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
Thinking about coming down to say hi. I think the main issue you're going to have is the lack of mixed cash games. You're probably going to have NLH or PLO as your only options between tourneys. Maybe you'll be able to get a Congress game running? Or hopefully all the guys that usually get the big mix fired up here in Dallas will come down for that series.
Come on down if you have time.
I'm hopeful, and would be happy with a Big O (Congress) cash game. I think a mix game is unlikely.
Right now, on a Monday, they have 4 PLO tables, 2 Bomb Pot tables, and a Congress table, so there might actually be some games running that'll suit you. Remind what your dates are. I have family visiting from Idaho for a week starting the 27th.
I've been playing a little online this last week while I've been home and ended up making a vlog out of a short session I played last night.
It's aimed more at beginners and people wanting to learn mixed games. I explain a little about the rules of the different games and go a bit into my thought process while playing. It wasn't a perfect session by any means and I did make some mistakes which I try to explain. Hope you all find it interesting.
As it involves online gambling it is age restricted 18+ so you'll need to be logged into your google or YouTube accounts to view it but the link does work.
WSOP-C TCH Austin
Day One - Thursday April 23rd
Travel day. Medellin - Panama - Austin with Copa.
Got the free upgrade to business again on the short leg of the journey. For the 2nd flight I had an extra legroom seat 5A, the first row behind business class. I get there and the guy in the middle seat asks me to swop with his wife two rows back. Her seat does not have extra legroom so I politely decline.
He doesn’t say anything but hogs the armrest for the duration of the flight with his elbow spilling over onto my side on numerous occasions. I give up pushing back after a while and try and go to sleep resting on the other armrest and the window. If he was any sort of man at all he’d have given his wife the extra legroom seat and took the standard seat himself but of course he didn’t do that.
Anyway, 4 hours and 20 minutes later we land in Austin. No lines at immigration and no hassle at customs and I’m through in quick time.
The airport is in South-East Austin. The card house and my hotel is in North-West Austin so it’s a $60 Uber ride.
(Un)Comfort Suites.
Looked way nicer in the photos on the website when I booked it, but in reality it’s very dated, smells a bit funny and is really quite a dive. But it’s the cheapest and the closest to the card house and I also prepaid in full to get the best rate so there’s no changing. We’ll have to make do.
Not really having had anything to eat all day I set off in search of some Texas BBQ. I find a roadside food truck about 10 minutes away.
I get the two meat combo with brisket and chicken. It was a little dry I thought, maybe because it was late in the day, but the sauce was good and it went down easy.
From there I walked to the card house to get the lay of the land and get signed up for membership so as to be all ready for tomorrow.
It’s in a strip mall just off the highway.
It looks nice enough inside though, although the tables seem a bit tightly packed. Not much room to move.
They had over 900 players in the opening event today so should be good fields and good money if we can run good.
On deck tomorrow: $600 Big O
I’ve heard some bold, self confident statements about Texas Bbq.
I’m certain you could have found a better experience than at a food truck.
Still, looks good. Run good in the tourney tomorrow!!!
Run pure this series!
I think BBQ is such a personal thing. I've never been a huge fan of Tx BBQ (or most US BBQ). Too saucy, too sweet. I've had better brisket in CA than TX. Give me a dry rub or Carolina vinegar any day.
The best pig, BY A MILE, that I've ever had was in NC. I drove out to the sticks in college to compete in a Magic TG tournament. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. The organizers got some of the locals to come in and prep a "pig pickin'". Literally two dudes wearing wife-beaters and mullets came out with a pick up truck, dug a hole in the ground and slow-cooked the pig in the pit. Then they used (clean) shovels to hack the pig into bits. Tenderest, most flavorful pork I've ever had.
As an NC resident, I can confirm the locals here are neurotic about their barbecue.
They think NC barbecue absolutely deserves to be mentioned with the best of KC, Texas, or Memphis BBQ. Even Alabama White Sauce deserves a mention.
But here’s the thing: traditional Eastern NC barbecue sauce is vinegar-based. To me, it’s like taking perfectly good pulled pork, and dousing it in battery acid.
So I’ll never understand it. I like other styles better, and I guess I always will.
Run pure this series!I think BBQ is such a personal thing. I've never been a huge fan of Tx BBQ (or most US BBQ). Too saucy, too sweet. I've had better brisket in CA than TX. Give me a dry rub or Carolina vinegar any day.The best pig, BY A MILE, that I've ever had was in NC. I drove out to the sticks in college to compete in a Magic TG tournament. It was literally in the middle
Not the best bbq I've ever had, but perhaps the most memorable:
Years ago a place in rural GA near my work place opened only from noon Fri-Sun afternoon. They had 3 or 4 hogs in a pit. You grabbed a paper plate and literally pulled off the meat that you wanted and put it on your plate. Then they weighed the plate and you paid. Continue down the tables and add all your sides, sauces, pick up your drink & silverware, etc. It was awesome!
