Mar. 16 & 17, 2008 – Vegas

Amy & I went to Vegas over the weekend for a friend’s wedding, and I got to play poker – yay!

I played at Binion’s, Golden Nugget, and at Red Rock. Overall, +$160 for the weekend. A couple of hands stand out…

1) Binion’s (seat 2) – I’d been at the table for ~20 minutes and hadn’t played a hand except for 1 unraised pot when I was the BB, after another circuit of the button I picked up KdQc in the BB; there had been 2 limpers, so I raised it to $12 (which seemed to be standard for this table). Only caller was a loud asshole in seat 8. Flop was Ks, 8s, 5h – to which I bet $15, and he insta-raises to $30. Hmm, I figure that my top pair is probably good and I put him on a flush draw – and move all-in for my remaining ~$69. He calls. Turn was the Th, and the River was the 7d. I show the KQ and he flashes As5s before mucking. He then goes on to comment to the guy next to him how “no one on that side of the table [my side] knows how to play.” Right.

2) Nugget (seat 2) – I got into this game and knew it was a mistake; it was very late-night / early-morning and everyone had between $300 and $700 at the table. So I sit down with my wimpy $100 and I’m getting blown out of every pot I try to enter. I sit and wait – finally get AQ, raise, get called in 4 places, flop is 9, 7, 3. $30 bet, call, call, I fold… Anyway, I get KdTd in the SB and raise it, and get called in 3 spots. Flop is Tc, 9s, 7c, and I bet $20; fold, call, call. Turn is the Kd giving me 2 pair on a worrisome board – I bet $25; call, call. River is the Qs –and I decide that if I check, one of these 2 will bet to move me off the hand – whether they have the J or not (besides, is someone really going to be looking for the Q on the river?) – so I move all-in for ~$40; fold, call. He says, “I was going for the flush, and caught the straight on the river.” Poop. I’m done and going off to bed.

3) Red Rock (seat 2) – Picked up AA in 3rd position. UTG raises to $10, guy next to me calls, I pop it to $30 and everyone folds. I show the Aces and scoop the pot. Very next hand I get KK and raise it to $10 from 2nd position. Seat 6 calls and the flop is J, 7, 4 rainbow. I bet $15 and he calls. Turn is a T, and I make a dangerous check (6 was pretty aggressive, so I figure he’ll probably bet here). 6 bets out $25 and I move all-in for another ~$50. He thinks for a second and calls. River was a 6 and he shows Jc9h and I double up with the Cowboys.

4) Red Rock (seat 2) – I picked up Ah5h on the button and limped with 3 others (plus the blinds) and it’s 5 to the flop. Flop is a very nice Kh, 8h, 2h for the nut-flush. 6 bets out $10 and only I call. Turn is the 2c – 6 bets $15 and I call. River is the Kd (crap!), and 6 bets out $20. I ponder for a long time trying to see how my flush can still be good – and I can’t. So I say, “I think you got a king.” and toss my hand into the muck face-up. Everyone is saying, “wow, I can’t believe you’re laying that down.” Etc., etc.. 6 mucks his cards and says, “No king, just trip deuces.” Umm, if you’ve got a deuce, you’ve got a boat dummy, not just trips. Anyway, I didn’t lose any sleep over laying that one down.

Lessons from the Nugget:
1) I have to remember that people can back into winning hands and not just assume that there’s no way they could’ve been playing to a gutshot – especially with a flushing board.
2) I should not be buying into a game where I am soooooo short-stacked. If there are a bunch of large stacks (or all large stacks), I need to go elsewhere.

Poker drawer is at $2,560 (I went to the Chu a couple of times in early March and forgot to post for those visits – but I did manage to eek out another $240; which brought the poker drawer to $2,400 before we left for Vegas).