It's over...

Disappointment is a funny thing. Not so much haha funny as just plain difficult to pin down. It's about 2:30 AM vegas time and that fact means that I have busted out of the main event. It was a good time, and I enjoyed the hell out of it, but I'm supremely disappointed. I was up most of the day, and then up and down quite a bit most of the evening. As we entered the final level of Day 1 at 1:00 AM, I was down to 8,500 chips and things were looking grim. Right before the break I had made a huge error and dumped about 5k in chips. After the break I came back looking for a spot to get my chips in. I raised a few pots to steal the blinds, but not enough to make up any ground. Then I look down at Pocket Kings, as I hear a raise and a re-raise at the other end of the table. One of them may have Aces, but this is as good a spot as I'm going to find, so I push my last 6,500 chips all-in. The original raiser folds and the re-raiser calls immediately. I'm expecting Aces, but instead he flips over Queens. My Kings hold up and I basically triple up to about 17k in chips. I then win a few and lose a few before looking down at Pocket Aces as I hear a raise down the table. I re-raise his bet from 1,500 to 3,500, which in hindsight was not enough. After a minute or so of thinking, he calls and the flop comes 10, 8, 3 with two hearts. I bet out 5k and he moves all-in. He has me covered and I know I am beat, but I already have more than half of my chips in the pot. I call and he turns over a set of 10s...game over.

I was crushed, but in the end if I made 500 decisions over the last 14 hours, I can say roughly 495 of them were good (or at least correct).
I'll post more tomorrow, but figured this would allow me to vent at least mildly. The guy who put me out was a semi-pro named Ross Mallor. I sat next to a well respected pro, Mark Gregorich, who happens to hail from Oly, Wa and used to play at the Spar card room downtown where I played once or twice. Very nice guy and a true pro....

Not that it means much, but on my starting day I outlast a lot of big time players, including:
T.J. Cloutier, Mike Matusow (my boyyyyy), Sam Farha, Antonio Esfandari, Thomas "Thunder" Keller, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, and last years second place finisher Steve Danneman.

1 Day, 1 Week, 1 Month...

Las Vegas is definitely a vortex. I've now been here for just over 36 hours and it honestly feels like I've been here a month. Yesterday was spent recovering from the night before and adjusting to being in the middle in the desert a few hours behind my normal operating schedule.

In the morning, I went for a swim (as I will do every AM) at the MGM before moving across the street to the Monte Carlo, my home away from home. I didn't play much poker yesterday, only a 125 tourney at MGM in which I played like shite. That said, I didn't have much in the way of hands, but still not a great start. That said, yesterday was a profitable day when I took down the single deck blackjack table for $700 after I busted out. Silver linings I guess. After that I had a good meal over at the Paris casino at Mon Amis Gabis, which is a lot like a huge version of Crepe Nanou. A little hangar steak and fries with a pastis helped finish out the day nicely.

I've met a freaking TON of people out here for the main event...most of whom have the same or less experience than I do. Party Poker has 500+ people shacked up at the MGM, and PokerStars has about 700 here at the Monte Carlo (with another 900 or so at other random places). Today is Day 1A of the main event, and I plan to head by the Rio at some point today and take a stroll around.

My plan today is to go grab a healthy bite somewhere and then either head to the Bellagio, Rio, or Venetian to check out options for tourneys. That or head over to the "European Style" pool at the Wynn and spend a few hours sitting there playing WPT next to dem necked ladies.

Off the hook...I'm so fucked up

Those are the words of everybody's favorite poker personality, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow as he draped his arm of my shoulders in a very uncomfortable "man-hug". I will agree with him on both counts, but in different terms. The Full Tilt party was unreal. Truly, a sick sick gathering of the poker community. And yes, Mike was sooooo fucked up. I know he seems like a total jackass on tv, but in real life he is just as big a jackass. I'm placing the over/under for his next substance abuse relapse at 6 months.
Anyway, when I got in I went straight to the MGM and checked in, changed shirts (didn't want to rank the place up with my B.O.) and headed straight over to the bell desk at Caesar's. Of course, when I arrived there were no tickets for me and my name wasn't on the list...ahh what fun. After hanging out in the area just outside of Pure, I was finally able to find a person cool enough to take 2 minutes and walk in to find Gavin. Roughly ten minutes later a half in the bag Gavin Smith rolled out and everything was good. Well, everything was good for me, not so much for Freddy Deeb. He was allowed to come in, but he wanted to bring his 17 (yes...17) guests into the party. This wasn't happening and then I got to watch him rail on Gavin before we walked inside. Gavin was a very good guy, although well on his way to being so loaded he couldn't remember my name, and was a great host. He introduced me to everyone and hooked me up in the VIP section of the VIP party...although I am confident there was another even more VIP area far away from the masses. I ended up meeting all manner of poker and other B list celebs, including Chris Ferguson (who said he didn't know Eddie Franco), Gus Hansen, The Mouth, Tex Barch (3rd place finisher in last years main event), Boston Rob from Survivor, Clownie Gowen, Daniel Negraneu, David Singer, Shannon Elizabeth, among others. Oddly, I ended up talking to Nicole Sullivan who was on MadTv for several years. In one of those ironic moments that you couldn't make up, we were drunkenly discussing how Reality TV is crushing entertainers with actual talent when Jose Canseco (of baseball, roid, and Surreal Life Reality TV fame) walked up next to us and started laying down the cheeeeezzziest rap on the bartender (who might have been the most beautiful woman in the whole place). Point made...

