Another kid Another dream tl;dr
12-21-2009
, 05:09 PM
Day 2
On my way to the Bellagio I stopped by the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. Very impressive. From what I saw they have just about every store one could need. My personal search was for a pair of non-prescription glasses. My eye sight is as 20/20 as Barbara Walters. But ever since November when the sexiest girl in my Stats class had me try on her glasses and told me I looked cute, I’ve made a note-to-self to get a pair ASAP. My roommates proceeded to question my sexuality. But as Anmier at Quality Eye Wear explained, the nerd look is in! Plus Lebron does the same thing. You hear that roommates? LeBron does it. Is he a ***. I didn’t ****ing think so.
After finding a perfect pair of half-framed Tag Heuer’s I was all set to check out, when I realized I hadn’t even looked at the price tag yet. Whatever, can’t be anymore then what $200 dollars? 475! I haven’t even won any money yet Anmeir, I’m gonna have to come back at a later date.
With an empty face I head over to the B. 3 5/10 games running, shouldn’t be any longer then 10 minutes, the floor manager Pete tells me. To pass the time I stroll over to the sportsbook to check out the football games. My Bears were about to start and the B had them as 11 point dogs. Its been snowing non-stop for 3 days in Baltimore. I don’t care whose playing, their might not even be 11 points scored the whole game. I don’t sports bet but I have plenty of friends who do. I text all of them “Bears getting 11 stone-cold lock.” As a couple text back confirming the pick my name is called in the poker room.
Only one familiar face at my table, the internet kid with the Bryan Devonshire fascination. First orbit I raise in LP with A9 to 40, he 3-bets me very quickly to 120 on the BTN. Like suspiciously quickly. Can’t be that strong, I pop it up to 320. He mumbles to himself for a few seconds and folds. I’m not going to be run over today.
A few hands later I pick up AQ on the BTN. After a few limpers I make it 60 and 3 people call, including the SB call. Flop J 7 4 rainbow. Sb leads 150, all folds back to me. Good spot to represent a big pair. I make it 400. He thinks, flashes me a J and says this is no good huh, thinks some more and shoves all-in. WTF. Who shows cards and THEN shoves. Not that it matters I only have A high. I Hollywood for my table image for a few seconds and then fold.
At this point it all went downhill. For like 3 hours I’m not sure I won any hands, and I was involved in quite a few. I wish I had hands to describe, but honestly the last thing I wanted to do after getting crushed hand after hand was jot down how badly I suck. Most, however went like this. 2 people limp, I raise marginal hand in later position to 60. I flop Mid-pair, checked to me, I bet, someone raises I fold.
At this point my confidence was pretty low. Not winning a hand for a few hours and watching everyone and their mom check raise you, can really make you question whether you belong in a certain game. Not to mention I glanced up at the T.V. to see the Ravens putting a whooping on the Bears. Sorry guys!
In for about 2300 and sitting on a 1200 dollar stack I finally hit a good flop. With K
9 I opened to 40 in the CO. Only the table fish in the BB called. He’s been doing a lot of limping and a lot of calling. Your standard fish. Flop comes 9
87. ****ing finally. He check calls 60. Turn is the very pretty 10. Awesome, hopefully he caught some sort of straight. He checks and I fire out 110, he thinks, looks like he wants to fold, but puts in 110. River came the 4
. After another check, I put out a bet of 220. He thinks and just puts the remained of his cash in the middle, 400 I believe. I call the raise and turn over my King high flush, only to be trumped by his A5. Great. Just what I needed.
I go for a walk. I’m not sure exactly where, but I do a lot of talking to myself and have to appear semi-crazy to onlookers. Down to about 600 dollars and stuck about 1700, I tell myself I’m going to play short stacked until broke and then call it a day. I see a cute masseuse and tell her I would like a rub down. Not the best decision financially, but damn it felt good. Mid massage, Sasauna (the masseuse) asks me if anyone has ever told me I look like Jude Law. Was she just trying to earn her tips, probably. Do I care, absolutely not. For the rest of the day I’m Jude ****ing Law.
