Following my early ugly departure from the WSOP, my gameplan was to next play the Wynn $600 tomorrow. However, I have seen the Venetian main event ($3,500 buy-in, $3 million guaranteed) has a satellite tonight for a $400 buy-in with 10 x $3,500 seats guaranteed. This event isn't on my pre-set schedule, but I think a bullet with a shot to get in cheap for this is well worth the punt, so I've bought in and will play it at 7pm this evening. The main tournament is a $3 million guaranteed prize pool, and given the (for me) pretty small sample size of events I'm playing on the trip, I think a stab at something really big if you can get in relatively cheap is better than just playing it safe and passing it up.
Looks like it's crash helmet time as we set off in this thing. It's essentially a survivor tournament, so for the time being nuts and bolts are the order of the day. One hand just came up where K4 and AQ got 10K in the middle each on a flop of K J 3. Of course the AQ called the flop shove, and then proceeded to immediately spike the magic 10 ball. Once the hand ran out the K4 let out a huge cheer and a hand clap, before the dealer politely pointed out that he had in fact, lost the hand, and was now eliminated. You couldn't make it up.
Level 2 and all sorts of ugly shenanigans abound here. I'm not getting involved! 165 entrants and climbing. We've lost two players on our table already.
Mike Sinclair is on my left, a Las Vegas rounder. He's a friend and a DSE and WSOP regular, and is tricky to play against. The table just got a little tougher.
Mike shoved with AK and got called all-in by a guy who literally just sat down with 33 (!). The threes are good and Mike loses a ton of chips. Play on here is totally nuts. I've dropped to 7K, and gone back to 10K again, now 208 players as we near end of level 3.
Looks like it's crash helmet time as we set off in this thing. It's essentially a survivor tournament, so for the time being nuts and bolts are the order of the day. One hand just came up where K4 and AQ got 10K in the middle each on a flop of K J 3. Of course the AQ called the flop shove, and then proceeded to immediately spike the magic 10 ball. Once the hand ran out the K4 let out a huge cheer and a hand clap, before the dealer politely pointed out that he had in fact, lost the hand, and was now eliminated. You couldn't make it up.
Level 2 and all sorts of ugly shenanigans abound here. I'm not getting involved! 165 entrants and climbing. We've lost two players on our table already.
Mike Sinclair is on my left, a Las Vegas rounder. He's a friend and a DSE and WSOP regular, and is tricky to play against. The table just got a little tougher.
Mike shoved with AK and got called all-in by a guy who literally just sat down with 33 (!). The threes are good and Mike loses a ton of chips. Play on here is totally nuts. I've dropped to 7K, and gone back to 10K again, now 208 players as we near end of level 3.
Now playing a full table. The only good news so far in this tournament is one of my favourite pretty waitresses from Moldova just brought me a Baileys and milk. That's about it.
Play on the table has tightened up a bit now the antes have kicked in. Last level for re-entries (not that I'd be re-entering if I bust) and we're still chugging, below average chips but that's pretty unimportant at this stage. Crazy AQ guy has shown he pretty much has either unlimited funds or no clue whatsoever (or maybe is playing on some higher level I don't yet understand), and calls preflop with all sorts. JQ offsuit for 4K was his latest. Dangerous times indeed.
10 minute break.
We're back and I catch a lucky break to make a flush against AA with a crappy hand, and I'm up to 17K. I wouldn't advise spewing chips about too much, but occasionally it's nice to be fortunate. 164 players remain from 245 starters, and the screen shows 24 x $3,500 seats are up for grabs.
Play on the table has tightened up a bit now the antes have kicked in. Last level for re-entries (not that I'd be re-entering if I bust) and we're still chugging, below average chips but that's pretty unimportant at this stage. Crazy AQ guy has shown he pretty much has either unlimited funds or no clue whatsoever (or maybe is playing on some higher level I don't yet understand), and calls preflop with all sorts. JQ offsuit for 4K was his latest. Dangerous times indeed.
10 minute break.
We're back and I catch a lucky break to make a flush against AA with a crappy hand, and I'm up to 17K. I wouldn't advise spewing chips about too much, but occasionally it's nice to be fortunate. 164 players remain from 245 starters, and the screen shows 24 x $3,500 seats are up for grabs.
19K after shipping the flop to a reraise when I flopped a pair and a flush draw. Not my preferred M.O but there was enough in the middle to justify trying to kill it quick. He grumbled and then folded.
130 players left at level 6, and I'm around 21K a little over average chips. A LONG way still to go.
