VPC Went Vegas 2014: Day 2. Insufficient Poker.

It’s still dark when I wake and that’s all I need to know. After three Vegas trips I have come to terms witch the fact that I can’t sleep in this town without sleeping pills. It’s 7 AM so that was at least 2,5 hours of power sleep. I feel fine though and that is all that matters. I hop into the shower and by 07:30 the ATM tells me the following disturbing message; ‘Insufficient Funds’. Well. F*ck.

I find Wifi and check my bank account app and happily find out the machine is full of **** but that doesn’t mean it’s willing to spit out cash at the second attempt. I sip a Vanilla Latte in the Sports book waiting for Hugo to show up and listen to Iebus who still can’t comprehend that; ‘the 70 year old who’d called down with any two called him on that last hand’. I make him repeat the sentence a couple of times before he gets it.

Unfortunately Hugo is experiencing the same bank problem and now we are in kind of a hassle. My first ATM bullet is pretty much intact so I don’t need much to buy into the Championship Event but Hugo is playing the event as well and he check called his first ATM bullet down to pretty much ziltch.

We try again at Casino Royale where the ATM only charges a single buck for not giving us money. It’s unclear what the problem is. Iebus banks at the same bank as Hugo and I and he had no problems pulling out a second batch of dollars last night. Hugo can’t get cash out of his credit card either but Iebus manages to muster up a K from his credit card so that get us rollin’ for the day. Baars squeezes out a K of the machine as well and is so happy he welcomes the crispy new dollars with a kiss.

We head to Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood for breakfast. I’d never had a sandwich from there and I’ve heard good thing about the joint so we checked it out. They did not lie. The sandwich was awesome and the size was perfect. We head back to Caesars and score a ticket for the Champion Ship event. Only 48 runners so far. It’s 11:35 already and the tourney starts at noon so Hugo and I hurry back to Mirage to get our gear. However, we go through the Forum Shops en get lost horribly. We end up at some parking lot where a cabbie tries to point us in he right directions but out internal compasses as jetlagged as well we get lost once more.

It’s going to be al late entrance but with 40 minute levels and a 300BB stack there’s is not much to worry about. Back in my room in the Mirage I do some breathing exercises that should help me feel better. I’m currently working with a physiotherapist that thinks this stuff will help and I’m not feeling good today so I give it a serious try. I grab my sunglasses and headphones soon after and head back to Caesars.

Today is my first live poker tournament in about a year. I had a lot on my mind last year and with my poor poker mindset it didn’t seem wise to play a lot of poker. I’m not nervous or anything and it feels like I never left the tournament felt. My table seems fine. No young kids 3 betting tons but mostly old timers limping as if their life depended on it. I’m fairly active but no big pots happen until the end of level 2 when I play my first big hand.

I open AcKh on the cutoff for 500 at 100/200. Both small and big blind come along for the ride as they have on every single occasion I opened from LP. Flop comes 6c8cQh. I check back the flop which I don’t like to much in hindsight. Turn coms the 4c and SB bets pot with 1500. BB calls without much thought and I tank call. River bricks and SB bet 2K into 6K. BB calls and I make it 8k for a lovely bare Ace bluff.

SB tanks forever and folds. BB tanks forever and calls tabling TJ of clubs for the flush. I’m pretty sure my bluff would have gone through if the SB didn’t tank forever making it rather obvious he was folding a flush. Down to 20k going into 150/300 so there is nothing to worry about yet. I’m feeling pretty ****ty though so I decide to start drinking. It’s no less than 17 levels of 40 minutes today so drinking is probably not the greatest idea but I feel much better slightly drunk so I go with the less wise and more fun option.

Next fun hand I open K3o in the cut-off for 900 at 200/400 and the same SB comes along for the ride. I c-bet 1200 on J88 two spades and get called quickly. SB donks 3k on the ace of spades turn. I call. SB checks the whatever river to me and I bet 5.4k to make him fold bluffs that still beat me. He folds and I show. He laughs it away by saying I had the best hand. I tell him I was value betting and he shuts up. Good to see I can still spew hard.

Not much happens thereafter. Mostly card dead and I find myself with ~ 25k at 500/1k when an active player opens 2K from MP. One caller and I ship AQ all-in from the cut-off. The SB overcalls for 10K. MP insta folds and our limper tank calls. SB has 9Th. Limper has AKo. Really? I can’t bink a queen and that was that. $ 560,- lit on fire.

Hugo has decent chips with about 80K and I can’t figure out when Hugo is due for dinner break so I head back to Mirage and let Hugo shoot me a text when he goes on break. Needless to say the text rolls in pretty much when I put my keycard in the door… It’s funny that you still misjudge distances in Vegas. Hugo want a quick bite so I suggest pizza and immediately think of the ‘secret pizza’ place in Cosmo that I read about in the Casual Dining tread. Cosmo is only two casino’s to our right shouldn’t be much more than a 10 minute walk right? Wrong. The 25 minute walk leaves with 10 minute to find the damn place but it’s called ‘secret pizza’ for reason. I knew it was on third floor but we still can’t find it until we spot some hotties with a slice and ask for directions. The pizza was awesome and made this hasty trip worth it’s while.

Hugo’s of to pokers again so I text Bozzie and Iebus because these gentlemen accompanied Baars to the Hard Rock Hotel and AVN Awards today. Baars has been raving about the AVN Awards – Adult Video News – for months now. Iebus and Bozzie are back at the Mirage but leaving the Porn Stars and his Black Jack Switch game that had him stuck a couple of WSOP side events was no option for our beloved Baars. Below is a short video of the VPC at the AVN. Slightly NSFW.

I play some cash games at the Mirage but I’ve slept 2,5 hours in the past 70+ hours so a little shuteye seems appropriate despite the fact that is 11PM on a Saturday in Vegas. Bedtime.