DAY 6: STOP, LAMMER TIME.

I was in a weird spot for my final day of the trip, as my plane wasn't set to leave until 9:30 PM, so I had a lot of time to spend, yet not enough time to play a MTT. Despite wanting to degen and jump into the 10 am $1k, I knew it just wasn't a good idea.

I decided to take a relaxation and work break at Vesta Roasters in the Arts District, a nice coffee spot that I found on my last trip to Vegas. I spent a few calm hours there.

I then pondered heading to MGM for a cash sesh, but after the brutality of my first hour in the Rio on Sunday, I actually haven't played a minute of cash on this trip. I've always been primarily an MTT guy anyway.

Instead I opted to put my old SNG skills to use by returning to the Rio and spamming some $125s. I was thinking of playing up to four of these, but the lines were pretty brutal and it took a while to get a table.

The structure in these $125s is dummy fast, but I flipped well and hung around before being crippled when my AK was cracked by a shorty's 9h2h jam. I jammed T7o on the next hand for maybe 6 bigs and went out in 5th.

After another long wait in line, during which former SNL star Norm MacDonald was chatting up one of my neighbors, I finally got seated for another satty. I won a flip with AK vs. JJ on the very first hand to bust a player. Fortunately, this table of mostly older gentlemen was a lot more passive than the first. I was able to play cautiously and pick up some uncontested pots with shoves while some of the other players blinded off. I found a double when we were three-handed for 60% of the chips in play when my AK held vs. Norm's friend's QJ. Norm popped by the table for a moment and jokingly encouraged us to make a deal. Norm's buddy busted a passive old man in third to pull almost even in chips and then we did exactly what Norm had suggested. We chopped the two $500 lammers and $80 in cash, leaving $20 behind for the dealer.

I think I would've had an edge in the HU, but the blinds were so high that it was going to be a crapshoot and, more importantly, I had a plane to catch. At this point I was cutting it dangerously close. I stuffed the lammer in my pocket, raced to the bag check, and grabbed a Lyft to the airport. I arrived just in time for boarding.

Comparing my first table to my second, the difference was pretty drastic. The first table had some young guys who obviously had a basic functional understanding of appropriate shoving/calling ranges on a nub, whereas the older guys at the second table were extremely passive and were over-folding (one guy claimed to have folded AJ vs. my SB shove for something like 6-7 BBs, saying he would've called with AQ). I was able to use this to my advantage and if you are thinking of playing these then "line selection" might be a viable strategy. If you see a bunch of old guys in the line, you might be in for a soft table. If it looks like a bunch of young regs, maybe stay away.

All in all, this trip was chock full of gross runouts and tough beats in key inflection points, but I achieved my goals and improved some leaks. I was able to walk away from today's STT foray with a small profit of $540 from $250 invested. It's not a fortune, but it ends the trip on a high note.

I will be back in ten days with a very simple goal: to cash in an official WSOP bracelet event. It will take good luck and good decisions, but I'll be motivated and focused to make it happen.

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A funny aside from the second SNG:

There was a dude literally falling asleep at the table between every hand. I'm not exaggerating. He would look down at his cards, bet or fold, then fall asleep until the next hand, when the dealer would have to jostle him again. Eventually the floor was called and the guy was told to stay awake and pay attention. So what happens?

He falls asleep again.

The funniest part is that after busting the SNG, he went right back over to the window and bought another ticket. A short while later he was seen taking a seat at another SNG nearby.

lol

fun read

gl to u on your second trip.

See you in 10 days!

I've got...two tickets to paradise!



It's time for Year 2, Part 2. My bags are mostly packed and tomorrow morning I'll be jumping another flight out to Vegas for more MTT hijinks. I've booked four nights at the glamorous El Cortez (6/24-6/28), but there's a reasonable possibility of extending the trip all the way to ~July 1st-2nd depending on mood and results. Some of it may come down to my ability to find a cheap hotel on Friday-Saturday, as those nights are brutal on the wallet.

My schedule, which is subject to change slightly:

6/24 - 4PM $200 Rio Deep Stack
6/25 - 11AM $600 WSOP Deep Stack Championship
6/26 - 10AM $400 WSOP Colossus Flight A (if I don't make day 2 of the $600)
6/27 - 10AM $400 WSOP Colossus Flight B (if I make day 2 of the $600)
6/28 - 10AM $888 WSOP Flight A

For sure I will be playing the $600 and $400 bracelet events. If I bust early in the day, I may fire a second bullet in those. The $888 is not a lock, but I'll probably take a shot if I brick the other bracelet events this week. The 1 pm/4 pm/7 pm/10 pm Rio dailies are also in play depending on what happens in other stuff. Finally, the $600 NLHE at the Nugget with flights from Thursday-Saturday is another option.

I'm pretty happy with how I played on the first leg of the trip. Apart from one 1 pm $250 where I basically punted my stack out of boredom/impatience, I generally put myself in position to make deep runs. I learned a few things and hopefully I'll play my A-game on this trip.

