Monday, December 17, 2007

Three of Many

After I busted out of the Caesar's 3pm tourney, I found myself in a quick hole. My trip had just begun and already I was down close to $300. That was certainly not the way I envisioned things happening. I needed a quick pick me upper. Nothing does that better than a quick call home to the family.

I sat alone at an unoccupied table in the poker room and dialed home. It was near bed time on the East coast and simply hearing the voices of the mini's was enough to at least set things in motion for my recovery. Slightly buoyed, I rebought into a cash game.

I had raised earlier with 53s and won a hand on the turn when Otis folded to my bet. I showed the table my hand. Normally, I'm not much of an advertiser, but at this table, I figured what the hell. I wouldn't be there long.

Not much later, I found pocket Aces. This is the hand where my ad campaign would hopefully pay off. As I was under the gun, I came in for a normal raise. The whole limp-re-raising fad had wound its course for me. If the flop was scary, I just may have to lay them down if I got several callers. I only got one caller. Not so bad. But wait, the big blind was thinking.

Is there anything better in poker than to get re-raised when you're holding the nuts? Probably not. The big blind made it $45 from my $12 initial raise. I made it $140. The caller folded. Hopefully, in the back of the big blind's mind, was the memory of me showing my 53s. My raise was equivalent to half his remaining stack. I put him into a push or fold decision.

He pushed.

My chips beat his into the pot and he tabled AK. The flop was King high and I did a silent LOL to myself. Amazingly, however, my aces held.

By the time Otis and Marty were ready to head out to the IP for drunken tomfoolery, I had managed to erase my losses for the day and basically walk the strip on an even keel - financially and emotionally. A righting of the ship if you will.

****

I'm really not a Pai Gow guy. Otis is. We all know that. And because he's a good friend and a fun guy to hang out with, I try my best to be a Pai Gow guy. But each time I try, I realize that I'm just not. So after I dropped my requisite $100 at the damn game (is a pair too much to ask for?), I ventured into parts unknown. Well, perhaps not unknown, maybe just abandoned.

Rewind a decade.

When I used to live in Massachusetts, I was part of a group that made monthly visits to Foxwoods. And it was all to play blackjack. We had our basic hi-lo counting system and thought that we could at least churn a small profit if we played long enough. Looking back, I'm not sure how much of an edge we really had. Our bet sizes weren't spread highly enough to take advantage of a 10-soaked deck. Still we tried. And on some nights failed miserably.

On my last Foxwoods trip before I moved down South, I dropped about $600 playing blackjack. Back then, I had no idea what tilt was, but looking back I sure as hell was on it. So much so, that I took a $300 cash advance on a credit card and made my way to a roulette table, in what was to be my first ever solo rage.

At that point in time, I had only my 9-month old daughter's birthday to bet on. So I did. Heavily. Three's and thirty's for $5 and $10 a pop.

Within 15 minutes, I'd hit those numbers four times. It was probably only twenty spins, but I dominated. I took a $700 profit and left Foxwoods an overall winner on that trip for what I thought would be the last time. I would later travel back North for more visits to Foxwoods, but during that time, I never returned to a roulette table. How could I get so lucky once again?

Back to the present. I took $100 and Maudie to the IP roulette wheel. The Pai Gow players were all shouting Pai Gow and questioning the entirety of the remaining hotel gambling crowd if they were having any fun. I figured I'd buck the trend and revisit past glory.

****

To be fair, I had been drinking. I also told the table before I placed any bets that they'd be wise to just match my numbers. Initially, nobody listened. This time, I had an additional number to play. Even though my son was born the same month as my daughter, his birthday is the luckiest thirteen I'll ever come across.

I laid $5 on 3,13, and 30. The dealer spun the ball. I didn't even look.

Bang. 3. Ship it! $175 and still, nobody believes me.

Two spins later. 30. Ship it again. Finally, people began to follow my bets. At least just a little. Someone, however, did not until it was too late.

Every time I hit, I yelled "Roulette!" Sure, I was obnoxious. But who else do you know that's quadrupled up at a roulette table? That's right. No one.

