Congratulations on the nice run, but I'm wondering why straight no good in first hand. Did you flop a set really and fill on river?

currently running hot in the Resorts World daily tournament

How many runners? I played with like 50 entries, didn't hit the money until maybe 4pm or after? Great tournament, comfy room. GL!

Go, go, go.

Go Langdon! I found their tournament to be pretty soft (lol sample size). Hope you're able to close the deal!

I misquoted the board, there was no straight.

Monday night wasn't quite over. my hotel toilet clogged (I'm sorry) and still not working when I returned so at like 2am I called down to report it. not really knowing what to expect, but at 4am North Dakota time I wasn't really thinking. I woke up to a knock on my door at 3am and in a zombie state managed to fall out of bed and let the good gentleman in to fix my mess. but at least in the morning everything was gone and working.

woke up around 8am and had a great workout session in the gym and followed that up with a visit to Excalibur for the first buffet of my trip. it was okay, just okay. they did have good chocolate milk and that did not go unnoticed. saw one guy shovel about 80 shrimp onto his plate. I can't believe those people exist. don't be that guy. I looked for the omelet station and couldnt find it so I grabbed some scrambled eggs and a sausage link, only to immediately find the omelet station and right next to it the carving station with some keibasa sausage. rookie mistake. overall, wide selection but nothing was even remotely great, I got filled but it was disappointing.

wanted to do a tourney and decided on the Resorts World. rather than find an uber I did the +EV move to get a Deuce pass. that was cheaper and would get me back to Luxor. took a while and arrived in level 4 but who cares.

tourney had 43 runners, which is around my preferred size. I started out slow getting bullied, until I woke up with JJ shoved on 666 flop and doubled up off 88.
next hand I also won a nice pot as my pair of kings outkicked his K to move up to a healthy stack of 37k.
at 400/800/800, I called 2k raise in BB with 89o, one other caller. flop came JT7hh. hello. I checked the flopped nut straight and after the original raiser bet 3k I raised to 9k, he shoves for a little more with AA and I crack him.

I made an error when while stacking chips and taking notes I was called to act, and embarrassed for making them wait I quickly folded Q9 only to realize I was button and that should be an auto-limp. I would have filled up a boat on the turn.

first break 51k, 2.5 starting stacks

a fun hand came a little later when I woke up on the button with pocket kings. flop T62, more chips went in. the turn was a sweet K completing a rainbow with no draws on the board. I knew villain had a good hand and I didn't mess around, shoving a big stack and he snap called. with the nuts locked up I told him he needed help as my top set beat his set of 6s. he did not make quads.
I doubled up to 92k, which probably put me in the top two stacks with like 22 to play.

Man keep running good.

Side note, I don’t like how you stack your chips.

an interesting hand at 600/1200/1200.
UTG raised to 3k, +1 shoved for 9.7k. with AJo in the small blind, I attempted to isolate and raised 9k more. unfortunately it didn't work as BB shoved for like 45k and I was resigned to fold. he had QQ which then hit a set.
the chip leader moved to our table and while I tried to avoid dealing with him, I got in a big pot with him at 1k/2k/2k. with my 66 on a KK84 board he managed to river a flush with his JQss and took a chunk of my chips.
the very next hand I lost AIPF A8 < A5.
after I managed a modest double up I was only about 11 BB at the second break with 11 left.

at 1.5/3/3 on the button with T8 vs the blinds, flop came T45. check, 15k bet, with top pair I jam for 34k. SB reshoved and won with 45 (bottom two pair), ending my journey on the final table bubble at 10th. I made a valiant effort but failed in my first tourney attempt of the trip.

haha, some of the formations are so I can count them easier. other than that, I don't know what to tell you other than I'm sorry.

you know how tourney poker can go, so much waiting time all you can do is fiddle and rearrange chip stacks

side note, I did not plan this well and I need dinner it's like 9pm but I'm not paying $20 for Johnny Rockets.

some Resorts World pic dump



a unicorn you will never find at an MGM property. glorious.

after busting I hopped back on the Deuce to Bally's to visit the WSOP to grab a sneak peak at the Main Event


I got there right at the start of dinner break.


