Saturday, April 15, 2006
99 red balloons?
This is the 99th post in my blog. At long last the Vegas trip....
Myself and Old King Cole (OKC) had decided to book a hotel near Gatwick for the use of their free car park, unfortunately the idea of leaving redsimon towers at 5 pm developed into a 11 pm start and 4 am arrival at said hotel. Hence we were completely shattered arriving in rainy old Vegas at 3 pm local time. After a few hiccups getting the hire car (which was massive, a boo boo on the booking front I guess) we arrived at a smoky and bad tempered Gold Spike check in to find the rooms not yet ready and a staffing crisis there. After the best part of an hour we got our rooms (I got the shitty smoking floor one, OKC landed on his feet again with a newly redecorated non smoking). I did a quick and much needed dialysis and we had a late supper at the Plaza. A strange decision of the chef was to include a choccy muffin with our steak and eggs and a side garnish of strawberries. I decided to trust my guts and not mix steak with chocolates and strawberries.
First poker was the following day. I'd heard good things about MGM so off we popped. I recognised a few faces from the Orleans in the cardroom staff and we signed up for the 11 am $65 NLHE tourney. This was full so we were alternates 18 and 19. 6 tables ran and we both got in during the hour as it was a freezeout. 1200 chips and quickly escalating blinds. I got to the break with 700 and the next level was 200/400, time to get busy! I got it allin twice vs same guy first with AQ vs AJ then 66 vs A6 and both stood up. Then I called a serial pusher with Kd9d in my bb after flop came 8 high with two diamonds. He'd limped with 55 and I spiked 9 on river. It was a very fast structure with doubling blinds every twenty minutes. I saw a bizarre laydown. Flop 456 all spades. Matey boy bets 1200 leaving 2000 behind, foe reraises 2000 and matey boy proudly flips over 66 and says I can't call. Foe laughs and shows red kings. With the blind structure there I don't think I could lay down top set even on a monochrome board but heh ho. Mr Laydown of course got nowhere near the final.
I was moved table when we got down to 20 left and straight into OKC's old seat. I then went on a rush and got to the final with 15000 out of 102000 in play. The blinds though were 1500/3000 soon to go to 3000/6000. They only paid out 6 spots and only one player was really short so we chopped for $425 each which suited the house as they got 10 tips for the dealer not 6.
So a good start.
The form continued with a 5th spot at the Golden Nugget for $410 .
My big downfall was cash games. The only one I won in at the Orleans was a bizarre one orbit after I'd waited for 3 hours for a seat OKC finally reappeared from one of his many trips to try and get his laptop connected to the internet and I had to leave.
The Rio cash game was the real disaster. $4/$8 limit Hold 'em and I actually went 2 and 1/2 hours before I dragged a pot. The average pot had 8 callers and a classic hand I had AA on the button. By the time it arrived at my action it was 4 bets so I capped and got the obligatory 6 callers. Flop J95 two hearts I have AhAd. I bet after its checked and bb raises, one cold caller and I call. 3 of us left in Turn 8 spades. bb bets out cold caller calls I raise bb three bets cold caller cold calls again and I call with a sinking feeling (Has bb got QT??). River is T spades so board is J958T. I feel like hurling my breakfast as bb bets and CC man cold calls. I call and throw down AA and say nice river, bb turns over 79o and CC 77. Sick stuff but I got some of it back with KT in the blind later with a KT2 flop K turn J river vs Mr Cold call with AQ. He decided to rerereraise river with his straight and almost choked on his drink when I flipped KT!
The final day found us at Caesar's Palace which defintely had the best structure. $80 + $50 rebuy for 4500 chips 25/50 blinds and 40 minute levels. I never saw a pocket pair until 13 left in but had some good fortune with J2 in the sb. 6 limp so i limp and flop comes 222. Holy cow! I check in the hope someone has a pair and will bet. They all check, drat... Turn is Q they all check. River K and I bet 2 x blind and get one caller, typical!
My first pocket pair was the best AA and I was in blinds and button got leery with 85 suited. After that double up I got one more pot with quad 5's and was 6/10 on final. I had a mini rush on final and got to 5 handed where a deal was suggested $1200 each. One guy refused and I busted him a few hands later. Suddenly we were 3 handed and I was chip leader $688 third, $1200 ish 2nd and $2400+ first. I then got AJ in bb sb goes allin for 24000 more and I have 120000+ so call. He has QJ and of course first card out is Q. I miss my 3 outs and am now on 99000 chips. I post the 2000 sb and look down to see AJ again. Allin. bb calls instantly and turns over A8...of course first card out is 8 and miss my 3 outs :-)
So $688, less 30% bloody tax. Knew I should've sorted out ITIN but all casino's I'd cashed in paid chips before. Caesar's were a bit more sticklers for rules. Getting the tax back is a real pain in the arse so if you go to Vegas get your ITIN sorted.
All in all the trip was good. Won money, had a good time and my dialysis wasn't disrupted too much. The plan is to go back during WSOP though I may go to Paris in July for WPT festival instead.
