Vaccinated in Vegas: A maybe-live TR 6/3-6/7
06-01-2021
, 06:42 PM
Long time T/R reader, first-time T/R writer.
I'm a 30-something from the Washington, DC area heading to Vegas for a post-vaccination long-weekend with my wife, two friends and one friend's somewhat new boyfriend.
I'm arriving Thursday night before the rest of the crew, so I can get some poker in before the drinking really begins. Plan is to play the Friday 11a $100 MTT at Orleans with its decent structure, which should be wrapping up around the time everyone else arrives Friday evening. I've also booked a later flight than everyone on Monday night so I will fire the Orleans 11a that day, too (where a deep run could make my 830p departure a dicey one!)
In between will be lots of drinking, restaurants, some low-stakes pits, penny slots for free drinks, pool time, more drinking, and I'm gonna try to squeeze in a few $1/2-$1/3 sessions and possibly a morning donkament if I can wake up. If things go well, I might try the Bellagio capped $2/5. Staying at Caesars so there will be tables close by at least. I'm the only gambler of the group, I think, but the boyfriend could surprise us! My wife has also booked a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon Sunday night because eff it, we're traveling again!
About me: I got into poker as a college kid in the Moneymaker boom and made spending money grinding Ultimate Bet and Full Tilt. Then Black Friday hit, and I stopped playing poker outside of randomly popping into a game when I was traveling somewhere with a casino.
After MGM National Harbor opened in 2017, I had a poker-playing friend who got me back into playing more regularly. When the world shut down thanks to Covid in March 2020, I finally resolved to learn how I could play online again (thanks bitcoin youtube videos!) so I didn't go totally stir crazy.
Fast-forward 14 months and I've spun up my initial $50 deposit into $2,700 across three sites, playing mostly MTTs. I'm still playing small stakes because I'm a bankroll nit (spoiler alert for future gambling), but I've dedicated myself to studying, dabbled in looking at solvers, etc., and I'm a much, much better player than I was a year ago. Which means I'm probably gonna get crushed this weekend by the donks.
I've been a long-time reader of LVL and love the trip reports, especially when I have long stretches between Vegas visits. This is my first attempt at writing one myself. I make no promises that I will actually follow through with live updates but I'm gonna give it my best effort.
Will try to provide updates with chip pics, interesting hands, food pics and some sense of the scenery that is Vegas in this weird, not-quite-post-pandemic period, which I'm very curious to see up close. And if I'm not up for doing a running T/R I will try to fill in the blanks afterward!
Here's a little something to get us started from my (maskless!) MGMNH $1/3 warmup session this past weekend. In for 300, out for...
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I'm a 30-something from the Washington, DC area heading to Vegas for a post-vaccination long-weekend with my wife, two friends and one friend's somewhat new boyfriend.
I'm arriving Thursday night before the rest of the crew, so I can get some poker in before the drinking really begins. Plan is to play the Friday 11a $100 MTT at Orleans with its decent structure, which should be wrapping up around the time everyone else arrives Friday evening. I've also booked a later flight than everyone on Monday night so I will fire the Orleans 11a that day, too (where a deep run could make my 830p departure a dicey one!)
In between will be lots of drinking, restaurants, some low-stakes pits, penny slots for free drinks, pool time, more drinking, and I'm gonna try to squeeze in a few $1/2-$1/3 sessions and possibly a morning donkament if I can wake up. If things go well, I might try the Bellagio capped $2/5. Staying at Caesars so there will be tables close by at least. I'm the only gambler of the group, I think, but the boyfriend could surprise us! My wife has also booked a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon Sunday night because eff it, we're traveling again!
About me: I got into poker as a college kid in the Moneymaker boom and made spending money grinding Ultimate Bet and Full Tilt. Then Black Friday hit, and I stopped playing poker outside of randomly popping into a game when I was traveling somewhere with a casino.
After MGM National Harbor opened in 2017, I had a poker-playing friend who got me back into playing more regularly. When the world shut down thanks to Covid in March 2020, I finally resolved to learn how I could play online again (thanks bitcoin youtube videos!) so I didn't go totally stir crazy.
Fast-forward 14 months and I've spun up my initial $50 deposit into $2,700 across three sites, playing mostly MTTs. I'm still playing small stakes because I'm a bankroll nit (spoiler alert for future gambling), but I've dedicated myself to studying, dabbled in looking at solvers, etc., and I'm a much, much better player than I was a year ago. Which means I'm probably gonna get crushed this weekend by the donks.
I've been a long-time reader of LVL and love the trip reports, especially when I have long stretches between Vegas visits. This is my first attempt at writing one myself. I make no promises that I will actually follow through with live updates but I'm gonna give it my best effort.
Will try to provide updates with chip pics, interesting hands, food pics and some sense of the scenery that is Vegas in this weird, not-quite-post-pandemic period, which I'm very curious to see up close. And if I'm not up for doing a running T/R I will try to fill in the blanks afterward!
Here's a little something to get us started from my (maskless!) MGMNH $1/3 warmup session this past weekend. In for 300, out for...
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Last edited by pucks32; 06-01-2021 at 06:45 PM.
Reason: I'm a perfectionist
06-03-2021
, 12:11 AM
Obligatory shoe and b/r pics:
One other reason I'm inclined to venture to Orleans: 100+ runners at 11a on a weekday. When I bust I don't expect to hang out for the omc cash games, however. Also I like to collect $1 chips and don't have that one yet.
Need my first trip rungood before I even get off the ground: thunderstorms in the forecast tomorrow afternoon/evening. We'll see what happens with my 8p flight...
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One other reason I'm inclined to venture to Orleans: 100+ runners at 11a on a weekday. When I bust I don't expect to hang out for the omc cash games, however. Also I like to collect $1 chips and don't have that one yet.
