Sunday, October 03, 2004
Holidays in The Sun
This is a trip report from the 2002 Aruba festival.
In a typical redsimon fashion my Aruba road trip report starts in sunny Luton. Having decided to poker my way from Nottingham to Gatwick Airport I rolled up at the Grosvenor Casino on the Friday night. This happily coincided with the first anniversary celebrations of www.gutshot.co.uk.
A happy if expensive night ensued. The boring details, £22 NLHE entry plus 2 rebuys and a top up, didn’t get further than top 30 places. Played cash game round of hold’em/ Omaha. Had expensive experience of the uselessness of AA double suited when you miss your flop and ended the night £180 down overall. I better be careful; otherwise I spend all my Aruba ‘roll before I step onto foreign soil!
Saturday is spent enjoying the sights of Luton, the other 23 hours 59 minutes there are spent sleeping, eating drinking and...Poker playing.
A trip to the Grosvenor, via a delightful Chinese meal, to play £50 PLHE. This went well to start with; I flopped flushes, full houses etc and was soon up from 1000 starting chips to 2500. Dribbled these away to nil on the last hand before re-buys ended. Re-bought and topped up. Somehow I survived with 1000 chips till we were 12 handed, then doubled up twice. Suddenly I’m on final table! A deal at start gives bottom 3 spots £250. After some gains, I fold winning hand when the large stack puts me under pressure. I end up out 7th but the £250 puts me up £95 for the night. It’s been a long day and I go back to the hotel.
Early start and a long but pleasurable flight and I touch down in Aruba at 10 pm local time.
After a quick unpacking Oldkingcole and myself get some food and hit the Casino. Notice the minimum cash game is $5/$10 limit and decide to avoid the games tonight.
Monday morning wake up early (well 9.30!), find a nice breakfast place, *all you can eat for $7.95*. Spend day relaxing on the beach, eating, surfing the ’net and writing out postcards. Pool party in evening, free food and drink and manage to nab some free t-shirts! Later play a little $4/$8 cash game. Several of the players are drunk, make a small profit and leave 2 am.
Tuesday, big day, early start. Seminar with Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer and John Bonetti providing tips. Something Phil says sticks in my mind. *Be patient* *you can be antied down but don’t throw chips away on poor hands out of position*.
The Last chance freeroll has 26 runners, with 22 seats up for grabs. Oldkingcole qualifies (though we hear later that all 26 qualify!).
My final (7 Card Stud), is called and all 8 turn up. 5000 chips each and I decide to play tight at the start, trying to get a feel for the table. My personal target is not to bust out first. Very friendly table, including one big name. Perry *the baiter* who has won a WSOP bracelet! Early on I get two big starting hands in about 5 minutes, 3 to a flush and a big pair with an Ace kicker. I’m suddenly chip leader with 8000 chips. After the first break Perry goes out 8th, my target is achieved! I’m still leader when I make the stupidest move. *Yougottohaveit* has 1010 showing, I have (Ah2h) 10h 8. Next card gives him another 10, me another h. He bets, I re-raise! (I think I convinced myself that my flush draw was good. Next card blank for both. He bets; my sense returns and I fold. He shows 88 in the hole for full house. Unfortunately I have now chipped him up, which I will regret later. The dinner break is announced as lasting 15 minutes, I know they do fast food here, but that’s too fast for me. So enervated by a polo mint, packet of crisps and a coffee we start the final run. We’ve been playing 3 hours and we’re down to 5. I’m still in a good position, 2nd in chips. The antes are rising and I go through a good 15 minutes without playing a hand. Suddenly we’re down to 4, then 3. I’m lowest in chips with *Procu8ator* on a rush into a chip lead and *Yougottohaveit* a close second. I propose a 3-way chop $1200 each. Surprisingly, this is agreed (told you it was a friendly table!). There’s $200 surplus and a bracelet to play for. We agree the $200 to the dealers, (feeling very charitable!). So now I loosen up and hit a rush to get heads up with *Yougotto..*. I go all in with (QQ) A. He flips over AA. The dealer forgets to *burn* the cards we get dealt (locally stud is played *no burn*). I get 2345 for a straight. A row ensues, I offer to chop the pot and get on, but this is turned down. The tournament director rules an innocent mistake by dealer and awards me pot. I go all in a few minutes later. (77) K. Opponent has bigger pair. A new dealer makes same mistake re: *burning*. I get 77 to make Quads and I’m now in a 70000 to 10000 chip lead. Heads up carries on for a good hour, about 5 hours play have gone when I make two pair and go all in. My opponent has rolled up 9’s and it’s all over. No gold bracelet but a nice $1200 to my account plus plenty of good memories. Considering it was my first *live* Stud tournament I was pleased with my showing, though another second place, will I ever come first? Tired and hungry a slap up meal ensues and after some wild cash action, which I lost $40/$50 in about 3 hours I crawl into bed. The following day, Wednesday, I play a $40 limit satellite for a $335 seat and chop it heads up. (That pays for my $125 seats all week in the Caribbean Classic!).
