VEGAS DIARY 2016 - DAY 3Only Fools and H.O.R.S.EsI vastly overestimated the distance between Venetian and Planet Hollywood. Again.
You'd think I'd remember after last year, but I thought a walk would be nice. In 45 degree heat. Wearing jeans.
The first mixed game comp of the year though. $240 H.O.R.S.E in Planet Hollywood. Part of the Phamous series. Apparently 'Phamous' for having the world's worst structure or so I'd been warned. Can't really say I'd made heaps of progress playing 8Game this year as it's always the same 5 players at it on Stars and they're pretty clumsy so I'd not put much time into looking up Advanced 7 Card Stud strategy because I don't own a time machine and can't go back to 1985.
True to usual form I get there 90 minutes early. Looking around the shops is an exercise in futility because I know I'm too much of a nit to buy anything.
I was the first person registered with 45 minutes before kick off. No guarantee on it either. Half hoping nobody else showed up so I could claim victory by default. But they did. One by one they shambled in, each more miserable than the last. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere.
I've found limit players to be the most grumpy. It can be a real "Ace on the river" game, given people are always given odds to call. On the other hand I suppose when people are always backing into some sort of miracle chopped pot, it can really try your patience. I mean go ahead and call with the intention of trying to get half your money back on 2-9-9 with A37Q if you want, but you're just pushing the older guys who've waited all day for AAxx further and further into a state of catatonia. I don't want to be responsible for some poor bugger having to put his Dad into a nursing home because I backed into a 6lo when I really should have just folded flop.
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Pre match warm up was to go to Earl of Sandwich. Everyone raves about it, but I've never been too impressed by fancy bread. I'm much more of a Tesco Meal Deal, ham/cheese on white, Salt and Vinegar crisps and a Coke person. So that's exactly what I got. Is it like going to the best steakhouse in Vegas and ordering chips?
It was as nice as a ham sandwich could be really. You can't really mess it up. Though trying to get into it was like trying to get into the Temple of Doom. They basically rolled it up in one of those emergency foil blankets the paramedics give to the pissheads on a Friday night when they've collapsed in a smoking area.
I felt fulled up and ready to go. But it's not like you can go in all guns blazing in limit poker. You have to bide your time, like a lion stalking a buffalo. Be like water.
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We were on a 10,000 chip starting stack, with the limits starting at 75/150 blinds and 150/300 bets for flop games - 25 ante, 75 bring in, 150 complete with a 300 big bet for Stud games.
They gave us all a structure sheet, probably so people wouldn't hold the game up asking what the limits were. Can confirm that the structure is pretty fast. 150/300, 200-400, 300-600, 400-800, 600-1200.
Try and register in the level before late reg ends, and you get 4 big bets. Or enough to play one full hand. Better win it!
Let's meet the players -
Seat 1 - Chinese woman with sunglasses. Is it just me or are they usually deceptively aggro?
Seat 2 - Mr Camouflage shirt. Might have been in the Army, might be trying to blend in to the background.
Seat 3 - The bragger. He's won loads apparently.
Seat 4 - Me. On a diet of bread and sugar like Oliver Twist.
Seat 5 - Alcoholic Mary Poppins. Already on her second Vodka and Orange juice. Spoonful of sugar sure helping her medicine go down.
Seat 6 - Guy from New Zealand. If he beats me in a pot I'm going to ask him where in Australia he is from.
Seat 7 - Johnny No Folds. He's already stacked his chips in 150s and 300s so he can fire off bets like a Sten Gun.
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Our dealer already says "I haven't dealt these games in a year" - so we can be sure of a good 10 hands per level.
We play 8 hands of each game. It's not a level of each. It's always more fun that way because sometimes you get a table that just hates limit holdem and everyone just snap folds to get to the more interesting stuff.
Cards in the air. Oh by the way who wants Chinese because you can order from PF Changs and get you a takeaway sent up. The floor were more interested in pushing Kung Pow Chicken on you than getting the game started on time.
We get to about 15,000 pretty quickly through the Limit Holdem and Omaha Hi Lo levels. A table full of "I just want to make a low and then bet bet bet", which always ends in 3/4 tears. We were on the good end of the quarterings which was helpful.
STUD HI - 200/400 50 ante.
We complete to 200, get a call, and a raise to 400 from someone showing
. We go 3bets to 600, call and call.
The guy who makes it 3bets is pretty much on Split Queens.
We receive the lovely
, though it probably kills all action unless the player with
catches really well. Of which he does.
.
We bet 200, fold, raise to 400. If we raise to 600 it make it clear we have three Kings, and he just goes into call or check call until the river unless he makes a full house. So a really easy hand to play.
We both brick. I bet, he raises. Now assuming he's made a house with whatever banana card he had with his split Queens. We call. Though checking our board to him flips the situation and we're just going to check call unless we boat up. Which we don't. And he didn't even have a full house until the river. Maybe I need to go back to the future to find that Stud strategy book. 1.21 Jiggawatts and all that.
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Stud 8 is one of my favourite games, though live it makes me lose the will to live sometimes.
People play it like Razz with a side of Hi. Make me a low first, then try and back into some sort of hi hand with 2 cards to come. If I make a low, I can't lose all my chips!
Like you've ever played Superstud and see it play 4 ways with everyone chasing a 7 low and no pairs.
This is the truth - I have never won a pot starting with A23 in Stud Hi Lo. Every bloody time it runs out J-6-9-2 or something.
Stud Hi Low - 400/800/100 ante.
(
)
We get to bring it in, with the full intention of re-raising until the cap as there are no wheel cards dead and only one diamond gone.
We get to make it 3 bets to 1200 with 2 callers.
for us on 4th Street with everyone can assume is a huge brick for me but it's not really too bad and enough to get us to see 5th 3 ways.
Nobody catches really well but we are down to about 6000 chips at this point, and if we lead and get a raise we have to put another bet in to squeeze the 3rd player for 800 more chips when our low draw is probably best.
Bet and calls all around
Oh we make a junk two pair that we have to pay off. We do, and lose to a better two pair.
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We get the last of the money in in Omaha Hi Low with a 2345 UTG. 2.5 big bets left, blinds coming through. There's a rule that is a pot is heads up preflop in limit, there's no cap on raising. So we just punt it in. Good enough. Flop J-J-T and it's GG.
We almost made it to second break!
Tomorrow is the $240 Six Max at the Golden Nugget. What a day that was.
Back to the two cards, half the fun mind.
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