311 Minutes

I played 2/5 tonight at the Bellagio for 5 hours and 11 minutes.

311 minutes.

18,660 seconds.

I was up early on (250ish) but made a few loose calls to give it back.

Then again it was loose calls that got me the profit in the first place. So you figure it out.

By the way, as long as I'm here typing this I might want to send myself a message.

HEY ROBERT. NOT SURE IF YOU READ THIS BLOG OR NOT BUT YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO RAISE MORE.

I think I'd make more money over time if EVERY time I played a hand I raised it preflop instead of limping. It's scarier to play this way. Much bigger swings. Bigger pots. But it accomplishes the same goal of disguising my hand.

If I raise the big blind 4 times every time I enter a pot my opponents will have no idea whether I'm holding pocket aces or 7,8 suited. The same thing is presently true when I limp with both hands. However for me to grow as a poker player I need to raise more. Create action on the hands I choose to play.

Meanwhile the biggest news out the Bellagio for me tonight was sources say I may have gone on tilt. I've been so good lately in terms of separating myself emotionally from the experience. Tonight I slightly cracked.

We can probably blame ego. Overconfidence. You see early on I made a real tough river call with pocket jacks to a 100 dollar bet on an overcard board. I really thought he was making a move. So I called and indeed he only had ace high. It felt real good.

And so a hand later I assume I must be on a rush and get myself involved after one guy goes all in for 46 and two others call. I'm sitting there with pocket 4's or some real similar small pair. I've done my best to block it out.

I'm getting 138 on my 46 investment. A worse case scenario of 3 to 1. But with two deep stacks calling in front of me, I'm all about the implied odds here. My plan of course is to flop a set and double up.

But $46 is alot to put in preflop at 2/5 with a small pair. Cause no matter what comes out on the flop, if you don't hit your set you know you're gonna be staring at overcards in a multiplayer pot. Not pretty.

Still on some form of tilt, I also called a 50 dollar reraise after already joining the 20 dollar straddled pot with an ace suited hand. That's right. I spent 70 dollars to see the flop 4 ways with ace 7 suited. I'm that rock and roll.

Why was I playing like this?

Probably because the table maniac was making it look so easy, winning thousands of dollars playing any two cards. With ace 7 suited I was sure likely to be ahead of him.

There were a few other hands that frustrated me as well. But the main difference between tonight and the past month is that tonight I chose to own the feeling.

Instead of laugh at the predicament of seat 6, I lived it. For a little while anyway.

By the two hour mark I was down to 362. I had gone from up 250 to down 138. A 388 dollar swing in the wrong direction.

The good news is my attitude finally got better. I let the tilt go. I played good poker after this. And it was a good thing because it certainly got worse before it got better.

According to my notes at 11:10 PM my straight loses to a baby flush. I was sure I was good. How sure was I that I was ahead? I bet the river for him.

I continued to bleed over the next half hour. However I felt much better. I reminded myself that last night I won the exact money that I am playing with right now.

I am still ahead from where I began yesterday. Why stress? Just stick with my game. The money will come. At some point the cards will even out. I'll drag in a pot. The healing will begin.

11:48 PM. I win a pot against the loose guy who is still up a few grand. The funny part is that he's been raising preflop all night yet limped here. Why did he limp for the first time all night? Answer: because he had pocket kings. I hit a 10 on the flop and another on the turn to take down the pot. I didn't raise until the river since he was willing to bet the turn and river for me.

11:56 PM. Up to 741 after I win hand with pocket kings but I don't think I played it so great. I got 90 out of my opponent but he folded to my 120 river bet. In this case I think I should have checked the river and given him a chance to bet. My leading out with a bet (after letting him take control of the betting on flop and turn) showed him that there was danger ahead. I thought I was gaining value by betting. I was wrong since he folded. But then again, he may have checked behind me so maybe there was no more money to be won regardless of what I do on the river.

12:12 AM 705. Up 5 dollars.

12:29 AM 695. Down 5 dollars.

It's The Robert Ticker. We could have a publicly traded market based on my current second to second stack size at the Bellagio.

12:48 AM 664. Down 36.

12:53 AM. I hit a set of 10's. That's the good news. I don't want to brag but I may have even flopped it. The bad news is a guy calls my flop and turn bets and rivers a straight to take my pot.

In the last 20 minutes I've lost money with kings jack suited, 10 jack suited, 9 10 suited. Some really nice starting hands but no flop has even come close to me.

Meanwhile the loose guy keeps betting every flop. I'm not able to take a stand. Damn I want to.

1:05 AM. Tight player to my right bets 35 preflop. He hasn't raised all night and from what I've seen he's the only play at the table who won't go broke with top pair. So even flopping a set against him with my pocket 7's may not make me much money. So I fold. I am at 602 down 98.

1:14 AM. 595. Down 105. Remember the good old days like 78 minutes ago when I won my last pot?

1:30 AM. I get back to even with a set of 2's. I make value bets of 35 on turn and 50 on the river even though a 3 card flush has hit. I get paid off by guy with top pair king with a 9 kicker.

Minus 15 with 10, Jack suited. Suited connectors yet again.

Minus 15 with 7,8 suited. Tonight I've been calling these bets preflop for 15 but not for 25. And some people think 10 dollars doesn't matter....

1:42 AM. 639. Down 61. Just called preflop with queen 10 suited but missed flop.

1:54 AM. 720. Win with ace jack.

2:06 AM. Paid my blinds. I'm at 713. Up 13.

2:14 AM. I fold under the gun and leave table.

I was not on top of my emotional game tonight. I could have been more patient. Both in my play as well as with my decision making.

Basically I'm sitting here right now happy to have not lost money.

And how can I not be proud of making around $2.60 an hour?

The valet outside had no idea how large of a percent of my profit I shared with him tonight.