I'm in the Brasilia Room, Table 47 Seat 4. When I got to the table, there was a Kid in Seat 1 and a 40's gentleman in Seat 2. The 40's guy was asking the Dealer about betting, and how much he could raise. He said he hasn't played a Limit game in a long time. He then asked about Razz, things like if Straights and Flushes are bad. I think I have a good table draw, as there is nobody I recognize at my table. However there are three open seats.
We start with 4500 chips. The levels are 60 minutes long, and we start at 50/100.
Although there are no pros at my table, this event is stacked with them. This is the only event today, as there is no tourney at 5pm.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
$3/$6 Mixed At The Imperial Palace
I got to play in the legendary $3/$6 Mixed game on Sunday night, which is the longest running low limit mixed game in Las Vegas. They ended up with three tables, with a bunch of local dealers showing up for the 3rd table. There is a set list of games, although some tables altered their list. Here is the list of games that we played at our table, followed by some thoughts on the more bizzaro games, and I'll finish with a summary of my session.
The Flop and Draw games have blinds of $1/$3. The Stud games have a $1 ante, and a $1 bring-in. We played eight hands of each game. In the Draw games, only six players were dealt in, as UTG & UTG+1 were dealt out when the table was full of eight players.
1: Omaha-8
2: Razz
3: 2-7 Triple Draw
4: Double Flop Omaha
5: Stud-8
6: Badugi
7: 4-Card Crazy Pineapple with Ocean
8: A-5 Triple Draw H/L (8 or better)
9: 3-2-1 Omaha
10: Baduci
11: Razz-dugi
The Flop and Draw games have blinds of $1/$3. The Stud games have a $1 ante, and a $1 bring-in. We played eight hands of each game. In the Draw games, only six players were dealt in, as UTG & UTG+1 were dealt out when the table was full of eight players.
1: Omaha-8
2: Razz
3: 2-7 Triple Draw
4: Double Flop Omaha
5: Stud-8
6: Badugi
7: 4-Card Crazy Pineapple with Ocean
8: A-5 Triple Draw H/L (8 or better)
9: 3-2-1 Omaha
10: Baduci
11: Razz-dugi
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Live Blog: Ivey & Hellmuth Go For Gold
First of all, I'm not a fanboy when it comes to Poker Pros. I don't spot them in the hall, and go Owww and Ahhh. But when Ivey & Hellmuth are deep at Final Tables for bracelets at two different events at the same time, it's pretty fucking huge.
When I finished up at the Imperial Palace $3/$6 Mix game (more on that game later), I headed to the Rio to see history happen. Not just to see each of them win their bracelet, but see the circus that this is causing.
I walked into the Pavilion Room at 11:45pm. On the stage where they do the afternoon Bracelet Ceremony is the Final Table of the $2500 Razz tourney. Phil Hellmuth is in the 5-seat across the Dealer, and his only opponent is in the 10-seat. Hellmuth has a big chip lead, and has dominated this Final Table all day.
The crowd around the stage is around 100 watchers, and is slowly growing. Pros I see watching include Eli Elezra, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, and Todd Brunson. Hellmuth just got up from the table to say hi to some of them. There are some seats on the stage, but I cant see who is in them.
Midnight - I head over to the Amazon Room to watch the $10k Pot Limit Hold'em Final Table, which is being held on the Main Final Table they use for TV. It's 3-handed, with Ivey in the 3-seat, Andy Frankenberger in the 8-seat, and Ali Eslami in the 1-seat. I'm not sure of chip totals, but Ivey was in the lead when I last checked Poker News.
When I finished up at the Imperial Palace $3/$6 Mix game (more on that game later), I headed to the Rio to see history happen. Not just to see each of them win their bracelet, but see the circus that this is causing.
I walked into the Pavilion Room at 11:45pm. On the stage where they do the afternoon Bracelet Ceremony is the Final Table of the $2500 Razz tourney. Phil Hellmuth is in the 5-seat across the Dealer, and his only opponent is in the 10-seat. Hellmuth has a big chip lead, and has dominated this Final Table all day.
The crowd around the stage is around 100 watchers, and is slowly growing. Pros I see watching include Eli Elezra, Layne Flack, Gavin Smith, and Todd Brunson. Hellmuth just got up from the table to say hi to some of them. There are some seats on the stage, but I cant see who is in them.
