Saturday June 23rd
A massive 2,700 entrants played the $1,500 NLH event. I had yet another long day, starting at 12 and playing right through until 11. Having been on a comfortable stack all day, I was eventually knocked out losing two consecutive coin flips, somewhere around 320th. They were paying 270.
By my reckoning, this is the third exit just outside the money, to go with two exits just inside the money. How I long for something different? Lol… first hand jobbie coming up.
I bumped into Praz just after he had been ‘bad beat’ out of the Pot Limit event that started yesterday. He was suicidal talking about getting an early flight back - that’s Vegas, baby, it can destroy a man.
To be honest, I am shattered now and in need of a day off. I definitely won’t be playing tomorrow’s 50 grand HORSE, and I think I’ll give the 5 o’clock mixed Hold’Em event a miss too - I suppose it depends on how bored I get? The bankroll could also do with a little help from the PLO cash game, so I guess we will see. Getting drunk all day may be the best medicine though.
Bankroll = -$8,600
IPOD favourite of the day = White Lines, Grandmaster Flash
Sunday June 24th
Well I had a relaxing day with my 10 minutes sunbathing, an hour or so in the gym, coffee in Starbucks and, of course, I got to thinking - if all the top players are in the HORSE then maybe the 5pm event will be a good opportunity? So, due to a mixture of boredom and opportunity, I wander up to the Rio for the evening event and sit down next to Humberto Brenes and within touching distance of Johnny Lodden and Willem Thorsson. Hmmm, maybe that logic fails somewhere.
Dichotomy, now there’s an interesting word.
I have played 9 events
I have taken an early bath 0 times
I have exited about 50% thru the field 3 times
I have exited 75% thru the field 2 times
I have bubbled (or one or two off) 2 times
I have just cashed 2 times
I have made serious money 0 times
Bare in mind I have complained vehemently that you don’t get enough starting chips considering this is The World Series Of Poker. Obviously the stats just don’t prove my point. Although I think they do indicate that I am playing quite well.
So I am quite relieved to say, 2 hours in and I move over the top of an early position raiser (he made it 700) with my pocket Queens for my 3,000 starting stack, only to find the Big Blind with Kings. With more chips I probably raise a little less, and may get away from this hand - finally I have some justification for my winging!
Bankroll = -$10,100
IPOD favourite of the day = Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
Sunday June 24th
Ok, well this will provide a few laughs for those looking for trouble out there. Over 600 players sat down in the PLO Hi-Lo split tourney and Devilfish just happens to sit down right next to me!
I’m afraid there was no scandal though, sorry to disappoint. In fact we were very civil. He spent most of the 2 hours that I survived, telling me about his sexual exploits, being unable to fit his Hummer into any of the 3 garages at his new pad (life’s a drag sometimes) and generally being very nice, a quantum leap from the last time we spoke.
I’ve said it before, but the problem was completely exasperated for this tourney; 3000 starting chips for a high low Pot Limit tourney? World Series Of Poker? It’s not fit to use the name. I exited after 2 hours and had survived about 40% of the field! (Aces blah blah bad beat boring blah blah)
As you can probably see, Vegas is beginning to get me down right now. I’ve managed to fall out with Rhowena in cyberspace, which didn’t help. I did sneak off for the 90 minute dinner break yesterday with Maria Demetriou, but generally I guess I am missing a bit of female companionship, either that or I just need to go out and get totally hammered. Hmmm, now maybe that is the answer.
Bankroll = -$11,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Still I’m Sad, Rainbow
Wednesday June 27th
Well I did actually manage to take two whole days off poker. See, I knew I wasn’t sick. Amongst those encountered at various Las Vegas bars were the great story-teller and ex-WSOP floor-man, ‘Schoff’, and the effervescent big-stakes cash player Missouri Dave (who lives in Tahoe).
A snippet from Missouri Dave… Jamie Gold is doing his conkers in the big cash game at The Venetian. How long does 12 million last?… when divided by 2?
