Back in Vegas for 2+ month stay..all sorts of low level gambling
05-25-2023
, 06:09 AM
05-25-2023
, 04:06 PM
5/24
“He who dares, my son. He who dares!”.---- Jip from the movie “Human Traffic”
I think that is an apt title for this entry from one of my favorite movies. Hopefully you’ll be entertained.
So I start off the day figuring I’ll go to The Palms and then head over to MGM to play 1/ 2 which as far as I know is the only place left on The Strip to play that level. It’s rare that I’m actually in the mood these days to play live 1/ 2 so I figure I should take advantage of that.
I wander around The Palms until I find a VP machine that is to my liking and put in the usual $200. Once again, I start out going slightly up to $215, but then it’s all straight downhill until my last hand. Which of course comes off four of a kind 3’s so now I’m back up to $200 where I started. Proof:
I can say with certainty that has never happened to me before. But my luck doesnt last as I grind that $200 down to zero and in goes another $200. I work my way down to about $125ish and then I get a four of a kind so now I'm back up to around $250. At this point I’m all ready to get up and go, but then I remember that this is my 2nd $200 and I’m only up around $50. My minimum goal for the day is $100, so sigh, back to the grind.
Now here is where things get a little weird. I start to notice that I’m getting A LOT of pairs coming out on the board. I mean it’s happening at an unusual frequency. Zero chance I’m getting up from this machine. I just hoped I didnt have to go to the bathroom. So I start keeping track. I should have also kept track of time but it feels like for at least 45 minutes, the longest I went without getting a pair or 3 of a kind on my initial deal was 5 hands dealt, and it only reached that number TWICE. Most every other hand I was getting pairs or three of a kind. I thought the machine was broke, Not really, but you get the idea.
But of course, even that canÂt help me as I ever so slowly grind it down, the run of pairs ends with nothing to show for it, and I’m down $400. I get up to leave and instead of heading to the MGM to play poker, I head over to Crown and Anchor in an attempt to recoup some of my money.
Once at Crown and Anchor, I of course start downing the beers mid afternoon. This, of course, will lead to bad decision making which will come into play later. So my initial $200 into the VP machine starts as usual, straight down. That is, until I’m down to about $45, then this happens:
Sometimes I keep playing on the same machine after I get hands like this and sometimes I switch machines out of irrationality. In this case I switch machines and pretty soon I get another four of kind, although not the aces variety. But that just gets me back up to around break even on this machine. Feeling pretty good at only being down $200 for the day, I head over to MGM via Uber I mean the day could of easily gone the other way and I’d be stuck even more, but fortunately things worked out at Crown and Anchor this time.
My Uber driver was pretty cool I get picked up in a bright blue Tacoma pickup truck with a well behaved wiener dog in the front seat. After I tell her I’m going to play poker at MGM, she tells me about her boyfriend how he plays poker but took 3 years off from playing and how she is a complete novice at poker, but stacked some jerk off with what she thought were two pair but instead were quad 9’s. I told her next time I get quads at the table I’m going to flip them over and say two pair. Probably not that would be a pretty jerk move.
I'm debating how much detail I will go into with my time at MGM. The table had your usual late afternoon cast of characters....most regs. To my left was a competent player who had the hot wife constantly giving him a shoulder rub which was mildly distracting. To his left was an older Asian gentlemen who was pretty nitty, although he had a good sized stack. To his left was the guy I was referring to in my drunken post that I made last night . You know the type….kinda loud, heÂ’s just slumming it at the 1/ 2 table because he’s backed for 30 WSOP events by “you know who I’m talking about”, and constantly talks about the cards when he’s in a hand. To his left is a guy who buys in for $100 multiple times. Then there is the guy who plays any two cards and is raking in the money seemingly every hand he’s in. Next to him is an even tighter Asian older gentlemen. And finally to my right are two regs, one tight, the other I can’t quite figure out.
Before even arriving at MGM, I had downed a few beers with no food, so I’m pretty buzzed. Keep in mind, I’m not using this as an excuse for what is about to happen, but I think it definitely factors into it. Of course I keep drinking beers once seated at the table.