Midnight - I head over to the Amazon Room to watch the $10k Pot Limit Hold'em Final Table, which is being held on the Main Final Table they use for TV. It's 3-handed, with Ivey in the 3-seat, Andy Frankenberger in the 8-seat, and Ali Eslami in the 1-seat. I'm not sure of chip totals, but Ivey was in the lead when I last checked Poker News.
Friday, June 8, 2012
LOL Donkament #10
Peppermill 6:30 $65 Bounty - 06.07.12
We had 29 runners for this one. I started with 9000 chips, and the levels were 15 minutes long with a fast structure. There is a $10 Bounty, which seems like a waste of time. You need to knock out seven players to get your buy-in back. If someone does that, then they will probably win the tourney.
I got off to a good start, and collected three bounties by the first break. Normally, my goal is to get to 15k by the break, which is before the 500/1000/100 level. This time, I got to almost 28k, and was one of the big stacks at my table.
However, things didn't go as well after the break. There was a young player at the table who we will call Alex. I've never seen him before, but he seemed to play straight forward. He limped in for 1000. I raised to 3100 from the Button with 77. Alex and the BB called. Flop was K94. They checked, I bet 6100, and only Alex called. Turn [K94] 9. We both checked. Alex bet 8000 on the River, and I folded.
I went rather card dead after that hand, but Alex kept scooping up pots without showing his cards. It was really annoying how he kept sucking up all the pots at my table. I don't know if he was getting hit with the deck, or just had wonderful timing when he stabbed at a pot.
We had 29 runners for this one. I started with 9000 chips, and the levels were 15 minutes long with a fast structure. There is a $10 Bounty, which seems like a waste of time. You need to knock out seven players to get your buy-in back. If someone does that, then they will probably win the tourney.
I got off to a good start, and collected three bounties by the first break. Normally, my goal is to get to 15k by the break, which is before the 500/1000/100 level. This time, I got to almost 28k, and was one of the big stacks at my table.
However, things didn't go as well after the break. There was a young player at the table who we will call Alex. I've never seen him before, but he seemed to play straight forward. He limped in for 1000. I raised to 3100 from the Button with 77. Alex and the BB called. Flop was K94. They checked, I bet 6100, and only Alex called. Turn [K94] 9. We both checked. Alex bet 8000 on the River, and I folded.
I went rather card dead after that hand, but Alex kept scooping up pots without showing his cards. It was really annoying how he kept sucking up all the pots at my table. I don't know if he was getting hit with the deck, or just had wonderful timing when he stabbed at a pot.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Poker-Palooza
Early Sunday morning, I will be loading up the car, and heading south to Las Vegas for the 2012 WSOP.
Last year, I went down for ten days, and it was too long. So this year, I'm only driving down for a week, then driving home for a week, and then driving down again for a week. This means I will be spending four consecutive Sundays driving across Nevada. If that sounds a little messed up, then you may be right. This may end up being a really bad idea.
Another difference from last year is that I won't be staying at a casino. I know it's sacrilegious to go to Sin City, and not stay at a casino, but I'm treating this like a business trip. I'm staying at hotels that have a kitchenette in the rooms. The rooms are not cheaper than those at a casino, but I can make some of my meals in the room, which will be much cheaper than casino food. I'll be staying at a different one each week, so I can compare them. Once again, this may end up being a bad idea, but we will see.
My itinerary will basically be the same as last year. I will be playing in two $1500 WSOP events (one each week), along with a few $200 tourneys, various daily donkaments, and the occasional cash game.
Last year, I went down for ten days, and it was too long. So this year, I'm only driving down for a week, then driving home for a week, and then driving down again for a week. This means I will be spending four consecutive Sundays driving across Nevada. If that sounds a little messed up, then you may be right. This may end up being a really bad idea.
Another difference from last year is that I won't be staying at a casino. I know it's sacrilegious to go to Sin City, and not stay at a casino, but I'm treating this like a business trip. I'm staying at hotels that have a kitchenette in the rooms. The rooms are not cheaper than those at a casino, but I can make some of my meals in the room, which will be much cheaper than casino food. I'll be staying at a different one each week, so I can compare them. Once again, this may end up being a bad idea, but we will see.
