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ThinkerJE makes a return trip to Vegas

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ThinkerJE:
Ok just got back to the hotel room via 2 hours at the video poker machine (managed to break even and get 5 beers in that time, so a good result).  Today was all about the Binion"s Poker Classic and event 3, $160 NLHE.

Nothing much has changed about downtown LV and fremont in particular.  I still feel it is the poor relation of the glitz of the strip and it still has a dirty, seedy feel about
it.  That said, Binion"s still get the hairs on my back to stand on end, so much history, so much relevance to the poker world, I really love playing poker in this place.  Another difference I noticed from last year is that they have added a Poker Classic wall of fame with the photos of all the winners from last year in pride of place, a very nice touch from Binion"s.  It is clear that they are trying to establish their classic series in its own right, and once again the dealers and organisation was top class.  Now to the tournament.

287 runners for this event with 30 minute blinds and a decent structure.

16,600 @ first break (end of level 3 with 5k starting stack).
I have bruises on my boat when the deck hit me.  The 2 main hands were as follows.  I am in the SB with QT and there are 3 limpers, so I make up (blinds 25-50) and the BB checks his option.  Flop is T T 2 rainbow and I check hoping for action behind.  All check and the turn is a 7 (2 spades on board now).  I have to bet now to try and get some return on my trips, I bet 200 and the button raises to 500.  I know I am ahead and call hoping to get him to bet again on the river.  Blank on the river and I check to the button who bets 500.  I raise to 1,500 and he reluctantly calls before mucking his cards.  A good read and a noce pot early on.  Then comes the hand where I got most of my chips.  The blinds are 50-100 and I am UTG with 66, I limp in and 3 other players limp in behind me.  The SB makes up and the BB checks.  Flop if 6 Q K (with the six & queen of hearts).  Now I know I am ahead as anyone with QQ or KK would have raised pre flop, but I don"t like the flush draw so I bet out 300 and get a flat call from mid position.  Then the button raises to 800, so I want to make them pay to hit their draws so I re raise to 3,000 and the flat caller moves all in.  The button gets out of the way and I call the extra 2,000.  He has Kh4h for top pair with 2nd nut flush draw and I need to avoid a heart.  The set holds and I am up to 15,000 half way through level 2.  An AK later and I am up over 16k at the break.  Happy days, no need to do anything stupid now.

21,450 @ 2nd break.  Just staying out of trouble really, with only 2 hands worth a mention.  I raise with 77 in mid position and get a caller from the seat next to me.  Flop is Q 5 2 rainbow and I bet out and get called.  Turn 4, I bet again and get called.  River is a 6, I fire a third shot and he folds claiming he had AK.  Not sure about this, he may have had 99 or TT but I took fown a decent pot all the same.  The other hand occured after the introduction of the antes (blinds 100-200 with 25 ante).  UTG raises to 600 and all fold round to me in the BB with KJ.  It is an easy call as it costs only 400 more into a pot of 1,150, I need to be wary of AK, JJ which have me dominated but still an easy call.  Flop is A T Q with 2 hearts.  I check the nuts and he bets 900, I call.  Turn is Kd, putting 2 diamonds on board, I check again intending to drop the bomb when he bets.  He bets 2,000 and I raise to 5,500, he goes into the tank for 2 or 3 minutes before folding.  I may have lost my customer there but there was already plenty in the pot, with 2 flush draws and a chop if he had a jack.  Not sure what hand he had, but he was pretty solid and therefore I assume he had AQ or AK and made a top fold.  Apart from that not much happened.

26,900 @ 3rd break (only 49 left now, with 30 paid, I am just above average chips).
Again no dramas or incidents, just picking up blinds in position, in fact I had no showdowns during the entire 3 levels.  Blinds 800-1600 with 200 ante when we go back, so I am in good shape but one hand could change all that.

