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Trip Report Ladies Beware Date: 01/31/06 Player: jobot For Rooms: Binion's,Circus Circus,Luxor,Mandalay Bay,MGM Grand,Sahara,Stardust,Stratosphere,Sunset Station,Wynn, Summary: My recent week-long stint on the Las Vegas tournement circuit found me living by the queen, dying by the queen, and, pardon me, "queening up". Content: In the year and a half I have been seriously playing poker, I have, as many others, come to dread queens. I can fold AQ, even AQs, from any but last position. I can limp with pockets, muck Q high flushes, and even convince myself that flopping a set is bad karma. This past week was a confluence of living by the queen, dying by the queen, and, I beg your pardon, "queening up" on the tournament scene. My wife and myself arrived in Vegas Saturday night, and checked into the Stratosphere by 830. No sooner had we grabbed a bite to eat, than I found myself at the Sahara for the 11pm $42 tourney. This was just a quick fix, as I am not a rebuy tourney player, and the tourney only pays out 70%(28+12+2add-on). Call it jet lag, but I fared poorly in a maelstrom of all-ins from players with their rebuy cards in their hands. Sunday morning found us at Sunset station, a bit off the strip, but worth the trip for a freeze out with 91% payout. Six hands in, I caught ATs on the button and slow played a couple of straights to all-in with the nut flush. I bested about 20 players to win $380, not bad for a $50 investment and only 2 hours "work". I also collected $45 in bounties($5 per), which made for a nice tip. The staff at Sunset was GREAT! That evening my wife convinced me to try the 100+25 freeze out at the MGM. We had only brought $1500 with us for the week, for meals, shows, et al, and I hadn't planned on playing any tourneys over $50. My wife, though, explained the law of found money (It didn’t take much convincing), and I was in. I wasn't getting cards early on, and bluffing was out, as I had to check a few times to confirm I was at MGM and not "Calling Station". I'm dealt QJh one in front of the button, and though I know this is not a good no-limit hand, the betting up to me says its time to stop surviving and get some chips. I raised the 200 BB to 600, and am surprised to be cold called by both blinds. Now the flop comes AQJ, all clubs. Four checks and I'm last to act, so I make a show of deliberating, trying to represent the flush and steal. I bet 400, almost all I have left. Two calls, two folds. The Kclubs is not what I wanted to see on the turn, nor did I want to see both blinds go all-in. But, as I was slightly committed, I called for my last 225. The queen of spades on the river gave me only one club to worry about, and considering the previous betting, AA and KK were out. A frustrated small blind flipped 78clubs, and the big blind showed Ad9c. That pot took me to over 3500, and from there I started catching cards until the final 5 of us chopped the purse for 925 apiece. I was up $1100 my first 24 hours in Vegas! Monday we slept in after playing at Luxor til about 4am. I really love their $50 no more, no less buy in for 1-2 no-limit. I was also lucky enough to only have to wait 5 minutes before they started a new table. There was a deep sea bass to my right, where we all know money comes from. He was chasing EVERYTHING. He was also catching frequently, but not against me...the perfect set-up. Patience=profit. An hour in, I catch pocket kings in the small blind. UTG raises to $10, three folds and a raise to $25. Of course I can only think bullets, but I still call, and fishy calls, true to form. The flop comes 3-3-10, rainbow. UTG goes all in for his last $20 or so; the other guy goes all-in for about $30 more. Calling is out of the question, I have to fold or raise. I cant imagine either doing so with a nut flop, so I go all-in for a total of $78(oh, the numbers you remember), and am quite surprised at how fast fishy calls. Were all-all-in now so everyone shows...the two in front of me both have pocket queens! Fishy has 8-10o. Just for fun, a blank on the turn and a king on the river give me a great hand I don’t need, and I pull in over $300. Monday I strike out, at the 1130 am limit/no-limit at circus circus, the 4pm at Luxor and the 6pm at Mandalay Bay(7th of 42). Tuesday I'm feeling "pokered-out", NOT! I go down to the casino at stratosphere to get a coffee and walk right into the $30 single rebuy. There are only 24 entries, so I make it an even 25 as the tourney is starting. I make few friends as I catch great cards and roll over the whole field in 2 hours. Heads up, I ask the local I'm up against if he wants to chop, 3-2, as I have a commanding chip lead about 3-1. For some reason, he was not about to let a weekender get the best of him, and 2 hands later he goes all-in with pocket 4s to my KQ, a queen and 4 blanks later, I'm counting up $460. At 6pm I try Mandalay Bay again, and again finish 7th, this time out of 29. I’m knocked off the final table when my pocket queens fall to pocket 9s, courtesy of a 9-9-j flop. Overkill. The gentleman whom I bested at the Stratosphere had told me the tourney at the Stardust was very good, and that the winner actually got a trophy! Now cash is beautiful, but you can’t put it in your game room. Sadly, I left empty handed, playing too aggressively against what I considered inferior players. If I was feeling over-confident, I knew where to go to change that. The Shoe. Now I know the name and ownership have changed, but it will always...I repeat ALWAYS be the Horseshoe. I gave Mike(great guy) my $70 for the 2pm and ventured over to the back wall. As my gaze swept over WSOP winners past and present, goose bumps cascaded over my person. Dolly, of course, Mr. Moss, Mr. Preston, a very young Phil Jr. and Dan Harrington were