Wow, I can't fathom someone having that card in their wallet in this day and age.

Well, sadly, I can. Grrr.

Keep it going, TJ!

Rooting (not the Aussie version) for you, man!

Second break, backslid a bit after that triple up to 35.5k. I picked up AK three times, and lost all 3. Average right now is 47k, so I’m being selective about my spots.

The fish still has a healthy stack, and so does the guy to my right behind him. The huge chip leader directly to my left played maybe 3 hands the last two levels, and didn’t show down. I can tell he’s actively observing the players at our table, his presence is ominous. There’s also a solid player with chips to his left.

Still, I’m feeling good. Not fatigued, trying to be deliberate when I act. Let’s keep it going!

Just closed registration for this flight. 778 entries, currently 252 left, bubble at 117.

Bagging at 19 levels or down to 39 players left, whichever comes first.

I’ve hit a nice rush to start this level 9, sitting on 115k or so now here in the 1k/1.5k/1.5k level.

Let’s gooooo!

Flight C just started at 4 pm. If I bust, I won’t late reg flight C, that’s just too long a day. I’ll play cash for as long as I feel good, then fire flight D tomorrow.

However, I’m not thinking about busting right now… I’m eyeing that bag!

207 left, I have 100k, average is 75k.

Busto in level 12, in about 130th place. Took a pretty tough beat, but that’s poker.

Playing about 80k in 1.5k/3k, one limp and I isolate in position to 8.5k with As9s. Small blind 3bets to 18k, limper folds. I don’t like playing easily dominated aces in 3bet pots, but it’s soooooooted, and I’m getting a great price. I flat, it comes Ad 9d 3h, he leads 20k. I ship, he snaps AQo, turn J, river Q

I got my last 23k in with 99 over a raise to 7k from the same guy, he had QQ and it held up.

As I was shoving, I said out loud I’m not here to mincash, and I’m fine with the decision.

Gonna take a walk, clear my head, and get some food.

As tempting as it is to sit back at 2/5, I’m really not rolled for that for this trip, so I’ll sit 1/3 for as long as I feel focused, and fire flight D tomorrow!

Walked up to the food court, and decided on Gordon Ramsay Burger. Went with the mushroom burger, which comes with Gruyère cheese and arugula, and I had him throw some bacon on there as well.

The patty was on the small size, but that IS a tasty burger!



It came with this buttery, oily aioli that was also tasty. It was $26, but I gave them my Caesar’s card, and apparently donking around in the poker room rates me high enough to get a comped burger.

Now, time for some more poker, let’s see if we can get back in the black for the day!

tough break, good run. hope tomorrow is even better

you geeeeet'em teej

My first reaction is where the hell is there a waffle house in Vegas

I played for 5.5 hours…



Not bad for 300 cap 1/3!

Finished +840.

I don’t know why I put myself in tight, aggro deepstacked games, taking thin gambles for high variance…. When I can autopilot, play tight, and print at 1/3 practically stress free.

Some people have zero concept of pot odds, hilarious bet sizing, and zero awareness of who at the table you want to float or play back at in position, and who you don’t want to speculate against. If anyone is wearing WSOP-branded apparel, they’re guaranteed to be awful. AND all that even included running into a tough cooler for a 250 bb pot.

So yeah. I’m not too proud to slum it at “only” 1/3.

Now, bed…. And we’ll catch y’all refreshed and ready for flight D tomorrow!

nicely done!!

Busted Flight D the last hand before the first break.

I didn’t play particularly well. Too loose, cbetting spots with air and no hope of folding out the field, etc. The big hand I lost, I called with a draw and got whipsawed into calling off shortstack shoves, and didn’t get there.

They’re up to almost 1200 entries for this flight, but I think I won’t fire a 3rd bullet. Gonna take a break, and see if we can recreate some magic at 1/3.

And wait PATIENTLY to make some hands.

Sorry about the tourney, but well done on the cash. Keep it up!

Those whom the poker gods would destroy, they first make proud.

After confidently boasting that I print money at 1/3, they decided to see how I like it when I whiff every flop, opponents reliably flop trips on my overpairs, interspersed with wave after wave of card-deadedness.

The funny thing is, I came up as an online grinder, so I have a healthy appreciation for sample sizes and variance. At my peak, I was setting goals of 2k hands a session, and 40k hands per month. A long day of live poker is like a fart in the middle of a hurricane. I could look at my longer term graphs, and count how routinely I’d go through 10 buyin downswings… and shudder, and resolve to play on an even deeper roll.

I played allllll day today, and I think I flopped either one or zero sets in 15 hours, minus breaks.

So yeah, I lost today. The games were great, and the opponents were exploitably bad, but I just couldn’t beat them.

