Geeks in Vegas (Part 2)

From: lenny@aic.lockheed.com (Leonard J. Augustine)
Subject: Trip Report: Poker Geeks In Vegas 2 -LONG
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 95 01:09:31 GMT

Poker Geeks Go To Vegas (part 2)

Ahhh, Holdem
------------
Friday 4:30 PM
I made my way downstairs in time to place a bet on Wake Forest against
Oklahoma State.  But the line had moved from 1 to 1 1/2 points - that
may not seem like much, but I hated the notion that Wake Forest could
win the game, and I could still lose my bet.  So instead I decided to
go with a parlay on the halftime results - I took over and Wake for $40.

I went to the Mirage poker room and immediately got seated at a 3-6
game.  My notes are pretty incomplete from this session (as they often
are at a losing session :-), but suffice it to say that I lost $128 in
about 4 hours.  I made a lot of 2nd best hands again at this session.
My confidence definitely was shaken - I have had very few winning sessions
at cardrooms (either GC or Bay 101), and this was more confirmation that
maybe I was just in a little over my head with this Texas Holdem thing.
(More foreshadowing?  Read on for the answer.)  I seem to do all right
at the home games with good players, but the card rooms have been killing me.

Not only that but Wake Forest was down at halftime, so I lost that bet.

Friday dinner
-------------
Friday 8:30 PM
Dave, Phil, Tony, and I dined at the Mirage buffet again.  Not because of
terrific food or anything - it's just so damn close to the Mirage poker room!
So another $11.50 spent (though we did get line passes from the poker room),
and the highlights this time were crab legs and cioppino (a seafood stew).

The standings (this is gaming action only) for those playing along:
Fish   Results    Sleep
Tony   + $250      9.0
Phil   +  $25      5.0
Lenny  - $240      2.0
Rafe   - $360      6.0  (too much sleep?)
Dave   - $370      5.0  (too much sleep?)

The Turnaround
--------------
Friday 9:30 PM
I was down to about 5 bucks cash at this point, so I made my way over to
the ATM for another 300 units.

Tony and I returned to our table to discover that my chips had been
removed from the table, but Tony's had not.  I guess $350 stacks get
more respect than $31 stacks!  Mike the Floorman is very nice however,
leads me to the cashier, helps me get my cash, and reserves the next
3-6 seat for me.  It's not at Tony's table, and the smoke at the new one
is so thick, I thought I was on the Golden Gate Bridge.  I considered
waiting for a different table, but the action looked pretty decent, so
I thought I'd give it a try.

And along comes only the 2nd rush I have ever had in a cardroom.  Perhaps
it was the Rumplemintz!  I had a couple and discovered they're excellent
when coupled with a Cola.  (Thanks, Mark Stantz!)  All of a sudden, I
have turned into Rumple-Man - I can't miss!  My pocket tens made
quads on the turn one hand with an A and a K on the board.  I made nut
flushes, nut straights, full houses, even a pair would hold up.  At one
point I decide to play J2 clubs on the button, and it got raised by a
blind - damn!  I'm in this far, I might as well call.  The flop came
J72, I raise a bet by the blind, the turn is a 2!  A nice pot collected.

Another hand I'm on the button with JT.  After the flop comes Q9x, I
raise in the hopes of the free card after the turn.  The turn is a rag,
and I have pot odds to call a bet, and the river hits with the 8.  Another
nice pot.

I'm feeling no pain, and I decide to play 43 clubs on the button with 7 or
8 players in.  The flop is 765 rainbow.  Checked to me, I bet, 3 callers,
turn is another 7, checked to me, I bet, two callers, river is a J, I
bet, two callers, nobody has the higher straight or boat.

By the time I get KQ clubs in the big blind, I know clubs are my lucky
suit and raise with 4 callers.  The flop is Jc 6d 3c.  After picking up
the 8c on the turn, I pick up another nice pot.

I should have played this rush even more than I did - the hands I threw
away were turning into gold too.  I threw away 66 with a QQ8 flop and
an under-the-gun bet.  I read her without the queen, but thought she
had a higher pocket pair than 6s, the turn was a 5 and the river was
a 6 - Doh! - I could have schmengied her.  (She had A7, and lost to an 8).

Another hand, my 98 filled up with a 988 on the flop.  I check-raised
a guy on the turn after calling a flop bet.  By this time, *everybody*
at the table *knew* I rarely bluffed, and almost always showed down
something legitimate, but they always seemed to pay off anyway.  He
called my check-raise, then called my bet on the end (after thinking
for quite a while) with 9x.  This same guy must have paid me off at
least 4 times on the river when it was apparent that I had made my hand,
even though he wasn't that bad a player.

I also had a 76 make a straight, and a 98 make a straight for nice pots.

And oh yeah, AA held up both times, and KK held up both times I held them,
with nice payoffs - man it was hard to get respect at that table - they
just kept paying off, and paying off, like Energizer bunnies.

I did miss on the one absolutely monster pot I was involved in - I raised
with JJ under-the-gun.  A raising war ensued (I didn't raise any more, but
did get sucked in), and 6 of us saw the flop for 4 bets.
The flop came KTx - obvious trouble.  Pot odds are tremendous though, not
to mention implied odds, and I called a bet and then called a raise on
the flop.  I've been reading these players pretty well, and I wasn't
even sure there was a K out there against me.  The turn was an A - and I
called another bet and then the raise with about 4 of us still left.  Please,
oh please be a queen, nope, river was another T.