Today, I moved over the Monte Carlo, where I will be based for the duration. Nothing special, but plenty good enough. I went down and signed my agreement with PokerStars and picked up my bad o' schwag, which inludes several really natty items that I shan't be wearing...I'm not too into the baseball jersey with naugahide bomber jacket look.
Next up is heading over the Bellagio to play in a sattelite for the 1k Belaggio Cup II event tonight or tomorrow.

On the road...so to speak

Sitting in DFW waiting on leg 2 of the journey out. Spent today getting ready for the trip and way overpacking...hopefully it will be worth it, that is if I do end up being out in Vegas for 2 weeks +.

Nothing exciting on the journey thus far, although have to admit DFW has some swanky shite going on. Who knew we as consumers wanted/needed a Brooks Brothers in an airport terminal. Boarding should begin in the next few minutes, and in about 3 hours I should be on the ground in the land of the great god Gamblor...he who Marge Simpson worships.

We also must be fast approaching the season of Fantasy Football, as every 3rd male passenger has the fantasy mags in hand as they circle, check, and otherwise note the key player who will vault them to the top of their league. Since I am in Dallas, I imagine everyone here has Big Bad T.O. at the top of their lists.

When I get to the desert, I'll either head over to the MGM to check-in for my 1 night stay there or just hustle straight over the Caesar's for the Full Tilt shindig...decisions decisions. More later, as we are getting set to board.

Anybody want Gavin Smith's cell number

Just kidding, of course, but in a strange turn of events I received an email with his cell number today. I mentioned the other day that I was bidding on an auction to attend the full tilt gala tomorrow night in Vegas. Well, at the last minute somebody jumped ahead of me and snaked it from my high bid.
Figuring it wouldn't hurt to ask, I emailed the contact on the auction (the blogger formerly known as Bobby Bracelet) to see if there was a chance of my donating some $$ and still being able to attend. Long story short, he checked with Gavin (who had arranged the prize for the auction) and he was cool with it. I donated my $$ to For Peyton and received an email from Bob today with Gavin's contact info for when I arrive in Vegas.

Now the only thing I am worried about is my flight being delayed because of our daily afternoon storms that are a fixture in the New Orleans summer. Fingers crossed.

Wasted Luck...let's hope not

There are two ways to look at the tournament we played last night at a friends house. It was a 16 man freezeout with a bunch of my regular poker buddies and a few guys I had played with a couple of times each with. I ended up finishing second to one of the more interesting finishes I have ever seen (more on that in a minute), but probably should have been out before the $$. To use a phrase I like, I was pulling cards out of my ass like there was no tomorrow. I got caught in semi-bluffs twice, once with 78 unsuited and once with 56 suited. On the 78 suited we were down to 8 players and I raised from the SB from 1k to 4.5k. The BB moved all in for another 3k and I was basically forced to call, getting roughly 4 to 1 on the call. He turned over AK of hearts and it looked as though I would be trying to play with about 8k in chips left. Lo and behold the flop comes and gives me an open ended straight draw which I catch on the river after an A on the turn. Boom...lucky spot number 1 (or maybe 2 at that point).

The next critical luck hand was when we were down to 4 players. I limped for 3k with 56 of diamonds from under the gun and the button and SB fold. Robby is in the BB with about a 2 to 1 (or just under 2 to 1) chip lead on me. He raises 12k and I immediately move all in for another 14.5k. He goes into the tank for a bit and then makes the call. I say "Nice call, you got me" as I turn over my cards and he flips over A6 of clubs. I need to catch one of 3 5's left in the deck, which is excatly what happens on the flop and when nothing else of note comes on the turn or river I double up and cripple Rob.

I also hit another miracle straight or two in between those two hands which leads me to the title of this post. Am I wasting my luck on this warmup tourney or (hopefully) beginning what will be a period of the cards running particularily well for me...guess we'll have to wait and see. Could be neither of course, but it has set just the tiniest worry in my peabrain.