Cannot find a situation to get chips in and so within a few orbits I am becoming short stacked.  I raise in cutoff with 55 and have to fold on the flop when a solid player bets out.  I did make one successful move when in the SB, all fold to monster chip stack on button who limps.  I have Qh2h and decide to make up, BB checks, flop if A 6 5 rainbow, I check expecting button to bet and then fold.  However BB & button both check and I sense weakness.  I plan to move in now and the turn being the 6h (giving me a flush draw) means it is a no brainer.  I push, 2 insta folds and a good read.  I finally go out in 32nd (just short of the money) when the following hand happened.  All fold to me on button with A T off,  my stack is 19k with blinds 1k - 2k with 200 ante.  I raise to 6,000 and BB moves all in and has me just covered.  I hit the tank and think it through, I only have 13k left and he may think I am on a button steal, I may even be ahead although he has played pretty solid throughout.  After a dwell I call and he has 55.  We are off to the races, although I fall at the first when the flop brings a 5 sending me to the rail.  In hindsight I made a small mistake in that I should move all in pre flop, as that will give me more fold equity.  He may call anyway, but that puts the decision on him for most of his chips.  If I do bet 6k then it should be an insta call as I should not put a chip in the pot unless I am prepared to stick the lot in. 

Not a bad first effort in LV 2008.  I felt good about my game and the decisions i made.  Missing the money does not matter to me as I was looking to win the whole thing anyway (and the fact I have a blatent disregard for money anyway, you can"t take it with you).  I hope I can continue this form into the next 2 weeks.

Jon & Martyn did not get the cards or flops that I did and manged to grind their way to level 6 or 7 before having to push their short stacks and running into better hands.  I am sure things will improve during the rest of the trip.

I was pretty drained after the event (5 & half hours of concentration) and so we headed back the Circus for a few beers and a de brief.  Jon & Martyn hit the sack early (not together) but I was still hyped so played some video poker for a couple of hours.  5 beers later I cashed out for the same amount I had put in the machine and called it a night.

Other things to happen today;  I managed to give myself a new name when asked what my first and last name were when registering at Binion"s.  For some reason I answered "Yes, Please", I assumed the TD would ask if I wanted to register for the tournament, appartantly he didn"t, made me look like a t1t and gave Jon & Martyn a laugh.

Also the prize for who is the first to get asked if they are Austrailian goes to Jon Garrett, thanks to an American lady on the rail, it was only a matter of time.

And finally, I was not able to get my pu$$ycat fix this evening, this will definitely be put right tomorrow, a full, in depth report will follow (with pictures if I can get away with it).

So thats about it.  Plan for tomorrow is breakfast at 10am, follow by the 12noon deep stack tournament at Ceasar"s Palace (same structure as the APAT events).  Report to follow.  Then onto the Rio for the WSOP on Sunday.

NO BAD BEATS - Play to win, not to cash...

ThinkerJE:
Got up late and didn"t get to breakfast until 10.20am.  Then we got the bus to Ceaser"s to register for the 12noon tournament.  $330 NHLE with 10k starting chips and a good structure with 40 mins blind levels.  There were 89 runners in total and Martyn & Jon managed to be seated on the same table, with Jon in position to nick Martyn"s big blind.

9,600 at first break.  There is lots of play earlier on in this event with 25-50 starting blinds and the deep stacks, it allows you to play some poker.  I was looking to take flops in position with a range of hands in order to hit and monster and get paid early.  Unfortunately this did not happen and the only hand worth a mention was when I raised to 150 in mid position with As Js.  SB & BB both call and the flop is Kh Qs 7c.  The BB leads out for 250, I put him on a king or queen and decide to call hoping to hit an ace, ten or take it away from him on the turn.  SB folds and the turn is Ad, BB bets 500, I think I am ahead now but want to control the size of the pot and just call.  River is 7h, and BB bets 500 again.  I think about it and decide that my ace is good and I call, he show Ks Td and my read was good.  The other big hand on our table happened in level 2.  I raise in 2nd position with Jd Js and get called by the next 2 players.  Then the next guy moves all in, the guy after him moves all in and then the guy after him (big chip daddy) moves all in!!!  Blinds get out of the way and my jacks don"t look so good now.  I fold as do the next 2 players (99 & AK) and its 3 way all in action.  As Ks vs 8s 8d vs Kd Kc, the kings hold and 2 players are eliminated.  I could have lost a lot of chips in that pot as the board was 9 high at the river.

