Guest Blog From ReelCrazy

Mrs Shark "RaisinHavok" and Guest blogger, NL holdem Tourney Pro Reel (Steve) at the LUXOR preparing for a SNG 11 man battle.


Guest Blog from my good friend “ReelCrazy” Steve. His lagg ass and great wife Tammy met Rayzn and I in Vegas last week. If you have not met any of your good “online” friends in person, I highly recommend it. We are already talking about the next meet up and if we get all our hands in at Insert your Poker site name here it won’t be a whole year. I will be learning how to hypnotize my members so our next convention will have more good stories. Save some money so you can meet your fellow Shark members at the next Convention.

By ReelCrazy


There is only one member of Sharks Army that knows the reel story and it is a pretty amazing one. So now by the end of this post, all that read this will know. I am going to start at the end or last adventure which was the first annual shark convention.

My wife and I arrived in lost wages on Saturday the 20Th. It has been about 8 years since we have been away without our three boys. A vacation without kids was long overdue. My poker play has completely financed this trip, from airfare to rental car and even spending money. The hotel we got through a promotion for a time share, we have to sit through a 90 minute sales pitch and we get 6 days 5 nights in the New Frontier (we paid for the extra day so we could save on airfare). We are arriving at airport sametime as Matt (Bournesupreme) and his female friend, Dawn (extremely nice, good looking girl) so we make plans to pick them up and drive them to there hotel.

First day is a waste; we are staying at Sims Town away from strip. Big time spot for locals. I go right to poker room and my wife and I watch for 10 minutes and she tells me “you need to play this." Even she notices its donkville and they all just got there pay checks. Played 2-4 limit for 3hrs and up$140, but cards are startin to get blurry. So tired from the day of travel, coming from east coast just want to get the road dirt off and relax. Check my list of MTT's, check out home casino and off to bed. Found out that next day there is a free country music concert on Freemont Street with 4 headliners.

So Matt the girls and I plan on a day on Freemont Street. I start day with an 11 am $60 mtt at Bally's. I found out you have to pay attention to what the fees are in these mtt's. For instance most of them only 50 to 65% of buy in go to prize pool. because the house must make a certain amount per hour, the smaller buy ins have a very fast blind structure and low starting chips so they can get the hourly rate they need, so if going in these tournaments you need to do some home work. The one I picked was $55 to prize pool $5 to house, which is one of the best in Las Vegas. There was 15 minute between increases and blinds are 25-50, with 2000 starting chips, one mistake and your crippled. 50 players in I went out 42, oh well next. Off to Freemont Street.

Music was great, lottsa great names, but you would have to ask my wife what they are. But I know the music was the same music as is on radio. First time I see Matt on Freemont Street he has two of these huge drinks, one in each hand with both straws in his mouth. So I figure that looks like something I need to try. We go to one of the casinos and get me one of those bigun's, I think it was $8 but well worth it. We walked around, checked out Binions Poker room and all the other old strip places when it hit me.

I was just about finished my drink when the drink finished me. I was hammered from one drink. No sleep, no food, big drink, bad combo. We get my car from golden nugget and I start askin who wants to drive, no takers so off I go. Only one problem, off I went down the wrong side of the road. Dawn, calm as could be with cars coming at us says "could ya drive on the right side please." That gets my attention enough to get us home and out of the car. Make note to self; if I plan to drink take the bus.

Third day, Monday my long awaited meeting with the head honcho and boss of this group Shark, Steve and raisin, Patty. We have to start day at the 90 minute sales pitch for some time share thing that took all of 58 minutes for me to convince sales guy I only can say NO THANK YOU and he should take an early lunch.

Steve and Patty call and we make plans to meet up and play some ring. I am surprised to see Shark is a old slightly short bald guy with a beautiful partner, but I get a good man hug in and add alot of thank you's to the shark master for stuff I will talk about later (hes not really old but he is pretty bald, not short either just makes for good reading, but Patty is very pretty and probably needs glasses)

We sit at 3-6 table and shark starts to get in it with a 75 year old guy in a wheel chair and wants to takem outside and kick his ass. I give sharky the old I got yur back if hes got a friend with cane that might sneek ya when yur poundin the old dude. Luckily the old guy lost his whole social security check pretty fast and shark didn’t have to knock out the guys dentures.

Steve got bored with the 3-6 and moved to bigger limits and I stayed as this was plenty big for me. Got friendly with guy to my left, about the same level player as me very nice. We both played like rocks, waiting for good starting hands then pressing. rest of table were call call call...................... raise when ya get lucky and hit.

So the guy to my right appeared to only know curse words in English. He would talk to his buddy (in some other language) call every raise and then curse at the person who beat his pocket threes with an ak suited flush. Not only did he curse everytime, he had his foot on my chair and would push my chair just enough to pick at my nerves. After about an hour of this I wasn’t having fun anymore because the veins in my neck were about to explode. I beat em previous hand for like $40, then nice guy on left rivered a str8 (had nut flush draw and top pair) to beat idiot on right pocket kings and he pushed chair hard and called guy on left a C$#K sucker and I had enough. I turned to the guy and let him know one more word from his mouth, even "nice hand" I was getting thrown out of the casino for pounding his ass. He then had blinds and was kinda shortin chips and the whole table called (it was very obvious he was on everyones nerves) I was lucky enough to catch a str8 on the turn and he was stupid enough to bet on my ck raise twice so I could have all his remaining chips and he went away. Finished the night up about $100, great experience, great meeting Steve and Patty, havin a great time!

Gonna pick this up tomorrow cause I am really tired, red eye into Dallas, Dallas to phila= 12hrs of travel and first night in my own bed in a week and hotel bed was plywood with a sheet over it.

