A Min Cash...and a WIN...Weird Day in Sin City

 (in the interest of getting to Venetian for today's $1100 as quick as I can, but while still giving you a run down on what transpired yesterday, I have simply copy/pasted my investor report to my blog post)

Well, we are winding down to the end...and yesterday was ....well, very bittersweet. I headed back with a very healthy chipstack...and an excellent chance to track down another $20,000+ score on this trip. In the first few orbits, I picked up AA...and against an UTG raiser and caller, I re-raised 3x, getting both to call...then taking down a sizable pot to go over 200k early. We made the money pretty quickly.

Then the annoying started, losing 25% of my stack when the old Asian guy shoved on a Q-7-3 flop....me holding AQ...and feeling 99.999999% that he was on a flush draw. He was. I had AQ. Turned a heart. Shit. I would hover around 150k for quite awhile. I managed to pull two HUGE bluffs to stay in contention....and one big three-bet with 88 where I got a guy to fold AQ was critical.

We had a guy at the table who was incredibly erratic and reckless and his lack of discipline resulted in him going from 340k down to 120k. So when he raised (at 2500/5000) to 12,500 UTG...and I looked at JJ on the button, I had no reservations about re-raising him. I made it 40,000. That's when Shawn Rice...a well-known pro on the circuit, a guy I've played against a lot, and who I know loves to make a huge 4-bet shove to steal pots...made his play, shoving all in. Shawn had me covered by a mere 2,000 chips. The first guy folded. I called. Shawn had 10-10. Yes!

The flop was clean. The turn was clean. One card away from becoming the new chipleader...and most likely cruising to the final table. Then I see the 10 of spades hit the river and got that feeling you get when you get kicked in the stomach. OMG. And I was out. No way. $1051. A thousand that felt like nothing. 

So I walked over to Venetian, saw a decent field in the $600 and decided to get back on the bike and try to go for another decent score for us. Talk about a punch in the face. I sit down...post my blind at cutoff for 300...and on the first hand I get AK. A guy raised early to 700 (at 150/300)...and I reraised to 2200. That's when a guy I know really well and who I know likes to push people off hands with big 4-bets...makes it 7000. WHAT??? I smooth called. And when I saw him squirming around in his seat knew he wasn't holding aces or kings. Probably jacks or queens....come on dealer...give me an ace! The flop came Jack-high...and he just shoved all in. 

Dammit. I had to fold.

Two hands later...I get QQ. Okay. Lets try this again. I raise to 900 (at 200/400) and get called by the button...a goof ball from Europe somewhere. The flop comes Q-7-4...two hearts. I check. He bets 1100. I raise to 3100. He puts me all in. Obvious call. And I see king five of hearts. KING FIVE! Nice hand sir. Ace of hearts on the turn gives him a flush. Unreal. I wasn't going out like that. So I re-entered. 

I got almost a WORSE table. One of the first hands I watch is a guy I know raising on the button with AA...getting re-raised by this 'gunslinging twerp' in the SB....AA guy raises again....dorkwad raises again....AA guy shoves all in. And the genius calls and turns over K7s. Flop brings two kings...and the guy with aces walked away talking to himself (predictably) while K7 dork sat there smirking. 

That table was a trainwreck for four levels. Nothing went right. I finally get knocked out when this asshole Asian guy, who wouldn't put his chips in separate rows..instead playing with them all, riffling them, all mixed up...before he raised to 3800...got not one, not two, but three calls...and me looking down at AJh in the BB...and finding an excellent spot to move all in for 12,500 and hopefully pick up the pot of 15,200 without seeing a flop...when I ask him to please separate his chips so I can see what he is playing with. 

"I don't have to. I'll do what I want!" me: "You're wrong. You HAVE to separate your chips...you can't keep them all mixed up like that" him: "I can do whatever I want." me: "Really? You think so? Lets make a friendly $20 wager, shall we? Dealer, if you can please call the floor, lets set Mr. Attitude here straight."

So the dealer called the floor, I was (of course) right, and he was forced to separate his chips by denomination.

me: "Now, aren't you glad you didn't make that $20 wager with me?" him; "Whatever man...you feel good now? I still don't care!"

Me: "Yeah I know...you are too cool to take orders. Well, I'm all in!"

Him: "I call! Because I don't care!!!!"

Now...if the poker gods are working correctly....don't I win this hand? Don't I get the ultimate revenge on this smart ass punk? Isn't that how it SHOULD work?

He turns over KQ. The other two fold. The flop brings a jack...and for a fleeting second, I was beaming on the inside. Then the dealer presents a king on the river...and I felt so violated. So wronged. Then it was time for Mr. Asshole to start chirping.

"Yeah! There you go! Bye Bye! See ya later! Hope you run better in life! Hey, if you hurry, you can still buy into the 4pm tourney!"

I didn't say anything...other than to say I am running great in life, and that I would be back to check on him.

I kept my word. I went and DID buy into the 4pm $400 Survivor tourney. And, uh....OH! Guess what!??? I won! Yeah. It was a grind fest...for sure...real rollercoaster ride....but at the end of the night...it was me collecting $3400. And guess what? When I went to check on 'my friend?' I was told (with enthusiasm) by other guys at the table that he had busted...and NOT made the money. Ahhhhh...that was wonderful to hear. What a jerkoff!

So I guess the day had a real happy ending!

Today? Not sure...there was a $500 NL Survivor at 11am....that I decided was just WAY too early. Then at noon there is a $1100 tourney with hour blinds...which is the one I think I NEED to play to give us a shot at another nice score. But at 4pm there is the $600 Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better...one of my favorite games. Dang. And at Wynn...there is the identical tourney that I felt I should have final tabled yesterday...the $440 $100k Guaranteed with two flights...the first coming today, the 2nd tomorrow. So what I think I am leaning towards...is playing the $1100 at Venetian...and hoping to make it back tomorrow. And if not, then I will play the Wynn Flight B tomorrow.

The GOOD NEWS...is that I still have your bankroll well over $15,000...which assures you all of at LEAST doubling your investments! And with any good amount of 'run good' I hope we can get it up over $20 or $25k by the end of the weekend! So...let me get going and get ready and attempt to have more positive news to report back to you all!

MONKEY