Barring the odd blog or two I haven't followed events too much whilst back here at home. Reports of a special 10-handed final to accommodate a short stacked Hellmuth and yet another ridiculous structure in the PLO re-buy event really don't endear the WSOP to me.
As planned, I haven't played live since Vegas but I have been getting stuck into that most excellent Cardrunners site. This of course means that I have been dabbling online and to be honest I've quite enjoyed it and feel that I can at least see how it should be done....just give me some time.
During the week I had a pretty good run on the $2/4 tables working $600 up to $2800 before the lot went in a day; some unfocused play, couple of beats, induced chasing.
What continues to amaze me is just how easily I can steam whilst online. I mean, I'm a fairly sensible guy, but on an online table the smallest thing gets me all hot and bothered. The brother phoned up just as I was starting a session and we had to chuckle when I confessed to feeling tilty before I'd even played a hand, sigh.
I am at least glad to report that over the week I kind of got a handle on it, there's just a few rules I need to abide by. I know a few perpetual steamers, successful ones too, Grundy springs to mind, I must bend his ear next week to see how he handles it.
The thoughts of escaping this brutal summer are most pleasing and I'm really looking forward to hitting Vegas again next week. I get in the day before the Main Event starts, there's a Crypto party that evening over at the Palm's and I'll pop over to the Rio beforehand, where hopefully I can choose day 1c whilst buying in, freeing me up to play the $2500 at the Bellagio Cup on Friday.
Aye, I got it all planned out.

End Game
No I didn't stop at the Wynn, but it is one of my favourite buildings and I just had to take a few pictures; I just love that look. That minimalist exterior sets you up for a fall though, as the interior is your safe bet, bog standard mock regency or some other such period re-hash. The Palms is the only casino I've been to in Vegas where the contemporary exterior ties in with what lies inside.
Onto the poker then and I closed out the trip with a $500 and a $1000 at the Venetian and Monday’s $1500 at the Bellagio. I didn‘t get any scores on the doors but really do feel the trip has restored some confidence back in my game and already I’m looking forward to July’s return leg. I’m getting chips again and have been playing my small and big stacks well and, the fact that out of nine comps, I only managed one final for the smallest of cashes isn’t bothering me as much as I’d have thought it would.
Personally, a big advantage over here is being an anonymous face again and I’m sure that has had something to do with my ability to once again garner chips; sometimes on home turf it feels like I only have to look at a pot to get someone reaching for chips - something that by now, I really should be able to take advantage of…
I moved up to the $5-10NL tables at the Bellagio and fared a lot better than when I’d played the $2-5 there, booking two out three winning sessions. Money-wise then, playing nine comps I booked a loss of $6310 and in eight cash game sessions I booked a $2445 profit. I as good as free-rolled in the two WSOP events I played thanks to William Hill which means that I’m $3865 down on the ten day trip - well worth the punt.
On Saturday evening myself, the Green/Sherwood combo and John Dwyer headed up to Aureole at the Mandalay Bay, where we all had the tasting menu with a wine pairing for each of the seven courses, mmm, hic. It was good, just lacked a bit of atmosphere, which was odd for what you would expect to be their busiest evening. Of course Martin then insisted we all donate another $200 to further his sick dice habit, I mean cunning, just as yet unprofitable strategy.
I also sampled a superb crab and shrimp salad followed by the duck at the Venetian’s Aquaknox with Frode, Jan Sjavik and Andy Ward on Monday evening and it was MGM’s Craftsteak with Milky, Gryko and Ali Masterman the following evening where I got to taste my first Kobe ribeye - alas, superb as it was I could only manage half of it. Feeling very, very full at this stage it was all too much when the waiters then loaded the table with complimentary desserts, no doubt entirely due to leaving Gryko in charge of the wine list.
The Bellagio has been a very pleasant hotel to stop at, my only gripe is that there’s no cheap eats, a Dunkin Donuts or Subway nearby, for that quick fix in between meals.
I don’t plan on lifting a card in the three weeks I’ve got at home and with a bit of luck I can run a little better out here in July.

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.

