05-26-2002, 06:20 PM
Well I'm back home after a week in Las Vegas. This was my first time I played poker in Vegas and I had a great time so I thought I'd share my experiences.
I flew in on Saturday and had an engagement that evening so no poker yet.
On Sunday I entered a super satellite at Binion's at 4:00 and didn't make it very far. I decided to try again with the 8:45 super. Much better results this time. I won a seat in the big one plus $400.
With very little sleep I head into Monday and anxiously start the final event at 1:00. I'm off to a great start. My initial table has a couple of players who seem good, but many of the players at the table are not playing that well. Some good hands combined with a few good plays and I'm up to 18K when they break my table and I get re-assigned. The new table is not as kind. There are better players at the table and I'm not getting anything resembling a hand. I manage to stay fairly even with a few blind steals here and there. After a while I start creeping up and soon I'm up over 21K.
Not too long before someone busts out of our table. Who takes his place?? Alan Cunningham. He starts ramming and jamming the table as soon as he sits down. He's the kind of guy who loves to move his chips around when he's got them. He's sitting 2 to my right, which needless to say changes my game plan some. Over all I end day 1 with 16K and some change.
Day 2: They redraw all the tables. I find myself average stacked at my table with one fairly good size stack. Annie Duke is sitting to my immediate left, but she is extremely short stacked. I run dry with the cards. I can't get anything worth playing. I have a few steal worthy hands but nothing that can withstand a call, much less a raise. I get the blinds/antes a few times, but often have to release. A bit later John Juanda fills an empty seat at our table, but as luck would have it he has a stack almost identical to Annie's. Then Annie gets a run. KK, JJ, AK, KK, she's getting called and everything is holding up. She gets up around where I'm at. A bit later John goes all in and he's out. Not too much later and Annie is still in do or die mode, she moves her chips all in and gets called. The hands are flipped over and it's Annie's JJ vs. AA. The cards are run and Annie takes the long walk.
Near the end of the 4th hour I still haven't had anything worth playing and I'm down to 7650. I pay my BB of 400 and ante 50. UTG raises to 1200. He gets 2 callers. I look down and see the best hand I've seen all day: AK. The pot has 400 in antes, the 200 SB, my 400 BB, and 3600 from the other action. I figure now is the time and I shove my remaining 7200 all-in. UTG pauses for a minute and calls all-in, I've got him by a few hundred. The next guy is upset UTG calls and throws his hand in the muck, the other guy mucks as well. UTG says "What do you have, Kings?" as he rolls over AA. I'm devistated as I turn over my AK and he says, "Even better."
The cards are run and no help for me, though the case ace comes up giving UTG an over kill set.
I'm left with 400 in chips. I pay my 200 small blind and ante 50. Early position raises, everyone folds to me, I look down and actually find a ray of hope. I've got 66, not great, but definitely worth my last 50. Then BB goes all-in and the EP raiser calls after thinking a bit. I'm not sure who had who covered, but it was close. All hands up, my 66 is facing AK in the BB and EP has 88. The board helps no one and I'm out. I get up and leave before I see if BB was still in. All I know is most, if not all of his chips, which include most of mine he had just won with his AA, got shipped over to the other guy.
I take a break from poker for the rest of Tuesday and my wife and I just go out for some fun. We get a huge slurpee drink at Fat Tuesday's (Combo Hurricane and 180 Octane with an extra shot of Everclear) and have fun on the strip.
Wednesday I try out Bellagio, which as it turns out is the only poker room I end up playing in this trip. I play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and a tad on Saturday afternoon before I need to catch my flight home. I played a mix of $30/$60 and $80/$160. I did fine in both games, though I was mainly just taking a shot as I don't have the bankroll for sustained play at either of those levels. The $30/$60 was fairly similar to the $10/$20 I play back home. Not too surprising because you can't easily play much higher than $10/$20 here. The $80/$160 game had some definite differences. A lot more raising in the bigger game. I'll probably be posting some hands from both games in the mid/high stakes forum.
I met and played with Mason and I played in a game with Roy Cooke as well. I never met or played with David, but I saw him buzzing around the room from table to table talking with everyone. When he wasn't doing that, he was on the phone. I can't recall if I actually saw him sit at a table and play. I played some $30/$60 with Izmet while he was waiting to get in the $80/$160 game. I played with a wide variety of people. Some I recognized as definite locals right away. Some where good, some weren't. I played with a fair number of tourists as well. My favorite was a high stakes gambler from Ireland who landed in my $30/$60 game at a request from his friend who was already in the game. He wasn't take great of a player and got fairly drunk, and to make matters worse for him and better for us, it was obvious that the money in play at the $30/$60 game had no meaning. He finaly left us to go play a satellite for the $10K Bellagio tournament that he wasn't going to be in town for. We were too boring. He was also on the list to donate to the likes of Annie Duke and Johny Chan in one of the really big games.
