The cab stand at Lynden Pindling International Airport just outside Nassau, Bahamas does not inspire confidence. Each of the dozen or so taxis in sight bears the wounds of multiple minor collisions: dented bumpers, scraped doors, and crumpled corners. The passenger-side rearview mirror of the car to which I'm assigned is shattered, but given the condition of the other vehicles, I decide that I'm running well so far this trip.
The driver invites me to sit up front with him but isn't much of a conversationalist. He asks if I am playing the poker tournament and then if I am going to win it. Then he turns on the radio, where we listen to staticky live coverage of what I eventually realize is a funeral. It's for the former Governor-General, he tells me, though his explanation of how exactly this role differs from that of the Prime Minister leaves much to be desired.
Driving through Nassau, it's hard not to notice the stark contrast between the hotels and resorts along the main road and the small, crumbling homes visible down the side streets. It's also hard to ignore the fact that the driver of this beat-up cab, which is currently speeding me to one of the most extravagant resorts in the country, probably lives in one such house. When he tells me the fare is $37, I pay him and don't mention that the sign in the airport said it would be $32.
This is the first of many times that I will be ripped off this week. It's surprising that the Atlantis only offers poker for these ten days in January, because they sure know how to value bet. Going off the resort is more than a little inconvenient, and they take advantage of the relative lack of competition by charging absurd prices for everything. I don't have any idea who owns the Atlantis, but I'm guessing that they need the money a lot less than my cab driver does, and I resent them for so blatantly taking advantage of their customers.
I wouldn't be here at all if PokerStars weren't footing the bill for my room, whose rack rate is $350/night. This means that my first full day at Atlantis is spent in a windowless conference room, learning more about the company and my fellow Team Online members. And because I registered for Day 1A, I started playing the main event the next day, which meant that I spent nearly 70 hours in the Bahamas before getting in the water and in fact barely got outside at all those first two days. There was some pretty exciting stuff happening inside, though:
Level 1 – Blinds 50/100
My starting table seemed softer than average for what proved to be a smaller and tougher field than the PCA drew in past years. The only player I recognized was fellow PokerStars Team Online member Bjoern “Bjoerni86” Schneider, whom I'd met the day before. Other that than, there were a few younger European players and a couple of middle-aged or older guys, all of whom would require further study before I could say exactly how good they were. I spent most of the first level studying them, in no small part because I didn't get much in the way of playable hands.
Level 2 – Blinds 75/150
One of the first hands I played at this level provided an opportunity to learn a lot about one of the biggest question marks at the table, a player in his early 40s who was originally from Russia but now lived in Spain. He spoke very good English and also some French and seemed to know his way around a poker table. I had no idea what to make of him, in short.
He opened with a raise to 400 in late position, an active Dutch player who was probably one of the best at the table called, and I woke up with Kings in the SB. I raised to 2,000, the Spussian (short for Spanish-Russian) called without much thought, and Holland folded.
The board came out AQJ8J, about the worst you can get when you have Kings. We checked it all the way, and as he checked behind on the river he said, “Show the Kings.” I did, and he smiled and mucked.
I smiled too, because he'd just told me a lot. I now knew that he had some hand-reading skill and more importantly that even when he was confidant I had a marginal hand, he would let me check it down and win the pot rather than trying to take me off of it.
The next orbit, one of the middle-aged guys opened to 450 in early position, a tight young Spanish kid called in the CO, and I called with A
Q in the SB. The flop came Q
8
2
, and we checked it around. I bet 900 on a 6 turn, the pre-flop raiser quickly called, and the Spaniard asked how much before thinking for a moment and calling as well.
I wish I had thought a bit more about the significance of the question, because it may have saved me some money on the river. With a flush draw or open-ended straight draw, the kid probably would have called without thinking about it. A close decision meant he probably had a weaker draw such as a gutshot or an 8.
The river was an 8. I put the pre-flop raiser on a pocket pair 99-QQ, though he may have had a few 8s in his range as well. AQ may not seem like such a thin value bet here, but honestly when I bet again into both of them I don't know how many worse hands call. My first opponent looked annoyed and folded, but the Spaniard called and showed J8s. In retrospect, I think it may have been possible to check-fold the river.
Level 3 – Blinds 100/200
The player on my right was a PokerStars pro from Belgium. He was the oldest player at the table but also one of the most aggressive. He'd already shown down a few big bluffs and had a tendency to pay off big bets on the river when he was clearly beat.
He raised to 500 UTG+2, which I was pretty sure was weak, since I'd seen him make larger raises with strong hands. I made it 1,300 with 74s, and the action folded around to the Spussian, who stared me down and then cold called. The Belgian came along as well, but they both check-folded a KQ8 rainbow flop.
Another of the weaker players at the table was a middle-aged amateur from Saskatchewan. He'd been limping in a lot and rarely folded to raises, not even big ones. So when he limped UTG, I raised to 1,000 with 76s in the CO.
