Vegas October 2013

Day 3 - Aria, Aria

Last Updated: 2013-10-02 11:07:45

Since I cashed in the 1:00 on Monday, I wasn't able to buy into the 7:00 so it was a somewhat early night Monday. Took our time getting out for lunch at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars, which might now be Joann's favorite over Bellagio. I'm not quite there yet, but the food is excellent.

Did a little shopping, Joann was hoping to pick up something at the Coach store that she saw in June but didn't buy. Unfortunately neither of their stores at the Forum Shops had it any more.

So back down to Aria for the 1:00. I buy in and I get the same seat at the same table to start out as I had the day before. But that was the only thing similar about the previous day.

First off, people were busting out left and right this time. There were a lot of chips at the table and a big opportunity for folks to come away with big stacks. The day before, we hardly busted anyone.

Secondly, I did not have to wait 2.5+ hrs to get my first pocket pair. Unfortunately, also unlike the previous day, the pairs I got were all small-to-middle pairs. One pair of 10s that I'll get to, I think 8s once and everything else smaller than that. The ones I was able to play never hit sets.

I doubled up pretty early, we had a hand with a bunch of limpers at 50/100 blinds and I joined the party with K-Jo. The next player to act made it 400 to go, one other guy called so I decided I was getting good enough odds and called also.

Flop came rag-rag-J. I bet out probably about 600, other guy made it 1600 and I called.

Turn a blank, I check, he bet 2100 so I called.

River a K. I check, he bets, I shove, he snap-calls and has a FIT when I roll over my two pair. Based on what he was saying and his reaction ("I made it 400, how does he call 400 with that?", "he thought he was ahead the whole time", yada, yada) I can only surmise he had aces, maybe queens. He apparently doesn't understand pot odds very well, I'm not going to fold for another 300 with almost anything in that spot and at least 1000 in the pot and I flopped top pair with a good kicker...I think I played that pot correctly...whatever.

Unfortunately for me that was the highlight of my day. I had one other interesting pot when I had the aforementioned pocket 10s.

Guy who started out pretty loose but had slowed down over time raised preflop, I don't remember the blinds but probably something like 200/400 and he probably made it about 1000. One caller before me and I called. One thing I've strongly taken to heart from the books I've read (particularly the "winning tournaments one hand at a time" series, wonderful books) is playing 10s and Js to hit sets early rather than as raising hands. In this particular spot tho I wish I'd 3-bet because in hindsight I might have taken down a nice pot on the flop...

Flop comes 6-8-9, a good flop for 10's. Check around to me, I bet, original raiser calls, other guy calls. Note that "other guy" calls about 3000 with under 2000 behind. I never stop being astounded by peoples utter lack of awareness of stack sizes...

Turn is an ace. The one card I didn't want to see, I was very worried that original raiser had some kind of ace. But he checks, other guy checks and I check the scare card.

River is a 7. Gin!

Original raiser checks, other guy shoves and I just call hoping for an over-the-top from the original raiser. But he just calls also and rolls over A-10. He was unhappy nobody bet the turn so he could shove over the top...we chop the pot with our straights. Oh, the guy who called off 60% of his stack and then shoved with NO fold equity had Q-Jo...wha??? Understanding stack size is the least of his problems I guess.

That was really it for the tournament for me. I was card dead, there were three loose players betting into me so there were never chances to steal blinds and it was clear that they were never going to fold to a 3-bet so that was also out. All I could do was wait for an opportunity...

With the blinds 300/600 and us on the last hand of level 6 before the break, loose guy #1 (has a big stack) raises to 1200, loose guy #2 (also has a big stack) 3-bets to 4500, I'm sitting around 14K and look down at A-K. Very good chance I have the best hand, very good chance I can just take the pot right there because of who was in the pot, and I still have fold equity (both have big stacks but calling and losing would have hurt) and if I'm called I'm probably no worse than a flip...right?

I shove, first guy postures and folds, second guy calls and rolls over aces. Loose guys get cards sometimes too.

I caught a K on the turn for a little hope, but the river missed and I was done.

I don't see folding A-K in that spot, I'm well ahead of the ranges of the other two guys and I don't see just calling off 1/3 of my stack and folding later. I think shoving there was the best play there, unfortunately like I said sometimes even people with wide ranges wake up with real hands.

Joann and I just hang out for a couple of hours waiting for the 7:15 HORSE tournament at MGM. Apparently the tournament is no more, they had a 7:05 NLH tournament that only had 13 players. Would have been nice if they'd updated their website to not list HORSE at 7:15 any more.

Walked back to Aria for the 7:00, which was pretty brutal. I don't recall winning a single pot, if I did win one it was small. As I sit and type the only hands I can remember are:

The suited ace I folded on the first or second hand after I joined the table (a raise into me, but blinds so low I should have speculated...) that would have flopped nut flush draw, would have hit on the turn and gotten paid
The A-J suited I called a raise with pre-flop, flopped a flush draw and 2 overs but called off about 1/4-1/3 of my stack between the flop and turn bets and missed
Busted out when I was down to only half a starting stack and blinds about to go up to put me under 10 BB when I looked down at pocket 8's, we had a 3-way all in where I was against pocket 7s and pocket 9s and the 9s held up

We decide to try the 24-hr place at NYNY for dinner, and it was very good. I could definitely see going there again, the only problem is that unless we stay here it's never going to be the most convenient place to go to.

So the plan for Wednesday is the buffet at Bellagio and more Aria.