Here are a couple of no-limit hands that I just played on PartyPoker in $25 NL. I was playing in three games and they were all pretty tight. I've just started playing some no-limit cash games, because I just wasn't confident enough with my no-limit game in the past.
On the first hand, there were two players who posted out of position and also a dead small blind, then two limpers to me. You've got to be more aggressive when there's more to win, and there was $1.45 in the pot. I raised to $2 with K4o and everyone folded.
In the other hand, a new player raised to $2 and I had KQo on the button. It was an extra large raise (usually players raise to $1) and I thought it meant the player didn't really want the hand to play out. So I called and the blinds folded. The flop came with a K and no ace, so I was happy, but thought he might have AK. He bet the pot, and I called. The turn was a beautiful Q, and now I had two pair, kings and queens. He went all-in for $17 and you bet I called for my last $14.50. The river was a 5 and it turned out that he had pocket 5s, so he drew one of the two cards in the deck that would beat me. That's a 4.5% chance to win after the turn. Argh!
- schneid
Friday, July 22, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
WSOP 2005 Part 5 - By the Numbers
Final totals for the trip:
Money spent on satellites: $675
Money won in satellites: $1000 (= my entry fee into Event #44)
Playing in a WSOP event: priceless
Time in Las Vegas: 75 hours
Time playing poker: 35 hours
Time sleeping: 15 hours
Time blogging: 6 hours
Time doing other gambling: 6 hours
Poker pros and/or celebrities spotted: 22
Poker pros and/or celebrities actually talked to: 3
Time spent in the $1000 tournament: 2.5 hours
Odds that I should've won the hand that busted me: 3 to 1
Tiltboy sitings: 0
- schneid
Money spent on satellites: $675
Money won in satellites: $1000 (= my entry fee into Event #44)
Playing in a WSOP event: priceless
Time in Las Vegas: 75 hours
Time playing poker: 35 hours
Time sleeping: 15 hours
Time blogging: 6 hours
Time doing other gambling: 6 hours
Poker pros and/or celebrities spotted: 22
Poker pros and/or celebrities actually talked to: 3
Time spent in the $1000 tournament: 2.5 hours
Odds that I should've won the hand that busted me: 3 to 1
Tiltboy sitings: 0
- schneid
WSOP 2005 Part 4 - Departure
I wake up around 11:00 AM since checkout is at noon. I get ready, pack up, check out, and leave my bags at at the bell desk at the Gold Coast. My flight is at 5:40 and it's 12:00 now. Satellite winners receive a voucher for $10 which can be used at the Rio. I wanted to check out the buffet, but the line is too long. Instead, I get a fantastic hamburger at the All American Bar and Grille, then go to the convention center to check on the progress of the main event.
Most of the tables are now empty. There are five tables remaining in the main event. Marcel Luske busts out. Mike Matusow, Greg Raymer, John Juanda, and Phil Ivey are all at different tables, which could make for a great final table. The announcers say that the next person to bust out will earn $174,000. There's not much happening at the 4-8 cash tables, so I head back to the Gold Coast to decide what to do. On the way out, I see a handsome, very tall man in a nice suit signing autographs. I ask someone who it is, and it is Luske. I didn't even recognize him. I see someone wearing a very cool t-shirt that I haven't seen all week, that says "Participant" on the back, so I go to the WSOP shop and buy a few more shirts, then go back to the Gold Coast.
I check at the bell desk for information about the NBA summer league. There is a game at 3:00 and it is now 2:20. I check out the poker room, but there is a list for 4-8. Instead, I play blackjack, and plan to head over to the NBA game in a little while. That never happens, and I play blackjack until I go to the airport.
I count cards while playing blackjack. It's been 9 years since I've done that, but it comes back pretty easily. They are only using 3 decks, and dealing about 1/2 of those cards. Counting does me absolutely no good. Several times when the count is really bad, I am dealt blackjack. And every time the count is really good, and I double my bet or play two hands, or both, I lose. I keep checking the time and leave around 4:20.
My cab driver is from Wisconsin and we chat a bit. The cab ride is only $12, and I tell him that I paid $20 when I arrived! He asks if I went "way around on the highway" and I say that I had. He just says "mmm hmm". So if you go, tell your driver to take the shortest route. The trip is uneventful (warm nuts, hot towel, free drinks, ah, first class is nice). No supermodels this time. As we disembark, I notice an extremely tall guy get off the plane. He's at least 6'8", probably taller. I think it might be Jared Reiner of the Bulls. The next day, I check the summer league schedule, and sure enough, Reiner was on the Bulls roster, and he had played in the 1:00 game in Las Vegas this afternoon, and that was the Bulls' last game. His photo looks like the guy that I saw, so I'm convinced it was him.
I take the tram to remote parking (only had carry-on, boy that makes life easier), get my car, and drive home. I get home around 12:30 AM. My wife has waited up for me! She probably regrets it as I talk her ear off for 3 hours. I get up with the kids at 6:30, so this is actually the least amount of sleep I've had all week. It's great to be home and be with my family.
It's been a fantastic trip, one that I plan to take every year. Thanks for reading!
- schneid
Most of the tables are now empty. There are five tables remaining in the main event. Marcel Luske busts out. Mike Matusow, Greg Raymer, John Juanda, and Phil Ivey are all at different tables, which could make for a great final table. The announcers say that the next person to bust out will earn $174,000. There's not much happening at the 4-8 cash tables, so I head back to the Gold Coast to decide what to do. On the way out, I see a handsome, very tall man in a nice suit signing autographs. I ask someone who it is, and it is Luske. I didn't even recognize him. I see someone wearing a very cool t-shirt that I haven't seen all week, that says "Participant" on the back, so I go to the WSOP shop and buy a few more shirts, then go back to the Gold Coast.
I check at the bell desk for information about the NBA summer league. There is a game at 3:00 and it is now 2:20. I check out the poker room, but there is a list for 4-8. Instead, I play blackjack, and plan to head over to the NBA game in a little while. That never happens, and I play blackjack until I go to the airport.
I count cards while playing blackjack. It's been 9 years since I've done that, but it comes back pretty easily. They are only using 3 decks, and dealing about 1/2 of those cards. Counting does me absolutely no good. Several times when the count is really bad, I am dealt blackjack. And every time the count is really good, and I double my bet or play two hands, or both, I lose. I keep checking the time and leave around 4:20.
My cab driver is from Wisconsin and we chat a bit. The cab ride is only $12, and I tell him that I paid $20 when I arrived! He asks if I went "way around on the highway" and I say that I had. He just says "mmm hmm". So if you go, tell your driver to take the shortest route. The trip is uneventful (warm nuts, hot towel, free drinks, ah, first class is nice). No supermodels this time. As we disembark, I notice an extremely tall guy get off the plane. He's at least 6'8", probably taller. I think it might be Jared Reiner of the Bulls. The next day, I check the summer league schedule, and sure enough, Reiner was on the Bulls roster, and he had played in the 1:00 game in Las Vegas this afternoon, and that was the Bulls' last game. His photo looks like the guy that I saw, so I'm convinced it was him.
I take the tram to remote parking (only had carry-on, boy that makes life easier), get my car, and drive home. I get home around 12:30 AM. My wife has waited up for me! She probably regrets it as I talk her ear off for 3 hours. I get up with the kids at 6:30, so this is actually the least amount of sleep I've had all week. It's great to be home and be with my family.
It's been a fantastic trip, one that I plan to take every year. Thanks for reading!
- schneid
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
WSOP 2005 Part 3 - Tournament and Bellagio
I went to bed around 4:00 AM, and since I had less than 5 hours sleep the previous night, I should've slept like a baby. But I was wired from the night's action, and worried that I might wake up late. I planned to wake at 10:30, shower, get lunch, and head to today's event which started at 12:00. I woke up around 9:30 and decide to just stay up. I had planned to wear a Hawaiian shirt at the tournament, because then I would look cool if I got on TV. But the entire week, I had been wearing khakis and solid color button-down shirts, and I felt like it gave me a conservative table image which I like to have. A Hawaiian shirt says "Hey, let's party! I raise!" I prefer that players fold when I raise, so that's not a good image for me. I choose another solid, boring shirt.
I follow my plan and arrive at the Rio around 11:40. It's actually 113 degrees today. But it's a dry heat. :)
Playing in this event is my goal for this trip, and I am really excited to be there. I take my seat and wait for other players to arrive. The first is an older man, wearing a black silk shirt. He looks like a tight player. The next player, in Seat 4, is quite a character. He is like a cartoon character of a stereotypical New Yorker. He's Italian, but short, about 5'5". He exudes that "No, fuck you!" attitude. He has huge biceps and a snake tattoo on the left, and he's wearing a shirt that has four aces on the front. His card covers are two large, steel nuts. (A plethora of bad jokes ensues..."Want to see my nuts?", "Want to hold my nuts?") He seems arrogant and keeps finding the new players amusing and chuckles to himself. It seems that he's trying to be intimidating.
Seat 7 is sort of an artsy looking guy, and so is his wife who is standing nearby. They are probably around 30. A young Asian guy, probably about 25, is sitting to my immediate right in seat 8. A young guy is in Seat 2. He's one of the typical internet players - sunglasses, goatee, looks like he's about 16 years old. As a bonus, he's wearing a Unabomber-style hooded sweatshirt, with the hood up. Seats 1 and 3 look like regular guys, about 30ish, probably computer programmers or something like that.
The other two players are missing. The tournament starts without them. In fact, there are quite a few absent players, probably an average of 1 per table, so there are only about 9 players per table. It's inconceivable to me to be late, because I'm dying to play in the event.
Our dealer is a young woman, probably of Middle Eastern descent, with black dreadlocks all the way down to her knees. Most of the dealers that I encountered this week (probably dozens) were foreigners, and many of those were Vietnamese. All of the dealers did a great job with just a few exceptions that I noted in my reports.
While waiting for the tournament to start, we see John Myung take a seat, then the actress Jennifer Tilly. Tilly actually won the Ladies' Hold'em event and won $160,000! It turns out that Tilly is dating poker pro Phil Laak, also known as the Unabomber for the hooded sweatshirt he wears. When he makes a play and doesn't want his opponent to get a read on him, he pulls the drawstrings on his hood and completely disappears. Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak are best friends, so Laak and Tilly probably went to dinner with the Esfandiaris last night. If I had asked to come with, which I almost did, I would've been hanging out with Tilly and Laak too!
The tournament structure is that you have $1000 in chips, the blinds start at 25 and 25, then 25 and 50, then doubling every level. Each level is one hour. You don't start with very many chips compared to the size of the blinds, but one hour levels are decent. So you need to be a little aggressive, but not too aggressive, unless you have a short stack.
The game starts and a pattern is quickly established. A few people fold or limp, someone raises 50 or 100, and everyone folds.
The first two hands I was involved in were on my blinds. There was a 50 raise to my SB (and the BB was one of the missing players, so he's out of the hand), so I should pretty much call with anything since I'm getting 2.5 to 1 pot odds. I call with my 64 offsuit, miss the flop completely, and fold to his bet.
On my BB, I call a 75 raise (this time getting 2 to 1 odds) with Q9 offsuit. I again miss the flop and fold to the bet.
Shortly after that, I'm in late position, and I'm the first limper with J8s, but the BB raises 100 and I fold.
The next hand, which I was not involved in, was unbelievable. The New Yorker raises preflop, and Seat 7 calls. The flop is AJ3. Seat 7 fires 100 or so at the pot, which the New Yorker calls. The turn is another ace, Seat 7 fires again, and the New Yorker calls. The river is a 3, making the board A-A-J-3-3. Anyone with an ace has aces full, and anyone with a 3 has threes full. This time Seat 7 declines to bet, and the New Yorker goes all-in for about 500 more. The other player has about that many chips left, and goes into the tank for awhile. He thinks and thinks, and in the meantime, the New Yorker is staring him down, really trying to be intimidating. The New Yorker even sighs at one point, as if to say, "Boy this is taking a long time." I think Seat 7 should call, because the staredown is usually a ploy to get a player to fold when you have a weak hand. He folds, and the New Yorker turns over pocket aces - he has four aces, JUST LIKE ON HIS SHIRT. It was amazing. I think the other player probably had a jack and not a three. He was very lucky to not call that, but he busted out shortly thereafter. I was taking a lot of notes during the entire tournament, and he said "Write about that in your little book!", to which I replied, "Where can I get one of those shirts?"