With my confidence refurbished and my shoulders loose, I start playing care free. Just as I had earlier when I didn’t win a hand for 3 hours, but this time my C-Bets work. Chip after chip, pot after pot, I work my way back up to 1300 when I get a chance at revenge against the Fish. I raise to 30 UTG w/ Q
T and 6 people call. Flop comes KJ5. Jackpot. I lead for 120. Fish calls, so does the SB. Turn is the T. Checked to me I bet 250. Fish calls and the small blind folds. One time can I please get a god damn club. River is the Jack. Great, just ****ing great. I check, and fish bets out 300. Weird. He’s not smart enough to value bet a K. So I guess it’s either a J or clubs. Would he really call two bullets with just a Jack? I call. Fish quickly mucks. Phew.
2 hands later I pick up AA on the BTN. I make it 60 after a couple limps. The fish and one other come along for the ride. Flop Q 8 4. Fish leads 80, I make it 200. He calls quickly, with his final 350 behind. Turn is the 6 and I shove. He calls and shows QT. The river comes a Jack and I rake in another decent pot.
Jesus so this is what a rush feels like. While it goes fairly unnoticed to the others who are more accustomed to the swings of this game, I've just won 1500 dollars in five minutes, and 2200 in a little more than an hour. You don't see those kind of swings at 1/2.
After another hour or so of folding, I call it a day with a 600 dollar profit. Not quite the level I’m looking for yet, but damn does it feel good after being stuck most of the day.
On my way to the Bellagio I stopped by the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. Very impressive. From what I saw they have just about every store one could need. My personal search was for a pair of non-prescription glasses. My eye sight is as 20/20 as Barbara Walters. But ever since November when the sexiest girl in my Stats class had me try on her glasses and told me I looked cute, I’ve made a note-to-self to get a pair ASAP. My roommates proceeded to question my sexuality. But as Anmier at Quality Eye Wear explained, the nerd look is in! Plus Lebron does the same thing. You hear that roommates? LeBron does it. Is he a ***. I didn’t ****ing think so.
After finding a perfect pair of half-framed Tag Heuer’s I was all set to check out, when I realized I hadn’t even looked at the price tag yet. Whatever, can’t be anymore then what $200 dollars? 475! I haven’t even won any money yet Anmeir, I’m gonna have to come back at a later date.
With an empty face I head over to the B. 3 5/10 games running, shouldn’t be any longer then 10 minutes, the floor manager Pete tells me. To pass the time I stroll over to the sportsbook to check out the football games. My Bears were about to start and the B had them as 11 point dogs. Its been snowing non-stop for 3 days in Baltimore. I don’t care whose playing, their might not even be 11 points scored the whole game. I don’t sports bet but I have plenty of friends who do. I text all of them “Bears getting 11 stone-cold lock.” As a couple text back confirming the pick my name is called in the poker room.
Only one familiar face at my table, the internet kid with the Bryan Devonshire fascination. First orbit I raise in LP with A9 to 40, he 3-bets me very quickly to 120 on the BTN. Like suspiciously quickly. Can’t be that strong, I pop it up to 320. He mumbles to himself for a few seconds and folds. I’m not going to be run over today.
A few hands later I pick up AQ on the BTN. After a few limpers I make it 60 and 3 people call, including the SB call. Flop J 7 4 rainbow. Sb leads 150, all folds back to me. Good spot to represent a big pair. I make it 400. He thinks, flashes me a J and says this is no good huh, thinks some more and shoves all-in. WTF. Who shows cards and THEN shoves. Not that it matters I only have A high. I Hollywood for my table image for a few seconds and then fold.
At this point it all went downhill. For like 3 hours I’m not sure I won any hands, and I was involved in quite a few. I wish I had hands to describe, but honestly the last thing I wanted to do after getting crushed hand after hand was jot down how badly I suck. Most, however went like this. 2 people limp, I raise marginal hand in later position to 60. I flop Mid-pair, checked to me, I bet, someone raises I fold.
At this point my confidence was pretty low. Not winning a hand for a few hours and watching everyone and their mom check raise you, can really make you question whether you belong in a certain game. Not to mention I glanced up at the T.V. to see the Ravens putting a whooping on the Bears. Sorry guys!