Totally agree with your decision on the plane. That guy can give his wife the seat. Crazy that he didn’t
Not defending this guy at all, but re: him keeping the bigger seat, I try not to judge when I don't have all the info. For all we know, he offered the seat to his wife and she told him to keep it because he's taller or whatever.
WSOP-C TCH AustinDay One - Thursday April 23rdTravel day. Medellin - Panama - Austin with Copa. Got the free upgrade to business again on the short leg of the journey. For the 2nd flight I had an extra legroom seat 5A, the first row behind business class. I get there and the guy in the middle seat asks me to swop with his wife two rows back. Her seat does not have extra legroom
He's a sort of man alright. He just wanted his extra legroom seat AND yours, and have his wife sit there. I hope his wife gave him **** when they landed.
It's so odd that a big event like the Circuit is there when elsewhere in Austin the Lodge got raided, and millions confiscated.
NC vinegar BBQ is awesome.
FWIW, the guy should have tried to switch with the person sitting next to his wife. LOL. Maybe they were together, though. I've definitely given up a good seat for worse to let people sit together, but I don't need much room. If we can't sit together, we always get one seat we know someone will want to switch for.
I had a guy on a flight to Paris who wouldn't switch for us -- wasn't really a worse seat, either. I gave him a hard time for part of the trip, too 😉
Mrs. Newt is, of course, right. "How 'bout you move to a less comfortable seat?" Coming back from India a couple years back, the person next to me asked nicely if I would switch with her husband, who was in the next row back.
In the middle. For a ~12 hour flight. "No. I'd be glad to, if he also had an aisle, but not switching to the middle."
Agree with TJ about the vinegar-based sauce, not a fan. Always on the hunt for BBQ when I'm road-tripping though. Oddly enough, last night I went to the local joint for dinner. Best in CO by a mile, but still doesn't compare to the really good stuff elsewhere.
As an NC resident, I can confirm the locals here are neurotic about their barbecue.They think NC barbecue absolutely deserves to be mentioned with the best of KC, Texas, or Memphis BBQ. Even Alabama White Sauce deserves a mention.But here’s the thing: traditional Eastern NC barbecue sauce is vinegar-based. To me, it’s like taking perfectly good pulled pork, and dousing it in
I always go easy on the vinegar. Just a touch adds IMO, while it's easy to overdo it. I suppose that explains my preferences- I prefer the meat mostly unadulterated, with flavors that allow the BBQ itself to shine through. I find most "wet" sauces just overpowering.
It's gospel, though, that EVERY region thinks their BBQ is the pure nuts.
As an NC resident, I can confirm the locals here are neurotic about their barbecue.
NeurotiC
never able to spell without
WSOP-C TCH Austin
Day Two - Friday April 24th
So the highlight of my day was this Texas shaped waffle at breakfast in the hotel.
Which doesn’t say much about the poker.
There was a whopping 319 total entries in the Big O today, 2 of which were ours. Money went in good several times never to return meaning we didn’t get anywhere near a bag and a chance at the first prize of $34k.
I was planning to play cash but it would have been a long wait.
Every table (and they have 70 of them I think) in use, mostly for the tournaments, meaning not enough cash game tables.
So we fired a bullet into the mini main which we weren’t planning on playing until tomorrow.
It was a short lived bullet. Ran KK into AA.
They’ve already passed the $500k guarantee with still two flights to go tomorrow. Will likely get up around $900k
So then tournament tables did begin breaking and they opened more cash tables and I got a seat at a $1-$2-$5 PLO.
It was a good game. People playing every hand, no matter the raise. Short stacking for $200 and $300 and going all-in every hand. At least 5 ways to the flop on most hands.
Sadly we didn’t win any hands and were stuck -$1,000 when we finally got called for the Big O table.
The Big O table was also good. Again it was $1-$2-$5 but the UTG can straddle for $10 which at least half the table was doing so the game played pretty big.
I won a nice pot with top set of Kings on a K-8-7 flop when the low didn’t come.
The only other hand I remember I bet 3/4 pot on a T-8-3 flop with A23TK and got raised full pot by about the only really dangerous guy on the table. I called and then folded on a Q turn when he bet the pot again.
I asked him what he had when I was racking up to leave and he said A2T8x so I made a good fold.
It was still a good session though. +$1,500, erasing the PLO loss but still down on the day due to the 3 tournament bullets.