there. Even the satellite sallys of today. I was returning to earth as I walked over to the table hung on the other back wall, and was launched back into orbit as I began to read the signatures of the poker gods. As the tournament began, I felt slightly out of place. I knew many of these guys(and dolls) were good. Most players look at their cards as they are dealt. Most players watch the flop with anticipation. Good players watch you. I was feeling very intimidated, wondering what tells I was giving out. I folded AK with a 6-7-K flop to an all-in, even though I knew the guy was on a flush or straight draw. Turns out I was right. He caught both against a small stack with a set of 7s. Bad play on my part, but I got lucky. Anyway, I stopped that nonsense, knocked out a couple of seasoned players(two with cowboy hats!) and finished 11th in a field of 62. I didn’t win any money, but I have to say I held my own. Feeling good, I met my wife over at MGM. She was up...get this...$285 after less than 2 hrs of 2-4 limit. She was glued to her chair, so, twist my arm, I gave the 100+25 another shot. I was a little worried about time, as we had tickets for the 10pm "O" at Belagio. There were only 37 players, and with the chop on Sunday, a field of 51 finished at 915. I play my usual solid game, put myself in at the right times, with the right cards, against the right people. I end up at the final table. Now, for whatever reason, this tourney is snailing. It’s already 830 when we start the final table. When we get rid of the survivors, its 9pm, and there are 5 of us left. I'm big stack(not by a lot) and offer to chop...5 ways even, including the small stack who has about an eighth of my stack and is the only vote i'm sure I will get. Wrong. He’s the only no I get. Everyone is a little frustrated, because obviously luck has become more of a factor than skill. That’s when I notice the guy who refused the chops watch. Rolex. He doesn't care about the money. He wants the ring. So be it. A few chips go back and forth with no real heavy action. My wife is on the rail behind me muttering the gruesome things I can expect if we're one minute late for the show. Rolex raises big on the next hand and I look down at J-10o. With out the raise in front of me, this is a very playable short-handed hand. I look at the guy; I figure he's not going to push people out with a big Ace. Could be a small pocket pair< but he probably would have protected all-in. So I figure he’s on a decent ace or a couple paints. I move all in(I still cover him 5-1), and he calls. A6o...better than I had hoped. We race. 8-j-2-2-4. I say, "Let's chop" and reach to shake his hand. He steps back and calls me suck out and leaves. We each take 925 again, rather than 620. The show was great, the ENTIRE show. After dinner, I went back to the Shoe with the wife and showed her the pictures and the table. I spun around looking for R.D.'s pistol when my wife said "Isn't Dolly a girl's name?" Sadly, she was more impressed with Jen Tilly's signature than Doyle's or the magician's. I lasted 6 hands in the 2am when I caught K5 in the big blind, the flop came A-A-5 and I called an all-in from a limper with AQ. Thursday and Friday I did only one tournament each day...the Wynn. What a beautiful room. Big comfortable chairs, tournament boards in a separate tourney section, the waitresses are...well if you've been there you know, if you haven't, words aren't enough. Thursday is a 300+30 freeze-out at noon. They also have $120 and $320 sit-n-go's all day when they fill. I was seated next to this guy Doug from Chi town...great guy. We were talking, joking, and watching our chips travel around the table. I fared poorly in the tourney, but took away one hand. I caught pocket Js in middle position with only two blinds left and went all in. The only caller was the small blind who showed pocket queens as he called, smugly, I might add. As I prayed, and Doug chanted jack,jack,jack, I saw a miracle happen. The flop came 8-J-J! Why didn't everyone call me? I had just figured that my tourney was over save for a less than 4% chance of catching a jack without a queen coming. I finished 23rd out of 82, but learned a great deal about who plays in the Wynn tournament. This is why Friday found me at the final table. The Wynn tourney is made for a player like myself, $3000 in chips, 45-minute blind rounds. PPD. Patience, position, discipline. I built up a sizable lead with a nice combination of made hands and bluffs. Then I was crippled. I was in the small blind; position 3, with $1175 went all in. He was immediately called by the player to his left. Fold, fold, fold, fold, fold...me. I look down and find the red aces. I look up and state to position four, "I'll put you all-in", he had another $1900, and he called without much deliberation. Position three flipped AT clubs, four flipped pocket queens. I was counting "my" chips. Then the flop came...4-Q-9...ouch. Blank, blank. I was down to about $1500. Then the guy who won said something I've never been in position to say. "I knew you had to have aces” Apparently he felt very lucky. Anywho, I worked my way back, eventually knocking out "lucky". I made it to the final table with a slightly over average stack, but that $7000 swing was devastating. I was knocked out first(10th) with AK against...yes! POCKET QUEENS. The flop was 4-Q-J and I briefly had four outs until another J came on the river. A couple handshakes and my poker playing for the trip was over. I was happy to make enough during the trip to do and eat whatever and wherever we wanted(within reason). I gained valuable experience and I had a BLAST! Thank You Melissa, who was on the rail at all 8 final tables I played. All for now, next trip final four weekend. |
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