Poker Trips 2024 / 2025
This trip report follows on from my WSOP trip report here
WSOPC Horseshoe
Day Six - Sunday March 22nd
We wake up after getting a full 8 hours sleep. That’s a big win for me in Vegas and it was much needed.
We further recharge the batteries with some sun and a swim, relaxing by the pool in the morning. It’s warming up nicely. In the 70’s today.
Reflecting on yesterday’s tournament. Really happy with how I played. Sometimes after a tournament I think I could have gone further or done better but this time I think we out-kicked our coverage and got the most possible out of it. We were pretty much always short and never able to get ahead of the curve to allow us to put pressure on and be more creative.
Looking at the final table the chip leader got eliminated first and the short stack went on to win it.
Probably the best two players at the final table were the first two eliminated. Some might even say the best three players were the first three eliminated, some might say, I could not possibly comment. [emoji6]
But that’s tournament poker and not to take anything away from John Briskman who won it. I played with him in a tournament at the Wynn on my last trip. He’s a solid player, quiet. Probably some other players might underestimate him. I actually had him all-in when he was short two tables out in Razz. We started 456 he started A6T and ran out better.
Anyway, today is a new day, we feel 100% let’s play some Omaha 8. But first, lunch at the Mediterranean place.
We start slow, down to 16k from 25k starting at the first break.
It’s like a sauna in the Normandy ballroom. The AC is not working. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been too hot playing poker in Vegas. Normally it’s the exact opposite.
A few people said they weren’t going to re-enter because of the temperature.
We nearly had that decision to make as we were all-in for our last 8k with two callers.
AK25 and the runout was KJ883
AK good enough to scoop and we have a starting stack again at the 2nd break.
BigWhale comes over to say hello. He looks better than I would after his travel ordeal and it seems his game has arrived unaffected as he final tables the $250 turbo.
We note our stack at 50k on the 3rd break and the end of late reg. (Same 12 levels of late reg as the TORSE and same 30 minute mini-dinner break)
We have a good session after dinner pushing on to 148k at the next break with 25 players remaining and 19 getting paid.
Unfortunately we have a bad last couple of levels.
We raise with AA26 and get two callers
Flop: 5-5-K
We c-bet and get raised by Kathy Chang. We call.
Turn: T
We check, she bets, we fold.
While we’re playing this hand 2 people bust at other tables and we’re in the money.
Last hand of the night we raise with A244 and get 3-bet by Shirley Rosario. We call.
Flop: K-2-8
We check, she bets, we call.
Turn: T
We check, she bets, we call.
River: 5
We check, she bets, we call.
She has AK44 and three quarters us.
So we end up with this measly bag of only 85k
15th of 16 remaining and we’ll be going back to 15k - 30k limits.
We’ll just have to play our short-stacked ass off again.
Re-start tomorrow at 1pm
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Congratulations on the cash, and GL in today's day 2. Run it up!
Good stuff again Tony!
LVL having some tourney success at the moment
No live updates on wsop.com. Boo.
WSOPC Horseshoe
Day Seven - Monday March 24th
Usual pool time in the morning. It’s still getting hotter. In the 80’s today.
For lunch walked across the bridge from MGM to NYNY
To go to Eatily.
Gnocchetti con ragú toscano
And tiramisu for dessert. (Obviously)
First time I’ve been on the other side of the strip this time.
Even though I was very short going back for the O8 re-start I was still confident we could spin it up and get into contention.
Seemed to have found the perfect spot early on. All in pre.
AAQ5 for us vs AJJ2
Flop: 2-4-6 (we’re scooping)
Turn: 5 (we’re getting 3/4)
River: J (we get only 1/4)
Are you f**king kidding me?
We went from scooping, to getting 3/4 to only getting 1/4 and losing half our stack. Not the best turn and really gross river.
Thereafter followed several all-ins where we managed to stay alive getting half a pot here and a quarter there. We might have even got 3/4 of one.
Somehow we did manage to make the final table. (Update from poker.org)
We don’t get a playable hand in the first orbit so lose half our stack paying the blinds.
We don’t see anything in the second orbit either until we get AQ45 under the gun. Probably won’t get a better hand than this on our big blind next hand so we go with it.
