Vegas October 2013

Days 1 and 2 - Date night and Aria

Last Updated: 2013-10-07 16:08:46

Real easy drive to Vegas, we made it in four hours and 45 minutes from the gas station in Chandler to the hotel parking lot. Couldn't check in as early as we got there so we hung out at the Aria sports book watching football until we could check in, then we headed to dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile shops called Pampas.

It was OK at best. Meat was very inconsistent (ham was dry, got some sirloin that was very good but only after a piece that was pretty tough, had two pieces of a different sirloin cooked with a garlic glaze - one I couldn't taste the garlic, the other had enough for 3-4 pieces). I would say that this place was probably the most expensive Brazilian steakhouse Joann and I have ever been to, but based on this visit it's our least favorite and can't see us going back.

Then it was on to Zarkana, the latest Cirque du Soliel show on the strip. Yes it was a good show, yes we were as impressed as always by the performers. But...it didn't really cover any new ground. Pretty much all of it was variations on things we've seen before. And the clowns between acts were good, but went on a little too long. I guess we've seen too many...and guess what, there's a newish traveling one called Totem that's going to be in three places in the LA metro area over October, November and Jan-Feb (they typically pitch their tent, literally, for 3-4 weeks at a time)....so guess what we'll probably figure out a way to go and see...but I digress...

So all in all it was a fun night, don't get me wrong, but it was not our best date night ever out here.

On to day two...

Lunch at the Aria buffet. Very good food as always. I think my consistent comment is that being I'm not the most adventurous eater in the world there is usually not a lot of different things I want to eat at this one, but the things I eat I really like. Even as simple as the fact that they make really good pizza.

Then it was finally on to poker.

I haven't played live poker in at least a month, and not having a game every two weeks I don't get to play nearly as often as I used to. I noticed a few issues with that, and it's not that big of a deal, but for example I caught myself a few times reaching for chips while others were still acting when I was going to bet. I don't think so, but I may have stopped someone from betting into me when I had a monster once. Usually I'm very good about not betting very quickly on a bluff, a very common "bluff tell," but I know I did it at least once (and got away with it...).

I need to make sure I get out to the casino in AZ at least once just before these trips in the future.

The tournament did not start out great for me. It was over seven minutes into round 6 when I got my first pocket pair. 30 minute rounds, you can do the math but that's a long time to get NO pairs. But let's just say this story has a decent ending...

In that stretch of time I had A-K twice, A-J twice, no other aces bigger than A-9. And I had two hands come up that just sucked where I took tough "beats".

The first was one of my A-K's. In the SB a pretty loose player raises out from the cutoff and I call, the BB also calls. Flop comes K-2-5. I check fully expecting to check-raise the inevitable C-bet, BB also checks, cutoff checks. Dammit.

Turn is a 3. I bet, I want to get something out of this, BB folds, cutoff calls. River is a 4. I bet, cutoff raises, I have to call, he turns over A-2 and we chop it up. Ugh.

Around the table and now I'm in the BB when there are 4-5 limpers and I look down at Q-8o. I check my option, flop comes Q-A-Q. Nice! I bet and get two callers (same two from the last hand I think). Turn is another Ace. I have to check, next to act bets out and I have to assume he's got an ace. Dammit again.

(Hmmmm...as I periodically proofread this it's starting to sound like a downer of a trip already, isn't it? Look...I'm not at work and Joann doesn't have three kids to deal with. We're having fun!).

Somehow, tho, in spite of being very card dead I got into late round 5 or early round 6 down only about 25% of my starting stack when I doubled up after shoving with A-J, ran into QQ but caught the Ace.

Two quick comments on my starting table. 1) We hardly busted out anyone, which meant that other tables had more chips than we did when we finally broke up at 30 players from a 92 player start; 2) I started a major trend of pocket pairs losing to Ace/under card hands. Especially A-J.

FINALLY not long after I doubled up I get my first pocket pair. 6-6 under the gun and I fold. Yup. 2 hours, 37 minutes and 44 seconds into the tournament I finally see my first pocket pair and it goes straight into the muck.

But I did get a run of cards, finally. Pocket Kings and Jacks twice each and won all of those pots, including one that was a little scary but I wasn't giving it up. Someone raises out, there are 4-5 callers until it gets back around to me. I look down at KK, I make a big raise (I believe it was something like 200/400 blinds, original raise was to like 850, with all those players I made it 3000)...and they ALL CALL. Maybe one fold, but definitely a 5-handed pot.

