Yesterday we all went to the Rio and Hui played a couple of satellites. He ended up splitting for first in both of them so nice job Hui. Me and Andy lined up for about an hour to the buffet which probably wasnt worth the wait. On the plus side they had free champagne so I managed to drink probably half a bottle over lunch (well, breakfast for us).
After that we walked over to the poker room and we ran into David Sklansky and I got a photo with him. We also saw Amarillo Slim playing in one of the events. After Hui finished his satellite we went to the bowling alley. Just outside it we ran into Johnny Chan (TV poker pro and founder of the poker site i play at chanpoker.com). I was wearing my chanpoker hoodie as usual and he was pretty happy to get a photo with me wearing it. After that we went bowling and promptly got hustled out of $50 by Andy.
Later that afternoon Hui was playing more satellites at the Rio and me and Andy went to Planet Hollywood to play the cash games. We played for around 2 hours and both finished around $100 in front. It was a satisfying session because I really didnt pick up any big hands, but i was patient and was able to pick up small pots and basically accumulate chips without too many worries.
Today we checked into the MGM grand, its the best place we have stayed in during the trip by a mile. 3 Plasmas, an actual kitchen, 2 bathrooms. Really good pool and gym facilities etc.. We are here for the last 4 nights of the trip. Tonight were probably just going to the gym and then play some live and the tomorrow we are probably going to a show.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Rides and Poker at Stratosphere
Yesterday Me and Andy went to the Stratosphere, which is this big building in the middle of the city kinda similar to Centrepoint tower. Hui was still a little sick so opted to stay at home and sleep it off. The Stratosphere is a hotel and casino with a big outdoor lookout point at the top, and it also has 3 rides on the roof - The Big shot, which shoots you up in the air up (kinda like a backwards space probe from wonderland), and the X-Scream, which is kinda hard to describe but you sit in these seats and it tilts over the edge of the building. The other ride was closed, but it could be described as an upside down cha-cha that goes over the edge of the building. Anyway the 2 rides that we went on were good and scary.
After the rides we went downstairs to the poker room and played some 1/2NL, I finished up about $40, it should have been a lot more but a hand just before we left I folded 3 tens when i was 99% I was beat by a straight or flush. Turned out the guy only had a pair of queens and it was pretty devastating. The hand only cost me $40 or so but the fact is I should have won around $300 and didnt because I gave my opponent way too much credit, overthought the hand and tried to make a "hero fold". An expensive lesson, and I felt very bad since I played the hand badly as well as costing myself and Andy around $150 each.
Today we had a look at the gold nugget (the actual goldne nugget) inside the golden nugget (the hotel where we are staying). Pretty impressive. Interestingly it was found in Bendigo, VIC in 1975. Also watched Hui playing some highish-stakes BJ which was good. Tommorow we are going to the Rio to finally go bowling and maybe meet up with John, another 2+2 friend.
After the rides we went downstairs to the poker room and played some 1/2NL, I finished up about $40, it should have been a lot more but a hand just before we left I folded 3 tens when i was 99% I was beat by a straight or flush. Turned out the guy only had a pair of queens and it was pretty devastating. The hand only cost me $40 or so but the fact is I should have won around $300 and didnt because I gave my opponent way too much credit, overthought the hand and tried to make a "hero fold". An expensive lesson, and I felt very bad since I played the hand badly as well as costing myself and Andy around $150 each.
Today we had a look at the gold nugget (the actual goldne nugget) inside the golden nugget (the hotel where we are staying). Pretty impressive. Interestingly it was found in Bendigo, VIC in 1975. Also watched Hui playing some highish-stakes BJ which was good. Tommorow we are going to the Rio to finally go bowling and maybe meet up with John, another 2+2 friend.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Meeting up with WCG|Rider
The other day me and Andy got up early and Doug Polk (WCG|Rider on 2+2/pokerstars) came with his friend in their hire car to take us out to the Morongo casino in California. We had to go there because they are both only 19 and this casino (on an Indian reservation) allows 18+.
Doug is a professional online poker player and is very well known in the community because of a $20,000 bet he had a month or two ago saying he could make $10,000 in a month at very low stakes. He didn't win his bet, but it did turn him into a bit of a celebrity in the poker forums. Doug is a great player and has done very well online, showing maturity beyond his age and racking up a huge amount of experience against top pro's online in a short time.
The games at the casino were very disappointing, it was a 1/3NL game with $100 max buy in and a ridiculous rake. I managed to lose an Ace high straight to a royal flush, and twice lost AK to QQ and then JJ for a total loss of around $400 for the day. Andy managed to play well for the team and finished up about $150. Despite that, it was well worth the trip purely for the poker conversation on the way there and the way back. It was great to see how Doug thinks about the game as he is a great player and has recently been employed by the training site www.cardrunners.com to make some instructional videos for them.
So thanks to Doug and Jessie for driving us out there, it was great to meet you both in person.
