Satellite Day

I have to rank yesterday as my greatest day at poker ever. Anthony and I hit the World Series full on and came out winners. Look at us, in Las Vegas, taking on the big boys and coming out on top. Okay, so admittedly we didn’t play in an actual event, but that wasn’t the plan. Today was satellite day and I’m telling you there is a ten-table patch of the Amazon room that I feel like we now completely own… by midnight even the floor manager was calling me by my first name.

After our rousing battle speeches at the Bellagio last night, it was with determination that we made our way to the Rio this morning, I had the “Rocky” theme going over and over in my head and even found myself contemplating swallowing half a dozen raw eggs in a glass. Anthony registered as a player and then bought us both in to separate 125 single table satellite. (neither of us felt like dealing with each other at the table this early). And then we were off, and before I really knew it I chopped the first, took one pink chip and some cash, Anthony was there to see the deal done having been busted just before he could make a deal at his own table. We did the same again, this time I was chip leader from the beginning – you know you get those mad guys online who move all-in early and you just suspect that they’re drunk, or they wished they hadn’t bought in and want it to be over or are just plain stupid? They don’t exist in real life right? Wrong… I doubled up within two hands to a guy who moved in with J-8!

So we get down to 3 handed and the other two guys want to do a deal and I’m so far ahead I just think that it’s a stupid move on my part and I say no. Well you’d think I’d just cut off their oxygen supply or something, is it really that obligatory to do a deal? I mean what deal did they expect? The ratio of chips was like 10:3:1 in my favour – what should I have offered? This is when I had my first chat with Jack, who was the floor manager for the satellite area, he had been listening to the deal attempt, I had just shrugged my shoulders at the guys and play continued. They wouldn’t let it drop, play almost ground to a halt as they both relentlessly pushed for the chop – I’m not proud to say that they bored me into submission, this was ridiculous, I held my hands up and said what do you want – Jack stepped straight in and suggested that 800, 325, 125 would be fair before the two of them had a chance to say anything, and the deal was done. Thanks Jack, I think you got me the best of it there.

And that’s how the day continued, at dinner we ordered burgers from the Sports Bar, two fat bbq soaked slabs of beef turned up. I spoke to Anthony about stepping up a level, we were up a total of 2 pink chips and about 50 dollars once you’d taken out buy-ins. We agreed we’d play a 325 buy-in each and then Anthony would make a decision as to whether we call it a night or go for one more. We hardly touched our burgers, both of us too wrapped up in the plan to feel that kind of hunger.

Jack welcomed us back to the satellite area and we told him our plan, turns out there was a game with three spots open and that we should take two of them. Anthony hesitated, saying we needed to separate to maximise our potential, but I thought it would be fun to have at least one shot with the two of us. He put his foot down, and I slipped into the nine seat whilst he waited for another game.

And what a game, I was steady the whole time, paced myself, kept it tight, just watching, there were three guys waiting to shove it all in with anything half decent, there were two nervous 30-odd year olds whose dreams outweighed their ability, there was one drunk guy, one guy who should have been in bed, one guy who was having “his night at the world Series” and was being cheered on by about a dozen partied up friends, there was a guy who I had down as a very good player… and there was me.

I managed to ease chips away from the scared 30 somethings, they weren’t risking anything, waited for my moment against the all-in specialists, and with good humour relieved party guy of his chips. Bit by bit, reading them all as best I could, and I think I played them just right, without even really getting much by way of cards, I felt so good about it, like I owned it. We got down to three, me, good player and scared 30’s. We were pretty even and inevitably good player suggested the split, one thousand each and play for the rest. Scared 30’s was all over it, I simply said no and proceeded to take out 30 something in the course of a few hands. Heads up and good player offered again… no, and I went and took him out too… Jack shook my hand, I was in a bit of a daze, he handed me 6 pink chips and some cash, I felt like I’d won a major event – three grand! Three bloody grand! Where’s Anthony? I tipped Jack a drink and said I’d be back later, I’m ready for it, where’s Anthony?

Five minutes later he comes bounding over all pleased with himself, and tosses me two pink chips… nice one, but look at this baby… 6 more, his mouth drops wide open. We’ve got ten chips, 5 grand in buy-ins, let’s go again. Anthony doesn’t seem too keen and calls a halt to the night waving a piece of paper in my face. “What’s that?” “This”, he says, “is the list of events… you and me, big fat drink, we’ve got some decisions to make”… oh boy let’s go, the Flicker brothers are playing the World Series.