The Joker in Vegas

[mylesfdo]

Good luck out there Joe....hope to see u get the lot!!

[Joker161]

Day 1 - Sunday 28th June

Flight delayed. A bit boring. Daytime flight, so a chance to catch up on a load of films. Started with Taken 3. Standard. Then Selma. Got me quite angry, actually. WTF was wrong with those people 50 years ago? Time for something more light hearted: Hot Tub Time Machine 2. As you do. The odd giggle, but basically a s**t film.

No queue at immigration. At all. Straight to the officer. Is that a record? Of course it meant we were all waiting 20 minutes for our bags. The taxi driver did the usual round trip. Explaining that you have been here before, etc., seems to have no effect. Next year I will either (i) start the conversation with "I only have $25, so you can go the long way and get no tip or the short way that we both know exists" (apparently there is "construction" going the other way; yeah right); or (ii) bring a map and actually direct him the shortest route. GPS on the phone is no good because it would cost the same as going the long way in data charges!

I"m staying at the Marriott Grand Chateau. It"s just off the strip behind PH and MGM, 200 yards from the strip. It has no casino, so it"s nice and quiet, and the rooms have a small kitchen which might be useful. Haven"t worked out how yet - perhaps cereal in the mornings? Off to buy-in for Tuesday"s event now. Might have to be a taxi given the walk to the Harrah"s shuttle looks a bit long.

[Joker161]

Day 2 - Monday 29th June, 5am

So, I"ve still got that sleep issue in Vegas then! About three hours last night - not bad for me on the first night!

Back to yesterday...

I get a taxi to the Rio and buy into the $1,111 (Tuesday 10am start) and then have a look at the Big Drop where I see Trickett and Cody in action. Apparently it"s 40 minute blinds and the pros wanted it that way! Get back to the cash quicker! I then go over to see what"s happening in the Final Table area, and there"s Simon Trumper going great guns in the $10k PLO. There"s also quite a big Brit crowd with Barney Boatman and Andy Black. I bump into Adam who is on a break reporting on the Big Drop. We go and get a sandwich and then watch the PLO until the dinner break.

It"s now 9pm (5am UK time) and I"m struggling a bit. Adam suggests I go and play cash and see how I feel after an hour. I don"t want to miss the end of the PLO, but I have to get SOME sleep! So I find a $1/$3 table and sit down with $300. No hands for 30 minutes and I don"t even play marginal ones. Then it gets folded to me in the CO and I have Td8d and raise to $10 (the standard raise on this table). The BB calls and he"s been showing all sorts of rubbish. Flop is AK9 with two of my diamonds. He checks, I bet $20 to rep the ace. I assume he will fold, but he calls. Turn is a seven, and he bets $30. He"s obviously ahead here, but I have flush and straight draws and so call. River is a diamond, but another seven. He bets something quite big like $180. I am so sure I"m ahead that I call quite quickly, and he has 97 for the house. He probably shouldn"t be calling my flop bet. All very annoying, but being half asleep didn"t help. There"s no way I would call that in a tournament. Any 6, 10 or other diamond and I win; any other card and I don"t call on the river. Just the seven of diamonds that stitches me up! I decide to pass the PLO and go home. It"s still bloody hot at 11pm!

I feel a rest day coming on...

[Joker161]

Still Monday 29th June, 7pm

Had quite a lazy day, although decided to go to Planet Hollywood and play the $80 4pm. Once I got there, it turns out they have a series going on like they have at the Venetian and Ceasar"s. They have a $150 PLO which sounds like fun. I"ve missed the first two levels, but decide to give it a go anyway. I managed to go through the whole two hours without winning a hand! When I got in cheap I missed. The only decent hand I had was AKQQ, the flop had an ace and I had to fold to a raise (he showed AA). Then the exit hand I go all-in with a set of tens and get a caller. He has a massive draw and hits his straight.

I then went to meet some friends who are in Vegas for a day. They got engaged in the Grand Canyon this morning! They were playing blackjack, and I managed to lose $60 there too. I did win the odd hand, though, unlike with the poker. I"m not sure I"ve ever played a tournament and not won at least one hand! Fingers crossed it"s all different tomorrow!

[Joker161]

Day 3 - Tuesday 30th June

Reasonable amount of sleep last night. Got Wimbledon on the telly whilst getting ready, then a taxi to the Rio for the 10am start.

