The Summer Wind - A WSOP Trip Report …… and beyond!
Don’t ask me why I chose the title of an old Sinatra song to be the title for this year’s trip report, i have no idea, i
So glad you decided on the Bahamas trip -- and that it went so well! If you had broken even in poker, I think the trip was still "cheap" for a family vacation in that location. And it's a fantastic experience for the kids!
Yes exactly, even if I would have lost at poker it would still have been worth it for the smiles on the kids faces.
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Day One - Saturday December 13th
I walked from Excalibur to Harrah’s in the crisp morning air. The balmy 75 degrees of the Bahamas is long gone, it’s just 50 degrees and feels colder than that.
No early check-in fee with my new diamond status and I get a room in the mountain tower which seems way nicer than the valley tower where i was the last time i was here.
I can see right into the Guitar construction from the window. That thing is going to be absolutely huge. It’s already the same height as the Mirage tower and it’s not even halfway done.
I had lunch at Lago in Bellagio before the game started. They recently changed the menu a little and my favorite rigatoni à la vodka isn’t on there anymore but they were still able to make it for me.
Down to work.
The game was pretty good but I was running cold. I lost the cap in PLO bluffing the bare Ace and was called by a 9-high flush and then for the last two hours was very card dead and didn’t win a pot. In for $10,000, out for $7,100. -$2,900 after 7 hours.
The game was still good when I left but I had a ticket to see Tim McGraw at Caesars.
It was pretty full and he put on a good show going through all his hits form the last 30 years.
After I checked in on Leon for a bit at Wynn before calling it a night.
On Deck Tomorrow: $1,100 Big O
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Day Two - Sunday December 14th
I meet 2+2’er YourMom in the sportsbook at Caesars. It’s an NFL Sunday so it’s standing room only. I go 2-3 on the day to lose a unit. One of the losses was the Patriots +2.5 after being up 17 at the half [emoji30]
YourMom is seven stars and has some food credit to spend so we hit the Bacchanal buffet. Hands down the best buffet I’ve ever had. The place is huge with lots to choose from and it’s all really delicious.
I started with some Asian meats:
Followed by some US meats: Brisket, prime rib, steak. All melt in your mouth.
And of course a good selection of desserts:
We walked it off a little on the way to the Wynn to play the Big O and got sat right next to each other on the same table.
We started off in one of the smaller rooms off the man ballroom which was pretty nice.
It was a good opening table, pretty soft. I increased the 30k starting stack to 40k on 1st break and 100k on 2nd break and the end of late reg.
Insane turnout today. 328 entries means $67k up top!
Completely card dead after the break and back down to 80k with the average at 150k with 66 players remaining on the next break.
We were then moved into the main ballroom.
Where I did pick up some hands and had increased to 200k before losing most of it all in on flop with nut low draw and a straight flush draw.
My ace gets counter-fitted giving villain the nut low and I miss the straight and flush and villains one pair of aces with a king kicker is good to scoop me.
With only 60k left I get it in against YourMom with aces but again I get scooped to bust in 41st, two places short of the money. [emoji30]
It hurt a bit not to cash this one.
On deck tomorrow: $1,100 2-7 Mixed Limits
at least it seems Your Mom benefitted from the run good juju of taking you to lunch and will be going deep as a result?
Was great meeting and playing with Tony. I believe he got the better of it between the two of us aside from the last hand.
I ended up finishing 15th for $3761.
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Day Three - Monday December 15th
2-7 Mixed limits today which is limit triple draw, pot limit double draw and no limit single draw. Fun concept.
In single draw a 9 is usually a pretty good hand but I kept getting 9’s and every time my opponent had an 8. When that happens your chips are not going to last long. We busted in level 6 and chose not to fire again.
A closer look at some of the hardware on offer this series. There’s some pretty sweet trophies but they’re all for the hold’em tournaments. Where’s the special trophies for the mixed championship events?
