Re-Bet has been running bad. He was down for his trip to Vegas, which just came to an end. Here are some of the lowlights:
1) He entered a $330-entry tournament at the Venetian. The field was around 600 players. About two hours into it, and with an average-sized stack, he got it all-in preflop with AA vs. AK and KK. The flop was all blanks, so AK was drawing dead and KK was drawing to one out, which hit on the turn.
After the hand was over, an old man at the table shook his head ruefully and with an air of hard-earned wisdom said, "People always overcommit with aces."
2) He lost a $700 heads-up pot in a $1-2 NL game to a performer in Stomp, one of the shows at PH, who was playing before going on stage. The guy was all-in on the turn with bottom pair and no draw, after calling a $45 reraise preflop with 3-4 offsuit. Re-Bet just had second pair, but it was good until the river.
3) Discouraged, he decided to leave Vegas. He was on the highway, driving through the desert past Kingman, Arizona and hit a deer. He got out of the car and the deer was gone, but the car's front end was ruined.
The car was still driveable so he kept going. Not an hour later, he got pulled over by a cop and got a ticket for driving with only one working headlight.
-------
PH, $1-2 NL
+ $205
Excalibur, $1-3 NL
+ $120
PH, $1-2 NL
- $200
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Produce Head, Proceed to Bang Against Wall
Bellagio, $2-5 NL
- $200
PH, $1-2 NL
+ $235
PH, $1-2 NL
- $210
PH, $1-2 NL
+ 190
- $200
PH, $1-2 NL
+ $235
PH, $1-2 NL
- $210
PH, $1-2 NL
+ 190
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Patrick's Big Blind Special
So this hand happened a few weeks ago...
Patrick is a local player in his twenties, a regular at PH. He told me he had been on a bad run of cards, or otherwise getting bad results, and these bad results happened to coincide with his making Red Rock casino his home base. I told him that Red Rock was the reason.
Red Rock is a locals casino out in Summerlin. You probably have some of the toughest $200-capped NL live casino games in the world spread at Red Rock. Playing at Red Rock is kind of like going into a poker bootcamp. Just like with bootcamp, they deprive you of your worldly possessions. At the end of the month, you have no bankroll whatsoever but your game is so strong you can crush any player who has not also been through the Red Rock initiation.
So finally he came back to PH, which was good. But he got drunk, which was not so good. Patrick sober is a pretty solid player, and you will seldom hear word one out of his mouth. But when he drinks his play opens up and he treats his chips like a pyromaniac in the desert with a fresh box of grenades. He also becomes the most easily offended man on the planet.
So in this game with me and Patrick there are also a couple European kids sitting next to each other. I want to say they are Czech but that is probably wrong--but they are speaking Czech or whatever language it is they speak to each other between hands. A drunk Patrick is an openly suspicious and contemptuous Patrick, and whenever they speak something besides English I think he is going to ask the floorman to come over and throw them out for possible collusion.
So there is a limped pot, with Patrick in the big blind. The flop comes down 763, with two diamonds. The small blind checks and Patrick bets like $10. It's folded to Czech kid #1, who pushes all-in for like $100. Then Czech kid #2, right behind him, pushes for almost $200.
Patrick is sitting there thinking for the longest time. "I know they're working together," he says.
Finally another guy at the table says, "Clock, please." The dealer announces that Patrick will have one minute to make his decision.
"Who called clock," Patrick asks. He was so caught up in his decision that he didn't notice who it was. When the dealer tells him who it was, Patrick turns to the guy and says, "Hey, fuck you!"
He turns over his hand. It's 6-7 for top two pair. "This is what I'm thinking about, okay?"
He mutters, "I know they're working together."
With about 10 seconds left to make a decision, he goes, "I call!"
The turn and river blank off. Czech #1 turns over 89 of diamonds for an open-ended straight and flush draw. Czech #2 shows AT of diamonds for the nut flush draw. They missed everything and Patrick takes the pot.
Patrick shouts, "Fuck 'em!"
He gets up and staggers around, drunkenly pumping his fist. "I know they're working together."
