Las Vegas, Day Two

March 7th [edited]

By 11AM I'm up and downstairs having crepes and hot chocolate for breakfast. It's not the real France but I do my best to pretend.

Then I head back to the Planet Hollywood poker room to see if I can get some momentum going. I found out soon enough it would be of the negative type, sadly.

I sat down with Karl and Jane and a host of strangers and began the session on the wrong foot as in the very first orbit I find JJ in middle position. Karl had open-raised UTG to $7 so I decided to play it fast and re-raised to $25. He called and I saw a horrible AKQ flop. I make a standard flop bet of $25 as a semibluff since I no longer figured to have the best hand, took a free card on the turn after Karl checked, and folded to his river value bet when I didn't spike my inside straight or trips.

I flop the stone cold nuts after raising with AKs (to $8 from EP) and get four callers on an AKK flop. It's checked around on the flop and I bet out half-pot when a ten hits on the turn, hoping someone will go to war with a Broadway straight or tens full; I get one caller who meekly folds to my full-sized pot bet on the river when a blank falls.

I fold 66 to a limp re-raiser when I see a KT3 flop and he led out for one-third of the pot. The donkey flashes AQ and I curse myself for not trusting my read and re-raising in position on the flop to put him to the test since he made such a weak c-bet.

I lose a big pot with Ks9h when I open on the button. The flop was QsQhTh and I bet out and get called by the small blind headsup. The turn is the Jh which gives me the nut straight and a straightflush redraw so I re-raise when my opponent leads out. She tanks for a while and calls. The river blanks and I fire a pot-sized bet again and she tanks again and ultimately calls with a baby flush (4h5h) to win a big pot. Sad, considering any heart on the river would have shipped me the pot, plus she nearly folded in fear of a full house.

I flop tens full of queens and win a modest pot from Jane (she correctly folded JJ when I re-raised her flop c-bet).

I drop a $100 pot to an extremely annoying dealer playing on her off-day when she defended her BB with Q7s and flopped trips vs. my ovepair on a 776 flop.

I reluctantly rebuy for another $100. Almost immediately I get kicked in the junk, when I get 3-outed for a $100+ pot when my flopped two pair (Q2 on a QT2TK board) loses to the mighty AJ. This table is full of calling stations who can't fold but they get there just the same.
Supposedly this guy had his inaugural casino session of poker yesterday. Plus he was from Toronto, so I'm allowed to hate him.

I end up down $300 and frustrated when I CRAI a TT3 flop with 77 and a drunk guy holding AJ felt like calling my shove. He hits a jack immediately on the turn.

******

Fortunately, the evening was much more enjoyable than beating my head against the wall at poker. All fourteen of us gathered at the outdoor patio seating of the Mon Ami Gabi restaurant at the Paris, directly opposite the stunning Bellagio fountain display. Much good food and drink and good conversation was had by all; I started with a fantastic mussel soup w/saffron, had a superbly cooked rare steak (w/dijon mustard) and washed it all down with some Stella and a sip of Matt's 100 year-old Grand Marnier.

Then it was back for a midnight session (again at the PH with everyone) and I was able to reverse my fortunes from the afternoon. I sat at a table with Mike (and later on we were joined by Johnny) and I had my "A" game. We had some prime targets at our table, with a stumbling drunk LAG and "Mr. 17" who would open-raise to $17 (at a 1/2 NL table!) at every opportunity and straddled every chance he got (which hit my blinds, since he was sitting two to my left).

So I patiently adjusted to the game, buckled up and waited to get paid off when I connected to some flops. And connect I eventually did. I rapidly recouped $100 in losses, then outplayed the only other solid player at my table (who was thankfully sitting directly to my right) when I flat-called his PF raise with AQ. The flop came down A97 rainbow, and I min-raised his flop bet. He insta-called. I checked behind when a Q hit on the turn, and then bet the pot when the 9 paired on the river. As soon as he said "I think we have the same hand and this is going to be a chop" I was praying for a call, and he obliged, flipping over A8s.

Then I hit a big hand as "Mr. 17" open-raised his standard amount and I was able to call closing the action with JTs with four players seeing the flop with $70 or so in the pot. I hit a jackpot flop with a JT7 board and check-raised the field to $120 to go after it was checked around to the button, who had opted to take a $40 stab at buying the pot with AQ (gutterball) to take down all kinds of dead money without a showdown. My $17 investment earned me $110 profit just like that.

I then played my first real pot against Mike and my 87s (which I'd open-raised with in EP) hit the flop hard on an A83 4-flush board for me. Mike re-raised me and I had a rather easy call and hit my flush on the turn. I check-called his bet, but the action froze when a fourth heart came on the river. Mike showed A3 for flopped two pair and my flush was good.

I cashed out at 3:15 AM +$313, which meant I was a whopping $13 in the black for the day.

As I was at the cashier, I saw Matt take a really sick beat for a huge pot and had to commiserate with him. He made a tough call of a drunken donkey's open-shove for $350 into a re-raised pot where Matt had flopped TPTK on a K42 board. Donkey flipped over 66. The turn card was the Kh, giving Matt top two. Incredibly, the board four-flushed hearts, giving the pot to the donkey's 6-high flush.

