First blood
Downhill all the way now that I have my first win under my belt! It was only a ten person tourney (they call it a "satellite", even though it's a cash prize) but I got to the last two with only slightly more chips than the other guy and we agreed a two-way chop for $275 each. This is a Binions sit-and-go thing, which apparantly they do all day every day and I have a feeling we'll be going back quite a bit. Costs $65 to enter, with $55 going back to players so quite a rake but the standard of play in this one was pretty poor so it could be beatable. Gonna try and find out anyway.
Everyone starts with 1200 chips and blinds go up every 15 minutes, starting at 25/50. I'm pretty sure they skipped the 75/150 level but can't actually remember for sure. Took just over an hour to complete so you have to get lucky early on. I did - limping with Ah3h on the first hand, I bet the flop when a 3 appeared and got one caller. The turn gave me a flush draw and I took a free card and a lovely Th appeared on the river. Bet 300 and got paid off by AT who caught top pair on the river but had only ace high when he called the flop bet.
Key hand came with 4 players remaining and blinds at 100/200. I had AhQh and raised pre-flop on the button to 600. After some thought, I was called by the BB who bet out 900 on a flop of JT8 with 2 diamonds and no heart. If both my overcards were good, I had 14 outs (3 Aces, 3 Queens, 4 Kings and 4 9s) which made me a favourite with two cards to come. Turns out they were good - I re-raised all-in for about 2200 and he called with 55. Turn was a blank and then a magic ace on the river to take down a huge pot.
Binion's has a great poker room. About 50 tables, well away from the main casino so it's nice and quiet. They have four main tournaments every day as well as the satellites, and we also played in the afternoon game.
28 July 2pm, Binions
$60 for 1000 chips, $10 dealer bonus for 500 more
1 rebuy for $40 get extra 1000 (at any time)
Blinds 20 mins: 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 100/200/25, 200/400/50 ...
50 entries, 29 rebuys, 6 paid, $1460 1st, $146 6th
I gained a very useful tight table image before my first table broke, after getting QQ cracked early on and needing to rebuy. I was on the button with 3 limpers and raised to 300 (blinds 25/50). 2 fold and the last limper pushes for 525 more. As suspicious as the call-reraise is, I had to call and found myself against 99. The flop of 89T left me with a queen or jack to regain the lead and the turn 6 meant a 7 would split but it was not to be.
And so it was that the next time I raised, the player whose blind I stole piped up and commented that he hadn't seen me play much and had never seen my cards. Someone soon corrected him and pointed out that I got beat with the QQ and from then until the first break I got no action whenever I raised pre-flop. Could have taken better advantage in retrospect but I was happy to pick up at least one set of blinds each round.
After the break I picked up KK then QQ. No callers, but I showed both to try and set me up for some easy stealing, but the table broke soon after. Once antes kicked in I didn't get an opportunity to play a hand for about 40 minutes and the huge stack of green (25) chips I moved to the new table with had diminished into nothing. The best hand I saw was KQ which I couldn't play as it was raised and called ahead of me.
I was whittled down to 1200 and on the big blind for 400. Everyone folded to the small blind - with about 2500 chips - who raised the minimum. I looked down at my cards, having already decided that I had to go for it, and seeing 53o I stuck my chips in hoping that both cards were live. He called and flipped over As6s and a 5 fell on the river to double me up, and I had to endure much whining from the player I beat until the second break.
I continued to pick up virtually no cards but players dropped like flies at the 300/600 level and amazingly I made the final table with a tiny stack. Binion's have made a nice effort with the final table. It's in a section all by itself with rail on all four sides so there's plenty of room for people to watch. The table itself looks the bomb too, with an illuminated outer ring and it's the only table in the room that has a printed cloth: "Binion's - the place that made poker famous".
