Vegas Nights: part one
Written By: Johnny Profit a.k.a Big Slick
(infamous underground champion)
What would any rational professional
poker player do once he has turned twenty-one – fly to Vegas
of course. As my twenty-first birthday approached I was
fiending to place my skills to the test in the ultimate poker
arena. The outcome – not impressed. As I arrived at the Vegas
airport I was pleased to see the abundance of slot machines
strategically placed in front of you as soon as you walk off
the plane. As my friends and I laugh at the people enclosed in
these glass cases full of slot machines we feel the beating of
our hearts rise as Vegas is about to be tackled. I have heard
rumors of “my skills” at the poker table including the
infamous “the best player in Toronto”. With these thoughts
floating in my skull I am ready to take my strategies to the
“best” tables in the world.
First stop check into our
hotel. The hotel of choice the Las Vegas Hilton, which I would
recommend as it is cheaper than the larger names and about a
five minute walk from the strip. Once our bags were in our
rooms, I could not have even said the word Vegas before one of
my associates took off and decided to explore Vegas by
himself. Myself and the others needed to catch up on some
necessary food intake so, hilariously, we head to Denny’s.
After contemplating regurgitation and deciding against it it
was poker time. Where? The Bellagio of course as I have heard
that is where you can find the best in the world. And as
contradictory as this may sound, if you are not an amateur
than trust me you do not want to play with them as your
strategies will be tossed out the window when some rookie
calls you down with ace five off suit to catch a bellybuster
straight simply because he doesn’t consider odds etcetera.
Anyways I’m looking for a game and that is the bottom line. It
was fairly late, approximately one or two in the morning so I
figure there must be a thousand games at any level going
strong. To my astonishment I walk into the poker pit and find
about nine tables running at substantially low level.
Let me make something clear
before I continue. I am a strict no-limit player. I have no
problem, I say this hesitantly, with playing limit poker but I
just cannot stand the fact that you cannot put a person to the
test for all of his or her chips – which I feel is the
determining factor of a real poker player. Furthermore,
the pots in limit poker, unless the blinds are 10/20 or
higher, are relatively small and thus you could win five pots
and be up fifty dollars – this is a waste of time. So I
personally enjoy a nice no-limit game as I consider myself a
high risk gambler. I was surprised at the amount or lack of
amount of no-limit games, especially at the Bellagio. There
were a couple don’t get me wrong but I was stuck at 5/10
no-limit. In addition, I was stuck with a bunch of amateurs
who have decided, overnight, to become poker players from
their time spent watching the sport on television. Whatever. I
played my game and set my traps. And after about an hour and a
half, when my associates are pleading with me to leave, I cash
out with a four hundred dollar gain.
Going to Vegas I decided I
would not be a stupid gambler playing the high limit slots and
shooting for a million. The main reason for this rationale is
that my bankroll was not where I wanted it to be and thus I
wanted to build it before I got stupid. So my strategy was set
and my first mission on the first night was accomplished.
After our plane ride and jet lag me and my associates went
back to our hotel room. I admit on the way there I was tired
and ready for sleep. We got back to the room and smoked some
funny cigarettes and everybody proceeded to pass out. I put my
head down on the pillow and had a devastating thought – I’m in
Vegas damnit I can’t sleep. I jump out of bed look around at
the passed out crew and said simply “who’s coming back to the
strip with me?”…
(to be continued)
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