WSOP Day 10 - Jon Kalmar

WSOP Day 10 - Jon Kalmar

12th June 2009

Had a lie in today and watched Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood. Awesome, at 199 years old Clint is still the man, the best film I have seen for some time. On the telly afterwards was Legend staring Tom Cruise and directed by Ridley Scott. How either of them became the Hollywood giants they are today after making that dross is beyond me.

For months now my back has been a major problem. Years of bad posture sat on my couch or around a poker table has taken its toll. In April I stumbled across a gadget in Vegas. A kinda tenz machine for your back. You put these jelly pads on and a little machine sends small electric shocks though it. It has been a godsend and frankly I struggle to play an hour without it. I had a major panic yesterday when my little godsend of a gadget broke. It still worked but the socket to plug the charger into was goosed and when the charge ran out, so was I. Nothing else for it, today I needed to buy a new one. The only place I knew I could buy one was a shop at the strip near the MGM. This was miles from anywhere a taxi could drop me off. With this in mind, I thought I would play as long as possible and then go and get it. I had already decided no tournaments today just cash.

The tables at the Venetian were busy so I decided to try the Bellagio. When I got there they were incredibly busy. Sod it! I will walk to the MGM and get my gadget. Now a walk from the taxi drop at the MGM to the strip means walking almost the entire length of the casino. It is probably about as far as walking from the Bellagio to the MGM. The place is enormous. If you stop there and leave anything in your room you simply buy another rather than walk back. Once, I was on the phone to Kila a little drunk, got out of the lift at the wrong floor and it wasn’t till I walked all the way to the end of the corridor that I realised. I was gutted, knackered and drunk. I very nearly decided to sleep outside of whoever’s room it was. No exaggerating it must have been close to a half-mile diversion.

The day had been a hot one and the walk seemed unappealing. Me and sunshine don't mix. I am milk bottle white and prefer it to the pillarbox red the sun sends me. I get sun stroke picking post cards. I swap seats on a bus when it turns a corner.

I decided to play the $1000 at the Bellagio instead. Well, what a great decision that was. Having joined late the blinds were 100/200 and I was on the big blind with 10 jack of diamonds. Someone raised to 600 and a Russian guy had called on the button. I decided to see the flop and was thrilled to see Jh 9d 8d. Top pair, up and down straight and a back door flush. I was ready to gamble with this and indeed got the Russian to push all in. I was less than please to see him flip the Q 10 of hearts for the nuts straight and redraw to the flush, as if the nuts was not enough.

On around 4500 I soon got moved to a new table and found QQ under the gun. I limp in, hoping for a raise and the double up I craved. Five more players limped too and I was beginning to regret my move. However, the big blind obliged and bet 1000. I gave it a little Hollywood and eventually pushed all my chips in, trying to look like a mid pair. I was hoping to get action but trying to give off an image of someone who was happy to take it down. I needn’t have worried, the big blind had pocket kings and I was again faced with the trip to the MGM albeit with a less bulky pocket to hinder my walk.

My fav Vegas Casino but the place is so big it could use its own railway system.

I found the shop and bought my prize. A huge weight felt like it was lifted from my shoulders, so feeling a little cheerier I decided to play some cash while I was there. I put my name down for the 5/10 NL game and played 2/5 NL while waiting for the game to start. It never did and I eventually gave up and returned to the Palazzo 700 bucks up. I wanted to drop my back machine in the room before I left it somewhere. (This typically being something I would do).

In the room I was met by a bitterly disappointed Strummer, he had played the $1500 FL event today and was mumbling incoherently about the many fish at the Rio. To cheer him up we had dinner at the French restaurant in the Venetian. Finally found a restaurant that sells chateaubriand. I have to say it was fantastic.