The growing belief that you were Blasted reincarnated is proven unfounded! Welcome back and well played!


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The 6am update worked well this morning so I'm going to stick to playing a smallstakes sesh and using it as rambling time. For now, we are at the Westgate playing in the Neeme/Owen meetup game.

Been sat next to both already, no vlog worthy hands (or any hands for that matter). Establishing punty image has been a total fail, sorry 2+2

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Just about to sit in my first game of the day and start getting updates done but wanted to add that Im going to track my entire workday on my Instagram today.

http://www.instagram.com/ahelluvadealson

Opening up the floor for any questions people have about poker, Vegas or anything else. You guys helped me a lot with advice on my last two trips so if I can share any knowledge from my experiences here I'm happy to share the love <3

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I see you are staying at Polo Towers. Any info/review would be interesting. Never stayed at a place like that or Jockey Club.

Infinitely the best value location/room quality wise I could have hoped for. Not having to walk through a casino to the room is actually way more beneficial than I anticipated, its quiet and peaceful. Free valet too if youre driving, would happily recommend

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Thought Id start todays posts with some HHs of bigger/interesting hands from the trip

H #1 - Red Rock 2/5 1000cap

Hero (1400) opens HJ to 20
CO MAWG (850) calls, BB MAWG (1000) calls

T 9 2 ssx

BB chk, Hero chk, CO bets 35
BB fold, Hero call

T 9 2 4 ssxs

Hero leads 60, CO snap makes it 260
Hero tanks and shoves, CO snap calls



H #2 - Red Rock 2/5 1000cap

MAWG (800) opens EP to 15
Folds to Hero in SB (2300) who 3bets to 80
MAWG questions the bet, then messily throws 2 black chips and change to 4bet to 225
Villain then announces it as a misclick and genuinely seems regretful of the bet, but engages with Hero in questioning the action



H #3 - Aria 2/5 1000cap

Young protype (1200) opens CO 20
SB older Asian guy (800) calls 20
Hero (1100) defends BB

A 4 3 r

SB chk, I chk, CO bets 20
SB folds, I call 20

A 4 3 7 xhxh

I chk, CO bets 110
I xraise 275, CO folds fairly quickly



H #4 - Bellagio 1/3 300cap

MAWG (400) opens UTG 15
Hero (450) calls BTN, SB and BB call

8 5 4 ddx

Chk chk MAWG cbets 30
Hero takes a second and calls
Blinds fold

8 5 4 5 ddxx

MAWG bets 85
Hero tank calls 85

8 5 4 5 6 ddxxx

MAWG checks
Hero takes a minute then moves allin 270 eff
MAWG calls after 3 seconds



Some chipporn to round it out. Mucking around on my tablet in the hotel room catching up on work while riffling Aria 500s is a nice feeling, I can only imagine having these types of things around the house regularly...

Whats everyones choice of configuration playing >10 stacks? Mucked around with a few different shapes and stacks and can't decide. Maybe this is why people play bad, so they don't have this problem?

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Edit: figured out why the last HH seemed off, was the wrong stake game. Oops

Here’s a question. How did you get all those $500 chips?

I went to the cage and asked for them. Cash wouldnt fit in the small pullstring bag I use in my backpack so coloured up a bunch

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Nice chip porn. AT hand, I'm not too worried about river scare cards. I prefer to have the try-hards fire the 3rd barrel and then complain fish like me never fold, though if you think they'll shut down after 2 barrels it is better to c/r i suppose, charge em if they have 4-5 outs.

I thought I was the only one who obsessively changes my stack config instead of tracking the action! I really need to find something I'm good with, though at 2/5 I usually keep most of my stack in quarters. At 1/3 the mountain o chips does give some FE imo.

Is there a pinned note on this board that will help me with all these abbreviations. I know the basics of poker, but am not a competent player and I feel like I’m reading hieroglyphics at times. Lol I know the basic ones but am completely lost in others. Still really enjoy reading about the table play though.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/3...ncement95.html

Look at #41 and the other links in the FAQ.

Or #10 here:
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/9...uncements.html

Thank you!

That last chip porn pic is particularly great. The cloud-like background makes it look like you're in heaven!

So just arrived home. Lost my absolute mind between a split sleep schedule, too much work and bad life balance over the last week so now with an actual keyboard and imgur I can slowly start updating for the rest of the trip.

Just stocktaked bullet inventory and this is our gross profit for 18 days. Not bad.

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Yeah villain is actually probably the only person I played with who I think plays a similar exploitative game to me, so I know if I flat 110 and river bricks Im facing minimum 400. Thought it's a better move overall with my range advantage to just exploit raise the turn as vs an unknown (as I am at this stage) he's going to give me too much credit and his range is so wide that I'm going to make my decision a lot easier by folding out the air before he can put me to the test when I arrive at the river with a capped/weak range. I like your option vs the field tho

Man it's so good to hear someone else does this too haha. I should really pay more attention to whats going on but I like building things! I think sizing 3bets & larger postflop bets in different configs of chips definitely can induce actions you want though. Def think recreationals call bets in smaller overall chip amounts more than a giant stack of reds. Thoughts?

