I hadn’t played for a while so as soon as I got into Vegas I decided to play an evening tournament at the Venetian. Whilst I generally like the poker room there are a couple of things that I don’t like – the bathrooms are a bit of a walk from the poker room, waitress service is bit hit or miss (most poker rooms have this problem so it’s certainly not a dig just at the Venetian) but the thing I most dislike about the place are the cup holders at the tables. Now some poker rooms don’t even have cup holders built into the table and this winds me up even more – after ordering a drink you then have to find a side table, which then gets moved or acquired by someone else whether there are someone else’s drinks on it or not. Or you have to put a drink on the table which is then in danger of being knocked over every time you look at cards or reach for chips. So built in cup holders are a very useful, practical feature that most poker rooms use – Venetian has these. Except they are different. The cup holders at the Venetian’s tables are massively oversized – normal cup holders will accommodate a normal sized beer bottle or glass without allowing much movement once it’s been put down. Those in the Venetian are at least 50% bigger than normal sized so that when a bottle is put down it’s quite easily moved or tipped over. I’ve done this and have seen it done on numerous occasions so it’s not just me being clumsy or a drunken idiot. Anyway – rant over – let’s get to the poker.
It’s the 2nd or 3rd level and I’m yet to win a hand when I look down at A-K suited UTG and raise. Folds round to the button who then 3 bets – he’d been quite aggressive so I’m not overly concerned about his bet here. I throw out a couple of chips to call but I don’t say anything, Dealer announces raise. I’ve mixed my chips up and have thrown in a higher denomination chip than I meant to and it’s more than a min raise – I immediately open my dumb mouth and say “I just meant to call”. Damn you free drinks – if in doubt STFU. Button calls. I whiff the flop and check, button shoves and I fold. Now if I’d said nothing I’m potentially taking this down preflop – it’s probably the 1st aggressive move I’ve made and would have looked pretty strong 4 betting out of position especially if the guy on the button has air or even a small pair. But folding here to a shove is the correct play early on so I’m grateful we’re deepstacked and I have enough to play with.
Now it’s 2 or 3 levels later and I’m still yet to win a hand and I’m getting desperate – I call a bet with A-K off in the BB. Flop gives me 2 pair and I shove which is called - villain turns over A-8 suited for top pair and a flush draw and the river is good for him. Busted after 3 hours or so and I’d not scooped a pot – fucking super. But I still haven’t had my fill of poker or beer so I head back down to the MGM for a cash game – there’s a big waiting list here at the Venetian and I can usually get a seat PDQ at the MGM – plus it’s a shorter drunken stumble back to the Signature later on.
I get a seat immediately at the MGM and more amazingly there’s a waitress taking orders so I’m soon enjoying another beer. Which is a good thing as it takes my mind off the shitty cards I’m being dealt. It’s quite an aggressive table – especially for the MGM and it’s rare to see a limped pot. Raises and 3 bets are the standard for this table so being card dead at least saves me some limped calls. Fast forward about 2 hours and again I’ve not won a pot – I think I’ve raised twice preflop then had to get away after missing the flop and facing decent sized bets. At least the beers are coming in quick succession tonight although my average cost is probably around $25 given I’ve lost my tournie buy in plus close to $100 here. Finally I pick up a decent hand in decent position – KK in the cut off. There’s already a raise from UTG+1 so I 3 bet to $25 and 3 of us see a flop. K-10-4 but there’s 2 spades (neither of my Kings is a spade) – given how badly I’ve been running tonight I’d be more than happy to take this down now with a large bet. BB checks, UTG+1 bets $40 so I shove about $175 into a $130ish pot. BB folds then the original raiser calls. I table my hand and I’m only expecting to see a spade draw but villain doesn’t show. Turn is a spade, fuck right off now and I’m resigned to losing as the river is dealt, albeit I’m likely good if the board pairs. Another fucking spade, seriously???? Have I pissed off the poker gods that badly and they are teaching me a lesson? Villain now tables As-10d!!! What have I said about players in Vegas not paying attention? The tightest player at the table has 3 bet you preflop then shoved to your raise and you call with 2nd pair and a backdoor draw – wtf???
It’s now well past midnight and I’ve been playing for around 5 hours and I’ve not won a hand all night so there’s no way I’m rebuying – I grab my beer and head back to the Signature, all the while working out that my average cost of beer is now around $40. Now even in Vegas that’s expensive.
No comments:
Post a Comment