I lasted exactly one hand at the final table, picking up A9o in mid position and shoved in my remaining 2175 - with 750 in antes as well as 900 in blinds, it wasn't enough to expect to steal with. The player to my left called instantly with A3o and the BB thought for a while before folding (he said he mucked A8). Just when I thought I was in good shape to survive a little longer, the nightmare 3 fell on the turn and I was out.
Everyone starts with 1200 chips and blinds go up every 15 minutes, starting at 25/50. I'm pretty sure they skipped the 75/150 level but can't actually remember for sure. Took just over an hour to complete so you have to get lucky early on. I did - limping with Ah3h on the first hand, I bet the flop when a 3 appeared and got one caller. The turn gave me a flush draw and I took a free card and a lovely Th appeared on the river. Bet 300 and got paid off by AT who caught top pair on the river but had only ace high when he called the flop bet.
Key hand came with 4 players remaining and blinds at 100/200. I had AhQh and raised pre-flop on the button to 600. After some thought, I was called by the BB who bet out 900 on a flop of JT8 with 2 diamonds and no heart. If both my overcards were good, I had 14 outs (3 Aces, 3 Queens, 4 Kings and 4 9s) which made me a favourite with two cards to come. Turns out they were good - I re-raised all-in for about 2200 and he called with 55. Turn was a blank and then a magic ace on the river to take down a huge pot.
Binion's has a great poker room. About 50 tables, well away from the main casino so it's nice and quiet. They have four main tournaments every day as well as the satellites, and we also played in the afternoon game.
28 July 2pm, Binions
$60 for 1000 chips, $10 dealer bonus for 500 more
1 rebuy for $40 get extra 1000 (at any time)
Blinds 20 mins: 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 100/200/25, 200/400/50 ...
50 entries, 29 rebuys, 6 paid, $1460 1st, $146 6th
I gained a very useful tight table image before my first table broke, after getting QQ cracked early on and needing to rebuy. I was on the button with 3 limpers and raised to 300 (blinds 25/50). 2 fold and the last limper pushes for 525 more. As suspicious as the call-reraise is, I had to call and found myself against 99. The flop of 89T left me with a queen or jack to regain the lead and the turn 6 meant a 7 would split but it was not to be.
And so it was that the next time I raised, the player whose blind I stole piped up and commented that he hadn't seen me play much and had never seen my cards. Someone soon corrected him and pointed out that I got beat with the QQ and from then until the first break I got no action whenever I raised pre-flop. Could have taken better advantage in retrospect but I was happy to pick up at least one set of blinds each round.
After the break I picked up KK then QQ. No callers, but I showed both to try and set me up for some easy stealing, but the table broke soon after. Once antes kicked in I didn't get an opportunity to play a hand for about 40 minutes and the huge stack of green (25) chips I moved to the new table with had diminished into nothing. The best hand I saw was KQ which I couldn't play as it was raised and called ahead of me.
I was whittled down to 1200 and on the big blind for 400. Everyone folded to the small blind - with about 2500 chips - who raised the minimum. I looked down at my cards, having already decided that I had to go for it, and seeing 53o I stuck my chips in hoping that both cards were live. He called and flipped over As6s and a 5 fell on the river to double me up, and I had to endure much whining from the player I beat until the second break.
I continued to pick up virtually no cards but players dropped like flies at the 300/600 level and amazingly I made the final table with a tiny stack. Binion's have made a nice effort with the final table. It's in a section all by itself with rail on all four sides so there's plenty of room for people to watch. The table itself looks the bomb too, with an illuminated outer ring and it's the only table in the room that has a printed cloth: "Binion's - the place that made poker famous".
I lasted exactly one hand at the final table, picking up A9o in mid position and shoved in my remaining 2175 - with 750 in antes as well as 900 in blinds, it wasn't enough to expect to steal with. The player to my left called instantly with A3o and the BB thought for a while before folding (he said he mucked A8). Just when I thought I was in good shape to survive a little longer, the nightmare 3 fell on the turn and I was out.
posted by luckydonut @ 6:50 am
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