rharless
12-25-2003, 03:32 AM
Well, after playing the 2+2 Tuesday table a couple times and meeting other folks online, I've gotten to know more of you, and a few have requested a trip report. Here goes.
Went for a 4-day Vegas weekend with boyfriend (RHarless' Boyfriend aka "RB") in tow. RB also plays poker.
Friday: Arrived at Paris hotel and had a very lengthy check-in process. I used LVTB.com to book my hotel and all the handshakes didn't happen to get my room reserved. Paris was very nice about the mixup and gave us an Eiffel-facing room for no upcharge. December rates are awesome. My average rate for Paris was $64/night.
We headed over to Mirage 6-12. My very first hand, I post in the CO. First hand in Vegas and it's AA! Folded to Bitter Vegas Local (this really narrows it down, I know) in LMP two to my right, who raises. Oh, I am SO cool -- look at me, I just call her raise. Clever rharless! Everyone else folds and we proceed to view the flop, which is: J98r. She bets. Look at me, so sneaky: I just call, intending to raise the turn. Turn: freaking A! Well that killed my action. She bets, I raise. Whoa, she 3-bets. I 4-bet your AJ. She 5-bets. She just can't believe I have her AJ maybe JJ beat, I guess, and I 6-bet. She says "Oh, we have the same hand, I call" and my /images/graemlins/heart.gif sinks. What an idiot I am. But of course, there is one more card, and of course, it profitably pairs the board. The table goes all a-twitter about how lucky I got. And I did get lucky. But let me just say, AA SHOULD beat QT most days of the week so let's not get our panties all in a bunch here?
The other noteworthy hand of this session... RB and I decide to leave after one more orbit. I realize I am down $8. Well, there's $9 of blinds out there. If I can just steal one set of blinds then I can leave a $1 winnah. Solid 2+2 thinking, I know! I should write a book.
So, it's my button and all fold to me (2nd time this happened all night), and in my first and only steal of the night, I raise with J7o. The blinds are really tight so this is entirely feasible, especially since I haven't stolen yet. BB (good) calls my raise. Oh oh. Sir, see, I really just wanted the blinds... anyways, The dealer starts to flip the flop and I spy the first card, a wonderful 7. What luck! Dealer distributes the flop cards and would you believe -- there's a Jack next to the seven! BB Check/ I bet/ BB call. Turn, is this really happening... another 7 to boat me. Check/bet/call. River, a Q. Check/bet/... oh BB raises!!! I pee in my proverbial pants and 3-bet and he calls. Stunned BB with AQ says "nice hand" and actually seems gracious about it. Table goes all a-twitter again about how it's amazing I wasn't scared of JJ/QQ. I love Mirage 6-12.
Saturday, RB and I head to the Orleans to check out their remodeled room. The tv-screens to see your place on the wait list are really nice and seem like a no-brainer for all rooms to put on their agenda. I make a loose call out of the SB for 1.5 small bets in a raised pot with 6 people, PFR is UTG (so I can maximize pots with position pretty well) with 86s. I hit trip sixes and what do you know, the Orleans players love to gossip about my bad play as much as they do at the Mirage.
Saturday night, RB and I join MajorKong, Clarkmeister, and Clarkmistress at Mandalay Bay. This is at least my second meeting with each of them. I learn a lot each time I play with them. We had something of a marathon session at the worst table in the MB room. I don't think Clarky has similar marathon sessions with other 2+2ers merely because he hangs out with the others in different -ahem-, "arenas", than the poker room /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Good thing I am here for fun: I was in seat 10. Kong, RB, and Clarky were in 7-9 respectively. So much for my FROI factor. More like LSHOI (long-shot hope of isolation). As if the table wasn't bad enough with us four on it, it was a stud-size table so they only seated 9 for holdem. One less possible fish in the sea. Few hands of note happened for me. I already posted one in SS forum. One other hand: for some reason, my BB is not raised. Kong and Clarky both in the hand. Flop is 832 (I think). Clarky (SB) announces "I forgot my cards, so I check." Now, I really did forget my cards (which is rare), but I do not announce that -- I simply check. Normally I WOULD look back at my cards before acting, but something in the way Clark was joking about forgetting his own cards, made me check along. It gets to Kong who bets. I slyly spy my cards (or maybe not so sly); I have J8o. Clarky calls. I check-raise!!! Checkraise both those suckers in the same hand. /images/graemlins/wink.gif They both look extremely surprised (Kong: "well, that was weird") and call. I forget the turn card, but I think it was higher than an 8. I bet and they both fold.
