Vegas October 2021 (WSOP)

Days 10-12 football, shop, NLH at Aria

Last Updated: 2021-10-23 01:59:38

After the disappointing day at Rio playing HORSE, I stuck to my guns and didn't play for two days. Part of the deal with playing HORSE was giving up 2-7 Triple Draw Sunday and I just didn't feel like going to Orleans for a $200 tournament on Monday.

Heather joined Tom, Drew, Joann and myself to spend half a day watching football at Tom's Urban on Sunday morning.

We've spent a bunch of time at Tom's on this trip, and I made reservations for all three of our football Sundays in town so this was Sunday 2 of 3. Eagles played on TNF so it was just the Packers at 10am.

We ate, drank, had fun, watched the Packers beat the Bears who Aaron Rodgers "Still owns!!!" hehe.

Joann and I restocked our bottled water supply at Sam's Club, stopped at Total Wine to get a backup for the almost empty bottle Joann brought to have in the room, we had panninis from the Aria Patisserie in our room and called it a night. Tom and Drew saw Lady Gaga and were hoping we'd meet them for drinks afterwards the same as they met us after the SoaD concert, but I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep after HORSE (had to set an alarm to make it for football!) and we were pretty much done and in bed by 10.

I'm not gonna lie, we were walking back to our hotel after football at Tom's around 3:00 and I had a moment of temptation to run over to Rio with some cash and buy in realizing that the tournament was just starting as we were walking ... but I stayed put.

Monday was Starbucks for breakfast, In-N-Out for lunch with Tom and a surprise visit from Drew, south outlet shopping, a run to the airport, Chin-Chin for dinner (NY style chinese food at NYNY), gelato, poker streaming in the room and bed.

Tom and Drew did not travel to or from Vegas together. Drew wanted to drive, Tom hates to drive. So Drew drove out, Tom flew out and met him. On Monday Drew was heading home in the morning and Tom was flying out in the afternoon, so Tom decided to join us for lunch and shopping to go with an offer to drop him off at the airport afterwards.

On the way to lunch Tom realized he left his keys packed in his luggage ... that was in the car with Drew ... in the opposite direction we were going in ...

But Drew hadn't gotten far, made it to In-N-Out when the rest of us were only about half done eating.

That was our Monday! I did get some shirts and jeans at the outlets (since we noticed the jeans I'm wearing are developing a hole in a place one would prefer not having a hole...) and I picked up a couple of 1.75 liter Malfy lemon infused gins, which were the bargain of the century, at yet another Lee's. 'Cause that's what I do when I'm in Vegas and not playing poker...

Playing poker is actually good for our budget and my liver!

I bought in the night before the tournament, I was actually the first person to buy in because they opened the tournament for me. They only do buyins for one tournament at a time so you can't buy in the day before until a half hour after registration closes for whatever tournament is going on that day, usually at 4pm with an 11am starting tournament. But that day they happened to have a 1pm start so registration was set to open later than usual. I showed up asking to register about 5 minutes after registration closed, but the tournament direction made a call and had it opened up just for me! Actually insisted on taking care of it for me!

Things did not start out well. Early on I had no cards. I did see an aces vs kings confrontation at the table tho. Aces lost.

For the first half hour round I got involved in exactly two hands. In both cases several people limped in my blind, in both cases I caught a pair with my crappy hand and made or called a flop bet but eventually gave up to significant action on the turn or river.

Then one of those hands that makes you hate doing the right thing...

I finally look down at pocket 9s. Under The Gun and UTG+1 limp, a fold or two, then a middle position player (who won KK vs AA) makes it 1000 to go. I call, loose guy directly to my left calls. It folds to UTG+1 (who had lost AA v KK) who is now a short stack and goes all in. Middle position then goes all in.

I wanted to call in the worst way but 99 can't be good, right? I probably snap call the first one but I can't call the second one so I fold.

Flop a 9. Grrrr. Short stack actually had A-K and was obviously hoping someone would raise so she could shove, middle position had inexplicably called with just Q-J offsuit. They both whiffed the board so AK held.

Just a little over an hour into the tournament things were just continuing to go badly. I was down to just a little over half a stack. Couldn't hit a flop, and the guy directly to my left was incessantly calling every one of my preflop raises and my continuation bets. Since I'd miss every flop and turn he'd make a big river bet and take the pot. I had nothing to fight back with...

But I finally pick up aces and get raised into. Same two women, same pattern. First one limps, second one raise to 1500 at 200/400/400. I make it 3000, they both call. Flop J-J-5, I make it 5k (hair under half my remaining stack) they both fold.

Little bit later whiff with A-K offsuit, go into break at 17,800.

Blinds now 300/600/600, same woman with the monster stack limps, I make it 2100 to go with K-K. Floater calls, short stack woman calls, monster stack calls. Flop comes Q-J-rag.

