Call March Madness, Raise Rockabilly Weekend

Besides being the 2nd weekend of "March Madness", "Rockabilly" has also hit town this weekend. For those of you not familiar with the phenomena of "Rockabilly" don't feel bad. Up until a few days ago, neither was I. At the beginning of this week I started noticing some strange looking characters walking around the casinos and playing in the card rooms. What made these characters stand out from the average amount of strange characters you find in your normal Vegas card room was they seemed to be dress all with a certain "theme" in mind. It was like there was a rift in the "time millenium", and a bunch of these people jumped out. They took the 50's style of dress and behavior and kicked it up a notch. Not only were the guys wearing jeans and t-shirts with cigarettes rolled up their sleeves, but the gals (errrrr ... at least I think most of them were gals) were wearing tight jeans or poodle skirts with tight or low-cut sweaters. Their hairdos were every color and shape imaginable, and the majority of them were not unfamiliar to body piercing or tattoos. It seems there is such a thing in Vegas called: Rockabilly Weekend, where people from around the world come here to celebrate the 1950's. Everything from that decade's music and dress to its celebrities and cars. The majority of the festivities center around two of the Coast casinos, the Gold Coast and the Orleans, who seem to partially sponsor some af the activities.

So if you want to experience the thrill of playing poker at a high testesterone (courtesy of March Madness), and wacky (courtesy of Rockabilly) table, the Gold Coast or Orleans poker rooms are the place to go this weekend.

To give you a couple of examples of what I'm referring to, both of these following incidents occurred this week at the Gold Coast poker room. Early this week, before I really knew the full extent of Rockabilly Weekend, I was playing in a small tournament. It is a freeze-out tournament with no rebuys, but they do allow alternates within the first hour. About a half hour into the tournament, the player on my right was knocked out. He was immediately replaced by a guy who had to be in his 60's. When I looked over to him I just happened to notice that he had dyed his hair almost every color of the rainbow. Just to name a few of the major colors, there was blotches of blue, green, red, and orange running through his hair. Coupled with the facts of being curious and inquisitive, and also being the type of person who thrives on obtaining additional knowledge, I leaned over to the new player and politely and respectively asked him: "If there were any other survivors to the Easter Egg Painting Plant explosion besides himself." After order was restored, he calmly informed me that there was not. Soon after, Easter Egg Head also got knocked out.

Last night, I played in a 4-8 game during the Duke, Michigan State basketball game. Not only were there 4 guys in the hold-em game more interested in the basketball game, but we had 3 other players more interested in the 50's then the events currently happening. To say the game was slow and seemed to drag on would be an understatement. Between the constant chatter about basketball and the screaming and shouting about anything to do with the 50's (One Rockabilly guy spent at least 5 minutes explaining why he played 9-8 off suit all the way down to the river when the flop came Qd-Qc- Jc. The reason was that back in the 50's, Oldsmobile had a car model called the 98, and it was a "cool" car.), the dealer was lucky to deal 10 hands in one set. After being down early, I observed how they play (which wasn't that difficult), stayed patient, and wounded up having a profitable session.

If you can stand the constant chatter, the slow play, the weird tattoos, body piercings, and coloring, March Maddness coupled with Rockabilly is a very good time to play poker.

One final thought: I probably will not post another blog for about a week. Out-of-town family and friends will be coming in next week, so I will be playing tour guide. However, during this period you part-time readers may wish to scroll back and read some of my previous blogs. Who knows, I may give a test when I return. In the meantime, despite the nasty rumors, they did not find the "body", have a Happy Easter!

This Game Never Fails to Amaze Me

Yesterday while waiting for a friend to finish playing in a hold-em tournament at the Gold Coast, I decided to play in a "live" game. The only game that they had spread was a 2-4 limit game with a half kill. By far my least favorite game, but as they say, "since it was the only game in town", and I had to wait for my friend and he had a pretty big stack in front of him, and I was kinda intrigued by the half kill aspect in such a low-limit game; I decided to play. Besides, I figured the game might supply me with some interesting stories to tell in a future blog. The table consisted mostly of the type of player you would normally expect to find in such a low-limit game: the inexperience and "clueless" player. I reasoned that at the very least, I would get a couple of good "bad beat" stories from this line-up. Little did I expect that I would be at the "other end" of these stories.

