I'm excited to be heading back to Vegas for another WSOP trip this year. Although I'm not a notable player, I enjoyed documenting my journey last year and some people seemed to like reading it.
With the WSOP in full swing, will this former 4.4/180 grinder who ranks ~276,000th in the world on the all-time live MTT money list be making another trip report this time around?
Background Info
Like a lot of people, I first got into poker during the summer of Moneymaker in 2003. I played a healthy amount of live 2/4 and 3/6 LHE, and dabbled in some online. I was a winning player almost from the very beginning, but never pushed it to see how far I could go.
Around the summer of 2009, I got really into online for a little while and was a winning micro NLHE MTT grinder from 2009-2011 on Stars before Black Friday hit. I basically stopped playing cards at that point, but continued to follow the game, especially during the WSOP each year. Last year my schedule and finances finally allowed me to make the sojourn to Vegas and play some tournaments, which I documented
here.
The tl;dr of last year's TR is that I played in the Giant (but did not cash), chopped a small event at the Nugget for my first live four-figure score, and min-cashed a daily $250 at the Rio. Nothing particularly impressive, but I had fun.
The Interlude
After enjoying my trip last year, I vowed to return and planned to work on my game. I made two more trips to Vegas in 2018 to play cash and MTTs, and picked up a few more decent results. On the balance, including my initial WSOP trip, I played 17 MTTs in Vegas last year for a total of $3615 in buy-ins and cashed in 4 of them for a total of $3296 in winnings. Considering that these were my first live MTTs basically ever, I think I did okay, but I also know that I have a lot of room to grow and improve.
I got a little burned out of LV towards the tail end of 2018, but with 6+ months away from the felt, I feel energized and motivated. I'm currently getting my brain back into poker mode. I've been playing some 6-max 25 NLHE online to prepare. I watched Phil Ivey's Master Class. I've been watching poker content like the SHRB and the 2018 WSOP Main Event.
Last year I was happy just to be at the WSOP. I was in awe of everything. As a long-time poker fan, just being there to soak it all in was an awesome experience. This time around, it's all much more familiar to me. I've been to Vegas several times within the past calendar year and have played a variety of tournaments around town. It doesn't affect me as much. I'm less focused on the atmosphere and the town, and more on the game itself.
The Sequel
Like any self-respecting nit, I will be arriving on a Sunday (6/9) and leaving on a Friday (6/14) to maximize my stay without having to pay inflated Friday/Saturday night hotel costs.
I worked extra during the past calendar month so that I could budget more money for this trip. I'm tentatively planning to play 10 MTTs for a total cost of around $3.2k. There should be a healthy dose of Aria nightlies and Rio 1 pm $250s mixed in there. The one big MTT I know I'll be playing is the $1k NLHE Event #28 at the WSOP on the 11th. It will be my first $1k and a big challenge. Will I be out of my depth? Maybe, but I'm looking forward to another crack at an official WSOP event against what should be a pretty good field.
Beyond that, it's likely that I'll be following the NBA Finals and probably playing some 1/2, 1/3, and/or 2/5 cash. I'm not a big party guy and probably won't be living the baller life, but a buffet review or two could be in the cards. I'm also considering jumping into the $150 8-game mix at the Orleans on the 12th for ****s and giggles even though I've never played some of those games. What better way to learn than by burning clock with every decision at a table full of grumpy strangers?
I should also mention that I have a second Sunday-Friday trip booked from 6/23-6/28. The plan for that one would be to play the WPT500, $600 NLHE at the WSOP, and $400 WSOP Colossus. However, I may or may not cancel the flights/rooms if I'm not feeling up for it after the first trip. We shall see. A good result or two would make me far more likely to come back this summer.
Either way, expect the majority of this trip report to be about my MTT adventures: hands, strategies, opponents, stories, and results.
Goals
- Win the WSOP Main Event.
- Seriously though, I'd like to make a final table in something, even if it's only a small daily or nightly event. My career best score is around $1400, so it would be nice to top that.
- More importantly, my goal is to focus on my process and make the best decisions possible. When I look back on the MTTs I played last year, I see a few good plays, but A LOT of big mistakes. Regardless of how the cards fall, I want to stay locked in and play my A-game this time around.
All in all...
Is this going to be a kickass trip?
Does David The Gnome ride a fox like a horse?