Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 08:08:32 -0700 From: Rich Bremer Subject: [BARGE] Omaholic the Procrastinator's 2009 BARGE Trip Report (part 1 of 3) It's almost time for BARGE again, so you know what that means...time for last year's trip report! I roll into town from Palm Springs on Saturday. I love the drive up from the desert on the backroads -- it is as scenic and spectacular as the drive up the I-15 is, um, not. I head to the Orleans for the early arriver's dinner. The 20 or so of us are ready to eat, but Big Al's is not. After an hour wait, they are finally ready to seat us. Still, there are plenty of worse things to do than spend an hour chatting with friends. Finally, the table is ready. Good food, good friends, and the Giants are on the television. Too bad they get dumped. Sunday and Monday are mostly quiet days for me. I play the evening tournament on Monday at the Venetian. The first hour or so goes ok, nothing spectacular. A while into the second hour I'm getting short, but I pick up queens in middle position and get 2 callers. The flop is KK8, which looks pretty good, although I have only a pot-sized bet left, so lots of flops are going to look pretty good. When both players call, I know I'm in trouble. What is it that Doyle wrote...always have an out? (Ok, technically I think he wrote always have an Out.) Well, I don't follow that strategy as the KK that declined to reraise preflop flopped quads and stacks both me and the other player with AA who declined to reraise preflop. Live poker is so rigged! On Tuesday I head over to Binion's. I'm really looking forward to the Courcheval tournament, and look at that -- there's a 1-2 Courcheval cash game going! I play Chinese for a while before my seat opens up. I wade around a bit before calling along behind several limpers with 6889T with the ten of diamonds in the door. Joe Long, who is to my immediate left, raises. A few hands ago Joe raised it with only a pair to the window card, which kind of surprised me, but behind several limpers I'm expecting a solid hand this time. I also pick up a read that he is strong, which is weird since I never pick up any reads. I call and am happy to see the two 9's trail the ten, giving me the second nut boat. I check because I can check-raise the field if Joe bets, and if he checks behind I don't mind since the board is draw heavy (one of the nines is the nine of diamonds), so maybe someone will make a second best hand. Joe bets $50, the field folds, and once again I am picking up a crazy read that he is strong. I take 10 or 20 seconds. Seriously, am I going to check-fold 9's full? No, of course not! I call. The turn is the jack of diamonds, and I check again. Joe bets $150 and I still feel like he has a big hand. It's so strange. It's like my spider senses are going off. Except I never have spider senses. Maybe it's just something I ate. Man, this sucks. As a born-and-raised limit player, I am *so* not a fan of big laydowns. I prefer the 3-bet preflop, get to the river, and see who wins approach of limit poker. Seriously, I have 9's full! Doesn't Joe know that? Ok, I give up. I fold. Man, I feel dirty. Joe says he has tens full. I believe him. Yay for big laydowns! Two or three hands later, I raise preflop with the 5 of clubs in the door and 46789 in my hand. Joe and a few others call. The rest of the flop comes with the A of diamonds and the 7 of clubs. Checked to me, I don't care for the club draw but the rest of the flop looks good, so I pot it. Joe raises and the rest of the field folds. I don't like it when Joe raises. I call. The turn is the 10 of diamonds, making the board 5A7T, and giving me a baby diamond draw to go with my mammoth wrap. I lead for about $125. Joe raises all-in another $200 and something. It seems pretty clear to me that Joe has aces. He may also have the nut club draw since the ace of clubs is unaccounted for, although any clubs beat me. I'm glad that the ace of diamonds is on board, meaning that my diamond draw has a good chance to be good. So let's see, I need a 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, or J of not-clubs, or a diamond that doesn't pair the board. If my read is wrong, maybe a 7 is good too, although I doubt it. There's no question I'm calling. A 3, 4, 6, or J gives me the nuts, although I'm pretty sure the other cards are good too. The river is not the best, but it's good -- an offsuit 8. Remember when Joe said in his trip report that he got it all in with the nuts on the turn but lost on the river? Yeah, I'm