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Mini-Blog: One Weekend of Vegas Cash Games

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  1. #1

    Default Mini-Blog: One Weekend of Vegas Cash Games

    So I’m working in Thousand Oaks CA this week and I’ve decided to tag on a weekend in Vegas afterwards. I'll be staying alone at the cheap and cheerful Ballys on the strip and I’ll be using this thread to mainly kill some time, but also to post some hand histories and thoughts on a bunch of stuff including the poker rooms, Vegas oddities and US culture. There may also be some pics if I can be arsed with imageshack.

    I’ve spent a few nights in Vegas once before 3 years ago and played a few donkaments, but the focus this time will be on cash games. I’ll be taking 5BI for 1/2 and should get in 20-25 hours of play. If I run good at 1/2 early on then I’ll maybe take a shot at 2/5. If I bust the 5BI, then I’m not going to cry about it.

    Based on my last poker experience in Vegas, my provisional plan is to head down to Fremont Street during the afternoons to take on the tourists in the smaller rooms (Nugget, Binions) before returning to the strip to try and play with the drunks late night/early morning. I’m really not worried about going anywhere with a ton of tables running, good dealers, comps, comfy chairs, etc: all I’m after is soft tables in a fun environment.

    Before I get to that point though, if anybody has any thoughts on the provisional plan or any of the following, please do post itt:

    * good poker rooms

    * tips for playing 1/2 live in Vegas

    * live cash game etiquette in Vegas (e.g. tipping, leaving the table)

    * places to eat as a solo tourist

    * places to avoid (including dangerous parts of town)

    * good US ales/beers
  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by The Bean Counter View Post
    * good US ales/beers
    Alcohol and gambling really don't mix. You might want to have a few people recommend some spots for you to score a bag of weed, however.
  3. #3
    I’ve somehow found myself watching a lot of American news this week, and there’s no doubt that the frenetic pace of the coverage is pretty damn exciting. I can’t help thinking that the reporting is just scaremongering at its very worst though, which can’t be good for Americans. There’s not one single trivial story that goes by where the intention of the tv channel is to do anything other than create panic amongst the viewers. The fact that nearly all of these stories represent zero risk to an overwhelming majority of Americans and lack any sense of reason and balance seems to be irrelevant to all of the channels hell-bent on gaining viewers and advertising revenue. I mean ffs, the amount of air time an escaped cobra in Thousand Oaks received this past 24-hours was just absurd.

    I think the most disgraceful news programme that I’ve seen so far though has to be The Kelly Files. The presenter on this programme has to be one of the most appallingly irrational and scared tv presenters you’re every likely to see. Her desperate, shouty demands for Obama to effectively act now, think later, with ISIS seem to be based on her belief that all Americans are going to be killed by this group in their own country within the next 12-24 hours. With this kind of embarrassing panic on tv that's offensive to all good, professional journalists, it's amazing that any Americans ever find the courage to leave their homes every day.

    In other news, I’ve been enjoying a couple of bars since I arrived. It would be considered weird in the UK to go to a bar by yourself, but here it’s perfectly acceptable to sit at the bar alone, watch some sports and chat to some strangers. The beer could be better and cheaper (is seven bucks normal price?), but I’m also always impressed with how professional the bar staff, including always insisting on ID-ing me despite me being well over the legal age (albeit with a baby face). There’s definitely a lot to be said for staff working within hospitality only being paid through tips.
  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by BigSlickBaby View Post
    Alcohol and gambling really don't mix. You might want to have a few people recommend some spots for you to score a bag of weed, however.
    I dunno, I think some booze helps me relax and think straight/creatively.
  5. #5
    Dude in the next hotel room is snoring: bad etiquette to bang on the wall?
  6. #6
    So I’ve now finished working for 4 days in the office (and managed to avoid a cobra on the loose). Working in a US office is somewhat different to working in an English office, which has its pros and cons. Working in separate cubicles rather than an open-plan office with no barriers can be good when you have a lot of work you need to concentrate on, but it’s not so good for enjoying your work and building a relationship with your colleagues.

    The guys in the office here seem to work an awful lot of hours too, but I couldn’t say that they are any more productive than the team in the UK. Our attitude in the UK is to get a particular task done to an 8/10 standard , say within 2 hours, whereas they seem to work to achieving a 10/10 standard but spend 8 hours doing it and placing an awful lot of pressure on themselves. Seeing the US team in action certianly reminded me of an article I read on Forbes recently that mentioned that Americans work longer hours than their Western world counterparts but are 20% less productive. Nothing I’ve seen suggests otherwise.

