Runner-Runner-Rebuy

Now I know the value of backups. All my websites got fragged and I'm in the process of putting my blog back together, so bear with me. Part 3 of my Vegas trip story will be up as soon as I get things fixed up here and try to figure out how to easily get my previous posts back in place.

I'm done trying; blog trashed, recovery unsuccessful. My old entries are not getting back in. Time to start anew. I've been meaning to make some changes anyway.

I was cruising the internets the other day and ran into an old college classmate and everyone's favorite wierdo Shaw at his blog Stuggling Young Man. It seems to be some kind of a kerosene enflamed steel drum where lost Marlboro alumi gather for warmth. I'm glad to have found it and it's links to other alum blogs. Shoutouts to all, especially Martha Marin and her handsome young man - congrats, its hard to imagine you curbing your potty mouth.

Since there might be some new readers stopping by I'll give a quick run-down of what this blog is all about.

I've been playing poker somewhat seriously for about 5 years and after a visit to Vegas earlier this summer, I became determined to play in the World Series of Poker next year. I have been a fairly profitable player and it has paid for some nice vacations and gadgets, but in preperation for the WSOP I'm getting serious and trying to build a $25,000 bankroll for next summer. Starting with $200 and grinding my way up to bigger and bigger games, I hope to accomplish this by May 2007.
I had been thinking about a blog for a while, and figured it could help me analyze my game and improve my play, as well as track my progress.

So you will find me ranting here about poker quite a bit, but also about life, work, and whatever strikes my mood. So, if your interested, please follow along with me on my journey to the 2007 WSOP.

Anyway, old school readers - Pnut, Skizzle, Boogie, etc, you know who you are - I haven't forgetten you on my trip down memory lane - the final installment of my Vegas Trip story should be up sometime tommorow.

Goodnight All.

I know I promised Pnut this would be up 6 days ago, but I got stuck $1600 in one day last week and needed a poker break to get off tilt. Anyway, here is part 3 with a short recap of parts 1 and 2 since those entries are in the blogger graveyard.

Recap - I went to California for a business trip (5 days in San Fran, then 9 days in San Diego), and had a long weekend with no work to do so I rented a Caddy and drove up to LA for a day to hang out with Raffi in Santa Monica and Hollyweird. We did some stuff. It was fun. I took off for Vegas from LA on a Sunday afternoon and rolled into Vegas at around 9PM.

Part 3

There were a bunch of highway exits going to the strip and I had no clue which one to take, so I got off at the 2nd or 3rd strip exit and started looking for Harrahs to check into my room. The Technicolor nightmare surrounding me was confusing my senses as I drove up and down the strip three, four, five times, passing Harrahs over and over without finding the entrance to the valet. After an hour this I realized I was doomed to drive the strip for eternity, so I turned off the strip to find a dark alley to be murdered in. Alas, the gods in Vegas would not let me find death without first relieving me of much hard earned cash at the Poker tables; My alley turned out to be the back road that leads to all the hotel parking.


I dropped the car at the valet and checked into my room. For $40 a night, I expected the place to be a dump and was pleasantly surprised with a very spacious room with a great view of the dark alley-way - a reminder to return there to die once all my money was gone.


It was the first day of the 2006 WSOP and I was anxious to get over to the Rio to see the place. But, I knew the only tournament scheduled was the Casino Employee's Tourney the next day, and would just be satellites and tourists tonight, so I headed to the Harrahs poker room to check it out. A tourney was starting at 11:30pm, so I signed up - I can't remember the buy in, but with a single rebuy, it was something like $120 total.


There were about 60 people signed up and I took my seat. I had 4 or 5 Texan businessmen at my table who all knew each other and I felt pretty good about sticking it to the tourists. That’s when I realized I wasn't at my home casino anymore and I was just s much a tourist as they were. My fears were allieved when they stared donking off all their chips.


I went out of the poker room for a smoke during the second break and was approached by an attractive mid 20's Asian girl leaving the bathroom. I'm attached, but I feels good to know I've still got it. After a few pleasantries, she tells me she is looking for her kindly old grandmother and asks to use my cell phone. Alarm bells go off and I notice the bruises on her arms presumably given to her by her coke dealing pimp. I tell her I don't have a cell phone, and she moves on to her next mark. I not sure what the angle was, dial a 900 number at $500/min? But, I narrowly avoided something on my first encounter with a Vegas hustler.


After the break, I found myself at the final table with a medium stack. I was playing very aggressively on the bubble and stole lots of blinds and built my stack up a bit. In early position I looked down at AA, and raise it up. It folds around to the BB, who was also the big stack and announces I can't steal his blind and pushes all in. I insta-call and show my AA to his 77. He flops quads and I bust on the bubble.


