Thanks. As I have said in other threads, I write down details as soon as a hand concludes or when I have time shortly afterwards.

Not super detailed, but I just need to see a few details to trigger my memory and remember opponents, and my thought process etc. And sometimes I even write down my thought process in short form as well as part of my notes.

A typical hand note for me would be something like "R12 KQdd CO, BB call. Q-5-3 rain. C, bet $15, call. 7. C. Bet $35, fold". Really only take me 30 seconds or so to write down.

Not saying that cbetting is a mistake, but checking behind seems perfectly fine here. FWIW, solver says that TT without a diamond is practically a pure check.

Even though it's suboptimal, I wouldn't call it a big mistake. Don't beat yourself up about it. But props for recognizing your mistakes and wanting to get better.

Interesting (I did not have a diamond) to hear about the solver output. I was just thinking to get value vs 7x and 6x, but I can probably check some of these behind a bit more than I do.

The KT-hand is a mistake since I recognized his sizing and what it meant, but I still didn't execute. All the hands he bets on turn will also call a raise to $35 or something on turn.

Thanks for the feedback!

Wish my memory was better. I can't remember the action by the river. By the next hand I can barely remember that I played the previous hand at all.

Solvers often seem to be more concerned with not losing more than winning. Kind of like the prevent defense.

great start! Any fancy restaurants in your future?

After a great start to the day with a trip to the gym, I decided to head over to Caesars to play their 10am $120 tournament. Took an Uber over and was directed to the poker room:



In total the tournament got 39 entries, with top 4 players getting paid. I started off well, and was up to 22k from 15k starting after 3-4 levels, but then went card-dead + had to fold JJ on A-T-5 two hearts after SB jammed 12k (into 10k) first to act. Although he might on occasion just have a flush draw, I am obviously very dead against Ax.

Got short, but managed to double up just before break with TT vs KQ all-in pre. So I went to the first break with around 23k or so, although this picture might have been taken a bit earlier:



After the break a new player joined the table; a Portuguese who I actually worked with for many years in Malta. We didn't have any hands of note together, but it's always funny when the world turns out to be very small like that.

The Ceasars-tourneys offer a 15000 add-on for $50 USD when late registration ends, and I obviously took that one. So I have around 33k when I find QQ from 2nd position. I raise it up to 2500 (500-1000-1000), get one caller, before an erratic guy jams in 26k pre. It folds back to me, and I obviously rejam. Third player folds KJs face up, and the player who jammed shows up with... 34ss. Yep, he 3-bet jammed 26 bb with 34 suited over a raise and a call. If I hadn't seen it, I would have trouble believing it.

J-T-8-3... 4

Fun stuff. I am left with 8000, instead of having a stack of 65k or something which would have put me in a great spot to possibly make the final table.

I do double up shortly after though with A7cc versus KJo, but with the rapidly escalating blinds in this tourney you quickly get short again. With 2 tables left, I was down to 5 bb before pushing K8hh and got a rejam behind. Opponent did however only have 55, and I managed to win that flip by hitting an 8 on the turn.

I did sadly eventually get eliminated, when blinds had increased and I was once again down to 5 bb. UTG raised to 12000 (2k-4k-4k), and I find KQo with 20k in my stack. I don't particularly love getting it in without fold-eq, but I should hopefully have enough flips here to make it worth going with. So I jam all-in, but opponent had AQo and I wasn't even close to hitting anything. So I busted around 15th place or so.

Oh well, nothing to do with that. I was super unlucky with the QQ-hand obviously, and a lot would have been different if that one had held up. I went out into the sun instead:



And went over to Bellagio, where I immediately got seated in a $1/$3 game that didn't look very tough. One Asian player was raising a fair bit pre, but otherwise it seemed to be a lot of fishy middle-aged or older guys.

First hand of note is when the Asian makes a weirdly small raise to $6 pre, and I have K6dd on the button. I remember watching a Brad Owen vlog a few weeks ago, where he said that K7s suited was a call from the button versus a raise from cutoff, so although this raise came from earlier position I still decided I could peel here for such a cheap price. So I call, and SB also call.

Flop comes A-K-4 one diamond. SB check, and the Asian bets $10. I don't think I can fold just yet, so I call. SB also calls. Turn is the Jd so I have a pair and a 4-flush. SB does however lead out for $25, and the Asian makes it $80. I can't continue then, as although I likely have some outs this is not a spot where I will have any kind of fold-eq I think.

I then win a couple of small pots where I flop well, first when I raise JJ to $15 from SB over a limp. The limper is the only caller, and we see A-J-4. Awesome flop, but since he just limped in pre I don't think we can assign him too many Ax. Thus I only bet $15, but he folded quickly.

