Nurse Holiday's Long Overdue VEGAAS TRIP REPORT - part 3
The Orleans - $40 + $5 multi-rebuy tourney. I had told the boys this was a single re-buy and it would be a very good measuring stick for us. So we cabbed it up and strolled into the poker room. WOw. This is a BIG room. Biggest poker room I've ever played in by a LONG shot. Not sure how many tables, but it looked like 50. Ever see the movie TROY, and all those ships keep appearing as the camera pans back? That was what I was experiencing...the further I turned my head, the further the green felt seemed to stretch. It was cool.
Then we went to the table with the sign-up monkey worknig there, and he was a real DINK. You'd think he was taking entries for the WPT or something. Can't even really cite a specific example, it was just his overall demeanor that was offensive. I dunno, maybe he was some bigshot, who were we to know? But he sure didn't make us feel welcome. Oh, and the tourney turned out to be a multi rebuy even though the one publication I had consulted had claimed it to be a single rebuy. Maybe he didn't like me pointing this out to him. Regardless, after much debate the boys and I decided to play anyway, despite feeling unwelcome and underfunded. Let's buyin and see what kind of cards we get I said - don't have to rebuy even once if you don't feel like it I told the lads. So we 3 paid our $45 and went for supper.
Once the cards were in the air, we were told they expected at least 150 players in the tourney...wow, this would be big and it would take until 1 am or so to wrap up (7 pm start). For your entry you get 375 chips and you can rebuy on the first hand before looking at your hole cards and get another 300 chips. The bulk of players at my table DID NOT rebuy, so I also chose not to. Had 5 or more done so, I would have also. Not sure if this was the right approach, but it was my thinking that the rebuy doesn't do me a lot of good if no one else has a big stack.
A few general observations - the dealers here are good. VERY good. I mean, very very very good. Best I've seen. Now, I haven't exactly been around, but it was patently obvious to even the most casual observer that these folks had done this before. Side pots, split pots, counting down stacks....it was all done so fast and efficiently that I couldn't keep up. Hand quicker than the eye. I was in good hands. Sadly, the best hands I saw for the first hour were the dealers. I mucked mostly every hand for an hour...got nothing. And I mean nothing. Think I limped once and flop missed me so I folded and I limped another time, raised the bettor and took down a small pot on the flop. BOring. Obviously many of the players here were excellent players. I 'm not sure I was intimidated by them per se, but I was definitley not overly confident of taking this thing down. I think my biggest problem was that I have limited B&M experience myself. The vast majority of my play is done online - I just don't get to the casino much and I don't even have a regular home game. So my physical movements are very novice - I can't do chip tricks; sheesh, I can barely stack the buggers in even piles. In fact, early on I tried to put in a min raise (BB = 25 and I put in 45 - thought I had 10 chips) but was one short so the dealer correctly pushed 20 back and said "Call" on my behalf (I had not verbally indicated raise - another mistake and one I don't normally make even given my limited live game play). I'm sure I looiked like one of those suits in Rounders that stumbles into the Taj to "give poker a try!". They were just salivating at me as they eyed my chips up and down.
Anyhow, just before the hour was up (signalling the end of the rebuy period) I got K 9 suited. One limper to me so I pushed it all in. Got called by LP and the original limper. LP turns over AA and my night was over. I could have rebought (double rebuy and the add-on was open to me) but decided that I was out of my league. I'm glad I played here because as a friend once said, "if you're not falling down, you're not skiing up to your abilities". And I agree with that. I wanted to see how far I had come in a year, and how far I have to go. I found out. It didn't cost me that much. Money well spent. And I must tip my hat to Iron (I think it was him) who chopped for first in a tourny at the Orleans earlier this year - very impressive. You must be one hell of a player. And to all_aces and others on the forum who have had more than a modicum of success playing far bigger and tougher tourneys than these - kudos to you. I am in awe.
Other thoughts - one thing I really didn't like about the Orleans - you can CHOOSE your own seat assignment. The earlier you sign up , obviously the more choice you have. But the point is , this creates the potential for collusion among teams of players. Heck, me and my 2 buddies could have chosen to sit at the #1, #5 and #8 seats and the same table and no one would have been the wiser. I'm not saying cheating was going on, but I'm not naive enough to rule it out. Too many locals. Too many who knew each other. And too much money on the line. And in a rebuy tourny, how can you ever accuse anyone of chip dumping? I just don't see why they wouldn't hand you your seat assignement randomly. Even the ALaddin is wise to the potential problem - after me and buddy #1 signed up one after the other, the manager asked for buddy's seat assignment back and handed him a different one - we were originally on the same table but she thought better of it and corrected the situation. I think that should be standard operating procedure. Anyone disagree?
One other point, some clown at the table smirked and scoffed when I chose to rebuy after losing a pot and dropping to 125 or 150 in chips. Not sure what his problem was, but I'm pretty sure he was scoffing at me choosing to rebuy when I did. So a little while later after he loses most of his chips (down to say 75 or 100) the dealer asks him if he wants to rebuy. He is clearly a local. He says "no, they are all going into the middle soon anyway". And just before the blinds get to him he goes all in with garbage, loses his money and then rebuys. ???? I think he is the moron and scoffed back at him after this display. So am I the idiot or is he.... my thinking is better to rebuiy sooner in case a big hand comes along - why look down to see AA only to push in your measly 75? He was dead set on going all in to see all 5 cards peeled off; my thinking is if you are rebuying anyway, why not rebuy now and avoid going all in on a marginal holding? Any thought?