My kids birthdays plus a small bouncing ball equals profit. It's simple math.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Two of Many

"That's the beauty of a 10:30 arrival," Otis said as we walked through a nearly vacant cab line outside McCarran. I was expecting a long line wrapped through the roped off area outside baggage claim, but nobody was there. "And, not checking our bags," he continued. I was foolish to expect anything different from a man who has spent over six weeks in this city. He knows his shit.

"Where to?" asked the cabbie.

Neither of us were enthusiastic about the answer, but to be honest, free hotel rooms in Vegas are still free no matter their reputation. And while our response certainly didn't harbor any subtle hints of luxury, it more than made up for it in nostalgia. Almost exactly three years prior, we broke our blogger gathering cherry together in one of the most memorable trips I'd ever taken. Was it foolish to try to recapture old glory? Maybe. But without at least a try, there would only be failure.

"Excalibur." This was Otis' FARCE (Free Ass Room Courtesy Excalibur), and I was certainly excited to be a part of it. Three straight trips to Vegas, three straight free hotel rooms. I think this time, I'd even get to sleep in a bed.

****

Dr. Jeff's arrival preceded us by a day, so there was no need to even check in. We convened at our room and relaxed for a few minutes while Otis took care of some work-related, semi tilt-inducing odds 'n ends. Once complete, our plan was hatched. Lunch at Planet Hollywood's PF Chang's and then off to Caesar's Palace for some cash games until the 3pm tourney.

The weather was crisp, but December in Vegas is deceptive. The sun can shine brightly enough during the day to make it seem like a welcoming warmth was graced upon your body for having the courage and discipline to venture outside of the casino walls. But at night, a chill fills the air such that any thoughts of enjoying an evening stroll are quickly dashed against the dry might of the desert breeze. Our walk to Planet Hollywood was a middle ground of sorts, the energy of our brisk pace countering the chill in the surrounding atmosphere.

****

There is no ride, like the dirty ride. It's a tradition morphed into requirement. If I'm about to play cards with Otis, then the pre-drink of choice is the Grey Goose dirty martini. Born in G-Vegas underground games, fine-tuned at home games, and finally perfected in Vegas proper, we toasted to our upcoming successes.

Dr. Jeff joined us with a Beefeaters replica. Clean. But he's a doctor.

****

The Caesar's poker room is one of the nicer ones in Vegas. The games are not overly juicy with tourists playing Ace rag out of position, but that's fine with me. The 1/3 game lets you buy in for $500 and the 2/5 game is uncapped. If you have skill, you have ammunition with which to use it. I walked near the table that held many memories for me, the table at which G-Rob and I busted several crazy Norwegians. This time, the table was quieter, filled with mid-morning players whose likelihood of pushing all in blind for $500 was non-existent.

Otis, Dr. Jeff and I sat down at a brand new table with six other players and the green flag signaling the beginning of our trip was waved. Shuffle up and deal.

****

The older gentlemen in seat 9 led the flop for $25. The board read 569 with two hearts. I was in position and had raised pre-flop with pocket Jacks. Folded to me, I had to let the gentlemen know that I did not simply have two overcards. I made it $75. Without much hesitation, he moved all in.

I hadn't even played ten hands yet at the table and now I'm facing a huge decision for all my chips. I believe my raise was effective in communicating the strength of my hand, but the older gentlemen either ignored it or felt that it didn't matter. After a few minutes in the tank, I folded.

"Only because it's so early in my trip, I folding," I said as I tabled my over pair face up.

"Well, since it's so early in your trip, I'll show you my hand too." He tabled 78 for the flopped nuts.

"Thank you sir, for that. Perhaps I can repay you in kind some time." I was sincere. He didn't have to show me his hand, he could have made me wonder. I made a good fold I guess and while I felt good about not losing my stack, I felt like this would potentially be harbinger of things to come.

"I hate running into the nuts."

****

Everyone's interpretation of the nuts is different. The strict interpretation is the best possible hand at the time given the texture of the board. Pre-flop, it's easy. Pocket Aces. They're the nuts. But like I said, everyone's interpretation is different.

