PokerPaul
08-02-2005, 04:44 PM
just got back from a week in LA to attend the hustler grand slam.
Got in monday and checked into hotel before heading straight to casino. I thought the events started at 10 or 11, but was surprised to see that i still had time to signup for that days event at 3pm since i got in at 2:50.
$120 buyin 1 rebuy.
Did well through first 3 rounds, tripled up. Then lost a key hand which cut me in half, where my 88 allin push in a 955 board got called by AQ, and he hit A on river. After that, went card dead for a couple of hours and eventually got blinded off to point where i had to make move with 66 and lost.
Won $400 at cash game that evening.
Next day $300 event. 10 minutes in get AK suited. Make 4X BB raise and all fold except BB who calls.
Flop A93. He checks, i bet 2/3 the pot. He calls. Turn 3. He checks, i go allin. He thinks long time and calls. He turns over AJ.......river J.. I am down to 1/3 of what i started with, about 600. I shake it off, and continue to play as good as i can. I systematically build my stack back to 2500 by time round 3 is over with no big allin chases or huge hands, just chopped away at blinds and several minor pots.
Then after break get moved to another table, go card dead for just under 2 hours without playing single pot, and eventually forced to make move with marginal hand and lose.
Third day play $300 buyin heads up tournament. Drew a very tough assignment in first round. Very first hand get KQ on button. I put in 4X BB raise. He calls. Flop KJ4. He checks. i put in pot sized bet. He calls. WHAT?. Turn ten. He bets 600 into 1200 pot. Hmmm, i got top pair queen kicker, with the nut straight draw. I am sensing i am behind, but those odds do look very good. And i can't put this guy on a had, its the VERY first hand. The guys at other HU match at table look over and can't believe we are getting into it this hard on first hand.
I eventually call. River is a use less rag. He goes allin. I have already lost about half my stack 1 hand in. I could call and hope my top pair is good, but i figure my cahnces are better to fold and try to battle back with half stack since blinds are still very small. He shows me Q9 for the gutshot turn straight.
Ok he made a bad call on the flop but got very lucky. Maybe i didnt bet enough on flop but he still caught the miracle turn card. I am still in it though.
After that first hand, our match turns quite boring. As a matter of fact, we battle back ad forth for almost 2 hours, i think every other match was over and they were waiting for us to finish up so they could start round 2. Anyways, long story short, my AQ suited runs into his KK, and i'm out, but i thought it was a very well played match. My opponent goes on to win next 5 i think and makes it to quarterfinals, and he even told me afterwards that our first match was the toughest for him until the last one.
Next day, decide to head to the Bike to try legends of poker opener. Played some 20/40 before though and kicked ass. Once tourney got started was seated at table with this very HOT girl in a revealing outfit. I could see the gleam in the eyes of the other guys at table as she tells them this is her first live tourney. 1 hour later, she has eliminated 3 players and has biggest stack at table by far, and likely one of the overall chip leaders. Me on the other hand cant catch anything worth playing, and the very few times i decide to try to steal blinds, i run into QQ or prime hand and big reraise.
After break, we sit back down, and i start to catch some hands. I crack a small stack with 99 with my 88. I win a nice sized pot with AK when nobody calls my turn bet even though board completely missed me.
The girl however started to get a bit overconfidant with her hands, and basically gave away about half her chips within 20 minutes. then one hand 4 players (including girl) go allin. QJs allin, called by girl 66, called by BB's 88, called by slight chip leaders 99 (he had as much as the girl). board comes 9TT43 and 3 players out in 1 hand, and that reckless chipleader now has monster stack. We literally have only 4 players at our table since we were already 2 short.
Anyways, after that i go card dead and eventually get blinded off to point where i have to make move with AJs, and lose.
Next day, hit the hustler for another $330 buyin. Very first hand.....get AK in cutoff. Put in 5X raise..only BB calls. flop Ad5d5c. great. he ckecks, i put in twice the pot bet. he calls. Hmm..is he slowplaying trip 5's?? No he wouldnt have called preflop with any 5 in his hand.