that guy. I pick up the $750 pot. No more eventful hands before the game breaks and the tournament starts. I'm in the 2 seat with Russ Fox and Kyle Minnis to my right, Phat Mack two seats to my left, and Bart Simpson and da Pickel across the table. Man, what an easy table. The second hand of the tournament I pick up AA579 with nut hearts and an A in the door. This might just be the hand I need to help me break my 18 ARG-event cashless streak! (Don't get me started on that...) Mr. Pickel makes it 75 and I reraise to 225. The 7 of hearts and a 9 flops. I bet 400 on the flop and Pickel calls. The turn is the 5 of hearts, which makes a lot of draws that can legitimately call the flop. I am leaning towards checking since if I hit the river and Pickel leads I can still get my stack in, but he checks so quickly I decide to bet another 1000. The turn is an ugly offsuit 8. It goes check-check and Pickel shows the 68TJQ for the nut straight. I'm down to 875, but I wonder how I still have chips. I figure I'm freerolling from here. I work my stack back up to 1750 with no showdowns. Then I pick up the monster that is 899TK with a 7 in the door and flop the nuts with a 6 and an 8 flop. I pot it and Pickel calls with a smaller straight and 2 pair. The turn/river comes QQ and I up to about 2200. A while later I turn a boat but lose to Bart's aces full, then I lose another pot with the nut flush draw and gutshot doesn't come in, so I'm back down to 1200 at the 50-100 level. I get it all in against Rick M. with top and bottom pair on a Q58 flop. I have 245TQ against his Q8Axx, so I'm in trouble. I say I have an overcard, and I don't hit it, but it comes in handy when a J and a 9 come. I double to just over 3000. I blind down to about 2100 and get it all in preflop with 579JQ and a ten in the door against Keith's ten. The flop comes with a 7 and another ten, the turn and river brick, and IGHN in about 32nd of 72. Over to the poker room. There's a 3-6 dealer's choice game going. I raise pocket 7's under the gun in doubleflop holdem and flop a 7 on each board. There's something you don't see every day! I split the pot when Jepstonian makes a flush on one of the boards. Wednesday means a delicious breakfast. I don't know who to thank any more, but thanks everyone! Back to Binion's in time for the blackjack tournament. Sharon Goldman bets half her stack the first hand and lands a blackjack, because that's the way she rolls. The whole table is chasing after her. With a big bet out, I double down on presto against a 7 but catch a 6 and lose to 17. Then I double two more times to 19, lose both, and I'm out. Video poker is better. The buttons are soft on the machines we're using, so if you're playing fast you really have to pound them to make sure you don't misclick. My fingers hurt. I start off really slow but playing fast. Then I hit four aces without a kicker twice in the span of about 50 hands. Not too long after that are four fours without a kicker and four threes with a kicker. I have a solid lead after the first round, but I have to sweat Chic who hits 4 aces with a kicker right away. As time runs down I sweat him a little and he is dealt three aces. He misses. I win the tournament! This is an easy game. Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 08:10:15 -0700 From: Rich Bremer Subject: [BARGE] Omaholic the Procrastinator's 2009 BARGE Trip Report (part 2 of 3) I like the lowball tournament. When I was in college, before the NL boom, the Bike ran different daily tournaments each day. Thursday was lowball day and I did pretty well in those. Just call me the lowball kid. David Low, Chris "Tom Bayes" Mecklin, QB, David Heller, and David Aronson are at my table. Looks like another soft lineup. Oh, and Patti is at my table again. I mention that this is the third year in a row that we have started off on the same lowball table. She asks me how I remember that. I don't know, there are so many pink-haired lowball players in the world... Both of the first two hands I have a 4 card wheel. I lose both. Down from 2000 to 1600. Later it is folded around to David Low in the small blind who raises my blind. I reraise with A35-joker. I make presto. Wrong game for presto! The last hand before the first break I 3-bet Patti with A345A. David Heller calls and raps pat, and leads. I have only 125 left so I hope I catch something. It's a 6. Ding! Back up to 1700. I cruise along for a while, never having any chips, but hanging in there. At the 200-400 level QB raises, and I 3-bet from the small