Thursday is the *big one*. I’m drawn on a table with *Michigan Mac* (Tom McEvoy), Tipsy Joker and Landish (who I know and fear from ultimatebet). 10000 starting chips and slow blind levels leave plenty of room for play. I fold most of my hands including decent pairs when a scary board comes. I get a big pay off from Cornholio when I flop a straight vs. a pair. Lose some back before the break, where I have 9025 chips. Oldkingcole is in better shape. The antes and blinds are gradually creeping up when I find KK in the big blind. Landish raises, I re-raise all in. He thinks for a while, so I know he doesn’t have AA. He calls, shows QT. A Q on flop gives me a scare but my Kings hold up. Now up to 40000+. Another 30/45 minutes pass with no playable hands. I’m getting antied down when Ram Vaswami joins table with an enormous stack. After another few rounds of folding, I find AJ suited on button. Folded to me. I raise 3 x bb. Ram shoves his chips all in, he's covering me so a call will put me all in. I decide its time to stop folding re-raises. I call for 25000. Ram flips over 88. A J on flop gives me the hand. Bad call by me, but two overcards only 52/48 ‘dog. Next hand I get AK, raise all in steal 15000 as they all fold. A break is called. Tipsy and Landish come up to me and thank me for crippling Ram’s stack. I tell Landish I’m trying to avoid him and Tipsy. Landish says he and Tipsy both agreed that I’m the *danger*. (Nice to know this, though they both last longer than me.
After the break Cathy, (Party Poker Million winner joins table). We are down to 36 and players are dropping away. Soon after, I get KK in late position. Cathy raises utg 8000. Steve (From Carib classic) reraises 24000. I reraise 60000 all in. Cathy folds so fast I now she had Ax! Steve asks how much to call. He has several thousand more. I count out my chips and tell him, trying not to appear nervous. He goes into a long think and stare session. I stare right back and smile. I know he doesn’t have AA. QQ or AK? After a long think he folds and shows AK. I flip over KK. I am now up to 100000. The hand took so long that we are down to 27! Jack McClelland offers to carry some of my chips (It was a big stack!). I join a new table to hear a loud-mouthed player boasting about his stack. *Anyone have any 5000 chips? *. He probably thinks I’m shortstacked as Jack had carried 30000 in 1000 chips to the table. I empty my pockets with another 70000+ chips and he shuts up! I get up to 120000, with the average 40000. We are now down to 18 players. I go another 30 minutes seeing nothing. Lots of all ins by other players. I get 22 early and raise 15000. Landish reraises 49000 all in. Even if he has no pair he has two over cards. I fold, he shows QQ. I’m being antied away, 15000 chips a round and 14 left in. I get A9 in mid position. A weak player limps in, I raise all in 35000. The weak player mucks out of turn. One player to call, he has enough to do so. He thinks long and hard and then calls. Flips over AQ. No help from flop. I’m out 14th, $300 richer, tired and in need of my free meal courtesy of a *last longer* bet with Oldkingcole. A nice Italian meal and a few drinks ensue.
Friday is the televised finals of the Ultimatebet.com poker classic and the heads up with the *pro*. I watch this and play the limit/stud tournament later with no success.
Saturday is a day of rest. I play a few satellites, without success.
