Poker and Liquor

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Back in the Game


Excalibur wasn’t the only place I played. By my last day there, I had figured out the bus system. I had been told before that Downtown Vegas was no big deal, and wasn’t really worth the cab fare. I figured, however, that it was definitely worth bus fare to check it out, so I headed off to the Freemont Street Experience. I quickly found Binions Horseshoe Casino, and sidled into the poker room.

What games are available? NLHE and 2-4 Limit. I’m still gun shy, so I pick the 2-4. This was an interesting table, with 2 dikey lesbians playing, and old timer local, an old skinny black guy, his retarded friend, and a new local bald guy, who says he walked there from Vermont. The walked-here-from-Vermont story was told believably, but I have played poker many times with a world renowned Nougat Farmer with perfect hair.

Vermont quickly assessed retarded guy as a target. Who didn’t? Mentally handicapped guy at the table? Yeah, he’s my target too. His black buddy is shaking his head, saying “Idiot shouldn’t be here. He has no grasp of this game. No grasp at all.” Thanks buddy.

I’m out of a hand, and my cell rings, so I step away from the table. Say a couple of words, and the dealer looks at me because it’s my small blind. I say “I’m in, post me.” as I say goodbye to TheWife and quickly grab my seat. Idiot raises, Old Guy calls, Young Dike calls, Black Buddy calls, and Vermont raises when I look down to see pocket Aces. I raise. Old Dike folds. Idiot calls. Old Guy calls. Black Buddy calls, and Vermont caps the bet because that’s his MO when Idiot is still in the hand. Calls around. That’s 6 people still in a capped pot preflop with me holding aces.

Flop is 8 high, rainbow. I bet, Idiot raises, Old Guy calls, and we lose the rest. I reraise and Idiot goes, but Old Guy is still there. Turn is a J, and I check-raise. River is a 6, bet, call. Old Guy turns over 64s for two pair, cracking my aces. 64? Capped preflop, and he played 64 to the river? I hate 2-4 Limit.

The point of this bad beat story isn’t to bemoan my loss, it is to say that I got up tilty and walked away for a bit. While I was gone, I realized that I had $600 in my pocket, it was my last day in Vegas, and if I’d been playing No-Limit, I could’ve pushed Old Guy off the pot and won that one. So I rebought to about $150, and sat down at the 1/2NLHE table. I only had about 45 minutes left, before I had to head back to the strip.

I chipped up quickly at the NL table with a couple of semi-bluffs, a better kicker with the ace, and a set of Kings. I made a Japanese guy rebuy with the nut flush, which felt good. Then I flopped a full house 10’s over 8’s, only to see queens on both the turn and river give my opponent a higher full house Q’s over 10’s. With that loss, I cashed out only $20 up, but it was good to get back to No-Limit.

I am back in my comfort zone and no longer gun shy. I really do prefer No-Limit. It just suits my style of play so much better. Problem is, it doesn’t always suit my bankroll very well. The swings are much more drastic, and you need some Franklin’s on the bench.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Limits

I played poker every night I was in Vegas. I had work to do in the daytime, but for 3 or 4 hours every night, I sat down and played poker. Limit poker.

On my last trip to Vegas in December, I lost a $100 buy-in twice at 1/2 NLHE within 10 minutes of sitting down. I only had $700 to start with, so $200 was a hefty chunk. It made me a little gun shy of NLHE.

So this trip, I played Limit hold'em at the Excalibur. I played the 2/4 Limit, and the 2-6 Spread Limit. I suck at poker. At least I suck badly at 2/4 and 2-6 Limit. I just bleed away my chips. I usually do OK though, at the 1-3 spread game. So this was my pattern, and it happened each night: Sit down at 2-6, chip up slightly, then bleed away 1/2 my stack. Move to 2-4 Limit, bleed away 1/2 of what is left. Move to 1-3 limit, make back most of my buy in, and cash out for a $10 loss. One night I was down $180 before the move to 1-3 and cashed out for a $45 loss, for an OK comeback, but still a loss.

I just have a problem with those games. I can't get the knack of them. I also NEVER get cards at those tables for some reason. Of course not getting cards doesn't stop me at the 1-3. There, I'm in my comfort zone, and play the table. I have fun with some hands with blind raises (they wouldn't let me live straddle at 1-3) or garbage hands. Then I tighten up for a few hands and look for a payoff. If I don't get one, I loosen up again. The payoff comes. I keep the table guessing, and feel like I'm in control of the pace.

