$340 Caesars NL Holdem and $340 Rio NL Holdem

I played about 12 hours of tournament poker today to net a $20 loss. Yeah, I am awesome, good times, good times.

I played the $340 Megastack at Caesars again today as it has such a great structure. I tried to open up my game a lot for the firs two hours mixing it up and seeing a ton of flops. Well, I had lots of playable hands and didn't really hit a lot but kept my chips around starting stack. So, I hover between 10k to a high of 17k for 6 hours when a stack just a bit shorter than me decides it is now go time and make a button steal all-in raise when I am in the small blind. I look down and find a9 and as I am getting short myself make the call and he rolls over 97. Sweet, dominating hand....oh wait they don't just give you the chips for having the best preflop hand. Flop comes T62 and I say quickly, oh you picked up a couple more outs, boom 8 on the turn and he makes a straight and I am done. Lovely, another tournament ends where I get in crushing my opponent.

I decide to get over to the Rio to give the $340 evening tourney there a shot as it looked like a half assed decent tournament and I expected the play to be weak. Well, my god the play was like sitting in a $10 sit and go on party poker. Some of these people were just beyond awful at my table, I don't think the overall field was that bad but I got a great table draw. I double up real early and continue to build chips and am sitting around 21k when average is about 8k. This older guy with an "Uncle Ron" visor that is signed by tons of poker pros sits at my table. One of these old buggers that just loves poker but has no grasp for how to play it well. He is what I sometimes to refer to as a blackjack poker player, they see two cards that add up to 20 and think they have already won. Anyways, this guy just sucks out on Ak with a9 on a k92 flop when a 9 turns. He says something to the effect of, yeah if I have a hand I get it in, I don't wait I put my money in when I have hands. Next hand the blinds I believe are now 200/400 and he limps from middle/late position screaming weakness. A short stack jams all in right behind him for about $2700 and I look down and find AQ and think I am in decent shape and decide to make the call thinking Uncle Ron will fold easily. Well, Ole Unkie Ron starts counting out chips and I say what are you doing? You know you are behind why are you getting involved. He says I am winning, I call...and then proceeds to tell me that he will check. Now, he is out of position and I would be first to act so I am going to do whatever the hell I want and we are certainly not at that point in the tournament where checking down a hand to try and both knockout an all in makes sense. The flop comes AJ9 all clubs and I do not have the Qc. I check to him as I have some worry that he has a decent piece of this flop. Turn is another 9 and I decide to fire out 4k into a 9kish pot and he calls super fast. The river is a blank 4d and I check to him. He declares all in and actually has me covered in chips. I think for quite some time as it is about 14k for me to call when the blinds are still only 200/400. I finally call thinking the only hand I am scared of is Aj, he rolls over KcTs and had total air drawing at the clubs. He was no longer very talkative and no longer made any comments to the effect of "I warn you, I'll take you down if you don't check" kinda bullshit. Thanks Uncle Ron you basically handed me a cash in a tournament within the first 4 levels. I have 40k when average is under 10k. For the next 3 hours I am pretty card dead and there are so many short stacks going all in I am basically forced to sit and wait. Eventually I bleed to below average as we get into the money. The tourney paid 27 spots with bottom rung paying $660 and first over 16k. With 20 left I am about half of average but my stack is close to 10x the bb when I look down at AsQs. Under the gun player raises, now this is a guy I havent played with for more than two rotations, but we are now 6 handed and I decide it is time to make a stand and pump all-in. I am happy when there is no snap call from him and eventually he begrudgingly calls with QJ. OK, so another all where I am dominating the opponent. 50k chip pot and the flop is 982....great when is the 10 coming? Turn 9 river 10,yup there it fucking is, just like clockwork. So, instead of being average and about to be at final two tables I am out for bottom rung money. Win that hand I have a very legitimate shot at the top 3 in my mind as the overall calibre of play is quite brutal.

I would certainly recommend this as an evening tourney for people while they are in town for the WSOP. It had 227 entrants, 5k starting chips, and half hour levels. It gets fairly shooterish in the middle, but the play is so obviously bad it is well worth the investment.

As for tomorrow, I may rip up some online all day or I may go play the $500 Megastack at Caesars at noon. I am leaning towards Megastack as I really feel I am due to break through and have a day where I actually get some cards and have my hands hold. I was thinking back and I have played close to 20 hours of tournament holdem without every holding QQ or KK, now that just isn't right. So, tomorrow I will likely bust with QQ or KK and have to remember to be careful what I wish for.

On another not the Rio was able to get two 2/5 plo8 games going while I was playing the tournament but they had already broke up by 1:30am when I busted the tourney.