Freerolls
In a city built around spontaneity and with minds that crave excitement and disconformity, It's come as a surprise to me that Casey and I have stuck to a solid routine. We wake up between 9 and 10 everyday. Between then and 2 we workout, eat, sit by the pool, read and write. For the next 5 to 6 hours we move shop to the Bellagio for our daily poker sessions and for viewing of whatever sporting event is on for the day. Around 8 o'clock we retire back to our place for one final meal, before we head out to our newest tradition, 1/2 NL at the Hard Rock.
To Casey, the Hard Rock is another session for the day, a chance to get unstuck or build on whatever profit he made earlier. To me it's just a chance to splash around a few pots, get tipsy, and joke round with a far less serious poker crowd then the ones that infest the strip. Not to mention a chance at winning one of their many generous poker promotions. Be it 96 suited, KJo, 36o, or any full house, the Hard Rock provides plenty of opportunities for their players to win cash, bottles of liquor, and free hotel rooms.
I usually stay about 2 hours, try to win every single pot I enter, and then stumble down Koval, back to our apartment. Casey on the other hand, can sometimes play until to middle of the night. So it came as no surprise when he informed me about a $2700 freeroll they were offering sunday morning to all players who played 10 hours that week.
Upon arriving, it became obvious that this was the weekly meet up of a small stakes poker club. Jokes about check-raising and suited connectors set the mood for what I should've known was a friendly attempt at splitting the promotional money amongst the regulars. Casey fit right in, telling stories of his Aces cracked and recalling hands that the drunk guys were playing at 4am the night before.
I however, had made the cut by 15 minutes, clearly on the outside of the Hard Rock Poker click. Out of the 30 or so who entered the tournament I was part of the half that the regulars were hoping to weed out before chopping the money. Needless to say It didn't help my shot of gaining membership into the group when i shoved 5
T
for 2k at 200/400 only to crack a regulars QQ on a K475T board. Or a couple hands later where I was given the QQ and got called allin by QJ because "I SAW HIM SHOVE 5T, HE CAN"T HAVE QQ?!?!?"
With 14 players left my stack was up to 6500 from the starting 1k. The first place $800 prize was certainly realistic. So with 3 stacks under 2k and one at 800 with 300/600 blinds I thought it was ridiculous when one of the bigger stacks suggested a 14 man chop. Speaking from a competitive and EV point of view, I was the only player to decline the offer. For the next 3 hands I paid the price in the form of evil glares and silence. Then when the 800 stack shoved in and the BB folded AK I realized that I was the one being ridiculous. No one else was trying to win the tournament, just survive to a chop. Keeping the morality of the group strong was more important than one player scoring big. So before they decided to burn me at the stake, I changed my stance and the chop was on. $170 bucks, but more importantly to the group, everyone was a winner.
After the half-field chop I took my profit over to the Bellagio for some 5/10. This game, however, was a tad different then the nit fest at the Hard Rock. Immediately upon sitting down another new player joined the table to my direct right. After three 3Bets to start the day it became apparent that he was here to gamble. After busting a player preflop with AQ to AK, he called a pot-sized $500 bet on a 4flush board with a set to beat his bluffing opponent. Unfortunately, for the hour he played, I picked up zero hands to get involved. And after increasing his $1500 starting chips to $3000, his strength eventually became his downfall, as his bluffs and hero calls torched his big stack.
After he left the table, the cards came my way, and I was able to take over as table captain. 3betting and CBets helped grow my stack to 1400 when i got involved in my first big pot. With 9
J
in the BB I called a 40 open from a weak-tight conservative player UTG, after 3 players had already done so. The flop came T
9
7
and I began the action with a check. UTG led for 120 into 200. After two folds the BTN called with what looked like a T or a flush draw. Back to me and I saw too much money in the middle to fold but not enough hand strength to call. So I shoved in. They both folded and I was up to almost 1900.
A bit later I got involved with the next best player at the table, who I had been chatty with for the past hour. He raised to 40 and I called on the BTN with 8
9
The flop came 3
8
9
and he led for 80. I made it 240 and he called after some thought. The turn was a K
and I bet 400 when checked to. He thought awhile and eventually folded what he said was A
T
.
Cruising along, I was beginning to feel like my game was turning a corner. I was applying a lot of pressure in both hands where I was strong and hands where I was weak, resulting in a lot of non-showdown winnings. The next hand put me in an interesting spot when I raised to 45 UTG+1 with 88. The Co BTN SB and BB all called to see a flop of 2
3
5
. Checked to me and I led for 170. The BTN, a standard old guy, called while all the others folded. At this point I put him on a pair 66-JJ or a flush draw. WIth 4 players behind me I was sure he would have to raise a set on the flop. The turn came the harmless Q
and this time I led for 420, thinking he would fold all his big pairs and probably his flush draws. 4 seconds later I realized how wrong I was when he shoved in for 1700. I immediately folded. Regardless, I still like the way I payed the hand and think that he probably flopped a straight with A4.
Soon there after my day ended with only $750 in profit, but once again I was thrilled with the way I played. It would always be nice to WIN my last hand of the session, but my mindset all summer has been that the whole trip is "one big session" so it's really not all that important to me. Up around 3k for the trip now, hopefully the heater has officially replaced the Run-bad as my allin buddy.
Matt