We’re called in two spots and they check it down. Shirley makes a flush and there’s no low so our brave resistance comes to an end.
8th place good for $1,751
Shirley ended up winning it to claim her 4th circuit ring, all of them coming in O8. That’s some strong O8 play right there.
We took a 20 minute break before jumping into the OE tournament.
I won’t bore you with the details but we had a lot of horrendous rivers and 7th streets just like the O8 one. I had a great table, mostly bad players, but they just kept hitting miracles on me, time after time.
We succumbed just before the end of late reg and elected not to fire the 2nd bullet.
Tournaments done for this trip but as it was only 10pm and we weren’t feeling tired we checked out bravo and atlas and found a $30 - $60 Stud / Stud 8 game running at Wynn.
It’s a good game, pretty passive, but after the tournament day we had our aggression level is at maximum. Our constant raising and 3-betting is being frowned upon but we don’t care.
When I got there I made it 7 handed, then a couple of players left shortly after so we played 5 handed for most of the time, then 4 handed and finally the game broke.
In for $2,000 out for $2,700 after 3 hours. +$700
Bedtime.
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Gross runout on that AAQ5 hand.
Don’t think there’s anything you could have done differently.
Well done with another FT!
Very consistent showing David - well done.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the trip as much as I’ve enjoyed the report
Very consistent showing David - well done.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the trip as much as I’ve enjoyed the report
Thanks. Yes I have enjoyed the trip. More so than the last one as I haven’t been sick and it’s been warmer.
And I’m glad that you and others enjoy reading these as I do enjoy writing them, and it helps me unwind after playing poker all day.
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WSOPC Horseshoe
Day Eight - Tuesday March 25th
Seen as we didn’t make day 2 of the OE tournament we have an extra cash game day that we hope to take advantage of.
But the morning is, as ever, reserved for pool time.
Playing the 40 OE game at the Wynn these last two trips I’ve made some contacts and am now in all the WhatsApp groups for the mix games around town. (Will be handy for the summer)
Tonight we’re going to play an interesting PLO mix at South Point consisting of PLO5, Big O, PLO5 DBBP, Drawmaha Hi and Dramaha 2-7. Should be fun.
And just a few notes about the mix games around town.
The 40-80 Mix we have played previously at Bellagio seems not to be running anymore. Instead it’s a 80-160 which is a little big for us.
At Resorts they have 100-200 or 300-600 Mix which is definitely too big. They also have 8-16 which is way too small.
The PLO games are either 1-2 which is too small or 5-5-10 (rock) which because everyone normally puts a 20 straddle on plays big and everyone sits deep.
In cash games I think it’s important to play in a game you’re comfortable in. If it’s too small then you tend to play splashy which isn’t good, and if it’s too big then you play scared which also isn’t good.
So we’ll try the game at South Point tonight. They also have 50-100 Mix games there which is a good limit for us but I don’t like the Mix.
On Tuesday’s and Thursdays they play Omaha High and Omaha 8 and on Saturdays they play straight Omaha High. I have no desire to play fixed limit straight Omaha high as it seems like bingo to me, but apparently those games are built around a player called Kathy who plays every hand and loses thousands and she likes the high only.
But first a late lunch with my buddy Rex. He takes me to a place called Lazy Dog in Town Square.
They have some lunch specials and happy hour drinks. It’s good to know a local.
The food is solid. Maybe a little better than standard bar food. I go for the chicken parm, he gets tacos, we have a beer each and split a pitcher of sangria and it all comes to less than $60. Good deal. I pick up the tab then Rex drops me at South Point.
FYI South Point has the only sportsbook in town that’s open 24/7 (less important now since MGM and Caesars have kiosks, but it was useful back in the day)
The poker room is quite large.
Had a good milkshake from this place for dessert for less than $5
The game starts at 6pm. They play 7 handed and there are 14 players so they make 2 tables by random draw. 7 black cards for the main game and 7 red cards for the must move table.
It’s a pot limit mix of the 5 games mentioned earlier plus an ultimate high / ultimate low DBBP on each dealer change.
