The Vegas Virgin & The Jolly Boys Outing

[the sicilian]

more pics

[the sicilian]

View from our broom cupboard

[the sicilian]

Minor Norkage for the boys spotted at Caesars Palace Pussy Cat Dolls Bar...

[madasahatstand]

The very best of luck to you all and have a great time  

Hows the jetlag?

[the sicilian]

Ok so back in the saddle after over ten hours yesterday, with another deep stacker at Caesars Palace.
531 Runners this time with over 40K to the winner.

This sort of structure and comps are Poker Nirvana but I tell you now are incredible slogs.

Anyway another ten hours ensued once again going deep in to the final 100 missing the money once again...sigh

My starting table was perfect..I was in seat 5 and had an assortment of Americans so stereo type its was scary. We mainly had the ' if i raise boy i gotta hand ' and i'll only bet when I hit something ' brigade mixed in with a woman who wheneever she had a hand bet it so big u truly believed she was afraid of it...as an aside a lot of americans have serious trouble with their bet sizes. You know when they have the nuts as they bet way more than the pot as the guy who rivered a gutshot on me prooved by betting 3k into 1800.I did ask him if he had called the turn with a gutshot b4 i paid him off with top 2 but hey u gotta ask.

I also had the obligatory flush chaser who i heavy betted trip aces against and who never hit thankfully..think the cocncept of pot odds r lost on these guys.

My only real competition was another english guy and between us we ruled the table until he made a monumental mis step with a flush draw against uncle Sam who had a bigger flush draw that duly came.

So I duly ran my stack up to 22k just playing against my opponents general weak play....usual limp fold brigade and post flop miss fold to a bit of pressure...im sure these guys think there playing poker but in this day and age they r dinosaurs and me and the other brit were getting away with murder.

We then got broke which was bad news as I thought i could run up a decent stack at this table .Got moved 2 the left of a big stack owned by a yank who did not stop talking..although to b fair he was resonable entertainment...anyway most of the table was fairly passive except for one guy at the other end who just kept limp calling raises...position meant nothing to this guy and ace rag and gut shots rocked his world..he was truly awful and truly dangerous but he began ironing himself out and i mangaged to hold station around 25k.

Another table move and this time real bad news...directly to the right of the chip leader...young internet boy had 225 K when average was 20K...god knows how he got those...it was truly scary to see this overwhelming wall of chips sitting next to me ...a clear sign my leash was on truly tight especially as this guy wanted to play every other pot.

Once again i went card dead and with antes and blinds rising and monster stack next door I dribbled away.3 times i tried raising with semi marginals and 3 times i got moved in by rock woman from Loooois annnna...I tell u the only time she played a hand was to move in on one of my raises..a truly frustrating experience.

once again i got into move in mode and finally had a big allin with AQ that hit and i was up to 50 k.....

Fell back a bit after a multiway pot that the joe hanchem lookalike round the back wasnt giving up so i didnt fancy pushing my 2nd pair.

Then in the sb action was folded to me and i had A 2 .....facing mr monster stack who had by now managed to waste half of his stack i decided to move in and put the descion on him...with 25k to call to win 32k he thought KQ was a good call and he duly spiked a king on the flop and we were out once again 20 places from a cash.I h8 this call..he never had odds and could never consider he was ahead...but hey just an example of the minefield that is modern tournament poker

Played a bit of cash tonight but no good so tmmr is rest day..the 2 long days at Caesars has taken its toll and it a bit of sun worshipping is on the menu with multiple trips to the pool.

Back in the fray in the evening still looking for a score....The sheer scale of the fields rather than the quality of the players is making this a tough trip...but we soldier on

[Nico29]

Quality blog guys.