The Czech kids are looking at each other forlornly, deciding whether or not to rebuy, and Patrick is still walking around and shouting, "Fuck 'em!"
It was like something out of the Middle Ages.
--------
I haven't been playing much the past few days, just for like five minutes on UB this morning while my coffee was brewing.
UltimateBet
$.25-.50 PLO/$.25-.50 NLH
+ $55
Patrick is a local player in his twenties, a regular at PH. He told me he had been on a bad run of cards, or otherwise getting bad results, and these bad results happened to coincide with his making Red Rock casino his home base. I told him that Red Rock was the reason.
Red Rock is a locals casino out in Summerlin. You probably have some of the toughest $200-capped NL live casino games in the world spread at Red Rock. Playing at Red Rock is kind of like going into a poker bootcamp. Just like with bootcamp, they deprive you of your worldly possessions. At the end of the month, you have no bankroll whatsoever but your game is so strong you can crush any player who has not also been through the Red Rock initiation.
So finally he came back to PH, which was good. But he got drunk, which was not so good. Patrick sober is a pretty solid player, and you will seldom hear word one out of his mouth. But when he drinks his play opens up and he treats his chips like a pyromaniac in the desert with a fresh box of grenades. He also becomes the most easily offended man on the planet.
So in this game with me and Patrick there are also a couple European kids sitting next to each other. I want to say they are Czech but that is probably wrong--but they are speaking Czech or whatever language it is they speak to each other between hands. A drunk Patrick is an openly suspicious and contemptuous Patrick, and whenever they speak something besides English I think he is going to ask the floorman to come over and throw them out for possible collusion.
So there is a limped pot, with Patrick in the big blind. The flop comes down 763, with two diamonds. The small blind checks and Patrick bets like $10. It's folded to Czech kid #1, who pushes all-in for like $100. Then Czech kid #2, right behind him, pushes for almost $200.
Patrick is sitting there thinking for the longest time. "I know they're working together," he says.
Finally another guy at the table says, "Clock, please." The dealer announces that Patrick will have one minute to make his decision.
"Who called clock," Patrick asks. He was so caught up in his decision that he didn't notice who it was. When the dealer tells him who it was, Patrick turns to the guy and says, "Hey, fuck you!"
He turns over his hand. It's 6-7 for top two pair. "This is what I'm thinking about, okay?"
He mutters, "I know they're working together."
With about 10 seconds left to make a decision, he goes, "I call!"
The turn and river blank off. Czech #1 turns over 89 of diamonds for an open-ended straight and flush draw. Czech #2 shows AT of diamonds for the nut flush draw. They missed everything and Patrick takes the pot.
Patrick shouts, "Fuck 'em!"
He gets up and staggers around, drunkenly pumping his fist. "I know they're working together."
The Czech kids are looking at each other forlornly, deciding whether or not to rebuy, and Patrick is still walking around and shouting, "Fuck 'em!"
It was like something out of the Middle Ages.
--------
I haven't been playing much the past few days, just for like five minutes on UB this morning while my coffee was brewing.
UltimateBet
$.25-.50 PLO/$.25-.50 NLH
+ $55
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
WSOP Satellite
Today I went down to the Rio along with Re-Bet to play a $125-entry World Series of Poker satellite.
The play at these things is atrocious from what I have heard. I don't really like playing single table tourneys that much, cause they are a boring form of poker and cause there is a lot of short-term variance, but Re-Bet thought our edge could be big. When I started playing for a living, all I did was SNGs on PartyPoker.
The players at the Rio, especially in the smaller buy-in satellites, are mostly tourists and amateurs taking their shot at a ticket to a bigger dance. I was kinda surprised to see Doug Lee registering for a $525 satellite.
So, it was good. Todd and I both made the final three and we chopped the prize pool at that point. Normally the winner gets $1,000 in tourney chips plus $120 in cash. Since Todd had fewer chips than myself and the other player, I split the cash with the third player and we all split the chips evenly.
