Brad-o-ween Trip Report

So this will be a short(ish) trip report, mostly hitting on the highlights (many) and lowlights (few) of my trip to G-Vegas and my first meeting with a bunch of the blogger crowd.

Highlight - meeting most of the bloggers that I read daily, including Iggy, G-Rob, Otis, CJ, BadBlood, Daddy, Pauly, AlCantHang, Boy Genius, DoubleAs, Maudie, Gracie, Maigrey and some more folks I'm sure I've inadvertantly left out. I gotta admit, I was nervous rolling up in there like I played the game and wrote something worth reading. But it was cool, everybody was really cool. Al was exactly like you'd expect from reading his blog, BadBlood's guns aren't REALLY that big, only about as big as my fucking THIGH! Pauly was super-cool, Otis threw a hellacious party and Iggy...what do you say about the Blogfather? He's everything you'd think a Guinness-swigging dwarf housewife would ever aspire to be, including a damn fine card player.

Lowlight - my early exit from the tourney. Like all things discussed here on pokerstage, we were playing for bragging rights only, but my exit in 31st out of 43 was still less than stellar. Let's see exactly how our hero fared -

So I'm sitting there, playing fairly tight-aggressive, picking my spots, trying to stay away from Al and Blood, who were both at my table, trying to pick on folks I thought were a little weaker, like Ben and unfortunately BigMike, who was obviously card dead, and I find myself with a pile of the chips on the table midway through the second level.

Kudos to BadBlood for making player-friendly levels - rock on!

I look down to K6 diamonds. For the record, this is NOT A PLAYABLE HAND. In ordinary circumstances. But when you've got a bunch of chips and you're on the button, AND it folds around to you, then it looks like a blind steal opportunity. Unfortunately that's apparently what my little bet looked like to the blinds too, since they stuck around. Flop comes all low shite with 2 diamonds and the 6 of clubs. So now I have a 2nd nut flush draw and a shitty pair. Debbie is first to act as small blind, and she bets out about 1/4 or 1/5 of her stack. She's looking short now, so I say "I raise you all in," thinking She's got unpaired overcards, she'll fold.

Nope. And Nope. Deb calls, and turns up 9s. She's significantly ahead at this point, but I feel confident in my ability to catch a diamond. And I do. The 9 of diamonds is the turn, and I am ROLLING. Deb pushes back, feeling like it's over, and Pauly says "you need the board to pair."

That's when I do it. Ignoring all logic about the tempting of fate and pissing into the wind, I utter those fateful words "or the last nine."

River. Case 9. Runner Runner Quads. I am spanked on the nuts by the poker gods. I get a little tilty, make a stupid push into Deb AGAIN with pocket 10s when I KNOW FULL WELL she's got an Ace, with the board reading A3A3, and sure enough, my read was spot on that time. Out to sign the ranking sheet of shame.

Highlight - Eva's Long Island Iced Tea, the official consolation drink of getting busted out early.

Highlight - thank God for cash games. Now I was more intimidated sitting at the cash game than I was at the tournament! At that table, I only knew two bloggers, until Pauly got moved to us after BigMike busted out. The Cash game looked something like this:

Me (John)
G-Rob
Maudie
Frank the Tank
BadBlood
Gracie
Maigrey
TheMark
Tracy (sp?)

This has a HUGE potential to be a bloodbath, Hammers flying, Jackhammers flying, everything you could expect from a bunch of bloggers around one table.

Highlight - making a decent profit off that table after pissing away half my stack early to G-Rob.

Lowlight - Not for me, but watching G-Rob take out both Maigrey AND BadBlood in the same hand when all three catch the diamond flush. Blood has K-hi, Maigrey is a 3 away from the straight flush, and in what was to be a theme for a while, G-Rob has the nuts. My highlight in that hand was the preflop fold, my best move. Blood and Maigrey rebuy.

Highlight - calling the forthcoming suckout on FranktheTank with A8 into a board of 7 10 J when Frank pushed all-in. My words - "So it's $32 to see if I can suck out on you?"
Frank "Yep."

Turn is rag. River is Ace. Frank declines to rebuy.

Highlight - With 3 players left and 15 minutes until Mrs. Otis needs the table to set up food, TheMark asks if we want to switch to Omaha. Omaha 8, No Limit, 3-Handed. Me, TheMark, BadBlood. I have never before had so much fun playing such atrocious poker. Blind calls, blind raises, half-drunken figuring out the low, and me and TheMark getting quartered on the HIGH with 6s and Q kicker, while Blood takes the low. Total silliness and a helluva lot of fun.

That pretty much describes the day - a helluva lot of fun. I've met nicer people, but they weren't nearly as entertaining. And then the Hooters girls showed up, and it was really a party. Can't wait til next time I get a chance to meet up with those folks!