so many tables.
I passed Francisco the Pro (LA live stream player) in the hall. then in the bathroom I ran into Greg Fossilman Raymer, the 2004 Main Event champion. he looks like the most nondescript middle age man, I waited as he washes his hands just to make sure I had the right guy then I saw his "Fossil" cupholder thing. I told him it was cool to meet him and wished him luck this week. he responded "yes, I hope we both kick ass this week." I didn't tell him I just busted out of a $160 daily. so my goal to meet a famous poker pro (and genuinely great guy) achievement unlocked.


over to Bellagio



headed back to Luxor to go for a swim but the pool was closed at 6. suddenly wondering why I just left the Bellagio without at least getting on the list.





had an excellent dinner at Diablos.


now out to find a cash game

nice report - I really enjoy a well executed Turkey Club - that one looked very good.

tried calling to get on the Bellagio lost but they wouldn't pick up. made the long journey over there and became #43. I sat and waited for a bit but eventually gave up. that room is a zoo. the wrong place during WSOP.
decided to try another place on my To-Do List and Deuced it to Wynn where I was immediately seated. it became quite clear quickly that my 1/3 game played like a deep 2/5 game. couldn't see a flop for under $20. I asked the floor man for a table change and he "put me on the list" but 45 minutes later I was still there and he was nowhere in sight. eventually my table broke anyway and I moved to another one, which likewise had guys playing with chip fortresses, as did the next table over.
despite being a bit more competitive than I prefer, I stayed until the table broke again and left only down about $60. Wynn maintains it's reputation as a real nice room.

^Yeah screw the Bellagio, will try to never play there again. Games seemed soft but not worth it.

woke up for my last full day at 8:30 and went to the pool for opening time. Luxor pool facility is nice, but even at 9am there is no shade from the beating sun. I tried to open an umbrella but those are only for people with wristbands. without an extra reservation MGM leaves you to bake. but regardless, it was a pleasant change from the gym.

I checked out of Luxor at 10:50 and my room at Mandalay Bay was ready at 10:52! MB has really beautiful rooms. by 11:30 I was at the beach for more swimming. not surprisingly, the sand and walkways we're scorching hot. but this time I made sure to slather my pasty body with sunblock, wear my sunglasses and wear my sandals. the wave pool is nice because it is one of the few deep pools in Vegas but it was underwhelming with one medium wave every 2-3 minutes. I was hoping for a body-crushing tempest.


I nitted up and skipped buying a tube for the lazy river, but it was still very enjoyable, and I swam along for about an hour. overall I really likes the pool area. I would like to spend two days there (and bring my own tube) so I can make it really worthwhile. maybe not in July though.
took a short nap in the afternoon, which would have been better without the ambient pulsing drone sound that I couldn't ignore. decided on playing cash at MGM Grand after enjoying a roast beef sandwich at the new Top Round restaurant at the Park.


walked over to the poker room only to discover they were suspending cash games due to the big tournament going on. disaster! I checked Aria and Bellagio and both had lists like 80+ long. after considering my options, I decided on trekking to Venetian for promo hunting. I contemplated taking the Deuce but that looked like I could beat it there on my feet. so I pulled up my big boy pants and headed determined up the Vegas Strip in mid-afternoon. the heat and sun were getting to me so I snuck through casinos as often as possible. but I made it.

at this point my body was really suffering from exhaustion, fatigue, lack of sleep and the oppressive heat but there was work to do with limited time to go. I got on a list for ⅓ but noticed there was a 2/4 NL game with immediate seating so I jumped in for $300.

table looked pretty good. I ended up winning one decent hand to go up a little and then noticed my name was no longer on the list for ⅓. apparently I missed getting called, but they offered me a seat immediately at a table so I switched.

almost immediately I wondered if I made a poor choice as this was an extremely passive table (compared to the more aggressive 2/4 table). but I met very little resistance. my typical raise was to $11, which would get like 4 callers, I would auto-continuation bet for $21 and everyone would fold. if I limped, a $35 turn bluff bet would win me the pot. I bet with AK, hit a king on the flop, and got river called by K5 on a dry board. I was printing money. I did give action when I felt it appropriate, calling all-in for $54 on A high flop with A6 even though I didn't expect to win. won a pretty big pot with T9 on JT4JT.

my sister came to pick me up for a dinner reservation at 6:15 but I cashed out for $575 in only 1.5 hours, $275 profit. Venetian on the last day has been my biggest profit two trips in a row.