A few comments and observations in general about poker at Bellagio:
1. Over all I think it was a great room compared to what I have to choose from back home. I loved a smokeless environment and in general it is run better.
2. It could be a much better room if it wanted to be. My next few comments reflect things I didn't like.
3. Minor thing, but why no cup holders? Back home the rooms have little tables cluttering up the place next to the poker tables. You can put your glasses and ash trays on the tables. Bellagio doesn't need ash trays so it doesn't need little tables, which is good. Drinks go on the poker table, that's fine, but with no cup holders it's crazy. I lost count of how many drinks I saw spilled while I was there.
4. You would think Bellagio would rather you play without chips. In my few sessions of poker, on 3 occations I had to wait forever to actually get chips. Some of it is the fault of the dealers. Some dealers when I sit down are great, first chance they get when not actively dealing they call out for player chips and a runner or floor person comes over not too long after. Sometimes though it was like pulling teeth. One dealer I had twice basically ignored the fact that I had joined the game. He never called for chips, even after I asked him too. I had to try and flag down people and it was quite annoying. Even after money is taken chips are on the way, it can take a very long time. This wasn't horrible to me because I don't need chips to play and my play is so tight that often I would have my chips before I found a hand to play and I would just have to cover whatever blinds I played. The tragedy in my mind happend in the $80/$160 game. A very live player who was obviously a gambling tourist who wanted to play some poker sat down. He requested a rack of chips ($2,000) and waited, and waited, and waited. It took forever to get him his chips. He tried playing with out chips. He "posted" in late mid position when he sat down and played several hands. The dealer kept track of who he owed what money to as he never won a hand. Finally his chips got there and he had to empty at least half of his rack to various people around the table. He didn't like this at all as he was told, "Pay him $480, pay him $80, pay him $160." and on and on...Well he ended up losing some more and then quit. From what I could tell he sat down in a gambling mood and was quickly turned off. As I'm not a regular I don't know how often a live player sits down at the $80/$160 game ready to donate several thousands of dollars, but here one comes up and he leaves less than $2000 on the table because of a poor experience.
5. Wide range of dealer skill. This happens in most card rooms, I'm sure, but I think Bellagio would do well to try and get the best dealers. Some dealers there were fantastic, the best I've ever had running a game. Some were so awful, it hurt. I swear one woman couldn't read a board to save her life.
Well that was a really long post. For those who managed to read it all, I hope you enjoyed it.
I flew in on Saturday and had an engagement that evening so no poker yet.
On Sunday I entered a super satellite at Binion's at 4:00 and didn't make it very far. I decided to try again with the 8:45 super. Much better results this time. I won a seat in the big one plus $400.
With very little sleep I head into Monday and anxiously start the final event at 1:00. I'm off to a great start. My initial table has a couple of players who seem good, but many of the players at the table are not playing that well. Some good hands combined with a few good plays and I'm up to 18K when they break my table and I get re-assigned. The new table is not as kind. There are better players at the table and I'm not getting anything resembling a hand. I manage to stay fairly even with a few blind steals here and there. After a while I start creeping up and soon I'm up over 21K.
Not too long before someone busts out of our table. Who takes his place?? Alan Cunningham. He starts ramming and jamming the table as soon as he sits down. He's the kind of guy who loves to move his chips around when he's got them. He's sitting 2 to my right, which needless to say changes my game plan some. Over all I end day 1 with 16K and some change.
Day 2: They redraw all the tables. I find myself average stacked at my table with one fairly good size stack. Annie Duke is sitting to my immediate left, but she is extremely short stacked. I run dry with the cards. I can't get anything worth playing. I have a few steal worthy hands but nothing that can withstand a call, much less a raise. I get the blinds/antes a few times, but often have to release. A bit later John Juanda fills an empty seat at our table, but as luck would have it he has a stack almost identical to Annie's. Then Annie gets a run. KK, JJ, AK, KK, she's getting called and everything is holding up. She gets up around where I'm at. A bit later John goes all in and he's out. Not too much later and Annie is still in do or die mode, she moves her chips all in and gets called. The hands are flipped over and it's Annie's JJ vs. AA. The cards are run and Annie takes the long walk.
Near the end of the 4th hour I still haven't had anything worth playing and I'm down to 7650. I pay my BB of 400 and ante 50. UTG raises to 1200. He gets 2 callers. I look down and see the best hand I've seen all day: AK. The pot has 400 in antes, the 200 SB, my 400 BB, and 3600 from the other action. I figure now is the time and I shove my remaining 7200 all-in. UTG pauses for a minute and calls all-in, I've got him by a few hundred. The next guy is upset UTG calls and throws his hand in the muck, the other guy mucks as well. UTG says "What do you have, Kings?" as he rolls over AA. I'm devistated as I turn over my AK and he says, "Even better."
