rharless
04-12-2003, 04:08 PM
Myself and three Colorado poker friends made the 12-hr road trip to Vegas this last week.
Day 1, Welcome to Clark County: Driving into town I see a school bus that says "Clark County". How funny with Clarky and Dynasty (last name Clark) both living in LV.
My friends and I settle at Monte Carlo -- my first time in this room and it is quite fun. One person in our trip has KK and gets a board of 9K9K9. She wins only $20 on the Monte C's "high hand" bonus because the quad Kings was hit earlier in the day. We lament not only that, but the fact that had she had her hand in Colorado (or various other places) then that would have qualified for a big bad beat jackpot, as the other hand was A9. All four of us won in the room. I am up $45.
Day 2, Getting into the swing of things: Friends want to see Circus Circus. I am not much interested in the circus part so I play in the poker room for an hour and lose a little. Then we hit the Mirage. Two of the people in our group have never been to Vegas at all, and they fall in love with the room. I play a great 6-12 game, but no cards fall into my hands and I win a big $3. End of the day, I am +$19 for the trip.
Day 3, Itty bitty girl: We head to Luxor's noon tourney. Tourney starts, and I bust out in first hour when I'm blinded into short stacks, then I preflop raise JJ, flop QJ3 and bet all-in, and opponent beats me with a 47. One of our group ends up taking 2nd, very cool!
After the tourney we head to Mandalay Bay for some live action. I sit at a great game with four Italian family members including Cousin Vinny. I also heard one of the funniest one liners in awhile: (Cousin Vinny asked Vegas local) "What do you do for a living?" ... local responds "Oh, I'm a prop player at the Mirage" (pregnant pause) "...for Keno". The idea of a Keno prop player had me giggling throughout the rest of the trip.
That evening we head back to the Mirage and take our comps. I'm in another good 6-12 game but can't make much stand up. I did have one hand where I had a set of 4s, represented a flush, and I moved another guy off a set of Jacks. He was a good sport, and told the table in a thick Southern accent "well I just can't wait to go home and tell the boys that I was outplayed by this itty bitty girl here."
End of the day, I am -$45 for the trip. Talk about treading water!
Day 4, Finally I break through: We did the Hoover Dam thing, then checked out the Palms which we found kind of tacky. Won a little bit in their poker room which reminded us of the inside of a Chipotle restaurant. We head to Binions and I play there in the 10-20 shorthanded must move game. I've played 10-20 just a couple times before and shorthanded rarely, but held my own for the brief time that it lasted. Went to the main game lost a little, then the friends wanted leave due to the trapped smoke in the Binion's poker room. I am now down $75 for the trip.
the tide finally turns...
Off to the Bellagio, where I played on the best table of the trip, an 8-16 game. I had some really unfortunate hands (see small stakes forum, I hate the lower straight! thread) yet still won $175. I meet a guy who is from Colorado and for some reason I get the impression he might be a 2+2er but I don't ask. Any ski bums from Breckenridge out there who just went to Vegas?
End of the day, I have had my first real win of the trip and it feels good. +$100 for the trip.
Day 5, Riding the Wave: I am supposed to go to the WPDG today but my friends are not interested, and I would be taking the car away from them to go, so I decide to pass for this time. I really hope to go the next time I am in Vegas though.
We play at the Mirage and I start out in 3-6 waiting for my 6-12 seat. The players think I am a maniac and whisper to each other about how badly I play (preflop raising JJ and betting into a Q high board; calling for a gutshot in a 7-handed pot when I'm on the button and then catching my miracle on the turn). I love it! I get into 6-12 and I pick up another nice win. The cards are hitting me so hard that I wonder why poker isn't always this easy.
One of my friends flops quad 8s, and loses to runner runner quad Js. We lament yet another bad beat situation in a room without a bad beat jackpot. One hour later, the third friend takes KK vs AA and flops AKK. Our carload of players has now had three bad beat jackpot hands, all in houses without jackpots! Sheesh
That evening, after an incredible ride on the Stratosphere's Big Shot, we head to Bellagio. My friends end up at a tight shorthanded 4-8 table, and they find the room too loud and hectic, and they leave; I love my game and I stay. I book yet another healthy win after hands like AQs vs QQ on a board of AAxQx. The uninteresting guy on my left seems to be flirting with me, but it results in several $1 chips flying my way, so who am I to complain. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
End of the day +$595 for the trip.
