Last Week of Trip

Just one more week of playing until I return to Winnipeg. I most certainly will not be achieving my goal of 100k after expenses. I got off to a horrible start in LA and consequently could not build my roll enough to play in the bigger games where big money is made.

The Wynn continues to be kind to me overall as I have now posted six consecutive wins, most recently winning $1,500 Saturday and $4,700 Sunday. Saturday was especially fun as a bunch of Winnipegers got together for a sushi dinner and followed it up with a little $200 cap PLO. The game was a shootout with allins almost every hand. I finally gave up after losing my fifth consecutive rollem hand and headed over to a juicy 10-20nl across the room. Many of the guys played all night, and in fact Jon Hanec played through to Sunday night. Needless to say when I came to visit him 24 hours later he was in need of some sleep and a shower.

Today may have been the best day of the entire trip, with exception to seeing my girfriend of course. I would like to let everyone know how I schooled Mr. Seabiscuit on the golf course. Originally, it was supposed to be four of us but two guys jammed leaving Groovy and I to battle it out heads up. The stakes were match play $100 front and $100 back with Trav giving me a hole a side. We pushed on the front and I closed out the match on 17. He had it two up overall after 12, but after a par, par, birdie, par, bogey run I dusted him easily :) He blamed his collapse down the stetch on lack of sunlight and cold. Ha, I think he couldn't take the pressure as he is used to battling Angst and Grimes who typically choke when it counts. When played back at he folded like a cheap tent. To top it off he pressed 18 double or nothing and choked. My drive hit a fairway bunker and nestled up against the lip, so gross, reminds me of my bad luck on 18 against Todd all the time. Trav hit it 300 down the middle. My third, still shooting out of the bunker, travelled to the 150 stick, the hole was a 530 par 5. Trav elected to lay up due to a huge canyon in front of the green. My forth ended up 3 yards off the green about 35 feet from the hole. Trav chunked his wedge approach nearly dunking it in the canyon before the green, but ended up leaving it 40 feet short of the hole on the fringe. I went up and down, he went up and down in three. Chop chop, I still win $200.

I think I will be mounting those two Benjamin Franklins on the wall at home next to the 10 other ones I won off Todd last year, what generous friends I have. No matter what happens in golf this summer I own bragging rights for the next couple months. Maybe you could take some of your poker winnings and get some earlybird lessons there Trav?

I will be playing strictly cash over the next week except for Sunday's $1000 HOSE tournament. I really feel like I have an edge in the mix tournaments so I'm going to give it a shot. Its so hard to take time out for tournaments, especially if I keep running well and booking wins in cash games.

Last night's game was the most aggressive I have played in in a long time. There was a very tough european/asian/internet player (=agressive, agressive, agressive), a guy nicknamed Boxer who I've seen on a couple WPT final tables, and most notably The Grinder. The game played very LAG. The only reason I played is because I had position on the Internet kid and the Grinder and because there was some golf pro in the game who was very deep and very fishy. My stack was up and down for most of the session as I won and lost a few small and medium sized pots, and won a big pot. I played very tight as the Grinder and the internet kid were opening 70% of the pots and would take alot of heat with a wide range of hands, putting pressure on their opponents when they felt they could push them off pots. So I felt waiting for big edge situations was the best strategy. I have to say, the Grinder really does play tough. I have played with him in tournaments a few times, and alot of limit poker online back in the day, but this was the first time I played deep stack nl cash with him. His reads were great, his pressure was heavy, and his range was so wide you could not peg him for a hand under any circumstances. No wonder he owns the poker world. Of course, if my poker bankroll was in the mulit-millions I could probably play a more open style too!

I apologize but I cannot see to remember most of my key hands of late, or maybe I'm just too lazy to describe them, so the highlights will be short.

Hand #1:

In a loose 5-10nl playing deep. Kid raises to $50 after one limper and I call in position with A4 of diamonds, 4 see the flop. Flop is 653 rainbow and the kid bets $200, I call everyone else folds. The turn is the 9 of diamonds bringing in a diamond draw. The kid bets $400 and I elect to call as he is deep and I don't think he is the kind of player who would laydown an overpair, which is what I put him on. The river is an A and he checks. I bet $600, he calls, I show, he mucks.

Hand #2:

I am playing a five handed 10-20nl with a straddle, so the game is playing big. I have AJ off in the small after several callers to the straddle and I elect to call. Sometimes I would raise but the problem is 2 players are calling stations so I must hit to win and being out of position I didn't see value in raising. Anyway, flop is A87 rainbow and it gets checked around. The turn is another A, which brings in a flush draw and I check again. A pretty solid asian kid bets out $140 one guy calls, I jack it to $450. The asian kid calls, the calling station folds and the river is a J. Sweet the nuts. I bet out $900 and he calls with A7. No matter what the river was my bet would be the same. I put him on an A or a big 8 and not a draw and givin my J kicker I would have to bet for value. I love no brainers.

