private joker
06-25-2005, 06:13 PM
Last weekend I took a fantastic trip to the Windy City for a friend's wedding. But I also got a chance to play some poker at Resorts (formerly Harrah's). Here is a picturesque trip report...
So thanks to some posters here (on my previous thread asking for help), I used Priceline to get a hotel room, and I managed to book a 28th floor double at the Downtown Marriott for super cheap ($140 a night, split with a friend). My view from the window looked like this:
http://img255.echo.cx/img255/963/hotel98py.jpg
I was right in the heart of downtown off Michigan avenue, which when you walk down it looks sort of like this:
http://img255.echo.cx/img255/3306/downtown99ho.jpg
I took this nifty B&W camera around with me and took a couple artsy shots of the Hancock building, which looks like this from one side:
http://img148.echo.cx/img148/1681/hancockpaulstuart96fs.jpg
And this from the other:
http://img148.echo.cx/img148/4351/hancocksteam92aw.jpg
So I wanted to play the 6/12 half kill at Trump, but Trump had no shuttles from downtown to the casino (anymore). Resorts had one that was but $2 to go from right near my hotel to the casino, so I went there. Wish I hadn't. It wasn't the best cardroom.
The poker room at Resorts feels fairly small, but at least not terribly cramped -- the tables are spaced well apart, but the ceiling is low and it's stuck up on the top floor away from everything else (food, restrooms, etc.). But you can go out onto an observation deck and see the lake.
I put my name on the list for 10/20 and sat down immediately in a 5/10 game. The 5/10 was pretty good in that the players were weak and not very good, but I also wasn't getting much action on my hands -- not the kind of loose action I would get at Commerce or the Bike, unfortunately. My stack was hovering around break even most of this time, then eventually slipped down after a couple of rough beats.
I finally managed to get into a 10/20 half kill game and it was actually a bit better. Unfortunately I got KK early on and there was heavy preflop action, followed by a Qxx flop with 2 clubs. Three of us put in action on the flop and turn, but I knew I was in trouble when the turn was 3-bet. I was against QQ and the nut flush draw, which rivered a club.
That hurt my stack (it wasn't a kill pot, but still...), but I managed to climb up when I faced a WPT-wannabe punk wearing the most ridiculous shirt you've ever seen: it was green with a white outline of the state of Texas, 5 cards (??) spread out face up in the middle, and the words "Can I hold 'em?" I couldn't wait to destroy this kid.
He sat down and immediately started raising every pot and talking about every hand he wasn't in -- mentioning his great reads and whatnot. He was a real as[/i]shole. We got involved in a pot soon after he sat down where I had QJ in late position and flopped T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif T/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. An EP player bet the flop, WPT just called, and I raised. Both players called. Turn was a brick, and it checked to me, and I checked behind for a free card. River was the K/images/graemlins/heart.gif. EP checks, WPT bets, and I take one quick look at the board to make sure my straight is good, and during this, WPT says, "Your diamonds are no good. Lay it down!"
So I yawned and raised.
EP folded, and WPT goes, "Oh what you've got QJ? QJ, huh, okay I call you."
I turn over QJ. He goes, "Nice catch -- I had you CRUSHED on the flop!" and he turns over JT.
He would go on to "have people crushed" and ended up busting out an hour later. He was tilting so bad he cold-called my PFR with 32o.
After Resorts, I went out bar-hopping on Division street and had a good time. The next day was the wedding, and here's the happy couple at the reception:
http://img296.echo.cx/img296/3285/gaze91xo.jpg
Here's me on the left standing next to 3 dorks -- I hang out with guys like this to make myself look better. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
http://img296.echo.cx/img296/6315/group94sh.jpg
The reception ended at midnight, so then it was off to Soundbar, an insanely hot and slamming dance club downtown. I had an awesome time there, and even met this cute redhead that I ended up banging in her apartment later that night:
http://img121.echo.cx/img121/9913/jane91gy.jpg
Unfortunately, she was not a Vegas stripper, so my conquest story pales in comparison to those of Evan and Jason_t. I am lame, etc.
But overall, it was an awesome trip. Booze, poker, women, oh.. and the food -- the food! I almost forgot!!!
Of course I had the chance to eat Giordano's Pizza, something I never miss in Chicago. It's heavenly. Best pizza ever. Not even close. I also ate a "Chicago dog," the kind with a huge pickle spear and onions and hot peppers and everything crammed on a bun. I ate it here, where you can see the Sears Tower in the background:
http://img121.echo.cx/img121/7897/hotdogs95gh.jpg
Yummy.
