Vegas Baby, Vegas
Close only counts in horseshoes, handgranades, and government work and so alas I did not qualify for the 2009 WSOP Main Event. I will not bore you with all the painful details of my many near misses. I will however go into great detail about the terrible luck I had when I was in Las Vegas. I requested the days off from work again this year and despite not qualifying I promised myself I would go out to Nevada again this year for the Main Event. I had luck out there last summer cashing in 8 of the 11 tournaments I played in and thought I could do something similar again this year....
I procrastinated on the booking of flight and hotel as I maintained hope that I would qualify on pokerstars and receive a free hotel room, so by the time that was no longer possible, prices had gone up. I looked on the Rio's website for live satalittes and it appears they were offering at least two per day all the way up to the last day 1 which they even had an 8 am turbo.
Common knowledge to most people, I discovered while searching for vacation packages that hotels are much cheaper on Sunday's and weeknights than they are on Saturdays and Fridays. That being said, I decided I would fly out on Sunday, July 5th and also avoid wasting my money on far too many satalitte tournaments. This way I would only be able to play in two satalittes and the most I would be able to blow would be $1610.
Naturally I did just that, losing the $500+50 with AQ to AQ in a preflop all in and then with A6 vs A8 in a blind vs blind in $1000+60. Neither structure was very good as levels were only 30 minutes long and players started with 4000 and 6000 chips respectively. There were alot of seats to be had, but skill didn't play much of a role.
Day 2
So right off the bat we can rule out 9 million dollars and a WSOP bracelett, and have lost more than 1/4th of the money we brought, no worries...next it's time to decide which deep stack tournament to play in. On this Monday both Venetian and Caesars Palace are offering $300+40's. Since I've had very good luck at Caesars in the past and this would be the second to last of their Mega Stack Series, while the Deep Stack Extravaganza at Venetian had a handful of events still to be played, I elected to go with Caesars.
Only 110 players entered this one a far cry from the one I chopped 2 ways last summer which had like 650. I brought this up with a "temp" dealer and he showed no loyalty to Caesars Palace, explaining that the Venetian changed it's structure and everyone is over there now and they've been getting fields of around 700 for the Deep Stack Extravaganza events whereas Caesars is only averaging about 200 for these Mega Stack tournaments they time around. In the background chants of "Let's Go Yankees!" could be heard from a loud man wearing all Yankees gear who looked like the offspring of Dennis Rodman and Cedric Maxwell.
We both did very well in the tournament and were place in seats next to each other with only two tables left about 12 hours later. During the last break before the conclusion of the first day, Dennis Maxwell explained to me that he just wanted to finish in the money and that if I stay out of his way he will stay out of mine and we should try to not clash with each other until the final table. At this point I had him covered and was easily top 5 in chips with 2 tables left. With this in mind after the break I made sure to go after this gentlemans blind each and everytime and another guy who I'm guessing he made a similar agreement with bluff him out of a pot. This did not cause a very big dent his Mr. Yankee's chip stack as he now had me covered and was beginning to do quite well as players continued to get eliminated. With 11 left in the tournament and only five at our table it was folded to me in the small blind. I raised Cedrick Rodmans blind and he called. I had Q5 of spades and the flop came AQ10 of spade. Thinking back to the fact that he seemed shy to clash in a big pot with me, I fearlessly overbet all of my chips, figuring he would probably fold an ace and the only hand he could call with would be KJ or a set which I could catch up to. I also recollected the hand he laid down earlier vs the other fellow. The gentleman on my left, still upset about being bluffed before, stubornly called my all in with K/10. Yes, all he had was a pair of tens and a gutshot straight draw. The turn was a five, giving me two pairs and a flush draw and a stranglehold on the hand with one card to come-the river was a jack, but not the jack of spades and I was knocked out in 11th place and recevied $0. We both could not understand what the other had done, and the new chipleader promised me that if he cashed high enough he would return my buy in to me. With nothing else to do at 1:15 a.m. I elected to hang around and watch that last 45 minutes of day 1. When the day ended only 7 players remained. Most of the players that were still left were bothered by the fact that Caesars would not let them end the tournament that night and voice their collective displeasure. After the bagging was complete, the tournament director explained that they did not have the staffing to allow the tournament to continue and that, "you gentlemen need to leave."