In for about 2300 and sitting on a 1200 dollar stack I finally hit a good flop. With K
9 I opened to 40 in the CO. Only the table fish in the BB called. He’s been doing a lot of limping and a lot of calling. Your standard fish. Flop comes 987. ****ing finally. He check calls 60. Turn is the very pretty 10. Awesome, hopefully he caught some sort of straight. He checks and I fire out 110, he thinks, looks like he wants to fold, but puts in 110. River came the 4. After another check, I put out a bet of 220. He thinks and just puts the remained of his cash in the middle, 400 I believe. I call the raise and turn over my King high flush, only to be trumped by his A5. Great. Just what I needed.I go for a walk. I’m not sure exactly where, but I do a lot of talking to myself and have to appear semi-crazy to onlookers. Down to about 600 dollars and stuck about 1700, I tell myself I’m going to play short stacked until broke and then call it a day. I see a cute masseuse and tell her I would like a rub down. Not the best decision financially, but damn it felt good. Mid massage, Sasauna (the masseuse) asks me if anyone has ever told me I look like Jude Law. Was she just trying to earn her tips, probably. Do I care, absolutely not. For the rest of the day I’m Jude ****ing Law.
With my confidence refurbished and my shoulders loose, I start playing care free. Just as I had earlier when I didn’t win a hand for 3 hours, but this time my C-Bets work. Chip after chip, pot after pot, I work my way back up to 1300 when I get a chance at revenge against the Fish. I raise to 30 UTG w/ Q
T and 6 people call. Flop comes KJ5. Jackpot. I lead for 120. Fish calls, so does the SB. Turn is the T. Checked to me I bet 250. Fish calls and the small blind folds. One time can I please get a god damn club. River is the Jack. Great, just ****ing great. I check, and fish bets out 300. Weird. He’s not smart enough to value bet a K. So I guess it’s either a J or clubs. Would he really call two bullets with just a Jack? I call. Fish quickly mucks. Phew. 2 hands later I pick up AA on the BTN. I make it 60 after a couple limps. The fish and one other come along for the ride. Flop Q
8 4. Fish leads 80, I make it 200. He calls quickly, with his final 350 behind. Turn is the 6 and I shove. He calls and shows QT. The river comes a Jack and I rake in another decent pot. Jesus so this is what a rush feels like. While it goes fairly unnoticed to the others who are more accustomed to the swings of this game, I've just won 1500 dollars in five minutes, and 2200 in a little more than an hour. You don't see those kind of swings at 1/2.
After another hour or so of folding, I call it a day with a 600 dollar profit. Not quite the level I’m looking for yet, but damn does it feel good after being stuck most of the day.
12-21-2009
, 06:16 PM
12-21-2009
, 06:23 PM
12-22-2009
, 04:28 AM
12-22-2009
, 06:18 PM
Day 3
On my way out to Bellagio I made a pit stop at the New City Center. While I had heard mostly negative reviews, the place was incredible. The mall was the nicest I’d ever set foot in, Lined with stores with names in other languages. The true sign that I didn’t belong in any of them. In fact when I approached the Porsche store (didn’t know the car company made clothes) I was met by the glaring eyes of the sharp dressed worker. We didn’t exchange any words, but we both left with the understanding that I’d be better off taking my business elsewhere. First time I’ve ever been intimidated in a mall. The casino however, was quite interesting. There were no lights. It was awkwardly dark. I’m sure they’ve done their share of research and have their reasons for the light level, but at 3pm I personally don’t want to feel like I’m walking down Las Vegas Blvd at Midnight.
But one degenerate can only take soo much walking without action, so after an hour of being a tourist, it was off to Bellagio. There was only 1 5/10 game running which concerned me. But after examining the lineup there was nothing to be scared of. The stacks were shallow and the action fairly tight. And to my delight, the fish from yesterday was sitting in the 3 seat with a pretty healthy chip stack.
I sat down in the 8, and like the days previous spent the first hour or so becoming acclimated with the competition. Down a few hundred dollars I encountered my first interesting spot. 6 limpers to me in the big blind and I check my Q5. Flop comes 557. I lead for 50 and am called by an older gentleman on the button. Turn is a 2 and I bet out 100, to which I am met with a raise to 300. Time to give him a range. I’m projecting a pretty strong hand, so for him to bluffing a paired board is just suicidal. I determined that on the BTN he could have A5, 77, 56, or 54. Eh I’m beating half his range, I call. River is a 10 and he bets 400 when checked too. With my hand pretty much face up; this is where I made my first mistake. Betting 45 and 56 in his position is soo thin, but I got stubborn and called. A5, obviously. I broke my first rule of live poker, don’t go broke in limped pots.