My itinerary will basically be the same as last year. I will be playing in two $1500 WSOP events (one each week), along with a few $200 tourneys, various daily donkaments, and the occasional cash game.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Rants & Raves: Poker Promotions
A few weeks ago, I went up to Grand Sierra on a Wednesday night for their 6:30 tournament. Only two of us showed up, so I sat down to play some $1/$2. The game only had a couple of players, so the Floor named Jason was playing in the game as a Prop. The hand before I started, the Floor hit a Royal Flush and collected a High Hand Bonus of around $230.
Last week, the Peppermill had a promotion going for the 1-year anniversary of their new poker room. They did a drawing every two hours for $500 or $1000, and you earn tickets with hours played in Live Games. I rarely play Live Games, so I didn't even know about the promotion. I busted out of the tournament early, so I sat down in the $4/$8 Limit game that just opened. Naturally, my name didn't get called, but a Peppermill Dealer named Iva got called twice in a row, and won $1500.
In both of these stories, an employee of the poker room won a promotion bonus. And I have a problem with this.
Last week, the Peppermill had a promotion going for the 1-year anniversary of their new poker room. They did a drawing every two hours for $500 or $1000, and you earn tickets with hours played in Live Games. I rarely play Live Games, so I didn't even know about the promotion. I busted out of the tournament early, so I sat down in the $4/$8 Limit game that just opened. Naturally, my name didn't get called, but a Peppermill Dealer named Iva got called twice in a row, and won $1500.
In both of these stories, an employee of the poker room won a promotion bonus. And I have a problem with this.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Horsing Around On My Off Day
"Shuffle Up & Deal" - $240 HORSE at Grand Sierra on Tuesday. We have 8k chips, and levels are 30 minutes. We play eight hands of each game.
It looks like just three tables set up for this one. Tables are eight handed, and my table has seven bodies. Naturally, I'm the youngest (41), and I recognize one of the players who's a regular tourney grinder around town.
Level 1 (75/150) - My table is now full, but a couple of empty seats at other tables. This table has been playing normal so far. My basic strategy is to play tight early, as these hand don't mean anything since we started with more than 50 Big Bets. That hasn't been a problem as my cards have sucked, and I've lost the few pots I played. I have 7175 chips, and we ended on Razz #4.
Level 2 (100/200) - Cards got a little better, as I won the last two Stud-8 hands. First one was with a Flush, and he folded to my River bet. Second hand was a scoop with a Pair of Aces and 75-Low against a Pair of Threes and a 76-Low. I have 7675 chips, and we ended on Stud-8 #5.
It looks like just three tables set up for this one. Tables are eight handed, and my table has seven bodies. Naturally, I'm the youngest (41), and I recognize one of the players who's a regular tourney grinder around town.
Level 1 (75/150) - My table is now full, but a couple of empty seats at other tables. This table has been playing normal so far. My basic strategy is to play tight early, as these hand don't mean anything since we started with more than 50 Big Bets. That hasn't been a problem as my cards have sucked, and I've lost the few pots I played. I have 7175 chips, and we ended on Razz #4.
Level 2 (100/200) - Cards got a little better, as I won the last two Stud-8 hands. First one was with a Flush, and he folded to my River bet. Second hand was a scoop with a Pair of Aces and 75-Low against a Pair of Threes and a 76-Low. I have 7675 chips, and we ended on Stud-8 #5.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
1 vs 100
(WARNING: This post contains only analysis of tournament stats. If this isn't something you want to read, then move on to your next blog.)
This week, I played my 100th tournament of the year. A hundred is a nice round number to do some analysis of the stats, so that what I'm gonna do. I'm also including the last 100 tourneys that I played last year, which goes back to April 24th. Each set of 100 will be separate.
(This Year ~~ Last Year)
Under $100
Count: 85 ~~ 63
Wins/Chops: 16 (18.8%) ~~ 12 (19%)
Cashes: 24 (28.2%) ~~ 20 (31.7%)
Bubbles (estimated): 2 ~~ 6
Profit: $2278 ~~ $2977
Profit per Tourney: $26.80 ~~ $47.25
ROI: 43.2% ~~ 69.5%
This week, I played my 100th tournament of the year. A hundred is a nice round number to do some analysis of the stats, so that what I'm gonna do. I'm also including the last 100 tourneys that I played last year, which goes back to April 24th. Each set of 100 will be separate.
