Maldini Vegas trip report Part 4

[maldini]

Wednesday (I think)

I wake up Wednesday feeling confident and ready for some poker. I have enough time left to play really conservatively, and just grind out two or three hundred today and a hundred or so tomorrow before my 6pm flight. If I do, I’ll feel like I accomplished a nice goal. I typically lose in my first session or two in a new environment. If I forgive the drunken $320 lose, I’m right where I want to be. I haven’t played nearly enough poker yet, but maybe that’s why I’m still fresh and ready to go. I flip channels for an hour or so and really lament the fact that coffee is not provided in the room. That’s just bad service. I understand the reasoning behind this but it is a flawed reasoning. Why don’t they just rent pillows in the lobby for $6? Why should pillows be free for use? Mary has called again and I could use a quality, free, lunch. “John” is out. I understand. One can take only so much Mary. She is one of these people that talks incessantly about nothing at all. If you try to get a word in, you get totally steamrolled over. She doesn’t even look back to notice the conversation carcass left in her tracks. At lunch yesterday, I remember sneaking a peak over at John as Mary was in the middle (I hoped it wasn’t the beginning) of a diatribe describing the hotel suite she had last time she was in Vegas. She was describing the position of the couches and trying to recollect if the TV was in an armoire or on a table. I had just started a plate of food, but I seriously considered getting up as if I were ready for another run to the buffet. She can’t pick up on nonverbal ques either. When she gets like this I say nothing, stop smiling and refuse to make eye contact. I may even rotate my torso and chair 15 degrees away from her. It’s actually draining physically. Anyway, John is going to play in the 11am MGM tourney ($45ish buy in, I think) so I walk over to meet Mary at Monte Carlo for lunch. It’s about 5 degrees too cold for the lazy river, but I know Mary is bored and I want to be nice. We go to the sports bar and grill in Monte Carlo. I cannot remember the name but it’s also a brewery. The steak sandwich was fantastic. One of the best I’ve ever had. I wanted a beer with my steak sandwich so badly. I somehow refrain from drinking. I don’t overeat, and get out with my sanity intact.

I go back to the room, grab my wad and am about to head to the poker room when John calls. He’s on his way back to the room. John took 4th out of 60ish in the tourney for about a $500 net pull. Real nice. Well-done Johnny. I’m feeling great as I stroll into the Excalibur poker room. I put my name on the list and they start a new table immediately. I sit down in the #3 Seat and recognize 3 people at my table. One to my left is the old guy from the waste treatment convention. The same guy who had the AQ against my 2 pair and John’s trips a few days ago. Really nice guy. To my right is a guy very similar to myself. Normal, early 30s whitey. He’s funny and pretty solid. He’s not tricky at all though. He’s the perfect opponent for me. He’s also a good guy to chat with as I fold 80% of my hands. His plays make sense and he’s not likely to pull anything funny. Across the table is another player I’d put right in our category too. He’s an enjoyable guy to play with from a personal as well as strategic perspective. Two to my right is what appears to be a regular. I’m not sure how one picks up on these things but it’s clear. She’s cute, a bit chunky but has huge tatas spilling out from a low cut top. They are those huge, jiggly, creamy, one’s that the bigger girls often have. She’s got an edge to her somehow. I don’t know if it’s the darting eyes or a part of tattoo sticking out from somewhere. I don’t specifically remember a tattoo but I would bet anything she’s got one somewhere. Not the frontal, lower pelvic, sorority, butterfly nor the Aztec, running ivy, lower back, stripper kind either. I bet it’s on the back of her upper arm or the back of her neck and says, “You call this, you lose, baby.” Not sure why thinking of her makes me conjure up Scotty Nguyen, but I do. Whatever the case, she’s in the perfect spot because she’s a loose player but more so because I can tilt my head down and to the right, giving my ear to my buddy while chatting and looking str8 into her cleavage. Across the table in the #8 seat is a guy with huge hair. He sits down and asks the manager for a chart of hand rankings. He’s quiet about it and I have to ask around subtly if I heard that correctly. I did. I’m skeptical that it is a play he’s putting on so I keep an eye on him. First hand I recall playing, I flop a nut flush. It’s just me and chart guy. I’ll call him Eric. He looks like one. I bet all the way and he calls all the way. Somehow I manage to double up on this hand. He doesn’t show. He’s terrible and clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing. He drops about $400 maybe more in about 20 minutes. About 20 minutes later, there’s a commotion at the other NL table. Someone busts out. Titty Nguyen asks for a table change. The moops.

