Quick trip for the Donk...Poker good, Black Jack not so much
I have a 4 day trip poker trip planned for later in July, but a work meeting was susprizingly scheduled in Vegas for July 9-10, so I extended it a day to the 11th to get a little poker in. I flew in on Monday and checked in @ the Mandalay Bay. We didnt finish until almost 8:00 so I really didnt have a chance to hit any evening Tournys.. I had to be up @ 6am the next morning so didnt want to leave the hotel... I checked out the Poker room @ Mandalay Bay it it had a few tables of action ( Maybe two 1/2 NL tbles and a 2/5 NL, but there was a wait so I decided to hit the BJ tables. Now I remember how the casinos stay in business. I went on a sick run and kept trying to catch up and ended up dropping 750. At this point I decided to hit the bed @ 9:30 and skiped the poker room. Work crap was over at 1pm and I grab a cab to Bellagio.. I originally was going to head to the RIo to just soak up the atmosphere of the WSOP, but I was leaving Wed morning so I just wanted to play some poker... The Bellagio was packed as usual. The WPT Bellagio event had just started in the Fontana Bar and the poker room was packed.. The Bellagio still has the paper wait list system ( which I just dont understand- get with 2007 people) The people in the front were their usual we-will-get-to-you-when-we-feel-like-it-attitude, but it was expected so I really didnt care. After a few minutes they actually acknowledged my presence at the check-in and took my name for the 2-5 List. It was 10 deep, but I was called within 15 minutes..I bought in for 500. There was lots of pre-flop raising to 20-30 range and it seemed to always get a few callers. 3-4 people had stacks of 2k so I treaded lightly until I got a feel for the players. Lots of folding for the next 45 minutes... First decent hand was 10s in middle position. I open the betting for 20 and get 3 callers. Fop comes Q-X-X with 2 hearts... I fire 45 into pot and get 1 call. Next card is K hearts. I check and opp bets 65... I think about about and figure there is very little I can beat and release... I limped with a pair of 8s in EP a few hands later and fold to heavy action behind me.... 20 minutes later I get AK in MP.. I bump it to 25 and get 2 callers ( button and big blind). The person in the BB has been involved in tons of pots over the last few hours ( as well as losing 700 to set over set a few hands before)... Flop comes Q x X.. I wasnt really paying attention and thought I was first to act and fire 65. I pull the bet back after the mistake was corrected. Now the BB bets 45- I think about this for a while and just call his bet- Button folds... Turn is 4 clubs ( 2 clubs on the board - I held Ace of clubs and K hearts)..SB bets 65 and I come over the top for 225 instantly..This bet totally confuses him and he takes a long time to make a decision..At this point I figured he has a mid pair or QJ/Q10 but figured he would have a hard time calling here.. He releases and I take down the pot... I play for another 2 hours with little action while taking down a few small pots.... End session up $210.... I took a quick shower and headed over to Caesars for the 7pm tourny...They still have a 330 buy-in for the 7pm tourny (290+40). They are going back to the lower buy-in on July 19th ( per flyer).. they eneded up with 164 entrants for the tourny with top 18 paid ( first place around 17k).... the levels were 40 minutes w/ 4500 Tourny chips... I treaded very carefully the first few levels. The player to my left was very loose and played many pots so I was very selective on my plays. I even folded the button several times in un-opened pots to portray a very tight image.. I then started some LP and Mid position raises in un-opened pots to steals some blinds. I gets AK once and get a few callers who fold to continuation bets. mid way second level (50/100) I get AA in MP... I bump it to 350 after 2 limpers in front and get 1 caller. Flop comes A Q X with 2 hearts.. Opp checks and I fire 600 . Opp folds.. I thought abot checking behind and trapping, but with 2 hearts and strght draw and I didnt want any free cards given away. I hover around 6k after the first break. The antes kick in after the break and the short stacks get antzy and start some all- in. I reamin steady and I move tables after my table in broken down in level 4. I slowly dwindle as tourny dwendiles to 80 players... the tourny goes from 200/400 to 400/800 so the all plays are almost ever hand. Im down to 4500 at the 400/800- 50 ante levels and go all-in EP with JJ and get no callers. Very next had I get AQ suited and open it for 2800 and get no callers.. These 2 un-called raises pretty much doubles me up... After the second break Im back to short stack. I goo all in with AK and get called with A6... King flops and Im up to 9500TC... Were down to 45 and blinds/antes are 1k/2k 300 ante so action is fast.. I watch the action as small stacks go in with any ace or pair.... I raise it to 3k when Im delt a pair of 9s. A very tight LP player goes all-in for 7500 total... I have about 9k before hand , so I decide to fold after much thought. I get k 10 suited UTG with 4000 a little later. At this level there is 5k in pot before action. I figure I have to get lucky ths hand or Im committed next hand in BB. I get 2 callers. 