Still ill (Part II)

So I finally make it to the Monte Carlo p0ker room and find Dave and Sucko sat next to each other at a table. Dave has a monster stack which he tells me comes from the clown in seat 1, who has already rebought at least 4 times and donated all his chips by calling down Dave with absolutely nothing.

I get the 10 seat, guy in 9 seat also has huge stack and is open raising to $32 with rag aces at a 1/2 table mainly because our friend in seat 1 is calling with any two cards. Seat 1 doubles me up when I have AA and he chases all the way, 1 pair is good, but then cracks AA later when he calls $50 pre-flop with 45o

Sucko then rivers an A with AKs all-in PF against Dave's QQ but they're both winning big bets on the Georgia bowl game so all's good. To avoid tilting after being felted I head off for some food and then down to the Mirage, where I get a text from Dave saying he's just won $4500 playing blackjack. I reply that I officially hate him.

Dave's gone to the airport when I get back to the room at 3/4am but Lucko gives me a full description of his amazing blackjack streak. Try to get some sleep but Kev has a wonderful combination of a nasty cough, bad nasal breathing and snoring. I consider killing him in his sleep but figure I'd be the obvious suspect...

He also sets the world's loudest alarm AND orders a wake up call to make sure he doesn't miss his flight but I have to check out at 11am anyway and move into my new room in the same hotel.

For the next couple of days my attempts to meet up with Josh and Malachai are unsuccessful due to my dodgy mobile which means I get texts about 4 days after they were sent!

As for p0ker, I final table the bounty tournament I won at TI before (twice) and also reach the FT of a PL Omaha event at Caesars, but generally run my usual shitty standard apart from a couple of sessions.

Best was probably at Mirage where I win $300 at 1/2NL while waiting for the 5/10 Omaha hi lo limit game to start, and then turn that $500 into $1200 against the omaha donks (70 big bets in a few hours). Also finally had AA against KK at Caesar's at 2/5NL for a nice pot.

Final day I check out at 11am and have couple of hours to kill. No game going at Monte Carlo so I play some blackjack and win $175 in about 5 minutes - chicken feed to Dave but added to the $275 I won while steaming at the Mirage made for a nice blackjack profit.

Head over to 1/2NL at MGM and table was so passive even I was able to run a table over for the first time ever. First time I straddled everyone folded to me so I started betting and raising with all kinds of stuff, and showing lots of bluffs to try to loosen things up.

It works nicely when I find KQo on my next straddle and make it $20 more after a couple of limpers. Woman directly to my left calls, flop is Kxx. I bet, she calls. Turn is a Q and I'm thinking about how much to bet when I see she's already reaching for chips so I check-raise instead and we get it all-in. She has KJ and is drawing dead.

Few hands later I get AA and raise, 1 caller. Flop is A86 and we both check. Turn is a 9 I think and villain bets $25, I make it $75 and he calls. 6 pairs the board on the river and I bet $75, he announces all-in and I call obviously. He has 88 for a lower boat and I scoop a big pot.

Still ill

So, after the farce of my cancelled flights I get a lucky break when the Virgin flight on New Year's Eve is half empty and I get a whole row of seats to myself on the 10hr flight from London. Watch a couple of films and get some sleep so don't feel too bad when I get into Vegas around 1pm. Amazingly, suitcase is second bag on the carousel so I grab a cab and head for the Monte Carlo.

We get stuck at the corner of the MGM and Strip with all the traffic but eventually get to the hotel, I get a key for the room I'm sharing with Dave and Sucko and dump my bags. Quick shower and change and it's off to the MGM to meet up.

There are three 2/5NL tables running, Dave at one, Kev at another and of course I get a seat at the third! Bust one guy with AA v AJ on a J-high flop before I get a transfer to Dave's table. Table is nice and lively and one guy ends up singing "There's only one Ricky Hatton" over and over again when he discovers I was there for the fight a few weeks ago.

Stoner turns up later and we grab dinner at some cafe place in MGM before heading onto the Strip. By this time I've topped up the booze from the plane with a few beers and add to it with Glenfiddich from the hip flask hidden in my coat so the memory of later events is a bit vague.

We stop to heckle this illiterate God botherer on the street,






and then I think somehow get into Harrah's using a Total Rewards Card passed over the barriers between us to get in and get a drink. Believe this is where I meet Todd (TDizzle) and we all see in 2008 watching the fireworks. (Gay)



Head into the Mirage and end up with all six Plus One ers on a 1/2NL table, but by this stage am apparently pretty wasted, and fail miserably with a 3-street bluff against sucko with AK - he calls with some 85-type garbage and takes it down. Dave runs like Sucko used to and felts Sucko and some clown non Plus One er with 22 on a J72 flop - both opponents had J7.

Think we all get a cab back to Monte Carlo around 6am, Lucko and I crash out but Dave declares "sleeping in Vegas is gay" and heads down to the p0ker room. At one point I wake up and have to vomit copiously in the bathroom, thankfully alive enough to make sure it's all in the toilet. Go back to bed and don't get up again until around 4pm. Get ready to head out and have my coat on when I need to throw up again, this time it's pretty much just bile. Feels like my eyes are sweating. Not felt this bad from alcohol in years

Details of wild 1/2 table to follow...

I want the one I can't have

Bad news on the Vegas front I discovered by chance yesterday - Maxjet, the all-business class airline I was supposed to fly with tomorrow (Sunday) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Xmas Eve!!!