Schoff was full of numerous old time stories, including one about Benny Binion asking Schoff to seat an elderly lady in a wheelchair inside the ring of a throbbing crowd of spectators watching the Main Event final table one year. “Did you do it?” I asked. “Of course, else I would have ended up in the middle of the desert” Things ain’t what they used to be.
Thursday June 28th
Completely refreshed and raring to go, I turned up at The Rio early to help Brian Wilson host his ‘Talking Trash’ web-cast on worlseriesofpoker.com. The day got off to a very pleasant start with the humorous and entertaining company of both EPT god John Duthie and the absolutely gorgeous Lacey Jones.
Unfortunately, when I sat down in the $5,000 short handed NLH things took a turn for the worse. I still had great company in that I shared a table with Andy Black in top form. However, we had the absolutely tightest table in the room. On Tony G’s table next to me they lost 6 or 7 players in the first 4 hours. One guy amassed 50,000 chips (having started with 10k) and lost the lot during this period.
On my table, nobody peaked above 16k! I was eventually the first casualty 30 minutes into the fifth hour. I bravely made a move from the big blind with a pair and a flush draw but unfortunately ran into the button holding 2 pair. The flush didn’t materialise, and I was on my way.
Bankroll = -$16,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Atmosphere, Joy Division (Did you know this was voted all-time No.1 in John Peel’s festive 50? Once I start playing it, I just can’t stop, so I stuck it on my MySpace page.)
Friday June 29th
I appear to be losing my way a little bit right now. A week or so ago I was building chips and fancied I had a shot in most of the tourneys. These fields are just so big though and there are just so many bullets to dodge. I sit and wonder how the hell does Hellmuth do it?
Today’s short starting stack was 4,000 for a $2,000 buy-in. It was No Limit Hold’Em again, and I got off to a flyer. Within 3 hours I had built up to a huge 17,000. Most players at the table had less than 8k apart from one… the one I decided to overplay Big Slick against. My A-K of diamonds was no match for his K-K on a Kc-9d-4s board and before I could blink I had demolished 95% of my huge stack. The pot was 32,000 when the average stack was between 6 and 7k. A bit of a cooler but again I find myself wondering if greater players could have got away cheaper.
Saturday is another day off, in preparation for ‘my big one’; Sunday’s $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha. This is probably my favourite tournament of the whole year, so I had better go and get my head sorted.
Bankroll = -$18,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Roses, OutKast (not for our younger viewers)
Saturday June 30th
As tomorrow’s $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha is probably my most realistic target for the trip, and possibly the most important tourney of the year, I decided to avoid poker for the day again. For those remotely interested I actually wandered down to the Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery to get a rather dodgy arm scar covered up with a tattoo that has ended up being about four times bigger than I expected. Whoops!
Anyway maybe 4 hours in the chair having relentless pain endlessly and tediously administered to my upper arm will have been a mind cleansing experience… perhaps.
Sunday July 1st
So I finally got started after 3 hours of Brian Wilson induced hassle, and surprisingly got off to a flyer. A set of Queens matured into a full house and I was up over 40k within the first two hours.
I spent a very comfortable day in an above average spot peaking around 90k until I got involved in a 3-way pot. I held 8-6-9-K on an 883 board and ended up setting an opponent all-in for a pot over 120k. Unfortunately, he held 8-3-J-Q and I didn’t hit any of my 9 outs on the Turn or River.
My 35k stack was still playable though and I managed to build up to 135k knocking out bracelet holding shorter stacks Scott Clements and Thor Hansen in the process.
Unfortunately I had a dry spell towards the end of the day and finished on 95,500, which is slightly below average. There are 55 players remaining from the 314 participants who stumped up $10k. Am very, very tired.
Bankroll = -$28,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Killers, Somebody Told Me
Monday July 2nd
Hmmm, over 6 million chips in play and 55 players. I am not so sure we will finish today.
