All day I never got around to looking up at the payouts in the $550 Venetian tourney. Why bother? Then we made the dinner break, still refused. Then we made the money (at 45) still refused. Then, finally...when bagging up my chips, I looked up to see the average...and BOOM! There it was, $79, 400 for first. Wow. That would taste delicious right now.
Just woke up. It's 11am. Have 5 hours before I have to be back. The wind is blowing today like a hurricane. Wonder what the pool will be like? Going to skip some rope and whip out some 'perfect pushups' and head down for a little while.
So Christian "Da Professional" Iocabellis gives me his players card late Wednesday night...and tells me to get him registered. I go sleep. He aparantly stays downstairs getting hammered. I got him registered all right, and had to pay his $560. He never arrived. His stack, on table 66, seat 10...would finally go busto at 5:20pm. When his table started yapping about how 'stupid' he was...I told them, "You all are VERY lucky he didn't decide to show up..." and told them who's chips they were. YEAH! THOUGHT SO! Assclowns. I don't think ANYONE at that table made the money. Him and I DID have an over/under bet on total number of entries. I put the number at 722 and took the over. That was based on Monday's $550 attracting over 700, figured it was a for sure deal. The bet was for $200. I obviously lost, as we only got 544. ONLY? Hey...look at Ceaser's numbers! Venetian is kicking their asses! I love it! Ceasers could have had a good tournament, if they just weren't being run by clueless morons. The players are finally taking back the game...telling them what we want, and making ourselves heard. Hey...CEASERS....ARE YOU FINALLY GETTING IT??????
I guess the number was a little bit low on this $550 because there were a couple of good events going on at the Rio that attracted big player pools. Thats cool. The attendance out here for everything so far has been pretty astonishing. I really, really hope I get a top 5 cash in this thing today. My main reason, is because in truth...while I LOVE the Venetian events...despite the sometime agonizingly long hours to sometimes NOT cash...it kind of pains me to NOT be at the RIO...getting my name in the top ten out there on that chip count board, having people talking about me...you know, like BIG people, top pros, people from around the Globe, the media. Having a shot at getting on TV...and winning a bracelet. And maybe some endorsement deals.
HOWEVER, I am a very responsible poker player, and I know that there is a PLAN that me and my backer are on. And I have to stick to it. Start out with 'X' amount of money...and work that up to 'X' times ten...THEN, and only then, will we start pumping $1500/$2000 into Rio WSOP tourneys. I have a lot of bills to pay, am trying to get married, and have a baby again... and that takes money. I can't blow everything that I have on five or six tourneys. Its just not the smart thing to do. So...if I can take down $25 to 75k today...those things become a possibility, and I can try to put Senor Monkey on the global radar.
My roomie situation has been great. Keith is awesome. Borrowed my car yesterday and went to Sams Club. Hooked us up with all kinds of stuff...water, Gatorade, candy, 5 hour energy stuff...got me a new blow up mattress because my old one bit the dust. He always brings in food late at night. I've given him a 2% sweat fee on my tourneys in exchange for letting me share his penthouse suite. Pretty good deal I would say. He has mostly been playing the big cash games. Seems like a lot of guys have. Not me...no way...tourney player and tourney player only when I am out here for summer time.
The camera phone is FILLING UP with donkeys. Boy they are EVERYWHERE! I cannot believe some of the plays I am witnessing. Its shocking. If you flop a set...against a guy with top pair top kicker...89% of the time you are busting the guy. Its awesome. You Gulf Coaster players...you just NEVER pay off like that. This is like dream land when you crush a flop.
A few highlights from yesterdays ascention. Arrived only 20 minutes late for this one. Sit down and realize right away that I have THREE ULTRA aggressive players at my table, one happens to be sitting on the button for my BB. He raises my button EVERY SINGLE time he has the chance. I want to kill this guy. I finally start calling him every time. First time I have Q9. Flop comes Q-9-3. I check he CHECKS! Dammit. J on turn. I check again. He bets out. I min raise. He insta mucks. Next time he raises...SB calls, I call with 36. Thats right. THE MAFIA! Flop comes J-3-6. NICE. SB bets out 1200. Now I kind of like this guy....and had given him shit (jokingly, of course...well...sort of!) when he folded 36 to a raise. I don't think we are getting a penny from dickhead on the button, and I am quite certain he has like KJ, QJ...and do NOT want to allow myself to slow play it and get counterfeited..so I make it 4000. Button douche folds. SB hems and haws...says "I am afraid you have AJ" "No, I DO NOT have AJ" I tell him. He starts to smile...looking at the 3-6....and I smile...asks if I will show? Of course. He folds KJ...I show him 3-6..he chuckles.
I get to 35k and stay in that area for a long time. I get down to 24k when the average is 52k and am starting to feel like this is going to be another very long day with no cash. Then I get my good luck. UTG raises to 5500 (at 600/1200) and I wake up on the button with AA. Holy smoke. Hmmm...with 24,000 how to play this? Very tricky. I don't want to tip off how strong I am...but am afraid if I move all in he might fold. Think about flatting it too....maybe that is the correct move. But then if he has like AK/AQ and totally bricks the flop I may get no more from him. Plus he has just won a big pot to get over 100k so he may be feeling a bit loose. So I raise to 12k. He asks how much I have left? Around 13k more. BINGO...he puts me all in...with AQ. Perfect...just didn't want to see him on a pair of any kind. I double up to around 50K. Sweet. The average though is about 80k.
