Day One...Some Success.

 HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!!!

As someone who has always supported the military...and am currently staying with my good buddy Omar here in Vegas, who is in the Air Force, I want to wish a Happy Veteran's Day to everyone who has every served this great nation so that idiots like me can live in freedom and do stupid things like go play poker every day! The job that our military does, and the sacrifices they make are not always appreciated by our fellow Americans...and a lot of what they do is never known by the general public. But I for one am aware of the job they do and THANK THEM from the bottom of my heart! And to those who have given their life...that might be doing some casual reading from heaven...thanks to you most of all!!!!

This will be a super-duper quicky update. Because I don't want to be too late for today's $550. They start out at 50/100 here...which I really don't love at all. That and sitting 10-handed on these stud-like tables is tremendously annoying.

But first...the American Mustache Institute has dropped their endorsement of Herman Cain!!! Wow...pretty sure that spells the end of Cain's presidential candidacy.

The ridiculousness at Penn State now has some people calling for the football team to cancel the rest of the season. Huh? 'Scuse me, but what did the 80+ players on that team who have worked their butt off to over-acheive their way to an 8-1 record (5-0 in the Big Ten) have to do with the transgressions at their school? Come on! Enough is enough...the cupboard has been wiped clear of all the wrong doers...now let them get on about recovering for crying out loud!

Their is a newly renovated sportsbook at Venetian...and it is phenomenal. The new gigantic screens are so amazingly clear its mind boggling. And they have installed betting stations at every cubicle so you can just sit there and degen it up without moving. Yes, laziness has reached its apex!!!

Okay...yesterday. Played the nooner. Started quite nicely, on a very, very annoying table. Seated on my direct right was a latino kid...sharp dressed (sort of) in a pressed shirt and vest with slacks. That is where the classiness ended. Every time he was either in a hand or had just won a hand, he was smack talking like a boxer at a pre-fight weigh in/promotion. If it wasn't so outrageously ridiculous it would have been hilarious. At one point I got a laugh out of the table when I said "I feel like I am at a Target parking lot in Compton!"

Two seats over was this troll with tiny hands who liked to do a lot of three betting, then showing the bluff. He was one of those guys who had to...wow, what is the word? The way he would muck cards, make bets...was in sort of a 'I can't believe my time was bothered with having to look at this hand.' Short and dorky with glasses, I honestly think this kid thought, or thinks...he is the next, great poker player. He kept thinking he was putting everyone on tilt...I finally just told the table...

"Guys, ignore this putz. He is one of those players who just sits there and tries to tilt you by antagonizing you. Don't let him. Just quietly sit here, lay a trap for him, and let him fall into it like a wild boar into a pit of sharp sticks. Then you can giggle like little school girls when he gets busted and leaves the table." They loved it. He simmered. And then, unfortunately, about 15 minutes later, our table broke. Damn!

I took about 17k to my new table. Lost a couple hands to fall to 13k. Blinds went up to 200/400 and BOOM! It happened. Again. The dreaded KK. And set up perfectly. Guy who had me covered limps UTG. Oh no. The UTG limp. Folds to me on the button and I look at KK. Oh boy. I raise to 1200. Folds to him. He re-raises to 3500. Oh shit. Here we go again. Muck kings? Can I do that? Should I even think about it? I flat call...hoping to either flop a king, or see an ace that will make me fold. But instead I get a queen-high flop. He checks? AK? He starts asking how many chips I have after I lead out for 7500. Hmmm. Well, I can't fold now. He puts me all in. I call...and...yep. There they are. Again. The aces. I tell him good hand, brick the river...walk around and shake his hand...wish everyone the best..and left with a smile on my face.

