Middle Bit
Well my wire transfer never got verified at the Rio but I still managed to play my two WSOP events for the trip, the 2000NL on Wednesday and the 5000PL yesterday.
The poker room isn’t quite so stark as it used to be, they’ve subdued the lighting a little and there are big poster pictures of all the past main event winners hanging on the walls to break up the monotonous view.
Halfway through level 2 in the NL event I made it 300 to go with J-J UTG. The busy guy who had already doubled up re-raised to 800. That I liked, what I didn’t like was a young guy smooth calling from the BB.
I called the 500 and couldn’t decide whether I was happy or sad to see an A,K,J flop. The kid checked, I checked and the busy guy pushed 8000 all in to a 2500 pot. The kid called pretty quickly for 3000 and I pondered the fate of my last 3000. I’d love to be able to say I passed, but I’d be lying. Busy guy had A-K, young guy had the aces, end of.
I had a much better run in the 5000PL, getting the gambling calls and re-raises just about right. Willie Tann was on my starting table and we traded plenty of blows but the biggest pot I snagged was on my second table with John Hennigan two to my left.
I discovered pretty quickly that he loves to re-raise and I’d already laid down J-10 on a ten high flop after leading into him.
A few hands later he raised UTG, I flat called with J-J and the tight BB called too. I checked the 5,8,9 flop the BB led for 2500 and JH made it 10k with 5k back. Pretty sure he had zilch, I pushed for 18k and quickly realised I may have boo booed when the BB eventually called after like a two minute dwell. JH, I was at least pleased to see, looked pretty sick too but called for his last 5k. He flipped up A-10, the BB 5-8, both of which were irrelevant once I’d hit trips on the turn.
I pretty much hovered around the 40k mark for next few levels but after the dinner break not a lot went right; I made it 3200 with 10-10, one caller. I checked the J,J,4 flop, he checked to. I bet 5500 when a 3 hit, he called. I checked the 7, he checks behind and I nearly fell off my chair when he shows J-Q. Nice play sir.
I dribble a bit more then raise on the button with A-Q and as I’d suspected he would the BB re-raises, in it goes, he has tens, no help.
$2-5 cash at the Mirage has been my bread and butter game and its been fun building $5 towers. I’m not completely sure that all Americans understand the concept of pot odds. I mean it wouldn’t be my strongest suit but I do have a feel for it; two or three times over here though I’ve been in a pot, and lets say there’s $400 in the pot on the river. Geezer bets $100, I make it $300 and all he’s apparently concerned about is the fact that it’s like, ‘Wow, you bet another 200 bucks!’, never mind that there’s $800 in there. The weak ones, and there are many, will lay down some big hands if the last bet is big enough.
Eats-wise the 9” pork loin with sweet potato at Caesar’s Mesa Grill was as good as recommended and the Milky one and I shared some quick eats and tales of daring-do at Buzio’s over at the Rio during the 5k dinner break.
I don't plan on playing any of the other comps at the Rio until I return for the main event in July. I'll wind the trip down with a couple of games at the Venetian and then I'll hit the first of the Bellagio festival events on Monday.