Due to a slow, expensive internet connection on board, I was unable to update the ol’ blog from the M.S. Oosterdam, the scene of the Party Poker Million IV. The ship was beautiful and the food never-ending. Unfortunately, the cards were not with me as they were in Vegas, and the nausea I was feeling after each session was not due to seasickness. Finally on the last day I was able to book a nice win, but it couldn’t make up for the beginning of the voyage, and even with my big Vegas wins I’ve ended up down overall for the trip.

The Vegas games definitely spoiled me in terms of softness. The Party Poker players were mostly loose, aggressive types who were playing poker in an actual room for the first time. Many of them were so excited by the notion of a live straddle, not permitted on Party’s site, that they would just do it every hand. I had to adjust my starting hand requirements for this phenomenon as the straddle usually prompted capped action before it even got to me. No matter; I didn’t have the cards to limp either!

I don’t have to go on and on about how it feels to get lousy cards for a week when you’re on a poker cruise, where the main form of entertainment is, obviously, poker. I was definitely frustrated and longing for the Bellagio, where you barely need cards, even in the low limit games! On this ship it was the textbook definition of no fold ‘em hold ‘em. The upside is now I get to go home and get online with these folks, catch some cards, and continue earning steady money from them. Wahoo!

Off to board my flight to JFK. Tonight: the sit ‘n go draught ends!

Played in the Bellagio’s 4/8 Hold ‘Em game yesterday for about eight hours and doubled my buy-in after being up much more and losing with AA, QQ, and AK in rapid succession to river rats. This game was so good. Since it’s the lowest limit offerred by the Bellagio, all the newbies who want to play poker where the “big boys” play sit in this game, which makes it very sweet for someone with some knowledge of how the game actually works. I don’t want to brag about my play, since I’m about to get back in the trenches today and don’t want to incur the wrath of the poker gods, but I will offer some tales of the wonderful people who sat down during my eight hour stint.

1. One woman sat down and bought in for the minimum (40). She played every hand, and almost every hand all the way down to the river, and lost her buy-in in about five minutes. She rebought about five more times. Her daughter, who had never played poker before, had decided she wanted to try her hand at the 2/5 no-limit game being spread at the next table over. About every twenty minutes she would come over to get more money from her mother, and each time she had some awesome bad beat story. “Mom, it was so unfair, I got it all in with A9 and the other guy had A4 and I had him until the river but then you will never guess what came on the river…” etc. The sad end to this tale is that I didn’t get my hands on any of this woman’s money.

2. Young man with yellow (!) sunglasses sits down on my right. He totes an absurd amount of chips. He proceeds to ask me what the blinds are in the 4/8 game, an understandable question if you’re new or if 4/8 is not your regular limit and you’re just checking to make sure. I explain the blinds and this guy goes, “Thanks for explaining. I usually play no-limit, you see.” (If anyone can think of a tactful response to this, insert here ___________________ .)

3. Big talker who sits down and starts rattling off the names of all his buddies who play at the Bellagio – you know, Daniel, Phil, Jennifer – and claims that he plays with them in the 10/20 game. Someone else at the table found a response to this for me: “Um, so why are you playing 4/8 then?” His response: “I’m just killing time, man.” Ten minutes into his stay at our table, he gets in a fight with a floor person. Awesome.

I won’t go on about the many people I met yesterday, because I have to go get ready to play today. One problem with playing for that many hours is that my chip riffling hand and wrist are killing me. I’ll have to switch for today.

Another problem: I picked the wrong part of the week for small buy-in tournies. There is only one today in my price range, and it’s at the Sahara, which I’ve discovered is pretty far from where I’m staying on the strip. When you factor in the cab ride there and back, that almost doubles the buy-in! Not worth it to me, really. Not when this 4/8 game is here. Here’s hoping for another great day of poker. Tomorrow is my birthday and the cruise!

Played a small buy-in multi on UB this evening to prepare for my trip to Vegas tomorrow. I played intelligently but ended up short-stacked with only eight people to go to the money. With a stack of 2500 chips and blinds of 600 and 1200 with a 100 ante, I shoved with A6o. I got called by the big stack who had AcJc. The flop brings me two sixes. Joy! But wait, wait…is that a second club on the turn…and a third on the river? Booooo. He makes his flush and I’m out eight off the money, the worst possible place to finish. After three hours of poker, I walk away with the same prize that the first guy out received. Fantastic.

Looking forward to similar beats and more in VEGAS and on the CRUISE! I am super psyched to bust up some tables in both live and tourney action, both on land and at sea. I’ll try to update this blog during the trip.