Final day Sunday. I play the $125 NLHE event. 46 runners 600 chips. First bb I have J9. No one raises. Flop QJ9. I check. There's a bet of 250, I reraise all in. I get a caller with KQ. A 9 on river is icing on cake. Next bb. I have 67. No one raises. Flop 8910. I check. One bet of 150. I reraise to 650. He folds. Gradually build stack up to 2000 when rebuys end. Soon down to 18 players 2500/3000 chips. Not getting many hands. Steal a few blinds. Get down to 11 players. Final table will be 10 with 9 being paid. Down to 2100 chips, easily shortest stack. Suddenly an all in on other table. He’s out so I make the final table. Before final starts I suggest we take $100 off first place and give 10th $100. This is agreed, though someone does point out I’m equal 10th with a guy called Vegas! (More of him later!).
Suddenly get a series of good hands. AA in bb. The guy who came second in the U P Classic raised I called all in. He had A7. I double through. Few hands later I have KK utg. I limp in, he raises me all in. I call. He shows KQ and lets out a cry of despair when I show KK. These hold up and I’m now chip leader!
A few hands later he has AA and Vegas goes all in with JJ. A jack on river kills our Finnish friend off, not his night I guess!
We are down to 5 and I kill off another person with AA vs. AJ. Down to 4 including two Venezuelans who I suspect are soft playing each other. The female of the *team* goes all in with Q4. The short stack has KT. A board of QxxQ4 means we are three handed. I have 33 on button. I raise and Mr Vegas calls. Flop K87. I check, he goes in for 1500. I must call though I suspect he has a K. He turns over AA (!). Now I’m no longer chip leader. A few hands later Mrs V is in sb Mr V in bb. I fold she calls leaving 2000 chips. He flat calls and they check the hand down to the river. She hits a Jack on river and he folds. Strange play indeed. After a few more hands I have A6 in bb. I reraise all in and Mr V calls with QJ. A Q on flop and J on turn end the event for me. 3rd place and $770 is no consolation, when the two Venezuelans agree a deal straight after! Mrs V was down to 3 chips so definitely a bad play by me, but I was ahead preflop!
So a good end to the trip though playing poker till 5 am when you flights at 8.50 am is probably not advised!
The trip was brilliant and Ultimatebet.com should be praised for this promotion.
In a typical redsimon fashion my Aruba road trip report starts in sunny Luton. Having decided to poker my way from Nottingham to Gatwick Airport I rolled up at the Grosvenor Casino on the Friday night. This happily coincided with the first anniversary celebrations of www.gutshot.co.uk.
A happy if expensive night ensued. The boring details, £22 NLHE entry plus 2 rebuys and a top up, didn’t get further than top 30 places. Played cash game round of hold’em/ Omaha. Had expensive experience of the uselessness of AA double suited when you miss your flop and ended the night £180 down overall. I better be careful; otherwise I spend all my Aruba ‘roll before I step onto foreign soil!
Saturday is spent enjoying the sights of Luton, the other 23 hours 59 minutes there are spent sleeping, eating drinking and...Poker playing.
A trip to the Grosvenor, via a delightful Chinese meal, to play £50 PLHE. This went well to start with; I flopped flushes, full houses etc and was soon up from 1000 starting chips to 2500. Dribbled these away to nil on the last hand before re-buys ended. Re-bought and topped up. Somehow I survived with 1000 chips till we were 12 handed, then doubled up twice. Suddenly I’m on final table! A deal at start gives bottom 3 spots £250. After some gains, I fold winning hand when the large stack puts me under pressure. I end up out 7th but the £250 puts me up £95 for the night. It’s been a long day and I go back to the hotel.
Early start and a long but pleasurable flight and I touch down in Aruba at 10 pm local time.
After a quick unpacking Oldkingcole and myself get some food and hit the Casino. Notice the minimum cash game is $5/$10 limit and decide to avoid the games tonight.
Monday morning wake up early (well 9.30!), find a nice breakfast place, *all you can eat for $7.95*. Spend day relaxing on the beach, eating, surfing the ’net and writing out postcards. Pool party in evening, free food and drink and manage to nab some free t-shirts! Later play a little $4/$8 cash game. Several of the players are drunk, make a small profit and leave 2 am.
Tuesday, big day, early start. Seminar with Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer and John Bonetti providing tips. Something Phil says sticks in my mind. *Be patient* *you can be antied down but don’t throw chips away on poor hands out of position*.