It's 2am and I grab a cab to the Rio. There are lots of signs for the World Series, but I can't seem to find the event, so I go to a bar to grab a beer and ask the bartender where to go. As I'm about to order my drink I look to my left and see Chris Jesus Ferguson sipping a beer with a different attractive young Asian girl (is there a factory around here?). The fanboy in me comes to the surface and I freeze up. Chris looks a lot older and grizzlier in person, but was totally cool to some people that came up and asked for a photo. He chatted with them for a bit and I found out the Tournament of Champions started that day and Chris made the final table which would be played the next day at around 1PM. Jackpot!!! I'm going to get to see some pros after all. Chris wanders off and I get my beer and directions to the WSOP area.

After walking what seems like a mile, I finally approach the 2006 WSOP Room.

No pros in sight, but plenty of cash game action and I get on the list for 2/5 NL. I was a little hesitant to play, I didn't bring much money with me as this was an impromptu trip and didn't really have the bankroll to play 2/5 NL but it was the smallest game going, so I bought in for $300. I was seated and immediately showed myself to be a tourist by trying to buy chips at the cage. Apparently they had chip runners and I looked like a fool. My table was insane - every hand was preflop raised to at least $50 and I was suspicious that 2 younger guys were working together. At the other end of my table was an older lady with about $4000 in chips who I realized after listening to the dealer talk to her was Barbara Enright. She is like the godmother of poker, so it was kinda cool to be at the table with her. I mucked hand after hand after hand to the crazy prefolp raises while the blinds started chopping into my stack. After an hour I get pocket sevens in the LB and raise the raiser from $40 to $100. He reraises me all-in and I think for a second and then call my 77 to his AA. He improves to a set and I go back to my hotel trying to figure out what the hell I was thinking. Looking back, I did a number of things wrong -


1. I played scared instead of sticking to my normal game

2. Insufficient bankroll

3. Bad table selection


I just got swept up in the idea a playing cards at the WSOP and everything else left the building.

Next morning I went back to the Rio to watch the final table of the Tournament of Champions. Around noon I got some food in the tent and ran into Mike Sexton eating some pre tourney lunch. I learned he was the short stack at the final table and he was gracious enough to let me snap a photo.

I think its weird that he cuts his hamburgers in half, but he did end up winning the whole thing, so what do I know. The crowd that day was heavy, lots of cash games, and the Casino Employees tourney was going on too.

I got a seat in the front row next to Mike Matasow's mother and brother - both nice people, and I chatted quite a bit with them. Matasow came in and was already talking shit about people - he really is a piece of work. Other players started filtering in - Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu, Andy Black, Gus Hanson. I managed to snap this one of Mike, Mike, and Andy.

The cards were in the air and the was some teasing between Daniel and Matasow. Not much happened for the first hour, but just before the break Gus Hanson was busted on the bubble. His agent seemed to take it harder than Gus.

I watched for a while longer but knew I had to hit the road to get back to San Diego for work. I snapped one of Chris to make up for the lost opportunity the day before.

I checked out of Harrahs and hit the road determined that next time in Vegas I can stop being such a fanboy noob and leave winner.

It was an action packed thanksgiving weekend this year, starting with going to the Sabres vs the Leafs on Wednesday night. Down 2-0 after the first 5 min, the Sabres rallied to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs and sent all those damn Leaf fans in the stands back up the QEW (the highway between Buffalo and Toronto) sorry they spent $200 for a nosebleed seat in the HSBC arena.


Drinking continued after the game as we met Jeremy out at Frizzy’s for amateur night. Man, it was packed 5 deep at the bar and these kids had no idea what they were doing. It got annoying fast, so we went over to the Pink for a bit before calling it a night.

On Thursday, we went to both Jocelyn's and my parents homes for food and drink. It was abnormally quiet at Jocelyn's moms place. Joc's sister was away, and having lost her dad and two grandparents in the past 2 years just made the place feel really empty. I'm sure they felt it more than I did, but everyone gave thanks for what they still had. They are all going away for Christmas, and while I'll miss having Joc around for the holiday, I can understand the need to get away as a family this year. More food was had at my parent’s house later in the day and I had some fun playing with my nephews. Elliot, my sisters 4 year old, is a genius; An Evil Genius, but a genius none the less.


Friday was the 4th Annual Second Thanksgiving at Scott and Christine's. Every year they invite 12-16 friends over for a family/stress free second thanksgiving dinner. Family and children really are beginning to occupy our free time as we dive head first into our 30's and second thanksgiving is one of the few times each year that we can all get together. A few regulars were absent (Jameel, Adrian, Mike/Coleen, Gauvin), but fun times were had. I am the official turkey carver, as seen below.

After dinner, we all gathered around the tube to watch the Sabres vs Habs game and get our drink on. Here's some after dinner photos.

Smokers watch the game through a window

Scott and Pnut do battle with Wii Boxing