[cha59]

I arrived in Vegas Monday night and my buddy and I go to the MGM Grand for some poker. I get in a 1/2 NL cash game while my buddy plays 3/6 limit.

So I'm sitting there at my 1/2 NL game and I see Phil Gordon walking around (yes, that Phil Gordon [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img] ). He makes his way to my table and sits down immediately to my right [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]. He is apparently killing time waiting for his seat in the Big Game upstairs.

Phil pulls about 10 $100 bills out and tries to buyin for that much. They only let him buy $200 (the table max). He complains a bit.

I figure he probably wont be at our table for long so I want to play some hands against him.

This hand isnt that interesting but it sets up a good one:

One of the first hands that he is at the table I'm in LP with QJo and a few limpers (including Phil). I limp.
Flop is T8x rainbow.
Phil bets some small amount.
I call (not what I'd normally do, but I figure he wont be at our table for long so I just want to play against him here and maybe get lucky and catch a 9).
Turn is another 8.
Phil bets bigger this time.
I think about it and look at him. He stares at me and says, "I have 86o".
I fold. I think now that he was lying, but anyway.....

About a hand or two later:
Phil open raises to $6 preflop.
I look down at Ad Kd and raise to $20.
All fold to Phil who calls.
Flop comes K 6 4 one diamond.
Phil goes all in for about $200 [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img].
I have about $180 or so left in my stack.
Its too soon since he sat down for me to know how he's playing. I go in the tank. I dont know if he's bluffing, has a set, has 77 - JJ, has something like A 6, KQ, KJ, KT or some other random mediocre holding. I'm sure he doesnt have KK or AA, but other than that I dont know. He starts talking: "If this guy calls me I wont need to buy more chips". I figure he doesnt want me to call at that point, so I call. Before I turn my cards over he says he thinks I have QQ. He thinks I'm some random donk at that point.
He flips over 6 4 [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] and his two pair hold up.
He says "sorry man, that was a really bad beat".

Later on, the cardroom manager says "Phil, we have a spot at the 5/1000 spread limit game open, do you want it?" Phil thinks for a few seconds and says, "No, I'm having fun with these guys, I'll stay here for now" as he slaps me and the guy on his right on the back. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

So an hour or two later I see Phil is raising a huge number of hands preflop.

Then this hand happens: A few limpers, Phil raises, I look down at 55 and call. Several others call. The flop comes A 5 x rainbow. Phil bets, I raise. All fold to Phil who goes in the tank. I stare at the felt thinking, "call me!!". He puts his fingers on my neck to take my pulse. The whole table cracks up [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]. He says, "you need to work on your cardio, man" and folds [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]. Later he says to me, "you had a set there, didnt you?" I said "ya, you had an A didnt you?" He says yes.

A while later the card room manager says to Phil that his spot in the Big Game is now open. Phil says, "no thanks, I'm going to be leaving soon anyway." I was thinking, oh well, it was fun while it lasted. He stays another two hours at our table [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Between hands Phil was playing rock-paper-scissors for $5 - $50 a pop against the guy on his right. He wanted me to do it but I wouldnt. He wound up taking a lot of money from that guy. He told the guy when he left that he had a read on him with the way he was twisting his wrist with scissors or something [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Phil talked quite a bit about strategy the whole time he was there.

One guy had Jx in position on a AQJxx board (the X's were unimportant in this hand). The other guy in the hand checks the river. The guy with Jx bets on the end. The other guy folds and the Jx guy shows. Phil says "thats a bad bet" and talks for 15 minutes about why. I was the only one at the table who knew why. I said to him, "I thought that was an elementary check". Apparently none of the others at the table read 2+2 [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Whenever someone would bluff and show, Phil would say, "You are capable of making a play like that? That's good to know."

When Phil left the table I shook his hand and told him it was a lot of fun. He slapped me on the back two or three more times and then sat there for about 5 minutes talking to me about how important it is to be aggressive and put pressure on your opponents by raising. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Great guy. That was the most fun I ever had playing poker.