So my nooner was over. Bummer. I fled to SNG-Land. First one I play...I win a couple hands early...get a decent stack. Then I gamble and screw myself. Raised with AJ. This kid who always wears his hat in very stupid fashion...sitting half way on top of his Justin Beiber-like hairdo, and turned about 3/4 to the side. He commonly has this 'too-cool-for-school' look on his face and I hated playing with him at my table all summer. In a word, he is the stereotypical young punk. He calls my raise in the BB. The flop comes 10-9-3. Airball. He checks. I check. Turn is an ace. Bingo. He checks. I check...knowing that if I check the turn he will most likely take a stab on the river. The river is a nine....giving me two pair with a Jack. He leads out 650. Ah ha! I knew it. I raise to 1300. He cockily grabs and shoves. 

What? Please tell me I didn't let him get there with trip nines. I've seen this kid get caught bluffing way too many times to bring myself to fold here...and only have 600 chips left. So I call. And see his Q9. Jeezuz.

Go play another SNG. Get down to 5. Blinds at 200/400...and have to ship on the button with Q10. This guy Shannon, who I always see at Venetian, and who is a really cool guy a few years older than me...wakes up in the SB with JJ. Ugh. That sucks. And he held. I hope he won...

Next up: The 7pm nightly. Actually had a really, really fun night. Ran over my table for three or four levels. Then my AQ on a flop of A-10-5 and one guy all in and another having raised big preflop...gets 'El Diablo'd' by K10 when the guy goes runner runner diamonds and wins with a four card flush. Ugh. Got short and shoved with A3. Ran into KK...and snapped off an A-3-6 flop. Sweet. Ace on the river. On the VERY NEXT hand...in the BB...I announce that I am now, officially on a heater. (hadn't looked at my hand yet)

This guy...who later has something incredible happen to him (more in a second) raises to 9000. It folds to me and I look down at AA. Whoa!

"Okay, I wasn't kidding...I'm going to see if I can keep my heater going! I re-raise to 22,000."

This guy puts me all in with 99. Yeah, I call. End up turning a set...and now had a LOT of chips and was on my way to the Final Table. 138 played. 

At the Final Table...with 6 remaining...this guy I just mentioned went all in...for a lot. He was a chronic over-shover, as was about 32% of the field in that nightly...which by the way has been restructured, with longer levels, more chips and a better structure. Good job, Venetian!

So yeah, this dude shoves. The SB reshoves all in, the BB folds...and the SB tables his KK. While doing this, the dealer...who had just told me, after I mentioned he reminded me of a robot...that he was tired...KILLS the first all in guys' hand. Yeah. Kills it! Pulls it right into the muck. This guy FUH-REAKED out! Watching the floor try to handle that mess was, in a word....AWKWARD. There was nothing they could tell this guy to appease him. This guy's tourney had just ended.

"It's your responsibility to protect your hand, sir."

He said he folded 'an ace.' Who knows how it would have ended? I lost most of my chips in an AK vs. 10-10 coin flip...then when I got short shoved 89h and ran smack into...what else? ACES!!! Ta Da!!! But I have to admit, I wasn't too disappointed with ending my night with a decent $1200 cash to get back to over even on the first day out here. I kept it classy on my departure, left a 10% tip for the dealers...and called it a night. 

Hey! John Daly is in trouble again. He went 'Tin Cup' down in Australia, then just walked off the course...pissing off the people in charge down there to the point they asked him NOT to ever return again. Now check this out? Is this guy NOT a dead ringer for John C Reilly or what???

Can you say...'Future Movie Role?' I can. Now its just up to Hollywood to write the script.

They had the ladies tourney here yesterday, and for once, the field was composed of two very rare things in a ladies poker tourney. Really attractive women and really good players. I enjoyed watching Karina Jett get pissed, call the floor and ask him to 'clear the rail' at one point. She had her back to that walkway that goes in front of Noodle Asia if you are familiar with the Venetian. Lacy Jones played...and looked as good as she has ever looked. Saw my friend Annie LePage...who is still dating Mike Matusow. She got deep before getting busted. They had a nice turnout...good to see. And no cat fights broke out as far as I could tell.

Okay...I think thats enough. Wasn't even planning on blogging today...but had a lot of people yesterday telling me they read my blog and really enjoy it so I almost get to the point where I feel a sense of obligation to share my shenanigans and possible successes.  

Here we go....Day #2 in Vegas.

MONKEY