Then I raise KJo to $15 over a sticky player's limp. He calls, and flop comes J-J-4 rainbow. He checks, and I size down to $10 to hopefully get a call from something, but he folds.

Then the same guy limps, and a tight older guy makes it $12 just in front of me. I have black 99, and call, and limper also calls. Could certainly mix in occasional 3-bets here, but against this player profile I didn't really want to do that. Flop comes Q-J-7 two hearts, and after UTG checks, the raiser bets $20. Not much for me to do then but fold.

A while later I see three limps to me, and I have KQo in cutoff. I make it $17, and get calls from the Asian in BB + the sticky guy who limp-calls. Flop comes Q-Q-T rainbow, which is above average I would say. They check to me, and I decide to only bet $20 (into $55). Is this a spot to size up? Maybe, but I think if someone has Qx I will hear from them anyway. So my focus was just to ensure that Tx would stick around. They both actually end up calling.

Turn is an A, so the most obvious draw fills (KJ). They both check to me, and I actually decided to check back. I think the Ace could be scary for them, but if I check back it might make it easier to get paid on the river. And also, just in case I am up against a slow played KJ, I want to ensure I see all cards.

River comes a 4, and both check to me again. I wasn't quite sure which sizing to go for here, so I decided to go somewhat big ($70 into $115), hoping that one of them had turned an Ace. I do think Tx likely is not calling any bet, unless I make it super tiny, so it seemed better to target TP holdings. Both opponents does however end up folding, although neither did so instantly.

A while later a Canadian player who was friendly, but seemed a bit unsure of live poker, raises to $10 from the button. He actually said that this was his first time playing in 10 years (!), so I guess it makes sense that he seemed a bit rusty then. Either way, I chose to defend from BB with the mighty 52cc. Might be too wide, but he made it small before the flop.

Speaking of flops, A-Q-4 all clubs is nice. I check, and he bets $15. Obviously going to fast play this one, so I raise it up to $55. He has maybe $150 behind, and although he seemed to consider it strongly he ended up folding. Too bad, as this player profile would be ripe to take to value - no way he would be able to fold an Ace as long as more clubs didn't arrive.



I have built up the stack pretty decently now, and get even more when there are two limps in front of me and I have K4hh on button. Maybe I should just raise in these spots, but as it was I chose to limp along given position and suited hand. We go 4-ways to 5-7-7 one heart, and it checks around. Turn comes with the 9 of hearts, so I have a flush draw at least. Once again it checks through.

River is the 6h, so I make my flush. It checks to cutoff, who bets out $20. He had done this fairly often; when he leads out in limped pots he often makes it more than the size of the pot. Although the board is paired, I think I have a very easy raise here as played, so I bump it up to $77. I really hope he has a flush, but I am also fully prepared to bet-fold this river if he instantly jams or something. He does however fold quickly, and say he was just taking a stab with nothing.

After this hand and a few other small ones I was up around $180, but then I lose a very weird one. I find KQdd from UTG and make it $12 as always. MP calls, a very short stacked player, and BB (same guy from last hand) also calls. Flop comes 7-4-2 one diamond. BB checks, and I chose to bet $16 here. The board is so non-descript that I think they will have a lot of misses here, and I can put more pressure if overcards come on the turn or the river.

The short stack guy however calls, leaving himself with only $10 behind. BB folds. This is obviously the downside of betting, as now I have King high and I am pretty forced to just get it in versus this opponent. Turn is the 8d, so we turn a flush draw. That makes it easier; I obviously put him all-in and he calls. River is a T, but not a diamond and I sheepishly have to turn over KQ high. Opponent wins the hand... with 32o.

To recap; he started the hand with $38 USD, and still thought it was a good idea to call off 1/3 of these pre with 32 off-suit. Gotta love poker

I started to get hungry, and the game actually also broke after a couple of players left in quick succession. So I took my $135 win after playing for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

This was not the last poker action for today, but that update will have to wait until tomorrow. I am tired after having been on the go for 12 hours, and will head to bed now. Maybe not the smartest decision on a Saturday evening, but there is no need to push it when I am getting tired.


Cash Games:

Hours played: 10h 30 min
Won/loss: +$552 USD
Hourly rate: $52.6 USD

Tournaments:

Profit/loss: -$24 USD (2 played)

Speaking of conserving my energy; here are two pictures from the Bellagio Conservatory:

Good morning from Las Vegas! Woke up at 8am today after a good night of sleep. Let us continue where we left off yesterday.

