WSOP Main Event Trip Report
Thought I’d do a trip report for my 2nd time playing the Main Event. Played NL cash for about 15 years (primarily 2/5, 5/5 and 5/10) and did well. In 2017 got the PLO bug and began playing that and haven’t looked back. Love the game and have done very well focusing on that. Play 1/3/6 or 5/5/10 and occasionally higher if the line up is good. Have my own business so don’t rely on poker for income, but it has been great for side $.
Usually go to the WSOP for 1 week to play a couple events. Prior to last year had some minor cashes, but nothing special. Some years just played cash when I went. Last year I decided to focus on PLO as opposed to playing NL tourneys and had a couple nice finishes. Have an edge in those events for sure. Lots of Holdem players play them for some reason and have no clue. Got 16th in a $1,500 Mixed PLO/NL WSOP event and 4th in the Aria PLO event during the series. This year did even better. Played 4 events and final tabled two. Took 8th in a WSOP PLO event and 4th in the Wynn NL Seniors Main Event.
Decided to come back and play the Main. Played it a few years ago pre-COVID and busted close to the money bubble. Could have probably coasted into the money as I had $80K after dinner on Day 3 but made a high variance move (some would call a punt) that didn't work out. Chance Kornuth was at my table and abusing the bubble raising every hand. No one was offering resistance as they all wanted to make the $. He raised and a Euro on the button called. I was in the BB with A6 suited and shipped knowing he was light and not thinking button could call without much of a hand. Chance snap folded so he had nothing, but the Euro says "I have to call". He had AK LOL. There was an Ace on the flop and I didn't hit my 6 and I was out. (See Pman we all make mistakes!). Hope to make the money this year. Will try to update after each day.
Playing 1D. Let’s go!
19 Replies
Hope everyone had a good year. Stoked for the WSOP again. Thought I'd update since my last post after last years main event and give y'all an updated sweat/report.
After last years main had some more good runs and was able to final table a large field main event mtt in September and came in 3rd for a $115k plus cash so 23 was a great year with 3 nice final tables.
Started off 24 hot and have made 3 final tables this year already including winning a WSOP circuit ring in one of the smaller $400 ring events. Which brings us to today. I'll be playing the WSOP Tournament of Champions today in LA and thought it might be a good time for another report. First goal is to bag tonight in this tough field.
Let's go!
GL!!
GL, Dreams, I'm in for your reports!
Good luck. Look forward to reading all about it.
Just under 1,200 people qualified and there were a lot of questions about how many people would show up since it was in LA rather than Vegas. At the close of registration there were just under 600 who made the trek.
You start with $40k in chips and to say the day didn't start that great would be an understatement.
Level 1 - 100/200/200
There was one Limper and I raise KQ diamonds $800. Flat behind, button calls and limper calls.
Flop J24 rainbow. One Diamond .
Bet 1200. Guy to left makes it 2400. Others fold, I call.
Plan to continue on any 10qka or diamond. Turn 3 hearts putting 2nd heart on board. Check , check.
River black 5. I lead out $2500 to represent wheel. He snaps with AJ. Oops.
Hand 2 - UTG makes it $500. I flat 55 spades and clubs. Guy to my immediate left and bb call. Flop A23 with 23 clubs. Checks to me and I bet $1200 and all fold.
Hand 3 - UTG opens $600, I look down at AJ and make the tight fold. button 3 bets $1600. Flop A103 with two spades. Initial raiser checks then button bets and first guy calls. Turn K spades. Check check. River offsuit 5. Initial raiser shows 22 and button shows AQ with Q of spades. Very tight check by that guy with Q of spades in his hand. Another example of why playing AJ in a raised pot can get you in trouble if I would have played it because hard to fold when an A hits.
Hand 4 - Next hand I Raise QQ and get 3 callers. Flop A53. Bet out and all fold.
Missed some hands where I saw flops and folded to bets after missing the flop.
