 Vegas June 2021 |
| Day 9 - Aria daily |
| Last Updated: 2021-06-19 11:32:02 |
| I think they're starting to recognize me at the Starbucks I've been going to. Because they're close to the interstate they have a lock with a code on the restroom doors (I assume that's why anyway). Nobody feels the need to give me the code when I'm walking towards the men's room to wash my hands when I first get there now and people are handing me the food I order from my app as I'm walking from the men's room to the counter :-)
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| We have a little more time in the mornings now because the Aria daily tournament doesn't start until 1pm every day, and I prefer to register late anyway. I am just not a big fan of playing those early levels where every hand is 5 to 8 handed, you can't put anyone on anything because half of them are playing any two cards, etc. I prefer to sit down once blinds are to the point where people will have some respect for raises, and I'm no less happy with a 50-70 big blind stack than a 100-200 big blind stack.
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| As such I was thinking about not registering until 2pm. Decided to try a restaurant at Aria that only serves breakfast and lunch (only open until 2pm most days, 5 pm on weekends) called Salt and Ivy. It was good, we'd probably eat there again. It's just upstairs from the poker room, we finished eating around 1:30 so I walked down to the poker room and bought in.
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| Good thing I didn't wait, alternate 35!
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| Turns out I was actually the 20th alternate. Someone made a mistake and stopped selling available seats, the tournament director sat the first 15 as soon as they bought in. Often when there are that many alternates they will start up a new table, but the tournament director lamented to me that A) he has no more dealers to open a table with; B) two of their tournament directors gave notice and pretty soon they're going to be down to just 3 tournament directors (so don't hold my breath for a return of 7pm tournaments and who knows if they can even have a tournament series in the fall).
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| And he confirmed my suspicion that the reason they shut down the daily tournament for two weeks was the U.S. Poker Open because they gave up dealers and tournament directors for that event.
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| Shame because I saw people walking away from the tournament not wanting to wait "that long" to get seated. I finally sat down around 2:20.
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| And clearly the Aria poker room is hurting for staff and looking to hire. Some of the cash tables had massive waiting lists and there were 4-5 unused tables they surely would have loved to fill with players.
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| We had one dealer who while he was dealing had a friend come over and tell him he had just auditioned and talked about what he thought he messed up. Dealer told him since he got hired this is the greatest place to work, great people, "you're going to love it here", etc.
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| He also did things like if everyone checked around he'd say something like "ok, nobody liked those, let's see if anyone likes this one" as he was dealing the turn card. Started nicknaming people at the table. Stuff like that.
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| Thankfully he never commented on cards in a way he shouldn't have, and believe me I don't have a problem with a guy trying to have fun while he's working ... but, buddy, this ain't your home game and sooner or later someone isn't going to be amused with you :-)
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| For the record, tho, he was a good dealer. I never saw him make a single mistake while he was at our table.
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| On to poker, and I realize yesterday was rather wordy so today I'm going to make up for it. Mainly because there weren't any really notable hands, tho I did sit at the table for quite a while.
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| Played Q-3 off in the big blind, I forget if it was a limped pot or min-raised, flopped trip queens, got one bet called by one player but that was all I got out of them.
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| Raise and get called in two places with jacks, flop all under cards, no callers. Then only blinds and antes raising out with 10s.
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| 27K at the first break after six 20 minute levels. Now we shift to 30 minute levels. And we go from 9-handed to 8-handed per table. I had heard about that! They were only allowed to have 8 at a table during COVID restrictions, they got feedback that players liked 8-handed so that's the new standard at Aria. They start out 9-handed just to get more players in the limited number of tournament tables (used to be 10-handed start down to 9-handed after break).
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| They ended up getting 94 players, a good number(!) paying 13 places.
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| Half hour later a limp and a call, I call with KQo on t he button, blinds come along. Flop K high, I take it down. Raise out with AJo a hand or two later, flop A high, take it down on the flop again.
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| Best two hands I see in half an hour, at least I won small pots. Isn't this exciting? :-)
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| 40 minutes or so after that I finally pick up a good hand. Aces.
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| Blinds 600/1200/1200, middle position player makes it 3200 to go, I pop it to 7500 in the cutoff seat, he calls. Flop king high, he checks, I bet something like 10k, he thinks and folds. Happy to win a nice pot, wish he had a king.
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| Early to act makes it 3200, folds around to me with K-J of spades. I call.
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| Flop 9-6-7 with two spades, so I have a flush draw and two overs. She checks, I bet 4500, she quickly goes all-in. Ugh! I should have taken the free card! I fold.
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| But raise with 7s preflop, 2 callers, take it down with a continuation bet on an ace high flop.
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| I read yesterday that you lose 26% of your equity in a pot every time you fail to c-bet. Which is not to say you should c-bet 100% of the time, but you should be doing it most of the time.
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| 42000 at the next break after I don't win a chip race. There are 34 left so I'm 21 from the money. Still a ways to go.
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| Lose a couple of chunks betting out with Q-10 suited and having to give up after I miss. Then a couple hands later with Q-J suited I flop a flush draw, turn a straight draw, bet the turn and get called, miss everything and he leads out on the river. Get it all back raising out with Q-10 off, two callers on a 3k raise preflop, take it down on a 10-high flop. 42k again. Blinds are going up and my stack is effectively in neutral.
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| Win one, lose one, a couple of table breaks and we're 23 or 24 left when a 20k stack who had recently sat down on my right goes all-in when it folds to him. He's clearly looking to steal blinds, I quickly go over the top with A-Q off. He rolls over A-3!
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| Perfect! This should give me a real shot at the money ...
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| 3 in the window, board pairs on the turn to give me chop outs but no help on the river and I lose about 40% of my stack. Now I'm in all-in mode at 29k as blinds go up to 1000/2000/2000. After an orbit with nothing I'm down to 24k.
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| Get a walk with K-4 in the big blind and steal blinds in the next hand when it folds to me in the small and I shove with Q-8. Finally get an actual hand, go all in with K-Q off, run into aces. Argh.
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| Flop a gutshot but no help and I'm out 12 from the money. Ugh.
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| Over to Tom's Urban to sit at the bar and have dinner, up to the room to watch some F1 and relax with a whisky or two for the rest of the night.
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| Saturday will be the Aria daily again. |
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