Some hands of note. Early on in session it seems everyone is playing pretty tight and there is zero action at the table. So guy playing any two cards is just taking down every hand. However, that seems to change when I open raise UTG with 1010 and I open to $10 get called by 3 players then the guy on my direct right shoves for his stack which I think is around $100. Which obviously puts me in a tough spot with 3 players left to act. I sigh fold my hand, guy who plays any two cards folds, tight Asian guy folds what turns out to be JJ, other guy folds. Guy to my direct right flips over K8, but guy to my right starts chirping something to the effect “sir I thought you played any two cards”. I dont think he got involved in another hand the next hour. However, it did seem to loosen the other players up at the table.
I get some pocket pairs and 3 bet, winning a few but then also losing some to any 2 cards guy of course by leading out of position and getting raised with low pairs. I also lose a big hand with JJ against tight reg 2 seats to my left when I get set mined on a low card flop when of course I lead out for I think $40 into a $60 pot, get raised to $120 and donk call. This is definitely when I knew the alcohol starts affecting my decision making because I knew in the back of my mind this guy had a set because this guy was tight as hell.no way could he have any other hand. Turn comes an Ace thankfully for me I check and this guy over shoves his stack all in which obviously makes my fold an easy decision even intoxicated. Bottom line is I'm playing terrible.
All this time I keep topping up which is a good thing to do if you know you're one of the better players at the table but being honest here I hadn’t played a live cash game in 4 years and truth be told I am not a winning cash game player. Plus I’m drunk. In no way shape or form should i have been topping off my stack. I even hit the money machine on a restroom break to pull out more money lol. Because at this point in the game I think I’m down around $200 What an idiot I am.
I get back to the table and for whatever reason I had this thought that everyone at the table must think I’m a complete nit so the next hand I raise 32suited in EP and end up taking down the pot on a wet board with lots of face cards and of course I show my 32….not directed at my opponent but at the table in general. At least in my alcohol addled brain. But I would soon get my come uppance as by this point I topped off with another $200. Perfect timing for what was about to happen.
I look down at AA UTG. I raise to $10 and brand new guy at the table 3 bets me to $30. I reraise to $110, and he calls. Flop comes King high, all hearts. I have no heart. I check, he leads out for some amount I dont even remember what it is I shove my remaining stack $280ish or so and he calls and flips over KK. How was I to know someone at a 1/ 2 table could flat a 4 bet with kings pre? Sigh. Frankly at this point it was all a blur.
So my first cash game back in Vegas I lose the most I’ve ever lost at a 1/ 2 table. Figures. I had no business topping off my stack like I was. That was the biggest mistake I made. So I just dusted off $700 and to make matters worse, all I remember when leaving the table was the 30 WSOP entry guy (who wasnt even involved in the hand) talking to the guy that just stacked me and laughing maniacally about what had just transpired. That really stuck with me the rest of the night I guess until I got back to the airbnb, hence the drunk post I made previously. For that I apologize.
At this point in the day it's around 8PM, IÂve been out and about since around 11AM, havent eaten anything since lunch, am tired, drunk, and down $900 on the day gambling. So what else is there to do besides hop on the bus and head over to Jacksons Bar and Grill?
Upon arriving at Jacksons of course the bar is completely full and IÂ’m waitlisted, but I soon get a seat and hit the money machine for $400. Not much to talk about as I lose my initial $200 and am down to my last $200. I’m actually up a bit when this comes out of nowhere:
Bam just like that all my problems for the day are solved! $2k, nice hit. Shockingly, or maybe not I dont know, nobody got excited. The guy next to me could have cared less. The older lady across the bar didnt even look up when I told her I just got a royal. Even the bartender wasnt excited. I finally call across the bar to this guy and question why nobody is celebrating and he comes over and congratulates me, which was nice. Maybe I was expecting too much or maybe I was just too drunk. As she was leaving the old lady passes by me and says “so you got a royal” with absolutely no emotion. In any case I play my $240ish back down to $200 and I'm out of there.
For some dumb reason I decide to walk up the street towards my Airbnb to that hole in the wall bar I mentioned in my previous post…it’s called Crowbar. Actually the bar isnt as small or grimy as I envisioned. I drop another $100 in the machine, lose it, have a few drinks, and leave.
So by my totals I’m down $700 in poker and up $1500 in video poker.