Meanwhile its back to the internet poker and hopefully I can get back into profit. A measley +$210 for 2006 online is not good for the soul
Myself and Old King Cole (OKC) had decided to book a hotel near Gatwick for the use of their free car park, unfortunately the idea of leaving redsimon towers at 5 pm developed into a 11 pm start and 4 am arrival at said hotel. Hence we were completely shattered arriving in rainy old Vegas at 3 pm local time. After a few hiccups getting the hire car (which was massive, a boo boo on the booking front I guess) we arrived at a smoky and bad tempered Gold Spike check in to find the rooms not yet ready and a staffing crisis there. After the best part of an hour we got our rooms (I got the shitty smoking floor one, OKC landed on his feet again with a newly redecorated non smoking). I did a quick and much needed dialysis and we had a late supper at the Plaza. A strange decision of the chef was to include a choccy muffin with our steak and eggs and a side garnish of strawberries. I decided to trust my guts and not mix steak with chocolates and strawberries.
First poker was the following day. I'd heard good things about MGM so off we popped. I recognised a few faces from the Orleans in the cardroom staff and we signed up for the 11 am $65 NLHE tourney. This was full so we were alternates 18 and 19. 6 tables ran and we both got in during the hour as it was a freezeout. 1200 chips and quickly escalating blinds. I got to the break with 700 and the next level was 200/400, time to get busy! I got it allin twice vs same guy first with AQ vs AJ then 66 vs A6 and both stood up. Then I called a serial pusher with Kd9d in my bb after flop came 8 high with two diamonds. He'd limped with 55 and I spiked 9 on river. It was a very fast structure with doubling blinds every twenty minutes. I saw a bizarre laydown. Flop 456 all spades. Matey boy bets 1200 leaving 2000 behind, foe reraises 2000 and matey boy proudly flips over 66 and says I can't call. Foe laughs and shows red kings. With the blind structure there I don't think I could lay down top set even on a monochrome board but heh ho. Mr Laydown of course got nowhere near the final.
I was moved table when we got down to 20 left and straight into OKC's old seat. I then went on a rush and got to the final with 15000 out of 102000 in play. The blinds though were 1500/3000 soon to go to 3000/6000. They only paid out 6 spots and only one player was really short so we chopped for $425 each which suited the house as they got 10 tips for the dealer not 6.
So a good start.
The form continued with a 5th spot at the Golden Nugget for $410 .
My big downfall was cash games. The only one I won in at the Orleans was a bizarre one orbit after I'd waited for 3 hours for a seat OKC finally reappeared from one of his many trips to try and get his laptop connected to the internet and I had to leave.
The Rio cash game was the real disaster. $4/$8 limit Hold 'em and I actually went 2 and 1/2 hours before I dragged a pot. The average pot had 8 callers and a classic hand I had AA on the button. By the time it arrived at my action it was 4 bets so I capped and got the obligatory 6 callers. Flop J95 two hearts I have AhAd. I bet after its checked and bb raises, one cold caller and I call. 3 of us left in Turn 8 spades. bb bets out cold caller calls I raise bb three bets cold caller cold calls again and I call with a sinking feeling (Has bb got QT??). River is T spades so board is J958T. I feel like hurling my breakfast as bb bets and CC man cold calls. I call and throw down AA and say nice river, bb turns over 79o and CC 77. Sick stuff but I got some of it back with KT in the blind later with a KT2 flop K turn J river vs Mr Cold call with AQ. He decided to rerereraise river with his straight and almost choked on his drink when I flipped KT!
The final day found us at Caesar's Palace which defintely had the best structure. $80 + $50 rebuy for 4500 chips 25/50 blinds and 40 minute levels. I never saw a pocket pair until 13 left in but had some good fortune with J2 in the sb. 6 limp so i limp and flop comes 222. Holy cow! I check in the hope someone has a pair and will bet. They all check, drat... Turn is Q they all check. River K and I bet 2 x blind and get one caller, typical!
My first pocket pair was the best AA and I was in blinds and button got leery with 85 suited. After that double up I got one more pot with quad 5's and was 6/10 on final. I had a mini rush on final and got to 5 handed where a deal was suggested $1200 each. One guy refused and I busted him a few hands later. Suddenly we were 3 handed and I was chip leader $688 third, $1200 ish 2nd and $2400+ first. I then got AJ in bb sb goes allin for 24000 more and I have 120000+ so call. He has QJ and of course first card out is Q. I miss my 3 outs and am now on 99000 chips. I post the 2000 sb and look down to see AJ again. Allin. bb calls instantly and turns over A8...of course first card out is 8 and miss my 3 outs :-)
So $688, less 30% bloody tax. Knew I should've sorted out ITIN but all casino's I'd cashed in paid chips before. Caesar's were a bit more sticklers for rules. Getting the tax back is a real pain in the arse so if you go to Vegas get your ITIN sorted.
All in all the trip was good. Won money, had a good time and my dialysis wasn't disrupted too much. The plan is to go back during WSOP though I may go to Paris in July for WPT festival instead.
Meanwhile its back to the internet poker and hopefully I can get back into profit. A measley +$210 for 2006 online is not good for the soul
# posted by redsimon @ 1:15 PM 