blind with 246-joker. I catch an ace and am up to 3000. On the first hand of the 300-600 level, I have the big blind. Joe Long raises, all fold to me, and I 3-bet with A25-joker. We both draw one. I catch an ace and bet. Joe calls and wins with a ten, putting me down to 2100. I blind down to 900 with 400-800 limits. I raise and win the blinds, then I am dealt a pat 86 which holds against Joe's one card joker draw. I'm up to 3600. I steal some blinds to get to 4200 when the 600-1200 level starts. Since the first 30 minutes or so I've been sitting on no more than like 5 big blinds. I guess if you have to be short, lowball is the game for it. I blind down to about 3000 without playing a hand or even having a spot to try to steal. At 800-1600 I'm down to 1400 with 400 in my small blind. I complete the small blind and draw 2. I catch AA, but it's good against Gillian's one card draw when she pairs a 7. I win the next two hands also to get up to 8800, but I can't keep things going as my 87 loses to an 86. I'm down to 6000. My small blind again. It's folded to Scott Samarel, who raises. I 3-bet with a pat 87. He has a 987 and has to draw 3. Somehow I win, and am up to 8400 with blinds of 1200-2400. I blind down a bit and lose a hand against Bart when my one card draw to an 8 turns into a pair of sixes. He has a two card draw with the joker and makes a 9. I'm on the morphine drip, with 1800 in chips and 600 in the small blind. I have to fold, leaving me with one small bet. I call Steve Bartnyk's raise with a one card draw to a 7. He draws one and makes an 87, I peel slowly but it's paint and I'm out in 17th. Nothing can help shake off the doldrums like a good Binglaha game. The game has been going a while and is pretty deep-stacked, so I buy in for only $300. I come in behind the button. On the first hand, all 9 of us see the flop. What a country! Hey, good news -- I flop the nuts! Well wait, it's not so good news. It's broadway. There's a 2-flush. And there's 9 players in the hand. It's checked to me in the cutoff. This seems like a good spot to check the nuts. If it happens to still be the nuts on the turn, we'll see what the action is and then get committed. The turn pairs the board, but it check's through again. On the river there is heavy action though, and I get off cheap. About 4 hands later I make it 20 to go with 3456 double-suited, and four of us see the A3J flop. It's not a great flop for me, and I'm screwed if the die roll is high, but it's a reasonably dry ace-high flop so it's a good spot for a continuation bet. It's an even better spot when the die roll is high-low and a 2 comes on the turn, giving me a wheel. I pot it Warren calls. He asks if I want to run it twice. I wouldn't run this hand twice, but in the spirit of BARGE I agree. I am rewarded for my good karma, as on the first run Warren makes a flush and we chop, but on the second run I scoop, so I get 3/4 instead of a split. I play for another hour or so but no real hands come up. On Thursday, it's CHORSE time, and the Live Straddlers are ready to make their debut. This is my first year as a CHORSE team captain, and it's kind of been a disaster, as we lose a few players without a lot of time to replace them. I've got myself to play whatever, Tanya to play Razz, Cyberchomp to play stud/8. We pick up Len Marciano to play Omaha, Patrick Milligan to play pineapple, and Larry Stone to play holdem at the last minute, and we have a team. We challenge for the lead in the first two rounds, but we fall back a bit in the third and finish third overall. Not too shabby for a last-minute team. I even managed to take a little bit off JP playing Chinese in between the rounds. After CHORSE it's Sushi time! I love this place. I also love that every year I pick up some free money by betting the under! Back to Binion's in time for the stud shootout. It's another cake walk with Patti in seat 3, Bob Lauria in seat 6, and David Kluchman in seat 8. On the fourth hand, with only 3 of us at the table, I start with (88)A and catch an 8 on 5th street, but I don't fill and Bob rivers a flush. At 35-70 (yay!) I start (A9)9 against David's (JJ)6. On fourth street we're both locked in, as he catches a J and I catch an A. He unnecessarily fills on the end, and I'm down to 305. What, already? Yes, already. I lose more down to 85 at 50-100, when I have pocket 7's and river two pair to beat Patti's rivered pair of queens. More importantly, I'm not the first one out! Again. At least, not yet. That puts me up to 230, and when (9T)J makes tens up