Regina report--Day 3
DAY 3
Day 3—the day of the 1K NHLE freezeout—began like the day before: with me buying breakfast. Kevin came along with Dave and Bob, as did a couple of guys named Mark and (another) Kevin. Mark and Another Kevin are gentlemen that Dave might be doing some business with, and they both seemed very pleasant. When it came time to pay, Bob started laughing, pointing out that it seemed as though every time it was my turn to buy a meal, Bob and Dave seemed to find a way to bring along a few extra guys for the ride.
I had already picked up my registration card for the event, which I bought at a discount through Bob. Bob purchased it for me on Thursday night from a guy who won a satellite and was selling the seat for $900, so I was already up $100 on the day, less the cost of breakfast.
I liked my table. The poker tournament table, I mean... not the breakfast table, although there wasn't anything wrong with that, either. As usual, the players were very friendly, although I wouldn’t really categorize any of them as ‘soft’. There are some tough players in attendance at these Regina tournaments. Within the first hour, I managed to work my stack up to about 12,500 from the starting stack of 10,000. The bobblehead beaver was really keeping me focused, although not necessarily on the game. I was discovering all sorts of cool things I could do with him. For one thing, his buck teeth were pretty good at dragging chips from the top of my stack and setting them in front of his feet. If I was so inclined, I could then use his feet to steer the chips into the pot. I didn’t take it that far, though. Nor did I ask him for any advice, or listen intently to anything he had to say in response by holding him up to my ear. I also discovered that it is possible to balance four Casino Regina tournament chips on his head. It’s not easy—his head is on a spring, and it’s not flat—but it was very satisfying. It was hard enough to do to make it challenging and satisfying upon completion, but not so hard to do as to make it frustrating and tilt-inducing.
For more on the bobblehead beaver, click this link: http://swibco.com/pages/products/bobbles/bobble_pages/BHA4.html
The picture isn’t entirely accurate, particularly around the feet and base, but it’s close. I highly recommend him. He’s the perfect height, he has a good amount of weight to him, and the base is the perfect diameter to rest him on top of a stack of chips.
Right. Poker. Things were going along quite nicely. I’d built my stack up to 12,500, Kevin was moved to my table, and we were both doing well. Then, this hand came up: At the 100/200 level, UTG raised to 600. I was dealt QQ in MP and raised to 1200. UTG called, heads-up to the flop of KQ4 rainbow. UTG checked, and I bet only 800. Since it was heads-up, and there were no flush draws on the board, I wanted to keep him around. UTG called. The turn was a 9. UTG checked, I bet 1500 I believe, and UTG raised it up to 3000. I re-raised all-in, and was called by his TdJd. The river didn’t pair the board, and I was crippled, down to about 3700 or so.
On my best day, I might have been able to get away from this hand on the turn. Maybe not. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed, although all the money was going in anyways if I decided to continue with the hand. I guess the question that I failed to answer correctly was: what’s he check-raising me with on the turn? AK? KQ? Even 99? Hmmm. TJ was certainly a consideration for me, but I decided that I probably had him beat. I was wrong.
The very next hand, I picked up AQ and raised to 600. The same player called from the BB. The flop came low cards, I bet and he called. The turn was a brick, check and check. The river was a brick and I folded what very well may have been the best hand to his bet. That left me with around 2500. Ugh.
Very shortly after that, I picked up TT and got all my chips in preflop against the only player at the table whose stack was shorter than mine. It was very short, actually, only 400 or 500, but I pushed to isolate her. She had AK or AQ or something and hit her ace. That left me with around 2000.
Very shortly after that, I picked up JJ and pushed after a couple of limpers. One of them called me with AQ, and my JJ held up. I doubled through to just over 4000.
Very shortly after that, I picked up TT and limped after a couple of limpers. Why? It’s not a great play. Maybe I was gunshy after playing all these all-in pots, and wanted to have a look at a flop first. About 4 or 5 of us saw a flop of KT7 rainbow. It was checked around to the button, who bet around 800. Folded back to me, and I moved in. It was quite the overbet, but there were a few factors at work here. First of all, if I make a standard check-raise bet, it amounts to about half of my stack in the pot, and I’m not comfortable with that. Second, it looks like an overbet re-steal against what I could have perceived as a steal. If the button’s bet was indeed a steal, I wouldn’t get any more chips. C’est la vie. If it wasn’t, though, I hoped that he would think that I thought he was stealing, and was just attempting to muscle him out of the pot by throwing all my chips around. And finally, after getting burned by that straight against my set a few hands earlier, I just plain didn’t want to get outdrawn.