Nothing remarkable poker-wise but it sure was fun to get in a c/r on both at once.
Sunday, Started a 8-16 session late morning at Bellagio and went to their Holiday Brunch Buffet (yummy). This was perhaps my most amusing table of the trip (other than Kong/Clark of course). One guy at the table reminded me of Clark. Good hand reader, chatterbox. The main difference was he played more hands and under suboptimal conditions. At any rate, I am quiet as a mouse for the first few orbits. He is hollywood-ing non stop; everyone at that end of the table is a regular and is good-naturedly teasing him. Finally I wake up with AKs in MP, on Chatty's BB. I raise. He instantly says "hey, what did you do that for??" and I say with an exaggerated wink "I know you are weak!" The whole table roared and he proceeded to look down to confirm his genitals were still in place.
Sunday evening found RB and me at the Monte Carlo 4-8 half kill. We both had a lot of fun and both had nice wins. I won a huge pot with 86s again here, hitting a flush with FIVE river callers who had straights/trips/pairs. They also thought I was crazy but not as snooty as the Mirage-ites or Orlean-ians. As an aside, it seems so so hard for two poker players to both go home winners, even when at different tables.
Monday we had massages at the Paris spa. I have had four other massages in my life and this one was the best. I have seen better spa "atmosphere" and facilities, but my masseuse ("Eli") was superb. I do not know if I can ever go to Vegas again and NOT get a massage from her knowing she is so close.
After that, we tried out Boulder Station 6-12. What a great game. Is there a bad 6-12 in this city? My notable hand here is 99. I raise PF and get 3 callers. Flop: A99. I check it through. Did I mention that the Station bad beat is $100k+?? The turn is an A!! MP bets, I call with two EP behind me but they fold /images/graemlins/frown.gif. River is a K. MP bets, I raise, internally begging to be re-raised not just for the hand but of course for hope of a monster bad beat. MP says "[censored], she has the K" and only calls. /images/graemlins/frown.gif Turns out she has AT so if the river had obliged with a Ten, I'd be a good bit richer. I guess I would have made more if I had raised her on the turn /images/graemlins/frown.gif. It kinda sucks to have quads vs A-full and win only 5BB.
At this point, counting in BBs, I am up 30BB for the trip. I have won small at every session except for the MB one, where my loss was minor.
Monday night, of course I pay back everything I have won, and then some. I played the Mirage 10-20 which was full of very-good or very-bad players and nothing in between. Some people were cold calling raises with Q2s and 87o. One person would continually river-bluff into fields of 3 opponents when solid aggression had been shown on earlier streets and the river was not that scary. My cards were just not to be. I did snag a turn Q vs KK in a huge pot, but that was not enough to stem the bleeding. Here is a sample hand: I have AKs UTG and raise. Folded to horrible SB who 3-bets. I 4-bet and he calls. Flop J92, two to my suit. Check, bet, call. Turn offsuit 3, check, bet, call. River offsuit 2. His posture subtly but clearly changes and he checks. I check (which I had been intending to do anyways, after he called my turn bet). He has A2s for trips. Mama mia!!