Day 6, 2+2 sightings: Last day, friends want to play Mirage again. I am just about pokered out, playing till 3/4am most nights. The bags under my eyes are big enough to carry my spare change.
I meet a guy at the Mirage that I have played with and talked with online. He says "call me Clark" -- of course, yet another Clark in Clark County!
I have one hand where I am in the SB and at my action, it's a family pot with no raise. I decide to be cute and announce to the table "I will call without looking". Flop is T93. Now I look and I am shocked to discover KK. I bet and three-bet the flop. The turn and river are Q and J respectively. I beat another lady who has 87s. She gets called to 20-40 and I wonder if she was the Babe. Clarky later tells me the Babe was in the 10-seat of 20-40 and describes her to me and we confirm indeed, she was the 87s hand. I am mad realizing that I left at least 5BB on the table by not raising that hand preflop! Grrr.
ClarkMeister arrives and sits on my left. A flirty guy (FG) is on my right. I have a hand of 65s in the SB that I complete. Flop has X-6-5, hooray. I bet and it goes to FG and he sighs. I laugh and exaggeratedly sigh. Clarky needles him about being mocked and FG calls. Turn is a 5, bet call. River completes a runner runner flush, I bet, he raises, I reraise. He gives me a hard time for re-raising him and then Clarky laughs and declares it was a retaliatory strike. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif FG laughs, starts giving me a neck massage, fingers running through my hair and such (not a v good massage, btw). He busts out soon after and takes off.
The deck continues to hit me hard, and I rack up another big win despite leaving some bets on the table, playing a flopped set of Ks too fast and missing a ripe opportunity to 3bet Clarkmeister. No guts no glory!!! Clarky unfortunately has one of those "get beat by 3-outers" types of days.
I leave to go see Mystere, plus I get a great backstage tour from a friend who is in the show. Their costumes are amazing up close.
End of the trip, +$1071.
All of the other Colorado three players who made the road trip won at the poker tables. We were quite pleased -- it's a nice way to leave Vegas, with everyone a winner! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
Day 1, Welcome to Clark County: Driving into town I see a school bus that says "Clark County". How funny with Clarky and Dynasty (last name Clark) both living in LV.
My friends and I settle at Monte Carlo -- my first time in this room and it is quite fun. One person in our trip has KK and gets a board of 9K9K9. She wins only $20 on the Monte C's "high hand" bonus because the quad Kings was hit earlier in the day. We lament not only that, but the fact that had she had her hand in Colorado (or various other places) then that would have qualified for a big bad beat jackpot, as the other hand was A9. All four of us won in the room. I am up $45.
Day 2, Getting into the swing of things: Friends want to see Circus Circus. I am not much interested in the circus part so I play in the poker room for an hour and lose a little. Then we hit the Mirage. Two of the people in our group have never been to Vegas at all, and they fall in love with the room. I play a great 6-12 game, but no cards fall into my hands and I win a big $3. End of the day, I am +$19 for the trip.
Day 3, Itty bitty girl: We head to Luxor's noon tourney. Tourney starts, and I bust out in first hour when I'm blinded into short stacks, then I preflop raise JJ, flop QJ3 and bet all-in, and opponent beats me with a 47. One of our group ends up taking 2nd, very cool!
After the tourney we head to Mandalay Bay for some live action. I sit at a great game with four Italian family members including Cousin Vinny. I also heard one of the funniest one liners in awhile: (Cousin Vinny asked Vegas local) "What do you do for a living?" ... local responds "Oh, I'm a prop player at the Mirage" (pregnant pause) "...for Keno". The idea of a Keno prop player had me giggling throughout the rest of the trip.
That evening we head back to the Mirage and take our comps. I'm in another good 6-12 game but can't make much stand up. I did have one hand where I had a set of 4s, represented a flush, and I moved another guy off a set of Jacks. He was a good sport, and told the table in a thick Southern accent "well I just can't wait to go home and tell the boys that I was outplayed by this itty bitty girl here."
End of the day, I am -$45 for the trip. Talk about treading water!
