I work at a children's sports camp each summer in the Catskill Mountains of New York. I have done this the past six years and I love it. I teach tennis and roller hockey as well as act as the assistant head counselor. Where does Vegas come in you ask? Well, the oldest kids on camp are fifteen and each summer this age group takes a ten day trip to the west coast. (yes, the kids are loaded) I was asked by the camp director if I would fly with the kids and tour around as a chaperone. As in I pay nothing and see the west coast? As in I pay nothing and have fun with kids I have known for six years and my girlfriend who is also a counselor comes with us? As in I pay nothing and stay in beautiful hotels in San Fran, Beverly Hills, Arizona and (gulp) Las Vegas? As in...hell yes.
We went to the coast and had a great time, but for me for obvious reasons Las Vegas was by far my favorite part. It truly is an amazing place. Even though I was only there for a short period of time, a day and a half, it was enough to make me want to go back very soon. I went to the WSOP at the Rio, and saw Lederer and Lindgren, saw the tables spread out from wall to wall and saw the hoopla that surrounds poker's biggest spectacle. Absolutely thrilling. I saw The Bellagio and Caesar's Palace and I could have stayed forever. The buzz is incredible.
Anyways. I was staying at The Excalibur.
It is across the street from the MGM and is on The Strip. It is a massive hotel (I was in room 17235 meaning 17th floor, 2nd tower, room 35, insane eh?) and has a shopping mall, about twenty restaurants, and an indoor walkway to MGM which is also massive. Because I was with kids as a chaperone, I didnt feel comfortable leaving them and walking around Vegas at night when they are in their rooms, so I opted to stay at the Excalibur and play there. The kids had a curfew of midnight so at 12:05 I was at the table. The game was 1-3 no limit with a max buy in of $200. I bought in for $200 and because cash is not my usual game, played tight early. I built up a reputation as a tight player and slowly loosened up winning a few pots. I was up to about $260, when the following hand happened. To this day I think about this hand and how different it could have ended up; both positively and negatively.
I was in the BB for three dollars and the UTG straddled for six dollars. (A straddle is doubling the BB UTG and if the straddle is only called and not raised the straddler has the option to raise.) The six dollars was called by three players (a new guy to the table but seemed solid, a drunk guy, and a guy who seemed on tilt and was running low on chips) The SB folded and I looked down to see AA. This was my first real starting hand and I definitely did not want five to the flop. I raised to $31 to play (25 raise plus the straddle of 6). The straddler folded. The solid new guy flat called (I immediately was worried and I put him on a mid pair hoping to hit a set.) The drunk guy called. By this time I was really worried. Then the tilter low on chips goes all in for $54. It is back to me facing a raise of $29. By this time the pot has grown quite large and I am content to play it heads up; I go all in for around $225. The solid player seemed disgusted and made a comment to the tilter about being forced out of the hand. The drunk guy then started staring at me. He was swaying and his eyes were blood red. He had less then me but more then the tilter. He took forever, and then called. What the hell is going on I thought? The drunk flips over AT offsuit (like I said...drunk) The tilter flips over 85 offsuit (like I said tilt) and I flip over bullets. The pot is quite big, the biggest since I had arrived at the table, and all I want is a flop of QQQ or KKK so I can breath again. As the dealer positions our cards on the felt preparing to deal the flop, the solid player says 'nice hand, I had sevens'. The flop comes T 4 7, giving drunk guy top pair needing another ten, and tilter a gutshot needing a six. As I am trying to figure this out, the dealer turns a blank; Q. One more blank please dealer. The river is the 6 giving tilter a straight. Tilter lets out a yell and some comment about gambling in poker and the courage he showed. He wins the main pot while I settle for the side pot of me and drunk guy (which strangely enough put me five dollars up for the hand after I finish counting)
This hand could have changed dramatically if the solid player had seen the flop with sevens. I would have gone broke when he hit his set. No doubt about it. I would have led out big and he would have reraised all in. Even more amazing however, is the amount I raised preflop. Had I reraised any more then $25, tilter guy's all in would have been an under raise not allowing me to go all in over the top shutting out solid guy and his sevens. A strange hand, both lucky in some ways and unlucky in others. To cap this though, as I was counting the chips from the side pot, some regulars start hitting the table in unison saying 'spin the wheel, spin the wheel' I give a 'what the hell is going on look' and the dealer explains. 'If you have aces cracked all in preflop you spin the bad beat wheel, just tell the poker cage and they will bring you over'. I walk to the cage in the middle of the poker area and say 'I had aces cracked preflop' The cage looks at the dealer from my table and she gives the nod. I walk up to the wheel and it looks heavy.
I think I will have to give it a solid spin to make it go around. Well I spin as hard as I can and when I do this I realise it is not heavy, but in fact, light. The wheel takes off and shows no signs of stopping. I stand there like an idiot waiting for this wheel to stop and the whole poker room is looking at me. I also see that my table is dealing again and that I had posted the SB before I left. I run over and play the hand. The wheel is still going. I play my button hand and the wheel is still going strong. After the third hand, the wheel is slowing down. I walk over and the wheel finally stops at $30. I walk up and inform the cage that I won $30. That hand was, and remains, by far the weirdest way I have ever won $35 in my life. But it definitely made the trip to Vegas memorable.
7 comments:
A very entertaining tale
But as you have mentioned numerous times in your Blog, you are, I believe a teacher
and so do you think it was wise for you to leave your position as a trip leader for these kids to play poker
Even if it was as you said late in the evening and past there bedtime, as at some stage we have all been teenager's and I think it was a little irresponsible of you anything could have happened, they could and probably should have taken full advantage of your absence and headed out to tour the various attractions that this particular city of sin holds.