The Last chance freeroll has 26 runners, with 22 seats up for grabs. Oldkingcole qualifies (though we hear later that all 26 qualify!).
My final (7 Card Stud), is called and all 8 turn up. 5000 chips each and I decide to play tight at the start, trying to get a feel for the table. My personal target is not to bust out first. Very friendly table, including one big name. Perry *the baiter* who has won a WSOP bracelet! Early on I get two big starting hands in about 5 minutes, 3 to a flush and a big pair with an Ace kicker. I’m suddenly chip leader with 8000 chips. After the first break Perry goes out 8th, my target is achieved! I’m still leader when I make the stupidest move. *Yougottohaveit* has 1010 showing, I have (Ah2h) 10h 8. Next card gives him another 10, me another h. He bets, I re-raise! (I think I convinced myself that my flush draw was good. Next card blank for both. He bets; my sense returns and I fold. He shows 88 in the hole for full house. Unfortunately I have now chipped him up, which I will regret later. The dinner break is announced as lasting 15 minutes, I know they do fast food here, but that’s too fast for me. So enervated by a polo mint, packet of crisps and a coffee we start the final run. We’ve been playing 3 hours and we’re down to 5. I’m still in a good position, 2nd in chips. The antes are rising and I go through a good 15 minutes without playing a hand. Suddenly we’re down to 4, then 3. I’m lowest in chips with *Procu8ator* on a rush into a chip lead and *Yougottohaveit* a close second. I propose a 3-way chop $1200 each. Surprisingly, this is agreed (told you it was a friendly table!). There’s $200 surplus and a bracelet to play for. We agree the $200 to the dealers, (feeling very charitable!). So now I loosen up and hit a rush to get heads up with *Yougotto..*. I go all in with (QQ) A. He flips over AA. The dealer forgets to *burn* the cards we get dealt (locally stud is played *no burn*). I get 2345 for a straight. A row ensues, I offer to chop the pot and get on, but this is turned down. The tournament director rules an innocent mistake by dealer and awards me pot. I go all in a few minutes later. (77) K. Opponent has bigger pair. A new dealer makes same mistake re: *burning*. I get 77 to make Quads and I’m now in a 70000 to 10000 chip lead. Heads up carries on for a good hour, about 5 hours play have gone when I make two pair and go all in. My opponent has rolled up 9’s and it’s all over. No gold bracelet but a nice $1200 to my account plus plenty of good memories. Considering it was my first *live* Stud tournament I was pleased with my showing, though another second place, will I ever come first? Tired and hungry a slap up meal ensues and after some wild cash action, which I lost $40/$50 in about 3 hours I crawl into bed. The following day, Wednesday, I play a $40 limit satellite for a $335 seat and chop it heads up. (That pays for my $125 seats all week in the Caribbean Classic!).
Thursday is the *big one*. I’m drawn on a table with *Michigan Mac* (Tom McEvoy), Tipsy Joker and Landish (who I know and fear from ultimatebet). 10000 starting chips and slow blind levels leave plenty of room for play. I fold most of my hands including decent pairs when a scary board comes. I get a big pay off from Cornholio when I flop a straight vs. a pair. Lose some back before the break, where I have 9025 chips. Oldkingcole is in better shape. The antes and blinds are gradually creeping up when I find KK in the big blind. Landish raises, I re-raise all in. He thinks for a while, so I know he doesn’t have AA. He calls, shows QT. A Q on flop gives me a scare but my Kings hold up. Now up to 40000+. Another 30/45 minutes pass with no playable hands. I’m getting antied down when Ram Vaswami joins table with an enormous stack. After another few rounds of folding, I find AJ suited on button. Folded to me. I raise 3 x bb. Ram shoves his chips all in, he's covering me so a call will put me all in. I decide its time to stop folding re-raises. I call for 25000. Ram flips over 88. A J on flop gives me the hand. Bad call by me, but two overcards only 52/48 ‘dog. Next hand I get AK, raise all in steal 15000 as they all fold. A break is called. Tipsy and Landish come up to me and thank me for crippling Ram’s stack. I tell Landish I’m trying to avoid him and Tipsy. Landish says he and Tipsy both agreed that I’m the *danger*. (Nice to know this, though they both last longer than me.