The session started out like it normally does for me in this type of game: I try not to change my style of play because of the low-limit format and only play solid hands. The results were what I expected, in about 90 minutes I played only three hands: pocket kings, pocket 10's, and A-Q suited, and lost with all three. The next set of blinds was approaching, when my friend tapped me on the shoulder. He informed me that the tournament was over ( he won it by the way) and that if I wanted to play some more he would wait. I informed him: "gee thanks, but no thanks I'm gonna leave right after this next hand." It was a kill pot, I looked at my hand and decided to try to "limp in" for $3. The pot was immediately raised and then re-raised when the action came back to me. I looked at my hole cards once again, and decided, what the heck, why not make a really big pot and I also raised making it a total of $12 before the flop. There was only 7-way action.

After the final call and before the flop, I ran through my mind the possible list of excuses I could use if I actually had to show this hand. Such as: "they were suited", "it was my last hand", "the pot was too big", or my personal favorite, "I couldn't win with good cards". So feeling pretty confident with my list of excuses already made up I eagerly awaited the flop with my 2-3 of hearts. The flop came: 10s-3s- 2c. After a check I was the next to act and bet $3 and was raised. Figuring I had the best hand, I re-raised and hoped that another spade did not appear on the board. The turn came the 3d. Again I bet out, and this time was hoping for another spade to appear on the board. There was still 4-way action when the river came the Ac. Again I bet, was called in 2 places, and laid down my full house. The pair of Jacks and A-K of spades just looked at each other in stunned silence. Neither one of them had the common decency to say: "Nice hand sir, nice hand."

After my friend stopped chortling in the backgound, I informed him that I would play my button and then leave. Even though I was in the blind for the next 2 hands, I did not play either hand because of multiple raises before the flop. Finally when I became the button, I once again got "premium cards"; the 2-5 of hearts. Needless to say I raised before the flop. To make a long story short, I made a bet every chance I got and rivered the flush. As I was raking up my chips I could hear a player saying to another : "this guy plays 2 hands in 2 hours, then plays 2-3 and 2-5 of hearts, wins both, then leaves."

The above session is why I find this game so fascinating, frustrating, and humorous all at the same time. When you think you might be coming close to understanding the fundamentals of this game, all of a sudden blind luck bites you in the butt and blows all your theories to hell.

Finally, the one good thing I provided for the other players was all the "bad beat" stories that they can tell their friends when they go back home and describe their experiences of playing Texas Hold-em in Vegas.

Let's Hear it for the Bucknell Bison!

This weekend is the first weekend of March Madness, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, which has made Vegas the Mecca for college hoop betting. In Vegas, March Madness has the largest amount of betting for any annual sporting event. The town is filled with avid basketball fans just dying to place a bet on as many games as they can. The sportbooks are filled to capacity of fans trying to watch as many games as possible at the same time. A large portion of the over flow of these fans seem to migrate to the casino poker rooms. Many of these poker rooms are situated very close to sportbooks, and every room has numerous strategically placed monitors televising all the games. What better way for an avid hoop fan to watch his game while playing in a nice friendly game of poker. And thank goodness for us regulars, many fans think exactly that way. (Hopefully for the majority of these fans: their knowledge of basketball far outweighs their knowledge of poker .... or they are in for a pretty expensive weekend.)

Over the weekend I was involved in a 4-8 hold-em game with a half kill while the Kansas Jayhawks were playing the Bucknell Bison.

***For those not familiar with the term "half kill": it is used to describe a game where the limits go up after a player wins two hands in succession. In this game the limits went from 4-8 to 6-12 after a player won two hands in a row***

In this particular session I was having one of those nights when the ''poker Gods" completely deserted me. I could not find 2 cards to remotely go in with before the flop. And forget about trying to limp in or make a move, because there was at least always one raise before the flop with 6 to 7 callers (with me being the notable exception). Lucky the game on the monitor was the above-mentioned Bucknell game and about 4 or 5 players at the table had all bet on Bucknell. So there was alot of hooting and hollering going on, which kept me awake as I constantly threw away my hands. In fact, I don't think I saw one flop within the first hour.

