Another kid Another dream tl;dr
01-15-2013
, 04:52 AM
Quote:
Stranger to the Sun
Opening my eyes i was met with the surprise that comes in the first moments of waking up in unfamiliar territory. The sun reflected off the leaves of the trees and bounced through the window of my bedroom. Was I on vacation? I'd dreamt I'd been on vacation.
I rolled over towards the other shoulder and reality quickly set in. My T-Shirt from the night before on the bedstand, resting next to the 16 inch TV that comes with Meridian studio apartments.
Lying in my own bed, I wasn't lost at all. I was a victim of unfamiliar times. The New Year had been underway for 12 days now, and out of that time, nearly half of it had been spent at Bellagio. The other half spent in delirium tossing and turning in that very room, fighting the morning sun for some honest hours of sleep.
Today was the first day of the year I hadn't awaken to total darkness. It was 3pm, and I couldn't have been more ecstatic. Having only slept through one of the mornings playoff games, I turned on CBS, grabbed my mac, and took some moments to reflect on the week that had been...
There's something to be said for the mystery of an all-night poker game. The emptiness of the room emits new sites and sounds that can't be experienced under normal circumstances. The ringing of slot machines is switched with the sounds of vacuums and the groups of screaming sportsbettors have been replaced with resting drunks.
Being one of two tables in the room feels more like the camping trip of a child then the workday of an adult. Carried from hour to hour by stories from "Pre Vegas Days" it's these nights where you really get to know the people you spend all year sitting next to. Ironically, there's nothing innocent about the all night poker games. These are the times when hourlies are established and vacations are earned.
It all started a week ago at the tail end of a 25/50nl game. The Saudi Prince had finished playing at his typical 3am, as four of us either too buried or too caffeinated to sleep carried on the action. An hour later I'd stood up from the 7 seat, prepared to call it a night. From the 2, I heard a mumbled "You might want to sit back down" as Len Ashby's eyes drifted from mine to the distance over my left shoulder. "Hey sir how you doing, long time no see" I heard from the seasoned pro.
There was no response, just a friendly headnod as I turned around to see the mystery guest. Mr Macau, as I've come to know him, speaks no English. He'll point when he wants your attention and grab the dealer's yellow button when it's time to put you all in. The main boss from last summers post entitled "Sunday Funday" he has rightfully earned a reputation for playing any 2 preflop and running 100k swings in a manner of hours.
From that night forward there was no sleeping at night. Mr. Macau was still on China time, which meant I, too, was now on China time
Each night I'd awake between 7 and 9pm and head into Bellagio. Around 10 the 25/50 game would get going around the Prince. The Prince is good action, don't get wrong, but it was the King I was here to see. When 3am rolled around the Prince would say good night and the rest of us would continue playing, patiently waiting. Sometimes the King would show up at 4, other times not until 8.
Not everybody stayed; People have families and obligations after all. The rest of us would gamble and laugh and caffeinate our ways through the hysterical hours of the early morning, waiting for our shot at fortune.
My battles with the King started off one-sided. In my first crack at him I cold 4bet the btn with the A
Q and a 6k pot-sized bet remaining. He called and then check called it off on a J33 with one . I was drawing dead to JJ.
Later that session he put on the 200 double straddle and I opened 99 to 700. He called as did one other as it came 667. I bet 1500 and only the King called. on a 4o turn I bet again, this time 3,200. He called once more as we got to the river, an offsuit K. After another check, I bet out 5800. Snap Call. My 99 was no match to K8.
Two days into his stay and I was stuck 30k.
Still patiently I showed up everyday, prepared to pretty much go broke trying my luck against a guy playing 80% of hands and opening most to $700 at 10/20.
In our next battle he opened to 500 and i made it 1600 with A
Q. The flop fell down AQ
4 and now I had a real chance to get some money back when he check called my 2k bet. I was playing 20k and he had me covered. The turn was a Q. Against this guy I wanted to give him a reason to turn gutters into bluffs so I bet only 2800, all of my remaining small chips, leaving me 3 flags behind. He thought for an uncharacteristically long time and called the bet. The river was the worst card in the deck, another A
.
Jesus Christ, I thought, cursing out my luck. I assumed my boat had turned into a chop when he led the river for 10k; Still I went through the protocol of raising my final 5k.
