Vegas 2011 - Dec 8th - Day 2

Sessions: 1
Net Result: +$267

I only had 1 night free at Planet Hollywood, so I had to get up early to check out of my room. Claire booked my next 3 nights at Imperial Palace because, quite honestly, they were the cheapest on the Strip. I'd never stayed there. It looked pretty ghetto when I went into the casino the last few trips.

The check out time was 11am, so I took a Taxi from PH to IP and was hoping that they'd let me check in early. Usually check in time is like 3pm. I couldn't tell if they were allowing check ins yet so I waited in a long line. I was hoping it wasn't just for check outs. Luckily, they had a room ready. I was surprised because being the cheapest room on the Strip, and having the National Rodeo Finals here this weekend, I figured it'd be booked solid. Anyway, I was very happy to get the room early because I was still quite tired and wanted to rest.

I made it to the elevator and an older lady got in with me. I looked at my room assignment… floor: 13th. I hit 13 and she says, "Oh, same floor as me! 13th!" Then it hit me. 13th floor? I thought buildings didn't have a 13th floor! And this being a fucking casino, I figured superstitious guests would refuse to stay on it. Maybe that's why they had a room ready! Haha. I mentioned the oddness of a casino having a 13th floor to her, and she was well aware of it. She said that usually they put the pool or exercise rooms or maintenance on the 13th floor. Or they simply omit it. But not IP. They're so cheap, they're not even wasting a floor number. They're using it.

The room was a pretty big step down from my PH room, but still doable. Definitely older. CRT TV. Eh. Whatever. The bathroom is usually my biggest concern. I hate it when showers don't drain properly. I tested the shower. It was fine. However, the sink didn't. Fuck it. I was tired. Good enough.

I got a good amount of rest before heading out. I was a bit hungry, not not *too* hungry so I decided to stop by the IP poker room. The last time I came in here, I looked in the poker room and they only ran $2/$4 limit. So I didn't even expect a $1/$2 game to be running. But there it was. A small stacked 7 handed game. Alright, let's do this.

Session 3: Imperial Palace $1/$2 NL HE (9h 45m)
Buyin: $595
Cashout: $862
Result: +$267

This was a grueling session. I played almost 10 hours without leaving the table. Not even to pee. Obviously, I skipped lunch and dinner. I wish I could say it was because I was crushing the table and was running too good to leave, but I actually got stuck after about 2 hours and spent the rest of the time grinding it out.

Initially, the table was very tame and short stacked. I bought in for $195 (a $5 chip immediately went into my pocket as a souvenir) and unknowingly sat down between a couple of Brits. There was also a Swede across from me. I'm pretty sure one or two other guys were Euros as well. I hate Euros. They say Americans are loud and obnoxious and horrible visitors when we go abroad, but my experience is just the same with many, many Euros in Vegas. They drink like fish. They're boisterous and annoying. The Swede was actually pretty quiet, but the guy to my left was uber vocal and drunk. And a close talker. Luckily he was there only for about 2 hours.

Even still, the table was pretty calm. I got stuck after a bit when I bet out an Ace high flush draw with AQo against the loudmouth's small set. He was short stacked, and it made no sense to fold. I didn't make it. I grinded back up to about even. Then grinded up to a small profit. Then bled down to under $100 again. I reloaded for another $200.

The guy to my right was actually a drunk Scot. Nobody could understand him except the loud Englishman to my left. As timid as the table was, this guy was the only guy that played sorta loose. He was small stacked (about $100) so I didn't consider him much of a threat. He got lucky a few times and built up his stack to about $220. By this time, I had about $340 and was close to being even.

The Scot opened up for $12 a lot. Like almost every hand. And sure enough, he did it again. I looked down at Kd Jh and decided to call. He had been showing total crap most of the time, and lots of times he was so drunk he lifted up his cards so that I could see them. I didn't see them this time, but he had been raising with garbage for about an hour.

The flop was pretty nice. Kh Qd Td. I had to be ahead, and I had a re-draw to the nut straight. I felt like this was surely good enough to beat this guy. He buckets pretty big considering the size of the pot. $75. I decide to go with my read and push all-in. He insta-calls. Whoa. I flip over Top Pair Kings with a decent Jack kicker and an open ended nut straight draw. He flips over… Ah Qs. Mid Pair with a gut shot. Sweet! I'm 82% to win! Turn is an 8s. I'm now 89% to win. River. Jd. Fuck! Are you kidding me?! I lose a $460 pot on the river on that bullshit? C'mon!

