Runner-Runner-Rebuy

I've been back for over two weeks, but haven't had a chance to play much poker, let alone do any posting. I have had a pile of work plus some personal shit going on that has kept me away from the tables and the computer. Nothing compared to what Bayne is going through. Hopefully the worst is past and his wife makes a full recovery without any future issues. Send some mojo his way, his family could use it.

Anyhow, on to vegas report....

I arrived a little later than I expected, but check in was a breeze. I went right over to the amazon room to check out the action. First thing I noticed was that the layout seemed much better this year. From the sectioning by color, to the separate rooms for satellites, Harrah's finally seemed to get it mostly right this time. I wandered around and spotted some pros along the way, but this year it felt different. I wasn't really star struck like I had been the previous 2 years, and the room just looked smaller. It could have been the layout, but I think it was more just a comfort level that I didn't have the first 2 times out to the WSOP. This made me feel pretty good, and ready to play my game.

Some of the bloggers were getting together at the Hooker Bar at around 10ish, so I headed over there and sent out some texts to verify, while throwing a 20-spot in a video poker machine and ordering a Sam Adams. Texts back relayed that Bayne, CK, Don, and Cmitch were over in the crap pits at the Palms, so I figured to head over there. Just then the bartender brought my beer. I almost turned it down, but realized I had 20 in the video crack, so I figured I would drink my beer while donking off the 20 to the video poker gods, and then head over to the Palms. First hand, I get something like 2s 5d 9h 6h 10c. I redraw the entire hand to a straight flush for $250. BOOOOOOOM!!! Cash out and hit the crap pits at Palms.

I spot CK and walk over. Met Don and Cmitch for the first time and put a few hundo on the table. A few good rolls, a few bad ones, and I'm up a little bit. When it gets to Bayne's roll I fade him on the don't pass line. I'm the only blogger who left the table winner. Don heads home, and Mitch, Myself, Bayne, and CK, head back over to the Hooker Bar to meet up with Bam and LJ.

Hang out at the Hooker Bar for a while and meet LJ, Bam, and Pebbles. Bayne takes off for more crap pits, Bam & Peb take off and the rest of us head over to the Amazon room so I can register for the 2K. Along the walk we meet up with Hoy, who is also going to register. I take in the irony of walking to the series with 3 lawyers I pissed off a few months ago with my lawyers post. We register for the 2K and watch the Duece to Seven lowball final table for a bit. Barry Greenstien gets knocked out and it went to a heads up between Matasow and Lisandro. Watched for a a while, but ultimately decided to get some rest for the tourney and an early pre-game breakfast with Mitch and Hoy.

I've been lackluster in getting posts up, but when A-lister and oh so humble WPBT champion Joaquin decides to link you up, you better answer the call and get some new posts flowing.

So here's my recap of Day 2 in Vegas for the WSOP, one month late. It's gonna be boring, so your better off going and reading Pauly's coverage of the main event. Our little dwarf friend Iggy is going deep, and Tao is the best place to sweat him.

Still here? Fuck, I guess that means I actually need to do my recap. Ok, Day 2. I had breakfast with Cmitch and Hoy to talk strategy. Not much strategy was actually discussed, but it was a good meal and helped relax me a bit.

I got to my table and sat just as the cards went in the air. Two bust outs in the first two hands. Boat over two pair, and set over TPTK. Unfortunately, the two winners were 2 and 3 seats to my left, and this made for difficult situations for me. My table was a total donkfest and it sucked hard. At least last year in the $1500 event I had some good players including Danneman at my table, but this year was utter shit. If I was going home early, at least I wanted to play with some good players and maybe learn a thing or two. Instead, it was 5 to a flop, and 3 to the river almost every hand.

No room for bluffs, I was getting called down, so I had to wait for premium hands and good flops. Alas, the flop gods were not with me, though they temped me with some great hole cards. I got chipped away for a while and was down to about 3K when I picked up AhAd during the second hour. A early position raiser makes it 300 to go, and gets 2 callers before it gets to me. I re-pop to 1K, and the original raiser folds and the both original callers call. Flop comes the As Kd 4s. Check, Check, and I push my remaining 2K into the 3.4K pot. First player folds, second player makes the call with AcKs. Of course live poker is rigged, and he makes the runner runner flush when 2 spades fall. I had him covered and got about 700 back.

Last hand before the first break, and I'm in the SB with still crippled with the T700. Folds around to me as people are leaving the table. I have the Jh9h, and push to steal from the BB who only has about 2.5K himself. He makes the call with AhKh, flops a K, turns trips, and IGHN.

Basically, the tourney sucked for me, and I had no fun. But cash games were waiting, so I had a smoke and tried to re-focus for cash. LJ and Cmitch busted shortly thereafter, and I paid off Hoy on our last longer during the dinner break. This was the last I would see of Hoy, as he moved on to Ferrari's and lavish dinners for the rest of the weekend.

I really wanted to play either the $1500 Razz then next day, or if I made a good run at the cash games, the 10K Heads-Up championship. I played a satellite, and busted in 4th or 5th while cmitch caught up to me and sweated me a few min.

Luckily for me, Cmitch was also staying at the Rio, and was flying solo, so I got to hang with him for quite a bit during the trip, and he's a really great guy. This is where it gets kinda fuzzy for me, the rest of the weekend is sort of a blur, so I'm probably going to mix things up a bit.