After consoling Matt for a minute or two -- he was understandably stunned at the outcome of that hand), I went to bed tired and happy after a full day of cards, good food, and yet more gawking at the sights and sounds of Vegas.

Overbetting for value, Pt. 2

It just didn't work this time out. After the first break of the single stack Mookie, I targeted the big stack at the new table I'd been moved to in an attempt to double through and build a big stack for the late game.

Here's what I did.

Hand #1:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 60/120 Blinds, 9 Players

UTG+1: 2,183
UTG+2: 7,769
MP1: 1,210
MP2: 5,520
CO: 1,995
BTN: 2,605
SB: 2,352
Hero (BB): 2,874
UTG: 1,905

Pre-Flop: (180) A A dealt to Hero (BB)
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to 369, 5 folds, Hero calls 249

Flop: (798) T 6 9 (2 Players)
Hero bets 2,505 and is All-In, UTG+2 folds

Results: 798 Pot
Hero mucked A A and WON 798 (+429 NET)

I tried a flop OBFV hoping a hand like JJ-KK would stack off, or get a light call by KT or a pair + straight draw. No dice this time, however.

Hand #2:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 80/160 Blinds, 8 Players

SB: 1,823
BB: 7,160
UTG: 1,030
UTG+1: 2,475
MP1: 2,425
MP2: 3,132
Hero (CO): 3,123
BTN: 1,725

Pre-Flop: (240) A K dealt to Hero (CO)
Hero raises to 500, BB calls 340

Flop: (1,080) 8 7 T (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets 2,623 and is All-In, BB calls 2,623

Turn: (6,326) Q (2 Players - 1 is All-In)


River: (6,326) 7 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)


Results: 6,326 Pot
BB showed J J (two pair, Jacks and Sevens) and WON 6,326 (+3,203 NET)
Hero showed A K (a pair of Sevens) and LOST (-3,123 NET)

My range vs. JJ on the flop is way, way ahead: even with AKs I am a 53% favourite to win with two cards to come, and all my other possible hands are made hands ahead of JJ right off the top.

Comments, questions? I like this strategy in a winner-take-all tournament series like the BBT3 where the cash prizes are largely irrelevant compared to the first place finish.

WSOP opportunity knocks

I've seen the light about the WSOP tournament blog series that tonight's Skillz winner has spearheaded, and I have to say I'm impressed.

Check it out.

Las Vegas, Day One

Thursday, March 6th:

8 AM - early rendezvous with roommate Mike Milner to share a cab to the airport. I eat a muffin for breakfast and have a coffee. I was only able to get maybe 4 hours of sleep, so I plan to make my first night in Vegas an early one to get charged up for a long weekend of fun.

11:30 AM - takeoff from YVR with two others from our large group of 14 travelers to Vegas. Arrive in Vegas where I discover slot machines at an airport, which is a first for me.

The four of us shuttle over to the rental car area where Eitan happily upgrades his rental car to a white Mustang convertible. Natually his girlfriend Kim rides shotgun, and the Mustang doesn't exactly have a large trunk, so Mike and I are left holding huge suitcases in our laps as I get my first glimpse of the Las Vegas Strip, complete with the "Girls in 20 mins" Mexican guys standing around handing out cards. Gridlock ensues and we inch along to the Paris where Mike and I are staying and we get ourselves checked in at 4:45PM. The desk person mistakenly assigns us to a room with a king-sized bed rather than the two queens we'd asked for (insert ghey joke of your choice here) and we finally get that straightened out and settled in by 5 o'clock.

By 5:30 Mike and I are sitting down at the Bellagio buffet for our first meal of the day. I manage nearly four helpings plus dessert.

At 7:45 after nearly two hours of constant eating, I decide to walk it off with a long, long walk to see some sights and gawk some more at the spectacles that a first-timer sees with fresh eyes in Vegas. Mike acts as a knowledgeable tour guide as we walk through several casinos and hotels.

At 11PM, we meet up with a slew of our group at the poker room at Planet Hollywood (where the majority all stayed) for some NL 1/2. The game was softer than I dared dream. Mike is able to make the first hammer play of the trip as he flops two pair and felts someone. I lose a chunk of my stack to a calling station when I flop the nut flush draw and second pair and play it hard in position (I was the preflop raiser on the button with A8s) vs. a calling station who can't fold top pair, no kicker (JT) on a scary board (J-8-5, Q, 7).

I chisel back with a nice OBFV (which wasn't called) with KK on the turn on a J-high flop with two diamonds. I finally flop a set of sixes on a 69T flop and lead out for $30 from the big blind in a multiway pot. A shorty raised all-in for $10 more and the drunk girl to my immediate right called $40 cold. I overcall and check when the board pairs the ten, giving me sixes full. Sadly I can't take down a juicy side pot when I OBFV on the river when a blank falls on the river.

The session ends at 1:30 AM; I cash out +$83.

I head back to the hotel and crash at about 2AM.

Vegas Departure Imminent

In less than 24 hours. I'm getting jazzed up for it, and I'll be sure to write a thorough trip report upon my return.

