Part 2 to Loose Cannon 14-18 OCT 2011 solo trip.

Semi-flashback to day one (my first session of trip) at MGM Grand. Table is fairly passive. During the middle of the session new player arrives. Looks fairly young so just as he is sitting down, Dealer asks for ID. Kid starts ranting and raving about how it’s BS that he keeps getting carded, blah, blah, blah. I’m thinking “here we go”. The drunk I’ve been waiting for. Turns out he is 25 so he’s OK, and that is perfectly fine for me because I have a gut feeling this is about to get interesting. Kid is from NY state so for this report, let’s just call him NY25. He immediately starts pounding jack and cokes, or should I say continues. He buys in for about $200 and is super aggressive. He chips up a little (perhaps doubles) then loses entire stack. Rebuys for $200, wash rinse repeat (add Jack Daniels for flavor). This goes on for several hours. Turns out guy to my left another young kid (about 23 is from the same home town – Stoney Brook NY). These guys are on opposite sides of the spectrum as far as personalities/actions and it is funny to see them interact. Somewhere during the conversation Mr. NY25 announces that he grows and sells weed in NY and that is why he isn’t worried about losing. Makes me even happier that he has deep pockets. Other NY (ONY) player is embarrassed that they are from the same place and he, myself, and another older gentleman who by the way is disgusted with NY25s behavior are quietly sitting back waiting to take NY25s chips. ONY has to catch a plane and heads out – he played an excellent short stacked game BTW – something I can’t do. Game continues and NY25 is getting drunker but is still coherent. NY25 gets heads up in a hand with player directly to his left, and English guy (EG). Betting is super crazy, NY25 has been going nuts with chips – BIG BLUFFS (that he shows). He’s donked off about $800 total in a few hours. Anyway, flop comes and NY25 mumbles, if you bet I’m calling…then he checks. EG then says OK, I’m all in. NY25 has about $150 in front of him. EG has him covered. NY25 obviously doesn’t want to call. Dealer informs him that his verbal is binding. Floor (Marcy) arrives and confirms – NY25 must call. NY25 very slowly (he’s super drunk) stands up, kind of looks around in a dumb-founded way, and then snatches all of his own chips off the table, stuffs them in his pockets and runs like a gazelle toward the West Wing (it was either a gazelle or an OJ in the airport run – I only saw the back of him so it was hard to tell). EG looks around like “what just happened”. I’m dying laughing (sorry EG – you just got robbed). Dealer rolls turn and river and EG takes what is left in the pot. Of course this is the talk of the table for a while. As we are still discussing what just happened, a super drunk Scottish “spectator” (DSS) comes up to his buddy (who is now seated on my left) and all of a sudden Marcy comes back and tells DSS that he needs to leave the poker room (apparently he threatened an older guy, REALLY old) at another table. DSS basically refuses to leave and continues to stand next to his buddy. They are talking in the thickest Scottish accent I’ve ever heard and it is actually English but I can’t understand a word they are saying. It’s hilarious. Finally security arrives and “escorts” DSS to the rail – but not far enough. DSS (all of 130lbs of him) is threatening to beat up Mr. Security (about 260lbs). It’s pretty funny as it happened back to back with NY25s antics. The other Scottish player – the guy at our table is a very good poker player - and - I want him gone (bring on the fish). I somehow convince him to stop playing and go take care of his buddy – which diffuses the situation. Made for a very interesting/entertaining first session. BTW, most of this is going on in the early hours of the evening – not late.

