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.