Trip Report: JV goes to LA

[J_V]

I just got back from L.A. The goal of the trip was to spend the Friday-Sunday hanging out in Hermosa Beach with some friends and then to go play three days at the Commerce Monday-Wednesday. My poker goal of the trip was to make 10k. I fell just shy, -13k off pace. Here are some random comments about my trip to L.A.


First off, the weather in L.A. is obviously phenomenal. I'm very tempted not to go back to Chicago. It seems like L.A. would be the perfect place to live for an internet poker player.

I don't know how many of you L.A. guys are familiar with Hermosa Beach, but it's not a bad place to be. It seems like most the of partying is done down by the pier. It was a very spring break like atmosphere. On Saturday, we went to a place called Sharkees. Playboy called it the third best pick-up spot in the United States. And, yes it was quite the meat market. A virtual HOasis.

One thing I noticed is that L.A. girls are much more aggressive when it comes to meeting guys. I had more girls approach me in one weekend than I do in months at Chicago. God bless aggressive girls. I wonder if its the weather. It also dawned on me that girls should be the aggressors in all of these situations. It makes more sense. Guys just want to hook up. Some have higher standards than others, but as a whole the decision on whether or not the guy scores comes down to the girl. So it makes more sense that the guys stand around and the girls pick out which guys they want to talk to. Business would be much more efficient this way. Maybe sklansky, could write about that is he is next Poker, Gaming, and Life. It's more interesting than why the debris ends up in the middle of the road (Not to bash that book, cause its my favorite).

Second thing, the girls of L.A. were as a whole not as good-looking on average as the girls in my neighborhood in Chicago. That is, except for Hollywood, where a lot of the girls were off the hook. God bless silicon.

I played 30/60, 40/80, and 80/160. I only made it two days before I tapped out. A man can only stand so much torture.

One thing I noticed was that at night in the 40 and 80 games, I was the only whiteboy in site. It's a little disconcerting when the whole table is speaking a different language....the same language. Anyway, the 40's ranged from good to phenomenal, with some patch tight points. It was annoying cause games were never full and always seemed to be breaking.

What's with all the Vietnamese. Is L.A. a stomping ground for lots of Vietnamese or just the Commerce?

The 80 games I was in were never great, but still beatable. The games had one or two gamblers and a couple tight wannabe kids, who thought limping UTG w/ A-10o and K-Jc was a good idea in the most aggressive games ever assembled. They must not have heard but Vietnamese means "raise" in Spanish.

I played with some very good players, a lot of whom I play w/ online. Someone told me that there was an asian girl with pink hair who played very well. And she did play well. Suprise, Suprise. Pink hair...I had my doubts. I forgot her name but she played a lot like Angelina did on the internet. A little different style than most but very tough and tight. I was expecting a few Big Blind, Small blind melee's with her, but it never developed.

Comments about the Commerce. I love the food, but the way they have it set up makes games shorthanded and breaks them way too often.

I hate the massages. I can see how you could get used to them after a while, but they are very degrading, IMO. Is poker that taxing?

The dealer abuse was out of hand. I had to speak up a few times. I played w/ this one willy mammoth named Iris or something, who has to be the most miserable broad on the planet. I had no choice but to pipe up, not that did any good. At least I didn't let her scramble the deck until it was her button.

I have no real hands stories to tell. Maybe I'll post af few. One thing I noticed is that you can play much better poker live than on the internet, simply because you have more information.

In general, I am really beginning to despise live poker. It's too slow and I can't stand being around most of the people in the cardroom. I'd rather go party in L.A. than play poker. I wish I had some time to go down to sunset and party there. That sounds like fun.

[Mike Gallo]

Awesome post dude.

If you dont share poker hands can you tell us more about the aggressive women [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Gabe]

"I played w/ this one willy mammoth named Iris or something, who has to be the most miserable broad on the planet. "

Iris.

[Clarkmeister]

I have a great friend who has a place in Redondo Beach, and a friend of his lives on the beachfront in Hermosa. I make 3-4 trips per summer there, strictly for the booze and broads. Poker is an afterthought on those trips.

Near as I can tell, the 40 is never bad. Your post reinforces that. 3k isn't remotely enough for the game though. On one day I was into the game for 6 racks before cashing out a small loser for the day.

[J_V]

I'll post my favorite hand of the trip. 40/80. Four limpers, I knuckle in the BB w/ the monster 5h-2h. Flop comes Jc-3d-4h. So I'm all over it. I check the this UTG lady who bets. Two callers.

Now this I c/raised. Here is my trick. This is how you get the free card out of position. When you check-raise. You do it very visibly and obnoxiously. So, I stood up reached to the middle of the table and yelled "Raaiiiiiissssssssseeee it up!." Everyone called. Turn was a 9c. I looked suspiciously over at the lady and said Check it Yououououooooouuuuu in the most mysterious voice I had. The whole key here is how you roll the ouoouououououou. The goal is to make it so obvious that you are up to something, that they are embarrased to be double c/raised. It may be obvious that I have crap, but you embarrass them into checking. Anyway, she snorted and checked. As did everyone else. And I laughed out loud. I couldn't help it. River was shite and I check-folded.

She said, "you need two pair to c/r there, what are you doing?"


As for the aggressive girls, one girl came up to me and asked me if I was single and put her arms around my waist. Of course she was using me as a crutch to stand cuz she was so drunk, but still. Another girl grabbed my ass, and three airline stewardesses asked us if we wanted to come back and watch porn with them at their hotel room. It was quite nice. And it's not like I'm the Brad Pitt of poker or anything close. In fact, I'm closer to the Randy Johnson of baseball or the Sam Cassell of basketball.

[J_V]

Oh, i wasn't "tapped." I just tapped out. I brought like 12k, just in case. I was just frustrated.

I'll be coming out again sometime, probably in the summer. If you're ever coming to Hermosa, drop me a line.

[CrackerZack]

[ QUOTE ]
In fact, I'm closer to the Randy Johnson of baseball or the Sam Cassell of basketball.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is truly one of the funniest things I've read on this site. Unfortunately its the 2nd funniest I've read today (sheriff in the zoo wins) but still, tremendous.

[Vehn]

It should be "the xxxx of poker" regardless of who xxxx actually is.

Hope that helps.

[Josh W]

Welcome to my world. Really.

I live in Hermosa Beach....1 block from the beach, but a few blocks south of the pier. When I disappear from cardrooms for months at a time, then return, people always ask where I've been, like I musta been in Topeka. Hermosa Beach is about the only part of LA I can tolerate.

And the 40s at Commerce. Yeah, they are phenomenal. But as I've started to realize, it's getting harder and harder to find a tough game in town. Not that I'm looking....

Sharkeez is tight...did you get any drinks that were served in their buckets (shark attack or....don't remembeer the other one)...a novely, and hangover that go so damn well together...

And Iris...yeah. She's a real, well, she's...

Glad I never saw her on the pier!!!

Josh

[Ikke]

[ QUOTE ]
and three airline stewardesses asked us if we wanted to come back and watch porn with them at their hotel room. It was quite nice

[/ QUOTE ]

Can you please be a bit more specific? How can we make a proper reply if we don't know sizes, current action and how many people are in? Details! Please!

Sounds like a fun trip ;-)

Regards