Full vegas trip report (very long, OT)

[cha59]

I had a request to post this:

Arrived Monday evening. We got settled and left the hotel (the Orleans) about 9:30 or so Vegas time. The Orleans is a mile or two west of the strip. Its a great hotel with better service, bigger rooms and more comfortable beds than anywhere else I've stayed. Their rates are outstanding too. I highly recommend it. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

First stop was Excalibur (good room, strange limits). My friend played 2/6 spread limit and I played 1/3 no limit. I was up $75 there after a couple hours. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

From there we walked around the Luxor for a while and then wandered over to the MGM Grand (very nice room). That's when the fun happened with Phil. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] In case you missed this post, here's the link to the story behind that hand.

I was down $200 in that game after the AK hand. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I wound up down $132 in that game when I left.

We didnt sleep much. We wound up staying at MGM (my favorite card room - very well organized, nicest tables around, usually no wait for a game, good management, good dealers, nice computerized system) pretty late because Phil hung around so long (about 5am). [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

After about three hours of restless sleep we played golf at Royal Links. I dont know if you know anything about that course, but its pretty cool and unique. Each hole is a copy of one of the best holes on the British Open courses and the clubhouse is styled like a British pub. I heard somewhere they actually flew all the stones used in the pub over from Ireland. I suck at golf, but I had fun. My friend shot about a 79 - he's pretty good. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Next we went to the Sahara (smokey, dumpy room, crabby dealers and management, decent tourney) for their $42 + $20 rebuy tourney at 7:00 pm. My friend got his AK cracked by AJ on an AXX board. He got all his money in with the best hand and then a J hit and he was done. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

I hung around longer. The table I was at was full of idiot maniacs. Wish I could have caught a hand once against them. I picked up a few small to medium sized pots and then the blinds started to put me into push/fold mode. I picked up AKo with on the button. With one limper in the pot and about 10 big blinds in my stack I pushed. He called with 77, I didnt hit and I was out in around 30th (out of about 100 players). [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

From there we went to the Bellagio and waited like an hour on the 4/8 limit list. Never got a seat and I wasnt too thrilled about playing limit anyway so we left. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Next stop was the Orleans (good big card room, not the nicest-but not bad, and you can get a seat pretty quickly almost all the time) to finish the night playing poker in the cash games. I had a great session playing 1/2 NL winning $317. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

The biggest hand: the guy two spots ahead of me raises to about $20 preflop. I'm on the button and I look down at JJ. I call. A guy who had limped calls as well. Perfect flop: J66. Limp/caller checks. Raiser bets about $30. I dont slowplay very often but with a made hand like this I couldnt resist. I call. Limp/calling station calls. Turn is a brick. Limp caller checks. Raiser bets something like 30 or 40. I think for about 30 seconds and call. Limp/caller folds. The river is perfect - a Q. Raiser bets more. I agonize for a bit and push. Raiser instacalls with AQ. Thank you! Big pot - must have been at least $300. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

We hit the Mirage (nice room, long wait) the next day. They have sit and gos there - 60 + 10, 100 + 15 and 150 + 25. They take a while to get going and the only ones I had a chance to get into were the $70 ones. I saw one $115 going once when I was there, zero $175s.

The blind structures suck in the 70s. You get 1000 in chips to start. They start at 25/50 and rise every 15 minute to 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 150/300, etc.... The payouts are 70% for 1st place and 30% for 2nd. The structures are better for the more expensive games but I never had an opportunity to get in one.

A father and son were playing in the game I was in. The son raised preflop. Several folded to dad who pushes. Son calls with TT. Dad smiles and flips over J3o. Son takes down the pot. Dad winks at son. I say nice chip dump. The dealer and the two culprits ignore it. The guy on my left noticed it too and we griped to each other about it. I wish now that I would have had the game stopped at that point. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Later in the game I get desperate and push a medium pair. Son calls and knocks me out with the what was left of the nice stack that dad gave to him. Im pretty pissed at this point so I tell the card room manager. He says he cant do anything at this point. He says I should have told him right away. Then he says he wont let the two of them play at a table together again and he gives my friend and I each a free meal. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I was still pretty pissed so we left and finished the night at the Orleans. I played 1/2 NL again and won $17 - woohoo!

The next day I take my friend to the airport and do a few other things before heading back to the MGM for their 6pm $125 NL tourney. Its a pretty good tourney as far as these small buyin games go. The blinds go up evry 30 minutes. At one point, with the blinds at 200/400, the manager says "next hand blinds go to 800/1600". WTF??!! They skipped a level. We played at 200/400 for an hour and no one noticed. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Earlier in the game I was playing pretty well and had my stack up to about 5400 at one point. The cards dried up for a while and I had no stealing opportunities until this hand happened:

The guy on my right had been stealing quite a bit since he arrived. With the blinds at 200/400 it got folded to him on the button and he pushes 2500 all in. With about 4400 in my stack in the SB I look down at AsTs - the best hand I had seen in quite a while. I was pretty sure this guy could have almost any two cards here, and the BB had me covered, so I pushed to shut out the BB. BB folds.

