Little Poker League wraps up “Vegas Baby”

Many Minneapolis-based poker players may be unfamiliar with the “Little Poker League” — a bar league based in Northern Minnesota. Little Poker League is fast emerging as a top bar league in the state, and they recently returned from an epic Las Vegas trip, which was the payoff to their “Vegas Baby!” session in 2009.

Here’s a cool excerpt from Mark Johnson’s trip report:

Saturday evening, everyone was back in my room; Eric had taken 1^st in the Harrah’s Tournament and cashed for close to $800 + $60 in bounties. I had woke up, cleaned up and felt much better. Time to hit the Seafood Buffet, which everyone had been talking about all day. We went back down to the casino floor and worked our way to the buffet.

There was a long line, which gave me time to think whether or not I really wanted to eat, and if so, did I want to eat the seafood buffet?

I told everyone to meet up with me in my room after they ate and be ready to party. I went back to my room, my pillow was calling and I listened. Two hours later, the group was back and I felt better.

Off we went, I remember Bellagio and how stunning it was inside. We checked the poker room. This was one place I instantly decided I wasn’t going to play. The shortest stack on the live tables had more money then all of us put together. I went into the high stakes room, four tables were going and no one was at the sign up desk. I walked around and checked out the tables. A few players looked up, I felt the quick glance of being sized up, talk about feeling like a little minnow. I made a point of looking at the tables, stacks like I was sizing them up, then turned around and walked out (I don’t think any one bought it). Off to another casino we went.

Planet Hollywood was across the street, so that was our next stop. The difference in atmosphere was the first thing I noticed. This casino felt more “blue collar” and just had a fun feel to it. We hit the poker room, and again, started playing the “$1-$2 No Limit” live table.

Eric, Justin, Megan, and I each bought in for $100 and were seated at different tables. The players at my table were fun, talkative and the polar opposite of the live action I experienced at the Rio the night before.

I chatted it up with several players mentally marking each one as a fish, player or shark. I only spotted two sharks and I planned to stay away from them. I had built my $100 stack up to just over $300 when it happened. I was sitting with Q-6 in the big blind and several players limped in. I noted the little old lady “shark” had limped in, which she did on several big hands. If she didn’t hit hard, she would fold. The flop came down Q-6-Q (I flopped a full house).

I checked, and the villain bet out a $12 pot size bet. I raised $25 making the total bet $37. She just called. The turn came, it appeared to be a blank, I bet out $50 and was raised to $150. Just calling the $100 would but my stack under $150, so I pushed “all in”. She had me covered, and called. I flipped over my full house, and by her dejected look, I could tell I had her. The river was an Ace. With that she flipped over AQ. Busted.