Dom

[Snatiramas]

Keep it coming boys really enjoying it!!!
Now go and win some cash

[The_nun]

Keep it coming boys really enjoying it!!!
Now go and win some cash

[the sicilian]

Sunday as the lord decreed was sunbathing day ( thats right isnt it...thou shall not play poker thou shalt sit by pool in 105 degree heat ) sure that was in the bible...anyway i duly obeyed and i and celtic didnt rise from our room until 2pm after a night talking poker and other rubbish with a well oiled Domnic..chompys pal and 5th place finisher at the wsope.Domnic great guy and loves nothing more than to talk poker .So we had a few beers and watched the venetian hooker sqaud eject a heavily tattooed black lady with very little on from the building.It was hilarious as she insisted she was waiting for someone at 5 am in a nearly deserted casino floor.

Anyway after some drinks and dips into the pool it was shave and shower for the venetian nightly $180 comp.
Was eager to get back on the horse as desperate for a result..unfortunatly was too eager and played about as bad as i ever have and was out early doors.

Sat on the cash and finally mangaged to clock up a score mainly to a big set over set coup and an interesting hand with 2 germans...oooer missus.

On my cash table were 2 germans straight of a delayed flight and playing 36 hours + with no sleep.One was in every pot and raising all the time..fortunatly he was to my direct right and i stayed out of his way unless i had a hand as he was very aggressive.His m8 was much more cautious and they were def soft playing each other whenever they got heads up.

Any way Mr Panzer commander limps under the gun and i come along with 10 J a nice cash game hand. His m8 jacks it up to $10 and it folds back to matey who says nothing draws his original call back and just drops a $100 bill over the line.

The dealer announces a call and matey is about to invade Poland and causes an almighty cafuffle and the floor is called.After much discussion and threats to get the tank from the carpark the german is forced to flat call and the action is back to me....i have a little think..its obv heinrich has pulled the old limp re raise with aces and over raised so much as to send a clear signal to his m8 whats happening... now it was going to cost me $10 to stay in this pot and see a flop..if i hit hard i could win half of Germanys national earnings...i decide 2 go for it...

The flop is a miracle K Q 9 and my mind is double checking ive flopped the proverbials...so i slip it to the first one and he makes a big bet which is duly flat called by his m8....here i made a mistake and my mind was panicking i was going to let these 2 get away..there was a pos flush draw i think 2 hearts and maybe my thoughts were that tight german had KQ or qj suited anyway i repopped them there and then and wasted a getting more on the turn..anyway both fold..heinreich done his doo das as he fold aces and then carries out an inquisition in german with his m8 who actually had AK...damm

Anyway finally got up with about $300 profit and managed to go and win a sattellite into the next days $540 deepstack.

So back into the deepstack stuff at the Venetian and 15K chips 40 minute clock...I tell u gonna miss these comps beautiful structure.

Anyway once again went deep..didnt hardly have any cards and was duly ducking and diving until i finally found a pair of kings that tripped up on the flop and managed to get the big stack at the table to pay me off for a big double with KQ...they love KQ here...

From there I went on a tear with antes and blinds now at steal / profit margins plus catching a young lady stop and going into my flopped top pair top kicker i ramped up to 90k with average about 36k...

The 340 odd starters were down to about 120 and i was looking good. I then suffered a couple of setbacks first reshoving a purported button steal when he had a hand...lol..and then reraising a mad russian for his tourney life and another 25k in chips with 99..he decides AQ is a good exit hand and duly makes the call...fantastic !!!  the words 'what to u think u were beating ' were on my lips but AQ out here is akin to aces but there u go.

The obligatory Queen hits and im down to 25K as we go into the dinner break.

At the restart blinds are 1500-3000 with a 500 ante .Thats 9.5k in the pot b4 we start and im in shove mode as i need to rebuild to at least avg which is 65k...i pull the trigger once with 10 9 suited no callers...then i almost go again v another shortie allin with A 9 spades..it looked pretty but this guy had been pretty tight although i had made 2-1 call v him earlier with 2 live ones and caught him with his pants down with K 8..which held...


