Jon Kalmar says...

Viva Las Vegas...part two

Friday 2 May 2008

To read the first part of "skalie's" Vegas adventure, click here

Sunday 6th of April

Due to the major kicking I received yesterday, I was wondering what my movements would be today. This was made easier by the fact one of the channels was playing all the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With some gratuitous violence and the angelic images of Liv Tyler under my belt, twelve hours later I was beginning to forget my poker woes.

Monday

I contemplated whether or not to play today’s $2,500 event, and, as I eventually surfaced from my pit at around 4-ish I decided it was probably a little late. I decided instead to go down for the 7pm $1,000 event.

I bumped into Ian Woodley, Dave Gregory, Chris and David Lloyd (mentioned as "John Lloyd" in previous entries, despite the fact that he’s actually called Dave and not John. I am crap with names - no offence intended if I forget anyone else’s!) Their friend Darren was also playing the $1,000 and did in fact win it. A result he failed to mention every hour till the end of his trip...!

After a pretty uneventful event I decided to take a shot at craps (one last time). BOOOOOM!!!! A nice little run and I’m $3,000 richer and have my 1st profitable day since the $2,500 final. Looks like a day in bed can pay off after all!

Tuesday

Although the poker wasn’t treating me too well my confidence was on the up after my little craps coup.

Driving down to the Bellagio I was looking forward to the $3,000 event, certain that it would go well...

Walking over the road to Caesar's Palace, wondering what had gone wrong in the $3,000 event I stopped at the craps table for one quick throw. After making my point followed promptly by the pesky seven I was 300 bucks lighter and with slightly less bulky pockets joined Woodley and the boys on the $2/5 no limit cash game.

I enjoyed playing these games and the banter is great amongst the English boys who are far more concerned with making moves on each other than actually winning money. However a local accused us of carving up the table between us, and didn’t like playing against so many friends. Despite explaining that we had all paid around $2,000 in flights and the same on hotels that we were unlikely to be carving up his 300 bucks 5-ways, he still decided to leave the table!

Wednesday

Today was the 1st Super Satellite into the $25,000 Main Event. Costing $2,680 to enter, these are hardly a cheap way in but any event this big has few cheap ways in anyway. I swapped 5% with Ian Woodley and my good friend Tim Blake was buying 10% of all my events in Vegas. A player can soon go broke paying the full amount into to all these things if he fails to cash! Luckily my result in Week One was paying for the trip thus far.

Now, we all wonder how some people manage to win anything. Everybody reading this has watched some muppet getting an obscene run of cards and hitting everything. This was my turn. I cruised though the satellite without a worry. All my good hands held up, I seemed to win every race and every move got through. If this was a cash event I would have been amazed not to win it. I wish I could brag about how well I played and kept myself from danger but the truth is anyone fit to hold cards would have won their seat. However I did win it with flair and panaché...

I joined the boys in Caesars again on the cash game and Woodley was crying about how bad his luck was. After everyone folded to me on the button I raised with the highly underrated hand of 8-2 off suit. Woodley re-raised to $80. I said you are so unlucky I’m gonna call, purely in the hope of rubbing a bluff in his face several minutes later. The board showed a promising K 8 7, to which he checked and I checked also. The turn paired the seven and he bet $100 dollars, I called thinking if he checked the turn the planned bluff could be sprung. Bingo the 8 hit’s the river and sure enough he checks. Problem is I now have the full house I would like paying. I put $300 bucks in the pot and declared ‘do not call you will be very upset’. It worked he called with his pocket tens and my predictions came true. He was so unlucky to have lost and he was indeed very, very upset.

Thursday

Today’s $5,000 at midday was going to be my last tournament before the 25k main event. Tomorrow is my birthday and it would be perfect. Play the final, win it and with over $200k in my pocket a birthday celebration only Vegas can provide would follow.

After collecting my car at 2pm I decided to leave the Vegas house and check into the MGM.

Friday

My birthday (21 again? - ed) and despite being in Vegas away from Kila and my usual drinking partners I was not intending to skip a proper lash up. As I was lucky enough to have no tournaments to play today I had a long lie-in sleeping off last nights heavy craps and Jack Daniels session. I made my way over to Caesars to meet the guys and played a little cash while waiting. $2.5 k later and losing several hands all in pre-flop (A-A v 10-10 and Q-Q vs. 3-3 vs QQ - the other queens won, oh how I laughed), I decided to nip back to the hotel to refill my wallet. A quick session on the craps table on my way past and it would seem that greater powers were telling me to go drink and not gamble. In fact go drink A LOT.

Gathering everyone together we wandered over to the Carnival bar between Harrah’s and the Imperial Palace. It has a huge outdoor stage and although having to suffer the odd Bon Jovi cover version it is a great place for a drink. The atmosphere is good and it’s a world away from the beeping of slot machines and the distractions that are all too close in your average Vegas casino bar.

Next stop was to the Nine Fine Irishman bar in New York, New York, where you can watch an authentic American band pretend to be Irish - but they do sell Guinness so who cares (in fairness this bar is a very good night out)?

After putting the world to rights with fellow drinkers and before the bar staff called security, because several fat Englishmen hadn’t finished their drinks. It was over to the MGM for a nightcap.

Several nightcaps later and not to mention several hours I somehow found myself playing craps (well what’s the worst that could happen? I was already losing! Oh how we see sense after a few drinks). Amazingly I was actually winning this time, maybe it was the lucky beer? Of course it was - once we have a skinful in us we can do everything better! I had won back all the previous evenings losses, and a nice little profit too. If only I could remember how much…

...Uh oh is it really 9am? My mum says I should always be in bed for ten so just one more Jack Daniels and coke, and that will do.

Saturday

Amazingly I have little recollection of what happened during this day, except for the fact I seem to spend most of it eating room service and lying down, in a dark quiet room.

Sunday

I think I’m coming down with something, I seem to have a headache and am constantly thirsty - what are the odds of getting ill in Vegas?

Kila arrives today with my friends Joe and Marika who are to be married on Thursday. No poker for at least seven days, and although I may make reference to it the next week, it will be brief!

Jonathan "Skalie" Kalmar, 5th placed finisher, WSOP 2007 Main Event.