Wednesday 5th July
I normally enjoy a game of Limit 7 Card Stud for a change. The way you have to think is so different from Hold’em and Omaha, I find it quite refreshing. However, I think I must have been a little hung over from the previous night's bad beat.
I was sat next to Phil Laak though which is always entertaining. He was in full flow with Jennifer popping over for a kiss and a cuddle every half hour, cameras flashing left,right and centre, and a fair amount of banter/barracking from the gallery. This was only his second venture into a 7 card tourney though and he was out early in the third level.
Unfortunately, I followed him an hour or so later. I could whinge about losing with Aces but the truth is I was probably only a 53% or so favourite and with it being limit it was pretty much straight forward stuff.
Marc Goodwin has arrived back in Vegas though (even though his wife still hasn’t dropped the baby), so we trotted off for a drink to perk me up.
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| Today | Tourneys | Satellites | PLO cash | NLH Cash |
| Bankroll | +4,100 | -7700 | -1500 | +14,800 | -1500 |
| Tourney | -1500 | -1500 |
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| Satellites |
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| 10/25 NLH cash |
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| 25/50 PLO cash |
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| Curret Bankroll | -2400 | -14,200 | -1500 | +14,800 | -150 |
Thursday 6th July
Having been out for a drink with Marc and the boys the previous night, I was in a much better mood. To make things even better, Rhowena arrived in town to play in the Mansion Poker Dome. Mansion have booked her a suite in Caesars’ Palace so I moved out of Hooters and a little up market… and I had a whole day off from poker!
Friday 7th July
Well I guess I am on some sort of non-poker roll. The day had finally arrived when we move into the mansion… and wow, what a mansion. Take a look at www.parisianpalace.net. For those of you who have not heard, we will be filming a documentary called ‘House of Cards’.
We moved in at 8am in the morning amidst TV cameras, crew, runners and maintenance men. We spent the morning in a surreal world of TV cameras, interviews and agog at our surreal environment.
Somewhere around mid-day I turned up at the Rio to play some poker. Unfortunately, I probably wasn’t prepared perfectly and exited early from the $2500 NLH.
I had won an early pot and progressed to 3500 chips when I limped with T-9 suited on the button. The BB raised 125 and there were 2 callers, so I also joined the party. The flop came 8-J-5 off-suit and the BB led out for 450. One of the other players made a weak call and I was looking at a pot of 1500. I didn’t fancy making a weak call myself and thought this may be an ideal opportunity to make a move.
I had 1100 chips more than anyone else involve, so their was potential for recovery if it went wrong. Both of the other players had 2000 chips in front of them, so the maths were perfect for an all-in move. So I did just that.
I was obviously hoping both players would pass and I could pick up the 1500 un-contested. If they called I would be on a 8 card draw. As it happens, the BB thought long and hard but eventually called because he had pocket Kings. This also brought in the other player with 7-9 (double gutshot draw). A 7500 pot… but not mine. The Kings held up and I never recovered from my 1100 stack.
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| Today | Tourneys | Satellites | PLO cash | NLH Cash |
| Bankroll | -2400 | -14,200 | -1500 | +14,800 | -1500 |
| Tourney |
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| Satellites |
| -2500 |
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| 10/25 NLH cash |
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| 25/50 PLO cash |
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| Current Bankroll | -4900 | -16,700 | -1500 | +14,800 | -1500 |
So I trundled over to the Tropicana which houses the Mansion Poker Dome. My wife Rhowena had won the very first Poker Dome heat and today was the semi final. Unfortunately, she didn’t run too well either.
She played impeccably, not making a single error as far as I could see. However, the fast structure forces players to gamble. She correctly stuck all her chips in a 50,000 pot with A-6 v Q-8 and was unfortunate to lose when a Queen hit the flop. She then took on the chip leader in a 90,000 pot with A-8 suited v QT off. He hit four diamonds for a flush and Rhowena was out third.
One of the many cameras in the building had been focused on me to catch my dismay. However, this was nothing compared to how distraught Rhowena was. The poker gods can be cruel.
Saturday 8th July
Perhaps my addiction to poker is abating as I actually managed to take another day off. The morning was spent catching up with emails, relaxing around the mansion and watching Rhowena being photographed for Cosmopolitan magazine.
The afternoon was spent on the golf course. Marc Goodwin, Ram Vaswani, Paul Jackson and myself made up quite an odd four ball.
The game wasn’t too serious and I actually played surprisingly well. The funniest moments occurred when…
- on the first green I fumbled around in my pocket for a marker. Unable to find one, I placed a $100 chip behind my ball. Nobody said a word and Marc followed suit bending over to mark his ball… with a $25,000 chip! Everyone fell around laughing.
- Several holes later we were faced with a 150 yard carry over a rocky waste area. Jacko let fly with his Big Bertha, but topped one. His titliest skidded 100 yards until it hit a rock face on. This sent the ball directly back towards us, where it bounced once before Paul dived to his left and caught it. Now that, I have never seen on a golf course before.
Sunday 9th July
I had been looking forward to the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha event as much as any event this year. So I am more than distraught at being eliminated due to a basic error in play. No excuses, I just can’t believe I made the mistake.
I had progressed to 12,000 chips with an aggressive Scandinavian on my left with slightly more. I was dealt A-A-T-6 double suited and made a small pot building raise to 225. My opponent on my left made it 600 to play. Everyone passed, and I re-raised without giving enough thought to the hand.
When he called I had created a 5000 pot against a n opponent who had position on me when we were both deep stacked. I consider this a criminal error in Pot Limit Omaha, which is a flop hitting game. He could have correctly called with a multitude of hands giving appropriate pot odds.
The flop came down 7-8-8 and I checked. He quickly made a bet of 4000 and I was left with a very tough decision for my tourney life. Surely he would have trap checked an 8? Also, I fancied him for a high pair such as Kings. So if he had a connecting hand the other two cards would be a Ten, Jack or Queen?
I now made my second mistake of the pot and moved all-in. My opponent quickly called and rolled over AA82. I was reduced to funking for one of two back door flushes or a middle pin 9. None of which arrived.
No excuses, I played like a PLO beginner. I will not forgive myself very quickly.
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| Today | Tourneys | Satellites | PLO cash | NLH Cash |
| Bankroll | -2400 | -14,200 | -1500 | +14,800 | -1500 |
| Tourney |
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| Satellites |
| -10,000 | -600 |
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| 10/25 NLH cash |
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| 25/50 PLO cash |
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| Current Bankroll | -11,500 | -26,700 | -2100 | +14,800 | -1500 |