It's important to emphasize here that although I'm surely behind his range, I want him to call, and in fact I want to make the largest raise that he will call. This is because he's going to check-fold so many flops that he's probably losing something like 17 cents on every dollar he puts into the pot pre-flop. Sure enough, he check-folded a K82 rainbow.
For the second time, the Belgian open-limped his SB. The first time I'd raised him and won it with a continuation bet, but with 83o I elected to check. The flop came As Ad 3d, he bet 300, and I raised to 600, which I think is much better than calling. Obviously a pair of 3s is very vulnerable, so he almost certainly has two overcards that I'd like to charge, but on top of that I think he won't give me credit for an Ace. This means my raise could even induce a light call or 3-bet, though in this case he snap-folded.
Saskatchewan limped UTG again, Belgium limped behind, and I raised to 1,000 with A4o in the CO. This raise really blurs the line between “value” and “making a move”, since I do expect to win often with a continuation bet but I also think A4 is ahead of both of their ranges. Essentially I've got position and the best hand, so even though it might be tricky to play post-flop, I don't see how raising can be bad. Saskatchewan joked about how “you internet guys don't allow limping” and called, and Belgium called as well.
They both checked a K83 rainbow, I bet 1,600, Saskatchewan folded, and Belgium quickly raised to 5,100. I was sure he was making a move, so I considered my options. He had something like 8,500 behind, and while I could shove, I'd probably be drawing to three or fewer outs if he did happen to call. As aggressive as he'd been, I still doubted that he'd bluff off the last of his chips in this spot, so I opted to float him.
He quickly checked a 6 on the turn, and I bet just 2,500. This was simple leverage: he's never check-calling, so I can put him to a decision for 8,500 while risking much less myself. He folded, and I showed in the interest of establishing a “don't mess with me” image. I got a few oohs and aaahs, but the Spussian said, “Nice value bet,” which told me a little more about him.
Level 4 – Blinds 100/200/25
Our table got tougher with the addition of online MTT pro “hustla16” a few seats to my left. He raised to 500 and got two calls, and I had a decision with KT in my BB. I was getting very good immediate pot odds, but it's a tough hand to play out of position in a multi-way pot. I decided to call but proceed with extreme caution.
The flop came QJT, I checked, hustla bet 1450 with about 11K behind, and when the others folded, I folded right along with them. I just don't see him betting any weak hands into three people on that flop, and against the range he would bet, my equity is pretty poor. I patted myself on the back for that one.
Despite what it may seem from these hands, I'd actually been very quiet for the first three and a half hours of the tournament. So when I opened to 600 with JT UTG+1, and Bjoern on my left called with just 5,500 behind, alarm bells went off. I put him on a very strong hand and checked a K98 flop. He checked behind, and we both checked a K turn.
The river was an Ace, and I pondered bluffing. The thing is that if Bjoern did have a strong range, the A probably hit him or he was slowplaying something huge, since I'd expect him to have bet TT, JJ, or QQ by now. After a long though I checked, he showed Q9s, and I felt stupid as he raked the pot. “I fold instantly if you bet,” he told me.
Saskatchewan opened the next pot that I played with an UTG raise to 500. He got four calls, I over-called KT on the button, and the BB called. They all checked a Q65 flop to me, and a bet of just 1,200 took down a pot three times that size. That's the power of position.
I got Aces for the first time and raised to 600 in the CO. Hustla called out of the SB, and Saskatchewan called his BB. The flop came 864, and though my first instinct was to check for pot control, I quickly overrode that. Hustla was short enough that he'd probably check-raise a lot of draws and maybe even pairs, so I could get it in profitably against him. And Saskatchewan was straight-forward enough to call with a lot of weaker hands but let me know when I was beat. So I bet 1,300 and got two calls.
Hustla sat up a bit in his chair when the 3h came on the turn, but I didn't see how it could have helped either of them. They weren't going to show me 43 or 33, and 75 already had a straight on the flop. There was no way hustla had 52, though I guess Saskatchewan could have. They both checked, and I bet 4,000. Hustla folded, and Saskatchewan told me he didn't believe me but folded anyway.
Level 5 – Blinds 150/300/25
Belgium opened to 800 in middle position, and I made it 2,100 with AK. He called, and we both checked a KQ6 flop. This is an important check. Even against Belgium, I don't think I can bet three times for value in a three-bet pot on this board. That means that I have to choose which two streets to value bet, and I think that turn and river will be the most profitable combination. It helps that I have the Ad and so don't need to fear the flush draw.
He bet 2,800 on and 8 turn, and I called after counting the pot. He checked a 4 river, and knowing Belgium I went for a big value bet. Unfortunately he folded quickly.
To Be Continued
I didn't get to play nearly so many hands on Day 2, so in the interest of splitting this trip report into two parts of roughly equal length, I'm cutting Part 1 off here. There are still three more levels left in the day, but we'll pick up with those next month.
