Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[AndrewT]

What's the reason for a max buyin?

Max buy-ins means bad players lose their money slower - they can only get stacked for a certain amount in one hand. Next hand they can buy in again and continue to play (as well as pay table charge or rake).

With no cap, bad player can lose all his money in one hand and then goes home - table charge/rake drops to zero.

[Royal Flush]

What's the reason for a max buyin?

Max buy-ins means bad players lose their money slower - they can only get stacked for a certain amount in one hand. Next hand they can buy in again and continue to play (as well as pay table charge or rake).

With no cap, bad player can lose all his money in one hand and then goes home - table charge/rake drops to zero.

I can't see that being the reason, people never buyin with all they have, they usually have some in reserve.

My only thought was they didnt want everyone sitting with 700 in a 1-2 game because they miss out on increased charges from the 2-5 game.

[AndrewT]

What's the reason for a max buyin?

Max buy-ins means bad players lose their money slower - they can only get stacked for a certain amount in one hand. Next hand they can buy in again and continue to play (as well as pay table charge or rake).

With no cap, bad player can lose all his money in one hand and then goes home - table charge/rake drops to zero.

I can't see that being the reason, people never buyin with all they have, they usually have some in reserve.

My only thought was they didnt want everyone sitting with 700 in a 1-2 game because they miss out on increased charges from the 2-5 game.

Maybe, but there's also the fact that all online cash games are max buy-in, so it's what internet players are used to, and that's the biggest source of new live players. (certainly at the lower limits). They just want to make it not too scary for the newer players.

[77dave]

id say your both right

players may not go skint in 1 night but surely losing players would go through there bankroll quicker if no cap in the game.

i sat in a $2-$5 nlh game in the Wynn  which doesnt have a cap. I sit down with my $500  a new player joins the game and sits down with over $25k.  Everytime he made a big bet he would throw in a $10,000 chip.   Not quite right i say. A level playing field needed at these levels.

Also never understood why casinos get to charge more money for bigger stake cash games and comps. They provide the same service but charge more for it. How is that fair of justified.

[Royal Flush]

id say your both right

players may not go skint in 1 night but surely losing players would go through there bankroll quicker if no cap in the game.

i sat in a $2-$5 nlh game in the Wynn  which doesnt have a cap. I sit down with my $500  a new player joins the game and sits down with over $25k.  Everytime he made a big bet he would throw in a $10,000 chip.   Not quite right i say. A level playing field needed at these levels.

Also never understood why casinos get to charge more money for bigger stake cash games and comps. They provide the same service but charge more for it. How is that fair of justified.

They subsidise the lower games?

I just hate playing any cash game with less than 250BB, not so bad for holdem i guess but PLO is killed by max buyins.

[77dave]

So where do you plan playing in Vegas

The wynn and Ceasers are both cap free  but most of the others are capped to try to push players up the limits.

I like the Venetian as i can sit in a $2/$5 game with the max of $1000    the $5/$10 game i think is uncapped

[dik9]

PLO is killed by max buyins.

There is no max buy-in on any pot limit games ??

[Royal Flush]

PLO is killed by max buyins.

There is no max buy-in on any pot limit games ??

Online there is.

[dik9]

 

[byronkincaid]

Mason Malmuth is always going on about how NL died in the US cos there was no cap and all the fish went busto.

Maybe Flushy is trying to get us all playing limit 

[tikay]

I somehow won a £2,200 Pot last night, but I aged 20 years in the process.....

Lob Long graced our Table with his presence for a while, even though the game was a bit "flat" for him - he tends to move around the Cash Tables, & it's his trademark to spice up the game by popping it pre - not silly, but rather in the Flushy-style - looks daft, but he knows what he's doing.

He pops it every hand for an hour, & some wag comments on this.

Lob responds, quite rightly - "it's because you let me do it, not one of you has ever re-popped me yet. Repop-me & I might stop.....".

I just happen to be holding A-2-3-4-8 in Hi-Low at the time, & limp. Lob laises - sorry, Raises - & everyone calls. There's £180 in the middle now, so I  get all brave when it gets back to me, & shout - in a sort of dry whisper, because I was bricking it - "POT".

"Pardon" says the Dealer. "Pardon" said everyone else. I Re-Raise Pre in Onmaha every 83 years, but I had a cunning plan, to isolate Rob.

I said "POT". And I'm regretting this already, but I'll take Rob on Heads Up with this if I have to.

I'm expecting Rob to call or re-pop - re-pop was my expectation to be honest, at my temerity to re-pop him. But he just called. It's nice when a plan comes together. And 4 others call behind him. It's horrible when a plan goes tits up. There's the fat end of £1k in the middle now, & I have £480 behind.

I'm not actually feeling too well by now, but we see this Flop.

 

Wrll, Rainbow, and a nice low draw. I sorta have to shove here, because I play scared & weak, & if I check, I'm gonna get bullied off. So in it goes, £480.

Rob passes, phew, then it goes CALL CALL. And my heart goes beat beat.

Anyway, it comes perfect perfect, including the rivered & oh-so vital 5, & I hit the wheel, nobody has a better high, & I scoop the lot. £2,200 I think.

And pretty much lock-up for the night. That's more than enough excitement for 1 night at my age.

One of these nights I'm gonna get mullered, but I'm £3,500 to the good in the last 2 sessions at dtd. It can't last.

Nice one, tikay! Although, I'd be pretty happy with receiving 4 callers with a hand like that - a great chance of 3/4ing someone and should be easy to get away from if you miss the flop.