Down a buy-in I reload back to a 1300 dollar stack. A couple hands in I pick up Q8 on the BTN and enter the pot as the 4th person to limp. Blinds call and we see a flop of KT8. Checked around. Turn is an 8. Checked to me I bet 50. UTG comes back with a raise to 125. Great, this is happening again. I call cause well I’m a fish. Being the lucky fish I am, the river puts up a Q. UTG leads for 150 and I put him in for his final 150. He calls quickly and shows AA. Really? I guess he wasn’t paying attention to my "don’t go broke in a limped pot" rant.
Up to roughly 1800 I get involved in a pot with everyone’s favorite fish. New day, same terrible player. I raise in MP with 89 to 50 and he calls in the BB. Flop comes 47Q and I CBet 80. Fish thinks uncharacteristically long, wants to fold and calls. He cannot have a Queen the way he reacted. Turn is the 2 and I make it 200. Again, the Salamander thinks forever, and calls. River is the 8. He checks a final time, and being sure that he doesn’t have a Queen I see a good opportunity for some thin value. 350. He calls before I even get my money in the pot. 67.
I smile in a “are you ****ing serious, did I just value-own myself against a fish” way. He responds with “Sorry bro, you know I’m just a tourist. You know I’m making that call.” I immediately regret my condescending smile. Any kind of behavior that makes a fish question the way he’s playing is terrible for the game. I want to tell him that I’m pissed at the cards for the way they fell, and at myself for betting the river, but certainly not him for being a fish. Instead, nice hand is all that comes out.
Down to about 1000 I pick up KK in MP and raise one limper up to 60. Old man in the CO, BB, and limper all call. Flop comes 2 6 8. I fire out a bet of 180. Folded back to the original limper he makes an over-bet shove that can seemingly only mean one thing. Flush draw. Having me covered I have to make a decision, gamble for all my chips or wait for a spot with the Salamander. Eh I didn’t come to Vegas to grind, I came to push edges. I call.
The turn is a T and my heart sinks. The old man reaches for his cards before the hand is even over, which can only mean one thing, the nuts. A4. Broke and tilted I take off for the day. 2300 dollars poorer. Yesterday I splurged at Wolf Gang Puck, today I had a number 1 with fries at Mcd’s.
After finishing my meal and watching some TV in my room I decide I’m clear-headed and emotionally stable enough to head out for a night session. Sick of Bellagio I head to Venetian to work out some kinks in my game at the deep 2/5 game. Buying in for 1000 I’m fairly dominant from the start. After losing 300 in another limped pot with 2 pair to a better 2 pair (I know again), I play very strong aggressive poker. I’m clearly the table captain and reaping the benefits.
My aggressive play had become lost in the midst of my 5/10 sessions. I wasn’t applying enough pressure in “close” situations, preferring to give up before firing another bullet. A great poker player can only achieve the same success at higher stakes if he is able to eliminate the value of the dollar from the game and view the chips as weapons and a means to an end. This is a skill I must master if I am to return to the 5/10 game and be successful.
My Venetian night ended by seeing a $30 flop with 2 opponents with 88. The flop came the beautiful K84, and my bet of 40 was check raised to 200 by the original raiser. Perfect. AA or AK. I call. Turn is a blank and he pushes in his final 300. I call and avoid an Ace on the river to crack his pocket rockets. I end the session a 1250 dollar winner and feeling a lot better about my game then I had merely hours before.
As of 2 o’clock Today I have yet to decided if I will return to the B to battle the Salamander or head to the V where I’m way more comfortable with the stakes. Either way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back on the winning track. I’m currently down about 300 dollars for the trip after Yesterday’s mess.
On my way out to Bellagio I made a pit stop at the New City Center. While I had heard mostly negative reviews, the place was incredible. The mall was the nicest I’d ever set foot in, Lined with stores with names in other languages. The true sign that I didn’t belong in any of them. In fact when I approached the Porsche store (didn’t know the car company made clothes) I was met by the glaring eyes of the sharp dressed worker. We didn’t exchange any words, but we both left with the understanding that I’d be better off taking my business elsewhere. First time I’ve ever been intimidated in a mall. The casino however, was quite interesting. There were no lights. It was awkwardly dark. I’m sure they’ve done their share of research and have their reasons for the light level, but at 3pm I personally don’t want to feel like I’m walking down Las Vegas Blvd at Midnight.
