A Mackem in Vegas (Part II)
The worst sequel since "Return to the Blue Lagoon"? - Let's find out shall we?!
I'm heading to Sin City from Oct 21 to No
Jet-lag is really getting me this trip but at least I can file an update with some poker content at last!
Played the 11am $100 tourney at Orleans as planned and busted out in a situation I don't think I've ever experienced before - more on that later.
First some other hands of note:
Blinds are still just 100/200 when there's a raise to 600 from seat 6, seat 8 calls and a woman (retired, maybe mid-60s I guess) in seat 9 pops it to 3k. Original raiser folds but Hispanic gent in seat 8 calls.
Flop is KQx and it's checked to seat 9 who immediately bets 10k. Seat 8 insta shoves (we started with 25k) and the woman calls with JJ (wtf?) and loses to a flopped set of QQQ.
New player comes into seat 4 and gets AA first hand, and then AA again 3 hands later. Nice. I pick up AA a bit later and get just one caller, a youngish German lad I've been talking to a little.
Flop comes KQ6 and he check-calls my C-bet. I bet again on the T turn and again he calls so the spidey senses are tingling. He checks again on a 9 river and I check behind (mistake?). Unfortunately he has KQ and I suffer a decent hit to my stack.
Bigger hit comes when I raise AJs and bet an AK4 flop, again on the turn (which I can't remember) and then stupidly paid off a 15k bet on the K river. Villain had 44 for a boat.
I'm also pretty sure I misplayed a couple of hands where I had a set and later top 2 pair by raising donk bets on the turn. In fairness I think the very loose first opponent in particular would have called off his relatively small stack but I think it's a legacy of playing way more Omaha than holdem - I'm too wary of getting outdrawn when it's so much less likely.
Anyway, after 1st break the blinds are starting to bite but I stay patient and eventually pick up JJ at 600/1200 and raise to 3k, getting a call from a MAWG. Flop is a lovely 974hhh and I have the J of hearts. I c-bet and he calls and we see a 3d turn. I shove my remaining 17k and he goes into the tank. Obviously fading the snap call means he doesn't have a flush and I'm feeling pretty good about him either folding or getting the full double up.
Eventually he calls and flips over..... (I was tempted to make this a quiz question because it's so random but)....... it's the good old JTo 
He immediately says "Oh, I thought I had a 9" and while everyone is wondering what the **** is going on the dealer bangs down the 8 of diamonds on the river to fill his gutshot.
Nice. I manage a simple "wow" and exchange a "wtf" glance with an old gent to my left who had just joined the table and that's the cue to visit Auntee M's market and liquor store across the street from the hotel to stock up on some booze for the room.
Speaking of which, here's a photo for BigWhale...
The good news is that, after a break back in the room, I head back downstairs and get in a 1/3 game while waiting for a 4/8 omaha seat and proceed to win back the tournament entry fee and a good bit of profit.
Biggest hand at 1/3 was a shove with the NFD on a JTx board when a loose player had bet $45 on the flop and got two callers. Everyone instafolded.
Anyway, after 1st break the blinds are starting to bite but I stay patient and eventually pick up JJ at 600/1200 and raise to 3k, getting a call from a MAWG. Flop is a lovely 974hhh and I have the J of hearts. I c-bet and he calls and we see a 3d turn. I shove my remaining 17k and he goes into the tank. Obviously fading the snap call means he doesn't have a flush and I'm feelin
10% of the time it happens every time.
sorry to hear about the bad break. that's poker.
Nice. I manage a simple "wow" and exchange a "wtf" glance with an old gent to my left who had just joined the table and that's the cue to visit Auntee M's market and liquor store across the street from the hotel to stock up on some booze for the room.
FYI there's a decent liquor store in the Orleans itself.
Really? You’re not thinking of Gold Coast instead?
I can remember specifically stopping at the GC liquor store because the prices/specials were insane. Pretty sure that was 3 or 4 years ago, though. How long has the WSOP been at the PShoe? 2 years before that.
Yeah, me too. Used to love the Gold Coast.
Ah, the joys of tournament poker.
Played day 1c of a $250 tournament with a 125k guarantee and super slow structure, with 40 minute levels.
We actually started 3-handed which I thought was odd but With a total of 147 entries eventually the top 19 would advance to day two on Sunday and be in the money, but unfortunately even those slow blinds caught up with me and I busted in 27th with TT losing a flip to AQ.
