Memories from an ATLARGE PL fish Or, how to make +EV by avoiding the blinds. OK, so everybody knows that ATLARGE r00ls. I'll skip all the usual bullshit about the tournaments, the banquet, the white chip game, yadda-yadda-yadda. <yawn> The absolute best f-ing thing about this years ATLARGE was the baby PL game. Let me share some highlights from the game. First, read Don Perry's post...... Finished? OK, here we go: SIGN #421 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: You leave the pink game, a game that you crush, week after week, when you hear your name called for PL. Wondering why you're even called, you quickly realized that not only did your (so called) friends put your name on that list, they paid to have your name moved to the *top* of the list (see juicing the floor, from a prior post). They started this game in the old non smoking room...idiots. What were they thinking? I rack up from the pink game, cash out, and take my seat in the PL game. Everyone is promptly issued a napkin to wipe the drool from their chins. As I buy in, Eric comments to Raydon, "That's not going to be anywhere near enough." Ut-oh. As it turns out, he was right. In the second hand I am dealt KhQx, and call on the button with 5 other r00lers. Flop comes king high, and [usual PL action omitted for brevity - get to the point]... with 4 hearts on the board after the river, I have it heads up and proudly push in. SIGN #422 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After moving in with a K high flush to a 4 suited board, the only other player left in the hand asks the dealer to "count it down". Now, I did this for a reason - honest. Ok, fine. I'm a dumb-ass, right? That much is certain. I dumped about $80 on that hand. Pretty sad, huh? Well, at least I didn't *call* a bet. I made a move. Albeit, a pretty bad move. But, one takes ones chances. Now, here's where the +EV shit happens.... After that hand, and my subsequent rebuy - REBUY! - I never posted another blind, ever, for the rest of the night. The game gets off at about 5PM, and it breaks about 5AM, the next morning. You do the math. They were falling over themselves (the selfish phuc's) trying to post my blinds. In fact, I almost had to post my own blind, once. I said, "I'm going to the bathroom, and get a rack. If my blind isn't posted when I get back, I rack up and leave." The nice men at the table not only posted my blind, but they bought me another drink. Wasn't that special? SIGN #423 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After making the "rack up and leave" comment, Matt asks, "When did you EVER have to use a rack?" But, I have to guess I grossed about a 1/2 rack in blind money. Remember I told you that the game started in the old non-smoking room? It lasted there for less than 2 orbits. It seems the bitter, old, local rocks - playing 1-3 stud, and reading racing forms, were not enjoying our loud bantering, burping, farting, swearing, and other assorted -ARGE rudeness. I can't imagine why not? I certainly was. And so was everyone else at the table who had consumed copious amounts of libations. Oh, that would be.... ALL OF US. In any event, the floor informed us that our "game" was being relocated to the very back of the racing part of the poker room - way back in the corner, near the exit. It wasn't quite at the end of the earth, but you could see it from my seat. I guess they showed us, huh? NOT! Hey, I needed a rack to carry my chip (no typo) from the old table to new table- so yes! I do know how to use one! Other than for the occasional bathroom break, no one leaves the table for the next 12 hours. Funny thing, though. Every time I got up to take a break, they stopped dealing. Huh? Actually a seat did open in the game, and the poker room was flooded by 9 PL r00lers screaming in unison, at the top of their lungs: NOLAN, NOLAN, NOLAN, NOLAN!!! Alas, he never came. Instead, we got Dr. Phuc (see Don's post, if you ignored my earlier advice). I'm sure each of us who played in that game had their own special moment. I had two. OK, three - if you count the 2nd nuts push in. I am not counting that one, however. Special moment #1: Playing [I'll tell you the hand later], I look down and find a flop of 776 rainbow. Jaeger bets out about 1/2 the pot (after I, er ummm...check). Everyone else folds. I call. He then stands up and pretends he's casting a fishing pole. Turn...blank. I check. He bets about $35, again standing up and playing the Gorton's fisherman routine. I call again. River...nothing. I check. He pushes in. Do I: a) Think about it for a while, muck my cards and say nice hand? or b) Immediately ask the dealer to "count it down"? SIGN #424 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: The guy who *never* called a bet higher than $20, for the last 2,343,945 hands calls 2 large bets, and can't get his chips in the pot fast enough, after *you* push in on the end. I had 76h. Jaeger had 79c. Thank God the 9 never came. Special moment #2: I find QQ, UTG and make it 5 to go. It's folded to Ice who makes it $25. Everyone folds, I call. <ALARM, ALARM>. The flop comes ?,K,Q. I check <ALARM, ALARM>. Ice checks. Turn a blank. Check, check. River a blank. Ice moves in. Baaaad Judgehment. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I haven't played PL-anything since I lived in LA about 15 years ago and played PL-lowball-draw. Now, that's a great game. But, the ATLARGE PL game Saturday night was fantastic. I had a great time and I enjoyed playing with everyone at the table. Except Dr. Phuc...nah - he was actually a great sport, what with all the shit we gave him. I asked Scott if the Trop would consider spreading that game on weekends. He said he'd look into it. That would be waaaay cooool. SIGN #424 YOUR THE FISH IN THE PL GAME: After the game breaks, the dealer asks if you want to play heads up, and offers to post your blinds. ATLARGE, only 363 days to go. -steve

