Ben's table where is in the middle of a hand. A flop of KQJ two Diamonds it out on the table. Seat 2 either bets or raises to 40 to go. Ben adds $100 to that and I'm wondering if/why Ben is playing AT? Back to Seat 2 and he is incessantly stacking and flipping chips processing this hand. He finally announces that he is all in and Ben exposes his pocket pair for a flopped set but he is behind the made sucker straight from Seat 2's 89os. Ben is about 1 in 4 to fill his house and take down a monster pot. Turn pairs the King and Ben stacks Seat 2's chips. I think back to the Zen/Poker book and remain non-bitter just because Ben draws out when he needs to. We discuss the hand a little afterward and he said he considered calling. However, once the board pairs I think the other player is smart enough to slow down so the re-raise introduces the possibility that this ends up an all-or-nothing pot.

Back at my table, players start to leave and our table breaks up. I move to a much better table. Table captain is in Seat 1 directly across from me in Seat 4. I've been watching the table pretty carefully and understand their protocols fairly well. Everyone folds around to him and he makes it 10 to go, standard issue for holding an Ace. Another fold and in the BB I pick up two black Nines, the Phil Hellmuth hand. I call and he pops an eyebrow since I haven't played any hands. Flop comes out and it doesn't appear that he hit. I look at the board and it is King high, no Ace. I lead out 20 and he folds without a fuss but reveals his Ace in an effort to show he wasn't trying to steal.

Next key hand. Pot gets sweetened to 10 by UTG. Four callers including Capitan. I am in BB and pick up the Daniel Negreanu, 7 T in Diamonds. I can cap the betting in a pot of 50 for another 7 bucks. I do so. Flop comes Ad T? 6d. I have second pair and four to the flush. I size up the pot and my stack. I was down already from the hand I got sucked out on and blinded down further to about 120. I size up the pot and my stack then lead with a bet of 35 which was enough of the pot to say that I have something and enough of my stack to commit me based on my outs. I have already decided that I am not folding this hand. 9 Diamonds presumably good. Two other Tens and three Sevens all win this for me I figure. Everyone folds around to Capitan. He starts to count out chips. I help him by cutting stacks myself and tell him I have 88 chips left. He announces his raise that is enough to set me all in and I call having already decided to do so before I bet out. I assume that he is bullying with Ace/decent kicker and thinks I'm going to protect the rest of my stack. He turns over T6 for two pair. Uh oh. Did not think that he was that strong and he is taking away two of my outs since a Ten now fills his boat. Turn is a Seven to give me a higher two pair. Blank on the river. That doubles me up plus pre-flop money so I'm now at more than two and a half stacks. I apologize for the suckout and told him I expected to hit my flush to take the hand. He gets kinda tilty about the hand. He assures me there is no reason to apologize. We actually spend the next half hour talking about the hand. It was really a great table because there would be a lot of hand analysis immediatly after hands are played out and everyone except seat 5 clearly enjoyed discussing the play of hands.

I see a couple more flops over the next hour or so then get a rack to cash out. Say good-bye to the table and get a warm farewell from other poker enthusiasts. The cashier gets a single from my $250 that I leave with. Total damage is now down to a more manageable $1425.

Yet another winning session

Went over to Caesars and sat down at another very interesting game similar to the MGM Table 9 crowd. Very gamesy play with the ring leader to left though thankfully enough he moved over to my right after a couple of hours. I ended up all in pre-flop with Ac Jc and the board came Jack high and my hand held up. That tripled up a partly depleted stack and put me over the top enough to post blinds and watch and learn. Cashed out for $125 and scraped some paint off my losses.

Did some more hand analysis of KQ on a KJT board. All I had to do was ask what am I being re-raised with for a raised pot pre-flop? Let me list the hands that I am beating first...that would be QQ and that hand would probably not be re-raising unless it was just a disgruntled player mad out being outflopped. That's about it. The next highest starting hand that I am beating would be pocket Nines. I am behind pocket Aces, Kings, Jacks, and Tens. AK is ahead. KJ, and KT have
two-paired. AQ clearly has me crushed. AJ and AT would not be re-raising. So long story short, I should have thought through that one more.

By the way, I don't work here

I'm waiting for a table to open up and am standing in the entry area. I have been asked about ordering food for someone in the sports book, if all the games on the waiting list display are for limit, and where the restrooms are. Fortunately for those people I had answers for them all.

Eating like royalty

Lunch today is courtesy of Burger King right across the street from
the Flamingo. Got my order in immediately after the guy who ordered
"25 whoppers, I'm serious." I hope my order gets processed before all
of his. Next, it's back to Caesars.

Late night Friday

Got a text message that the others were done with their steak dinner. Headed down to Mandalay Bay. Stopped by the Caesars taxi line and got discouraged so I hoofed it. Noticed the cars and buses that had passed me are now behind so I'm making better ground speed than vehicles on the strip. Crossing Tropicana Ave I saw what was probably the reason, a car wreck in the middle of the intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard a.k.a. "the Strip"...on a Friday night. Quite possibly the worst time/place for a car wreck. No CSI personnel visible on the scene. Anyway, met up with the fellas at Red Square in Mandalay Bay and had some drinks. Then we took the tram back up to the Excalibur then took the overpasses to MGM for cards or to Hooters for craps, depending on which was preferred.

Spent $200 on "recreational" poker because I got seated at a loosey goosey table. Then got moved to a real table, the mythical Table 9 at the MGM. This was the same table that I sat in on back in January where a completely different brand of poker is played. I don't understand the rules or the insider protocols but the money ends up kinda being irrelevant in a way. It is more about aggression and making proper reads. A guy sat down next to me from another table and said that they were playing the 2/5 style on a 1/2 table. Some hands would be limped in and basically checked down on all streets. Others would be jammed with a three way $60 pre-flop raise. Sometimes there would be $5 flop bets other times $75 then check the turn and river. I sat and posted blinds there for about 8 hours fascinated by the style of poker being played. Nothing like High Stakes Poker or WSOP play that you see on TV. It is other-worldly.

Oh and you can add Pocket Aces as another hand that I got stacked by. Made it $20 to go pre-flop and got called by a gal who wanted to "keep me honest" with KTos. I put the rest ($30 or so) in in the dark. She flopped a Ten and rivered trips. I also ended up in a hand where my pocket Fives notched pocket Fours and tripled up. Cashed out $153 or down $247 for a grand total of an even $1500. Yeesh. Gonna take a little while to build this back up.