I drop down to 16K after losing a pot to an unsmiling unspeaking misery who refuses to react or say a thing to anyone. I know of course that people are fully entitled to act how they want, but I'm truly puzzled how people who seem to love an online environment where you can play in sensory deprivation, would ever actually want to bother playing live. Aside from making the experience miserable for the rest of us, it must be as dull as dishwater for them to sit there trying to look stoic and menacing for hours on end. Also, truth be told, this slightly stupid approach only works against either anyone without a brain, or maybe the absolute weakest of players.
I left the updates for a bit as the table was pretty chatty and active. I'm on 25K on level 8. Blinds are 200/600/1200 and 72 players remain. I got lucky earlier with AdKd vs AK offsuit when I made a diamond flush and busted him. Still chugging.
20K now as 66 players remain. I'll need a slice of luck in this but at least I'm still there. People starting to shove and reshove with lots of highly spurious hands. The Spaniard on my right, though I'm sure is a wonderful guy, is an idiot. Everything must be babbled loudly in non English, he runs across the room almost knocking over a cocktail waitress lest he misses one precious hand. Now he's sitting next to me guzzling a burger and drinking beer whilst handling chips. I want to throw up. Some people really have no concept of the fact that maybe their lack of manners and boorish behaviour might impact on the other human beings who have to share space with them. They're either too dumb, or maybe just don't care about anyone but themselves. A sadly common trait amongst a huge percentage of people who play poker.
Now he's blowing his nose on the napkins and leaving them all over the side table. I don't tilt (really, I just don't), but if I ever did it'd be against people like this, who are the individuals in poker I intensely dislike. They simply have no awareness of how offensive and inconsiderate they are.
Irony is a wonderful thing.
He has spazzed off most of his stack, then shoved multiple times to build it back up again. Won a few but mostly donked off with dogshit hands. I go down to 15K as we hit 56 players and 300/1000/2000 antes. He again raises so I shove with 99 happy to be heads up.
He tables KQ and hits a Queen. No $3,500 seat for me. At least he makes a loud ungainly grunting celebration through the fog of beer, burger crumbs and snot as he outdraws me. Classy. Good luck everyone.
Fun night. Wynn $600 tomorrow.
130 players left at level 6, and I'm around 21K a little over average chips. A LONG way still to go.
I drop down to 16K after losing a pot to an unsmiling unspeaking misery who refuses to react or say a thing to anyone. I know of course that people are fully entitled to act how they want, but I'm truly puzzled how people who seem to love an online environment where you can play in sensory deprivation, would ever actually want to bother playing live. Aside from making the experience miserable for the rest of us, it must be as dull as dishwater for them to sit there trying to look stoic and menacing for hours on end. Also, truth be told, this slightly stupid approach only works against either anyone without a brain, or maybe the absolute weakest of players.
I left the updates for a bit as the table was pretty chatty and active. I'm on 25K on level 8. Blinds are 200/600/1200 and 72 players remain. I got lucky earlier with AdKd vs AK offsuit when I made a diamond flush and busted him. Still chugging.
20K now as 66 players remain. I'll need a slice of luck in this but at least I'm still there. People starting to shove and reshove with lots of highly spurious hands. The Spaniard on my right, though I'm sure is a wonderful guy, is an idiot. Everything must be babbled loudly in non English, he runs across the room almost knocking over a cocktail waitress lest he misses one precious hand. Now he's sitting next to me guzzling a burger and drinking beer whilst handling chips. I want to throw up. Some people really have no concept of the fact that maybe their lack of manners and boorish behaviour might impact on the other human beings who have to share space with them. They're either too dumb, or maybe just don't care about anyone but themselves. A sadly common trait amongst a huge percentage of people who play poker.
Now he's blowing his nose on the napkins and leaving them all over the side table. I don't tilt (really, I just don't), but if I ever did it'd be against people like this, who are the individuals in poker I intensely dislike. They simply have no awareness of how offensive and inconsiderate they are.
Irony is a wonderful thing.
He has spazzed off most of his stack, then shoved multiple times to build it back up again. Won a few but mostly donked off with dogshit hands. I go down to 15K as we hit 56 players and 300/1000/2000 antes. He again raises so I shove with 99 happy to be heads up.
He tables KQ and hits a Queen. No $3,500 seat for me. At least he makes a loud ungainly grunting celebration through the fog of beer, burger crumbs and snot as he outdraws me. Classy. Good luck everyone.
Fun night. Wynn $600 tomorrow.
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