Vegas Summer 07 Trip Report Part A

I'm back from the blonkertainment in Vegas. While some of the big names were not able to make it out to this one, It was still a blast. The best part about the weekend were the cash game marathons at the MGM. Both nights, we took over a 1/2 nl table and played well into the next morning. Friday night, the line up was Iakaris, Miami Don, Crackin Aces, Hoyazo, Weak Player, Smokkee, myself, and three spots for some very lucky tourists. The tourists kept sucking out on us, chipping up, filling up a tray, and walking to the cashier's cage. Then a new one would show up for some free money. I think as a group we sent close to 2k to those three seats over the night. $300 of it was mine. I was playing a little more loose and a little more aggressive than I normally do, and that probably cost me about $100, but I was pretty card dead most of the night, and was getting slapped around when I picked up anything decent. A couple of interesting hands from the session are below.

I pick up K9o from the cutoff and raise to $8, and Miami Don calls from the BB. Flop comes all clubs, and Don checks. I say I have a real big club (thought I had the Kc) and bet 3/4 pot. Don calls. Turn brings a Kc confirming to me that I don't have the Kc, and Don leads out for about $20. I reraise to $50, and Don tanks. He exposes the Qc which is the second nuts. I tell him that "I practically told you what I had", and he eventually mucks. I flip up two red cards.

That hand was early, and marked the high water mark for my stack. Things started to fall apart starting with this hand. I pick up AKs in the SB. A bunch of limpers, and the cut-off raises to $10. I decide to just call hoping for a few more callers and hitting something big. About 5 total see the flop. Flop comes KJx and I check, and it checks to the initial raiser who bets $20 into a $50 pot. Initial raiser has about $90 behind. I reraise to $60. I figure this pot commits the raiser, and I am pot committed as well unless someone else comes along who has more chips. It folds to the initial raiser who tanks, and calls. At this point, I plan on pushing the turn no matter what. Turn is a Q, I push, and initial raiser calls with KQo. I don't improve.

Then I got into this big draw that did not pan out. Limp with As5s, and call a raise to $8 for a 5 way pot. Flop comes KsQsx for a flush draw. I check call $15, for a 4 way pot still. The turn is a J giving me the nut flush draw and a gutshot to the T. Iakaris leads out for $45, and has about $200 behind. It looks like I am close to priced in. Then a tourist lady makes the call as well. So we have a $45 bet, a $45 call, and about $120 already in the pot. I can call $45 for a $250 pot. I have pot odds for sure, and can be pretty sure some more money will go in on the river if I hit. I call, the river bricks, and Iak bets out around $60. I fold, and Iak shows a turned straight for a big pot. I think I played this one pretty good. The problem with playing a big draw like this in a cash game is the variance. I will not get the chance to run the similar situation a bunch of times during this session, so I drop about $70 on the hand on decent play, without the chance to make it up on a draw that I will hit later.

After this, I kept pounding beers so the memory gets a bit fuzzy. I ended up playing from around 9:30 till 4AM when we all got up. I didn't get stacked once, but had to reload $100 when my stack got low several times. This would be a pretty rare loosing session at the MGM 1/2 nl tables, but at least most of it went to the tourists, lol.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for Prop bets at the Final Table of the WPBT live tournament, and another marathon cash game session on Saturday night.

Oh yeah, I was asked to update the BBT points/event, but last weeks mookie results are not up yet. I will update in a day or two.