Played a pro at 1/2NL, (old thread start toward bottom)

[Silly String]

I'm going with my wife so the trip report won't be that interesting & the things that are won't be discussed. Last trip was 2005 since we had our first child in 2006. So I'll need to check out the Wynn.
Itinerary: Bally's, steakhouse, Zumanity, poker, pool, walk the Wynn. Yep that about covers it.

Anyone else going to be out there or have any suggestions? Lunch places? Cool tucked away lounges? Good last minute shows? Poker room tips?

[Pythonic]

Find the dead money and take all you can.

[bode]

put it all on red

FYP

[nutsinho]

im leaving vegas tomorrow

[frosst]

im going to vegas the first week in july cant wait

[Silly String]

im leaving vegas tomorrow

Any tips? Poker rooms that are loose right now? You did play poker right?

[Silly String]

Title changed. Woot woot!

[Pythonic]

Switching strategy to putting entire BR on black and LET IT RIDE!

[Silly String]

Starbucks in hands, flight boarding soon. Hasta la vista.

[kingnat]

Happy trails

[overdraft]

gl man. Have fun

[Silly String]

Wish I could have left trip report updates, but alas no internet in the hotel room. I wasn't in it enough to matter anyway. I was also too lazy to find a wifi spot to check emails anyway.
As you probably know, you need to run well in the short term since live poker goes slow. My AK ran like shit, & I never saw AA in about 12-15 hours of poker. You can raise UTG to $17 and still get 5 callers in a 1/2 game. Unbelievable! I folded QQ pre when 4 people were all in in front of me and the cold caller to my 3bet was still to act. Needless to say I was shocked to find my QQ would have been the best hand. I should have drug the $1000 pot, but couldn't see how AA or KK wasn't in there. Instead I ended up down a little over 2 buy-ins. Whatev's, I should have been printing money, but couldn't catch and had a pretty nitty image allowing me to scoop some cbet pots here & there.
As for everything else, steaks are good, Zumanity was hillarious, gambling other than poker is like pissing up rope. Bally's gets 3 stars from me on the hotel, but 4.5 stars on service. Things did pick up on the weekend though & other Harrah's properties were very cool.
More later, if anyone cares.

[gabe]

vegasssssssss

[Silly String]

Also played with a pro that was slumming it in 1/2.

[wesrman]

Also played with a pro that was slumming it in 1/2.

Anyone we might know of???

[Silly String]

Anyone we might know of???

Only if you watch WPT final tables or know all the WSOP bracelet winners. His name isn't household, but big enough the poker geeks around here will have some idea. I need to build some interest first. . .

[wesrman]

Did you happen to notice or play in any Stud or Mix games while there???

[Silly String]

No mixed games or stud at Bally's or Paris. As a matter of fact, Paris' poker room is now only open from 7pm on at night and saw very little action. I think poker is either dying slowly or the explosion of casino's adding rooms and increasing room sizes is going to shut some rooms down. Bally's spread, 1/2NL & 3/6 limit nightly and 2/5NL on the weekend. No stud/omaha/horse interest list was ever started.
Bellagio & Caesar's new room(very, very nice BTW) probably spread more games. I know MGM used to a couple year's ago., but Hold'em probably out tables all other games 10:1.
Again the quality of player was horrendous. Absolutely horrible. Vegas tourists make my local rooms look like rock gardens.

[Fnord]

Predictions for Vegas NLHE over the next couple years:

$1 minimum per hand drop, even if there is no flop.
1/3, 2/3, 2/5, 3/5, 5/5 will replace 1/2 as the smallest NLHE game to accomidate inflation and the bigger drop. In other words, it'll be more like California, but not go all the way.

TI, Luxor, Paris, Trop, etc. will shut down their poker rooms.
The B, the V, MGM, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, etc. will have even better games as a result.

Vegas has too many shitty little rooms with craptastic staff spreading crap games.

[Pythonic]

Fill us in about the pro you played against and who it was.

[mrhappy333]

Fill us in about the pro you played against and who it was.

Nick Shulman?

[a500lbgorilla]

name is "familiar"

Is he a big nerd lookin fella?

