tilted behaviour

Waking up well after midday, I sat around the PokerNews Mansion doing absolutely nothing before Heath and I decided to continue our table tennis battle from the other day.

Although he proved victorious 3-2 on the last occasion, I finally hit my straps on this one and crushed his soul fairly easy before both of us, along with Kirsty, decided to make our way to the Premium Factory Outlets for some retail therapy.

My plan was to buy a few pairs of shoes and a nice jacket, but failed miserably at the shoes while finding two half-decent jackets at Calvin Klein. I decided to hold off on the purchases until after the series as Heath was the only one to buy anything as we all returned home; and me to the Hard Rock.

With it being Chad’s last night in Las Vegas, we decided that we should go and hit the strip and do some gambling and drinking.

Our first stop was at Casino Royale to play some $3 Craps and drink some fruity margaritas. This was bad choice numero uno . . . not for the margaritas, but for the choice of playing Craps as we both lost; mine hitting the wallet a little heavier for three bills!

What!?! How could you lose $300 on $3 Craps you may be asking . . . well the reason is I was playing it more like $30 Craps than $3 and the fact that the luck of the dice wasn’t rolling our way didn’t help either. While Chad tried to run up his last few dollars, I found my way to a $1 Roulette table where I was betting at a minimum $60 a hand. Only buying in for $100, it lasted me a dozen spins or so before I punted it off and we made our way to O’Shaes to play the midnight $45 tournament.

It was a turbo structure with only a 2,000-starting bank, and after check-raising all in with top pair in the third level and getting snapped off with a flush draw, I was out before Chad when he spiked another club on the river. I dumped another $100 on Craps there, before Chad bite the dust and we made our way back to the Hard Rock.

Chad decided to call it a night as he had an early flight the next day, but I decided to kick on and play some $1-2 NLH in the poker room.

I chipped up quickly when a guy limp-shoved over my three-bet (raise to $7, then to $18) with deuces and I called off his $104 with Queens as the board blanked out.

A few orbits later I made it $7 to go with A♠ Q♠ and found three callers before firing out $16 on a A♦ 10♠ 2♥ flop. It was called round before the big blind led for $60 when the turn landed the 2♠ with only me calling before the 5♥ on the river went check, check. He tabled his Q♣ 10♦ and I collected the pot to move to $428 before chipping up to $486 after cracking Queens with King-Jack when I flopped two-pair.

The switch was then flicked as I proceeded to lose every hand thereafter. I was two-outered twice, and rivered three-times by the same guy in virtual back-to-back-to-back hands before losing my last $85 in a straddle pot with Queens against the straddler’s Aces to finish down a buy-in at the Hard Rock and $900 overall for the day!

I wish I had worked today!

Not able to hit the money yesterday, Day 4 of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event was going to become the money day for the first time in WSOP history!

Stripped of both blogging and reporting duties, I was sentenced(?) to iPad duty which entailed me continuously updating chip counts of my area roughly on average every ten minutes.

Based in the blue section of the Amazon Room, we were blessed with the majority of the chip leaders along with some of the better known players which made my job a little difficult at the start until Mickey came over once the remainder of the Pavilion Room broke.

As we neared the bubble, all those memories of playing like a donk in 2007 came flushing back as I wish I had a chance to revoke my button shove and just fold for two more hands so that I could have been US$20,320 richer!

The only positive thing about my bubble bust (apart from what I personally learnt), is the fact that many players either go out in worse situations, or play their hand horrible.

For the 2010 Bubble Boy Tim McDonald after being faced with a raise to 10,000, he made it 30,000 (of his 67,500-chip stack) to go as his opponent made the call to see a A♣ A♠ 2♦. Check, all in for 37,500, snap call! McDonald tabled his Q♣ Q♠ and his opponent tabled A♥ 2♥ for a flopped full house. Two Queens needed, but only one fell, as McDonald bite the dust just shy of the $19,263 payday but with an added bonus of a seat into the 2011 Main Event!

Only 575 players made it through to a day five berth, with adopted Aussie Tony ‘Bond18′ Dunst leading the field with over 1.5 million in chips.

Bruno, Rich, Heath and I all had a day off tomorrow so we decided to play a home game at the PokerNews Mansion where they were all staying.