A massive 2,700 entrants played the $1,500 NLH event. I had yet another long day, starting at 12 and playing right through until 11. Having been on a comfortable stack all day, I was eventually knocked out losing two consecutive coin flips, somewhere around 320th. They were paying 270.
By my reckoning, this is the third exit just outside the money, to go with two exits just inside the money. How I long for something different? Lol… first hand jobbie coming up.I bumped into Praz just after he had been ‘bad beat’ out of the Pot Limit event that started yesterday. He was suicidal talking about getting an early flight back - that’s Vegas, baby, it can destroy a man.
To be honest, I am shattered now and in need of a day off. I definitely won’t be playing tomorrow’s 50 grand HORSE, and I think I’ll give the 5 o’clock mixed Hold’Em event a miss too - I suppose it depends on how bored I get? The bankroll could also do with a little help from the PLO cash game, so I guess we will see. Getting drunk all day may be the best medicine though.
Bankroll = -$8,600
IPOD favourite of the day = White Lines, Grandmaster Flash
Sunday June 24th
Well I had a relaxing day with my 10 minutes sunbathing, an hour or so in the gym, coffee in Starbucks and, of course, I got to thinking - if all the top players are in the HORSE then maybe the 5pm event will be a good opportunity? So, due to a mixture of boredom and opportunity, I wander up to the Rio for the evening event and sit down next to Humberto Brenes and within touching distance of Johnny Lodden and Willem Thorsson. Hmmm, maybe that logic fails somewhere.
Dichotomy, now there’s an interesting word.
I have played 9 events
I have taken an early bath 0 times
I have exited about 50% thru the field 3 times
I have exited 75% thru the field 2 times
I have bubbled (or one or two off) 2 times
I have just cashed 2 times
I have made serious money 0 times
Bare in mind I have complained vehemently that you don’t get enough starting chips considering this is The World Series Of Poker. Obviously the stats just don’t prove my point. Although I think they do indicate that I am playing quite well.
So I am quite relieved to say, 2 hours in and I move over the top of an early position raiser (he made it 700) with my pocket Queens for my 3,000 starting stack, only to find the Big Blind with Kings. With more chips I probably raise a little less, and may get away from this hand - finally I have some justification for my winging!
Bankroll = -$10,100
IPOD favourite of the day = Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
Sunday June 24th
Ok, well this will provide a few laughs for those looking for trouble out there. Over 600 players sat down in the PLO Hi-Lo split tourney and Devilfish just happens to sit down right next to me!
I’m afraid there was no scandal though, sorry to disappoint. In fact we were very civil. He spent most of the 2 hours that I survived, telling me about his sexual exploits, being unable to fit his Hummer into any of the 3 garages at his new pad (life’s a drag sometimes) and generally being very nice, a quantum leap from the last time we spoke.
I’ve said it before, but the problem was completely exasperated for this tourney; 3000 starting chips for a high low Pot Limit tourney? World Series Of Poker? It’s not fit to use the name. I exited after 2 hours and had survived about 40% of the field! (Aces blah blah bad beat boring blah blah)
As you can probably see, Vegas is beginning to get me down right now. I’ve managed to fall out with Rhowena in cyberspace, which didn’t help. I did sneak off for the 90 minute dinner break yesterday with Maria Demetriou, but generally I guess I am missing a bit of female companionship, either that or I just need to go out and get totally hammered. Hmmm, now maybe that is the answer.
Bankroll = -$11,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Still I’m Sad, Rainbow
Wednesday June 27th
Well I did actually manage to take two whole days off poker. See, I knew I wasn’t sick. Amongst those encountered at various Las Vegas bars were the great story-teller and ex-WSOP floor-man, ‘Schoff’, and the effervescent big-stakes cash player Missouri Dave (who lives in Tahoe).A snippet from Missouri Dave… Jamie Gold is doing his conkers in the big cash game at The Venetian. How long does 12 million last?… when divided by 2?
