I entered a satellite to the $750,000 guarantee on Full Tilt on Sunday. The entry fee was only $8; there were 60 entrants; and the last two players standing won an entry worth $216 to the big event.
I was one of them - having played pretty well the whole event - yes with some luck but not an ungodly amount.
The main event had almost 4400 entrants, with a $3000 starting stack. Just by staying out of trouble and foolishness you can watch the field whittle itself down by 60 - 70% in a few hours.
That's in fact what happened with me. Twice I lost 1000 chips on solid hands, and I had to wait a while to build back up. Just stay patient. So by 8.30, after only 2.5 hours, the field was down to 1700 players and my stack was around $5800 (which was slightly below average size but certainly not alarming.
Sitting in the big blind, with $25 antes, $240 BB and $120 SB I picked up a pair of queens. My LHO opened for a funky $555, and the guy to his left shoved all in with his $2025. The pot was now $2775. Everyone folded back to me.
I could fold (no way !). I could call and throw in another $1785 (keeping around $3600 in my stack for post flop play). Or I could shove all in myself. The guy on my left who had opened for $550 had a slightly bigger stack than I did. If he calls my shove, he has me covered, and I would be in a three way pot to glory. If he folds, I would be heads up with the all-in guy for a $4560 pot.
These are situations I need to learn more about if I am to advance my placings in tournament play. The gambler in me says go for it - it's a good spot to more than double up if I am called ! The conservative, patient player in me says keep it small till I see the flop - be prepared to regroup if I don't like developments post flop.
Anyway, I did shove all in, and my LHO called without much debate. To my delight, he turned over a pair of jacks, and the small stack turned over a pair of sixes. I was clearly ahead in this race. The flop was 9 A 8 with no flush draws possible for any of us.
The next card was a beautiful queen, and I was already high fiving my son Max when the river came a ten. It took a second to realize that the dealer was pushing all the chips from the pot past my avatar to the guy on my left who began with a pair of Jacks, and who had just rivered a straight. Aargh!
His stack zoomed to around $15000 and he was in the top 100 and well placed for a long night at the table. Had I won, my stack would have been just under $14000 and I would have been in around 150th but with a definitely playable stack.
At first my reaction was, oh well, I put myself in a good position and someone sucked out on me - it happens.
But then I went back and looked at the board and the starting hands and began to play out the hand under a different scenario.....
Suppose at my turn I had just called the $2025 bet, and NOT shoved all in. I don't think the JJ guy would then shove all in but if he did for sure I would call and take my chances. So let's assume he would not shove, but rather simply call.
Now the hand plays out totally differently. Villain has JJ with a flop of 9 A 8, and I check to him. What should he do? I dunno !
If he checks too, the turn is my queen, and I would likely shove all in. I believe he would admit defeat on the hand and fold his jacks. I would win a smaller, but still good sized pot, without having jeopardized my whole stack.
If he elected to shove after the flop, I dunno what I would have done. I probably would have folded.
Should I check after the flop? I feel yes, otherwise the hand feels like I will be stack committed very soon.
I would really appreciate some feedback on the play of this hand from expert players - as there were several ways to play my hand and the villain's hand.
Anyway, I am not unhappy. I am on a journey and I feel confident I will get there. I don't play that much compared to many online players and pros - but when I do play, every hand counts, and I learn from every experience. This is exactly how I accelerated my development as a bridge player both back in the day and again now as I reclaim my long lost skills there.
I'm about to book our next trip to Vegas - I feel the tables calling !
Post mortem
The event finished at 4.30 AM. I watched the final three players (again to learn how people play in final table play in these mega events) First place was a cool $154,000, second place $93,000, and third place $61,000.
And Full tilt runs this event every Sunday ! As well as several other pretty big ones! And all the other sites have their own big events too. There is serious coin out there !
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Finally some online poker success
Okay, so it was not exactly a stud event, but last night while chilling with Svetlana, who enjoys heads up confrontations on FTP, I decided to enter a 90 person tournament on Full Tilt. Entry fee was $26. There would be cash prizes ranging from $45 (for ninth) to $576 for first place.
And, the site gave you a $4 bounty every time you eliminated someone from the event.
As is my wont, I was concurrently playing Wordscraper on Facebook, and reviewing my bridge notes with Keith. I find I need other things to occupy me during the early to mid stages of an online tournament, since I am folding a lot.
Many players fill the void by playing several tables simultaneously, and speak of their multi table prowess as if they were comparing penile dimensions in the men's locker room.
But I know me, and if more than two tables I begin to play poorly. Yes, I can play several tables, but I choose not to, and I believe I do better as a result.
Anyway, within 2 or 3 hours, I made it to the final table, comfortably in the money, and now the real fun began. Every player eliminated moves you higher up the money ladder.
As I reflect on the event, I recall several things of note.
1) The final two tables of play pretty much demanded all my attention - especially the final table - you should forget multi tabling when it gets this late in an event.
2) Yes I played well through most of the event - only three decisions I regretted (one of which caused my demise) but I also played with great luck - and it's true most of my poker tournament successes have had that common theme - an excess amount of luck.
I suspect that has to be true for anyone who aspires to go deep in tournaments. At key points you simply have to pull the trigger and shove all in, and if the cards don't favour you, fuggedabout it.
3) On three different occasions I had players use some very nasty words with me which must confirm my luck comment. The most harmless comment was "Nice call, donk."
