Day 2 of the Main Event was pretty desperate for me. Eventually found A-A for the first time in the tournament, and was delighted to see the tightest player on the table reraising me. We both get all our chips in, he has me slightly covered and shows K-K. Not too much drama, a King appears on the flop and that is that.
Had a break from live poker after that, and managed to nick a few quid online with nothing of any interest to report in that department.
On August 5th I played a live $200k freeroll in Strangeways (sorry, the Gold Coast) put on by Cryptological with only 80 players. Was doing okay, got my 10k starting stack up to 28k when the average was 18k before being crippled by A-Ks vs A-A when the blinds had reached crapshooty level.
Three days ago my laptop decided it didn't want to turn on, so I took it to a laptop repair shop. Made two trips there, got charged $450, got it back home and it still does not work. Brilliant. Went back there yesterday, and today I'm still waiting to collect it.
I need to get away from Vegas, and America in general, fast. Staying in The Rio isn't helping, each time I leave my room I have to walk past what they call the best 'free show' in Vegas. This involves a weirdo dressed up as a clown pestering people, some sour-faced simpleton walking around on stilts, dreadful loud music, pathetic dance routines and a moving overhead stage where the 'performers' throw these crappy plastic necklaces to the obese burger-munching masses below who seem ecstatic at these goings on. I would sooner chop my toes off than witness this any longer.
I wanted to have a go at the last two $1,500 events, but as I was trying to get my laptop fixed I missed them.
Last night I decided to give the daily Bellagio $1,000+80 tournament a spin, only for the second time. 5,000 starting chips, blinds of 25/50, 40 minute levels and 159 runners. The only player I recognised from my table was M3Boy (right) from blonde.
On the first lap, about the 6th hand, I pick up T-T on the button. There is one mid-position limper, I make it 200. The small blind and the limper flat call, so 3-way to the flop with 650 in the pot. The flop comes Kc-10c-8h with two clubs. The small blind checks, the limper bets 350, I raise to 900. The small blind flat calls the 900??!! What hand can he have here to justify this action? Qc-Jc perhaps? The limper thinks and calls - he must have a draw or a hand like K-Q, K-J. So 3,350 in the pot, and ,with 3,900 left in my stack, I'm praying for a blank on the turn. My prayers are rewarded as a red 4 peels off. Check check, I move all-in. The small blind calls instantly and confidently. The limper thinks and folds. Now what hand can the small blind have? A badly slowplayed K-K or 8-8 are surely the only possibilities?
Well, he turns over A-A!! A lesson in how not to play A-A if ever there was one.
However, that lesson does not apply if you are playing against me. Call me crazy if you like, but for a few seconds I thought I might actually win this hand and be off to a flying start. The illusion was quickly shattered, as the dealer wastes no time in slapping down one of the two remaining Aces on the river.
So I'm eliminated within ten minutes, and left cursing my luck, again. In fact, that river concisely sums up how the last six weeks have gone for me.
When going through a bad patch like this, poker is definitely as the saying goes - a hard way to make an easy living!
Was thinking of going to Mexico or Argentina for a bit but, as no one else is interested, I'm going to go back to Thailand (I have a free flight which is a bonus) on Friday. The next two days can't pass soon enough. When people say that staying for six weeks in Vegas is too long they are not joking. Im having one final stab at The Bellagio tournament tonight and then that will be the lot.