No mix game tournament now until Monday. Will fire the mini main again tomorrow at some point then probably just play cash Sunday if I don’t make day two.
WSOP-C TCH Austin
Day Three - Saturday April 25th
As I didn’t finish playing cash until 4am last night I slept in this morning and missed breakfast at the hotel which finishes at 9:30am.
The morning flight of the mini main started at 10am but I was always planning to late reg it anyway so went for lunch first at an Italian place near the card club.
Rigatoni with Italian sausage was pretty decent.
Followed by Tiramisu (of course!) again pretty solid.
And prices very reasonable.
We jump into the tournament in level 6 (400/800/800) and immediately lose half our stack on the first hand we play.
We open with AJ and get one caller. Flop J-x-x. We bet and get called on both the flop and the turn. On the river the flush gets there and villain leads out and we fold. Down to 15k from 30k
We then grind our ass off to get back up to 70k only to get it all-in with AK on a A-2-4 flop only to find villain with 22 for a flopped set. [emoji30]
I could still have played the evening flight but I’ve had my fill of hold’em for now. Did I say the prize pool would get up to $900k? How about $1.3 milly? More than 1,400 entries in today’s two flights. Some people are going to get lucky and make some good money but it won’t be us.
I didn’t have to wait long to get into the Big O cash game. It started off a bad lineup, then got good and went bad again.
My session was defined by two bomb pots. It’s double board best - best. Best high and best low from either board.
On the first one I had Kings full on the bottom board only for the top board which contained an Ace to pair up on the river giving villain Aces full to scoop with no low on either board.
On the other bomb pot I had to nut full house again but villain had flopped quad dueces.
So I lost around $2,000 in those two pots which was all my profit from the normal hands that I was winning. When I racked up because the game had gotten bad and I was tired I only had a paltry $100 profit to show from a 7 hour session.
It was actually $200 on the table but you have to pay the time in advance. They can’t take anything off the table. I loaded my account with $100 and it’s $13 per hour no matter what game you play, which I imagine makes the $1 / $2 NLH game close to unbeatable.
Oh and the air conditioning was broke all day with about 1,000 people in the building and temperatures of 90 degrees outside. Never sweated so much in a card room. It really was quite bad.
On deck tomorrow: The only tournament is a $400 NLH which I’m not going to play so it’s looking like a cash game day unless I find something else to do.
Only 8% tax. I think I pay 9.9% in BFE AZ.
So I lost around $2,000 in those two pots which was all my profit from the normal hands that I was winning. When I racked up because the game had gotten bad and I was tired I only had a paltry $100 profit to show from a 7 hour session.
At least you've got that key word in there.
WSOP-C TCH Austin
Day Four - Sunday April 25th
Woke up just about in time for breakfast today then headed to the card house and got seated in a $1-$2-$5 PLO game after a short wait.
The first bomb pot I play and I’m all-in on the flop. Will they be kind to me today?
We have Ac-Ts-6c-5h
Top flop: Qc-Js-7s
Bottom flop: 6s-4c-Tc
So we have top two and nut flush draw on bottom and a gutshot on top.
Don’t really remember the action but it’s a 3-way all-in
It runs out perfectly. I make the straight on top and a full house on bottom to scoop.
Then I play some musical chairs. There’s 2 games going but they don’t do must move here which I hate. A couple of action players transfer to the other game so I follow them. Then they leave and I’m regretting my decision as the new table is now worse than my original one.
I finally get back on my original table and we scoop another bomb pot, this time heads up.
Don’t remember exactly how it went. We had Q-4-x-x
Top board was Q-x-x
Bottom board was Q-4-4
We get it in on the flop against one opponent. He had 4-x-x-x. He doesn’t fill up on the bottom and just our queen is good enough on top.
We now have over $3k from a $1k buy-in
Now they open a $5-$5-$10 PLO table and all the action players move over. I’m also on the list so move over with them.
I pocket my original $1k buy-in and sit down with the $2k and change so I’m basically free-rolling it. There’s some whales on the table with $10k plus and it soon becomes apparent that they’re bad players. This is an insane crazy game. 4 and 5 ways to every flop in raised pots. Every pot is at least $3k+
The old guy in the 1 seat has turned $4k into $15k+
Crazy game.
I’m basically just shot taking with my $2k in a game like this. These guys have deeeep pockets.
Long story short I don’t get lucky. I get my last $1k in with a full wrap on the flop and get 4 callers lol. $6k pot and still plenty of action on the side.
I don’t get there and decide not to rebuy. Can easily go for a big number in a game like this.
So a full days work for nothing.
Back on the tournament trail tomorrow with the $600 Eight Game
