Ten Days in the Desert: Day 2
Cambodian Slick
Today was one long fucking day, and by the end of it, I developed new
respect for tournament players who sit at these tables for 24 hour
stretches and keep focused and disciplined. Today I caught myself
making bad calls and thinking "Hell, I WANT to bust out, then I can go
take a nap." Another part of my game I'm finding out needs serious
work. Watching Erik Seidel take fifteen minute naps sitting up in a
chair during breaks in the tournament really it really struck me how
physically draining sitting in a chair playing cards all day can
really be.
I started today off with a bang. I got up early, around 8am, and went
for a run around downtown Vegas. I would have ran in the gym, but the
Nugget wants $15 a day to use the exercise facilities, and I didn't
feel like doing anything other than running, which should be free
anyway. But downtown Vegas is gross and smells like stale booze and
dried hooker puke in the morning, cooking under the early morning sun.
Despite the odor, I was able to work up a sweat and energize myself
for what would become a long day of poker playing (and watching).
After doing some work and making some phone calls, I headed to
Binion's to see about playing in some of those $50 single tables.
They weren't ready to start, so I played in a very fun 1-2 no limit
game with some guys who barely knew holdem, let alone no limit. This
guy on my left would try to fold his big blind EVERY TIME and then
when we told him he just needed to check, he would then check on every
round, even if I bet into him. Why is it that whenever you get someone
like this in your game, they always seem to win all the goddamn money?
Why? I scored about a hundred bucks before I got totally bored. And
I ran into John, an old roommate of mine from Austin. It was a crazy
coincidence. It seems the Austin Poker Club had kindled his interest
in poker, and he's been playing a lot of pot-limit. Weird to run into
people who have disappeared out of your life only to find that they
ended up in some of the same places you did. John and I caught up a
while then went to watch the final table of the $3k No Limit. It was
a hell of a final 20, lasting about 9 hours. In between I found time
to play in two $50 one tables and in the Orleans Friday night no limit
tournament, and still catch the end of the action.
In one of my single-tables I ended up across the table from none other
than RGP's own greatbrit, who when I pointed out to a fellow player
that he just won with presto, merely said "oh you read rgp?" I told
him he was supposed to ask me if I knew Irwin. He said "I know, but I
wasn't sure…" I asked him if I would make it into his report for
today, and he told me I would have to "do something crazy." So I
raised him all-in with presto and said "here's something you can write
about. I'll even stand up on my chair and yell PRESTO!" But his
measly A-J off suit spiked a J and sent me packing. He shook his head
and said "That wasn't supposed to happen. You had a Group 1 hand
there." Thanks but no thanks GB. Then he proceeded to make short
work of another ‘bloke' at our table who was holding . Then he
proceeded to make short work of another ‘bloke' at our table who was
holding 55 by spiking yet another J. All of this would be fine if
there was a happy ending for our hero, but GB busted out third,
failing to use our chips and his good luck to win a seat in the super.
Im not sure I want to play in the super anyway now. After watching
John Hanley play in tonights super, I couldn't help but feel sick.
What a fucking poker warzone. Just when you cross one hurdle you're
faced with four more. And what an all in frenzy some tables were.
These things are getting big, and they are lasting longer and longer.
And John really put it best by saying "No one is playing to win. This
is just ‘last longer'." Which is true. Stories of people folding
pocket Aces abound in the later rounds of the super satellites. My
nerves can't handle it. But I'm still taking my shot tomorrow.
Nerves be damned.
And I'm not sure if John Hanley won his seat tonight or not, although
I'm rooting for him. I overheard someone say "the bad news is John is
short stacked, but the good news is that John Shipley has the chip
lead." You remember John Shipley, the guy who CALLED all in with AJ
off suit at last year's final table. The guy who left town for
England without his money, leaving it on the table. The guy who I'm
sure Robert Varkonyi will name his firstborn child after. Anyway, it
would be a shame for John Hanley to lose to a limey like John Shipley.
USA, USA, USA!
The Orleans tournament was long long long, and I still never came
close. At one point I liked my chances and had a big ol' stack,
playing real straightforward like I said I would last night. But then
I tried to bluff a guy off a pot that looked like he was ready to
surrender. Only instead of just betting a "reasonable sized bet" like
Doyle would say, I said "all-in." And he called my sorry bluff with a
full house he made on the river and hacked my stack in half, putting
my tail firmly between my legs and relegating me to the post and fold
mode until a few more tables broke up and blinds went up again. I
played for about three hours before busting out, but it felt more like
seven or eight. Maybe I was already worn out by then, I don't know.
There was this big boob girl there who I guess is a model in the
Paradise Poker print ads. She had a teeny tiny Paradise Poker baby
shirt stretched over her enormous boobs and had a box of glossy
explicit pictures of herself nearly nude that she was autographing for
people. She also had the ugliest "dog" in a louis vetton animal
carrier that she held at the table with her while she played. This
dude at my table told us that she does the same thing at the Mirage,
and once he made a comment about it to the dealer when he was asked
not to read at the table. He said "you can't read at the table but
you can have pets?" The dealer barked "You gotta problem with the
dog? Huh? Do you? Because she needs that dog for medical reasons."
Now I need to know, what possible medical reasons would you need an
old toy poodle in a louis vatton bag for? Mental disorders? Boobs
will take you far in life, girls. They will get you anything you
want. Its sad and sick, but obviously true. You should have seen all
the guys lining up to get this anonymous Paradise Poker boobie girl's
autograph. I thought about getting one for Rob for his birthday, but
couldn't bring myself to stand in her line. Sorry Rob.
Back at the WSOP, the final table had whittled itself down to three:
Seidel, Hellmuth, and Negrenau. And even though Seidel had taken
Phil's chip lead away from him before I left, somehow Phil got it back
bigtime.