The chipleader suggested we all go to MGM Grand for 1/2 NL cash game. Me, him, the guy who bluffed him out of the pot that caused him to call my all in, and some guy name Frank who had been watching the tournament since getting KOed about 5 hours earlier (who was very facinated with the fact I was RonArtest10) all went in a pack to MGM Grand. My Yankee friend won about $1000 on blackjack while we all celebrated. It's worth mentioning that Cedrick Rodman was a very funny guy and despite the fact I suspected I would not be getting my money back it was a fun evening nevertheless. It came to a grinding hault when I was kicked out of MGM Grand casino. Shortly after getting my aces cracked by someone who put all his chips into the pot with a gutshot 1 card straight flush draw I apparently said the f word during casual conversation. The dealer sternly told me this would be my last warning. This I felt was ridiculous since I did not receive any prior warning and I then began to rant and rave about my objection to the "final warning." Not long after that I was asked to leave. I continued to explain that I had done nothing wrong and did not even violate the undeserved final warning. Some lady told me she did not want my business. I continued to rant as I went on and on about how they shouldn't be kicking good people like me out of there casino, especially not in this economy. She mentioned that I could come back tommorow. I told her I would never come back and I was going to trash MGM Las Vegas and tell all my friends about how badly it sucked. At some point before all the drama began I asked Dennis Rodman straight out what place he would need to come in to return my buy in-he said third and I agree that, that would be fair and I'd come back to Caesars the next day and catch the end. (This would not be hard to do since I planned on being at Caesars anyway for the final event of the Mega Stack Challenge-the three day 50,000 chip Championship which cost $1060 and included the likes of TJ Cloutier).
Day 3
As discussed I entered day 1 a of the Mega Stack Championship (day 1 b would be tommorow and all players would have day 2 on the 9th--if lucky enough to make it, the final day would be slated for the 10th) with TJ Cloutier and some other very good competition. I lasted the entire day, Dennis Cedrick Maxwell Rodman won first place in the tournament when it resumed and dispite promising me again that my money was good, he never reimbursed me my $300.
Day 4
I set out for The Venetian to inquire about the Deep Stack Extravaganza. They would be having a $500+60 event at noon time and if lucky enough to make it through 14 hours of poker, players would bag up at 2 am and come back the next day at 4. This possed a conflict for me since I was still in the other big tournament which started back up at noon tommorow. I decided that it would be highly unlikely that I would make it to day two of this tournament and also survive the first four hours of day 2 at Caesars and that if I did it would not be the worst thing in the world, so I elected to enter. I did pretty well and lasted past the dinner break. There were 410 entrants and first place was over $60,000. Most poker tournaments pay at least 10% of the field, but this one (like the one at Caesars that I came in 11th in) would be paying less-only 36. I came in 40th and made the long walk back to Monte Carlo, down about $2600 overall and very short stacked in the $1060 which would be resuming the next day.
Day 5
I doubled up pretty quickly when play resumed and then stole a few blinds and was back in the running. Then I picked up KK. A man in early position raised and I moved all in, as I was still reletively short stacked. Next, the man in the sb who had the whole table covered moved all in on top. The early raiser thought for a long time before folding. My opponent showed QQ and I let out a sigh of relief. I had an 80% chance of winning this very big pot and putting myself in much better position to win the first place prize of $160,000.00. The Queen came on the flop and was raced out of Caesars at about 1:30 p.m., hoping to make it to Venetian to register for yet another Deep Stack Extravaganza tournament for the same buy in of $560. They keep registration open for 2 hours in these events.
437 played on this day and I had 4 chip stacks early before being card dead for a bit. I was just above average right before the dinner break with 110 left when I picked up AA in first position. I raised and was reraised by the chip leader at the table. I decided to make a large all in bet and he called. I excitedly showed my aces and my oppponent showed KK. A king came on the flop and I was KOed from the tournament and now down over $4200 for my trip.
