AC Trip Report 3/11

You might be wondering, "Why is the title of this article AC Trip Report 3/11? when there is a picture of Caeser's Palace, Las Vegas. Well there is good reason. It is because I will be a guest at this mecca of luxury and gambling from 6/30 through 7/8. I am hoping to possibly satellite into a WSOP bracelet event or even buy directly into one depending on my success leading up to it. If you might be interested in taking a vacation to the promised land let me know. I'm sure you will have a good time. If you would like some action on my possible participation in the WSOP we can work something out.

As for yesterday I played in The Borgata's 11:00AM 50+1 AO MTT. The field started out with 181 participants, first place paying over $4700. I played in SS Ninja mode for the vast majority of the tourney. I was short stacked by the middle of the second hour and played the short stack for 5 hours straight. 6 and a half hours after the first hand was dealt I made my exit in 13th place with a small cash of $205. Whenever you get this deep in a tourney the first place prize is within your grasp as it was for me. I lost my last 2 races 44 vs 89o and AKs vs 96 which left me crippled. Had I won with my 44 and AK I would have most likely made it to the final table and made a big cash. It was Barry Greenstein who said "To win a tourney you have to win your races" and this was very evident yesterday. There was a lot of action deep in with the usual arguments and laughter here is an example. With 19 players left and 18 getting paid on the money bubble I am in the SB with the blinds at T4000/T8000 and T1000 antes. It gets folded around to the button who shoves all-in for T15000. I fold, now there is T28000 in the pot and it is T7000 for the BB to call. She has a good sized stack. With what hands should she call the Button's all-in? I know that she has to call it with any 2 cards. She is getting 4:1 for a call so she can call with any 2 considering the shoving range of the button who has less than 2BB's left. The BB has 35s and calls, the button flips over A10o and loses to the BB who catches a flush on the river. Now the button is pissed and starts to let the BB have it. It starts to turn into a catfight with insults hurled and the BB telling the button to go home and pout. I actually told the button that she had to call but the button was having none of it. In actuality the call would even be correct had the button been holding AA. AA is a 4:1 favorite versus 35s and that is exactly the odds that was being offered for the pot in that hand.

In other news there will be a tourney at my house on Saturday March 31st at 7:00pm. I sent out an evite. If you did nor receive one let me know.

AC Trip Report 3/2

As some of you know I had a horrendous experience on my last AC visit a couple of weeks ago back in February. I lost a little over 2 buy-ins playing the 2/5NL at The Showboat and the 1/2NL at The Taj. I capped the day off losing the Showboat 100MTT on a donk move. Well maybe that was not the only donk move of the day but it sure was a big one. I was cruising after the first break with a big stack when I get AQs in late position. Someone raises 3BB I call, flop comes with Q 7 3. He bets half the pot, I re-raise 3X his bet he shoves all-in, I have him covered but only leaving me with enough chips to play a SS and call. He flips over AA to leave me crippled and I lose the rest soon thereafter.

Nothing was going right for me. At the Showboat 2/5NL cash game
I get KK in late position and raise it up to $15 (standard raise at the time) SB calls.

Flop is Q 9 2.
I check, SB checks.

Turn is 8
I bet 20 he raises to 60 so what does a good donekey do? You guessed it all-in for $160 total.

He calls and flips over J 10. I am drawing dead and feeling foolish so off to The Taj I go.

Cold decks continue where I flop a straight but someone elso flops a bigger one, etc....
I get KK again in a 3 way pot where one guys hits a set on the flop and the other catches a straight on the river.
Now for the finale, my evil hand rears its head once again, so I raise KK in EP to 15, guy in late position raises to 45. This guy has bee playing solid and has just been dealt AA about 10 minutes ago and doubled up. Is it possible to get them again or is he using his big stack to try and win a big pot with AK or QQ. We will soon find out as I shove all-in for about 200 total knowing deep in my broken heart that he had AA, well of course I was right, he turns over AA to complete the catastrophe that was my cash game on the terrible day.

Now back to the present which happens to be yesterday 3/2 where I stayed away from the 2 dens of degeneracy that destroyed me 2 weeks ago and make a homecoming visit to the One and Only Borgata Hotel and Casino. Need I say more? I will not bore you with the details but my cash game profit was up over $725 at one point, but still managed to leave with it over the $500 level. I played in the 12:00 Friday 250+30 MTT. Here is a pivotal hand. I copied the hand from a post I made in the 2+2 MTT forum. I refer to myself as Hero as per general internet hand posting guidelines. What would you have done in the same situation?

The BB has just sat down for about 5 minutes so no reads. What is my best line of play with this hand on the flop and turn. I am over 2 hours deep in the V level of play with close to 300 players left. The table has been pretty much solid with a couple of the wilder players already out.

The blinds are T200/T400 with T50 Ante. We are 9 handed. Hero has about T10000 and gets A A UTG. Hero raises to T1200. The SB and BB both call.
My stack size is pretty much equal to both the SB and BB

Pot is T4050
Flop comes Q 6 10
SB checks, BB bets T2000, Hero calls T2000, SB folds
Pot is T8050

Turn is K
BB bets T5000, Hero?

Here is another hand from the cash game. What would you have done?

I just get to the table, where I recognize 3 players from earlier in the day, but no read on anyone including MP player. How is my line on the flop? What do I do on the turn?

I buy-in for 300 and am in late position when I pick up
A A

An early position player raises to 12, all fold, Hero re-raises to 30, MP calls

Pot is 63
Flop comes K J 9
MP bets 40, Hero raises to 125, MP calls 125

Pot is 313
Turn is 6
MP bets 112 and is all-in, Hero has him covered, Hero?