just getting my hours

so after a 13 hour session, im only 12 hours short of 60 for the caesars free-roll. after being screwed out of a guestamated 5-8 hours.

the evening started with kk running into aa.

i built my stack back to even and then some.

got snapped off for like 150, then was only down 50 when the plo game started.

i played with a bunch of crazy young white dudes who must have had a ton of cash by the way they were throwing it around.

i was up 300+ when i bet the pot with the nut straight and a gut shot (q) straight flush draw. dude called 115 with two pair and nut flush draw. he catches a jack to give him a broadway. a major accomplishment, since i held two of them.

the game died for a while, then got really crazy when this scottish old man sat down. he played or raised every pot but 2 in a 2-3 hour span. of course i couldn't catch a decent hand or flop.

i left once all the money on the table went to a dude from london who was third best and caught his one outer to take down a 1600 dollar pot. 8888 bested flopped nut straight and 10s full.

i went back to 1-3 and won back some of my losses, then anted away most of that. left for the day with a marginal loss.
went and had biscuits and gravy at golden gates casino. just like mother used to make. yummy

MN

Guest Post 2 - The Jellystone Turtle Massacre

Vegas is exhausting. Of course, I was exhausted when I got there, but it just isn't the place to catch up on sleep. Maybe it is just the gambling decathlon that is exhausting.

I was convinced for a while that I did actually bring Travis luck. When I went to sleep at 1AM on Monday Travis was up several hundred (thanks mainly to wheel of fortune again). I had cajoled him into buying Smith & Walensky because he was the big winner. Unfortunately, that was not to last.

The decathlon petered out in drunken tired low-bankrollness, but we managed to complete most events. The final tally by my recollection is:

Event Winner
Slots Travis (even before his big score on Wheel of Fortune)
Video Poker Stacey (by losing a quarter less than Travis)
Keno Tie Travis and Devon
Limit Poker Tie Travis and Eric (under controversial circumstances)
Craps Travis (by cheating) he agreed to a rematch, but it never happened
Roulette Eric (my only outright win)
Cash wheel Tie Travis and Eric - we both lost everything

With the most outright wins combined with ties, Travis has to be declared the winner.

On Saturday afternoon I rolled off the plane still somewhat hungover from the previous night. Vegas was cold and rainy - i viewed it as an omen - wasn't sure if it was good or bad. We went to Devon and Stacey's (and now Travis') place and began drinking. It wasn't technically the hair of the dog because the night before was all scotch and bourbon and this night was all Tecate and Corona. Either way we had a good buzz when we went to a local casino near their place. We held the keno, video poker and slot events before heading back to the homestead for a nightcap and nickel ante poker on the deck. Devon and Stacey have 2 dogs and 2 cats, including a reincarnation of Skid - my family's cat from years ago.

Travis purchased two giant stuffed animals - a turtle and yogi bear after deciding that blowing up fruit was not ethical in this time of food shortages. Apparently depriving some poor child of a giant stuffed animal is ethical because in Travis' words: "those things are just filled with germs." I guess we were ridding society of a threat when we blew off Yogi's head. Shooting was awesome and gunplay is all good when it stays at the range . . . ahem.

The rest of the weekend was the usual combination of poker, pool-sitting and drinking that you are all familiar with. Travis and I both had our share of bad beats and good moves, but I generally stuck around too long at tables after my luck had clearly changed. Something that we've seen T struggle with as well I guess.

I'm utterly exhausted and was too tired to post last night. Unfortunately, as eluded to above, I think Travis ended the weekend barely up, if at all. I can't say how or why b/c I was sound asleep, but something bad happened between 1:30 and 5 am on Tuesday at Monte Carlo that ended with Travis losing $600 or so. . .

i got cut up by a real professional

after playing all night at caesars in a pot limit omaha game, where i was playing with many big time players and big time bank rolls. i held my own. just before the game broke, i lost my profit on a pretty good hand. i picked up with 21 dollars profit and left.

now that was a big time game.