We were expecting to get a few others, but due to some (soft) reasons, it ended up being just the four of us as we played $0.25-0.25 NLH on the pool table.

I was chipped down early and was forced to top up so I was in for $100 before my first major hand was when I stacked Bruno. He was playing like a banana, and after a three-bet Heath’s 75c open with A♦ Q♠ to $3.25 and Bruno made it $8.50 or so, I shipped it in. Bruno made the call for his last $30 or so with Kings, but when a Queen fell on the flop and the river, he was tilted and forced to rebuy.

I stack Rich when I overbet shoved my 5♠ 3♠ on a 9♠ 8♠ 2♥ 5♦ after he checked. He snapped off his last $60 (into a pot of around $15) with K♠ J♠, and was unable to improve after running it twice.

Then there was this hand that upset Heath after I opened K♣ Q♣ to 75c and the table called around to see a Q♦ 4♥ 4♠ flop fall. Rich and Heath checked as I fired out a bet of $2.50 with Bruno folding before Rich made the call as Heath bumped it to around the $8 mark. I three-bet to $24 and Rich passed as Heath smooth-called. We both checked the repeat Queen on the turn before the river landed the 5♥ and he check-called a bet of $10.25 with 10♣ 4♣ before launching into a tilt tirade once Rich told him that he folded a Queen too.

Heath eventually finished off Rich before we both played heads until the darkness of night had been transformed into early morning sunlight as I profited $194 from the friendly home game before finding comfort on the couch for some sleep!

Having a day off, I managed to get a nice sleep in before deciding to wake up and find a suitable lunch option.

Not wanting to head to far from the hotel room to eat, I decided to head across the road to grab a sandwich from Capriotti’s.

As the temperature lingered around the 110-degree mark I eventually made my way to the Capriotti’s door, and before I could even reach for the handle it slowly opened. I reached for it to hold it open for whoever was leaving the store, and to my amazement it was none other than Daisy Marie.

Daisy who? Well Daisy Marie is the first person that I have seen face-to-face in Las Vegas over the past few years to make me absolutely star-struck! For those of you playing at home and wondering if it actually was her or maybe a Latino of similar resemblance . . . well as she brushed past me to leave the store with my eyes fixed on hers, she broke the eye-to-eye contact and turned to walk away revealing her cherub-inspired back tattoo.

Not really hungry courtesy of the weakness in my knees, I looked up at the menu, before quickly doubling back to see if she was still there or just a mirage due to my sickness that I’ve encountered over the past week or so . . . no mirage but just Daisy as I ordered a rather now-boring sandwich.

With lunch taken care of and some TV watched, I caught up with Chad as we decided to head to the Strip to take a look around. Once there we wondered into a few shops and casinos before making a last-minute decision to see Predators.

There was no Arnie, but still plenty of carnage as Brett continuously bugged me with texts during the movie trying to organise a game back at the Hard Rock. Of course both me and Chad obliged as we grabbed a taxi immediately after the last extraterrestrial life was killed off by Royce and Isabelle (the main stars obviously).

Once back at the Hard Rock we organised a $50+10 sit-n-go with a 4,000-chip starting bank (it was going to be 1,500, but through my pure awesome negotiating powers, we convinced them otherwise). Greg, Mickey, Brett, Chad and I were joined by three randoms, but the sit-n-go was a bit of a blur – I still think due to Daisy Marie – and this is how Brett detailed my play:

“I three-bet you three times and you folded like a fucking nit!”

Brett was pretty much right as I opened A♣ 4♣ and he three-bet Ace-King before I three-bet him with Q♥ 8♥ and he four-bet jammed me. The final hand saw me call all in from the big blind with K♦ 3♦ to dominate Chad’s 10♠ 3♠ in the small blind. But since it was Chad – and he runs really really really good – I spike my King and he flushed me on the river to send me out the door and to the cash games as Greg bubbled in third and Brett proved victorious for a nice $260 payday.

On my first I squeezed to $17 with 10♣ 9♣ in the cutoff over a straddle and a couple of calls as four of us saw a 8♣ 5♠ 3♦ flop. The straddler led out for $10 and I made it $47 to force him and the others to fold as I kicked off my start to the $1-2 NLH table.