Totals:
Video Poker: +$750
Poker tournaments: -$150
Sports betting: +$460
Poker cash: -$700
Total: +$360
“He who dares, my son. He who dares!”.---- Jip from the movie “Human Traffic”
I think that is an apt title for this entry from one of my favorite movies. Hopefully you’ll be entertained.
So I start off the day figuring I’ll go to The Palms and then head over to MGM to play 1/ 2 which as far as I know is the only place left on The Strip to play that level. It’s rare that I’m actually in the mood these days to play live 1/ 2 so I figure I should take advantage of that.
I wander around The Palms until I find a VP machine that is to my liking and put in the usual $200. Once again, I start out going slightly up to $215, but then it’s all straight downhill until my last hand. Which of course comes off four of a kind 3’s so now I’m back up to $200 where I started. Proof:
I can say with certainty that has never happened to me before. But my luck doesnt last as I grind that $200 down to zero and in goes another $200. I work my way down to about $125ish and then I get a four of a kind so now I'm back up to around $250. At this point I’m all ready to get up and go, but then I remember that this is my 2nd $200 and I’m only up around $50. My minimum goal for the day is $100, so sigh, back to the grind.
Now here is where things get a little weird. I start to notice that I’m getting A LOT of pairs coming out on the board. I mean it’s happening at an unusual frequency. Zero chance I’m getting up from this machine. I just hoped I didnt have to go to the bathroom. So I start keeping track. I should have also kept track of time but it feels like for at least 45 minutes, the longest I went without getting a pair or 3 of a kind on my initial deal was 5 hands dealt, and it only reached that number TWICE. Most every other hand I was getting pairs or three of a kind. I thought the machine was broke, Not really, but you get the idea.
But of course, even that canÂt help me as I ever so slowly grind it down, the run of pairs ends with nothing to show for it, and I’m down $400. I get up to leave and instead of heading to the MGM to play poker, I head over to Crown and Anchor in an attempt to recoup some of my money.
Once at Crown and Anchor, I of course start downing the beers mid afternoon. This, of course, will lead to bad decision making which will come into play later. So my initial $200 into the VP machine starts as usual, straight down. That is, until I’m down to about $45, then this happens:
Sometimes I keep playing on the same machine after I get hands like this and sometimes I switch machines out of irrationality. In this case I switch machines and pretty soon I get another four of kind, although not the aces variety. But that just gets me back up to around break even on this machine. Feeling pretty good at only being down $200 for the day, I head over to MGM via Uber I mean the day could of easily gone the other way and I’d be stuck even more, but fortunately things worked out at Crown and Anchor this time.
My Uber driver was pretty cool I get picked up in a bright blue Tacoma pickup truck with a well behaved wiener dog in the front seat. After I tell her I’m going to play poker at MGM, she tells me about her boyfriend how he plays poker but took 3 years off from playing and how she is a complete novice at poker, but stacked some jerk off with what she thought were two pair but instead were quad 9’s. I told her next time I get quads at the table I’m going to flip them over and say two pair. Probably not that would be a pretty jerk move.
I'm debating how much detail I will go into with my time at MGM. The table had your usual late afternoon cast of characters....most regs. To my left was a competent player who had the hot wife constantly giving him a shoulder rub which was mildly distracting. To his left was an older Asian gentlemen who was pretty nitty, although he had a good sized stack. To his left was the guy I was referring to in my drunken post that I made last night . You know the type….kinda loud, heÂ’s just slumming it at the 1/ 2 table because he’s backed for 30 WSOP events by “you know who I’m talking about”, and constantly talks about the cards when he’s in a hand. To his left is a guy who buys in for $100 multiple times. Then there is the guy who plays any two cards and is raking in the money seemingly every hand he’s in. Next to him is an even tighter Asian older gentlemen. And finally to my right are two regs, one tight, the other I can’t quite figure out.
Before even arriving at MGM, I had downed a few beers with no food, so I’m pretty buzzed. Keep in mind, I’m not using this as an excuse for what is about to happen, but I think it definitely factors into it. Of course I keep drinking beers once seated at the table.
Some hands of note. Early on in session it seems everyone is playing pretty tight and there is zero action at the table. So guy playing any two cards is just taking down every hand. However, that seems to change when I open raise UTG with 1010 and I open to $10 get called by 3 players then the guy on my direct right shoves for his stack which I think is around $100. Which obviously puts me in a tough spot with 3 players left to act. I sigh fold my hand, guy who plays any two cards folds, tight Asian guy folds what turns out to be JJ, other guy folds. Guy to my direct right flips over K8, but guy to my right starts chirping something to the effect “sir I thought you played any two cards”. I dont think he got involved in another hand the next hour. However, it did seem to loosen the other players up at the table.