Day 6
Sick and tired of my horrific luck, I decided that it was time to take a break, spending the day enjoying the amenities of the Monte Carlo. My hotel had a wavie pool, a lazy river, a famous magician and several nice restaurants. We relaxed by the pool for a while before going to dinner. After dinner there was some time to kill before the $80 Lance Burton magic act which I was brain washed into buy a ticket for. Decided to kill the hour or so playing 1/2 NL in the poker room at Monte Carlo. I play way too tight in cash games and folded most of my hands. A four dollar live straddle and a call (by a gentlemen who was limping into just about every pot) produced my first preflop raise. In late position I made it $16 to play. Guy in the blinds called and so did the woman who straddled-see every flop guy laid down his crappy hand. Flop comes Q23 and it is checked to me. I bet $20 and am raised by the blind. He makes it $55, with position I decide to call and see what happens next. The turn is a king and he bets $85. I think for a bit and decide I'm ahead of his range of hands and move all in. He thinks for a bit and calls. My opponent shows 22 and no more face cards come. I lose another $300 on a day I didn't even really play poker.
Day 7
I make sure to not play poker at all on this day. Go see Price Is Right Live (don't win anything obviously), relax at the pool with my SPF 80 again and have some din din at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. Take a look at the entire city from the fake eiffle tower at Paris and early bed.
Day 8
I lose an $85 Caesars Palace tournament when my AQ runs into AK with blinds and antees very high due to 20 minute levels and increase my losings to about $4600. Card Player Magazine tells me there is a 3:30 tournament at Harahs and rather than signing up for the 3 pm at CP I elect to go for a change of scenerey. As I wait for the tournament to begin I get conned into giving some big black dude $5 for a meal.
I come in 7th place in a tournament that pays only six and the lost wages is now at $4700. I remain hopeful that I can turn it around and race back to Caesars Palace for the 7 pm tournament which has an excellent structure compared to the rest. First place in this one would win me pretty much all my money back and it's quite possible since players start with 10,000 in chips and levels are 30 minutes. I pick up pocket tens on the first hand and raise after a limp. I get one call and the limper folds. The flop comes 867 with two hearts. He checks, I bet, he raises....I move all in for 10,000 chips (a ridiculous overbet) which he calls with AJ of hearts. I stand up and tell him he wins. The turn is a heart. He tells me he wins. I tell him he's an idiots and yell some more complaints to the others in the pokerroom who seem to be on his side and march out of the pokerroom and sit on the floor of sulking as I try to figure out what to do next. I decide to walk all the way to the Wynn for an 8 pm tournament which I saw in Card Player Magazine where players get 20,000 chips for $200+25. As I'm walking I have an evil fake smile the entire time as I cannot believe just how terribly I am running. Some guy mistakes this smile for me being a friendly person and decides that I'm the perfect stranger to ask to take a picture of he and his wife/girlfriend. I refrain from throwing his camera or punching him in the face and the long walk continues. I have a Wynn card made up and go to the poker room. The woman tells me that the 8 pm tournament doesn't start until tommorow. Defeated I take a cab back to my hotel and passout on my bed at approximately 8:30 p.m. with no idea what to do with my remaining time and money. Any normal human being would probably give up poker tournament for the remainder of the trip or at the very least the remainder of this day, but The Great Persistent Charlie Large is no quitter. I pulled myself off the matt, brushed myself off and went down stairs to the Monte Carlo Poker room for a 9 pm $60+$40 rebuy tournament. I proceeded to make a profit of $290 (after tip) by coming in second place and made a nice little step in the right direction. I celebrated with 20 chicken McNuggets.