Anyway, this entire rush was just textbook poker - so easy to bet, so
easy to figure out what to do, no traps, just good ol' tight aggressive
poker, and throw 'em away when they're no good.  I was up $360 for the
session at one point, and ended up cashing out ahead $303.  I quit when
the blinds were about to get to me, and I risked going below the $300
mark, around 4:00 AM.  Plus I had started to make a loose mistake or two,
and I needed some sleep.

There was one huge disappointment in the rush though - never once was I
dealt a Presto.  Damn.  Turns out Phil won two, so I had to pay him off.
So I'm up a total of $55 for the trip as I go to bed Friday night.

Meanwhile ...
--------------
Inside sources tell me that Phil is busy picking and choosing who to
put on tilt at his higher limit games (20-40).  Phil has a penchant
for putting either whole tables, or selected players on tilt.  But let's
allow Rafe to tell it, shall we?

Rafe:
Once I was playing at 6-12 mirage with him and he says I don't like
that guy, he's probably a lawyer.  I say, no a local rock.  He says $5 bet
(there's that pathology again).  [Ed. note: Phil would bet on the color
of your grandmother's undies at her funeral]  The guy says he's a pro poker
player. so I say "See, I told you he's a local rock, not a lawyer.  hand over
the $5.".  But now Phil has his ammo and everytime Phil wins a pot
he says, "so how am I doing so far pro-boy?"  And if ever he loses
to the pro, it's "well, how could I have a chance?  you are a
professional after all" The whole table is busting up.  Another time
he's in the $20-$40 with Roy Cooke who writes for the card player.  He's
doing the same schtick plus "you gonna write about that little move
I put on you in the card player?" and other references to his column.

The Jackhammer
--------------
Saturday 9:00 AM
Brrrraappp! Brrraapppp!........Brrrarrrararappppp!  Good Lord, what the
hell is that.  [Left eye opens].  Oh it stopped.  [Left eye closes].
Brraararppppppp!  Damn what the hell is that.  [Right eye opens, wait,
right eye closes].  Brraaapappp!  Damn, that #$!*%#@ Dave must have set
the !*%^%#@ alarm clock.  I slowly roll over and peel one eye open ...
Brrraaappp!  No, it's not coming from the alarm clock.  What the hell
time is it?  Hmm, 9:00 AM.  [Left eye closes].  Brrrrappppp!  Dammit,
stop that infernal noise.  Brrrappp!  Hmm, maybe it's just an obnoxious
"doorbell", and one of Da Boys is trying to wake me up.  Guess I'll have
to get out of bed.  But I'm too tired to put any clothes on.  Brrrappp!
All right already.  [Gets out of bed completely naked ... opens front
door, walks into hallway ... noone there].  Damn, that means it's some
freakin' construction going on ... Brrrapppppppaaapppapppapappp!  Must
be in the room upstairs.  [Crawl into bed].  Well I guess I better call
and complain.  [Dials 0]  Uhh hello, front desk please.  Yes, I'd like
to complain about some noise.  OK, I'll talk to the manager ... hello,
there's an elephant in the room upstairs and man is he pissed off.  No
really, there's some contruction or something and I'm trying to sleep.
Room change?  Well, I'm pretty comfortable and I don't feel like
coordinating 5 people moving rooms at this moment because I'm dead tired.
OK, you'll tell them to stop, great [click].

Brrrappppappapapp!  Oh I hope they stop soon or somebody's going to die.
Brrappppp!  Hmm, they don't seem to be stopping.  Brrrrappp! Maybe they've
stopped now .... ....  .. . Brraaappppppp!  Well, they're getting a little
lower in volume like they're moving down the hall.  But I'm still pissed
off!  Braapppppappp!  Dammit, I'm calling back again.  [Dials] Desk
manager please ... yes, this is me again, the sound are starting to fade, I
guess they're moving down the hall, and I guess I'll live, but I want to
make sure you understand just how upset I am ... I came to the Mirage to
gamble and to sleep, and now I can't do half of that.  It is absolutely
unconscionable to put people up in a room where they literally cannot
sleep because of the construction noise, and if that's how the Mirage
conducts business then .. huh?  You won't charge me for last night ... yes,
that seems appropriate.  [Hmm, I wonder just how far I can push this ...
golf comp ... whole weekend free ... at least a free meal ... well, if
I wasn't so tired I'd give it a go.]  Goodbye.

Hmm, I should call the guys next door to let them know about the $100
free roll on the room.  But I'm too damn tired .. let 'em figure it out for
themselves.  So much for getting Brand New Rooms, damn that Rafe was
right again ... chhnnaaahhhssoooooo chhhnaahhhhsoooooooooooo ...

Meanwhile ...
-------------
Unbeknownst to me, Phil has had 10 times as sour a reaction to the noise
as I have.  He literally runs up 4 flights of stairs (they were working
on the 7th floor) in his Fruit-Of-The-Loom Superman briefs, and threatens
bodily harm to the construction workers (for those of you that don't
know Phil, he is 6'9" and weighs 112 ... well that's an exaggeration I
guess, he has beefed up to 116.)  [Ed. note: Phil read this and claimed
to be upwards of 190.]  He's screaming at the manager and creating a
general ruckus, and finally settles down when he gets a room comp and
a room change.

---
Lenny Augustine          "Dan Marino should die of gonorrhea and rot in
(lenny@aic.lockheed.com)  hell ... would you like a cookie?" - Ray Finkle's mom

Click here for Part 3

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