But one degenerate can only take soo much walking without action, so after an hour of being a tourist, it was off to Bellagio. There was only 1 5/10 game running which concerned me. But after examining the lineup there was nothing to be scared of. The stacks were shallow and the action fairly tight. And to my delight, the fish from yesterday was sitting in the 3 seat with a pretty healthy chip stack.
I sat down in the 8, and like the days previous spent the first hour or so becoming acclimated with the competition. Down a few hundred dollars I encountered my first interesting spot. 6 limpers to me in the big blind and I check my Q5. Flop comes 557. I lead for 50 and am called by an older gentleman on the button. Turn is a 2 and I bet out 100, to which I am met with a raise to 300. Time to give him a range. I’m projecting a pretty strong hand, so for him to bluffing a paired board is just suicidal. I determined that on the BTN he could have A5, 77, 56, or 54. Eh I’m beating half his range, I call. River is a 10 and he bets 400 when checked too. With my hand pretty much face up; this is where I made my first mistake. Betting 45 and 56 in his position is soo thin, but I got stubborn and called. A5, obviously. I broke my first rule of live poker, don’t go broke in limped pots.
Down a buy-in I reload back to a 1300 dollar stack. A couple hands in I pick up Q
8 on the BTN and enter the pot as the 4th person to limp. Blinds call and we see a flop of KT8. Checked around. Turn is an 8. Checked to me I bet 50. UTG comes back with a raise to 125. Great, this is happening again. I call cause well I’m a fish. Being the lucky fish I am, the river puts up a Q. UTG leads for 150 and I put him in for his final 150. He calls quickly and shows AA. Really? I guess he wasn’t paying attention to my "don’t go broke in a limped pot" rant. Up to roughly 1800 I get involved in a pot with everyone’s favorite fish. New day, same terrible player. I raise in MP with 8
9 to 50 and he calls in the BB. Flop comes 47Q and I CBet 80. Fish thinks uncharacteristically long, wants to fold and calls. He cannot have a Queen the way he reacted. Turn is the 2 and I make it 200. Again, the Salamander thinks forever, and calls. River is the 8. He checks a final time, and being sure that he doesn’t have a Queen I see a good opportunity for some thin value. 350. He calls before I even get my money in the pot. 67. I smile in a “are you ****ing serious, did I just value-own myself against a fish” way. He responds with “Sorry bro, you know I’m just a tourist. You know I’m making that call.” I immediately regret my condescending smile. Any kind of behavior that makes a fish question the way he’s playing is terrible for the game. I want to tell him that I’m pissed at the cards for the way they fell, and at myself for betting the river, but certainly not him for being a fish. Instead, nice hand is all that comes out.
Down to about 1000 I pick up K
K in MP and raise one limper up to 60. Old man in the CO, BB, and limper all call. Flop comes 2 6 8. I fire out a bet of 180. Folded back to the original limper he makes an over-bet shove that can seemingly only mean one thing. Flush draw. Having me covered I have to make a decision, gamble for all my chips or wait for a spot with the Salamander. Eh I didn’t come to Vegas to grind, I came to push edges. I call. The turn is a T
and my heart sinks. The old man reaches for his cards before the hand is even over, which can only mean one thing, the nuts. A4. Broke and tilted I take off for the day. 2300 dollars poorer. Yesterday I splurged at Wolf Gang Puck, today I had a number 1 with fries at Mcd’s.After finishing my meal and watching some TV in my room I decide I’m clear-headed and emotionally stable enough to head out for a night session. Sick of Bellagio I head to Venetian to work out some kinks in my game at the deep 2/5 game. Buying in for 1000 I’m fairly dominant from the start. After losing 300 in another limped pot with 2 pair to a better 2 pair (I know again), I play very strong aggressive poker. I’m clearly the table captain and reaping the benefits.
My aggressive play had become lost in the midst of my 5/10 sessions. I wasn’t applying enough pressure in “close” situations, preferring to give up before firing another bullet. A great poker player can only achieve the same success at higher stakes if he is able to eliminate the value of the dollar from the game and view the chips as weapons and a means to an end. This is a skill I must master if I am to return to the 5/10 game and be successful.