So thanks to some posters here (on my previous thread asking for help), I used Priceline to get a hotel room, and I managed to book a 28th floor double at the Downtown Marriott for super cheap ($140 a night, split with a friend). My view from the window looked like this:
http://img255.echo.cx/img255/963/hotel98py.jpg
I was right in the heart of downtown off Michigan avenue, which when you walk down it looks sort of like this:
http://img255.echo.cx/img255/3306/downtown99ho.jpg
I took this nifty B&W camera around with me and took a couple artsy shots of the Hancock building, which looks like this from one side:
http://img148.echo.cx/img148/1681/hancockpaulstuart96fs.jpg
And this from the other:
http://img148.echo.cx/img148/4351/hancocksteam92aw.jpg
So I wanted to play the 6/12 half kill at Trump, but Trump had no shuttles from downtown to the casino (anymore). Resorts had one that was but $2 to go from right near my hotel to the casino, so I went there. Wish I hadn't. It wasn't the best cardroom.
The poker room at Resorts feels fairly small, but at least not terribly cramped -- the tables are spaced well apart, but the ceiling is low and it's stuck up on the top floor away from everything else (food, restrooms, etc.). But you can go out onto an observation deck and see the lake.
I put my name on the list for 10/20 and sat down immediately in a 5/10 game. The 5/10 was pretty good in that the players were weak and not very good, but I also wasn't getting much action on my hands -- not the kind of loose action I would get at Commerce or the Bike, unfortunately. My stack was hovering around break even most of this time, then eventually slipped down after a couple of rough beats.
I finally managed to get into a 10/20 half kill game and it was actually a bit better. Unfortunately I got KK early on and there was heavy preflop action, followed by a Qxx flop with 2 clubs. Three of us put in action on the flop and turn, but I knew I was in trouble when the turn was 3-bet. I was against QQ and the nut flush draw, which rivered a club.
That hurt my stack (it wasn't a kill pot, but still...), but I managed to climb up when I faced a WPT-wannabe punk wearing the most ridiculous shirt you've ever seen: it was green with a white outline of the state of Texas, 5 cards (??) spread out face up in the middle, and the words "Can I hold 'em?" I couldn't wait to destroy this kid.
He sat down and immediately started raising every pot and talking about every hand he wasn't in -- mentioning his great reads and whatnot. He was a real as[/i]shole. We got involved in a pot soon after he sat down where I had QJ in late position and flopped T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif T/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. An EP player bet the flop, WPT just called, and I raised. Both players called. Turn was a brick, and it checked to me, and I checked behind for a free card. River was the K/images/graemlins/heart.gif. EP checks, WPT bets, and I take one quick look at the board to make sure my straight is good, and during this, WPT says, "Your diamonds are no good. Lay it down!"
So I yawned and raised.
EP folded, and WPT goes, "Oh what you've got QJ? QJ, huh, okay I call you."
I turn over QJ. He goes, "Nice catch -- I had you CRUSHED on the flop!" and he turns over JT.
He would go on to "have people crushed" and ended up busting out an hour later. He was tilting so bad he cold-called my PFR with 32o.
After Resorts, I went out bar-hopping on Division street and had a good time. The next day was the wedding, and here's the happy couple at the reception:
http://img296.echo.cx/img296/3285/gaze91xo.jpg
Here's me on the left standing next to 3 dorks -- I hang out with guys like this to make myself look better. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
http://img296.echo.cx/img296/6315/group94sh.jpg
The reception ended at midnight, so then it was off to Soundbar, an insanely hot and slamming dance club downtown. I had an awesome time there, and even met this cute redhead that I ended up banging in her apartment later that night:
http://img121.echo.cx/img121/9913/jane91gy.jpg
Unfortunately, she was not a Vegas stripper, so my conquest story pales in comparison to those of Evan and Jason_t. I am lame, etc.
But overall, it was an awesome trip. Booze, poker, women, oh.. and the food -- the food! I almost forgot!!!
Of course I had the chance to eat Giordano's Pizza, something I never miss in Chicago. It's heavenly. Best pizza ever. Not even close. I also ate a "Chicago dog," the kind with a huge pickle spear and onions and hot peppers and everything crammed on a bun. I ate it here, where you can see the Sears Tower in the background:
http://img121.echo.cx/img121/7897/hotdogs95gh.jpg
Yummy.