After the break Cathy, (Party Poker Million winner joins table). We are down to 36 and players are dropping away. Soon after, I get KK in late position. Cathy raises utg 8000. Steve (From Carib classic) reraises 24000. I reraise 60000 all in. Cathy folds so fast I now she had Ax! Steve asks how much to call. He has several thousand more. I count out my chips and tell him, trying not to appear nervous. He goes into a long think and stare session. I stare right back and smile. I know he doesn’t have AA. QQ or AK? After a long think he folds and shows AK. I flip over KK. I am now up to 100000. The hand took so long that we are down to 27! Jack McClelland offers to carry some of my chips (It was a big stack!). I join a new table to hear a loud-mouthed player boasting about his stack. *Anyone have any 5000 chips? *. He probably thinks I’m shortstacked as Jack had carried 30000 in 1000 chips to the table. I empty my pockets with another 70000+ chips and he shuts up! I get up to 120000, with the average 40000. We are now down to 18 players. I go another 30 minutes seeing nothing. Lots of all ins by other players. I get 22 early and raise 15000. Landish reraises 49000 all in. Even if he has no pair he has two over cards. I fold, he shows QQ. I’m being antied away, 15000 chips a round and 14 left in. I get A9 in mid position. A weak player limps in, I raise all in 35000. The weak player mucks out of turn. One player to call, he has enough to do so. He thinks long and hard and then calls. Flips over AQ. No help from flop. I’m out 14th, $300 richer, tired and in need of my free meal courtesy of a *last longer* bet with Oldkingcole. A nice Italian meal and a few drinks ensue.
Friday is the televised finals of the Ultimatebet.com poker classic and the heads up with the *pro*. I watch this and play the limit/stud tournament later with no success.
Saturday is a day of rest. I play a few satellites, without success.
Final day Sunday. I play the $125 NLHE event. 46 runners 600 chips. First bb I have J9. No one raises. Flop QJ9. I check. There's a bet of 250, I reraise all in. I get a caller with KQ. A 9 on river is icing on cake. Next bb. I have 67. No one raises. Flop 8910. I check. One bet of 150. I reraise to 650. He folds. Gradually build stack up to 2000 when rebuys end. Soon down to 18 players 2500/3000 chips. Not getting many hands. Steal a few blinds. Get down to 11 players. Final table will be 10 with 9 being paid. Down to 2100 chips, easily shortest stack. Suddenly an all in on other table. He’s out so I make the final table. Before final starts I suggest we take $100 off first place and give 10th $100. This is agreed, though someone does point out I’m equal 10th with a guy called Vegas! (More of him later!).
Suddenly get a series of good hands. AA in bb. The guy who came second in the U P Classic raised I called all in. He had A7. I double through. Few hands later I have KK utg. I limp in, he raises me all in. I call. He shows KQ and lets out a cry of despair when I show KK. These hold up and I’m now chip leader!
A few hands later he has AA and Vegas goes all in with JJ. A jack on river kills our Finnish friend off, not his night I guess!
We are down to 5 and I kill off another person with AA vs. AJ. Down to 4 including two Venezuelans who I suspect are soft playing each other. The female of the *team* goes all in with Q4. The short stack has KT. A board of QxxQ4 means we are three handed. I have 33 on button. I raise and Mr Vegas calls. Flop K87. I check, he goes in for 1500. I must call though I suspect he has a K. He turns over AA (!). Now I’m no longer chip leader. A few hands later Mrs V is in sb Mr V in bb. I fold she calls leaving 2000 chips. He flat calls and they check the hand down to the river. She hits a Jack on river and he folds. Strange play indeed. After a few more hands I have A6 in bb. I reraise all in and Mr V calls with QJ. A Q on flop and J on turn end the event for me. 3rd place and $770 is no consolation, when the two Venezuelans agree a deal straight after! Mrs V was down to 3 chips so definitely a bad play by me, but I was ahead preflop!
So a good end to the trip though playing poker till 5 am when you flights at 8.50 am is probably not advised!
The trip was brilliant and Ultimatebet.com should be praised for this promotion.
# posted by redsimon @ 12:27 PM 
