Rio $1500 event today! After a late night Venetian cash

So here we are, table Red 137 in the Amazon room at the Rio. Today is the first of many $1500 NL events. I'm currently into Level 2 and have 5300 chips at a pretty tough table. Couple Euros and one real aggressive Russian who just happens to be my BB button rapist. Could get ugly with this punk. Ugly little bastard too, looks like the skinny dork in Road Trip.

So yesterday was very interesting. Played the Venetian $550 with 480 other mutants. Had a kid at my table, also Russian who was very tough. Just like this guy. Opened a lot. Defended his blinds with anything. I had a total donkey in seat 5 who by level 3 had earned a $200 bounty from me. Guy would cost me half my stàck, then double me up...then suck out on me...and double me up again. He was truly brutal and DID take his picture. You WILL be seeing this clown.

Yesterday I did something VERY unusual. I had AA hold up on a 3-way all in and somehow I managed to suckout THREE times in one tourney. So when I busted out 29th (paying 45) for a mini cash of $950 I wasn't really THAT upset. If anything I'm glad it happened at 1:44am and not early in Day 2 so I at least got to play today's Rio event. Two things that did/do bum me out. (1) the payout structure at Venetian is REALLY top heavy, everyone hates it. You play for HOURS to cash and barely make back your buyin. (2) 1hen I cash for $950 and tip the floor $100, the dealers $100 and upon arriving in my hotel room discover that the $500 purple chip I should have with the two black chips is no where to be found. That is AWESOME! So I played 13 hrs to lose $300. Oh well at least the staff made money.

Kai Landry texted me as I was 1 from the money to tell me he had won his table in the $1500 Rio shootout. Sweet. He just cruised by here to chat for awhile before going to play his second round. Love to see him win! He's got a pretty tough table. Gooo Kaiii!

Keith texted me after I went busto last night..."Come to LAX at Luxor, got a fully comped table with bottles and lots of hotties." Naw. 2 hrs later..."Monkey, we got a limo and everyone is going to Sapphire,meet me there!" Nawww. Going to bed. Be in good shape for tomorrow. Am I sick or what? Maybe I'm just reallllly wanting to take this summer seriously and take down a huge tourney for a shitload of money for me, my backer and Squirrel. All the other BS can wait til AFTER we win something.

Just reached the first break. Sittin on 5250 after 2 levels. Not great but perfectly fine with me.

Some random notes. Had Tiffany "15 minutes" Michelle at the table next to me yesterday. Offered to do a last longer with her. She turned her nose up at me. She busted in level 5 at the same time I was hitting a 1-outer to double up. I have to ask, when is her 15 minutes up? She REALLY has a high opinion of herself and her game. I wish to God I was an attractive female with a big rack. Just wonder, if she gets the run she gets from the media with her 1 lifetime cash what kind of 'look' would I get with 49? Sucks being a fat, old, ugly Monkey. Tiffany...go away! Oh wait, you just did. You're good at that! CLOCK!!!

Phil Ivey wins a bracelet in a small field event. Takes down like $96k. GIVES IT ALL to the dealers, which meant any dealer working that day earned like $140 an hour. That is awesome. And for those saying "big deal he won (allegedly) 12 mill in Prop bets" I say this: there are a lot of very rich people who will NEVER do something like that. Two years ago in Tunica I announced before Monkey's Midnight Drunk Fest that I was playing the tourney for the dealers. I had been crushing that week and was playing purely to get hammered and have fun. I got 4th that night and gave $750 to the dealers. Not quite the same as $96k! But it did make me feel good!

They just held a ceremony on the break for Brock "T_Soprano" Parker who just went back to back bracelets here this week. Gross! Played the national anthem. Kinda cheeseball fiesta, but whatever.

Get hit yesterday that the US govt froze 30 million in online poker money yesterday.WTF is up with that. Thank god I don't have much online...well, I guess I do have $550 on Tilt. Hmmm. Thanks Barack, and just when I was thinking I liked you.

Its freaky going from playing the Deepstacks at Venetian with either 12k or 15k chips to playing these Rio WSOP events with a 1/3rd of that. You really have to come with an almost completely different style of play. Takes a LOT more patience and a much tighter range of hands, since the number of mistakes you can get away with making is so greatly reduced. Its very similar to those New Orleans events last year, which resulted in 2 second place finishes. So I know its not IMPOSSIBLE to win these damn things.

I'm not positive, but I THINK I might actually be having a good hair day.

Russian kid is really slowing down now as his constant raises are now being met with re-raises, one by me with 99. Good. I was about to ring his scrawny neck!

Okay time to start focusing on this damn tourney. Needing a little courtesy double up to feel good about things! Will keep ya'all posted!

Senor Monkey