Ramming & jamming with Al Capone, Jr: A Vegas trip report.

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

Less than 48 hours after arriving in Vegas for the first time, I had met up with respectable fellow psychologist and Psychology of Poker Guru Al Schoonmaker, who introduced me to fellow 2+2er and all around good guy, Al Capone, Jr. My wife and I now find ourselves careening up the strip in a largely dysfunctional pickup truck with fellow degenerate gambler Capone, who we met only an hour before. Capone is wearing a shirt deemed inappropriate for a Vegas poker room, which allows the viewer to focus on the Ace of Spades tattooed on his upper arm (later that day he gained admission to the Bellagio and Mirage poker rooms, but only after buying a touristy t-shirt). To that point I had played the Mirage, and found the daytime low-limit games filled with rocks, and the nighttime games soft and squishy, with a delightful creamy center. Unfortunately, cards were not running my way and I had monster after monster cracked, leaving me even for the first two days and frustrated (no more whining after this, I promise).

After much frustration at the $6/12 the night before, which featured three Brazilian (I’m guessing) sisters who were bleeding chips onto the table, while I folded for 2 consecutive hours, I sat down at the $10/20 around 4:00 am. Mistake. Everyone at the table knew each other and the house. Clearly all had trumped my 25 hours of casino time by thousands. They salivated at Tourist Boy, but I folded for an hour, before the legendary 5:00 am pastry and finger sandwich platters showed up. Starved and bleary, I dove at the food, along with my fellow poker players, who descended upon the platters like a swarm of locusts. Now sleepy and with belly full, I sat to the immediate left of the one maniac at the table (again, well known to everyone as a regular, and doing well despite apparently maniacal play). He posted a live straddle and I looked at 33 UTG+1. This was to be my next to last hand, as I had drowsed off a few hands earlier. For some reason, I chose to call 33, rather than go the hell to bed. MP raised, Maniac called, and foolish Tourist with 33 called. The flop came 35K, with two clubs. I checked, with the plan to call the inevitable bet and pop the turn. The bet came, Maniac folded and I called. The turn brought third club, and I check-raised anyway. The river brought the fourth club. I checked and made a crying call with my set. I told him his flush was good, and he showed me JcKc. I went to muck, and threw my cards face up instead. The table saw that the last club had been a 5, and that my set was a full house. I went to bed, much to the disappointment of the entire table, who encouraged me to stay, stay, stay, Not the kind of thing you want to hear as a poker player. Don’t know if I was a fish, or they just pegged me as one, but I’d had enough.

Tuesday, after meeting Capone, I decided to take a crack at Excalibur. WOW! While waiting for a $4/8 to start up, I sat in on a $1/3 spread game, with one $1 blind. 7 or 8 to the flop and even the Vegas Retiree at the table was pathetic (albeit a rock compared to the loonies at the table, after all, he folded almost 60% of the time). After 20 minutes where I was often one of two or three folders preflop, I was the established table captain and up about $40. The $4/8 opened (blinds of $1/2) and I sat down. The game was a mix of decent, but not great players, and utter Magoos. Capone shows up 15 minutes later, having shucked the high class tourist t-shirt for his other shirt, as Excalibur has somewhat more relaxed standards of dress. Some new guy, I’ll call him Fishy McFish (FMF) in honor of Capone’s nickname on some site or another, is soon joined by a hyper-aggressive 20-something WPT wannabe. Wannabe has clearly practiced fancy chip moves at home, and has perfected everything about the appearance of skill, aside from skill itself. He has one move, the Fancy Raise, and it works for a bit, until the table (well several of us) realize he bets anything, and start calling the two of them down. Meanwhile FMF is seeing 80% of flops and Capone and I can barely restrain our exuberance.

Now Capone bought $300, but was given three racks of blues, so he has them stacked on the table in front of him like a castle wall. FMF comments repeatedly about how this scares him, so Capone buys in for another two racks and builds a fortress. FMF notices 30 minutes later and is amazed at how the wall has grown, but seems to not know how. He sucks out on a few people (including cracking Capone’s AA with crap-crap offsuit), and so he stays in for quite a while, before he inevitably bleeds off all his chips at about 4:00 am. Fortunately for me, he passes most along to me, as did another guy who decides to cap holding QTo on the turn, with the board showing 67TQ. I held the 89, and the river brought a sweet 3. FMF eventually busted out, going all-in with his last 7 blues with 55, after the flop came 9Qrag. I held 89s, and that was that for the poor fellow, who dropped about $400. FMF leaves the table, which breaks one hand later. Everyone left looked around, shrugged and one guy uttered the thought we all had, “what’s the point now?” I left up $409, and Capone and I walked to Luxor to get the aforementioned largely dysfunctional pickup truck, which failed to start. A cab ride later, I am back to Mirage and wake the wife to tell her about the night. The sun comes up moments later, and I crash for a quick three hours’ sleep so I can be “refreshed” for the plane ride home at noon.

