So.. went to Vegas for Rolling Stone’s 40th anniversary weekend bash and it was sick! Snoop Dog Friday night, 50 Cent and Kanye on Saturday night. It was amazing. But.. we are here talk poker…

I am at the 2/5 table for a while and the table sucks. There are only 2 – 5/10 tables and I am waiting to get there. The table I am at is pretty ABC and no one was really messing around. I stole lots of little pots when the action was checked to me, but nothing exciting. I finally get moved and add-on to the $1000 max.

I am up to $1130 and in late position. UTG+2 raises to $50, gets 1 caller and its folded around to me and I squeeze KK. I raise to $180 and then he re-raises me back for $200 on top. I have only been here for an orbit or two and he was def an action player, calling to see lots of flops and firing bets if checked to him. I go all-in and he insta calls and turns over AA.
SHIT! Just my freakin luck..


Flop comes…. K4K!! Ain't that a bitch! Flopped quads and doubled up. I have to admit that he took it very well (where I woulda shit my pants and gone nuts). He got moved to the main table and Tommy Vu sat down and the table went to shit.

He bet every hand big and there was nothing I could do, I had nothing. It didn’t matter, if there were 4-5 limps, he would make it $150. I raised to $60 with TT, he was the only caller. Flop came K85 and I bet $100. He makes it $300 (and has about $10K in cash ready to reload with), I think for a while and fold. He says he had the best hand, passes it to me to see and I look and he has Q5.

Thankfully I was moved to the main game and away from that maniac. Normally I would love to play with someone like that but wasn’t getting the cards to do so.

I got to the main game with $2200 and left with $3360. I had two major hands:

1. UTG+2 raised to $50, 2 callers and I called with 44. flop came T42, Check, Check and the guy to my right bets $120, I called and the other 2 folded. K on the turn, he checks. I am pretty sure that hit him by the way he checked. He was very thoughtful on every play he made and he checked very quickly. I bet $200 and he called. 7 on the river was great, no flushes and no straights. I am 100% sure I have the best hand, he can’t have KK he would have raised pre-flop. He could have TT, but again, I think he would have raised based on how I had seen him play. Add to that, he checks the river. I made a small value bet of $150 into a pot of $840, and he min raises me to $300. This gets me thinking and again I put him on AK. Also, after that bet he only has $300 left. So I think for about 2min, count out the $150 like I am going to call, then announce RAISE, throw in the $150, think for a few and say ALL IN. He actually folded AK face up and saved his last $300, even though the pot was over $1600.

2. Limped pot with 4 players. I have J9 and the flop comes 982. Checked around to me and I bet $40 into $40 pot. BB calls and the other 2 fold. (there are two clubs on the flop) The turn is the Jd, he checks and I bet $80, he thinks and just calls. He could have QT or 7T, plus sets to beat me. Thankfully the river is a 9 giving me 9’s full. He checks, I bet $200 into a pot of $280, and he says “missed your flush huh?” I don’t say a word and am keeping super still and holding my breath, hoping to give off a tell as if I am bluffing. He says “I really should raise you but just gonna call” and turns over 9T.

I played the Bellagio $540 daily earlier in the day, got no cards and busted out early.

Overall a great weekend, saw some great shows and won some $$$$. (including $1200 playing craps when a guy hit the Hard 10 and Hard 8 in back to back points and I had $40 on the hard way both times)

Playing the PS WCOOP $1050 tomm, $15K in chips and 30min levels. Wish me luck!

So played again the next day and again got up to $60k in chips.

Early on got very lucky when all in with 44 vs. 99 and flopped a set. Flopped a set of 6's on a T high board vs. QQ and won a big pot.

On the button, i get Q3 suited and with 4 limpers in front of me, I call. Flop comes Q99 adn everyony checks to me and I bet, folds around to last player who thinks for a while and shoves all in for about $10K (I bet $2K). I thought for a while, asked him if he hit the 9. obv. this is a great bluffing board and a great move if he doens't put me on the 9. I fold and turn my Q face up.

