The Rest of The Vegas Trip - Part 2

I woke around 6am and I head over to have buffet with Jinny and Foggy. On the way back, I watch Marco wreck some really easy players. Knowing how Marco plays as well as I do, I was telling Jinny what Marco had.

Jinny and I decided to head to Caesars to play the 330 buy-in. I was really pumped to play this. I drew a pretty good table and actually 2 of the players from there ended up final tabling.

Early on, I lost some chips on some very strange hands.

Blinds were 25/50 and we started with 10k in chips. With 40 minute blinds. I was dealt JdTd in the BB. There was a raise and about 5 callers.

The flop came out Th8h7c. The SB led out for about 2/3rds pot, I just called because I folding to a re-raise. The button also flatted. The turn was a 2s. About as much of a brick as you can get. The SB now led out for 1200 into 1800. I really did not want to flat again. I wanted to see where I was and get rid of the button so I had position on the river. So I raised to 2800 total. The button folded and the SB instantly went all-in. Oops. I thought about it forever and tried to get a read and knew I had to be crushed. I folded with so many chips in there and she showed 88 for a flopped set.

The very next hand I am in the sb and the same player raises on the puck. She seemed huge so I thought I would call as I had a tricky hand 7d8d. It was heads up and I was out of position but I felt like if I hit, I would double up. The flop was AdQd5x. I check called the flop and the turn was a Q. I thought perfect; I will lead out and get a cheaper river. Before I could bet she had a pot size bet in the middle. I complained to the dealer saying I felt like she was trying to angle me into a check as I was betting etc. He said the bet stands no matter what I do etc. I fold obviously and she shows Aces full. Yikes.

The VERY next hand I am down to 5300 at this point but I am on the puck there is a raise to 250 and a call. I make it 850 to go with AK and the SB flatted. Everyone else folded.

The flop was AhKd5d. The SB came out betting and I just pushed all-in. He snap called with 88 no diamond and I had to keep looking at the flop to see if there was an 8 on it. The board went 7d, 9d and I was still looking for a diamond but I held. Strangely enough the guy who made this call also made it to the final table. He told me later he was certain I was capable with shoving with complete air or 2 diamonds on that flop trying to represent AK figuring everyone would fold because I re-raised pre-flop. His logic was I was the type of player who played my button very hard and his 88 was good there more times than it was not. This guy scared me because he could not be more bang on. Thankfully I had AK and not 56 or something silly.

After the AK hand I was back up to 12k and felt great I was above starting stack now.

Then a lot of frustrating stuff happened. At the 100/200/25 level it folded to me in the cutoff. I decided I was raising no mater what this hand because I wanted to win one hand an orbit. I look down at my cards just for looks because I was raising anyway and I have KK. Here I am after gone over 12 hours of tourney time without KK or AA and I am in an obvious raise spot. I had a couple of solid players to my left so I figure a re-raise is so possible. Of course everyone folded to my raise and I was so deflated. Even more deflating was the TD coming around with chip racks to tell us our table is getting busted up. One of the worst parts of deep stacks MTT poker is changing tables. Especially live where you learn so much about your opponents.

My new table was slow and crazy. Blinds got to 200/400/50 and basically everyone was playing for stacks at that point. Then 2 hands in a row were notable. I have around 10k at this point and I get QQ utg. I raise to 1200 and everyone folds. Another depressing feeling. The next orbit when I was UTG again I was dealt 22. I must have looked at those silly 2s for a week. I wanted to limp so badly but didn't think it was possible that no one would raise. So then I thought of raising. Then I thought to myself "what are you crazy??" You have 22. I never have indecision at the table like this finally, I painfully mucked. Of course 6 PLAYERS LIMP!!!! and the BB checks.

The flop was J82, SB comes out betting a pot committing bet, BB goes overtop and the button calls. J9, JT vs. J8. The river was a 2. Anyway I wasn't tilty; I know folding there is the right play. Blinds were now 300/600/75 and I get dealt 77 in mp. I raise to 1800 deciding I am not folding pre-flop. A really bad player flat calls me. A play I just don't get ever when you call a short stacks raise out of position. The flop was Q62 rainbow and he checks to me. Well at this point, I have no idea what to do. Against most players, I usually check and save my chips however this guy just looked so weak so I bet 2400. Before I got my chips out he was all-in. I wanted to call so badly. Something was telling me he had nothing, maybe A6 or a poorly played AK. Finally I folded leaving 40% of my chips in the middle. This was such a painful fold.