earlier that evening i was playing in a 1-3 nl holdem game and was up 200 and made a bad call with bottom 2 pair to a solid player. this sent me to even. i then got 99 on the button and called a raise, re-raise for 20. four callers. flop comes 975 rainbow. bet 25, all-in, initial re-raiser folds. i move all-in thinking that im golden, possibly a set over set over set instance again! small blind calls my all in and we all show. with top set im behind! dude called raise re-raise with 68off. he flopped the joint! (latest poker term for flopping the top flush or straight, essentially the nuts) i was thinking that my call with 99 was only justifiable because i had position, but what did i know? the river brought the justice card. 7 pairing the board. i walk with 200 profit and my 150 buy-in for the 7pm tournament.

i went out with 777 to running diamonds for a flush.
so thats when i went and sat at the plo game. love that game. its totally a nuts river game, but it is so much more entertaining and skill driven than holdem. there was a really good holdem player playing, but he was no omaha player. big difference.
if you can hold your own in a plo game with big money for more than 5 hours, you are either one of the luckiest sobs to walk the face of the earth for that time span, or you are a real good poker player.

but what happens next takes the cake.

i left caesars and went to mgm. this is when i got the honor and privilege to play with a dictionary definition of a professional.

he ended up cutting the shit out of me.

now dont get ahead of yourself here. this is a poker blog, so you have to be ready for the twist.

it was Jordin Tootoo, #22 for the nashville predators (nhl). he dumped at least a grand into the game and was going all-in dark, and for no reason than to have fun. at least 4 players left our table with a full rack. unfortunately it was a lot of my money that went with it. he went all in with jj (one of his real hands), so this asian calls the 180 with aks, and i wake up to qq on the button. i go all in for like 600. asian kid calls and has me covered. flop comes k. river comes j. i ended up losing to tootoo with qq again, he only had like j5off this time and then two other times when i was ahead when the money went in.

i just got out lucked. more like fucked, but i had a great time. sad, to have a good time losing 600 bucks. but i would sit down in a game like that any day of the week. you just have to know that with high risk comes high reward, but unfortunately it also brings high loss possibility with it.

it might rain today.

MN

the setting: MGM

as i was driving home this morning i noticed how beautiful the mountains are here.
today was the first day i really saw them in all their glory.

the wind has been really intense for the the last couple of days, so it blew all the dust and smog out of the sky, leaving the vibrant colors of the mountains to glare through a clear sky.

i went to play last night after trying to go to bed at like 9pm. just as i was beginning to fall asleep, katy called and i woke up.
after that i couldn't go back to sleep, so i cleaned up and went to mgm. i was tired and i could now feel the effects of the migraine hangover when i coughed or moved sharply. nothing too bad, about a .2 on the migraine hangover scale. really not even noticeable unless i coughed.

so i'm playing 1-2 and this local punk keeps asking me, you gonna call, you gonna call, you gonna call. (trying to get info on whether or not he would have pot odds to call.) i look at him after the third time and ask, "what did you say?". he mucked and i called the all-in bet with my aq off on the button and the blind all-in raiser had k8s and flopped 2 pair. to top it off, he slow rolled me. what a dick.

so i'm like, here we go again. and the hits just keep on rolling. i get jj in middle position and raise to 16. 4 callers. punk calls. flop comes Ad 8c Jd. i bet 25 and punk calls. turn comes 10h and he bets 40 into me. i go all-in for like 105 more. he calls. river comes 9d. i'm like f. i knew he had a straight minimum. he had just snapped off a couple of people with crap like that. he turns over pocket eights. and i am happy to set over set him.

i play for a while, get up a couple hundred +, then get snapped off a few times until i'm back to 200.
at this table the first of 3 weird things happens this evening. the 2nd and 3rd were the same thing, but still something i had never seen before. all the power went out in the casino except for the poker room. all the slots and lights went off for a second then quickly came back on. this as i said before happened twice but much later in the evening.
so back to the first weird thing that happened. this real conservative guy comes back from the bathroom and starts to tell us about the goings on in the mens room. as he described it, this dude and this chick were totally going at it in the stall. as he said, there was no doubt they were having sex. he said the guy was smacking her ass and she was high 5ing other dudes with her hand under the stall. after a while, with 20 people cheering them on, security came and made them leave.

