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After one of those "test your spirit" sessions on Saturday, I got a "double test your spirit" on Sunday. Strange how I tend to do badly on Saturdays and Sundays in Vegas, when the players should be the worst around. Maybe there are more residents on the strip (Monday to Friday workers?). Anyhoo, Sunday saw a session where I won one pot outright, yes, one, in six hours' play. That is a farly dispiriting experience. I quit to take a nap when I hit J-T of hearts, limped, and got a flop of Kh Qh Ks. The Royal in hearts paid $599 and I foresaw a get-out of biblical proportions a-coming.
But it was not to be. A third king came on the turn and my one opponent bet. I call. River brings the Ace ... of diamonds. Since this guy was seriously drunk (he had been up all night), this meant that I had to pay him off. He showed the fourth King. Hell, a Royal Flush on the river would have been well nice.
An evening session in the Excalibur reinstated my faith that it was possible to occasionally hit a flop, or make your nut flush on the turn. I won nearly all the money back. So, two days in and I'm a fraction less than level. At te moment the players are irredeemably awful, but that isn't much use if you aren't hitting winning hands.
Types you see in Vegas:
1) Retired guys, on their own, wearing baseball caps. Diagnosis. Utter rocks. I made a fool of myself here. One of these guys was in the big blind and I was one off the button. I had QJs and limped behind five other limpers. Flop came 3-3-7 rainbow. It's checked round to me and I check. If I bet, people will call to see just one more card, and that gets them emotionally involved. But it's possible to take hands like this down on the turn.
Turn brings a Queen, pairing me. At this point, uber-rock retired guy in baseball cap bets. I make a Harman raise (I put him on Q-x). He calls. River brings a four. He checks, I check. And he shows 3-8 off for trip threes. These players are so tight that trips with a bad kicker is a hand to play cagily.
Of course, if I raise pre-flop (which is what I should have done) he wouldn't have been in the hand. There are many times in this kind of game when seeing the flop cheaply is the right play, but this wasn't one of them. If you have a very tight player in the Big Blind, raising with marginal hands (even with numerous limpers before you) can be the better EV.
2) Young couples: Can be split into two groups. (a) Female who plays in her own right and will often sit several seats away from partner. Female will often go to battle with partner just to show that she has (metaphorical) balls too. Poker game is simulation of power battle in the relationship. (b) dependent female only playing because partner does. Will sit next to partner, frequently whispering in his ear when neither is in hand. Will not go head-to-head with partner. Will be passive to point of unbelievability, because any show of "aggression" is unfeminine.
3) Talkative college kids. Always remind me of a friend of Tony "Samurai" Dobson. Talk a lot, frequently punctuated with nervous laughs because unsure of standing in unfamiliar social circle. Will often talk about how he prefers no-limit, or tournaments, or whatever. Will be (comparatively) technically competent and rather tight, but let down by inexperience. Also will be short-stacked and probably inadequately bankrolled for the game ($200 in pocket for the three days in Vegas? Who knows?).
4) Middle-aged guys on short break away from wife to play poker. Can vary enormously in level of ability. May be drinkers, may not. May be planning on a lap-dancing trip later, may not.
5) Young guys whose wives are in Vegas but doing something else. Will be time-restricted and often checking cellphone for message such as "where are you? You said you'd meet me in room at 10pm".) Tend to look for action because they are time-restricted and this overcomes their technical ability. Will also probably be drinking. By the time they start showing you photos of their kids, they are heading into bluff territory.
6) Older guys whose wives are in Vegas but doing something else. Have learnt to cope with the situation and will be tougher to beat. Usually won't be drinking because their wives don't mind the poker, but do mind the drink. Wife will turn up to meet husband at just the time he is planning on leaving anyway. As with most longer-lasting marriages, stasis has been reached.
7) Young women on their own. Usually tough to play, because any woman prepared to play on her own in Vegas is likely to be the cream of the crop back in Wisconsin, r wherever. Quite aware of their sexuality and quite willing to exploit it. Best just to treat them like a good male player and to react accordingly.
8) Old women on their own. Usually uber-tight. Hate losing decent-sized pots because they won't be in pre-flop without a premium hand. Don't go on tilt, but leave table moaning.
9) Afternoon drinkers. The convention trade. Can be fantastic value, dumping $200 in an hour or so before they head off to dinner. Get best hand. Call them down until river and then raise for value.
10) Late-night girlies. Hunt in packs of three or more. One of them will notknow the rules at all. Slow the game up dreadfully, but are so irredeemably awful that you know they will lose their allocated $100 within an hour. Just pray that you get a premium hand that holds up, or a nut flush.