    That said, it’s been great getting to know and work with a bunch of smart, articulate, witty colleagues in the US. Americans are typically portrayed uneducated, stupid rednecks on tv outside of the US and that image is clearly unfair. I’m sure they exist in certain part of the country, but your average American office worker and average UK office worker really aren’t that different at all. There are still plenty of aggressive losers knocking around though in both countries, with a trip into your local Walmart being evidence of that (Asda in the UK).

    Anyway, after yet another long day at work, I finally arrived at Vegas at 1am. The plan was to play some cash, but I was just too damn tired to do anything other than crash out after 13 hours at work and 5.5 hours driving straight through. I have to say I’m pretty impressed with Bally’s for £200 for 3 nights at the weekend. The place definitely needs a refurb and there’s a slight smell of smoke throughout, but the room is as big as my house and well located.









    So, I’m out of bed now anyway and fed and watered, The buffet I just ate for $24 at Harrah’s was easily the best buffet I’ve eaten in Vegas, although I’m sure my stomach will regret eating in one sitting:

    -a full English
    -a roast dinner
    - a plate of various Chinese
    - 6 slices of pizza, and;
    - some ice-cream

    Now it’s time for a couple of beers by the pool and some cash games.

    tl;dr
    Last edited by The Bean Counter; 09-06-2014 at 06:05 PM.
  7. #7
    Sounds like a nice working vacation you are getting in.
    It takes 2 years to learn to talk, but a lifetime to learn when to shut up.
  8. #8
    Yesterday afternoon: I had a couple of hours relaxing by the pool at Ballys. There was a DJ on and a lot of people drinking beers and cocktails in the pool and generally building up for a good time:



    I then take a cab to Fremont Street and drop into this place:





    There’s a spare seat at a 1/2 table with mostly laid-back middle-aged guys chatting and enjoying themselves. I’ll post some hand histories below, but it’s interesting that these guys still consider a check-raise and strong barrelling dirty. Also, wtf 10% rake up to a $400 pot when 7-handed+? There was no way I was going to tip the dealer for every hand too like the others.

    I then take a break and take in some of the light shows and bands that were on in Fremont Street. There’s no question that I prefer this end of town over the strip.









    After returning to the cash game for a couple of hours, a long working week catches up with me and I take a cab ride back to the strip. It’s always fun taking a cab in Vegas at night, as the drivers have seen it all and don’t mind sharing some of their stories with you. I think the driver also assumed that as I was alone that I was looking for a hooker or a strip joint and I learned that it’s around $250 to have a hooker delivered to your room on schedule (edit: not that I partake ofc). It’s interesting that he had a catalogue where you could choose which one you want delivered and this town’s attitude to prostitution just reaffirms my belief that prostitution continuing to be illegal in most of the Western world is plain dumb.

    Afterwards, I pick up some pizza at Paris and head back to bed. As always in the US, the price advertised for food (and everything else) is never the price you end up paying, which is pretty tilting.

    Last edited by The Bean Counter; 09-07-2014 at 03:57 PM.
  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by eberetta1 View Post
    Sounds like a nice working vacation you are getting in.
    Definitely a perk of my current job. It's not all fun though: I have a bunch of work I need to do this afternoon, rather than relaxing or grinding.
  10. #10
    Hand Histories

    I don’t play particularly well during the 5.5 hour session of 1/2 at the Golden Nugget, with way too many bluffs and missed value bets, but I manage to leave $185 up with some run good. The table was largely a mix of tourist types, but not the kind that are complete whales but more weak-tight. There was one very good young local (GYL) and I was lucky enough that I had position on him until he left a few hours in.
    I buy in for $200, win a small pot early on and also lose a few small pots multi-way.

    Hand 1

    GYL opens for 15 UTG 9-handed and I flat in the CO with AK. Vietnam vet in a wheelchair (VVW) called Roger (a local that knows all of the dealers and plays at the Nugget every day) min 3bets from the SB. He’d been mumbling about how dirty GYL’s strategy was prior to this hand. GYL flats UTG and I back-raise all in for $160. VVW calls with KK and I flop an ace and hold.

