[Sandman2369]

Success in Vegas! Part III

So, to recap:
Day 1 +$230
Day 2 -$50
Day 3 +13
Day 4 -$7

Day 5
Ok, so the SNG had been a bust. (More luck than skill as the blinds move so fast) Harrahs had been break even, which was not bad for 6+ hours of entertainment, but not what I had wanted to accomplish.

So, my buddy and I headed to the Excalibur on Wednesday morning. They were pretty much dead, and we had to wait for a few minutes to get a 1 / 2 or 1 / 3 table up and running. I could not buy a hand if my life depended on it. If I was sitting with AK or AQ or AJ suited, the cards would come out a different suit. If I was dealt a low pair, all face cards would appear. If I was dealt 3 5, I would fold and 3 3 5 on the flop. On top of all that, this table would not fold to any bet, and two attempts at stealing pots ended up with lost dollars. The only thing that saved me was my stomach, as I decided I would rather go eat than give away any more money. And yes, I lost money. $70 to be exact, bringing my winnings all the way down to $116. Ouch!

That night we headed over to the Rio to show our friends the Parade in the Sky and to stretch the limits of our stomach at the Carnival Buffet. FYI, best buffet in Vegas. Once the show was over, my buddy was really pushing to go play some no limit. He too was not doing so well in limit, and wanted to play at the home of the WSOP. I begrudgingly agreed, as I was fearful of the talent pool in place like the Rio. Much to my happiness, we were first in line for a new table. One of my biggest fears going to play no limit in Vegas was sitting down at a table in which everyone’s stack was bigger than mine. I bought in for $200, which was pretty much the norm. (1 / 3 if I recall) I think one person bought in with $100. My buddy and I sat on opposite ends of the table (I took seat 2, as my favorite seat, seat one was already taken), and it is the first time we did not let on that we knew each other. To my right was a young kid, to my left a guy in town for a conference. As I had expected with better competition, this table was a bit more aggressive, at least early on. The kid to my left started firing at the pot on the very first hand. Lucky for me and the rest of the table, he was called and beat on the first two hands. After he reloaded for another $100, he calmed down. I would have hated to seen what would have happened if he had won those pots.

I had only been sitting for about 10 minutes when I got dealt my new favorite hand, pocket 10s. The flop brought two sevens, and the turn brought a 10. I had raised and been called on the flop, and I had raised and been re-raised on the turn, so I went all in, not expecting to be called, but definitely wanting to take the pot, which had over $100 in it. The guy did call me and turned over a flush 7s full of 4s, which lost to my 10s full of 7s. Wow! What a rush, and in retrospect, how crappy that would have been if I had lost. Unlike the guy I beat, who re-loaded, I would have walked out down $200 after only 10 minutes of play.

I stuck around for another couple of hours, only playing premium hands. Won some, lost some. Shortly before I called it a night, I had a nut flush draw against a slow playing pair of aces. Good news for the Rockets holder, but my flush did not hit, and I donated about $70 in his direction. The moron check called all the way to the river.

I left the table with $400, bringing my profits to just over $300. Even though I would be in Vegas another day, I decided to take the profit and make it my bankroll for online play.

All in all, it was a blast, and I can’t wait to go back. I eat, breathe, sleep, poker, and I look forward to playing against you on the felts.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

Sandman