To which I replied, "If you hadn't tanked like a cheater, I would not have called" i.e. he got what he deserved as he had me dominated with AK and I sucked out on the river with AQ.
Another player said f.u. on her way to the rail. I had three bet with QQ in late position and she had called from the BB. The flop was 10xx, and somehow all the chips ended up in the middle. (early in the event)
The queen on the river seemed to upset my opponent who had flopped trip tens.
And another player said "I don't f.uckin believe you" just because I busted his pocket Aces with Q10 suited in clubs when the board was 8C 7C QD and we got all our chips in the middle. The tidy two of clubs on the river ended his misery.
That guy got a formal warning from the administrator of the tournament for swearing. Not sure what comes after a formal warning - time outs?
Anyway, my luck was pretty good. Another key hand, mid tournament, I busted a shorter stack when he had AA and I had A9 suited, and the turn and river were both in my suit and my nut flush beat his two pairs. No swearing here though.
Back to the final table. It turned out to be a three way battle. I was one of two big stacks with around 110,000 and the third stack had half that.
Earlier I had planned to offer a chop (ie split the prize money) if we got this far, as a three way chop would have netted around $440 or so - better than all but first place.
But you know, I completely forgot, or there was no time or both. It all happened so fast.
It took me a while at the final table to realize how loose people were becoming with their all-in shoves so I laid down a couple of big hands pre flop that in retrospect were probably strong enough to call. (99 and K10s were two)
Small stack shoved from the button and I had AQo, so I called. He had 66 and nothing good came on the board (for once!) and now I was small stack - just like that.
I shoved three hands in a row with hands such as 22, 44, and AJ, and took down the blinds and antes uncontested, trying to build back up and at the same time preparing for a showdown if I were called.
I guess I got carried away with the success of this strategy so with 107o on the button, I tried this four times in a row and was insta-called with K10o by the big stack.
No miracle board, and I went to the rail in third place - still, I did pick up around $280.
Yes, I should have stayed in the zone that last hand. After three successful uncalled shoves, I could easily have afforded a two bet or even a three bet from the button, and if I met resistance, I could have folded and waited for a better spot.
So yes, I blew that hand. But it was a fun way to while away a few hours.
PS Lest I give the impression I am a newbie at this, no I have had online success before , but not much since I began to blog.
And, the site gave you a $4 bounty every time you eliminated someone from the event.
As is my wont, I was concurrently playing Wordscraper on Facebook, and reviewing my bridge notes with Keith. I find I need other things to occupy me during the early to mid stages of an online tournament, since I am folding a lot.
Many players fill the void by playing several tables simultaneously, and speak of their multi table prowess as if they were comparing penile dimensions in the men's locker room.
But I know me, and if more than two tables I begin to play poorly. Yes, I can play several tables, but I choose not to, and I believe I do better as a result.
Anyway, within 2 or 3 hours, I made it to the final table, comfortably in the money, and now the real fun began. Every player eliminated moves you higher up the money ladder.
As I reflect on the event, I recall several things of note.
1) The final two tables of play pretty much demanded all my attention - especially the final table - you should forget multi tabling when it gets this late in an event.
2) Yes I played well through most of the event - only three decisions I regretted (one of which caused my demise) but I also played with great luck - and it's true most of my poker tournament successes have had that common theme - an excess amount of luck.
I suspect that has to be true for anyone who aspires to go deep in tournaments. At key points you simply have to pull the trigger and shove all in, and if the cards don't favour you, fuggedabout it.
3) On three different occasions I had players use some very nasty words with me which must confirm my luck comment. The most harmless comment was "Nice call, donk."
To which I replied, "If you hadn't tanked like a cheater, I would not have called" i.e. he got what he deserved as he had me dominated with AK and I sucked out on the river with AQ.
Another player said f.u. on her way to the rail. I had three bet with QQ in late position and she had called from the BB. The flop was 10xx, and somehow all the chips ended up in the middle. (early in the event)
The queen on the river seemed to upset my opponent who had flopped trip tens.
And another player said "I don't f.uckin believe you" just because I busted his pocket Aces with Q10 suited in clubs when the board was 8C 7C QD and we got all our chips in the middle. The tidy two of clubs on the river ended his misery.
That guy got a formal warning from the administrator of the tournament for swearing. Not sure what comes after a formal warning - time outs?
Anyway, my luck was pretty good. Another key hand, mid tournament, I busted a shorter stack when he had AA and I had A9 suited, and the turn and river were both in my suit and my nut flush beat his two pairs. No swearing here though.
Back to the final table. It turned out to be a three way battle. I was one of two big stacks with around 110,000 and the third stack had half that.
Earlier I had planned to offer a chop (ie split the prize money) if we got this far, as a three way chop would have netted around $440 or so - better than all but first place.
But you know, I completely forgot, or there was no time or both. It all happened so fast.
It took me a while at the final table to realize how loose people were becoming with their all-in shoves so I laid down a couple of big hands pre flop that in retrospect were probably strong enough to call. (99 and K10s were two)
Small stack shoved from the button and I had AQo, so I called. He had 66 and nothing good came on the board (for once!) and now I was small stack - just like that.
I shoved three hands in a row with hands such as 22, 44, and AJ, and took down the blinds and antes uncontested, trying to build back up and at the same time preparing for a showdown if I were called.
I guess I got carried away with the success of this strategy so with 107o on the button, I tried this four times in a row and was insta-called with K10o by the big stack.
No miracle board, and I went to the rail in third place - still, I did pick up around $280.
