PardoG's Annual WSOP TR (6/16-6/22)
Well, well, well! Hello friends. It's TR season and that WSOP summertime is upon us once again.
My June trip marks my 29th visit to Las Vegas, and my 19th summer WSOP trip. Have been out every summer each year for the past 21 years except COVID (2020) and the year after COVID (2021). Yes, that's right friends, my inaugural WSOP trip was indeed 2003, and well, you know what happened that year. For any of you who follow me on Twitter (probably not many), you'll recognize in my bio that I hold the claim to fame of beating Chris Moneymaker at a final table in an epic 45 minutes heads up battle, this was obviously not in 2003, and it was certainly not a notable event, but rather a 109 entry $300 dollar private club home game tournament. Nonetheless, that was an amazing poker fanboy experience and some say I shouldn't even ask for any WSOP tourney success since I've already had a poker fan dream of sorts once already. Pffft. The cat is not satisfied. Since my witness of Chris's epic run in 2003, fate has brought Chris and I together once since then, and I remain unable to escape poker's unrelenting grip.
A couple of years ago I broke my TR cherry, and then followed it up with another report in 2023. Links below for those who care to skim through to get a feel if you like the cut of my jib. For those unfamiliar, and not compelled to revisit history, here is typically what you can expect from a Pardo,G. trip report:
-Lot's of cash game poker (I started in tournaments like many, but been primarily a cash game player for a long time). PLO is the drug of choice, but of course we play 2 card chicken (aka the thing you humans call NL texas hold em), and we most certainly dabble in mixed games wherever and whenever we can. 1-2, 2-5, 5-5, and even some 5-10 (if you're lucky).
-I will certainly fire SOME tournament(s) - have to give the people what they want. Most likely 1100 Wynn Turbos, 800 Aria Daily, potentially 1K PLO at WSOP - the only event going on the week I am there I feel like playing
-Pit degeneracy - Coffee and Blackjack is often a theme for me as an early riser from the US east coast, and to mix things up. I will probably spin the devils wheel a bit, and maybe even throw them bones.
-Fancy Feast - Food, Food and more food - one of my favorite parts about vegas is the food.
-Wildcards - past reports included things like high roller, Meowolf's omega mart/Area 51, Planet 13 to get us LIFTED, comedy shows/Cirque shows etc. Gotta mix some stuff in
-Loafing - as a high end cat, I enjoy the occasional spa treatment, maybe a grooming, a little shopping for the mate etc.
This year, as every year for the past 10 years or so, we'll be staying at the Encore. For me, WynnEncore second to none, and we must indulge - plus love the PLO there and the tournies. Background about me can be find in the previous reports but Married, 2 kids, BIG corporate job, yet still a slave - working towards early retirement and a life of leisure hopefully between 55-60. We'll see. For poker trips I'm almost always exclusively solo, and will be again for this one. This is one of my shorter trips sadly, only 6 nights (used to go for 2 weeks, nowadays lucky to get away for just the week). Plan to get back to longer trips as the kids get older hopefully.
2022
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
2023
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
Looking forward to sharing this years trip with y'all - let's enjoy the ride together.
PardoG
Suite looks AMAZING.
[QUOTE=PardoG;58605902]We pull up to the Encore and experience all the feels, all the vibes etc. win lose or draw this has become a trip I look forward to each and every year to escape the trappings and pressures of everyday mundane routine life as a corporate guy with a family. To be clear, my wife and kids are amazing and I love them
With all my heart but working a very high pressure global job and raising two young kids leaves little time to just decompress - I guess it’s fitting it’s Father’s Day so I’m entitled….at least today! Lol.
Enjoy the You time. Even great Dad's and successful corporate guys are entitled to a break from reality that is all about them. Hope you run memorably well.
Wynn/Encore nicest room I’ve stayed in Vegas, by far. That spa/massage solid also, bounced between warm pool and colder one. Felt great. Poker room rate there (for someone with no status/table play) at 149/night and 199 Friday/Saturday before fee and tax a reasonable rate these days.
Will be following for cash game reports…I’ll be arriving Wednesday with no specific plans except finding profitable 2-5 (maybe 5-10).
Run well!
Five or six hours for the poker rate?
I used to stay at Bellagio a lot on the poker rate, during and just after the Wynn ownership period. There was a weird time in Vegas when it was hard to get any kind of decent weekend room for 200 bucks. I was staying at Wynn and Bellagio all the time, on the poker rate.
What's Aria's rate?
Room service lunch - we had the $100 dollar food credit which is real easy to burn at WynnCore.
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (9/10) and a side of Mozzarella Stix (8.5/10) cause why not? It’s Father’s Day - let’s go. For some reason they included some random orange juice lol no idea why but really nice to relax and eat in peace after a long day of travel.