After 10 days away from the tables, I've had a chance to rest, relax, and get re-energized. Let's hope for some rungood. I must say that in all my MTTs so far in the last calendar year, I've never run hot from wire to wire. Typically I either start hot and then hit a wall or nurse a short stack for a long time before finally hitting a rush. Maybe my Jamie Gold-in-2006 heater is coming soon.

TRIP GOALS:

- Make a day 2.
- Cash in a WSOP bracelet event.
- Win a bracelet and sell it on eBay.
- Earn enough Caesars Rewards comps to obtain a free Starbucks.

Oh, and if I somehow bink a score of $7-8k+, I'm probably going to reg the Main. YOLO and all that.

The Dog has landed. Killing time in the Rio before the 4 pm $200 kicks off.

$50k field is assembling. Snapped a couple pics of Ivey's starting table. Benyamine, Seiver, and Ike are there too. Tough crowd.

Another table has Talal, Elezra, and a PLO wizard I recognize from Gus Hansen's insta. I think it's Matt Ashton.

I should've spent more money on my phone, as this thing takes potato quality images straight out of 1997.

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Over double the 15k starting stack on first break. Busted a player on the last hand.

Tight guy to my right opens to 3x from UTG+1. I have AK. I decide just to flat vs. the EP open from a snug player.

Flop is K86. He bets 60% pot. I call. Turn a jack. He jams for 30 BB. I nitroll him and hold vs. QdTd.

So far so good.

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Always enjoy your trip reports!

That looks like an awesome slate of tourneys to play

Play good and run even better!

Fortunately you ignore your reads, because there's absolutely nothing "tight" or "snug" about the way that maniac played QdTd. I'm assuming the flop contained two diamonds, or at least the turn was a Jd, bringing the flush draw. What a total punt.

Solid stack with 68 left and 59 paid.

Won a flip with AQ vs. TT on a TQ7Q7 runout. Busted a guy with KK > KQ SB vs. BB. Picking spots carefully and making some hands.

No soft bubble please.

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Out for a little more than the min cash. Treaded water for a bit and then jammed 77 for about 11 bigs at 4k/8k blinds and ran into TT. Think it was a pretty standard spot.

$13k for first would've been nice, but I'm happy with the cash. Onward and upward.

It is rarely a bad night when it ends in this room.

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Thanks bud. Appreciate the sweat.

Flop was rainbow with one d. Can't remember if the J on the turn was a diamond, but I actually don't think so.

This guy had been picking spots carefully for the early levels, which is why I didn't snap call. On the other hand, my hand was pretty under-repped and the way he went from betting a reasonable amount on the flop to just jamming the turn looked like he didn't want action.

Subbing. Fun read. Thanks. Run good!

On maybe 35k from the 30k starting stack at the first break in the $600. Lost 25% of my stack on the first hand I played with a flopped two pair vs. a flopped straight. Luckily made a full house with QQ and got paid to get back to 30 and then won a modest pot with a flush.

We have a hyper aggro old man at our table who opens a lot, re-raises a lot, and bets almost 100% of the time if checked to. So far most of the table has been happy to play the role of roadkill, but I'll be looking to find some good spots vs. him.

The Rio is absolutely jammed right now. 3700 runners for this and climbing.

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BUSTO shortly after the dinner break. Played well for most of the day and gradually chipped up to 55k, but botched a hand badly shortly before dinner to lose 60% of my stack, which put me in the danger zone. Got it in with A2o after dinner vs. QJ and he hit the Q.

NLHE is a brutal game and one mistake can break your back. I lost focus after a few slow levels and it cost me dearly. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow for the Colussus. I voided my Flight B ticket and will try my luck in Flight A.

The Rio was absolutely jammed today with over 5k entries. Pic of the crowd below.

Just a thought on these massive field donkaments: The fields are so large and the payouts so flat that your EV is almost buried by all the variance. Even if you're a good player, you might have to play this tournament 800 times to make a final table. There's something to be said for smaller field events where you're more likely to realize your true EV. If I weren't specifically hunting my first WSOP cash, I'd probably give these lotteries a miss.

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On the 40k starting stack at dinner break in the Colossus. Made a straight with K9 vs. two pair JQ to spike up near 60k this morning, but had a very cold 3 levels before dinner. Card dead at an aggro table. Luckily we're super deep and I'll still have a little bit of wiggle room for an hour or two. Hoping for a nice rush.

On a semi-related note, I've decided that the number of people who reg MTTs and then go on their phones the whole time is too high, especially when they are inattentive and slow down the game.

Pic of the Brasilia in all its crowded glory.

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I have finally been slain by Colossus.

I got the desired spins after dinner when I found a double with AdAx vs. KdQd on a two diamond board. At 500/1500 I bet 3.5k pre from EP. Aggro big stack in LP 3-bet to 10k. I decided to trap because he was aggro and I had the absolute best starting hand. I called the exra 6.5k. Raggedy flop. I checked to him. He bet and I jammed for the rest of my stack. He called and I held.

I managed to hang around and chip up moderately as we played deep into the night. I had a good image and was winning most pots without showdown, including a couple minor steals with fringe hands.

