Runner-Runner-Rebuy

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.