Jim's BARGE trip report (long)

Posted 8/13 at 3:30 pm

Got in last night. Decided not to play poker. We hit up Fatburger and
came back to his new pad, which is nice. Started drinking, and then hit
up a bar. Lost $5 on video poker, and won $5 back on video blackjack.
Went to another bar, which happened to be in a casino, which happened
to have a poker room. No, we shouldn't just drink at the bar! We should
play drunk poker (bad idea jeans?). Drinking and playing on the perfect
3/6 limit table. I leave up 130, Dave up 204. Nice. Hit another bar.
Got home laaaaaaaaate. Slept. Woke up and Dave tells me that there's a
One Guy here. For those not familiar with Lubbock dining may not know
the greatness that is One Guy. I tell Dave there's no way it's the same
guy. Oh, but I'm wrong. The best calzone of all time and a 30 minute
conversation with Jerry himself later, and I'm a very happy man. We're
headed out to Red Rock for some scenery, poker, and Salt Lick Barbeque.
Fucking greatness. That is all.


Posted 8/13 at 8:30pm

Well, another winning session (+72 on 1/2nl table) and another great
meal. Jim is a very happy and fat gamboooler.


Posted 8/14 at 4:20am

After chillin' and watchin' some Dodger baseball (they won despite
Maddux getting a no decision for 8 innings of 68 pitch mastery), we
decide to head out for more poker. I suggest Caesar's since I hadn't
seen their room. There's a wait, and the tables are full of young punks
in sunglasses, so I think we can find a better spot. TI's new room is
next on the list. I had heard they spread different games, and sure
enough they have something called the Tangerine Mix or somesuch, but
only a 3 person interest list at playing 3/6, and Dave doesn't want to
play there. OK, 0fer2. We then go to Palace Station. I wait to get on
the zombie local 3/6 half kill O8 table. Cool. Wow, there are some big
mistakes being made. I go down a little, but upswing and then tread
water. The game gets less juicy as the donktastic "Cal" leaves the
table, and I decide to move on. Time to get back to hold'em (after a
nice break). I somehow only manage to be +23 when I cash out. Oh, well.
We go to Bellagio, no 1-2 no, but we do see the big game - kinda cool,
whatever. Walk over to Paris to check out the PLO tourney structure
(not good, but could be worse) and then through to Bally's to hit the
1-2 no tables. Dave and I get seated next to each other. First hand I
pick up A5c, and open raise in the cutoff. Big stack from Denmark to my
left on the button calls, and calls my continuation bet on a raggedy
flop. No need to bluff any more. I act scared of the scary turn and get
out. I then uptick with a set of twos, winning a small pot. A few
rounds later, and I'm still treading water near my 200 buyin. It's a
better table than I originally thought. I get KJh utg+1 and open raise
to 7. Two callers (button and sb). SB fires out on the AdTd9h flop, and
I make a donktacular call telling myself I'll get paid off well if a Q
or running hearts come. Turn is orgasm in my pokerpants as the Qh gets
peeled off. SB checks, ok how do I make it true that I'll get paid off.
Gotta bet, but not big. I throw out 20. Button, who had also smooth
called the flop, raises it up to 60. B-E-A-utiful. SB thinks and then
pushes in. I go into convulsions. I pause and then push myself, having
the sb covered by 60 or so. Button thinks, then folds (later claiming
AT). I flip my nuts on the table, while sb follows the cash game
tradition of waiting to flip. Whatever. Just don't pair the board,
dealer. Don't pair the board. Ace on the River. On the River!. Tap the
table, say nice hand, and joke about how I was thinking "don't pair the
board, dealer". Buyin for 100 more. Lose a little with a couple of
pocket pairs that meet flops with 2 or 3 overs, et cetera. Now, I'm
sitting on like 140 when I get JJ utg. I raise to 7 (but the dealer
apparently didn't hear me as he announced it as raise to 10 - ok, fine,
I won't correct him). 2 callers in MP and we see a flop of 78T w/2
hearts. I bet out 20. First caller mucks and second caller pushes allin
for a total of 67. Ok, this guy had been at the table for like 15
minutes, and lost his initial 200 buyin to Mr. Denmark when Denmark
raised to 22 preflop and bet 40 on a flop of AQ8rainbow, when he raises
and then instacalls Denmark's AQ with only A9. What? Anyways, Mr. New
Fishy on the table tells me he has J-high. Ok, he might have J9, but I
doubt it. He just sucks too bad to put him on the nuts (dumb, but
correct). I call and he flips J4h. Ok, whatever. Put out a 9. I'll
split it. Just no heart. Ah on the turn and I am down to 59. Without
enough in my pocket to properly reload, I decide to quit there. I'm
proud that I didn't tilt, but that 241 downtick to my net worth puts me
down for the trip and was not funner than winning. Next time.