So frustrating to have a decent stack all day before catching one of those runs of endless complete garbage hands and getting blinded down - we must be daft to play for 11hrs with no reward but such is tournament poker.
Adding some pics from my walk from Fremont St to alleviate the moaning 😛
[image]j5BIP0V.jpeg[/i
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Guess I should be staying here…
Probably the high point in chips
did you get a sighting of pchild James?
would have to have been early, he didn't last long
Sounds like there's another Day 1 today?
Apologies for some of the brief posts recently. I couldn't be bothered to get the laptop out so did some on my phone, but with a bit of time before this afternoon's $150 HORSE tourney I thought I'd grab a coffee and do a longer bit.
With thanks to TonySoprano (David), I decided to check out Stadium Swim at the Circa yesterday and it proved a good recommendation 
Thought it was going to be $30 to get in but, with it being an NFL Sunday I assume, it was $40 for a day pass with no reserved seating. Thankfully I was there shortly before 9am, when I thought it opened for non hotel guests, but turns out anyone can get in from 8am. Good job I did as there are a limited number of free, basic loungers near the screens that were filling up quickly, so I grabbed a space and caught the end of the day's football, before the "other" football got under way.
That meant seeing the second half of El Clasico and one of the worst handball decisions of all time (justice was down when pen was saved) along with the end of Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace.
At this point there was no commentary and music thumping out of the massive speakers on either end of the screens, but when the NFL games started they had comms for the main screen with the DJ then playing tunes in the (many) ad breaks and fading it out back out when play resumed.
After a while the sun moved behind the massive screen and meant the cheap sheets were pretty much in the shade, so I moved into a hot spa pool on the right-hand side for a long time until I decided it was time for a beer and something to eat. Unsurprisingly the beer was expensive at $12 per can/bottle, but if you bought a bucket of 6 that was just $70 for a nice $2 discount
I was happy with one for starters and to be fair I thought these fries at $9 were a reasonable option...
I stayed until almost the end of the afternoon games (that ankle injury to the Giants player was nasty) and overall had a great time with just one caveat, namely the ear-bleeding level of the music which could have been turned down by about 50 decibels and STILL have been deafening. I'll sound like a grumpy old man, which I kind of am, but it was a lot to put up with if you're there for a long time and, you know, not already deaf.
At one point the woman next to me left her lounger and said something to me from a distance of about two feet and I didn't catch a single word!!! Might have been "Come back to my room handsome English stranger", but was probably just "Please don't let anyone take my chair" 😃
Anyway, headed back to the hotel and used my patented cooling system to enjoy a few drinks watching the late game. I recommend filling the ice bucket and then using the two plastic bags you just bought the booze in to get even more ice. Use the bucket ice for a bottom layer and dump the bag ice over the top. Nice.
Why is the music in America so loud. It's everywhere. I can barely enjoy a restaurant here. One of the things we love about Europe is being able to talk to each other at a restaurant w/o having to yell. That said, it's probably because most Americans are so loud! (Yes, I'm an American, but I'm a quiet one.)
Glad you enjoyed Stadium Swim. That was my only gripe with it as well, the volume of the music being way too loud.
And I take back what I said about Sunderland. Nice win away at Chelsea [emoji44]
Glad you enjoyed Stadium Swim. That was my only gripe with it as well, the volume of the music being way too loud.
And I take back what I said about Sunderland. Nice win away at Chelsea [emoji44]
Thanks mate. Just about the only good thing that’s happened so far this trip!!!!
Just busted the HORSE tourney after first break. Couldn’t catch a hand and when I did the irritating table captain made his third boat in the first few levels.
Never seen anyone run so pure in my life.
Final hand I’m the bring in with a 2 in stud but have concealed AA and a guy with a K showing is happy to cap it pre and I get all in on 4th street.
Obviously he has KK4x and catches a 4 on 7th while I don’t improve.
Not a massive bad beat or anything of course, but just feels like everything is an uphill battle.
Plan tomorrow is to head to Venetian and order a strawberry Julius to get some run good.
Also have a pool pass booked for Mandalay Bay on Thursday.
Game 3 of World Series has at least been great to watch as we speak….
I realise the poker content has been a bit lacking so far but I hope you're liking all the pretty pictures at least! Combo of both below....
Uber prices have been really high so I was contemplating walking to Venetian on Tuesday morning but checked the prices before I left and at around $11 it was a no-brainer to save on the shoe leather and get to Grand Lux Cafe for breakfast as soon as possible.
