Leaving my wife and 3 kids behind and flying solo to vegas. This will be the 2nd WSOP i'm playing in. Last year I played the $1,500 PLO8 tournament and finished approx. 200th/700 (No cash). But I won enough playing $2/$5 Big O to essentially break even for the trip. Hoping for better results this time.

Plan:

Play Event #72 - $1,500 PLO8/Big O / Limit O/8 - My flight lands at 1030 am the day of the event, if im jet lagged I may skip this event.

Play Event #75 - $777 Lucky 7's NLH event.

Play Event #80 - $600 PLO/NLH

But more important than the tournaments, is that I will be grinding Big O Cash games the whole time. If the Big O cash games go well , ill probably wind up playing more WSOP events. Staying at Ballys. My buddy is coming through on July 11th, up until then ill be fully focused on poker, probably hit up some comedy shows and restaurants once he gets into town.

In as soon as I read "leaving my wife and 3 kids"..
GL...

What redbuck said. GL LimpDitka!

GL Limp - let's make a run!

Good luck!

Arrived today but my Flight was delayed, so I didn't get in until 4 pm. I still decided to play the $1500 omaha hi lo mixed event and late registered. I quickly realize that i have a good table draw and grind up the 25k starting stack to 30k by bluffing etc.....but then after about an hour plo8 savant josh arieh sits down three to my right.

It's pretty obvious right away that he's here to gamble, trying to build a big stack before late reg closes. That's not to say he was playing bad , but he was applying a lot of pressure.

Then this hand happens (forewarning its not pretty)...

We are playing Big O 200/300 with 300 bb ante. We are 7 handed. Josh opens to 1100 from utg +2 (30k stack) , hi jack calls, I look down at kkjjq double suited and call, BB calls. 4 way to the flop with over 5k already in the pot. Flop comes J102 w/ 2 diamonds (I have no diamonds). Everyone checks to me on the button , I fire 4500. Folds to josh who check raises pot. I fist pump jam it in and emphatically claim I have top set !

But wait ... I stare at My hand and realize I actually have kkqqj , not kkjjq.... I'm an idiot! I'm ready to shoot myself at this point, and sheepishly tell josh "wait nvm I don't have top set" , but he says " it doesn't matter what you have you're ahead." He turns over a2579 with the nut flush draw.... my enormous blunder suddenly turns into a minor blunder (I'm still a slight dog). The turn is an off suit 9! In my head I'm only thinking "no diamond no diamond" the river is another 9. And he backs into a full house. I've never misread a hand like that and it cost me the one tourney I look forward to playing every year... without a doubt my best shot at a bracelet.

I'm down to $2,500 and it needs to last 7 more days..yikes!

Next up is $1/$2/$5 Big O cash games tonight. Wish me luck ..... because I surely need it. I'm going on 2 hrs of sleep and can't even read my cards !

On the plus side , while I was waiting in line to register someone offered me $1500 in lammers for $1400. Also, I suckered my sister into staking me for $400, so I'm really only down $1,000.

Ohhhhh man. You’ll get your $1k worth out of that story for the rest of your life at least!

Should’ve posted the shoes…

Hopefully the next update will bring tales of riches from the big o cash games - at WSOP I played the $5/5 uncapped big o for a bit and it was an amazing game. I had neither the brain cells nor the patience for it and didn’t stay long, but sounds like it would be right in your wheellhousse.

Thanks for the comment brotha! I'm not too upset because I would have lost a good chunk of chips regardless and probably would have been around 15k , best case scenario.

I played the $1/$2/$5 big o game last night and made $200. I was up $400 at my high point. I haven't seen the $5/$5 game running yet, but did hear it gets crazy!

Also, I know what you mean in regards to losing patience. It also doesn't help when half the table playing Big O seems to be older and somewhat miserable.

Anyways, I'll probably grind the game again today. What I've noticed is that the lineup usually consists of 1 or 2 droolers, 4 or so decent players, and 1 or 2 very good players. It's not the easiest game to beat, when you pay $8 every 30 min w/ $15 bomb pots.

I found the forced $5 button straddle made that game play a lot tighter than the 5/5. Then again, it was $150 to see a flop in the 5/5 so pick your poison I guess.

Interesting. Yeah I'm definitely not bankrolled enough for the $5/$5. The $1/$2/$5 seemed to almost always play limped pre flop.

I'm sitting in my hotel room debating on whether I should play some cash games, holdem or omaha. But I've heard early in the morning games are pretty much nit fests ?

Can anyone tell me what time is the best time to play cash games on weekends ? And are certain casinos better than others , in terms of the amount of tourists/amateurs?

