Bond18 – Around the World in 90 Days: Day 73

Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18

The Bellagio Cup IV $15,000 Main Event is about as tough as a live tournament gets. The vast majority of good players have busted the WSOP Main Event by now and almost every major online tournament player either has the backing or the roll to go ahead and take one more shot before leaving Vegas. Having talked to other online players before the event, playing on Saturday is clearly the favored day, leaving the opportunity to play online for huge prize pools on Sunday, or in my case, go play the Venetian $5,000.

Sirwatts and I are the only ones playing from the house. We catch a cab in the morning and for the seventh time straight, Sirwatts loses the flip to pay for the cab. Having run so bad this Summer, and really for the last year in live poker, I can’t get the idea out of my head that Watts is going to do something big.

“Hey Watts, wanna swap 5%?”

“Yea sure.”

“Sucker, I already know you’re gonna win. You just threw away 5%.”

“Whatever Bond.”

“I’m telling you Watts, dueness and all. DUENESS!”

We arrive at the Bellagio a bit early and Watts goes to grab some breakfast. I go to the poker room and scope out the field. As predicted, the room is full of familiar young faces. I find my seat to the left of one of the coolest people in poker, Apestyles, meaning I’ll have someone to bother for conversation all day. Outside him, the table has Michael Binger, Daniel Alai, and John Gale. Play starts us with 45,000 in chips with 50/100 blinds, 90 minute levels and a structure that includes just about every major level and some extra ones (though, strangely, omits 150/300.) The majority of my table is semi-familiar online pros, live pros, and only a couple of unknown faces.

The first two levels of my tournament are very quiet. I find quite a few decent starting hands, but very few large pots develop. I have Daniel Alai two seats on my left and he is playing very loose against me. Almost every time I open raise he flat calls, but he stays in line post flop for the most part, folding the majority of flops I fold. The table is playing a bit looser than I expected, but there’s certainly no open limping going on. At the second break I make a note on my paper that says “3 hours in not one interesting hand.” At least I haven’t lost any chips.

Coming back from the break, online player TheStein has been moved to our table. Stein starts playing a very loose aggressive style, open limping and open raising a ton, even from early position (if not especially so.) About half an hour into his stay into the table, we get involved:

My stack: ~45,000, Stein: ~48,000, blinds 100/200 with 25 ante. I hold Ks-Js on the HJ at an 8-handed table.

Pre-flop: Stein raises to 500, folds to me on the HJ, I call, folds to the BB, BB calls.

Flop: 2c-Kc-2h

BB checks, Stein bets 750, I call, BB folds.

Turn: 4d

Stein checks, I check (I think my hand is more a two street value hand against Stein and I have a better chance getting it on the river than the turn.)

River: Qh

Stein bets 525, I call. Stein says “You got it” and tables 9c-7c. Fuck me for not betting the turn.

I continue to find quite a few hands to open. Alai on my left stays very involved with me, and with the antes now in play, he’s started leaning toward three betting over calling. It’s not long until we’re involved in a large hand:

My stack: ~46,000, Alai: ~45,000, blinds 100/200 with 25 ante. I hold 3s-3c UTG+2.

Pre-flop: Folds to me, I raise to 600, MP1 folds, Alai raises to 1,700, folds back to me, I call.

Flop: As-3h-6d

As Grafyx would say “Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!”. I consider my options for getting value, then decide to just go with the most straight forward one. I check, Alai bets 2,300 and I check-raise to 6,500. Alai stares at me suspiciously, then calls.

Turn: Td

I sit motionless for a while thinking about my bet size, then fire out 9,000. Alai goes into the tank for a little while and gives me a brief stare down. After a decent amount of thought, Alai calls.

River: 7h

Again I sit motionless, then count out a bet of 16,500 and fire it into the pot. Alai thinks briefly then folds. I wonder if that line was the best against him.

Less than an orbit later, I get involved with Alai again:

My stack: ~60,000, Alai: ~30,000, blinds 100/200 with 25 ante. I hold Qs-Jc on the button.

Pre-flop: Folds to me on the button, I raise to 600, SB folds, Alai calls in the BB. Alai seems to defend his BB very loose, especially against me (I wonder if he thinks I’m some spewy donk).