Then "The Hand" came. I was sitting in early position with A-10 of hearts. This was the best starting hand I had seen all night and it was on a half kill pot. I immediately raised to $12 when it became my turn. My raise was immediately re-raised by another player, and sensing what a "tight" player I was only 4 other players called the double raise. Meaning their was 6-way action before the flop. The flop came: Ac-10c-3d. The big blind came out betting, I made it $12, and 3 others called the double bet, while keeping an eye on the game. (I think Bucknell was making a move at the time). I immediately thought: "Boy, what a great bet I made, I cut down the field from 6 to 5. The turn came the 9c, and Bucknell took the lead. I still bet the $12, was immediately raised to $24, with 2 more callers. I called the raise from the Bucknell fan who was hoopin and hollerin the loudest, while thinking all the time: "I hope @#$% Bucknell loses. The river came the Ad. I rivered the "nuts". I immediately yelled: "GO BUCKNELL!!!" Being the first to act, I bet the $12, was raised, and then I re-raised, with 4-way action all the way to the end. Bucknell won the game and I won the pot of over $500. The 3 guys I beat all congratulated me for winning the pot, while congratulating each other on how much they won by Bucknell upsetting Kansas. I just love college hoops.

Have They No Shame

The third of five World Series of Poker Circuit Tournaments is currently being held here in Vegas at the Rio through March, 22nd. The $10,000 entry fee Championship Event will start March 20th. In the meantime smaller entry fee tournaments are being held daily. In addition to these smaller tournaments, satellite and super satellite tournaments are also being held.

During this past week I have tried my luck (errrr... make that tested my considerable amount of skill) on two $120 one table satellite tournaments. I finished 3rd in both; in the 1st game my K-J lost to Q-9, and in the 2nd game my A-Q lost to pocket 3's. In both instances the remaining two players split the prize pool. I don't wish to sound bitter, but a lesser man might think it was a conspiracy, instead of the "healthy" persecution complex that I have developed and nurtured.

As far as I can see, most of the satellites and tournaments at the Rio are currently being held in cordoned off public areas. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the one really "tacky" thing the Rio is doing occurs just outside one of these cordoned off areas. Besides having set up a couple of portable kiosks selling everything from "official WSOP" sun visors to "official WSOP" t-shirts and key chains, they have set up a separate blackjack pit. While I was there all the dealers in this pit wore bikinis. (Come to think of it, maybe that's the reason I didn't finish any higher in the satellites..... I was distracted by their ample signs of intelligence.) Thank goodness, they were all female dealers. After being knocked out of one of the satellites, I went over to the pit area and asked the pit boss if the rumors that I had been hearing were true, I asked him what was the payout for blackjack in this pit area. Without batting an eye he said: "even money". That's right ... even money ... while in other parts of the same casino you could get 3 to 2 odds for that same blackjack. As you regular readers of this blog know: I am not bashful in praising the merits of an excellent "mint factor" in judging the overall quality of a casino. But when it comes to reducing your payout by 50%, that establishment better show me more than a couple of lousy mints. Have they no shame!!!

One final point; when I asked the pit boss why the payout for blackjack was lower in this pit area than the others situated throughout the casino, his response was: "it was easier to calculate". I kid you not, that was his actual reply. All I could do after that was shake my head and leave. However, on my home I forgot to ask him one important follow-up question: "when he said 'easier', did he mean for the player or dealer?"

Howdy Partner

While discussing NASCAR weekend in my last post, it brought back the memory of a hold-em hand that occurred playing in a game during a "special event" week here in Vegas. It was during the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) held every year in December. During that time Vegas is swimming in a ocean of cowboy boots and cowboy hats. The casinos go all-out trying to lure these guests into their respective properties. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me that if this year some of the casinos put hitching posts in front of their establishments.

During the last NFR, I became involved in a rather humorous hand with one of dem cowboy visitors. He had on a cowboy hat, cowboy vest, cowboy pants, and cowboy boots. (I think the casino made him take off his cowboy spurs .... something to do with tearing up the carpet.) I think he thought he would be a natural for the game since it was called Texas Hold-em. Actually, from the conversation we had before "the hand" he seemed like a pretty nice guy. I found out that despite the hat, he was not from Texas but from one of dem states where the cows outnumber people by about 10 to 1, like Montana or Wyoming. I also quickly found out he not only had no clue on how to play Texas hold-em, but his general knowledge of poker was dismal.