Button flips over 52o - Yes! I was right! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Now I need my hand to hold up. The flop comes KsQs...2x. Ugh. Royal flush draw for me plus two overs, yet he has the lead with his 2's. Turn is a brick, but I still have 18 outs. River is a non-spade 5 and the theif takes most of my stack. GRRRRRRRRRR............. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Later the LAG big stack in the tourney gets moved two seats to my right. I manage to build my stack back up a bit, then this hand happens: LAG big stack raises. Theif folds. I push ATo from BB. LAG calls with A9o. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] The board contains AQ5X....river 5 and we chop. LAG obnoxious big stack cheers. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] I feel like standing up and belting him but I just sit there and plan on getting revenge.....

Then the manager drops the bomb on us that the blinds are quadrupling to 800/1600 next hand. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Fughk! I have 3100. I fold a couple crap hands and then pick up AKo. LAG is BB [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img](cool). Shorty (new guy they stuck in the empty seat between LAG and THEIF) with 2700 pushes. Theif folds. I push. SB folds. LAG calls with 43o. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Shorty flips over J7o. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] The board contains 3 J 7 X X and Im done in 11th place. Top 6 paid out of 60 - argh!!!! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

I need to go somewhere else so I check out Alladin. I get in a 1/2 NL game with a bunch of foreigners (about half the table). I think one might be a friggen terrorist, and three of the others are speaking some other language to each other during hands. They are warned about it but Ive seen enough of this table so I leave ahead $27. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

The next day Alladin has a $110 tourney at noon so I figure, other than some of the people at the table I was at the night before, the room was pretty good (on par with Orleans and Excalibur), so I'll go back.

This hand ended it for me:
About 40 players started with 2000 in chips.
Villian in BB called an all in earlier with 88 and sucked out against 99 to get his stack. EP limps a lot of hands.
The whole table seemed to play like something you'd see in a Stars $5.50 sng.
Hero has VP$IP once so far - a failed blind steal from the button.
Blinds 50/100 now, rise every 20 minutes and we're about 10 minutes into this level, still a long ways from the money.
EP limps (probably with complete crap)
Folded to Hero in CO with Ad Jx and a 1500 stack
Hero raises to 400
Folded to BB who calls with about a 3500 stack (note on him above)
EP folds
Pot is 950
Hero has 1100 in stack, BB has a lot more
Flop is KXX all diamonds
BB checks
Hero pushes
Villian calls with KJ and I dont hit.

Enough of this place, I take the one hour, two block trip to Mirage. The traffic became horrible that day - the day after Thankgiving. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

I play two more $70 sng's and come up empty. No interesting hands, no luck, just a lot of push/fold Party bubble type poker. If a good player played a lot of these, they could be profitable, but they take so damn long between games and the structure is so fast, it isnt as much fun as it could be.

One last trip to the Orleans before my plane leaves. Here is a hand (with fishy comments from opponent) which typifies the mentality at the Vegas cardrooms.

Hero is SB.
Lots of limps.
Hero has AA and raises to $20.
UTG calls, others fold.
Flop is AAx with two spades (no way I slowplay this)
Hero bets 25.
Fish raises to 100.
Hero figures fish has flush draw and pushes.
Fish instacalls with KsTs, no pair, only runner runner straight possible with his flush draw (THANKS!!) [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
He doesnt hit his flush and I take in a $370 pot. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Fish says, "That was fun, man. I was waiting to get in a big hand against you!" I say, "You picked the wrong one to get into." Here's the good part - he says, "No I didnt, that was great!!" [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] You gotta love playing poker against people like that!

Grand total:
cash games: +$431 [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
tourneys: - $507 [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
fun: priceless [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Thats it - lots of cards, a little sightseeing, a little golf and one show - Bite at the Stratosphere, I highly recommend it if you like beautiful, athletic, topless women and 80's rock and roll - very good show. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Just read the last part... that guy knew he was drawing dead, right?

Oh nm, I missed that runner runner straight flush draw.

[Scuba Chuck]

[ QUOTE ]
A father and son were playing in the game I was in. The son raised preflop. Several folded to dad who pushes. Son calls with TT. Dad smiles and flips over J3o. Son takes down the pot. Dad winks at son. I say nice chip dump. The dealer and the two culprits ignore it. The guy on my left noticed it too and we griped to each other about it. I wish now that I would have had the game stopped at that point.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, what could be done? Even if you told the manager right away, did he indicate what could have been done?

[ QUOTE ]
A father and son were playing in the game I was in. The son raised preflop. Several folded to dad who pushes. Son calls with TT. Dad smiles and flips over J3o. Son takes down the pot. Dad winks at son. I say nice chip dump. The dealer and the two culprits ignore it. The guy on my left noticed it too and we griped to each other about it. I wish now that I would have had the game stopped at that point.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see this as collusion. This could be dad trying to get junior to fold so he can flip over J3 and needle him. If dad had called an all-in with J3, then we have some solid evidence of something rotten. But pushing all-in with crappy cards is more likely a bluff gone wrong.