WSOP Day 31 - Jon Kalmar

Friday 3 Jul 2009

It’s Day 1A of the Main Event and many of the Ladbrokes qualifiers played. Well done to all those who got through, including, Nebuchad, yobenike, Tricky-Trev and Sirus77.

Ladbrokes had a lounge today in the Rio. I decided to go down there and play some cash. I could keep up to date with how the guys are doing during the breaks. On my way to the card room I meet Kev O’Connell, Simon Zach and Rob Yong on the way to register for the main event. They join me in the Ladbrokes lounge for a while where Kev plays Rob heads up for 500 bucks. Rob has never beat him and after losing 2 nil he gives up. All three convince me to do a craps syndicate. Me and Kev have 500 and Simon and Rob chuck in a thousand. After spinning it up to 8700 between us I knew this would not be the last time we did this.

Every time I tried to get to the card room I’d bump into someone. Kara Scott, Steve Jelinek to name a couple. When I did finally make it the queue was huge. With the main event taking up most of the tables, seats in the cash games were short. I gave up and decided to try the Venetian.

I bumped into Steve Davis in the taxi queue who was returning to Caesars. I got talked into having a drink with him and then going for a game there. The card room was full and the biggest game available was only 2/5. Sod it, back to my room for a bit and I will try the Venetian later.

Kila was meeting up with Leona, Kev and the others for diner at 7.00pm at the Palazzo. I share a taxi with her with the intent to go play cash next door at the Venetian. When I get there they convince me to skip the cash game and join them. Sometimes the hardest thing about poker is getting to a game.

It is customary when eating in Vegas that the men spoof for the bill. Knowing how much the wine could cost I was reluctant. However, Simon Zach was involved and he is simply the biggest spoof fish ever, it’s hard to say no with such an edge. I added the rule that 2nd place gets the tip and everyone agreed. It takes the edge off, if the unthinkable happens. Rob Yong was the 1st to drop out and the tension was building. Then absolute disaster, Simon was next to go. With my banker out I was now feeling the pressure and was heads up with Kev. I was getting the tip regardless. With me to go first I call 3, holding 3 coins. BINGO! Kev had none. At $1600 for the meal relief was not the word. PHEW!

After dinner, we had a few drinks and I’d I given up on the idea of any poker. Then the inevitable happened. Another craps syndicate. And this time there was no happy ending. We got wiped out almost instantly with every throw and eventually I gave up. I sat in the bar wondering how and why I had thrown away my earlier profits and more besides. I need to get some back and when everyone went to bed (Except Kila and Leona of course, why would they, the bar wasn’t closing anytime soon) I ventured through to the Venetian card room.

I sit in with $2k and get an early double up. I had called a raise with A4 of diamonds. When the flop comes As Kd 8d. I check to the raiser who bets $200. I call, and the turn is another ace. Now the ace changes nothing here. Many people go nuts when making top trips but you only get calls from bigger hands so again I check call his bet. This time its $400. The river is the wonderful 4. I check again hoping he bets and he slides in $1200. I move all in for the rest, which he reluctantly calls. He had pocket eights for a smaller full house. Unlucky, but to be honest I was never folding and it had happened to me all too often for any sympathy.

Now let’s just get this right. My bad beats are worse than anyone else’s. I am sure you think yours are worse but they are not. Do you know why? Because I care about mine. I may pretend I care about yours. I may say unlucky or tough break. Reality is, I have never laid in bed thinking how unlucky anyone else is. NEVER! You can tell people bad beat stories all day but I assure you that people rarely repeat them. They are too busy telling their own to worry about yours. The few that are repeated are often said with a tinge of a smirk.

I float around $2k to 2.5k up. When I get jacks. A French fish raises to 40 and a few people call. I make it 250 and he hesitates before he pushes all in for 700. I call and he flips his AQ. I was hoping for a smaller pair but I am due to win a race. Just not this one. The board comes 2 4 9 7 Q. Argggggggg river again. He said sorry but I suspect he didn’t really mean it.

I hung on all night but the fish finally all left and I couldn’t catch one. I finished about $1000 up. Not much but it made up for some of the craps session. I returned to the Palazzo to get Kila and found her and Leona in, well let’s say, an inebriated state. I doubt either will be doing much tomorrow.