Four For The Price Of One

Since I didn't update much during the last week or so of my Vegas trip, this is going to be one long post. I'll break it down with some subtitles, but if you only care about poker content don't go past the first section.

The Bullet That Killed Wild Bill
As I alluded to earlier, I ended up spending my time in Vegas as more of a vacation and less of a business trip. The result of this was I only played in a single WSOP event, in addition to one very short cash session. The event was of the 3-day, $1500 NLH variety, and I busted during the 5th level. My first table was actually a really good draw, with four older passive types, Andy Black, and a younger FTP red pro on my left (I believe Soren was his first name). On my direct right, one of the older gentleman had a card protector of a bullet preserved in glass. He told us a lengthy story about how the bullet was the one that killed Wild Bill Hickok when he held A8, earning that hand the nickname "dead man's hand". Apparently his great uncle(?) was hit in the wrist by the bullet after it exited Wild Bill's skull, and it had been passed down in his family through the generations. Andy Black was another interesting character and as you'd expect very much on the chatty side. I lost a fair number of small pots missing flops, etc. and won one decently large one against one of the passive older guys when I opened KcKx, was called by two players and he 3bet very large. I flatted, an A flopped on a monotone clubs board, he bet like 1/3rd pot so I peeled the nut flush draw, turned the nuts and he proceeded to c/f his red queens face up. I doubt he would have gone broke preflop against a committing 4bet (I think we had ~100bb behind at the time), but who knows, perhaps the flat was a mistake.

Our table ended up breaking, and I moved to a much younger table during the 4th level. Things started to unravel when I flopped a set on a double suited board, raised the flop, checked back the turn when the flush completed and had to fold the river when the runner runner four flush hit. I ended up busting with ~40bbs in a BvB battle where the loosest and least aggressive player limped the SB, and I raised with KTo in the BB. Flop came KdTd9x and he donked, I raised, and he jammed with Kx9d. Running diamonds binked and I was done.


Audience Participation
As I didn't spend that much time playing poker, I had a lot of time to do touristy stuff. I saw Mystere (Cirque) for a second time, and ended up being chosen for a gag which requires a couple audience members. After my first viewing two years ago I wondered if the gags were scripted, and it turns out they aren't, as I received no warning. A lot of time was spent on the strip, knocking off attractions like the Secret Garden at the Mirage, and the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, among others. We drove out to Red Rock Canyon which made for a nice day trip. Meals of note were at Mesa (I've now eaten at two out of the three Mesa Grill locations in existence, only New York left to go) as well as top notch sushi at Shibuya. I also got a bunch of shopping done, picking up a very inexpensive laptop I'm very happy with thus far, as well as a suit from an outlet mall that I have high hopes for. In general, the cost of just about everything in the US is significantly lower than Canada.


I Survived The Great Oiler Scare Of 2006...
I really hope after tomorrow night I'll be able to say I survived the Canuck scare of 2011. Please get it done Bruins. You've been in every game and have outscored the Canucks by a huge margin in the series. Plus, another bad game could very possibly shatter Luongo's confidence beyond repair for the rest of his career.

Short Games That Feel Long
The last couple days of the trip were less busy, and coupled with the travel time today I was able to put in some hours playing FFIV Complete Collection. I'm right near the end of the original game, which leaves the Interlude and After Years to go. A few years ago I remember thinking to myself that FFIV was a really short game, probably 20-25 hours if you know what you're doing and don't grind more than you need to. That being said, it really doesn't feel short. Typically, I've found that shorter RPGs which feel long are that way because they have a lackluster story, gameplay, or both, and as a result you're just waiting for them to be over. FFIV however is the exception to that rule, as it is of course a very good game. The visual and audio upgrades of the remake are welcome, and I haven't found anything to complain about.

At any rate, now that the break is over I'm actually almost looking forward to grinding some this weekend. Hopefully I can put in respectable volume for the next month and a half or more, after which another short vacation might be in store.