The AC Trip and Vince Van Patton.
I left down $1k from the AC trip. However, I view it as a complete sucess!
First day I decide I'm gonna play $10-25 NL. I sit down on a shorthanded table with what seemed like some formidable foes. My first hand I'm involved with I pull off a nice 3 street bluff with the nut draw... I was pretty sure he was also drawing and I got him out when everything missed on the river.
I raise up
5 handed UTG. MP, LP and BB calls.
FLOP$300
[Tc][6c]
BB hesitates.. asks how many are in the pot then leads for $250. His hand shakes just a tiny bit as his bet is placed. I'm already worried. I opt just to call to keep the pot small because of that nagging gut feeling.
TURN $800
[Tc][6c]
He leads for $1k. My gut says.. "Fold!, Fold! Fold!" I try fighting but finally overcome it and let the hand go. He arrogantly shows me one card, the
. I get up from the table as if I'm tilting... and go over to celebrate with Bri!! His deuce confirmed my initial instinct of a made flush.
Another tough one:
[Js]. I make it $75. LP who hasn't been terribly active makes it $225 straight. I consider reraising but call.
FLOP$450
[Jc][Qc]
I check, he makes it $200. I call.
TURN$ 850
[Jc][Qc]
I lead for $700 with like $1500 behind. (Had a realized the pot was 850 I just would have bet 1k. oh well.) He thinks forever and folds.
Fun:
Good Asian player raises it up. I call on the button with
[8d]. An MP limper comes along.
FLOP$300
[6h][9s]
MP checks. Asian makes it $200. I don't think he has it.. I make it $600 and they both muck.
After some bad luck.. including a gutshot loss which I actually saved $600 I left for dinner. After I left Allen Cunningham, Robert Varconi, and Phil Lakk sat down at that table. They were just waiting for the good player to bust apparently.
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I opted to play 5/10 after dinner for a bit since $10-25 is a little out of my bankroll.
I build my stack up with some nice marginal value bets. As I'm flirting it up with the "ok" professional poker chick I get AA. A guy on tilt calls me with K3 and busts me on a K63 board. I then rebuy for $1k and the table breaks up. I move to another table.
I won some CB hands and then get a monster... A6 suited. There are a bunch of callers and a small raise. I opt to call from the SB.
FLOP$150
[8c][2d]
Checks to the button (rockish player) who makes it $100. I decide I have the worst of it but can take it down. I make it $300. Asian player who couldn't get back into the 10-25 cold calls. He's a good player from what I saw at 10/25. Also has a good time at the poker table which is cool.
Button thinks for like 2 minutes.. asks me how much I have and mucks.
TURN$850
[8c][2d]
I like that card but I was very scared of the Asian player's cold call. I check; he checks behind.
RIVER $850
[8c][2d]
Gin! Unless he has A8 or quads. I decide 300 is the right amount. I think he may have a lower boat or possibly a pair of 8s. He thinks for literally 5 minutes and finally calls. shows me
[5d].
The monster fun hand
----
Dealt
[Qs] in MP. I opt to limp. Everyone limps behind me and the SB who is a little loose but plays with the goods in big pots makes it $75 to go. Ton of callsers I come along.
FLOP$350
[7s][6h]
Raiser bets $300. Folded around to me. I hesitate for a bit. I know what I'm going to do
. I say, "I raise you about $2000. I'm allin." I can't quite count the chips right.. the dealer does it for me... $2100 more to you sir.
Other players from other tables come to watch. The asian guy wakes up behind me on the button and says "Fuck! I have a good draw! A real good draw!" Muck.
Back to raiser "Fuck! I can't call $2100! This is all my profit for the day! You better not have Jacks, you better not have jacks." He mucks KK face up.
I show him the
[Qs]. Player across from me: "You have balls kid. Balls of steel."
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Next day we didn't go but hit the strip club. Another story for another time. Bri and I go back on monday.
I wait on a waiting list for 5/10 for about an hour.... they announce open seating for $10-25 and I'm like hell with it. I can beat the game. I sit down next to a guy that looks just like Vince Van Patton. I say hello to him. We start talking about Cancun and mexican girls and shit. I tell him I plan on losing my meager $2500 stack in about an hour.
First hand of the session:
Dealt
[Qd] in the BB. Sb limps. I make it another 75 to go and he calls.
FLOP$ 150
[8h][3c]
he checks. I bet $100. He check-raises to $300. I already decide he does not have it. I call.
TURN$750
[8h][3c]
He leads for $500. I push for whatever I had left and he mucked.
After some more hand I had $3300 leading to this hand:
I'm dealt QQ UTG. I raise it up, get reraised and call.
FLOP$450
[Th][4s]
He leads for $400. I decide to call and pop turn.
TURN$1250
[Th][4s]
He leads for $800. I'm not so sure I have the best hand anymore.. but I have the straight draw as well now and I opt to push. He calls with his 2 out 9s
. I don't improve.
I'm not very bothered by it but I need to count my money and see if I have enough to rebuy. I was talking to Bri in between this time and he says something about "Vince." So I ask the guy I had been chatting with, "Excuse me, are you Vince Van Patton?" He smiles and responds "yes!" He was obviously very happy to be recgonized. I told him I appreicated the work he did on the WPT and that I really enjoyed the show. He thanked me.. but then I had to make the LONG walk back to the car for more money.
I come back and the table is 9 handed. And the stupid waiitress took my rum and coke away!
I beat Vince out in a pot in the early going when my BB made a 4 to the straight, and I induced him to bluff the turn and river. Finally after a long while I get a premium hand, pocket kings.
[Kd]. UTG of course.
I make it $100. Vince callls (which was not uncommon.. he called loosely preflop but played postflop very well._ Another good player calls.
FLOP$330
[8h][Qd]
Checked to me I bet $300. Vince calls, and the other player calls. Wonderful.
TURN$1230
[8h][Qd]
Check, I check.. Vince in position makes it $600. Other guy folds. Back to me.. I'm not convinced I'm beaten and decide to call.
River$ 2430
[8h][Qd]
I think for a minute or two. I decide to push all in for what I believe ended up being $1800. I did not have a heart. Vince thought for a minute and said he mucked two pair. I showed him the lone kings. "haha nice move there.. you got me."
The table went shorthanded again and I was being moved. I played my SB and stole a 5 handed pot with nothing and left. I told the people at the table I had a great time and walked away. Vince actually stood up as I was leaving to tell me great game and good luck on the other table.
He's a real nice guy and has a lot of fun at the table. It was a very cool experience for me. I wish the guy the best.
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Next Entry: Another huge bluff and my thoughts on playing live high stakes poker.