Monster stack leads into me for 3000, since we're 4-handed I think I have to raise here and I make it 8k. If it's just heads up I probably just call here. Everyone folds.

First time above starting stack the entire tournament!

I make it 1600 to go with A-J offsuit, same three people (floater, short stack, monster stack) all call.

Flop comes 6-K-J. 4 handed with middle pair I'm checking to see what happens, it checks around. 2 on the turn, I decide middle pair is probably good so I lead out for 2100 on the turn. Only the floater calls. Rag on the river (another 2?), I make it 3100 and floater folds. I certainly could have check/called here hoping he'd bet into me with air, but who knows maybe I got him off some crappy king he decided wasn't good enough. And if I check and he makes an oversized bet, which he often did when floating me, it might have been a tough call so probably was best to bet myself.

Monster stack makes it 2400 to go, someone calls and I look down at kings. With a raise and a call already into me and more people left to act I make it 11,100 to go. Everyone folds.

I got involved in an A-A vs A-A hand! She flopped a freeroll with two clubs on the board, I had two red ones and she had two black ones. But a spade on the turn quickly ended the drama.

I recently read, I think it was Jonathan Little, that going for thin value in tournaments isn't a good idea. The logic is basically that tournament chips are too important. In a cash game your primary concern is percentages, and any situation that's in your favor no matter how close to even things are, if it's a positive situation for you it means you should be involved.

In tournaments your goal is to avoid marginal situations because survival is your primary concern. You are fine getting all in a 50.2 to 49.8 favorite in a cash game, but in a tournament it's also about survival and you want better situations to get your chips in if you can help it. You should generally fold if you're only ahead 50.2 to 49.8 because it's not good enough (in general, of course! if you're horribly short stacked you'll take it...).

But ... sometimes I can't help myself. I call a raise to 2500 (now 400/800/800) with pocket 9s. Flop comes T-8-T. Original raiser makes it 3500, I call. This was a fairly tight player who didn't get involved in a lot of hands.

Turn is a rag, it checks around, I'm feeling good about my 9s. River is another rag, no straights or flushes possible and I make a 4500 bet with my 9s. She calls and mucks when I show my hand.

This is thin value because as a tight player it's probably 50-50 she has some smaller pair to call me with, but with all the rags out there smaller pairs could be sets now. She equally could have had pairs JJ through AA and was afraid I had trip 10s since she was a pretty tight player. But, she called and I took down the pot.

43,500 at the break after I lose the 100 value "chip race".

Then I get lucky! Guy who is a short stack and going all in constantly goes all in and I look down at pocket 9s again. I go all in over the top so I have him all to myself ... and he wakes up with aces. Ugh.

9 in the door! Ship it! 66K!

Registration had closed at the last break, but any alternate who had paid money before the break ended gets to sit and play whenever a seat opens. They settle on exactly 271 players, which is their threshold to pay 35 places instead of 27 places.

Blinds are going up, but my stack isn't. I don't get a lot of playable hands and I'm right at 20 big blinds at 1500/2500/2500.

Steal some blinds raising with K-T suited and A-9 suited.

Our table breaks up and I get moved to a new table.

All in with A-9 and A-Q preflop, both get through.

Another A-9 all in gets through.

Monster stack at new table makes it 7000 to go at 1500/3000/3000. I go over the top all in with A-J, he folds.

I crack 75,000 so 25 bigs. I can make normal raises for at least a few minutes until they go up again.

28 from the money...

Blinds now 2000/4000/4000 and I'm sitting on exactly 80k.

All in with 88, no callers, 90K.

Give up blinds, back to 80k at a break.

While this is going on, Patrick had arrived in town, had been to Rio, played in the daily 4pm, got hurt when JJ lost to 66 on a flopped set, and was now hanging with Joann watching me play.

After the break I sit back down and finally the hand I'd been waiting for ... unfortunately ... :-)

I don't wait until it's my turn to look at my cards, I look at them as they're being dealt 100% of the time. Respectfully, waiting until its your turn to look accomplishes nothing but slowing down the game. You're not getting anything from any half competent player watching them see their cards for the first time, trust me.

So I look down at A-K and look up to see what's happening.

Short stack goes all in. Sweet!

Monster stack also goes all in.

I snap go all in (chips falling off top of stack as I'm pushing them too fast...).

Everyone else folds.

Short stack has 10-10, monster stack also has A-K. AUGH!

We were 32.8% chance to chop with our A-K vs 66% for the tens. 0.56% chance for me to hit a flush ... oh by the way both of us had a club and a heart so only one live flush each.

No help on the board, tens win, done. 15 from the money, 50th of 271. So close!

So for Wednesday what should be my final bracelet event of the trip. Patrick and I are playing in Event #39, Pot Limit Omaha at 11am, about two hours from now as I'm finishing this up.