11) Is this a slot-machine game? players. Play every hand. Never raise. Will often call flop and turn before evaluating what they have. Look at all seven cards on river. Try to work out what they have. Call you with any pair.
Weather was gorgeous yesterday. 30 degrees or thereabouts. Actually, it was too hot for me.
More of the same today.
But it was not to be. A third king came on the turn and my one opponent bet. I call. River brings the Ace ... of diamonds. Since this guy was seriously drunk (he had been up all night), this meant that I had to pay him off. He showed the fourth King. Hell, a Royal Flush on the river would have been well nice.
An evening session in the Excalibur reinstated my faith that it was possible to occasionally hit a flop, or make your nut flush on the turn. I won nearly all the money back. So, two days in and I'm a fraction less than level. At te moment the players are irredeemably awful, but that isn't much use if you aren't hitting winning hands.
Types you see in Vegas:
1) Retired guys, on their own, wearing baseball caps. Diagnosis. Utter rocks. I made a fool of myself here. One of these guys was in the big blind and I was one off the button. I had QJs and limped behind five other limpers. Flop came 3-3-7 rainbow. It's checked round to me and I check. If I bet, people will call to see just one more card, and that gets them emotionally involved. But it's possible to take hands like this down on the turn.
Turn brings a Queen, pairing me. At this point, uber-rock retired guy in baseball cap bets. I make a Harman raise (I put him on Q-x). He calls. River brings a four. He checks, I check. And he shows 3-8 off for trip threes. These players are so tight that trips with a bad kicker is a hand to play cagily.
Of course, if I raise pre-flop (which is what I should have done) he wouldn't have been in the hand. There are many times in this kind of game when seeing the flop cheaply is the right play, but this wasn't one of them. If you have a very tight player in the Big Blind, raising with marginal hands (even with numerous limpers before you) can be the better EV.
2) Young couples: Can be split into two groups. (a) Female who plays in her own right and will often sit several seats away from partner. Female will often go to battle with partner just to show that she has (metaphorical) balls too. Poker game is simulation of power battle in the relationship. (b) dependent female only playing because partner does. Will sit next to partner, frequently whispering in his ear when neither is in hand. Will not go head-to-head with partner. Will be passive to point of unbelievability, because any show of "aggression" is unfeminine.
3) Talkative college kids. Always remind me of a friend of Tony "Samurai" Dobson. Talk a lot, frequently punctuated with nervous laughs because unsure of standing in unfamiliar social circle. Will often talk about how he prefers no-limit, or tournaments, or whatever. Will be (comparatively) technically competent and rather tight, but let down by inexperience. Also will be short-stacked and probably inadequately bankrolled for the game ($200 in pocket for the three days in Vegas? Who knows?).
4) Middle-aged guys on short break away from wife to play poker. Can vary enormously in level of ability. May be drinkers, may not. May be planning on a lap-dancing trip later, may not.
5) Young guys whose wives are in Vegas but doing something else. Will be time-restricted and often checking cellphone for message such as "where are you? You said you'd meet me in room at 10pm".) Tend to look for action because they are time-restricted and this overcomes their technical ability. Will also probably be drinking. By the time they start showing you photos of their kids, they are heading into bluff territory.
6) Older guys whose wives are in Vegas but doing something else. Have learnt to cope with the situation and will be tougher to beat. Usually won't be drinking because their wives don't mind the poker, but do mind the drink. Wife will turn up to meet husband at just the time he is planning on leaving anyway. As with most longer-lasting marriages, stasis has been reached.
7) Young women on their own. Usually tough to play, because any woman prepared to play on her own in Vegas is likely to be the cream of the crop back in Wisconsin, r wherever. Quite aware of their sexuality and quite willing to exploit it. Best just to treat them like a good male player and to react accordingly.
8) Old women on their own. Usually uber-tight. Hate losing decent-sized pots because they won't be in pre-flop without a premium hand. Don't go on tilt, but leave table moaning.
9) Afternoon drinkers. The convention trade. Can be fantastic value, dumping $200 in an hour or so before they head off to dinner. Get best hand. Call them down until river and then raise for value.
10) Late-night girlies. Hunt in packs of three or more. One of them will notknow the rules at all. Slow the game up dreadfully, but are so irredeemably awful that you know they will lose their allocated $100 within an hour. Just pray that you get a premium hand that holds up, or a nut flush.
11) Is this a slot-machine game? players. Play every hand. Never raise. Will often call flop and turn before evaluating what they have. Look at all seven cards on river. Try to work out what they have. Call you with any pair.
Weather was gorgeous yesterday. 30 degrees or thereabouts. Actually, it was too hot for me.
More of the same today.
