I manage to wake up in time for the $340 Megastack at Caesars today; we get a field of 301 and start with 15k at 25/50 with 50 minute levels. Due to the ridiculous line at the registration window, I find my way to my table about 15 minutes late. A few hand in, I raise for the first time and find myself involved with effective stacks of 15k.

Folded to me on cutoff, I raise to 150 with Ks6s, button (a British guy who I played with at ANZPT but can’t remember much else about) decides to call, the big blind calls and we take a three way flop.

Flop: Qs 8c 3s

BB checks, I bet 300, button raises to 900, BB folds, I call

Turn: Jd

I figure that’s a decent card to represent since villain never has a gutshot and often has a one pair hand; plus I have a chance to hit my flush draw on the river and surprise him. I check with the intention of raising if he bets and jamming if I miss the river or jamming/value betting if I make my flush, depending on which spade it is. Button bets 1400, I raise to 3500 and button thinks for a moment and then calls.

River: 4s <– Bink

Villain looks a little uneasy about the river. I stack up my chips with the intention of moving in, villain seems weak so I decide to value bet instead. I fire 4000, he calls and then mucks in disgust when he sees my hand. Up to 23000 early and off to a good start.

I splash around a bit for the next few levels, flopping two sets and getting no action but otherwise missing flops. I get up to 26k then back down to 21k by the start of 200/400/50 without playing a pot that goes past a postflop cbet. The table breaks and I find myself in Seat 3 at a new table; Seats 1 and 2 (a hot blonde woman in her 20s and a 30something guy who is a local in Vegas) are discussing the shortage of weed in the city, something I find slightly odd but amusing nonetheless in a public setting.

I find KQ and QQ during my first orbit and win the blinds twice, then pick up AdAh in MP and raise to 1125 for the third time in four hands. I have about 23k, button has about 18k. Button calls and everyone else gets out of the way.

Flop: Ac 2c 2d

Cool. That works. I check, villain bets 4000. I guess he must have an ace. I call with the intention to lead the turn and shove the river.

Turn: Td

I bet 4000, villain shoves, I quickly call, villain tables As Ks and is drawing dead. Apparently, AsKs is not a hand worthy of a 3bet on the button in live poker. I really expected to see AT-AQ there. In any case, i’m up to about 42k and in really good shape by the time 300/600/75 starts. There are two stacks that cover me at the table and a lot of people with under 10k. This could get interesting.

A few hands into 300/600/75, a 30-something live player who is cvery chatty and spewy opens UTG+1 to 1800. He covers me. I look down at Ks Kh on the cutoff. Cool. I raise to 5100 and a short stack behind me moves all in for about 3500, less than my raise. Villain makes a speech about how online players play back at him too much, asks me to count out my stack and then elects to call. I figure his range is something like 88-QQ, AQ, AK at this point.

Flop: 5s 3s 2c

Mainpot: 12k
Sidepot: 3200

Villain open shoves, essentially betting 37k since that’s about what I have behind. This makes no sense, he shouldn’t have a set. Is he doing something spewy and panicking with JJ-QQ? It doesn’t add up. I quickly call and table my kings like they’re the nuts (which they obviously are here) and the short stack turns over 5c6c. UTG+1 turns over As Qs. Nice flat call out of position, sir. Now it’s time to race for the chiplead.

Brick it!

Turn: 5h

The short stack does a mini-fistpump as he makes trips, but I still have to dodge a million outs for the 75k sidepot.

Brick!

River: 9s

@#$%^&*#$%^&* roughly describes my feelings right about now. UTG+1 screams out ‘yesssssssssssss!!!!’ and starts celebrating, I shake hands with the short stack who is also eliminated then shake hands with UTG+1 and wish him luck despite his over the top celebration and I head off to the rail. I don’t really feel disappointment or anything until about 10 minutes later, when I realise I would have been chipleader with about 140bb at a table of short stacks and the pot was worth well over 1k in equity.

Massive sigh at busting in the first major pot I play where villain isn’t drawing dead. I’m chipping up nicely in these things but I have nothing to show for it except the receipts for the 4k USD i’m stuck so far.

Getting stuck another $300 or so due to exchange rates from having to cash out my Main Event money into AUD is also somewhat unpleasant. This trip is turning into a financial disaster. Plenty of time to fix that though. I just need to actually win something.