Final tally of my bankroll, showed I was up almost exactly $400, so thanks to Dr. Al and Mr. Capone for steering me to Excalibur. The wife also found she enjoyed the game, and played about 12 hours, emulating the Vegas Retiree style, but tipping at the tourist rate. She broke even. On one memorable hand, she held 6To in the BB and tried to fold when four limped in. The dealer reminded her that she had a free play (she was clearly a newbie), and she held her cards. The flop came 789r, and she started to fold again, stopped and looked at the board. You could see her look at her hand, read the board, count and suddenly jump in her chair. She then threw out a bet, and the table folded almost in unison, with much fairly good natured laughter.

Final Tally: Days in Vegas – 3; Money made - $400; Shows seen – 0; Time at the pool – 0; Sunrises seen – 2; Hours of poker played – A whole f*cking lot.

Can’t wait to go back. I hear that they have some really cool shows and attractions in Vegas.

[CCass]

[ QUOTE ]
...My wife and I now find ourselves careening up the strip in a largely dysfunctional pickup truck with fellow degenerate gambler Capone, who we met only an hour before.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you are going to spend time in Vegas, what better way than with a degenerate gambler?

[steamboatin]

Yours is a good example of why I never go to the card room during the day. I go late nights and some weekends. The old guys are to tight, you are too likely to end up with the second best hand and when you make a hand, they won't pay you off.

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

Oddly, the tourist types cleared out of Mirage 6-12 by 2:00 a.m. the nights I was there (n=2). Not sure of the 3-6 as I took my ill-advised 4 am shot at the 10-20 (regulars only). At Excalibur, there seemed to be fish remaining at the lower limits when the 4-8 broke up after 3:30, but we left so I'm not sure.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Yup, the excalibur has had great games of late. That should only get better this weekend too.

Twas great playing at the table with you, wish I had slaughtered them like you did!

Look for future posts regarding some new touristy type excaliburites such as...

fish-boy supreme
cappy mc-cap
angry old crone who thinks she can play but really sux ass

and more!

6-12 at mirage has remained similar to your description, but there are always at least two fish in the game, even during the day.

[ QUOTE ]
Final Tally: Days in Vegas – 3; Money made - $400; Shows seen – 0; Time at the pool – 0; Sunrises seen – 2; Hours of poker played – A whole f*cking lot.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure you'll get all of the shows and pool and such in next time... YEAH RIGHT!

al

[nolanfan34]

Capone, that really you in the picture there? Between you, Clarkmeister, and daryn, I'm not sure what I think about people starting to post pics of what they actually look like...

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[FeliciaLee]

[ QUOTE ]
Capone, that really you in the picture there? Between you, Clarkmeister, and daryn, I'm not sure what I think about people starting to post pics of what they actually look like...

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
That's really him. We met in person (finally) last Friday. My husband Glenn (Domit), just finished cropping the avatar.

My pic is really me, too, I just have much shorter hair now.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
www.felicialee.net

[TITHEAD]

Hey I am a Friend of AL`s called FISHBAIT. Ask him about me. I am coming to vegas on the 10th july (SAT) with my brother and casey a fellow 2+2 er. I have spoken to AL and casey and we are all meeting at the Sams Town on the 10th at 7pm for the NL HE tourny that starts at 7PM that night. Ask AL about it and go to this Tourny as well. It would be crazy for so many of us to all be in the same tourny and meet up.

Look forward to seeing u there on the 10th at Sams Town

From

FishBait

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Sorry I missed you at the Mirage. So, you think those 10-20 guys are a bit rockish,eh? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I have not seen Dave's truck, but last I heard it was "flooded" and marooned somewhere near Luxor. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] He is a great guy, despite his taste in transportation and shirts. He also had some nice things to say about you.

LGPG,

Babe [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

Don't know about other times, but from 4 to 6 in the morning on Tuesday, the 10-20 was a rock garden.

Apparently the truck started right up the next morning, but it was a bit surreal being marooned in the Luxor parking lot at 4:30 in the morning. I was enough of a Vegas newbie to be surprised that a cab would be waiting for us when we wandered out the front of Luxor.

I learned a fair bit from playing alongside Dave and from talking with Al. I felt like I should've paid for the lessons with Dave, but we both played tight enough that we never went head-to-head in four hours of play.

Babe: Are you one of those 10-20 rocks at the Mirage? There were two women at the table, one chatty and one who spoke little. I was in a surly mood from losing most of the night, despite being at a fishy table for hours and was groggy enough to remember only flashes from the experience.

I can't wait for the return experience, and the wife has taken a significant interest in the game, virtually assuring another Vegas trip in the future.