Another Day in the Office - Part 10

By Neil Channing - June 2005

I'd really debated long and hard whether to play the $5000 plh. It wasn't on my original list of things to play, but by Monday I hadn't lost any money despite not getting within shouting distance of a cash in any WSOP event. I really felt that playing the game I've been playing for a living for a year now (deep stacked pot limit), might be my best chance.

In the queue to buy in I was even more unsure as around me were Mickey Appleman(legend), Chau Giang (possibly Worlds Greatest cash player), Minh Ly (plays $2,000/$4,000 with Chip, Doyle and the boys), Mike Carson (big online winner and bracelet holder) and Billy Baxter (multiple bracelet winner and Stuey's backer).

When I got to my table it was lovely to see Mickey, Minh, Chau, Minh, Billy and two other guys I'd stood behind in the line.(thanks Harrah-great random draw). After about 5 hrs of fun we'd
watched Chau have aces v aces and Billy knock someone out with KK v AA and very little else. Chau and Minh had had massive last longer bets with David Benyamine, and Chau seemed particularly keen on having a 5hr massage while playing very few hands. I struggled away with no cards while the only two "eggs" on the table went skint. I did knock out two very short stacks and played only one interesting hand in the first five hours.

Billy Baxter raised from under the gun, (how can he have so many bracelets and still have to ask the dealer how much it is to raise the pot?), an egg called and I decided that if I raised all-in with my AQ off then Billy would fold most hands fearing the man behind, while the egg couldn't call having not raised himself. I sweated as Jimmy Tran dwelt behind me, (he says he passed 9,9), but I know how many backers he has to explain his exits to and wasn't too worried. Billy Baxter looked annoyed and passed and the egg announced he was gonna probably have to call(for a third of his chips). I explained that it wasn't compulsory, but he did anyway with AJ.

A slow-played AK after an Ace flop v Mickey cost me a bit. I "knew" he held an ace with a weaker kicker but I didn't know I'd let him hit the ten. I was happy enough with my play there as he was betting before and after he hit it and I'm sure I'd have won a big pot if he didn't hit. Finally I managed to flop a set against Chau and he doubled me up when the turn made it two pair for him.

At this point my "twin" Joe "The Elegance" bokked himself by suggesting we have dinner on the break if we were still in. I turned him down in favour of my normal break time routine and seconds later his set ran into a straight.

My routine is to rush back to the room for a refreshing shower and change of clothes. Fruit and the excellent raisin toast from room service, before returning to play avoiding all poker stories on the way. Raisin toast is truly a great invention and the sooner Sainsbury's Local hear about it the better. (if they have, and I just havn't seen it "Memo to bakery department - think about moving raisin bread to the front"). I had wanted a Honeydew melon but the water melon they brought would have been too much for Deputy Dawg and Musky together so I had to leave it.

The post dinner session was a bit of a dissappointment. I just couldn't find any hands to play and when our table broke(with all the top stars nursing similar size, below average stacks) it all seemed a bit gloomy. The other tables, especially my new one, all had loads of chips.

I got a few interested looks from our new players as Ben Roberts was on the table and he was greating me warmly with plenty of respect. That didn't do a lot of good when I took KQ against A8 and I was out 66th. (does the geezer have to call an all-in raise for 20% of his stack?).

The next day I slept great. Fourteen hours shows how sitting around while people around you whine and moan and ladies infrequently bring you drinks can really take it out of you.

I went late to the Strip to have a change of scenery and play some cash. The MGM used to have a card room next to Michael Crawford in EFX and their huge sportsbook. That all went as poker died in Vegas five years ago. Now they have a lovely open plan room, next to the new smaller sportsbook, with $1,$2 and $2,$5 no-limit games packing in the punters. The tables are ten handed, have shuffle machines and the maximum buy-in is $500. The tables have a marble rail around the playing surface and have a very WPT TV look, as do the players.

One guy stares me down for several minutes following my $35 check-raise and announces that he's "getting a read on me". If he can work out that I'm holding 8,5 off-suit he'll be doing well. I put the clock on him which really annoys him and he folds. The game was fun and pretty soft but soon it was time for the second chance at the Rio.

Tonight I had some amusement at one particular hand. The board was 7,8,5,K(two spades) and the raiser had 66 with the 6s. The guy facing the bet had already "mentioned" three times that he'd won the previous night's tournament. Eventually he called all-in with 10,10(10s) announcing that he "wanted to go" and it was "time for an early night". When he won the pot he told the guy that he "had him on that exact hand".

I made quad 5s against the guy, but his card reading skills let him down that time. These late night tournaments are full of experts that can't play. That same night I saw someone raise to 400, someone went in for 725, another person called and the raiser layed down for 325 of his remaining 2000 claiming he had 9,9. The other people had 10,10 and AK which were "the exact two hand I had them on". With mind readers of this standard on display it's amazing I play these tournaments.

Neil Channing is sponsored by betusa.com

Click here for part 11