Hand #3:

Same game a littler earlier, actually three hands into the session I pick up QQ. A fishy asian guy raises to $140 off the straddle and I make it $500. He calls and the flop is 732 rainbow. He checks and I bet $800. I wanted to bet heavy for three reasons. One, I felt I had the best hand as he looked like a tourist who would surely reraise preflop with KK or AA. Second, I wanted to look reckless playing a big pot three hands into the session. And three, he looked like a calling station based on the few hands I watched from the rail. Anyway, he pondered for a minute shook his head and said 'I dunno, you probably have the best hand, but whatever, I'm all in', which was for another $2750. Three hands in and I had a tough decision. It didn't take me long to call though because I truly believed he was telling the truth with his words and I put him on a mid pair. After I called he tabled JJ and rivered a J. Great way to start the session. I proceeded to get stuck close to 6k in the game within an hour against a rather fishy lineup. Luckily, by the end of the session I turned a $1,500 profit.

Hand #4:

Back to last nights game. I had QJ suited on the button and called a raise of $100 from the internet kid with 5 people to the flop. The flop comes down QJ4 all spades and the action is checked to me and I bet $375. The internet kid calls and we are heads up. The turn is an offsuit 3 and he checks. I do have a strong hand here but something smells fishy. I felt he could have an AK or A10 hand with a spade otherwise he had monster. I don't know what else he could check call with, but would not bet out with. Anyway, I give a free card also inducing a bluff river by him if he had nothing, which is definately in his range. The river is a red 7 and he fires for $900 and I call rather quick. He shows A6 of spades for the nuts. Ugly situation, but that pot could have been bigger if he leads out on the flop.

Hand #5:

Earlier in the session I pick up a beautiful no brainer, maybe the best of the trip. The internet kid raises to $80 in early position, the Grinder calls, and I call on the button with AK hearts. More often than not I would reraise with this hand on the button, but givin how deep and tricky my opponents are and givin the fact I have been playing tight and I do not want to give away the strength of my hand, I decide to call. The flop is QJ10 rainbow, hmmm am I dreaming? The kid leads out for $250 and the Grinder calls. I feel that both opponents have strong hands and I decide to raise to build what I believe could be a double up pot. I make it $700 total, the internet kid calls and Grinder folds, later saying he had 98 (maybe/maybe not). The turn is the 5 of clubs bringing in a club draw. The kid checks and I bet $1,200. He asks me what I have left I tell him about $3,000 more. He quickly puts out 5 yellow chips putting me allin. I snap call and he says, 'shit, you got AK?' I say yes he chuckles and says 'gimmie a club then' and he shows KQ of clubs. The river bricks for once and I scoop a 10k pot.

Hand #6:

Playing a rather LAG 5/10 game. I'm deep and pick up 1010 and raise it from early position to $50. A loose deceptive player calls from mid position as do 3 others. The flop comes down 843 rainbow and I bet out $175. The deceptive player calls everyone else folds. The turn is a 7 and I feel I have the best, but I feel my opponent is dancing around those cards so I bet out a heavy $450. He thinks and decides to raise to $1000. I tank for a bit and convince myself he has a touch draw like 76, 54, 64, 53, etc... I feel with a set or straight he will let me bet out the river as he only has another $1000 after the raise so I go allin, he shrugs and folds. Later he told me he had K6 and floated to make a move on me.

Hand #7:

It was a rather tight agressive 5/10 game, the same game Travis value towned me with 106. I was pretty card dead all session and finally picked up JJ. I raised and was called by a tough player Trav and I call 'Black Hat', because he's always wearing a black hat...go figure. Anyway, I flop a complete no brainer with J22 two hearts. I lead out $100 and he calls. The turn is a J which is overkill, but I think I have to continue betting because I think he will check behind with a lot of hands. He is a good player and knows I will check call alot of hands on this non-bluffing board. So I make it $200 and he calls. At this point I think he has a pocket pair or a flush draw. The river brings in the Q of hearts and I rather quickly lead out for $500. He tanks for a minute and folds showing me a 2. Damn, stupid turn card may haved cost me a double up as we were both over 5k deep. He told me he would have called if the river wasn't a heart. In other words, no way would I barrel on a JJ22Q river flush board with air, so I must have the jack. In hindsight, I should have check raised the river as he would have bet $500 and likely folded to a check raise. I underestimated his ability to fold and thought he would pay me off with what I thought was a flush (note: if he had pocket pair I figured he would fold on that river and certainly check behind if I checked, so I concluded betting was optimal for value...I was wrong).

On a side note, that game got tougher after Travis called it a night. We got down to 5 handed and Greg 'FBT' Mueller hopped in the game. He is aggressive and pretty solid. Also, he overbets everything making the game play much more like a 10-20 or 15-30nl.

There are many other tough medium sized pots that I just cannot put to mind right now. However, I want to talk about one more hand that I was not involved in, but illustrates just how sick the Grinder is.

Hand #8:

The Grinder straddles and about 5 people call. He reraises to about $240 and only the internet kid calls. The flop is A86 rainbow. The kid checks and Grinder bets $300 the kid calls. The turn is a J and the kid checks. Grinder thinks for a minute and bets out $600, the kid hesitates and calls. The river is a 3, the kid checks, and Grinder says 'Well, looks like I don't have to bluff the river, I know you have 97 or 910 so that makes my pair of three's good'. Grinder shows 34 off, the internet kid chuckles and says good play your right and mucks.

I'm going to go down and play right now. Its pretty late but I had a nap and am ready to go. I'll try to update by mid week.

Cheers,