Well, the devastating assault on min-cashing continues. And I won't lie...it's about to drive me insane. I think I have probably set a record for most cashes in a month...oh wait, I guess now it's February...so we will just say most cashes in a 30-day period. But the biggest amount won was $3900. I think I am up to 10 cashes on this road trip...and I am actually down money for the trip. Yep. Factor in all those other buyins, the hotels, the food, the travel costs, and some bad cash game sessions...and it makes min-cashing all the more infuriating.
Yesterday started pretty good. I had 67,000, which was the 3rd smallest stack, but won my first hand of the day to get to 90k. Then just picked up a hand every so often...and hung around while the first two players both got knocked out. Both were knocked out holding AAxx in their hand...and having the guy make a very loose call to go runner runner both times to beat them. So, in the pit of my stomach I was kind of fearing picking up AAxx myself.
Those fears would prove to be prophetic. I had just won a big pot to climb to around 150k. The guy who kept busting people's AA hands...raised in early position to 8400. This guy is from Canada...the Yukon Territory, and had been at my table almost all of Day 1. He is very entertaining, has a sense of humor I admire, and can tell he has an IQ in the range of people I like to be friends with. He was the last person I wanted to take a bad beat from. I look down at A-A-Q-7 double suited. No way I'm not potting there. I do...making it 34k I think was the total. He grins, looks at me, then his cards...I don't think there is ANY way he is calling me. He had been respecting my raises the whole tourney.
But for some reason, he decides not to respect this one. He calls. The flop was very friendly for my hand...rainbow flop with only two connected cards. I didn't hit anything and figured I was still ahead with my aces. I'd seen him lead out big a couple times when he was doing so to get the other to fold what he assumed was AK-something. But I had aces. And when he potted it on the flop, I figured he was doing the same thing. He was...because when I announced all in he uttered that phrase we all hate...."You're ahead...sure hope I catch up." Well he had a straight draw. And a pair of nines. The turn gave him nothing. I was one good river card away from having a mountain of chips. River brought a nine. Holy shit. I lose to trips. Son of bitch. Not again. 7th place. $1100. Big deal. SHIT! It was 3:15.
I stumbled out of Venetian...wandering around on the streets. Walked down to Wal-Greens and picked up my Flomax prescription for my Kidney Stone issue...which hasn't gotten as bad as it did the other day, but is still there, as I continue to get lower back pain in that area every day.
Then I just decided to walk to Caesar's and see if they had a 3pm tourney I could play. They did. $70. Oh boy. 33 players. I sat there, kind of just numb, and not talking to anyone. I kept getting hands. And mowing people. Before I knew it...we were at the final table, and I was chipleader. Whoops. First was $660...and another cute medallion. Well, might as well win this.
You know...its really weird to sit in a tourney...say a $550 with players you know are talented poker players, then sit in a $70 tourney with players who are absolutely clueless. I mean there are such exploitable ways to extract money from those lousy players that rarely occur in tourneys against good players. But it also presents a Catch 22 in that bluffing is incredibly tough, almost impossible, and unpredictable plays, lacking in total logic will come along that leave you shaking your head like you spent the day at the lake and can't get the water out of your right ear.
I'll cut to the chase. We got to 3 players, and I had a sizable disadvantage chip-wise. But this old guy...yes, another OMRG...was asking for a 5-way chop of $495 each. Personally, I didn't care either way, I was still in mourning over not winning the 8k in the Omaha tourney...and the $14k and $16k from the other two tourneys when I got clothes-lined near the finish line. But since I really like playing 3-handed, both because I think I'm the best player in that situation, and also because I like the practice for future tourneys when I might not be. So I suggested we just play it out. So after about 30 minutes I had the chip lead...with 45% of the chips in play. OMRG had about 40% and 'the kid' had the other 15% and was running out of time.