An orbit later I Hard Rock straddled the button to $4 as the straddler from the previous hand made it $10 to go with both me and the big blind calling. The flop fell down A♠ 2♦ 3♠ and the raiser led out for $20 as I made it $48 to go with 4♠ 5♥. The big blind folded as we went heads up to the turn of the 7♥ with my opponent donking out for $60. I put him all in for his last $100 and he painfully mucked after about a minute of deliberating as I climbed to $393.

I then lost Queens to 9♥ 5♥ on a 9♦ 8♥ 7♥ 6♦ 8♣ board to slip to $278 before playing one of the worst hands of my life!

After a straddle to $4 and two calls, I made it $22 to go holding K♠ 10♠. The blinds, straddler and the callers all called to see a Q♥ J♦ 3♠ flop fall. One of the callers fired out $65 and I called as the 8♣ landed on the turn and he fired out $70. I made another bad call as the K♦ landed on the river and I called $75 to see him reveal A♦ Q♦ as I scooped the pot to move to $556 before ending the night up $341 in the cash game and $281 overall.

By now you should understand that a day off from the World Series means time for cash games!

I slept in till late before grabbing some food and heading over to the Rio for some $1-3 NLH action.

Buying in for $300, one of my first hands saw me open K♦ Q♣ for $14 over a limper before checking down a dry board until the river brought the fourth club and I fired $20 at the pot. One player called with sevens while the other folded as I chipped up to $356 early.

A few orbits later I called $8 from the big blind with 10♦ 4♦ as six of us saw a Q♦ 9♠ 4♣ flop and the preflop raiser from the cutoff made it $20 to go. I called on a pure float, along with three others as the 8♦ landed on the turn. I checked, an ep player checked and then the cutoff led out for $65. The preflop raiser agonisingly mucked as the decision was now on me. It was $65 to win a pot of around $180 meaning I was getting three-to-one. I was 100% certain he had Jack-Ten, and was 90% confident he would call my shove on the river if I dinged my diamond or caught a Jack for a chop. Having $272 in my stack, I made the call as the ep player folded before the dealer dropped the 6♦ on the river and I shoved for $207. I was immediately snapped off and raked in the pot taking me to $650 . . . but my question is whether or not my turn play is justifiable in relation to pot odds mixed with implied odds?

I then leaked away $70 when my A♦ K♦ missed, my two pair was flushed on and I was forced to fold Queens to a bluff. I then managed to grab it all back several orbits later when I raised to $13 with Q♠ J♠ and found two callers as a 10♥ 5♠ A♥ flop fell and one player donked out $15 at the pot. He was fairly tight, but had $300 or so behind, so I floated him as the other caller folded. The turn landed the K♣ and my opponent fired out $20 – and praying that he had a set – I bumped it to $55. He unfortunately folded as I returned to over $650.

I opened A♣ 9♣ to $11 and was called by the guy that doubled me up early as a A♠ Q♦ 6♥ flop fell. He checked out of the blinds, and I decided to check behind to get some value out of weaker hands. The 8♠ landed on the turn and my $11 bet was check-called before the 2♥ fell on the river and my $20 bet was again check-called as I scooped the pot to climb to $718.

One of the last pots I won saw me call a guy down with sevens to take me to $740 before eventually cashing out $747 for $422 profit for the session before returning to the Hard Rock with the PokerNews guys.

It must seem like I’m the laziest PokerNews employee, but after just a few days on, I have another day off . . . and of course I headed to the Rio to play some cash!

I keep getting told how unbelievable soft the games are and how bad the players are, and yes what I have witnessed makes me wanna pitch a tent there, but I’m still yet to get any of it.

Sitting down at a $1-3 NLH table I post in the hi-jack and pick up A♦ K♦ and make it $11 with just one caller on my immediate left. The flop falls J♣ 10♠ 4♥ and I know that this most likely hit his range, but I still fire out $17 to force a fold from those hands I don’t have showdown value against. It doesn’t work as he calls and then successfully pushes me off with a $45 bet on a blank turn after I check.