At any rate, I donate 23BB to Mirage 10-20. So, in BB, I am up overall for the trip, but in frivolous-purchase-power, I am down. I am, however, very positive for the trip in terms of the other EV, Entertainment Value. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Went for a 4-day Vegas weekend with boyfriend (RHarless' Boyfriend aka "RB") in tow. RB also plays poker.
Friday: Arrived at Paris hotel and had a very lengthy check-in process. I used LVTB.com to book my hotel and all the handshakes didn't happen to get my room reserved. Paris was very nice about the mixup and gave us an Eiffel-facing room for no upcharge. December rates are awesome. My average rate for Paris was $64/night.
We headed over to Mirage 6-12. My very first hand, I post in the CO. First hand in Vegas and it's AA! Folded to Bitter Vegas Local (this really narrows it down, I know) in LMP two to my right, who raises. Oh, I am SO cool -- look at me, I just call her raise. Clever rharless! Everyone else folds and we proceed to view the flop, which is: J98r. She bets. Look at me, so sneaky: I just call, intending to raise the turn. Turn: freaking A! Well that killed my action. She bets, I raise. Whoa, she 3-bets. I 4-bet your AJ. She 5-bets. She just can't believe I have her AJ maybe JJ beat, I guess, and I 6-bet. She says "Oh, we have the same hand, I call" and my /images/graemlins/heart.gif sinks. What an idiot I am. But of course, there is one more card, and of course, it profitably pairs the board. The table goes all a-twitter about how lucky I got. And I did get lucky. But let me just say, AA SHOULD beat QT most days of the week so let's not get our panties all in a bunch here?
The other noteworthy hand of this session... RB and I decide to leave after one more orbit. I realize I am down $8. Well, there's $9 of blinds out there. If I can just steal one set of blinds then I can leave a $1 winnah. Solid 2+2 thinking, I know! I should write a book.
So, it's my button and all fold to me (2nd time this happened all night), and in my first and only steal of the night, I raise with J7o. The blinds are really tight so this is entirely feasible, especially since I haven't stolen yet. BB (good) calls my raise. Oh oh. Sir, see, I really just wanted the blinds... anyways, The dealer starts to flip the flop and I spy the first card, a wonderful 7. What luck! Dealer distributes the flop cards and would you believe -- there's a Jack next to the seven! BB Check/ I bet/ BB call. Turn, is this really happening... another 7 to boat me. Check/bet/call. River, a Q. Check/bet/... oh BB raises!!! I pee in my proverbial pants and 3-bet and he calls. Stunned BB with AQ says "nice hand" and actually seems gracious about it. Table goes all a-twitter again about how it's amazing I wasn't scared of JJ/QQ. I love Mirage 6-12.
Saturday, RB and I head to the Orleans to check out their remodeled room. The tv-screens to see your place on the wait list are really nice and seem like a no-brainer for all rooms to put on their agenda. I make a loose call out of the SB for 1.5 small bets in a raised pot with 6 people, PFR is UTG (so I can maximize pots with position pretty well) with 86s. I hit trip sixes and what do you know, the Orleans players love to gossip about my bad play as much as they do at the Mirage.
Saturday night, RB and I join MajorKong, Clarkmeister, and Clarkmistress at Mandalay Bay. This is at least my second meeting with each of them. I learn a lot each time I play with them. We had something of a marathon session at the worst table in the MB room. I don't think Clarky has similar marathon sessions with other 2+2ers merely because he hangs out with the others in different -ahem-, "arenas", than the poker room /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Good thing I am here for fun: I was in seat 10. Kong, RB, and Clarky were in 7-9 respectively. So much for my FROI factor. More like LSHOI (long-shot hope of isolation). As if the table wasn't bad enough with us four on it, it was a stud-size table so they only seated 9 for holdem. One less possible fish in the sea. Few hands of note happened for me. I already posted one in SS forum. One other hand: for some reason, my BB is not raised. Kong and Clarky both in the hand. Flop is 832 (I think). Clarky (SB) announces "I forgot my cards, so I check." Now, I really did forget my cards (which is rare), but I do not announce that -- I simply check. Normally I WOULD look back at my cards before acting, but something in the way Clark was joking about forgetting his own cards, made me check along. It gets to Kong who bets. I slyly spy my cards (or maybe not so sly); I have J8o. Clarky calls. I check-raise!!! Checkraise both those suckers in the same hand. /images/graemlins/wink.gif They both look extremely surprised (Kong: "well, that was weird") and call. I forget the turn card, but I think it was higher than an 8. I bet and they both fold.