I knew with only 15 minutes left until 400/800/100, I had to double up. Lucky enough for me, this table broke too and where I got sat, I needed to wait for the button to pass me so I couldn't play until there was 3 minutes left. I waited patiently for a whole orbit and never got a hand. To make it worse there was a maniac big stack raising every hand and calling all-ins with 78, J9, A2 saying he just wanted to gamble. There were just no pots I could get into without a raise in front.

All the way down to 6300. Finally a weak player limped and agro maniac chip leader folded. Another weak player (same player as the 77 hand) also limped. I looked down at the monster called 63os and auto shoved. They both folded and I was up around 9k. This gave me some fold equity to my pushes.

The next time I was in the BB. Agro maniac makes it 2k as he did every hand. A new player called on the button and left himself 8k but it was the non-scariest, I am so weak call I have ever seen. It folded to me and I looked really closely at this guy and I was sure he was weak. I shoved and it was around 6k more to call. Agro maniac had over 40k, to me he likely didn't have a hand because you can't get a hand every orbit like that and he just had KK. I also figured he may think he can't call even getting 2/1 because he has this other guy behind him. I looked down at Q6o and in my chips go. I stared at the button player the whole time and he looked so dejected so I was very happy with my read until big stack maniac says "all-in". Oops. I was just hoping for a 3 outer which I got as he had TT. I didn't love this play but if they fold like I want, I have over 15k. If they don't fold, I'm hopefully no worse than 33% to get to 21k. It was a crazy gamble but it has worked for me in the past.

So dejected and out of that tourney, Jinny and I go to the Cheesecake Factory for the most ridiculous cheeseburgers known to man. After Jinny didn't feel like playing but we had 3 hours to kill so I went and played the 1-3 game at Caesars. I had been listening to a lot of what Bruno and Marco had been telling me but I have to warn everyone, I consider myself an ok player and this strategy is very difficult to play outside your bankroll. You have to be willing to rebuy several times.

I sat down and raised about 80% of the hands. As Bruno told me, they will never play back at you and if they do it will be obvious they are huge. I was really sitting around even when I raised with 9s5s in middle position. I got 6 callers. The flop was 9x4c7c. I fired at the flop like I did every other flop I missed. I think I bet 40 into 60. A player on the button made it 95 total. Long story short, I flat called and figured I would see a turn. The turn was 2s. I checked and he shoved for 180. I was so ready to fold and practically did but then I talked myself into thinking he had a huge club draw that bricked the turn so I called. River was 9d and he turned over 44 for a boat. Duh. I hated that hand.

I rebuy for another 300 and after raising another 15 hands in a row, I finally get JJ. I have about 250 left. I make it 12 pre-flop and get 4 callers. The flop was 862 rainbow. I bet 40, and a player behind me makes it 80 more and he has me covered. I didn't think for 2 seconds and shoved all-in. He said "well I got to call now". I stayed very quiet knowing that he probably hit a piece of the flop and he is going to get me back to near even. Of course in a cash game, we don't show until the river. The turn is an Ace and I of course hate that. I say to him "you have A8" and he says no. River 9 and I think I'm safe until he turns over 96 for 2 pair.

That pot really hurt, I bought in for another 300 and pretty much stayed even until all the guys came to play the $150 buy-in at 7pm.

The structure in this tourney was terrible. 5k in chips with 40 min blinds but if you haven't doubled by level 3, you are playing push poker. We played it anyway. I got seated right next to Jinny and we both agreed we needed to be aggressive in this tourney.

On the 3rd hand there was a raise to 250 and 3 callers included Jinny. I was in the BB and looked at AK. I made it 1k total. The original raiser flatted and so did Jinny. At this point, I figured Jinny did not have a pp because I thought he would have shoved into me right there as my play looked so much like a steal. The flop came 662. Jinny checked. Now at this point there is 3k in the pot and I only have 4k. I bet 1500. I never c-bet AK but in this spot, I figured any pp would have played back at me pre-flop so I assumed I was ahead. The other caller folded and Jinny shoved all-in. Without thought, I insta-called thinking Jinny was making a play at the huge pot now. Normally people who flop a boat with 22 don't shove that flop. Jinny being as smart as he is knows that if he flat calls me on that flop, I never put another chip in so the shove was a smart play on his part as I was sure I was ahead. NH Jinny.

