MtSmalls
03-24-2003, 01:54 PM
After asking for suggestions last week, I promised to post this trip report, so here goes.
Played 6-12 holdem at the Bike on Tues night. This was during the Winning of the Green tournament, so there were plenty of games and players. That being said, I will never play there again. I felt good going in, having heard that the Bike was cleaning up their games, and even had a big sign as I walked in the front door, "No Abuse". However, that was apparently the end of the ‘no abuse’ policy. I played for about 6 hours, and at one point I had three conversations going at the table, none of which were in English. I asked THREE consecutive dealers whether they had an ‘english only’ policy. One shrugged and said yes, but they never really enforced it. One told the players, once, quietly, “English only please”, the third actually told them twice, but that was it. The player to my right was constantly swearing at the dealer (usually when he played 8-5o, flopped 4-7 and cursed when his inside draw didn’t come), throwing cards, etc. I think that in six hours there were 10 calls for new setups, and 25 requests to change the deck. We were lucky to get in 15 hands an hour they were changing the deck so often. I should have left about 2 hours before I did as all the player antics got on my nerves and took me off my best game, and I left down about $200.
Things got much better on Thursday night in Las Vegas, after getting settled in my hotel, I walked over to the Bellagio and after actually finding the poker room, waited about 20 min for a 4-8 game. The game was WAY too tight, and I was about to request a table change, when THREE other players beat me to it! Needless to say, the replacement players were just the kind I expected to find in this game over the NCAA weekend, that is loose, somewhat aggressive and only partially sober. After getting 6-bet on the turn, holding A-Qo and a rainbow board of 2-Q-9-Q, I got paid off on the river when a blank fell and my opponent turned up Q-6. I ended the 6 hour session up $150.
After a couple of meetings Friday morning (my excuse for being in LV), I went to the Mirage for a little more 6-12, and after struggling against the deck for five hours, came away up $50. Then I made the worst mistake of the trip. I left a good game at the Mirage to play in the 2-10-20 Hi-Lo stud game at the Palms. During my four or five hours in that game I split three pots, and generally got beaten over the head. I left down $300 and cursing myself for leaving a good game for a tough, tight game.
Back to the Mirage around 11:30, got back into a very good 6-12 game. I got somewhat lucky when I capped pre-flop with KK’s (6-way, $180 in the middle) and flop came down K-3-3. Nursed my way up the $300 I gave away in the Hi-Lo game when the game broke and I made my second worst decision of the trip. Rather than calling it a night and getting some sleep before my morning flight, I changed tables and played until 9:30AM, getting way too tired to play right (losing a big pot when I failed to realize my straight was only the second nut….) and dropping all my winnings and most of the rest of my buy-in.
Morals for the trip:
(1) Quit playing around 2am. You’re too tired to play right, so don’t play at all.
(2) Don’t leave a good game. They are hard to find, so don’t blow a good chance.
(3) 2+2’ers know what they are doing, so follow their advice. I know I won a good deal more (and lost less following the tips that everyone so kindly offered last week.
My next chance at LV won’t come for 6 months or so, but I hope to put these into action when I do!
Played 6-12 holdem at the Bike on Tues night. This was during the Winning of the Green tournament, so there were plenty of games and players. That being said, I will never play there again. I felt good going in, having heard that the Bike was cleaning up their games, and even had a big sign as I walked in the front door, "No Abuse". However, that was apparently the end of the ‘no abuse’ policy. I played for about 6 hours, and at one point I had three conversations going at the table, none of which were in English. I asked THREE consecutive dealers whether they had an ‘english only’ policy. One shrugged and said yes, but they never really enforced it. One told the players, once, quietly, “English only please”, the third actually told them twice, but that was it. The player to my right was constantly swearing at the dealer (usually when he played 8-5o, flopped 4-7 and cursed when his inside draw didn’t come), throwing cards, etc. I think that in six hours there were 10 calls for new setups, and 25 requests to change the deck. We were lucky to get in 15 hands an hour they were changing the deck so often. I should have left about 2 hours before I did as all the player antics got on my nerves and took me off my best game, and I left down about $200.
Things got much better on Thursday night in Las Vegas, after getting settled in my hotel, I walked over to the Bellagio and after actually finding the poker room, waited about 20 min for a 4-8 game. The game was WAY too tight, and I was about to request a table change, when THREE other players beat me to it! Needless to say, the replacement players were just the kind I expected to find in this game over the NCAA weekend, that is loose, somewhat aggressive and only partially sober. After getting 6-bet on the turn, holding A-Qo and a rainbow board of 2-Q-9-Q, I got paid off on the river when a blank fell and my opponent turned up Q-6. I ended the 6 hour session up $150.
After a couple of meetings Friday morning (my excuse for being in LV), I went to the Mirage for a little more 6-12, and after struggling against the deck for five hours, came away up $50. Then I made the worst mistake of the trip. I left a good game at the Mirage to play in the 2-10-20 Hi-Lo stud game at the Palms. During my four or five hours in that game I split three pots, and generally got beaten over the head. I left down $300 and cursing myself for leaving a good game for a tough, tight game.
Back to the Mirage around 11:30, got back into a very good 6-12 game. I got somewhat lucky when I capped pre-flop with KK’s (6-way, $180 in the middle) and flop came down K-3-3. Nursed my way up the $300 I gave away in the Hi-Lo game when the game broke and I made my second worst decision of the trip. Rather than calling it a night and getting some sleep before my morning flight, I changed tables and played until 9:30AM, getting way too tired to play right (losing a big pot when I failed to realize my straight was only the second nut….) and dropping all my winnings and most of the rest of my buy-in.
Morals for the trip:
(1) Quit playing around 2am. You’re too tired to play right, so don’t play at all.
(2) Don’t leave a good game. They are hard to find, so don’t blow a good chance.
(3) 2+2’ers know what they are doing, so follow their advice. I know I won a good deal more (and lost less following the tips that everyone so kindly offered last week.
My next chance at LV won’t come for 6 months or so, but I hope to put these into action when I do!