The entire table joked about the hand and completely loosened up. The New Yorker turned out to be a pretty nice guy. His earlier intimidation tactics now seemed like an act. I chatted with him a little bit during the break and he was pretty friendly.
Shortly after that, I limped with KQs and folded to a raise. Then I folded to raise with KTs. I felt like I played those pretty weakly, but I really just wanted to get in cheap. I would have to raise about 100, and only had about 800 in my stack.
In another hand, Seat 6 raised and Seat 7 called. The flop had an ace. Seat 6 checked, Seat 7 bet about 7, Seat 6 raised 125, and Seat 7 reraised about 200, then Seat 6 went all-in. Seat 7 thought for awhile, then folded. Now he had a short stack which led to the next hand.
The first elimination occurred when Seat 7 (the victim of the quad aces) bluffed all-in on the river when his flush draw missed, and Seat 10, who had just been calling his bets all along, called - he had pocket 9s and there was a 9 on the board, giving him trips. Right after that, on my BB, Seat 10 raised 75 and I called with 84o. The wonderful flop came 842, giving me top two pair. He checked, I bet, he raises all-in, and I call. He's got pocket aces, the board doesn't pair and no ace comes, and I double up. Now I have a decent stack and don't have to worry about pressure from the blinds for a little while.
The next time I make a note of it, the blinds are 25 and 50 and I have 1200. On my next hand, I raise 100 in second position with AT suited, and everyone folds. Next, a short stack bets, the New Yorker goes all-in, and the short stack calls. The short stack has JJ and the New Yorker has AQo. An ace comes on the board and the short stack is eliminated.
We get another dealer (they change quite often, this is probably the third or fourth). He proceeds to put the entire table on tilt. A player is counting out his chips behind his cards, contemplating a call, and the dealer says "At some casinos, you can't do that - it's considered a call." There may be a rule like that somewhere but obviously not at the Rio, which is where we are! He didn't disagree with that, but he and some of the players kept arguing. Seat 5 said "Just deal" and the dealer gets pissed and says "Don't ever talk to me like that - you have no right to talk to me like that". All the players are looking at each other like "Ohmigod what's this all about" and start saying stuff like "let's play", "we're just here to play poker", and "let's change the conversation". The dealer's remaining time is uneventful and we are happy to see him go.
On my small blind, I raise 100 with QJ offsuit after everyone else folded, and the big blind calls. The flop has a queen, giving me top pair, I bet 300, he thinks for a little bit, then folds.
Shortly after that we had a 15 minute break. After the break, the blinds will be 50 and 100. During the break, I see Humberto Brenes in the hallway.
*************************************************
Bust out alert!
If you don't like sad endings, stop reading! :)
*************************************************
The next hand is going to break your heart. I'm on the button and raise to 300 with AQ suited. The small blind goes all-in and the big blind folds. I call immediately for the rest of my chips, and I'm thrilled to see that he has AT offsuit. He probably thought I was stealing, so called with his ace. The only way he can win is to get a ten or a flukey straight, about a 25% chance. A ten flops as well as an ace, and now I'm the underdog - only a 15% chance of getting a queen on the turn or river. It doesn't happen and I bust out.
I was really disappointed, but not devastated like I thought I would be. I'm thrilled that I had a good read on my opponent, assuming he didn't have much of a hand, and that I got all my money in there when I was 3 to 1 to win the pot.
So it's about 2:30 and I'm out. I go to the WSOP store and buy some shirts, then head back to the Gold Coast to write this report. Now I'm probably going to get some dinner, try to decipher the bus system, and head to the strip and look around. I'll probably go to the Bellagio, where I hear all the pros are playing.
I'm tempted to play in one more $125 satellite for a shot at tomorrow's $1000 event, and catch a later flight on Wednesday (or Thursday), but I still haven't decided.
Assuming I don't play in tomorrow's event, I'll check out the strip some more and maybe go over to UNLV to see the NBA Summer League.
It takes me quite awhile to write this report, then I get a quick hotdog at the Gold Coast. I take the free shuttle from the Gold Coast to the Barbary Coast on the strip. I haven't seen the strip in 9 years, and it's really changed. The Bellagio, Paris, Mandalay Bay, and The Venetian have all been built since then and dramatically change the strip skyline. The Bellagio is a beautiful place.
I walk around the Bellagio poker room to see if I recognize anyone. There are a couple of players that I've played with in some satellites and cash games. The only pro I see is TJ Cloutier. I get on the list for 4-8 limit hold'em. 4-8 is the lowest limit that I've seen spread in a limit hold'em game at the three places that I've played: Rio, Gold Coast, and Bellagio. I'm usually more comfortable in a 3-6 game, but here it doesn't make any difference.
I watch the games, but don't see anything, like a bunch of loose players, or some sharks salivating over my arrival. My name is called, I buy $200 in chips, and sit down. I've got 5 stacks of 20 whites ($1) and 1 stack of 20 reds ($5). There are several players at the table with about 10 stacks or more of various colors. They are probably winning, since a $200 buy-in would be typical for this game. You want to buy into a limit game for at least 20 big blinds, which would be $160 here. You need to have enough money for the inevitable ups and downs of the game, and you don't want to be short-stacked when you have a monster hand.
There is one player that I recognize at the table - it's the old man for whom I saved half a pot at the Rio. I call a few times and raise once or twice, maybe see a turn or river, miss all my draws, and never see a showdown for about 90 minutes, and I'm down to $130.
I have TJ (seems appropriate since I just saw Mr. Cloutier) and limp in. The flop comes 89J and I have top pair and an open-ended straight draw. I bet, the old man calls, and there are one or two more callers. The turn is a blank, I check, the old man bets, everyone else folds, and I call. I'm thinking "Would he play QT in that position? Maybe." The river is a blank, I check, he bets, and I think about it for awhile. He is a tight player and usually doesn't bet unless he's really got it. So I fold, and due to my good poker karma, he flashes me the QT.
Then the greatest thing happens that has ever happened to me at a poker table. I go on a huge rush and obliterate the table.
Some old Chinese ladies have joined the table and only bought in for $100. They are loose passive, and limp in for three bets all the time, and call all the way to the river with just top pair, bad kicker. It's just too easy.
I start getting some hands and I'm up to $345. Soon I flop an ace high straight, bet all the way and get called by the old man, but a ten hits on the river to pair the board. I should realize that he must be calling with something (like two pair), but I bet anyway, he raises, and I call. He shows KT for 10s full of kings. He had two pair on the flop and had only 4 outs. I don't lose too much on that hand.
One problem with this loose table is that no one will fold to a preflop raise, especially if you are in late position. If 5 people have called, it's a mistake to raise with AQ because you're just sweetening the pot for all those draws. I keep getting good cards in late position, but usually don't raise because there are so many limpers. I get AQ, some callers, flop an ace, and win the pot. At least two other players called on the river but don't show their cards. I'm surprised at how often the players don't show down when they lose. I want my opponents to see that I might call with a pair of kings when there is an ace on board, so they won't want to bluff at me.
The very next hand, I get AQ again, and flop a queen. Even better! I win and I'm up to $420. There are some other new players at our table: a young Asian woman, another loose passive woman, and two Asian men. One of the Asian men raises before the flop, then bets all the way to the river. He shows down a pair of pocket deuces, but there are four clubs on board to give him a flush. He subsequently plays several hands exactly the same way. He raises with every pocket pair and bets all the way. I have a good read on every player at the table. There are two players that are good, and the rest are terrible and mostly loose passive. Four people at the table are drinking. It's funny, I always drink at my weekly poker game, but I haven't had a single alcoholic drink since I've been here. They keep sitting down and buying in for only $100, then rebuying for $50. I'm up to $520 now.
I have 77 and call. The Asian guy (who raises with any pockets) raises. The flop is QQ2, he bets, and I'm going to fold, then I remember how aggressively he plays his small pocket pairs, and I call. He bets the turn and I call. He surprises me by checking the river and I check. He has nothing and I win the pot.
Several people order these strawberry drinks, like smoothies. They look good and I'm tired of drinking Diet Coke, so I order one. It is soooo good! And it seems like a much better deal than a cup full of ice and a tiny squirt of Diet Coke for the $1 tip you give the waitress.
I get awesome cards for quite awhile. In one sequence, I have KK, AKs, QQ, and AQs in four hands. I actually manage to steal two pots at this totally loose table when I bet some scary flops, and everyone folds. I'm up to $575 now. I have a stack and a half of reds, and 21 stacks of whites. I have so many chips that they are really getting in my way.
Then the table changes. Several people leave because of me (at least four people left with no money). A couple of tight players sit down and I can't run over the table any longer. On my last hand at the Bellagio, I am dealt pocket fives. There are three callers, and the flop comes Q-5-4, giving me a set of fives. This is the first time in six hours that someone has flopped a set. I should check and slowplay, but there is a straight draw, and this table has been so loose that I'm sure everyone will just call. To my dismay, everyone folds! I throw down my cards face up and announce "Presto!" and take the smallish pot. "It's definitely time for me to go", I announce, and gather up my chips. I need four racks to get them all. I'm down to Fahrenheit $451, but very happy since I started with $200.
I cash out and catch the shuttle back to the Gold Coast. It turns out that it is 12:15 AM, and this is the last shuttle. I almost missed it because as usual, I didn't think it was so late.
At the Gold Coast, I look for something interesting to play, and there is a Pai Gow dealer whose nametag says "Debbie - Illinois", so I sit down to chat with her. To make a long story short, it turns out that her father lives a block away from where my mom lived for 10 years, and she lives in my current hometown for five years before moving to Las Vegas. It's a small world. She is very nice, so I play Pai Gow for a couple of hours, breaking even. Pai Gow is a strange game. It's like poker, but you play against the house. You get 7 cards, which you break up into a 5-card poker hand and a 2-card hand. The other players and the dealer do the same. Your 5-card hand must be better than your 2-card hand. There are a lot of rules about how the dealer must split up their hand. Anyway, it's not too hard to break even and for the first time the entire week, I had an alcoholic drink, a Newcastle Brown Ale.
At about 3:30, I quit and get steak and eggs in the restaurant. It's really good and with toast and hash browns, it is a great deal for $3.49. Then I head to bed.
- schneid
I follow my plan and arrive at the Rio around 11:40. It's actually 113 degrees today. But it's a dry heat. :)
Playing in this event is my goal for this trip, and I am really excited to be there. I take my seat and wait for other players to arrive. The first is an older man, wearing a black silk shirt. He looks like a tight player. The next player, in Seat 4, is quite a character. He is like a cartoon character of a stereotypical New Yorker. He's Italian, but short, about 5'5". He exudes that "No, fuck you!" attitude. He has huge biceps and a snake tattoo on the left, and he's wearing a shirt that has four aces on the front. His card covers are two large, steel nuts. (A plethora of bad jokes ensues..."Want to see my nuts?", "Want to hold my nuts?") He seems arrogant and keeps finding the new players amusing and chuckles to himself. It seems that he's trying to be intimidating.
Seat 7 is sort of an artsy looking guy, and so is his wife who is standing nearby. They are probably around 30. A young Asian guy, probably about 25, is sitting to my immediate right in seat 8. A young guy is in Seat 2. He's one of the typical internet players - sunglasses, goatee, looks like he's about 16 years old. As a bonus, he's wearing a Unabomber-style hooded sweatshirt, with the hood up. Seats 1 and 3 look like regular guys, about 30ish, probably computer programmers or something like that.
The other two players are missing. The tournament starts without them. In fact, there are quite a few absent players, probably an average of 1 per table, so there are only about 9 players per table. It's inconceivable to me to be late, because I'm dying to play in the event.
Our dealer is a young woman, probably of Middle Eastern descent, with black dreadlocks all the way down to her knees. Most of the dealers that I encountered this week (probably dozens) were foreigners, and many of those were Vietnamese. All of the dealers did a great job with just a few exceptions that I noted in my reports.