Turn Kd. OK thats a great hand now, but maybe he was on a flush draw and made it now....i can't move allin. So i put in a 2/3 pot size bet. He calls???? What is going on..if he made the flush he would have checkraised, anything else he's gotta know he's behind. Sure enuff, river 6d. he checks, i check, he shows AsJd. Iam down to 1/3 of my stack again within minutes of opening a tournament for the third straight time at hustler, every time as huuuge favourite preflop and flop. I am so pissed at this point that i simply went allin next hand with my 88, expecting to pickup the measly blinds. But alas, BB has AA and im out.
That evening i play a sattelite for the main event. I play well enough to make it to final stage as co-chip leader, with 2 other minute stacks. I get AKs in sb. Small stack goes allin, i go allin. other chipleader in BB thinks long and hard, and then calls me (what the hell?). He shows 22. dumbest call in that situation i have ever seen, and his hand holds up to beat me out of main event seat. other guy had JJ and almost came back to beat the other idiot.
Next day hit the commerce for their 11am daily no limit. $200 rebuy tounrey. i triple up within 20 minutes, win huge pots with AA AK and AJ. I play as well as i could, and make it to final table of 70 players. i then go absolutely card dead at worst time, and eventally get blinded off and go out in 6th place for 4 hours work. Of course only 5 places pay so im bubble boy...god this bad tournament luck is starting to get to me.
Then go back to hustler and met tobey maguire who was playing the main event. Also sat in a 25/50 game, and absolutely cleaned house there. Was catching every draw, and having good hands hold up with multiple callers. Also met another lady poker player at the table named Jean Gluck. She showed me she was in picture in cardplayer for ladies event. don't know if shes well known or not, but man, she is hotter than ANY of those female poker faces out there right now.....Evelyn Ng, lieu, etc. none of them can hold a candle to her.
Anyways, i left just slightly below even for the trip, with absoluely no tournament cashes whatsoever. Thank god for the side games.
OF note: on my last day at hustler they got the BIg game going. Larry flynt, barry greenstein, phil ivey ted forrest john hennigan were all playing some hi limit stud.....right beside the 2/4 tables, and nobody was gauking or railbirding. thought that was kind of cool.
Got in monday and checked into hotel before heading straight to casino. I thought the events started at 10 or 11, but was surprised to see that i still had time to signup for that days event at 3pm since i got in at 2:50.
$120 buyin 1 rebuy.
Did well through first 3 rounds, tripled up. Then lost a key hand which cut me in half, where my 88 allin push in a 955 board got called by AQ, and he hit A on river. After that, went card dead for a couple of hours and eventually got blinded off to point where i had to make move with 66 and lost.
Won $400 at cash game that evening.
Next day $300 event. 10 minutes in get AK suited. Make 4X BB raise and all fold except BB who calls.
Flop A93. He checks, i bet 2/3 the pot. He calls. Turn 3. He checks, i go allin. He thinks long time and calls. He turns over AJ.......river J.. I am down to 1/3 of what i started with, about 600. I shake it off, and continue to play as good as i can. I systematically build my stack back to 2500 by time round 3 is over with no big allin chases or huge hands, just chopped away at blinds and several minor pots.
Then after break get moved to another table, go card dead for just under 2 hours without playing single pot, and eventually forced to make move with marginal hand and lose.
Third day play $300 buyin heads up tournament. Drew a very tough assignment in first round. Very first hand get KQ on button. I put in 4X BB raise. He calls. Flop KJ4. He checks. i put in pot sized bet. He calls. WHAT?. Turn ten. He bets 600 into 1200 pot. Hmmm, i got top pair queen kicker, with the nut straight draw. I am sensing i am behind, but those odds do look very good. And i can't put this guy on a had, its the VERY first hand. The guys at other HU match at table look over and can't believe we are getting into it this hard on first hand.
I eventually call. River is a use less rag. He goes allin. I have already lost about half my stack 1 hand in. I could call and hope my top pair is good, but i figure my cahnces are better to fold and try to battle back with half stack since blinds are still very small. He shows me Q9 for the gutshot turn straight.
Ok he made a bad call on the flop but got very lucky. Maybe i didnt bet enough on flop but he still caught the miracle turn card. I am still in it though.
