Monday was a day off for the players in the Main Event. Day Ones were Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The concept is to eliminate about half the field on Day One. The Thursday and Friday survivors are combined and play as one group on Tuesday and the weekend survivors come together on Wednesday. Rather than playing the Main Event, Monday was scheduled for the Casino Employees Tournament. I suppose it would have been cool to be able to say that I played in a WSOP Event but I just couldn't convince myself that it was worth the $500 entry fee and besides, it's not like I haven't spent a lot of time sitting at those tables. Then on Monday I got a text message from my Dealer Coordinator saying that there were way too many dealers scheduled and that Tim and I could take the day off. I could have gone down to the Rio and tried my hand at some of the cash games but I figured I had a better shot at winning a few bucks up at the Stratosphere where I might find a softer game.
The Poker Room at the Stratosphere runs a nice promotion on the first Monday of every month by adding money to the prize pools of their daily $60 entry tournaments. They double first place money. For example with 60 players there would be a prize pool of $3300 with $1320 going to the winner. They add an extra $1320 and make it $2640 for the winner. This is a generous promotion to get players into the casino. Stratosphere also usually spreads a $1-$2 No Limit Hold'em game which is a low stakes level that I am very comfortable playing at.
Tim and I got there about an hour before the 4 PM tournament. We signed up for the tournament, paid our $60 entry fee and then found open seats at the $1-$2 games at different tables. The idea is to try to win the entry fee to the tournament in the cash game and then freeroll in the tournament.
The first hand I see is Queen - Ten. I raise to $7 and get 2 callers. The flop is Queen high. I lead out $15 on my pair of Queens and get one caller. The Turn card looks safe, doesn't seem to complete any draws and is small enough to be unlikely to hit a caller's hand. I toss/slide five red chips out. They start in a nice neat stack and as they slide forward they form a straight line of five $5 chips evenly spaced on the felt in front of me. My opponent folds. I win the pot. Nearly half way to my goal on the first hand.
The next hand is rags and I fold it. This is followed by an Ace - Queen. After two players limp (call the $2 Big Blind) I raise it up to $7. The blinds fold and the two limpers call. The dealer pulls the bets into the pot and puts out the Flop. It's a King and two small cards, three suits. Both callers check quickly and without hesitation I toss out $15. They both fold and I am another $14 closer to my goal.Goals are funny things in poker. I can't tell you how many times I have looked down at my chip stack and thought gee, if I can win just another $20 I will reach my goal of tripling up today - and then go broke trying to do it. Much better to just play each hand and each situation for what it is rather than relative to any artificial goal I set for myself.
The very next hand I peek down and see a red Queen. Then I look at the other card and see a red Queen. Then I look back at the first card and see a red Queen and again check the second card and yes, I have the two red Queens. One player limps from early position and I make it $15. Everyone folds to the blinds. The small blind calls the $15 and so does the limper. Carri the dealer, a dark haired pretty woman in her twenties who cannot weigh more than about 95 pounds, pulls in the bets and spreads the flop: J-10-4 with two spades. Check. Check. I push another $15 out. The small blind calls. The limper folds. I figure the caller either has a 10 or two spades. Carri adds a red 7 to the board and the caller checks. I think it is highly unlikely that this guy started out this hand calling a $15 raise with 9-8, but not impossible. I lead out with $20 and after a beat he calls. Hmmm.
He is probably chasing the flush, but I can't rule out that he caught part of that board and thinks he is letting me hang myself. The River card is a red 4, pairing the board. He checks and I have this feeling that if I bet he is going to make a huge raise which I would have to fold to. Instead of a value bet on the end I just flip over my cards and say, "All I have is the Queens." He tosses his hand in face down and Carri pushes me the pot.
The tournament is getting ready to start and the timing is just perfect for me to take my winnings and go try my hand in the tournament.
I didn't do as well in the tournament. Although I outlasted more than half the field, I ultimately busted out well outside of the money. After busting out I went back to the cash game where the Queens were once again very good to me winning one pot that was over $200. Sometime after midnight Tim came over telling me he had had enough poker for the day so I cashed in and on the way out we stopped by Lucky's diner for the $9.99 Prime Rib Special. It would have been much better served a little quicker and warmer but for $9.99 I don't really expect Lawry's.
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