Atlantic City Trip Report (Long and probably boring)

Wanted to share this trip, since I am still pretty excited about it.

Arrived at Borgata Wednesday July 16, around 4:30 pm, hit the cage for 300, the max buy in, and sat down for some 1/2NL. Played tight early to get a few reads on people, and because if at all possible I like be sitting with 400+ at the 1/2 tables before I try to really 'play' poker.

After a couple orbits I am looking at a 66 and limp from middle position with 3 callers following me. Flop is a lovely 6KQ, with two diamonds, I decide not to slow play with the possible flush there and bet the pot. One guy goes all in after me for his last 70 bucks, the rest fold and I call, he was on a flush draw which he turned, and the board did not pair.

Was up and down a little after that but never really got going, and at about 6:45pm decided to play the 150+30 7pm tourney, which ended my 1/2 session down about 150.

I had played the showboat weekend tourneys a couple of times since I like the structure, but never any at Borgata, so this would be my first. 10k in chips, 25/50 blinds to start, 20 minute levels.

First level I only played one pot and stole the blinds a couple times, nothing eventful. Second level I pick up QQ on the button and an early position player raises to 300, another takes it 1000, I call, original raiser calls. Flop is KQx with 2 spades. I start thinking about my earlier hand at 1/2. Check, check to me, I decide to bet about half the pot. Original raiser folds, and the other guy calls. The turn, of course, brings a third spade. The other guy bets about a third of the pot, I call. The river brings the final Q in the deck, yay me. Other guy checks, I bet about half the pot and he calls, showing down AA, not even a flush, for a huge pot for me with quad Q's, easy game this poker.

Hit the first break just over 20k in chips, and was happy to be doubled up after an hour of play. The ante's kicked in when play resumed, so I figured to get slightly more aggressive.

My increased aggression met with mixed results. One play in particular hurt me when I tried to bust a player that had been hyper aggressive, bluffing like crazy, and losing alot of pots. I was in the big blind with 77, he shoved from the button after it folded around to him, and I called, he turned over a king and an undercard to me, and hit his K, knocking me down a bit. We are winding down to the 2nd break, I have about 15k in chips, the aggresive guy has won a few more pots and has about 45k. Last hand before the break I am again in the big blind and look down at A9s. Crazy guy raises 3x from the button, I call, flop is 942. Crazy guy shoves just as they are announcing break time over the loudspeakers. I think a bit and call with my top top, he turns over T6o. No T comes and I double just before the 2nd break, up to 32k in chips.

Level 7 is 400/600 w a 100ante. They announce there are 202 entries, and 27 make the money. Over the next full levels, not much happens, I get rockets once in middle positition, 3x raise and no action. Eventually I get table moved when we get down to 60 left, 6 tables, very first hand get AQ w a Q on the flop and win a nice pot to keep me going. Level 11 the antes are a crazy 500 with 1500/3000 blinds and I started raising about 2 times an orbit, even with air, and was picking up blinds and antes.

I survive without much incident as my table breaks and we are down to 3 tables, 30 people, 3 from the money. I get seated and the chip leader is to my left, one of two remaining ladies in the tourney. She is playing textbook big stack bubble poker putting everyone to the test. I am sitting at about 60k in chips or so at 3000/6000 1000ante and decide to not get too fancy.

The chip leader got moved when 2 bust from the same table and I end up button shoving 2 times on the bubble with decent hands, and pick up desperately needed blinds and antes.

Someone suggests that the remaining 28 all chip in 5 bucks for the bubble person, and amazingly everyone agrees to this, no one makes a stink and it happens. Very cool.

We play about 6 hands hand for hand before the bubble burts, and we are all ITM. The shorter stacks start busting out, but I hang as tight as I can even with the crazy antes. I put one middle position raiser to the test when I re raise him with JJ and he lays down his hand.