After that first hand, our match turns quite boring. As a matter of fact, we battle back ad forth for almost 2 hours, i think every other match was over and they were waiting for us to finish up so they could start round 2. Anyways, long story short, my AQ suited runs into his KK, and i'm out, but i thought it was a very well played match. My opponent goes on to win next 5 i think and makes it to quarterfinals, and he even told me afterwards that our first match was the toughest for him until the last one.
Next day, decide to head to the Bike to try legends of poker opener. Played some 20/40 before though and kicked ass. Once tourney got started was seated at table with this very HOT girl in a revealing outfit. I could see the gleam in the eyes of the other guys at table as she tells them this is her first live tourney. 1 hour later, she has eliminated 3 players and has biggest stack at table by far, and likely one of the overall chip leaders. Me on the other hand cant catch anything worth playing, and the very few times i decide to try to steal blinds, i run into QQ or prime hand and big reraise.
After break, we sit back down, and i start to catch some hands. I crack a small stack with 99 with my 88. I win a nice sized pot with AK when nobody calls my turn bet even though board completely missed me.
The girl however started to get a bit overconfidant with her hands, and basically gave away about half her chips within 20 minutes. then one hand 4 players (including girl) go allin. QJs allin, called by girl 66, called by BB's 88, called by slight chip leaders 99 (he had as much as the girl). board comes 9TT43 and 3 players out in 1 hand, and that reckless chipleader now has monster stack. We literally have only 4 players at our table since we were already 2 short.
Anyways, after that i go card dead and eventually get blinded off to point where i have to make move with AJs, and lose.
Next day, hit the hustler for another $330 buyin. Very first hand.....get AK in cutoff. Put in 5X raise..only BB calls. flop Ad5d5c. great. he ckecks, i put in twice the pot bet. he calls. Hmm..is he slowplaying trip 5's?? No he wouldnt have called preflop with any 5 in his hand.
Turn Kd. OK thats a great hand now, but maybe he was on a flush draw and made it now....i can't move allin. So i put in a 2/3 pot size bet. He calls???? What is going on..if he made the flush he would have checkraised, anything else he's gotta know he's behind. Sure enuff, river 6d. he checks, i check, he shows AsJd. Iam down to 1/3 of my stack again within minutes of opening a tournament for the third straight time at hustler, every time as huuuge favourite preflop and flop. I am so pissed at this point that i simply went allin next hand with my 88, expecting to pickup the measly blinds. But alas, BB has AA and im out.
That evening i play a sattelite for the main event. I play well enough to make it to final stage as co-chip leader, with 2 other minute stacks. I get AKs in sb. Small stack goes allin, i go allin. other chipleader in BB thinks long and hard, and then calls me (what the hell?). He shows 22. dumbest call in that situation i have ever seen, and his hand holds up to beat me out of main event seat. other guy had JJ and almost came back to beat the other idiot.
Next day hit the commerce for their 11am daily no limit. $200 rebuy tounrey. i triple up within 20 minutes, win huge pots with AA AK and AJ. I play as well as i could, and make it to final table of 70 players. i then go absolutely card dead at worst time, and eventally get blinded off and go out in 6th place for 4 hours work. Of course only 5 places pay so im bubble boy...god this bad tournament luck is starting to get to me.
Then go back to hustler and met tobey maguire who was playing the main event. Also sat in a 25/50 game, and absolutely cleaned house there. Was catching every draw, and having good hands hold up with multiple callers. Also met another lady poker player at the table named Jean Gluck. She showed me she was in picture in cardplayer for ladies event. don't know if shes well known or not, but man, she is hotter than ANY of those female poker faces out there right now.....Evelyn Ng, lieu, etc. none of them can hold a candle to her.
Anyways, i left just slightly below even for the trip, with absoluely no tournament cashes whatsoever. Thank god for the side games.
OF note: on my last day at hustler they got the BIg game going. Larry flynt, barry greenstein, phil ivey ted forrest john hennigan were all playing some hi limit stud.....right beside the 2/4 tables, and nobody was gauking or railbirding. thought that was kind of cool.