Day 9
The very first 20,000 chip tournament at the Wynn for $200+25 would be at noon and I made the longest walk ever from Monte Carlo to Wynn for the event. Learning from my chop decline the night before in the rinky dink tournament with 22 players in the hotel, I decided to offer one to the man who didn't speak English in this tournament which had 57 players. He quickly accepted and I won back another $2587 after tipping the dealers (slightly more generously this time). It was about 6:30 pm when we chopped and I probably should have spent 90 minutes celebrating with a delicious steak I couldn't afford the day before when I had my evil smile on, but instead chose to race over to the Venetian and check out there 7 pm tournament rather than hanging around for the 8 pm rerun at the Wynn. I scoffed down some pizza and entered the $100+20 tournament. I was happy with the large field but didn't like the 20 minute blind levels. I managed to keep my head above water and with blinds at 400/800 with an antee I picked up AA. After an early raise I moved all in for 10K or whatever I had in my stack, and was very surprised when three players all of which I had covered called and the original raiser folds. Okay so if AA can beat KK, AK, and JJ, I will be sitting pretty. Oh cool, A JACK!
I saved my one big blind for my natural big blind as I picked up back to back ragamuffin hands and then went to Caesars Palace for a 10 pm crapshop. I came in fourth place which was okay I guess since it paid 5, but I would have liked to won a coinflip with 88 vs KQ rather than getting KOed. I knew I would lose since KQ won two all ins in a row where two of my opponets who should have been KOed came from behind to win, "KQ isn't losing three in a row I say," as I go and collect my modest $161 profit after tip.
Day 10
I enter the noon Wynn tournament again and decide I'm sick of tournaments when I lose with top pair and nutflush draw to a set of aces. I go back to the Belagio hoping to avenge all the money I lost in limit cash games back in 2006. I talked to limit holdem guru Sam who says 4/8 and 8/16 at Belagio are the best games. I decide to play 8/16 after I'm done eating chicken wings at Margaritaville. The floorman tells me there is no 8/16 game running. I decide to play 15/30 like in 2006. I of course lose with AK three times and get rivered another four and despite betting on the American League and winning $100 there, I leave he Belagio about $350 poorer.
Scottie had been raving about "Trash Talking Tuesday," at Hard Rock Casino and I decide I must check it out.
It is a 2/5 NL game with $300 min buy in and $3000 max. If you are the button you must put in a straddle of between 10 and 100 dollars. If someone wins a hand with 2/7 everyone at the table must give that player $10.
I got no big hand and blinded down from my 300 buy in to about 150 when I picked up 2/7o and went all in. Everyone folded and I showed and collected my $80. I lasted about 4 and a half hours before going broke with 99 which was the best hand I seen all day. I played it the same way as the 2/7 and had a similar amount of chips and was called by QJs who spiked a pair of Q. It was sincerely alot of fun. I'm being sincere.
Last Day
Sick of poker and up real late at the Hard Rock, I sleep into the afternoon. I go to the Rio for the buffett and decide I don't wanna play today, I'll just watch the WSOP Main Event. Phil Ivey is still in and I really want him to make the final table. He is the best poker player in the world and I think it will be very good for the game if he can make this final table and will help prove to the ignorants that although there is a good amount of luck involved, poker is a skill and a sport as well. I explained to my cab driver that there is luck in all sports, Bo Jackson would have been the greatest running back to ever lived but he got unlucky and sustained a devistating injury which ruined his football career. I ate lots of food stood and watched lots of poker and then on the dinner break went to Caesars for the 7 pm tournament which I took another crack at. I lost with AK to a guy with 22. I asked him if he thought I had pocket 0's an raced back for the conclusion of this summers main event (they will start back up in November when down to 9). When I got back to the Rio it was down to 1 table of 10 and it must have just happened because they were introducing all the players to the large crowd. When I left a few hours earlier they were down to 14.
Ivey was still in and the final ten didn't last long before AA was cracked by a flopped set of 8. 888 had AA covered and he busted in 10th. After that I celebrated with chicken nuggets, Rocky 1 cent slots and 2/4 limit holdem at the Monte Carlo and that all cost me about $110 (I won't bore you with the breakdown). I probably should have gone to sleep at 11 pm when the final table ended but instead stayed up until after 2 am on a day where I had to wake up and catch a shuttle bus to the airport at 4:20 am, ooops. Dispite losing almost half the money I brought with me and despite having high expectations or actually coming home with large sacks of money, I left Vegas happy and hopeful. I enjoyed my vacation an the experience and look forward to a bright future of poker. Hopefully Phil can win the Main Event in November and RonArtest10 can go back to crushing Full Tilt Poker. You can't keep a good man down. It's only a matter of time before the cream rises to the top.
