Postcard From Las Vegas

(LAS VEGAS) - Before going over to play the $350 MegaStacks Event at Caesars Palace, I was telling Anna-Marie that I don’t even recall too many tournaments recently---live…not online---when I’ve gotten a decent stack to start out. The Death Spiral hasn’t just featured gut-wrenching bad beats…it’s featured a slow decline that culminates with a murderous beat.

Yesterday at Caesars, it was the opposite.

And, even though it ended with a relatively deep run short of the cash, it was pleasant in the sense that I’ve gotten so used to The River Sodomy that when it doesn’t happen, and I get to die in my sleep, it’s relatively painless.

At least this time I got off to a strong start as well.

So, I got a little tease.

370 players registered for this $350 buy-in, and since most of the legitimate players are over at The Rio for the WSOP $1,000 Event…or cash games, this field was made up of some clowns.

But, you have to sift through the clowns…because there can be some great players trying to take advantage of the weaker field and large payoff.

With a $350 buy-in and 370 players, first place was more than $20,000. The top 45 got paid. So, it was a good value.

And, I got off to a damn good start.

First hand: AsKs.

French dude to my right under the gun limps. I raise it to $400 (blinds at 50/100). Three callers.

Flop is perfect. I catch a King on a non-drawy board. French dude checks. I lead out. Get one caller.

Turn is harmless as well.

I lead out. Caller goes away. Nice pot to start.

Very next hand: AA.

Sweet.

Now I look like I’m aggro-wizard.

These guys don’t know me from anyone. But, they’re always paranoid of the lag players…and that style pisses off the old guard in Las Vegas.

So, I’m utg with AA and raise it up to $300.

Three callers again.

Flop KhQh3d.

Not a great flop for my hand. I don’t have Ah.

But, after the sb checks, I lead out and get called by the same guy I did battle with on the first hand.

The turn is a blank.

I bet it.

He calls.

The river is a Jack of spades.

I’m not looking to create a huge decision early on, but I’m prepared to call his river bet. So, as opposed to betting, I check…since many hands in his range are ahead of me. KQ. KJ. QJ.

He checks behind. I show AA, and he mucks.

Again…pretty sweet start.

About six or seven hands later, I picked up AdKd.

Early position again.

I make it $300.

The big blind…an older guy who played like older guys stereotypically played…called.

Flop K95.

He checks. I bet. He calls.

Turn is a 4 of diamonds, giving me the nut flush draw…along with my top pair top kicker.

He checks. I bet. He calls.

Before the river is dealt, he says, “I check.”

Ok.

Whatever works.

River is a Jack of diamonds.

I have the nuts.

I bet $2,000 into a $3,000 pot.

He pays me off and mucks.

Quite a heater to start the tournament.

I was ready to try and do some damage with my chips, but it was a table full of loose-passive players, and that doesn’t jive well with the style I was looking to play.

So, I lingered around $28,000 or so and then got a monster.

The short-stacked cutoff---a good player---raised. The small blind called. I looked down at TT. I called…as a reraise to the shortstack may lead to an all-in for about 1/3 of my chips…which I wasn’t interested in doing.

Then I became quite interested in an all-in situation.

The flop came off TT4.

Quads.

Woot.

Got to get some value out of this.

Small blind checks. I check. Shortstack bets $1,000.

Small blind calls. I call.

The turn is a Jack.

Small blind checks.

I check.

Shortstack checks.

The river is an 8.

This time we got what we wanted.

The small blind leads out for $2,500.

I’m hoping like hell he hit his straight.

I raise it to $7,000.

The shortstack goes away.

Now the Frenchman in the small blind is tanking.

I’m hoping he’s coming over the top.

Tank. Tank. Tank.

Tictoc. Tictoc. Tictoc.

Finally, he folds…but he’s a mess about it.

He keeps looking at me.

I can tell he wants me to tell him something.

Finally, he says, “I had a 10. Did you have the straight?”

Hmmm. Must have been one of them funny five 10’s in a deck deck.

I said, “You had a 10?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Let’s just say I know you’re lying to me and move on to the next hand.”

He mumbled something and got into tilt mode.

Perfect.

That hand took me up to $34,000 or so.

Unfortunately, the highest I ever got was $36,000ish.

There’s really no horror story. There really aren’t many questionable decisions. It’s a rather peaceful death.

Here’s how boring it was: the only hand I’m really wondering about was a 55 ep raise when a guy who loved three-betting on the button three-bet me. Even though my hand was marginal, I would’ve liked to have come over the top with a four-bet there…but it’s not like it was a huge hand. I called. Missed the flop. The board was j98. Not much room to move there with a play, so I just laid it down.

See how dramatic that was?

When it all went down, the blinds picked up. I bled. And, with about 7 bb’s left, I shoved utg with 77. Called by AK on the button. Flop was safe. Turn King. River blank.

And, that was that. I finished around the top 100, but no mincash or anything.

Oftentimes I leave these things wishing I would’ve done something differently…or gutted by a bad beat. In this case, there’s not much to talk about.

Fuck…these columns wouldn’t get half as many reads if they all were as painless as this one.

I’m shocked when I see the numbers on the reads of these things as it is. Perhaps people enjoy reading my misery.

This one ended in a loss, but it was a peaceful loss.

Not much to complain about.

We’ll try and get them today.
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