Anyway, I find my bed around 11PM and I’m up at 0300 (day 2) for more fun – got to love solo trips! Today is the AVP tourney. I vow to get some rest prior to the event as I know it’s going long. It is scheduled to start at 7PM. I pull my norm and enjoy a little craps with my morning coffee at The Orleans. Lose $100. Arrive at MGM around 0430. There is a very juicy game in progress. Young Kid (YK) arrives at the table and builds his stack to $1000. Loses it on back-to-back (suck-out) hands to a crappy/lucky player. YK out. Poker game in progress. Guy wearing a suit (SUIT) racks his chips up around 0530/0600. He’s got a full rack ($500). He is obviously about to leave – he’s also the king of continuation bets. SUIT loses entire rack (in about 3 hands) going out the door and leaves empty handed. Sorry, well – not really. Money is still in play. I get sucked out on (twice) after getting it all in with the best hand and have to fight back. End the session up about $140 – right around 1230. I’m still concerned with getting some rest prior to the AVP marathon tourny that starts at 7PM. I head back to The Orleans with the intention of resting. Decide instead to “entertain myself” and promptly lose $200 playing craps and win $100 playing blackjack. Doesn’t hurt too bad. I then go to my room and try to rest. No joy. Get up about 3PM and go to the gym for an hour or so. Get cleaned up and head back to MGM around 5:30PM.

Sometime during the morning I had decided to get a little more “entertainment” and randomly bet college football. I win all four bets ($25 each) – how does that happen? Picks were pure guess, no rhyme or reason. I have a feeling with sports betting you can bet either team and as long as there isn’t an upset, you have a good shot at winning.

Jimmy Buffet happened to be holding a concert this night. Valet was in complete lock-down unless you were a guest. As usual, my room key worked at valet (a$10 bill). I’m not a huge Buffett fan and immediately noticed an “interesting” crowd as I entered the casino. Talk about some drunken buffoonery, I thought I was back at the Hard Rock Hotel during a REHAB party (just a different looking set of drunks). I can’t get to the poker room fast enough to get through that maniac crowd. I arrived unscathed and play a little NL prior to the tourney. As I was registering for the AVP tourney, the MGM Grand Poker Room Manager (Rob Moore) actually introduced himself to me (he and I had traded a few “tweets” on Twitter). I thought that was awesome and we had a short discussion – mostly me telling him how much I enjoyed the room.

AVP tourney – Wow, what a turn out. More than 350 players, $100 buy in (nearly no rake – 3% to dealers), 30 minute levels, 10K in chips. It’s a poker players dream tournament. I’m a little tired, but not totally spent. I vow to play tight. Turns out I can’t. Within the first 3-5 hands I catch 77 (flopped set), KK, and a turned nut flush (all hold up). I don’t get to show these hands as my opponents have mucked at the river each time. The other players must think I’m LAG maniac when in all actuality I’ve had some excellent hands. Jon Friedburg (Mr. AVP himself) is sitting directly on my left (when he’s not floating around the room). He was as cool as one can be when running (and playing) an event of this magnitude. His buddy (no idea who it was)was on his left and made a huge lay down early in the tourney (on a connected board with two bettors in front of him). With no hesitation he laid down a flopped set (he showed me) – on the flop. I was pretty impressed. As it turned out , he was behind. Most players don’t have that discipline. I don’t think I do, but will definitely think about that play in the future. Back to the game (my game) – I’ve chipped up to about 16K VERY early. I have the entire table covered except for one or two perhaps. I don't catch much after the initial rush and just prior to the second level I catch AdKd and then a flush draw on the flop. EP player moves in for about 5K, I move all in to get isolation and surprise, two players move all in behind me. I’ve got them all covered and drawing to the nuts with two overs so I’m not totally devastated with their calls. EP player had top pair,top kicker. One of the guys behind me had flopped a set, and the other guy had nearly nothing other than a prayer. Turns out I don’t catch and I’m down to about 6500 chips. Lot of play left, but unfortunately not much gas left in my tank. The hand that put me out was when I attempted a river bluff (by moving all in on the river) after catching an OESFD flop, and semi-bluffing turn (after a blank hit). Villain reluctantly called my river bluff with top pair and I’m out after about 2hours. Turns out the tourney went nearly 12 hours and the top finishers each chopped $4000. I’m sure they were BEAT up for a few days after that marathon! Overall it was a great tourney, and I have no regrets on my play. Had I hit the nut flush early (with all those players in the hand), I would have been able to coast for a LONG time. That’s tourney play, raced and lost. Not upset.

After the tourney bust , played NL until about 0100. Didn’t play well and dumped $100. Could have certainly been worse. End up back at The Orleans around 0200 – straight to bed.

More to follow, will finish report in part 3.