so back to poker. i get moved to 3 different tables before i could even play a hand. the first 2 tables broke before i could even get in. so i now have the option of 2 tables and i ask the floor woman which she recommends. i take her suggestion and go sit down at this crazy action table.

people were betting the shit out of the pot when they had nothing and not betting when they had the nuts.

this dude was wearing a wpt hat and was calling every hand with crap. so he bets 30 on the flop, and i go all-in for 200 and he finally had a hand. flopped 2 pair. i just had middle pair. i had only brought 200, so i had to go to the atm. 5 bucks to get out 200. ALWAYS BRING THE CASH YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU.

i get smacked around for a while then get a good hand and get a hundred back, then i get hit by the case 9 and lose 200 to this bluffer. ouch. so i'm down to my last 100. i win a few small pots and get close to 200. i get aa in the small blind. pot is raised by solid player to 17 and called my another solid player. i raise 35 and they both call. flop comes q 4 7. i bet 60 and dude goes all in. other dude calls all in for like 60 and i, knowing i'm beat, call my last hundred something. he shows his set of sevens, the turn comes 10, i call for an ace as the river card comes and then boom! the ace of clubs never looked so pretty.
the other guy flashed me his pocket queens and i raked a nice pot. set over set over set.

next hand i'm on the button with 35off and the pot is raised with 5 callers to 12, so i call. flop comes q 3 5. i raise the 20 bet to 60, raiser calls and then goes all in on the turn. the turn was a 3, so i easily called. fearing pocket queens, he didn't show though. i win a few more pots and cash out for 1100.

a real nice turn around i'll have to say.

it got down to the real nitty gritty there.

we'll see how things unfold now. hope there is a lucky swing in the cards.

i can't wait for the gambling decathlon. eric is gonna go down. he can't possibly match my gambling stamina.

isn't that what decathlons are all about?

we'll soon see, as the hoards of blog-onlookers anxiously await the outcome.

MN

i prefer cheese and crackers with my whine

so i just went through all the stages of a migraine, except for the pain part.

man am i feeling lucky now.

from seeing the spots to partial numbness, i popped an imitrex and went to bed.

i just woke up and don't even have the after effect, hangover feeling.

i wish to convey my sincere apologies for being a little whiner.

i realize that things could be a lot worse.
i could be recovering from surgery on my uterus, or chemo. well not really the uterus part, but i'm just making the point that others are having much worse things to deal with right now than me.

i don't want to come across as a prima donna celebrity.

it's just hard to not become self-absorbed when you have very little interaction with all your friends and loved ones and have to publicly write about yourself and actions.

so my thoughts and heart felt prayers go out to all of you who have far more substantial worries than my pitiful vacation sob stories.

a bad day of poker is still better than a good day of work.
well that's debatable, but you get the point.

MN

swan song of silence

this is initially directed at eric, then to everyone else.

even my last ditch effort of braking out the poncho wasn't enough to loosen the grasps of time and chance's grip on my nut sack.

now to bore you with the gory details.
so i'm playing tight and conservative, my latest ineffective style of play.

feels more like being daffy duck and hanging on to the building ledge while bugs bunny slowly plucks my fingers, one at a time.

i first get aa at the 2-4 limit game while waiting for my seat (like 2nd hand in). get called down to river with multiple raises and raisers with gut shot (4 outer) she hits the straight. best part was the guy next to her said, "you had to call that, pot odds, 11-1 you were getting on your money." i'm no expert on that end of the poker knowledge, but calling 16 dollars to win less than 40 just doesn't equal 11 to 1 on your money, to me. i could be wrong, but i assure all prospective players, that if you chase gut shots all the way down, even in limit games, you will go broke quicker than the 6 weeks it's taken me.

so like 3 hands later i get jj. flop comes aa7. i turn a j and get back to even. go to 4-8 limit for a couple of hands then go to nl.

i heard more laughs and snickers directed at me tonight than all of high school.

