Vegas Recapp
The Beginning
After being unsure whether I would make a return to the desert, I finally decided in late May that I would not only return for the WSOP but stay for the entire summer. The plan was to arrive May 29th and leave as soon as I busted the main event.
I was coming in with the most confidence I ever have coming into my career after a career month in May and ready to hopefully get to play some higher stakes. My first WSOP (only a week) I was a recreational who played 1/2 and fired a bullet in the colossus, my second WSOP was a full month where I played 2/5 and played my first 5/10 sessions, and like the previous trips this one would be full of firsts.
I arrived the 29th and was already running good after being assigned the middle seat on my flight and somehow not having a neighbor to either side to me, I arrive and head to my sh*tty air bnb hoping it's not as bad as the pictures. I get driven to the studio and feel like I've been transported to the set of Breaking Bad where a meth deal went wrong. Thankfully the inside is nicer and I save a few bucks by renting a cheap place.
Beginning... Heatterrrrr
I go to the strip and meet up with Gazzy B, who is in the same CFP as me as a coach. We immediately lose $200 playing $10 BJ. Fantastic. We head and play a few sessions of 2/5 and both get off to a good start because live poker is the gift that keeps on giving. Eventually, the degen ends up convincing me to fire a $400 timbey, I am hesitant but decide why not. I win flips and don't punt to finish 3rd for a +5k day. Actually fantastic.
I continue to run good and win although I feel like I'm not playing that well and not adjusting great to the live game.
Downswing...
I lose 5k.
I lose $600.
I win $1,500.
I lose $2,000 playing Baccarat
Don't play Baccarat
Don't play Baccarat
Don't play Baccarat
I lose $300 more playing Baccarat
Time off
Played about 115 hours before my girlfriend, girl friend, and other friend come to visit me. I take a nice long break from poker and visit Lake Meade and go to some of the clubs and actually do some tourist stuff while in Vegas. I celebrate my 6 months with my gf, life is good.
Don't play Baccarat.
Latter half of the trip
My coaches arrive, they live in a swanky mansion, I internally contemplate how many of my studios would fit in this gargantuan mansion. I hang out with my coaches, really cool dudes, go to a UFC fight, do some go karting and win some credit card flips for dinner.
I finally start playing well and digging myself out of the hole.
Have a 4k losing day.
Don't play Baccarat. Thank God.
End of the trip
Move into my coaches mansion for last two weeks. Talk a lot of poker, try to absorb as much info as I can.
Play even better, results turn up slightly and I'm content but getting homesick...just the main even remains...
The Main Event
I'v played professionally for over a year and a half now. I have never gotten so anxious and excited for a day of poker than I did for this day. After forcing myself to bed early, I get up at 6 AM (5 hours before play begins) I am amped. I eat breakfast, meditate, and study push fold range upto 20bb from every position for the next 3 hours.
I arrive at 10:45 AM, A german looking guy sits next to my direct left, I look at his receipt, Uri Rechenstein. I hendon that **** and look that he has 1.2mm in earnings, ok so he's a reg. Another guy who I played 5/10 with sits down, and he was one of the better regs in the game sits two to my left. The rest of my table sits down as is loose/passive. I'm pretty active and chip up to 54k early, no big pots but was overbetting early and often. I am right next to feature table and hear a big groan (Selbst and Baumann hand).
We get moved to a new table, I swear I recognize the one guy two to my left but can't figure who it is. He speaks to the dealer in an angelic voice and I realize it's Nick Schulman. He quickly chips up and is table leader, we don't mix up too much.
I chip up to 70k after bluffcatching terrible aggro reg with A
A
in 3bp after he raised turn of Q
4
6
2
River is a brick and he pots and I call after 30 secs. He mucks.
I then made a massive explo fold with 88 on A87ss52, where I get c/j on river. Very weird spot since I felt pretty positive he wasn't bluffing but was pretty sure he didn't have AA based on timing calls on flop and turn. He ended up having 96ss so was happy with that.
I start running very strong hands into nutted hands and run truly worse than I have all summer, with 6 minutes left in Day 1 I jam AKss for 15bbs and am called by QQ and don't improve.
Felt very content with how I played and didn't mind the result. The main is by far the best structured tournament I'd have ever played and felt like I had a pretty big edge on the field, just unfortunately didn't work out. I think everyone should give it a shot at least once though!
Chip Porn/Misc.
Decent 5/10 stack
First Main
When your friend binks a tourney and you didn't buy any action
Am a fan of the plaques
Going forward
Will start streaming again next Tuesday and every Tuesday following that. I am continuing to coach which has been helpful and still looking to take on students.
I don't think I'll be able to move past 500/1k until I'm done with my CFP in December, so will mostly keep grinding those stakes and keep studying.
Been playing some really good players HU, despite being -EV. Too much fun though
This year's Vegas trip was a bit of a grind so I'm sure I'll shorten it for next year.