I think what happened for the rest of the night was this -

Had dinner with CK, F-Train, and Bayne. First time I officially met F-Train. Nice guy, knows his Razz. Played the second chance tourney. Got seated at the same table as LJ. She stacked me.

Next post - cash games and video poker.....

I'm heading off to Ireland tonight for a well deserved vacation. Be back in a week or so, but I'm going to try and post from the trip if I get a chance.

So the rest of my WSOP was mainly cash games. I don't remember what order these sessions were played in, but these are my most memorable hands.

1. 2-5 NLH with Cmitch. I played pretty tight and waited for opportunities. Made a great call with 2nd or 3rd pair against a big bluff by a young buck. The kids play just didn't make any sense to me, I went into the tank, and it still made no sense. I call, he insta mucks and I leave the session up a few hundo.

2. 5-10 NLH with Cmitch again. One of the kids pushing Johnny Chan's suger water "energy drink" at the All-In booth sits down at the table and buys in short. Actually, a few people buy in short, and start busting each other with terrible play. The energy drink kids builds up a pretty good stack by calling all-in's on the flop a few times. I pick up 99. One caller before me, I raise, energy drink kid re-rasies from the blinds, and I call. Head up the flop comes 99x. DBQ! Kid bets 3/4 the pot. I think for a second and announce all-in. It was a HUUUGE overbet, but I knew this kid would call. He jumps for joy, insta-calls, and tables AA, looking oh so proud, until I turn over my quads. Leave the table around plus 1K.

3. 1-2 NLH at MGM. Nothing of interest here, played for about 2 hours, ended up winner $1, which I tipped at the cage.

4. 2-5 NLH at Venetian. I wanted to play 5-10, but Don and Weak warned me against it, so I settled for 2-5. Boring table with no action, so I headed back over to Rio with LJ. I think she wanted to play second chance tourney, and the Rio cash games seemed better to me. Left Venetian down maybe $50.

5. Late night 2-5 with Cmitch. Mitch was 2 to my right and kept Mississippi strattling my BB. I had had enough. He strattles. I raise blind. He calls blind. Flop comes xxy. Paired board with some other card. I bet $100 blind. Now he looks at his cards. He doesn't look all that happy, but he calls. I noticed a tell on mitch earlier in the week. He does something when he has a good hand. He did not do that something. I'm still playing blind of course, but I don't figure I can be that much behind if he missed the flop (which I think he did). I still have 1/3 chance of having hit the flop. Anyway, I was just having fun now and not really worrying or thinking about this type of thing, and he checks the turn and I push all in. He calls with an ace-x, and the river pairs the board making his hand 2 pair (on board) with his ace kicker. I turn over my first card - deuce, no help. My second card turns over - ACE! Split pot!!! It was fun, and I glad it ended that way. I think i finished up a little bit.

6. 5-10 NLH shark table. I got sat at a table full guys I think I had played against before. I buy in for 1K. After about a half-hour I realize I had not played with these guys before, I had seen them on TV. Tim Vance (EPT Copenhagen winner) was two to my right, on my left were a few older guys I recognized but didn't know their names, and around the corner were some Dane/Sweeds with perfectly messy haircuts. I was down a few hundred when this "oh, shit" realization hit me. I though I should leave the table, but then remembered why I was in vegas for the WSOP. To pay against the best. I didn't get a chance to do it in the WSOP event I played, so I decided to stick it out, adjust my game, and see how I could do. I topped off up to $1500.

Vance was spewing chips and I hoped to get some of them. I stayed even for a while, stealing when I could and trying to wait for opportunities. Then one came. I new player sat down - a middled aged black guy from Biloxi. He seemed to know all the other players. I don't remember the details of the hand, but he tried to push me off a set and ended up folding to my river raise and I scooped an $800 pot. I played pretty well for the next few hours and really felt like I could hold my own at this level of competition.

I was at about $2300 when this happened. Tim Vance strattles from the button for $20. SB pops it to $60. I re-pop from BB to $180 with KQ suited. I had done this occasionally, as Vance almost always strattled and SB almost always re-popped. Usually it would just fold around to me and I would pick up $100. I did this about 1 in 5 times, and it kept me about even with the situation. This time 4 people called behind me. Flop came 10-Q-x. Out of position, I plan on a check raise to see where I'm at. Checks around to Biloxi guy who has position, and he bets $200 into $800. I raise to $600, everyone folds but Biloxi and he just flat calls. This is not a good sign. Turn comes another Q. I check and he bets $300 into 2K. With $1500 behind I make it $900. He gets all upset and starts acting. I know I'm beat now. And after all his whining, he pushes the rest of his stack in. I only have $600 left and th pot was at 4-5k. I tank, I'm pissed at myself for getting cocky, and ultimately call, figuring 7 outs to beat his boat, or maybe 10-15% chance he's is on a great bluff. He of course had 10-10. I don't improve and lose a monster pot.

Biggest pot I've ever lost in my life. I was shell shocked. LJ and CK walked over as I was getting up, and I couldn't even tell the story straight. I had a smoke and a talk with LJ, and settled down a bit. I wanted to go play more, but she wisely advised me against it.

In the end, I learned a lot from sitting at that table, so I think it was worth the loss.

Later that night, I hit Quad Aces on video poker twice for $800 each time. Overall, great trip, great to meet some bloggers I hadn't met before, and I can;t wait until next year.