Subject: World Poker Open - Road Trip From: tbil@yahoo.com (TBill) Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker Date: Wed, Jan 16, 2002 2:30 AM Message-ID: <632b7164.0201160230.14a265a9@posting.google.com> [As requested, a first in a long time road trip report] This World Poker Open is getting to be quite an event! With the promise of no W2G's, I could not resist! Made the long drive from Ft. Worth, checked into the Gold Strike, a Mandalay property. VERY nice room on the 24th floor, best room $29 per night, all nights ever bot! Lots of marble, nice fixtures and furniture. Lots of wasted space in the bathroom, strange. The tournament is held in the Gold Strike conference room. Big room, lots of people, much confusion. I warm up with some Tripple Draw Lowball, and MS game that is spreading everywhere. Win a little, eat and retire. They haul food up to a make shift dining room. Did a pretty good job of it, but the food at the Gold Strike is second rate. Was tempted to eat over at the Horseshoe, but didn't. And at times durning the night, there is no place to eat; all closed at the same time. Socially, players divided into two groups. One was the good guys, who are there for a good time as well as the poker challange. The other were the miserables, who figure life has dealt them a bad beat. They are there solely for the money, living pety, money grubbing lives. They are easy to recognize; they never smile. And they absolutely detest the good guys. Misery loves company, and the miserables hang togeather. The good guys learn to avoid them. Sunday played a little Pot Omaha, then it was time for the Tripple Draw Lowball tournament! I've made pretty good money off this game, but in the last year the players have become quite proficient. No more free money. I think the inclusion of the event in this tournament encouraged players to improve their game. It said it was a $500 tournament. A couple of weeks earlier I won an entry [and cash] in a 4 table satelite that was notable in that it was my best ever 'chip and a chair' story! Down to one chip, one small blind, I came back and won the event! After examining the sheet, I see that this is going to be an expensive tournament; rebuys and a double add on! I had previously sold 15% of my action in this event. I went around to players I knew were good trying to trade 10%. Gaylan almost went for it, but decided to just buy 10%. I really wanted to trade, but settled for a straight sale. Robert Williamson was making huge 'last longer' bets with everyone he could! I figured that not that many people really know how to play the game, giving me an advantage. Unfortunately, I didn't encounter them. I had TJ on my right, Bruce on my left. Tripple Draw is a high variance, luck out game. Many big pots are decided on who draws the lower card on the river. I can't put a hand togeather in the early rounds. TJ can't either. I make a wheel, and it is tied. I take the double add on and a rebuy. Now we are serious. TJ keeps slipping away. When he gets low on chips he goes into gambling mode. Gets aggressive while he still has something to get aggressive with. But it doesn't work. I start catching cards and build my stack up with the best of them. We dispatch TJ, and he is replaced by Gaylan, who has as many chips as I do! Looks good for a while, then everyone seems to catch good hands! 7's are no good, and a rough 6 is the kiss of death. I make a wheel two more times and only win with it once! [tied again]. We started with 88 players. When we got below 30 my chips began to slip away. As it only paid 6 places, coasting was not possible. I took my shot and busted out 25th. I wish Gaylan had traded 10%; he won it. Robert came in second. Down a couple of grand, Monday I play some limit Omaha 8 ob for a while, enter poker hell. Completely dead, play few hands, don't drag a chip. Lose $500. Blow off another $500 in a super satelite. These guys idea of No Limit is to move all in with a pair or AK and see what happens. Gee, and I thot we were going to play poker. Had to find an easy Pot Limit Omaha game to get positive for the day. The next day I drive over to the Grand. You would think that the Grand picked a poor time to have their own tournament series what with the WPO going on, but the place was jammed! Nearly all of their tournaments sold out hours ahead of time. I was too late so I played the easiest 15-30 Holdem game ever. I owned that game! Won over a rack and headed back to the Gold Strike for another super satelite, some Lowball, and more Omaha 8 ob. Wed