While waiting for the tournament to start, we see John Myung take a seat, then the actress Jennifer Tilly. Tilly actually won the Ladies' Hold'em event and won $160,000! It turns out that Tilly is dating poker pro Phil Laak, also known as the Unabomber for the hooded sweatshirt he wears. When he makes a play and doesn't want his opponent to get a read on him, he pulls the drawstrings on his hood and completely disappears. Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak are best friends, so Laak and Tilly probably went to dinner with the Esfandiaris last night. If I had asked to come with, which I almost did, I would've been hanging out with Tilly and Laak too!
The tournament structure is that you have $1000 in chips, the blinds start at 25 and 25, then 25 and 50, then doubling every level. Each level is one hour. You don't start with very many chips compared to the size of the blinds, but one hour levels are decent. So you need to be a little aggressive, but not too aggressive, unless you have a short stack.
The game starts and a pattern is quickly established. A few people fold or limp, someone raises 50 or 100, and everyone folds.
The first two hands I was involved in were on my blinds. There was a 50 raise to my SB (and the BB was one of the missing players, so he's out of the hand), so I should pretty much call with anything since I'm getting 2.5 to 1 pot odds. I call with my 64 offsuit, miss the flop completely, and fold to his bet.
On my BB, I call a 75 raise (this time getting 2 to 1 odds) with Q9 offsuit. I again miss the flop and fold to the bet.
Shortly after that, I'm in late position, and I'm the first limper with J8s, but the BB raises 100 and I fold.
The next hand, which I was not involved in, was unbelievable. The New Yorker raises preflop, and Seat 7 calls. The flop is AJ3. Seat 7 fires 100 or so at the pot, which the New Yorker calls. The turn is another ace, Seat 7 fires again, and the New Yorker calls. The river is a 3, making the board A-A-J-3-3. Anyone with an ace has aces full, and anyone with a 3 has threes full. This time Seat 7 declines to bet, and the New Yorker goes all-in for about 500 more. The other player has about that many chips left, and goes into the tank for awhile. He thinks and thinks, and in the meantime, the New Yorker is staring him down, really trying to be intimidating. The New Yorker even sighs at one point, as if to say, "Boy this is taking a long time." I think Seat 7 should call, because the staredown is usually a ploy to get a player to fold when you have a weak hand. He folds, and the New Yorker turns over pocket aces - he has four aces, JUST LIKE ON HIS SHIRT. It was amazing. I think the other player probably had a jack and not a three. He was very lucky to not call that, but he busted out shortly thereafter. I was taking a lot of notes during the entire tournament, and he said "Write about that in your little book!", to which I replied, "Where can I get one of those shirts?"
The entire table joked about the hand and completely loosened up. The New Yorker turned out to be a pretty nice guy. His earlier intimidation tactics now seemed like an act. I chatted with him a little bit during the break and he was pretty friendly.
Shortly after that, I limped with KQs and folded to a raise. Then I folded to raise with KTs. I felt like I played those pretty weakly, but I really just wanted to get in cheap. I would have to raise about 100, and only had about 800 in my stack.
In another hand, Seat 6 raised and Seat 7 called. The flop had an ace. Seat 6 checked, Seat 7 bet about 7, Seat 6 raised 125, and Seat 7 reraised about 200, then Seat 6 went all-in. Seat 7 thought for awhile, then folded. Now he had a short stack which led to the next hand.
The first elimination occurred when Seat 7 (the victim of the quad aces) bluffed all-in on the river when his flush draw missed, and Seat 10, who had just been calling his bets all along, called - he had pocket 9s and there was a 9 on the board, giving him trips. Right after that, on my BB, Seat 10 raised 75 and I called with 84o. The wonderful flop came 842, giving me top two pair. He checked, I bet, he raises all-in, and I call. He's got pocket aces, the board doesn't pair and no ace comes, and I double up. Now I have a decent stack and don't have to worry about pressure from the blinds for a little while.
The next time I make a note of it, the blinds are 25 and 50 and I have 1200. On my next hand, I raise 100 in second position with AT suited, and everyone folds. Next, a short stack bets, the New Yorker goes all-in, and the short stack calls. The short stack has JJ and the New Yorker has AQo. An ace comes on the board and the short stack is eliminated.
We get another dealer (they change quite often, this is probably the third or fourth). He proceeds to put the entire table on tilt. A player is counting out his chips behind his cards, contemplating a call, and the dealer says "At some casinos, you can't do that - it's considered a call." There may be a rule like that somewhere but obviously not at the Rio, which is where we are! He didn't disagree with that, but he and some of the players kept arguing. Seat 5 said "Just deal" and the dealer gets pissed and says "Don't ever talk to me like that - you have no right to talk to me like that". All the players are looking at each other like "Ohmigod what's this all about" and start saying stuff like "let's play", "we're just here to play poker", and "let's change the conversation". The dealer's remaining time is uneventful and we are happy to see him go.
On my small blind, I raise 100 with QJ offsuit after everyone else folded, and the big blind calls. The flop has a queen, giving me top pair, I bet 300, he thinks for a little bit, then folds.
Shortly after that we had a 15 minute break. After the break, the blinds will be 50 and 100. During the break, I see Humberto Brenes in the hallway.
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Bust out alert!
If you don't like sad endings, stop reading! :)
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The next hand is going to break your heart. I'm on the button and raise to 300 with AQ suited. The small blind goes all-in and the big blind folds. I call immediately for the rest of my chips, and I'm thrilled to see that he has AT offsuit. He probably thought I was stealing, so called with his ace. The only way he can win is to get a ten or a flukey straight, about a 25% chance. A ten flops as well as an ace, and now I'm the underdog - only a 15% chance of getting a queen on the turn or river. It doesn't happen and I bust out.
I was really disappointed, but not devastated like I thought I would be. I'm thrilled that I had a good read on my opponent, assuming he didn't have much of a hand, and that I got all my money in there when I was 3 to 1 to win the pot.
So it's about 2:30 and I'm out. I go to the WSOP store and buy some shirts, then head back to the Gold Coast to write this report. Now I'm probably going to get some dinner, try to decipher the bus system, and head to the strip and look around. I'll probably go to the Bellagio, where I hear all the pros are playing.
I'm tempted to play in one more $125 satellite for a shot at tomorrow's $1000 event, and catch a later flight on Wednesday (or Thursday), but I still haven't decided.
Assuming I don't play in tomorrow's event, I'll check out the strip some more and maybe go over to UNLV to see the NBA Summer League.
It takes me quite awhile to write this report, then I get a quick hotdog at the Gold Coast. I take the free shuttle from the Gold Coast to the Barbary Coast on the strip. I haven't seen the strip in 9 years, and it's really changed. The Bellagio, Paris, Mandalay Bay, and The Venetian have all been built since then and dramatically change the strip skyline. The Bellagio is a beautiful place.
I walk around the Bellagio poker room to see if I recognize anyone. There are a couple of players that I've played with in some satellites and cash games. The only pro I see is TJ Cloutier. I get on the list for 4-8 limit hold'em. 4-8 is the lowest limit that I've seen spread in a limit hold'em game at the three places that I've played: Rio, Gold Coast, and Bellagio. I'm usually more comfortable in a 3-6 game, but here it doesn't make any difference.
I watch the games, but don't see anything, like a bunch of loose players, or some sharks salivating over my arrival. My name is called, I buy $200 in chips, and sit down. I've got 5 stacks of 20 whites ($1) and 1 stack of 20 reds ($5). There are several players at the table with about 10 stacks or more of various colors. They are probably winning, since a $200 buy-in would be typical for this game. You want to buy into a limit game for at least 20 big blinds, which would be $160 here. You need to have enough money for the inevitable ups and downs of the game, and you don't want to be short-stacked when you have a monster hand.
There is one player that I recognize at the table - it's the old man for whom I saved half a pot at the Rio. I call a few times and raise once or twice, maybe see a turn or river, miss all my draws, and never see a showdown for about 90 minutes, and I'm down to $130.
I have TJ (seems appropriate since I just saw Mr. Cloutier) and limp in. The flop comes 89J and I have top pair and an open-ended straight draw. I bet, the old man calls, and there are one or two more callers. The turn is a blank, I check, the old man bets, everyone else folds, and I call. I'm thinking "Would he play QT in that position? Maybe." The river is a blank, I check, he bets, and I think about it for awhile. He is a tight player and usually doesn't bet unless he's really got it. So I fold, and due to my good poker karma, he flashes me the QT.
Then the greatest thing happens that has ever happened to me at a poker table. I go on a huge rush and obliterate the table.
Some old Chinese ladies have joined the table and only bought in for $100. They are loose passive, and limp in for three bets all the time, and call all the way to the river with just top pair, bad kicker. It's just too easy.
I start getting some hands and I'm up to $345. Soon I flop an ace high straight, bet all the way and get called by the old man, but a ten hits on the river to pair the board. I should realize that he must be calling with something (like two pair), but I bet anyway, he raises, and I call. He shows KT for 10s full of kings. He had two pair on the flop and had only 4 outs. I don't lose too much on that hand.
One problem with this loose table is that no one will fold to a preflop raise, especially if you are in late position. If 5 people have called, it's a mistake to raise with AQ because you're just sweetening the pot for all those draws. I keep getting good cards in late position, but usually don't raise because there are so many limpers. I get AQ, some callers, flop an ace, and win the pot. At least two other players called on the river but don't show their cards. I'm surprised at how often the players don't show down when they lose. I want my opponents to see that I might call with a pair of kings when there is an ace on board, so they won't want to bluff at me.
The very next hand, I get AQ again, and flop a queen. Even better! I win and I'm up to $420. There are some other new players at our table: a young Asian woman, another loose passive woman, and two Asian men. One of the Asian men raises before the flop, then bets all the way to the river. He shows down a pair of pocket deuces, but there are four clubs on board to give him a flush. He subsequently plays several hands exactly the same way. He raises with every pocket pair and bets all the way. I have a good read on every player at the table. There are two players that are good, and the rest are terrible and mostly loose passive. Four people at the table are drinking. It's funny, I always drink at my weekly poker game, but I haven't had a single alcoholic drink since I've been here. They keep sitting down and buying in for only $100, then rebuying for $50. I'm up to $520 now.
I have 77 and call. The Asian guy (who raises with any pockets) raises. The flop is QQ2, he bets, and I'm going to fold, then I remember how aggressively he plays his small pocket pairs, and I call. He bets the turn and I call. He surprises me by checking the river and I check. He has nothing and I win the pot.
Several people order these strawberry drinks, like smoothies. They look good and I'm tired of drinking Diet Coke, so I order one. It is soooo good! And it seems like a much better deal than a cup full of ice and a tiny squirt of Diet Coke for the $1 tip you give the waitress.
I get awesome cards for quite awhile. In one sequence, I have KK, AKs, QQ, and AQs in four hands. I actually manage to steal two pots at this totally loose table when I bet some scary flops, and everyone folds. I'm up to $575 now. I have a stack and a half of reds, and 21 stacks of whites. I have so many chips that they are really getting in my way.
Then the table changes. Several people leave because of me (at least four people left with no money). A couple of tight players sit down and I can't run over the table any longer. On my last hand at the Bellagio, I am dealt pocket fives. There are three callers, and the flop comes Q-5-4, giving me a set of fives. This is the first time in six hours that someone has flopped a set. I should check and slowplay, but there is a straight draw, and this table has been so loose that I'm sure everyone will just call. To my dismay, everyone folds! I throw down my cards face up and announce "Presto!" and take the smallish pot. "It's definitely time for me to go", I announce, and gather up my chips. I need four racks to get them all. I'm down to Fahrenheit $451, but very happy since I started with $200.
I cash out and catch the shuttle back to the Gold Coast. It turns out that it is 12:15 AM, and this is the last shuttle. I almost missed it because as usual, I didn't think it was so late.