    Stack at $300

    Hand 2

    Pleasant old tourist (POT) open limps UTG and gets 2 callers and I iso the btn to $10 to go 3-way in position. POT donks third pot on KQQr and I get FPS and raise to $35. POT snap calls, the board runs out blank and we check it down: he has AA and I muck. POT afterwards says that he would fold to a raise of $50. I’m not convinced.

    Stack at $240.

    Hand 3

    I iso J9s in the HJ and nitty biker dude (NBD) on the button and bb come along. I barrel off 3-streets with a flopped flush draw and overs that bricks on 743Q3 and get snap called down by 87s. My read that this guy was a nit was clearly bad.

    I top up for $200 to about $280 total.

    Hand 4

    I open 44 in the HJ for $7, VVW min 3bets the BTN to $12. BB cold calls and I come along as I’m confident VVW will stack off with his obvious QQ+ if I flop a set.

    Flop comes 743ccx. BB leads $10 into $35-ish, I raise to $40 and VVW min raises to $70. BB flats and I jam over. VVW calls with AA and BB calls with Q6cc. The board runs out blank and I scoop a big pot.

    Stack at ~$750 (+$350)

    Hand 5

    BD opens UTG for 8 and I 3bet AA from the SB to $25. I bet $35 on the flop on T9Xr and bet fold $65 on Jack turn. BD rolls over KQo for the nut straight. I think c/f on the turn is better than my line here.

    Stack at ~$600 (+$200)
    Last edited by The Bean Counter; 09-07-2014 at 03:59 PM.
  11. #11
    Hands 6&7&8 (Same villain)

    6: Nice older bearded guy (NOBG) 3bets the btn to $25 after I open the CO to $7 with JJ. BB flats and I flat purely to mine semi-deep. My population read is that this guy has QQ+ and maybe AK. I’d already seen him flat JJ SB vs btn previously. I c/f on 842r vs a bet of $50. NOBG rolls over KK.

    7: I open the HJ with AKo and NOBG flats. Aggressive Chinese lady wearing a man’s Ralph Lauren shirt and Yankees cap 3bets to $35 deep-ish. I flat and NOBG comes along. I check/call $45 on K73r and NOBG calls too. Turn is a paired 7 and NOBG stiffens in his chair and it checks around. I check Q river, NOBG bets $130 and I tank-fold. I think my fold is still probably too nitty though and I don’t like the way I played this hand.

    8: NOBG 3bets my btn iso of $10 with QQ on the sb to $35. BB cold calls and I call, again purely to set mine. NOBG cbets $100 on 962dd and bb jams over for $250. I tank fold, NOBG tank calls with AA vs AK no diamond

    At this point, a new asshole to the table bawls out NOBG about wasting 5 minutes of his life and that he’s never good enough to fold, shouldn’t take so long given pot odds, etc. NOBG conducts himself well and responds assertively, but gets an immediate table change and asshole has just removed a profitable spot at the table.

    Stack at ~$450

    Hand 9

    I limp along 63s in the sb 5-way. Flop comes 764ccs. I check call vs a $3 button bet and we go 3-way. Turn comes 8s. Checks around. River comes Qs and I lead for $15 and get snap raised to $45 by a spazzy-type deep. I think he has 5x nearly always here (which he does), but I elect to flat. I think this is a mistake and I should raise to maybe $95.

    Stack at ~$500

    Hand 10

    I have two red aces and iso asshole and his mate to $10 on the btn. Both call. Board runs out Q55TT and I call a treble donk from assholes mate of $15, $25, $30 with Q8s. I think I misplay this hand. Even as played on the river, I think there’s value in a small raise when villain was clearly uncomfortable with the run-out but a likely station.

    I rack up soon after with $185 profit.
    Last edited by The Bean Counter; 09-07-2014 at 04:02 PM.
  12. #12
    Hand 2 -ISO bigger pre for sure.

    Hand 5 - B/F seems fine, there are a lot of combo draws that might just call and not raise.

    Hand 6 - Were ppl opening this kind of sizing? This seems ont he small side for live games in my experience. What are stacks? Can't imagine purely set mining is good here unless NOBG is deep?

    Hand 7 - Vs aggro lady I'm 4b AKo pre for sure, as suming 100bb stacks.

    Hand 8 - You're calling some pretty huge hands just to set mine. QQ to set mine? It sounds like, just from the few hands you've posted, that the game is at least marginally aggressive. QQ seems like an easy 4b/stack there pre unless again stacks are deep. You didn't list stacks.