I get moved to another table. On the 2nd hand I pick up KK! Guy UTG limps for 2000. I raise it to 8000. SB/BB fold. He re-raises it another 15k. Hmmm...wow. Really? He is British. I think he is just making a play. But if he has AA he has AA. I am not folding KK and I am NOT smooth calling a 15k re-raise. So I tell him...."well sir, if you got aces, you got aces...but I am not folding this so I am all in...." Another 35k for him to call. He goes into this long tank. Tells me he has a big pair. Tell him I do as well...and now thank God we all know he doenst have AA. Honestly, I don't mind him folding. Not with that pot out there. He berates me a little..."You just move to this table, don't know anything about any of us...and just think you are going to make that move right out of the gate?" To which I respond..."Sir, I am not afraid of any of you at this table...I play over 500 tourneys a year...this is my job. And right now my job is to get YOUR chips! You have a two outer to beat me. I am not pulling anything...I am just playing my cards, and right now mine are better than yours, so good luck...do what you have to do." He finally folds. I show him the KK....and the whole table is like...."WOW! sits down and gets KK...." Nice hand Monkey. Thanks guys.
So a couple orbits go by....I am hovering around 85K now...in pretty good shape, and about 20 from the money. Then it happens. Bug-eyed donkey boy...who has already over-shoved all in three previous times...does it again....UTG...for over 100k! Where do these guys come from? It folds around to me in the BB. I peek at one.....K. And you all know that feeling...as you are slowly picking up the second card.......peeeeeeling it everrrrrr so slowwwwwwly........and BOOM! K! I CALL! Everyone at the table jumps out of their seat...."AGGGGHHHHH Someone finally caught YOU!!!!!" and he turns over 88. And somehow....he misses one! And now I have a LOT OF CHIPS! Over 170K! With the average at 110k. NICE!
I coast to the money. Use my stack to terrorize the short stacks. This guy was sitting on 10k...with 1k antes...wouldn't play a hand. Other guy is doing the same thing with 20k. It was funny watching the two of them try to hang on for the $740 cash. I've been that guy before too...it totally sucks. Nice to be the guy sitting on over 150k instead. The guy ends up all in with only 4k of the 8k BB. Five of us call...me with K10. I miss a straight, other guy with A7 makes a boat on the river...and we are in the money.
We do a re-draw. I get a table full of shortstacks and players low on skills. Perfect, perfect redraw! Unfortunately, we only got to play for 20 minutes before we broke for the night...and when we return, they will have us completely re-seated again...not sure why. Not sure at all, makes no sense. First hand in...UTG shortstack ships it for 28k. At 5k/10k I would have raised on the button with Ac8c anyway so I call. Other two fold. He has JJ. Flop comes A-10-8. Oooops. See ya. Couple hands later they replace his seat with a guy holding 68k. He moves all in on his first hand. I look down at 88. Ahhhh...hmmmm...well, I have 240k. Kind of a loose call....but he is jamming here, I put him on a weak ace. Close...he has AJ. Nothing on the flop. Nothing on the turn. ACE on the fucking river! Dammit, I would have been well over 300k. Instead fall back to 170'ish. Bluff a nice pot on the final hand of the night though...and bag up with 210k. Average going back is around 160k I think...so I am in pretty good shape...but we have a LOT of players still, and this thing, should I Final Table it.....will take hours to finish.
On another note....I am pretty disappointed in my 'buddy' Eddie. After sitting, and LOSING...five freaking SNG's the other night, to the tune of about $700...while waiting for him to bag his chips so I could give him a ride to his hotel, and offering him a place to stay because he thought he had to check out of his hotel, and having taken him to dinner the night before, and having loaned him money three days before...and having let him KEEP his profit on a SNG I staked him in (and just taking the buy in out) and having him tell me "Hey Monkey...don't worry man, your a cool dude...never thought you were before but now I sure do....when I cash this thing tomorrow I am gonna hook you up.".... what does he do?
He gets knocked out...not sure where...7th? 8th? Whatever, wins around $7k. I was playing SNGs...and not fairing too well again...getting KK crushed by JJ again in one, 4 handed to become huge chipleader....and me and Keith are hanging out at an empty table just talking...when Eddie comes along and sits down. I just bluntly say "Lets settle up Eddie." "Right here? Can we wait til we get in the car?" I tell him I won't probably be leaving for a while. Eddie is flying out the next morning. So I say, "naw lets just settle up now if you don't mind." So what does he give me? $500. The money he owes me. $300 for cash game, and an extra $200 so he could play that tourney. $500. No 10% swap. No extra for buying him in. What happened to that 'hook up?' he mentioned? I just sat there....kind of shocked. Keith is behind him making a "What the fuck, Monkey!!!!???" face...and I just don't say anything. Eddie leaves. Keith goes off on me for not saying anything. What can I say? He HAS to know he fucked me, right? He isn't stupid. And I am not the kind of guy who is going to TELL SOMEONE that they are fucking me. I plan on winning a whole lot of money on this trip...and we are talking about maybe $700 here, if what I did for the guy wasn't worth that, well then I over-estimated what he said to me. I just decide in those situations to be a bigger man and take the high road. But I do have to admit, I am pretty disappointed in Eddie. I get tired of being disappointed in people. But short of turning everyone into Black Labradors there isn't much I can do, is there?
I just live for the day when I make my first real significant score and get to round up those I know are my TRUE friends and do something really wonderful for them. It will give me joy doing that...and while I am beatin off the other 'pretenders' with sticks, and listening to them talk shit about me behind my back...I will have the satisfaction of knowing that the small circle of those who really 'care' about me are getting to share in that moment with me...and are there not because they WANT something, but because they are genuinely happy for me. There aren't many things in life that I want...that day is one of them.
You all take care...I hope to have some good news for you/us tomorrow or later tonight. Thanks for all of your supportive emails and texts! Means a lot!
MONKEY
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