Need my first trip rungood before I even get off the ground: thunderstorms in the forecast tomorrow afternoon/evening. We'll see what happens with my 8p flight...
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
06-04-2021
, 11:01 AM
Day One: Getting my feet wet and my steps in
Things were a bit delayed leaving the airport thanks to sporadic thunderstorms but it was only about 30 minutes, so I wasn't complaining. Landed four-ish hours later in Vegas around 10:30 p.m., so plenty of time to get some poker in, jet lag be damned.
Of course, the first problem was getting out of the airport. I got the dreaded "there are no ubers" available -- I fear this will be a covid-themed problem this whole weekend -- and 15 minutes later I was through the taxi line and on my way to Park MGM. At least I didn't get long hauled.
Went straight to the room past the long check-in line thanks to the MGM app. Not the nicest room but hey, at least my view is the T-Mobile Arena and not a parking lot. This is just a one-night stay til everyone arrives at Caesars.
Change into shorts and a t-shirt since it's pushing 90 degrees at midnight, and make the mistake of wearing flip-flops like I would at home. I forgot how much walking there is here between casinos! Not gonna make that mistake the rest of the trip. First stop was the Aria poker room, but the list for $1/3 was 50 names deep. So I ventured a bit farther north to Planet Hollywood for some $1/2 action, and got seated quickly into a game.
Table was mostly middle-aged guys who didn't get too out of line. Not a ton of limp/limp/limp pots. But I also wasn't too worried about getting c/r bluffed on the river.
First real hand I play is K4s in the bb. There's an utg $5 straddle and raise to 10. It's 4 ways so I decide to come along. Flop is T53cc, x's around. I lead out $15 on a turn 3 and the original raiser calls. River is third club, and I bet $40 into pot of $70. Get called and show the flush, and he shows me Q9cc for a just-called third nut flush. Whoops, shoulda bet more, though I don't know how he avoids raising there.
Few orbits later I get TT in the BB, and a 50ish guy who's been kinda loose raises $11. There's 1 caller and I should three-bet, but why not just call and see a flop? Flop is 552ss, and he cbets $11, which he was doing frequently. I c/r to 35 and he calls, making the pot around $100. Turn is the Kd and I don't love this spot I put myself in, but decide I should keep barreling and bet out $40. He quickly jams for about ... $57 more. Probably should have eyed his stack just a bit more closely. I'm priced in though figure I'm behind. River is a blank, I table the TT and guess he had a flush draw because mhig.
Played about 90 minutes before the jet lag caught up with me. In for $200, out for $357.
On the way back to my room decide to stop at the blackjack table to put some play on my comped room. Somehow broke even there after a half hour of gambooling and night one is in the books.
On tap for today: Orleans $100 11a MTT, and cash games if/when I bust that out before the rest of the crew gets here for dinner at Bardot Brasserie and then most likely bar hopping. I'm up way too early because I'm getting old + jet lag, so hopefully I'll be able to power through.
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Things were a bit delayed leaving the airport thanks to sporadic thunderstorms but it was only about 30 minutes, so I wasn't complaining. Landed four-ish hours later in Vegas around 10:30 p.m., so plenty of time to get some poker in, jet lag be damned.
Of course, the first problem was getting out of the airport. I got the dreaded "there are no ubers" available -- I fear this will be a covid-themed problem this whole weekend -- and 15 minutes later I was through the taxi line and on my way to Park MGM. At least I didn't get long hauled.
Went straight to the room past the long check-in line thanks to the MGM app. Not the nicest room but hey, at least my view is the T-Mobile Arena and not a parking lot. This is just a one-night stay til everyone arrives at Caesars.
Change into shorts and a t-shirt since it's pushing 90 degrees at midnight, and make the mistake of wearing flip-flops like I would at home. I forgot how much walking there is here between casinos! Not gonna make that mistake the rest of the trip. First stop was the Aria poker room, but the list for $1/3 was 50 names deep. So I ventured a bit farther north to Planet Hollywood for some $1/2 action, and got seated quickly into a game.
Table was mostly middle-aged guys who didn't get too out of line. Not a ton of limp/limp/limp pots. But I also wasn't too worried about getting c/r bluffed on the river.
First real hand I play is K4s in the bb. There's an utg $5 straddle and raise to 10. It's 4 ways so I decide to come along. Flop is T53cc, x's around. I lead out $15 on a turn 3 and the original raiser calls. River is third club, and I bet $40 into pot of $70. Get called and show the flush, and he shows me Q9cc for a just-called third nut flush. Whoops, shoulda bet more, though I don't know how he avoids raising there.
Few orbits later I get TT in the BB, and a 50ish guy who's been kinda loose raises $11. There's 1 caller and I should three-bet, but why not just call and see a flop? Flop is 552ss, and he cbets $11, which he was doing frequently. I c/r to 35 and he calls, making the pot around $100. Turn is the Kd and I don't love this spot I put myself in, but decide I should keep barreling and bet out $40. He quickly jams for about ... $57 more. Probably should have eyed his stack just a bit more closely. I'm priced in though figure I'm behind. River is a blank, I table the TT and guess he had a flush draw because mhig.
Played about 90 minutes before the jet lag caught up with me. In for $200, out for $357.
On the way back to my room decide to stop at the blackjack table to put some play on my comped room. Somehow broke even there after a half hour of gambooling and night one is in the books.
On tap for today: Orleans $100 11a MTT, and cash games if/when I bust that out before the rest of the crew gets here for dinner at Bardot Brasserie and then most likely bar hopping. I'm up way too early because I'm getting old + jet lag, so hopefully I'll be able to power through.
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