An hour or so passes, and the Englishman and Scot leave. Fuck. I'm afraid the game will break, but new players start showing up. I grind it up again to about $250 or so when a Korean/White guy shows up. A tennis instructor from San Diego. Loud as fuck and obnoxious. I guess Europeans don't have a monopoly on annoying players after all. He's in town for a bachelor party. He shows up to the table with $80. He's all-in on his first three hands. He wins the first two uncontested. The last one he calls off $35 pre-flop with QJo and ends up with the Broadway straight in a 3 way pot. He's up over $300 now in like 3 hands. He starts drinking and drinking and talking and raising and drinking and raising and flopping top sets, flushing on the river, and two-pairing his worse kicker up to about $800. It's amazing.

He's now super fucking drunk and more annoying than ever. His buddies have been trying to get him to leave the table to head to the strip club. We're all wanting him to stay. He even goes as far as racking up almost $700 and plays "one more hand" for about 20 minutes. He's blind raising and straddling and just being ridiculous. I'm on the button with Qh 8h. Almost everyone is in. I decide to call $2. He's in the big blind and raises to $12. Callers all around. Fuck it. I call. It flops Qs 7d 4c. I decide that I have to be good. This guy is lucky, but c'mon. My Queen's gotta be good. I've seen him win pots showing mid pair or a flush draw just because he bet so big nobody would call him. And when people did call him, he's have the fucking nuts. Didn't matter. I was gonna make my stand. I was down to about $150 by now. I wanted him to double me up. He leads out for $65. Predictably, everybody folds. I stand up to him. I push all-in. He insta-calls and says, "I have the nuts." Of course, he always says that. I'm still pretty confident. Until he flips over QQ. Fuck. Seriously? This asshole is so fucking lucky. Christ. This is my first bust. :-(

I rebuy for $200. This guy is still playing out of two racks now. Almost about to leave after every hand. The guy to my right starts egging him now. "Let's put in $20 blind." "If you raise, I'll call blind." etc. etc. The drunk tennis instructor loves it. He can't leave. The guy to my right, a bald, middle aged Kyle Gass lookalike, just wants to get some of his money. Tennis guy raises to $8 on KG's $4 straddle. KG raises to $20 blind. Tennis guy raises to $40. KG calls blind. And he checks the flop dark. Tennis guy bets $40 more. KG calls blind. Turn comes out and KG checks again. He's trying to get tennis guy to stop betting and just flip over since KG hasn't even looked at his hand yet and the board is straighty with a flush draw. Instead, Tennis guy pushes all in. KG is forced to look at his hand. He's only got about $120 left. KG calls. Tennis guy asks if KG has a straight. "Nope," he answers, "two pair." Tennis guy is mad. He starts cursing and calling KG a faggot. Saying that was gay, etc. etc. All of a sudden, Tennis guy is a homophobic 13 years old paying Halo on Xbox Live. The dealer and poker manager try to calm him down and then he plays it off like he was kidding. Of course, he's going to play one more hand again.

This time I pick up Ac Qc. I raise to $12. Tennis guy, obviously on tilt and very annoyed raises to $100. Fuck it. I'm going to go all-in. He can't have me killed again can he? I push in for a little over $175. He insta-calls. (When don't they ever NOT insta-call?) He plays it secret squirrel like and says, "I have aces." I'm like, "Do you really?" Fuck! He says, "Yep." I flip over Ac Qc. The flop is Jc 8c Jd. Turn is 4c. Sweet! Unless he's got JJ or J8 or 88, I'm good! River is an A. Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. ?!?! The "helpful" players at the table start saying, "Well, if you've got AA, you've got a fullhouse!" Thanks assholes. Shut up! The dealer pushes up the three clubs and says, "He's got a flush." Tennis guy has slow rolled before, so I'm still wondering if I won. Tennis guy goes back into his 13 year old tirade, saying that was gay. I got lucky, etc. etc. He flips over AKo. Wow. Hahaha. Fuck you, dickhead. You can't run good forever. Now he's really pissed. He's lost about $400 dollars playing "one more hand" out of his racks.

After a few hands, his friends finally pull him away. Fucker.

Now I'm stuck about $250 or so. About 20 minutes later, I pick up Jh Ts. KG has been keeping the action going since Tennis guy left. He raises to $10. I call. About 6 players see the flop. Qc 9c 2d. Checks to me. I lead out for $25. Everyone folds by KG. The turn is an 8h. Great! I have the nut straight! KG checks. I lead out for $65. KG pushes all-in for $211. What? I have to re-check my cards. Yep. Still the nuts. I figure we're chopping. Then I start thinking… Oh, now, what if he has Jc Tc? Ah! Oh, well. Obviously, I'm not folding. I call. I say, "I guess we're chopping?" I flip over my JTo. He looks disgusted. Nope. He flips over 89o. Two pair. He says, well, you've got it unless… right as the dealer flips over another 9. Sonofa… motherfucking… whatthefuck?!?! I was 91% to win with one card to go. That's TWO huge $400-500 pots I lose with 1 card to come with a 90% chance of victory!