----------------------

From Bellagio I headed outside to sample some of the Las Vegas heat in the evening. There were tons of people everywhere, which is hardly unusual for a Saturday evening. Here is a random picture that I took while walking:



Eventually I reached my destination, where I first grabbed some food. After that I got on the list for a $1/$3 game. I assume most people reading recognize this mural (if that is the right word?):



After waiting for 15 minutes maximum, I got a seat and bought in for $400 in this $500 max game. I start out being quite active, both because I was getting decent cards but also because I had told myself to go after situations a bit harder than I have in some previous spots.

I won two small post, first when there are two limps for $3 and I have KJss in BB. I make it $18 (should go $20 since OOP), and they both fold.

Then there is one limp for $3 again, and I have 55 on the button two hands later. I raise to $15 and the limper folds.

We then find our first light 3-bet this trip, when a compentent player makes it $12 from cutoff. Button calls, and I find the beauty A5ss in SB. I 3-bet to $58, and they both fold after thinking about if for a bit. The good thing about this game is that I would even have stack depth to apply pressure also post on the right boards (and yes, I know I would have even more option for that if I bought in for the $500 max).

More raising, when a fishy player limps inn, and I find JTss in cutoff. I raise to $15, and get calls from SB, BB and the limper. Flop comes K-9-K two spades, so I actually flop a straight flush draw. Opponents check to me, and I think this is a good spot to bet fairly small, simply because I can then bet-call if a raise come in without any issues. So I make it $25, and everyone folds.

(if I bet full pot here, which is $60, any raise that comes in will be huge and almost force me to play for stacks. Not a distaster obviously with my draw, but still shows why a small bet is better here IMO).

I then find KK from UTG and raise to $12. Two players call, and we go 3-ways to A-J-5 rainbow. I decided to check this one, but both check behind. So when a random 7 lands on the turn, I have a very easy bet to try and get value from Jx. I bet $21, and both quickly folds.

I lose two small pots, one when defending AJo in BB against a tight Asian woman who raised to $10, but not connecting at all with the flop. Then the good player raises to $12 in lojack, and I call in cutoff with 88. Two more players call, and we see A-9-7 on the board. Raiser continues for $25 when it checks to him, and I have to fold.

A bit later there are two limps to me, and I have TT on the button. I raise to $15. A fishy OMC calls in BB, and the two limpers call. Flop comes A-9-5 two diamonds. I have one diamond, and all check to me. I actually thought this was a decent spot to bet small, simply because 2 out of 4 in this pot are limpers and likely not very Ax heavy. Furthermore, the OMC seemed a bit on tilt and would likely call light from BB because he is 'getting a price'. In other words, a c-bet repping an Ace could work here.

I throw out $25, and the plan works not exactly how I had envisioned it. OMC calls, first limper calls, and then the compentent player (who had overlimped) raises to $125. I fold instantly, and the others do the same. The OMC looks annoyed at me for betting there, but I still think my reasoning for betting there was solid even if it didn't work out this time.



Then we get a fun spot versus the short stacked player to my left, who was extremely whiny and in a foul mood when he was at the table. He wasn't super mean to people, but he seemed to have a negative attitide overall. And sitting next to him, I obviously heard a lot of his muttering. Let's just say it involved a frequent use of the F-word

It starts off with 3 limps and I find KJss in SB. I raise it up to $20, and he calls from BB. The limpers fold, so we go heads-up to 7-5-5 no spades. Not really ideal, and with him being short I assume he must have a decent hand to call pre here. I also didn't think he was in a folding mood, so I just checked to give up.

He does however check behind, and we get a J on the turn. So now we can start going for value. I bet small for $15 to entice him along, and he actually raises to $45. I check out his stack and see that he has around $40 behind. I don't think he has a 5 (that would be a terrible call pre), so unless he was slow playing 77 I should be ahead. I thought about just calling to let him blast off, but with him having so little behind it would make no sense for him to bluff the river. So I just jam on him, hoping for calls from QJ or JT, and resigning myself to the fact that he will get my money if he has AJ.

He does however instafold and is back to muttering some more. Thankfully he busted soon after, and left in a huff (he came back, but took a seat at another table).

Up over $100 then, and generally just cruising along without too many difficult decision. The fishy OMC left the game, so I took his seat (seat 9), and then a new player comes and takes the seat of the whiny guy (seat 8). He sits down with $300, gets his first hand UTG and immediately grabs chips and raises to $15. I am right behind him with A5hh. Weird spot, as theoretically I should absolutely 3-bet here to drive out hands below + go heads-up in position against the raiser. However, with him being completely new to the table and raising from UTG, I thought it would be a bit too risky. I decided to call instead, and two more players call behind.

