Day 1 in Las Vegas down... · 4:04pm Jun 13th, 2016

Arrival in Las Vegas was something of a comedy of very odd errors for me. Woke up at 5am for a 7am flight, took care of some last minute chores, then caught a taxi to the airport. Flight was on time--a direct flight to Las Vegas on Southwest; the only airline that offers them out of here--arriving at 8am local time after a four flight in which I played Ace Attorney: Justice for All on 3DS. And can I how say much I hate the Engarde case...? The Judge is in particularly bad form here, trampling all over you and imposing ridiculous requirements.

Arrived in Sin City to find it was actually nicer weather than what I'd left! Low nineties and dry instead of mid-nineties and humid in North Carolina. Felt great outside yesterday, and the weather's more of the same this week, with highs generally below 100 with low humidity. It's so dry here, in fact, that I often get nosebleeds and yesterday was no exception. But it's a small price to pay...

There were issues with my rental car and the hotel when I arrived. Some trouble with my reservation, but it was finally settled. Then when I got to the hotel, it took three visits to the front desk, with longs waits each time, to get my room. The first time, it was too early to check-in unless I wanted to pay a $30 early arrival fee. Er, no. The second time, they told me my room wasn't ready. At 7pm, it wasn't ready??? So I got some dinner and came back to wait again. It still wasn't ready, but to their credit, they recognized the ridiculousness of that and gave me a free upgrade to a strip view.

It's not bad, actually. My first attempt at play was throwing down $100 at a $1/$2 no-limit cash game at the Venetian. It lasted about half an hour, disappearing in two bad beats. The first time I raised with A-Q from middle position at what I thought was a tight table. Two callers including the big blind, and flop came down A-J-8. Two clubs on the board. Ace looks good but there's a flush draw out there so I bet out $25 (a pot-sized bet) and get called by the big blind. 10 of clubs on the turn, making the board A-J-8-10 with both straight and flushes out there. This time, he bets $30. I think about it and fold, as I'm smelling two pair or a flush and the board is simply too dangerous for a pair of aces.

The second time, I end up all-in with my final $50 holding A-K facing K-J, which normally makes me a solid 70% favorite on the hand. Especially when the flop brings A-10-x, giving me top pair. But the river brought the Q and gave him his straight, and he collected all my chips. He apologized for the beat, but I told him it was cool. That's poker. You take the good with the bad.

After an overpriced noodle lunch at Harrahs, looking for my first tournament, I ended up over at Ceasars Palace (The Palisades from Five Star Service) and played in a $125 entry tournament at 1pm. 15,000 in starting chips, twenty minute blinds; perfect way to me to get my feet wet for the first time in eleven months in tournament play. Rebuy tournament, meaning you can 'buy back in' by paying another $125 for the first two hours. I never do that, but some people do. In the end, we had about 40 players buy in for 52 entries, meaning the top 6 places would pay: $450 for 6th, $560 for 5th, $680 for 4th, $930 for 3rd, $1200 for 2nd... and $2000 for first. Notice how the prize money is concentrated in the first couple places? That's the way it always is. You want the real money, you have to finish high.

Well, to make a long story short... I WON!!!!!! After about five hours of patient play, picking my spots and generally not bluffing, I ended up with nearly half the chips when we were down to the final four players. What does half the chips look like?

That's about 365,000 in chips, folks. The gold are 1000, and the (rather faded) purple were 5000. And my prize...?

That's $1500 (minus $60, which I gave to the dealers as a tip)! Rather than play the tournament to completion, I offered the other three remaining players a 'chop', which has more meaning coming me as the big stack (holding the most chips). A 'chop' is a gentleman's agreement among the players to divvy up ("chop") the prize money in some way other than the official payout schedule. Though $2000 would have been due me if I won outright, I offered the players a chop if I got $1500 as the big stack and said they could have a three-way split of the remainder, which came out to $1167 a player. That way, we all leave happy. They agreed, so we did, and I was named the official tournament winner, getting a Roman-like medallion as a prize. You can just see it in the first picture between the chips and the bottleneck. Oh yes, did you know all bar drinks are free if you're playing? That's the casino's way of making you play more and thus give them more money.