Good luck LD. Omaha 8/Big O trip report a nice change from all the NLH ones floating around.

Subbing. GL.

Been too long since I've been to Vegas to comment on games. For PLO, I usually just go to Aria and can always find a good game, but never been during WSOP.

Thanks guys!

I put myself on the $1/$2$/5 big o wait list, but it's 30 players long and only one table open. So I sit down at $1/$3 nlh while I wait. I get seated right next to youtube poker comedy creator "Greg goes all in". I think his channel got its real start when he walked up to Daniel negreanu and handed him a picture asking for an autograph. Daniel opened the envelope and it was a picture of Doug polk. Classic ! Anyways, Greg was a great guy , had a blast playing with him.

I bought in for $205 and cashed out after 90 min for $810. Some memorable hands:

I start this hand with $160, one limpet and i raise in the hi jack to $10 with j9 suited, bb raises to $35, and I ship. He's been very active and showed 2j for a 3 bet recently and I'm ready to gamble, I shove and he calls with AK off. I spike a J on the flop and get more than a double.

Couple hands later and I start with about $350. I raise with a10 suited to $10 in the hi jack and get 4 callers. Flop is A48. I check, same guy that lost the all in to me earlier bets $35 from the button, the BB calls and I call. The turn is a perfect off suit 10, now I have top 2 pair. I check and the button bets $50 (200 behind) , BB calls and I check raise all in. Button tank calls with A9 and I scoop that pot.

Couple hands later I raise to $10 UTG with KK. 5 callers to the BB who raises to $35 (200 behind), I ship it all in and the BB tank calls with AQ . King on the flop and I take another sizeable pot.


After misreading my hand in the Omaha tournament and being down $1,000 , just like that I'm now only down $200.

I just got up from the table and headed back to my hotel room to regroup as I wait for my name to be called in the Big O game.

Good luck on your trip. I’ve never played Big O, so will be reading your TR having no idea what you’re doing-haha.

I waited all night and my name was never called for the Big O cash game. In fact , when I left at 11 pm I was still 20th on the list. The WSOP has a massive dealer shortage, worst I've ever seen , by far.

I don't want today to be the same as yesterday, so I head over first thing in the morning and sit down as the game just starts. I start with $400 and chip up nicely to $850 when this hand happens:

A2469 (2 spades) , I limp in the SB for $5 and 6 others limp. The pot Is $35 and we see a flop :

Flop is 35 10 with two spades... you gotta love it! I lead out for $25. The table folds to the button who raises pot. (At this point I don't know much about him, he's only been playing for an orbit. He's definitely not tight though. )

I decide to repot it and get it in now, hoping my spades are live. We get it all in and the turn and river run out JQ, no spades ��

Final board: 3 5 10 J Q

The button turns over 55899 with 2 spades lower than mine, to scoop the pot. And just like that I take one of my worst Big O beats ever, for a sizeable $1,700 pot. Not sure on the equity , as there aren't any Big O calculators, to my knowledge, but I'd guess I had close to 80% equity, which is about as good as you can hope for in Big O. In the words of Daniel Negreanu"such is life". Time to regroup

ProPokerTools 5-Card Omaha Hi/Lo Simulation

853,632 trials (Exhaustive)

board: T53

Hand	Pot equity	Scoops	Wins Hi	Ties Hi	Wins Lo	Ties Lo
A429s6s	64.12%	431,610	431,610	0	634,752	0
55s8s99	35.88%	190,512	422,022	0	0	0

I thought for sure I was a bigger favorite. Thanks for running the numbers. I'm not sure if I feel better or worse .... its so hard to have an edge in this game.

Was it Big O8 or just Big O? If high only it was a coin flip.

Big O = hi/lo

Booked a $1,000 profit in the Big O cash game last night . Back to even for the trip.

I was going to play the $777 lucky sevens tournament today, but for whatever reason I cannot catch up on my sleep and I'm exhausted. I really want to play this event because first place is massive , guaranteed at $777,777. The plan is to play day 1b tomorrow. I'll probably Just grind some more cash games today .

Played $1/$3 NLH , took some bad beats and booked a $460 loss. Right after I jumped in the $200 9PM deepstack and busted when my 66 couldn't hold up against AJ off.

On an unrelated note, as I was walking Into Ballys at 130 in the Morning, a really hot- scandily dressed , and clearly drunk girl rubbed her hand down my back and touched my ass asking if I was here for the WSOP. I politely told her yes, and got out of there as quick as possible. Watch out for those hookers boys!

Oh wow...that was you that ran away from me..

Oh man just seeing this, I love anything high/low. I guess it was semi blasted.

Thanks for sharing anyway Ditka.