I top up, and then get dealt 8♦ 8♠ under the gun and make it $12 and find three callers to see a 9♥ 2♥ 3♦ flop fall. The blinds check and I fire out $30 which is called by the button as the blinds fold before the A♠ is delivered on the turn. I felt that I could be up a just a flush draw, and even if I was beat by a nine, if I fired a strong bet to represent the Ace, then he may just fold. I led out for $65 and he instantly moved all in for over $400. Yikes! Ace-high flush draw it must be, and I mucked to slip down to $195 and topped up $75 to now be in for $400.

I squeezed K♠ J♠ to $28 after a straddle for $6 and four callers before being shoved into with King-Queen to run into my Aces to see my stack return to $357. I then made a terrible call with A♣ 6♣ on a 2♥ 4♠ 8♦ A♠ to be up against A♦ 8♠ as I slipped back down to $233.

I then bricked my 5♠ 3♠ on a 9♠ 8♣ 3♦ Q♠ board against Ace-Queen and an all in short stack’s Jack-Ten. Eventually GG came along and said he wanted to play somewhere else instead of the Rio, so I took my $171 off the table and we made our way to the Venetian.

GG had planned to meet Jonno Pittock there, and Jonno treated us to a nice dinner at Valentino’s even after getting three-outered for a $600 pot!

After dinner GG and I sat down on a $1-2 NLH table and I was quickly put on tilt when my K♣ 10♣ was run down on a 10♦ 7♥ 6♠ 2♥ 6♥ by J♥ 9♥ before I managed to flop two pair (after squeezing preflop) with Q♣ 6♣ and finding a little bit of value.

Bruno had been playing on a different table and soon joined us as I made it $6 under the gun (still tilting obviously) with Q♠ J♥ with GG calling before some banana made it $16 from the button. We both called and then check-called $15 on the Q♦ 4♥ 10♠ flop as the 9♦ landed on the turn and we again checked to the banana. He fired out $25, I called and GG made it $85 total as the banana moved all in for just $55. Although I think it’s technically a call here nearly every time, I opted to fold as GG tabled his K♠ J♠ to collect the pot and send the banana reaching into his wallet.

I then three-bet someone to $37 over his $12 raise with A♠ K♠ and then folded to his $50 donkbet on a Jack-high flop. He flashed his A♥ J♥ and I sarcastically said well played before topping up to now be in for $400.

Jonno then joined us on the table as I chopped Kings vs. Kings preflop in a five-bet all in pot before taking a nice pot off Jonno. Bruno opened to $6 and GG called before I three-bet them to $24 with Q♥ Q♦ for about the fifteenth time in the last few hours. Jonno called from the button as we went heads up to a Q♣ 8♦ 7♥ and I fired out $27 with Jonno check-calling as the A♠ landed on the turn. Because I had been barrelling a lot and showing my nine-high three-bets, I was hoping that Jonno might have hit the Ace, and if not, call super lightly. Therefore I only fired out $49 and he quickly called. The river landed the K♦ and unless he was floating with a gutshot, or slow-playing an overpair, it shouldn’t have changed anything. I had about $120 or so in my stack and really wanted to get paid off by the bottom of his range like 10-8 etc. Consequently I only made it $50 to go and he snapped me off with A♣ K♣ to see my stack soar into the positive . . . if only I knew he had that hand and I could have had an additional buy-in up my sleeve!

Quite a few orbits later once Donnie and Lynn had arrived from work, I opened K♦ 10♦ and was called in three spots to see a K♠ 7♥ 6♦ flop fall. I fired out $16 and Jonno raised it to $40. I really didn’t believe I had the best hand, but even if I did, the cards that fall on the turn that make it ugly for me to call a barrel far outweighs the good ones. Consequently I showed no fear (which if you’ve been reading Tilted Behaviour lately you will have noticed as I’m continuously unafraid to bluff and play big pots in comparison to my old game – something playing online has contributed to I believe) and made it $105 to go. Jonno thought for ages and mucked, as I flashed the 10♦ to try and tilt him.

With Donnie having no money since he had just bought into tomorrow’s $2,500, I decided to cash out a $116 winner and lend him some money to play since I was basically folding every hand to build crazy Carlos Mortensen-inspired chip sculptures.

Unfortunately that was a terrible idea as the game continued until deep into the morning as I tried to doze off on the chair next to Donnie as the Rounders-esque game continued until the bright daylight of Las Vegas pulled us out of the Venetian in time for three hours of sleep before my midday start!

