Trip:

Just got back from a last minute Vegas trip. This time, I decided to try a tourney in addition to the usual cash games.

Arrived a little late at Paris, check in line with only 3 clerks while serving the platinum members first. Needless to say, took a good 15 mins to check in. Haven¡¦t stayed there for a while, room was very nice, bigger than I remember, comfy beds, but no flat screen TV, just a normal 20 something inch CRT. Too tired to try poker, so waited till the next day.

Sat (8/15/09), wanted to try the pool at Paris. Opened at 8am, no sun, water still a little chilly. Took a dip and done within 20 mins. Brunch at Paris buffet was excellent. Time for tourney at 12pm Caesars. After I paid $85 which was very reasonable for 7500 TC, then I realized it¡¦s only 20 mins blind lvl. Blind was too short for me, so asked for money back and decided on the next tourney. Wynn has super stack for like 30000 TC but for $330 on weekend (weekdays are cheaper, like $220 for 20000 TC), a little out of my bankroll. Venetian was $550 for Sat 12pm (again cheaper on weekdays), $130 or something at 7pm with 7500 TC. So, I finally decided to play Ceasars 7pm for $160 30 mins blinds and 10000 TC.

In the mean time, I tried up and down for cash games. First Flamingo. About 4 -5 tables. Sat down at $1/2 NL with the usual mix of half young guns and half locals. 1 young guy kept on straddle, he even straddled at the button. I held my own, didn¡¦t really like my cards or the tables, so I left for Imperial Palace next door. This is around 2pm at IP, only 2 tables of $1/$2 NL, both half full, another table of I think $2/4 which I didn¡¦t care for. Anyway, table was too big, could hardly see the cards. Players weren¡¦t as fishy or crazy as people described here, maybe they were all sleeping at 2pm. Left shortly after a few orbits. Went back to Flamingo, nothing really memorable, pulled a bluff and won $30, avoided a flush when the local betted out at the river. It¡¦s good to read these local seniors like a book. They call with something / draw, bet out when they have something.

Poker stuff:

Enough about these stuff. Time for some real poker!! I haven¡¦t played live tourney for a few months now. It¡¦s just so hard to make it to the money. $100 can get me more playing time at cash games. But, I decided to try a deeper stack this time. Caesars had 4 tables for 7pm, expecting to at least fill up. I was surprised my table had only 6 players. Hated short table. By the first break, they only had 34 players, top prize about $1500. They couldn¡¦t even fill up the tables, and had to kill those dwindling chip stacks belonging to nobody. How sad! I played a little aggressive early on, trying to play back a young guy to my right who tried to steal my SB and BB (who is empty). After a few play back and check raise, they left me alone. Even gave me a walk a few times, it felt really good to walk with 9 2 os. My 10000 just went up and down a little until this hand. After 90 mins of playing, 4th lvl at 100/200. A very solid older gentleman put in a standard 3X raise to 600 from early position. I finally looked down at a quality hand QQ and wanted to find out where I was. Re-raised to 2000. Everyone folded to raiser who thought for a little and went all in! I still had 7000 chips left if I folded and he had me cover. I put him on KK or even AA. I didn¡¦t really want to go bust with QQ so I folded them face up. He told his neighbors he had AK. I don¡¦t think I would gamble 50/50 this early of the tourney even if he told me that he had AK. What do you guys think?

A few orbits later, I decided again to be creative raising 3X from early with 8 9 suited. Button Asian guy called (has been a calling station with weak holdings) and so did the chip leaders to my right. Flop 3 6 8, chip leader led out with 1800. I put him on a steal which he has been doing quite often. Unfortunately I can¡¦t really re-raise with my chip stack of 7000 without going all in. So, I floated. Button Asian guy came along. Turn K, checked all around. River a brick checked checked and Asian button all of a sudden bet 2000. Chip leader deliberated for a while and folded. I reasoned that he didn¡¦t raise the flop, didn¡¦t bet the turn, smells like he was on a draw with 7 9, 5 7 or something like that. I made a hero call and he turned over AA. OMG, he slowed played it well and didn¡¦t really capitalized on it. Now, I was down to about 5000.

A few orbits later without getting any hands, I checked BB with T6 diamond suited. 4 way action and flop 5 6 9, with 2 diamonds. I checked, lady big stack raised to like 1200, 1 called and else folded to me. I pulled the trigger on a flush draw and went all in. She called immediately and the other person folded. She turned over a flop st8, I sucked out and hit my flush. Yes! I was back to near starting chip stack. She later went out and so did the Asian guy. Field was thinning, and I was still card dead. Finally took a stance with 89 and got called by AJ, sucked out again and hit a st8! Yes!! Still alive. I am used to this torture online. I later went all in against the solid older gentleman AJ vs AJ, chopped chopped. Waited waited waited. My highest stack went up to 13000, but by lvl 8 at 600/1200/100 with only about 9000 TC at final tables. I had to make a desperate push again. Early position lady limped, a big stack went ¡§All you can eat¡¨, I looked down at AK, my best hand this tourney besides the QQ I folded. I called. Everyone else folded to the limper who thought for a while and eventually called with 66. Big stack had her dominated with QQ. I felt really good about my AK until the walk of shame when I bricked all 5 cards!! Well, at least I walked down together with pocket 6 lady LOL.

I was happy to go out with AK, I might have played a little too aggressive in the middle of tourney. Being a little creative with middle connectors which never connected. My best hands in 3.5 hrs of poker are QQ, AK, AJ. I had lots of fun but really wished I cashed. I haven¡¦t cashed in live game for like 2 yrs now (playing 3-4 tourneys a year). It¡¦s just so hard to cash. Even with a big starting stack like 10000 TC, By 2 hrs mark at 100/200, raised to 600 followed by a continuous bet of pot size 1800 would have risked me more than 30% of my stack. After that, there just wasn¡¦t much poker you can play. So 1 or 2 mistakes and you are forced to play the ¡§All in¡¨ game. How do you guys cash in tourney consistently?

Next morning I woke up bright early at 7am, went down to Bally to catch some drunk fish. Only 2 tables going for $1/$2 NL. Sat down a table of 6 with a couple of guys of over $500. The big stack young guy just won a hand with 77 for a boat over flush. So, I decided to try my luck with 77 and limped for $2. 4 way limp and saw the flop 567 all clubs. I bet out $6 into pot of $8 to see where I was. 1 caller at late position. Turn 8 of clubs, I gave up the pot and checked, he checked as well to my surprise. River a beautiful 7! Quad 7!! Whoa! Booyah!! My first live quads. The board now read 5c 6c 7c 8c 7s. I bet out $10, got min raised to $20. I raised to $40 and he went all in. Uh oh. What could beat me? Only 2 cards in the whole deck could make the royal flush and beat me. There was always a possibility that he had an Ace of club. I was praying Bally had a bad beat bonus and called my whole stack of $100. He turned over a 34 of clubs for a flop straight flush!! There was no bad beat bonus, but there was a high hand bonus. Quads 7 qualified for $100. He couldn¡¦t qualify for high hand b/c only his 4 would play to make 45678. He needed to play both cards for a high hand and he wasn¡¦t too happy about it. I told him everyone wins here, he doubles up, I got my $100 back and we shaked hands. In hind sight, I should have play small ball on it but who could pass up on Quads?? Now, I looked up to the ceiling and saw poker god with a smirk on his face. I was wondering if he was smiling or laughing at me? So, I decided to play it safe and called it a trip and headed home with a break even cash game and down $160 for tourney.

Thank you for reading this long trip report. Please critique and give me some recommendation on the hands I played.