Mid-way through the 3pm tourney, we'd migrated to crapshoot mode. The blinds were 200/400/50 and it was only level 4. My starting stack of 2500 had nearly doubled to 4700, but even that was to be steadily eaten away by the 1050 chips required to play an orbit. I know the Harrington requirements pretty well. My M was less than 5. It was then that I found AKd and was first to act. Easy play, easy result. I push, everyone folds, my stack is now 5700, an above average one at that with around 25 players left.

On the very next hand I found pocket tens. Again, easy decision. I push. But not everyone folds. The man who would go on to win the tourney found two cards that must have appeared to be the nuts. He found a way to call off 95% of his chips with KQ. Off suit. Ugh.

Now, to be fair, this person was quite a gentlemen. I liked him and after he flopped his Queen, I genuinely wished him luck the rest of the way. If he could use my chips to win the damn thing, then that would be great. I hate his call of course, but what can you do.

The nuts is the nuts.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

One of Many

These blogger gatherings are quite interesting things. Each year they grow, each year they improve, and each year I attend, I find myself simply unable to do everything and talk to everyone I wanted to. I guess it's the nature of the beast. Rather than feel sad about missing out on anything, I've resolved to feel content about the things I accomplished. Certainly this trip ran the gamut of emotions for me. What poker trip wouldn't? There were lows, there were highs, and thanks to a few very cool people, most of it was spent in the realm of quietly content.

I have a favorite author. His name is Stephen R. Donaldson and some of you may know him from the Thomas Covenant trilogies. He once said the following:

"Someone once told me that the difference between an extrovert and an introvert is that an extrovert feeds off the energy of others (applause, laughter, smiles of appreciation, whatever) while an introvert cannot. I've had audiences in the palm of my hand, I've had standing ovations, I've had people fall out of their chairs laughing--and there's no emotional *food* in it for me. It doesn't replenish what it takes out of me. No matter how successful I am in public, I always feel exhausted afterward"

It's taken me a while to realize that this very much applies to myself (standing ovations not withstanding). Basically, after a while among semi-large crowds, I feel the need to withdraw a bit. At blogger gatherings, it's difficult for me to maintain the energy level of those around me. So for those who met me for the first time, or even second or third, and I may have seemed "off" a bit, that's mainly the reason. Hopefully I'll learn to cope with those feelings better in the future.

With that said, Vegas trips for me are about the small things. The random small events with only a few people to share them with. Those are the memories I treasure.

So before I launch off into a trip report, here's a small shout out to some people who created some of those smaller, yet more memorable moments for me.

****

Dr. Jeff and Otis with a pre-poker meal at PF Chang's before the riots ensued.

Marty whose early morning coffee delivery more than made up for his buzz-saw-like snoring.

Matching dinners with Derek at Nob Hill and a promise to come back the next day if either of us won the blogger tourney.

A small, end of trip conversation at the airport with BG.

Seeing AlCantHang for the first time in a while wandering into the Caesar's poker room.

An all too brief encounter with Bam-Bam and Pebbles. I look forward to many more from these good people.

A roulette session with Maudie, who failed to match my bets, costing her an in-tandem quadruple up.

A few minutes with Garth at the IP bar.

Watching the Rooster work his magic on a random hooker. Seriously funny stuff.

A Vegas procedure with a select few fearless bloggers (Pauly, Grubby) and one G-Vegas co-degenerate.

Finally getting to chat MMA with Ig.

Heather always cheering me up with a gratuitous feel up of the gunz.

April, fine girl that she is, complimenting me on my Vegas wardrobe (even though I know some one paid her to do it. :)

And even though it was our only contact, a simple, pretty smile from Carmen at the Venetian.

Mean Gene buying me a drink at the IP when I was most thirsty for a diet beer.

****

I'll think of more as I go along, I hate to leave anything and anyone out.

Site Update Test

Made some changes to the site and went to a 3-column format. In doing so, I've not been able to grab the old Haloscan comments, so I guess I'll be using Blogger comments now. I'm hoping the site still feeds into bloglines properly as well. Like I said in the previous posts, Vegas stuff coming.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Pending

I'll get posts up about the trip. Promise. Just too busy at the moment to give things their proper due.