Only found out in an idle moment at work yesterday otherwise would have arrived at Stansted Airport on Sunday morning completely oblivious that there would be no flight. Managed to book a Virgin flight on Monday (New Year's Eve) for half the cost but obviously it will be 1/10th as comfortable.

Could have been worse I suppose but it means only arriving in Vegas at 2pm on NYE, missing out on valuable drinking time. Will stay two days longer to make up for it but the friends I am meeting out there will have gone by then and I was looking forward to learning a few things from them at the 2/5NL tables.

Wish me luck....

I started something I couldn't finish

So, got back from Vegas yesterday and been catching up on some sleep. Will keep this short (ish) as there's no pictures and I want to do a proper one from New Year's.

Arrived Tuesday around 6pm and went to Bellagio buffet at 8pm with some fellow journos who were there for the fight. Very good food and a couple of beers later and I was ready for bed. Woke up at 4.30am but managed to snooze for a while longer and headed out for breakfast.

Had the buffet at TI before playing their 11am tourney - and ended up chopping it for first ever win in Vegas Great structure , $125 entry fee, 30 minute levels and each player has a $50 bounty on their head. 45 entries, I only knocked one person out with AA v AJs but made the money (top 4) and we did a straight chop for about $525 each, plus bounties and your own bounty back as you were obviously not knocked out.

Texted Stoner to brag and he replied straightaway apparently - however I had a problem with my phone and receive it on Tuesday morning - in the airport :(

Thursday I play the noon tourney at Venetian but never get anything going and end up playing 5/10 limit Omaha8b at Mirage with full kill. Take around $400 off the clueless old locals (including bluffing jack-high on the river when the low missed)
and had a couple of other good sessions there.

Also played a bit of 4/8 hi lo at the Orleans and won a quick $60 in the hour before their noon tourney where I ran AK into QQ and didn't improve. Could have gone back to the 4/8 game but wanted to play at Luxor and Mandalay Bay as I hadn't been before. Sick cooler at Luxor (not very nice room either) with full house beaten by higher full house, and lost KK to 99 on J94 flop at MBay before coming back nicely for a small win.

On Saturday night paid $50 to watch the fight on big screens in TI, as Hatton admitted afterwards his gameplan went out the window and Mayweather had more than enough class to just pick him off as he charged in.

On Monday played the Omaha hi tourney at Caesars, got my money in with a flopped str8but opponent had top set (he actually had AAQQds!!) and hit on the river. Then went to the Mirage until 6.30am before heading for the airport.

Sorry there were no pics but happy to give any details if anyone is interested.

Edit: I took exactly $2500 with me and came back with $2440, which obviously included food, drink, show tickets and a few Xmas presents. Vegas for a week on $60 :)

How Soon Is Now?

Very soon is the answer, as I'm off to the airport now for Vegas (via Chicago). Woot!

Not taking my laptop so next update will be next week, possibly sooner if I go broke and get deported for abusing someone for catching an inside straight draw on me :)

Viva Las Vegas!

Let Down**

Mixed news on the poker front. Online I've qualified for Event 8 of the UBOC on Ultimate Bet (PL8b) and today's $300K guaranteed on Party Poker.

The first only cost me $20 in a rebuy, top two paid and I had a commanding chip lead when the tourney ended. Very satisfying, especially as there was lots of idiotic play early on with people going all-in with very marginal stuff - Omaha8b just isn't suited to that kind of 4-card bingo the hold'em clowns are used to!!!

Second one "cost" me $65 in a STT qualifier. These are great value IMHO, 6-handed, first wins a seat, second gets $144.

All this doesn't make up for playing like a complete idiot in a live tourney in Leeds on Friday night. Made a bad laydown and was obviously still thinking about that when I raised A9o after a few limpers. What followed is a great example of acting too quickly and donking off your chips with top pair, shit kicker.

I get three callers IIRC and flop is AK7 with two diamonds. A guy who flopped quad kings earlier and couldn't prevent his hands from shaking (I actually had him on AK during that hand) now leads out for 2000, approx 2/3 of the pot, and again looks really nervous/excited.

I have 4300 left and just jam them in like an idiot without thinking why he would lead out into the pre-flop raiser if he can't beat a shitty ace.

Your average clown in these tourneys will play any ace, but 99.9% of them will never lead out, they'll just check/call and hope for the best. The only hand I can really beat is a flush draw but again, donks in these things will call and chase but never lead.

Sure enough, he instacalls and flips over 77 for bottom set and I'm out. Let's hope I play better in Vegas, less than two days to go now :)

** From now on, all post titles will be names of songs, most likely from Radiohead or The Smiths. Let's see how long I can keep that up.

Is nowhere safe?

My adoring fan (hello mum) asked for an update, so here goes.

Countdown to Vegas now stands at inside 5 days (flight is Tuesday lunchtime) and I'm glad to be heading for some live poker after yet more online shenanigans have come to light.

After the AP scandal and Full Tilt paying back money to people who were victims of bots on their site, it looks like more multi-accounting cheating has been going on at FT.

I'm not clear on the details yet but there are threads on 2+2 in which one of the "top online players" has been implicated/outed.

So far I've not been too concerned because it appeared the cheating was taking place at levels rather too elevated for my humble bankroll. But how many of these scandals can the online game stand before the fish decide it's just not worth the risk - however small - of being cheated???