Summer of Tournaments – Day 10
Today starts with another attempt at the Sam’s Town $23 poker tournament. Finally, things went a little better. Towards the end of the third session, I was second chip leader at my table when I was dealt J/10 and the flop was 8, 9, Q which means I flopped a straight. What should have been an easy take down, I was surprised that two people raised before me, and so I raised as well. The turn was a 10. Again, all three of us bet and raised. Then the worst possible card came on the river: a jack. The pot was huge and of course, it turns out the other two were both playing J/K and split the pot, while I was left with nothing. I was all but wiped out and soon was out of the game. Argh!
I played a hundred into a Buffalo machine considering it was 20X comp points on only Buffalo games, so I was hoping to catch a decent bonus. Things went well at first and I was up $48 when I began to go into the tank. By the time I was down to $60, I cut my losses and quit. That would conclude my play at Sam’s Town this time around. I’ll be back here twice more this summer, once in July and then the first of August. Depending on how things go at the Paris tomorrow, I might return next weekend simply to take advantage of the multiple point days.
While playing the tournament today, one of the dealers was telling me that about six of the dealers here at Sam’s moonlight at the Rio for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) while it’s going on. I asked him to give me some information I’ve always been curious and he was nice enough to fill me in a little. The Rio hires approximately 1400 extra dealers during the tournament, many are locals whose bosses allow them to moonlight. MGM dealers are not allowed to, but Boyd and Stations dealers are given permission as long as it doesn’t interfere with their regular job. Many of the dealers are roamers or nomads. They travel to where ever there are tournaments year round. I asked why they’d pick that and he told me that many of them can’t get a steady job in a casino because they can’t pass the drug tests (the tournaments don’t require drug tests for “contract labor” dealers). Others simply prefer to always travel and living out of a suitcase. I couldn’t nail him down as to how much these dealers made as it differs from tournament to tournament, and frankly…none of my business.
I drove over to the Rio to check out the WSOP in progress. Of course, I’ll be staying at the Rio a couple of times and the assorted tournaments will still be going on but I wanted to see what games were being dealt today.
The Rio Hotel and Casino – home to the WSOP
Today is the $1K NLH tournament going on as well as the $10,000 6-man NLH
I stood and watched a few poker celebrities playing included a couple past champions as well as Eric Lundgren. I’m always amazed at just how many of the players are in their early 20s—I’d guess about 65% of all the players.
I had the rest of the afternoon so I thought I might zip over to South Point to play some 2/4 limit poker. I like this room because the dealers are friendly and the games have possible jackpots. A couple of years ago, I hit a royal flush here for $1500, my first and only royal flush in live poker. I bought in for $60 and for the next three hours I played having gotten as high as $125 but finally cashing out $100 for a $40 profit. This makes me even for the day. I headed back to Sam’s as I was anxious to watch the final episode of GAME OF THRONES.
More tomorrow
Totals:
Tournaments: 7 Cost: $92 Won: $1000 Balance: $908
Today starts with another attempt at the Sam’s Town $23 poker tournament. Finally, things went a little better. Towards the end of the third session, I was second chip leader at my table when I was dealt J/10 and the flop was 8, 9, Q which means I flopped a straight. What should have been an easy take down, I was surprised that two people raised before me, and so I raised as well. The turn was a 10. Again, all three of us bet and raised. Then the worst possible card came on the river: a jack. The pot was huge and of course, it turns out the other two were both playing J/K and split the pot, while I was left with nothing. I was all but wiped out and soon was out of the game. Argh!
I played a hundred into a Buffalo machine considering it was 20X comp points on only Buffalo games, so I was hoping to catch a decent bonus. Things went well at first and I was up $48 when I began to go into the tank. By the time I was down to $60, I cut my losses and quit. That would conclude my play at Sam’s Town this time around. I’ll be back here twice more this summer, once in July and then the first of August. Depending on how things go at the Paris tomorrow, I might return next weekend simply to take advantage of the multiple point days.
While playing the tournament today, one of the dealers was telling me that about six of the dealers here at Sam’s moonlight at the Rio for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) while it’s going on. I asked him to give me some information I’ve always been curious and he was nice enough to fill me in a little. The Rio hires approximately 1400 extra dealers during the tournament, many are locals whose bosses allow them to moonlight. MGM dealers are not allowed to, but Boyd and Stations dealers are given permission as long as it doesn’t interfere with their regular job. Many of the dealers are roamers or nomads. They travel to where ever there are tournaments year round. I asked why they’d pick that and he told me that many of them can’t get a steady job in a casino because they can’t pass the drug tests (the tournaments don’t require drug tests for “contract labor” dealers). Others simply prefer to always travel and living out of a suitcase. I couldn’t nail him down as to how much these dealers made as it differs from tournament to tournament, and frankly…none of my business.
I drove over to the Rio to check out the WSOP in progress. Of course, I’ll be staying at the Rio a couple of times and the assorted tournaments will still be going on but I wanted to see what games were being dealt today.
The Rio Hotel and Casino – home to the WSOP
Today is the $1K NLH tournament going on as well as the $10,000 6-man NLH
I stood and watched a few poker celebrities playing included a couple past champions as well as Eric Lundgren. I’m always amazed at just how many of the players are in their early 20s—I’d guess about 65% of all the players.
I had the rest of the afternoon so I thought I might zip over to South Point to play some 2/4 limit poker. I like this room because the dealers are friendly and the games have possible jackpots. A couple of years ago, I hit a royal flush here for $1500, my first and only royal flush in live poker. I bought in for $60 and for the next three hours I played having gotten as high as $125 but finally cashing out $100 for a $40 profit. This makes me even for the day. I headed back to Sam’s as I was anxious to watch the final episode of GAME OF THRONES.
More tomorrow
Totals:
Tournaments: 7 Cost: $92 Won: $1000 Balance: $908