Flop: Ah-6h-As

Alai checks. I check behind, pretty confident my hand is good and willing to call a bet on a ton of turns.

Turn: Jd

Or I could just get there. Alai checks, I think it over and bet 1,000. Alai fairly quickly check-raises to 3,000. What the hell? Did Alai check an Ace twice? Is he check-raising a Jack for value? Does he take my flop check for weakness? I certainly can’t fold here, but I’m not quite sure what to do on most rivers, though I’m pretty sure I’ll be calling a bet.

River: 4c

Alai checks and I check behind very confident I have the best hand. Alai tables A-2o and I tap the table and muck my hand. I’m pretty surprised he checked it twice, though I guess if he thinks I’ll interpret his line as bluffy and that I’ll fire on the turn a ton, it makes some sense.

For the rest of 100/200 I stay very quiet, and continue to do so well into 200/400. It’s not until near the end of the 200/400 level that I get involved again, having a very tight image:

My stack: ~60,000, HJ: ~45,000, blinds 200/400 with 50 ante. I hold 5h-5s on the CO.

Pre-flop: Folds to MP2, MP2 raises to 1,100, HJ calls, I call, everyone else folds. MP2 is a straight forward player who is clearly recreational. HJ is a bit of a mystery. He is approximately 30, European (French I think, but I’m not sure) and dressed very elegantly with a French cuff shirt and Bvulgari watch and ring. Despite his rich looks, he has been playing quite well and TAG, and seems entirely capable of thinking through a hand.

Flop: Kc-9s-3s

MP2 checks, HJ thinks it over and bets 2,200. It’s something I very rarely do, but I decide to use my tight image and the fact that I think the HJ is pretty tight to run a bluff. I raise to 6,500, MP2 folds and the HJ calls.

Turn: 2s

The HJ quickly checks. I’m pretty sure if the HJ couldn’t get away on the flop from a good top pair he definitely will when the flush scare card hits the turn. I fire out 9,500 and the HJ quickly check-raises to 30,000. Oh wow, did I guess way the fuck wrong here. I put on a brief show like I have something to think about, then muck my hand.

After running the bluff, I stay quiet again. Luckily, the incredible structure of the tournament allows you to have a hand like that go very wrong, but still have a ton of chips to play with. We’re only playing five levels today, so 300/600 will be our last level and Day Two will start at 400/800. That means even if you basically spend all day folding and lose say, 5,000 chips, you’ll still go into Day Two with 50 BBs. That’s pretty damn sick. When the blinds go up to 300/600 I start finding a few hands to get involved with. With a somewhat more active image, I get involved with TheStein again:

My stack: ~40,000, Stein: ~30,000, blinds 300/600 with 75 ante. I hold Ad-Ah UTG+2.

Pre-flop: Folds to me, I raise to 1,600, MP1 folds, MP2 calls, folds to Stein in the BB, Stein re-raises to 3,300. I think over my raise size, then make it 10,300 total. MP2 folds and Stein stares me down for quite a while. He goes toward his stack and seems to consider his options, then settles on calling.

Flop: 2c-4h-Th

Stein checks. I think things over, then move all-in. Stein goes into the tank and it’s about this time I realize Stein started the hand with more chips than I thought. As he counts down his stack I realize he had about 40,000 to start the hand, making me think perhaps firing 13,000 on this flop may be better than just a shove. Then again, perhaps he’ll interpret the shove as scared, and even with him starting with 40,000, my shove is for a bit over pot. Stein stares me down for a while then says “This might be a terrible fold” and mucks his hand. I take out my paper and start writing.

“Ace-King of hearts?” he asks.

“Maybe.”

“You’re putting it in the blog?”

“Yea, it’ll all be in there. So I guess you can always find out.”

“Do you ever lie about your hand in it?” asks someone from across the table.

“Nah, then what would be the point in having it?” God I want to lie about some of the hands I play though.

Just an orbit later I’m involved with Stein yet again:

My stack: ~50,000, Binger: ~40,000, Stein: ~30,000, blinds 300/600 with a 75 ante. I hold Kc-Qd in the BB.

Pre-flop: Folds to Binger in MP2, Binger raises to 1,600, Stein calls on the HJ, folds to me in the BB, I call.