Day 4, Finally I break through: We did the Hoover Dam thing, then checked out the Palms which we found kind of tacky. Won a little bit in their poker room which reminded us of the inside of a Chipotle restaurant. We head to Binions and I play there in the 10-20 shorthanded must move game. I've played 10-20 just a couple times before and shorthanded rarely, but held my own for the brief time that it lasted. Went to the main game lost a little, then the friends wanted leave due to the trapped smoke in the Binion's poker room. I am now down $75 for the trip.
the tide finally turns...
Off to the Bellagio, where I played on the best table of the trip, an 8-16 game. I had some really unfortunate hands (see small stakes forum, I hate the lower straight! thread) yet still won $175. I meet a guy who is from Colorado and for some reason I get the impression he might be a 2+2er but I don't ask. Any ski bums from Breckenridge out there who just went to Vegas?
End of the day, I have had my first real win of the trip and it feels good. +$100 for the trip.
Day 5, Riding the Wave: I am supposed to go to the WPDG today but my friends are not interested, and I would be taking the car away from them to go, so I decide to pass for this time. I really hope to go the next time I am in Vegas though.
We play at the Mirage and I start out in 3-6 waiting for my 6-12 seat. The players think I am a maniac and whisper to each other about how badly I play (preflop raising JJ and betting into a Q high board; calling for a gutshot in a 7-handed pot when I'm on the button and then catching my miracle on the turn). I love it! I get into 6-12 and I pick up another nice win. The cards are hitting me so hard that I wonder why poker isn't always this easy.
One of my friends flops quad 8s, and loses to runner runner quad Js. We lament yet another bad beat situation in a room without a bad beat jackpot. One hour later, the third friend takes KK vs AA and flops AKK. Our carload of players has now had three bad beat jackpot hands, all in houses without jackpots! Sheesh
That evening, after an incredible ride on the Stratosphere's Big Shot, we head to Bellagio. My friends end up at a tight shorthanded 4-8 table, and they find the room too loud and hectic, and they leave; I love my game and I stay. I book yet another healthy win after hands like AQs vs QQ on a board of AAxQx. The uninteresting guy on my left seems to be flirting with me, but it results in several $1 chips flying my way, so who am I to complain. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
End of the day +$595 for the trip.
Day 6, 2+2 sightings: Last day, friends want to play Mirage again. I am just about pokered out, playing till 3/4am most nights. The bags under my eyes are big enough to carry my spare change.
I meet a guy at the Mirage that I have played with and talked with online. He says "call me Clark" -- of course, yet another Clark in Clark County!
I have one hand where I am in the SB and at my action, it's a family pot with no raise. I decide to be cute and announce to the table "I will call without looking". Flop is T93. Now I look and I am shocked to discover KK. I bet and three-bet the flop. The turn and river are Q and J respectively. I beat another lady who has 87s. She gets called to 20-40 and I wonder if she was the Babe. Clarky later tells me the Babe was in the 10-seat of 20-40 and describes her to me and we confirm indeed, she was the 87s hand. I am mad realizing that I left at least 5BB on the table by not raising that hand preflop! Grrr.
ClarkMeister arrives and sits on my left. A flirty guy (FG) is on my right. I have a hand of 65s in the SB that I complete. Flop has X-6-5, hooray. I bet and it goes to FG and he sighs. I laugh and exaggeratedly sigh. Clarky needles him about being mocked and FG calls. Turn is a 5, bet call. River completes a runner runner flush, I bet, he raises, I reraise. He gives me a hard time for re-raising him and then Clarky laughs and declares it was a retaliatory strike. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif FG laughs, starts giving me a neck massage, fingers running through my hair and such (not a v good massage, btw). He busts out soon after and takes off.
The deck continues to hit me hard, and I rack up another big win despite leaving some bets on the table, playing a flopped set of Ks too fast and missing a ripe opportunity to 3bet Clarkmeister. No guts no glory!!! Clarky unfortunately has one of those "get beat by 3-outers" types of days.
I leave to go see Mystere, plus I get a great backstage tour from a friend who is in the show. Their costumes are amazing up close.
End of the trip, +$1071.
All of the other Colorado three players who made the road trip won at the poker tables. We were quite pleased -- it's a nice way to leave Vegas, with everyone a winner! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif