Whale does Vegas - 2025 birthday-ish edition (23rd Nov - 2nd Dec)

Yep. 99 hand played perfectly. Save your run good for bigger buy ins IMO

SNAP shove middle set of 9’s, on that board, vs that villain, in that spot.

Even when we’re behind, we have sooooo much equity.

Sorry it didn’t work out, as played.

That's really weird. Did he explain it at all? Like it's his favorite hand? Maybe named his kid after it?

As I was getting tired yesterday evening, I ended up just playing one more session here at the hotel:

After waiting for 15 minutes I got a seat in a $1/$3 game that looked pretty tame, and indeed nothing much happened for the first 30 minutes or so. I raised a few hands but only won the blinds, and otherwise just got blinded down a bit etc.

Then there is a limp for $3 and I make it $15 from the hijack with 76cc. A tight player on the button calls and the limper also calls. So we go 3-ways to Q-J-8 with the latter being a club. After the limper checks I decided to check it as well, but I think this is a mistake. In game I thought that this board hits them hard, but honestly - I have most of the strong hands here. My focus should rather be how many hands I can put in a bad spot, and I can also continue betting on most clubs and all 7, 6, 5 and 4 at least.

As it was I checked, and button checked behind. Turn came a K, and checks around as well. My plan was to make a delayed bet on the river if it checked to me again, but then an Ace landed putting four to the straight out there. The limper (tight older woman) bet $20 and I obviously fold my 7 high.

More losing when I raise K5ss from hijack to $12 (probably borderline) and get called by the button (same guy as above). The flop comes 8-4-3 one spade, and with many good turns I start with a bet of $12 here. He calls, and we see 2s on turn. A great card giving me an open-ender and 4-flush. It felt a bit weird as I didn't think he would fold a ton on this card, but I still think I need to bet. One thing I didn't consider in game though was that I could have gone for a check-raise (or if he checks back I just get to see the river for free).

But as played I bet $40 (into $52) and he calls again. The river comes a red T, and I think it would be suicidal to triple barrel off here when he was strong enough to call a relatively big bet on the turn. So I check and fold after he slides out something like $75.

I add on for another $100 to my stack (in for $400 now) before winning a hand. A new older Asian have joined the game and he raises to $10 from cutoff. I call in BB with A8hh, and we see A-8-3 all clubs. I check, and he bets $10. I briefly considered 'burning a card' here (hoping for a blank turn before starting to raise), but instead settled on a raise to $40. He thinks for a bit and calls.

Turn comes a J and although he could have AJ I cannot be too worried. He has around $200 left so I make it $65, being fully prepared to fold if he now jams. He gives it a think, but eventually settles on a fold.

Another hand against the same Asian, where I raise AKo from UTG to $12. He calls from SB and we see the 9-3-2 rainbow flop. Seems harmless, and after he checks I make a small bet of $10. Although in hindsight holding the nut-no-pair hand I can probably just check behind. But there is obviously some value in not giving a free card to QJ or similar.

Anyway, he calls and we see a nice K on the turn. He checks quickly, and I decided to bet just $15 to keep him in and rather increase on river. He calls quickly again, then checks the 5 river. It seems like he might not believe me, and I also thought my small bet on the flop could have yielded floats from hands like KQ or KJ occasionally. So I settle on $85 (into $77), but he sadly folds after only thinking for a few seconds. Maybe I got too greedy here?

To my immediate left was a Russian in a wheelchair, although to be fair he might have been Bulgarian too. But he was definitely speaking one of those two languages whenever his friend came by. Either way, he has been a little bit of active without being crazy or anything like that

I mention this because after I raise 88 from EP1 to $12, he makes it $40 right behind me. It folds back to me, and although not really deep enough to setmine (he started with maybe $280) he has been active enough to where I think a call is best here. So that is what I do, and we see the amazing 8-4-3 two clubs flop. I check, and he bets $60 which is fairly hefty.

After thinking about it for a bit and looking back at my hand, I decided to just jam all-in! It's impossible to find a non-committing sizing here, and I can also balance this out by playing some of my good flush draws this way. He pretty much snap-calls, and we see Tc on the turn (filling the flush) and then 2c on the river. Pretty bad runout, but I turn over my 88 (with a club) and he just frustratingly mucks. Pretty sure he had an overpair here.

Stack is looking good, and it has the potential to become even better when I find black AA in MP and make it $15 over a limp. The Russian 3-bets to $38 with around $160 behind. It folds back to me, and I think this is a great spot for an unusual slow play. It will be easy to get stacks in post, and by making my hand look weaker I can potentially get him to fire away. I just call.

We see a very harmless T-6-2 rainbow flop, and after I check he bets $35. I briefly considered jamming, but the last time I did so I had top set after all. And on this safe board I think I can just call and let him continue barrelling. So that is what I do, and we see a K on the turn. Great card for him to represent, and after I check it over to him he indeed moves all-in. I snap-call, the river is a J and he seems unwilling to show. Thus, I just flip up my hand and he sends his cards to the muck.

