TOE Madness

Unfortunately, I haven't been working on a post. I caught wind that the 40/80 TOE game had moved from Bellagio to Wynn, and that Wynn was only collecting time every hour ($7/hr vs. $7/half hour at Bellagio; plus getting paid $1.50/hr just to play).

Being that I can never pass up a "bargain," (no matter how much it COSTS me), I had to head on up.

I'd heard mixed reviews. Some claimed it was a live game, some claimed it was tough. I figured if it was too tough I'd just sit in the 10/20 Omaha 8.

I railbirded for about 15 minutes, and saw that the eight seat was holding his Omaha hand straight up to his face, and "arranging" his cards in sequential order. For me, that was enough to sit. They were only playing five handed, so I made six.

I stayed about even. I'd quickly lose $500 or so, then win a huge 1k pot. Up and down, up and down. There was another live player in the game, a talkative European who simply played every hand. He and I sparred back and forth, but I almost always had the better hand, so he was mostly trying to catch up and outdraw me. I made more money off of him than anyone else. He had about 3k when I sat down, was down to about $200 when he left. The game got tough, so I sat out. I put my name on the Omaha list, although I was 10th or so.

At that point I was up about $100. The game filled back up with some loose players, and I decided to sit in again, while waiting for my Omaha seat. Big mistake, of course, because suddenly the variance went through the roof, and I didn't have the energy or concentration to see it through.

I got outdrawn on two big Stud HL hands, and was down about $750 when I left.

Oddly enough, I lost tons of money in Stud HL, my "best game," and won almost all of my TDL and O8 hands, lol.

I was catching perfect cards in TDL. I three bet when we were shorthanded with 87654. I got action. I drew to a seven and caught the perfect deuce. I had many hands like that. I was running well.

In one O8 hand I was dealt A35K. Flop came 24T, turn queen, river jack. Huge pot, since my opponent also had A35x. When he called out my hand on the river, I was shocked. He was a good player, good read. Although the holding isn't that tough to figure out, in the heat of things, lots of players get distracted. I certainly do. I wasn't nearly as good at putting him on a hand, in other words!

It seems like taking shots every once in a while is a weakness of mine. I start running really well, making some scratch, feeling good, and I decide that I need to take advantage of a soft, middle limit game. I is dumb, lol.

After moving to the O8 game, I was down about $250 early, then made it all back and then some, but didn't take advantage of my winning hands, due to being exhausted and bored. I misread the board a couple of times, and saw lows when there were no lows, etc. I think I gave all of my mental energy to the 40/80 game, and gave all of my physical energy to the drive up to Vegas (it was a tough drive, with lots of stop & go traffic around the Dam).

Oh, well. I think I overestimated how strong I was. I thought I could hang, but I just don't have the fortitude to concentrate in a live cardroom for a long time anymore. Maybe it will come back, maybe it won't. I'm hoping once I'm one year out of chemo, I'll feel normal again.

Have a great weekend,

Felicia :)