Yes, I should have stayed in the zone that last hand. After three successful uncalled shoves, I could easily have afforded a two bet or even a three bet from the button, and if I met resistance, I could have folded and waited for a better spot.
So yes, I blew that hand. But it was a fun way to while away a few hours.
PS Lest I give the impression I am a newbie at this, no I have had online success before , but not much since I began to blog.
Over my head in big online poker tournaments
Looks like I forgot to post this draft over a week ago.....
Every few months or so, Full Tilt Poker (one of the best known online poker sites) runs a series of hi stakes poker tournaments - a series called FTOPS.
The entry fees range from a modest $129 or so to a slightly ridiculous $2500.
The prize pools are very large though and the thought of even a modest "cash" drives thousands of players to try to qualify their way into one of these events.
Today is the final day of the current $16 million series. I have won my way into FTOPS #24 which begins at 2 pm EST (so far the entry size is around 3000 players but I expect more than 9000 by the time we begin.)
Prize pool for this one is $800,000.
Later, at 6 pm is the big one - the Main Event - with a $535 entry fee and a first prize of more than $400,000, and a total prize pool of $2.5 million.
I have been trying unsuccessfully to win my way into this event - this can be accomplished by winning a smaller satellite tourney with entry fees ranging from a few dollars to as much as $109.
As I write I am taking likely my last stab at this. The event I am in cost $26 to enter and attracted 175 players. The last seven players standing will win their entry into tonight's main event.
At the moment my stack is around $3500 - and there are 110 players left. (We began with $1500 in chips)
Opps - stack update. I am now down to $2100 - losing 1/3 of my stack to a short stacked player who semi bluffed a flop of 665 (I had 88) - he held 109 suited (with only the potential of a runner runner flush draw or two overcards) and spiked a nine on the turn.
Oops again. Now I lost another $550 in a heads up confrontation between my AK suited and the short stack's JJ. I neither paired nor flushed.
91 players left and in the space of two hands I have dropped precipitously from 16th to 78th.
Better get back to work at the tables........
Update - one hour later....
Ach, I hate this game sometimes. How come when I have AK and I am in a "race" versus a pair - the opponents's pair always stands up or worse, he completes a set (3 of a kind) ?
Yet when I found my tournament life on the line just now, I was in the Big Blind ($200-$100 structure) with around $950 left and a big stack in mid position made it $500 to go.
So I decided now was as good as time as any to take a stand. I popped him all in with my pair of sevens, and of course he had AK.
The kill was swift as the first card on the flop was an Ace, and at that point, only another 7 would save my tournament skin.
No such luck, so I busted out 50th/175
(I find top third and top quartile placements are relatively easy to achieve, but generally they only pay out prizes to the top 10% or so)
OK so that leaves me two hours before FTOPS #24 begins.
Have a great Sunday folks!
Todays FTOPS event #24 at Full Tilt Poker
Cost of entry : $129 USD (comparable)
Number of entrants : 9,832 (more than an ACBL Nationals ?)
Tournament Location : Wherever you happen to be (No travel costs)
Dress Code : Whatever you want, as much or as little as you want
Duration of tournament : between eight and twelve hours (Not 2 weeks !!)
(AFTER SIX HOURS THE FIELD WAS ALREADY DOWN TO 370 PLAYERS)
Prize pool : $983,200 USD (yes there are cash prizes !!)
First place prize : $152,396
Second place prize : $103,236
Third place prize : $72,757
Fourth place prize : $52,306
Fifth place prize $38,345,
90th place prize $1,003
541 st place prize : $295
1350 th place prize : $148 (Yes, they pay up to 1350 th place !!)
Plus, every time you knock someone out you make a $20 bounty; and if you knock out a pro, you get a $120 bounty
Okay, okay.........Don't get me wrong.
I much prefer playing bridge for no money, in fact, at my expense, to a game of No limit Hold 'Em (NLHE) - but there are many who differ.
But NLHE has the attention of the masses; the enthusiastic embrace of the youthful; and it is easy to learn; easy to play; and luck plays more of a part in the final outcome.
I think as bridge aficionados we should be aware of what's going on out there, but don't think of competing with poker - there is no competition.
That's like saying the National Hockey League is going to take on the NFL for supremacy in the TV ratings
Post mortem
After only 2 hours and forty minutes, my avatar met it's fate in 4,216th place (from 9,832) - having fought the last hour bravely with a very small stack
The hand that crippled me was earlier when I held AQ suited in hearts and went head to head vs my LHO. The flop was a scary KH QC KD
Another heart came on the turn and the betting was firm but not overly huge. The river was a little heart giving me the nut flush but pairing my LHO's 8 who now had a full house (filled by his K8 suited)
I went from average stack to 40% of average stack size with that one hand, and could not get my groove back.
But I gotta tell you, it's not a bad way to while away a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. Sort of like playing a lottery with better odds and in a hands on fashion.
Every few months or so, Full Tilt Poker (one of the best known online poker sites) runs a series of hi stakes poker tournaments - a series called FTOPS.
The entry fees range from a modest $129 or so to a slightly ridiculous $2500.
The prize pools are very large though and the thought of even a modest "cash" drives thousands of players to try to qualify their way into one of these events.
Today is the final day of the current $16 million series. I have won my way into FTOPS #24 which begins at 2 pm EST (so far the entry size is around 3000 players but I expect more than 9000 by the time we begin.)
Prize pool for this one is $800,000.
