AC Taj/Borgata

[Zybomb]

Goin to AC in a few minutes -- gunna play some cash tonight, then Im playing the $500 Trump Classic Event at the Taj tomorrow morning. I'll likely stay and play either the $740 Saturday morning at the Taj, or the $220 Satty into the "Ultimate Satty" which is Sunday morning at the Borgata ($1100 buy in top winners receive $10k WPT Foxwoods seat, $10k WPT Borgata Winter Open seat, $25k Bellagio WPT Championship Seat and $5k cash). Shitty prize struture in that only 1 in 50 receive seats, but for $220 (1 in 5 get in the normal one) i'll give it a crapshoot. I may end up back here tomorrow night if some things work out a certain way, but hopefully not. I'll update when I return

[Talking Poker]

You won't see this til you are back, but GL. Win some big monies, will ya?

[melioris]

Gl!

[Reel Deal]

Best of luck Zy.

[Invigilator]

Have fun Zy.

[juiCe[3x]]

Good Luck

[Zybomb]

Unfortunately came home this morning so missed out on Borgata super satty -- but did clean house in cash games AND even won $500 donking around in Blackjack

Didn't cash in the $500 event, but I think I played great, and got super unlucky twice (once after a great call for a lot of chips which ended up crippling me when I was 2 outered, once when a 3 outer chopped a pot that would have doubled me up -- both times the same guy!)

I'll get a longer update up later on

Oh yea and I played next to the guy from the 2006 WSOP who 4 bet shoved with AQ and got Joe Hachem to fold AKs face up after he 3 bet (the whole "nobody folds this hand" hand which super tilted Hachem). Logic behind the play was great when he explained it (had to do with a good read on Hachem's bet sizing) -- real cool guy.... i forget his name now though lol

[Zybomb]

So I get down around 1:30AM, get a drink and decide to donk around in blackjack for a little while. Now I know the casino has an edge in the game, but I swear its like the players want to give them a bigger one. I saw a lady hit 14 against a 6, then later stand 14 against a Face ... a gentlemen split QK (made a big deal calling the pit boss over after the dealer said hes not allowed to -- pit boss said it was legal) against a 2 , and regularly stayed on 15 or 16 against Faces... unreal.

Anyway I play a few hours and win $200 in the end, walk around play a slot machine (waste $30) and then head to the poker room around 5. My friend sits 1/2 I sit 2/5. The game is short handed and I play about 2 hours before it breaks. The 2/5 game here feels very low to me since its a 500 max buy in and a standard open is 20-25... the 2/5 Im used to plays more like the 5/10. Play was awful (imagine that) and I picked up $700. It was around 8 and I wanted to go to my car and just take a nap for a few hours b4 Fridays 11:15 tourny but my friend wanted to go back to the blackjack tables so I said what the hell. We played for 2 hours and I picked up $300. So its already 10:15 - 10:30 now, so I go and get some breakfast and a few coffees and then head back to the poker room to register for the tournament. Im up $500 from blackjack, so now the tourny is really a freeroll. Im really not that tired yet either so Im focused.

My table starts 4 handed but fills up within the first 7 minutes or so. 5k in chips to start 25/50 blinds and 45 minute levels.... decent structure. Played tight early on, picked up a few blinds and a few small pots but no real noteworthy pots in the first level -- probably sitting on about 6200 chips later in the 2nd level I complete with KTo from the SB and the BB checks, 5 of us see a flop of T45. I lead out 350 first to act and the button is the only caller. The turn comes K. Great card for me but with a drawy board I decide to bet 1050, button calls again. River is an A. This is a shitty card and Im really not sure how to proceed here. Draws missed (ok besides 23), so Im tempted to check/snap call to induce a bluff from missed draws, and also the ace is a scare card for my 2 pair now also.... but eventually I decide to lead a blocking bet of 1050 (thinking now, probably doesnt make too much sense). My opponent calls with K5s and I scoop a nice pot.

Later in Level 3 I flop bottom two with 89 on a K 9 8 board in a 5 way limp pot (blinds 75/150). Blinds check and EP limper bets 500, MP limper calls and I raise to 2100. EP bettor calls MP folds. The turn comes another King (obviously) my opponent leads into me 2250 I shake my head and fold.

I wake up with Aces in the BB. 2nd position opens for 600 folds around to me and I call. The flop comes T52. I check, PFR bets 600, I raise to 1800 he calls. Turn is a 7 I bet 2600 with about 2200 behind (seemed better than shoving at the time which I thought was a little too big) my opponent moved in and I called. I flip AA, he flips...... AA. Chop it up.

The big hand comes halfway thru level 4. I have about 7500 in chips blinds are 100/200 A25. Folds to me in the CO and I raise 625 with TT. The button calls, Sb folds and the BB moves all in for 5725. At first glance this is probably a toss but I thought for a while and eventually came to the conclusion that he'd play QQ KK or AA differently (probably reraising 2000 ish then shoving the flop). He didnt seem like a player who'd pop AQ here based on what I saw from him so far, so I decided he 60% had a medium pair 77-99 20% had AK 20% had JJ... which was enough (combined with the fact that I wanted a nicer stack) for me to eventually call. Button folds. I ask the BB 88? He flips 77 -- what a call. Window card is a 7 and thats that. I get short and eventually open shove and get busted... i thought I played fairly well though.

2nd update to follow later

[Talking Poker]

Good report so far. Don't forget to finish.

[melioris]

nice report zy, keep it coming

[Zybomb]

So I bust out of the tourny and decide to get a room so i can sleep for a while (and sleep again that nite). I crash until about 8 then shower and head down to the poker room. I play a mixture of 2/5 and 5/10 until 5AM.

One interesting hand at 2/5. I open EP with AA to $25 and Im called by one player to my left. The flop comes 8 6 3. I bet $35 he calls. The turn comes a 9. I bet $70 he raises to $150. Kinda weird but for such a small raise I dont think I can fold. So I call. The river comes another 3 (great card for me) and I didn't really know what to do (lead out vs check/call) bc I thought he'd check behind a lot of 2 pair or pair and draw hands here that he might call down with. I wound up c/c ing although I'd be interested to here others opinions.

I sat next to (insert name) the guy I mentioned above that had the nice hand with Hachem on TV in the 06 WSOP. Great read on Hachem's betting saying that pre or postflop whenever hachem had the nuts or close to it (i.e AA or KK pre or close to the nut post) he'd bet or raise in a small fashion, but when he had a good but not nut hand he'd bet or raise larger. Blinds were 1k/2k, There was an open to 6k and Hachem reraised to 22k. The guy said that he put Hachem on TT or JJ bc of his larger reraise. HE said with AA or KK Hachem would have made it something like 16k. Bc of this he thought there was a big chance he'd laydown to a 4 bet, but if not he thought he was racing (and was ready to race for a big stack if Hachem managed to call) (they were already in the money I believe?). Turns out his read of "not aces or kings" was correct, but hachem had AKs but layed it down anyway --- AQ was folded face up and Hachem steamed.

Guy shared a few more stories from that year and the year b4... interesting -- cool guy.

Made $1700 and went to bed.

Woke up showered and went to my car to head down to the borgata to play the super satty at 11.... i get into my car and look at the schedule and see that while every tourny is at 11 all week this one is at 10! So I missed it.

Oh well -- headed home Sat afternoon good trip