13,400 at the 2nd break (end of level 4).  Staying out of trouble at a very loose table.  100-200, 2 limps and I raise to 1,200 with As Ks and get 4 callers!!!  I bet 3,500 on a flop of Ac Kd Ts and get no action and take a nice pot.  Then the short stack moves all in on the cutoff and I find As Ks on the button and move all in to isolate, he has Kd Js and the best hand holds and I gather some more chips.  I made one laydown during this level, when UTG min raises and I find Th Ts on the button.  Something smells funny and so I just call, the blinds get out the way.  Flop is 7d 6s 6h, UTG bets 1,000 and I call.  Turn is 7h and UTG bets big (7k or so), I trust my read and put him on jacks or better and fold.  He may have had an ace but I think he had me beat and I am pleased with the laydown.

15,100 at 3rd break (end of level 6).  Again just keeping out of trouble and only 2 hands worth noting.  Blinds 300-600,  I am in SB and there are 5 limpers in front of me.  I am a short stack at the table and I have decided after the 4th limper to move in with any two in order to pick up the dead money.  I look down at 2s 3h, don"t bottle it now, I move all in and they all quickly fold.  My table image gave me alot of fold equity and I manged to increase my stack by 40%, again a good read on the situation and I was pleased I didn"t bottle it when I saw the cards.  The other time I actually had a hand, 5h 5d on the button.  There are 2 limpers and a raise from the cutoff in front (he has been active and raising with alot of junk), I move all in and take a nice pot when he folds claiming he had sevens.  I don"t believe him as he would have called with that, he may have had ace rag, but I won the pot all the same.  Need to double up soon as 600-1,200 when we go back with 100 ante.  Time to get funky.

So I strut my funky stuff, moving all in when I saw an opportunity to win the pot.  Then I find my hand Kh Ks in 2nd position and raise to 4,500.  Guy two to my left moves all in for 7,900 and I call.  He has Ah Jc and an ace in the door sees me down to 8,000 in chips.  Next hand UTG I see an ace and move all in and take the pot without a showdown.  Now I really start to get funky.  All fold to me in SB, insta all in BB folds deuce three.  SB limps to my BB, i check the wilson (7s 4h) and when he checks to me on a 5h 8s 9c flop I push and he folds again.  Then the exit hand.  At the end of level 7 I exit in 30th when I find Ts Tc in mid position.  Player in front raises, I push and get insta called (damm he must have an overpair right?).  No its Ts Tc vs 3h 3s, flop is 3d 3c 6s, not sure what the turn was, but it wasn"t a ten and therefore I am out.

Really pleased with my play yesterday, I made good reads on opponents (a part of my game that is getting better all the time) and got my money in good twice only to lose a 70/30 & a 80/20.  If I can keep this up I am sure I will go deep in a tournament soon, maybe at the Rio later today.

Martyn was about 35th and Jon was about 25th.  He went out holding pocket tens aswell, not a good hand for us as we both went out with it in Scotland.  Both played well and were happy with their play.

We hit the bar and took in the sights of Ceaser"s.  It was Saturday night and the pu$$ycat casino was in full swing.  Simply fantastic, I love this place.  I could not get any decent pictures but will continue to try and pledge to have something for the lads (or ladies) before the end of the trip.

Bus back to the Circus followed by Video Poker for an hour (not very good this time) and more beer then I hit the sack around 11pm in order to rest up before the WSOP event on Sunday.

Today is Sunday and we meet for breakfast at 9am before heading to the Rio for the 12noon start in $1,500 NLHE event (day 2).  Really looking forward to this as I am really pleased with my game at the moment and feel that if I can win some races then I could go deep.  No big mistakes yet and no thinker blow out so that is a good thing.

Will update later tonight when we get back from the Rio.

Till the next time...

NO BAD BEATS - he had to flop quads, at least give me a sweat!!!

APAT:
Brilliant James...really loving the blog.  Good luck later today bud, there"ll be a big old beer in it for you if you cash!

Mikeyboy9361:
Great reports, good luck today. Sooooo jealous!!

Mr Tubbs:
Great read again take it down today gl

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