Back to Vegas

[Barry]

AngelFish and I just got back from one of my periodic trips to Vegas. I wasn’t going to write a report on this trip, but a few folks talked me into it. I guess they like them for their soporific qualities.

The 1st 3 days I ran goot! Big A’s always seemed to flop a pair and the big pairs held up. There was one hand that PokerBabe and I got involved in that nearly got me permanently banned from her list.

I can’t remember whether it was 15/30 or 30/60 at the Bellagio, but I limp in behind a few other limpers from the hijack seat with J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Babe is either the SB and completes or raps from the BB.

Flop is 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Babe leads, EP fish raises, I 3 bet, Babe 4 bets, EP guy calls, I 5 bet, Babe jumps up out of her seat and stares, perhaps glares is a better word.

Turn is something, checked to me and I check, Babe again glares at me.

River is a non diamond 6, Babe checks, EP bets, I call (meh), Babe calls, and he tables T9o for the straight. Babe flashes her QQ as it goes in the muck.

Later in the trip she forgave me.

Went to the Babe’s home turf of the Mirage 1 day. The 20 game didn’t get going until after 12 and the 40 game not until about 4. A noted poker authority (APA) (not THE noted poker authority) whose book on mid-limit poker gets panned on these forums from time to time for its weak tight advice was in both games. I have to say that I wasn’t impressed. He muttered throughout the day about the bad play; he flung his cards into the muck several times and made a few weird plays.

Older fellow, who at 1st glance seems like a rock, but later shows weird acts of aggression raises UTG, folded to APA on the button who coldcalls, folded to me in the BB and I 3-bet my JJ. I flop a set, old guy calls, APA folds. I turn a boat and old guy calls my turn bet and folds the river.

Another hand it’s folded to APA in the CO and he LIMPS!

Later in the 40 game, he’s sitting to my left and we are 4 or 5 handed. I raise A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], he folds and 3 go to the flop. Anyway a lady LAG in the BB who called, makes a flush with her 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] and he mutters to me about her calling a raise with that hand. You might think that she sucked out on him. Jeez, do you want her to play better?

Met up with Clarkmeister at the Wynn. They didn’t have a 40 game going and the Mirage 40 game had a long list, so we had fun at a great 15 game there. In the 1st half hour Clarkmeister was down nearly 2 racks. 1 hand he bluffed his busted flush draw all the way on an A high board and was called by a total fish that made a bottom pair of 3’s.

I move to the fish’s left and 4 bet him PF with KK. He calls a nothing flop and turn with the PF raiser folding the turn. An A hits the river and he fires out. I call (meh) again and he shows me his AJo. He hit a rush, racks up and leaves before I can get my chips back.

Clarkmeister also goes on a tear and the 2 bluffs he gets caught in early pay multiple dividends as he gets called left and right when he really has a hand. We get up after 3 hours, with me up a little shy of a rack and Clarkmeister up a little over 2 racks for a 4 rack swing. As we are cashing out he chuckles to me about his variance being a “little” higher than mine.

JTG51 comes in for the weekend and we play a little 15/30 at the Bellagio. In my last trip he kept cracking my AA. He’s to my left and I 3-bet on the button with AA after a nutcase raised a limper and got 2 cold callers. After the hand he told me that he was thinking about getting frisky with his T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] and was going to call the raise out of the SB. My 3-bet convinced him otherwise. The flop was TT7 (the BB folded AT) and he would have done it to me again. Anyway it gets capped 5 ways before the flop and I win a very nice pot. I joke to JTG that "There's my 1 pot of the hour." He laughs and says "With pots like that, 1 an hour is all you need." JTG books a nice win for the session and heads off to bed. I slug it out for a little while longer and wind up stuck a stack.

Played a round of golf with the Babe and Mr. Babe. Got off to a great start and was only 2 over after 10 holes. I hit a few drives out of bounds on the back side to screw up my round that still wound up OK. Mr. Babe and I had a Nassau bet going and I had won the front side and I had the 18 locked up, but Mr. Babe was 1 up on me on the back going into the par 5 18. Mr. Babe hits his 2nd shot into the water and hits his 4th into the rough around the green. I’m on the fringe about 15 feet away putting for a birdie 4. Mr. Babe hits a nice chip shot that rolls right at the hole and GOES IN for a 5. Nice shot. I miss my birdie putt and also make a par.

After another morning session with the Babe at the Bellagio (the Mirage was quiet), I took a nap, got up and played for about 45 minutes in the 30 game before we were about to go out to dinner.

I played 5 hands. I limped 2x and folded the flop and then the other 3 hands.

