An Education
As a newbie to this board, let me start with a brief introduction, I live and work in London England, I have been playing poker since school, but only house games and recently on the internet. I have resisted the temptation to join a poker club or casino in the UK, and was really looking forward to my five day 50th birthday trip to Vegas to see how good I really was. I travelled to Vegas with my wife and another couple who were not poker players, but were happy to play roulette and slots and go shopping, giving me ample time to spend at the tables. I did quite a lot of research on this site before the trip, and had planned to visit a number of the different poker rooms during my visit. I had decided that my bank roll for the 5 days would be 1500 Pounds ($2250), and although I wasn’t sure if this would be enough, that’s what I was prepared to loose. Probably not the right attitude, but as a novice, that’s what I was prepared to pay towards my poker education. We were staying in the Bellagio, which was an education in itself.
We arrived on Christmas day in the afternoon, and after an 11 hour flight with very little sleep, the last thing I probably should have done was end up at a poker table, but there I was at 9.00pm with my $300 starting stack at a 1-3 table I lasted until 2.30am, and to my surprise came out only about $50 down after over 5 hours play, won a few nice pots, and didn’t lose any howlers, apart from one. Where I was UTG and dealt KhAh, flop came down KdQdAd guy to my left bet 18, rest of the table folded around to me, I called, next card was 2d, I checked guy goes in for $50, I folded fearing the flush, he showed me AsQc, needless to say I was sick, but apart from that one hand (where I would probably do the same again) I felt that I had played well.
Being with my wife and non-poker playing friends meant that I was sneaking in 2 -3 hour sessions whilst they were shopping, and as a result, in spite of all of my research, I only played in the Bellagio apart from a 2 hour stint at Bills on a 50c - $1 table which was quite profitable (won $250) and was a bit different, but I preferred the Bellagio. Overall I was winning more than I was losing and showing a good profit for a novice.
Thursday night at the Bellagio was my best session, I played from about 9.30 – 4.00am, and won about $600 no real memorable hands apart from trip kings (last one on the river) when another player went all in for about $120, and I called and won a pot of just over 300 Pounds.
Friday night was a romantic evening, we went to a show, had a very nice meal and an early night, but I did manage to get 2 hours playtime in the afternoon, but then didn’t play again till Saturday night.
Saturday was the last night of the trip, and quite stupidly I was beginning to think that this game is easy and how I may be able to pay for the trip out of my winnings. I was up about $900 (I had $1450 in my pocket including the $550 I had taken out of the ATM) and on that last night and started on a 3-1 table with probably the worst attitude ever, and my first $300 lasted about 45 minutes. Time for a breather, I walked outside onto the strip, had a cigarette or three and tried to get my head right.
I returned to the room, and cashed my next 300, and just had no luck at all, I was playing very tight and if 7-2 or 3-6 were good hole cards, I would have been doing very well, best I had was when in the BB, I had 7-2, flop came down 2, 5, 7, I pressed, everyone dropped out except one elderly lady, turn was an 8, 10 on the river, she turned over a pair of 10’s for trip 10’s beat again, $600 down for the night
I thought about switching tables before changing my next $300 but didn’t bother (probably a mistake) my stack just dwindled down to nothing. I don’t think I was playing badly, but didn’t have the cards to get involved in a single hand for over 2 hours. At least I had the satisfaction that even when I had folded, I didn’t see a single flop that I may have won. I was just stone cold.
It was now 2.30 am, I had lost all my profit and was a very frustrated, I dipped into my bankroll and cashed another $300, my luck didn’t improve, then hey presto I get JJ, flop comes JKQ rainbow, its checked all round till the guy before me, he goes in for 20, I raise to 40, everybody folds, the raiser calls next card is an 8 he goes in with 25, I think for a while and push all in he shows 2 pair KQ, I’m already counting my winnings when the river shows another K, that’s it, I’m totally demoralised, and the table are all very sympathetic, but I have lost $1200 in 6 hours of poker.
Before this trip, I was hoping to be able to send you a trip report about my successful trip to the Mecca of poker, but that was not to be. That said, I did have a blast, and played about 30 hours of poker for a net loss of $300.
To sum it up, I had a great time, I learned 3 valuable lessons:
I should have probably switched tables when only $600 down (not sure it would have helped, but I’ll never know).
This game is much easier to play on the internet.
I’m not as good as I was hoping I would be
But thank you Vegas for an education
You played for 30 hours and lost a single buy-in. Have some perspective my friend, that is a win for a Vegas trip. Strong work!
Tenesmus speaks the truth. Some nights just aren't going to work out no matter what you do, and you can't let them color your whole experience.
Great report. Thanks for sharing. Curious as to what show you went to see and where you went out to eat for the nice meal. Also, on the hand where you had AhKh and the flop was AdKdQd and you called the raise to $18, did you consider a reraise or a fold instead? What do others think?
I can relate with just calling....too easy to think the worst and assume your opponent has flopped a flush, when in reality it's very unlikely. I think I'd put in a raise to $54, and see where I was in the hand, reasoning that it's better to fold to a re-raise and minimize my loss than allow free cards. Hind-sight is always 20-20, though.
Nice trip report! Enjoyed the read.
Tenesmus is right.
In the first hand you mention where you're UTG with AKh, did you (and everyone else) just limp in? I likely would have raised in that spot with that hand. Since it appears you limped in pre-flop, I would have put in a raise of at least 3 times the original bet on the flop. This gives you some information as far as where you stand against your opponent and you could make your decision from there. If he reraises you, you can either call
don't like calling off my money in that spot), re-raise, shove all in or fold. He was likely banking on you fearing the flush. I too probably would have folded and used the information he gave you (by showing his hand voluntarily) against him later.
But I would say that was a good trip. You only lost $300/one buy in. That's pretty good for a first-timer. But now you know that if you get on a losing/dead streak, change tables or even seats. Table position can play into how the game is played as well. Especially if you have a big stack on one side or the other.
Variance in poker can be tough to deal with,and especially in live poker where you see so few hands.
As long as you play within your bankroll its ok and losing just one BI is nothing.
It can be frustrating so try to take a pause when you feel you are tilting.
Nice report.