Back to Vegas for WSOP $1500 Stud Event

This past weekend Felicia and I made our way back to Vegas so that she could play the WSOP $1500 Stud Event. Last time we were there she won two $500 lammers in a satellite shootout (go Felicia! : ) . While she still planned to play some more sat’s to try to win her way completely into the tournament, she was 2/3rds the way there.

We got there Thursday and played just a little. I think I made $44 in the 2/5 blinds NLHE (no limit hold’em) cash game in a record 15 minutes. I can’t even really recall what I had and how I won it so quickly. I just know, I love no limit!

I believe we ended up calling it an early night.

Next day she was off to do more satellites and I went back to my no limit games. I tried the 1/2 blinds some, but, while they only have a minimum $100 buy-in, the players will bet the same amounts that they do in the 2/5 with a $200 min buy-in; which is crazy for the stack sizes. Mostly I played 2/5, making a little profit here and there, usually no more than $50. Felicia usually took that profit and tried the satellites. Just call me “Sugar Daddy”. :p

Felicia ended up winning a seat to a super in one of the satellites. She had no intention of playing, just wanted to make a profit by selling the seat. Wouldn’t you know it? All the players already had a seat and were just trying to win a rebuy! LOL! So, she did what any tournament player would do…she played the super!

I rail-birded while she played. Luckily she was only one table away and, while I couldn’t make out the boards, I could usually see what she had when she was all-in. I watched her flip up some of those here and there: KQs once on a steal that didn’t hold up (BB was almost to the felt and defended w/ 66); Couple times with KK—last one didn’t hold up and put her in bad chip position. She went all-in in her next BB with her last 2 chips (classic Felicia-style) without looking. I know she needed to do this, but it hurt when I saw the 83o. No help and she was gone. Still, she was in a $250 tournament for $50; and she lasted a heck of a lot longer than I would have, being that I wouldn’t have been as aggressive as she. This is the type of play that makes her a much better tournament player than myself.

We tried the new Golden Nugget poker room. Very nice place. They are going to eventually move it, but I hope that they keep the look. I found a 4/8 Omaha 8 game open and joined. Boy these guys were bad. One lady calling every hand, any raise. One memorable hand, I raised in mid-position w/ AQsAJs and was called all around! (At this point we were short handed with 5 players. I bet the flop, as it gave me a nut flush draw, but then checked the turn when a low would have gotten there. Check, check, check. River: check, check, check, check, check. I spread my hand on the table declaring, “well the flush didn’t get there, so I still just have AA’s.” It was comical to see these boneheads all staring at their hands and having to muck. One or two hand top pair, but no one had more than one pair. No one even had a low! I scooped it. Unbelievable. I got counterfeited on the river on one of my hands—low didn’t get there once or twice. I ended up $44 for about 1/2 hour worth of play.

At this point, Felicia had me come over and play her chips in the 1/2 blind NLHE game they had going. She was going to play a $225 single table shoot-out they called a satellite for the $2000 NLHE WSOP event the next day. Either way, it was winner-take-all, whether or not that person chooses to do the $2000 tournament. She told me most the players from the NLHE game went to play the satellite and that the majority of them were horrid. So, I played her chips. I topped her off from my winnings at the O8 and played the short-handed game. Boy I suck short-handed. I lost about $50 in that game altogether; mostly from a flopped nut flush by the SB that probably just wanted to steal. I chose to defend that time with T8s and got two pair. He checked his nut flush on the flop and I took a stab at the pot and got called. When he called, I stopped betting. After my check on the turn, he bet into me on the river; no more diamonds, so I was hoping my two pair was good, but I certainly didn’t raise him. He showed me the nut flush, I showed him my two pair and told him “good hand”. Went back and forth a little bit, but after a while it got to 3 handed and I knew to get out. The two players that left I considered the weakest; of the other two that were left with me, I considered myself the weakest and got the heck outta Dodge. At least I can say that was the only loosing session for me for the weekend.

Back at Binion's, I even managed a $46 profit out of about 1/2 hour play at a 4/8 table. I didn’t like the way the table dynamics changed at the 2/5 NLHE table I was at, and the lists were long for the 1/2 tables. So I went over to the other side of the room where they had the low stakes. I was hoping to find some stud games, besides 1-5, with the $1500 Stud event coming up, but no way. That sucks; I really enjoyed playing the 4/8 games at Bellagio and the 5/10 at the Tropicana. While I know that I can win at the 1-5, it’s more of a grind. Ending up at the 4/8 HE game, I got my profit basically with one hand: AA’s of course ;-) UTG limped, UTG+1 raised, I reraised, and the SB was wondering whether or not to call. I know the more people in, the more chance I have to be out drawn, so I think twice, while the dealer was saying “8 more”, I was saying “TEN more to call”. He he. He finally figured out I wanted him to fold and did so. The BB took the flop though. I bet the flop and turn, but chicken out on the river when the board paired (not to mention the possible straight on the board). I showed down my AA’s and they were good. At that point, Felicia wanted to eat, so I cashed out my winnings and we headed out. Binion’s is my new favorite casino!

On the day of the $1500 Stud tournament, we slept in and took it easy. Had breakfast and made our way to the upstairs at Binion’s. I found a spot on the bleachers and kept myself rooted there. Mas (http://www.nolimitpokerclub.com/) came in at one point during the tournament, and I, unfortunately, didn’t get to talk to him much, as a very talkative gentleman was talking with me at the time. Interesting fellow though.

I watched Felicia during the whole tournament. She’s amazing. I wish I could see the table and cards more, but due to my vantage point, I could really only see when she was betting in a hand. I loved watching her though. Almost every time I saw her enter a hand, I saw her raking in the chips after. That’s my girl! She’s a tight player, however, and with increasing blinds and one river beat, she ended up playing on a short stack for a while. Then she had a great hand that I saw her call a raise with a 6-door card. Was curious about this, until she raised on 4th when she picked up an A: so, split 66s with an A kicker. There were two others in the pot with her, and I saw the middleman call the two bets cold. What the heck did he have? I found out from her later that he was on a straight draw that got there! Fortunately, once I saw that she was all-in before the hand was over, I was freaking out at her board: it was all black! I couldn’t tell if it was all the same suit though. It was; she re-sucked out on the straight with a flush! That’ll teach ‘em ;-)

Later I saw her go up against Ted Forrest in what was to be her last hand. I kept waiting for her to make a move, and with a K door, she did: “complete!” But what’s this? She’s calling a reraise! I couldn’t see what Ted had, but could only guess at her flat call that he must be showing an A. On 4th he lead out and now she raised. Even with his back to me, I could see the wheels turning in his head. He knew she had him at that point, but he had too many chips and she too little. He called. He called the bet on 5th too. On 6th, she was all-in. She had raised on 4th after she made KK’s-up. By the end, however, Ted ran her down with AA’s-up.

As the floor men seemed to be running the last of the $2000 NLHE event, the $1500 Stud event AND another super to the main WSOP event, no one was keeping the “players remaining” total updated. Felicia stood there and counted the remaining players. She was out at 49th out of 258. I was very proud of her. I know that she was very upset, but I still think she did a wonderful job.

I watched her play as the weakest links at the table kept getting busted, and she and Forrest remain at the table. I know she really loves Stud and she did a great job. I also know that she’ll be back! She was so close to the money this her first time playing in a WSOP event. I’m sure she’ll be in the money soon.

Posted by Glenn