Side note, there is already some concern by Dawn (Matts girl friend) that Matt, who is a big guy might do some harm to the clowns at his hotel, Circus Circus, cause they are startin to freak him out!
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Part 2 The Reel Vegas Story

Okay time to finish this up, first half got a little wordy so try to shorten it up a little. There has just been so much goin on its hard to decide what to write about.

Tuesday was meetin day for all of army in Vegas, Bruce ( SN, shamalan somethin) is only one I have only talked to, and has been in town since Saturday. Gary and friend Fred are due in this afternoon, Matt and Dawn, Steve and Patty, Tammy and I are all in the house. I decide to start day with the$60 mtt at Bally's. To keep it short, I finished 4th outa 50 and won $125. It took three suckouts and 4 full houses to get 4th, so imagine what it takes to win.

We all get together at Steve and Pattys room for pre dinner Drinks. It seems that Ricky Martin tried to pick up Matts girlfriend (Ricky was a dealertainer at blackjack table) and there was some tension between em and they can’t make dinner. So the seven of us are off to the new Red Rock casino. It is a beautiful place away from strip, about 25 minute drive.

I highly recommend a visit there and the food was very good. All are tired, except for Wife and I so they head back and we hang around to check out the poker room here. I playsome 2-4 limit until wife is sleeping in chair at slot machine and leave up about $40.

Rest of week we did alot of walking and hangin out with the group. Had a good start at the New Orleans playin 4-8 kill. Was probably a little over my head playin kill, but wanted to try the higher stacks and it looked interesting. Was my first and only losing session at limit ring during the trip and left $80 in the hole.

Over the course of the week my wife has a weakness for the wheel of fortune machines. This proved to be a good thing though as she hit the 1000 coins on the spin twice and $500 in the pocket. We also played alot of blackjack and stayed fairly even all week.

On Thursday evening the wife and I had free tickets to comedy show at Rivera so we decided to check it out. The headliner act was a comedian, Magician, Hypnotist. First of all this is too much for one person to do so I know now DONT EVER VOLINTEER FOR THIS CRAP. The guy says he won’t make ya do anything embarrassing or humiliating, so I volunteer, Big Mistake. From what I understand (Wife filled me in afterwards) I hugged another guy- Ripped my shirt of and did body builder poses- gave a lap dance to a fat guy with a mustache- tried to kick a Mexicans ass for stealing my penis, but then he gave it back- and to top it off sang rap in Japanese. Now I don’t see that any of that is embarrassing or humiliating, but the guy I was huggin did wet his pants, really he did!

Well rest of week was alot more walking, we played a sit and go that Shark some how stayed in , short stacked till final two and as soon as heads up he got just about even with leader donk. Had this guy dead k7 vs k5 and the guy catches a 5. I was surprised how much live was like on line, same bad beats all the time.

We said goodbye to the new friends made and I am sure will remain friends forever. These are all wonderful people. You never really know people on line, but all that I meet on this trip are tops, and if they ever need me or I need them we will be there for each other, even if its to watch there back for a sucker punch from a 75 yr old in a wheel chair.

Last day is Friday, got red eye out. We have free buffet tickets at Sahara, so we pack our stuff and go get some free food. Buffet was not real good, kinda like the one in the strip mall in any town. Some meat, some fish, lotsa potatoes and a salad but it was free. We have about 20 minutes so we decide to sit at the video poker machine and finish out the trip. I play about $6 of the twenty I put in when I get this
A spades
A diamonds
10 spades
Q spades
6 hearts
Now this is an aces bonus machine and pays 400 quarters for four aces (I hit four aces 6 times this week) but this time I figure "WTF" and toss the A and 6 and hit the button and BAAAAAAM royal flush! I win $1000 four minutes before we have to walk out the door, only in Vegas.

In closing I would like to thank Steve and Patti for all they have done to get me were I am today. I am not a butt muncher, but if it was not for them and the shark army alot of things in my life would be different and there is no way I could of even think about a trip to Vegas.

About 10-11 months ago I was reading all the post about getting better, read books, get poker tracker and I decided I would give it a try. I took the twenty bucks I would normally put on a site and lose that week and bought Harrington’s book one. I spent my poker time the following week reading. It was a very boring read, but I was learning a ton. I decided to learn one part of poker and it would be No limit MTT's. The next week I got another book and read that. I only had $20 a week for poker so as long as I was buying books, I wasn’t playing poker. After two weeks I started playing, first tournament I went in I took 3rd then a second then a first then another first. Now I didn’t win or place in money every time, but the first month after reading two books and talking to various shark army member, I was up over $3000 in one month, no shit. Now I have not had a month like that since but I have not put one penny in a poker account since that day. My play is completely self paid; my Vegas trip was paid 100% by poker money. I have paid off major bills at home that would of taken years if ever to pay off. My wife encourages me to play and tells the kids "I am working" so leave me alone.

Poker is like any other thing in life, you can hang around and piddle here and there but to be good you have to study. I still suck, but I am better than 80% of people on line and learning everyday. I know when someone outplays me. I know who the donk at the table is and I know this because of Steve, Patty, Gary, Mike, Clay, Chippies, Dan, Matt and at least twenty others in this group.

DO WHAT THEY PREACH, STUDY, STOP THE FREEROLL HOOP, LEARN A GAME ANY GAME, LIMIT, NL, OMAHA, STUD, WHATEVER! Then use the information right here in this forum and ask questions. Talk to the better players. Look on sites for good players and watch em play. See what they play and how they play it, learn position, learn bank roll strategies, learn learn learn learn learn, then play, but after you learn all this stay off my table please.

Thanks Steve and all the members of the army that have made my Vegas trip possible. Had a blast and can’t wait till next year.
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If it aint worth raisin it aint worth playin

Shark Army Vet “ReelCrazy” Steve