Wherein I Resolve toTake a Vacation From Bubbling

Back in town just in time for the MATH and I freakin’ bubble yet again. The more things change, huh? I was all-in just twice in the tournament, winning one when my flopped pair, flopped inside straight draw, flopped back-door flush draw hit trips to beat a big PP and my last hand when my KK all-in was called by 9To (strange call from the button for almost all their chips) and Q2s (math call from the BB) was beat by a 9 and 10 on the board. Anyway, it’s good to be back.

The trip was great. Tiring, but great. Mega thanks to Falstaff for the set-up. He was a happy, tired drunk every time I saw him. It looked like fun. First off, I am sorry I didn’t do any real hanging out in Vegas. I put so much effort into the two tournaments I played, I was wiped after finishing. That, coupled with a semi-crippling return of gout, made me almost useless. I got to meet a number of people I wished I could have spent some more time with (Don, Hoy, IAK, Bayne, Zeem, et al) but I would have been awful company. “Next time will be different” shall be my vow. It appears as though there were some impressive results posted by the blogger crew and congratulations are duly extended. I expect these accomplishments may be dwarfed in the next few weeks as some continue to remain in Vegas and plug away at the WSOP and other tournaments in town.

My big observations from Vegas: I have no idea how to play 7-card stud. In the HORSE tournament at Binion’s, I held my own in all the other games but donated relentlessly during the high stud game. Limit HE I understand, O8 is easy to play as a tightass, Razz is the easiest game to play of all (frustrating does not mean difficult), and 7-stud high-low opening requirements make sense. Regular stud though leaves me baffled. My steals were picked off and my two pairs ran into sets. Most of the time, I folded, which I know is the correct thing to do but it was frustrating seeing aggression being paid off hand after hand. I ended up busting about the same time Bad Blood did but we never saw each other incredibly, even though I knew he was in the room somewhere based on a statement I overheard Felicia make. I am going to get the Roy West book and fix this part of my game.

Secondly, I was amazed at how willing so many players were to go broke with one pair at the WSOP. I was expecting better play than that and was pleasantly surprised there were so many bad players at my table. Unfortunately for me, I gave away my stack a chunk at a time when my three AKs made no improvement on the flop and early position post-flop bettors chased me away. My last hand was JJ against AA (in the BB, aaarrggghhh!) and AK. The flop had a QT so I had a chance, but it was not to be. I hope to play multiple events next year. There may be better play at the top but the middle and bottom remain incredibly soft.

After that, it was a blur of black jack as I lost my poker desire. It was fun watching some big hands at the blogger table at MGM and just wandering around town, but I was always ready to go back to the hotel as my leg was killing me. I wasn’t supposed to drink while on my medication and I almost kept the faith. I did use this trip as an opportunity to go in depth on the Vegas bus system. I am loathe to pay for a tax unless extremely drunk or tired and only used two while in town. The rest of the time, I became a local and soaked in the local stench and flavor on mass transit. “When in Rome,” and all that. I became quite adept at answering other tourist’s questions about the system and think I only got one or two killed by mis-directing them to N.L.V.

I’ve got a wealth of photos and stories of good food and drink across our wonderful country. It will all be up soon.