Wednesday 20 February 2008

Settling in


We have been here a week now and its amazing how quickly we have settled. In a lot of ways it doesnt even feel like its Vegas. I went to the strip on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but apart from that and going to the airport it doesnt feel like Vegas at all. The weather apart from the day we landed has been glourious. I watched sky sports news last night and games were being postponed due to frozen pitches. Its supposed to be 50/50 to rain here today but who cares its warm with it.

We have done plenty of driving round to get used to our surroundings. Life is so easy on a grid plan city the only problem is the traffic lights every 1/2 mile. I must go through 20 sets on my way to the strip. With what we brought with us on the plane and a few bits and pieces we have bought since we got here including my new laptop we have pretty much all that we need. I have the cable set up so that we get every channel going and i can keep up with all my sports. I cant find Heinz beans anywhere. Amazing with a company the size of Heinz they dont do beans over here. A couple of companies do beans but they are very dark and bbq beans i think ill be staying away from them.

So Friday arrives and Nancy drives me down to the strip drops me off and i make for the Venetian. This is my fav cardroom and i know they have a festival on right now so the traffic and action will be high. I dont know why but i do so well in this room maybe i just have a strong feel for the type of player that plays here or as im comfortable in my surroundings i play better.

I walk in and the place is rammed they must have 60 tables in the place and everyone is full. The comp is a $330 f/o and they have 530 players in it after accepting about 100 alternates. The place is buzzing. I move through the tournament section and get to the cash podium. I ask about the $2/$5 game which is my regular game. Im told there are 6 tables going and im 25th on the list. Im told not to worry though as with 6 tables they will get me in as soon as they can and when they break another table in the comp they will open a 7th game.

I get my seat in the game. Its a game i had been watching so i already had a read on a couple of players on the table and i had seen a couple of the others before. I take my seat while the runner goes to the cashier to get me my $500 in chips. I always start with $500 even though i can sit with $1000. My seat is two to the left of the big stack and he is making all the action. He isnt a player but is acting very cocky as he is winning big, he prob has nearly $3k in front of him. I know this is the player to target on the table but he makes me wait until my 2nd hand before he doubles me up. I flop bottom 2 pair on him he bets i call turn brings me the house he bets again i raise him he calls river comes a blank he checks i move in he calls in a heartbeat and shows me AJ for top pair top kicker. I scoop the pot and just steadily build my stack. I sit in the game for about 3 hrs and leave with $1950. Not a bad first day im thinking im ready to go home. I phone Nancy to come pick me up but she cant get me yet so i decide to go over to the Mirage and see what there game is like.

I walk in and they have 2 games a must move and a main game. Im given a seat in the must move its 6 handed with me. I pass my first 8 hands then with the 9th i call a raise from the short stack with KQ the flop comes KQ6 he moves in for $70 i beat him into the pot. He doesnt show and i send him on his way. The next hand i have 77 make a small raise and i see a small flop heads up which comes out 7 high. I put out a small bet looking for the raise he feels strong so i bet out $25 he insta makes it $75 he has me covered and im sure that if i raise again he will push so i make it $200 straight. He looks at me and says have you got A7 or a monster pair. The floor person comes over and says i need 3 people to move to the main game. So he says well im about to move so i might as well let you steal it i dont wanna lose my chips before i move. He shows me JJ and passes. I show him a 7 and he goes damn i knew you were overplaying top pair. I show him the other 7 and he tells me the floor saved him cos he was gonna push. Marv

So i nicked about $250 out of the game in 10 hands sounds like a result for me and not a bad way to finish day1.

Day 2 was back to the Venetian. I did my first stack playing a hand badly running my JJ into his QQ he played it cute but i should of seen it coming. I lost my 2nd stack when i flopped a flush against top 2 pair and the guy wouldnt believe me so we got it all in on the flop only for the house to come on the turn. So im now in for $1500 which is the limit i have set myself for any game for the time being if i lose this i just walk away no matter how good the action is or how much money is on the table. Im down to $200 in front of me and the 4 big winning stacks of the day get up and leave. We get replacements straight away and all of a sudden im hot The deck is finally hitting me and holding. Within the hour my $200 has become $1528 and im in profit for the first time in 8 hours. I decide to get up there and then happy to have gotten unstuck and walking away with a profit. The book may say if im hot and playing well against the table i should stay and maxamise my form but im happy to take my $1500 off the table and pocket my profit.

Sunday and i cam out of the blocks flying getting my $500 into $1200 in no time at all. I then doubled up a guy when i called a raise with AcKc we see a flop of Ah7c2c all the money is in on the turn and his set of 7s hold and i have sent $500 back across the table. I win abit more and then lose a $1k pot when my 9c8c doesnt improve on a 9h7c6c flop against a flopped 2 pair this time all the money was in on the turn and again no club or 2nd pair or straight. Id like to play that one again he had 56. So we ended up the session losing $200. My first lose nothing major and i feel i played pretty well i just needed to win 1 of those 2 big pots and it would of been another nice profit.

I had intended to go over to the Red Rock last night and see what the games were like in there for myself i have heard a lot of mixed reviews so far. However a friend came over and the 3 of us went out for drinks at a local bar. Im not really a drinker but it was a fun relaxing night and it was good to see Nancy enjoying herself in this new environment. A few shots of Jager does the trick.

So today we have to go to the post office to pick up the keys to our mail box and then take the hire car back to the hire place at the airport. Ill prob spend a few hours on the strip trying to make a few more bucks and then i think we are out for dinner tonight.

Life is good no complaints

11 comments:

TEAMDOBB said...

like the blog mate, best of luck in new life.

Unknown said...

Heinz baked beans here mate
Brian's British Foods
3375 S Decatur Blvd # 11
Las Vegas, NV 89102, United States

BTW Great Read keep it up!!

jim said...

thanks guys glad you are enjoying

i think i know where that is ill be popping in first chance i get

nina said...

you cant find heinz baked beans, and we have an influx of them the chef cant understand it. lol

))<)))'> TONY said...

Like the read M8

I'd swop Heinz beans for your weather, 24 card games & steady flow of fish any day.

JEALOUS JEALOUS JEALOUS

Anonymous said...

just read the whole thing...
as alan partridge might say,
"lovely stuff"

))<)))'> TONY said...

why show him the second 7?

jim said...

Tony I only showed him the 2nd 7 cos the game was breaking. If we were carrying on i wouldnt of shown him either

))<)))'> TONY said...

OK Luton was very busy last night. 1 yrs aniversary & free buffet. 101 in the £100 freeze out. Dealers game was a shark pit which no one wanted to join. Livley Omaha Neel doing about 2500 but l stayed in the 50-250 nl holdem. Won a bit & left. Keeping to my limited funds.
Good luk m8 & keep the blog going

robg said...

Seems like you're off to a flyer, first months rent covered in half a weekend! Go white boy, GO!
Took a night off and saw Cloverfield. More thrilling than an Ali Malu re-raise!
Well done on lasting 30 minutes in Cirque do Soleil, 29 more than me!

Graham said...

Great read, really enjoying it!