After I check-raised all-in, the button thought for a long time. He said “I have top pairâ€. Now I REALLY wanted him to call. I thought to myself “foldfoldfoldfoldpleasefoldfold†and tried to look like I wasn’t thinking that so maybe he’d think that I wanted him to fold. He played with his chips, then his cards, then his chips… it was actually quite dramatic. And finally, he called with K8 or K9 or something, failed to suckout, and I doubled all the way up to around 8500 or so. What a ride. I thanked the dealer for the emotional rollercoaster, telling her I’d had a real good time.
We took a break, and came back to play 200/400. It wasn’t too long before I picked up KK on the button. Two players limped, and I made it 2000. The blinds and one limper folded, and the other one called. The flop was JQ6 rainbow. He checked, and with about 5000 in the pot, I decided to move in my 6500 or so. Am I waaaaaaaaay overbetting my hands lately? I’m not sure. I guess a more reasonable bet might have been 3000 or so, but that’s half my stack and I hate that. What am I going to do if he check-raises me for my last 3500? Fold? I don’t know, I just know that I was afraid I was overbetting and overplaying my hands, which is a new feeling for me.
At any rate, he called in a heartbeat with QJ, and I failed to suckout. IGHN. If we didn’t have to fly out at different times the following morning, I would have been buying breakfast. Again.
I received a call a few minutes later from Bob, who had just busted out as well, of course. He put our names on the 20/40 list, and we went to the casino lounge for our bustout drinks, where we were later joined by Dave, and then Kevin. My name was called for the game a little while later, so I said goodbye to Dave and Kevin, and headed off to take my seat. For some reason, Bob’s name never made it onto the whiteboard, despite the fact that he put us both on the list at the same time. I called him and asked him about this, and he said that he had indeed asked for both of us to be on there. I explained the situation to the floorman, telling him that Bob wasn’t upset, but if there was any way they could put him on the list after my name we’d appreciate it. They did what was right, and put him next up.
I lost some chips at the 20/40 game, and then it was changed to a 30/60 game. I lost some more chips at the 30/60 game. KK lost to JJ, flushes missed, etc. Nothing too exciting. Eventually, they called Bob’s name over the PA. About 4 or 5 minutes passed, with no sign of Bob. People at the table were starting to ask if he was going to show up to take his seat. One woman in particular REALLY wanted them to give the seat to someone else. I can’t say that I blame her much—there were certainly worse players than Bob on that list—but I thought they’d cut him a bit of slack since it was obvious that we were friends. I told the table I was going to call him, and I went to the lobby to do so. Bob told me he’d missed the announcement, and was on his way. When I returned to the table, they’d already given the seat to someone else, without making the standard ‘last call for Bob J.’ announcement. Oh well. Bob showed up, and I left the game soon after so we could go out for dinner. Dave and Kevin had already taken off for home, so we were on our own. Bob was scheduled to fly out to Vancouver the next day to start the River Rock series, and he didn’t want to have a late night. We had some dinner, bid each other farewell, and I returned to the poker room.
To make a long story short, I ended up crushing the 20/40 kill game, and then the 30/60 kill game until about 5:00 am to the tune of $1600 or so. Finally, Regina was giving me a little bit of love. One highlight was playing pots against a very nice, older gentleman whose name might have been Joe, who kept saying, and sometimes yelling: “I just want Devin to write about me in an article!!!â€Â
The next day (technically a few hours later) I was speaking with my girlfriend Emily on the phone from the Regina airport. I told her about my previous night’s win. Emily doesn’t know much about poker, but I figured out that she knows how to tell it like it is when she said to me, in a very cute, innocent way: “But it’s not really winning is it, after you spent so much on losing?â€
It’s not really winning, is it, after you spent so much on losing. No. I guess it’s not. So much for kidding myself.
All in all, the trip was a blast, and although I managed to make back most of my tournament entries in the cash game on the last night, it was not a winning poker trip. Oh well. At least I got out of buying the third breakfast.
Day 3—the day of the 1K NHLE freezeout—began like the day before: with me buying breakfast. Kevin came along with Dave and Bob, as did a couple of guys named Mark and (another) Kevin. Mark and Another Kevin are gentlemen that Dave might be doing some business with, and they both seemed very pleasant. When it came time to pay, Bob started laughing, pointing out that it seemed as though every time it was my turn to buy a meal, Bob and Dave seemed to find a way to bring along a few extra guys for the ride.
I had already picked up my registration card for the event, which I bought at a discount through Bob. Bob purchased it for me on Thursday night from a guy who won a satellite and was selling the seat for $900, so I was already up $100 on the day, less the cost of breakfast.