-We’re not entertaining enough for you? (I’m good with women)
-Not enough money on the table. (Totally matter of fact, no smile at all)

Wow. Instant hard on. I would really like to date a girl who can bust out that line. The last 2 girls I’ve dated, along with every female friend in my life thinks playing poker is equivalent to betting the ponies or playing craps. Everyone loses and it is just a matter of time before you live under a bridge and sell plasma for cash. Well, I may end up under a bridge, but not everyone does. This girl understands me. About this time the old guy leaves and tells me he’s going to dinner with his sister and expects to see a wall of chips in front of me when he returns. I now wish he hadn’t said that. Another player sits down immediately. I’ll call him Polanksi. It doesn’t take long to figure out that he’s terrible. Polanski plays way too many hands and bets out constantly no matter how many people are behind him. He seems to always bet if checked to. Next thing I know, Eric goes on a run. He hits every draw possible on every hand. He’s got it all back in less than 1 hour. A lot of it is Polanski’s. Polanski is a hothead with a bit of a mouth too. He starts to buy in short. I think he may be near his limit. Will he tighten up or look to get them in with anything and try to double up? The player to Polanski’s left, “Jeff” is big and kind of oafish. He is really bad too but in a different way. He’ll play with any piece of anything. He seems to be a gambler too. The table has gone crazy. I've never seen anything like it. Every hand is big and someone is all in every few hands. People are gambling like crazy. A couple of good players go broke and buy back in with heads shaking. No lead in any hand is safe. Jeff, Eric and Polanski are chasing for big bucks and hitting all over the place. The new guy in Titty Nguyen’s former seat is clearly solid and experienced. We’ve been chatting. I tell quietly tell him that I don’t think there is any reason to gamble with these guys. They’ll be handing the money over soon enough. He concurs. I’m not sure why I say this to him. Probably partly to reinforce that I know what’s up, hoping to keep him off me somewhat. Also, I probably say it to reinforce it to myself. I’m trying to be patient but it really is addictive. I cannot hit anything and I’m seeing more flops than usual. The implied odds are too alluring to refuse. I’ve got about $400 in front of me when I limp with Kc9c in later mid position. I don’t typically play this hand here but I feel myself getting impatient. Polanski raises behind me and Jeff calls. It’s folded around to me. Polanski’s raise means absolutely nothing, as does Jeff’s call. I can’t help myself but call here. The flop comes 7,8,10 rainbow. I check, Polanski makes a fairly big pot sized bet and Jeff calls a bit too quickly. There’s about $120-$135 or so in the pot. Polanski has about $75 left and Jeff has about $200. I’m not sure if Polanksi is pot stuck or not. I suspect so but he may fold if he has nothing. Surely Jeff is not committed. I may be getting proper odds on my draw even if Polanski calls and Jeff folds. I've got the OESD, an over that is probably clean and a backdoor K-high flush draw. Hopefully I won't need any of them. I waive all-in. Polanski calls pretty much immediately, I think. Oops. Jeff thinks for about 3 seconds and calls too. Mega oops. What am I even doing in this hand? Polanski shows Q-8o. Jeff shows K-7o. Wow. I should have known these guys would call with any piece. I’m in deep doo-doo. The turn is a King. I’m in real trouble now. The river is a sweet 10, counterfeiting Jeff’s 2 pair. My kicker plays. The table erupts. Jeff looks about ready to take a swipe at me. I can’t help but laugh. Ship It!