4-ways to the flop then, which is a beauty. A-5-8 one heart. BB checks, and the raiser throws out $30. I once again have a borderline decision, as any raise on this board will look super strong. Theoretically I should probably call here to protect my calling range, and also let in players behind with AJ or similar to call the flop.

All fine in theory, however this is live poker and people don't like to fold big Aces. So I raise to $90, which I thought was a good amount, as that doesn't make me seem 100% comitted to the pot (he still has fold-eq in theory if he moves all-in).

The player on the button, who was pretty fishy and liked to see flops, then assembles chips and throws out $30. He is quickly informed there has been a raise to $90, and as soon as he sees that he aplogizes and goes to take his $30 back. I look at the dealer, and another player also pipes up about the situation. So the floor is called, but it was decided that he got to take his call back. Bit surprising if you ask me, but I guess he didn't say "call", which would have changed the situation.

Either way, it folds back to the raiser who thinks for a bit and then slides out the call. I strongly assume he has AK or AQ in this spot, and prepare myself to move in as long as the turn is not one of them. We see a T, which is fairly safe as I doubt he has too many AT here. He thinks for at least 30 seconds before checking, and after a short pause I move all-in for his remaining $185 (into $240). He calls quickly.

River is a 7, and my hand is obviously good. He takes it well, says "nice hand" and nods when I ask "AK?". He then leaves the table, so that was a quick session for him! A bit later, another player at the table informs me that the guy I stacked is actually a dealer at Aria, and that he plays very tight.



Stack is looking great, and I did play some more hands as well, although no huge ones. One interesting one was when the fishy guy (who was allowed to take back his call) limps for $3, the good player goes to $12 and I just call in BB with AJo (could be an ok squeeze-spot I guess).

Flop comes 9-6-2 and checks around. Turn is another 9 and the limper now comes out for $10. Raiser folds, and I think this sizing seems a bit fishy. Sure, he could have limp-called with a 9, but I wasn't entirely convinced. So I call with my two overcards.

River is a K, and after I check he quickly bets out $15. I wish he had bet bigger, but I found it very strange that he would insta-bet on a card that should warrant some pause (unless he has 9x). So I make the call very quickly, only to get shown K4cc. So I am happy that I read the situation right on turn, as he had completely nothing. Would he have bet the river if he didn't pair up? Not entirely sure, but I think I played the hand fine.

A new player then joined the table, bought in for $500 and went through those in 20 minutes! I sadly didn't get any of it, but I found the situation interesting. The guy was probably around 50, bit overweight, and had an accent that sounded middle eastern. Right next to him sat his girlfriend, a gorgeous woman around 25. Listening to them talk (he took the 8 seat), they seemed to have a good conversational vibe between them, so I assume the relationship is real. But man, this guy must be loaded with cash - as I cannot imagine how he would attract this gorgeous young woman otherwise. Sick life.

Two more hands before I wrap this up. A new Asian player raises to $10 in hijack, and I find AKo in cutoff. I make it $36 to go, and SB (a new player) cold-calls. The raiser folds, and we go heads-up to Q-8-7 rainbow. He checks, and although he could have QQ I think a lot of his range will have trouble holding on here. So I start off with a bet of $35 after he checks, and thankfully I get the fold. I was prepared to bet again on many turns, but I am obviously glad that I didn't have to (to try and fold out hands like JJ and TT, which will likely call once).

Just a few hands later the same Asian limps, and I find QQ behind him. I make it $15, and the same guy from last hand calls. Limper folds, so we are once again heads-up. The dealer provides us with A-9-7 all hearts, and I decided to check this one. In hindsight I wish I had done what Bart Hanson have said about these monotone (or is it monochrome) boards - bet small with my entire range.

Either way, after I check the opponent bets $30. Quite a big sizing, but I don't think I can go anywhere just yet. So I call, and we see a black J on the turn. I check, and he bets $45 this time. Not as big of a sizing, but the issue here is that my hand is pretty face up in my opinion if I hit. I will then have to come out and lead, and how much can I really get paid if he only has an Ace but no heart? So I decided to give this one up, although it might be a mistake.

After playing for 2 hours and 45 minutes, I decided to cash out the nice profit of $494 USD. I then played a little bit of Video Poker at Aria (did not go well, lost $300 quickly), and just called it a day. I walked through Park MGM, over to Target to do a little bit of grocery shopping, and then took the free fram from Excalibur back to Mandalay Bay.

Since weather is awesome and I didn't go yesterday, I am going to head out to the pool now! A slow start to the day seems fine, and then I will find something to play a bit later.

Although I am not playing perfect, the results are obviously great so far. I am also extremely happy with my demeanor at the tables so far, being friendly, (semi)-talkative, and in a good mood overall. Haven't had a single situation yet where I have been visibly upset about something yet, but instead have taken everything in stride. May that continue.