So off to Bellagio to play cash but the game is full and I had to wait 3 hours to get a seat.
No problem. We sweated this, which wasn’t really a sweat.
And had a steak in our go-to always reliable Prime.
We finally got a seat in the game just after MNF finished and were up a rack for most of the session before getting a couple of bad beats near the end and finished dead even at 1am after 5 hours play.
On Deck Tomorrow: The first of three $1,600 mixed game championship events - Omaha 8
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Day Four - Tuesday December 16th
Rough day. Had some brutal rivers in the Omaha 8 tournament that resulted in a short day (did not fire a 2nd bullet) then went to play cash at Bellagio and got seated straight away in the must move game. I was doing okay, winning a little, and then just got crushed in a 30 minute spell running 2nd best into the nuts every single hand. It was unreal, and all against the same guy too. I took it as a sign that it wasn’t going to be my day and racked up -$3,000 after 4 hours.
On Deck Tomorrow: $1,600 HORSE
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Day Five - Wednesday December 17th
Started the HORSE tournament steadily enough increasing the 40k starting stack to 50k. Everything was going good, I had control of my table and a good table image.
Then I got high-carded off to open a new table which turned out to be really crazy with people just gambling trying to get a stack.
Shot of the upstairs ballroom where we’ve been playing the last couple of days. (Taken at the start of yesterdays O8 tournament)
With the limits 2k-4k the first hand I played at the new table was in Razz starting 2-3 | 6 in a car crash 5-way pot that a mad Russian with an 8 as his up-card 5-bet capped to 10k on 3rd street. The hand continued in the same vein, capped on every street until the Russian was all-in. I ended up making a 9-7 and had to call Jeff Madsen on the end as the pot was so huge. He had an 8-7 to scoop the 100k pot.
From there I bled away and busted just before the one hour dinner break.
Chicken parm for dinner in Allegro while I pondered over whether to fire another bullet or not.
I did end up firing the 2nd bullet max late reg which is 8 big bets at 2.5k-5k so you pretty much need to win the first hand you choose to play.
For me that was in Stud 8 starting A-4 | 6-2 in a 3 way pot. All-in going into 7th with only a pair of 4’s I was actually in very good shape and only had a pair of 8’s to beat. I could scoop with any card that paired me or get half with any low card. I hit neither. GG
On deck tomorrow: $1,600 TORSE
Started the HORSE tournament steadily enough increasing the 40k starting stack to 50k. Everything was going good, I had control of my table and a good table image.
Then I got high-carded off to open a new table which turned out to be really crazy with people just gambling trying to get a stack.
This can be a bit annoying in tournaments, as you often get pretty good tables if you show up reasonably early.
But sometimes you are just unlucky and get chosen as the one who has to move to a late-reg table. These will often have more compentent players and/or people willing to gamble it up. The latter doesn't have to be a bad thing of course, but will lead to much more variance.
Don't see a lot of round chicken parms. How was it?
Great thread. Super well done at Paradise, and gl gl rest of the week.
This can be a bit annoying in tournaments, as you often get pretty good tables if you show up reasonably early.But sometimes you are just unlucky and get chosen as the one who has to move to a late-reg table. These will often have more compentent players and/or people willing to gamble it up. The latter doesn't have to be a bad thing of course, but will lead to much more varian
In the Big O, after we made the money, my table was the one breaking 3x in a row I think it was. Definitely a disadvantage.
This can be a bit annoying in tournaments, as you often get pretty good tables if you show up reasonably early.But sometimes you are just unlucky and get chosen as the one who has to move to a late-reg table. These will often have more compentent players and/or people willing to gamble it up. The latter doesn't have to be a bad thing of course, but will lead to much more varian
While I think that’s true in big field NLH or PLO tournaments, they usually do it properly in mix tournaments where they pull players from existing tables to open the new table and the late reg players fill the empty seats on the existing tables.