My Venetian night ended by seeing a $30 flop with 2 opponents with 88. The flop came the beautiful K84, and my bet of 40 was check raised to 200 by the original raiser. Perfect. AA or AK. I call. Turn is a blank and he pushes in his final 300. I call and avoid an Ace on the river to crack his pocket rockets. I end the session a 1250 dollar winner and feeling a lot better about my game then I had merely hours before.
As of 2 o’clock Today I have yet to decided if I will return to the B to battle the Salamander or head to the V where I’m way more comfortable with the stakes. Either way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back on the winning track. I’m currently down about 300 dollars for the trip after Yesterday’s mess.
12-22-2009
, 06:35 PM
Quote:
As of 2 o’clock Today I have yet to decided if I will return to the B to battle the Salamander or head to the V where I’m way more comfortable with the stakes. Either way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back on the winning track. I’m currently down about 300 dollars for the trip after Yesterday’s mess.
I'm a live player and you are learning the joys and frustrations of live play. And also how hard it is to just keep your mouth shut.
Also, you are now seeing how hard it is to keep your ego out of the equation. I get the feeling you are itching to go back to Bellagio to 'prove' that you can beat that game. F--k that. Seriously, stay where you are winning. If you are winning at the V, then stay at the V. If you are killing the 2/5 game then play 2/5.
One of the hardest things about live play is the emotional aspect, especially ego.
You could set a goal. Say if you get up $3K then take another shot at 5/10 but do it at the Wynn or Venetian and just let Bellagio go.
Why am I so intent on you letting Bellagio go? Ego. Your ego will keep you from playing your best game. You'll go there with a chip on your shoulder...
Anyways, good stuff. Keep it coming. And if you are having a good day, below is a little bit of degeneracy that if hits, you will get your rooms comped not to mention make some bank. But like I said in the post below, you can only do this with house money.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...5&postcount=12
12-22-2009
, 06:41 PM
Quote:
Day 3
On my way out to Bellagio I made a pit stop at the New City Center. While I had heard mostly negative reviews, the place was incredible. The mall was the nicest I’d ever set foot in, Lined with stores with names in other languages. The true sign that I didn’t belong in any of them. In fact when I approached the Porsche store (didn’t know the car company made clothes) I was met by the glaring eyes of the sharp dressed worker. We didn’t exchange any words, but we both left with the understanding that I’d be better off taking my business elsewhere. First time I’ve ever been intimidated in a mall. The casino however, was quite interesting. There were no lights. It was awkwardly dark. I’m sure they’ve done their share of research and have their reasons for the light level, but at 3pm I personally don’t want to feel like I’m walking down Las Vegas Blvd at Midnight.
But one degenerate can only take soo much walking without action, so after an hour of being a tourist, it was off to Bellagio. There was only 1 5/10 game running which concerned me. But after examining the lineup there was nothing to be scared of. The stacks were shallow and the action fairly tight. And to my delight, the fish from yesterday was sitting in the 3 seat with a pretty healthy chip stack.
I sat down in the 8, and like the days previous spent the first hour or so becoming acclimated with the competition. Down a few hundred dollars I encountered my first interesting spot. 6 limpers to me in the big blind and I check my Q5. Flop comes 557. I lead for 50 and am called by an older gentleman on the button. Turn is a 2 and I bet out 100, to which I am met with a raise to 300. Time to give him a range. I’m projecting a pretty strong hand, so for him to bluffing a paired board is just suicidal. I determined that on the BTN he could have A5, 77, 56, or 54. Eh I’m beating half his range, I call. River is a 10 and he bets 400 when checked too. With my hand pretty much face up; this is where I made my first mistake. Betting 45 and 56 in his position is soo thin, but I got stubborn and called. A5, obviously. I broke my first rule of live poker, don’t go broke in limped pots.
Down a buy-in I reload back to a 1300 dollar stack. A couple hands in I pick up Q8 on the BTN and enter the pot as the 4th person to limp. Blinds call and we see a flop of KT8. Checked around. Turn is an 8. Checked to me I bet 50. UTG comes back with a raise to 125. Great, this is happening again. I call cause well I’m a fish. Being the lucky fish I am, the river puts up a Q. UTG leads for 150 and I put him in for his final 150. He calls quickly and shows AA. Really? I guess he wasn’t paying attention to my "don’t go broke in a limped pot" rant.