Cash Games:

Hours played: 13h 15 min
Won/loss: +$1046 USD
Hourly rate: $78.9 USD

Tournaments:

Profit/loss: -$24 USD (2 played)

That $30 should definitely stay in - in some places he would have to call the 90

letter of the law, sure.
but sometimes it's okay to play nice and not screw people who made a mistake because they missed something.
I've rarely seen in a cash game where someone wasnt allowed to pull back a mistake call. usually the players handle it themselves though, I am surprised the floor ruled that way

Wat, no pics??

It's a universal truth of life that it's good to have lots of money.

Also, it's common in Vegas cash games to let players take back a bet if they didn't see a raise. They might have made him leave it if anyone in the hand complained though. Tournaments they make the bet stay in the pot.

On a side note, your luckbox is working really well. I don't think I got that many good starting hands in all of last year's WSOP trip. It was a week long.

I've never seen that in Vegas or anywhere I've played in the U.S. There's a "gross misunderstanding" rule that covers that. At worst you might be made to call the bet if you put in over half of the raise, but he didn't even do that.

One more quick update. As allured to in the previous post, I started the day with a trip here:





Weather was awesome, and it was a really relaxing feeling to chill by the pool & lazy river for a little bit. Afterwards I got ready, played a little bit of VP (lost as always), and then went outside. I took the free tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, then crossed the bridge over to MGM Grand and took the Monorail. This was my destination:



I quickly got a seat in a $1/$3 game, and bought in for $300 as always (that's the max). I quickly got the chance to join the action, when I see two limp for $3 in front of me. I raise to $16 on the button with ATo (red cards), and get calls from SB and the first limper. A-T-8 looks good to me, and after they check I make it $25. Sadly both opponents fold.

After that hand I folded for a while, while observing the action. After a while, it folds to the lojack, who raises to $10. He had been a little bit active so far, so I decided to put on a alternative 3-bet with 86hh to $31 from cutoff. As soon as I do that he starts muttering "every time", and when it comes back to him he quickly folds. He then mutters some more about how they have Aces every time, and nice Hollywooding (I had taken a few seconds before acting). I just smiled to myself while racking in the small pot.

Then a very fishy OMC limps UTG, and I have K9dd right behind him. Maybe slightly loose, but I raise it up to $15 and he call. We go heads-up to Q-7-6 no diamond. He checks, and I think a bit and check behind. He was a bit sticky, so I would have liked a diamond before starting a bet.

Turn is however a T, which give me a double gutshot (both 8 and J will give me a straight). He bets out $10, which feels defensive to me. I could call and try to hit, but why not give myself a chance to win without hitting my hand? So I raise to $45, and he folds very quickly.

I lose 1-2 tiny pots from the blinds, but apart from that not much happens for a while. Then a young-ish player makes it $12 out of a fairly short stack, and the station OMC I mentioned above from the K9-hand calls. I have QQ in the cutoff, and make it $50, fully prepared to play against the stack of the raiser (less than $200). Instead he ends up calling, and the OMC folds.

Flop comes K-6-4 rainbow, and he checks. I think for a few seconds, and decide to check back. If he has AK that he was afraid to go with pre, I prefer to keep the pot managable. And if he has TT/JJ, I can get paid by them later by checking back here. That said, I wouldn't have hated a small bet of $35 either.

Turn comes a 5, and he now leads for $30. I call, and the river is a 9. Seems harmless, and he checks. I look over at his stack and see that he has around $85 left. So I chose an approach that Bart Hanson talks about in regards to getting paid; leave some behind for your opponent. The idea is that players are more likely to call if their entire stack is not at risk. So I bet $56, obviously targeting pairs smaller than mine. He thinks for a long time but sadly ends up folding.

A few hands later a decent player makes it $10 from early pos, the station OMC calls in SB, and I call from BB with 88. Flop comes T-7-5, and the OMC decides to leave for $5 (!). I am a bit perplexed, and this feels like a situation that will be wrong no matter what I do. I can call, but that makes it so easy for the opener to just raise it up. I can fold, but that seems very nitty with second pair when the OMC likely has a 7 or something. So I went with option 3, and raised it to $20 - hoping that would put pressure on the opener.

In hindsight I should have chosen a bigger sizing though, and the opener responds with a 4-bet to $80. The OMC then jams, and I obviously have to fold. Board runs out with some random cards, and the OMC wins the hand with 75o for two pair (that he obviously called in SB to a raise, WP). Obviously the original raiser had an overpair, although he never showed.