I liked my table. The poker tournament table, I mean... not the breakfast table, although there wasn't anything wrong with that, either. As usual, the players were very friendly, although I wouldn’t really categorize any of them as ‘soft’. There are some tough players in attendance at these Regina tournaments. Within the first hour, I managed to work my stack up to about 12,500 from the starting stack of 10,000. The bobblehead beaver was really keeping me focused, although not necessarily on the game. I was discovering all sorts of cool things I could do with him. For one thing, his buck teeth were pretty good at dragging chips from the top of my stack and setting them in front of his feet. If I was so inclined, I could then use his feet to steer the chips into the pot. I didn’t take it that far, though. Nor did I ask him for any advice, or listen intently to anything he had to say in response by holding him up to my ear. I also discovered that it is possible to balance four Casino Regina tournament chips on his head. It’s not easy—his head is on a spring, and it’s not flat—but it was very satisfying. It was hard enough to do to make it challenging and satisfying upon completion, but not so hard to do as to make it frustrating and tilt-inducing.
For more on the bobblehead beaver, click this link: http://swibco.com/pages/products/bobbles/bobble_pages/BHA4.html
The picture isn’t entirely accurate, particularly around the feet and base, but it’s close. I highly recommend him. He’s the perfect height, he has a good amount of weight to him, and the base is the perfect diameter to rest him on top of a stack of chips.
Right. Poker. Things were going along quite nicely. I’d built my stack up to 12,500, Kevin was moved to my table, and we were both doing well. Then, this hand came up: At the 100/200 level, UTG raised to 600. I was dealt QQ in MP and raised to 1200. UTG called, heads-up to the flop of KQ4 rainbow. UTG checked, and I bet only 800. Since it was heads-up, and there were no flush draws on the board, I wanted to keep him around. UTG called. The turn was a 9. UTG checked, I bet 1500 I believe, and UTG raised it up to 3000. I re-raised all-in, and was called by his TdJd. The river didn’t pair the board, and I was crippled, down to about 3700 or so.
On my best day, I might have been able to get away from this hand on the turn. Maybe not. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed, although all the money was going in anyways if I decided to continue with the hand. I guess the question that I failed to answer correctly was: what’s he check-raising me with on the turn? AK? KQ? Even 99? Hmmm. TJ was certainly a consideration for me, but I decided that I probably had him beat. I was wrong.
The very next hand, I picked up AQ and raised to 600. The same player called from the BB. The flop came low cards, I bet and he called. The turn was a brick, check and check. The river was a brick and I folded what very well may have been the best hand to his bet. That left me with around 2500. Ugh.
Very shortly after that, I picked up TT and got all my chips in preflop against the only player at the table whose stack was shorter than mine. It was very short, actually, only 400 or 500, but I pushed to isolate her. She had AK or AQ or something and hit her ace. That left me with around 2000.
Very shortly after that, I picked up JJ and pushed after a couple of limpers. One of them called me with AQ, and my JJ held up. I doubled through to just over 4000.
Very shortly after that, I picked up TT and limped after a couple of limpers. Why? It’s not a great play. Maybe I was gunshy after playing all these all-in pots, and wanted to have a look at a flop first. About 4 or 5 of us saw a flop of KT7 rainbow. It was checked around to the button, who bet around 800. Folded back to me, and I moved in. It was quite the overbet, but there were a few factors at work here. First of all, if I make a standard check-raise bet, it amounts to about half of my stack in the pot, and I’m not comfortable with that. Second, it looks like an overbet re-steal against what I could have perceived as a steal. If the button’s bet was indeed a steal, I wouldn’t get any more chips. C’est la vie. If it wasn’t, though, I hoped that he would think that I thought he was stealing, and was just attempting to muscle him out of the pot by throwing all my chips around. And finally, after getting burned by that straight against my set a few hands earlier, I just plain didn’t want to get outdrawn.
After I check-raised all-in, the button thought for a long time. He said “I have top pairâ€. Now I REALLY wanted him to call. I thought to myself “foldfoldfoldfoldpleasefoldfold†and tried to look like I wasn’t thinking that so maybe he’d think that I wanted him to fold. He played with his chips, then his cards, then his chips… it was actually quite dramatic. And finally, he called with K8 or K9 or something, failed to suckout, and I doubled all the way up to around 8500 or so. What a ride. I thanked the dealer for the emotional rollercoaster, telling her I’d had a real good time.
We took a break, and came back to play 200/400. It wasn’t too long before I picked up KK on the button. Two players limped, and I made it 2000. The blinds and one limper folded, and the other one called. The flop was JQ6 rainbow. He checked, and with about 5000 in the pot, I decided to move in my 6500 or so. Am I waaaaaaaaay overbetting my hands lately? I’m not sure. I guess a more reasonable bet might have been 3000 or so, but that’s half my stack and I hate that. What am I going to do if he check-raises me for my last 3500? Fold? I don’t know, I just know that I was afraid I was overbetting and overplaying my hands, which is a new feeling for me.