it's ok for all these fucking posers to walk around with that same center moose spiked up hair cut, but a poncho is something to mock.
at least one guy asked me if i was peacocking.
a fair assessment, but i don't think i'm gonna pull any trim in that outfit. it was more of attitude adjuster i said.
(for all of you who don't have a clue what the hell i'm talking about, i looked like clint eastwood in A few dollars more)

so i'm even after like an hour of play at the limit. then i get to nl. i get my usual run of total crap, get blinded, and call off like a hondo. i raise a few marginal hands with position, then make a good call down with a2 to get back up 20 bucks after a few hrs of play.
i played aq off weak, and didn't call an all-in bet with a flushed board. i was 40-60 on whether i should call, so i didn't. when the guy mucked i thought i saw Qs, which would have meant i was probably good, but the dealer chick next to me said she saw a 6c. she thought it was a good lay down, but whatever. still could of raised the turn to see where i was at.

now i'm at 120 and flop a k-high d flush draw. 80ish in the pot at the time, raiser checks, dealer brings a jc on the turn thinking that the action was correct. 2 people behind, so the jack comes back and gets shuffled back in for the river. guy after raiser bets 50 and i go all-in on my draw. not the best play, but i felt it was coming. then bang. the natural river card, the now turn card gives me a flush. the other guy in the pot shows his set, and then the board pairs on the river.

now i could argue that the all-in was a bad play on the draw, but the guy who raised it to 50 had just called my big raise with q3s a few hands ago, so i felt he was just trying to buy the pot.

so i still have around a grand left and i am still confident that i can come back.
when i was playing on the internet a few years ago, i was down to my last 50 bucks from a 200 dollar buy-in and i turned that into 10k. i am a far superior player now than i was then.
so it's not a lack of confidence, but more of a realization that to play for an income, you need to have like 20-30k to do it right. meaning to play at the right levels and be able to handle the swings.

so when eric comes out this weekend i am gonna give it my all and see what happens. but short of making a huge swing around. i just can't do it right now unless i get a job.
i've been looking a little this week, but half of everything i see wants you to be bilingual.
not to mention that i miss katy a lot and my kitty too.

i also get the feeling that a force greater than me doesn't want me to be here now.

i really would like to have played in some of these tournaments coming up. they start next week.

so now some have said that i accomplished my goal of a month.
the fact of the matter is that i only said a month when asked how long i'd be out here. my goal was to win enough to play in a wsop event. i guess i could still do that, but i am not comfortable risking my last grand on a tournament.
if i'm gonna do that i might as well just put it all on red.

can you possibly imagine how long that car ride home would be if i did that and lost? i'd still be saying fuck by the time i reached green river, (half the way home).

so short of a major up swing, i'll be coming home in a few weeks.
i was planning to fly back for my B.A. graduation anyway, but i might as well just drive home then.

that is unless any of you would like to sponsor me in an event or two…i'd even be willing to give a high percentage of the winnings if there are any takers.

now i know that's a pipe dream. anyone who would be willing is too damn broke or in debt, and anyone who could afford it doesn't know me well enough, or they do know me well enough and just don't like me enough to do something like that. especially if they have been reading this flipping blog. who the hell would give me any money?

none of that last part was said to induce a financier, but that said i wouldn't reject it either.

but be expecting a graduation card in the mail. i have never really understood, or believed in the practice of giving people money for doing something they should do, but being older now, and having paid off many-a-graduee. i can turn a blind eye to my feelings of embarrassment and hold out my hand for a traditional donation.

MN

something has happened

i don't know what it was, but i have become a pussy.
maybe just a bad player.
i don't know what it is, but i can't make a hand to save my life.
and then when i do, i get cut up by draws.
no one calls me when i raise with good cards, and they always call when i'm weak.
i must have some tells that i'm unaware of.
i need a good week, or i'm gonna just give up.
it's far too painful to just get milked down.

maybe i just need my good luck charm. eric. he'll be here sat.
hopefully i can make it that long.

as it is. getting my wisdom tooth pulled on monday will be more enjoyable than my last 4 sessions.
MN

got tilt?

so i will admit that for the first time in a long while, i went on tilt.

back to that in a moment.

so i have had losing sessions 3 of the last 4 times out.

one i can chalk up to playing while doped up on the meds i took to go to the dentist. i remember being up like 600. getting called lucky, then leaving with nothing. other than that and going all in with an ass end straight with a paired board and a flush out there as well. funny i won that pot, even when called.