Paragraph break much?


Posted 8/15 at 5am

Today was a chill day. Grabbed some food, took a nap, watched some TV.
It's nice not having to cram poker into a weekend trip.

We went up to the Paris in time to play in their daily PLO tourney. I
got there at 6:45 for the 7pm tourney, only to find out I was the only
one interested. Well, *** me. It was a bad structure anyways. So, I'll
play the 7:30pm NLHE tourney with the same structure. Start with 2k in
chips, played for over an hour and my high point was 2100. Play was
better than I expected, but I still had an edge on the game, just no
cards. Lost 2 coin flips and once when I was dominated (AJ v. AT, but
he didn't have enough to make me fold). IGHN.

We grabbed some In-N-Out and I had my double double animal style. It
hit the spot (for those of you missing the food updates, I had nachos
from Roberto's late last night, and a chicken parm sandwich at BWW for
lunch).

Then it was the Orleans for some 1-2nl action. I dwindle from 200 down
to 73, and about to hit the ATM so I can properly reload. In LP with
QTs, I limp and we see the flop 6 ways. It was a pretty average 1-2nl
table, either a bunch of limpers or 15 preflop. Silly. Anyways, flop
comes 9JK with 2 hearts. Young, loose player bets 25 from out of the
BB, total fish to my right calls, and I push for 71. They both call and
a heart hits the turn. I'm not happy until I notice they're not happy.
Punk puts in his last 5 and fish calls. Blank on the turn, and I triple
up (punk had KQo, and fish had ATo). I win another small one, and then
double old lady up when I get 3 callers with my preflop raise to 7 and
see a flop of Q74rainbow. I throw out 20, fold, fold, she calls. J hits
the turn, she checks, and I put her all in. She instacalls, and I just
know she's playing QJ and hit 2pur on the turn. Except she had flopped
a set of ladies and outplayed me. Fucking Marge Schott outplayed me.
Oh, well. Cashed out 115 when the game broke.

Down 145 today. BARGE starts tomorrow. Not exactly the +EV to boost my
hourly rate, but it will be fun.


Posted 8/16 at 4:15am

Another fucking chill day today. Got up, had some lunch (just KFC), ran
some errands, and came back home. Watched some TV, showered, and headed
out to the Venetian. Stopped at the gift shop to get some cheezy
bustout gifts, and we're on our way. Josh got in, but was going to be a
while, so I checked in and Dave and I sat in 1/2 no for a while. I made
120, with only one big hand. My small blind gets raised from a youngin
in a John Deere hat to 15. I look down to see JJ. Ok, I call. HU to the
flop. I check dark, and he checks behind on a J33 with 2 club board.
Club on the turn, I fire 20, he smooth calls. Blank on the river, I
size up his stack and strongly put more than enough in the pot. He
calls all-in with the nut flush (AQ). Nice. He was only sitting on
about 90 pre, but still nice. Josh gets there and we go eat (food
court, I had Panda).

After dinner, we go back down to wait on the first BARGE tourney (Lazy
Pineapple). No real hands of note. I made about 47 mistakes, but 4 or 5
gave me chips and/or doubled me up, so I donked my way to the final 4
tables. I went out somewhere high 20s (out of 80, with 9 paid). I go
back to 1/2 no and end up 1 dollar on a crazy table. No crazy games and
no big stories.

I also won a small bet on the Dodgers today, so that was nice.
Shouldn't bet chalk, but whatever, they're hot.

We cut it short tonight since we have to pick up mlinny in a few hours,
but made time for a quick Roberto's run on the way home.

Ok, that's it for now. Later.