Up to roughly 1800 I get involved in a pot with everyone’s favorite fish. New day, same terrible player. I raise in MP with 89 to 50 and he calls in the BB. Flop comes 47Q and I CBet 80. Fish thinks uncharacteristically long, wants to fold and calls. He cannot have a Queen the way he reacted. Turn is the 2 and I make it 200. Again, the Salamander thinks forever, and calls. River is the 8. He checks a final time, and being sure that he doesn’t have a Queen I see a good opportunity for some thin value. 350. He calls before I even get my money in the pot. 67.
I smile in a “are you ****ing serious, did I just value-own myself against a fish” way. He responds with “Sorry bro, you know I’m just a tourist. You know I’m making that call.” I immediately regret my condescending smile. Any kind of behavior that makes a fish question the way he’s playing is terrible for the game. I want to tell him that I’m pissed at the cards for the way they fell, and at myself for betting the river, but certainly not him for being a fish. Instead, nice hand is all that comes out.
Down to about 1000 I pick up KK in MP and raise one limper up to 60. Old man in the CO, BB, and limper all call. Flop comes 2 6 8. I fire out a bet of 180. Folded back to the original limper he makes an over-bet shove that can seemingly only mean one thing. Flush draw. Having me covered I have to make a decision, gamble for all my chips or wait for a spot with the Salamander. Eh I didn’t come to Vegas to grind, I came to push edges. I call.
The turn is a T and my heart sinks. The old man reaches for his cards before the hand is even over, which can only mean one thing, the nuts. A4. Broke and tilted I take off for the day. 2300 dollars poorer. Yesterday I splurged at Wolf Gang Puck, today I had a number 1 with fries at Mcd’s.
After finishing my meal and watching some TV in my room I decide I’m clear-headed and emotionally stable enough to head out for a night session. Sick of Bellagio I head to Venetian to work out some kinks in my game at the deep 2/5 game. Buying in for 1000 I’m fairly dominant from the start. After losing 300 in another limped pot with 2 pair to a better 2 pair (I know again), I play very strong aggressive poker. I’m clearly the table captain and reaping the benefits.
My aggressive play had become lost in the midst of my 5/10 sessions. I wasn’t applying enough pressure in “close” situations, preferring to give up before firing another bullet. A great poker player can only achieve the same success at higher stakes if he is able to eliminate the value of the dollar from the game and view the chips as weapons and a means to an end. This is a skill I must master if I am to return to the 5/10 game and be successful.
My Venetian night ended by seeing a $30 flop with 2 opponents with 88. The flop came the beautiful K84, and my bet of 40 was check raised to 200 by the original raiser. Perfect. AA or AK. I call. Turn is a blank and he pushes in his final 300. I call and avoid an Ace on the river to crack his pocket rockets. I end the session a 1250 dollar winner and feeling a lot better about my game then I had merely hours before.
As of 2 o’clock Today I have yet to decided if I will return to the B to battle the Salamander or head to the V where I’m way more comfortable with the stakes. Either way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back on the winning track. I’m currently down about 300 dollars for the trip after Yesterday’s mess.
On my way out to Bellagio I made a pit stop at the New City Center. While I had heard mostly negative reviews, the place was incredible. The mall was the nicest I’d ever set foot in, Lined with stores with names in other languages. The true sign that I didn’t belong in any of them. In fact when I approached the Porsche store (didn’t know the car company made clothes) I was met by the glaring eyes of the sharp dressed worker. We didn’t exchange any words, but we both left with the understanding that I’d be better off taking my business elsewhere. First time I’ve ever been intimidated in a mall. The casino however, was quite interesting. There were no lights. It was awkwardly dark. I’m sure they’ve done their share of research and have their reasons for the light level, but at 3pm I personally don’t want to feel like I’m walking down Las Vegas Blvd at Midnight.
But one degenerate can only take soo much walking without action, so after an hour of being a tourist, it was off to Bellagio. There was only 1 5/10 game running which concerned me. But after examining the lineup there was nothing to be scared of. The stacks were shallow and the action fairly tight. And to my delight, the fish from yesterday was sitting in the 3 seat with a pretty healthy chip stack.
