Hey TwoPlusTwo,
I woke up yesterday to a strange tapping sound on the window. Open the curtains only to find a wet and grey Vegas looking back at me!!
I've been to Vegas when it has rained before but this was the worse rain in Vegas I'd seen anyway. Dan messages and suggests that we head to the Aria Cafe for breakfast so that's exactly what me, him, Jon and Joey do. A quick wet dash across to the Aria:
Food is good. I ordered a strawberry smoothie and the breakfast sandwich but replaced the egg and avocado with sausages which the others at the table found pretty funny. "Egg and avocado are the main bit!" Joey shouts at me.
Duncs arrives and predictably we end up at a Craps table again. Didn't really feel it but Duncs and Joey loaded up. Me, Jon and Dan left them to check out what was happening at the Aria Poker room. All the tables were full again and sitting around on the waiting list for 30 minutes didn't seem that appealing so me and Jon headed back to PH to try and jump in the game there. We left Dan at the Aria who joined a $2/$5 game and Joey followed Dan into the $2/$5 game as there was a massive whale on the table. I'll let Joey post about this session but this was the text I got sent about it:
Me and Jon jumped in the PH 1/2. Not really any interesting hands for me to report on tbh. The PH games seem a little dead during the day but I guess that's the same everywhere in Vegas, I think I played well though. As I said in my previous post we had all agreed to head to downtown to play the 3pm daily $50 Golden Nugget Donkament for a bit of fun. So I cash my $127 profit in from the morning PH session and me and Jon grab a Uber over to downtown.
It took us a little longer than expected to get there and you needed to register for a Casino card to play in tourney so in the end me and Jon late registered about 15 minutes late. Everyone in the group was here apart from Joey and Dan who couldn't leave the $2/$5 whale at the Aria and for Martin who decided he didn't really fancy a tourney and decided to punt his money in electronic craps instead:
In for $200 and out for $900
Back to the tourney. We stump up the $50 only to find out that Golden Nugget take $17 of that as rake!!
So basically playing a $33+$17 tourney which I found fairly insane but is just for fun and drinks I guess. I sit down at my table which also includes Duncan and Pete (It was Pete's first ever live tourney in a Casino).
Let's gogo:
I have to say that the level of play in this field was beyond horrendous and I think it was the first live tourney for about half the field! Fairly early on I manage to get it all in with AA v QQ v QT all in pre flop. Board runs out AT2Q2 for a nice little early triple up. It was quite funny because the woman who had called off with QT was screaming "Ten, Ten, Ten" as the turn and river card were being dealt. I confirmed to the dealer that he can give her what she wanted
.
We saw this tourney as a pay $50 and to drink as much as you can for free as fast as possible. Sex on the Beaches were flowing for me. And I was probably having the most fun I've had so far in Vegas.
Pete made a very questionable play. A bald very loud drunk guy who Duncs dubbed as Bald Jesus saw a river with Pete and bet 1500, Pete shoves all in for 1800 total, bald Jesus makes the call for 300 more with top pair and Pete turns over the Q high bluff, GG. Another very funny hand was when there had been a raise from MP and a few players call. The Flop came AK3r and the old guy who had been in the SB just donk leads rips all in for like 5k into the 1k pot. This guy had been playing sooo tight I'd not even really noticed him sat there for the last 45 minutes and now he's over bet shipping, I assumed he had quad Aces. The lady next to act makes the tank call with A6o and the old boy turns over KJo?? Waited 45 minutes to play a hand, flops middle pair, ****s himself and rips it in lol.
Dan and Joe arrive from the Aria at this point and late reg in. Dan joins our table and one of another tables breaks so Tom also joins our table. Fairly soon after Tom joined the table bald Jesus spills a full glass of hot tea all over Tom's cards, chips (and hands). Rather than moving us to a new table the floor staff give it a little mop up with some tissues and Tom is left to play the rest of the tourney in a puddle of cold tea
Bald Jesus doesn't even blink and just goes straight back to his massage.