Level 2 - 2/3/3 - start of level $34.4k
Hand 5- Opener to $700, make it $1800 with AQ, guy to my left flats button. Sb makes it $4800. Original raiser goes all in. Me and the other two all fold. Reraiser said he had KK, to my left said he had AK suited and three bettor showed QQ and had made a great fold.
This level had no other hands of note just missed flops.
Level 3 - 2/4/4 - 25.6k
Hand 6 - Guy raises and several call. I call with 66. Flop A65 with all clubs. Checked to me and I bet. Initial raiser calls. Turn 9 offsuit. I go all in. He tanks and calls with A8 8 of clubs. Q spades on river. I actually put him in an A with a club but thought higher than 8 but good for me.
Other than that missed more flops.
Level 4 3/5/5 45.2k
Hand 7 - UTG raiser I flat 1010 and bb calls. Flop A92 with two spades and checked around. Turn offsuit 5. Bb leads, initial raiser folds and I call. River A spades and he bombs quickly pot size. I call and he says you are good and mucks so I didn't have to show. I used a timing tell on this one. When he snap bets ion a scary card like this it's typically always a bluff.
Level 5 3/6/6 - 59k
Hand 8 - Early open. I Flat 33 on the button. Bb calls. J82. Bb checks, raiser bets,I flat. Turn J. Check, check. River 6 and she bets pot. Call and she snap folds so I didn't have to show. The check on turn and large bet which seemed designed to get me to call caused me to call it.
Level 6 - 4/8/8 - 85k
Sorry I went through a few levels with no notes so next hand I notated was level 10.
165,000 at dinner break
Level 10 new table 1/2/2
Hand 9- 1 Limper and I make it 6k with 910 diamonds on button SB flats and limper calls. Flop 883 two spades. Both check to me and I bet $6k. Sb folds and limper calls after some thought. Turn K hearts. He checks and I bet $18k. I'm putting him on small pair. He counts his chips and I'm thinking he may go all in but he ultimately folds. Whew!
Level 12 - 170k no hands noted
Level 13 2/4/4
Hand 10 - Raise K9 clubs and get 3 callers. Flop QJ3 with QJ clubs. Bet flop and only SB calls, turn 5 diamonds. I bet and he calls. River 2 clubs. Bet and guy pays me off. When he sees my hand he flings his cards at the dealer. He was steaming for awhile.
Hand 11- He did get some chips back a bit later when I raised QJ on button and he called BB. Flop 107x with two hearts. Decided to check as he was short now and thought when he checked he might jam if I bet since he was gunning for me. Turn J and he leads into me small. Just call. River pairs the 7 and he leads pretty small. Don't think I'm getting called by worse so just call and he has KJ.
Level 15 (last level). 105 left and 100 get paid. 20 min left in level and they tell us 3 more hands until bagging after this one. I'm at another new table.
Hand 12- Asian guy raises 1 off button and I'm in SB and look down at KQ spades. Three bet and he calls. Flop K95. I lead and he calls. Turn J which I don't like. Check, check. River 9. I value bet quarter pot and he thinks for a bit and calls. I roll my hand over expecting to win and he rolls over AK😂.
Bagged over $160k. Avg is $113k. 104 left and 100 get paid so coming back to money bubble today. Let's go!
Will check back before I start to see if any questions but if not will update after day 2.
Also min cash at 100 is $2500 and winner will get $200k.
Thanks for sharing all of the hands. Hope you run well the rest of the way.
Good luck!
Any plo tournament tips?
Long time winning plo days player but very little experience with plo tournaments.
Hand 7 - UTG raiser I flat 1010 and bb calls. Flop A92 with two spades and checked around. Turn offsuit 5. Bb leads, initial raiser folds and I call. River A spades and he bombs quickly pot size. I call and he says you are good and mucks so I didn't have to show. I used a timing tell on this one. When he snap bets ion a scary card like this it's typically always a bluff.
Bagged over $160k. Avg is $113k. 104 left and 100 get paid so coming back to money bubble today. Let's go!
Well done, and lots of solidly played hands.
The above is always a great live tell - when someone instantly bets on a card that should warrant some pause, it's often a bluff. If he have like KK here or made trip Aces, he would take a few seconds to think on what the best sizing is etc.
