Caesar's Palace ($330 Buy-In Tournament)

I am blogging this from the airport about to head back to Tampa, so I figured I would catch up on updates. Yesterday (Monday) we played in the Caesars Palace $330 buy in tournament. Me, Adrian, Mark, and Monica all ended up at the same table, so it kind of made it difficult to obtain chips when almost half the table came there with you.

The tournamnet has a great structure 40 minute blinds, so that you have plenty of time to wait for hands if that's how you want to play. There was a guy from Hollywood there named Jose, and he talkes more than I do. Apparently he plays at the Hard Rock in Tampa all the time and knows everybody there.

Well there was a lot of folding early as our table started late because there was not dealer button and they had to find one, but I picked up and I raised to $150 (Blinds were 25/50) everyone folded and I collected the blinds. I didn't get inolved in a lot of pots as the table was somewhat passive aggressive, this guy in a Miami Dolphins Jersey kept making crazy raises sometimes 10 to 15 times the big blind. I was hoping to look down and have a monster to re-raise him with, but that didn't happen. Then I pickup under the gun, and I decide to limp. It was probably a mistake to do that but I was hoping that "Dan Marino" would raise a crazy amount so I could shove all-in on him, but he just called. Jose also called. The flop came I miss the flop completely, so I decide to check. "Dan Marino" checks as well and Jose also checks, I am getting an odd feeling about this action so far, the next card comes I decide to lead out with a bet of $350 (which was too much) to try and take control of the hand, but I had the feeling I wouldn't be seeing those chips again. "Dan Marino" instantly declares re-raise to $1500 (Overbet in my opinion), and Jose pushes all-in (Marino has him covered). I of course fold, and Marino eventually calls and shows 2-pair Queens and 9's, while Jose shows King Jack off suit for a straight. The river card doesn't improve Marino's hand and Jose doubles up.

There was a myriad of hands that Adrian, Mark, and Monica played one notable hand Mark's pocket Kings were cracked by Jose when he made a set of Jacks on the flop. Mark didn't go broke, but he lost a lot of chips.

I am then dealt under the gun once again, and I decide to play them cute and just limp. A few people follow me into the pot for the cheap price (I was hoping for a raise from Dan Marino). The action gets around to Monica who is directly on my right, and she raises it to $800 (How dare she!!!!), I decide to fold my hand as I gave her credit for at least Ace King, and everyone else folded as well.

Adrian doubled up through Jose when he made 2-Pair over Jose's top pair, then right before the break Adrian raises to $750 Jose calls!! The ironic think about this is we all had a discussion about playing hands before the break not 30 minutes before the tournament started, and we all were waiting for the chance to see Adrian display what he was talking about. Jose decides to call the $750, I forgot what the flop was but I believe Adrian led out with a bet of $1000 and Jose re-raised him all-in. Adrian deliberated and folded, then said he had AK, Jose flips over Pocket Aces what bad luck. The action in that hand is a little off but the hands were correct.

Adrian gets knocked out by Jose shortly after the break, and Mark having been crippled on a hand pushed from the short stack and was knocked out. Then re-raised Jose pre-flop, he deliberated a bit and decided to put her all-in she called and flips over while Jose shows Monica is in the lead but Jose hits one of his cards on the flop and her hand doesn't improve and she gets knocked out.

At this point I am being blinded out slowly, I am running card dead and the blinds are about to reach a critical level. I am under the gun again and I look down to see those cards looked like a million bucks to me so I shoved all in for my remaining $2675 I get one caller who has and I flop a straight to end it, I doubled up which was much needed and one of the other guys at the table actually had the same hand I did but he folded because of my all-in. Now I feel like I still need to gain about $2000 more chips to get comfortable.

I am dealt in the big blind and a player who just came to the table pushed all-in for $1925. This foreight player from Italy (who looked just like Joe Rogan lol) says "call" I don't really like calling an all-in with thi shand but I feel I may be able to push Bizzaro Joe Rogan off of his hand and isolate the all in, then even if Joe Rogan calls I am not that bad of a dog unless he has Ace King or Ace Queen, and I still have the flush and straight possibilities that could materialize. So, I shove all in which leads to it being $3500 more for Rogan to call. He thinks for a long time staring me down and I smile at him and say nice shirt, but he doesn't get it because he's foreign lol. He eventually calls and he flips over I am blogging this from the airport about to head back to Tampa, so I figured I would catch up on updates. Yesterday (Monday) we played in the Caesars Palace $330 buy in tournament. Me, Adrian, Mark, and Monica all ended up at the same table, so it kind of made it difficult to obtain chips when almost half the table came there with you.