Okay, let's do this. More stream of consciousness posting incoming!

THINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT GOING TO VEGAS FOR POKER

- Get a car. Keep the car the entire trip. Seriously, even staying at Vdara which is a 5 min max walk to both Bellagio and Aria poker rooms, having a car proved invaluable. $20 a day disappears quickly when you factor in being able to get food from supermarkets off strip (quality is a bonus, savings immediately covers the car costs), visit offstrip or far-end casinos conveniently (Red Rock, Wynn and Aria are all must-considers for players playing 2/5 as their main game, and without a car you're pretty much limited to being convenient to one and one only), go see things like Red Rock Canyon and other touristy spots and just generally escape the banality of the strip. It's worth the investment. I'd say the same about Los Angeles but I don't think anyone would argue for going to LA without a motor vehicle.

- On this point, do the drive from LA to Vegas or vice versa at least one of the legs if you come in via LAX. I've been delayed on 90% of my flights between LA and Vegas and the drive actually ends up quicker if you do it off-peak traffic. Aside from that, it's cheaper, you get to see the scenery away from Vegas and random old-town stuff. I felt much more alive arriving back in LA by car than I ever have off a flight. Also, no screaming babies.



- If you're alone, make friends in the games with people who seem like they aren't total dolts. The conversation makes it worthwhile alone.

The amount of useful information I gained re. when games run, where to go to eat, how to get comps for future trips for the least amount of ev, what to do in between sessions was incredible. It also afforded opportunity to split rooms in the future, have places to stay if I want to go grind elsewhere and minds to pick about spots in live poker I wouldnt want to discuss with people actively in my games.

- Ditch the damn headphones and sunglasses. Talk to people. You never know what you'll learn. Don't be this guy.



Headphones, a damn hat, sunglasses and a tablet. If live poker bores you this much that you need to completely disconnect yourself from everyone around you, don't ****ing play. Find something else in life you enjoy more.

(I got involved in a hand with this guy, ****talked him out loud for 5 minutes during the hand, had the entire table in hysterics and I'm 99% sure he didn't hear a word I said. If you dress like this, I will ridicule you, and have no shame about it.)

- If you are playing poker with the intention of creating income, engage with the recreationals and get them talking. If you're from somewhere that isn't Vegas or Vegas adjacent, they probably will want to talk to you about where you're from and compare it to their lifestyle. It makes for easy mindless chat for hours, if you have some small humorous schtick you can work in about where you're from its even better. Stuff like this can keep the game good, laughing and entertaining for ages without requiring much actual content or opinion.

- Cards in Vegas are the traditional small-spot type. This isnt a big thing for people coming from most rooms, but as I'm used to big-display cards ala Golden Nugget in all the Australian rooms and blind as **** I had to embarrassingly rack up after 3 hands in my first session at Aria because I needed my contacts to even read the cards. Don't be me.

- You will walk a LOT in Vegas. Be prepared for that. I averaged over 10 miles walked a day for my stay on the Strip and thats considering I had a car too. You will need to be at least in mediocre shape to survive more than a few days, especially when the heat returns. Also the route between properties is very indirect, so a property two up the strip that seems like its 3/4 mile away is often 2+ by the time you've ventured by foot.

- Staying in non-casino hotels is a much better idea than it immediately seems. Being able to avoid the casino floor entirely to commute between your room and outside is really nice and helps seperate work from rest time.

- Pay attention to Bravo lists a week in advance and note down what runs at what time. Structure your days accordingly. I destroyed my sleep schedule playing in **** games because I was awake when I could have slept an extra 2-3 hours and woken up to better games available. Have a concrete plan for your workdays and stick to it (exception can be made if a game is great towards the end, but consider shortening the following day as a result).

- Go have a walk outside if you're not feeling awesome. This is the view right outside the Bellagio.



And this is in the current Conservatory christmas display;



It instantly makes you happy when you realise the scope of what you're in the middle of. I wanted to make this trip for ages before I did. Looking around helped me appreciate it and get motivated to make the most of it.

Great post! Should be added to the "How to Do Vegas Right" thread. I would also add: Go to at least one great restaurant. I know you are trying to keep costs down, but with places like Picasso, L'Atalier, and many spectacular steakhouses, don't just eat at Hash-a-Go-Go, Earl of Sandwich, and In-n-Out Burger

Great read!

So my next planned trip is in late February/early March.

THINGS I WANT TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME/WISH I DID THIS TIME

- Come over about 20 pounds lighter. I'm not in terrible shape (6'0/a tad under 200) but the fatigue of walking a ton every day really got to me by the end. Could easily have been more disciplined beforehand and come into the trip feeling a lot more alive during the grind.