against Patti's flush draw I'm off life support at 565. I ship more chips to my left when I am open ended on fourth street but stonedonkey is rolled up with 333. The next hand I'm rolled up with AAA! All fold. This site is rigged! I take it out on Patti again, as I double through when my (KT)T makes kings up against Patti's kings. I'm almost even! But then I go card dead. I ante down to 1275 at 100-200 and bust with AA against Erin M.'s two pair. Back to the poker room for more craziness, then off to the craps crawl. At Main Street Station Paul McMullen and I make some money on the dark side. I switch to the pass line when Jester makes his attempt at the Golden Arm. Shortly thereafter, I walk away poorer. There's just enough time to catch a few Z's before the TOC. I'm in the one seat with Oldbear and Dave O to my left, and Goldie, Bob O, and Caryl Aronson to my right. I start off nicely, winning a few small pots, then a big stud pot, then a small holdem rush, and I'm almost triple my starting stack. In stud at 200-400, no one has raised the bring in and there are 5 limpers to me and my (K2)J. All K's and J's are live, and I also have a completely live two-flush, so I peel. I catch a K, bet and all call. Ok, I wasn't planning on that. I catch a diamond, giving me a 4-flush, but now the diamonds have started to fall dead, and two players have paired their door card (although one of each card is dead). Somehow, it checks through. I catch a jack and bet. All fold to Masa who raises with his 4x47 board. I block one of his 7's, and all K's and J's are live, and I have a fairly dead diamond draw, but I think it's enough to call. I call and brick. I lose a few Omaha hands and now I'm down to my starting stack at the second break. The first hand after the break I have 2000 at 600-1200 limits, and Bart completes with a ten showing. I go to 1200 with (5K)5 and all 5's and K's live. He doesn't notice I'm short and just calls. Then he pairs his door card. Aiyah! With 700 now I complete with a Q showing and all fold, more than doubling me up. The next hand I have the bring in, but the hand after that I have (J5)5. I'm all in for 1100. Oops, I'm against buried aces. But I catch a jack on fourth street and it holds. I survive to Omaha, which is good, because it's my button. I raise pre with A245 and flop a wheel, giving me some breathing room. I have enough chips to take a flier with QQJJ after 5 players limp. I flop a flush but it's a 3-low board and there is action, so I drop it. The flush was good at the time but a boat ends up winning the high. A while later it's folded to my small blind. I raise with 35JQ and am pretty happy with the 3TQ board. KK9x raises me. I call. The turn gives me a flush draw also, but puts a low draw out there. I lead again and am called. The river is a K, I check-call, and I'm down back down to 2 big bets. The next hand it's folded to me on the button. 346K is plenty good to raise here. The big blind agonizes, calls, and flops a high straight. I go back to my room and agonize in private. I go the symposium, which I really enjoy. I put in a few value bids but don't land anyone this year. I'm paired with Marlin and we go pretty high. Go figure. More dealer's choice. We're playing Chowaha with Omaha hands. I have quad tens but lose to oldbear's straight flush. Stupid Chowaha! I mean, stupid Chowaha variant! Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 08:11:52 -0700 From: Rich Bremer Subject: [BARGE] Omaholic the Procrastinator's 2009 BARGE Trip Report (part 3 of 3) The main event. My last chance to break the now 21-game cashless streak. The action is already in progress when I arrive fashionably late. I look around the table. DaVoice, James Hammer, Gerald Jeong, Kevan's mom, Betty T., Deron, and Rich Strauss. And Grizz's empty chair. No sweat. The first hand I am there I raise my button with AJ. Betty complains that I am stealing and calls. The flop is J33 and she folds. Later I flop top pair with AQ and a wheel with A5s, but the pots are small. Grizz shows up and reraised my under the gun raise with AQ. I know better, but I fold. He shows 77. Later, I raise with QQ and he calls. He donk-leads the 8Tx board. I know Grizz will lead weak, so I flat call looking to raise most turns. The turn is a T. Well, that's not the one I wanted to see. He leads again. Time to pump it or dump it. That ten is a really bad card. But it's Grizz! But it's a really bad card. I wuss out and dump it. I ask at the banquet and he says he had a gutshot or some crap or other. Big