I don't have any specific hands to speak of at the Excal, they were generally unremakable. I only got the hammer once the whole time, and I played it hard to the river. Of course, it was way behind the whole way and lost.

If I counted in all my tips, I'm close to even, or slightly up. If I count in free drinks and entertainment, I'm way up. I'm not upset with my play, but I'm not real happy about it either.

Why the hell is 1-3 so different from 2/4 or 2-6 for me??

More later . . . .

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Odds?

I'm back from Vegas. NAB was a little slow this year, there weren't many new things since last year. I played a few hours of poker each night. Since I was staying at the Excalibur, and I like the poker room there, that is where I played.

I found the intarweb once while out there, and noticed that Dr, Pauly was in town covering a WPT event. I gave him a call, and we talked, but we never got the chance to hook up out there and play some poker. I also managed to not sit at a table with Otit either. I knew people in Vegas, but couldn't seem to meet with them to play some poker. I was feeling a little discouraged. I checked my armpits and breath for odor.

****

I knew Jimmy in the high school days. He didn't go to my school, he didn't actually go to school at all. Jimmy had already graduated, but was hanging out with a degenerate bunch of high school students while he waited for life to happen. Jimmy was a raucous addition to my small clique of artsy-type freinds.

One time, I broke up with a girl, and was very depressed. Jimmy saved me. We drank a bottle of cheap gin together and climbed an old water tower in the middle of the night. Jimmy was therapeudic.

Whenever there was the slightest opportunity or excuse, Jimmy dropped trou and would streak or go skinny dipping or just sit there naked for no apparent reason. Jimmy drank like a fish. Jimmy did plenty of drugs. Jimmy slept with plenty of girls. Jimmy was my friend.

But time marches onward, and people come in and out of your life. I've seen Jimmy occasionally through the years. He's been working in the downtown resturaunt scene, waiting tables. Like me, Jimmy's gained a few pounds, and his hair has a little gray. It's been 3 years since the last time I bumped into him.

****

Monday night, after a LONG day of walking concrete floors at the crowded convention center, talking to salesmen and engineers, and trying to score cheesy promotional items, The Wife and I slowly headed back to the Excalibur. After a quick stop at the room to drop off stuff, we walked over to the Luxor, then Mandalay Bay, where we stopped and ate a fantastic buffet. We played a few penny slots (to get free beverage), made a sports bet for a friend, watched a band for a few songs, then headed back to the Excal.

"You know Honey. I think I'll play just a little bit of poker."

"Don't stay up too late."

And so I head to the poker room. I had let Otit and Dr Pauly know I had been playing there, and thought I'd scan the room for anyone I knew. According to Pauly, Grubby had been there the night before, and I never saw him. So I look through the room and see a somewhat overweight guy with a ponytail and goatee that resembles Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.

"Damn that guy looks like Jimmy. It couldn't be Jimmy, lots of guys look like Comic Book Guy." Then I see it. The Cheap Trick T-shirt. The instant I saw the Cheap Trick shirt, I knew it was Jimmy.

Jimmy was going to Anahiem to see Cheap Trick. He flew to Vegas because the flight was cheaper, and rented a car to drive to Anahiem. He decided to spend around three hours playing poker, before continuing his journey, and picked the Excalibur. That's right, I tried to hook up with Otit and Pauly for three days, but couldn't, and managed to accidentally hook up with an old high school buddy who was only there for three hours.

I should've put $500 on #19.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Another Donkey goes to Vegas

My flight leaves in 2 1/2 hours. Wish me luck. The Winter Classic last year kicked my ass, and I'm hoping for a little retribution.

I'm going out there for a work related conference. NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) is one of the biggest technology shows around. It is similar to the huge CES (Consumer Electronics Show) , that most of you have heard of, but replacing the "Consumer" with "Professional/Broadcaster." I'm currently working on a nature show, and we are thinking of going HighDef. We need cameras. It's a TV Geek paradise, and I will be busy.

But not too busy to play at least a little poker. Sleep? What's sleep? I also hope to see Otit out there, as he is accompanying his wife to a different convention. We'll try to hookup and play some poker at the MGM or Excal.

Wish me luck.


Tuesday, April 04, 2006

It's true . . .

I am Poker Champ. Tourists.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

New Team Team Member

Obviously I don't post enough. Here to help me with that problem is my brother Shep. He's a G-Vegas home game regular, and occasional Brad-O-Ween pimp. He plays poker successfully with the likes of GRob, Badblood, and Otis, so he knows a little about poker. He's a Smith, so he knows a little about liquor too. Will my one reader please welcome him to the Blogging world. Wait, he is my one reader.