After about a half hour of play, where "Da Cowboy Hat" (DCH for short) showed-off his general lack of knowledge for the game; the "hand" was dealt. At the table were 8 novice/inexperienced players, myself, and a player who I had played with on numerous other occasions and who was very solid. I was in late position with pocket Jacks. The betting went: bet, fold, raise from the solid player, followed by 2 more folds. I was next to act, I thought for a second, decided my best course of action was to raise, limit the field, hope that nothing higher than a Jack appeared on the flop, and that I had the best hand before the flop. When Solid Player re-raised, my last hope became a "floating hope". In the meantime, while this was all happening, DCH was merrily calling away. The flop came 2, 3, 5, different suits. DCH was the first to act. He paused for awhile with a really perplexed look on his face, like a little boy who just realized that he lost his mommy and didn't know what to do. He finally looks at the dealer and says: "Can I ask a question?" I look at solid player, he looks at me, and we both say in unison, before DCH could ask the question, like we have been practicing it for years: " Yes, an Ace can go both ways". With that, DCH merrily bets away, Solid Player folded, and I folded my pocket Jacks. (later I found out that Solid Player made an even tougher fold, with pocket Kings) DCH showed his Ace, 4 off-suit as he was raking in the pot and said" "in some of the games I play in, Ace can only go high." Again I look at Solid Player, and he looks at me, but this time I lead in the chorus of: "Nice hand sir, nice hand."

Vroom ... Vroom

It's that time of year out here in Vegas ... NASCAR Weekend!!! It never fails to amaze me just how many mobile homes and trailer parks there are in America. Although they are predicting up to an additional 120,000 visitors this weekend for the festivities, the hotel/casino's are not expecting a proportionally higher amount of business from these visitors. I guess nothing says '"home sweet home" more than a six-wheeler. A good indication of the casino's low expectations, are the show acts that they have booked for this weekend. For example: none of the big-ticket country names are here, like when the National Finals Rodeo is in town. The general consences is that NASCAR weekend does not generate enough of the clientele necessary to support big-ticket acts.

One of these days someone is going to have to explain to me: what is the fasination of watching guys making left turns while driving fast? Heck in this town you can see guys driving fast almost every day and not only do they turn left, but also right, and if your really lucky, even in reverse!

What does all this rambling have to do with poker? Hell if I can remember. Oh yea ..... what it means is that the poker games around town are not that affected by NASCAR Weekend. The next big spike in poker room activity is expected in a week or so when "March Madness" begins. Until then, I think I'll rest up and get ready for the onslaught.

No-Limit at the Palms

In a previous blog I discussed my recent experience playing in a 4-8 limit hold-em game at the Palms. In this blog I will discuss playing in their no-limit game. The buy- in for this game ranges from a minimum $100 to a maximum $500, with blinds of 2 and 5 dollars.

Although I have played in it only twice, I have observed the Palms no-limit game(s) on a number of other occasions. Even though I'm a slight net winner from the two times I've played, in my opinion, it is one of the toughest games in town. Both times that I have played and on the numerous other occasions that I have observed the game, the same 5 to 7 regular "core" players were at the table(s). Remember in the blog immediately preceding this one, when I quoted the line from the movie Rounders: "If you look around the table and see no fish, your it."? Well if you sit in this game, the first thing you should do is ask the cocktail attendant for a bowl of water so you can feel more comfortable. With the maximum buy-in of $500 ( the maximum being what I believe you should always buy-in for when playing no-limit, the reasons for which will be discussed in a future blog), if you should experience a couple of "bad beats", you could be down $1,000 in no time. And with this kind of line-up, it would be pretty difficult to recoup that type of loss. I don't know about you, but when we get into 4 figures, we're talking "serious money".