Later, at 6 pm is the big one - the Main Event - with a $535 entry fee and a first prize of more than $400,000, and a total prize pool of $2.5 million.
I have been trying unsuccessfully to win my way into this event - this can be accomplished by winning a smaller satellite tourney with entry fees ranging from a few dollars to as much as $109.
As I write I am taking likely my last stab at this. The event I am in cost $26 to enter and attracted 175 players. The last seven players standing will win their entry into tonight's main event.
At the moment my stack is around $3500 - and there are 110 players left. (We began with $1500 in chips)
Opps - stack update. I am now down to $2100 - losing 1/3 of my stack to a short stacked player who semi bluffed a flop of 665 (I had 88) - he held 109 suited (with only the potential of a runner runner flush draw or two overcards) and spiked a nine on the turn.
Oops again. Now I lost another $550 in a heads up confrontation between my AK suited and the short stack's JJ. I neither paired nor flushed.
91 players left and in the space of two hands I have dropped precipitously from 16th to 78th.
Better get back to work at the tables........
Update - one hour later....
Ach, I hate this game sometimes. How come when I have AK and I am in a "race" versus a pair - the opponents's pair always stands up or worse, he completes a set (3 of a kind) ?
Yet when I found my tournament life on the line just now, I was in the Big Blind ($200-$100 structure) with around $950 left and a big stack in mid position made it $500 to go.
So I decided now was as good as time as any to take a stand. I popped him all in with my pair of sevens, and of course he had AK.
The kill was swift as the first card on the flop was an Ace, and at that point, only another 7 would save my tournament skin.
No such luck, so I busted out 50th/175
(I find top third and top quartile placements are relatively easy to achieve, but generally they only pay out prizes to the top 10% or so)
OK so that leaves me two hours before FTOPS #24 begins.
Have a great Sunday folks!
Todays FTOPS event #24 at Full Tilt Poker
Cost of entry : $129 USD (comparable)
Number of entrants : 9,832 (more than an ACBL Nationals ?)
Tournament Location : Wherever you happen to be (No travel costs)
Dress Code : Whatever you want, as much or as little as you want
Duration of tournament : between eight and twelve hours (Not 2 weeks !!)
(AFTER SIX HOURS THE FIELD WAS ALREADY DOWN TO 370 PLAYERS)
Prize pool : $983,200 USD (yes there are cash prizes !!)
First place prize : $152,396
Second place prize : $103,236
Third place prize : $72,757
Fourth place prize : $52,306
Fifth place prize $38,345,
90th place prize $1,003
541 st place prize : $295
1350 th place prize : $148 (Yes, they pay up to 1350 th place !!)
Plus, every time you knock someone out you make a $20 bounty; and if you knock out a pro, you get a $120 bounty
Okay, okay.........Don't get me wrong.
I much prefer playing bridge for no money, in fact, at my expense, to a game of No limit Hold 'Em (NLHE) - but there are many who differ.
But NLHE has the attention of the masses; the enthusiastic embrace of the youthful; and it is easy to learn; easy to play; and luck plays more of a part in the final outcome.
I think as bridge aficionados we should be aware of what's going on out there, but don't think of competing with poker - there is no competition.
That's like saying the National Hockey League is going to take on the NFL for supremacy in the TV ratings
Post mortem
After only 2 hours and forty minutes, my avatar met it's fate in 4,216th place (from 9,832) - having fought the last hour bravely with a very small stack
The hand that crippled me was earlier when I held AQ suited in hearts and went head to head vs my LHO. The flop was a scary KH QC KD
Another heart came on the turn and the betting was firm but not overly huge. The river was a little heart giving me the nut flush but pairing my LHO's 8 who now had a full house (filled by his K8 suited)
I went from average stack to 40% of average stack size with that one hand, and could not get my groove back.
But I gotta tell you, it's not a bad way to while away a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. Sort of like playing a lottery with better odds and in a hands on fashion.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tales from the tables - Halloween trip 2009 II
It's now Wednesday and heading back to the real world after a very successful trip. Other than one more foray into tournament poker on Monday, my card play was mostly limited to two deck blackjack at several different locations. I was in a zone the entire time - playing with great discipline and care. Funny, but each time I sat down to play, I was almost reluctant and proceeded with great caution each time.
This actually fits real well with my hit and run strategy at the tables. Other than this morning's 1.5 hours at the Venetian, and last night's two hour struggle at Treasure Island, my average session was well under 30 minutes. I did not actually play that much, but I made a profit in fifteen of my eighteen sessions this trip.
The losing session at Ceasar's on Sunday had been a six deck shoe game, so perhaps no surprise. Last night at Treasure Island, I got stuck $400 really quickly at the DD table in the open area, so I migrated to the "high limit" area to repair the damage. I use quotations, as it is the first casino I have played in here in years where the hi limit table minimum started at only $50. This is great.
Better yet, and almost unbelievably, if I felt like coming down to $25 a hand (one or two spots) the staff just turned a blind eye. Very relaxed, very friendly location. I played there several times this trip - a great haven when the table limits in my "office" at the Venetian are uncomfortably high.
In spite of these amazing conditions, I still ended up down $200 on the night - losing a further $200 in a DD game, and recouping $400 in a shoe game. I was getting tired, and worried I would begin to bet carelessly, so I packed it in.
That left me refreshed this morning so I went down to my favorite place in Las Vegas (the two deck games in the Venetian) and played heads up with several dealers. It was good at first, then I began to slip and slide to a loss position of $600 before pulling it out in the last 20 minutes for a session profit of $700.
