Vegas: Days 9 & 10

I get back to my room unmugged and make my quick post on here then pass out. Aaron calls around 12:30 for lunch and I inform him of the events of the previous night. I manage to haul myself out of bed and go to the buffet. I think I went back to sleep for the afternoon then headed over to Bellagio for another buffet (Bellagio has an excellent buffet though it's pretty expensive), and then to the poker room for some 5/10 NL action. Now it should be noted that I'd been playing 5/10 NL as my main cash game online for a couple weeks and I didn't just move up because of my tourney win. I had only been playing 2/5 NL in Vegas because I didn't bring that much cash and didn't want to lose it all (which I did anyways, but Steve/Aaron had been doing well and had lots). Of course after winning the tournament this was no longer an issue, so I played my normal game.

Aaron was at my table also and killing the game, and I managed to come back and win a decent number. The only hand I remember is the following: It's folded to the button who makes it 40 and before looking at my cards I make some comment about him trying to steal the blinds, and call with 66 in the SB. The flop is T65 and I lead for 60. The lead is good here for a few reasons: The first is the standard reason that if he has a strong hand he'll prbobaly raise me and we can build a big pot. The second is that it kind of looks like I'm trying to steal the pot from him and he seemed aggressive enough that he might raise me with nothing. He does raise it to 160, and I decide he can do that with enough marginal hands that I'd prefer to let him fire again on the turn before putting in a big raise. The turn is a Q and I check. He bets 200 and I raise 400 more. He thinks and claims he folded 88. I ended up quitting ahead about a solid $400. We don't play too late because he have to check out of the Monte Carlo by 11am the next morning. Also, Steve and his mom and sister flew back tonight.

So we get up just before 11 and check out. We grab some food then head over to the Rio because Aaron has a few things he has to do there. While we're at it we get in a 5/10 NL no cap game. I donk off some money on the following hand. I raise to 40 with 89c in MP and get called by the button and a blind. The flop comes KJ9 2 spades and is checked around. Turn is an offsuit 9 and I bet 75. The button calls. The river is a low spade and I bet 150. I think this is a mistake because I'm not getting paid off by many worse hands. He puhses for 230 more. I decide there's enough of a chance he's bluffing and make the crying call getting about 3.5:1. He has the As5s and I lose a big pot. The call of his push is marginal but I think the big mistake is betting the river, or at least betting that big.

Anyways, the dealers are terrible and the game isn't great so we decide to leave and check out Caesar's since we heard the games were good and we hadn't been there yet. We get to the poker room and it's pretty big, they even have a tournament room in the back. Aaron decides to go do some shopping and I get in the 5/10 NL no cap game and sit with *just* $1000. I then proceed to go on a huge rush. An active player makes it 50 in EP and I call with the 75h in MP, and 3 others come along. The flop comes A85 with 2 hearts and the SB minbets blind (wtf?). The originial raiser makes it 160 and I make it 400 with my pair and flush draw. The donk min better shoves for 510 more, the raiser folds the winner I assume, and I have to call at this point because I'm getting huge odds. The only hand I'm in bad shape against is a set, or I guess A5 isn't great either, but he took some time to think and doesn't seem that strong. The turn and river are blanks and oh well, I guess I lose a big one. But he says "You're probably good, I have king high". I table my pair and he shows KTh. Ship it. Gotta love winning those $2200 coin flips. Also, his push on the flop is just terrible. At some point after that I win a huge pot when I flop top set of queens and get paid off by JJ and have no idea why.

There was one other big hand at this table. It was a must-move table meaning when a seat opened up at the other table whoever had been here longest had to move to the other table. I really didn't want to leave this table of course. Anyways, my last big pot before I had to move happened when I limped with 45 offsuit on the button behind like 5 limpers. I don't recommend making this play, but live poker can be boring and my table was pretty bad and I was on a rush are my terrible excuses. The flop comes 3s4s5c and a solid seeming player on my right bets 75. I just call planning to put him all-in on a safe turn card since he only has a few hundred left. Then the JJ donk from earlier checkraises 100 more and the original bettor just calls. Both have less than 200 left now and the pot is already huge. I still think I'm good so I just put them in. Both call and the turn and river are bricks, and my hand is good. The original bettor had 5s6s and missed a huge draw, and the other guy didn't show but he was pretty bad so he may not have had much.

I move to the other table with like $4200 already and there's some real money on this table. Several players have me covered. I'm certainly not used to playing this deep stacked, but I'm not too worried about it either. When you're this deep deception seems to be very important. I imagine most of these guys would never put $4000 in the pot without the nuts or close to it. I want them to think I'm capable of making huge bluffs so that my big hands can actually get paid off, and I want to add some deception to my game. I'd consider doing strange things like limping with a big pair behind several players hoping to flop set over set on someone since they'd have a hard time putting me on a bigger set and I might get their stack. I absolutely love opening for a raise with middle suited connectors this deep as well since if you hit the flop hard your hand is disguised. Anyways, I mange to win a couple nice pots when I get lucky in my short time at this table. First, I raise to 60 on the button behind a couple limpers with AQo and get called in 2 spots. The flop comes K82r and they both check to me and I bet 120. Only the SB calls. The turn is an ace and we both check. The river is a blank and he bets 100. I call and beat his KQ. Not too long after this a player limps UTG and I make it 50 with 89d. 2 others call and the limper calls. The flop is a dream: JT7 rainbow. Checked to me and I bet 150. Only the UTG limper calls. The turn is a 5. UTG checks and I bet 400 hoping he has a set. He calls. The turn is an 8. He checks and I put him all-in for his last 800 or so. Sadly, he folds.

Aaron came back just before this hand so I quit before my next blind up $4000 and we went to Caesar's buffet for dinner. This buffet was very good as well. I tried a Sierra Nevada pale ale with dinner which I'd been told was very good, and was not disappointed. Very smooth beer. We go back and kill our last hour in the poker room playing 2/5 NL, and I win another $700 mostly from when I suck out on top 2 pair all-in on the flop when my nut flush draw gets there. It's worth noting my opponent had J9h. Your hand sucks Pinhead. We don't play long and head back to the hotel to pick up our bags, then cab to the airport. It turned out we were on different flights to Toronto but leaving/arriving around the same time (11:30pm/7am), which was convenient. We were planning to meet over at his/Steve's house later in the afternoon and play the big Sunday tournaments online because we're degenerates like that, but I got very little sleep on the plane and when I get to my house at 9:30am I just crashed and slept all day. Overall, this was an awesome trip, and I'd be telling you that even if I came home a big loser, which it looked like I was going to for a while there. Vegas was a ton of fun, though making a bunch of money obviously made it that much better. I'll be looking for any excuse to go back.

Mike