I played in the Omaha HL tournament. Started good, but went dead at the second level, gave some back. Won some, lost some in the third. In the forth level we are playing $100-200, haven't eliminated anyone, and the average stack is $800. Pretty obvious players are going to start going like pop corn. Everyone has one shot. A couple bust out, and are replaced by bigger stacks. I get my shot when I flop a set. Raise it, a low draw and a guy I put on 2 pair stay with me. No problem on the turn, I've got them where I want them. River is a low card [drat!] and, opps, that makes it runner runner clubs! Low bets out, 2 pair guy looks as unhappy about that 3rd club as I am, but calls. Now I have a tough decision. If I call and lose I've got a big blind left, effectively done. If I fold I've got something but not much. I'm playing for half the pot, but I made it a big one. I call and see just what I'm afraid of; 2 small clubs. With the big blind closing on me, I toss it in with a marginal at best 23xx. Player says 'raise!' and I'm pissed. Just the time to run into AA2x. I mean, I'm out of the tournament just on piss poor luck. Close to swearing off these tournaments! I run over to the Grand and take $800 from the 15-30 game, and win a bill from blackjack for good measure. BTW, the Grand re did their buffet. Very nice now, altho a little weak on the salads. I run back to the Strike, have fun losing at Pot Limit Omaha, but winning more playing Lowball. I settle into a routine of sleeping the morning away, hitting the spa exercise machines in a effort to burn off the weight I'm gaining. I still end up gaining a pound a day. Then over to the Grand for some 15-30 money, food, and gamble the night away at the Strike playing Omaha or Lowball. Friday was different. I decided to play the 7 stud Hi Lo tournament. No one around here plays that game. I played for a hour in LA last year. Can't remember when I played it before that. But it's poker, I can handle it. I don't recognise any of these players, except for Daniel N on my right. He keeps telling me how he is going to win this one. He plays tight, then goes nuts with ABC suited, won't stop raising this guy who obviously has AAx, insisting he is a favorite [he isn't, but he can get away better if the hand goes south, IF he hasn't invested everything.]. Not impressed. Our table breaks, and he is out shortly. East coasters, mostly. 188 of them. Most are very good. I get hit at the first level, but it doesn't matter. Then I go dead in the second, and then I have less than half my chips. In the 3rd and 4 th levels [$100-200] I start hitting back, multiplying my chips. Continue the march at the 5th level [150-300]. In the sixth level I get hit, and go dead. OUch! Make a minor comeback in the 7th level, and look around and we are down to 5 tables, 40 players! But I've only got $2500 and we are playing 300-600. There is a theory that the shorter your stack, the more your chips are worth. But when they are going to pay only 2 tables, you couldn't sell your action for hardly anything if you are short stacked. You have to play every positive expectation situation. I win a little, then the anti's go up. I am THE short stack. I'm stealing anti's, dodging and weaving. We are down to 4 tables, I'm STILL the short stack. 8 more players eliminated, 3 tables left. I've been in this tournament non stop for 8 hours now. I've got a few thousand chips now but we are playing 1000-2000. I've got one shot, like most everyone else. A weak woman on my right opens, I raise with pocket KK, low showing. Open Q raises! Perfect, but woman calls with her 3 low cards. I rr, committing to the hand. Things turn to shit. I get 3 low cards, the woman makes a rough low, the QQ has paired. The money goes all in. I need a low card or make 2 pair to survive and catch a T, go out 27th. I'm happy with my performance, played close to perfect, but that's a lot of work for no payday. Determined to make a payday, I play some Omaha HL, then get tempted into a luck out Lowball game, lose hundreds more, then over to PLO, lose a similar amount. Take a break, then eye a $200-$400 lowball game. Men N. is there, not looking happy. Joe Coffee is liking it, some guy looks like he might be on tilt. I jump in and make a quick hit of over $2k. got my payday! Sunday I have to make a decision. Do I stay, or give it up. I've been stuck from the start. I've had no cashes at the tournaments. I haven't paid my estimated taxes due the 15th. I decide to give it one last shot. I stupidly sit down in a $100-200 