For this reason, I believe for any novice or inexperience player to no-limit hold-em, the low-limit entry fee no-limit tournament is the way to go. As has been discussed in previous blogs, this type of tournament can be found almost daily in many different casinos throughout Vegas. If however, you want to experience the "thrill" of playing "live" in a no-limit hold-em poker game, there are a number of casinos around town that can offer a "better" game. Such as, the no-limit games at the Aladdin, Mandalay Bay, or even the Excalibur, to name just a few.

If money is no option and you want the opportunity to play with a "star" like they show on television, then head for the Bellagio. There for the privilege of losing, you at least get the opportunity to play with a "poker star" or at least a "Grade A" actor in a real high stake game.

Fishing .... Such A Wonderful Pastime

I know what some of you are thinking: "Mr VegasSheep I thought your blog was devoted to poker, what the heck are you doin talkin about fishin?" Well, for those of you out there not familiar with my blogs or good English, I will tell you: "Fishing", or more precisely "Fish" refers to a certain type of player found at a poker table. This blog is devoted to explaining and exposing this type of player. Consider this Blog: Installment No. 2 of VegasSheep's Handy Dandy Guide to Poker Room Terminology.

Probably the best line ( errrr .... make that, the only good line) in the movie Rounders is uttered by Matt Damon while commenting on players in a high stakes hold-em game: " If you look around the table and see no fish, your it". Where once upon a time you would be lucky to find 2 or 3 fish at a table, nowadays (especially in the low-limit games .... 4-8 or lower) having 2 or 3 fish at the table is the norm not the exception. In fact, thanks to T.V. and the internet, it is not uncommon to find a whole "school of fish" (6 to 8 players) in a low-limit game.

A "Fish" is an inexperienced (sometimes novice or just down-right awful) player who is sitting at your table. He or she may take the form of many different types of players, but the one thing they all have in common is their "deep pockets." They are willing to (and the majority of time do) take losses of high amounts of money relative to the game they are in. It is not uncommon to see a fish lose hundreds of dollars in a relatively low-limit hold-em game of 4-8.

As previously stated: "a fish can come in all shapes and sizes." The following are examples of some types of fish you may find swimming at your table".
The "Minnow": the main characteristic of this fish is the immediate sense you get that this player is definitely out of its element. You know it is only a matter of time before it goes belly-up and is devoured.
The "Small-Mouth Bass": similiar to the minnow, but not as pitiful. It normally stays relatively quiet, but is very, very skiddish in the "pocker pond." It plays afraid and often gives the impression of a deer caught in front of your headlights.
And finally, the "Large-Mouth Bass" (better known in poker circles as "the Large-Mouth Ass ... L-M A, for short) Although, not confined to just the novice player, the L-M A is a great sporting fish and gives the avid fisherman a great deal of pleasure when reeling-in. The main characteristic of this species is its constant chattering. It can give you all the "brilliant" reasons why he made such a move, and why because of bad luck, the @#$%^ moron who called him, beat him. The really trophy size L-M A will give you a nonstop commentary on how every hand was played.

These are just a few examples of "fish" found at the poker table. The only way the novice player is going to prevent becoming a fish is to set a limit on the amount of money he or she is willing to risk. Then, while at the table, observe the play and actions of other players. There is only so much you can learn from reading or watching T.V. Experience is the only way to work your way up the food chain.

The Mint Factor

Although previously used before in a blog (The Aladdin .... Mint Factor: 3 Stars) it seems that some of you, for whatever reason, are still not familiar with the concept.

To be simply put: The Mint Factor is an index I use in measuring the overall "atmosphere" of the poker room I'm reviewing. You could say: "the rooms ambiance." (That is unless you are still pissed-off at the French, in which case stick with "atmosphere.") It is based on a sliding scale of 0 to 4 stars. With 0 being the worse and 4 being the best. The scale was developed by me, and is based on my many years of playing experience in casino poker rooms. Although the formula used in developing this complex and precise rating system is in constant flux, the cocktail waitress (or to be politically correct: the cocktail attendant) and her uniform weigh heavily in the formula.

To better understand this concept, it might help in reciting a brief history on how The Mint Factor (better known as "DaFactor") came into existence. DaFactor was originally developed when the Venetian Hotel/Casino first opened. At that time, the Venetian had a poker room. The room itself was first class, and the "servers" were very conscientious and intelligent.

