Stayed at the Monte Carlo last week and got the poker room rate because I'm cheap and figure I'll play there anyhow. So I get to the poker room and ask what do I need to verify my play (I assumed they would have a players card to clock in and out), they say I'm supposed to play 5 hours a night but they don't track it in any way, which is good because they only offer 2 games. The guy says just play some and that is good enough.
The games they spread are $1/$2 NL and $2-$6 Spread limit. I usually play regular limit, so I'm not too excited about the lack of choice. The room is nice but small and only has two tables going most of the time, 1 of each game. The waiting list was long considering there were only those two tables so we take the tram to the Belaggio, i get on the 4/8 limit list and also get on the 1/3 NL list. I get a seat at the NL game first and take the 8 seat, due to the wsop the poker room is a mad house and totally packed, see several big name pros (doyle, hachem, chau giang etc...didn't see micon), dealer asks if i want to post and without looking at the button I say yes and buyin for $200. I then look up and see that i would have only had to wait 3 hands..doh. So I'm kicking myself as I get dealt two kings (score!), the guy to my right bets $15, I call hoping someone raises so I can re-raise..no one does but there are a couple callers..doh. The flop come 954 rainbow and the original bettor goes all in, I call and double up when he shows J9 sooted...wtf? Nothing else happens and my seat at the limit table opens up about an hour later. Nothing all that exciting happens at the limit table and I win another $40 or so but I'm tired from the trip and head back to the MC.
I have to say the Bellagio poker room is a total mess and the cocktail waitresses cannot handle any stress, every tiny complaint no matter how innocuous gets the player blasted with bitchiness, THATS NOT MY table! WE'RE SHORT STAFFED, It has NOT BEEN 40 MINUTES SINCE I CAME AROUND! I guess dealing with poker players would drive anyone crazy and decide to give the MC room another shot tomorrow.
We basically hang out at the pool during the day which is suprisingly cold and they have a wave pool and lazy river so there are more kids than you would expect for Vegas. Saw several people with babies which I thought was pretty stupid considering the heat. They also have plenty of shade which is nice because I'm pasty as hell. We hit up the MC happy hour at the pub and realize it's not that happy $1 for a chicken wing or tiny slider and half price draft domestics. The wings were really good though but I should have just bought a good beer instead of cheaping it up with bud light which tasted watered down making it worse than usual. We go see V the ultimate variety show which was decent but not outstanding (it was recommended by my neighbor, and I got half price seats @ $40). Head over to the poker room and there is no wait at $2-$6 so I sit down and as is the nature of limit am up and down for several hours playing with the worlds drunkenst dealer at the table (he was playing not dealing) and cashout down $37 @ 4 am...yawn.
Get up the next day at 1 and hit the brunch buffett which was meh, not bad but nothing to get excited about. Hit the poker room and play some more $2-$6, it is the reverse of the night before and I get max value on a sweet flush when a geezer hits is straight, he says he's in town to watch his grandson play in the 10 game mix at the WSOP. The kids dad is also at the table and says his kid is a semi pro (andrew debedonda or some shit I can't remember) I try and look him up on hendon mob later but can't recall the last name exactly. I need to head to the Rio for Penn and Teller and rack up over +$200 after playing 5 hours or so. Catch a cab to the Rio and try and rail Druff during the 6 Max, recognize david williams and some other pros but don't see druff after walking up and down both sides of the room. I assumed he had a beard and ball cap on? Thought about railing the one drop but wasn't really sure where it was and ended up watching ted forrest play some cash game for a few minutes. Head to the show and it was pretty good and oddly much more patriotic than I would have thought. Back to the MC for more poker and have totally cooled off, am seated next to angry old white guy who bitches up and down how his premium hands always get run down, I secretly think "no shit dummy it's 2-6". There are these two old ladies at the table seated next to one another, apparently mother and daughter. The mom cannot see well so the dealer pushes the flop as close to her as he can and the daughter reads it out to her (reminds me of Hal Lubarsky). I end up giving back $100. I hit the sack at 2.
the next day is thursday and we hit the pool again. the vibe is much less family oriented and more like a party, it is also hot as fuck, so we get a bucket of beer and some fruity frozen drink for the wife, hang out there til about 5 and go eat. Get down to the poker room and they are about to start another table of 2-6, and i see the same two old ladies, I jokingly tell the daughter i'm going to sit next to where her mom always sits, and she looks at me like she wants to stab me in the neck and says NO, YOU CAN'T!, I say, "I was just kidding Maude, since she looked like the old TV character Maude (aka bea arthur, whos nude portrait just sold for millions, which is very odd because she was pretty ugly)". I cannot hit a hand for anything, the only pot I win is when I split with KK vs a guy who also has KK. I also notice that the old lady who has to have the flop close to her to see it actually looks at her hole cards by picking them up and checking them out at arms length...I think to myself, how the fuck can she see those if she has to have the flop 5 inches from her face? I also notice her daughter looking at the mom's hand as well on just about every hand.
so here the dilemma do you call out the daughter and blind mom for quasi collusion or keep your mouth shut since it's such a low limit game? I kept my mouth shut and got stomped to the tune of $240 down the drain which sucked.
overall I ended up $60 on 20 hours of play for a sweet win rate of $3/hr, plus the $1/hr comp...beats losing but being up over $400 before those last two sessions put a slight damper on the trip.
Overall it was a somewhat fun trip but I'm getting too old to play and drink all night like the old days when I'd pound coronas like men the master til the sun came up.
Not sure if spread limit at that level has any different strategy than regular limit but I didn't see much difference.
the end.
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Originally Posted by Texter