At the Gold Coast, I look for something interesting to play, and there is a Pai Gow dealer whose nametag says "Debbie - Illinois", so I sit down to chat with her. To make a long story short, it turns out that her father lives a block away from where my mom lived for 10 years, and she lives in my current hometown for five years before moving to Las Vegas. It's a small world. She is very nice, so I play Pai Gow for a couple of hours, breaking even. Pai Gow is a strange game. It's like poker, but you play against the house. You get 7 cards, which you break up into a 5-card poker hand and a 2-card hand. The other players and the dealer do the same. Your 5-card hand must be better than your 2-card hand. There are a lot of rules about how the dealer must split up their hand. Anyway, it's not too hard to break even and for the first time the entire week, I had an alcoholic drink, a Newcastle Brown Ale.
At about 3:30, I quit and get steak and eggs in the restaurant. It's really good and with toast and hash browns, it is a great deal for $3.49. Then I head to bed.
- schneid
WSOP 2005 Part 2 - Satellites and Ring Games
It is really hard sleeping in the morning, because there is a lot of noise in the hallway, mostly shutting doors. Plus I am just thrilled to be there. I wake up around 11:15 AM, get dressed, and grab a hot dog at the Gold Coast (75 cents for a Vienna beef hot dog, you can't beat that) and go over to the Rio.
On my way in, I spot Men "The Master" Nguyen, Sam Farha, John Juanda, Eskimo Clark, Daniel Alaei, Devilfish Ulliott, TJ Cloutier, and Carlos Mortensen. Later in the evening, I see Erik Seidel and John Myung.
I should go directly to the satellites, but I see Antonio Esfandiari's father, Bijan, in a ring game. We had played together for a few hours the previous night. He waves me over and I sit down with him in the 4-8 limit hold'em cash game. He is really fun to hang out with and we have a great time.
A guy who can't be labelled anything other than a "shmo" sits down in the game. He is wearing this very colorful shirt button-down with "Hold'em" and poker hands all over it. He is wearing a Cincinnati Reds hat and a tweed jacket with big pointy lapels, circa 1980. He is very loose and doesn't know what he is doing, which is always welcome. He rebuys into the game several times. Despite there being several loose players in the game, I can't seem to win anything.
A player with a press pass sits down. It says "Michael Kaplan, Cigar Aficionado". I am currently reading his book, "Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies from Poker's Greatest Players". I tell him that I'm really enjoying the book, and he is very appreciative. We chat for awhile about the book and about Stu Ungar. We also talked about the Nolan Dalla's new book about Stu Ungar (good) and the Stu Ungar movie (bad). Michael was with Ungar on the day that he refused to come downstairs and play in the 1998 WSOP. He is very pleasant and friendly and I enjoy our conversation. He has the dream job of writing gambling articles for the Cigar Aficionado.
Another players sits down in the game and he's kind of a jerk. He is also from Illinois, from one of those suburbs that I don't know. He loud and aggressive, and like to bet and raise a lot. This is working for him, and he wins a lot of pots. But finally someone gets him - it's the shmo. He tries to bluff the shmo which is impossible because the guy is a calling station, and he loses a big pot.
There is a nice older man on my right, and his son is playing in today's tournament. Eventually the son comes by and we hear about his bad beat. A funny thing about the WSOP is that everywhere you walk, you can hear people telling their bad beat stories. A guy will walk by on his cell phone, "I was in the cutoff and I raise four times the big blind and the button goes over the top. So I push all-in..." Then an interesting hand occurs involving the old man. The jerk and the old man bet and call to the river, and they both have a king to match the king on the board. But the jerk has a jack kicker and the old man has a 5. I'm chatting with the old man and the dealer pushes the pot to the jerk. Then I realize that there is something wrong. I say "Wait, it's a split pot". There was also a pair of sixes and an ace on board, so the kickers don't play. The board is K-A-6-6-X. So both players have two pair, kings and sixes, with an ace kicker. The the dealer doesn't get it, and the jerk insists that the pot is his, and I think he really believes it...he doesn't understand that the ace is his kicker, not the jack. Everyone at the table also doesn't get it, so I insist that the floorperson is called over. The old man's cards had been mucked, but everyone knew that he had a king (and by now the board is gone too). We explain to the floorperson, and she says that it's not a split pot. I realize that she hasn't understood what took place, so I explain more carefully, and she finally agrees that the pot is split. I tell the jerk "Sorry, I don't like to get involved in other people's hands." He says "No big deal", so I guess he's not a complete jerk. And I really don't like getting involved in other people's hands, but the fact is that this guy was a jerk, and the old man was a very nice pleasant guy, and I didn't want him to get screwed. I hate it when people are rude at the table. Fortunately, it was not a very big pot, so no one really cared. But the old man was very appreciative that I had stuck up for him.
The next hand, the jerk and another guy bet and raise all the way to the river. The jerk has K9 and there is a K on board, but the opponent has KK for a set of kings. The jerk gets up and says "I'm leaving, I'm tired of all these bad beats". I guess any beat is bad if it happens to you.
Bijan's son, Paul Esfandiari, is still playing in the Main Event. With 5 players left on the bubble, it is very slow going as no one wants to bust out. But as soon as they bust out, players start to bust out right and left, and the line at the payout window gets very long (right behind our table). Bijan kept running over to the main event to check on Paul, and update us on his progress. After awhile, Paul busts out and wins about $18,000. After getting his money, he comes over and hands a $5000 stack of hundreds to his father (you don't often see a $5000 pile of money in a 4-8 game). We joke about it and congratulate Paul. Paul tells his dad that they are going out to dinner at 9:00, and I start plotting how to beg my way to that dinner.
Another guy has joined the table. He's about 40, with a shaved head and sunglasses. He's trying to look a little tough. He starts torturing this kid across the table who also has a shaved head. On three or four showdowns, usually with this kid, he says "Don't call, I have kings" or "Don't call, queens are no good" but the players always call anyway, and sure enough, he has exactly what he said. After about four times, he says "I always tell the truth". I know this is an awesome scam and can't wait until I have some cards against this guy. For awhile, no one has the nerve to call him on the river when he announces that he's got aces or whatever. Then I get into a hand with him. I've got AQ and raise, and he cold-calls. The flop comes queen high, making me very happy. I bet, he raises, and I call. The turn is a rag, I bet and he calls. The river is a rag. I bet, he announces "ace-queen is no good...ace-king is even worse", and he raises. I'm worried that he has a set but must call. He shows AK - he has nothing, and I drag a nice pot. Now I'm everyone's hero for calling him down. It feels great and now I'm even for the day.
Then Paul and his friend Mike Hardy sit down in the game. They clearly have no tolerance for poor players, so this is definitely not the place to be. They try to bully the table a bit with a lot of bets and raises, claiming "I'm getting no respect" when players call with junk. But it's a limit game and that's just how it goes, especially a loose table like this. Bijan is losing a little, so Paul raises to get heads up with him. The board is Q-T-2-5-8 and there is some betting and raising all the way. We assume Paul has nothing and is just trying to give the pot to his father. Paul shows T2 for two pair on the flop and says "Sorry Dad", but then Bijan slow rolls 88 for a set on the river. The table goes wild.
Bijan ask if I want to share a sandwich, and I say sure. It's probably around 7:00 PM. Mike Hardy takes over his chips, and I chat with him for a bit. He's a really nice kid from Winnipeg, just there to support Paul and Antonio. He's starting fire/paramedic school in the fall. It is fun playing with Paul and Mike. Paul leaves to play in a no-limit game. Bijan comes back with our sandwich and we share it. Around 9:00, Paul returns and says they are leaving for dinner. I really want to ask to go with, but it sounds like a family thing (their last night together) and I don't want to be rude. Bijan is a very friendly, fatherly man and we all enjoyed his company.
After the Esfandiaris leave, I go have a great ribeye steak at the All American Bar and Grille at the Rio. Another guy is eating alone, and I keep thinking that I should ask if he wants company, since I'm tired of eating alone, but I don't. Then I head back around 10:30 to play in some more satellites for tomorrow's event, and it turns out that the other solitary diner is in the first satellite in which I play.
In the first $125 satellite, I finish fourth and win nothing. The guy who busts me wins it. The only interesting hand I play is when I have 55 UTG, I raise to 4XBB, and the BB, who is a big stack, calls. the flop is AJX. He checks and I bet 200, and he calls. I think he has a J. The turn is a 9, he checks, and I check. The river is an A. He looks like he's going to bet, so I pretend I'm going to bet. I tried this play many times when I wanted a free showdown, but it never worked, until now. He checks and I check. He has J9 for two pair. I would never have called a bet on the river, so I was lucky to show down for free. Overall, in five satellites and the tournament, I never had a chance to make a deceptive play or a successful bluff. The structure of the satellites is tough, so you need to be somewhat aggressive, get some cards, and get lucky to win one.
In the next satellite, on the first hand, two players go all-in. The board is like J74, and they turn up their hands. The bettor flopped a set of 7s, and the caller had 58 of diamonds for a flush draw and a gutshot straight (flush) draw. The turn is the K of diamonds, so the guy that flopped a set of 7s busts out on the first hand. I'm getting short-stacked a bit, so when there are a couple of limpers, I go all-in with 66. The two players call, one has AT and one has A9. They get no help and I triple up. Currently I'm sitting between the two big stacks which sucks. A few hands later, two players get involved, and on the showdown the board is 345X2, and they have AK and AT - split pot. The two big stacks get into a hand. The flop is TXX, turn 9, river K, and one of them had QJc for a river-river straight against 66. The next hand, A7 eliminates A4. Soon thereafter I get AKo in the SB, two limpers, and I go all-in. One player, who has me covered, calls with K9o. I've got him so dominated. I flop an ace and double up. The blinds are up to 100/200, and I raise to 1000 with A8o in late position. A player calls all-in with TT, I get no help, and lose. Soon I have to go all-in with J3s, two players fold, and the BB says "I can't call with this". But then he realizes that I only raised one big blind, so he's obligated to call, getting 3-1 odds. He says "This is a donation"
and shows 62 offsuit. A deuce flops and I bust out fourth.
I immediately enter another satellite at 12:15 AM. On the second hand, two players go all-in with AA and KK. The flop is QQX, the turn is a rag, and the river is an unnecessary ace. KK busts out. The player with AA is this big scary dude, wearing a gold watch and bracelet, and an Atlanta Falcons shirt. He's pretty big and I wonder if he actually plays for the Falcons.
Later I steal the blinds with 66. I strike lightning quite a few times...I flop a flush draw and the other player (unknown to me) flops the nut straight, but he slow-plays it all the way to the river, where I receive the wonderful gift of another club. Then he goes all-in while I hold the nuts!
Shortly after, the big dude is messing around with his cell phone quite a bit, and tosses in a raise. It's considered a hard and fast rule that when someone is distracted, they won't bluff, and this has been demonstrated quite a few times in the last two days. The older player to his left reraises, the big scary guy goes all-in. I'm thinking the older guy should not call, because clearly the big guy is not bluffing, plus I hate to see him get an even bigger stack. The older guy calls. Big scary guy has AQ and the older guy has TT. An ace flops and the older guy is gone. After this, the big guy barely ever plays a hand. Soon, I limp with Q3 on my small blind. The BB raise 125 and I call. The flop is AQx, he checks, I bet 200, and he goes all-in. I call, and he has an ace, but I spike a queen on the turn to bust him. He is disgusted, but turns out to be really nice kid that I talk with several times for the rest of the trip.
Later I called another all-in player who was a small stack, and he had something like Jx and I had QTo. The flop came Q-Q-rag, giving me trip queens, and then the turn was a T, making a full house for me. He's gone.
Three handed, I bust out the small stack when he goes all-in with KK and I called with AQ. I wasn't happy to see his pocket kings, but I flop an ace and knock him out! Now it is heads up and I have a 2 to 1 chip lead, but my opponent is...the big scary dude. He's acting all intimidating. OK, he actually is pretty intimidating. I suggest a deal, and he says "I don't need the money and I don't deal after this", meaning that if he turns down my deal, I can't propose another after a few hands. I don't want to risk anything and want the two $500 chips for entry into tomorrow's tournament. So I start calculating a proper split (since I have two-thirds of the chips), then offer him a better deal than that. He hems and haws, then a friend of his comes over, and he asks his friend if he should take it. I say "I have 2/3 of the chips" and his friends says "Hell yeah!" and it's done. I win, sign the papers, give him his cash, and I'm going to be in the $1000 event tomorrow. As we shake hands, he says (I swear to god), "Nice game. They call me 'The Cowboy'".
