Malantanimal

Well, hope you all enjoyed that story. It was a crazy hand and very influence to what I am currently trying to accomplish here in Vegas. I wanna go over the hand more in detail and explain my thought processes behind many of my decisions, but I'm dumb tired and can't really think very well right now. I'll get to it soon, though, promise.

Anyways, it's been pretty quiet around here lately. Mom was in town for a little while. It was great seeing her and going out to dinner around town and showing her my city. She also helped to decorate my apartment a little bit, which was pretty bland before her visit. Thanks Mom!

Sold my car, don't worry, not the Scion. I sold the Honda Prelude (again, thank you thank you thank you mom!!!) to a couple of nice guys from the area. I didn't get much for it but it was great just to get it out of my life and off my mind. The Prelude had been more of a problem than anything else.

Money's been a little tight recently although I still have been playing a lot live and playing a few tournies here and there online. I mean, I guess I really shouldn't complain; it's been nine months since I held a real job! That's definitely sweet! I enjoy working for myself and not having to answer to someone all the time. Also, who the fuck wants to get up at 6am, put on a suit and tie, and go work for 8 hours every singe day?! Not Me!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My buddy Theo took down a tournament at the L.A. Poker Classic for 94k a few weeks ago and then this past sunday got 6th in the big weekly pokerstars tournament for 26k. He's having a sick start to '06. Congrats bro!

Anyways, lots of stuff is happening in March--Dad's coming the 3rd for a week, Jared is coming up in the middle of the month (i think), Ilana might be here as well, I think Kesner is coming down here for spring break, and maybe a few other people. Should be a great month!



No Worries,

Max

The Best Hand I Ever Played

It's late. I've been up for at least 2 days. It's cold, like that stale, dry, cigarette soaked air that surrounds you late night at the Vegas casinos. I'm tired, hungry, but the adrenaline is seething through my veins. I'm sitting behind a massive chip stack at the head of the table, seat 7. We're short-handed. It's at least 3am and we're all bum tired but playing through it. To my right is a husky asian guy, great guy, named J.P. Across the table is Mr. HyperAggression, Abib we'll call him. Wearing dark Oakley's and a white t-shirt, he stands out from the crowd. A dangerous man at the poker table and an obsessive chain smoker off the felt; he likes to gamble. A few other faces scatter the table, we're maybe 5 or 6 handed at this point in the night. The cards don't sleep, so neither do we.

I came into the Wynn cardroom for the first time ever earlier in the day with a friend of mine, Justin. A nice kid from Georgia, with budding potential in the poker business. Smart and business savvy, he had been in Vegas for over a month now and had been playing day in and day out, making that money. It was early afternoon, summer, Vegas. The heat you can't believe, but when you open those big double doors to the casino floor and you step inside, the air is like a beautiful breeze you've never felt before. The casino floor a dimly lit orange with gorgeous chicks everywhere, grandmothers in wheelchairs, kids running around, families, and us, rounders, coming to take your money.

Abib is scooping in a monster pot with his clammy paws when I look up and see a connected board of all little cards and a guy's KK laid face up in the muck. Abib's cards, a deuce and a five offsuit lay next to the community cards, all five spread across the middle of the felt. I see he made a straight on fifth street. He shovels the rest of his chips into his little corner of the table as the dealer instantly puts the cards back together, puts them into the automatic shuffler, and grabs the other deck which has been laying in anticipation for its depature to the felt, this all in an instant. I receive my holecards and peek down at ace seven of hearts. I look up to see Abib throw one grey $20 chip in the middle, a UTG (under the gun) limp. The action is on me, im on the cutoff and make it $100 to go. I got position, I got heart, I have the will to win this hand, right now. Both blinds throw their cards at the dealer, Abib reraises. It's $200 more to me. Fuck it, im suited! We're both pretty deep, about 9k apiece in chips. I know if i hit a monster flop, I'm going to stack Mr. HyperAggression. The dealer peels off the burn card and places a jack, a nine, and a seven on the felt.