No snap call. I looked up from the felt and the King wore a smile as he slowly waved his head back and forth. The type of head nod from somebody who'd been caught. Seconds later he picked his cards up and tossed them faced down into the muck.
With the help of position, well timed cards, and hours and hours of play, I turned a bad start to the year into a decent sized winner. But there was still more poker to be played.
On the King's last day I once again had a seat directly to his left. He was in the 9 and I was in 1. By this time we were joking together through hand gestures and his interpreter. I figured he liked me; He certainly liked gambling with me.
But on this particular day, I didn't know if I wanted to gamble with the King. He ran a 30k stack up all the way to 160k in no more then three dealers. One by one he picked off everybody at the table. "If this keeps up the biggest game in this place will be 2/5 by the end of the week," I joked to Chris on my left. Just like the Andy Beal trips from years ago, the King had the power to put a major dent in the LV high stakes scene.
But there was no running. If you were at the table, he'd find you.
In a straddled pot he raised it up to 1300 in the sb. I looked down at the KQ and instead of 3betting his unusually large sizing I chose to call. The flop brought gin, K23. The King wouldn't be deterred, though, as he fired 2600. I called the bet leaving myself around 14.5k behind. The turn was a 4, way better for his range then mine, and he demonstrated that by throwing 3 5k flags into the middle. I've never called off 300bbs with one pair faster in my life.
With my heart beating through my shirt, the river card couldn't come quick enough.
5.
All doubts of not being good had disappeared….or so I thought. While reaching for my cards, I heard a chinese screech from the other side of the dealer, "Haaaiiiiiiaaaa".
Oh helllllllll noooo.
All of a sudden the beat was back up and running, as I waited for him to chuck down his cards. The 6 was first. The T next.
I counted the biggest pot of my life as the King slowly redistributed the remaining cash back to the community. 90k later, he rose, and with a smile and a wave was gone, just as mysterious as he'd arrived.
A horrid start to the year had turned into the biggest cashgame week of my life.
Sometimes in poker it's the light of the moon that illuminates the prize. As great as it is to understand the mechanics of strategy, it's 10x as important to know where to be and when to be there. As professionals we accept this part of the lifestyle, even if it means growing stranger to the sun.
MM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c
Opening my eyes i was met with the surprise that comes in the first moments of waking up in unfamiliar territory. The sun reflected off the leaves of the trees and bounced through the window of my bedroom. Was I on vacation? I'd dreamt I'd been on vacation.
I rolled over towards the other shoulder and reality quickly set in. My T-Shirt from the night before on the bedstand, resting next to the 16 inch TV that comes with Meridian studio apartments.
Lying in my own bed, I wasn't lost at all. I was a victim of unfamiliar times. The New Year had been underway for 12 days now, and out of that time, nearly half of it had been spent at Bellagio. The other half spent in delirium tossing and turning in that very room, fighting the morning sun for some honest hours of sleep.
Today was the first day of the year I hadn't awaken to total darkness. It was 3pm, and I couldn't have been more ecstatic. Having only slept through one of the mornings playoff games, I turned on CBS, grabbed my mac, and took some moments to reflect on the week that had been...
There's something to be said for the mystery of an all-night poker game. The emptiness of the room emits new sites and sounds that can't be experienced under normal circumstances. The ringing of slot machines is switched with the sounds of vacuums and the groups of screaming sportsbettors have been replaced with resting drunks.
Being one of two tables in the room feels more like the camping trip of a child then the workday of an adult. Carried from hour to hour by stories from "Pre Vegas Days" it's these nights where you really get to know the people you spend all year sitting next to. Ironically, there's nothing innocent about the all night poker games. These are the times when hourlies are established and vacations are earned.
It all started a week ago at the tail end of a 25/50nl game. The Saudi Prince had finished playing at his typical 3am, as four of us either too buried or too caffeinated to sleep carried on the action. An hour later I'd stood up from the 7 seat, prepared to call it a night. From the 2, I heard a mumbled "You might want to sit back down" as Len Ashby's eyes drifted from mine to the distance over my left shoulder. "Hey sir how you doing, long time no see" I heard from the seasoned pro.
There was no response, just a friendly headnod as I turned around to see the mystery guest. Mr Macau, as I've come to know him, speaks no English. He'll point when he wants your attention and grab the dealer's yellow button when it's time to put you all in. The main boss from last summers post entitled "Sunday Funday" he has rightfully earned a reputation for playing any 2 preflop and running 100k swings in a manner of hours.