I hope to manage to meet some of the Vegas-based bloggers while I'm there.

Any last-minute suggestions of a can't miss nature for a first-timer to Vegas? Feel free to leave any recommendations in the comments.

Take Two: More Failure

Out in 20th place -- which was a few places out of the money, although I did earn two or three bounties along the way.

[Edit]

My bustout hand was your typical bad beat where a blogger overplayed a pair of aces and got there with a rivered two pair which beat my strong hand which was ahead the whole way.

In the long run, you earn a lot of chips from players who overplay hands like this, but it still hurts when you don't hold up in a crucial hand late in a tournament.

Full Tilt Poker Game #5506316087: Skill Series (40521319), Table 3 - 800/1600 Ante 150 - Limit Stud Hi - 0:12:21 ET - 2008/03/05
Seat 1: dwal78 (20,842)
Seat 2: PirateLawyer (8,428)
Seat 3: NewinNov (13,626)
Seat 4: ANIguy (8,294)
Seat 5: NumbBono (1,992)
Seat 6: Loretta8 (10,902)
Seat 7: BamBamCan (4,546)
dwal78 antes 150
PirateLawyer antes 150
NewinNov antes 150
ANIguy antes 150
NumbBono antes 150
Loretta8 antes 150
BamBamCan antes 150
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to dwal78 [Jd]
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ks 6s] [Kh] -- split kings with a spade flush possibility
Dealt to NewinNov [4c]
Dealt to ANIguy [3c]
Dealt to NumbBono [8s]
Dealt to Loretta8 [3h]
Dealt to BamBamCan [Jc]
ANIguy is low with [3c]
ANIguy completes it to 800
NumbBono folds
Loretta8 folds
BamBamCan folds
dwal78 folds
PirateLawyer calls 800 - easy call; I could raise but prefer to trap
NewinNov folds
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ks 6s Kh] [6h]
Dealt to ANIguy [3c] [Ad]
ANIguy bets 800
PirateLawyer calls 800 - I caught good on fourth and have kings up, so let the trap continue
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ks 6s Kh 6h] [Qh]
Dealt to ANIguy [3c Ad] [Ts]
ANIguy bets 1,600
PirateLawyer raises to 3,200 - now it's raising time; hopefully he puts me on a flush draw rather than a strong made hand
ANIguy calls 1,600
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ks 6s Kh 6h Qh] [Qc]
Dealt to ANIguy [3c Ad Ts] [2c]
PirateLawyer bets 1,600 -- easy bet; I now have kings and queens
ANIguy calls 1,600
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ks 6s Kh 6h Qh Qc] [Js]
PirateLawyer bets 1,600 - I miss my FH draws, but bet for value
ANIguy calls 1,600
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PirateLawyer shows [Ks Js Kh 6h Qh Qc 6s] two pair, Kings and Queens
ANIguy shows [Ah 5s 3c Ad Ts 2c 3d] two pair, Aces and Threes
ANIguy wins the pot (17,050) with two pair, Aces and Threes
The limits are now 1,000/2,000 with an ante of 150
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,050 | Rake 0
Seat 2: PirateLawyer showed [Ks Js Kh 6h Qh Qc 6s] and lost with two pair, Kings and Queens
Seat 4: ANIguy showed [Ah 5s 3c Ad Ts 2c 3d] and won (17,050) with two pair, Aces and Threes

Villain really had no business continuing with one pair past 5th street but managed to get there on 7th with a miracle.

On the plus side I did knock someone out with a royal flush. That was rather fun and obviously a rare feat.

Intial foray of BBT Season 3: failure

I busted a few minutes from the first break of the MATH with a hand I've always disliked: AQ.

Comments welcome. My initial review: awkward stack sizes suck, and I played this hand like it was a cash game, not a tournament.

[Edit]

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 30/60 Blinds, 5 Players

CO: 3,935
BTN: 8,635
Hero (SB): 2,290
BB: 3,955
UTG: 2,650

Pre-Flop: (90) Q A dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG folds, CO raises to 180, BTN folds, Hero raises to 600, BB folds, CO calls 420

-- AQ is strong enough to 3-bet, but I'll be OOP for the rest of the hand and pot-committed given my stack size. Given that, I pretty much have to jam almost any flop. I pray that a more-than-pot-sized flop bet gives me some fold equity.

Flop: (1,260) 4 J 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets 1,690 and is All-In, CO calls 1,690

I don't want a call, but this is not a threatening flop for my hand, so I have to fire.

Turn: (4,640) J (2 Players - 1 is All-In)


River: (4,640) 6 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)


Results: 4,640 Pot
CO showed T K (a flush, King high) and WON 4,640 (+2,350 NET)
Hero showed Q A (a pair of Jacks) and LOST (-2,290 NET)

Well it turns out I got called by a flush draw (that also happened to have two live cards) getting nearly 2:1 on the flop. Oh well. Awkward stack sizes suck.

I happen to think that villain's preflop call was pretty thin, though. Obviously my 3-betting range crushes KTs.

If I had to play this hand over, I would either i) flat-call the preflop raise, check-call the flop and jam the turn when the board pairs; or ii) raise to 850 or so preflop.