Tonight I'm heading to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, courtesy my Fortune 5 company. I had no idea who they were and did a web search. One of the founding composers was Jon Oliva. Man, was that name familiar to me. Could it be the same one? It sure was. The former lead vocalist of Savatage was behind this seasonal band.

Along with Al Pitrelli (formerly of Alice Cooper and Megadeth) and Alex Skolnick (formerly of Testament), this band plays holiday classics with a rock orchestra slant. I'm really looking forward to it. You may have heard their signature song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo on the radio during this time of year.

Even better, I get to wear my Vegas shirt again tonight. I got more compliments from my fellow male bloggers on that shirt. Just the exact reason I bought it. I anticipate a yeah/whatever look from the Mrs. upon putting it on. But still, it's an appropriate shirt for the season.

"Don I now my gay apparel."

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Best Laid Plans

I don't know why I make plans for Vegas, they never hold. All of my intentions, both cruel and ambitious, fall by the way side once I arrive. Even planning for the traveling seems to lose focus as I get closer.

I tried to workout for the 24 consecutive days prior to the forced layoff of a Vegas trip. Didn't make it.

I'm trying to rip a couple of DVD's to my iPod for the airplane ride. I did finish one last night. But not both.

I'm supposed to go buy a "nice" shirt for dinner on Friday. The best I could do was have the wife meet me at the mall after work to see what we can find. Odds are I'll come away empty handed.

Aside: speaking of clothes shopping... Some of you younger, more hip, and skinnier-legged people help me out here. What is the deal with blue jeans? Generally, I wear comfort fit Levi's. I think they're 560's. Why? Because I do hack squats, leg presses, and other exercises involving the quadriceps and gluteus. None of these freaking modern jeans fit my waste, hip, leg, buttocks ratio. Is there such a thing? And why are they so freaking expensive when they're ripped, stained and faded? I don't get it. Most likely because I'm old. Sigh.

My final prep will be to dine with the family and some minor clothes shopping. I'll charge and upload my iPod overnight. I'll burn a disc of metal shredding songs for PokerPeaker. I'll pack. I'll shave my head. I'll shower.

And then I'll go to sleep.

When I wake up, Otis will be at my front door and Blogger Winter Gathering 2007 will begin.

After that, who the hell knows?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Two's Days

It's Tuesday, two days out from the Vegas trip. I know most everyone knows about the Bodog blogger tourney tonight, but because Bodog has been so generous to this site, I have no problems posting some information on their behalf:

Play Bodog's Online Poker Blogger Tournament Tuesday Nights!

Bodog invites Poker Bloggers to play in it's Online Poker Blogger Tournament
with a total of $600 in bonus money.

If you are 1 of the 5 money bubblers, you'll have your $11 buy-in refunded and
if you finish in the top 5 you will win an entry for Bodog's Sunday $100K
Guaranteed tournament.

This tournament runs weekly on Tuesday evenings and requires a password for
entry.

Tournament Details

* Date: December 4th, 2007
* Day of week: Tuesday Nights
* Start time: 8:35pm ET
* Tournament Name: "Online Poker Blogger Tournament" at Bodog
* Entry Password: bodogblogger
* Buy-in + fee: $10 + $1
* Starting Chips: 3000 (Double Stack)
* Payout: Standard Bodog payout structure
* Bonuses:


* T$109 bonus paid to the top 5 finishers.
* T$11 bonus paid to the 5 players that are eliminated prior to payouts.


* These bonuses will be awarded within 24hrs of the tournament completion.
* T$ = Tournament Credits. These can be used as a buy in to almost all
scheduled tournaments at Bodog and have a ratio to cash of 1:1.
* T$ can also be combined with cash to buy in to tournaments.


If you haven't played at the Bodog Poker Room before, please download and
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Getting Started At The Bodog Online Poker Room
http://www.bodoglife.com/poker/getting-started.jsp

If you need assistance with signing up for the tournament or with starting a
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Bodog Poker Customer Service Number: 1-866-909-2237
Bodog Poker Customer Service Email: poker@bodoglife.com

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BoDonkey Poker Blogger Tournament Banner
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Read daily tournament updates at tournament host site
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Bodog will continue to run this tournament on Tuesday nights into the New Year
and increase prizes as well as turn this into a poker league with an ongoing
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