At this point, there isn't a big-name pro alive who has a better record than me when it comes to cashing at the WSOP. One-hundred percent, baby. As T.J. Cloutier would say, I'm as pure as the driven snow.
Starting in about a week I plan on hitting these things pretty hard. I'll basically be living at the Rio and playing satellites full-time.
Rio, WSOP $125 Satellite
+ $265
The play at these things is atrocious from what I have heard. I don't really like playing single table tourneys that much, cause they are a boring form of poker and cause there is a lot of short-term variance, but Re-Bet thought our edge could be big. When I started playing for a living, all I did was SNGs on PartyPoker.
The players at the Rio, especially in the smaller buy-in satellites, are mostly tourists and amateurs taking their shot at a ticket to a bigger dance. I was kinda surprised to see Doug Lee registering for a $525 satellite.
So, it was good. Todd and I both made the final three and we chopped the prize pool at that point. Normally the winner gets $1,000 in tourney chips plus $120 in cash. Since Todd had fewer chips than myself and the other player, I split the cash with the third player and we all split the chips evenly.
At this point, there isn't a big-name pro alive who has a better record than me when it comes to cashing at the WSOP. One-hundred percent, baby. As T.J. Cloutier would say, I'm as pure as the driven snow.
Starting in about a week I plan on hitting these things pretty hard. I'll basically be living at the Rio and playing satellites full-time.
Rio, WSOP $125 Satellite
+ $265
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Stomach of a Champion
So today was the Burrito Challenge, and Todd ate the first burrito in eight minutes. I took a $100 save bet after that, which meant that he did not have to eat the second burrito and I only had to pay him $100 instead of $200.
The waitress said it was the fastest she'd ever seen anyone eat it. She kept looking at his empty plate, then at him, with a gleam of amazement in her eyes.
Yesterday he let me know that he'd won several competitive eating events, including a hot dog eating contest and a pie eating contest where he downed five whole cherry pies. But when he told me this, I felt that it was too late to honorably back out from the bet.
But I was too depressed to play poker in the aftermath.
Update: We now have a new bet on the ABC reality show which is something like Driving with the Stars. Celebrities racing stockcars. We drafted three celebs each with a bet riding on the highest combined finish. My picks were Ty Murray (rodeo champion), Laird Hamilton (surfer), and Bill Cowher. His picks were William Shatner, John Cena (pro wrestler), and Jewel. Nuff said.
I will be in Florida this weekend and will resume posting when I return.
The waitress said it was the fastest she'd ever seen anyone eat it. She kept looking at his empty plate, then at him, with a gleam of amazement in her eyes.
Yesterday he let me know that he'd won several competitive eating events, including a hot dog eating contest and a pie eating contest where he downed five whole cherry pies. But when he told me this, I felt that it was too late to honorably back out from the bet.
But I was too depressed to play poker in the aftermath.
Update: We now have a new bet on the ABC reality show which is something like Driving with the Stars. Celebrities racing stockcars. We drafted three celebs each with a bet riding on the highest combined finish. My picks were Ty Murray (rodeo champion), Laird Hamilton (surfer), and Bill Cowher. His picks were William Shatner, John Cena (pro wrestler), and Jewel. Nuff said.
I will be in Florida this weekend and will resume posting when I return.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
The Mirage
"I want him to think I'm contemplating a call, but all I'm really thinking about is Vegas and the fucking Mirage."
--Rounders
I played poker at the Mirage today for the first time since I moved to Las Vegas. I hadn't booked any huge wins at Planet Hollywood this week, and Todd felt like he was in a rut and wanted to try something different, too. So I just thought: The Mirage.
Just before I moved out from DC a few years back, I took a trip to Vegas scoping out a place to live. On that trip I played limit holdem at the Mirage and lost. So I kinda had a bad feeling about the room from that, and when I moved to Vegas the only no-limit holdem games they spread were $2-5 blinds and higher. But they now spread $1-2 NLH.
Steve and Todd decided to go along for the Mirage experiment. I sat down at a table without them and just felt like I was playing my A-game from the start. I got stuck $100 by calling an all-in on the flop in a 3-way reraised pot on a Queen-high board holding pocket jacks. My call was correct as my opponent had a flush draw and hit the river.
