Easy day, long night

26. June 2006 | Category: 50outs

After hanging around for two more hours and watching a WSOP 2005 main event episode on the laptop we decided to go out and eat something. We went to the Venetian, checking out their new pokerroom which is *very* nice. They host daily tournaments which look like good and have a freeroll end of July for $100,000 but you need to log 200 playing hours until then to qualify and that is not an option for us unfortunatly. We had lunch in a mexican cantina at the Grand Canal Shoppes. Afterwards we went to the Mirage where I joined a 20/40 list but after two hours of waiting (and watching soccer Argentina vs. Mexico in the meantime) we went ahead direction Bellagio. On our way we checked out the also new Caesars Palace poker room, host of the NBC National Heads-Up Championship. Looks great!

Arriving at the Bellagio I joined a 15/30 list and got a seat about half an hour later. I did well until after 6 hours of playing a horrible streak lasting 30 minutes got me stuck about $1,000. That sealed our diner plans as I decided to play along (this little result oriented devil whispering “get even! get even!”). Katja got very tired watching low-limit limit-holdem and went back to the room, sleeping. I played on, very diciplined and trying to stay as aggressive as neccessary in these games. Over the next 3 hours I slowly unstuck myself, getting even ahead about $250 before another series of beats got me down to -$450 again. I remained at the level for some time when the game broke at about 3 AM. I was still behind $430 and decided to play some 30/60 to “unstuck myself”.

It was only a change of two tables to the right but what a dramatic change! While the 15/30 game was easy and fun, with people cracking jokes, telling stories and anecdotes that 30/60 game was serious business. Nobody was cracking, one mafia-looking guy was staring every opponent down (lol) and the overall atmosphere was very tense and serious. Now, I don’t get scared that easily. I just played my A-game, maybe a little to conservative given the cirumstances but I was tired and stuck and after 15 years of poker I know (most of the time) what is neccearry to protect me and my money. I quickly got ahead about $600 when I flopped the second nut flush one time and two pair in the big blind in another hand. Then the mafia-acting guy cracked my aces with K9o and I decided that this could be the turning point to a big losing session so I did the unthinkable – I quited! Still a small winner of $260 my total result for the day was negative, but less than $200 so no problem. We are still up for the trip, having fun and wait for the WSOP starting monday.

While playing I watched half scandinavia arriving. Those swedish and danish guys are looking so much the same, all young, tall, thin and with jeans and long shirt. Patrick Antonious and Gus Hansen being the most know players from this group. They played an “easy” game of chinese poker just between themselfes (all black chip action :).

Now, Sunday morning we have been to the pool already for two hours and are taking breakfest in-room. Soon we will leave to get into the action, Katja maybe playing a tournament somewhere. This evening we will go to the Rio’s, register ourselves, meet some Pokerstars people and look around a little.