After that, spa treatment was great, then we headed over to Cosmo to The Barbershop to get the haircut. My barber was named Yun - a very attractive and fun (but crazy lol) barber who did a nice job cutting the hair. Got to enjoy a couple of modelos pre haircut and during haircut, a nice touch but also to be expected for a 75 dollar haircut. Yun tells me about her experience moving to Vegas from Korea ten years ago, doing many jobs on the strip including dealing in the pit which she hated - “don’t like taking money from people, like to be artistic and create”. She created me a might fine haircut and now we roll to Mizumi for dinner which I’m super psyched for. For all the times I’ve stayed at this complex, never had the pleasure of dining there.
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Dinner at Mizumi was good, but I cant’ say it blew me away - maybe I just such high expectations but at the end of the day it’s just super high quality hibachi food.
Beautiful restaurant of course and as always, very entertaining, but I actually don’t think I’d go back ….at least not at that price point eating alone etc. you pay one fixed price for the dinner and you get a lot of different things ….would say though that portions of any one thing weren’t huge and i easily finished the dinner
Appetizer courses - Miso soup, one cooked shrimp with shishito peppers, some Yellowtail sashimi and a couple pieces of tempura (7.5/10) none were memorable sadly
Dinner - got the Japanese A1 sirloin dinner with noodles as my choice. Meat was awesome, enjoyed dipping it in some of the sauces , vegetables were good - didn’t care for the noodles - had a seeet almost cinnamon or apple flavor - asked for the rice instead and that was great. Overall the dinner was 8/10.
Following dinner , we went to Planet 13 for some obligatory Catnip. Got a small pack of indica gummies to help with sleep, and some Sativa pre rolls.
This is now officially the longest I’ve ever been in Vegas without placing a single bet. After traveling and running around all day, I’m pretty shot and poker is out of the question without some sleep. I might throw down a sports bet but I may just sleep for a bit and start cash games on the graveyard shift , which is typically my bread and butter out here in the summer anyway.
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We slept from about 8 to 130am then sat down to play our first session of the trip and it’s 1/3 PLO, right here at the Wynn where the watermelons turn to juice! We sit for about 3 hours, and this is our stack upon departure about 1800 and change. We were in for 800, peaked at about 2100, but now playing 3 handed the game is dead. Nice to lock up our first session with a 1K win!
There were no real hands of consequence, I did get a 300 dollar pot sized river bet through with an A blocker for a nice one and I did trap a guy who had trips with my full house for some value on the river but other than that just picking spots and showing down some winners.
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After our 3/3.5 hour session, we head back to the room to rest up further for what will hopefully be a long day. While we are at it, still very hungry from our catnip treats and so room service breakfast it is. You know, literally every Vegas trip is different for me and this one has a bit of a bizarre distinction of featuring two room service meals within 24 hours which I’ve never done before - nice big breakfast is on the way and it lands well 8/10, and we are up again after a short nap. Now getting ready to head to the tournament streets this morning. Likely going to be playing $400 HORSE at the Golden Nugget but may do the $800 NLHE at Aria. Still deciding.
Sunday Totals: +925
(Cash Games: +925)
Trip Total: +925
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$400 dollar HORSE at the NUGGET Let’s gooooo - love the old school chips - reminds me of 20+ years ago playing at turning stone casino when I was 19 lol.
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Are 'we' using the 'royal we', or are you travelling with spouse/partner/SO? I'm not clear on that. Travel 1st class alone? Did you sit at the teppanyaki table alone with 7 strangers? (nttiawwt)
Are 'we' using the 'royal we', or are you travelling with spouse/partner/SO? I'm not clear on that. Travel 1st class alone? Did you sit at the teppanyaki table alone with 7 strangers? (nttiawwt)
Oh yes , we are traveling solo - 1st class checkkk - used miles for it (free - I travel a lot for work) , and yes I did sit at a mizumi solo - I don’t mind at all - I like eating alone but would have been fine to chat up my table mates (which I did a bit with the couple across from me…..they were from Turkey….nice people!
Coming up on Second break - 8 levels in and we have 23.5K from 20K starting. Could have been MUCH more but AK 3 times whiffed multi way in 3 bet LHE pots, lost 3 streets with KK and then in 08 just not scooping despite being massive fav going to the river.
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On break with idk like 80 limits getting huge now though - like 3K-6k
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Gogogogo!
Well that sucked….it only takes a few bad rounds at these blinds - got coolered in 08 in a couple spots in really couldn’t avoid then we bust in Razz multiway for a HUGE ONE with (A2)-4 vs (A6)-K and (23)-8. That hurt - that was a 100K chip pot by the end. Reflecting quickly on my game I was VERY happy - I played a tricky TAG style which irritated the mid reg locals , and I refused to be run over in stud , making some pretty big call downs. In the end, you can’t go deep in HORSE if you don’t make hands in the 7 card games , it’s just not happening. I had a blast playing though and my table was pretty fun for a HORSE tourney at the Nugget.
Did I immediately walk out to Fremont totally unphased, light up a fat one, grab a good ol’ MERICAN Miller Lite and waft on over to Pizza Rock?! Yeah bruh so what if I did? First time there and enjoyed it.