A new guy had joined the game, and he was very aggressive pre. He did however get stacked by the OMC in a insane hand, where he had AA and the OMC had K9s for two pair. The OMC obviously min-raised the K-x-x flop like OMCs do, and the raiser really should have 4-bet here but just called. 9 on turn and they eventually got it in on the river.

The guy rebuys and raises to $10 from 2nd position the very next hand. I have AJo in CO, and end up calling. I could certainly have raised it up here, but the opponent seemed pretty capable + likely not in a folding mood now. BTN also calls, and BB does the same. So we go 4-ways to K-K-8 two hearts, which checks around. Same goes for the 5 turn.

River is an Ace, and after BB check the raiser bets out $20. I call, and beat his very wide open with A2o.



Good stack now, but as soon as I dragged in the chips I realized that I could have raised the river in the previous hand. As played, AQ is the absolute best hand that opponent can have in this spot. All other Ax combos I beat, and if I put in a raise to $50 or something I am pretty sure they will call. I will obviously have to be prepared to bet-fold if he comes over the top, but that's trivial. I really think I should have considered a raise in this spot, and that it's a good spot to do so.

Either way, session is crusing along, I am winning, and haven't faced any difficult decisions. I play for a little bit longer, and decide to leave once the current round has finished.

Then it folds to me in cutoff, and I have K7hh. Seems like a fine open to $12 with 3 pretty tight players behind, and a chart-thing I have on my phone confirms this (K7s is a 100% open). An OWC (Old Woman Coffee) calls on the button, and the other two folds.

Flop comes Q-5-6 one heart, and with two backdoors I think this is good enough to start a bet. I make it $13 and she calls after thinking about for a bit. Her call didn't seem particularly confident to me, so when I get the perfect 3h on turn, it's time to go for it. She has around $100 left, and with all my equity but only K high we need to ensure we get a fold. So I bet $56 into $54, fully realizing I have to call if she jams. She indeed jams, and I have to call for only $40 more (her total was $96).

River is a Q no heart, and I am left with King high. She shows A6o for the winner. Sigh. This loss felt a bit deflating, simply because she is in there with a hand she has no business playing pre, and the turn should be a clear fold for her in my opinion. But since she doesn't understand poker, she just goes with it and gets lucky against one of the few hands in my range that she can beat.

I leave shortly after, with a frustrating $6 loss. At one point I was up almost $150, and although I know I did everything right it's not a fun mental shift having to report a losing session instead of another nice little winner. But such is the life of poker - we can only do the best play in each situation, but we cannot do anything with what our opponents decide on.

Time flies fast in Vegas, but I am going to squeeze in a very quick visit to the gym now. Afterwards, I will hopefully feel energized and can head out for an evening session.


Cash Games:

Hours played: 15h 15 min
Won/loss: +$1040 USD
Hourly rate: $68.2 USD

Tournaments:

Profit/loss: -$24 USD (2 played)

at the final table of an MTT in our room 7/8 years ago, seat 9 was button (and chip leader) and announced all in. Seat 1 was SB, had headphones on, missed the action and limped. Floor adjudicated it as a call of the all in and SB busted.

I'm really enjoying you sharing your thought process on such a large volume of hands.

Thanks, appreciate it Been enjoying your thread too!

We’re building up to the most bountiful time of year for trip reports!

Everyone that has one going now is doing GREAT so far

Aren't you on the other side of the world? I did say U.S.

Don't fall for this, oldest trick in the book!

This is pure gold.

Very nice value bet on the river. I don't think many 1/3 players would have found that bet. I might have sheepishly checked behind myself.

Thanks for the jinx!

tournaments are different. cash games are more relaxed

Lovin some Big whale dry humor

Morning everyone, and thanks for all the positive comments! Really encouraging to read, even if I don't reply to many of them.

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Yesterday evening, after a very quick trip the gym, I decided to head out to Ceasars for an evening-ish session. Took an Uber over and got immediately seated in a game that I quickly could see was not very tough. There was one good Asian player (who eventually left), but also a tiny Asian girl who just kept giving away chips + some limp happy players etc.

I was however very card dead the first hour, only occasionally finding something to play. First spot was when there is a limp for $3 from the Asian woman, an OMC on the button makes it $12 and Asian in SB calls. I have KQo in BB and considered squeezing, but even though the OMC had been opening a few pots since I came here, I didn't have enough information yet to say if he was doing it light or not. So I just called, and the limper followed suit.