With a tough run behind the computer over the past week or so, I decided to cash in a day off I had up my sleeve and take the weekend off.

My plan wasn’t to sleep it off in the hotel, but go play some cards to see if I could switch off some of this run bad.

I headed to the Rio and sat down in a $1-3 NLH game which was full of maybe one good aggressive player and the rest amateurs. Both the under the gun and button straddle were in play frequently, and I had had mine three-bet a couple of times, as well as myself three-betting them too – especially when the only decent aggressive player (let’s call him Tom) did it.

On one occasion Tom straddled under the gun to $6 and I made it $18 with K♣ 7♠ from the cutoff. He four-bet me to $50, and instead of just releasing the King-high like I should, I decided to five-bet to $135 to really put him to the test. It took him about three minutes, but he eventually made the call before shoving for over $250 on the 9♣ 9♥ 2♣ flop to put me to a test for my last $225. I actually thought about making a ridiculously light call hoping he had a Q♣ J♣-type hand, but instead just mucked and topped up back to $300.

After not playing a hand for ages I decided to play a pot holding J♦ 10♦ when the tightest player on the table raised to $15 under the gun. I called from the small blind as a 6♥ 6♣ 5♠ flop fell and my opponent fired out $15 again. I check-raised an additional $37 making it $52 and he made the call as the 4♣ landed on the turn. Of course my flop play was meant to produce a fold, but since it didn’t, and the turn card was pretty good, I decided to run a triple barrel bluff and fired out $70. Taking his time, my opponent made the call as the 10♥ landed on the river. Although my hand improved (against those small overpairs) I was certain I was behind but continued my plan and fired out $140 to effectively put him to a decision for his last $120. He shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and angrily mucked as I sheepishly smiled before raking in the pot.

I then had a real interesting hand come up where, if I was online, I would have played it entirely different. I opened to $11 from middle position holding Q♠ Q♥ and the big blind called as the J♥ 8♠ 3♦ flop fell and my $16 bet was check-called. The 6♥ landed on the turn, and following a check I fired out $35 only to get check-min-raised to $70. To me, when playing online at the limits I’ve been playing this is normally a huge indication of a hand that beats me, but since we’re playing live it makes it different. I decided to smooth-call because if he was bluffing he wasn’t calling a shove, but may bluff the river, and if he had a hand it gives me a chance to reassess on the river. The river landed the 4♠ and my opponent moved all in for $110. I probably sat in the tank for over three minutes running a range of hands through my head.

“You could have a set here. Threes? Jacks? Nah . . . You could have Ace-Jack of spades too!”

Another minute went by before I finally made the call and he amazingly tabled his A♠ J♠ as I raked in the pot to soar up around the $200 mark.

Unfortunately a few minutes before I was leaving I gave a bunch of chips back to that same opponent, when after he limped, I made it $14 with K♠ J♠ from the cutoff and he was the only caller. He check-called $17 on the J♥ J♦ 7♠ flop and it automatically made me smell something funny. We both checked the 8♣ on the turn before I just called $35 when the river landed the 4♠. He showed me his 7♥ 7♦ and all I could think was that I got out of that cheaply!

I cashed out $553 but it only meant $73 profit after having to top up early several times . . . lesson . . . don’t five-bet preflop with K♣ 7♠!

Returning to the Rio for some Sunday cash game action I again found myself on a $1-3 NLH table.

On my second hand I was dealt 4♦ 4♠ in the small blind and called $10 to make it six-ways to the flop. The original raiser fired out $10 on the 2♥ 5♠ 6♣ flop and everyone folded round to me before I check-raised to $32. He called and I dinged the 3♠ on the turn. I led for $65 and he moved all in for $180ish. I snapped it off and tabled my hand, and he just mucked and left the table (without realising we could chop), as the dealer just pushed the pot to send me to $540 without even dealing the river!

The following hand I was dealt A♠ Q♠ and opened to $11 from the button only to have a short-stacker in the big blind make it $20. I put her all in for her last $89 and she called it off with Jacks and held to send me down to $450.