The place was heaving as a big conference was clearly taking place but I got a table straight away, albeit through into the back section and shoved right into a dark corner. Went for the breakfast burrito with hash browns that I'd seen recommended on here and it didn't disappoint - both in terms of size and taste.
For $19 I think it's good value and a lot of food, whereas $7 for a coffee feels like a rip-off so I just waited to use the free machine in the poker room.
Left a tiny bit of egg/burrito behind and staggered through the conference crowd out to the Strip to walk down to the far end of Palazzo, the easiest route to the poker room. Put my name on interest lists for 1/2 PLO and a $3 Double Bomb Pot game before taking an empty seat at 1/3NL.
Game was a typical early morning limp fest full of older guys, but there was a good friendly atmosphere and it wasn't long before I was playing an optional bomb pot at the dealer change; it was $5 plus a supposedly "optional" $1 for the dealer but looked like everyone always did $6 so I just went with the flow.
Didn't make full notes on the hand (which was the only bomb pot I profited on in the session) but I flopped a NFD on the top board and nothing but a 3 on the bottom. Called 20 hoping to ~lock up the top board but hit an ace instead, bottom board was a blank. It gets checked around and I hit another Ace on the top for vulnerable trips and also another 3 on the bottom for the same. Same guy who bet the 20 earlier puts out 40 and I call, taking the top board but losing the bottom to 3s full of 7s.
Then comes my Teddy KGB-Oreo's moment as I call small bets with 42hh on a 567 (2 hearts) board, eventually catching my flush on the Jh river. Opponent, who is sitting directly opposite me, leads out again and after I raise, he instafolds his 89 for a flopped straight, saying he'd seen my face "light up" when the river was dealt !!! So much for my poker face. 😮
It was a fun moment and helped liven up the table even more, but the most fun I had was cracking an old guy's Aces when he only raised to 6 from LP and I called with K6 from the BB. Flop comes KJ6 and I CR to $40 after he led out for $15. He quickly shoves for around $120, I snap call obviously and bink another King on the turn. No miracle ace on the river and I scoop a nice pot. Amazingly the same player did something similar soon after - I didn't note the exact details but he either limped or min-raised and called down 3 streets with AA on a highly-connected 89JQ kind of board and unsurprisingly lost.
Crap chip stack pic below as I took it quickly to send to a mate back home and I was up even more after winning a hand against the aggro guy in seat one who kept raising to $30 or 35 pre-flop and usually just winning the blinds.
However, despite the imbibing of a Strawberry Julius I then lost a few pots and made the first bluff of my entire career.... straight into Quads
In fact I played it really badly all the way through but with 3 of us checking round a KTxxK board and neither opponent looking interested, I thought my stab on the river had a chance at repping the K with a weak kicker. Unfortunately it's hard to rep a King when your opponent has both of them and of course I fold after he raises and tables his hand in order to take the lead for the 30-minute high-hand promo.
His hand holds up (there was a steel wheel winner a bit earlier) and he draws $300 from his envelope; I believe there is still one $10k to be won.
After that a few of the older guys are replaced by younger, more aggressive types and I realise I've started to play defensively to try to lock up a win so decide to call it quits with a $183 profit. There's a few names on the 1/2 PLO list but no imminent signs of it starting so I take a wander back up the Strip to possibly get in some 1/2 PLO at Aria.
A message to those who used to enjoy playing at the Mirage, plus the current state of construction of the guitar-shaped Hard Rock....
And a quick one from the Bellagio conservatory
With 8 people on the waiting list at Aria I decide not to wait and wander back to the hotel for a few beers and watch the Blue Rays win Game 4 to level the series at 2-2. (Can't say I ever watch baseball at home and find the number of regular-season games absolutely ludicrous, but when there's something on the line in a limited series, it's much more enjoyable).
For $19 I think it's good value and a lot of food, whereas $7 for a coffee feels like a rip-off so I just waited to use the free machine in the poker room.
I never purchase a beverage with a meal in Vegas. why pay $6+ for a breakfast OJ when I can tip the cocktail waitress $1-2 in the casino? or get a free soda in the poker room
this is also why people complaining about $15+ bottled water doesn't bother me. it's a dummy litmus test
nice play
Ditto. I always ask for tap water 😉
Thanks for the detailed write up and totally agree re baseball