I'm disgusted. I'm so hot, I have to take my coat off. I'm down to about $110. FUCK. I gotta start all over AGAIN!

I start grinding out wins. Slowly. Slowly. Hours pass. With careful, calculated, tight, aggressive play, I build up my stack to $573. I'm $22 down! I should quit right? Hell, no. I'm playing great. I'm beating the table. I'm making people put in their money bad (most of the time.) I'm making people fold better hands. Stealing pots. I can do this. Plus, I'll be damned if I'm playing 8 1/2 hours just to be down $22. I can win it. Plus, I haven't eaten all day, and I'm going to get these fuckers to pay for my dinner at the very least.

I'm getting very weak. I haven't eaten anything in almost 24 hrs. I haven't had a drink for about 4 hours. I need something fast. I pick up Ks Qc. I call $2. This dark, young Filipino kid leads out for $12 from the small blind. He's been pretty quiet. I call. It flops Qd 8h Td. Seems good, but I don't like really like that all -that- much. Filipino kid leads out for $20. This old guy to my right calls. Maybe I should raise, but I just call. I hope he was just continuation betting, and that two callers will slow him down. The turn is an Jd. Filipino kid leads out for $40. Old guy grumbles something about going to sleep and calls. Fuck. This is ugly, the flush is out there, the straight is out there, but now I have the nut straight draw. I don't wanna see another diamond for sure. Fuck it. If I win here with a non-diamond Ace (yeah, kind of a loose call), I'll be up and I can leave. The river… Kd. Are you kidding me? Gross. I have top two with 4 to a straight and 4 to a flush on the board. Jesus. Filipino kid bets another $50. Old guy has $52, but just calls and repeats that he guesses it's time for him to go to bed. I can't beat them both. Filipino kid has maybe $50 behind his $50 bet. I have to fold. Filipino kid flips over As 4h. Fucking nothing until the river. He bet with absolutely nothing and made the nut straight on the river. Not even a flush. Old guy flips over QJ. Two pair. Motherfucker. I'm down almost $100 now. Goddamn you Filipino kid. Betting with nothing and getting there. Bullshit!

Filipino kids bets aggressively for a few more pots and ends up with $350 or so. He doesn't ever seem scared to bet. His equally young, but not quite as short and dark Filipino buddy sits down in the old man's seat, because true to his word, the old man went off to bed. The taller Filipino kid buys in $100 and plays a few pots. He ends up all-in with ATo on a board of 5656J against pocket 3's. He thinks he's lost and is confused when the dealer pushes him over $100. We have to explain to him that the other guy's pocket 3's were counterfeited by the 5's and 6's on the board. His Ace high was good.

The Filipino's are having a great time. Tall Filipino raises to $10 and I look down at Jh 9h. Damn near the whole table calls. The flop is 5h 6h 7h. Yay! I flopped a flush! I gotta be good, right? What are the chances a suited hearts Ace, King or Queen is in there with me? None, right? Right?? Plus, an 8h will give me the stone cold nuts. Tall Filipino kid bets $15. I raise to $65. The table folds around to his friend, the Dark Filipino kid. He looks like he wants to fold, but then Tall Filipino kids folds out of turn. The dealer returns his cards and says he has to wait his turn. At this point, I ask the dealer if he can even do anything other than fold anymore after the Dark Filipino acts. Since TF threw his cards away, and they were returned. Can he really still call or raise after having thrown them away one out of order? The dealer says yes, that he can. I'm astounded. The table rallies behind me. A discussion breaks out. If someone mucks one out of order, his hand should be dead. The dealer disagrees. They call the floor. I'm not even trying to make a big deal out of it, since I think he's going to fold anyway, plus he's got like $80, and I have a flush already. I'm not folding. However, DF sees all this and starts to think that I don't want TF to be able to call or raise. DF thinks that I want him to fold and for his hand to be dead. I believe this gives DF the idea that I'm bluffing. He gets brave and calls. TF folds as expected. I REALLY want a 8h or NO heart. The turn is Ks. Who cares. I'm still good. DF checks. I bet $100 thinking he's on a big flush draw. DF surprises me. He pushes in $100 and goes back for $200+ more to re-raise me! The whole table and the dealer jump all over him. That's a string bet. The DF looks like he just answered an easy question wrong on a game show. Doh!! I'm concerned now. Does he really have a higher flush?!? River comes Ac. He insta-all-ins. (Yep, the always insta against me.) I think, well, this is going to REALLY suck, but I can't fold. I'm hoping he has a lower flush or a set. I flip over Jh 9h immediately and he looks like I just punched him in the nuts. He mucks! Yes!!! I tip the dealer $10 and count my chips. $867. 9 hours. 45 minutes. I'm done.