I went to Venetian yesterday trying to have a positive attitude after what happened the night before. I sat down to the $550 and immediately lost a few pots bricking draws and was down to a little over $11k, we started with $15k.
For those who don’t play live tournaments, you really have to open your starting range. Even in a deep stack event, you just don’t see alot of hands. The play is so much slower than online. I try to see flops with any two broadway cards regardless of position. Wednesday, i won two big pots with QT.
Right before the 1st break I won back the chips I had spewed. Some guy raised in MP, another player called and i called from the BB with KTo. The flop came K-x-x with 2 spades. I had the Ts. I led out a little more than half the pot, original raiser calls and other guy folds. Turn is a brick, i bet out a little more than half the pot and he calls again. River brings another King. I bet out 2/3rd pot, he calls and mucks. I assume he had a pocket pair.
After the 1st break, I finally picked up AA for the first time in two days and open raise 3x. Get one caller, flop comes J-T-T. I bet, other guy mucks. Small pot but, at least I didn’t go broke. I sat with my starting stack for another level until I finally dubbled with AJo vs ATo to get to 26k. This was against a guy who loved making hero calls. I open raised 3.5x with AJo from LP, he called from the SB. Flop came A-J-K, he checked I bet and he shoved. I snap called and he said “I just didn’t think you’d bet so much with a big Ace”. shhhiiiippp
Then another weird hand came up. Action folds to some chick on the button who raises 3x, I call from the SB with KJo and so does the player in the BB. Flop comes A-J-T, we check she bets I call. Turn is another Ace. I check, she bets I call. River brings a K. This is the worst card I could possibly hope for even though my hand improved. She makes a really lame bet on the river and I figure I’m either crushed or she’s got some weak ass Jack so I call. Sure enough, she flips J-9 and I scoop a pretty big pot to take me to over 40k. The entire table is amazed at what we flip over.
Then things go really bad.
I pick up KdQd in the CO and call a guys raise from MP, BB calls. Flop comes J-6-6, it checks around. Turn is a K and the shorty in the BB shoves 11k into a 9k pot. Original raiser just smooth calls, I call. River is another 6. The guy in MP snap shoves, I call and he shows pocket JJ’s for a flopped boat. My boat is no good and I lose about 33k. A couple hands later I shove into an EP raiser with KJo, he calls and flips K3o, catches running spades and I’m out. Pretty brutal ending. I call Tina and tell her the bad news.
I’m super disappointed with how things went this week at the Venetian. I should’ve been playing Day 2 of the 330 yesterday. Instead I get kicked in the balls in the 550.
I decided to head over to the Rio to hang out with Al and Pauly for a while. We ended up at the bar having drinks with TJ and SmBoatDrinks. Funny story, I was playing video poker at the bar and got down to my last few coins. I tap the draw button and see all rags, i tap it again for a complete redraw and Al walks up. Guy next to me says “you have a straight flush”. I redrew the steel wheel Ah-5h for $50. Al is the anti-cooler.
I cash out and get to go home a winner.
Flying back in a few hours. Looking forward to getting home to Tina and the puppy.
Thanks for reading and all the tweet luv, maybe next time I’ll do something spectacular that will really be worth blogging about.


lol… After winning my $5,600 @ the $550 Venetian tournament I hit the video poker at the bar near the sportsbook before my flight. I started at the minimum ($1 — rather high in my opinion). I did okay… I got up over $50. I then started betting $10 a hand.
Anyways… I lost that $50. I put in $20 more saying that’s all I was going to play. $100 later I decided to quit.
I headed to the roulette table. I sat down with $100 and got up to over $800 rather quickly. I was about to cash in when I decided to throw $500 on black… ((( hit red )))…
It still left me with $200 so I was happy to have won my $100 back from the video poker plus some. On the way to the cage I saw this lovely Japanese woman standing at the $100 blackjack table waiting for someone to play with her. …. My last $200 gone on one hand …
Nice recap, sorry you didn’t do better.
good times Doug, congrats on final tabling the $550.
Hey smokkee,
It was great meeting you @ the Rio and having a couple drinks. Thanks for the blogging tips.
Good luck in your quest to get into the Main Event!
Boat
We got into a fight in my blackjack social. The problem is was how to rotate the dealer position. When should a player step down and be the dealer. Is there some ethics or rules of how to do it?