Zucchini Fries - wow perfection (10/10)
Margarita Pizza (their award winning pie) 8.5/10
I have to say, being Italian and having been to Italy several times (plus being an NYC native who also lived in CT and NJ) I’m as big as a pizza snob as you can get but I have to say I didn’t love this pie as much as I thought I would. Now, wood fire Neapolitan pizza isn’t my favorite style - I actually like shredded mozzarella- NYC or New Haven CT style more so I guess I’m biased but I’ve had better margaritas than this - it was a bit too floppy (maybe a tad too much tomato and just needed to cook about 1 minute longer). Oh well - on the way back we stop at the sports book and bet the money line on the Panthers tomorrow night. At -140 it’s certainly not great value but I would be shocked if the oilers can win tomorrow.
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Now I gotta ask the tough question. What’s better New Haven or nyc pizza ?
I’ve always wondered what it is that’s distinctive about New Haven pizza. I can describe NY, Detroit, Hawaiian, and Chicago deep dish (which isn’t really pizza, but that’s a separate convo).
Could you describe New Haven pizza for me?
I’ve always wondered what it is that’s distinctive about New Haven pizza. I can describe NY, Detroit, Hawaiian, and Chicago deep dish (which isn’t really pizza, but that’s a separate convo).
Could you describe New Haven pizza for me?
From the place I eat at I’d say cheesy and burnt crust . I can’t point out what makes it so good though .
I’ve always wondered what it is that’s distinctive about New Haven pizza. I can describe NY, Detroit, Hawaiian, and Chicago deep dish (which isn’t really pizza, but that’s a separate convo).
Could you describe New Haven pizza for me?
NH style is made in coal ovens, often from places who have been around and open forever so the ovens have the seasoning of thousands of pizzas cooked in. It looks burnt but it’s just a well done char, there is no flop to the crust, and the high heat and flavor from the coal oven give it a distinctive taste. It’s like just slightly thicker than NY style, but less thick than Boston and well done etc it’s amazing
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Back on the grind and this time it’s 1/3 NLHE at the Wynn - in for $500!
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Time to activate…
The Strawberry Julius rungood!!!
Finally in the mood for a few hand histories lol
Second orbit , short stack guy (buys in for 160? Or something) who’s been a little involved and has chipped up to like $200 main villain here…
Hero UTG ~$500 (QsQc) $13 , two calls, around to V in the SB he makes it $45, we 4 ball to $175 setting him all in, rest fold he snaps AK off and we lose that run out
Couple orbits later…
Hero MP ($500 ish after we top off from the QQ loss)15 KJss, kinda tilted young douchey guy who’s been playing way too many hands and poorly (covers with $850 ish) , goes $35 weak passive BB cold calls, hero 4 bets to $135 and they both call ($400 ish Flop), Q62 one spade hero $125, guy calls, BB folds, turn spade Ace hero jams $240 into $650 pot on he turn , young guy windmills KK into the muck face up and says he can’t believe how lucky I got. Racks up and storms out lmfao
An hour later we’ve bled off and just whiffed about $250 of our stack away and maybe we are sitting with like $615 ish at this point when the following hand comes up: we are dealt 5h4h on the BTN. The villain is an older casual/rec but he certainly could be classified as a reg or OMC type but he’s got a more standard/wide range then most of these type at these stakes. Fairly active player in MP opens to $16, V thinks for awhile and calls, folds to me in the BTN and we go $40, initial Mp raiser folds and then to the V who takes a long time and does something odd. He reached for more chips like he was coming with the 4 and then he just calls (highly sus). Flop ($90) A38 with one heart. He checks, we $35, he again takes a long time and calls, Turn ($160) is a 9h, he checks and normally I would bomb this turn maybe like 2/3 or 3/4 pot , but although I originally had him on 99-JJ or maybe perfectly QQ , now I know he has AK at worst, probably AA. I check back to realize my equity and the River ($160) is a 8 of hearts completing my flush but pairing the board. Uncomfortable spot. He bets $200 (excellent bet btw IMO as it polarizes his range) but there really aren’t bluffs to be had here and he’s not doing this with AK etc - we made a disciplined fold. We are told later when we leave the game he does indeed have AA. Who knows if true, but I believe him.
Just racked up with $200 dollar loss. And it’s onto Wazuzu for later dinner before turning in for the night.
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So after our swingy and unprofitable 1/3 session, I head over to Wazuzu for some dinner and there is a wait so I sign up to get a table in 30-40 minutes. In the meantime we play $100 dollars of video poker, and $200 on roulette blanking on both attempts sadly and we head over to dinner. It’s Mongolian Beef and a side of white rice - unfortunately forgot to take a picture. It’s a solid staple of their menu and was generally up to part this time around think I will say seemed a little light on the beef. 8/10.
We come back, indulge in some bedtime cat nip and the mini bar potato chips to close it out. Time for sleep or at least hopefully a good nap.
Monday Totals:
Tourney: -$400
Cash Game -$200
Roulette: -$200
Video Poker:$-100
Sports Bet: TBD , game is Tuesday night.
$-900 on the day
Trip Totals
Sunday +925
Monday -$900
Current Trip Total +$25
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