my BiL's family invited me to dinner at Twincreeks, a fine dining establishment at Silverton. it was quite fancy and the service was top rate.


salad

steak

dessert (creme brulee)
photos not great as it was dark but the food was good.

there was a lot of waiting and my baby neice (held in the seat next to me) was very loud. if I was feeling better I wouldn't have minded. but I wasn't and it drove me nuts. oh well. there was a ton of food. we arrived for our reservation at 6:45 and didn't leave the restaurant until like 9. afterwards I wanted to take advantage of the trip down by getting a players card. to get it and then receive the new player bonus took another half hour. I got $25 Freeplay, which I tried in a VP machine that gave me nothing and/but I left with +$10. then a relative wanted a photo with the baby and we had to wait for my degen BiL who sat at a machine every chance he got. we didn't leave Silverton until after 10pm which was like 2 hours later than I prefer. but I was just a guest graciously invited so I can't complain about a dinner experience I wouldn't have had otherwise.

I get you where probably in a rush to get some hands/degen in but two hours for a somewhat upscale restaurant isn’t too bad.

yeah that's pretty standard dinner time for a more upscale place/steak place. Actually, one of the things I struggle with in Vegas (lol not trying to humble brag seriously) but I often skip fancy meals etc because I'm so focused on the action lol. In the end, on a shorter trip, I can appreciate why you were antsy

After dinner I asked to be dropped off at MGM Grand for one last late-night ½ because, well, poker is easy! let's do a quick hit and run and go home a bigger winner.


after about a 20 minute wait a new game opened up, I bought in for $300, and it proved much tougher than expected. I ran card dead for an hour. three times I bet or raised to $20+ and I got reraised or jammed for $60-80 (flop or pre). one time with QJ I flopped broadway and got no action. when I got down about -$140 I decided to move tables in hope of an easier game.

at the new table I played four consecutive hands where I flopped top pair with a broadway kicker each time. first hand lost to a full house. I added another $100. next hand I got outkicked QT < QJ. next hand I lost to another boat. the fourth hand I lost to a straight. they always had it. it was the craziest tilt I've ever been on. I got completely crushed in half an orbit.

If my math is correct, I went to dinner up +$365 in cash games. Dropping $400 that last session left me a loser for the trip.
Adding insult to injury, the tram from Excal to MB was out of service and the moving walkways were broken.
And despite the late long lonely walk, no hookers bothered to show interest in this broke bloke.

after another very long day ending with that crushing and demoralizing defeat followed by another long walk my physical condition was as bad as mental. unfortunately, this was gonna be an even shorter night as my flight required I wake before 5am. the mechanical hum coming through the wall by the bed did not help me fall asleep either. (it wasn't a/c, that was another sound and it wasn't flat/consistent; it kind of pulsed or dropped/rose every 3 seconds and that's what made it unbearable.) if I was staying more than 1 short night I would have reported it.


think I forgot to share a pic of the sweet room (despite the noise)

I did manage to wake up on time and was at the Lyft pickup by 5:05am. no issues going through security and at the gate in plenty of time. got the middle seat between two large men. still not feeling well so I wore my mask (as I did the first flight). home before noon, took a nap, picked up my dog who was thrilled to see me (moreso my friends who watched her), and eventually slept 11 hours Thursday night.

Friday I was still achy and sore and had a bit of a cough and sore throat so I got tested and boom! I came home with a free unwanted souvenir because hey, if you go to Vegas you gotta get covid. initially I thought it was just from sunburned top of my head and sore legs from walking & swimming and little sleep but by late Friday morning I had a pretty good idea something was wrong.

and the worst thing about it that after 6 weeks away, my wife and kiddos came home Friday night and not only can I not hug/kiss etc, they are all giving me the "you shouldn't go to Vegas" crap.

but hey, I made it for 2.5 years; eventually it was inevitable. I don't have ebola. here's to a speedy and complete recovery. no regrets.
maybe just the one obvious regret

trip conclusion report to follow

Great TR bro-loved the mix of cash games, tourneys, food pics, and Vegas scenery. Next trip, add some degen table games in the mix!

Sorry to hear you caught the Rona and that your family is giving you a hard time about the trip. Am sure their feelings will change after you recover.