I wasn't gonna write a trip report for ATLARGE... but, since I "grew" up on rgp and this game included so many of the things, that I either whined about or learned on/off the board, here is a mini version. (OK, mini for me, not the average Joe :-) Saturday NLHE - Never Ever Give Up! After playing badly in the *real* tournament (the trop $200 NLHE with rebuys) on Friday, I am mentally prepared to take down this group of r00lers for the bragging rights. I write on a piece of paper THINK THINK THINK (see SARGE report for those not in the know) Bruce Kramer takes my paper and writes (on the back) Remember, Don't be an IDIOT! Later in the tournament while away from my seat Action Bob will write CALL CALL CALL (thanks Bob, but I'm sure you understand why I had to cover that portion of the paper with chips... never to see those words AGAIN!!!) I have played one hand weakly. I raise. Get a caller. The flop comes with babies and I bet. Called. I know this player and I know that he has a pair, I also know that he will not bet it out but will call me all the way. I have overs and check the turn and check the river when my Q hits. He is going to call me anyway, I'm gonna have to show that I am an idiot and not only played but raised AQ early in the tourney *and* he is capable of having KK (or, as others learned later in the tourney AA) and never betting it. So I check and take the pot over his 99. The others at the table don't know him and my play looks very weak (as well as horrible :-). We are less than 20 minutes into the tournament when I play my second hand. The blinds are 5/10 and in early position it is raised to 20. OK many of these ARG'ers are playing NL for the first time, so I can't read anything into that raise. I repop it for 60, it is folded to the raiser who repops (I don't remember whether he threw in 200 more or made it 260.. it's either 220 or 260 doesn't matter) and I move in. He hesitates and asks my chip count, dealer informs him he is covered. He debates just a tad longer and commits his chips. I turn over AA and say "I pretty much told you what I had" he replies that he thought I was pushing him around as he turns over JJ and my heart sinks I *know* that he is going to hit a two outer. Sometimes God is merciful and the pain was swift hitting the flop instead of the river and I now had 55 chips left. In retrospect good thing I took a shot with AQ early, heh? I take a page from Rich Barrett's book (I crushed him early at SARGE and he made a terrific comeback, in fact he went on to win) and tell myself Never Give Up, NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!!! I have three orbits, I will choose a hand wisely. (And, let's face it, if I bust what I am I gonna do.. play live - oh, great there's a way to bleed money.. I am much better off spending 7 hours in a tournament trying to survive, even if I don't cash than I am in live action.) I also have to smile as his statement, "I thought you were pushing me around" When I first started to play, I ALWAYS thought that, I still think that sometimes (ergo my exit from Friday's tourney :-) And I looked at him and said "Push you around? It's only the second hand I played, the first one I played, I played weakly". As he is scooping the pot, I inquire what his first name is (he has a nic name on his ATLARGE badge) and as he tells me, he also request that I don't post anything bad :-) This makes me wonder if he read my post on taking JJ against Wesley's AA where I stated "I just KNEW he was tried of being pushed around". But, I don't think he really knew who I was, but it did give pause about posting those little "quips" :-) I don't remember the hand that I pick, but I am ahead until the flop, then regain on the turn and there is a big noise from the table, kinda like the sounds you hear from people being jerked around on a roller coaster (this is after all an ARG event) and Linda Lewis at the next table inquires if I Schmengied someone. I reply no, that I am working my way back after having A's cracked.. and someone has the NERVE (at her table) to accuse us of bad beat stories!!!! (smile) I double through and just as I have enough for 6 orbits, the blinds go up, d'oh.. I usually keep my stack in much a manner that I know exactly what I have at any time. Today, I stack them in orbits, so I can quickly tell exactly how many orbits I have until I no longer have options. It is going to be a long time coming, but I WILL make that final table. Not only am I playing my *best* short stacked game. I am facing another challenge... seat selection. I started at the table that will be broken first. The table breaks after my sb and I manage to draw the table that will be the next to break *AND* I pull seat of the bb, d'oh. And when this table breaks, I do it again. Short stacked with a Double Blind tax. Everyone needs a goal, I decide that mine will be to play at EVERY table. I fail at that goal. But the irony is this... You may recall the situation in Tunica where someone missed two hands cause they thought they were on break and the advice from this newsgroup was never trust a dealer. OK, so just before our table breaks the clock resets to ten minutes which would be the break. We put our chips out to color up and are told to color up at our new tables. My new table is in a hand and I *assume* we are on break, and I leave. I am still just surviving with T170 in chips on blinds of 15/30. As I head back to the poker room Action Bob tells me that he tried to find me, we were not on break NEVER TRUST A CLOCK, EITHER!!!!! and I have missed three hands, including both blinds. As Action Bob notes the steam coming from my ears, he tries to encourage me, by telling me in my bb someone had Aces, and if I decided to defend that might have been the end of me. I, of course, decide to "steam." Why? Because it was my fault, my mind is not processing correctly lately ( I can't remember access codes that I have used for the past six years, etc.) and it scares me enough that I need to find a source other than my own brain to blame. I seek out TK (Trop guy running our tournament that is a super guy and recently promoted to management, wtg TK!) and politely yet with a *edge* explain the situation, and suggest that if the clock isn't working properly that they announce that fact, yada yada yada... TK the man that always wears kid glove, avoids "setting" me off :-) and I am smart enough to walk away.. I am pacing and I am upset and EVERYONE is smart enough to start away from me :-) This is when I return to my seat to find that Action Bob in my absence has written CALL CALL CALL on my sheet of paper and I just laugh and all is right with the world. Maybe he is right, perhaps in my stupidity it is good that I missed those three hands, and I go back to work watching and waiting for my spot. In poker there are some people that always seem to r00l you and others that you seem to r00l over. I am moved again, and my new table will be the 5th to break, so the blind tax may be ending :-) on my left is Chic Natkins whom I always seem to r00l over (for instance in live action later that night in the HOSEL game, his flopped trips that became a full house when a second A fell on the turn giving me a set, there was plenty of action *cause I didn't consider he was full*, yet I scoop the pot when I hit the two outer on the river, giving me the yacht to his boat) I ALWAYS r00l Chic and though he has me out chipped (probably 3-4 times my stack) he respects me. I have played most of the tourney with only enough chips to play 3-4 orbits, once I got up to 8 orbits, but 3-4 orbits was about average for me. So, when it came folded to me with just the blinds behind me if I had anything resembling a hand I had to move it. Chic had to agonize and fold, cause he probably didn't have me beat and if he did - he would just end up doubling me through - because I r00l. Behind him was Mitch Firestone, who was too short to defend, so the combination of the two was good for me. Chic whined to Mitch to get some chips so I would stop that nonsense. Of course, two to my right was Scott Bryon who moved in on my blind EVERYTIME regardless of what he had if it were folded to him. He doesn't r00l me, but he knows that I can't call unless I have one of three hands, so his odds are good, damn him!!! When a question about poker is asked the answer is often "it depends." Today seemed to be the day of 7's and Scottro wasn't even there! The odometer on the vehicle I drove down (not one I usually drive btw) hit 77777 in AC. I folded 7's when in mid position even though it came folded to me, due to reasoning and feeling and I played 7's, and even called with 7's, it just depended on the situation and so many other factors. Frank (Alaska) couldn't lose with a 7, it saved him a few times. I raised 77 and Chic moved in. It came back folded around to me and I had to release the hand, cause Chic isn't moving in on ME unless he can beat me bad. He knows that I can read him like a book and he isn't going to double me through to be even more dangerous. Chic had me out chipped (by a lot) and I wasn't ready to die with the 7's. I did however, show the 7's (so I could use this later by letting those 7's stick in peoples mind so I could make the same raise later with a premium hand) and Chic showed AA. Somehow I *knew* had I played them I would of r00led, but... and... we will never know. Shortly after that the tightest player in Atlantic City, Mitch Firestone moves in utg (under the gun - i.e. first to act) and it is folded to me. We are now two tables and I stand up (on my chair) to survey the chips at the other table. I have him atleast 2-1 (maybe 3 or 4 to 1), anyway I will not go broke