At any rate, he called in a heartbeat with QJ, and I failed to suckout. IGHN. If we didn’t have to fly out at different times the following morning, I would have been buying breakfast. Again.
I received a call a few minutes later from Bob, who had just busted out as well, of course. He put our names on the 20/40 list, and we went to the casino lounge for our bustout drinks, where we were later joined by Dave, and then Kevin. My name was called for the game a little while later, so I said goodbye to Dave and Kevin, and headed off to take my seat. For some reason, Bob’s name never made it onto the whiteboard, despite the fact that he put us both on the list at the same time. I called him and asked him about this, and he said that he had indeed asked for both of us to be on there. I explained the situation to the floorman, telling him that Bob wasn’t upset, but if there was any way they could put him on the list after my name we’d appreciate it. They did what was right, and put him next up.
I lost some chips at the 20/40 game, and then it was changed to a 30/60 game. I lost some more chips at the 30/60 game. KK lost to JJ, flushes missed, etc. Nothing too exciting. Eventually, they called Bob’s name over the PA. About 4 or 5 minutes passed, with no sign of Bob. People at the table were starting to ask if he was going to show up to take his seat. One woman in particular REALLY wanted them to give the seat to someone else. I can’t say that I blame her much—there were certainly worse players than Bob on that list—but I thought they’d cut him a bit of slack since it was obvious that we were friends. I told the table I was going to call him, and I went to the lobby to do so. Bob told me he’d missed the announcement, and was on his way. When I returned to the table, they’d already given the seat to someone else, without making the standard ‘last call for Bob J.’ announcement. Oh well. Bob showed up, and I left the game soon after so we could go out for dinner. Dave and Kevin had already taken off for home, so we were on our own. Bob was scheduled to fly out to Vancouver the next day to start the River Rock series, and he didn’t want to have a late night. We had some dinner, bid each other farewell, and I returned to the poker room.
To make a long story short, I ended up crushing the 20/40 kill game, and then the 30/60 kill game until about 5:00 am to the tune of $1600 or so. Finally, Regina was giving me a little bit of love. One highlight was playing pots against a very nice, older gentleman whose name might have been Joe, who kept saying, and sometimes yelling: “I just want Devin to write about me in an article!!!â€Â
The next day (technically a few hours later) I was speaking with my girlfriend Emily on the phone from the Regina airport. I told her about my previous night’s win. Emily doesn’t know much about poker, but I figured out that she knows how to tell it like it is when she said to me, in a very cute, innocent way: “But it’s not really winning is it, after you spent so much on losing?â€
It’s not really winning, is it, after you spent so much on losing. No. I guess it’s not. So much for kidding myself.
All in all, the trip was a blast, and although I managed to make back most of my tournament entries in the cash game on the last night, it was not a winning poker trip. Oh well. At least I got out of buying the third breakfast.
Comments
Ding!
She actually seems to have a grasp on a key poker idea that most poker players don't.
Seriously though, a win is a win, and I'm sure it was a nice finish to clean up in the cash games on your last day. (Of course, by saying this, it proves that I also do not grasp the key poker idea above. D'oh!)
As always, great reports Devin!
Ding!
ScottyZ
Yeah, that was one incredible roller coaster ride indeed.
Actually, I believe Dave was at the table already, along with yourself, Bob, and Dave Klassen, who was seated two to my left at my original table. (Hey, lasting longer than Team Canuck is all I have to hang on to, as I was out 80 seats before the money. No 1% Team Canuck Party Donkey Poker Fund donation from me...this time)
Man, she's hot AND smart. You are one lucky bastard!
Sorry to pull out the picture of Em on your ass at the bar... ummm you know how it is with young love and everything... but yeah she is insightful, that's for sure.
No need to apologize. How do people get to know one another if they don't share what is important to them, right? If I was actually smart enough to carry around a picture of my wife and two kids, I would have shown you. I guess you will have to meet them next time you are in Regina.
Which picture?? Please post that one and a few others as well. :h:
Oh yeah, good report, thanks.
Bill and I agree - with that pic she's got potential man. Hey, didn't Shana Hyatt leave the WPT? Well, if they have already filled that position, there is a WPT in Brampton that I know of that is looking for a spokesmodel.
Nice trip report - always a good read. One criticism though, your passage on beaver stroking was disappointing...
Now I have to figure out how to condense my 3 reports of hilarity into one concise little 1200-word package for a CPP article...
WHEAT KINGS
Then you can talk about them getting cracked.