Grubby at PokerWorks

Bear with me, I’m still reminiscing about the last Las Vegas trip the first week of April.

And man, do I love the town. I loved it before I moved there, while I lived there, and after I moved away. I appreciate it more now that I’m away, as you can tell by my stretching out these trip reports.

Even reading about the bomb that exploded in the same parking lot I always parked whenever visiting Luxor isn’t enough to turn me off.

I had an opportunity to go this month for work but turned it down because every time I go it’s insanely expensive… particularly because of the -EV games that I play.

The worst part about Las Vegas is your final day there and the cab ride to the airport. Being slowly led away from the neon, it’s sort of like being Last Man Standing with an Empty Wallet.

The best part, however, is the landing, when everyone’s still in a good mood and full of hope, excitement, and dreams.

(Excalibur room view and pool construction)

My friend J arrived a bit after I did, and we headed to Excalibur to check in, eat the free buffet that came with the free room (a wedding party was enjoying their reception there — I wouldn’t mind getting married in Vegas, but I’d sooner get Salmonella than hold a reception at the Excal buffet), play some quick blackjack (we both won overall and left after losing three in a row — a sound stop-loss strategy by grubette), and then play the Sahara tournament.

The 11 p.m. tournament, that is, and we were still operating at +2 and +3 hour time differences.

But at $42 + $20 rebuy, this is my favorite low-limit Las Vegas poker tourney, offering plenty of play, good and bad players, and free sub sandwiches after the first break of the 7 p.m. tournament.

We had a side bet on the trip — whoever won the least (putting a positive spin on things) would owe the other dinner unless the person who won the most won at least $1000, in which case he would pay for the loser’s dinner.

We ended up calling off the bet because J interpreted this as just in poker, while I wanted it across the board. This would’ve been advantageous to him, as he doesn’t play slots, and I fully expected to pay for that dinner.

Entering the tournament, I tried to get him to do a $10 last-longer bet, but he wasn’t interested.

We had 15 minutes before it began, enough time to throw a few bills through Monopoly Big Event, which was in 2-cent denomination in a horrible location. Casinos tend to bury it because of a lack of floor space, which causes players to think it’s like any other game when it’s in fact the first true community gaming slot machine and the most fun game on the floor. Finding it is kind of like finding a hole-in-the-wall theater or bar, though, and makes you feel like you discovered it on your own.

I sat at the new Mystical Dragon and was down $80 — I had 45 cents left — when Big Event went off and hit Community Chest. In this bonus, there’s a board of credit values and one by one they disappear until one is left, which is the award shared by all eligible players. As each value disappears, I’m calling for the top, which was 1500.

When I play Big Event by myself, I don’t react. But in a group with other players who are into it, I get loud and excited, sharing high-fives liberally.  Get me and grubette at the same game and we’ll get kicked out of the casino.

Community Chest was down to 1500 and 150. Now 150 wouldn’t have been bad. With my 4x multiplier, that would be 600 credits or $12 because it’s a 2-cent machine. I was positive it would be 150 because all the times I’ve played it I’ve never seen 1500.

It hit 1500.

The roar we made rivaled the craps game going on a few paces away, and I walked away $40 up instead of $60 down.

Monopoly Big Event basically freerolled me into the poker tournament.

And I didn’t even rebuy.

112 people entered, top 10 placed.

I was card dead the first 2 1/2 hours, not seeing anything better than A10. My only pair was 66.

Cards I hit were raised behind me. I played ultra tight and folded AQ to big raises. And big raises late in the tourney just meant 3x the big blind.

My final hand with T2500 and blinds T500/1000 had me returning from the break on the BB. That’s what tight play gets you — the awful blinding out that I told myself I’d never experience again because it isn’t worth entering the final table with a small stack and cashing small. In this live tourney, though, it was all about survival.

During the break, I told J that I’d go in with whatever I had.

And that hand was 93 of clubs. Surely I had to fold this and risk a better hand with the SB?

Even worse, it was raised behind and I would be the only caller, so no odds.

Except that I had a better chance heads-up. 

And I could at least be live with six outs.  Plus Monopoly Big Event was calling me.

I called and we flipped. I slapped down the 93s with no embarrassment at all.

The raiser showed 77.

Oops, so much for having live cards.

“C’mon, nine!” I say.

Quickly and efficiently, the dealer flops a 9. Then to add insult, turns another 9.

I double up.

A few hands later, I get 99. A raise behind, a call, and I push. Another all-in and a call. I was against KJ and AQ, and I didn’t worry after a 9 flopped.

It’s the night of nines. 

I’m now a pretty good size and make some all-in moves in position.

An hour later, J was surprised I was still in.

Happily, we both made it to the final table. At 11 people, we agreed to save 11th for $70 taken from 1st place.

J busted in 11th.

Down to 10, I was on the Button and did a little theatrics and asked how much 10th paid, considered the $16 difference thoughtfully, then pushed.

No one called.

If I could nab the blinds once per round, I’d survive.

Down to 9, it was folded to me with J9 spades in the SB. I pushed. BB called with A7.

Flop is all spades. I casually glance at his Ace to see if it was a spade. It wasn’t.

Down to 7, an old guy just wouldn’t leave and kept getting lucky. He’s taken in by the blinds with Q2 hearts. Big stack raises, chip leader moves all in. Big stack folds what he said was AK. Chip leader shows AA. Q2s wins, and now the old guy’s tripled up.

Blinds are so huge now.

I call with 10-J, hoping chip leader would also call to try to knock the old guy out. Flop is 10-10-K. We check. Turn is A. I go against the check-it-down dry pot tactic and bet small not on the scare card, but hoping chip leader has an Ace and would toss a few more chips in, but he folds.

Old guy is out in 7th.

Now we talk about chopping. We first agree to chop $600 for each of the 6 players left and play for the remaining $800.

Down to 4, we begin talking about chopping that $800. Stacks (including me) were stubborn and just wouldn’t leave.

I played certain hands based on what I overheard the chip leaders say. They said they wanted to get one more out, which would be me. Seeing as how I had nothing to lose, I happily went all-in and wasn’t called.

Then a 33 hand also had me push, with one of the chip leaders calling with KQ. I flop my second set of the night, and he’s now crippled to about 4x the blinds and they were coming up and about to change to T20,000/T40,000.

They again talk about a chop and have to ask me, now 2nd in chips. I could’ve been an asshole and refused to chop, but it was after 4 a.m., I was tired, and waiting for one more to drop before chopping would’ve netted each of us another $66.

Playing it out was just a lottery because of the blinds.

So I agreed, and our final four walked with $800 each minus a $60 tip.

As tired as I was, it apprently wasn’t enough to prevent me playing pai gow and slots three more hours back at Excalibur.

Dropped a good chunk of the poker winnings before getting some of it back in Big Event (it’s nickel at Excal) and then going up to bed just as J was coming down for breakfast.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 1:19 am and is filed under Uncategorized.