1 big stack caller had A Q and other caller called his last 3500 with A 6.. King comes on flop and I hang on to more than tripple up. A few orbits later I get KK in BB with 2 all-ins in front of me. I take down pot and now have 24k.. The busted players make it 27 left and our table is broken down. We are down to 3 ables of 9 players. I have 19k when I bump it to 4k with 10s in MP. BB calls and flop comes Q 6 4. BB leads out with 5k bet... I lay it down figuring Im beat and considering there is no need to gamble here. Were down to 22 players when I get AK in BB with 15k in chips. I really didnt want to see this. Its folded around to button who min raises. Let me know what your action would be here in your relplies. I went all in figuring he fols his steal attempt he calls with KK... He gets 3rd k on flop and Im dead...I think the same result would have occured even if I just called his min raise. Damn so close after 5 hours play.. I play BJ after that and get up 200 quick before dealer goes on sick run and I drop back to down 200.... I played 2-5Nl 2 caesars the next morning before my afternoon flight... I slowly build my way to a 140 profit with no remarkle pots.. I hit BJ table and win first 4/5 $25 hands which included 2 BlackJacks and quickly leave table up 100 for quick session..... I'll be back to Vegas on July 20th for an all gambling trip if anyone wants to meet for Nl or tourny..... The Venetian Deep stack series ends today so I'll most likely play their 8pm tourny one or twice when I return.
Hey King. Nice trip report. Sorry about your essential bubble at Caesar's. FWIW, I would have played AK the exact same way. It probably wouldn't matter, but what were the blinds at that point? I know you said you had 15K. But either way, like you said, if you don't get it all in before the flop, you lose it all when the K hits the flop. No way around it--that was a cooler. I'll be in town the 18th--22nd. I probably won't play any tourneys at the V but I'd love to meet up for a ring game there or a smaller/quicker tourney somewhere else. I'm staying at Wynn, but anything is a cab ride away.
Nice report. I defenitely want to try the Ceasars tourney when I come into town on the 23rd of July. Cheaper with more chips? Sounds fun.
Follow up --->>> I think the blinds were 1/2K with 300 ante... Several people at our table had less than 6k so I assumed other at other table had less than me as well. I was watching for bust out from other tables, but they were across the room so I could not see stacks. With 22 people left, I figured I could fold the blinds to any raises and make the money, but AK ended that thought. First place was 17k, but I seem to reemember 15-18 got less than 500..... I actually folded Ace/7 and pocket 66s the previous two hands when i was UTG and UTG+1... I figured if I doubled up at thatt point I was playing well enough to get in top 8..Oh well.. I like the 40minute levels at Caesars, but the antes kick in after the 2nd level and blinds go crazy at level 4 and above.. I like the venetian structure a little better..
On that last hand you were screwed either way, whether you called or pushed all in. If you had called, you would have bet big when the K appeared on the flop, so it didn't matter. You needed an A instead of a K and didn't get it. It's just the luck factor.
I had a similar game last year when I played in the Caesar tournament. Made it to about 27th. Played pretty well for 5 hours, but ended up being knocked out when my opponent hit an inside straight in the river to beat my 2 pair. What are you gonna do? At some point the luck just runs out.
Any player who would have played that AK differently would be luckier than you, not better. You got the flop you wanted (what else you could really ask for, huh?) but your opp just got luckier. Tough break.
Great report Donk (love your moniker). I don't generally like tournies just for the reason of what happened to you. I hate to play 5-6 hours to end up just out of the money.
As for your play with the AK I can tell you I have played it both ways in the past depending on what the stacks of other opponents might be. If there were 4-5 players on their last legs that I think are going to go in the next couple of orbits before I might get blinded out I have typically laid down just about any hand to make the cash. Making the cash in JOB 1 for me. If I don't think others will be exiting soon then I would have moved all-in and hope for the best, although I typically hate AK because you still need to make something happen in that case.
It sounds like you played the whole day really well so you should never second guess yourself although I think we all know the sting of getting that close but coming up short. Good luck later this month.