Yesterday was another quiet one, we had a plan to go to a bowling alley but somehow managed to miss it completely as we walked down the street. We ended up going for dinner at a restaurant at Binions which was really good, It was up on floor 20-something and you could see right across town. So we didn't make bowling yesterday but 100% are doing it today. Went for a swim in the golden nugget pool earlier this afternoon which was pretty sweet. its got a massive fish/shark tank in the middle of the pool and a water slide that goes through it. Will have to get some photos tomorrow.
Didn't play any poker yesterday either online or live, because the Internet here is pretty slow and I didn't really feel like it after my unlucky session out at Morongo. Today I got back into it and played around 2 hours online this morning. Had a ok session, playing 2,500 hands and finishing up about $650. After bowling tonight me and Andy (and Hui?) will probably play some live downstairs in the poker room.
Doug is a professional online poker player and is very well known in the community because of a $20,000 bet he had a month or two ago saying he could make $10,000 in a month at very low stakes. He didn't win his bet, but it did turn him into a bit of a celebrity in the poker forums. Doug is a great player and has done very well online, showing maturity beyond his age and racking up a huge amount of experience against top pro's online in a short time.
The games at the casino were very disappointing, it was a 1/3NL game with $100 max buy in and a ridiculous rake. I managed to lose an Ace high straight to a royal flush, and twice lost AK to QQ and then JJ for a total loss of around $400 for the day. Andy managed to play well for the team and finished up about $150. Despite that, it was well worth the trip purely for the poker conversation on the way there and the way back. It was great to see how Doug thinks about the game as he is a great player and has recently been employed by the training site www.cardrunners.com to make some instructional videos for them.
So thanks to Doug and Jessie for driving us out there, it was great to meet you both in person.
Yesterday was another quiet one, we had a plan to go to a bowling alley but somehow managed to miss it completely as we walked down the street. We ended up going for dinner at a restaurant at Binions which was really good, It was up on floor 20-something and you could see right across town. So we didn't make bowling yesterday but 100% are doing it today. Went for a swim in the golden nugget pool earlier this afternoon which was pretty sweet. its got a massive fish/shark tank in the middle of the pool and a water slide that goes through it. Will have to get some photos tomorrow.
Didn't play any poker yesterday either online or live, because the Internet here is pretty slow and I didn't really feel like it after my unlucky session out at Morongo. Today I got back into it and played around 2 hours online this morning. Had a ok session, playing 2,500 hands and finishing up about $650. After bowling tonight me and Andy (and Hui?) will probably play some live downstairs in the poker room.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Andy wins the high hand jackpot!
Yesterday we moved from the Plaza into the Golden Nugget, the rooms are way nicer here. In the arvo I had a bit of a snooze then we watched a couple of instructional poker videos from a guy from the 2+2 forums called VinnyVT. After that we got room service for dinner which was ordinary. The spagetti was greasy and crap and Ive got a bit of a cold so I didnt feel like eating that much.
After dinner we went downstairs to the casino and got sat at seperate tables for the 1/2NL game. We played for about 3 hours, I didnt play any big hands at all and finished with a small win, but andy made quad 5's on one hand which not only let him win a big hand, but it qualified for a jackpot! yay for Andy.
After dinner we went downstairs to the casino and got sat at seperate tables for the 1/2NL game. We played for about 3 hours, I didnt play any big hands at all and finished with a small win, but andy made quad 5's on one hand which not only let him win a big hand, but it qualified for a jackpot! yay for Andy.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Yesterday and Today
Yesterday morning I took the photos below from the balcony and then went to bed, got up about 10am. Me and Andy finally decided to be proactive and go to the gym. It was alright, pretty small room that was cold because of the air conditioner. I was kinda tired from not sleeping that much.
We were planning to meet up with our friend Doug who lives here. Doug is 19 and plays poker full time, we got to talking with him through the online poker forums. We were going to meet on monday to drive 2.5hrs to an American-Indian casino (legal age in USA is 21 but the indian ones are 18 for some reason) but unfortunately he rang Andy last night to tell him that he had just been in a car accident in the car that was going to drive us to the casino. His friend was driving and the car was pretty buggered, but everyone was So no trip tommorow. I think we will just meet up with him locally in the next week or so.
Me and Andy had another go at playing 2/4NL last night and ran crap again, we didnt pick up any hands and then lost an $800 pot with KK vs AA. I dont think we are playing badly, we just havnt had much luck in the split sessions in the last few goes. I fell asleep after that about 12 midnight watching curb your enthusiasm.
This morning I got up around 7 and had a monster session online, playing 2500 hands and recording my biggest win in a single session, just over $1500. Crickets a funny game, I basically played exactly the same style as the night before with a totally different result. I played probably 15 really big "all in" hands in the session and in almost all of them my hand was a favourite and it held up.