Ok enough rambling some fun HH since I've been back mashing buttons
1.) Right side of a cooler
partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
UTG: 101.97 BB (VPIP: 26.13, PFR: 17.12, 3Bet Preflop: 4.00, Hands: 114)
CO: 105.66 BB (VPIP: 21.45, PFR: 15.76, 3Bet Preflop: 6.43, Hands: 2,745)
BTN: 213.32 BB (VPIP: 20.28, PFR: 15.37, 3Bet Preflop: 7.06, Hands: 11,852)
SB: 66.39 BB (VPIP: 29.60, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 3.13, Hands: 127)
Hero (BB): 120.68 BB
SB posts SB 0.5 BB,
Hero posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6
7
UTG raises to 3 BB,
fold,
fold,
fold,
Hero calls 2 BB
Flop: (6.5 BB, 2 players) 4
Q
5
Hero checks,
UTG bets 4.4 BB,
Hero raises to 16 BB,
UTG calls 11.6 BB
Turn: (38.5 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero checks,
UTG checks
River: (38.5 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero bets 101.68 BB and is all-in,
UTG calls 82.97 BB and is all-in
Hero shows 6
7
(Straight Flush, Seven High)
(Pre 51%, Flop 42%, Turn 5%)
UTG mucks 4
4
(Full House, Fours full of Queens)
(Pre 49%, Flop 58%, Turn 95%)
Hero wins 18.71 BB
Hero wins 203.85 BB
2.) zzzz
PokerStars - $2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
UTG: 214.78 BB (VPIP: 28.10, PFR: 22.59, 3Bet Preflop: 5.84, Hands: 2,520)
CO: 181.54 BB (VPIP: 20.30, PFR: 15.41, 3Bet Preflop: 6.99, Hands: 12,011)
BTN: 54.5 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
Hero (SB): 100 BB
BB: 337.25 BB (VPIP: 26.07, PFR: 19.74, 3Bet Preflop: 8.37, Hands: 8,431)
Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J
A
fold,
fold,
BTN raises to 2 BB,
Hero raises to 8 BB,
fold,
BTN calls 6 BB
Flop: (17 BB, 2 players) 7
7
7
Hero bets 6 BB,
BTN calls 6 BB
Turn: (29 BB, 2 players) 8
Hero checks,
BTN checks
River: (29 BB, 2 players) 5
Hero checks,
BTN bets 28 BB,
Hero calls 28 BB
BTN shows K
J
(Three of a Kind, Sevens)
(Pre 25%, Flop 18%, Turn 13%)
Hero shows J
A
(Three of a Kind, Sevens)
(Pre 75%, Flop 82%, Turn 88%)
Hero wins 83.5 BB
3.) Another coolah
PokerStars - $2 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
CO: 57.23 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)
BTN: 100 BB (VPIP: 27.54, PFR: 20.57, 3Bet Preflop: 7.25, Hands: 885)
SB: 114.9 BB (VPIP: 25.40, PFR: 16.01, 3Bet Preflop: 4.76, Hands: 780)
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 118.78 BB (VPIP: 46.15, PFR: 34.62, 3Bet Preflop: 27.27, Hands: 26)
Hero (UTG+1): 112.93 BB
MP: 178.62 BB (VPIP: 26.06, PFR: 19.73, 3Bet Preflop: 8.37, Hands: 8,434)
MP+1: 245.26 BB (VPIP: 28.07, PFR: 22.58, 3Bet Preflop: 5.84, Hands: 2,523)
MP+2: 71.67 BB (VPIP: 64.29, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 5
5
fold,
Hero raises to 3 BB,
MP calls 3 BB,
fold,
fold, CO calls 3 BB,
fold,
fold, BB calls 2 BB
Flop: (12.5 BB, 4 players) A
J
5
BB checks,
Hero checks,
MP bets 7.13 BB,
fold,
fold,
Hero calls 7.13 BB
Turn: (26.75 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero checks,
MP bets 18 BB,
Hero calls 18 BB
River: (62.75 BB, 2 players) 5
Hero checks,
MP bets 47 BB,
Hero raises to 84.8 BB and is all-in,
MP calls 37.8 BB
Hero shows 5
5
(Four of a Kind, Fives)
(Pre 19%, Flop 4%, Turn 2%)
MP shows A
A
(Full House, Aces full of Fives)
(Pre 81%, Flop 96%, Turn 98%)
Hero wins 230.85 BB
4.) Ok im just running good tbh
partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 3 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
SB: 181.04 BB (VPIP: 27.07, PFR: 19.63, 3Bet Preflop: 6.28, Hands: 4,372)
Hero (BB): 109.55 BB
BTN: 103.67 BB (VPIP: 26.75, PFR: 20.51, 3Bet Preflop: 8.93, Hands: 11,899)
SB posts SB 0.5 BB,
Hero posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8
9
fold,
SB raises to 3 BB,
Hero raises to 10 BB,
SB raises to 24.5 BB,
Hero calls 14.5 BB
Flop: (49 BB, 2 players) 9
9
2
SB bets 18.76 BB,
Hero calls 18.76 BB
Turn: (86.52 BB, 2 players) 7
SB bets 137.78 BB and is all-in,
Hero calls 66.29 BB and is all-in
River: (219.1 BB, 2 players) 6
SB shows J
J
(Two Pair, Jacks and Nines)
(Pre 81%, Flop 12%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows 8
9
(Three of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 19%, Flop 88%, Turn 95%)
SB wins 71.49 BB
Hero wins 218.7 BB