Vegas December 2016

Day 3 - Aria, Aria part 2

Last Updated: 2016-12-14 13:27:31

As I start to type this (and I probably won't finish before passing out) I've been up for 21 hours, not really that much of a stretch for me, and it was about 16.5 hours from the time I started playing poker today to the time I finished (which was about an hour ago).

What a day for me!

Jim and I each did our own thing for breakfast before meeting up at Aria. Bought in early, then went into the sports book to watch some football before the 11am tournament.

20K starting stacks, and the beginning was frustrating for me. Flopped sets twice, got nothing for the first set and only one bet out of one player on the second one. Picked up QQ, 5 callers, had to go away when an ace flopped and there was all kinds of action. So all those cards and only at 24K on the first break.

Then I got sucked out on. Flopped top pair, other guy flopped middle pair but drew out trips on the turn. I knew something was up but I called anyway, this is probably the only hand to this point I'll look back on and be unhappy with myself. Dunno if it was stubbornness or just not trusting my gut but either way I ended up down to 7500 or so.

But I did come back! Stole a few pots here and there, doubled up a couple of times (I think one was a flip and one was a pair vs pair where I had the better pair).

Meanwhile Jim found a rough way to go out. Pocket rockets, basically the board ran out giving him the nut flush only to run into a straight flush. Ouch!

I work my way up into the 35K range at a time when the average was about 38K, not bad. But a little card dead for a while, when we got down to about 30 players left paying 9 places I was around 26K at the next break. That was about 5 hours into the tournament.

3 all-ins, no calls, up to 40K but blinds 1000/2000...but then lost a flip, 10-10 losing to A-K and I was done 19th out of about 85 players.

Dinner at the food court at NYNY...we were going to try Todd English's Pub at Aria but it was way more than either of us really wanted to spend.

On to the 7pm.

Had a couple of rough hands that set me back fairly early. The first was just unreal. Nick are you reading? You're going to love this...

Raise out with QQ, get a few callers as expected. Flop comes J-rag-rag. I bet out 500, nearly a full pot bet, get called at the other end of the table.

Turn is a King. Check-Check.

River another rag. He leads into me, I call, he rolls over K-10. Dude called my full pot-sized bet with air, nothing but an overcard to the board. Wow. I'd get him back tho...

Not much long after that I flop two pair, but the board runs out hitting both straight and flush draws and frankly with very reasonable possibility of a better two pair. I bet out, someone goes over the top of me, I have to give it up.

Dwindled down probably near 5K from my 10K start before I finally started to turn things around. I think I won my first pot of any consequence somewhere late in the third half-hour round, finally got a little momentum and got back to starting stack. Then just before first break, late fourth round, won a flip and doubled up taking out a short stack. 23k into the first break.

Late in the 5th round I got my aforementioned revenge.

88 early to act, raise out, he calls me. He's gotten a little short and likes to draw as we know.

Flop comes J-9-X, two spades. He quickly goes all-in. It's not going to kill me if I call and lose, he was a little short, but I'm going to feel it. But he went in awfully quick, I don't believe him. I call. Q-J. Argh.

8 on the turn. See ya.

Then my game became a roller-coaster ride for a while. I had a big run of big hands and some worked out and some didn't...

After doubling up a very short stack on a flip, I look down at A-10 and call some limps ahead of me. Flop 5-6-J. Checks around.

Turn a 10. I lead out, guy who recently sat down to my right (and had been playing with all weekend) is the only caller. River another 10. I lead out, he shoves, I call, he has 5-5. Ouch. Back down to 13K.

Take out another shortish stack with KK holding up against AQ, back over 20K.

Get all in against another short stack with 99, run into QQ, no help, 14K.

This is all in the space of one 30 minute round! And there's one more...

The guy who had the boat against my trips liked to play a lot of pots. He raises out, I'm between 15-20 big blinds, look down at 55. 'Isn't that ironic' I think to myself. Great time to go over the top all in.

Folds around, he instantly calls and rolls over KK. Forget the flop but 5 on the turn. Oooops.

Around 10 to 11 we go on break again, Jim is also still alive with about 12K chips but blinds about to go to 600/1200. Not great. I was at 32K at that point.

I went a little card dead, had a stretch where I didn't have a card bigger then 6 for 6 hands, but meanwhile Jim doubled up. We're both hanging in!

Folds around to me in the small blind, big blind is fairly tight and I'm starting to get short again so I go all in with 10-8 off. She quickly calls with A-Q.

10 on the flop, 10 on the turn, I double up.

Next break we find ourselves 7 from the money. 69 players started, paying 7 spots. I'm at 47K, Jim I think was probably above 20K but below 30K. And I think blinds at that point were 1000/2000.

Double takeout at the other table, 5 from the money.

Finally around 1am I get AA for the first time in the trip I think. I raise out, one caller. Flop comes Q-7-J. I'm hoping for an all-in and he obliges. I instantly call. He rolls over K-J. Nice!

K on the turn...I might have said a bad word...I know I banged my hand on the table...

7 on the river. Better 2-pair for me. Next!

That got me to around 100K in chips with the average only 70. I'm one of the bigger stacks for sure. 3 from the money, we're final table.

Very soon after that, Jim gets all in with A-Q, called by 99, Q on the turn...9 on the river. Ouch. Jim was crippled. The next three hands in sequence:

Guy goes all in, I look down at KK. Call. He has A-K, flop the case king. 2 from money.

Next hand Jim goes all in, I look down at A-K. Sorry Jim. Jim out 2 from the money, it's bubble time.

Very next hand someone raises out with me in the big blind. I look down at AA. Can't make it up. He's on the short side. I smooth call.

Flop comes Queen high. I check hoping he hit...he goes all in, I beat him into the pot, he rolls over K-Q, no love for him, we're in the money. Wow.

At that point I'm at 240K, over 1/3 of the 690,000 total chips in play.

Having a hard time remembering the hands, but I took out one more, someone else got a takeout and we got down to 5-handed when I took out 5th place with KK vs A-K again. Wow.

We go on break, come back, play a few hands. I'm at 300K or so, so not far from half the chips in play. I do a little math and make a proposal. If they're all willing to stop playing they get about midway between 2nd and 3rd place money if they're willing to let me have midway between 1st and 2nd place money. Next person to bust out is only going to get about half what I'm offering.

They mull it over for a few minutes. 5th place had stuck around, whipped out his phone calculator to do the math (really nice guy, not at all unhappy about being 5th...) and played salesman for me telling everyone it was a very fair deal I was offering.

Done. We all did celebratory shots of our beverage of choice (organized by 5th place guy!) after getting paid.

I've already locked in a profit for the trip even if disaster strikes and I have to buy in and rebuy twice on Monday, the last day. Nothing I love more than playing on a freeroll!

Two more tournaments at Aria to close out the trip.