Bellagio - the old sods event - a 10 minute road trip!

Three or four times I have thought of going down to the Bellagio to play an event. But as has been the case for the last couple of years or so, I just couldn’t face the hassle. How things have changed. A few years ago, I would have done everything in my power to get here for the poker. Now I live here, I can’t even be bothered to make the 10 minute trip to strip. The main reason for this change in attitude has to be the hassle-free option of playing online. And in truth, I have been doing very well on Stars all year. But there is another reason…..

I think I miss the old days when all the players knew each other and it was a much friendlier atmosphere. Perhaps that is the reason why I finally succumbed to my doubts and decided to play the seniors event. After all, there would be no kids, no screaming of “yeah, that’s what I’m talking about” every time a major hand was won. No, with the seniors, it was bound to fun and peaceful. Or so I thought….

I took my seat just before the end of the first level only to find the guy to my left in seat three with a huge stack and an attitude to match. “Great” I thought, welcome back to poker Peter. But I needn‘t had worried. He was soon gone after his fourth bad play sent him on his way. To see such attitude humbled was refreshing. But is that why I had come to play poker?

A new face soon filled the empty seat to my left. And of course we welcomed him to the table with a greeting that must have warmed the cockles of his heart. But if it did, it didn’t last very long. Did he just hate the table or the human race in general? Before I could work out just exactly what his problem was, he was all-in and in a race for his life. Would his 4-4 hold up against the 7-6 os that belonged to the chip leader on his left? You heard me right - he called with 6-7os. And guess what? When he paired his six on the turn, you could sense the whole table wanting to cheer. “Yeah, that’s we’re talking about!“. But is this really why I came to play poker?

What the fuck is wrong with seat number three? Having just got rid of two moaning old codgers, we get greeted by a third player who hates the whole fucking world! What’s wrong with these people? I don’t recall how he got busted in the end, but I didn’t really come here looking to take satisfaction from other players busting. Cant help but think of the irony going through my mind at the time. Back Nottingham many years ago, I used to dream of playing poker in Vegas. But there I was, at the Bellagio, pondering at just how much fun it would be to be playing a 20 quid re-buy in Nottingham. Ahh….those were the days!

In the meantime, the fourth level had just begun and I was about to play my third hand. I guess with coming late, I had no choice but to play a waiting game. Especially since I lost 1200 from my 5k after the first hand. But hitting a pair with a flush draw is bound to cost you something if you miss. The good thing was, having started with 189 players, we had lost more than half the field in the chase for the 185K and the 25K seat. But with just 3k chips, I needed help.

Mike Majerus owed me big time. Not only was he the player that stopped me winning the 2K limit event at the 20002 WSOP, he was the dealer at the Bellagio last year when I got three incredible bad beats in successive hands during the 25K. So when Mike began the first hand of his stint at the table, I couldn't help but remind him of his debt to justice. Mike’s response was swift and meaningful as I almost trebled up with K-K on the first hand. On the second hand, my Q-Q failed to attract any action. But Mike was determined to pay the debt and gave Q-Q right back to me. Strange game poker. No hand for two hours and then three in a row.

The woman in seat six was a very solid player. So when she called my raise, I had little choice but to put her on a bigish hand like 9-9, T-T or even J-J. But still, I decide to check the flop of K-4-6 rainbow. Her tentative bet of 1300 left her with just 4K and just 2K less than my stack. Placing faith in my initial instincts, I decide to put her medium pair to the test by setting her in. She took her time but did what was expected and announced muck. However, she shows K-Q. I guess I was a little stale as this was my first real tournament since the WSOP. Her look in my direction pleaded for me to show my hand. I obliged, but in the hope that she knew I wasn't rubbing it in. Her smile suggested that she knew. Ahh, that’s why I came to play poker!

With around 10K, I get chip-happy and play A-J from the BB against a late-position raise from a short-stack. My bad play sends me back to 7K and in tight mode. And as always seem to be the case with me, any loose play gets the max punishment and I fail to pick up any sort of hand. But the field is decreasingly as quickly as my stack. By the last hour of play, we are down to 43 players and I’m down to 43 hundred. With blinds at 400-800 and an ante of 75, I need a Mike Majerus type of rush. It doesn’t come and we are down to the final hand of the day. My predicament is compounded by the fact that if I make the second day, I will miss out on the Liverpool match which is shown live on TV (I couldn’t live here without the Fox soccer Channel). But all thoughts are put to the side as I squeeze out a monster As-Js. The fact that I face an early-position raise is irrelevant - I‘m all in for 4200. When a another player joins the party, it’s more than I could have hoped for. Flop is 6-4-4, two spades. Turn is an ace and the others check. River is a blank and is followed by two more checks. We are down to 34 (I think) and I am up to 14,475- MONSTER stack!

Going back to Liverpool. Is this Torres guy good or what? Such grace, elegance and speed. As one Liverpool fan put it…“Torres has the ability to turn us all gay“. Perhaps he’s right. In fact, my wife knows she has competition for my affections.