WSOP Trip Report part 12, Die Another 12 outer, Bellagio $2500

Bond18 · #1 06-20-2007, 07:22 AM

WSOP Trip Report part 12, Die Another 12 outer, Bellagio $2500
Today at the WSOP is the $5000 heads up tournament which I have really have no interest in playing, so I decided to go over to the Bellagio and play their $2500 event. Every time I walk around the Bellagio I am amazed, the building is more city than casino, but a city draped in the finest of aesthetics in every aspect. The scope of the building and the land it sits on alone is absolutely enormous and awe inspiring, and the inside is about as gorgeous and well adorned as any building your likely to set foot in this life time.

I got to the Bellagio at about 12:45 for what I thought was a 1pm event, but it turns out they have changed the start times to 2pm from now, I believe to encourage players who bust from the WSOP event that day to come over and try again. When the event finally gets underway we are seated in the Fontana room which is at about 1/3 capacity. All in total the event would get about 105 entrants, with first paying a bit over $100,000. We start with a $5000 bank and 25/50 blinds, with 1 hour levels.

My original table seems to be pretty soft outside a few solid spots, such as online pro rcrane sitting on my immediately right. I have a older gentleman named George Mamarcas on my immediate left who final tabled the main event at the Ozzie Millions in 2005, and the [censored] NEVER SHUTS THE [censored] UP. For the first hour most of the pots I play are small or incredibly obvious so very little of interest happens. I try to see flops cheaply when I can and don’t get much in the way of starting hands, but thanks to hitting a set and stacking a guy with TPTK at the break I am at about 7400. At the first break I stand outside taking in the view and sun on the porch of the Fontana lounge and young player approaches me who says he’s seen me around the Rio and thinks my suits are a cool look. He obviously has excellent taste, so I chat to him for a moment before we realize we already know each other. He is 2p2’er Mastr and we hit it off discussing the hilariousness that is Chad Brown attempting to fight Aaron Been because his girlfriend has no idea how to behave at a poker table. According to his story, Chad Brown followed them to the Bellagio looking to confront Aaron after the confrontation at the Rio, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to kick some internet kid punk ass when he wasn’t able to find Aaron.

After the first break we are playing 100/200 with no ante. I try to equate most of the live tournaments I play structures to something I am used to online, and this one plays similar to a stars 109 freeze out. I try to adjust my strategy to something similar as I would play in that online forum, accept more aggressive pre and post with c bets since people fold to much. The first even semi worth mentioning hand went as follows:

With blinds/antes at 100/200 with 25 ante a fairly average player limped in UTG with about 6k. I look down at TT with 7k in MP and when folded to make it 850. It folds to the BB who is a very VERY weak guy of about 50 years old who with a 4k stack elects to reraise to 2k total. UTG folds and its back to me, and I fold without much thought.

A round or two later MP2, a fairly bad middle aged player who’s opening standards I’m not terribly sure of opens to 600. The bad/weak player on his left calls. It folds to me in the BB with AQo and I look over at the OR who has only about 2k. I decide to move all in and the OR calls, with the limper folding. The OR shows A5cc and my hand holds up, putting me around 8k.

A couple rounds after that I have been playing tight but picked up some small pots and am up to around 9 or 10k. It folds to me on the CO, and the player on the button is somewhat new to the table who has only seen me play one hand, AQ. I raise 94cc to 650 on a pure steal and the button, with about 10k, flat calls me. The blinds fold.
Flop: Qd 6d Qc
I’m pretty sure if I c bet here will basically never be given any credit. I decide to do a little FPS here and OOP float him and donk the turn, since I think a live player might give me credit for a Q playing that way. I check, he bets 800, and I call.
Turn: 6c
I quickly bet 1300 and the button mumbles something about “nice hand Mr. Q” and releases without thinking very much. I’m not really sure if I like how I played this hand, and its something I would basically never do online, but live I think he might be apt to give me more credit. IDK, I think I may post that one.

The very next hand I pick up JJ and when its folded to me make it 650 on the HJ. The CO folds and the button flat calls, as does the SB. The BB, who was the fairly weakfish player from the TT hand, now moves all in for ~4k. Even though he’s weak there’s absolutely no way I’m folding here so I move all in as well. The two cold callers fold and the BB flips up 77. My JJ holds up and I’m now at roughly ~15k. A few hands later we go on break where I again take in the excellent view from the Fontana lounge porch.

Coming back from the break I lose about 3k playing some small pots where very little interesting happened. About half an hour into the 200/400 with 25 ante level the following hand comes up:

We are 8 handed and the player in MP2 who is very bad/loose but has almost 40k from being a station and bluffing at somehow, all the right times, limps in for 400. It folds to me on the CO with a 12k stack with Ad Qd and I make it 1600. The button/blinds fold and the bad player calls.

Flop: 4d 6d 7h
MP2 leads out 1600 and I briefly think things over before moving all in. I’ve got a pretty tight image at this point, especially when it comes to committing all my chips, so I’m expecting a lot of folds. Also, I’ve seen him donk out on a lot of players and fold to their raises. Instead of what I was expecting, he takes only about 3 seconds before calling and flips up Ah 7c. Awesome, he is obviously destroying my range there.
Turn: Js
River: 3c

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK, one time dude, OOOOOOOOOOOOOONE time! I politely wish the remaining players good luck and wander over to Mastr’s table to tell him what happened. It is apparently a little known secret at the Bellagio that if you ask the floor men nicely while in the tournament they will give you a $15 voucher for the buffet, and from what the dealer told me, sometimes 2 if you say you have a friend with you. I imagine tipping the floor man you ask would be of good help in this instance.

I wander over to the Bellagio buffet (which is absolutely delicious btw, and I normally don’t care for buffet’s) and as I’m about to be seated Mastr shouts out “Bond!” behind me and quips “Dude! I am busto!” Oh well, while 2p2 may have blanked the Bellagio tournament, we certainly dominated that buffet.

Later that night I would call up Stevepa again and ask him how he was doing in preparation for more money begging. I believe at this point I am the only member of team Stevix that is without cash in Vegas this summer so despite Steve’s/Timex’s relaxed attitude with me, I at the least, perceive the pressure to be on. Tomorrow is a 5k event at the Bellagio which I will again be playing and at worst resulting in a trip to the Bellagio buffet. Also, I have convinced (read: nagged) A_Junglen into coming out to visit which I am quite excited for as I intend to mooch the knowledge sitting in his brain to attempt to get me out of this rut. Perhaps a visit from coach Asian sensation can get my head in the right place and variance on my side.

Here's hoping, Bond18.