The main excitement was when an Asian hi stakes Baccarat player decided to take a break and come play with me with his "last $5000" - at $1000 per hand. He decided I was a good player and so he bet under me - matching my bets and plays completely. If I pressed, he would raise his bets to $2000 or $3000 per hand. If I alternated between one hand and two, he would come along for the ride.
The first two hands we played were blackjacks, so he pulled up a chair and began to take this seriously. In the space of about 60 seconds, my table went from a sleepy, quiet corner game to a game where three supervisors admired our plays and action with great interest, while a bevy of onlooking kibitzers enjoyed the fun.
We got him up $15,000 in 20 minutes or so, and that's where I made most of my profit. He dawdled off happily to the Baccarat room again, while I came down a notch or so.......flight is beckoning........to be continued.
This actually fits real well with my hit and run strategy at the tables. Other than this morning's 1.5 hours at the Venetian, and last night's two hour struggle at Treasure Island, my average session was well under 30 minutes. I did not actually play that much, but I made a profit in fifteen of my eighteen sessions this trip.
The losing session at Ceasar's on Sunday had been a six deck shoe game, so perhaps no surprise. Last night at Treasure Island, I got stuck $400 really quickly at the DD table in the open area, so I migrated to the "high limit" area to repair the damage. I use quotations, as it is the first casino I have played in here in years where the hi limit table minimum started at only $50. This is great.
Better yet, and almost unbelievably, if I felt like coming down to $25 a hand (one or two spots) the staff just turned a blind eye. Very relaxed, very friendly location. I played there several times this trip - a great haven when the table limits in my "office" at the Venetian are uncomfortably high.
In spite of these amazing conditions, I still ended up down $200 on the night - losing a further $200 in a DD game, and recouping $400 in a shoe game. I was getting tired, and worried I would begin to bet carelessly, so I packed it in.
That left me refreshed this morning so I went down to my favorite place in Las Vegas (the two deck games in the Venetian) and played heads up with several dealers. It was good at first, then I began to slip and slide to a loss position of $600 before pulling it out in the last 20 minutes for a session profit of $700.
The main excitement was when an Asian hi stakes Baccarat player decided to take a break and come play with me with his "last $5000" - at $1000 per hand. He decided I was a good player and so he bet under me - matching my bets and plays completely. If I pressed, he would raise his bets to $2000 or $3000 per hand. If I alternated between one hand and two, he would come along for the ride.
The first two hands we played were blackjacks, so he pulled up a chair and began to take this seriously. In the space of about 60 seconds, my table went from a sleepy, quiet corner game to a game where three supervisors admired our plays and action with great interest, while a bevy of onlooking kibitzers enjoyed the fun.
We got him up $15,000 in 20 minutes or so, and that's where I made most of my profit. He dawdled off happily to the Baccarat room again, while I came down a notch or so.......flight is beckoning........to be continued.
Tales from the tables - Halloween trip 2009 III
Wednesday morning continued
The hi rolling Asian could not stand prosperity. He came out of the VIP room ten minutes later with a hang dog expression on his face, and asked me if I could "do it again" for him with his last $3000.
To be honest, much as I like the fun, I felt his action was a bit of a distraction for me and my pittance betting, but of course I agreed nonetheless.
Example, soon he was down to his last chip, and I was playing two hands. He placed his $1000 on the first spot, with my bet nestled on top. The second spot had my bet only. The dealers need to know whose money is on the spot and who will be playing the hand at all times - especially when players are pooling.
So he kinda took over this hand with no one realizing it or objecting. So the dealer looked for his hand signals, not mine. After drawing a card, he thought for a while and asked for another. As soon as he did he balked and said NO NO I don't want it. But the 2 of hearts was already on the felt.
He waived off further cards - I had no idea what had happened as we are not allowed to peek at each other's cards technically - especially when Big Brother and his minions are all around the table like a sherrif's posse. (But it sure felt like he had accidentally hit a "made hand")
Seeing that two on my right fostered a bad feeling about my own hand as I was looking at 6-3, and the two would have been made to feel right at home.
Sure enough the next card was an 8 and I stopped at the death level of 17, noting a 19 was there for me if his deuce had been left in the deck.
All the cards were now exposed. Dealer had 18. I lost. Hi roller had 19, having accidentally hit on 17 and drawn my 2.
So I won $50 on his spot, he won his $1000, but I lost $150 on my own (where I had been pressing stronger cards)
Finally, to get to the point of the story, as soon as he left the table, the supervisor came over to the dealer and told him to give me $100 from his tray - explaining that if I had been playing both spots myself (as I had been till then) I would have lost the first hand and won the second.
Nice touch by the Venetian - I had not complained one word - but they were looking out for me.
Earlier in the day, my travel companion had insisted we go downtown to the legendary Fremont Street - where you can still see those same casinos they flashed in 60's and 70's movies. It's too bad everyone I bring to Vegas wants to do this - I don't think there is much endearing about the area - not when you have been poshed beyond belief at Wynn, Bellagio, Encore, Venetian etc.
So I amused myself for an hour at a saloon/casino called "The Fitz". You know these places are of a different standard when you buy in for $200, and the dealer takes his time inspecting each and every $20 bill to ensure they are not fake !
I ran up my stake to $475 and had serious concerns about their ability to deal with this at the Cashier's Cage when it came time to cash out. Yes, they actually did call down to the blackjack pit to confirm it really was me and I really did win these chips honestly before they released the money to me. LOL.