But it was all uphill from there. I played for about four hours and cashed out exactly $1,100 from a $200 buy-in plus a $100 reload. The biggest pot of the night came down as follows:
Seat 2: Solid, Tricky Asian Kid, $550 stack
Seat 3: Me, $600 stack
Seat 6: Crazy LAG European 1, $350 stack
Seat 7: Crazy LAG European 2, $200 stack
Preflop, dealt to Seat 3, 8h7h
Seat 2 calls $2
Seat 3 raises to $10
Seat 6 calls $10
Seat 7 calls $10
Seat 2 calls $8
Comments--I haven't raised for a about an hour at this point, and I haven't raised all session with a suited connector. I am not thrilled with two LAG players calling behind me in position. I will only continuation bet if it's a dry board, it looks like it helped me, or if it really is favorable to me.
Flop, 776 rainbow
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $20
Seat 6 calls
Seat 7 calls
Seat 2 calls
Comments--I guess if I choose to bet, this is too small even considering how hard I hit it.
Turn, Q
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $60
Seat 6 folds
Seat 7 folds
Seat 2 raises $60 to $120
Seat 3 reraises $100 more to $220
Seat 2 calls $100
Comments--I know he respects my game to some degree at least, and is putting me on an overpair. He also knows that I respect his game to some degree and that if he raises here I will put him on a big hand. He either has trips, a boat, or a bluff. I think he probably has something similar to what I have, but even if he has a boat he has to be afraid I have QQ when I reraise. So I am actually thinking about pot control when I reraise, because I don't want to have to face a huge bet on the river because I haven't let him know I have a big hand. I will probably check if I don't improve.
River, 8
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $160
Seat 2 calls with 97
Comments--"Nice river, Sir."
The Mirage, $1-2 NLH
+ $800
--Rounders
I played poker at the Mirage today for the first time since I moved to Las Vegas. I hadn't booked any huge wins at Planet Hollywood this week, and Todd felt like he was in a rut and wanted to try something different, too. So I just thought: The Mirage.
Just before I moved out from DC a few years back, I took a trip to Vegas scoping out a place to live. On that trip I played limit holdem at the Mirage and lost. So I kinda had a bad feeling about the room from that, and when I moved to Vegas the only no-limit holdem games they spread were $2-5 blinds and higher. But they now spread $1-2 NLH.
Steve and Todd decided to go along for the Mirage experiment. I sat down at a table without them and just felt like I was playing my A-game from the start. I got stuck $100 by calling an all-in on the flop in a 3-way reraised pot on a Queen-high board holding pocket jacks. My call was correct as my opponent had a flush draw and hit the river.
But it was all uphill from there. I played for about four hours and cashed out exactly $1,100 from a $200 buy-in plus a $100 reload. The biggest pot of the night came down as follows:
Seat 2: Solid, Tricky Asian Kid, $550 stack
Seat 3: Me, $600 stack
Seat 6: Crazy LAG European 1, $350 stack
Seat 7: Crazy LAG European 2, $200 stack
Preflop, dealt to Seat 3, 8h7h
Seat 2 calls $2
Seat 3 raises to $10
Seat 6 calls $10
Seat 7 calls $10
Seat 2 calls $8
Comments--I haven't raised for a about an hour at this point, and I haven't raised all session with a suited connector. I am not thrilled with two LAG players calling behind me in position. I will only continuation bet if it's a dry board, it looks like it helped me, or if it really is favorable to me.
Flop, 776 rainbow
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $20
Seat 6 calls
Seat 7 calls
Seat 2 calls
Comments--I guess if I choose to bet, this is too small even considering how hard I hit it.
Turn, Q
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $60
Seat 6 folds
Seat 7 folds
Seat 2 raises $60 to $120
Seat 3 reraises $100 more to $220
Seat 2 calls $100
Comments--I know he respects my game to some degree at least, and is putting me on an overpair. He also knows that I respect his game to some degree and that if he raises here I will put him on a big hand. He either has trips, a boat, or a bluff. I think he probably has something similar to what I have, but even if he has a boat he has to be afraid I have QQ when I reraise. So I am actually thinking about pot control when I reraise, because I don't want to have to face a huge bet on the river because I haven't let him know I have a big hand. I will probably check if I don't improve.