I talk to Rick, the older player who had been busted by The Cowboy, for about an hour. He is a very interesting character from Toronto and is good friends with Daniel Negreanu. He says The Cowboy's name is Kelly (no wonder he wants to be called "The Cowboy") and that he thinks he's great but he's not. He's been involved with the poker scene since the 70's and has some interesting stories.
I go back to the 4-8 table, and sure enough, Bijan is back. He says they had a fantastic dinner at the new Wynn hotel, at the Bartolotta Ristorante de Mare. They had great food and wine and I wish I had asked to go. Cindy Violette's daughter is sitting on Bijan's left. There is no seat in the game, plus I really need to get some sleep.
All told, I played poker from 2:00 to 9:00 and then from 10:30 to 2:30. What a life! Las Vegas is such a great place. It's filled with fun things that you want to do, and you can do them 24 hours a day. There are no clocks and it's so bright that it always seems like daytime inside the casinos, and dusk outside. Time has no meaning here. At least today I managed to make time to have an actual meal!
So I'm in! And the tournament starts at 12:00 NOON and it's now 4:00, so I need to go to bed.
- schneid
On my way in, I spot Men "The Master" Nguyen, Sam Farha, John Juanda, Eskimo Clark, Daniel Alaei, Devilfish Ulliott, TJ Cloutier, and Carlos Mortensen. Later in the evening, I see Erik Seidel and John Myung.
I should go directly to the satellites, but I see Antonio Esfandiari's father, Bijan, in a ring game. We had played together for a few hours the previous night. He waves me over and I sit down with him in the 4-8 limit hold'em cash game. He is really fun to hang out with and we have a great time.
A guy who can't be labelled anything other than a "shmo" sits down in the game. He is wearing this very colorful shirt button-down with "Hold'em" and poker hands all over it. He is wearing a Cincinnati Reds hat and a tweed jacket with big pointy lapels, circa 1980. He is very loose and doesn't know what he is doing, which is always welcome. He rebuys into the game several times. Despite there being several loose players in the game, I can't seem to win anything.
A player with a press pass sits down. It says "Michael Kaplan, Cigar Aficionado". I am currently reading his book, "Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies from Poker's Greatest Players". I tell him that I'm really enjoying the book, and he is very appreciative. We chat for awhile about the book and about Stu Ungar. We also talked about the Nolan Dalla's new book about Stu Ungar (good) and the Stu Ungar movie (bad). Michael was with Ungar on the day that he refused to come downstairs and play in the 1998 WSOP. He is very pleasant and friendly and I enjoy our conversation. He has the dream job of writing gambling articles for the Cigar Aficionado.
Another players sits down in the game and he's kind of a jerk. He is also from Illinois, from one of those suburbs that I don't know. He loud and aggressive, and like to bet and raise a lot. This is working for him, and he wins a lot of pots. But finally someone gets him - it's the shmo. He tries to bluff the shmo which is impossible because the guy is a calling station, and he loses a big pot.
There is a nice older man on my right, and his son is playing in today's tournament. Eventually the son comes by and we hear about his bad beat. A funny thing about the WSOP is that everywhere you walk, you can hear people telling their bad beat stories. A guy will walk by on his cell phone, "I was in the cutoff and I raise four times the big blind and the button goes over the top. So I push all-in..." Then an interesting hand occurs involving the old man. The jerk and the old man bet and call to the river, and they both have a king to match the king on the board. But the jerk has a jack kicker and the old man has a 5. I'm chatting with the old man and the dealer pushes the pot to the jerk. Then I realize that there is something wrong. I say "Wait, it's a split pot". There was also a pair of sixes and an ace on board, so the kickers don't play. The board is K-A-6-6-X. So both players have two pair, kings and sixes, with an ace kicker. The the dealer doesn't get it, and the jerk insists that the pot is his, and I think he really believes it...he doesn't understand that the ace is his kicker, not the jack. Everyone at the table also doesn't get it, so I insist that the floorperson is called over. The old man's cards had been mucked, but everyone knew that he had a king (and by now the board is gone too). We explain to the floorperson, and she says that it's not a split pot. I realize that she hasn't understood what took place, so I explain more carefully, and she finally agrees that the pot is split. I tell the jerk "Sorry, I don't like to get involved in other people's hands." He says "No big deal", so I guess he's not a complete jerk. And I really don't like getting involved in other people's hands, but the fact is that this guy was a jerk, and the old man was a very nice pleasant guy, and I didn't want him to get screwed. I hate it when people are rude at the table. Fortunately, it was not a very big pot, so no one really cared. But the old man was very appreciative that I had stuck up for him.
The next hand, the jerk and another guy bet and raise all the way to the river. The jerk has K9 and there is a K on board, but the opponent has KK for a set of kings. The jerk gets up and says "I'm leaving, I'm tired of all these bad beats". I guess any beat is bad if it happens to you.
Bijan's son, Paul Esfandiari, is still playing in the Main Event. With 5 players left on the bubble, it is very slow going as no one wants to bust out. But as soon as they bust out, players start to bust out right and left, and the line at the payout window gets very long (right behind our table). Bijan kept running over to the main event to check on Paul, and update us on his progress. After awhile, Paul busts out and wins about $18,000. After getting his money, he comes over and hands a $5000 stack of hundreds to his father (you don't often see a $5000 pile of money in a 4-8 game). We joke about it and congratulate Paul. Paul tells his dad that they are going out to dinner at 9:00, and I start plotting how to beg my way to that dinner.
Another guy has joined the table. He's about 40, with a shaved head and sunglasses. He's trying to look a little tough. He starts torturing this kid across the table who also has a shaved head. On three or four showdowns, usually with this kid, he says "Don't call, I have kings" or "Don't call, queens are no good" but the players always call anyway, and sure enough, he has exactly what he said. After about four times, he says "I always tell the truth". I know this is an awesome scam and can't wait until I have some cards against this guy. For awhile, no one has the nerve to call him on the river when he announces that he's got aces or whatever. Then I get into a hand with him. I've got AQ and raise, and he cold-calls. The flop comes queen high, making me very happy. I bet, he raises, and I call. The turn is a rag, I bet and he calls. The river is a rag. I bet, he announces "ace-queen is no good...ace-king is even worse", and he raises. I'm worried that he has a set but must call. He shows AK - he has nothing, and I drag a nice pot. Now I'm everyone's hero for calling him down. It feels great and now I'm even for the day.
Then Paul and his friend Mike Hardy sit down in the game. They clearly have no tolerance for poor players, so this is definitely not the place to be. They try to bully the table a bit with a lot of bets and raises, claiming "I'm getting no respect" when players call with junk. But it's a limit game and that's just how it goes, especially a loose table like this. Bijan is losing a little, so Paul raises to get heads up with him. The board is Q-T-2-5-8 and there is some betting and raising all the way. We assume Paul has nothing and is just trying to give the pot to his father. Paul shows T2 for two pair on the flop and says "Sorry Dad", but then Bijan slow rolls 88 for a set on the river. The table goes wild.
Bijan ask if I want to share a sandwich, and I say sure. It's probably around 7:00 PM. Mike Hardy takes over his chips, and I chat with him for a bit. He's a really nice kid from Winnipeg, just there to support Paul and Antonio. He's starting fire/paramedic school in the fall. It is fun playing with Paul and Mike. Paul leaves to play in a no-limit game. Bijan comes back with our sandwich and we share it. Around 9:00, Paul returns and says they are leaving for dinner. I really want to ask to go with, but it sounds like a family thing (their last night together) and I don't want to be rude. Bijan is a very friendly, fatherly man and we all enjoyed his company.
After the Esfandiaris leave, I go have a great ribeye steak at the All American Bar and Grille at the Rio. Another guy is eating alone, and I keep thinking that I should ask if he wants company, since I'm tired of eating alone, but I don't. Then I head back around 10:30 to play in some more satellites for tomorrow's event, and it turns out that the other solitary diner is in the first satellite in which I play.
In the first $125 satellite, I finish fourth and win nothing. The guy who busts me wins it. The only interesting hand I play is when I have 55 UTG, I raise to 4XBB, and the BB, who is a big stack, calls. the flop is AJX. He checks and I bet 200, and he calls. I think he has a J. The turn is a 9, he checks, and I check. The river is an A. He looks like he's going to bet, so I pretend I'm going to bet. I tried this play many times when I wanted a free showdown, but it never worked, until now. He checks and I check. He has J9 for two pair. I would never have called a bet on the river, so I was lucky to show down for free. Overall, in five satellites and the tournament, I never had a chance to make a deceptive play or a successful bluff. The structure of the satellites is tough, so you need to be somewhat aggressive, get some cards, and get lucky to win one.
In the next satellite, on the first hand, two players go all-in. The board is like J74, and they turn up their hands. The bettor flopped a set of 7s, and the caller had 58 of diamonds for a flush draw and a gutshot straight (flush) draw. The turn is the K of diamonds, so the guy that flopped a set of 7s busts out on the first hand. I'm getting short-stacked a bit, so when there are a couple of limpers, I go all-in with 66. The two players call, one has AT and one has A9. They get no help and I triple up. Currently I'm sitting between the two big stacks which sucks. A few hands later, two players get involved, and on the showdown the board is 345X2, and they have AK and AT - split pot. The two big stacks get into a hand. The flop is TXX, turn 9, river K, and one of them had QJc for a river-river straight against 66. The next hand, A7 eliminates A4. Soon thereafter I get AKo in the SB, two limpers, and I go all-in. One player, who has me covered, calls with K9o. I've got him so dominated. I flop an ace and double up. The blinds are up to 100/200, and I raise to 1000 with A8o in late position. A player calls all-in with TT, I get no help, and lose. Soon I have to go all-in with J3s, two players fold, and the BB says "I can't call with this". But then he realizes that I only raised one big blind, so he's obligated to call, getting 3-1 odds. He says "This is a donation"
and shows 62 offsuit. A deuce flops and I bust out fourth.
I immediately enter another satellite at 12:15 AM. On the second hand, two players go all-in with AA and KK. The flop is QQX, the turn is a rag, and the river is an unnecessary ace. KK busts out. The player with AA is this big scary dude, wearing a gold watch and bracelet, and an Atlanta Falcons shirt. He's pretty big and I wonder if he actually plays for the Falcons.
Later I steal the blinds with 66. I strike lightning quite a few times...I flop a flush draw and the other player (unknown to me) flops the nut straight, but he slow-plays it all the way to the river, where I receive the wonderful gift of another club. Then he goes all-in while I hold the nuts!
Shortly after, the big dude is messing around with his cell phone quite a bit, and tosses in a raise. It's considered a hard and fast rule that when someone is distracted, they won't bluff, and this has been demonstrated quite a few times in the last two days. The older player to his left reraises, the big scary guy goes all-in. I'm thinking the older guy should not call, because clearly the big guy is not bluffing, plus I hate to see him get an even bigger stack. The older guy calls. Big scary guy has AQ and the older guy has TT. An ace flops and the older guy is gone. After this, the big guy barely ever plays a hand. Soon, I limp with Q3 on my small blind. The BB raise 125 and I call. The flop is AQx, he checks, I bet 200, and he goes all-in. I call, and he has an ace, but I spike a queen on the turn to bust him. He is disgusted, but turns out to be really nice kid that I talk with several times for the rest of the trip.
Later I called another all-in player who was a small stack, and he had something like Jx and I had QTo. The flop came Q-Q-rag, giving me trip queens, and then the turn was a T, making a full house for me. He's gone.
Three handed, I bust out the small stack when he goes all-in with KK and I called with AQ. I wasn't happy to see his pocket kings, but I flop an ace and knock him out! Now it is heads up and I have a 2 to 1 chip lead, but my opponent is...the big scary dude. He's acting all intimidating. OK, he actually is pretty intimidating. I suggest a deal, and he says "I don't need the money and I don't deal after this", meaning that if he turns down my deal, I can't propose another after a few hands. I don't want to risk anything and want the two $500 chips for entry into tomorrow's tournament. So I start calculating a proper split (since I have two-thirds of the chips), then offer him a better deal than that. He hems and haws, then a friend of his comes over, and he asks his friend if he should take it. I say "I have 2/3 of the chips" and his friends says "Hell yeah!" and it's done. I win, sign the papers, give him his cash, and I'm going to be in the $1000 event tomorrow. As we shake hands, he says (I swear to god), "Nice game. They call me 'The Cowboy'".