It doesn't seem to slow Tom down though as Duncan ships from EP with A8s, Tom makes the call with the 77 and the board runs out fairly brutal for Duncs, A896T. Not soon after that Dan ships all in and Tom makes the call with the old trusted Q3o from the BB. Dan shows QJ but the 3 in the window card is bad news for him as he busts to the hands of Tom as well. Jon was also on our table now and on my direct right. It was folded to him in the SB and he looks down at one card and ships all in. I look down at a 2 as my first card and slowly squeeze out the Ace as the second for A2o. Fairly brutal spot I thought because the one card Jon looked at is most likely a Ace or King. If it's a Ace then I'm crushed and a King and I'm probably not in amazing shape either. Blinds were high though and it was only about 1/4 of my stack so I decide to make the call and he shows K9o (phew) and we hold. Blinds increased and the final table seemed to come around fairly quickly. 4 out of the 10 from our group who entered had made the final table which was a great result to say we were playing just for fun and drinks. 39 buyins into the tourney meant that top 4 of the tourney get paid (1st $515, 2nd $386, 3rd $257, 4th $129).
Final table time!
Tom kept his run good alive on the Final Table as well. Shipping all in with K6s from UTG with about 6bbs only to run into the BBs Aces. Somehow manages to hit the magic runner runner backdoor flush lol. Two hands later he limps the SB with QQ to trap and bald Jesus in the BB just rips it all in. (I have to say that after downing about 10 straight whiskeys bald Jesus wasn't doing great by this stage and had spent most of the final table puking in the toilet). Anyway, Bald Jesus had a legit hand here with JJ but was no match for Tom's QQ and another player was out. I got it all in with 88 vs shortstackers AK and won the flip to bust another player. At this stage we were 5 handed, 4 Brits and 1 American left. The American guy found the whole experience and British invasion quite funny. We all decided just to throw $10 into the middle so that 5th place would get $50 and would get some sort of cash.
Drinks were still flowing and I still had a very healthy chip stack at this stage, was having a great time. I then raised UTG+1 with AKo, Lewis defends his BB. The Flop comes 5T3r and I decide to cbet and Lewis calls. Turn is what I think is the dream card for me... K... Lewis checks, I ship all in and Lewis snap calls and turns over the K5o
Lost a chunk there and was now the short stack and looking like I was going out in 5th.
But by this stage the blinds were so high it was already a craps shoot. I stole a few blinds and built my stack up a little more. The only remaining American guy gets it in all in vs Chris on T56, Chris has AT and the American guy has 74cc. Turn comes Qc which gives the American guy a backdoor flush draw and even more outs but he bricks out! Pretty sick that only four people cash in this tourney and all four were from our group. Not sure if the daily Golden Nugget tourneys appear on Hendon Mob database? But would love to see those four English flags if it does!
And then there were four:
Chris was the chip leader four handed and increased his stack even more when he got it all in vs Lewis with AT v AJ on TxxAx. We were down to three handed, me, Chris and Tom. I was the short stack of the table and there was discussion to chop the prize pool but we decided in the end that it would just be more fun to play it out. Fairly early on after making this decision Tom ships from the BTN and I look down at KJo in the BB. By this stage the blinds and antes were very high and decided to call it off. Luckily Tom had KT and we held for a nice double up and to put me about level in chips with him now.
After abit of a three handed battle of back and forth Tom ships it all in from the BTN with QJo and is called by Chris's AK in the SB. Chris holds and we're heads up!
Me vs the wizard!
We play HU for about 20 minutes, I had about 60k in chips to Chris's 140k. I limp the BTN with KQo, Chris jams all in and I make the call. Chris turns over Q8o to give me a good chance to double up. Board runs out 457.... J... 6 and it's GG.
Won $386 for my troubles and had about 15 Sex on the beach cocktails for free so seemed like great value!
After calculating my Poker P&L for the trip after this win I was very happy to find out I was officially out of the poker hole for the trip now and up a massive $26! While we were final tabling the ones of the group who had busted had gone to see Mike The Hammer. While we waited for that show to finish me, Chris and Dan play our $10 matched chip you get when you first sign up to the Golden Nugget. We all wonder over to the BJ table and put $10 on plus the $10 matched chip. Me and Chris continue our run good and both peel in 20s vs the dealers 3. Dan stands on 14 and the dealer busts. Another $20 profit each for the team for the night, things do seem to be turning around for the group. We meet the others of the group after they're done with Mike the Hammer and go for another Joey recommended dinner. I'll let Joey update you on the rest though.
Overall very fun day though! Profitable as well, I think everyone in the group had a winning day today which is great for everyones spirits going into the last few days!
We won't be needing these...
Last edited by hutchyw117; 02-15-2019 at 12:10 PM.