Then about an orbit later I copped a bad one when another multi-way pot saw me dragged in for $13 with Q♠ 10♦ from the blinds. I checked the A♥ K♠ J♥ flop as the original raiser fired out $15 and was called in one spot before I made it $70. The original raiser called before the other player folded as the K♣ landed on the turn and his last $90 went into the pot holding K♥ Q♥. No heart on the river but an even dirtier Q♠ saw me slip right back to what I sat down with.

I flopped trips and turned quads blind on blind with Q♠ 4♠ but played it fairly awful as I only managed to get $110 out of the sucker before getting taken to value town with King-Jack against Queens on a dry Queen-high board. With Donnie’s tournament heading on dinner break, I decided to join him and took my $270 off the table to leave me down $330 for the day so far.

Following some food and a much needed break I found myself at a new table with my $270 and was soon involved in a big pot after calling $16 last to act in six-handed pot with 4♥ 3♥. The original raiser fired out $45 on the K♥ 9♥ 4♣, and once the action had folded to me I decided to make a huge committed check-raise to $155. He angrily folded and I was up to $338 before making the nut flush with A♦ 9♦ and winning a small pot to see me end the session up $114 but down $206 overall for the day.

After having to come in to the Rio for our first official group meeting since the WSOP started, Heath, Mickey and I decided to maximise our rare day off.

We returned to the Hard Rock to show Heath around before we headed to Fashion Show Mall so I could buy some shoes and the other two could grab some food.

A few days earlier (while shopping with Jane) I had spotted the sickest pair of Air Jordan Spizike‘s that were a must-have. Walking into Foot Locker the price had been slashed down to $130, and consequently, there were an insta-buy so I could kick it old-school like I was back in 1985 (when they originally came out).

We then walked over to the Aria to check it out, but after finding no real poker action to satisfy us, we jumped in a cab and made our way to the Venetian to play some $4-8 HORSE. Unfortunately the list was full, so we all sat down at a $1-2 NLH table where me and Heath quickly battled after I opened to $12 over a straddle with 9♥ 8♠ only to get four-bet by Heath to $27. I called, and we checked it down with a nine falling on the flop to best his Ace-King.

Several hands later after it limped round to me in the big blind, I made it $13 with K♦ Q♦ and found two callers to see a Q♣ 8♣ 4♣ fall. I fired out $32 and was called in one spot before a 2♠ landed on the turn. On the turn I was faced with a decision of whether or not to bet or check. I felt that if I fired out he was probably only calling with a draw or a weak hand, but raise a set or a baby flush and a hand stronger then mine (top-top etc). Consequently – being prepared to fold if he shoved, but barrel any non-club river – I led out for $60 and he took over two minutes before making the call.

Sigh . . . A♣ . . . what a ghay river! I deliberate just shipping for $130 as a bluff to get him fold a small flush or a stronger non-flush hand, but continuing with my turn play I decided to check only to have him insta-shove for $115. I tanked for days and folded, and he believed a folded a set and didn’t correct him.

“I had King-Queen with the King of clubs . . . probably should have folded the turn” he stated.

“Yes you should have” I replied bluntly.

A few hands later after this lady from Denmark made it $10 after a limper, I bumped it to $36 from the button with Q♦ 6♦. Heath shot me this dirty look before tank-folding Jacks (el oh el) as the lady mucked. I let Heath pick a card and he turned over the Queen and instantly believed I had Queens. The next hand after the same lady made it $8, I three-bet again to $27 from the cutoff with A♠ 8♥ and she called before check-folding for $32 on the J♠ 9♠ 6♥ flop.

Eventually all our seats came up at once and we headed to the $4-8 HORSE table but not before Heath managed a double. Heath sat down with his $500 or so, I sat down with my $386 (after being down $14 from the table previously) and Mickey sat down with about the same.

I scooped a huge pot in PLO-8 with A-K-K-7 against A-Q-Q-x on a K♥ 9♥ 4♠ A♥ 8♠ before GG and Kerry Stead joined the game.

I ran pretty awful for the whole night, including losing a live high two-pair and the nut-flush draw against two full houses in Seven Card Stud before bricking in Stud Hi/Lo with (6x)(5x) / (4x)(2x)(4x)(5x) / (6x) against Heath’s trip kings. I did mange to make a flush and a low the next hand against him however to win the majority of my chips back.