There was also an ill fated foray into the Deep Stack poker tournament at the Venetian on Monday. A two day event with a strong field of 117 players, and a nuts shrivelling entry fee of $1080. First placed was around $33,000 and thirteen players would cash.
I was flush with my winnings from Sunday's poker tournament and decided to parlay the money into a bigger cash by playing with the big boys and girls. Hah - they kinda had me for breakfast and dinner !
The quality of play in this event was an order of magnitude better than the Sunday tourney at The Wynn - it felt like I was on my heels the whole time - to be sure - a great poker experience and if I want to improve, I have to play in stronger games - but the cost of tuition can be pretty high!
I actually lasted till 9.15 pm - when the field was down to 31 players, and the average stack size was around 60,000 chips. I had always been below average stack size the whole day. T'was much harder to take down decent sized pots when I finally got cards, (can you spell TELLS ?) and in general most of the players were playing small ball poker.
So I had around $47,000 in chips with the blinds at $800 and $1600, and the antes $200 per hand. I picked up A8 suited in hearts in mid position, and opened for $5000 - which was the norm at this table. It usually attracted only one customer per hand, as the pots got large pretty quickly.
All folded to the small blind who made it $10,000 to go. He had my stack well covered. Still, with position, and needing to bet only a further $5000 to stay involved in a $23,400 pot I naturally called and got to see a flop of JH 3H JC.
SB checked. I was not sure of my best move. I could check and look for a free card. I could bet and try to guage where he is at in the hand. I decided to check. Keep it as small as possible. Next card was the heaven sent 8 of hearts, giving me the nut flush, however this was a dangerous board.
SB checked. I bet $15,000 and he insta shoved all in. His stack had me covered, so if I am wrong here I am about to become a railbird. Still, what does he have? Pair of jacks? (I'm dead)
Jack and a high kicker? (I am ahead)
Pair of 3's ? (then he flopped a full house)
Pair of 8's (then the free card I gave him just matured his hand into 8's full of jacks)
Jack 3 or Jack 8? (then he has a full house - but I don't believe he would reraise me pre flop with either hand)
A high heart flush of his own? (Maybe H KQ?)
Anyway, I am told good players always try to define their opponents' range to help them with such decisions. This entails looking far deeper than I just described above. It entails going back to each key moment in the hand and determining what range of hands your opponent could have for those particular actions (and then mapping those hands against the hands that are relevant to the situation at hand)
Fine and dandy - but I have a decision to make, and many of these decisions are made at the end of the day with less than perfect information, and may also rely on a combination of instinct and hope.
Besides, most importantly, I was pretty much pot committed - a fact my opponent must have realized when he shoved me all - in. That is, I was priced in to call almost regardless. To fold would have decimated my stack size down to $22,000 - definitely a step in the wrong direction.
Though I would fold in such a situation if the cards screamed at me to do so - i.e. if I truly believed I was drawing dead - but here I felt I had a shot.
So all in all, I decided to take my last stand here and now and called.
The guy turned over AJ suited in spades, and well whaddaya know - I am ahead with one more card to come.
Of course, Texas Hold ' em is a seven card game - you can't tell the dealer to stop after the turn - just cause your ahead of your opponent.
So out came the river card - the Jack of diamonds - aaaaaaargh ! Busted by quad jacks !
You might think I was sickened by all this. I mean nine hours of play for naught, not to mention my wallet was lighter by $1080. But no. First of all, you have to remember that shit like this is happening all around the room all the time. We do it to others; we see it done to others; and it happens to us.
Maybe there is no such thing as a "bad beat" - it's really just another term for a lower percentage outcome to manifest - he did have his chances on this hand - several outs. An Ace, an 8, a 3 or a jack were all good cards for him. I just needed the river to be anything but those cards.
So I was almost serene as I wandered away from the poker area over to the DD BJ game at the other end of the casino with one goal in mind. Get back my tournament entry fee !
Happy endings ! I cashed $600 before calling it a night (It had been $800 at the end of the penultimate shoe, but the final shoe started off weak and I did not want to dial back to zero profits.)
Next morning, I went down to "the office" again and cashed another $1000 heads up with one of my favorite dealers.
One day I should write an entry about dealers I like and pay me; dealers that kill me seem to enjoy doing so (and so I don't like to play them); and dealers I have become friendly with but cannot play them as they are gifted winners for their bosses.
Anyway, I have no complaints about this trip - other than I really did not play enough sessions of blackjack considering how well I was playing. I took time for long walks, a swim, a hot stone massage, a show - Terry Fator - it's true the guy DOES have talent, and some fantastic meals.
Best of all, I fought the cigarette demons successfully during the entire trip - an important step in my late found journey to better health and common sense.
The hi rolling Asian could not stand prosperity. He came out of the VIP room ten minutes later with a hang dog expression on his face, and asked me if I could "do it again" for him with his last $3000.
To be honest, much as I like the fun, I felt his action was a bit of a distraction for me and my pittance betting, but of course I agreed nonetheless.
Example, soon he was down to his last chip, and I was playing two hands. He placed his $1000 on the first spot, with my bet nestled on top. The second spot had my bet only. The dealers need to know whose money is on the spot and who will be playing the hand at all times - especially when players are pooling.
So he kinda took over this hand with no one realizing it or objecting. So the dealer looked for his hand signals, not mine. After drawing a card, he thought for a while and asked for another. As soon as he did he balked and said NO NO I don't want it. But the 2 of hearts was already on the felt.