Posted 8/17 at 5am

We got up EARLY today to go pick up Chris from the airport. Brunch at
the Palms and I get my baseball picks down. Then onto the Venetian for
the next 4 gazillions hours. Down 70 in 1/2nl, I switch over to an
almost total BARGEr table of 3/6 mixed games, where we decide to play
O8, S8, H, R, and CP8. Up 125, so up 55 in cash games when I go to
start my lowball tourney. Last through the first break, take a couple
"beats", and I go home about 55th out of 85. Oh, well. I also lost a
100 nl Venetian noon tournament without really ever acquiring chips,
and get to the 300/600 level before I push in with 77 and donk can't
lay down his AA, which hold up. So be it. Made some money when I hit
all 3 baseball games. Had a philly cheesesteak for dinner after the
lowball, but decided I was too tired to play anymore. I still stuck
around for another 5 hours watching Dave play with Gavin, mlinny take
4th in the lowball tourney, and the other asshatery that is BARGE.

Tomorrow is CHORSE. Hopefully we'll do well. Later.


Posted 8/18 at 2am

CHORSE tourney was today. The tournament only went 3 rounds. We lost a
little over half our chips. Not too bad, but not good. I made money in
my stud rounds, which was nice since I don't have the confidence in
that game that I have in others.

After the tourney, I took a side trip with about 50 people to a sushi
place. Very good sushi and a very good time.

When I got back to the Venetian, I got in a 3/6 HORSE game that we
later changed to various mixed games. It was a lot of fun until it got
a little out of control, and we decided to move on. I left down 32.
In-N-Out on the way home, and now we're chillin', drinkin' some beer
and about to rest up for the TOC tomorrow morning.


Posted 8/19 at 6am

Hopefully I'll remember enough to update you guys tomorrow. I'm
exhausted and drunk after an awesome night of drunk bowling. Tomorrow
is the NLHE tourney.


Posted 8/21 (after returning to Dallas)

Ok, I'm going to try and go back and recreate the end of my vacation.

Friday was nice. I got up early in the TOC. Then, I proceeded to lose 3
very big hands in O8. Go on break knowing I've got to make a move soon
and/or have a rush. Go out on the next stud round when I'm crippled
with 2 pair and then my (JJ)A gets outrun. Oh, well. I go over to the
1/2 nl cash table and start drinking. I donk off chips, double up with
KK v. AK, donk off chips, take a stack with QQ v. QJ, donk off chips,
win a big pot with 99 (he says he had 77).

So, I leave for the "symposium" up 130 and tipsy. This, in retrospect,
is the mistake of my trip. I should have just stayed at that cash game.
I'm downing beer at the symposium, and buy action at good prices for 3
players whose games I respect. But, I spend 240 doing so, and none of
them cash the next day. Ok, whatever.

Time for the craps crawl. I enjoy craps when at an active table, and
Main Street starts off well for us. It ends badly, however, and I go
from 100 to 170 to 78 quick. When we move to Binion's there's no room
at the table. So, I decide to play super-EV roulette, cash out up 50,
and we go home now. We miss the BARGE wedding, which would have been
fun, but decide to go drunk bowling.

After a slow start, drunk bowling becomes a highlight of the trip.
We're making and taking action on everything and the beer is flowing.
After four games, my finger is cut up and my glute (singular) has done
its workout. We leave with security on our tails, so the good idea is
to go to the poker room. Dave makes a big score quickly, and with Josh
and I more or less even and Chris snoring, it's time to go.

With the NLHE tourney in a few hours, we fall asleep.

Saturday comes too early. I don't even know how I woke up as I had set
my alarm for pm. We do make it, however, in plenty of time for the NLHE
tourney (Josh came late, as per the plan). I get a better table draw
for me than last year, partly because I feel much more comfortable. I
steal early, get out of some other raised pots, et cetera, when Rick M.
(an awesome guy and player I had met last year that did very well in
the WSOP this year) comes and sits on my right. Shortly thereafter, I
get AKs utg +2 and it's folded to me. I make it 75 (we're in round 2
with 25/25 blinds), and MadMary two to my left makes it 225. It's
folded back to me, and I don't know where I'm at. I had played mixed
games with Mary and respected her game. I reraise to 400 and she
instapushes. I don't want to go out with AK. I raised to 400 to find
out where I was at and she has told me. Lay it down, big man. Ok, I
fold. A few hands later, she takes a big pot from Rick in a similar
way. Then she felts Rick with QQ v. his AA. We get Stubing in Rick's
seat, Sharon Goldman sits between MadMary and Tom from Denton, and Guy
is still to my left. Patti Beadles has joined the table, as well. I
hover around 1500 to 1800, but am really reading the table well. In
early position, Patti raises to 125 at the 25/50 level. I instacall,
thinking I can buy the button with my monster K5s and make a move
postflop. Sharon, however, comes along for the ride, and suddenly we
have a 3-way pot with 450 in the middle. Flop comes Kc2d3d. Patti goes
all-in for 850. I have top pair, horrible kicker and no redraw. She
must have raised with a good king. Time to get out. Plus, I have Sharon
behind me. However, I "know" Patti is on diamonds, and Sharon will get
out. I call instead of coming over the top. Sharon does get out, and
Patti is on diamonds. Turn and river are 55 so the 5d on the end
completes her flush, but fills me up. She doesn't like my play with K5,
but is gracious as ever. For the next 24 hours, I guarantee I think
about this hand more than her. She is a player whose game I respect a
lot. If I had a question about sng strategy, her opinion would be one I
would love to have. So, it's a little frustrating to know that she
didn't respect my play. Oh, well. Ok, now I'm on 2900 and we go to
break. I'm feeling good, despite getting in after 6 in the morning.