Flop: 5c-Ks-4s

I check, Binger bets 3,000, Stein calls. Okay, well I guess Binger could be continuation betting quite wide on that board texture, and Stein is a bit of a station, so I guess I should call since I’m not really thrilled to get it in with these stack sizes against either. I call.

Turn: 7d

I check, Binger checks, Stein bets 5,700. This is a pretty annoying spot. I’m not quite sure how the 7 changes things, though it could definitely hit Stein, or simply give him more outs. His bet really looks like he’s trying to get value though, and I’d be surprised if he tried to bluff both of us, especially since he has to think I must have something decent to overcall on the flop. I also have to consider that Binger could come alive and check-raise, and even his calling makes things weird for me. I decide to fold, and after a bit of thought, Binger folds as well.

The day begins to wind down and Jack McClelland gets on the microphone and tells us we’ll only be playing six more hands. The French guy on my right says out loud (though not necessarily announcing to the table) “I’ve got a flight to catch. I want to come back tomorrow with a big stack or not at all. I’m going to go all-in.”

“ATC?” I ask him.

“Huh? Oh yea, any two cards.”

I’m not quite sure how much of the table really heard him or if anyone believes him. The next hand it folds to him, he shoves, and everyone folds. The table starts talking about it and he tells them he had a pair.

The hand after that, Alai open raises UTG and it folds to the French guy who again shoves. I have A-9o behind and know I’m way ahead of the French guy, but I think Alai is probably paying enough attention that he’s raising here with the intention of snap calling the shove. I fold and it folds back to Alai who quickly folds. Shit!

The next hand it folds to the French guy on the HJ and I watch him very close to make sure he doesn’t touch his cards. He lets them sit in front of his stack and never so much as reaches for them. When it folds to him he shoves his 40,000 in and I instantly re-cram my A-3o for 42,000. The three players behind me all fold and the table goes ballistic when I proudly table my A-3o.

“I have not looked yet” says the French guy.

“I’ll turn them over one at a time.”

He tables the first card, the Qh. He squeezes the second a little then slams it down, the Kh. I know KQ is the nuts, but the way I’m running, I can’t help but feel a little invincible. Apestyles is looking at me like I’m totally insane.

Flop: 3h-Td-Jc

Well that makes it interesting. I stay poised comfortably in my seat, displaying a delusional level of confidence in the security of my hand.

Turn: 4d

River: 4h

The Frenchman shakes hands with me and tells me nice hand. I drag a monster pot and immediately turn to Apestyles

“Gotta be plus EV right? You ship there yea?”

“Uhh, I’m not so sure dude. I don’t know about that one.”

“Aw come on, push those small edges son!”

“There’s three guys behind you man.”

“Gamble gamble!”

It’s not long before every 2+2’er in the tournament has heard about the hand and comes over to fuck with me about it. I spend the last few hands folding and arguing about my A-3 with various people, ending the day with a bit over 83,000.

After we bag up and finish, I stand outside in a large group getting berated by almost every online player present.

“Man, fuck all you people, I’m going home and doing some math. And by going home and doing some math, I mean going home and asking MikeJ or Luckychewy to do my math because I’m way too stupid for this. I bet its plus EV though.”

Apestyles and Thayer have made reservations over at Fix down the hall in the Bellagio. We go over and the host doesn’t have enough room for us, so he asks us to stand by the bar and wait. About 15 minutes into our wait, a waiter comes over trying to get through.

“Excuse me” he says and I do my best to slide out of his way. As he walks by his shoulder rams hard into mine and he keeps walking.

“What the fuck? I could swear that waiter just intentionally slammed into me.”

“What? Why would he do that?” asks JP.

“I don’t know, he said excuse me then just rammed me. I don’t know maybe he was just low on space or I’m imagining things or something.”

As the waiter walks back from dropping the drinks he was delivering he walks past us again but this time throws his shoulder into JP then keeps walking by.

“Holy shit dude, what the fuck is his problem? You should go destroy him JP.”

“What the hell man? You were right, he clearly he just shoved me. That host dude told us to stand here.”

“Man I told you guys this place was full of douchebags. Sucks that I blend in so well.”

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