[Silly String]

I thought maybe more people would be interested, but here it is for those who care:
http://www.cardplayer.com/players/re...on-Cantu/41240

Pretty cool guy. He has that kinda quiet arrogance that most good players do, but once you started talking with him he is pretty cool. He was only playing 1/2NL because he had a friend(another cool guy) in town who wasn't a pro. I'm sure he usually plays Bellagio, ldo.
I actually moved tables the day before I found out who he was b/c I didn't want to play OOP to him. I could tell he was very aggro & very good, before I ever learned who he was. At the end of the day, he lightened my pockets by $400 when I tried to 3 barrel him with a straight draw(and my nitty image). He made an excellent call down w/TPMK. It was one of those Mike Matasow "only a donkey would make that call" moments. If I didn't know who he was I would have just tabbed him a station, but he definitely out played me on that hand.
Heres the hand:
Brandon raised MP to $20 PF I called OTB w/ 65s and so did the BB. Flop was K47r checked to me, I lead $45 into $60. BB folds, Brandon calls. Brandon checks dark. Turn was a blank, like a 2x. I bet $120 into $150(prob. too much for this dry board), Brandon calls. River is a 7x which is a horrible 3barrel pushing card with my image, but he checked & I just couldn't imagine giving up on a pot w/ 6 high so I pushed my last $200. After a quick pause to think, he called w/ his K9o. Looking back, check behind>>small value bet>>push.
He did discuss the hand with me later in exchange for some information on one of my earlier holdings. Let's just say I learned a lesson that my be worth $400 some day. It was the best & biggest pot I lost all week, and after our discussion, probably my favorite pot. Anyone think that they can explain his thought process on the call?

[bigspenda73]

I wouldn't bluff a guy at 1/2 who's grossly overrolled for it.

[Pythonic]

To me it just looks like your betting way too much to have a pair of kings.

[Silly String]

I wouldn't bluff a guy at 1/2 who's grossly overrolled for it.

I was taking my shot at Chan. . .

I know you're right & I know I played the hand wrong.
He's not a station, but he'll pay off if he thinks his read is right. Why wouldn't you when you have $33,333+ buyins?

[Miffed22001]

Switching strategy to putting entire BR on black and LET IT RIDE!

My BBj indicator says red

[nutsinho]

It's bad because no one leads strong with a monster on super dry boards into the PFR at live 1/2. And you can't have two pair. And you don't really do this with TPGK unless it's KQ. Barreling all in into the PFR with KT-KJ would be pretty spewy. So you frequently have a straight draw that has definitely missed. Easy easy call.

[thizzSantaCruz]

It's bad because no one leads strong with a monster on super dry boards into the PFR at live 1/2. And you can't have two pair. And you don't really do this with TPGK unless it's KQ. Barreling all in into the PFR with KT-KJ would be pretty spewy. So you frequently have a straight draw that has definitely missed. Easy easy call.

Well he didn't lead here OP was on the button and bet when checked to. I agree with your assesment that putting in that much money with a king isn't going to be done by a competent player against someone he knows is a pro. He could be representing a set here though, I would play it that way but bet more on the flop.

[Silly String]

It's bad because no one leads strong with a monster on super dry boards into the PFR at live 1/2. And you can't have two pair. And you don't really do this with TPGK unless it's KQ. Barreling all in into the PFR with KT-KJ would be pretty spewy. So you frequently have a straight draw that has definitely missed. Easy easy call.

Damn good assessment. AK is to likely a 3bet here. That leaves KT-KQ that could be betting here and he would expect me to slow down somewhere control the pot size. It looks like a set or nothing, and sets are obviously somewhat rare in a 3way pot.

I should have taken the free card on the turn and then bluff value bet the riv if I feel I can still take the pot away. I probably couldn't take the pot way anyway as he was probably going to try to catch me, since I had been nitty tight, but aggressive in a couple pots.

[Pythonic]

I would have checked turn/shoved river, that looks like a stronger hand IMO.

[Silly String]

No offense, I think that looks horrible in position.

[Pythonic]

Well I'm assuming he would have bet the turn, why does that look bad?

[KoRnholio]

Checking behind the turn and then shoving river makes our hand even more obvious.

[Silly String]

Pythonic, I am in position so if I check turn I am checking behind & getting no money in on that street. Repping a hand that wants to get all in is tough after checking thru the turn.

[Chopper]

Switching strategy to putting entire BR on black and LET IT RIDE!

$5 wont last that long. c'mon "00."

[Pythonic]

Hey.....Chopper's back!

[Chopper]

nah....wet spring...carry on.

[Pythonic]

nah....wet spring...carry on.

The earthworms should be out then, go collect some of those and sell them to your local bait store.

[Silly String]

Um, check out how the pro is doing in the main event. His chip count is 11,000,000 and he's the chip leader with like 35 left. What a great story if he wins.

[Galapogos]

It'd be a shitty story. FTR's on team Toadstool!