I sat down in the 8, and like the days previous spent the first hour or so becoming acclimated with the competition. Down a few hundred dollars I encountered my first interesting spot. 6 limpers to me in the big blind and I check my Q5. Flop comes 557. I lead for 50 and am called by an older gentleman on the button. Turn is a 2 and I bet out 100, to which I am met with a raise to 300. Time to give him a range. I’m projecting a pretty strong hand, so for him to bluffing a paired board is just suicidal. I determined that on the BTN he could have A5, 77, 56, or 54. Eh I’m beating half his range, I call. River is a 10 and he bets 400 when checked too. With my hand pretty much face up; this is where I made my first mistake. Betting 45 and 56 in his position is soo thin, but I got stubborn and called. A5, obviously. I broke my first rule of live poker, don’t go broke in limped pots.
Down a buy-in I reload back to a 1300 dollar stack. A couple hands in I pick up Q
8 on the BTN and enter the pot as the 4th person to limp. Blinds call and we see a flop of KT8. Checked around. Turn is an 8. Checked to me I bet 50. UTG comes back with a raise to 125. Great, this is happening again. I call cause well I’m a fish. Being the lucky fish I am, the river puts up a Q. UTG leads for 150 and I put him in for his final 150. He calls quickly and shows AA. Really? I guess he wasn’t paying attention to my "don’t go broke in a limped pot" rant. Up to roughly 1800 I get involved in a pot with everyone’s favorite fish. New day, same terrible player. I raise in MP with 8
9 to 50 and he calls in the BB. Flop comes 47Q and I CBet 80. Fish thinks uncharacteristically long, wants to fold and calls. He cannot have a Queen the way he reacted. Turn is the 2 and I make it 200. Again, the Salamander thinks forever, and calls. River is the 8. He checks a final time, and being sure that he doesn’t have a Queen I see a good opportunity for some thin value. 350. He calls before I even get my money in the pot. 67. I smile in a “are you ****ing serious, did I just value-own myself against a fish” way. He responds with “Sorry bro, you know I’m just a tourist. You know I’m making that call.” I immediately regret my condescending smile. Any kind of behavior that makes a fish question the way he’s playing is terrible for the game. I want to tell him that I’m pissed at the cards for the way they fell, and at myself for betting the river, but certainly not him for being a fish. Instead, nice hand is all that comes out.
Down to about 1000 I pick up K
K in MP and raise one limper up to 60. Old man in the CO, BB, and limper all call. Flop comes 2 6 8. I fire out a bet of 180. Folded back to the original limper he makes an over-bet shove that can seemingly only mean one thing. Flush draw. Having me covered I have to make a decision, gamble for all my chips or wait for a spot with the Salamander. Eh I didn’t come to Vegas to grind, I came to push edges. I call. The turn is a T
and my heart sinks. The old man reaches for his cards before the hand is even over, which can only mean one thing, the nuts. A4. Broke and tilted I take off for the day. 2300 dollars poorer. Yesterday I splurged at Wolf Gang Puck, today I had a number 1 with fries at Mcd’s.After finishing my meal and watching some TV in my room I decide I’m clear-headed and emotionally stable enough to head out for a night session. Sick of Bellagio I head to Venetian to work out some kinks in my game at the deep 2/5 game. Buying in for 1000 I’m fairly dominant from the start. After losing 300 in another limped pot with 2 pair to a better 2 pair (I know again), I play very strong aggressive poker. I’m clearly the table captain and reaping the benefits.
My aggressive play had become lost in the midst of my 5/10 sessions. I wasn’t applying enough pressure in “close” situations, preferring to give up before firing another bullet. A great poker player can only achieve the same success at higher stakes if he is able to eliminate the value of the dollar from the game and view the chips as weapons and a means to an end. This is a skill I must master if I am to return to the 5/10 game and be successful.
My Venetian night ended by seeing a $30 flop with 2 opponents with 88. The flop came the beautiful K84, and my bet of 40 was check raised to 200 by the original raiser. Perfect. AA or AK. I call. Turn is a blank and he pushes in his final 300. I call and avoid an Ace on the river to crack his pocket rockets. I end the session a 1250 dollar winner and feeling a lot better about my game then I had merely hours before.
As of 2 o’clock Today I have yet to decided if I will return to the B to battle the Salamander or head to the V where I’m way more comfortable with the stakes. Either way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back on the winning track. I’m currently down about 300 dollars for the trip after Yesterday’s mess.