Everything tells me to cash out and lock in my winnings. I could take a break, buy back in and have a hard time getting stuck again on the trip with one day to go. I’m up $500 today and $400 for the trip. Right on schedule. I can’t do it. I’ve read that a big mistake that amateurs and small time pros make is eating small and sh1tting big. I know I can sh1t big. Can I eat big too? I have the big stack and command of the table. This table really slows down after this pot. Everything kind of goes back to normal. I pick up a several small pots over the next couple of orbits. People are folding to me all over the place. I feel like a huge favorite. This is the best table I’ve seen so far and as good as it’s likely to get. I’ve spent 3 hours or so getting to know the players. The game is loose. I’m trying to play a bit tighter than the table and a bit more aggressively than usual. I have no idea how to play a big stack but that feels right to me. I’ve had some hands and won some pots without showing. I think if I play good hands strongly, my opponents will think I’m just bullying and pay me off nicely. Things go well for a while. I raise from fairly late with K-Jo and only Polanski calls. I cannot steal the button for anything with this guy. The flop comes J-7-7. I check to give Polanski a chance to bet. The bet seems slightly big, like he doesn’t want action. I call. The turn is a blank and I check/call again. Again the bet is bigger and more forceful than necessary. I don’t see how he can have a 7 in his hand and there are no real draws out there. I figure I’m either way ahead or why behind. I also can’t see all that many cards that can beat me if I’m ahead. I’m clearly worried about A-J but this guy bets with anything so I’m feeling pretty confident. The river appears to be unhelpful. I consider betting out but I really don’t think he has anything. I fully expect him to push if I check. I check and he pushes. The bet seems too big. I think I’m about to pick him off. I call and he shows quad 7s. Ouch. He beats me AND gets to spin the wheel. Not nice. That’s right at an $800 pot. He had just reloaded and more than doubled up within an orbit before this hand. He’s never had anywhere near $400 in front before. Doubly bad luck there. I tell him nice hand, he responds with “yes it was”. Classy guy. Good news is that I think I’ve picked up a tell on our Slavic friend. I had mistakenly thought that a forceful bet is weak. Polaski bets forcefully with a strong hand. More importantly, his hands shake when he’s bluffing but not when he’s just betting. I lose a few small hands over the next hour or so and I’m down to about $300 when I get my chance to use this newfound info.

I get 6-7 in the bb. Polanski raises UTG and gets like 3 callers to me. I call. The flop is all low cards. 3-4-X. I check, Polanski bets out, 1 fold and 1 call to me. Polanski’s hands are shaking. Not sure that I can make a move with the other guy in the pot. I just call. The turn is a 2. Polanski is still shaking but bets again. Thankfully, the caller at the other end of the table drops out. There is something like $200 in the pot. I move in with the gut shot for about $200 more. He tanks it for a long time. I think he smells a rat. I try to remember if I’ve been stoic or loose when I’ve had a hand in the past. I think I’ve been too loose with big hands recently. I need to be careful of that. I try to act loose. Can I smile at him with out looking forced? I think so. I try to believe that he can’t possibly call if he hasn’t done so yet. I give him what I think is a knowing smile. It may have come out as a sh1t-eating grin, but either one is fine here. He folds. I don’t plan on bluffing anymore so I flip them over. Of course, I never plan on bluffing but seem to be doing it a lot lately. The table erupts again. I smile big and make a brow wiping motion. This game is fun. Ship It! At that very moment, I look up to see John standing at the rail. He must just be back from the 6pm tourney at MGM. I think it’s a $67ish buy in? He takes 3rd out of 40ish for another $300 net pull. Wow. He’s officially a baller. I bet he takes 1st if he’d a gotten sh1t-faced beforehand. Maybe we can get John to give a report of those tourneys. He’s pretty much all county 95. Sounds like MGM is a mix of a few real solid players and a bunch of morons. Maybe that sums up most tourneys. What I’ve seen of the Main Event clearly fits that profile. I know that the blinds are a tad fast. John loves the turbo SNGs and turbo MTTs on Pstars so these might be perfect for that skill set.