this last time was just bone head stubbornness. donkey supreme. i was playing small ball at Caesars. 500 max 1-3 game. but the players were just right out bad.

why do i do so poorly against inferior opponents?
i win more frequently in the 2-5 game than in the 1-2 games.

the only reason i was playing in the 1-3 game was because i was wanting to build up my roll before i went back to the 2-5.

come to find out (this has taken 2 days to write, picked up again from sun night, now tue 3am) this is a good mathematical way to play. as told to me by katy, from the poker math book she is reading.
i knew this by feel, and turns out to have been the better mathematical decision as well.

i was going to bitch and complain about the inferior players, but after meditating on it for a while i have changed my beliefs.

i just played bad for 4 specific hands. i was emotionally affected. caught up in the moment. and most importantly totally missed a glaring couple of tells.

this mostly stems from the advancements i have made. i am back in a learning stage. i didn't realize it for a while, but i have moved on from the constant solid play with the occasional bluff, to a more aggressive style. not to say i'm playing bad cards, but i am betting higher and more often in situations that are questionable.

i will call this the playing the player, not the cards stage.

i can say i got a little carried away with my own interpretation of myself as an advanced played, but have quickly learned that with each step forward, your balance is easily swayed. much as a little child.

my confidence is still high. one of my greatest strengths and weaknesses.
humility is a tight rope. you must walk a fine line to not be at its mercy.

i am down to my last two grand, and having grown accustomed to the freedom of my new life style, will now stay a small ball player for a while. i will only take 200 with me to play with. i will become a rolling stone. (that is a poker joke that i'm sure not a single one of you will get…a rock is term for a tight solid player, and to gather no moss means to mix it up very occasionally)

i have come back from far more adverse situations than this so don't fear. some day soon, will you all see me on tv

MN

so long my sweet

so katy left last night.
we had a good time while she was here.

unfortunately there are no known pictures of katy with guns. maybe you can talk to jeff and see if he has any satellite ones, but if not, we didn't take any.

lost my first kk vs aa battle. next time, i'll just lay em down if i feel that i'm beat.

made up for that loss yesterday. mgm and orleans.

got caught bluffing at mgm. but rivered a straight. ha, dickhead should not have called with a10 off for 40 dollars more. he cried like a little girl. sorry.

played in a plo game at the orleans. boy that is a tough game. fun though.

going in for more fillings today. can't wait.

MN

Guest Blog!

This post is written by Travis' girlfriend, Katy (here for a visit).

I arrived Friday night. From the the airport, we went to MGM to use Travis' hard earned comp points for dinner. We went to Seablue, which of course was pricey, but I would recommend it. Afterwards, we joined Devon and Stacey at their place for a nightcap.

The next day was Derby Day. Travis had the makings for mint juleps: Kentucky bourbon, crushed ice, mint and sugar. We made a big batch "to go" and hurried to the sports book at the Santa Fe Station casino. This casino is as nice as any casino on the strip, but with a more neighborly feel. I hadn't done my homework, so I had to call my mom, the librarian, to give me some info on which horses to pick. (Mom was also born in Louisville, btw!) I placed a bet for each of us to win, place or show (i.e. 1st, 2nd or 3rd). Devon had Denis of Cork, Stacey and I chose the filly, Eight Belles, and Travis went for Pyro. Travis and I also had a side bet, he bet $10 dollars that not one of us would win. Of course, he was the only one who didn't win and had to pay up! If you didn't watch the race, there is a bittersweet ending to this. Eight Belles came in 2nd, but shortly after collapsed and was euthanized, she literally gave it her all.

After this eventful afternoon, Travis and I went to the Sahara to check in. I've stayed at 3 other places in Las Vegas, the Excalibur, MGM Grand and Binion's. The Sahara ranks after Excal and slightly above Binion's. MGM is leagues above them all, by far my favorite.