Before I know it we are down to two tables of 10, I have about 65k in chips, and we are at 4000/8000 1000 ante. Very first hand after collapsing to 20 I have 44 in the small blind and it folds to me, I make a raise for about half my chips, the BB shoves which was only another 5k or so I have to call. He has KK and I do not improve and lose, kicking me down to about 25k or so. Next hand on the button I have AJo and one person limps ahead of me, I shove and they somehow fold when it would cost them about 15k into a 47k pot. I pick up one more blinds and antes in the next few hands and have around 65k when I look down at KK in middle position. Folds to me, I bet 30k. Folds around to the chip leader lady, whose table I was now back at, and she says.... 'all in'. I of course call, and she has AQs, and my Kings hold up!

I am now feeling healthy. Up until this point, I can honestly say I had not sucked out on anyone to win a pot yet, and sure enough I get one when I button raise w 44, the short stacked big blind shoves, I call. He has AJo and flops a J. I do not get a 4 and am counting out chips to pay him when someone says, "Oh my god, the 4's made a flush."

Things from this point are somewhat of a blur, I wish i could remember them better. I wish I could because some key stuff happened, I was just in some kinda daze, I don't know. All I know is we hit the final table of 10, and I have about 650k or just about 33% of the chips in play, I am chip leader by a large margin, and we are at 8000/16000 w 3000 antes. Somehow though only 2 people are really short stacked, and the other 7 are all healthy.

Now here is where i would love to get everyones opinion. Someone suggested doing a deal with 10 left. Everyone looks at me. I say I won't even think about a deal until there are 6 or 7 left. No one really argues this. Then one guy suggests doing a deal based on the amount of chips we have now after giving everyone 1000 bucks baseline.

As it stood first place was getting about 9000, 5151 for 2nd and on down to about 400 for 10th place. We worked out the numbers and I would be getting 6k with the chip percentage deal. 10 left and even though I was chip leader I could get better then 2nd place money guaranteed. The only other thing I was worried about was that if I signed for 1st place Borgata would be sending a W2 to the IRS. But 2nd place would not be getting one since when you subtract the buyin it came to less than 5k on paper. So I said I would do the deal if someone else signed for 1st place, and the original deal suggester said he would, and it was done. Chip Leader, 2nd place on paper and 6k richer.

The Borgata staff was awesome and patient with us, everyone that made the final table was easy to deal with and seemed like decent folk, and it all ended around 1:00am.

To shorten this up now... played the same tourney the next night and out of 90 players busted about 50th. Played a 250+30 10 person SNG and took 2nd place. Played some 2/5NL and lost about 200 there overall. Ate well and had a blast. Drove home in my cousins small Toyota convertible and got sunburned after falling asleep.

Excellent trip for you there. Haven't been to AC since the Borg opened. Was there when they were building her. Reading this makes me want to hop on the turnpike and zoom on down.

Nice write-up... i'm trying to convince myself to drive down to jacksonville in a couple of weeks for a 3 day mini-vacation for myself at a poker room down there. Price of gas is making me think against it though. Wish i still had my bike, it'd cost me like $30 in gas round trip if i did.

Not at all boring...a great read...you have real talent for capturing the moment.
Thanks for a great post.

^^^^no way boring, thanks for sharing!

Good read - thanks for that and congrats

Definate good read...I live about a couple of hours from AC. Just might take an afternoon drive there!

Nice report - and congrats on the money won!

Not boring at all. Congrats, 202 entrants - wow, some poker rooms down there can barely hold that many. And glad that tournament ended in the best way possible.

If you're looking for confirmation that you made a good deal, I 100% absolutely think it was a good deal. Well done.

Very nice cash! WTG

As we say in the racing world, Great UCAP (Up Close And Personal)
Congrats on the tourney cash.

good read, and Congrats on cashing, havent been to AC in 20 years, used to go 2 times a year, then Foxwoods opened, lots closer for me, buck

Very good read. Congrats on the winnings.

Nice report even though I am not a big fan of Borgota.

congrats on your cash sounds like an eventful mid july for you good luck on your next trip to AC