I procrastinated on the booking of flight and hotel as I maintained hope that I would qualify on pokerstars and receive a free hotel room, so by the time that was no longer possible, prices had gone up. I looked on the Rio's website for live satalittes and it appears they were offering at least two per day all the way up to the last day 1 which they even had an 8 am turbo.
Common knowledge to most people, I discovered while searching for vacation packages that hotels are much cheaper on Sunday's and weeknights than they are on Saturdays and Fridays. That being said, I decided I would fly out on Sunday, July 5th and also avoid wasting my money on far too many satalitte tournaments. This way I would only be able to play in two satalittes and the most I would be able to blow would be $1610.
Naturally I did just that, losing the $500+50 with AQ to AQ in a preflop all in and then with A6 vs A8 in a blind vs blind in $1000+60. Neither structure was very good as levels were only 30 minutes long and players started with 4000 and 6000 chips respectively. There were alot of seats to be had, but skill didn't play much of a role.
Day 2
So right off the bat we can rule out 9 million dollars and a WSOP bracelett, and have lost more than 1/4th of the money we brought, no worries...next it's time to decide which deep stack tournament to play in. On this Monday both Venetian and Caesars Palace are offering $300+40's. Since I've had very good luck at Caesars in the past and this would be the second to last of their Mega Stack Series, while the Deep Stack Extravaganza at Venetian had a handful of events still to be played, I elected to go with Caesars.
Only 110 players entered this one a far cry from the one I chopped 2 ways last summer which had like 650. I brought this up with a "temp" dealer and he showed no loyalty to Caesars Palace, explaining that the Venetian changed it's structure and everyone is over there now and they've been getting fields of around 700 for the Deep Stack Extravaganza events whereas Caesars is only averaging about 200 for these Mega Stack tournaments they time around. In the background chants of "Let's Go Yankees!" could be heard from a loud man wearing all Yankees gear who looked like the offspring of Dennis Rodman and Cedric Maxwell.
We both did very well in the tournament and were place in seats next to each other with only two tables left about 12 hours later. During the last break before the conclusion of the first day, Dennis Maxwell explained to me that he just wanted to finish in the money and that if I stay out of his way he will stay out of mine and we should try to not clash with each other until the final table. At this point I had him covered and was easily top 5 in chips with 2 tables left. With this in mind after the break I made sure to go after this gentlemans blind each and everytime and another guy who I'm guessing he made a similar agreement with bluff him out of a pot. This did not cause a very big dent his Mr. Yankee's chip stack as he now had me covered and was beginning to do quite well as players continued to get eliminated. With 11 left in the tournament and only five at our table it was folded to me in the small blind. I raised Cedrick Rodmans blind and he called. I had Q5 of spades and the flop came AQ10 of spade. Thinking back to the fact that he seemed shy to clash in a big pot with me, I fearlessly overbet all of my chips, figuring he would probably fold an ace and the only hand he could call with would be KJ or a set which I could catch up to. I also recollected the hand he laid down earlier vs the other fellow. The gentleman on my left, still upset about being bluffed before, stubornly called my all in with K/10. Yes, all he had was a pair of tens and a gutshot straight draw. The turn was a five, giving me two pairs and a flush draw and a stranglehold on the hand with one card to come-the river was a jack, but not the jack of spades and I was knocked out in 11th place and recevied $0. We both could not understand what the other had done, and the new chipleader promised me that if he cashed high enough he would return my buy in to me. With nothing else to do at 1:15 a.m. I elected to hang around and watch that last 45 minutes of day 1. When the day ended only 7 players remained. Most of the players that were still left were bothered by the fact that Caesars would not let them end the tournament that night and voice their collective displeasure. After the bagging was complete, the tournament director explained that they did not have the staffing to allow the tournament to continue and that, "you gentlemen need to leave."