playing the hand. Finally I say "it's 475 a round, your blind is next and you have less than 2 rounds, the range of hands you could play (the tightest player in AC :-) expands to overs, and I call with my pocket 7's and he turns over the bullets! I am not worried, as Mitch is another player that I *r00l* and I *KNOW* that I will get there, and state as much. I am surprised when no 7 arrives on the flop, or the turn.. but there it is indeed on the river. Poor Mitch, and he is of course, gracious in his disappointment. You see the irony right? My Aces are cracked at the beginning of this tourney, now at the end I crack Aces. I lay down 77 to Chic Aces, yet take 77 up against Mitch's A's. Poker what a game! And of course, IT DEPENDS! The bubble is approaching and I am NOT going to be the BUBBLE GIRL. Yet, I don't have a lot of chips. It comes raised to me and I look and see AK of diamonds. The raiser has to know that I have a game as he was at my table when I went to 55 and here I am at the last two tables (started with 84 players btw). He is on the sunny side of pot committed, and has me outstacked but I need chips. I move in (seemingly without hesitation, I have already surveyed the situation before it got to me and I finally look at my cards). He debates and tries to use psychology on me. I am not afraid to answer as I can throw my voice and am pretty good at out psyching or re-psyching. He says "well atleast I have one over" and with no hesitation (and almost appearing to be said accidentally) I say "I don't think so." He continues to debate and tries to get me to talk, so I say "You have nothing to gain and everything to lose" (For you to understand this you need to have been at the table when I went to 55 chips. They were talking about getting lap dances, and I guess to include the lone woman at the table in the conversation this same guy Jeopardy Jim, asked me if I would be getting a lap dance if I won. Without skipping a beat I replied, if I win I MAY give lap dances. This is a hand that I was all in with my 55 chips and everyone immediately folded allowing me to take the blinds, lol). I continue, "You either lose your chips, or the *possibility* of the lap dance, but either way you lose :-)" At this point I know he has two big cards one of which is an Ace. (i.e. the comment he has at least one over) so I don't care if he folds or calls.. he can use all the psychology he wants, he won't get a read - cause I don't care. He calls, inquiring if I really have AA. The board helps no one and my AK edges out his AQ. I have a last longer with Frank (Alaska) and though I feel bad that he goes down to 125 in chips at two tables I am loving that soon to be mine, $25. Well, Frank has won some big tournaments and if you saw him in action you might know why. He goes all in the next 6 hands and survives them all and is now healthy, d'oh. I depart 6th and two hands later Frank and Patrick depart on the same hand. Once I was out, guess he started taking chances again! I really miss that $25! Someone once told me that you have to allow yourself to get lucky, I am starting to understand and apply that logic, good thing too - it kept me out of the live games for 7 hours :-)... but, I STILL miss that $25!!!! I have one question on my exit hand. The blinds are 500/1000 the antes are 100. After posting my bb I have 550 in front of me. Mike Keohan raises to isolate (he has over 1/3 of the chips with 6 players left). Those that don't know Mike, he is a great tournament player. He isn't going to raise to isolate me unless he has a chance of winning it, he doesn't want to double me up, he wants me out. So, he has either a pair or an Ace. I look to see J7. Not a great hand, cause I *know* he either has an over (the Ace) or a pair. In a tournament without antes you almost always call there due to pot odds. i.e. 3,200 in the pot. What about an ante tournament? If I don't call, I am all in on the next hand, with a short blind, but there are antes to be picked up, so the pot for me would be a minimum of 600 + 450 + 450, giving me 1500 and 6 mores hand to play if I survive. When antes are involved does it change things enough to lay down a hand that you feel is dominated and take your chances on the next random hand? Joan

Friday, 3/21: Drove to A.C. with LenG in his TurboBug. He is a damn good friend who looks out for me in many ways since I have become somewhat gimpy,and I want to thank him publicly, even though he now loudly and publicly refers to my by the appellation, "Gimpy." We made the trip in about 3 ½ hrs., a record from Eastern Long Island. I won't say Len drives too aggressively but during one tailgating session I was able to see myself in the leading cars rearview mirror. The ride was a thrill fest. At one point he was driving so fast that our watches were actually running backwards. Having previously been Len's passenger, I was wearing Oops I Crapped My Pants brand Adult diapers and thus was "safe" during the two-wheeled turns, etc. I fully intend to keep my promise to God that I would, if I arrived safely home, sacrifice Fluffy, the family dog, and I will begin attending church daily and will donate the kidney, as per my silent vow. Look for me