On the road again…

Posted by bellatrix

June 5, 2009

This city, man. This “love-hate relationship” city, man. This “play with your emotions until you can’t take it” city, man. I’m there again. Staring at the strip, at the flashing lights, at the scores of drunken people staggering through Tropicana Avenue as I try to cross the freeway to the In&Out.

The trip was fairly uneventful. Once you escape the deathgrip of LA traffic, you just fly through the desert. Listening to my iPod to PokerRoad, the PokerBeat and the Hard Boiled Poker Show, I was longing to get there. Yes, I’m one of those people that get amped up on 2 red bulls before entering the Rio and that’s what I did during the drive, too. Familiar things passed by: the outlets in Barstow, the countless signs for highway country, the mad greek or peggy Sue’s Diner, Zzyzx road, the thermometer in Baker… and then… Primm. Welcome to Nevada, baby! I’m reminded of this one story this guy told me at a blackjack table. How he had saved up 2000$ and that was gonna be his weekend in Vegas, he didn’t care if he lost it, but it was gonna be one hell of a weekend. He arrived Friday afternoon in Primm. Friday evening he was on his way back to LA. He never even made it to Vegas.

Got lost trying to find my hotel. Turns out the room is quite nice, even if the staff barked some commands about do’s and don’ts at me. But I can take it, after all, as a german, you’re used to it, right? Quick Skype call to family. Internet works. Yay! 35$ for free internet, a fridge and a kitchen > 20$ for a cramped casino room + 12$ internet/day. Then off I go to dinner and then to the Rio.

Actually, it was kinda disappointing. Everything was quite dead. At the registration line, there were two boys (really, they looked like 15) arguing before me on what to tell their backer and how they were left with like only 5k and that the min-cash is not gonna cut it. Sadly they registered for the NL event and not the 6max LHE. This time the lady at the window was fast efficient and I was done in like a minute. Last year, I had a trainee and I was her very first customer. She gawked at the 1500$ (500 of that in 20s) and
the woman that was training her just groaned as in “wow, if you’re staring at this…”.

So I had my seat, time for cashgames! Little bankroll, I’ll put my name to the 10/20 LHE or O8 list. LHE got open first and I sit down. Lose my first two pots (one with KQ on a Qxx flop against QQ other with unimproved AQ against a rivered pair of 8s). Darn, this is not starting good. But slowly and surely, I start to chip up again.

The table:

There’s this young lady to my right. I want her there, she has no clue. I want to hug her as she open limps her button for the third time. But then she leaves… (down a rack).
The maniac to my right. Super LAG. Don’t like playing against him. He’s not bad! Then again, he’s playing like 50/40, which is not a winning formula. Still, he leaves up.
Another guy to my right. Played perfect, could hand read good. I wanted to congratulate him somehow, lol.
The two guys that sat directly to my left one after the other were exactly what the doctor ordered. Tight and passive. As was the lady two to my left.
There were two Euros also at the table. They were playing a style that would’ve been a winning style 4-5 years ago, but today is considered tagfish. If you limp in early position, I can read your hand so well. They were too tight, easy to steal the blinds from.
Then another very pretty asian lady. This one was funny, because at one time Marcel Luske came over and started hitting on her. She gave off the vibe as if she knew him, but quickly dismissed him. He came back about half an hour later, whispered something in her ear… not a reaction by her. He left disappointed. Very funny.
And then last, but certainly not least was the source of my income later. A player directly opposite of me. This guy went through three racks while I was here. True, he was getting some horrible beats. I put a very bad beat on him, when I went runner runner JJ with my QJ vs his QQ on a xxx board, but then he never showed any strength until the turn. But then the guy played EVERY damn hand. I almost felt bad for him.

So at 3 am I left up 31 BB. Good evening. Highlights of the night include Adam Schwartz (from the 2+2 pokercast) sweating me for a few hands. I pick up 55 UTG in a 6 handed pot, I fold, he calls me a nit, flop J52r, we laugh, turn 4, river 6, T3 wins, we burst out in laughter some more. Another one, where I raise ATo 7 handed, get 5 coldcallers, flop Th8d3h, I bet, get raised, everybody calls, I 3bet, everybody calls, turn blank, everybody calls, river K, everybody calls. My hand is good!

Out into the night I go. Great start to the WSOP, now some rungood for today. 5pm is the event. I’ll be twittering at breaks. Wish me luck

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