2 hands later, same scenario. Bunch of limpers and I call with AT, flop comes Txx, and it's checked around to me again and I bet. Folds around to the same player who just went all in, and again he thinks. I am talking up a storm. "Cmon.. you hit the T?" "no way you hit that" "you serious, you really hit the T?", he goes all in and I call, he turns over A9 and I win the pot.

So tht point here is that I did well both days and then 1 hand wrecked me..

In the BB I have 33, folds around to the SB who raises to $2K and I went all in instantly (mistake#1) without really thinking about it. He calls and shows JJ, and i lose a bit less than half my stack.

Mistake #2 - playing too tight after that beat and getting away from my normal game. In late position didn't call a raise with 76 suited (2 callers) and flop came K66. I normally would have played that with my stack and position.

ended up going all in with decent ace and losing a race.


I played both days very well and built a huge stack early. I need to not let a beat get me down and stay focused. It was just that that loss yesterday (Deep Stack #1) got to me cause I was thinking that if I won it, I have a HUGE stack and in great position.

Played the $550 deepstack at Venetian on 6/13 and did well. Started with $10K in chips and my table was very aggressive and lots of good players (1 made final table, 1 made final 2 tables).
Player that made final table was very agressive and bet at every flop no matter what. I didn't get any cards of note the first two levels so I was able to observe the table. I knew that if I hit a flop and checked to the agressive player (3 to my left), he would bet and I could check raise and get some extra $$$ from him.

I win some uneventful and small pots but nothing to write about. We are up to the 4th level and I am getting short stacked ($5K in chips). I go on a sick run, and by the dinner break I have $60K chips and the avg stack is $25K. Again, no really interesting hands or any hard decisions. AA vs. QQ and won, AK vs. AQ and won.

After the break, here is the hand that crushed me, and know I played wrong. Not 100% on the blinds, but I beleive they were either 200/400 or 300/600 + antes.
UTG+2 goes all in for $11K
I look down at 99 and rasie to $25K to isolate.
Folds around to BB who goes all in for an additional $12K to me. Obviously I have to call, getting 6-1.
short stack turns over AQ, BB turns over AK to my 99.
Player to my left says "I folded an Ace", player to his left says "I folded a K".
Of course an A hits the flop and I am down to around $20K, am on major tilt since he hit his one outer, and shove a bit later with a suited A and lose to a bigger Ace.

Looking back, I should have just called the All-in, then when the BB goes all in for $37K, I can get away from the hand.

Here's how to play like a donk and get rewarded...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $6 BB (9 handed)

UTG ($679)
UTG+1 ($432.95)
MP1 ($170.90)
MP2 ($820.35)
Hero ($373)
CO ($441.90)
Button ($377)
SB ($207)
BB ($1053.75)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 2, T.
2 folds, MP1 calls $6, MP2 calls $6, Hero raises to $24, CO calls $24, 3 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $18.

Flop: ($87) T, 3, J (3 players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks, CO bets $60, MP2 folds, Hero calls $60.

Turn: ($207) K (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks.

River: ($207) 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $138, CO raises to $357.9, Hero calls $151 (All-In).

Final Pot: $853.90

Results in white below:
Hero has 2c Tc (flush, king high).
CO has Kh Ks (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $785. CO wins $68.90.

Playing heads up for WSOP seat. It's the first table of double shootout.

then this hand came up...


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (2 handed)

BB (t5993)
Hero (t7507)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, 9.
Hero calls t75, BB checks.

Flop: (t300) 3, Q, Q (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t300) 8 (2 players)
BB bets t150, Hero calls t150.

River: (t600) 5 (2 players)
BB bets t450, Hero raises to t1450, BB raises to t5693, Hero calls t4243.

Final Pot: t11986

Results in white below:
BB has Qs 5d (full house, queens full of fives).
Hero has Ac 9c (flush, ace high).
Outcome: BB wins t11986.