Good luck!
Any plo tournament tips?
Long time winning plo days player but very little experience with plo tournaments.
The biggest thing is I play some of my draws much slower where as in a cash game if I flop a 5 card wrap with a flush draw I'm perfectly willing to get it in. A basic example would be a Q93 flop with two spades and you have 10Jk with spades and a guy pots into you (and pretty much always has a set). In a tourney I'm more apt to call and see a turn. I see so many people just jam in it and get called and then the board pairs and you are dead and out of the tourney.
I also focus heavily on position and fold a lot of early position hands I might play in a cash game. I'll also limp a lot of hands I'm willing to play to a raise but would not want to raise, get potted and have to call off on. I see a lot of people pot a hand like 8910J with a suit in early position then get repotted by AA and basically then have their tourney life depend on the result of the hand.
Last tip is absolutely never show your hand to the table unless you have to. I won a lot of hands without showing and a couple pros were always fishing asking what I had or did I have X? One of the biggest mistakes I saw yesterday was a couple people showing their hands when they didn't need to. Gave me some great info especially when they were bluffing.
Last tip is absolutely never show your hand to the table unless you have to. I won a lot of hands without showing and a couple pros were always fishing asking what I had or did I have X? One of the biggest mistakes I saw yesterday was a couple people showing their hands when they didn't need to. Gave me some great info especially when they were bluffing.
When they ask you what you had, how do you answer?
Level 16 - 4/8/8
First hand bb. Opener in late position to 1600. Call bb J10. Flop J98 with two diamonds. Check check.Turn 7 diamonds. I lead out $15k and she calls. River A spades. I lead $30 and she thinks a while and folds
A tell can save you. Raise and I look down at KQ offsuit on button. Was thinking what I was going to do when I see SB lining up his chips to go all in so I make the fold. Initial raiser calls with 77 and all in guy had QJ. Flop KKx. Turn 7.
Level 17 - 5/10/10 - $400k
Raise to 25 and I call in bb with 68. Flop 610J and I check and he bets $25. Turn J. Check, Check. River 7, I check and he snap bets $50. I use the quick bet tell again and call quickly. He says you are good K high but does show K9 so I show my 68.
UTG raise, I reraise with AK, he reraises and I make the fold. He told me on break he had KK.
471k at break
Level 18 - 6/12/12
Early position raiser. I call sb with 66. Flop AA8. Check and he bets. I call. Turn A. Check, check. River 4. Check, check and I'm good
Level 19 - 10/15/15
UTG raises. I'm in bb and 3 bet $95k. He calls. Flop AA5. I check and he bets $120 with 150 back. I ship and he snap folds.
UTG opens $35 and i three bet to $90 with JJ. He calls. Flop AQ8 and he checks. Bet $45 and he calls. Turn 6. Check, check. River 3 and he leads $150. I fold and he shows me A8. Horrible call pre but love having him on my right
2nd break - $734k
Level 20 10/20/20
UTG raises 45, guy calls 45, I flat 45, bb calls. Flop 754 with two spades. Original raiser bets 75, I call, and bb calls. Turn Q. Original raiser goes all in for 300. I fold and bb calls with Q6. Raiser had 1010 so I was behind. Clean river and he was out.
Played for awhile on the feature table where I wasn't really able to use my phone so had to quit taking hand notes. Finished in the final 27. Good experience and cashed for $6400. Ready for WSOP.
Nice run. Nice result. Congratulations!
great job
Level 16 - 4/8/8
Was tired after busting last night and just posted this quickly from my notes. See a few things that could use clarification so adding a few notes.
First hand bb. Opener in late position to 1600. Call bb J10. Flop J98 with two diamonds. Check check.Turn 7 diamonds. I lead out $15k and she calls. River A spades. I lead $30 and she thinks a while and folds.
This lady actually has won 8 rings which is pretty incredible. She has won 6 in the past two years. After she busted she told me
Notes added in above where I missed listing some of my hands in original post.