The chipleader suggested we all go to MGM Grand for 1/2 NL cash game. Me, him, the guy who bluffed him out of the pot that caused him to call my all in, and some guy name Frank who had been watching the tournament since getting KOed about 5 hours earlier (who was very facinated with the fact I was RonArtest10) all went in a pack to MGM Grand. My Yankee friend won about $1000 on blackjack while we all celebrated. It's worth mentioning that Cedrick Rodman was a very funny guy and despite the fact I suspected I would not be getting my money back it was a fun evening nevertheless. It came to a grinding hault when I was kicked out of MGM Grand casino. Shortly after getting my aces cracked by someone who put all his chips into the pot with a gutshot 1 card straight flush draw I apparently said the f word during casual conversation. The dealer sternly told me this would be my last warning. This I felt was ridiculous since I did not receive any prior warning and I then began to rant and rave about my objection to the "final warning." Not long after that I was asked to leave. I continued to explain that I had done nothing wrong and did not even violate the undeserved final warning. Some lady told me she did not want my business. I continued to rant as I went on and on about how they shouldn't be kicking good people like me out of there casino, especially not in this economy. She mentioned that I could come back tommorow. I told her I would never come back and I was going to trash MGM Las Vegas and tell all my friends about how badly it sucked. At some point before all the drama began I asked Dennis Rodman straight out what place he would need to come in to return my buy in-he said third and I agree that, that would be fair and I'd come back to Caesars the next day and catch the end. (This would not be hard to do since I planned on being at Caesars anyway for the final event of the Mega Stack Challenge-the three day 50,000 chip Championship which cost $1060 and included the likes of TJ Cloutier).
Day 3
As discussed I entered day 1 a of the Mega Stack Championship (day 1 b would be tommorow and all players would have day 2 on the 9th--if lucky enough to make it, the final day would be slated for the 10th) with TJ Cloutier and some other very good competition. I lasted the entire day, Dennis Cedrick Maxwell Rodman won first place in the tournament when it resumed and dispite promising me again that my money was good, he never reimbursed me my $300.
Day 4
I set out for The Venetian to inquire about the Deep Stack Extravaganza. They would be having a $500+60 event at noon time and if lucky enough to make it through 14 hours of poker, players would bag up at 2 am and come back the next day at 4. This possed a conflict for me since I was still in the other big tournament which started back up at noon tommorow. I decided that it would be highly unlikely that I would make it to day two of this tournament and also survive the first four hours of day 2 at Caesars and that if I did it would not be the worst thing in the world, so I elected to enter. I did pretty well and lasted past the dinner break. There were 410 entrants and first place was over $60,000. Most poker tournaments pay at least 10% of the field, but this one (like the one at Caesars that I came in 11th in) would be paying less-only 36. I came in 40th and made the long walk back to Monte Carlo, down about $2600 overall and very short stacked in the $1060 which would be resuming the next day.
Day 5
I doubled up pretty quickly when play resumed and then stole a few blinds and was back in the running. Then I picked up KK. A man in early position raised and I moved all in, as I was still reletively short stacked. Next, the man in the sb who had the whole table covered moved all in on top. The early raiser thought for a long time before folding. My opponent showed QQ and I let out a sigh of relief. I had an 80% chance of winning this very big pot and putting myself in much better position to win the first place prize of $160,000.00. The Queen came on the flop and was raced out of Caesars at about 1:30 p.m., hoping to make it to Venetian to register for yet another Deep Stack Extravaganza tournament for the same buy in of $560. They keep registration open for 2 hours in these events.
437 played on this day and I had 4 chip stacks early before being card dead for a bit. I was just above average right before the dinner break with 110 left when I picked up AA in first position. I raised and was reraised by the chip leader at the table. I decided to make a large all in bet and he called. I excitedly showed my aces and my oppponent showed KK. A king came on the flop and I was KOed from the tournament and now down over $4200 for my trip.