at BARGE in a monks garb. I won't bore you with the check-in details and will skip right to the Tropicana's $ 200.00 buy in tournament. I doubled through early with KK which held up. Although I played brilliantly I had left my lucky pen in my room and thus lost my chips fairly early on, which gave me the opportunity to retrieve my pen and join a 5-5 pot limit game. I put about $500.00 on the table which I spent testing the waters, giving me a chance to observe my adversary's style of play, pick up their tells, etc. Once I was confident I had this down I put another $ 800.00 on the table and prepared to play in earnest, utilizing an approach which I have developed independent of the advice of Sklansky, Malmuth,Krieger and the other conservative poker theorists. My approach, which I call "advanced big-wheel strategy" is : "bet big to win big" and I thus found myself all in after a flop of A 7 x, with AQoff. One opponent had AK and one had flopped a set of 7's which became quad 7's on the turn leaving me the feeling that I was unlikely to win. I was correct. I was going to fish out another $1000.00, but realized at that point that these two adversaries were genetically altered mutants who were probably the result of a military operation to develop clairvoyants. I now believe that I was involved in a test of their capabilities vis-a-vis civilians. I heard them later splitting their winnings and confirming my belief that they could mentally see not only the rank and suit of my hole cards but a certain thought I had regarding Desiree, our cocktail waitress and a pair of handcuffs which had inadvertently been put in my suitcase. I left the game down a total for the evening's play about $1300.00, and went to bed a wiser man. Saturday 3/23: Off to the ATLARGE tourney with my lucky pen and renewed confidence and vigor !! First at my table I chanted my new Mantra quietly to myself, " bet big to win big. The table soon filled and I found myself seated two seats to the left of a dark cloud known to some as Raydon, my personal Teddy KGB. I vowed not to let him push me off good cards, as he is known for playing trash. I soon found myself with pocket tens and when Ray raised the $10.00 big blind making it $30.00 I raised by $100. Ray re-raised all in and I called. Ray turns over AA. IGHN, 1st out, with a copy of Poker for Dummies by Lou Krieger. It is a fine book, deficient only in failing to discuss the big wheel approach. I'm sure this will be corrected in the next edition. Having busted out first I wander the casino floor and dabble at roulette. Ka-ching!! $50. on 35 pays off after a few bets and this r00ler is back in action!! I sit down at the legendary pink chip game and by 6:30 PM I am up about $300. Joan Hadley stops by and asks to borrow my pen to complete a survey. How can I say no to this wonderful woman? She disappears with my pen, and my chips disappear in a raising war. I have flopped a heart flush, I hold the King. Of course the river brings a 4th heart and my opponent playing a black king has the Ace of hearts! IGHN. Dinner at the Golden Dynasty. Good company, Chic Natkins and his girlfriends Kate, Joan Hadley and LenG. The food is mediocre at best. I have a duck that apparently suffered from a lipid disorder, and is basically a mass of fat in oyster sauce. I have it wrapped to take home, and as I type, Fluffy is enjoying her last meal with gusto. She always loved duck. I have a martini, against Drs. orders, and a brief reaction to my medication combined with the alcohol leaves me unconscious for several hours. I awake and return to the poker room where I find Len has put my name on the baby pot limit list, apparently at the request of those already in the game! I am promptly escorted to an back room and an isolated table with an open seat. Baby PL Game: A table full of drunks greet me with wildly enthusiastic cheers, and I know my fellow rgp'ers are happy to see me at the table! My heart warms until I find that I am seated next to........Raydon. Jaeger, Matt Treasure, Steve Carbonara, Big Al and Mordecai are also present. I wait for good cards, have my lucky pen, bet big to win big and OHHHH BABY....I own Raydon!!!!!!....and the table....until we are joined by a total non-rgp stranger who after several consecutive wins becomes known as Dr. Selfish Phuc for his unwillingness to share any pots with anyone for about 3 hours running. He could not loose. He killed the game. We took turns calling him down, and while I will skip the play by play I will share with you some quotes that came as we saw his cards: LenG: Nice hand, Selfish, your flush is better than mine. Mordecai: I'm ashamed to say it, but your sixes are good. Big Al: Your Ace takes it. Jaeger: Oh, you have a pair. Cocktails!!! Matt Treasure: I'm gonna go get something to eat. Good hand. Raydon: Give me the next seat change. Good hand. Don Perry: You really are a Selfish Phuc Dr.! What's your specialty.... the chipectomy? I need another fat free sugar free chocolate milk. 4:30 AM game breaks and the Dr. leaves with all our chips and his entourage. I go play some stud till 6 AM, do nothing and go to bed. ATLARGE is an awesome memory. 4 months to BARGE. Here Fluffy, Here Girl.