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ThinkerJE makes a return trip to Vegas
ThinkerJE:
The infamous pu$$ycat casino I keep harping on about...
lukybugur:
Another great read and it"s just got better now that we"re gonna start gettin photos! :o
APAT:
Top read again James and proof if ever it was needed of how difficult it is to succeed in such enormous fields. Top result by Jon so that should give the group confidence to push on. We"re rootin" for you all.
George2Loose:
Great read! Keep it up.
Agree- not much value in the 1500 buy in"s considering the value u get for the GUKPT and GBCPT events for the same sort of cost. However playing in the WSOP must be a buzz!
ThinkerJE:
Its now 22:45 local time and we have just got back to base after another day in LV. Jon took a day off poker today to buy a new hat and recover from his exploits of last night. Myself and Martyn both anted up for the megastack event at Ceasar"s starting at 12noon. Its $235 NLHE with 7,500 starting chips, a good structure and 50 minute levels. 548 runners turn up and we are off right on time.
7,900 at 1st break (end of level 2). The 25-50 starting blinds and deep stacks allows me to play alot of hands on what turned out to be a very passive table. In fact I end up doing something I never do and that is being the table enforcer. My normal style is to sit tight and see what happens. However I quickly realise that this passive table could be an opportunity to get chips early at little risk. This involves playing alot of hands, calling raises in postion with questionable holdings and then betting when I sense weakness. Hopefully my loose image will also enable me to get paid when I pick up a monster. How come then you may be asking, did he only have 400 more than he started with at the first break? Well there were 3 hands in particular, 2 laydowns I had to make and one bad call (the only mistake I think I made all day). I raise in id position with 99 and get one caller on the button$. Flop is J92 rainbow and I bet out around the size of the pot. This is called and the turn brings a Q. I don"t like this card (he may have KT) and even less when matey bets into me. The size of the bet is only about a third of the pot and I decide to call and see the river. The river is the 8 and he bets again, now I have to release as he must have a ten (probably something like AT or T9 or he might have got me on the turn with KT), I make the laydown and a good decision. More difficult if the river is a blank, my read is that he had me on the turn but it would be tough to fold a set as he would need to have that exact hand, so the 8 saved me from a tough decision. The other laydown was when I raised in early position with A2 of clubs (how aggressive is that!!!). One caller from the SB who checks a A79 (2 hearts) flop to me and I bet around pot size and get called. 3h on the turn is checked to me and I check behind as I want to keep it cheap now, he may have hit his flush or have something like AT and have me out kicked. The river is As and he bets out. My A2 is not beating much now as he either has a flush or a better ace, either way I am beat so I lay down 3 of a kind again. The bad call involved me limping on the button with Js 9h, and 4 players see a cheap flop of AT9 (all spades). All check to me and I fire out a bet that is called in one spot. Turn is J and it is checked to me. My spidey sense is working overtime and I feel this may have helped my opponent so I check behind. The river T counterfits my 9 and he bets 600 into me. I am struggling to put him on a hand as I have little information about his play. My initial read on the turn is that I may be beat, or he may just have the king of spades and has missed his draw. I call and he did have the Ks but he also had the Qc for the turned straight. A bad call as again I am not beating much with my hand but it only cost me 600 so it did not do too much damage to my stack. One positive hand involved me calling an UTG raise on the SB with 77. The flop is Q64 and I check and it is checked behind, now I have found that the Americans like to check the flop when they have rasied pre flop, even if they hit their card, so he may have a queen. Turn is the 7 (bingo), I check again and UTG checks again, I wanted him to bet the turn but he didn"t go for it. The river is a 6 filling my boat and I overbet the pot, betting 1,000 into a 650 pot. It works a treat as he calls and mucks (I think he had TT or JJ and did not put me on the queen). I am really enjoying the play in this tournament and the fact that you can make creative plays without damaging your entire stack.
13,800 at 2nd break (end of level 4). Not played many hands over the last 100 minutes. Had to change gears and tighten up when some uber stacks with an attitude showed up at my table. The only re raise I put in was with QQ after 3 limpers (wanted it to look like a steal) but got no action. Then I changed tables and the major hand (and decision) occurred. I raise in cutoff to 1,300 (blinds 200-400) and button moves all in for 6,000. If I call and lose I am left with only 1,100 or I can fold and have 5,800. I don"t have too much information about my opponent and have a big dwell. I finally conclude that it is likely he has a pair and I am willing to take the race to double up and get into contention. I call and its 66 vs AK, king on the flop sends matey to the rail and me p to 13,800.