I actually finished on a late night rally to claw back some of the ground I’d given up. That turned a disastrous day into just a rough day. When the spot busted at 3 am, I said that’s when it was time for me to pick up, and start fresh tomorrow. It broke the game when I left.

So that’s the plan. Tomorrow’s my last full day here, and I truly enjoy getting to play live poker. Gonna get some sleep, and play lots more tomorrow!

Sorry for the run bad. I hate it when that happens. Best of luck tomorrow (today)!

I woke up around 1, and headed over to the casino. I was looking forward to going to Brio, the Italian place, but I waited at the hostess stand for about 8 literal minutes, and nobody came. That doesn’t bode well for the service I’d receive dining in, so I went to the food court instead.

Readers of this thread know that when I get pizza, I usually go with the meat special. Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza has something called the Charcuterie pizza, and it’s closer to what you’d see on an Italian sub. It’s pepperoni, prosciutto, salami, capicola, and basil.



That, plus a soda, was $27… even better that I was able to get it comped on my player’s card.

Now I’m back in the exhibition hall doing battle at 1/3.

Let’s get it!

GL GL

Gabagool!

I suppose I should wrap this trip up now.

After eating, I went back to the exhibition hall and played 1/3. I played about 5 or 6 hours, and lost about 100 bb.

So now it was about 9:30 pm, Sunday night, my last full day in town. I had my hotel room for 1 more night, with an 11 am checkout, and I’m stuck now.

So what could I do? Head over to the main poker room and try to get unstuck at 2/5!

It was a CRAZY game. I got a full double in my first 20 minutes, when I made a set of deuces on an A-Q-2 flop, and stacked AK. Suddenly, I’m about back to even for the trip!

Then I played longer, and had a close decision in a big pot, and made a ~$650 mistake. UTG opens, one call, I squeeze JJ from MP, both call. I bet the 2-3-4 rainbow flop, one call. I bet again on the 7 turn, he calls again. River T, and I go into the tank between checking and shoving. I click shove, he snaps with QQ and I value-owned myself Looking back, that river is definitely a check back.

So I’m back to starting over, and two new stacks over 2.5k get moved from another table. One is a total action player, came from a PLO game, and proceeds to play loose and bad.

I get another double through him by value betting TPTK and holding up. Then I get ANOTHER double when I river a gut shot with AQ on a T-K-9-2-J runout to stack a queen. And I’m about even for the trip again!

…Until it all ended in tears, with a tough cooler. EP opens over a straddle, I flat Th8h, SB squeezes, we both call. Flop Q-T-T, checked to me, I bet 200, call, call. Turn 8, check, original opener bets 400, I shove for about 1k total, squeezer cold flats ( ), bettor folds. I know before the cards are turned over that his QQ is good.

So now it’s 3:30 am…. I still have some money in my pocket, but I picked up my last $350, cashed out a loser, drove back to the Econo Lodge, checked out, and got on the road home at 4 am.

medium good overpairs on low boards are tricky

two weeks ago got owned for the max when the table donk blasted 3 streets with QQ and i called it off with JJ


last week i got 3bet from the sb, sb bets pot on low flop, bets pot again on turn so i folds the JJ and he proudly shows 99 with a "good fold AK no good"

Some closing thoughts…

The tournament got 3180 entries, and first place got up to $135k! It was a fun experience…. Just too bad I couldn’t have faded that 3-outer on the bubble. It would have put me in great shape after the bubble, maybe I could have even ridden it to a bag. Oh well, so it goes.

I don’t know how I feel about the differences between 1/3 and 2/5. 1/3 is definitely an easier, more passive game, yet I still lost at 1/3 on this trip. I had some wins, but the times I lost, I played too long and got too deep into a table with capped money-making upside. I guess the lesson is, table selecting is still very important.

I know I’m good enough to sit at 2/5 tables. The game I was in was good, and if it went better, I think I really had a chance for a multi-thousand dollar win. Those are the games I’m willing to sit in.

I think when I go back to Vegas this summer, the plan will be to make 1/3 the main game, and take shots with white meat into 2/5 or PLO.

…And also run like the sun and take down a tourney!

don't feel bad about the jj hand. if you don't value cut yourself time you're leaving a lot of money on the table long term.

this read to me like you enjoyed every second of it
without rushing to judge sure know i did
because tj dennis eckersley is anything but predictable

Sorry about the run bad, but glad you had fun. Good luck in Vegas. I'll be there in a month -- cannot wait. Sounds like a good plan, but if you are rolled for it and can find the right game, play the 2/5 -- or head to Golden Nugget. I'm addicted to PLO, so that's about all I'll play unless I'm waiting for PLO