As this day, a Monday, was to be Flynn and Ollie’s last day in Sin City, and a they had no specific plans for the day, they decided to do exactly as they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it. Therefore, Ollie took Angry Bird to the Orleans to play O8 8/16, and Flynn went to the Bellagio to play 2/5. Both were seated immediately.
The only information Flynn can relay about Ollie’s outcome was that it was not good. Mutter mutter mutter, raise, cap, crazy locals, any four cards.
The result for Flynn was also not good. His first table, and the one he spent the most time at was filled with very good players, which is not a bad thing. However, again, Flynn could not catch cards, and lost on the river with the best hand til the turn. He never caught his ‘world’ draws, and the pots he won were miniscule, while the ones he lost were huge. Even the table admitted that it was not bad play, but unfortunate variance for Flynn. He finally got the hint and changed tables as he had a target on his back after several hours of steadily losing. The second table was better. He didn’t catch cards, therefore he could just throw his hands away pre-flop. Until he flopped Aces-up, shoved, got called and ended up losing yet another buy-in to a full house by the river. Shake it off, deep breath, mental finger to the poker gods, and move on. There were no more hands played until the very last one, where Flynn had 77 and called a pre-flop raise in position by a legit pro: the flop came 993, pro bets 1/2 pot, Flynn re-raises 3x his bet. Pro folds. Flynn ‘racks’ up and leaves. (no rack needed, not enough chips)
Ollie had returned to the strip, and the two took off on foot to enjoy the local wildlife on foot for a bit. It was a gorgeous night, warm, clear, and the Vegas lights did not disappoint. Getting out of the poker room, stretching out the legs, and getting fresh air is always a good thing. The Linq promenade was doing a bang-up business, the Bellagio fountains were blasting away, and the statues at Caesars were squeaky clean. Considering the hit both had taken earlier, this was an excellent way to spend their last night in town.
Great trip, met new friends. Tomorrow Flynn and Ollie hit the road for a week to get back home. See everyone on the flip side, and stay tuned for non-Vegas adventures!
Fin
Flynn
Really enjoyed reading about your trip as I’ve only spent 24 hours in Vegas in the last 2 years and I’m getting itchy feet. I might be there for a weekend in April but my travel plans are all over the place at the moment
Do you think the average player has got better over the last few years or is it that you’re playing higher stakes and therefore better players? (I realise the average player can’t get better as there will still be 50% better and 50% worse than average but hope you realise what I mean!)
Interesting question: Frankly, it seems as if the player at each stake (1/3 and 2/5) have stayed about the same. 2/5 players are definitely ‘better’ players. I only ran into one situation where I felt I was being owned by much better players, who also had the advantage of Flynn not getting the right cards in the right spot. The transition from 1/3 to 2/5 can be troublesome, as success at 2/5 can make one more complacent, call with lesser hands, or play looser than one really should. An honest analysis of my play this trip would be that I probably should have folded more often when faced with a large raise, but otherwise I believe I played a good game & hit some rough varience. (Have a tendency to believe I am being bullied if I get re-raied, or am put to test with a hefty bet. I don’t play with scared money)
I guess that at least occasionally I should appreciate the esthetics of Las Vegas instead of just thinking about going from one poker room to the next. Until we meet again …