I talk to Rick, the older player who had been busted by The Cowboy, for about an hour. He is a very interesting character from Toronto and is good friends with Daniel Negreanu. He says The Cowboy's name is Kelly (no wonder he wants to be called "The Cowboy") and that he thinks he's great but he's not. He's been involved with the poker scene since the 70's and has some interesting stories.
I go back to the 4-8 table, and sure enough, Bijan is back. He says they had a fantastic dinner at the new Wynn hotel, at the Bartolotta Ristorante de Mare. They had great food and wine and I wish I had asked to go. Cindy Violette's daughter is sitting on Bijan's left. There is no seat in the game, plus I really need to get some sleep.
All told, I played poker from 2:00 to 9:00 and then from 10:30 to 2:30. What a life! Las Vegas is such a great place. It's filled with fun things that you want to do, and you can do them 24 hours a day. There are no clocks and it's so bright that it always seems like daytime inside the casinos, and dusk outside. Time has no meaning here. At least today I managed to make time to have an actual meal!
So I'm in! And the tournament starts at 12:00 NOON and it's now 4:00, so I need to go to bed.
- schneid
Monday, July 11, 2005
WSOP 2005 Part 1 - Arrival, Satellites, and Cash Games
It is now 3:45 AM in Las Vegas. My kids will be waking up at home in 45 minutes. It has been a really long day, but I promised daily reports and I'm going to deliver.
We had a barbeque yesterday with some of my old friends from Tellabs. These folks invited us over pretty regularly, and we had been in our new house for two years without inviting them over, so we were overdue. We had a fantastic wine, a 1998 David Arthur Elevation 1147 Napa Valley Cabernet. Another wine, a 1995 Chateau La Pointe Pomerol was light and disappointing at first, but after a couple hours, improved enough to be enjoyable. It was definitely past its prime. We went to bed around 12:30, so I'm already running a sleep deficit to start the trip.
I arrived at O'Hare around 9:20 this morning to discover that my 10:40 flight was delayed until 11:20. Then it was delayed again until 11:40. Fortunately, that allowed me to eat a yummy Wolfgang Puck sandwich while waiting. Did I mention that within 1 minute of sitting down, the toddler of the woman sitting next to me vomited several times. Several people moved to other tables, and it was funny to see other people so happy to find some empty chairs, then shortly after sitting down realizing why they were empty and moving somewhere else. Since I have two little kids, it didn't bother me at all. I read Dan Harrington's second book while I ate, trying to remind myself to use some actual strategy while I'm in Las Vegas.
I headed to the gate, sat down and read my book. Five minutes after I arrived, an old lady with a nasty hacking cough (not covering her mouth) sat next to me, so I decided that I had urgent business elsewhere. No one's bodily functions, or, rather, misfunctions bothered me for the rest of the day. Out the window I could see the AA symbol on the tail of the plane. It seemed like a good omen.
The flight departed and I was seated in first class next to a young, voluptuous Polish or Russian super model (at least for the purposes of this story :) After 5 minutes, she turned to me and said "Sorry?" and since I didn't say anything, I wittily replied "I didn't say anything". And she said "What?" and I said "What?". It turned out that she wanted her sister (another voluptuous foreign blonde model type) to come sit next to her, but she was having a little difficulty communicating that to me. When she said "Sorry?", what she really meant was "Excuse me", trying to get my attention. So she signalled to her sister to switch seats, but everyone was boarding the plane and it wasn't a good time to do it, so I told her to wait a few minutes, and she smiled and nodded, which is universal body language indicating that she hadn't understood a word that I had said. And her sister headed back anyway, with the flow of traffic, so I was forced (since of course I didn't want any supermodels sitting on my lap or vice-versa) to go against the flow of traffic of all the angry (because I was sitting in first class, and they're all thinking, "Why is this shmo sitting in first class, ok, the supermodels I understand, but why this guy when I have to sit in cattle class") passengers carrying on their luggage. I stepped on some toes (literally) but made it from 4F to 1A. I was in first class, by the way, because I had some frequent flier miles that were going to expire unless I used them. Now I was seated next to a friendly salesman from Connecticut. He was in the food service industry and travelled 50% of the time, and we chatted about food and wine. He visited Las Vegas often but never gambled. I said that was good, gambling against the house is a loser's game.
We flew over the Grand Canyon and saw some other amazing geological formations (i.e., mountains and other stuff that I can't remember what it's called from sixth grade geography class). We landed uneventfully, and the Las Vegas strip is in view of the airport. The airport is only a few miles from the casinos - they don't want to waste any time parting you from your money.
Then I took the world's most expensive cab ride to the Gold Coast, which was about 6 miles long for only $20! There are shuttles, but you have to stand in a line in the sweltering heat and don't get to hear the peppy salsa music that was playing in my cab. The heat wasn't actually sweltering, by the way, it was only 99 degrees today! But it's dry heat, everyone says. Sure, like when you open your oven door and that rush of hot air hits you in the face. I swear it felt exactly like that. Las Vegas is the only place where I've ever felt a hot breeze. Still, it's better than 90 degrees and 90% humidity in Chicago. And in the desert heat, during the 3 minutes that it takes to walk over to the Rio, your wet hair (from taking a shower) dries completely.
I'm staying at the Gold Coast because it's next door to the Rio, where the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is being held. I'm staying here and not there because here is $42 per night and there is $200 per night. And there's probably a good reason, because the Gold Coast may have been fashionable in the 70s but the decor is pretty dated now. I checked in uneventfully (except the wireless access is $10 per day, not free, but that's my fault for not checking) and headed across the street to the Rio to check out the action.
The Rio is not just a casino and hotel, but also a convention center, so the place is huge. To get to the WSOP inside the Rio actually takes just as long as walking from the Gold Coast to the Rio. And how long is that? Exactly one cigarette, according to an Irishman to whom I spoke.
There I met Rick Wampler who has been posting great WSOP reports to the rec.gambling.poker (RGP) usenet discussion group. He is manning the booth for the Put a Bad Beat on Cancer charity.
I walked into the convention hall where the WSOP is being held. There are 200 poker tables set up in there, almost all full. It was an awesome site to behold. The Main Event occupies most of the tables, and there are a few cash games as well. There was no other WSOP event today (Sunday, July 10, 2005).
Some of the poker pros that I saw were Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington, Antonio Esfandiari, John Juanda, Al Krux, and John d'Agostino. I was very surprised that I didn't see a lot more pros, but many had already busted out.
There are some satellites for the next three days' events. To play in those tournaments, it is a $1500 (for Monday) or $1000 (Tues or Wed) buy-in. But instead, you can play in a single table (10 player) satellite tournament to win entry into the tournaments. The satellites were $125 and $175 buy-in. The prizes are $500 chips that can only be used to enter WSOP events, plus cash. Each one-table satellite awards a single winner.
I sat down in a $175 buy-in satellite, and played well until I decided to run a stone cold bluff into the chip leader when I was getting low on chips. She had limped in, and when the flop (which completely missed me) came A-A-8, and she checked it, I knew that she hadn't caught any of it, because she bet or raised whenever she hit the flop. I went all-in and she called, and my read was dead on...she had completely missed the flop. Unfortunately, she had pocket jacks, and I had trash, and no runner runner help came and I go home now (IGHN). I felt stupid and hated to show down a total bluff. I was getting short-stacked and needed to go for it sooner for later, but at least one paint in my hand would've been better than T4 offsuit.
Then I jumped into a $125 satellite. After some excellent play that I totally can't remember, I was dealt pocket kings twice when we were three-handed, and fortunately someone called one of those times. A couple hands later, the small stack went all-in, and the other big stack called. Big stack had KK and small stack had AJ. The flop came KJJ, giving the small stack trip jacks but making a full house for the big stack. The small stack didn't get runner-runner aces or jacks and he was done. Then I proposed to split the prize with the other big stack based on our chip count (he had 2/3 and I had 1/3). He accepted, and he received the two $500 tournament entry chips and I received the $120, plus he paid me $255 (the total value of the prize was $1125). Deals are very common in the satellites. Since I lost the first satellite, I preferred to get the cash rather than have to shell out cash of my own to buy the entry chips. Now I'm up $75 on the day. In retrospect, since I wanted to play in the event, I should've paid to get one of the $500 chips.
I played in one more $125 satellite. Things were going well until I raised 4X the BB with AQo, and someone made a small reraise. It was an easy call given the pot odds. The flop completely missed me, but I made a continuation bet of 300 which was about half the pot. My opponent reraised all-in, and I didn't really want to call but I hadn't realized that I only had about 300 left - I left myself short-stacked, and I would never get anywhere with the remaining 300, so since there was about 1100 in the pot, I had to call and hope to catch an ace or queen on the turn or river. But no help came, and his pocket pair knocked me out.
It was now dinner time (about 7:00 PM) but I wasn't hungry, so I just grabbed a small snack and some badly needed caffeine. The 20-oz bottle of diet Coke that I bought cost $2.50. I can buy a 6-pack of them at home for that price. Everything is ridiculously expensive in Las Vegas. Then I realized that the "free" drinks from the cocktail waitresses were an even worse value. Drinks are free (as long as you are gambling), and almost everyone tips the waitresses $1 per drink. That's fine if you're getting expensive drinks, but I was only drinking diet Coke. Every time I received a cup full of ice that had maybe 6 oz of diet Coke. With a $1 tip, I realized that was an even worse deal than the $2.50 bottle.
I watched a $4-8 limit hold'em cash game while waiting for a seat. A guy had actually fallen asleep in his chair and had to be awakened to play a hand. He won the next three pots, then a few more later, and quit. I took his seat and bought his chips. My very first hand, someone raises my big blind, and there are three other players in, so I have the pot odds to call with any two cards, including my 74 offsuit. The flop comes Q-4-4, and it is checked around (including by me). Someone comes out betting on the turn and I raise. On the river, my opponent makes two pair (aces and queens) but was smart enough to check and just call my bet. He had actually flopped top pair, best kicker (queens with ace kicker) and was slow-playing me while I was slow-playing him! I was lucky to be on the right end of that play. That pot put me up about $50 which I mostly bled away for the next eight (yes, eight) hours.
Another seat opens up, and I think there might be a fistfight between two women who claim they are next (it was first come, first served). But another chair opens up just then, so there is no melee. One of the women is a young Asian girl who spends most of the game reading a Danielle Steele book and also talking on a cell phone. She is barely paying attention to the game and keeps paying her blinds and folding. She calls on the river with poor hands quite often, so despite the distractions, she is welcome at the table. She gets into several arguments, including whether she can use the phone at the table. Talking on a phone at the table is against the rules, but I don't want anyone to do anything to make this player leave.
Another strange thing that happens three times is that a player asked to see another player's losing hand after they mucked it. Here's how it works: Player A shows their hand, and Player B, knowing he is beat, mucks it without showing. This is typical. But any player that was in the hand can request to see the mucked hand. While legal, it's very antagonistic and no one likes it when that happens to them. So thing are very tense for awhile.
Then a new player comes who claims to be a dealer, but he won't say where. He is a big guy with a shaved head and goatee and looks like someone you don't want to mess with. But you can't judge a book by its cover, and inside that hard exterior is an even harder interior. His speaking voice is practically a shout, and he is sitting on my immediate right, so whenever he talks I almost jump out of my seat. He makes a lot of rude comments about the play of others and is one of the players who asked to see someone's mucked hand.
I chat with a few other players. One is a teacher from Salt Lake City, one is a kid from Ireland, another is a kid from New York. There is a very diverse crowd at the WSOP. There is a friendly older gentleman at my table for about 4 hours, and he turns out to be the father of Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari. Antonio comes over and chats with our table, and is a very friendly guy.
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari
I don't get many decent cards, so I am up and down a bit, although never below my starting amount, and I quit around 3:30. Then I used the quarters in my pocket for almost 3 minutes of enjoyment at video poker.