As the mix tournaments are smaller with less tables it’s easier to do this way but in big field events they will often just put the late reg players all on the same tables because it’s easier for them to manage that way.
Having said that, whenever I get moved in these things it always seems to be to a worse table.
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Day Six - Thursday December 18th
Another frustrating day. Did not win a single pot on the 1st bullet in the TORSE tournament. I did manage to get the 2nd bullet up to 65k at the dinner break and then didn’t win a pot after dinner.
Dinner in Allegro again. Salmon with gnocchetti was really good and tiramisu for dessert.
Got to watch the end of the Rams / Seahawks game as I ate. Lost the Under but won the side with Seattle. Crazy game.
I’ve decided not to play tomorrow’s mixed triple draw tournament as I’m running ice cold at the moment and instead will try to recoup some buy-ins in the cash game.
Sorry for the lack of interesting updates but I don’t really want to tell bad beat stories.
Totally get it and sometimes a cash game change up is just what’s needed.
Busting mtts is of course a huge part of it but no matter how many you play, the run of run bad/bad beats/card dead can get really dispiriting
Guessing the pools are all out of action in Dec?
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Day Seven - Friday December 19th
Last day today which is good as I’ve not been 100% these last couple of days with a bit of a cold. I was trying to avoid it. I hadn’t taken my scarf off since I arrived but I guess the change in climate from the Bahamas to Vegas and the flights took their toll in the end. I’m not built for the cold weather.
As a perk for achieving diamond with Caesars I have a $100 dining credit to spend so I hit the Bacchanal buffet again.
Same food as the other day and I ate pretty much the same.
Then over to Bellagio for the $80 Mix. It was a good table and people were gambling but we’re running about how we feel. Cold. [emoji3063]
Example:
In Omaha 8 I 3-bet with AK23ss, one villain 4-bets, another villain calls 4-bets cold, I cap it for 5 bets and we’re 4 ways to the flop.
Flop: K-7-8
I bet and get two callers
Turn: K bringing two diamonds on board.
I now have 3 x K’s with top kicker, nut flush draw, and uncounterfeitable low draw.
I bet and get two callers
River: T (off-suit)
Villain who cold called 4 bets pre leads out and I call knowing I’m beat.
Sure enough he has J-9 for the straight.
Some hot tomato soup table-side to help with the cold.
I really should have racked up then but I continued to play and was actually a little ahead before a nightmare drawmaha round where I lost with KKK in my hand and a K on the flop. Villain 1 had a flush in his hand and villain 2 made a straight on the board.
Then the very next hand I lost with AA66 in my hand and A on flop. Villain 1 drew a full house in his hand and villain 2 made a flush on the board.
I waved the white flag not long after. -$2,500 after 10 hours.
And to complete the misery I had Oklahoma in the football game who raced out to a 17 point lead before a blocked punt and a pick 6 changed the game and then it was all Bama.
Final Numbers
Tournaments
Played: 5
Bullets Fired: 7
Total Buy-Ins: $10,200
Cashes: 0
Net: -$10,200
Cash Games
Hours Played: 26
Net: -$8,400
Sports: -$2,000
Expenses
Flights: $806
Hotels: $110
So a rough trip all-round. Not the way we wanted to end the year but that’s the high variance business we’re in.
If I look at the Bahamas and Vegas together I’m still up $25k after expenses which I would have taken before I set off.
I’ve just arrived back In Medellin after a long day’s travel. Will probably do a wrap up post in a couple of days and share my overall results to date and some thoughts.
Thanks for sharing both the highs and lows. Altogether, still sounds like a great month despite the frustrating ending.
As we know, poker can be a very fickle game.
On a side note, 90% sure I saw you in the Harrah's lobby late last night just as I was checking in. By the time I recognized you (white track suit?), you were about to hop the elevator, and my "read" was that it probably wasn't a good moment to chat anyway. Two ships passing in the night. If I'm mistaken, disregard.
