Vegas Memories Revisited and First League Game
Las Vegas 2002......
I'm sure everybody in attendance remembers this trip. If you don't, you've chosen to block that memory out of your brain (or at least tried) but you CAN'T. You remember it like it was yesterday. The event is too dramatic. You know exactly you were doing when IT happened. The smell of the casino, the racetrack game, the sportsbook. EVERYTHING... It will FOREVER bond us. Me, Hyde, Wil, Yaz, Sunshine, New Yorker, the ULCA fans. The ALMOST ripping up my ticket. The "It's only TWO POINTS!" The getting in line BEFORE the clock hits zero. The 11 men in the box. The almost break it to the house. Then on the very next play, the TO THE HOUSE. The agony... The Vegas dream straight down the toilet. Yes you know. The greatest beat as a group we've ever taken. OUR memory. Yaz's interpretation of Wil throwing clothes over the balcony of the San Remo. The "I don't know if Wil is ok" look. Classic.
There is another memory I'd like to revisit although I wasn't present so the other fellas will have better recollection of the events. Watching a tournament at Binions with Humberto, Layne, and Scottie as the 3 remaining participants. Layne gets knocked out 3rd, takes his winnings and buys into a cash game and proceeds to quadruple his stack in the next 30 mins and thanks his opponents for knocking him out since he just made more money than them. Heads up, Humberto has a dominating chip lead over Scottie. The Prince convinces Huck Seed to give him 8 to 1? odds to come back and win the tournament, which Scottie does do and wins the tournament. A bystander asks Huck (not knowing it was Huck I assume) why he keeps on heckling the players and given them crap and he says "Because my picture is on the wall." Great line.
Relevance you ask?
Yesterday was our first league game of the new season. They made a great (and much needed) change which convinced me to come back and give it a try again which was to not be 12 handed, only seating 9 per table. I started off terrible, making 2nd best hands and missing flops/draws. It threw me off my game a little because I couldn't be as aggressive as I wanted to be with my stack dwindling. On top of that, the guy to my immediate right had a huge chip stack (which I also had a last longer bet with). After the 2nd break, blinds would be 500/1000 and I had 6000 left. Rich (who I had the last longer bet with) had well over 70K and there were 20+ people left and we started with 27. I said "Give me 5 to 1 that I last longer than you." Bet accepted instantly. (Can you blame him?) Not only did I last longer than Rich, going out in 6th place, I chopped the tournament heads up for a total profit of $385! This was probably one of the best, if not THE best, challenges I accomplished in a single tournament. Once that obstacle was presented to me, I've never been more focused and driven to win. Thats the type of poker I need to play. I felt my reads and situational betting was spot on. When I get "in the zone" I feel unstoppable. Now I just need to maintain that level for the next 11 weeks.
Thanks for taken the time to read. I hope you enjoy the thoughts in my head!
See you at the felt!
TK
I'm sure everybody in attendance remembers this trip. If you don't, you've chosen to block that memory out of your brain (or at least tried) but you CAN'T. You remember it like it was yesterday. The event is too dramatic. You know exactly you were doing when IT happened. The smell of the casino, the racetrack game, the sportsbook. EVERYTHING... It will FOREVER bond us. Me, Hyde, Wil, Yaz, Sunshine, New Yorker, the ULCA fans. The ALMOST ripping up my ticket. The "It's only TWO POINTS!" The getting in line BEFORE the clock hits zero. The 11 men in the box. The almost break it to the house. Then on the very next play, the TO THE HOUSE. The agony... The Vegas dream straight down the toilet. Yes you know. The greatest beat as a group we've ever taken. OUR memory. Yaz's interpretation of Wil throwing clothes over the balcony of the San Remo. The "I don't know if Wil is ok" look. Classic.
There is another memory I'd like to revisit although I wasn't present so the other fellas will have better recollection of the events. Watching a tournament at Binions with Humberto, Layne, and Scottie as the 3 remaining participants. Layne gets knocked out 3rd, takes his winnings and buys into a cash game and proceeds to quadruple his stack in the next 30 mins and thanks his opponents for knocking him out since he just made more money than them. Heads up, Humberto has a dominating chip lead over Scottie. The Prince convinces Huck Seed to give him 8 to 1? odds to come back and win the tournament, which Scottie does do and wins the tournament. A bystander asks Huck (not knowing it was Huck I assume) why he keeps on heckling the players and given them crap and he says "Because my picture is on the wall." Great line.
Relevance you ask?
Yesterday was our first league game of the new season. They made a great (and much needed) change which convinced me to come back and give it a try again which was to not be 12 handed, only seating 9 per table. I started off terrible, making 2nd best hands and missing flops/draws. It threw me off my game a little because I couldn't be as aggressive as I wanted to be with my stack dwindling. On top of that, the guy to my immediate right had a huge chip stack (which I also had a last longer bet with). After the 2nd break, blinds would be 500/1000 and I had 6000 left. Rich (who I had the last longer bet with) had well over 70K and there were 20+ people left and we started with 27. I said "Give me 5 to 1 that I last longer than you." Bet accepted instantly. (Can you blame him?) Not only did I last longer than Rich, going out in 6th place, I chopped the tournament heads up for a total profit of $385! This was probably one of the best, if not THE best, challenges I accomplished in a single tournament. Once that obstacle was presented to me, I've never been more focused and driven to win. Thats the type of poker I need to play. I felt my reads and situational betting was spot on. When I get "in the zone" I feel unstoppable. Now I just need to maintain that level for the next 11 weeks.
Thanks for taken the time to read. I hope you enjoy the thoughts in my head!
See you at the felt!
TK
Awesome, what did the 5 to 1 pay,
Fuck UCLA fans who are to chicken shit to actually be a real fan, and here is a toast to the New Yorker, who in fact has to be the only reason that the betting gods were against us that night. And may 09 be the year that I become a member of the TK entourage that slowly starts to take a place in the Poker community.
With nothing but love for the game
Signed: San Remo
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