After waiting for the next donkey to bust, he did. Robbie and I walked back to MGM checking out the water show at the Bellagio along the way. I have not seen it close up for several years and it is pretty impressive stuff although a short show. Also Robbie had never walked the strip before so its pretty cool watching someone experience Vegas for the first time.

Back at MGM now around 10:00pm. I bought in for $200 and quickly stacked off to a solid player with tptk on a QJ4 board. There was a $15 raise pre and I called in cutoff with AQ, button made it $30 total and the BB called, cutoff called. Obviously I'm donating the other $15. Flop comes QJ4 with 2 diamonds. Cutoff bets 45, I make it 100 total and only have about 70 left. Folds back to cutoff who shoves, I instacall (why I don't know) and tell him he has JJ which he does. NH.

I rebuy again really mad at how much I lost so far on the day and I went into super grind mode and played until about 4am. I was exactly even on the day sitting with 400 and I would gain a bit then lose a bit. After Marco wrecked a guy when he rivered a straight we watched a guy sitting with $5 at a 1/2 table. Marco and I were laughing so hard we couldn't take it. The guy then limped and Marco raised to $7 and he folded. Lololol. Then with the guy in the bb, I raised with 9h6h. The SB called and the bb threw his last $1 in. So there is around $20 in the pot and the flop comes 578 with 2 spades. The SB shoves for $110, bb is all-in and I call. Marco looks at me kind of funny and says "you really have 96?" SB shows 68 and bricks the turn and river. We left shortly after and I was up slightly on the night.

It was around 4am and Marco and I headed back hoping Bruno was not there because for sure we would not sleep. Bruno was not there and we crashed immediately. I woke up around 11:45 to Bruno's barnyard noises. Bruno seriously I love having you on any poker trip I go on because you are one of the people I have learnt the most from you but dude...SNORE LESS!!!!!!!!!

I went right away to MGM. I was determined to put in a solid last day at the cash tables to prove to myself I could do this. When I first sat down there was an agro Lebanese guy with 1500 behind him. He was raising to $15 every hand. I finally got in a hand with him after 20 minutes and I called him down with 22 on a really raggedy board. He did one of those weird I have the nuts or nothing river bets. I called he showed A high.

About 4 hands later, UTG raised to 12, agro player made it 30. I was in the SB with KK. I usually raise here but I figured with just 3 in the hand, I could try to trap him so I flatted. The original raiser called as well. The flop was J82. I bet 50, UTG folded and maniac goes all-in. I call; he has QQ and looked like he was going to cry because he had been playing so many garbage hands.

The very next hand I get dealt QQ on the button and I lose a bit after re-popping pre. Agro maniac bets all 3 streets really weak with on a K5T8T board. I thought he might have A5 and the bets were so small. He had K3 but I don't think he ever folds that. Sadly the maniac was chipped down to $500 and he got up and left.

I then grinded through the longest session ever. I had about $500 in front of me and was up about $250 on the day. My table seemed so easy. I called a $7 raise in the bb with KTo and there were about 6 callers. The flop was QcJc4x. I bet $5 and everyone called. The turn was a 9h. I bet $25 and got 2 callers. The river was a 7h and I still had the nuts. I led out for $65 and one player called. The SB folded J9 face up and said I think you have KT. The player who called showed A7o. Why he called with A7, I do not know but why he showed is even a bigger mystery.

After awhile and some losses our table broke and I moved to a new table. On my very first hand I was in a limped pot with 55 in the bb and I stacked a local who had Q5 on a Q52 flop. I actually led out from the bb for $15, he made it $40 total and I re-raised to $100. He shoved for $50 more and I called.

Nothing exciting happened for the rest of this session. I did get in an argument with the Vegas local when he bet out of turn on an A27A board. I had 45 and was trying to stack him again. He bet the turn before I could check. The dealer said his action stood no matter what I did. I did not really care because I was done with the hand but I just could not believe how often people bet out of turn and there is no warning to them. The funny thing was the guy was all proud because he had AQ and he said why would I want you out of the hand. LOL: I said to him do you really think if I was still in the hand AQ would be good on that board?

I ended this session up about $400. On the trip, I came home with about $700 more than I left with and was able to buy zjm some nice gifts from the Coach store.