17,100 at 3rd break (end of level 6 and dinner break). Everyone still left in gets a $10 voucher which I put to good use at the chinese place in Ceasar"s (fantastic special fried rice). This is unfortunate for Martyn who got busted about 5 mins before the end of the level, most of his stack when his kings got busted by a rivered flush. I have been trying to pick up pots without risking too many chips. I raise in early position with QQ and get 2 callers. A king high flop is not to my liking, but checking it down to the river is and I win a nice pot. Another hand invloves me calling a small raise in position with 88. Flop of KQ9 is checked to me and I check behind. Turn is a 8 and raiser bets out and I smooth call. I know I am ahead as he is a solid player who would not have raised with JT, I have him on AK or AQ (as I said earlier the septics like to check the flop, even if they hit, I think it is because they play more limit hold em and the tactic is to check the flop in order to make the big limit bet on the turn). The river is the Q and he checks to me, he must have AK now, I bet 3,500 and he folds AK, a good fold by him, he put me on a queen though, so a blank and I get paid more. I have to release 88 when a bigger stack moves all in after my initial raise, not the time to gamble in that spot. No other major hands, just using position, ie cutoff raise with A9, SB calls. Flop 553, SB checks, I bet and take down another nice pot. Blinds are 600-1,200 with 100 ante when we go back so only about 6M so need to double up early and then I will be in good shape. I am playing well and feeling good at the table, making good decisions.
I bust out in 190th place just 15 mins into level 7. I raise 3,500 with Ac Tc and have to release when someone goes OTT. Then the blinds go through me and within 7 hands I am down to 10,900. There is 2,800 in the pot before the cards are dealt so I need to get busy. All fold to me on cutoff with Ad 6d and I move all in. SB calls with AK and no 6 or flush sends me to the rail. Disappointing end to a great tournament, with a great structure, lots of play and a $30k first prize. This in my oppinion is much better value than the WSOP events at the Rio. Interesting to talk this hand over with the boys, Martyn would do the same thing I did, whereas Jon would have folded and waited (he would rather do it with suited connectors or similar as a rag ace is too easily dominated by any hands that will call you). I take his point but I feel fine about the decision, my stack dictates the move in that spot and I would move in with any 2 there, it just happened to be ace rag. It is 8k to call so the only hands to look me up will be AK, and pairs TT & above (in my opinion) and it just happened that the SB had one of them. I need to get my chips dancing in order to buy me time to find a double up hand.
Top tournament, really enjoyed it. I felt I played much better today and made the correct decision most of the time. The plan is to play the megastack tomorrow, this time you get 12,500 starting chips with the same structure, so will be room for even more play early doors, cannot wait.
I joined Martyn & Jon in the sportsbook as they were watching the ice hockey playoffs. I do not get ice hockey at all. Firstly you cannot see the puck thing, so it just looks like a bunch of blokes with beards playing tick on ice (apparantly players don"t shave during the playoffs for fear of the ice bok). Also there were no fights (I thought this was compulsory at ice hockey games) and no players smashing through the glass and into the crowd (like they always show on those sports bloppers shows). Also it is American and therefore cannot be a draw, so they have sudden death overtime, first team to score. This went on for ages and I think they more or less played another entire game during overtime. It went on so long that I feel asleep in the sportsbook and was awoken and promptly told off by an uniformed enforcer guy. Apparantly as well as not using your mobile phone in an American sportsbook, you cannot fall asleep also. Another point to note is that the NBA finals start on Thursday and you cannot have a bet on this in Ceasar"s (or any casino owned by Harrah"s) as someone in the company is also part owner of the Boston Celtics. I guess what I am trying to say is that (Baseball aside, I quite like that) all American sports are stupid!!!
Thats about it for today, quite tired after concentrating in the megastack so just about to hit the sack. Plan for tomorrow is breakfast at 10am then the mega stack at 12noon. I have also decided to abandon the 2nd WSOP $1,500 event that I am bankrolled for and use the cash to buy into more megastack events at Ceasar"s or deepstacks at the Venetian. I think these are much better value and suit my game alot more. A life changing win or bracelet won"t happen but I will definitely get more bang for my buck.
Till the next time;
NO BAD BEATS - Megastacks are the future, I"ve tasted it!!!
PS - thanks for all your replies and words of support.
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