CUE: 'The Play.' Seems to always happen when you are dealing with an OMRG. I failed to mention that OMRG was showing a card every hand. OMRG's tend to do this a lot. Not sure why. But they do. And on this particular hand, he flashed the 8 of hearts. He limps for 2000. Which prompted 'the kid' to call the 2000. I look down at A10s. Even if OMRG has 88, I still have two overs, and am suited, so I'm not that big of an underdog. If he just has 8-x then I really love my hand. So I raise it to 12,000. He babbles something incoherently, probably something about having to get to the RV park to meet with his wife for bingo night...then proclaims "Well, I guess I just have one move here" and shoves all in. WTF? I have him covered, but just barely...and having seen his 8 there is no way I am folding now.
I call..and as soon as I do so, he pops out "Well, you are way ahead!!!" Yeah, kind of thought that...but what the hell are you doing making that play knowing (or, well...he SHOULD be knowing) that I can't really fold to any re-shove? Just stupid. But stupid is a foe I cannot defeat. He turns over 5-8. Oh it was suited, I know this is important. I flop two spades. He flops a five. All I need is a spade, an ace or a ten...and this thing is all but over. Forget it. It holds. I lose on the next hand. Out 3rd...for $330. Oh boy. Whatever.
Saunter over to O'Sheas...walk in to Subway, order another vegetable patty sandwich...which comes in at around 180 calories...and sit there eating it watching the drunk tourists playing Beer Pong. It's funny and sad both. The women get so drunk, that you just watch them...eyes rolling into the back of their heads, hair getting messed up...stumbling on their high heels. The guys get shit-faced and it becomes a contest of who can yell the loudest, who can dole out the most high-fives. I sit there looking at them...wondering what they do for a living. Wondering where they live. What a 'day-in-the-life' consists of. I am an admitted people watcher...and the older I get, the more disillusioned I become with the status quo in our society. There are some people who just find joy and happiness in every moment of their day. I'm not that person. I tend to cruise around noticing nothing but things I find ridiculous. I know there are people like me, who think like me. I like those people. We have things in common. We laugh at the same things.
I don't think there is anything more annoying than that person who vilifies you for making fun of someone who desperately NEEDS to be made fun of. Sorry, but if people aren't 'with it' enough to leave their house demonstrating something about themselves that is begging people to laugh at...well, sorry, but that has to make them somewhat accountable. "Its not nice to laugh at people!" "It's not nice to make people have to look at something so laughable!"
Oh. I played the 7pm at Caesar's too. Got AA early and played it like a master...clipping two players and gaining a lot of chips. I then proceeded to play like shit. Kind of tried to run over the table, and in a nightly with newbies...not a good idea. I would fold to two bets I probably should have called, then called the one I should have folded. Yeah...I played bad. You heard me say it.
Played cash for an hour...losing $180...then deciding to play (why? Cuz I'm stupid) the 10pm tourney again...$85...going for back-to-back wins in that. Started pretty good. Then just sat there patiently. Guy limped utg. I raised with 66. He called. The flop comes K-J-6. Nice! I check, he checks. Turn is an ace. He bets 1000. I raise to 2500. He calls. The river is an ace. hmmm...full house. Nice. I bet. He raises. What? Smell a bad beat coming. I go all in, he snap calls and turns over AK. No way. Kidding me? Nope, not kidding. I was done. Left Caesars. Took a cab to my room, and crashed. I have been sleeping on and off all day.
No idea what I am doing tomorrow for the Super Bowl. I always put in a play of some sort when I am in Vegas...having done very well the past two seasons. Well...here comes my Super Bowl prediction.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 27
NEW YORK GIANTS 21
I will most likely be betting the Patriots and the Under.
My Super Bowl Squares are nearly done. I have filled one $100 board...and have sold 70 of the 100 in the 2nd board. In the $50 boards, I have filled one board, and have only 10 squares left on the 2nd board. The #4 and #5 $25 boards are getting close to being full too. I suspect I will get the usual avalanche of square buys on game day. If you want an invite to buy a square or ten...shoot me an email at ThePoolMonkey@aol.com.
Okay...I'm going back to sleep. Blogging has made me tired. It's 9:20pm here in Vegas. I am still accepting invitations to 'can't miss' Super Bowl Party invitations for tomorrow's game.
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