Nothing remarkable poker-wise but it sure was fun to get in a c/r on both at once.
Sunday, Started a 8-16 session late morning at Bellagio and went to their Holiday Brunch Buffet (yummy). This was perhaps my most amusing table of the trip (other than Kong/Clark of course). One guy at the table reminded me of Clark. Good hand reader, chatterbox. The main difference was he played more hands and under suboptimal conditions. At any rate, I am quiet as a mouse for the first few orbits. He is hollywood-ing non stop; everyone at that end of the table is a regular and is good-naturedly teasing him. Finally I wake up with AKs in MP, on Chatty's BB. I raise. He instantly says "hey, what did you do that for??" and I say with an exaggerated wink "I know you are weak!" The whole table roared and he proceeded to look down to confirm his genitals were still in place.
Sunday evening found RB and me at the Monte Carlo 4-8 half kill. We both had a lot of fun and both had nice wins. I won a huge pot with 86s again here, hitting a flush with FIVE river callers who had straights/trips/pairs. They also thought I was crazy but not as snooty as the Mirage-ites or Orlean-ians. As an aside, it seems so so hard for two poker players to both go home winners, even when at different tables.
Monday we had massages at the Paris spa. I have had four other massages in my life and this one was the best. I have seen better spa "atmosphere" and facilities, but my masseuse ("Eli") was superb. I do not know if I can ever go to Vegas again and NOT get a massage from her knowing she is so close.
After that, we tried out Boulder Station 6-12. What a great game. Is there a bad 6-12 in this city? My notable hand here is 99. I raise PF and get 3 callers. Flop: A99. I check it through. Did I mention that the Station bad beat is $100k+?? The turn is an A!! MP bets, I call with two EP behind me but they fold /images/graemlins/frown.gif. River is a K. MP bets, I raise, internally begging to be re-raised not just for the hand but of course for hope of a monster bad beat. MP says "[censored], she has the K" and only calls. /images/graemlins/frown.gif Turns out she has AT so if the river had obliged with a Ten, I'd be a good bit richer. I guess I would have made more if I had raised her on the turn /images/graemlins/frown.gif. It kinda sucks to have quads vs A-full and win only 5BB.
At this point, counting in BBs, I am up 30BB for the trip. I have won small at every session except for the MB one, where my loss was minor.
Monday night, of course I pay back everything I have won, and then some. I played the Mirage 10-20 which was full of very-good or very-bad players and nothing in between. Some people were cold calling raises with Q2s and 87o. One person would continually river-bluff into fields of 3 opponents when solid aggression had been shown on earlier streets and the river was not that scary. My cards were just not to be. I did snag a turn Q vs KK in a huge pot, but that was not enough to stem the bleeding. Here is a sample hand: I have AKs UTG and raise. Folded to horrible SB who 3-bets. I 4-bet and he calls. Flop J92, two to my suit. Check, bet, call. Turn offsuit 3, check, bet, call. River offsuit 2. His posture subtly but clearly changes and he checks. I check (which I had been intending to do anyways, after he called my turn bet). He has A2s for trips. Mama mia!!
At any rate, I donate 23BB to Mirage 10-20. So, in BB, I am up overall for the trip, but in frivolous-purchase-power, I am down. I am, however, very positive for the trip in terms of the other EV, Entertainment Value. /images/graemlins/smile.gif