    Hand 9 - This is a spot I like to donk multi-way. It looks super strong and you block a lot of possible strong combos on this board. I'm leading here often and barreling on decent runouts. (8 on the turn not being a decent runout)

    Hand 10 - I would iso bigger, PPL don't fold live. If I was going ot raise somewhere post I would raise the flop.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay-Z
    I'm a couple hands down and I'm tryin' to get back
    I gave the other grip, I lost a flip for five stacks
  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by griffey24 View Post
    Hand 2 -ISO bigger pre for sure. Agreed. Definitely some live naivety on my part.

    Hand 5 - B/F seems fine, there are a lot of combo draws that might just call and not raise. Maybe it wasn't so bad then. What's your thinking on sizing?

    Hand 6 - Were ppl opening this kind of sizing? This seems ont he small side for live games in my experience. What are stacks? Can't imagine purely set mining is good here unless NOBG is deep? That was normal open sizing up to that point. It became $10-$12 later on in the evening. Effective stacks were $500-$550-ish and I was confident he would stack off if I flop a set (he'd already dropped a couple hundred with TT when it was clear he was miles behind). I'd also potentially float one on an ace high, dry flop or barrel off vs checks against this guy

    Hand 7 - Vs aggro lady I'm 4b AKo pre for sure, assuming 100bb stacks. Agreed. Soft tilt kicking in and an assumption nobody 3bets light without using the image of Chinese lady to inform my decision

    Hand 8 - You're calling some pretty huge hands just to set mine. QQ to set mine? It sounds like, just from the few hands you've posted, that the game is at least marginally aggressive. QQ seems like an easy 4b/stack there pre unless again stacks are deep. You didn't list stacks.$500-ish effective. I dunno, I just don't see anybody that looks and act like NOBG 3betting less than QQ+ and he certainly wasn't aggressive pre-flop otherwise.

    Hand 9 - This is a spot I like to donk multi-way. It looks super strong and you block a lot of possible strong combos on this board. I'm leading here often and barreling on decent runouts. (8 on the turn not being a decent runout) I think this is one major spot I have a problem with live. My perception is that people just don't fold, but I'm not thinking ahead to barrelling good turn and river cards which I can never have, but it doesn't matter because nobody can hand read

    Hand 10 - I would iso bigger, PPL don't fold live. If I was going ot raise somewhere post I would raise the flop. Agreed. Seems basic in hindsight and I just didn't adjust fast enough to the change in table conditions once Chinese lady and asshole turned up.
    .
  14. #14
    Sunday Night Session

    Not the best session, as I finish $400 down and call it a night at 1am. The table was pretty much a limp-call loose-passive fest throughout and I end up being card dead and playing a little tilty towards the end.

    VVW was back and ended up being stacked for $1000 against an Octogenarian Viktor Blom (OVG) who ran hotter than the sun. OVG and VVW end up getting all in on the flop with one other for a $2600 dollar pot at 1/2 on JT9r, with OVB’s KK sucking out on VVWs J9 and the other player’s QJ. VVW was pissed and left the table to “go home”, but surprise surprise, he re-appeared an hour later with another $1k and waited thirty minutes for the same seat, despite seats at other tables being open. Degens gonna degen I guess, but I wonder how guys like VVW can keep coming back and if he somehow scrapes a profit? He’s not a terrible player by live standards, but I’d guess he’d be a small loser at 5nl online.

    Anyway, when I left OVB had a stack of ~$6k, which is nuts for 1/2. Despite appearances, he definitely knows how to play in terms of understanding fold equity and using his image to extract the thinnest value. He made one other terrible call though in a big pot and sucked out again, but I still kind of like the way he played this hand versus an ABC-type before the river call:

    Effective stacks $550
    ABC opens utg to $10, 5 callers inc OVB in the bb. OVB check/tank calls $50 on T75cc.
    Turn is Ac. OVB donks $200 into $150. ABC snap jams ~$500 and OVB shrugs and calls. ABC has KK with Kc and OVB has 76o with 7c
    River comes 6 no club and OVB scoops a big pot. ABC takes it like a man and leaves the table.

    I buy in for $200 at 8:30pm:

    Hand A

    I limp along T7hh on the button 8-way. Flop comes QJ3 all hearts. Random local old man leads pot for $15, VVW min-raises to $30 and I jam for ~$180 total. Both snap fold and the rest of the table proceed to talk to each other about how bad my play was. VVW gets a little aggressive with me and tells me he had air, but who cares?