The next morning, we met up with Stacey and Devon to do a little shooting. It only takes a 20-minute drive south to be in the middle of hills that look like the horror movie, The Hills Have Eyes. I didn't come up with this on my own, it was suggested by Stacey, but I totally agree (scary!). Anyway, Devon knows of these spots where you can target practice. People bring (and leave) all sorts of junk to blow away: bowling ball and pins, furniture, paint cans, bottles, playing cards, fruit, toilet seat, playing cards - you name it! Also, scattered everywhere are shells, it was quite the site. I fired off 3 rounds on the 9mm, 1 on the 45, 1 shot on the rifle and a couple shots on the SKS (an assault rifle). It was fun, next time we should bring a watermelon to shoot, if there is a next time. I like new experiences, but some you can mentally check off the list when you're done. I'm thinking this might be a "check." At any rate, I'm definitely not Annie Oakley.

The rest of the trip has been uneventful and fun - drinking, gambling, hanging out. I did want to say something in here equivalent to ice cream, say - popsicles? But, I would just be making it up for jokes and spite, I admit I only have eyes for Travis! I'd also like to say that Stacey and Devon are most hospitable and I am very grateful to them for sharing their home with Travis.

3 for 3 cashing at 6

played in the 2-5 game at caesar's palace.
200 min, no max buy-in.
so i double up early with kk vs qq. so i'm at 900 now from 400 to start.

asian dude. solid but a little crazy. calls my 45 dollar raise heads up with 10s6s.
i have kk on the button. flop comes qs 10s 6h. i bet 50 he calls. turn comes jd. i bet 150 he calls. river is 6c. i bet 200 he just calls.
ouch. should of bet more on the flop, but i put him on aq and wanted him to raise.

play for a few hours and nothing really happens. get back to even + at 440ish, then get 88 on the button. i limp. flop comes kj8 rainbow. same dude bets 25, i make it 75. turn comes A. he checks i bet 100. he goes all in. i think for a minute. i put him on ak and call. he proudly shows his ak having put me on kj. i show my set and rake the pot.

three days in a row with 6 bills at the 2-5 game. i may be getting into the swing of things finally.
only time will tell. but i am definitely confident that only a large bankroll is keeping me away from finding out where i stand against the big boys.

side note: i felt like a pea. someone jokes about an all in situation. "run it twice" they say. i ask the dealer if they can do that here. as i'm looking at the dude's money next to me, which is at least 18k, the dealer says, "no, not in these small games"

so i've been following the advise of john scarne in his book scarne's guide to modern poker. (given to me by my uncle fizzer a few years back when i stayed with them) don't lose more than the buy-in in one day and cash out when you have doubled that buy-in. well, i have been leaving when i get to 1000 after buy-in of 400. i guess it's a good idea. but the thought of doubling up with a k on the table is pretty enticing. i will continue to walk when i'm ahead like this awhile still. i think i need to get a couple of k in the black before i starting to go for the next level. play within your means travis, i have to say.

i'm playing against some real big hitters lately. i still have a ways to go, but i'm learning every day.

i need more tournament practice. that's the best way to come up on a big chunk on change.

katy will be here tomorrow. i pick her up at the airport at 8.

anyone have a horse they like for the derby? i keep seeing pyro on the board.
might have to bet it, just because i can.

MN

what would you do?

mgm-2-5

i have like 5 something. crazy raiser declares last hand before he leaves. i call in last position with 87s. 1 other caller. he is first to act. raiser is in the middle. flop comes 338. check, bet 25, i raise to 75. smooth call. guy says if this is 50 here, then i call. it was exactly. turn comes 9. no flush on board. 1st to act bets 100. raiser folds.

what would you do?

i pushed all in. the kid thought about if for a long while. agonizing about it. fake folding, almost wanting to cry. just trying to get a read on me. he exposes jj and folds.

now in retrospect this was a bad move because he had only like 175 left. and i only raised 225. he was totally pot commited, but i just smelled weakness.

i haven't been caught bluffing in like my last 10 attempts. i haven't been doing it much, but when i do, it was because i spotted something from the remaining players that just was weak. i think the key was i played really tight and only had good cards when i won the pot.

either way, it worked. mabye i won't try again for a while when i know i'm beat.
but i guess that's what it's all about. making the wrong move at the right time.
walked up 6 then lost a buck at hooties getting my hours. i don't think i'm going to worry about the free rolls any more. it just seems like a waste of time when i'm being successful with the big boys.

MN