Tomorrow's tournament starts at 12:00. The satellites should start at the same time, and this is a very good time to play in the satellites, since presumably the good players will have already won some satellites and be playing in the tournament. I'll play in a satellite or two, and if it's not going well, I'll probably play in some cash games, since I'm a better limit player than no-limit player anyway. It is now 4:30 AM (6:30 AM at home) - time for bed!
- schneid
We had a barbeque yesterday with some of my old friends from Tellabs. These folks invited us over pretty regularly, and we had been in our new house for two years without inviting them over, so we were overdue. We had a fantastic wine, a 1998 David Arthur Elevation 1147 Napa Valley Cabernet. Another wine, a 1995 Chateau La Pointe Pomerol was light and disappointing at first, but after a couple hours, improved enough to be enjoyable. It was definitely past its prime. We went to bed around 12:30, so I'm already running a sleep deficit to start the trip.
I arrived at O'Hare around 9:20 this morning to discover that my 10:40 flight was delayed until 11:20. Then it was delayed again until 11:40. Fortunately, that allowed me to eat a yummy Wolfgang Puck sandwich while waiting. Did I mention that within 1 minute of sitting down, the toddler of the woman sitting next to me vomited several times. Several people moved to other tables, and it was funny to see other people so happy to find some empty chairs, then shortly after sitting down realizing why they were empty and moving somewhere else. Since I have two little kids, it didn't bother me at all. I read Dan Harrington's second book while I ate, trying to remind myself to use some actual strategy while I'm in Las Vegas.
I headed to the gate, sat down and read my book. Five minutes after I arrived, an old lady with a nasty hacking cough (not covering her mouth) sat next to me, so I decided that I had urgent business elsewhere. No one's bodily functions, or, rather, misfunctions bothered me for the rest of the day. Out the window I could see the AA symbol on the tail of the plane. It seemed like a good omen.
The flight departed and I was seated in first class next to a young, voluptuous Polish or Russian super model (at least for the purposes of this story :) After 5 minutes, she turned to me and said "Sorry?" and since I didn't say anything, I wittily replied "I didn't say anything". And she said "What?" and I said "What?". It turned out that she wanted her sister (another voluptuous foreign blonde model type) to come sit next to her, but she was having a little difficulty communicating that to me. When she said "Sorry?", what she really meant was "Excuse me", trying to get my attention. So she signalled to her sister to switch seats, but everyone was boarding the plane and it wasn't a good time to do it, so I told her to wait a few minutes, and she smiled and nodded, which is universal body language indicating that she hadn't understood a word that I had said. And her sister headed back anyway, with the flow of traffic, so I was forced (since of course I didn't want any supermodels sitting on my lap or vice-versa) to go against the flow of traffic of all the angry (because I was sitting in first class, and they're all thinking, "Why is this shmo sitting in first class, ok, the supermodels I understand, but why this guy when I have to sit in cattle class") passengers carrying on their luggage. I stepped on some toes (literally) but made it from 4F to 1A. I was in first class, by the way, because I had some frequent flier miles that were going to expire unless I used them. Now I was seated next to a friendly salesman from Connecticut. He was in the food service industry and travelled 50% of the time, and we chatted about food and wine. He visited Las Vegas often but never gambled. I said that was good, gambling against the house is a loser's game.
We flew over the Grand Canyon and saw some other amazing geological formations (i.e., mountains and other stuff that I can't remember what it's called from sixth grade geography class). We landed uneventfully, and the Las Vegas strip is in view of the airport. The airport is only a few miles from the casinos - they don't want to waste any time parting you from your money.
Then I took the world's most expensive cab ride to the Gold Coast, which was about 6 miles long for only $20! There are shuttles, but you have to stand in a line in the sweltering heat and don't get to hear the peppy salsa music that was playing in my cab. The heat wasn't actually sweltering, by the way, it was only 99 degrees today! But it's dry heat, everyone says. Sure, like when you open your oven door and that rush of hot air hits you in the face. I swear it felt exactly like that. Las Vegas is the only place where I've ever felt a hot breeze. Still, it's better than 90 degrees and 90% humidity in Chicago. And in the desert heat, during the 3 minutes that it takes to walk over to the Rio, your wet hair (from taking a shower) dries completely.
I'm staying at the Gold Coast because it's next door to the Rio, where the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is being held. I'm staying here and not there because here is $42 per night and there is $200 per night. And there's probably a good reason, because the Gold Coast may have been fashionable in the 70s but the decor is pretty dated now. I checked in uneventfully (except the wireless access is $10 per day, not free, but that's my fault for not checking) and headed across the street to the Rio to check out the action.
The Rio is not just a casino and hotel, but also a convention center, so the place is huge. To get to the WSOP inside the Rio actually takes just as long as walking from the Gold Coast to the Rio. And how long is that? Exactly one cigarette, according to an Irishman to whom I spoke.
There I met Rick Wampler who has been posting great WSOP reports to the rec.gambling.poker (RGP) usenet discussion group. He is manning the booth for the Put a Bad Beat on Cancer charity.
I walked into the convention hall where the WSOP is being held. There are 200 poker tables set up in there, almost all full. It was an awesome site to behold. The Main Event occupies most of the tables, and there are a few cash games as well. There was no other WSOP event today (Sunday, July 10, 2005).
Some of the poker pros that I saw were Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington, Antonio Esfandiari, John Juanda, Al Krux, and John d'Agostino. I was very surprised that I didn't see a lot more pros, but many had already busted out.
There are some satellites for the next three days' events. To play in those tournaments, it is a $1500 (for Monday) or $1000 (Tues or Wed) buy-in. But instead, you can play in a single table (10 player) satellite tournament to win entry into the tournaments. The satellites were $125 and $175 buy-in. The prizes are $500 chips that can only be used to enter WSOP events, plus cash. Each one-table satellite awards a single winner.
I sat down in a $175 buy-in satellite, and played well until I decided to run a stone cold bluff into the chip leader when I was getting low on chips. She had limped in, and when the flop (which completely missed me) came A-A-8, and she checked it, I knew that she hadn't caught any of it, because she bet or raised whenever she hit the flop. I went all-in and she called, and my read was dead on...she had completely missed the flop. Unfortunately, she had pocket jacks, and I had trash, and no runner runner help came and I go home now (IGHN). I felt stupid and hated to show down a total bluff. I was getting short-stacked and needed to go for it sooner for later, but at least one paint in my hand would've been better than T4 offsuit.
Then I jumped into a $125 satellite. After some excellent play that I totally can't remember, I was dealt pocket kings twice when we were three-handed, and fortunately someone called one of those times. A couple hands later, the small stack went all-in, and the other big stack called. Big stack had KK and small stack had AJ. The flop came KJJ, giving the small stack trip jacks but making a full house for the big stack. The small stack didn't get runner-runner aces or jacks and he was done. Then I proposed to split the prize with the other big stack based on our chip count (he had 2/3 and I had 1/3). He accepted, and he received the two $500 tournament entry chips and I received the $120, plus he paid me $255 (the total value of the prize was $1125). Deals are very common in the satellites. Since I lost the first satellite, I preferred to get the cash rather than have to shell out cash of my own to buy the entry chips. Now I'm up $75 on the day. In retrospect, since I wanted to play in the event, I should've paid to get one of the $500 chips.
I played in one more $125 satellite. Things were going well until I raised 4X the BB with AQo, and someone made a small reraise. It was an easy call given the pot odds. The flop completely missed me, but I made a continuation bet of 300 which was about half the pot. My opponent reraised all-in, and I didn't really want to call but I hadn't realized that I only had about 300 left - I left myself short-stacked, and I would never get anywhere with the remaining 300, so since there was about 1100 in the pot, I had to call and hope to catch an ace or queen on the turn or river. But no help came, and his pocket pair knocked me out.
It was now dinner time (about 7:00 PM) but I wasn't hungry, so I just grabbed a small snack and some badly needed caffeine. The 20-oz bottle of diet Coke that I bought cost $2.50. I can buy a 6-pack of them at home for that price. Everything is ridiculously expensive in Las Vegas. Then I realized that the "free" drinks from the cocktail waitresses were an even worse value. Drinks are free (as long as you are gambling), and almost everyone tips the waitresses $1 per drink. That's fine if you're getting expensive drinks, but I was only drinking diet Coke. Every time I received a cup full of ice that had maybe 6 oz of diet Coke. With a $1 tip, I realized that was an even worse deal than the $2.50 bottle.
I watched a $4-8 limit hold'em cash game while waiting for a seat. A guy had actually fallen asleep in his chair and had to be awakened to play a hand. He won the next three pots, then a few more later, and quit. I took his seat and bought his chips. My very first hand, someone raises my big blind, and there are three other players in, so I have the pot odds to call with any two cards, including my 74 offsuit. The flop comes Q-4-4, and it is checked around (including by me). Someone comes out betting on the turn and I raise. On the river, my opponent makes two pair (aces and queens) but was smart enough to check and just call my bet. He had actually flopped top pair, best kicker (queens with ace kicker) and was slow-playing me while I was slow-playing him! I was lucky to be on the right end of that play. That pot put me up about $50 which I mostly bled away for the next eight (yes, eight) hours.
Another seat opens up, and I think there might be a fistfight between two women who claim they are next (it was first come, first served). But another chair opens up just then, so there is no melee. One of the women is a young Asian girl who spends most of the game reading a Danielle Steele book and also talking on a cell phone. She is barely paying attention to the game and keeps paying her blinds and folding. She calls on the river with poor hands quite often, so despite the distractions, she is welcome at the table. She gets into several arguments, including whether she can use the phone at the table. Talking on a phone at the table is against the rules, but I don't want anyone to do anything to make this player leave.
Another strange thing that happens three times is that a player asked to see another player's losing hand after they mucked it. Here's how it works: Player A shows their hand, and Player B, knowing he is beat, mucks it without showing. This is typical. But any player that was in the hand can request to see the mucked hand. While legal, it's very antagonistic and no one likes it when that happens to them. So thing are very tense for awhile.
Then a new player comes who claims to be a dealer, but he won't say where. He is a big guy with a shaved head and goatee and looks like someone you don't want to mess with. But you can't judge a book by its cover, and inside that hard exterior is an even harder interior. His speaking voice is practically a shout, and he is sitting on my immediate right, so whenever he talks I almost jump out of my seat. He makes a lot of rude comments about the play of others and is one of the players who asked to see someone's mucked hand.
I chat with a few other players. One is a teacher from Salt Lake City, one is a kid from Ireland, another is a kid from New York. There is a very diverse crowd at the WSOP. There is a friendly older gentleman at my table for about 4 hours, and he turns out to be the father of Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari. Antonio comes over and chats with our table, and is a very friendly guy.
Antonio "The Magician" EsfandiariI don't get many decent cards, so I am up and down a bit, although never below my starting amount, and I quit around 3:30. Then I used the quarters in my pocket for almost 3 minutes of enjoyment at video poker.
Tomorrow's tournament starts at 12:00. The satellites should start at the same time, and this is a very good time to play in the satellites, since presumably the good players will have already won some satellites and be playing in the tournament. I'll play in a satellite or two, and if it's not going well, I'll probably play in some cash games, since I'm a better limit player than no-limit player anyway. It is now 4:30 AM (6:30 AM at home) - time for bed!
- schneid
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
NBA Summer League
And what does basketball have in common with poker, you ask, other than my interest in both? One of the NBA summer leagues is held in Las Vegas, and it's a lucky coincidence that it's during the WSOP. I've been wanting to attend an NBA summer league for years, and this will be my chance. There are 4 games per day, and it only costs $20 for an entire day. The players are almost all rookies, second and third year players, and other players trying to make the roster (but probably won't). Some of the recently drafted rookies won't be there because they haven't signed a contract yet. But it's a great opportunity to see many rookies and young players up close.
- schneid
- schneid
Friday, July 01, 2005
Winning with Good and Bad Cards
It's always great to get a rush of cards and win a lot of hands. But it's more challenge to win a STT without good cards. Here are all the hands that I was dealt in a STT where my hands were not very good. But I was able to push my aces and when it was three-handed, the other players played way too tight. I was third in chips but went on to win it.
