Scheduling stuff and cashing in the WSOP means I re-jigged my tournament plans slightly, and opted to swing at day 1A of the Wynn Classic today instead of the PH event. There's money in the budget, and with a million guaranteed as opposed to $500K at PH, it seems a better bet for your money, so off we go.
20K starting stack becomes 24K quickly, when I turn a straight against a guy who wants to keep firing. I let him until he gives up the ghost when he realises he's toast. Good start.
Some creative betting and a nicely flopped top set and my 20K starting stack now looks good and more like 32K. The table is a little snug, and one older French guy has already had an argument with another player because he wanted to see the player's hand, when he actually wasn't obligated to show it. Poker players really can be such children sometimes. Anyhoo, I'm in the zone, and as we approach the first break I'm doing well and am well above average chips.
I just got my first vomit inducing moment of the trip. Now my stack is back down to 15K when it would have been more like 50K had I won the pot..
I have QQ in a 3 way pot, and I river top set on a 2 10 6 3 Q board. It's a big pot, and I bet 7700 on the river into two players who have both check called so far. One folds and the other now ships for about 4K more. Ugh. I call, and he tables 54 for a dirty straight. He wants to have a gloat and a little needle, but I let him get on with it, and am over it the second it's happened. Never mind, suck it up and press onwards and try to rebuild when we return for level 4..
20K starting stack becomes 24K quickly, when I turn a straight against a guy who wants to keep firing. I let him until he gives up the ghost when he realises he's toast. Good start.
Some creative betting and a nicely flopped top set and my 20K starting stack now looks good and more like 32K. The table is a little snug, and one older French guy has already had an argument with another player because he wanted to see the player's hand, when he actually wasn't obligated to show it. Poker players really can be such children sometimes. Anyhoo, I'm in the zone, and as we approach the first break I'm doing well and am well above average chips.
I just got my first vomit inducing moment of the trip. Now my stack is back down to 15K when it would have been more like 50K had I won the pot..
I have QQ in a 3 way pot, and I river top set on a 2 10 6 3 Q board. It's a big pot, and I bet 7700 on the river into two players who have both check called so far. One folds and the other now ships for about 4K more. Ugh. I call, and he tables 54 for a dirty straight. He wants to have a gloat and a little needle, but I let him get on with it, and am over it the second it's happened. Never mind, suck it up and press onwards and try to rebuild when we return for level 4..
234/268 remain at present in today's flight. The guy who made the straight versus my set just gave 15K or so away by calling a guy down with K8 suited, and losing to the all-in shove, when the other guy table K9 with a King on the board. Surreal stuff.
I've gone into my shell a little bit for now, not wanting to be in the spot that others now find themselves... calling off hand after hand and suddenly being short stacked. I'm still on 15K which is fine, so for now I'll bide my time.
243/314 now as we near level 6. A tad frustratingly, I've gone utterly card dead, and the guy on my right who had the 54 has had a combination of hitting everything he's played, and also having people who have nothing bluffing into him a fair bit. As a result, I'm on 12K now, and he looks more like 55K. At times like this I guess you just have to rock up, and remember it's just one long game, and wait for the moment to come when it turns.
I steal a couple of pots and win one at showdown whilst in level 6. I'm playing pretty tight and aggressive, not bleeding off chips. A couple of Greek guys join the table, and a lot of pots are being played 3 and 4 way preflop now. I'm feeling comfortable, though the mood of the table is darker than at the start of the day. Poker often ebbs and flows. I find it best not to let anything really get to you, and to just play your game and be consistent.
I just spiralled out... I think unluckily, but I'll let you be the judge. I'm in the big blind with AQ offsuit, and it's raised under the gun to 2800 by the English older guy on my left. I'm not a lover of AQ as a rule, unless you can flop cheap, and hit the world. However, in this spot two other players flat call the 2800, and I decide to take a flop. I think folding here is bad (though not always terrible-see my earlier comment about needing to flop a miracle), and I also think that at this stage that raising is definitely an error.