However one of the sickest hands was when my Razz board ran out (Ax)(10x) / (4x)(2x)(Jx)(Qx) / (Kx) to lose to someone that had J-8-8-8 face up on his board . . . so sick!

After a long session on the felt I spent the last hour playing every hand with a can’t be f**ked attitude as I eventually lost my last $100 or so and returned home after another unsuccessful session in Las Vegas!

Days off are a treasure during the WSOP, but since I had only worked two days I felt like I had to go out and do something instead of sleeping and relaxing in my hotel room at the Hard Rock.

DK picked me up in the afternoon and we swung by the PokerNews house to pick up Rich before heading Downtown to see how GG was doing in the one of the Binions Poker Classic events that I had bought a piece of (inclusive in a Vegas Summer Series combo on ChipMeUp).

Unfortunately by the time we arrived he had already busted out and consequently left us stranded Downtown. With DK and Rich virtually broke and unable to gamble I decided to stake them $100 with a 50% freeroll on any profits they made. We all sat down on a Bonus Texas Holdem table . . . bad idea . . . as Rich went busto quickly, while I dropped $50 as DK was the only one able to profit. I gave Rich $100 to play Craps but that too went back to the house as we went for a walk to find some cheaper gambling options.

Finding a $1 roulette table at the Las Vegas Club I proceeded to lose $200 in about five spins before we decided to call it a day and make our way home. First of all though we would have to validate parking at Fitzgeralds, but like most degenerates, standing around waiting near a Craps table was never a good option.

With my final $100 I gave it to Rich to play Craps and that soon slipped down to around $30 until some middle-aged lady here on a vacation got the dice and went on a mega roll to see us cruise up to around $550. She then set the point on a 10 and we had $48 on both the six and eight as well as $50 on the pass line and $100 behind – a total of nearly $250 on the table. But as all gambling stories end, she obviously crapped out with a seven just as we upped our bets to leave us with around $300, which soon turned into $200 before we finally ended the day – with my wallet $400 lighter.

We decided to pop into the Rio to hang out, and after dinner I decided to play some $1-3 No Limit Holdem as DK and Rich headed home.

Buying in for $300 I picked up a couple of small pots before doubling up a short-stack when my Ace-King couldn’t improve against her pocket fives. Not needing to top up as I still had a full stack I then was dealt A♦ 9♦ and limp-called a small raise to see an Ace-high flop fall. I checked, my opponent fired out $30 and I shoved on him as he only had $100 or so behind. He took about three minutes to call before tabling his Q♣ Q♦ and found a third Queen on the river.

“Sorry dude”

“Well then you’re obviously not sorry. No need to lie mate”

I put my earphones back in and pulled out a couple of $25 chips to top up to a full stack before going an hour or so of not being dealt much. I three-bet a few people here and there before being dealt K♣ Q♦ on the button and made it $16 to go after a limper. This guy who had just jammed the river with air the previous hand made the call from the small blind as did the spaz nut in the big blind to see a K♠ 6♦ 10♠ flop fall. It was checked to me and I fired out $32 and was called by just the small blind as the repeat 10♦ landed on the river. Following his play previously where he jammed the river after his opponent checked top two behind on the turn, I decided to check as well as the K♦ landed on the river. He surprisingly checked and with around $100 in his stack and about $110 in the pot I was put in a quandary of what to do. I wanted to get maximum value from his likely holding of Ace-Queen or Ace-Jack and decided to fire out $53. About two minutes went by before he called with his A♦ J♦ as I was gifted a nice pot.

I then made two-pair with 10♦ 9♦ but was counterfeited against Kings before I bricked a straight flush draw and a pair against the same guy and was forced to fold to his river shove.

Then this interesting hand came up where after one limp I raised the button to $15 with A♣ J♣ and found a call from a tight player in the small blind before the limper called. The flop fell down A♦ 6♥ 4♥ and the limper donked out $25 only to have me raise to $62. The small blind then check-raised all in for $202 as the limper immediately folded. This guy had been so tight and although it was only costing me $140 to win about $340, I eventually folded believing that I never am in good shape in this spot. A few of the hands he later played (tank calling with top-top etc) made me believe I made the right fold.

I was rivered a couple of times when my two-pair went down to some four-card straights and I eventually finished down for the session $236 to take my losses for the day to $636 . . . FWIW days off suck!