Blinds are $5 - $10 with an optional $20 straddle UTG. Min buy-in $500, max $3,000
We draw the main game but it’s quickly apparent that the other table is better. Not much we can do about it, we’re here now. Everyone plays tight and knows what they’re doing. There are no big multi-way pots. I quickly make a mental note not to pay anyone off light.
A rare instance where I get one of them to get it in bad. We’re all in on the turn here. Villain’s cards a little out of shot but he had QT632 for top two and a wrap on top and a double gutshot on bottom.
We had a set on top and the straight on bottom with a set backup so we were scooping when the money went in.
Needless to say villain wriggled out of it and got a chop when he made the straight on top on the river.
We bought in for $1,500 and this was our high point of around $2,500 but we lost $500 in a DBBP when we had the nut flush on the turn and potted it which villain called. The river paired the board and villain potted it so we gave it up and decided to call it a night. +$500 after 5 hours play.
Last day tomorrow.
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The definitive answer on how much the Turkey sammich costs at Wynn.
Who had the Under?
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WSOPC Horseshoe
Day Nine - Wednesday March 26th
The Copa flight is always a red-eye. It’s at 1am tonight. In the past I have kept the room for the night but it’s really a waste, especially as we’ll be playing poker all day.
So we grab a quick 90 minutes pool time then check out at 11am. Some problem with the main pool today so they open the lazy river. We whizz round it with the current like Michael Phelps.
We’ll end the trip just as we begun it. Lunch at the Peppermill and the 40 OE game at Wynn.
We eat at the bar this time.
And go for the French dip which is pretty good.
Last time until June. Absolutely love everything about the Wynn / Encore and playing poker there.
It makes you feel like a King. Hopefully not the suicidal one!
Most people buy into the game for 2 racks ($2,000) but we go for the intimidation factor today and buy in for 4 racks.
I think psychologically it helps me as well to have a big stack of chips in from of me.
Never say I don’t do anything for the trip report. Today I noted pretty much every hand I played. (Did I hear someone say 5 stars?)
Looks like a decent line-up. It soon becomes apparent that there are two spots that clearly can’t win.
Our session went like this:
Round 1 (Stud) folded first 8 hands then made 2345677 heads up to scoop.
Round 2 (Omaha) Play 1 hand and lose it A23J
Round 3 (Stud) Scoop a 3 way pot with A45678x
Got half of big 3 way pot. I’m the only low.
Round 4 (Omaha) No playable hands / spots.
Round 5 (Stud) saw 4th street a couple of times but no further. Won last hand of the round with two pair vs missed low draw heads up.
Round 6 (Omaha) Raise AJ34ds win blinds uncontested.
Call raise with AKKT fold on flop.
1 of the spots that couldn’t win has bust. (The 1 seat)
Round 7 (Stud) get to 6th in Stud and have to fold.
The 1 seat comes back with a new rack and resumes playing every hand.
Scoop a nice 4 way pot with 8 low and aces up. Only 1 call on 7th
Round 8 (Omaha) Paul Zappulla (who we clashed with often in the TORSE tournament) joins the game and immediately 3 bets my big blind. We laugh about it, he’s still keeping score. 7-2 he says.
Called 1 raise pre and folded on flop
Round 9 (Stud): scoop a small heads up pot with 2 small pair 4422
Round 10 (Omaha) call 3 bet pre with KQJJ multi way have to fold on all low flop
Scoop multi way pot with A33K nut low and nut flush. There was a boat possible but no-one had it.
Stacks and towers of checks I can’t even see over.[/b]
Round 11 (Stud): go to 7th and have to fold. Bricked the low. First real losing hand.
Win a small heads up pot with open 7’s. Doesn’t get past 5th
Start A24 and have to fold on 5th
Round 12 (Omaha): play A289 heads up and chop
Win with A24T make broadway no low
Round 13 (Stud): scoop a nice pot with 6 low and QQ
Scoop heads up with a wheel
Round 14 (Omaha): lose big pot with AAQ3 makes aces full lose to quad kings on river 
Round 15 (Stud): lose a big pot with 8 low and aces
Same dealer these last two pots. I get up and take a walk for the rest of his down.