I had 92k at 2k/4k blinds when I got AJo on the button. It folded around to me. I bet 9k. Solid Euro guy who has been to my left most of the day 3-bet me from the SB. BB folded. I ripped it for my whole stack. He tanked for a while and I was hoping he had something like 88-TT, but he eventually called with AQ and held. Ugh. Gutted. Out in level 15 in maybe 1500th place out of 5500.

I'm curious to hear whether people think this is a spew or a cooler. I had a very tight image, but on the other hand I'd been winning a few pots without showdown, had shown KQ from an EP raise a bit earlier, and had stolen from the button with K7 a couple orbits earlier (nobody saw that). We had an aggro table and it was really rare for me to get a chance to open from the CO/BTN/SB, but in this spot I would've been opening any ace, any two paint, any pairs, and any two reasonable connectors. AJ is not the nuts, but it's pretty high in my BTN open range.

The three bet from V has to be a little scary because we've both been playing relatively tight for hours, but in a BTN vs. SB clash when I have 25BB, I think AJ might be enough to go for it. Curious to hear your thoughts.

At any rate, I'm super disappointed to brick out another bracelet event after a ten hour day at the Rio. I could reg for Flight B tomorrow, but I think I'm just going to shut down the MTT train for the rest of the trip and maybe play some cash tomorrow. The $600 at the Nugget is another option, but the MTT grind equates to a lot of long days that usually end in disappointment and maybe it will be nice to take a break from that after three long days at the tables.

Happy with how I played today for the most part, but it was a really clean day where I virtually never had a tough decision.

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Bonus Rio burger review:

They sell these guys at the food stands around the poker rooms for $12 a pop.

The bun is decent and the shrink-wrapped veggies add some substance, but the patty itself underwhelms. Minimal flavor and mine was as red on the inside as an Irishman after a long day in the Vegas sun. I'm pretty sure this cow was still alive. I think at one point the patty actually winked at me. The cheese on top was peeling off like Negreanu's hairline pre-plugs.

Overall, the burger is edible, but not necessarily a pleasant experience. I'll give it a generous 4/10. Next time I will try the hot dog.

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Personally, I don't like the jam w/ AJ, but you have to take a stand at some point. Vs. a solid Euro guy's 3bet from SB, I think I just let it go that deep.

I'm not sure why they bother to cook cow -- tastes much better raw! (I'm being serious ) I guess heating the outside of a burger makes is safer, so I can understand that bit of cooking.

Just my 2c but since burgers are ground beef I don’t want any red or pink anywhere.

Regarding AJo in a BU vs SB spot that’s kind of a setup, I can’t blame you for shipping it with your stack size. Only way to only maybe flat is if villain was a huge nit


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The AJo is a close spot there. You said the guy was solid, so I think I give it up after much deliberation. But I'm a nit. If it's AJ suited, I would go ahead and ship. That's how close we're talking. Since you mentioned that your initial goal is to cash a WSOP bracelet event, I think the AJo becomes an even clearer fold. However, if your goal is to play correct tournament strategy and go for a deep, deep run (since min cashes are essentially worthless) then you shouldn't fault yourself for your play at all. You have some fold equity, and you almost got him to make a mistake with AQ and lay it down. I think most decent players would agree that you were in a borderline situation there.

I rarely play massive field MTT's, but I also bricked Colossus yesterday, shoving TT into KK. I won't be firing the second bullet today. The long days are too exhausting. I'm old and easily tired, haha. I like the ease and convenience of cash games. When I'm playing a tournament, I really prefer something with 200 or 300 entries. You know, something I might actually final table!

I don't think I'll ever play the Colossus or Big 50 or any of those tournaments.

The possibility of grinding for 4+ days to just finish like 45th and cash for $4k would be almost more tilting than just bricking it.

Fair play guys. Thanks for the responses. I agree that it's a very borderline spot. If he never has bluffs there then I guess it's probably a fold, but he should have some bluffs there.

I guess I'm either stubborn, a masochist, or both because I fired Flight B. I'm in the poker room and I can honestly say this is the most reckless and crazy table I've ever seen at a WSOP event. There have been numerous all-ins and we've already lost three players. None of these were even real coolers. Bear in mind we start with 40k chips at 100/100, so we're DEEP.

On one hand in level two, old guy ships the turn on a J high board for about 35k into a 5k pot with just JT and no draw. Second old guy snaps him with KJ.

In level three a guy calls off 52k on a KK7xx board with just K5 vs. 77. 250ish BB lit on fire.

I've been a card rack so far. Had KK, QQ (x2), 99, 88 (x2), and 55 and was somehow down 25% of my chips. Luckily I found AA UTG a while later. Raised to 600. Guy two spots to my left raised to 2.5k. Two callers. At this point I can either 4 bet big or jam. I opt for a jam because I think my hand is even more face up if I make it something like 15k with just 30k in my stack. I ship it and get called by the three bettor's QQ. I hold and now sit on a healthy 63k. Good start.

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Awesome! Keep it up