***WRITER'S NOTE: For a complete and precise definition of intelligence as used in this blog, please refer to the explanation of frontal lobes in a previous blog on "Etiquette". ***

Being the class joint the Venetian was and still is, there were 2 types of servers. One was your typical cocktail attendant who came to the table and offered you free drinks. The other type was a throw-back to the old fashioned "cigarette girl". She offered you everything from cigarettes and candy to battery powered novelties. Well, the first time I ever played at the Venetian, this very, very, and I mean very, all around "intelligent" cigarette girl came to my table. One look at her ample signs of intelligence, I immediately fell in love, and was desperate to start up a conversation so that she might share with me some of her "pearls of wisdom". However; since I no longer smoke, I was on a diet, and I never was any good with battery powered devices, the only thing I could think to say was: "Do you have any mints?" A few weeks later, the same cigarette girl came to my table, and once again I was reduced to saying my soon to become standard opening line: "Do you have any mints?" A friend who eavesdropped on both of these sensitive and caring conversations was quick to point out the redundancy of my remarks. So from that humble beginning, The Mint Factor was born.

Through the years, the Mint Factor has developed and evolved into a very useful measuring tool. It has become a very complex formula which takes into account the many different and subtle nuances that comprise the "mint" in the Mint Factor. An example of these nuances are:
The "Pepper"mint: a physical response that immediately "spices up" your senses.
The "Spear"mint: an emotional response that makes you think of "true love." Like Cupid shooting an arrow into your heart. WARNING: Be very careful on how you show this response to your buddies .... they may think you are "gay".
And finally, the "Cream" da mint: the .... ahhhhh .... how you say .... the ..... ahhhh .... let's just say, the ultimate in physical response.

Hopefully, this brief explanation will help you better understand my future reviews.

Playing at the Palms

They say: "absence makes the heart grow fonder". We shall see how true this proverb is, since it has been one week from my last post. I have already heard from my legion of fan asking me to return, but what I'm most interested in is how many others will welcome me back by letting me know how much they missed me.

Todays blog is a review of the poker room at the Palms casino. Well actually that's a misnomer, I should have stated a review of the poker rooms at the Palms casino. Although many poker rooms in Vegas have a certain section of their room cordoned off for high-limit games, the Palms is the only casino I know of that has 2 permanent separate rooms: one for it's low-limit games, and the other for it's no-limit and high-limit games. The low-limit room has 6 tables, the high-limit 4 tables. Each with it's own check-in counter. Comfort wise, this is a vast improvement over the condition of the room when it first opened. At that time, there were 9 or 10 tables crammed into the same room where they now only have 6. In addition, there are rumors spreading that the poker room(s) will be expanding in conjuction with the completion of the new tower currently being built.

Sticking with the "comfort theme," let me just say that the clientele that frequents the Palms poker room is 180 degrees different than that at the Palace Station (a previous review). While Palace Station caters to the "swinging" AARP crowd, the Palms mostly caters to the MTV generation. In fact, I think if you are over 40, possibly even 30, you are eligible to park in the handicapped zones at the Palms. For my faithful readers: I definitely give this place 3 & 1/2 stars on the "mint factor."

As far as the actual games: this review will concentrate on my experience in a recent 4-8 limit hold-em game (a later review will discuss the no-limit games ). The rake is 10% up to a maximum of $3, with an additional $1 rake for their high hand promotion. The dealers on the whole were competent. In the game I most recently played in, I was sitting at a table with 4 or 5 guys, all visiting from Chicago and who were all on an alcohol, testosterone high. Normally a very volatile combination, but if handled just right, can be very rewarding. During this particular session, my "handling techniques" were at a premium. The game was wild, with raises coming from everywhere with every possible reason. Such as: "I have a possible straight draw, I flopped a pair, (or my personal favorite) these are my 2 favorite cards." I was fortunate enough to be patient (which I have a tendancy not to do in games like this) and have a few solid hands hold up, which made for a very rewarding session.

In conclusion: if you are looking for a "rammin-jammin" type of game with the "beautiful people" the Palms 4-8 game is your place to go. Although one final warning: make sure you have a high tolerance for testosterone.