Only two of us there at the start, sharing everyone else"s blinds. It filled up pretty quickly. Not much to report for the first two levels. No big pairs. I had to fold 99 pre-flop to a raise and a re-raise. Had AQ three times, but I only hit once. I was on about 9500 towards the end of Level 2 when I got a bit Larry with 87. I raise mid-position to steal, the button calls and so does the BB. Flop is TT3; surely they all missed that! BB checks, I bet 550, the button calls and the BB folds. Turn a two. Obviously I should give it up here, but I reckon I have to bet to win, and so decide to bet 1100. He calls. Obviously I check fold the river. Ended the first two hours on 7500. Still loads of time, but it would be nice to get some decent hands!

[Joker161]

Next two levels. Still card dead. Best hand for me: raising with AQ, two callers, queen on the flop, I bet and they both fold. That is literally my best hand of the four hours. I had QQ once, but UTG so everyone folds. Same thing with KK once. Probably the only hand of note is when I raised on the button with A7, and the BB calls. Flop is T93 and we both check. Turn is an eight, and it"s a third diamond and my ace is a diamond. He bets, I should have pushed, but I think for a bit and the raise would look less convincing, so I call. The river is an ace and he puts me all-in. I had a bad feeling and folded. Hmm. Anyway, I"m down to about 5k. Something needs to happen otherwise I won"t make the dinner break.

[Joker161]

Levels 5 and 6. Still card dead. The odd steal, but no decent hands. I get as low as 3,500 and get it all-in and everyone folds. Sorel Mizzi is now at our table, as is Chris Moorman. In the middle of level 6 I"m on about 4k and there"s a raise, Mizzi calls, there"s a second caller, so I dump my stack in there with K9, hoping they"ll all fold. The raiser folds, Mizzi calls and the other bloke folds. Mizzi has KK. Oops! Flop is Q87. Possible runner runner straight? Turn a nine. Was hoping for a ten or six really. River a nine. BOOM! A bit embarrassing really. Still, I"m up to 9k. Then, a bit later, it gets folded to me in the SB, and I raise to steal and he calls. Annoying because I have 52. Flop is 557. Nice! Checking is too dull, so I bet and he goes all-in. I have to call. He can 86 for the straight draw, but misses, so I"m on 18k! I then get into a tangle with Moorhead when I raise the turn on a straight draw and miss. I bit lairy but that"s the sort of thing you do when you"ve been on 4k for two hours and suddenly you"re on 18k! On the dinner break now and I"m on 15k.

[Joker161]

Levels 7 and 8. I continue to get no hands. In an effort not to look like the biggest rock of all time, I am raising the odd hand; some get through, some don"t. By the end of Level 7 I seem to have somehow dribbled down to about 7k. The tightest bloke on the table then raises late, and I push with A3. He has jacks. I hit an ace. Clearly the only way I"m going to survive in this tournament is to get lucky. Same story in Level 8. I have one good hand - QQ. Like last time I"m UTG, and also like last time everyone folds. This is a bloody tough grind! I"m on about 12k now. Not sure what the average is but I"ve got about 20 bigs. Moorman is doing well. Won a few lucky pots.

[Joker161]

Level 9 was interesting. I only had one hand, but this time I got paid off. Moorman, as you would expect, raises quite a lot, and is not afraid to fold to a re-raise. So that"s what I did with not much and he folded. A few hands later I get QQ again. I raise to 1400 (blinds are 300/600/75), some old bloke calls and Moorman makes it 4800 from the SB. I don"t take long to stick my stack in, which was about 13k. The old man folds and Moorman calls, a bit reluctantly. He has AJ. Flop has a king and a ten on it, so I now need to avoid another queen as well as an ace, but I get away with it. I"m now up to 31k.

Level 10 is much like the others - no hands. I raise with AT and get re-raised, otherwise the odd steal but mainly a slow bleeding of chips. I get some back on the very last hand of the day. Moorman raises and I call with JT in the BB. Flop is 456 and we both check. Turn is a jack (handy), he bets 2k and I call. The river puts a fourth spade out there and it goes check/check. I pick up a nice pot and bag up 30,700. I have no idea how that relates to the average because the 4pm flight is still going. Back at 2pm tomorrow in the Amazon Room (10pm UK time).

[mylesfdo]

nice work there Joe after what looks like u could have easily bled to nothing.....glgl tomorrow or today or whenever!!