AKo, flop was AK5 and I lost quite a bit to the SB’s 55.

A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and I raise in EMP, 1 cold caller and a fish in the BB calls.


Flop is J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Fish bets, I raise, coldcaller, coldcalls again.

Turn 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Check, check (meh), coldcaller now bets, fish c/r’s, I call.

River is a heart and then as I’m about to raise the river, I see that it is the 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and just call. Fish has J9o

I raise AQo UTG get a couple of coldcallers including the fish.
The flop is Q44 and he’s the only caller. Anyway he raises me on the river and shows me 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I’m glad it’s dinnertime.

I donked around in the 4/8 and 8/16 with AngelFish a few times and had quite a bit of fun, especially against this grumpy old man that kept gunning for us. I had AA vs. his AT when the final board was ATTxx. A little later AngelFish has AA, he calls and the flop is AJJ. After multiple bets on the flop and turn, he calls her river bet and flashes a J before he mucks.

The 8/16 game is played with both $1(blue) and $5(red) chips. So I created 1 stack that contained a red, blue, blue, blue repeating sequence for my SB stack and another stack of blue, red, red, red for my BB stack. There was a father and son playing in the game and every time I reached for the BB stack PF, the son joked, "I hate it when he (me) reaches for that stack". One time when I had bet the flop and it was raised and 3 bet back to me I even got to pull one set off of each stack to make it 4 bets.

As I was waiting for a 30 game another day, I sit in 4/8 game. I take my BB. Limp, limp, limp, raise, call, call and I look down and see QQ and 3 bet. 7 to the flop for 3 bets each. I flop top set and there is a flush draw out. I bet and get 5 callers, Turn is something, I bet and get 3 callers. The river pairs the board and is not a spade. I bet, no callers. Just at that time I get called to the other game, so I turn my hand over to show the table. I fold my SB and button while I’m racking up. After I have racked up I have 2 extra chips beyond my even stacks, so I toss them into the pot and get up. Now that’s a hit and run.

The rest of the trip was somewhat frustrating. My favorite way for a big pair to lose over the next few days was vs. Axs that flopped a pair, an overcard to my pair and a backdoor flush draw. They always seemed to get there one of those ways.

The last morning we play for about 2 hours before our flight. The dealer from the disaster session sits down to play as they open up a new 30 game. We have a few laughs over his being bad luck for me.

So what happens? I get dealt KK 4x in those 2 hours, there is an A on every flop and I win 1 only of them when the BB tossed his cards in the muck after the flop is spread. But the session and the trip has a happy ending. My last hand I get red JJ and raise, weird regular lady 3-bets, 2 to my left. A laggy older fellow that looks a little like Mr. Magoo in the BB calls and bets a raggedy red flop. I raise and lady folds, BB calls. He calls my turn and river bets which are all small cards and shows me his AKo. I rack up and find that I won 2 BB’s in those 2 hours. Oh yeah, the Bellagio just got in a shipment of brand new $10 chips. The problem is when your stacks have a mix of the old (worn down) and new chips then you’re never sure quite how many of them are in a stack. The cage also has to cut every mixed stack.

One other thing. AngelFish has gotten very good a getting comps. She seemed to get 2 every other day. One night she got picked up as she took a little too long getting ready for dinner. We head over to the cage and I see the swing shift manager and ask him about getting her cash. He has seen me around and say’s (not really grumpy, but not really friendly), did you get picked up? I say no and say “she did” as I point to AngelFish. He demeanor completely changes as he sees her. His tone of voice completely changes too. You all know the voice. You’re having a conversation with a guy, they get a phone call and their voice changes and you immediately know that it is his wife that called. Anyway, I’ll keep letting AngelFish get our comps at the Bellagio.

[leon]

Nice report Barry. I need to get back to vegas soon. I was there a few weeks ago but didn't get to play seriously at all. I didn't see the babe either since she was in Montana, so that was doubly bad.

The part where you played with Clark especially made me want to come back. He's a cool all around guy the times we've played, and I'd like to play next time in a more relaxing atmosphere, say a soft 15 game where he gets called down by bottom pair. The only times we've played it's been short handed 40/80, not exactly a relaxing game [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Leon

[Victor]

babe, there is absolutely no excuse for not raising the qq pf.

[JTG51]

It was good to see you again, Barry. I just wish you had told me you had Aces in the hand where I had T7s. I would have called if I had known. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[jba]

[ QUOTE ]
Another hand it’s folded to APA in the CO and he LIMPS!

[/ QUOTE ]

i just threw that book away