    Stack ~$250

    Hand B

    I iso another limp fest on the sb to $15 with QQ. 4 callers. I b/f $45 on 532cc vs a nit local old man’s snap jam. He shows a set (I’ve no idea what’s up with these guys having to show everytime).

    Stack $200

    Hand C

    I flat AKss in the CO vs ABC utg $12 open. Flop comes 887dds and I elect to float vs a $25 pot bet vs a guy I’ve seen auto snap cbet the flop 3 times already for pot. I figure there are plenty of turn cards I can represent or call down on.

    Turn comes Jc and I jam vs a $55 cbet. Villain takes two seconds to call with two red aces. Even though I had villain tagged as reasonably competent and believe he can find fold when this face-up, I still think that this is way too fancy when villain’s just can’t fold at this stake. I’d never do this at 5nl, which plays about the same as 1/2, so the play isn’t good.

    I rebuy for $200 and immediately win a $200 pot vs a shortie with a monster draw vs his 2nd pair no kicker.

    Stack at $300 ($100 down)

    Hand D

    New woman at the table, seems in her late thirties and not too terrible (although she does open limp utg in this hand), $300 effective. I limp along J7ss in the sb and we go 7-handed.

    Flop comes all spades. I’m torn between donking and checking here, but I think the guys at this table are the type that think “must price out the draws”. Anyway, checks around to terrible-local-Marge Simpson’s-sister-type who bets $20 into $13. I c/r to $75 and BB cold calls. Marge Simpson’s sister folds. I figure new woman has As nearly always here and probably with a pair, maybe with a pair and I’m looking forward to jamming the majority of turn cards.

    Turn is the gross 3s however and I elect to c/f vs a jam. Villain shows As and I begin to get irritated at the way the weekend sessions are going.

    Stack at $200 ($200 down)

    Hand E

    I iso btn to $15 with KK no diamond. After spending the weekend correctly folding overpairs vs heavy action, I then proceed to bet/tilt stack off 4-way versus a snap check jam on a flop of 752dd vs a player I suspect is loose-passive pre and a nut peddler post flop. Terrible call obviously, villain turns over bottom set and it turns out my online discipline problems rear their head live sometimes too after spending a sustained period having to fold and limit my losses.

    I then realise I’ve lost my discipline and pack up for the night $400 down.
    Last edited by The Bean Counter; 09-09-2014 at 06:09 PM.
  15. #15
    Monday

    I had a pretty scary (and yet funny) incident today as I was leaving Ballys. My car was parked in an area of the car park where there were no other cars parked (wasn’t this way when I arrived, but I figure its broad daylight and shouldn’t matter). I throw my suitcase in the back and spend 5 minutes or so getting pissed off with the shitty GPS system in the BMW 528i. I suddenly get a knock at the window and there’s a muscular, young, black guy in a vest standing there. I immediately think I’m about to get done at gunpoint (racist!) for the car, passport, everything, when I realise he’s asking me if I want gay sex or need to be sucked off. Being English, I decline with a polite “no thank you” and get the hell out of there.

    The drive from Vegas took forever as it was raining hard (turns out it does rain in the desert) and I wasn’t too far off missing my flight check-in, but I made it just in time after 3 hours of delays on the road. My company thankfully pay for Premium Economy on the overnight return trip and it’s definitely worth paying a bit extra for in my experience if paying yourself.

    Much like the last time I was in Vegas, I’m not too disappointed to be leaving. Vegas is a warped place that could really mess with your head if you spent more than a few nights there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for partying at the weekend, but there’s only so much of that any one person can take. I also found myself getting annoyed with just how much cash rules and how expensive everything is, not to mention the depressing site of degen pensioners throwing money into the slot machines 24/7. I’m sure I’ll come back a few more times in my life though.

    I also don’t care much for live poker. I find the table strategy talk inane and the action far too slow (meaning variance can last a year, rather than a month, or a week rather than a couple of hours, etc). I really don’t understand why some locals are clearly playing 1/2 for a living too. 1/2 plays about the same as 5nl online, which is comfortably beatable in my experience for 20-25bb/100 pre-rake, but at 40 hands per hour and 10% rake up to $400, you’d be lucky to be making $15 per hour. Playing this game is just not a good idea financially if you're smart enough to beat it for that rate in the first place.

    So that’s it. I’ve been offered gay sex in a car park and lost a buy-in total, but overall, I’ve enjoyed the weekend.

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