(This Year ~~ Last Year)
Under $100
Count: 85 ~~ 63
Wins/Chops: 16 (18.8%) ~~ 12 (19%)
Cashes: 24 (28.2%) ~~ 20 (31.7%)
Bubbles (estimated): 2 ~~ 6
Profit: $2278 ~~ $2977
Profit per Tourney: $26.80 ~~ $47.25
ROI: 43.2% ~~ 69.5%
Friday, May 4, 2012
May News & Notes
- This will be a quick one, as I really don't have much to say. Last month, I was up $450 overall, which is rather mediocre. The whole month was just like last weekend. I was up in $1/$2 NL and donkaments, but down in Omaha-8.
- This month, there will be two tournament series in town. Grand Sierra has a new series, the Spring Pot Of Gold, from Thur May 10 - Sun May 20. Peppermill has their Chop Pot Classic from Wed May 16 - Sun May 20. I find it interesting that the Peppermill had originally scheduled this from May 1-6, but decided to drop it right on top of Grand Sierra's new event.
Naturally, I'll be working through most of it. Here are the events that I might play:
Sun 5/13 12:00 @GSR - $240 NLHE (15k Guaranteed)
Tue 5/15 17:00 @GSR - $240 HORSE
Sat 5/19 19:00 @PM - $130 HORSE
Sun 5/20 12:00 @PM - $110 CP-8
Sun 5/20 16:00 @PM - $130 O-8
- This month, there will be two tournament series in town. Grand Sierra has a new series, the Spring Pot Of Gold, from Thur May 10 - Sun May 20. Peppermill has their Chop Pot Classic from Wed May 16 - Sun May 20. I find it interesting that the Peppermill had originally scheduled this from May 1-6, but decided to drop it right on top of Grand Sierra's new event.
Naturally, I'll be working through most of it. Here are the events that I might play:
Sun 5/13 12:00 @GSR - $240 NLHE (15k Guaranteed)
Tue 5/15 17:00 @GSR - $240 HORSE
Sat 5/19 19:00 @PM - $130 HORSE
Sun 5/20 12:00 @PM - $110 CP-8
Sun 5/20 16:00 @PM - $130 O-8
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Lost Weekend? (Part 3)
Sun 11:00 ~ Atlantis $80 Bounty - 21 players
In Level 4 (200/400/50), there were a few limpers, so I raised to 1500 with Qh Qc in Mid. Button called, and so did the first limper. Flop 6h 5h 2h. First guy, a Kid who has already re-entered, went All-In for 6k-ish. I snap-called, and Button folded. Kid had 8h 8s, and I collected Bounty #1 ($20).
At the Break, I had 24400, which is certainly above average. Most of the knockouts have been at our table, so we have bigger chip stacks than the other table. There were 15 players left.
In the 500/1000/100 level, I got someone All-In with my AK vs AQ, and lost for 9600. Very next hand, there was one limper, and I raised to 3k with AK. Limper called, and he shoved on a K-high Flop. I called, and he also had AK for the chop.
Final Table was in the 800/1600/200 level. I had 12400, which was towards the bottom of the list.
After a couple of hands, I shoved for 12100 with 88. A shorter stack for about 6500 was the only caller. He had 33, and missed. I collected Bounty #2, and got my stack up to 20k.
In Level 4 (200/400/50), there were a few limpers, so I raised to 1500 with Qh Qc in Mid. Button called, and so did the first limper. Flop 6h 5h 2h. First guy, a Kid who has already re-entered, went All-In for 6k-ish. I snap-called, and Button folded. Kid had 8h 8s, and I collected Bounty #1 ($20).
At the Break, I had 24400, which is certainly above average. Most of the knockouts have been at our table, so we have bigger chip stacks than the other table. There were 15 players left.
In the 500/1000/100 level, I got someone All-In with my AK vs AQ, and lost for 9600. Very next hand, there was one limper, and I raised to 3k with AK. Limper called, and he shoved on a K-high Flop. I called, and he also had AK for the chop.
Final Table was in the 800/1600/200 level. I had 12400, which was towards the bottom of the list.
After a couple of hands, I shoved for 12100 with 88. A shorter stack for about 6500 was the only caller. He had 33, and missed. I collected Bounty #2, and got my stack up to 20k.
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