In contrast to the list of hands below, in another tournament that I won pretty easily, I was dealt AK, QQ (twice), JJ, TT (three times), 99 (twice), 44, and 22. Unfortunately, most of the time when I received those premium hands, the players folded around to my BB.
For this tournament where my cards were running bad, I was dealt AK (three times), AQs (twice), and JJ (twice). Only two pocket pairs! It felt great to win despite
getting bad cards.
AKs
AKo
AKo
AQs
AQs
AQo
AJo
A9s
A7s
A7o
A7o
A6o
A5o
A3o
A2s
KQs
KQs
KJs
KJo
K9s
K9o
K8o
K7o
K7o
K6o
K6o
K5s
K5s
K5o
K4s
K4s
K4o
K2s
K2o
Q8o
Q4o
Q3s
Q3o
Q3o
Q2o
JJ
JJ
J9o
J9o
J8s
J6s
J6o
J6o
J4o
J3o
J3o
J3o
J2s
T9s
T8o
T7o
T6s
T6s
T6o
T6o
T5s
T5o
T4s
T4s
T4o
T3s
T2s
T2o
QJs
97s
95o
95o
95o
94o
94o
94o
93s
93o
93o
93o
87s
87o
87o
87o
84o
83o
76s
76o
75o
75o
74o
74o
72s
72o
65o
65o
65o
65o
64s
64o
64o
54o
53o
52o
52o
43o
43o
32o
In contrast to the list of hands below, in another tournament that I won pretty easily, I was dealt AK, QQ (twice), JJ, TT (three times), 99 (twice), 44, and 22. Unfortunately, most of the time when I received those premium hands, the players folded around to my BB.
For this tournament where my cards were running bad, I was dealt AK (three times), AQs (twice), and JJ (twice). Only two pocket pairs! It felt great to win despite
getting bad cards.
AKs
AKo
AKo
AQs
AQs
AQo
AJo
A9s
A7s
A7o
A7o
A6o
A5o
A3o
A2s
KQs
KQs
KJs
KJo
K9s
K9o
K8o
K7o
K7o
K6o
K6o
K5s
K5s
K5o
K4s
K4s
K4o
K2s
K2o
Q8o
Q4o
Q3s
Q3o
Q3o
Q2o
JJ
JJ
J9o
J9o
J8s
J6s
J6o
J6o
J4o
J3o
J3o
J3o
J2s
T9s
T8o
T7o
T6s
T6s
T6o
T6o
T5s
T5o
T4s
T4s
T4o
T3s
T2s
T2o
QJs
97s
95o
95o
95o
94o
94o
94o
93s
93o
93o
93o
87s
87o
87o
87o
84o
83o
76s
76o
75o
75o
74o
74o
72s
72o
65o
65o
65o
65o
64s
64o
64o
54o
53o
52o
52o
43o
43o
32o
Rude Online Players
It's amazing how the anonymity of being online turns people into blithering idiots. I would like to think that there aren't actually this many obnoxious people in the world.
Recently, when I got to three-handed in a small online single table tournament (STT), a spectator starting relentless harassing two of the players. He was obviously a friend the third player. His keyboard must've been smoking because he didn't stop typing insults for the rest of the tournament. The other victim of this was raising a lot, and I never had any decent cards to call, plus I had a comfortable chip lead. When three-handed, the best thing that could happen is having the other two players go all-in against each other, and the spectator was trying to goad us into doing exactly that.
This is one of the most serious offenses in online poker, in my opinion - a spectator berating the players in a game. Usually this spectator was never even in the game. Fortunately, you can often turn off the chat, which I did about halfway through this game.
But revenge is sweet, and the other player knocked out the spectator's friend. I went on to win the tournament.
I've grepped the spectator's chat out of the tournament history, and here it is.
spectator: hang in there brett
spectator: nice try up there retard
spectator: nydago
spectator: change your name to ass hole
spectator: or retard
spectator: i have no respect for fish
spectator: hang in there brett
spectator: nice try up there retard
spectator: nydago
spectator: change your name to ass hole
spectator: or retard
spectator: i have no respect for fish
spectator: and retards
spectator: like you who cant play poker
spectator: all in with k 4
spectator: you suck
spectator: msc
spectator: grow some balls
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: stop being so tight
spectator: your gonna have to call his bluff
spectator: or you will lose all your chips ass hole
spectator: mschneid
spectator: did you hear me
spectator: call nydagos bluff
spectator: he is a bluffing pu ssy
spectator: and you have no balls
spectator: yeah
spectator: we made no money
spectator: whats that
spectator: so your gonna fold fold fold
spectator: and try to win
spectator: by letting everyone else do the job
spectator: yeah your mom
spectator: but she is in the shower
spectator: so give me a min
spectator: nydago
spectator: yeah
spectator: i can see your a retard also
spectator: and your huge chip lead is dwindling away
spectator: im sure they can if i can
spectator: nydago
spectator: your kinda quiet
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: no more bluffing
spectator: oh there you go
spectator: mschneid
spectator: where is your big chip lead
spectator: you dumb ass
spectator: your gonna lose
spectator: you puss y
spectator: mschneid
spectator: do you know how to play
spectator: i hope you lose
spectator: your ass mschneid
spectator: yeah and you cant spell either
spectator: you dumb fu ck
spectator: all you have to do is raise and you will fold fold fold
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: hey mscheid
spectator: just keep folding
spectator: you wont win sh i t
spectator: lol
spectator: hey nydago
spectator: just keep bluffing him
spectator: he is a pu ssy
spectator: hey mschneid
spectator: what you gonna do
spectator: where are all your chips
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: mschneid
spectator: if you dont call im gonna smack your moms teeth out
spectator: for having a pu ssy
spectator: son like you
spectator: pu ssy
spectator: nh nydago
spectator: right
spectator: good idea
spectator: so lose cause of me
spectator: wow mschneid
spectator: what you got
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you got lucky
spectator: ok mschneid
spectator: back to last
spectator: pu ssy
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you have to be the worst player ive ever seen on this site
spectator: you suck
spectator: you should stick to uno
spectator: or another card game
spectator: cause you suck at this one
spectator: you got lucky
spectator: there
spectator: no brett got knocked out
spectator: mschneid
spectator: your a pus sy
spectator: nydago
spectator: your a bluffer
spectator: and deez
spectator: is my bff
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: big fat pu ssy
spectator: like your moms
spectator: nydago
spectator: i think you and msc
spectator: are lovers
spectator: luck
spectator: all luck
spectator: no skill
spectator: msch
spectator: your a pu ssy
spectator: nydago
spectator: your a bluffer
spectator: remember that
spectator: hey you pu ssys
spectator: want to play me
spectator: i just won
spectator: a 100 tourny
spectator: bi tch
spectator: first
spectator: 500 bucks
spectator: so remember that
spectator: i came in to see my buddy brett
spectator: and he lost
spectator: cause of bull s h i t
spectator: well good
spectator: so you want to play me
spectator: at a higher
spectator: table
spectator: we can start small
spectator: like 50
spectator: or 100
spectator: then if you grow some balls we can go to 200
spectator: what do you say
spectator: two pu ssys
spectator: hhhahahhaahaha
spectator: you dumb
spectator: ass
spectator: please play me
spectator: one of you two retards
spectator: battle of the retards
spectator: such retards
spectator: lol
spectator: so nydago
spectator: you gonna play me
spectator: or how about you pu ssy
spectator: msc
spectator: are you gonna play me
spectator: i dont think either one of your pu ssy asses
spectator: want to play me
spectator: yeah didnt think so
spectator: fu ck you
spectator: both
Recently, when I got to three-handed in a small online single table tournament (STT), a spectator starting relentless harassing two of the players. He was obviously a friend the third player. His keyboard must've been smoking because he didn't stop typing insults for the rest of the tournament. The other victim of this was raising a lot, and I never had any decent cards to call, plus I had a comfortable chip lead. When three-handed, the best thing that could happen is having the other two players go all-in against each other, and the spectator was trying to goad us into doing exactly that.
This is one of the most serious offenses in online poker, in my opinion - a spectator berating the players in a game. Usually this spectator was never even in the game. Fortunately, you can often turn off the chat, which I did about halfway through this game.
But revenge is sweet, and the other player knocked out the spectator's friend. I went on to win the tournament.
I've grepped the spectator's chat out of the tournament history, and here it is.
spectator: hang in there brett
spectator: nice try up there retard
spectator: nydago
spectator: change your name to ass hole
spectator: or retard
spectator: i have no respect for fish
spectator: hang in there brett
spectator: nice try up there retard
spectator: nydago
spectator: change your name to ass hole
spectator: or retard
spectator: i have no respect for fish
spectator: and retards
spectator: like you who cant play poker
spectator: all in with k 4
spectator: you suck
spectator: msc
spectator: grow some balls
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: stop being so tight
spectator: your gonna have to call his bluff
spectator: or you will lose all your chips ass hole
spectator: mschneid
spectator: did you hear me
spectator: call nydagos bluff
spectator: he is a bluffing pu ssy
spectator: and you have no balls
spectator: yeah
spectator: we made no money
spectator: whats that
spectator: so your gonna fold fold fold
spectator: and try to win
spectator: by letting everyone else do the job
spectator: yeah your mom
spectator: but she is in the shower
spectator: so give me a min
spectator: nydago
spectator: yeah
spectator: i can see your a retard also
spectator: and your huge chip lead is dwindling away
spectator: im sure they can if i can
spectator: nydago
spectator: your kinda quiet
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: no more bluffing
spectator: oh there you go
spectator: mschneid
spectator: where is your big chip lead
spectator: you dumb ass
spectator: your gonna lose
spectator: you puss y
spectator: mschneid
spectator: do you know how to play
spectator: i hope you lose
spectator: your ass mschneid
spectator: yeah and you cant spell either
spectator: you dumb fu ck
spectator: all you have to do is raise and you will fold fold fold
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: hey mscheid
spectator: just keep folding
spectator: you wont win sh i t
spectator: lol
spectator: hey nydago
spectator: just keep bluffing him
spectator: he is a pu ssy
spectator: hey mschneid
spectator: what you gonna do
spectator: where are all your chips
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: mschneid
spectator: if you dont call im gonna smack your moms teeth out
spectator: for having a pu ssy
spectator: son like you
spectator: pu ssy
spectator: nh nydago
spectator: right
spectator: good idea
spectator: so lose cause of me
spectator: wow mschneid
spectator: what you got
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you got lucky
spectator: ok mschneid
spectator: back to last
spectator: pu ssy
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you have to be the worst player ive ever seen on this site
spectator: you suck
spectator: you should stick to uno
spectator: or another card game
spectator: cause you suck at this one
spectator: you got lucky
spectator: there
spectator: no brett got knocked out
spectator: mschneid
spectator: your a pus sy
spectator: nydago
spectator: your a bluffer
spectator: and deez
spectator: is my bff
spectator: mschneid
spectator: you pu ssy
spectator: big fat pu ssy
spectator: like your moms
spectator: nydago
spectator: i think you and msc
spectator: are lovers
spectator: luck
spectator: all luck
spectator: no skill
spectator: msch
spectator: your a pu ssy
spectator: nydago
spectator: your a bluffer
spectator: remember that
spectator: hey you pu ssys
spectator: want to play me
spectator: i just won
spectator: a 100 tourny
spectator: bi tch
spectator: first
spectator: 500 bucks
spectator: so remember that
spectator: i came in to see my buddy brett
spectator: and he lost
spectator: cause of bull s h i t
spectator: well good
spectator: so you want to play me
spectator: at a higher
spectator: table
spectator: we can start small
spectator: like 50
spectator: or 100
spectator: then if you grow some balls we can go to 200
spectator: what do you say
spectator: two pu ssys
spectator: hhhahahhaahaha
spectator: you dumb
spectator: ass
spectator: please play me
spectator: one of you two retards
spectator: battle of the retards
spectator: such retards
spectator: lol
spectator: so nydago
spectator: you gonna play me
spectator: or how about you pu ssy
spectator: msc
spectator: are you gonna play me
spectator: i dont think either one of your pu ssy asses
spectator: want to play me
spectator: yeah didnt think so
spectator: fu ck you
spectator: both
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