I get some pocket pairs and 3 bet, winning a few but then also losing some to any 2 cards guy of course by leading out of position and getting raised with low pairs. I also lose a big hand with JJ against tight reg 2 seats to my left when I get set mined on a low card flop when of course I lead out for I think $40 into a $60 pot, get raised to $120 and donk call. This is definitely when I knew the alcohol starts affecting my decision making because I knew in the back of my mind this guy had a set because this guy was tight as hell.no way could he have any other hand. Turn comes an Ace thankfully for me I check and this guy over shoves his stack all in which obviously makes my fold an easy decision even intoxicated. Bottom line is I'm playing terrible.
All this time I keep topping up which is a good thing to do if you know you're one of the better players at the table but being honest here I hadn’t played a live cash game in 4 years and truth be told I am not a winning cash game player. Plus I’m drunk. In no way shape or form should i have been topping off my stack. I even hit the money machine on a restroom break to pull out more money lol. Because at this point in the game I think I’m down around $200 What an idiot I am.
I get back to the table and for whatever reason I had this thought that everyone at the table must think I’m a complete nit so the next hand I raise 32suited in EP and end up taking down the pot on a wet board with lots of face cards and of course I show my 32….not directed at my opponent but at the table in general. At least in my alcohol addled brain. But I would soon get my come uppance as by this point I topped off with another $200. Perfect timing for what was about to happen.
I look down at AA UTG. I raise to $10 and brand new guy at the table 3 bets me to $30. I reraise to $110, and he calls. Flop comes King high, all hearts. I have no heart. I check, he leads out for some amount I dont even remember what it is I shove my remaining stack $280ish or so and he calls and flips over KK. How was I to know someone at a 1/ 2 table could flat a 4 bet with kings pre? Sigh. Frankly at this point it was all a blur.
So my first cash game back in Vegas I lose the most I’ve ever lost at a 1/ 2 table. Figures. I had no business topping off my stack like I was. That was the biggest mistake I made. So I just dusted off $700 and to make matters worse, all I remember when leaving the table was the 30 WSOP entry guy (who wasnt even involved in the hand) talking to the guy that just stacked me and laughing maniacally about what had just transpired. That really stuck with me the rest of the night I guess until I got back to the airbnb, hence the drunk post I made previously. For that I apologize.
At this point in the day it's around 8PM, IÂve been out and about since around 11AM, havent eaten anything since lunch, am tired, drunk, and down $900 on the day gambling. So what else is there to do besides hop on the bus and head over to Jacksons Bar and Grill?
Upon arriving at Jacksons of course the bar is completely full and IÂ’m waitlisted, but I soon get a seat and hit the money machine for $400. Not much to talk about as I lose my initial $200 and am down to my last $200. I’m actually up a bit when this comes out of nowhere:
Bam just like that all my problems for the day are solved! $2k, nice hit. Shockingly, or maybe not I dont know, nobody got excited. The guy next to me could have cared less. The older lady across the bar didnt even look up when I told her I just got a royal. Even the bartender wasnt excited. I finally call across the bar to this guy and question why nobody is celebrating and he comes over and congratulates me, which was nice. Maybe I was expecting too much or maybe I was just too drunk. As she was leaving the old lady passes by me and says “so you got a royal” with absolutely no emotion. In any case I play my $240ish back down to $200 and I'm out of there.
For some dumb reason I decide to walk up the street towards my Airbnb to that hole in the wall bar I mentioned in my previous post…it’s called Crowbar. Actually the bar isnt as small or grimy as I envisioned. I drop another $100 in the machine, lose it, have a few drinks, and leave.
So by my totals I’m down $700 in poker and up $1500 in video poker.
Totals:
Video Poker: +$750
Poker tournaments: -$150
Sports betting: +$460
Poker cash: -$700
Total: +$360
Last edited by thedude404; 05-25-2023 at 04:20 PM.
05-25-2023
, 05:42 PM
05-26-2023
, 12:52 AM