After the break, I tighten up a little. I trade blinds, and am still at
2900 when I get QQ utg+1. Stubing, the player who had replaced Rick,
had raised to 300 and folded to a reraise to 800 from late position on
the last hand. He open-raises to 300 again, this time utg. Ok, with QQ,
what to do? I reraise to 850. It folds around to him, and he thinks and
then smooth calls. Flop comes Tc8c4h. He thinks and then pushes in his
last 1150. I check, and I have the Qc. I know I'm ahead. I think it
through to make sure, but it doesn't take long. I call and flip my
cards over before putting in my chips (I don't want to slowroll a
winner). He sighs and flips over JJ with the Jc. Ok, perfect. I think
I'm about a 9-1 favorite. He hits 9 on the turn and 7 on the river, and
uh oh, I'm down to 900. He folds his sb to my big, I push and take
Guy's big on my small, and I'm at 1050. I am patient. I almost push
with 89s, but fold, and it ends up AA v. KK. Nice laydown. I finally
get it all-in on my next bb with the blinds still at 50-100 but 75-150
seconds away. It's raised by a tight, passive, but solid player to 300.
RazzO, with chips on the button smoothcalls. I see JcTc, and like my
chances to get a fold and possibly two with a "squeeze play". RazzO
will be getting good odds, but unless he was slowplaying a monster on
the button, I feel good. Sure enough, raiser goes away, and RazzO calls
with AQs. Perfect. He flops an A, and I flop a flush draw. I don't get
there and IGHN. Some might say I could've waited for a better spot, and
I won't argue, but I will tell you I like the move even in retrospect.

Now, I'm out of the biggest tournament at BARGE and exhausted. I run
into a James and Matt from Arlington. I wish I could have hung with
them more (at all). Hopefully, we'll get a bigger group next year.
After waiting for Chris to bust (he takes awhile, but never threatens),
we go home to crash. We sleep until the banquet. Phil Gordon is a good
speaker. I like him. I agree with him that RGP could be better and the
WPT release is wrong. He is also very funny. He doesn't add much
advanced players' knowledge, but I think he expresses the "basic"
concepts of poker as well as anyone out there. If you haven't seen his
Expert Insight Final Table DVD, I recommend it.

After the banquet, we watch the end of the NLHE tourney and some of the
reindeer cash games that are BARGE Saturday night. We decide to go over
and check out the Bellagio room. We do, and then go back to the
Venetian. My plan is to get in the lowball game, but everyone is
pokered out. So, we go back to Dave's to drink (and play poker -
surprise!) until 7am.

Now, it's Sunday. We grab lunch at the Grand Lux at the Venetian with
our poker room comps. We check out the scene at the Hard Rock. Then we
go to the airport. Goodbye, Vegas.

With my small wins in -EV games and baseball bets and cash game wins
(other than the fucking killer session at Bally's), I manage to get out
of Vegas with some cash despite living well and never cashing in a
tourney. Not as much cash as I had earlier, but nothing to cry about.

It was a great time. Dave is an amazing host and friend. Chris is my
boy. Josh is the man. I felt more a part of the BARGE community this
year than last. I can't wait until next year.....

----------------------------

Ok, that was all posted to my small group's poker forum. I've
"digested" it without editing for RGP. If you've read this far,
cool. I had a lot of fun meeting and seeing you all this year.
Like I said, I already can't wait for next year.

.

Loading