Flop was a face card and two rags, I decide the only thing I'm worried about is someone catching a set so I shove and they all fold. I about doubled up, and with that and the other pairs I worked my way up over 30K from the 10K start. I'm above average!

I had a little stretch being card dead before my next big hand. The blinds had started to catch up to my stack, we're down to 16 paying 9 places and I look down at pocket 8's. Any decent raise is going to be 1/4-1/3 of my stack so I shove. Another guy reshoves and a huge stack calls. I get about the best I could have hoped for - A-Qo and A-Ko respectively. The guys at my end of the table insisted I was ahead, and technically I did have the best chance of winning, but I checked and I was a 54-46 dog against both hands combined.

Flop comes 10-Q-K. Ouch.

Turn is a blank.

River is an 8...(I was later informed it was the case 8!)

Hey, I had the best hand going in, I had the best hand when it was over. I triple up.

I was in great shape at that point, was able to do a little stack building and go to the final table of 10 (paying 9) in very good shape.

When the final table got together, there was a guy who I had played with for about an hour at a previous table and he was making some pretty bold bets but never showed his cards. A definite pro-wannabe. He also happened to be the biggest stack, maybe second. I was in the 1-seat, he was in the 9, hard to see. Anyway...

When the table got together someone immediately suggested (as someone always does) that we collect money for the bubble, we were immediately informed that the other folks from the other table had had that discussion and mr wannabe said no. So they tried to collect from everyone else and I said either everyone or I'm out, and a guy next to me said the same thing. Still, tho, they collected money from everyone else and created a pool.

So on the bubble and second to act I look down at A-Q and raise out (off the top of my head I'm thinking blinds probably 3000/6000 and I probably made it 17K). It folds around to the wannabe/big stack/cheap bastard and he goes into his act. Stands up, wants to know what I have behind...I know exactly where this is going. He's going to shove, I've seen this story before and he knows full well we're on the bubble. Absolutely no doubt in my mind he's going to make a move.

After careful (and I'm sure thoughtful) deliberation he says all in...and I snap call and throw down my A-Q...and he slowly turns over his A-7...

A-Q holds up. I'm the new chip leader...

Not even a full time around the table someone busted wannabe/former big stack/cheap bastard and he was deservedly the bubble-boy. Karma is a bitch sometimes...

So people other than me score some takeouts (I did get one one takeout of a pretty short stack) and we get down to 5 when I get two MASSIVE pots. It went something like this...

We're 5 handed and I get A-9, raise out, take blinds.

Next hand I get A-K, raise out, actually forgetting now whether I took it down preflop or post but I definitely win the pot.

Next hand, can't make it up, I look down at KK. Same raise to 32K (blinds were 6000/12000). Guy who was big stack goes into the tank. Another guy I had played with for a while before final table, had made a LOT of over the top shoves and never got called. Joann had come by to spectate, I wink at her when he's not looking and she knows what's coming...

He shoves, next guy tanks a little and folds, I snap call (of course) and flip over my kings. He has K-9. Kings hold up and I'm chip leader. But I'm not done...

Next hand I'm in BB, guy who tank-folded previous hand raises out and I look down at A-K. I shove, he insta-calls and is not happy when he rolls over A-J. A-K holds up!

So now I would guess I actually have about 2/3 of the chips in play. Without an actual count, there are 920,000 in play, two guys have about 60K each and the third guy has about 180K. I make an offer...me and 180K take 1st and 2nd place money, give up 10% each so both really short stacks get 3rd place money. 180K guy nickel and dimes me a little and I give up a little more than 10%, he gives up a little less, but we call it a game.

I win! I even get a "tournament winner" coin from Aria!

So in the first tournament on the first day of the trip I've already guaranteed a profit for the trip, assuming all I do is buy into aria once or twice a day as planned. Every dollar I make from this point out is pure profit.

What a great start!

One more quick note. Cafe Vettro at Aria had quickly become our favorite 24 hour meal. No more! They renamed to Cafe Aria and changed the menu, dropping just about all of our favorite meals. Planet Dailies at Planet Hollywood moves from 2nd place to first, and the search for an alternate begins...

Oh and at Planet Dailies I had a Chipotle Chicken sandwich...wow, that was the hottest sandwich I've ever eaten in my life. Too hot, which is a shame because it was otherwise a good sandwich. A little warning would have been nice...

Tuesday it'll be the buffet at Caesar's, a little shopping and then the 1:00 at Aria. If I don't last too long to play in the 7:00 again today I'm actually going to check out the weekly HORSE at MGM and see if they get more than two tables this time.