The cards are run and no help for me, though the case ace comes up giving UTG an over kill set.
I'm left with 400 in chips. I pay my 200 small blind and ante 50. Early position raises, everyone folds to me, I look down and actually find a ray of hope. I've got 66, not great, but definitely worth my last 50. Then BB goes all-in and the EP raiser calls after thinking a bit. I'm not sure who had who covered, but it was close. All hands up, my 66 is facing AK in the BB and EP has 88. The board helps no one and I'm out. I get up and leave before I see if BB was still in. All I know is most, if not all of his chips, which include most of mine he had just won with his AA, got shipped over to the other guy.
I take a break from poker for the rest of Tuesday and my wife and I just go out for some fun. We get a huge slurpee drink at Fat Tuesday's (Combo Hurricane and 180 Octane with an extra shot of Everclear) and have fun on the strip.
Wednesday I try out Bellagio, which as it turns out is the only poker room I end up playing in this trip. I play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and a tad on Saturday afternoon before I need to catch my flight home. I played a mix of $30/$60 and $80/$160. I did fine in both games, though I was mainly just taking a shot as I don't have the bankroll for sustained play at either of those levels. The $30/$60 was fairly similar to the $10/$20 I play back home. Not too surprising because you can't easily play much higher than $10/$20 here. The $80/$160 game had some definite differences. A lot more raising in the bigger game. I'll probably be posting some hands from both games in the mid/high stakes forum.
I met and played with Mason and I played in a game with Roy Cooke as well. I never met or played with David, but I saw him buzzing around the room from table to table talking with everyone. When he wasn't doing that, he was on the phone. I can't recall if I actually saw him sit at a table and play. I played some $30/$60 with Izmet while he was waiting to get in the $80/$160 game. I played with a wide variety of people. Some I recognized as definite locals right away. Some where good, some weren't. I played with a fair number of tourists as well. My favorite was a high stakes gambler from Ireland who landed in my $30/$60 game at a request from his friend who was already in the game. He wasn't take great of a player and got fairly drunk, and to make matters worse for him and better for us, it was obvious that the money in play at the $30/$60 game had no meaning. He finaly left us to go play a satellite for the $10K Bellagio tournament that he wasn't going to be in town for. We were too boring. He was also on the list to donate to the likes of Annie Duke and Johny Chan in one of the really big games.
A few comments and observations in general about poker at Bellagio:
1. Over all I think it was a great room compared to what I have to choose from back home. I loved a smokeless environment and in general it is run better.
2. It could be a much better room if it wanted to be. My next few comments reflect things I didn't like.
3. Minor thing, but why no cup holders? Back home the rooms have little tables cluttering up the place next to the poker tables. You can put your glasses and ash trays on the tables. Bellagio doesn't need ash trays so it doesn't need little tables, which is good. Drinks go on the poker table, that's fine, but with no cup holders it's crazy. I lost count of how many drinks I saw spilled while I was there.
4. You would think Bellagio would rather you play without chips. In my few sessions of poker, on 3 occations I had to wait forever to actually get chips. Some of it is the fault of the dealers. Some dealers when I sit down are great, first chance they get when not actively dealing they call out for player chips and a runner or floor person comes over not too long after. Sometimes though it was like pulling teeth. One dealer I had twice basically ignored the fact that I had joined the game. He never called for chips, even after I asked him too. I had to try and flag down people and it was quite annoying. Even after money is taken chips are on the way, it can take a very long time. This wasn't horrible to me because I don't need chips to play and my play is so tight that often I would have my chips before I found a hand to play and I would just have to cover whatever blinds I played. The tragedy in my mind happend in the $80/$160 game. A very live player who was obviously a gambling tourist who wanted to play some poker sat down. He requested a rack of chips ($2,000) and waited, and waited, and waited. It took forever to get him his chips. He tried playing with out chips. He "posted" in late mid position when he sat down and played several hands. The dealer kept track of who he owed what money to as he never won a hand. Finally his chips got there and he had to empty at least half of his rack to various people around the table. He didn't like this at all as he was told, "Pay him $480, pay him $80, pay him $160." and on and on...Well he ended up losing some more and then quit. From what I could tell he sat down in a gambling mood and was quickly turned off. As I'm not a regular I don't know how often a live player sits down at the $80/$160 game ready to donate several thousands of dollars, but here one comes up and he leaves less than $2000 on the table because of a poor experience.
5. Wide range of dealer skill. This happens in most card rooms, I'm sure, but I think Bellagio would do well to try and get the best dealers. Some dealers there were fantastic, the best I've ever had running a game. Some were so awful, it hurt. I swear one woman couldn't read a board to save her life.
Well that was a really long post. For those who managed to read it all, I hope you enjoyed it.