He waived off further cards - I had no idea what had happened as we are not allowed to peek at each other's cards technically - especially when Big Brother and his minions are all around the table like a sherrif's posse. (But it sure felt like he had accidentally hit a "made hand")
Seeing that two on my right fostered a bad feeling about my own hand as I was looking at 6-3, and the two would have been made to feel right at home.
Sure enough the next card was an 8 and I stopped at the death level of 17, noting a 19 was there for me if his deuce had been left in the deck.
All the cards were now exposed. Dealer had 18. I lost. Hi roller had 19, having accidentally hit on 17 and drawn my 2.
So I won $50 on his spot, he won his $1000, but I lost $150 on my own (where I had been pressing stronger cards)
Finally, to get to the point of the story, as soon as he left the table, the supervisor came over to the dealer and told him to give me $100 from his tray - explaining that if I had been playing both spots myself (as I had been till then) I would have lost the first hand and won the second.
Nice touch by the Venetian - I had not complained one word - but they were looking out for me.
Earlier in the day, my travel companion had insisted we go downtown to the legendary Fremont Street - where you can still see those same casinos they flashed in 60's and 70's movies. It's too bad everyone I bring to Vegas wants to do this - I don't think there is much endearing about the area - not when you have been poshed beyond belief at Wynn, Bellagio, Encore, Venetian etc.
So I amused myself for an hour at a saloon/casino called "The Fitz". You know these places are of a different standard when you buy in for $200, and the dealer takes his time inspecting each and every $20 bill to ensure they are not fake !
I ran up my stake to $475 and had serious concerns about their ability to deal with this at the Cashier's Cage when it came time to cash out. Yes, they actually did call down to the blackjack pit to confirm it really was me and I really did win these chips honestly before they released the money to me. LOL.
There was also an ill fated foray into the Deep Stack poker tournament at the Venetian on Monday. A two day event with a strong field of 117 players, and a nuts shrivelling entry fee of $1080. First placed was around $33,000 and thirteen players would cash.
I was flush with my winnings from Sunday's poker tournament and decided to parlay the money into a bigger cash by playing with the big boys and girls. Hah - they kinda had me for breakfast and dinner !
The quality of play in this event was an order of magnitude better than the Sunday tourney at The Wynn - it felt like I was on my heels the whole time - to be sure - a great poker experience and if I want to improve, I have to play in stronger games - but the cost of tuition can be pretty high!
I actually lasted till 9.15 pm - when the field was down to 31 players, and the average stack size was around 60,000 chips. I had always been below average stack size the whole day. T'was much harder to take down decent sized pots when I finally got cards, (can you spell TELLS ?) and in general most of the players were playing small ball poker.
So I had around $47,000 in chips with the blinds at $800 and $1600, and the antes $200 per hand. I picked up A8 suited in hearts in mid position, and opened for $5000 - which was the norm at this table. It usually attracted only one customer per hand, as the pots got large pretty quickly.
All folded to the small blind who made it $10,000 to go. He had my stack well covered. Still, with position, and needing to bet only a further $5000 to stay involved in a $23,400 pot I naturally called and got to see a flop of JH 3H JC.
SB checked. I was not sure of my best move. I could check and look for a free card. I could bet and try to guage where he is at in the hand. I decided to check. Keep it as small as possible. Next card was the heaven sent 8 of hearts, giving me the nut flush, however this was a dangerous board.
SB checked. I bet $15,000 and he insta shoved all in. His stack had me covered, so if I am wrong here I am about to become a railbird. Still, what does he have? Pair of jacks? (I'm dead)
Jack and a high kicker? (I am ahead)
Pair of 3's ? (then he flopped a full house)
Pair of 8's (then the free card I gave him just matured his hand into 8's full of jacks)
Jack 3 or Jack 8? (then he has a full house - but I don't believe he would reraise me pre flop with either hand)
A high heart flush of his own? (Maybe H KQ?)
Anyway, I am told good players always try to define their opponents' range to help them with such decisions. This entails looking far deeper than I just described above. It entails going back to each key moment in the hand and determining what range of hands your opponent could have for those particular actions (and then mapping those hands against the hands that are relevant to the situation at hand)
Fine and dandy - but I have a decision to make, and many of these decisions are made at the end of the day with less than perfect information, and may also rely on a combination of instinct and hope.
Besides, most importantly, I was pretty much pot committed - a fact my opponent must have realized when he shoved me all - in. That is, I was priced in to call almost regardless. To fold would have decimated my stack size down to $22,000 - definitely a step in the wrong direction.
Though I would fold in such a situation if the cards screamed at me to do so - i.e. if I truly believed I was drawing dead - but here I felt I had a shot.
So all in all, I decided to take my last stand here and now and called.
The guy turned over AJ suited in spades, and well whaddaya know - I am ahead with one more card to come.
Of course, Texas Hold ' em is a seven card game - you can't tell the dealer to stop after the turn - just cause your ahead of your opponent.
So out came the river card - the Jack of diamonds - aaaaaaargh ! Busted by quad jacks !
You might think I was sickened by all this. I mean nine hours of play for naught, not to mention my wallet was lighter by $1080. But no. First of all, you have to remember that shit like this is happening all around the room all the time. We do it to others; we see it done to others; and it happens to us.
Maybe there is no such thing as a "bad beat" - it's really just another term for a lower percentage outcome to manifest - he did have his chances on this hand - several outs. An Ace, an 8, a 3 or a jack were all good cards for him. I just needed the river to be anything but those cards.