laydowns are dumb. Sometimes. I lose more pots and am down to 1500 at 25-50. I raise to 125 in late position with TJs. Deron reraises to 300. This is a tough spot for me because I haven't played with Deron much at all, so I don't know his reraising range. It's also bad because he's bought my calcutta action and I don't want to do something dumb. I call and do something dumb -- I check and call his 500 bet on the J83 flop, leaving me with 725 behind. My lack of sleep all week catches up with me here, as for some reason I was thinking that the bet was 300, which would leave me with 1025 behind, and I could see what he did on the turn and still have a stack if I decide to fold. Now the pot is bigger and I have fewer chips. The turn is another 3, changing nothing. I decide the pot is big enough and my stack is small enough that I shove and hope his range is wide enough to include something that I beat. Deron calls and shows aces. So much for that. I'm out. The streak is 22. (Now 25 after ATLARGE.) The banquet is awesome. Yes, it actually inspired wonder. Thanks to all for pulling the strings. After the banquet, there is a line of people taking their picture with Doyle. I shilly-shally for a while before I decide, yeah, people at work will think it's pretty cool that I have my picture with Doyle Brunson. So I get in line. I bubble it, as his assistant says he has to whisk him off somewhere to another engagement. Reindeer game time! I love it! Sign me up for the must-drink game. I drink and play. It's awesome. Yes, it actually inspired wonder. Wonder that I drink (and toke) so much and still be up a few racks. After the game breaks, one of the locals who sat in for the last 30 minutes or so compliments me on playing well. Zbigniew echos the sentiment. Gee, thanks guys. That means a lot to me, since it's not like there's a whole lot of positive feedback from other players in the poker community. At least not in the online cash game poker community. I join another table which still has a few brave souls. They've invented the anti-Omaholic game. It's holdem with a die-roll at the end of the hand to determine whether the pot goes to the best or the second-best hand. I lose 6 out of 8 die rolls including the last one for a $200 pot where I have the nuts. Sadly, that is the last hand of BARGE, as the game breaks and there are no more games going. I stumble to bed. On Sunday I wake up and play the noon Binion's tournament. There are a few BARGER's playing. I literally am never above my starting stack. I mean literally. Somehow, I make it to the bubble. I'm under the gun and shove with K9. It's folded to both blinds who call with 69 and K6. Somehow my hand finishes in third place. The 6 pm tournament goes better. It's a small field, paying only 3 spots. We're five-handed when this tight old guy to my left who has been shoving (correctly) every time he plays a hand limps under the gun. I have J8 in the big blind. The flop is J86. I check and call his shove. He shows aces. Big surprise. The river is an ace. Big surprise. I have 3200 at 600-1200. Then the other short stack at the table shoves, I have aces, and beat his Q3, but I'm shorter so he's still got a tiny stack. Surprisingly, there is lots of action even though there's a tiny stack on the bubble. The big stack, who I later find out is the mayor of some town I have forgotten, lays down AK to QQ's shove which was only for about a third of his stack. The little stack picks up KK and doubles through QQ. I am getting blinded down. I have 9200. On the first hand of 1000-2000, I have AA. All fold. Grr. I get a walk two out of my next three big blinds. Yay, I pick up 88. There's a raise and the big stack who folded AK reraises. Not like I have much time to wait, but 88 is no good here. I pick up some blinds and in a few rounds it's finally folded to my small blind. I shove into the tight old guy with 82, but he calls with A4. The flop is 922 and I've got 35k and room to breathe. Later I bust him with KJs against his AQ. We're in the money with stacks of 45k, 52k, and me at 50k. They offer a 3-way chop. I try to get the odd $40 extra. It doesn't work, but there's an entry to a Binion's Tournament of Champions freeroll next weekend and a t-shirt to the winner. I am going to be in town the next weekend to meet some friends, so I get the TOC entry, the mayor gets the t-shirt, and we 3-way chop it. Monday morning I drive home, already counting the days to the next BARGE. Fortunately, that countdown has now reached 0! See you all in a few hours!