Then we went to the table with the sign-up monkey worknig there, and he was a real DINK. You'd think he was taking entries for the WPT or something. Can't even really cite a specific example, it was just his overall demeanor that was offensive. I dunno, maybe he was some bigshot, who were we to know? But he sure didn't make us feel welcome. Oh, and the tourney turned out to be a multi rebuy even though the one publication I had consulted had claimed it to be a single rebuy. Maybe he didn't like me pointing this out to him. Regardless, after much debate the boys and I decided to play anyway, despite feeling unwelcome and underfunded. Let's buyin and see what kind of cards we get I said - don't have to rebuy even once if you don't feel like it I told the lads. So we 3 paid our $45 and went for supper.
Once the cards were in the air, we were told they expected at least 150 players in the tourney...wow, this would be big and it would take until 1 am or so to wrap up (7 pm start). For your entry you get 375 chips and you can rebuy on the first hand before looking at your hole cards and get another 300 chips. The bulk of players at my table DID NOT rebuy, so I also chose not to. Had 5 or more done so, I would have also. Not sure if this was the right approach, but it was my thinking that the rebuy doesn't do me a lot of good if no one else has a big stack.
A few general observations - the dealers here are good. VERY good. I mean, very very very good. Best I've seen. Now, I haven't exactly been around, but it was patently obvious to even the most casual observer that these folks had done this before. Side pots, split pots, counting down stacks....it was all done so fast and efficiently that I couldn't keep up. Hand quicker than the eye. I was in good hands. Sadly, the best hands I saw for the first hour were the dealers. I mucked mostly every hand for an hour...got nothing. And I mean nothing. Think I limped once and flop missed me so I folded and I limped another time, raised the bettor and took down a small pot on the flop. BOring. Obviously many of the players here were excellent players. I 'm not sure I was intimidated by them per se, but I was definitley not overly confident of taking this thing down. I think my biggest problem was that I have limited B&M experience myself. The vast majority of my play is done online - I just don't get to the casino much and I don't even have a regular home game. So my physical movements are very novice - I can't do chip tricks; sheesh, I can barely stack the buggers in even piles. In fact, early on I tried to put in a min raise (BB = 25 and I put in 45 - thought I had 10 chips) but was one short so the dealer correctly pushed 20 back and said "Call" on my behalf (I had not verbally indicated raise - another mistake and one I don't normally make even given my limited live game play). I'm sure I looiked like one of those suits in Rounders that stumbles into the Taj to "give poker a try!". They were just salivating at me as they eyed my chips up and down.
Anyhow, just before the hour was up (signalling the end of the rebuy period) I got K 9 suited. One limper to me so I pushed it all in. Got called by LP and the original limper. LP turns over AA and my night was over. I could have rebought (double rebuy and the add-on was open to me) but decided that I was out of my league. I'm glad I played here because as a friend once said, "if you're not falling down, you're not skiing up to your abilities". And I agree with that. I wanted to see how far I had come in a year, and how far I have to go. I found out. It didn't cost me that much. Money well spent. And I must tip my hat to Iron (I think it was him) who chopped for first in a tourny at the Orleans earlier this year - very impressive. You must be one hell of a player. And to all_aces and others on the forum who have had more than a modicum of success playing far bigger and tougher tourneys than these - kudos to you. I am in awe.
Other thoughts - one thing I really didn't like about the Orleans - you can CHOOSE your own seat assignment. The earlier you sign up , obviously the more choice you have. But the point is , this creates the potential for collusion among teams of players. Heck, me and my 2 buddies could have chosen to sit at the #1, #5 and #8 seats and the same table and no one would have been the wiser. I'm not saying cheating was going on, but I'm not naive enough to rule it out. Too many locals. Too many who knew each other. And too much money on the line. And in a rebuy tourny, how can you ever accuse anyone of chip dumping? I just don't see why they wouldn't hand you your seat assignement randomly. Even the ALaddin is wise to the potential problem - after me and buddy #1 signed up one after the other, the manager asked for buddy's seat assignment back and handed him a different one - we were originally on the same table but she thought better of it and corrected the situation. I think that should be standard operating procedure. Anyone disagree?
One other point, some clown at the table smirked and scoffed when I chose to rebuy after losing a pot and dropping to 125 or 150 in chips. Not sure what his problem was, but I'm pretty sure he was scoffing at me choosing to rebuy when I did. So a little while later after he loses most of his chips (down to say 75 or 100) the dealer asks him if he wants to rebuy. He is clearly a local. He says "no, they are all going into the middle soon anyway". And just before the blinds get to him he goes all in with garbage, loses his money and then rebuys. ???? I think he is the moron and scoffed back at him after this display. So am I the idiot or is he.... my thinking is better to rebuiy sooner in case a big hand comes along - why look down to see AA only to push in your measly 75? He was dead set on going all in to see all 5 cards peeled off; my thinking is if you are rebuying anyway, why not rebuy now and avoid going all in on a marginal holding? Any thought?