(the OMC was interestingly enough a bit splashy, and definitely didn't always had it, I later learned)

Either way, we go 4-ways to A-Q-6, which checks around. I am thinking that if SB checks the turn as well, this pot is mine. Instead he comes out leading for $20. In hindsight I folded too quickly here, as even though he is the only one who could have an Ace, he is also the only other one recognizing the situation and I have position. So I should maybe have called once here to see what he does on the river. As it was, I folded, and he showed an Ace to the table before raking in the chips.

Then UTG, a rather straight forward player, makes it $15 and before I even can look down at my hand on the button the Asian woman in BB calls (not the first time she has not followed the action). I point it out to the dealer, and then look down at no less than KK. I bump it up to $50, and she actually calls the $50 as well from BB while original raiser folds. Definitely not unhappy with this result given how poor she was playing. Flop comes J-9-7 two spades (I have none), thus after she checks I size it up to $70 (into $116). Many hands that can call this board, but she just folds quickly.

A few hands later she limps again, there is another limp behind, the OMC makes one of his many small raises to $12, and I have 64ss in BB. Maybe a bit loose, but i wanted to play against AW (Asian Woman), so I call and the other two follow suit. Flop comes 2-3-9, and checks around.

Turn is a J, and once again it checks around. River comes a 7, and I should maybe bluff small for like $20 here? Seems like no one has anything, and I could easily have turned the Jack here. Instead I just gave up, and KT high from second limper won the pot. A missed opportunity there for sure.

More limping for $3, and then a player makes it $11 from MP. Good Asian calls button and I have JThh in SB. My first thought it to 3-bet, but then I see that the raiser only has $150 behind or so. Thus it will be very awkard to play post against him, and I will have to fold if he jams. So I just call, and limper also calls.

We see A-J-2 on the flop, and it checks around. That makes it easy for me on the 3 turn, I bet $20 and everyone folds. So despite being somewhat card dead, I am quite happy with finding a few spots to pick up chips.

A while later a player limps from 3rd position, and I have 89cc on the button. Against only one limper I am going to raise my normal range in these spots, and 89s would be an easy BTN-open. So we raise it to $15, and he is the only caller.

I smash the flop with K-T-6 all clubs, heck I even have a straight flush draw if needed! He checks, I bet $15 and he calls. Turn comes a 9 (no club), and after he checks I increase the sizing to $45. He thinks for a bit but then calls again. River is a T, and he thinks for a bit before checking.

Despite a full house coming in, I don't think he have too many of those in his range. I also can't see him having a Ten here, because that one likely folds out on turn, unless he has something like QTo with Qc. But a King is his most likely holding, so I didn't want to go too big here, I decided on $90 (into $154) and he looks pained for a while before finally calling. That is good news.



I also win the very next hand, raising AQcc over a limp from the solid Asian. Only the OMC in BB calls, and we go heads-up to 6-7-T no clubs. Not really my favorite against a BB defend-range, so after he checks, I check it back. Turn is more appealing, as it comes an Ace. He surprisingly leads out $20, and I call. I obviously beat some Aces, but I think raising might be too thin here?

River is the 3s which fills a backdoor flush. He thinks and checks, and I have to get some value here. There are obviously some Aces with two pair here, but also many unpaired ones that will call a modest bet. So I make it $37, but he just folds quickly. Seems he was just trying a weird turn-lead since I checked turn, and didn't have much.

After folding for a while, we get a fun one. It starts with the OMC limping from $3 UTG, and a new grinder-type (who took the place of Asian grinder) makes it $12 from EP1. I have TT, and should maybe 3-bet in position. But since this guy was new to the table and seemed pretty decent, I didn't particularly want to go to war with him. So I just called, and the OMC also calls.

K-T-7 rainbow. Well, this is going to be interesting. OMC checks, the raiser bets $15 and I decide to make an unusual slow play and just call. I think if I raise here, he will correctly range me on KT+, and be good enough to get away from strong hands along the way. That said, maybe I am overestimating the opponent and should just raise regardless. Also, both QJ and 89 are draws on the flop, which is all the more reason to raise.

The OMC also calls, and we see the 7 turn. That's pretty amazing. OMC checks, the raiser checks, and I go with the old adage of "If you are thinking of slow playing, bet small". So I make it $35 (into $85), the OMC calls quickly, and the raiser thinks for a long time before flicking in the call as well.

River is an A, which worried me for 0.2 seconds, before realizing that PFR would never have played AA this passive. So I have the nuts, and hopefully someone made a straight here with QJ. The OMC maybe did, because he jams in his remaining chips ($120 maybe?). Raiser quickly folds, and I immediately put out a stack and show my hand. Never got to see what the OMC had, but I didn't see any point in waiting for him to show.



A bit later a tight Spanish player raises to $15 from early pos, having hardly played any hands this session. I have 55 in SB; another one of these spots where I have to call instead of 3-bet. So that is what I do, and we go heads-up to T-T-7. I check, and he quickly checks back.