Id like to take a moment now to talk shit about Phil Hellmuth if you
will allow me. This guy is a creepy fuck. I sat behind him for most
of the final table and he just moves and jerks and grunts like a damn
monster or something. And he's constantly standing up to grab at his
butt and pull his underwear out of his crack like he's mentally
retarded or something. Even after he won the tournament and was
making a speech, he was standing up there making a speech and digging
around in his butt while he talked. So weird!!! He gives me the
creeps in a major way. He laughs at things that aren't funny, and
merely grunts at other people's jokes. And when he gets talking, he
really gets wound up and is very domineering. For instance, at one
embarrassing point when the tournament was at two tables, two guys got
their chips mixed together and no one remembered who had how much. It
was really a debacle, and Matt Savage didn't seem to have the foggiest
idea what to do. Phil took charge of the situation, but did it in
such a gruff and hostile way. Its like he's oblivious to social
norms. Maybe the reason Phil has such a brilliant mind but horrible
personality is that he truly is retarded. Like an idiot savant or
something. Like Rain Man. He's got problems. We all know it. I
hope he takes his four hundred grand he won tonight and gets a top of
the line job coach or personal care aide. You know, someone to help
him change into his ultimatebet.com clothes, or wash his hair, or
order food for him, help him with his daily life and teach him how
normal people behave.
All kidding aside, he's a great poker player, and he kicked Seidel and
Negreneau's fucking asses tonight. I never once, after Seidel lost
the chip lead, thought it would go any other way. Negrenau played too
predictable and fast for Phil, and Phil punished him. Every time
Daniel would raise preflop, it seemed Phil came over the top and made
him fold. And Phil let Daniel take swipes at Erik and eventually bust
him out. It was great stuff. And even though I think he is one grade
A creepy fuck, I think he is one cool poker player for sure.
Memorable line from today:
"You know why I like the Irish, because they are men. They are real
men. A lot of these so called poker players around here are just
little girls but the Irish are real men." TJ Cloutier
"You know, watching him play, Phil Hellmuth reminds me of myself when
I was much younger." Layne Flack
"Knowing me, I'd spend all my piss money on beer." Dealer Mike, after
being told by a player that at Mardi Gras they have pay-toilets
scrubs
"Cambodian Slick" <sp...@ureach.com> wrote in message
news:72056a57.03051...@posting.google.com...
> wasn't sure." I asked him if I would make it into his report for
Johnpawn
interesting than just about anything else I read in print about the poker
world. I look forward to more in the future.
_________________________________________________________________
Posted using RecPoker.com - http://www.recpoker.com
AlwaysAware
and I will lay you odds on this bet...
> The guy who I'm
>sure Robert Varkonyi will name his firstborn child after.
does it matter he already had his first child and neither John nor Shipley are
on the BC? :-)
Joan
Chris O'Connor
Daniel Negreanu
> >
> > All kidding aside, he's a great poker player, and he kicked Seidel and
> > Negreneau's fucking asses tonight. I never once, after Seidel lost
> > the chip lead, thought it would go any other way. Negrenau played too
> > predictable and fast for Phil, and Phil punished him. Every time
> > Daniel would raise preflop, it seemed Phil came over the top and made
> > him fold.
Hmmm... you must have seen that "one hand". Honestly, the entire
final table, the entire tournament for that matter, Phil came over the
top of me exactly once. No kidding. I swear, what you described
happened exactly once; when we were heads up. I made it 25,000 on the
button with k-8 of hearts and he moved all in. I folded.
If you were playing close attention to the play, you'd notice that
the MAJORITY of pots were played with no raise. This was true once we
became three handed. Phil and I play similar styles. The slow
structure really gave both of us the opportunity to see a lot of flops
which I think we both prefer. We almost have an "unwritten rule" that
we rarely play big pots against each other pre flop.
So not that I disagree with you at all that Phil played great (he
did), it just didn't go at all how you described.
Daniel Negreanu
www.fullcontactpoker.com
Cambodian Slick
>
> Hmmm... you must have seen that "one hand". Honestly, the entire
> final table, the entire tournament for that matter, Phil came over the
> top of me exactly once. No kidding. I swear, what you described
> happened exactly once; when we were heads up. I made it 25,000 on the
> button with k-8 of hearts and he moved all in. I folded.
>
> If you were playing close attention to the play, you'd notice that
> the MAJORITY of pots were played with no raise. This was true once we
> became three handed. Phil and I play similar styles. The slow
> structure really gave both of us the opportunity to see a lot of flops
> which I think we both prefer. We almost have an "unwritten rule" that
> we rarely play big pots against each other pre flop.
> So not that I disagree with you at all that Phil played great (he
> did), it just didn't go at all how you described.
>
> Daniel Negreanu
> www.fullcontactpoker.com
hmmm... maybe i only remember one hand, but i dont think so. i wish i
took notes or something so id have something to go back to to check.
but i suppose your memory of the hands is going to be a hell of a lot
better than mine!!! all the same,i agree, there were a lot of flops
looked at. and i really think that phil wasn't letting you take
anything easy.
one thing is for sure danny... i was rooting for you and i think half
the room was too. for those of you on this newsgroup that have never
seen danny play poker before, he is for sure one of the most jovial
and likable people at the table. i really found it hard not to want
you to win, you were all smiles and pleases and thank yous and seemed
at every step of the way that you were having the time of your life.
i like that. if i was ever there, i know it would be the time of mine.
its good to know that for some tournament pros that feeling never
goes away. because some of these "all business" guys seem so
miserable and tense playing the final table. danny seems confident
and happy the whole way.
good luck and keep up the good work my man.
dave hill