Round 16 (Omaha): new dealer. Scoop a 3 way pot with AA3Q on 678J8 board
Down to 6 handed now
Order a pizza from Allegro and eat at the table.
Round 17 (Stud): split a small stud pot with aces up
Round 18 (Omaha): get half of a big 3 way pot with aces full. Other 2 both had nut low
Round 19 (Stud): scoop a small heads up pot with 2 pair
Round 20 (Omaha): Scoop with A47Jds on QQ327 board
Round 21 (Stud) no playable hands
Tiramisu for dessert from Sinatra.
Round 22 (Omaha) call a raise with AJ74ds and fold flop
Call a raise with AKQJss and fold flop
Round 23 (Stud) lose a big one with aces up vs trip dueces. I have the other deuce
Lose another big one bricking A234
Talk a walk for the rest of dealers down
Round 24 (Omaha) no playable hands / spots
Round 25 (Stud) no playable hands / spots
Round 26 (Omaha) no playable hands / spots
Round 27 (Stud) no playable hands / spots
Round 28 (Omaha) scoop big pot with A248ss on A7J87 board
Call a raise and flop bet with A23J fold on turn
Round 29 (Stud) won half of a big pot with the only low. Missed flush draw to scoop
Round 30 (Omaha) lose with A456 no call on river
Lose with AAJ4 no call on turn
Round 31 (Stud). Chopped a small pot heads up low vs high
Lose a big one trip 8’s villain makes a flush on 7th
Round 32 (Omaha) new player joined and the game got very aggressive now. Every hand 2 or 3 bet. Call raises on 2 hands and whiff flops. Fold.
Round 33 (Stud) split one low vs high
Round 34 (Omaha) win one 2567 made a wheel
Round 35 (Stud) 5 handed now. Not much action.
Time to go to the airport. Racked up for $7,000. +$3,000 after 9 hours
Will do a wrap-up post later / tomorrow.
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Brilliant way to end the trip - congrats and thanks again
Nice finish. Should be easy to get some sleep on the plane after that too.
Edit: voted 5 stars
Would happily vote for 5 stars but not sure how to?
WSOPC Horseshoe
Final Thoughts
Accommodations
Not impressed with the Horseshoe as a hotel. Can’t understand why Caesars charges more here than The Flamingo which I like better.
Pleasantly surprised by MGM Grand. Although I had an older room I think, it was large and fit for purpose.
There was a note in the room saying they were doing maintenance on the water system.
The first day the shower was just a drizzle, but from the second day onwards the water pressure nearly blasted me out of the shower so whatever they did certainly worked.
The pool areas are nice and no awful DJ music like at the Flamingo.
Did not hear any exterior noise at night.
The walk to the Horsehoe / Paris wasn’t bad at all.
So to sum up I was really happy with my stay here and would stay here again in the summer if I can get a decent deal.
Tournaments
Cashed 3 out of the 4 I played for a net profit of $4,299
Cash Games
Won all 4 sessions. 28 hours played for a profit of $4,600
Changing my flight and extending the trip to play the 40 OE game at the Wynn proved to be a good decision.
Sports Betting
Didn’t post anything as I didn’t do much. Had some half unit soccer bets on UEFA Nations League on the Thursday going 1-2 for -$600
Neither MGM nor Caesars had live odds to win the golf during the final round on the Sunday so bet that online.
South Point wasn’t offering the South American World Cup qualifiers when I was there on Tuesday so again bet that online.
So all in all a successful trip and a nice bankroll booster ahead of the World Series.
Rory was at Augusta this week playing practice rounds ahead of the Masters next month. Feels like this was our practice round for the World Series.
Final tournament numbers for a year on the mixed game circuit look like this:
So that will do it for this thread. Will be back in June with a new dedicated thread for the World Series.
Thanks everyone for reading and accompanying me on the journey. Hope to meet some of you in person this summer.
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thanks Tony for sharing. great TR
Excellent TR, thanks for taking us along. 5 * rating, indeed! Looking forward to Summer WSOP TR.
Great thread!
Let’s definitely try to get all the trip reporters in together for a nice meal over the summer.
[emoji846][emoji846][emoji846][emoji846]
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