Justin and I had gotten the buffet earlier in the day. We both took a break from our games, him at 2-5NL and me at the 10-20NL game. It's good to step away from the table time to time, just to clear your head, inhale the casino floor air, and grab food, which for the most part, in the big casinos on the strip, is usually amazing. We grub hard; it's a little past dinner time and I know that I probably wont eat again until the next day, so I fill my buffet plates up like I've been starving in Ethiopia for the past five years. We chat, we eat, we roll back to the cardroom. I sit down at the table to see some new faces. Most of them are serious players, I can just tell, and one of them is our hero, Abib. I see Justin from the rail, he's motioning to me. "Dude, you see that indian dude over there? He is a nutjob, orchestrates crazy ass bluffs, just been weary. Be cautious." I sit back down at my seat. Wow, this could be fun.

Our hero is first to act. He bets $500. The pot is now at $1100 and I have a pair. Can I fold? Fuck no. Call. The turn card falls, a five. A beautiful card. He bets out again, this time a thousand. A grand. C'mon bro, what are you betting a grand with? I look at him, study him, and before I know it I'm in his head. I declare a raise. "$2200 total." Abib flings in a pineapple and drops another ten $20 chips on the felt. A smooth call on my questionable raise. Hmm, what does this mean? Who does he think he is? Wouldn't he have went allin if he had the made hand. I'm confused, I'm tired. I have no idea where I'm at here. I stay motionless but my mind is racing a million thoughts. The pot looks to be about $6,000. Mounds of chips and cash, beautiful clays discs strune across the felt. The dealer peels the burn and drops a queen. We have a river. The board reads jack, nine, seven, five, queen. My hearts pumping, my mind is racing. What the fuck is going on here? I see about 6k in the pot. I know I have about 6k in my stack. Abib is sitting on about the same amount. Jesus Christ, ten days again I was playing $20 buyin at my buddy Dave's house, and now this? What have I gotten myself into.

"All-in."

All-in? Wait, what? Did he just say "all-in?" Ok, ok. I look at him, study him. He is a rock, a brick building, Fort fuckin' Knox. I stand up, I sit down, I lean my knees into the chair. I sit, still. I look at him. This man, this, this.....this creature, who has just put $6,000 more of real money into this already tremendous pot. I have fourth pair on the board. I can't beat anything. I mean, I can beat a bluff. That's about it. Is he really orchestrating this crazy of a river bluff. A 6k bluff at the end? Is it possible? I look at our hero again, Abib. I rethink what Justin had told me earlier in the day about his playing style. "Dude, you see that indian dude over there? He is a nutjob, orchestrates crazy ass bluffs, just been weary. Be cautious." I take off my hat and look at him again. He is still frozen. I think I have the best hand. I mean, I can't be completely sure, but I get inside his head, I think his thoughts; I know him better than he knows himself.

"I call."

Abib slowly takes off his black, piercing shades and flips over two black threes. I slam my Ace Seven on the felt! I get up in triumph, walk around the pokerroom floor, catch my breath, take a look at the numerous people standing around the table in awe. I see the dealer shovelling the $18,000 pot in my direction. I am in shock. I see the back of Abib's head as he walks out of the cardroom, cigarette in mouth, cellphone dialing in disbelief. I receive a few handshakes, a few "how the fuck can you call that bet", and a bunch of pats on the back.

That was the defining moment of my poker career. I knew, after I played this hand, that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Thanks Guys

Sup all.....well, I got a lot of responses to my last post about whether or not to continue this blog from a bunch of different people, so first of all, thank you. Secondly, because of all the positives I received for keeping this blog up, I will be doing exactly that: keeping this blog and updating it a few times a week, if not more!

It's really great to see all the people out there interested in my life, my writing, and what I'm doing on a daily basis. So, I appreciate the support and interest that has been voiced to me over the past week.

I'm actually running out right now to meet my buddy for lunch and play some cards over at the Wynn.

I'll be doing new entries religiously over the next couple months.

Later.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM?????

So, if you've been reading my blog over the last 6 months, you would have realized that I havent really made any new entries in over two months. I got feedback from a few people here and there saying they really enjoyed reading it and hearing about my new life here in Vegas., but most of those people were close friends along with some other poker players that I know. Anyways, I just wanna know from those of you who actually check up on this blog and read it on a semi-regular basis, if it's worth updating.

Basically, just let me know thru my AIM, beastyoumass, if you'd still be interested in reading this blog on a semi-regular basis.

Thanks guys.