Lowball game with Doc Jennings, the Magician. Doc never draws a high card. YOur only hope is that he paired. In short order he has me down $4700 and borrowing money back from him to stay in the game. We all decide to go over to the Grand and play in their Lowball tournament. They were happy to see us because unlike their other tournaments, it was a bust. Only 14 players! This was for a lot more money than the other ones. But this was pure fun! We know each other, and we are all good guys. Can't remember a more fun tournament! I've got Doc on my right. Everyone predicted Doc would make the maximum investment in order to buy a trophy. He did, busting out on the last hand, making 2 rebuys and an add on. I stick to just the add on, altho I could have taken the rebuy. That puts me in $830 like most everyone. Doc is in $1430. I offer him 60% of my action for 40% of his. He laughs. He is the first one at our table to bust out. They pay 6 places [yes, I have a chance to cash!] but 6th loses, 5th breaks even. When we are down to 3, I'm the short stack. Sears is the favorite. I fire with a one draw, my unknown opponent draws a bunch, we do it again, I make a 8. He draws one on the river, I stay pat with the smooth 8. He bets into me. I figure I'm beat. I"ve got 3 chips left, not even a big bet. After some thinking I decide to toss it in on the slim hope he paired and is bluffing. He caught a 7. Oh, well, it's a payday. Which didn't last long. We started a Lowball game, 100-200. The game boiled down to Robert, Doc, me and a new player. Management was overjoyed to have us there. Played on and on. Doc broke even, Robert won, I lost, and we couldn't figure out how the new guy did, but he caught some cards. I finally give it up, go eat. Back at the STrike, I see Doc and Robert have started a 200-400 Lowball game. I get in. Needless to say, it was tough. Tom Franklin is on my left, reading hands and calling the coming action. Very impressive! He called my hand correctly every time! Tom is good, as he will tell you. He is also a good putter, the best there is. He told me! But it is my turn to catch the cards, and I made it pay. Won 6k, made a payday! Monday was drive home day, made the 530 miles in less than 7.5 hours. The whole trip cost me a grand, but what fun! Would have perferred to stay longer, and win a bunch... next time! TBill Subject: Re: World Poker Open - Road Trip From: kidpoker@hotmail.com (Daniel Negreanu) Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker Date: Thu, Jan 17, 2002 12:41 PM Message-ID: <7220404a.0201171241.7d57121f@posting.google.com> tbil@yahoo.com (TBill) wrote in message > >> Friday was different. I decided to play the 7 stud Hi Lo tournament. > No one around here plays that game. I played for a hour in LA last > year. Can't remember when I played it before that. But it's poker, I > can handle it. > > I don't recognise any of these players, except for Daniel N on my > right. He keeps telling me how he is going to win this one. He plays > tight, then goes nuts with ABC suited, won't stop raising this guy who > obviously has AAx, insisting he is a favorite [he isn't, but he can > get away better if the hand goes south, IF he hasn't invested > everything.]. Not impressed. Our table breaks, and he is out > shortly. >> You clearly didn't describle this hand well at all. My hand was 6-7-8 of clubs, and there were NO clubs out, and NO 5's or 9's out. This was a pretty big hand. Not to mention the fact that you left out one important aspect of the hand. There was 4-way action! An 8 raised, a horrendeously bad player called with a 4. This player would routinely call here with A-J-4, 4-4-Q, 4-K-Q, etc. Then a King called and it was up to me. Call me a crazy gambler, but this looked like a decent spot to get more money in the pot, I re-raised. The 8, then re-raised again, and both others called. I gave the 8 pocket aces which was fine with me, and re-popped it when it got back to me. The word 'favorite' didn't necessarily mean I had a better hand then the aces, but I was clearly a 'money favorite' on third street... Sorry you weren't 'impressed', but my play of the hand was no 'mistake'. Yes I did go broke shortly after that. I played my 7th hand of the tournament, the 2-4-5 of diamonds in a 5-way action capped pot on third street! It was amazing really. I raised, a king re-raised, a 3 re-raised, a Q capped it, and the 2 bring in called with 7-7-2 and scooped a monster...maybe I should try to get my money all-in in better spots next time:-) Daniel Negreanu kidpoker@hotmail.com