But gut instinct told me not to and he showed kings..phew...shoved again with KJ suited and got looked up the big stack for 30K..he tables 10 10 and im happy to go racing...im not too sure y im happy cos at the mo i seem to finish 2nd in races..but light at the end of the tunnel a miracle jack on the flop...but the gods r oh so cruel with a 10 on the turn...bugger..another deep finish outside the money and the Sicilian crashes and burns in 70th.

I then walk straight over and buy into the night tourney which is 20 minutes old with almost a hundred runners and sit down next to....Celtic who has decided tonight is the night he fancies messing about with 2 portugese guys on the table.
I ramp up chips early doors catching a young girl at the other end in full shades and i pod regalia bluffing badly...and then taking one of the potugal boys off a hand.

Unfortunatley Chompy then comes and sits at our table and celtic goes into full banter mode and my tilt switch flips...Celtic goes out finally but im in ramapage mode and catch a young lad continuing when he missed with a flush draw check raise re shove....he lays down like a lamb and i pull the same move building chips v one of the portugese lads.but he hasnt missed and goes no where with his flopped top pair top kicker.  I miss my draw and im off with the hump and go and console myself with the biggest dirtiest burger the Venetian can offer..and my god was it big..am not eating for 2 days..no need to.

So tmmr another 540 looms and we are looking to crack these babies..didnt win a single race yesterday..if i can win a few of those we could go close fingers crossed...

As an aside my lower back is killing me from all the 10-12 hour days at the felt and some mad guy at our first table offered to pay for a table massage for every player at our table..i duly accepted.
This slip of a girlhad hands of iron and I wanted to cry out in agony as she dug her elbow into some region of my shoulder..i even passed a big hand pre flop because of the agony she was inflicting...i dont know whether she thought i was a big lad and could take her vietnamese torture routine but blimey oh riley she was a monster !!!

Anyway fair play to her my back did feel better and i managed not to cry at the table so on we march and some bloody money !!!!!  I hope.

[booder]

another excellent report.........more please

[tikay]

We want more!

[RED-DOG]

We want more!

[the sicilian]

Just got back from todays 540 which was a big disaapointment. Ramped up to 22k early doors mainly thanks to someone reraising me too much and me snapping him off with the nut draw.

I open raise with A 8 Diamonds from the middle of the pack ( table is soft and slow ) tightish matey next to me flat calls and i pick up another one round the back...flop is      ... not bad and first to act lead at it with a nice three qtr bet of 1400...suddenly tightish matey next door comes over the top of 6k !!  wow !...other guy gets out of the way and i think mateys not hugely strong..i discount aces or kings as this boy would def reraise pre flop.  so that left queens jacks or pos A 10 or if his really cheeky kq diamonds.....the big overaise smells weak and i shove the lot back up him another 8k on top.....he looks visibily distressed and i know his not calling.  He meekly asks if i would do that move with a draw...

me sir? no ur in trouble.....he duly folds jacks and im up and running..then just before the 2nd break i run into trouble.

theres a standard raise and a call from the button whose as busy as hell and been at it from the gun.  im in the bb with 67 o/s...its 400 to call 1500 and i see a flop...flop 5 8 10 rainbow...lovely i lead at it looking to take it now but pick up mr button..fair enough a 2nd bullett or hitting my hand might still win this coup...the turn is a 9 and strightens me out.

i slip it to him but he checks back....rivers a blank 3 and i decide to do my own betting he then reraises me !!! omg please dont tell me this guy called a pot bet on the turn with a gut shot???  oh yes he did and urs truly pays him off whilst asking if he has QJ...of course i have he smiles flipping them over....yuck!

From there im down to 8k blinds rise antes kick in i go card dead and get moved to uber tough table..eevery hand is raise and reraise.....i go trigger shy with AQ to a raise and re raise shove  and dwindle away until im forced to shove with the mighty K 3 and get looked up by 4 4 so hey ho shopping and sunbathing for me this afternoon and tonights tourney to see if i can yet redeem the trip.......

[Snatiramas]

Good luck this evening mate

[Nico29]

Brilliant write up mate. Hope you enjoyed the trip, was great to meet you guys. See you on the circuit soon.

Dom