We see a flop 4 way, and it comes Q 10 Q. Hallelujah...
I decide to lead out for 4500. I like betting flops like this, as people rarely do so, and as a result it's unlikely anyone puts you 100% on a Queen. The English guy now raises me to 11K. The other two players fold.
I's a hard spot for me, but with about with over 28K in the pot, I think I don't really have a choice. I ship for another 7K or so more and he calls me. Let's see what he has.
He tables 10 10, for a flopped house, Tens full of Queens. Bugger it.
I'm not drawing dead, and as I say I'd think am maybe quite unfortunate to find this guy with this exact hand (I'm only losing to 10 10 or Q 10), but there it is.
The board runs out and I can't pair up to make a bigger house, and I bust. Little to do but wish the table luck and leave.
It's a disappointing day. I got a great start, and lost an ugly pot where I would have been in amazing shape had I won. The exit hand was equally harsh. Not making excuses. I could throw it round in circles, but I think they both kind of played themselves, and I was just the guy who got the raw deal today. I will most likely take another go at this tomorrow, as I was scheduled to play 1B before I decided on playing today. The Venetian has a $3500 with what looks like a big overlay, but it's too much money to pony up, so I think that one will have to be missed out on.
I've gone into my shell a little bit for now, not wanting to be in the spot that others now find themselves... calling off hand after hand and suddenly being short stacked. I'm still on 15K which is fine, so for now I'll bide my time.
243/314 now as we near level 6. A tad frustratingly, I've gone utterly card dead, and the guy on my right who had the 54 has had a combination of hitting everything he's played, and also having people who have nothing bluffing into him a fair bit. As a result, I'm on 12K now, and he looks more like 55K. At times like this I guess you just have to rock up, and remember it's just one long game, and wait for the moment to come when it turns.
I steal a couple of pots and win one at showdown whilst in level 6. I'm playing pretty tight and aggressive, not bleeding off chips. A couple of Greek guys join the table, and a lot of pots are being played 3 and 4 way preflop now. I'm feeling comfortable, though the mood of the table is darker than at the start of the day. Poker often ebbs and flows. I find it best not to let anything really get to you, and to just play your game and be consistent.
I just spiralled out... I think unluckily, but I'll let you be the judge. I'm in the big blind with AQ offsuit, and it's raised under the gun to 2800 by the English older guy on my left. I'm not a lover of AQ as a rule, unless you can flop cheap, and hit the world. However, in this spot two other players flat call the 2800, and I decide to take a flop. I think folding here is bad (though not always terrible-see my earlier comment about needing to flop a miracle), and I also think that at this stage that raising is definitely an error.
We see a flop 4 way, and it comes Q 10 Q. Hallelujah...
I decide to lead out for 4500. I like betting flops like this, as people rarely do so, and as a result it's unlikely anyone puts you 100% on a Queen. The English guy now raises me to 11K. The other two players fold.
I's a hard spot for me, but with about with over 28K in the pot, I think I don't really have a choice. I ship for another 7K or so more and he calls me. Let's see what he has.
He tables 10 10, for a flopped house, Tens full of Queens. Bugger it.
I'm not drawing dead, and as I say I'd think am maybe quite unfortunate to find this guy with this exact hand (I'm only losing to 10 10 or Q 10), but there it is.
The board runs out and I can't pair up to make a bigger house, and I bust. Little to do but wish the table luck and leave.
It's a disappointing day. I got a great start, and lost an ugly pot where I would have been in amazing shape had I won. The exit hand was equally harsh. Not making excuses. I could throw it round in circles, but I think they both kind of played themselves, and I was just the guy who got the raw deal today. I will most likely take another go at this tomorrow, as I was scheduled to play 1B before I decided on playing today. The Venetian has a $3500 with what looks like a big overlay, but it's too much money to pony up, so I think that one will have to be missed out on.