Day 6
Sick and tired of my horrific luck, I decided that it was time to take a break, spending the day enjoying the amenities of the Monte Carlo. My hotel had a wavie pool, a lazy river, a famous magician and several nice restaurants. We relaxed by the pool for a while before going to dinner. After dinner there was some time to kill before the $80 Lance Burton magic act which I was brain washed into buy a ticket for. Decided to kill the hour or so playing 1/2 NL in the poker room at Monte Carlo. I play way too tight in cash games and folded most of my hands. A four dollar live straddle and a call (by a gentlemen who was limping into just about every pot) produced my first preflop raise. In late position I made it $16 to play. Guy in the blinds called and so did the woman who straddled-see every flop guy laid down his crappy hand. Flop comes Q23 and it is checked to me. I bet $20 and am raised by the blind. He makes it $55, with position I decide to call and see what happens next. The turn is a king and he bets $85. I think for a bit and decide I'm ahead of his range of hands and move all in. He thinks for a bit and calls. My opponent shows 22 and no more face cards come. I lose another $300 on a day I didn't even really play poker.
Day 7
I make sure to not play poker at all on this day. Go see Price Is Right Live (don't win anything obviously), relax at the pool with my SPF 80 again and have some din din at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. Take a look at the entire city from the fake eiffle tower at Paris and early bed.
Day 8
I lose an $85 Caesars Palace tournament when my AQ runs into AK with blinds and antees very high due to 20 minute levels and increase my losings to about $4600. Card Player Magazine tells me there is a 3:30 tournament at Harahs and rather than signing up for the 3 pm at CP I elect to go for a change of scenerey. As I wait for the tournament to begin I get conned into giving some big black dude $5 for a meal.
I come in 7th place in a tournament that pays only six and the lost wages is now at $4700. I remain hopeful that I can turn it around and race back to Caesars Palace for the 7 pm tournament which has an excellent structure compared to the rest. First place in this one would win me pretty much all my money back and it's quite possible since players start with 10,000 in chips and levels are 30 minutes. I pick up pocket tens on the first hand and raise after a limp. I get one call and the limper folds. The flop comes 867 with two hearts. He checks, I bet, he raises....I move all in for 10,000 chips (a ridiculous overbet) which he calls with AJ of hearts. I stand up and tell him he wins. The turn is a heart. He tells me he wins. I tell him he's an idiots and yell some more complaints to the others in the pokerroom who seem to be on his side and march out of the pokerroom and sit on the floor of sulking as I try to figure out what to do next. I decide to walk all the way to the Wynn for an 8 pm tournament which I saw in Card Player Magazine where players get 20,000 chips for $200+25. As I'm walking I have an evil fake smile the entire time as I cannot believe just how terribly I am running. Some guy mistakes this smile for me being a friendly person and decides that I'm the perfect stranger to ask to take a picture of he and his wife/girlfriend. I refrain from throwing his camera or punching him in the face and the long walk continues. I have a Wynn card made up and go to the poker room. The woman tells me that the 8 pm tournament doesn't start until tommorow. Defeated I take a cab back to my hotel and passout on my bed at approximately 8:30 p.m. with no idea what to do with my remaining time and money. Any normal human being would probably give up poker tournament for the remainder of the trip or at the very least the remainder of this day, but The Great Persistent Charlie Large is no quitter. I pulled myself off the matt, brushed myself off and went down stairs to the Monte Carlo Poker room for a 9 pm $60+$40 rebuy tournament. I proceeded to make a profit of $290 (after tip) by coming in second place and made a nice little step in the right direction. I celebrated with 20 chicken McNuggets.
Day 9
The very first 20,000 chip tournament at the Wynn for $200+25 would be at noon and I made the longest walk ever from Monte Carlo to Wynn for the event. Learning from my chop decline the night before in the rinky dink tournament with 22 players in the hotel, I decided to offer one to the man who didn't speak English in this tournament which had 57 players. He quickly accepted and I won back another $2587 after tipping the dealers (slightly more generously this time). It was about 6:30 pm when we chopped and I probably should have spent 90 minutes celebrating with a delicious steak I couldn't afford the day before when I had my evil smile on, but instead chose to race over to the Venetian and check out there 7 pm tournament rather than hanging around for the 8 pm rerun at the Wynn. I scoffed down some pizza and entered the $100+20 tournament. I was happy with the large field but didn't like the 20 minute blind levels. I managed to keep my head above water and with blinds at 400/800 with an antee I picked up AA. After an early raise I moved all in for 10K or whatever I had in my stack, and was very surprised when three players all of which I had covered called and the original raiser folds. Okay so if AA can beat KK, AK, and JJ, I will be sitting pretty. Oh cool, A JACK!