The tournamnet has a great structure 40 minute blinds, so that you have plenty of time to wait for hands if that's how you want to play. There was a guy from Hollywood there named Jose, and he talkes more than I do. Apparently he plays at the Hard Rock in Tampa all the time and knows everybody there.

Well there was a lot of folding early as our table started late because there was not dealer button and they had to find one, but I picked up and I raised to $150 (Blinds were 25/50) everyone folded and I collected the blinds. I didn't get inolved in a lot of pots as the table was somewhat passive aggressive, this guy in a Miami Dolphins Jersey kept making crazy raises sometimes 10 to 15 times the big blind. I was hoping to look down and have a monster to re-raise him with, but that didn't happen. Then I pickup under the gun, and I decide to limp. It was probably a mistake to do that but I was hoping that "Dan Marino" would raise a crazy amount so I could shove all-in on him, but he just called. Jose also called. The flop came I miss the flop completely, so I decide to check. "Dan Marino" checks as well and Jose also checks, I am getting an odd feeling about this action so far, the next card comes I decide to lead out with a bet of $350 (which was too much) to try and take control of the hand, but I had the feeling I wouldn't be seeing those chips again. "Dan Marino" instantly declares re-raise to $1500 (Overbet in my opinion), and Jose pushes all-in (Marino has him covered). I of course fold, and Marino eventually calls and shows 2-pair Queens and 9's, while Jose shows King Jack off suit for a straight. The river card doesn't improve Marino's hand and Jose doubles up.

There was a myriad of hands that Adrian, Mark, and Monica played one notable hand Mark's pocket Kings were cracked by Jose when he made a set of Jacks on the flop. Mark didn't go broke, but he lost a lot of chips.

I am then dealt under the gun once again, and I decide to play them cute and just limp. A few people follow me into the pot for the cheap price (I was hoping for a raise from Dan Marino). The action gets around to Monica who is directly on my right, and she raises it to $800 (How dare she!!!!), I decide to fold my hand as I gave her credit for at least Ace King, and everyone else folded as well.

Adrian doubled up through Jose when he made 2-Pair over Jose's top pair, then right before the break Adrian raises to $750 Jose calls!! The ironic think about this is we all had a discussion about playing hands before the break not 30 minutes before the tournament started, and we all were waiting for the chance to see Adrian display what he was talking about. Jose decides to call the $750, I forgot what the flop was but I believe Adrian led out with a bet of $1000 and Jose re-raised him all-in. Adrian deliberated and folded, then said he had AK, Jose flips over Pocket Aces what bad luck. The action in that hand is a little off but the hands were correct.

Adrian gets knocked out by Jose shortly after the break, and Mark having been crippled on a hand pushed from the short stack and was knocked out. Then re-raised Jose pre-flop, he deliberated a bit and decided to put her all-in she called and flips over while Jose shows Monica is in the lead but Jose hits one of his cards on the flop and her hand doesn't improve and she gets knocked out.

At this point I am being blinded out slowly, I am running card dead and the blinds are about to reach a critical level. I am under the gun again and I look down to see those cards looked like a million bucks to me so I shoved all in for my remaining $2675 I get one caller who has and I flop a straight to end it, I doubled up which was much needed and one of the other guys at the table actually had the same hand I did but he folded because of my all-in. Now I feel like I still need to gain about $2000 more chips to get comfortable.

I am dealt in the big blind and a player who just came to the table pushed all-in for $1925. This foreign player from Italy (who looked just like Joe Rogan lol) says "call" I don't really like calling an all-in with thi shand but I feel I may be able to push Bizzaro Joe Rogan off of his hand and isolate the all in, then even if Joe Rogan calls I am not that bad of a dog unless he has Ace King or Ace Queen, and I still have the flush and straight possibilities that could materialize. So, I shove all in which leads to it being $3500 more for Rogan to call. He thinks for a long time and calls then he flips over the short stack flips over I am feeling good because it's a race, there is no Ace to worry about so both my cards are live against Rogan. Even if the short stack wins if my hand improves I still go up about $2000 in chips. The flop comes (YESSSS!!!) (NOOOO!!!!!) Joe Rogan jumps up and does some Italian cheer that was Gibberish LOL. I don't catch a club on the river and I am knocked out of the tournament.

Afterwards like Adrian said in his blog on it, we all went and ate freaking Pizza, I had two slices this time (I binge eat when I don't cash in a poker tournament!!!) I think I played ok, but I made a few decisions that probably werent the best move as I was playing some hands too cute not raising with them pre-flop and being too clever for my own good. But I liked the aggression I showed later even though I was knocked out, it took a lot for Bizzaro Rogan to make that call.