I am NEVER gonna be happy playing pots that big! But that's the game I sit in, & it's bound to happen now & then. I must confess, the adrenelin rush is huge, but I'd rather the pots did not get quite so big. I'd rather a dozen smaller pots than one hugey-wugey jobbie. The answer, I guess, is to move down a few levels, but greed is a weird & wonderful thing. Like sex drive, it forces us to do things that common-sense suggests are far from sensible.

[tikay]

AFAIK Tony, when there are two identical tables one may normally request to be put on the "transfer" list.

Obviously the etiquette concerns the amount of money one leaves one table with and then sits down at the next with. Were you obliged to sit at the second table with the £700 that you had in front of you at table one ?

This tactic (which I am not suggesting you would consider) could be used as a form of weeding, which is why one is not normally allowed to move to a lower priced table from a higher one in many cardrooms.

This is interesting. Why are we allowed to do it online without the word 'etiquette' cropping up?

I refer you to a letter in The Times last week from some retired Major in Sussex, who said.....

"......the words "etiquette" & "e-mail" cannot be used in the same sentence....."

Sadly, etiquette & Online Poker are subject to the same rule.

[tikay]

Well, another Christmas has come &, for me, thank goodness, gone. I have not celebrated Crimble for several decades. I don't object to it, I just don't do it.

I spent the day quietly, & extremely happily, alone, resting. No PM's (I have dozens awaiting reply now, sorry), no e-Mails, no texts. For me, every OTHER day of the year is Christmas Day, because I can do what I want, where I want, when I want.

Anyway, it's gone now, & I've got heaps of stuff to catch up on.

Starting with a lovely Tourney at Luton last night.....

[M3boy]

Starting with a lovely Tourney at Luton last night.....

Rub it in why dont ya!

lol

[tikay]

A quality field showed up in Luton on Boxing Day evening, lacking a little in numbers (60+), but more than made up for by the variety of talent on display.

Willie Tann headed the field, which also included Garry Bush, Stuart Nash, plus the wonderful Khajuria brothers, Lalit & Chandra.

Local honour was being defended by blondes such as Jeff Buffenburger, Graham Hiew, Mo Muse, Tracey Dell, Vince Calenti, Phil Cooklin, & non-blondes Ghani, Richard Lynch, Brian Sadler, Pino Valentino, & Kevin Twigg. Southend Man Adam Lawler, (blonde Lurkio) fresh from his Final Table up at DTD, was there too. Some game has he.

It was a 2 x 5k chip jobbie, & the Final Four did a lightning quick & wholly amicable chop - it took about 2 seconds to agree, with smiles & handshakes all round - & ended with blonde "celtic" (Vince Calenti) & "lurkio" (Adam Lawler) taking £2k each, with Jeff Buff (Michigan Jeff) & James Roe taking £1,500 each. Well played all of them.

In 6th place for £370 was a rather uncouth American Gentleman, who managed to get himself all-in pre with K-6 v Aces, & A-7 v Kings & won both times, following which he gave a Vegas style triple fist-pump, double hand-clap, accompanied by a volley of mega-decibel whooping & hollering. His A-7 coup was on the Final Table Bubble, & he Finalled with a monster stack, which he then proceeded to re-distribute to all & sundry, who helped themselves to his stack with a little more decorum than he had earlier demostrated. He "excused it" as enthusiasm, though it'd be nice to think that once one reaches the age where long trousers are required, a modicum of self-control may have been learnt. Contrast that to Jeff Buff, who puts all sorts of beats on folk but has class to spare.

I was in trouble from the very outset (yes,again), when AK went wrong twice in 3 hands, the first time played awfully, the 2nd occasion played - I believe - perfectly.

I don't find it an easy hand to play early doors, so when I found a Raiser in front of me to 300, I upped it confidently to 1k, & got promptly called. So, Plan A went out of the window, as I was hoping he'd let go. I felt unable to push on the 2-3-4 flop, he promptly moved in, & I let go. Bad play all round by me.

Down from 5k to 3.6k now, I thought I played the same hand perfectly next time, but the result was the same. I limped UTG this time, hoping for some action behind, & planning to smooth call the Raise this time, but the plan changed when I got 5 limpers, a Raiser to 300, & another 2 callers of the Raise! This screamed "squeeze", & in my 3.6k went, call THAT! They all duly Passed, except the last guy who made a very brave, if questionable, call with Nines, & with the first card being the third nine, that was that - chips! He later explained that my move was obviously AK, in which case his read & call was correct. Fair play to him.

So, I got my 2nd 5k & settled down to grind it out - I was determined to Final. Card-dead & lacking the imagination to find a spot, I hung in for 3 or more hours, still with my 5k, give or take 1k. When we returned from a break, I was on the Button, with Blinds 600-1,200 & Ante of 100, I have about 5k, & the Big Blind was not in his seat - surely everyone would notice that? Nope, they all Passed, & so I pushed blind, knowing that 2,800 of dead money was mine if I could get past the Small Blind - who was Tracey "dingdell" Dell, who correctly reasoned I'd make that move with any two. It was for her Tourney, but she made the call - a terrific call I thought - & my 9-6 was in poo-land against her Q-9.

After my early upsets & mistake, I'd had to grind, card-dead, for nearly 3 hours, & to be honest, I've rarely enjoyed  a Comp as much. When you are in stack trouble, grinding is as good as it gets, looking all the time for a "spot", trying to survive, there's a huge sense of achievement. But no cigar.

Great comp, & well done to all, particularly my good pals Vince, Adam & Jeff.