Green light on the 3 turn then to take it down, and I throw out $16. He thinks for a bit and call. River is another 3, which I think is a great card. He likely peeled with Ace high on turn, and my pair still plays. While I could throw out a small bet and maybe get called, I rather wanted to give him the chance to be a hero. So I make it $52 (into $66), but he folds fairly quickly.

More winning, when I raise a black ATo to $12 from MP, and BB calls. Flop comes J-T-4 two clubs, and I have Ac in my hand. He comes out leading for $13, which I am more than happy to call with some devious plans if a club hits. Turn comes a 5, and he now checks.

This is one of those spots where the hand is easier to play if I bet, rather than check back and reveal my mediocre hand strength. I can also get value from draws and worse Tx. So we use the good old "variable turn sizing" (copyright Bart Hanson), and throw out $17 into $51. He folds quickly, so I have no idea what he could have had.

Overall, this felt like another one of those sessions where I cannot do anything wrong, and I think I am playing pretty darn well. So we know what that means.. it's disaster time.

It starts innocently enough with a limped pot, and I complete SB with 96o - which is likely closer to a fold than a complete. But we go 5-ways to 6-8-8, which checks around. Turn is a T, and now AW (on her fourth and last buy-in that I saw) leads out for $10 after having limped for UTG. Same guy from last hand calls, and I think for a bit and call. I think both a 6 and a 7 are likely outs here, although I wouldn't hate folding either.

River comes a 7, so we make our straight. Obviously have to lead out here to ensure it doesn't check around, so I throw out $25. Then AW tries to move all-in for her remaining $80, but does it in two motions so only the first amount is allowed to stand (min-raise to $50). While I am thinking on how to proceed, the third player goes into the thank for a while, before announcing "all-in" for $193 total.

I groan, while trying to make sense of the hand. My first thought is to fold, because I only have $25 invested on the river and I am likely just calling for a chop. I then start thinking about the hand combinations he could have, and realize that even though US players love to slow play, I cannot see what kind of full house he could have here. Surely he would have wanted to put in a bit more money with 8x earlier in the pot, so unless he was getting trappy with 87 or rivered 77 I strongly doubt he has a boat. And doesn't he look like the kind of guy who would just think a straight is the nuts here, and pile it in?

(yes, he does, but I am still only calling for a chop, and with so little invested I can easily fold here).

So I obviously flick in the call, and AW does the same. The fishy opponent did not, as I expected, have any kind of full house. He had the one combo that I completely forgot to think about in my reasoning: J9o for a higher straight.

This was the first time this trip that I genuinely got frustrated in a game, with myself of course. I'm having trouble understanding how I could give away such a big portion of my stack like that, especially since this spot is completely avoidable and 100% my own fault from start to finish.

I probably have a poor mental game, because this pot affected me a bit afterwards. I did play some more hands, but the game started to turn worse and worse. The loose OMC and AW left the game, and was replaced by a Grinder Asian and a very aggressive white guy, and suddenly all hands started with a raise from aggressive players.

Two quick hands more, first one when I raised 66 to $12 from UTG, got two callers, but took it down with a $17 bet on 7-5-5.

I also 3-bet the grinder guy who I only flatted with TT earlier; he made it $12 and I make it $35 with AKo. He calls, and we go heads-up to J-T-4. He checks, and instead of betting small ($25?) I chicken out with a check, thinking he won't fold much on this board.

Turn comes another 4, river is a 9, and I just check it down and let his 33 win the pot. Obviously I am being a bit result oriented in my thinking now, but I win that pot 100% of the time if I just breathe on it on the flop.

I realize I am probably not playing my best, and although it felt a bit early to call it a night I decided to just take a $290 profit and live to fight another day.

Getting back to Mandalay Bay took ages; Uber cancelled trips on me twice when the car started to get close to pick-up point, so I was left with having to take a Taxi back.

Although I was a bit frustrated with myself last night, it's still amazing to wake up in Vegas (Katy Perry approves?). It's still only Monday, so plenty of days left to get after it. I have a concrete plan for today, but we can get back to that one later. View from room:



PS: I ended up not going to the concert at 'House Of Blues' yesterday evening, that I mentioned in my original post. Brother had bought the tickets, and he is the one most familiar with the group we were gonna see etc. So I just didn't feel like going alone, when I could instead play poker


Cash Games:

Hours played: 18h 00 min
Won/loss: +$1320 USD
Hourly rate: $73.3 USD

Tournaments:

Profit/loss: -$24 USD (2 played)

A bit of an oxymoron?