I saved my one big blind for my natural big blind as I picked up back to back ragamuffin hands and then went to Caesars Palace for a 10 pm crapshop. I came in fourth place which was okay I guess since it paid 5, but I would have liked to won a coinflip with 88 vs KQ rather than getting KOed. I knew I would lose since KQ won two all ins in a row where two of my opponets who should have been KOed came from behind to win, "KQ isn't losing three in a row I say," as I go and collect my modest $161 profit after tip.
Day 10
I enter the noon Wynn tournament again and decide I'm sick of tournaments when I lose with top pair and nutflush draw to a set of aces. I go back to the Belagio hoping to avenge all the money I lost in limit cash games back in 2006. I talked to limit holdem guru Sam who says 4/8 and 8/16 at Belagio are the best games. I decide to play 8/16 after I'm done eating chicken wings at Margaritaville. The floorman tells me there is no 8/16 game running. I decide to play 15/30 like in 2006. I of course lose with AK three times and get rivered another four and despite betting on the American League and winning $100 there, I leave he Belagio about $350 poorer.
Scottie had been raving about "Trash Talking Tuesday," at Hard Rock Casino and I decide I must check it out.
It is a 2/5 NL game with $300 min buy in and $3000 max. If you are the button you must put in a straddle of between 10 and 100 dollars. If someone wins a hand with 2/7 everyone at the table must give that player $10.
I got no big hand and blinded down from my 300 buy in to about 150 when I picked up 2/7o and went all in. Everyone folded and I showed and collected my $80. I lasted about 4 and a half hours before going broke with 99 which was the best hand I seen all day. I played it the same way as the 2/7 and had a similar amount of chips and was called by QJs who spiked a pair of Q. It was sincerely alot of fun. I'm being sincere.
Last Day
Sick of poker and up real late at the Hard Rock, I sleep into the afternoon. I go to the Rio for the buffett and decide I don't wanna play today, I'll just watch the WSOP Main Event. Phil Ivey is still in and I really want him to make the final table. He is the best poker player in the world and I think it will be very good for the game if he can make this final table and will help prove to the ignorants that although there is a good amount of luck involved, poker is a skill and a sport as well. I explained to my cab driver that there is luck in all sports, Bo Jackson would have been the greatest running back to ever lived but he got unlucky and sustained a devistating injury which ruined his football career. I ate lots of food stood and watched lots of poker and then on the dinner break went to Caesars for the 7 pm tournament which I took another crack at. I lost with AK to a guy with 22. I asked him if he thought I had pocket 0's an raced back for the conclusion of this summers main event (they will start back up in November when down to 9). When I got back to the Rio it was down to 1 table of 10 and it must have just happened because they were introducing all the players to the large crowd. When I left a few hours earlier they were down to 14.
Ivey was still in and the final ten didn't last long before AA was cracked by a flopped set of 8. 888 had AA covered and he busted in 10th. After that I celebrated with chicken nuggets, Rocky 1 cent slots and 2/4 limit holdem at the Monte Carlo and that all cost me about $110 (I won't bore you with the breakdown). I probably should have gone to sleep at 11 pm when the final table ended but instead stayed up until after 2 am on a day where I had to wake up and catch a shuttle bus to the airport at 4:20 am, ooops. Dispite losing almost half the money I brought with me and despite having high expectations or actually coming home with large sacks of money, I left Vegas happy and hopeful. I enjoyed my vacation an the experience and look forward to a bright future of poker. Hopefully Phil can win the Main Event in November and RonArtest10 can go back to crushing Full Tilt Poker. You can't keep a good man down. It's only a matter of time before the cream rises to the top.