After the big lose against the quads, I find myself pressing somewhat. This happens to me from time to time, I know this about myself and try to level out. I tell myself that I haven’t lost $400. I was playing for free with other people’s money. I’m trying to stay patient. I’m not patient. A few orbits after the bluff with 6-7, I get A-Ks in the bb. There are 5 limpers to me. I raise to $28 to go. Jeff, who limped from UTG +1 makes it $200 more and it folds around to me. I’ve got about $400 and Jeff has about $200 left. I look at him a bit. I’ve seen this move a million times with a mid pair and it smells just like this, maybe 7s-9s. It could be AA or KK but I think the raise is too big for that. Can he fold to a push? I seriously doubt it. Is it possible? Yes, I think 1 time in 20 he may fold to a push. Could he have AK, AQ, AJ or KQ? I feel like any are possible except KQ but all are unlikely. I now realize I’ve taken too long for him to think I have Aces. I’m clearly thinking. My internal dialogue is at full volume. Maldini, don’t race with morons. Maldini, don’t race with morons. Maldini, you’re not down $400. You’re dead even for the trip. I don’t consider the StopNGo until about an hour later. I push and Jeff calls. He turns over Qs. Could be worse I guess. I never win these. This is clearly my biggest race to date. One time and I never b1tch about losing races again, I promise. The dealer deals out the three cards down, turns the pile over, AND THERE’S AN ACE ON TOP!!! Before I can move a muscle, she fans them out and the middle card is a Q. Ouch. I flop a str8 draw but no more love for Maldini. I’m not real happy with myself. The table is having a great time. I look at the watch. It’s 11pm. The table is still the table. Do I buy in again? I decide I am frazzled and won’t be playing my best. I say nice hand, thank everyone for the good time, ask for a placeholder and retire to the room to lick the wounds and get back into a good frame of mind. I stop off in the casino to grab dinner. I grab a few beers too. I never get to feeling like playing again and call it a night, down $300 for the day and down $400 for the trip with ½ day left.

More to follow...

[SpaceAce]

I'm enjoying this multi-part trip report but some of the hands are making me wince. No way should you have lost all that money with the KJ or AKs. Let's see if you get it back in Part V.

SpaceAce

[NoRiverRats]

"The last 2 girls I’ve dated, along with every female friend in my life thinks playing poker is equivalent to betting the ponies or playing craps. Everyone loses and it is just a matter of time before you live under a bridge and sell plasma for cash."



Wow, these must be friends of my GF. No matter how many times I try to explain that poker involves lots of skill, she defaults to degenerate gambler mode and looks at me like I am two steps away from a 12 step program...

Great post, look forward to the next one. You have inspired me to consider posting a report on our next trip to Vegas, which is this coming Friday.

[surfinillini]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm enjoying this multi-part trip report but some of the hands are making me wince. No way should you have lost all that money with the KJ or AKs. Let's see if you get it back in Part V.

SpaceAce

[/ QUOTE ]

for some reason I find these trip reports unreadable

no offense

[maldini]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm enjoying this multi-part trip report but some of the hands are making me wince. No way should you have lost all that money with the KJ or AKs. Let's see if you get it back in Part V. SpaceAce

[/ QUOTE ]

yea, i play poorly. the KJ was clearly bad. the AK was just flat unnecesssary. I've been trying to go with my reads more than I used to. Not sure that's smart when you play much better than some opponents and you're only so-so at reading people.

[lapoker17]

you write outstanding reports. we need the next installment.

[maldini]

[ QUOTE ]

Great post, look forward to the next one. You have inspired me to consider posting a report on our next trip to Vegas, which is this coming Friday.

[/ QUOTE ]

awesome. i read a couple of good ones a while back. that's what made me go ahead and right my own.

good luck on the trip. go with red.

[undathesea]

Where's number 5?