River, 8
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $160
Seat 2 calls with 97
Comments--"Nice river, Sir."
The Mirage, $1-2 NLH
+ $800
The Burrito Challenge is On for June 6
After some furious negotiations, I have reached an agreement for a sidebet with Todd (Re-Bet).
He must eat two El Campeon burritos in the space of two hours. I am giving him 10-to-1 odds on a $20 bet. In other words, if he wins, I pay him $200, plus the cost of our meals. If I win, he pays me $20, plus the cost of our meals.
Some obvious stipulations like he cannot purge at any time, etc.
Now those of you who eat at Chipoltle or Baja Fresh or whatever your favorite Mexican place happens to be, are probably thinking I am making a bad bet. But you have to understand, these burritos are huge. Well over a pound each, with double tortillas. I ordered one like a year ago and couldn't eat it at the restaurant. I took it home and ate leftovers for a week. La Salsa has their own promo that if you eat one of them plus a big margarita, you win a free T-shirt or something.
But the two burrito challenge is more ambitious. No normal untrained human can do it, in my opinion. Todd can eat like a horse, though, which has me a little nervous. But I still think I have a good bet going.
Anyway, it's tomorrow at 4 pm at La Salsa in the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood.
June 4
7 pm torney
-$60
$1-2 NLH
+135
Daily Net: +$75
He must eat two El Campeon burritos in the space of two hours. I am giving him 10-to-1 odds on a $20 bet. In other words, if he wins, I pay him $200, plus the cost of our meals. If I win, he pays me $20, plus the cost of our meals.
Some obvious stipulations like he cannot purge at any time, etc.
Now those of you who eat at Chipoltle or Baja Fresh or whatever your favorite Mexican place happens to be, are probably thinking I am making a bad bet. But you have to understand, these burritos are huge. Well over a pound each, with double tortillas. I ordered one like a year ago and couldn't eat it at the restaurant. I took it home and ate leftovers for a week. La Salsa has their own promo that if you eat one of them plus a big margarita, you win a free T-shirt or something.
But the two burrito challenge is more ambitious. No normal untrained human can do it, in my opinion. Todd can eat like a horse, though, which has me a little nervous. But I still think I have a good bet going.
Anyway, it's tomorrow at 4 pm at La Salsa in the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood.
June 4
7 pm torney
-$60
$1-2 NLH
+135
Daily Net: +$75
Monday, June 4, 2007
The Chico Suave Open
Got disgusted with a bad run of cards in the cash game. Decided to play the 7 pm tournament, which I almost never do, mostly cause I couldn't stand sitting there any longer.
Good thing I did. Eighty players and I took second.
June 3
Planet Hollywood, 7 pm "Chico Suave Open" tourney , $60 entry fee, 80 players
2nd place, +$505
Planet Hollwyood, $1-2 NLH
-$300
Daily net: + $205
Good thing I did. Eighty players and I took second.
June 3
Planet Hollywood, 7 pm "Chico Suave Open" tourney , $60 entry fee, 80 players
2nd place, +$505
Planet Hollwyood, $1-2 NLH
-$300
Daily net: + $205
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Konich Takes 8th
After my session at PH I headed to the Rio and watched dealer John Konich take down 8th place in the Casino Employees event at the WSOP for $8K.
June 2
Planet Hollywood, $1-2 NL
+ $170
June 2
Planet Hollywood, $1-2 NL
+ $170
Saturday, June 2, 2007
World Series of the Pokers Has Arrived
I'm going to update this blog more regularly and track my results here this month.
June 1
Planet Hollywood, $1-2 NLH
+ $195
That's it. Post over. Blogging virtuosity.
June 1
Planet Hollywood, $1-2 NLH
+ $195
That's it. Post over. Blogging virtuosity.
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