About 11am we checked out of the plaza and moved just down the road to the golden nugget. The room looks alright, no fridge or anything which is kinda annoying, but the hotels here just dont seem to have the same level of facilities that they do in Australia. We are here for the next 7 nights. We will probably go play a live game tonight and then go bowling or something tommorow.
We were planning to meet up with our friend Doug who lives here. Doug is 19 and plays poker full time, we got to talking with him through the online poker forums. We were going to meet on monday to drive 2.5hrs to an American-Indian casino (legal age in USA is 21 but the indian ones are 18 for some reason) but unfortunately he rang Andy last night to tell him that he had just been in a car accident in the car that was going to drive us to the casino. His friend was driving and the car was pretty buggered, but everyone was So no trip tommorow. I think we will just meet up with him locally in the next week or so.
Me and Andy had another go at playing 2/4NL last night and ran crap again, we didnt pick up any hands and then lost an $800 pot with KK vs AA. I dont think we are playing badly, we just havnt had much luck in the split sessions in the last few goes. I fell asleep after that about 12 midnight watching curb your enthusiasm.
This morning I got up around 7 and had a monster session online, playing 2500 hands and recording my biggest win in a single session, just over $1500. Crickets a funny game, I basically played exactly the same style as the night before with a totally different result. I played probably 15 really big "all in" hands in the session and in almost all of them my hand was a favourite and it held up.
About 11am we checked out of the plaza and moved just down the road to the golden nugget. The room looks alright, no fridge or anything which is kinda annoying, but the hotels here just dont seem to have the same level of facilities that they do in Australia. We are here for the next 7 nights. We will probably go play a live game tonight and then go bowling or something tommorow.
More Photos
Heres the latest photos.
This is me standing in front of the Golden Nugget, where we are staying for a week, and Binions Horseshoe. They are both a couple of the oldest casinos in downtown Vegas.
This is a photo around 5:30 am from our balcony at the Plaza.
Andy standing at one end of Fremont St, the main street in downtown Vegas.
This is me standing in front of the Golden Nugget, where we are staying for a week, and Binions Horseshoe. They are both a couple of the oldest casinos in downtown Vegas.
This is a photo around 5:30 am from our balcony at the Plaza.
Andy standing at one end of Fremont St, the main street in downtown Vegas.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Latest happenings from Sin City
Important stuff out of the way first, I just got home (3am) and checked NRL.com to find that the Raiders beat the bulldogs 58-18 in Sydney! 2 weeks ago Raiders had lost 3 in a row and were written off from making the finals. Since then we have hit form with an excellent win against the Broncos at home and then a rare away win against the Bulldogs in Sydney and are now just 2 points out of the top 8.
Yesterday was the quietest day of the trip so far, consisting of sitting around the hotel room (Vegas Club), sleeping, watching episodes of Curb your enthusiasm, and playing poker. Only left the room at dinner time to get something to eat. Ive got a minor cold (as does Hui) so it was good to have a quiet one. Last night Me and Andy had a go at playing some higher stakes together online, we played well but got some sick beats and ended up a little in the red.
This morning I got up and played online again, and had one of those sessions you dream about. I played for around 2 hours and made just over $1000. After that we checked out of the Las Vegas Club and into another place just across the road called the Plaza. The first rooms (we booked 2) they put us in absolutely reeked of smoke, but a few hours later we ended up moving rooms which was good. Me and Andy had another go at the 1/2NL game at the Golden Nugget and Hui joined us about an hour in. I worked my $200 stack up to around $450, then made a couple of weak plays which saw me finish $23 down overall for the night. Disappointing to be up that much and then to lose it, but I know where I went wrong so ill try and correct that for next time.
The Sun is coming up now so it must be time for bed. Not sure what we are up to today, but hopefully in the next few days we will book some tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld performing.
Yesterday was the quietest day of the trip so far, consisting of sitting around the hotel room (Vegas Club), sleeping, watching episodes of Curb your enthusiasm, and playing poker. Only left the room at dinner time to get something to eat. Ive got a minor cold (as does Hui) so it was good to have a quiet one. Last night Me and Andy had a go at playing some higher stakes together online, we played well but got some sick beats and ended up a little in the red.
This morning I got up and played online again, and had one of those sessions you dream about. I played for around 2 hours and made just over $1000. After that we checked out of the Las Vegas Club and into another place just across the road called the Plaza. The first rooms (we booked 2) they put us in absolutely reeked of smoke, but a few hours later we ended up moving rooms which was good. Me and Andy had another go at the 1/2NL game at the Golden Nugget and Hui joined us about an hour in. I worked my $200 stack up to around $450, then made a couple of weak plays which saw me finish $23 down overall for the night. Disappointing to be up that much and then to lose it, but I know where I went wrong so ill try and correct that for next time.
The Sun is coming up now so it must be time for bed. Not sure what we are up to today, but hopefully in the next few days we will book some tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld performing.
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