Schoff was full of numerous old time stories, including one about Benny Binion asking Schoff to seat an elderly lady in a wheelchair inside the ring of a throbbing crowd of spectators watching the Main Event final table one year. “Did you do it?” I asked. “Of course, else I would have ended up in the middle of the desert” Things ain’t what they used to be.
Thursday June 28th
Completely refreshed and raring to go, I turned up at The Rio early to help Brian Wilson host his ‘Talking Trash’ web-cast on worlseriesofpoker.com. The day got off to a very pleasant start with the humorous and entertaining company of both EPT god John Duthie and the absolutely gorgeous Lacey Jones.
Unfortunately, when I sat down in the $5,000 short handed NLH things took a turn for the worse. I still had great company in that I shared a table with Andy Black in top form. However, we had the absolutely tightest table in the room. On Tony G’s table next to me they lost 6 or 7 players in the first 4 hours. One guy amassed 50,000 chips (having started with 10k) and lost the lot during this period.
On my table, nobody peaked above 16k! I was eventually the first casualty 30 minutes into the fifth hour. I bravely made a move from the big blind with a pair and a flush draw but unfortunately ran into the button holding 2 pair. The flush didn’t materialise, and I was on my way.
Bankroll = -$16,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Atmosphere, Joy Division (Did you know this was voted all-time No.1 in John Peel’s festive 50? Once I start playing it, I just can’t stop, so I stuck it on my MySpace page.)
Friday June 29th
I appear to be losing my way a little bit right now. A week or so ago I was building chips and fancied I had a shot in most of the tourneys. These fields are just so big though and there are just so many bullets to dodge. I sit and wonder how the hell does Hellmuth do it?Today’s short starting stack was 4,000 for a $2,000 buy-in. It was No Limit Hold’Em again, and I got off to a flyer. Within 3 hours I had built up to a huge 17,000. Most players at the table had less than 8k apart from one… the one I decided to overplay Big Slick against. My A-K of diamonds was no match for his K-K on a Kc-9d-4s board and before I could blink I had demolished 95% of my huge stack. The pot was 32,000 when the average stack was between 6 and 7k. A bit of a cooler but again I find myself wondering if greater players could have got away cheaper.
Saturday is another day off, in preparation for ‘my big one’; Sunday’s $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha. This is probably my favourite tournament of the whole year, so I had better go and get my head sorted.
Bankroll = -$18,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Roses, OutKast (not for our younger viewers)
Saturday June 30th
As tomorrow’s $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha is probably my most realistic target for the trip, and possibly the most important tourney of the year, I decided to avoid poker for the day again. For those remotely interested I actually wandered down to the Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery to get a rather dodgy arm scar covered up with a tattoo that has ended up being about four times bigger than I expected. Whoops!
Anyway maybe 4 hours in the chair having relentless pain endlessly and tediously administered to my upper arm will have been a mind cleansing experience… perhaps.
Sunday July 1st
So I finally got started after 3 hours of Brian Wilson induced hassle, and surprisingly got off to a flyer. A set of Queens matured into a full house and I was up over 40k within the first two hours.
I spent a very comfortable day in an above average spot peaking around 90k until I got involved in a 3-way pot. I held 8-6-9-K on an 883 board and ended up setting an opponent all-in for a pot over 120k. Unfortunately, he held 8-3-J-Q and I didn’t hit any of my 9 outs on the Turn or River.My 35k stack was still playable though and I managed to build up to 135k knocking out bracelet holding shorter stacks Scott Clements and Thor Hansen in the process.
Unfortunately I had a dry spell towards the end of the day and finished on 95,500, which is slightly below average. There are 55 players remaining from the 314 participants who stumped up $10k. Am very, very tired.
Bankroll = -$28,600
IPOD favourite of the day = Killers, Somebody Told Me
Monday July 2nd
Hmmm, over 6 million chips in play and 55 players. I am not so sure we will finish today.