Progress Post #21 - Viva Las Vegas

I ran superrrrrrrrrrr hot.

In a nutshell.

Friday

+$540 @ 5/10 @ Venetian
+$780 @ 1/2 @ Venetian

Saturday
-$550 @ Venetian Tournament

-$1,080 @ Bellagio Tournament

+$485 @ 2/5 @ Venetian
+$975 @ 5/10 @ Venetian
+$2,520 @ 10/20 @ Bellagio

Sunday

+$1080 @ 5/10 @ Venetian

Net for Vegas: +$4,770

I ended up going out there with John earlier, since my classes ended earlier then group 2.

He sits down at 5/10 and I wander around trying to figure out how to sign up for a player's card.

A half hour later, and I'm sitting next to John and buying in for a dime. There is a huge fish on the table. He is absolutely terrible, playing nearly every hand, and putting tons of money in bad.

I end up putting all $1,800 I brought with me on the table. I lost $400 on a bluff, and the fish doubled up through me for another $700 or so when he rivered a straight vs my set.

I am around $660 when I get AKh. I make it $50 to go and get 3 callers. The flop comes out Kc Jh 8s. That's pretty good, so I bet $115. It folds to this lady who min checkraiseses me. I want to puke. That's basically never a bluff and most hands that are legit beat me. I had to call $115 more into a pot of over $500. I couldn't bring myself to fold for that amount when I had some backdoor draws and some chance, although small, that I could be good. The turn brings a 6h, she shoves, I snap now that I picked up a flush draw, and bang a 5h on the river. I roll over a flush as she shows a set of Jacks.

So sick. I'm so bad at this game.

If the river brings any non heart, I'm busto for the weekend in my first two hours.

I collect my chips and the rest of the day is pretty easy. I just run over the table and get money in good when the bigger bets go in. When I run decent, that's usually what happens. I book a solid win for the first session. John's up a few hundred as well, and with Winston finally getting here, the real fun begins.

While Bryce handles the room, I talk with Aki, Zack, Rob and Winston.

We all ended up splitting a suite and then we go to eat.

John and I heard at the table that the cafe at the Venetian is bomb, so we head over. Apparently they still have like a half hour wait at 11:30PM, so it has to be good. Zack and I head out and play some BJ while we wait. I ran bad and lost $25. Zack ran even worse and lost $200 and all he got out of it was a Jack and Coke.

Mike joins us and then we're finally we're set, so I order a jambalya, and grand mojito. It's pretty good. Zach suggests getting a tequila sunrise, which I liked a lot. I ended up getting two.

My portion of the bill was $50

X_X

Note to self. Get alcohol at the tables where it's free.

We head back to the room for a bit. Winston and Zack talk about going to a club, but I'm not really sure what happened. Somehow they dissapeared without me noticing. I tried to call them but they didnt pick up, so I just headed downstairs and played 1/2 with Rob.

wow. Just wow.
1/2 players are so bad it's unbelievable. I got bet/3bet on a AA8Q board with Q9o. He then check called his entire stack off on the river.

WTF. I get no respect.

I ended up running hot and winning like $800 at the 1/2 game.

The one thing I like alot about the Vegas games, is that the buyins are usually capped at 100bb+. This is good cause the games have more action, play deeper and tend to be more interesting.

On Saturday I play a $550 tourney at the Venetian. I bust in the second level, and walk over to the Bellagio and buy into the $1080 tourney. It only gets 27 people and mega fish from Venetian is on my table. I'm chip leader heading into the first break, but an hour later and I'm only above average. I get AKo make it 2.5bb UTG. UTG+1 shoves, and MP1 shoves over. I snap call because I KNOW MP1 doesn't have better than QQ. He rolls over JJ, and UTG+1 has A5o. Flop is Jxx and I'm drawing nearly dead. I push the next hand with A6c got called by QJ and get busted when he flops two pair. I head back over to the Venetian to hang out with the guys. We eat dinner, I grind out a buyin at 2/5 and 5/10, then I convince John to play 10/20 at the Bellagio.

We both sit down at 10/20 and John starts off by running good. He quickly wins 1-2k by just picking up good hands. I'm sitting around even when I flop trips with 35d. The guy on my left bets and I c/r. The turn gives me an OESD to go with my trips, and I bet out. He calls. The river is a 7 and I bang the straight. I bet out big, and he quickly calls. And he shows me a 3 and mucks.

John won a $8k pot with the nuts. He limped in with QTo, and the flop comes out Ah Kh Jc. Some lady bets out, then 3bets him, and then 5 bet shoves with JTh. John snapcalls obviously. The board runs out two bricks and he scoops. Man he runs good.
Afterwards, he thanks me for making him come to Bellagio. Hahahaha.

On Sunday, John and I play some more 5/10 and crush. Standard.


Since then I've been to Hustler (-810) and Commerce (-2300)

Giving it all back!

At the Commerce I made a really bad call.

Hand went down like this.

I am playing 10/20 and have about $3500-3700 in play. Villian covers.

CO limps in, and I have JTo. Normally I'd iso him, but I've been really active lately and John and the BB will 3bet me light. So, I just limped in.

The BB makes it $120, and the CO folds. I call with the button and take the flop heads up in position.

Kc Js Th

Pretty good flop for JTo.

He bets $180, and I make it $500.
He tanks and calls.

The turn is a mostly meaningless 7d. Only 98 improved and I really doubt he has 98 here.
He checks, and I bet out $800. He tanks and then SHOVES.

Lets examine what he could have.
He raised preflop in the big blind, so his hand range is weighted much stronger towards big cards. Most smaller hands would see a free flop.

Let's examine our equity.
Drawing dead vs KK, JJ.
2 outs vs TT.
3 outs vs KJ, JT, KT, although all of these are somewhat unlikely
4 outs vs AQ and Q9, but Q9 is very unlikely.

I beat AA and AK.
They have
2 outs to trips.
6 outs to two pair
4 outs to a straight.

I also beat KQ which has even more outs than AA.


Wow, I'm way behind or barely ahead. This is a great formula for mucking two pair.

Easy right? So, I make one of the worst calls of my life.

He rolls over KK and I'm drawing dead.



I stoved it when I got home...

Pokerstove says I have 45% equity!?

This is only true if he has every hand in his range with the same frequency. I don't think this is true for several reasons.

He might not raise KT, KJ, KQ, or JT preflop in the big blind.
He might not go broke on the turn with AA, AK or KQ.
He is never laying down a set, or AQ, which means his hand range is weighted towards hands that have me crushed.

Anyways long story short, play bad get there. Just not in this case.



I'll see you across the felt.
Bryce, (the donkey)