So I was almost serene as I wandered away from the poker area over to the DD BJ game at the other end of the casino with one goal in mind. Get back my tournament entry fee !
Happy endings ! I cashed $600 before calling it a night (It had been $800 at the end of the penultimate shoe, but the final shoe started off weak and I did not want to dial back to zero profits.)
Next morning, I went down to "the office" again and cashed another $1000 heads up with one of my favorite dealers.
One day I should write an entry about dealers I like and pay me; dealers that kill me seem to enjoy doing so (and so I don't like to play them); and dealers I have become friendly with but cannot play them as they are gifted winners for their bosses.
Anyway, I have no complaints about this trip - other than I really did not play enough sessions of blackjack considering how well I was playing. I took time for long walks, a swim, a hot stone massage, a show - Terry Fator - it's true the guy DOES have talent, and some fantastic meals.
Best of all, I fought the cigarette demons successfully during the entire trip - an important step in my late found journey to better health and common sense.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween in Vegas
Arrived last night late and was not prepared to play - great people watching though as Halloween was in full bloom. Lots of underdressed Christine Aguilera look alikes -also French maids, playboy bunnies, Little Bo Peeps, Heidi's, nurses, etc. - all of which kept an old guy like me entertained for a while, but the poor girls must have been freezing !
Has taken a while to get used to not smoking in a casino environment - at first I was craving - then I was grossed out; and it varies from hour to hour.
The poker room is a good place for a reforming smoker and the BJ table is not !
Decided my game was not sharp enough to warrant entry into today's Deep Stack ($550 entry) at Venetian - ended up entering a tourney at the Wynn - their entry fee was $225. Only 33 players but a 20000 chip starting stack though the blinds accelerated real fast.
Five places paid - first $2100 or so ; 4th over $800 and 5th over $400.
The final table as a group were nervous and wanted to chop as soon as we got there - except the chip leader (and I said nothing as he was already against it)
We got down to 6 players slowly and the levels were 4000-8000 and a 500 ante. I was third stack. They all wanted to chop and it was up to me to agree or not.
The new chip leader had about double my stack (he had just won a major suck out with A10 vs AK - on the river) - but at the same time I was 1 hand or so away from taking his place and also rather enjoying myself - but we all knew how unpredictable the outcome could be.
Plus half of them wanted to quit; have dinner; and then enter satellites for tomorrow's $1070 entry at the Venetian.
So who was I to argue? We each took $1080 away and broke up the game just under 6 hours after we started.
I played pretty well - I realized after that I was never all-in for all my chips the whole time.
There were lots of suck outs today - AQ was killed twice by A4o and twice by KQo and KQs.
Aces were not safe either - One hand the button three bet pre flop with his Aces and the BB called with sevens. The flop was 776 and the button shoved !!
I got river-lucky a couple of times on key hands - For example I had AC QS vs a shorter stack JJ all-in. The first four cards were bricks but the flop included two clubs; the turn was a club; and the river a club also causing the Jacks to fall on their swords and exit stage left.
I played some blackjack at the Mirage this morning. Got down $400; bought another $500 and ended up $500 after a 1 shoe rush.
Went for a long walk up the strip tonight and lost $280 playing shoe BJ at Caesars cause I needed a diversion.
Now I head downstairs to my "office" at the Venetian - for my first play here of the trip.
It's all good !
Has taken a while to get used to not smoking in a casino environment - at first I was craving - then I was grossed out; and it varies from hour to hour.
The poker room is a good place for a reforming smoker and the BJ table is not !
Decided my game was not sharp enough to warrant entry into today's Deep Stack ($550 entry) at Venetian - ended up entering a tourney at the Wynn - their entry fee was $225. Only 33 players but a 20000 chip starting stack though the blinds accelerated real fast.
Five places paid - first $2100 or so ; 4th over $800 and 5th over $400.
The final table as a group were nervous and wanted to chop as soon as we got there - except the chip leader (and I said nothing as he was already against it)
We got down to 6 players slowly and the levels were 4000-8000 and a 500 ante. I was third stack. They all wanted to chop and it was up to me to agree or not.
The new chip leader had about double my stack (he had just won a major suck out with A10 vs AK - on the river) - but at the same time I was 1 hand or so away from taking his place and also rather enjoying myself - but we all knew how unpredictable the outcome could be.
Plus half of them wanted to quit; have dinner; and then enter satellites for tomorrow's $1070 entry at the Venetian.
So who was I to argue? We each took $1080 away and broke up the game just under 6 hours after we started.
I played pretty well - I realized after that I was never all-in for all my chips the whole time.
There were lots of suck outs today - AQ was killed twice by A4o and twice by KQo and KQs.
Aces were not safe either - One hand the button three bet pre flop with his Aces and the BB called with sevens. The flop was 776 and the button shoved !!
I got river-lucky a couple of times on key hands - For example I had AC QS vs a shorter stack JJ all-in. The first four cards were bricks but the flop included two clubs; the turn was a club; and the river a club also causing the Jacks to fall on their swords and exit stage left.
I played some blackjack at the Mirage this morning. Got down $400; bought another $500 and ended up $500 after a 1 shoe rush.
Went for a long walk up the strip tonight and lost $280 playing shoe BJ at Caesars cause I needed a diversion.
Now I head downstairs to my "office" at the Venetian - for my first play here of the trip.
It's all good !
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