(Excerpted from my full debrief) Wednesday morning was the weekly BJ tournament at the Sahara. Unlike a lot of APs out there, my buddy John didn’t poo poo tournament action. In fact he was pretty excited about it. We took the monorail up to Sahara to register at 11:00 for a 12:00 start. After getting our cards and signing up we went and used up our stupid free comp stuff, free spin, match plays, etc. Then John sat down at a single deck game and started to do his thing. He was down a little and I was even when we had to move over to the tournament. 2 Players from each table advanced. John came in second on his table, meaning he would play again at 3. I came in 3rd on my table, had a pretty good run but at the end could not overcome a noob at the end who put out several large bets through the course of the round and seemed to be a BJ magnet. (Bastard!) So I re-bought for round 2 at 1:00 and that is hardly even worth mentioning I caught such crap cards. So then I did ANOTHER re-buy and played at 2:00. On round 20 I was actually in first place. On the final hand, some dude doubled a hard 18 to catch a 3, and another guy doubled a soft 20 and caught an ace. I had gone the minimum, betting on the dealer to bust everyone out. As it turned out, even though my bet made me look like a noob, it really meant nothing. If I had bet the max and stood on my 17 the way I did, it would have been a loss, and if I had doubled, still a loss. As it was, my minimum bet had no effect on the game, except to keep my 3rd place position. This is the only tournament table I have played at where all the players made it to the last hand. These folks were VERY good. Mostly locals, most with years of experience. I don’t mind saying I was a bit frustrated. But not more than John who kept going back to that single deck table and was not having great luck. He played in his qualifying round at the tournament and did not advance. We watched a wild card drawing for the final hand, neither of us were picked. I went back to the single deck table and started making some cash. I have to say that although I don’t play a lot of single or double deck games because of the stupid 6:5 payoffs, I really love the pitch games and how they work, look and feel. I love the tactile sensation of handling the cards and the flow. So while I amused myself with nickels and dimes, my buddy John was watching the tables and hanging around to watch the last wild card drawing. While I was playing, one of my buddies started texting me randomly. And for those of you who have never been, unlike your local casino - cell phones at the tables in Vegas are not allowed, and I’m the kind of guy who tries to follow the rules. So after a while, I simply put the thing on vibrate and ignored his texts while I played. Unfortunately for me, the last text was John telling me the drawing had started. Then he runs up to me at the table all out of breath to inform me that my ticket had been drawn! We scooped up all my chips and hauled ass to the tournament area but apparently they have a pretty short time limit and I was informed that my slot at a final table had already been given away to another player. DAMN! Well this may have been one of two HUGE lessons for me this trip. I had mentally quit this tournament after those sick splits in round 3. Why did I quit? Why did I do that? Anyhow, that ticket is now laminated and in my wallet with a fortune from a cookie that talks about controlling your own destiny. Of the things I have done in my playing career, this was among the dumbest. If I had finished in the top 3, it would have been a money finish. So anyhow, we got a coupon for the Sahara buffet with our original buy in, and with John burning a few bucks at the table, he had some comp dollars coming to him, so he graciously bought us a couple of cheapo buffets. Although the food was not great (tasteless) it was needed fuel in our tanks. Then we headed back for the room with a few extra bananas stolen from the buffet line for the following days’ breakfasts. We had talked about going up to Fremont that night, but we were both fairly wiped out. I think John was a little mentally bothered by his losses and I know damn well that I was still pissed about that drawing.
Wednesday hump day... Well the lady that got drawn in because you did not stay, won 1st place. She is very grateful to you. Our logic is if you are not in for hand 20, you can not win the round. Great lesson for all the players that think they need to be chip leader before hand 20. I would rather be lucky than good but both is better!!!
I'm not going to even attempt to argue the point, because clearly when it comes to the final round with a group of experienced players, I have no frigging clue what I am doing. However, that being said, the odds of those two cards coming up the way that they did were exceedingly small. Two hail mary passes thrown back to back for touchdowns. If either one of them had failed, I was advancing. Obviously I need to read up on bet strategy. Given the amount of time I had, I could not see the advantage of a large bet. Hey, it was a strategy that was only about two cards away from working, a coin flip. And like I said, based on the cards I was dealt, and the card that i would have taken if I attempted a hit, I would have been out either way. It was a classic kobayashi maru. But when it comes down to it... my guess is regardless of how good I think my logic might be, you're probably right and I'm probably a noob.
Sahara event Actually Jeff, the lady that I was talking about was this past Wednesday, not the week you were there. I missed your 10/31. But it does not matter as Sahara is the same every week. It really is the best weekly in town for the re enter value. My advice is take the promo chips not the buffet!!! The important thing is to know that you must double down on a ridiculous situation to win. Most of the players at this tournament are aware of the chip counts and are willing to go for it. You can not take your chips to the cage after hand 20 so you might just as well put them to work. At the final table it even gets a bit more tricky as it may be last place (free entry) vs 1st place (1000.00) or 3rd or 4th if you do one of these crazy plays as we are now dealing with real funds. Anyone that tells you different, just does not know the real facts BUT the stars must be showing on you that day to take home the big prize. Maybe 75% of the time, the wild card to the final table is the winner. Not sure of the 75% but it is HIGH!!! That is why I always say... I would rather be lucky than good but both is better. Next time you make the trip, get in touch and maybe we can get together.
One thing about this tournament that I recognized almost immediately was that a majority of the players were locals, and experienced. Now, I don't mean to make a crass statement by pointing out someone's age, but in my local tournament opportunities, any time I sit down at a table with an older player, I am more nervous because clearly the EXPERIENCED players are the one to be aware of! I did take some time to talk strategy with a couple of the players during some of the rounds I did not play in, and got some valuable insights. Too bad one of them didn't say "MAKE SURE TO STICK AROUND FOR THE DRAWINGS!" lol
sahara hump day They give you 10.00 with your 25.00 buy in or a buffet. I understand the buffet is the worst in the city, but I do not do buffets unless I am badggered into it by an out of towner. I am a regular and have been fortunate enough to win 3 times, 2nd once and a few of the other prizes. That does not make me good, just lucky. I make the 2nd round about 85% of the time. I always play the 1st 3 rounds to qualify so I can spend a max of 45.00 to qualify. Best deal in town. I have never made a 1000.00 in a cash game with only 45.00 at risk. Not sure if you will be here in late November and early December but th Hilton has a great event the end of November and the Nugget has 3/50.00 buy in tourneys with each a 10K prize fund. You can not beat them and if you buy all 3 at one time, it is only a 100.00 buy in. That is a 33.00 buy in for a 5K guaranteed 1st place!!! There are a lot of retirees that play, that is our entertainment for the day and believe it or not a great social hour...
If all goes well I will be back to take another crack at it on 12/17 if you old timers promise to go easier on me...
I'm considering the 12/24 tourney as husband and I are thinking of a Vegas run for Christmas. Almost tempting to attack this team-style... :dude:
Sahara Sandy This is a nice tournament. All rounds are multiple players advance. When you sign up they give you the choice of a free buffet or a $10 promo chip. Take the promo chip.
Whew, like the "multi-advance" as that's what I'm so used to. And I read back through this, and TOTALLY agree about the Sahara's buffet: it has no taste, food lacks in anything resembling quality, and is barely worth the $4 I used to pay for it. And I should be able to flip the promo chip into enough for a real meal somewhere else...even groceries in the TimeShare!!!
Ok, looks like we're hauling butt in the AM to be there. Grandmom's Xmas money was in the mail this afternoon!! Booking an overnight at Orleans for comp play and food comp there as well.