[Joker161]

Day 4 - Wednesday 1st July

Easy morning watching tennis and a quick dip in the pool. Got to the Rio a bit early to have lunch at the Hash-A-Go-Go, which has moved from the Imperial Palace.

Level 11 was a good one for me. Still not really getting hands, but after two rounds I thought I ought to raise one so that they don"t think I"m a total rock, so when it comes to me mid-position I raised I raise it up with K8. Two callers. Looks like I"m letting this one go! Flop is K84, but is all spades. Scary, but I have to bet. They both fold. Then the big hand. There"s a raise (CO+1) and a call (button), and I re-raise from the SB with TT. The raiser calls and the other bloke folds. I do the stare at him while the flop comes out thing, but he"s doing the same thing! After a few seconds of staring I go to bet, and see the ten on the board, although the AJT board is a bit scary. I bet 12k, he goes all-in and I think for a bit and also realise that he only has about 10k more, so I have to call. He has AQ, so he has outs but not many. He was a bit annoyed that I didn"t snap call, but it wasn"t that long. I"m up to 60k, average about 50k.

Level 12 is less good. Still no hands, so again decide I need to raise a hand. I go with 53, as you do. Get a call from the bloke next to me (the loudest American ever - he is essentially shouting when he talks. I wonder what his actual shouting is like?). We check the flop, then an ace comes on the river so I bet to represent and he calls. There goes 8k. He has AT. Then the same bloke min-raises when I"m in the BB. The SB calls so I"m getting a big price and call with K9. Flop is JT9 and we all check. Turn is a queen. Check, I bet my straight, and shouty man raises quite big. He obviously has AK. I have to fold. Towards the end of the level I get AK on the button and re-raise a stealer.  He folds. The very next hand I get AT and raise to steal, which gets through, so I"m on about 46k, but the average is now over 60k. I think we are down to about 750 players, so the bubble will probably go before the next break. Fingers crossed I"m still there!

[KarmaDope]

Joe, FYI, The Linq (formerly the IP) still has the HHAGG inside.

[Joker161]

Must be branching out! Watch out Denny"s!

[Joker161]

Levels 13 and 14 were pretty uneventful until the end. I got AJ in the BB, it"s folded round to the SB, he raises, I re-raise and he folds. With the antes, hands like this are getting pretty valuable. I then get JJ in the SB and call a raise. Flop is jack high and I decide to bet out. He folds. Thinking about it, I should have checked, but he was a lively player and I was hoping for a raise. But if I had checked he would probably have bet. Anyway, I get JJ again. There"s a raise, then a call and I really should have re-raised but decided to call. The flop is Q96. We all check. Turn is a three. Bet, call, and I decide to re-raise. A sort of turn squeeze. I knew the first bloke was weak, and the other one was fairly loose. So the first bloke folds and the second goes all-in. I have to fold and he shows 33 for the set on the turn. Really annoying! There were other hands - up a bit, down a bit, but they are difficult to remember after that annoying hand. Played it so badly! The irony is that I was dying for a piss but I didn"t want to miss any hands. After the AJ and the first JJ I thought I"d made a good decision to hold on. I wish I"d gone one hand earlier. After the second JJ hand there were two minutes to the break so I ran out to beat the queue, so I didn"t count the chips, but I was on about 53k before that hand so I must be down to 35k now. Cashing still possible, though. I think we"ve gone under 500 and they pay 468. Still haven"t had aces in two days.

[Joker161]

Bubble Time! About half way through Level 15 we get to the point where all the dealers have to stand after a hand - quite a sight with 50 tables! It didn"t last long and then everyone was dropping like flies after that. Then at the end of the level, The Hand. The bloke who raised on the JJ hand raises (to 5.5k, blinds now 400/1200/2400), the bloke who called him in the JJ hand calls, and the button calls for good measure. I have AK, and I"m not flatting this time. I make it 15k. The original raiser thinks for a bit and goes all-in, and he covers me by miles. The other two get out of the way and I call. Perhaps I could have folded, but I only have another 30k behind and this was a great chance to get a serious stack. Anyway, the villain has TT (I thought he might be better than that). So the classic race, obviously you need to win some of these. First card on the flop is a ten. Game Over. I would have been on over 100k and just over the average. A shame, but I did get quite lucky twice yesterday, so no complaints. I"m still thinking about that JJ hand! Off to have dinner now and then home. The Golden Nugget Main Event tomorrow!