From that night forward there was no sleeping at night. Mr. Macau was still on China time, which meant I, too, was now on China time
Each night I'd awake between 7 and 9pm and head into Bellagio. Around 10 the 25/50 game would get going around the Prince. The Prince is good action, don't get wrong, but it was the King I was here to see. When 3am rolled around the Prince would say good night and the rest of us would continue playing, patiently waiting. Sometimes the King would show up at 4, other times not until 8.
Not everybody stayed; People have families and obligations after all. The rest of us would gamble and laugh and caffeinate our ways through the hysterical hours of the early morning, waiting for our shot at fortune.
My battles with the King started off one-sided. In my first crack at him I cold 4bet the btn with the A
Q and a 6k pot-sized bet remaining. He called and then check called it off on a J33 with one . I was drawing dead to JJ.Later that session he put on the 200 double straddle and I opened 99 to 700. He called as did one other as it came 667. I bet 1500 and only the King called. on a 4o turn I bet again, this time 3,200. He called once more as we got to the river, an offsuit K. After another check, I bet out 5800. Snap Call. My 99 was no match to K8.
Two days into his stay and I was stuck 30k.
Still patiently I showed up everyday, prepared to pretty much go broke trying my luck against a guy playing 80% of hands and opening most to $700 at 10/20.
In our next battle he opened to 500 and i made it 1600 with A
Q. The flop fell down AQ4 and now I had a real chance to get some money back when he check called my 2k bet. I was playing 20k and he had me covered. The turn was a Q. Against this guy I wanted to give him a reason to turn gutters into bluffs so I bet only 2800, all of my remaining small chips, leaving me 3 flags behind. He thought for an uncharacteristically long time and called the bet. The river was the worst card in the deck, another A. Jesus Christ, I thought, cursing out my luck. I assumed my boat had turned into a chop when he led the river for 10k; Still I went through the protocol of raising my final 5k.
No snap call. I looked up from the felt and the King wore a smile as he slowly waved his head back and forth. The type of head nod from somebody who'd been caught. Seconds later he picked his cards up and tossed them faced down into the muck.
With the help of position, well timed cards, and hours and hours of play, I turned a bad start to the year into a decent sized winner. But there was still more poker to be played.
On the King's last day I once again had a seat directly to his left. He was in the 9 and I was in 1. By this time we were joking together through hand gestures and his interpreter. I figured he liked me; He certainly liked gambling with me.
But on this particular day, I didn't know if I wanted to gamble with the King. He ran a 30k stack up all the way to 160k in no more then three dealers. One by one he picked off everybody at the table. "If this keeps up the biggest game in this place will be 2/5 by the end of the week," I joked to Chris on my left. Just like the Andy Beal trips from years ago, the King had the power to put a major dent in the LV high stakes scene.
But there was no running. If you were at the table, he'd find you.
In a straddled pot he raised it up to 1300 in the sb. I looked down at the K
Q and instead of 3betting his unusually large sizing I chose to call. The flop brought gin, K23. The King wouldn't be deterred, though, as he fired 2600. I called the bet leaving myself around 14.5k behind. The turn was a 4, way better for his range then mine, and he demonstrated that by throwing 3 5k flags into the middle. I've never called off 300bbs with one pair faster in my life. With my heart beating through my shirt, the river card couldn't come quick enough.
5
.All doubts of not being good had disappeared….or so I thought. While reaching for my cards, I heard a chinese screech from the other side of the dealer, "Haaaiiiiiiaaaa".
Oh helllllllll noooo.
All of a sudden the beat was back up and running, as I waited for him to chuck down his cards. The 6
was first. The T next. I counted the biggest pot of my life as the King slowly redistributed the remaining cash back to the community. 90k later, he rose, and with a smile and a wave was gone, just as mysterious as he'd arrived.
A horrid start to the year had turned into the biggest cashgame week of my life.
Sometimes in poker it's the light of the moon that illuminates the prize. As great as it is to understand the mechanics of strategy, it's 10x as important to know where to be and when to be there. As professionals we accept this part of the lifestyle, even if it means growing stranger to the sun.
MM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c
Favorite song to grind by far best segar song imo
Sent from my SCH-I535 using 2+2 Forums
01-16-2013
, 12:53 AM
01-16-2013
, 02:15 AM
