Saturday, August 05, 2006
James Plays on Table with Barry Greenstein
It’s been a long stay in Vegas. I was mildly thinking about going home early and skipping the last two bracelet events I am planning on playing. But not now.
I finished 531st (not sure the board was updated – seems like it was showing 531 left for a long time – I may have finished a little better than that) out of 1007 players in Event #41 $1500 NL just a little while ago. But what an experience. I am now fantasizing that I can play with the big boys. Since that is just what I did.
My first table had 3 pros on it. They all knew each other and were chatting about games and casinos, etc. and asking if so and so went to so and so’s party, etc. I didn’t know any of them from TV, but it was obvious that they played with each other and the big names frequently from their conversation. Then I knocked out a regular joe on my left. (I had my King high flush on the turn with my K-2 suited and he hit a straight on the river.) I couldn’t believe he called when I bet big on the turn with 3 hearts on the board. But he did (at this point, I sort of thought he might have the Ace of hearts and needed one more heart for his flush) When he went all-in when he hit his straight on the river (not a heart), I called instantaneously. even though I only had the King-high. I figured if he had the Ace and another heart, so be it. But he didn’t and I won.
He was replaced at our table by Barry Greenstein. Barry’s girlfriend was at an adjoining table, and one of the other pros (before Barry knew she was there) told Barry to check out the cute girl on the next table. Barry jumped up and went over and gave her a kiss. Next hand or so she was telling Barry, “Look what you did. I was winning before you came over. You touched my chips!”
We started with 1500 chips and by now I had slightly over 3000. Barry came in with about 1600. I told him I was glad to get to play with him, but I wish he was sitting to my right. He said not to worry, I had him covered. About two hands later, Barry won a big pot and I told him that blew me covering him right out of the water. We both counted our chips and he had 75 more than me.
I watched Barry play A3 clubs from under the gun (he raised 300 – one-tenth of his chips) and got a call from a very short stack. Barry called the additional and hit an Ace to take it down.
A few hands later I lost about a third of my stack with a small pocket pair in the cut-off. It was folded to me, so I raised 300. Barry folded and then the small blind went all-in for 900. The big blind folded. I had seen the guy start to call, then think better of it and bet all-in instead. I figured him for two big cards, instead of a big pair, so I called the additional 600. Sure enough, he had AQ unsuited. It was a race. I looked it up just now and my small pair wins 52.41% of the time against AQ unsuited, but and Ace and a Queen came in the flop. Barry said, “The good news is that you made the right read and the right call, but the bad news is you lost.”
I just think you have to go at it like that to have a chance in these big tournaments. It would have been different, if it would have ended my tournament to lose. But you just simply have to take some chances to accumulate chips.
They broke our table soon after that and Barry and I were moved to adjacent tables. My table was right next to the one Phil Helmuth was playing on. Gavin Smith was on another near-by table.
It was very instructive to me to listen to Barry and this one other pro in particular talk about the hands (after the hands were over). And also a hand this other pro had taken a licking over the night before. He described the hand, and Barry would comment on (and correct) his analysis, etc. with instantaneous quotes of the outs, the odds, and the moves in the hand. I mean these guys know the math and the strategies like the backs of their hands. Barry knocked out one of the pros with a pocket pair of 7’s when the pro made a huge all-in bet with two overcards to the board. Barry called and said, “I’ve got you – I’ve seen you do that before.” And so he did.
As a note, I was also called (and I lost the hand) one evening in a cash game by a guy who told me basically the same thing – “You did that to me a couple of nights ago – that’s why I called.” I knew he looked familiar. When he said that I told him he had an awesome memory and the guy so my left told me “ I remember you, too. You were driving me crazy with your Mississippi Straddle bets.”
So, I intend to sharpen up my memory and go take down a bracelet in one of the next events I play in.
I finished 531st (not sure the board was updated – seems like it was showing 531 left for a long time – I may have finished a little better than that) out of 1007 players in Event #41 $1500 NL just a little while ago. But what an experience. I am now fantasizing that I can play with the big boys. Since that is just what I did.
My first table had 3 pros on it. They all knew each other and were chatting about games and casinos, etc. and asking if so and so went to so and so’s party, etc. I didn’t know any of them from TV, but it was obvious that they played with each other and the big names frequently from their conversation. Then I knocked out a regular joe on my left. (I had my King high flush on the turn with my K-2 suited and he hit a straight on the river.) I couldn’t believe he called when I bet big on the turn with 3 hearts on the board. But he did (at this point, I sort of thought he might have the Ace of hearts and needed one more heart for his flush) When he went all-in when he hit his straight on the river (not a heart), I called instantaneously. even though I only had the King-high. I figured if he had the Ace and another heart, so be it. But he didn’t and I won.
He was replaced at our table by Barry Greenstein. Barry’s girlfriend was at an adjoining table, and one of the other pros (before Barry knew she was there) told Barry to check out the cute girl on the next table. Barry jumped up and went over and gave her a kiss. Next hand or so she was telling Barry, “Look what you did. I was winning before you came over. You touched my chips!”
We started with 1500 chips and by now I had slightly over 3000. Barry came in with about 1600. I told him I was glad to get to play with him, but I wish he was sitting to my right. He said not to worry, I had him covered. About two hands later, Barry won a big pot and I told him that blew me covering him right out of the water. We both counted our chips and he had 75 more than me.
I watched Barry play A3 clubs from under the gun (he raised 300 – one-tenth of his chips) and got a call from a very short stack. Barry called the additional and hit an Ace to take it down.
A few hands later I lost about a third of my stack with a small pocket pair in the cut-off. It was folded to me, so I raised 300. Barry folded and then the small blind went all-in for 900. The big blind folded. I had seen the guy start to call, then think better of it and bet all-in instead. I figured him for two big cards, instead of a big pair, so I called the additional 600. Sure enough, he had AQ unsuited. It was a race. I looked it up just now and my small pair wins 52.41% of the time against AQ unsuited, but and Ace and a Queen came in the flop. Barry said, “The good news is that you made the right read and the right call, but the bad news is you lost.”
I just think you have to go at it like that to have a chance in these big tournaments. It would have been different, if it would have ended my tournament to lose. But you just simply have to take some chances to accumulate chips.
They broke our table soon after that and Barry and I were moved to adjacent tables. My table was right next to the one Phil Helmuth was playing on. Gavin Smith was on another near-by table.
It was very instructive to me to listen to Barry and this one other pro in particular talk about the hands (after the hands were over). And also a hand this other pro had taken a licking over the night before. He described the hand, and Barry would comment on (and correct) his analysis, etc. with instantaneous quotes of the outs, the odds, and the moves in the hand. I mean these guys know the math and the strategies like the backs of their hands. Barry knocked out one of the pros with a pocket pair of 7’s when the pro made a huge all-in bet with two overcards to the board. Barry called and said, “I’ve got you – I’ve seen you do that before.” And so he did.
As a note, I was also called (and I lost the hand) one evening in a cash game by a guy who told me basically the same thing – “You did that to me a couple of nights ago – that’s why I called.” I knew he looked familiar. When he said that I told him he had an awesome memory and the guy so my left told me “ I remember you, too. You were driving me crazy with your Mississippi Straddle bets.”
So, I intend to sharpen up my memory and go take down a bracelet in one of the next events I play in.