- Book one hotel and one hotel only, off strip and with a car. It's a work trip, thus a hotel catering to businessmen is more likely to fulfil my needs. A kitchenette is invaluable, a bathtub to relax in post-grind is absolutely incredible. More space for your stuff is also very good for creating a relaxing space in-between shifts.

Not having to bounce between hotels helps a lot too if you grind late nights. I had to consciously be aware of when I needed to check out in order to facilitate sleep before doing so, and probably played sub-optimally trying to either get even before my cutoff time or make the most of it.

- Spend more time in LA/less time in Vegas

Games in LA were generally way better value and more fun than their Vegas equivalents. Probably preaching to the choir here. The weird 60bb cap 3/5 games are bizarre and kinda stupid but when a 5/5 200bb cap opens the fields are generally amazing value.

- Split a room with another grinder. Now I have contacts and friends, this has to be important. I felt really alone and isolated for a lot of the trip as poker is a selfish game and my other half and family were half a world away, so having someone to focus on the grind alongside is slamdunk logical decision.

- Eat better. This goes alongside the hotel room thing. I backed myself into a corner of convenience food with my hours awake and room amenities and I just about lost my damn mind by the time the trip was over. Raising Cane's is nice, 7 times in a week not so nice.

- Stop leaving the Aria/Bellagio/Wynn/Caesars grind for smaller games elsewhere when I'm not feeling it. I play much worse in nitty 1/2 games than I do in a tough 2/5 game and there's legit no reason to be scared of just about anyone putting me in a tough spot in either game. Just man up and maximise hourly.

- Stop trying to keep a good game going when it becomes infested with headphone-wearing nit grinders. It's higher lifeEV to abandon a dying game and go elsewhere than to fight it out to keep a fish entertained when a bunch of life ******s are actively killing the game. There's plenty of options for a game on the strip available, zero need to try and stay in a game when it turns bad.

- Make more friends. Be a friendlier presence at the table. Give the fish more action. Be more appreciative of how cool what I get to do is. Enjoy it to the most.

100%! This ties into the being alone part in the post I just upped, having company makes these things a much more socially realistic option. Gotta experience it while you're there and I regret not doing so.

This times a million. I live in Southern CA, and I drive up to Vegas probably 4-6 times a year, and I love it. I load up my phone with podcasts, fire up Waze, leave at around 5am, and it's a short 3-4ish hour drive to Vegas. I genuinely look forward to the drives, they're relaxing.

I agree with this. 3 greens get calls much more than a tower of reds.

I agree with your general sentiment that if you just want to play poker, LA is the way to go, but if you want an experience, LV can provide you with more, assuming someone is open to random conversations and less grinding.

And great photos, esp the highway from LA.

LIST OF TOP 3s IN VEGAS

ROOMS FOR 2/5+ NLH

1. Aria
2. Wynn
3. Red Rock

(Aria's room notches out Wynn for me, slightly more recreational field and the Wynn 2/5 regs are a tad more dangerous. Bellagio takes spot 3 if 5/10+, but their 2/5 games are miserable. Venetian a very close 4th overall)

ROOMS FOR <1/3 NLH

1. Golden Nugget
2. Wynn
3. Aria

(Nugget games are literally indescribable with the uncapped buyin. Playing 4 1000bb+ pots in less than 20 hours of game time is unheard of. Wynns $500 buyin cap takes it over Aria though both are practically equal. Playing outside these three + Bellagio is basically a waste of time when you consider comps, convenience and the amount of action. You can get stuck 150bb in any of these games and not contemplate a 1,000 hour grind to recoup.)

FRIED CHICKEN CHAINS

1. Raising Cane's
2. Popeyes
3. Chick Fil-A

(NB: Bruxie would top the list if they were a chain. If you are anywhere within 5 miles of New York, New York do yourself a damn favour and get some chicken tenders and a cheese & bacon waffle.)

STARBUCKS GIMMICK BEVERAGES

1. Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino
2. Toasted White Chocolate Frappuccino
3. Chestnut Praline Chai Tea Latte

(Fight me.)

WAYS TO SPEND COMPS

1. Five50 @ Aria for Pizza
2. Aria Buffet @ Aria (duh)
3. Snacks Breakfast Menu @ Bellagio for the SoCal Breakfast Roll

WAYS TO WASTE MONEY

1. Play a 3-bet pot as non-aggressor vs anyone over the age of 50
2. Play a 3-bet pot as non-aggressor vs anyone under the age of 50 at Bellagio
3. Try to give action to get a table alive in any 1/2 or 1/3 game not at Aria, Bellagio, Wynn or Red Rock

I imagined a hell worse than Bellagio 2/5 nit central once. With 2.5x the rake, same buyin cap, no comps and drinks you have to pay for.

Wait, I'm there? And it's the only game within 500 miles?

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

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Tx for giving your opinions on where is decent action. Evey time I think, oh it'd be nice to hop a cheap flight and grind for a couple days, I have to remind meself that last time I went, the games in Bell kinda sucked.