Im sure the parents of these affluent children would be less than impressed, to find that the responsible person that they have intrusted the well-being of there little angels with, was in fact absent and pursuing his own interests while on duty.
Im sure as you have said that you got this trip for free that a little extra was added to the price paid by these hard working parents to send you on this trip of a lifetime only for there trust to be abused
I hope for you sake that the parents or your employers don't read this tale of late night Illicit debauchery as i'm sure in this litigious society that repercussions could follow.
All it would take is for one of there little angels to say that there trip was 'not as much fun as it should have been'' because there leader was to strict and yet here we have evidence that the leader had the time of his life once he had the paying customers were carolled in there locked rooms.
I hope that in future you will not be as quick to abuse a position of trust, but if you do then perhaps its not wise to post it in a public forum
Perhaps your time at this camp would be better spent concentrating on your other pursuits such as the Hockey maybe you could give something back to these kids and maybe get them to improve there skills and win a game or two maybe even a Cup
First off. I can assure you the trip was very well run and the kids were indeed looked after AT EVERY POINT IN THE TRIP.
I take offense to the fact you did not ask any questions regrading the safeguard of the kids and merely accused me and deemed my actions guilty because I was playing poker.
I have worked at the camp for some time, and would not have been asked to lead such a trip without having the full backing and support of my camp directors.
Now for someone to post such a comment on my blog and take the time to write more then a few words, I would have thought you would instead have asked a few questions. One question you should have asked was. How many chaperones was there? There were four. And the other three chaperones checked on the kids' rooms every 45 minutes until approximately 4am when we all went to bed. I also had the chaperones come find me at the poker table each time they checked on the kids to make sure everything was ok. If it wasn't, I would leave the game and solve whatever problem was occuring. Hence a cash game where I could leave and not a tournament where I couldn't. (And just so you know, I was on duty each and every other night of the trip and didnt get to sleep until 2 or 3 each night, and I had asked before the trip began to have the time in Vegas to play poker and the other chaperones, knowing how much I love poker, had no problem with it)
Did I have any method of communicating with the kids or other chaperones? Yes, I had a cell phone sitting beside my chips which every kid and cheperone had the number for and I told them if there was any problem I would be downstairs. Hence the reason I played only at the Excalibur and nowhere else as I was an elevator ride away.
Did you have any way of ensuring the kids did not leave their rooms? Yes, the other chaperones and I put duct tape along the seal of the kids' rooms so if the door was ever opened during the night we would be able to see it in the morning. And we also signed the duct tape in marker so the duct tape could not be switched. WE TOLD THE KIDS THIS BEFORE WE LEFT CAMP to make sure they understood why we were doing it. We also told them that anyone caught out of their room after curfew or if the seal was broken, we had the full support of the camp (which we didnt and we lied to convince them) that we would send someone home the following day.
You also stated the kids could have gone anywhere. Not true. The other chaperones and I made it very clear to the kids that it is illegal for kids under 18 to be on the streets of Vegas without a chaperone after I believe 10:00pm or it may by 9:00pm I cant remember.
You also mentioned you would have taken the oppotunity to sneak out of your room but we also told the kids on the second day we were there, every kid was going to be able to go where ever they wanted with chaperones. This is why the next day we walked the strip and then I took a group of boys to the WSOP at the Rio BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO GO AND BUY HATS HOODIES ETC. At no time did I coerce the kids to go there. They have ESPN, have seen the WSOP, and wanted to go.
Finally, you said my time would better be spent on camp improving their hockey skills and maybe even win a cup. Thank you for your advice. I cannot count the number of hours I have spent trying to win a cup at the camp and hope that I am there when they do finally get one.
In closing, I know that the kids had a great time on the trip and I know at no point was their safety in danger nor a point where they were not being looked after. If I felt this was not true I would not have written it down on this public forum.
If you have any more questions or comments about my role on this trip, please feel free to respond.
Crazy Dave from Iowa?
Knight,
Been reading your blog for awhile now and looking at Dave's comments dont worry mate, youve done nothing wrong. Plus, he didnt even talk about the most important part...the hand!
Unlucky with AA to be beat but the more players in the hand the lower the percentage you will win. Very lucky though with the 77 player getting out preflop. You would have probably gone all in on the flop because the pot had gotten to be so big. So you came out in profit, and you played it the best you could have. Although the tilit player with 54 stack, you should have been aware of how much he had in case that happened. I always look at the short stacks and with a monster I sometimes raise exactly half of what he has left. Sometimes you can make a lot of money like that!!
Best of Luck
-SuperTree
Thanks Tree. I now look for a shortstack and how much he has left especially when he is to act behind me, it can be dangerous to slow play first time around but if I am confident he will push it can be profitable.
Glad to see this post has had a record number of comments
Hey Tim in Washington
you should know yourself that Dave in Iowa (although actually Crazy) has not said this much
in his life
so there is no way I am that Dave
Glad to see that our host took my posting so seriously that he took time out of hectic early morning routine to post a detailed response, but i do hope our host dos not blame my post for his loss of form resulting in the fall back below the $500 belt
Also please not that the Dave who I take my name from would probably take the kids to the poker table with him followed by a tour of nearby strip joints
All the best the Crazy one
Ps
On a side Issue I hate Texans
I figured it was you ya Birmingham bas***d. Thats why I posted as Tim.
I too hate the Texans, almost as much as I hate the QB for the Jags, Gerrard. 4 picks and the guy makes more in a game then I do in about 3 years.
I had to take it seriously in case it was legit, but as soon as you mentioned cup, I knew it was someone from camp.
ass
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