Early Doors
It’s day 3 over here now and I’m averaging a comp a day with two or three hours of early morning $2-5. Typically, when at home with the boys waking us at around 6am I dream of a week away with uninterrupted sleep…once away though it never seems to work out - too much excitement I guess.
I haven’t even played at the Rio yet and already it’s winding me up. A simple $17k wire transfer that has left its English account remains unfindable in the chaos that is the registration desk. I’ve already been down there twice which involved four taxis and an hour of queuing and the best they can do is give me a phone number of the woman who can sort it out, the only problem is she doesn’t want to answer her phone.
It gets worse; Nick Gibson told me about the $5k omaha with re-buys that he played on Monday. They took 6% of every re-buy and the blinds started at 100/200 - mind bogglingly stupid.
I got a result in the daily $1000 at the Bellagio yesterday which rather frustratingly just keeps me even on the trip. I played well but the final was a flat affair for me and I eventually went out eighth calling Martin Green’s push with 7-7. We were both low with 25k at 1500/3000/500 and I guess I knew I was racing…I was and he went on to get second with Rob Sherwood squeaking into sixth.
During the comp I was reminded what it is that I love about the game:
Four tables out I’m running well with 30k, double average. New guy sits on my left with 30k, brash, talking it up, mirrored sunglasses, raises the first two pots at the table and then it’s his BB, my SB.
One limper for 600, I make it up with A-10, he checks. I check the K,10,6 flop, he leads for 2k, limper passes I call.
I check the 8 on the turn, he pushes in 7k. I call.
River comes a 9, I check, he pushes 20k all-in, stares hard at me and gets up and leaves the table. The dealer calls him back, I comment that he can only make that move with the nuts and he immediately calls a clock. There’s a little bit of a commotion when I complain that I haven’t even had a minute yet and then when I ask the guy if he’s gonna whoop it up if he wins, Thang the floor man tells me I can’t talk during the hand.
Of course I did call and he flipped up a J-6. So sweet, it felt like the whole table wanted to shake my hand.
The Venetian are also running a very nice festival with good chips - I played the six hundred runner $340 on Monday and four hours in two thirds of the field had gone, but my inability to chuck A-Q meant the winners $52k wasn’t gonna be in my back pocket.
Food-wise I haven’t crossed any joints off my list yet, but it was an off-strip steak at Del Frisco’s with Iwan and big Trev on Monday (good wine, but walker crisps with onions on wouldn’t be my favourite side dish with a $40 filet) and then much merriment was had at the Bellagio’s pan-asian Sensi last night with Channing, Sherwood, Green, Frode and Muzza, the Green/Channing combo then costing me a further $200 when we spotted TJ on the dice tables…

Here Comes The Summer
...and summer these days means Vegas. I'm doing a two-trip jaunt this year, more travelling but hopefully less burnout.
The plans for next week include at least two events at the Rio, the $5000PL and a $2000NL. In between I reckon I'll be found at either the Bellagio (where I'm staying) or over the road at the Venetian, both of which are running parallel festivals.
Good old sausage, mash and beans is this evenings last meal of choice at home in England and whilst away, I've got a short list of foodie-recommendations that I'm aiming to trough my way through:
The Grand Cafe at the Venetian, Nero's at Caesars, Chinese Grill at Mandalay Bay, Gallagher's Steakhouse at New York New York and Hugo's at the Four Queens - do please nudge me if anyone fancies joining in or has any suggestions for the list.
I had a great weekend in Drogheda at Mike Lacey's Green Joker Poker festival, playing the €1000, €500 and €300 events; once again, I couldn't hit a barn door in any of them but earned some slightly overdue wages hitting everything else in the lively side games. I should also point out that the Guinness they served next door went down a treat and that, coupled with the excellent structures means that it's very likely I'll return.
A big well done to Jen Mason, the original Blonde updater who appeared to win the main event with all the ease of a seasoned pro and I also noticed two of the good guys, Jeff Kimber and Dan Carter, got heads-up in the WHUPC in Barcelona last week...oh boy would I liked to have seen Dan, in his school uniform, getting the better of the Devilfish, titter, titter.