Now to the action packed, unbelievable final hand. With 3 players left, I am in the SB for 3k and a 600 ante. I have about 70k in chips and the BB has about 75k in chips. The short stack is on the button and moves all in for 25k or so. I sense he is putting his $ in with a weak Ace or a middle pair. I look down at AK suited and move all-in, attempting to isolate him. The BB gets ready to muck his cards and then says, "Come on Aces...I'd love to call here". He then peaks at his first card along with the busted player who is dealing...both of their eyes light up. He then slowly looks at his 2nd card and jumps screaming, "I Call!!!", at the same time flipping over his pocket Aces. The button groans and flips over K5 off. The flop comes XX5 and I quickly realize I am now officially drawing dead. No other cards of note come off and Brandon (The BB) takes down the pot and the tournament. As I look at the cards I realize that situation played out as well as it could have for me, as I finished in 2nd instead of having my stack chopped roughly in half and in all probability finishing in 3rd....go figure.

Weekend of waiting

It's now Sunday evening, and I've probably spent the vast majority of the last 36 hours watching the marathon of last year's WSOP on ESPN Classic and playing tourneys online. As you might imagine I am getting a tad jacked up. Watching the coverage, I can only think that my chances are good for making it into the money assuming a few things.

The nebulous list of things I will need to do to cash in the main event:

1) Not tighten up as I did on the last trip. As I've been playing online I remember that playing nothing but premium starting hands is a sure way to survive into the level just out of the money.

2) Play smart. Don't try to outsmart myself or make any full-on boneheaded decisions.

3) Stay Focused. Eat well, sleep enough, take vitamins and such. No getting jacked up on sugar and caffeine just to crash a few hours later.

I'm sure this list could grow, and it likely will before next Sunday when I play.

I ran over to Whole Foods and picked up a B-Complex vitamin and a bunch of Emergen-C to bring out to Vegas with me. Also picked up some Lara (sp?) bars to bring into the Rio with me, for those moments I need some quick chow in the belly.

On a side note, I am currently the high bidder on an Ebay auction that would get me 2 tickets into the Full Tilt Party at Ceasar's Club (Pure) the night I get to Vegas. Hoping I get it, because it would be a blast and would get to hang out and booze it up with pros I admire...maybe even get some tips from former bracelet winners.

2,891 is the magic number

Event 17...the largest single starting day event in WSOP history. Quite a spectacle to be sure, and quite a challenge to play with that many people with so few starting chips. Initially they were going to start us with 1k in chips, but after much complaining from players (none verbally from me, I just sent my psychic bitching and moaning) they bumped it to 1,500.

The Vegas trip with the fellas was much fun and on some level quite successful. We killed in the satellites, although none of us actually cashed in the event we were out there for. Robby and John were far and away the work horses of our group, while Matt and I pulled out weight, but didn't quite put the beating on some others we would have liked. I am very very glad we made this trip and on some level am glad I will be making the trip for the main event on my own. We had a really good time, and that is mainly why I am more inclined to make the main event trip solo. I think the 1k event was a great warm-up for the big one, but because we had 4 of us and we were out there both to play and to party a little it was a little too unstructured. I plan to have a more rigid schedule for the first couple of days I am in LV before my starting day of July 30th, that follows something similar to the following:

9:15 AM - Wake-up
9:20 - 10:00ish - Swim
10:00 - 10:45 - Stretching and Yoga (if I can remember how)
10:45 - 11:45 - Coffee and light breakfast, read strategy books, shower, etc...
12:00 - ? - Play in Daily Tourney @ Ceasar's, Alladin, Venetian, or Orleans
6:00 PM - Dinner
7:00 PM - Tourney or Cash Game
1:00 AM - Bedtime

I figure getting into a bit of a rythm will be helpful...or at least can't hurt too much.

If I had to critique my play during the trip I would say that my biggest problem was playing too tight. By tight, I don't mean too conservatively (although I might say there were a few times I could/should have made a slightly loose call), but rather I wasn't playing my game the way I should. I never felt entirely at ease at the table, even though I was making good reads, good plays, and never felt out of my depth.
I won (chopped at 2/3 for me, 1/3 for my opponent) the first sat we played, and then we went and signed up for the $225 last chance tourney. On the 3rd hand of that one, I flopped a set of 7s and check raised my opponent from 125 to 425...he thought about it and then called. The next card gave him top pair (an ace) and the nut flush draw. I moved all in and after thinking for a few minutes he called and then hit his flush on the river. Out in 10 minutes, on the very first hand I played. I think that set me into a bit of a funk and caused me to play a bit less creatively than I would have had that hand gone in my favor.

Check back in a bit for some more random stories from the trip.