Notable hands? Let's see... ah yes. Here's one that really sent me on my way. It was not long before the first tournament break and end of the rebuy period when I found myself with A-5 in the big blind. Two limpers in and the small blind calls. I could pop in a raise, but there's no need to play aggressively at that point--I'm about 3000 chips up after a few minor hands and in decent shape--so I check my option.

Flop comes down 2-3-x, meaning I've picked up a gutshot straight draw, meaning I only need a 4 to complete my "wheel" straight (A wheel is a straight where the ace plays as low card instead of high). Odd of hitting it are low, so I check, and everyone else does as well.

Turn brings the 4!!!! Finally, the initial limper bets. The other two players fold but I call, looking like I'm betting the second spade that just came out (possible flush draw). Third spade does not arrive on the river (nor do I want it to), so I give a disgusted check, looking like I missed it. Limper makes a weak bet, I make a wild raise, and he goes all-in. I call, of course. He then shows...

Pocket ACES??? Did not see that coming, but my straight is the winner. That's why you don't slowplay aces, folks. They're powerful, not invulnerable. He let me hit that hand. If he'd bet preflop or even on the flop, I'd've folded. But as it stood, I took all his chips and ended up with a double-stack heading towards the first break.

And so it went. Knocked another guy out just before the break when I reraised him with pocket 8s and he went all in. I had him easily covered, so I called and he showed pocket 6s. Needless to say, my 8s held up, so I claimed a second scalp. Later on, I knocked out another guy when J-2 of clubs played out of the small blind hit a lucky flush. Pocket aces appeared to me twice late in the game, and I won each time, knocking out two more players, including one loudmouth who proclaimed he was 'the world's best poker player' (really?) holding pocket Kings. But the best hand of all happened just as we were nearing the money. I was on the button (dealer position, which rotates among the players just as in a home game even though there's a casino dealer). I woke up with K-J of diamonds, and raised into the blinds.

When it's this late and this close to the money, people don't generally call without something. I indeed got one caller. I then got the dream flop--A-10-7, all of diamonds, meaning I've 'flopped the nuts'--flopped the highest possible hand the board could have (the 'nut' flush, or highest flush possible), meaning I've now almost unbeatable. The question now becomes, how to get the most chips out of the guy? I give a hasty, out-of-turn check (not intentionally, I was excited!), and it worked to my advantage as the guy thought I was weak and bet out. I make a show of looking at my hand as if to check for a diamond, and call like I'm holding one (instead of the two I actually had!). Check-check on the turn when no diamond comes, then when no diamond comes on the river, I grimace (a pro would never be fooled by this play-acting, but at this level...?). He makes a substantial, pot-sized bet for more than half his chips, and I go all-in, thinking he's pot-committed. To my surprise, he folds (I shouldn't have been--he realized then he was beat and needed to hold on to his remaining chips to make the money!), but I end up with a monster stack and cruise the rest of the way.

For the record, he did survive to make the money, doubling back up a couple times (not through me!) and ended up one of the final four. So he got the chop money and we all parted happy, on good terms, our wallets much fatter. And THAT, my friends, is what a poker tournament should be. They sure as hell aren't all like that, but this one was. I'll take it!

So... I ended my first day in Vegas tired and jetlagged with a headache from lack of sleep the night before, but my play did not suffer, not even after having not played a single hand since last July. I played my usual patient, solid-aggressive game, and it won handily... this time. The bulk of my winnings are now stashed in my room safe, and that's where they will stay for now. I have no wish to carry that much money around, even here; I walk out the door with $500 as today's playing money (which may sound like much, but believe me, is a far cry from what some people do here!) And what to do today? I'm probably going to head over to the Rio, where the WSOP is playing, and try my luck at either a single-table 'satellite' tournament (varying buy-in levels of $125 to $1050(!) which pays out in tournament credit) or the 2pm $235 deep stack. There's no 'bracelet' events I want to try until Wednesday, and even then, only if I win my way in. In the meantime? We'll try my luck at some cash games and tournaments. Heading out shortly after a shower and some breakfast.

For those who are interested, here's the daily event schedule for the World Series of Poker: http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/

A hell of a start. Here's hoping it continues! But either way, let's have some fun... later, folks!

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