I am very happy with the above hand since I intentionally found a great spot to trap an aggressive opponent, and also had the wits about myself to just call on that harmless flop (had it been Q-T-8 or something I would have just jammed over his bet).

Which brings us to the last hand of note, which I am honestly quite embarrased about. The Russian have rebought again and makes it $8 from UTG (his normal sizing), EP1 calls (new to the table) and I have AKo in BB (black cards).

I just called, and this is obviously terrible. I knew in my head I should 3-bet, especially due to the opener who probably hates my guts by now and will call light. But I was getting very tired and I was up a lot (ish) of money, and I just didn't have the mental energy to put in the 3-bet and play a bloated pot OOP. But that is just nitty & fishy thinking, and after all these years I should be better than this. Especially since I would for sure have 3-bet if I was stuck.

It is what it is though, and the flop comes A-7-3 two diamonds. I check, the raiser checks, and EP1 bets $15. I considered raising - Bart Hanson says that if you just flat with AK you can sort-of play it like a set when you flop top pair - but I just called. The Russian folded.

Turn is a T which puts two flush draws out there (I don't block either). I decided to lead here as I didn't want turn to go check-check and I can still get value from hands like AJ and AQ. Both are definitely in his EP1 calling range after all. I bet $35 and he calls fairly quickly although not instantly.

River comes Td which pairs the board and fills the flush. Not the best card in the world, but the Ad and Td is out there, so although there are still some flushes he could have (KQ, KJ, QJ of diamonds) I still thought a good Ace was more likely. So it seems like a trivial bet fold on the river; I make it $55 and he thinks 30 seconds before calling. My hand is obviously good.

I shamelessly took the awesome $532 USD profit two rounds later after playing for 2.5 hours. Definitely a fun session, although I made two passive mistakes I shouldn't have made. But nothing to do but to be honest about it, put it out here on 'paper' and do better next time. And it's regardless a great start to the trip.

Today I woke up around 5am which is much better than yesterday, and I feel decently rested. So I'm gonna head to the gym for an early morning workout soon, and after that we will eventually find a more fancy poker room and location to play in.

Cash Games:

Hours played: 4h 00min
Won/Lost: + $583 USD
Hourly rate: +$145.75 USD

Tournaments:

Won/Lost: - $150 USD (1 played)

Very nice session and well played on the AA hand against the Russian.

nice job on the W

Hey, I think it's only 12 hours, or maybe 15, by Wednesday to qualify for the "freeroll". They used to have it where they paid the top X players. If it's slow enough, X can be bigger than the number of players, and everyone gets paid.

Nothing too exciting to report so far today, but some pictures never hurts. Here is Orbi making an appearance from the window of my hotel room:

I was at the gym this morning which felt great. Snapped a quick picture without trying to disturb anyone:

Then we played some video poker. One more Ace on the second line here would have been awesome (don't think I ever have had a 13x before!):

And then I went out to buy some new clothes etc. Took the Monorail from MGM Grand back to Horseshoe. Seems no-one wants to be friends with me however, because the 'Friends Experience' was closed:

Now I'm gonna get ready and head out to play some poker!

Just as well because that's about the sitcom that's been off the air for 10 years. Or maybe more than 10, Jennifer Anniston looks pretty old these days. Some of the others had plastic surgery and look really old.

think you're off by a couple decades. feels like some of the actors died 10 years ago

It ran for 10 years ending 20 years ago. I was never a fan.

The Chandler guy died from drugs, so it wasn't because he was old. But when you're as old as me, the centuries blend together.

I mostly watched to catch a nipple shot, and it seldom disappointed in that regard.

ahhh...those simpler, pre internet days!

Good morning from Las Vegas! Here is an update from yesterday:

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I eventually made my way over to Venetian where I had plans to play a long-ish session. On the way there, I could observe that the building of the Hard Rock guitar hotel is well underway:

After waiting for 5 minutes I got a seat in a $1/$3 game, and bought in for $300 as usual. The first hand of note is actually a Bomb Pot, where I have 56ssJ9o and we see two boards 9-ways:

Top board: J-6-T rainbow
Bottom board: 4-7-8 rainbow

Pretty good as I have flopped two pair on the top and the nut straight on the bottom. It checks to me and I make it $30 into $45. In hindsight though I am not sure that I love this bet. I have the stone cold nuts on the bottom, but with 8 other opponents someone else can easily have 56 as well. That said, maybe I am being too paranoid here and I also have top and bottom pair on the first board.

Either way, I get no less than 4 callers and not very favorable turncards:

Top board: K
Bottom board: 4

So a couple of straights came in on the top, and my straight on the bottom is now useless that the board is paired. I ended up checking and folding to a lot of action behind me, and I believe a straight took the top and 88 took the bottom.

Then an OMC-ish guy raises to $10 from EP1 and get two callers. I have KK in SB and make it $55, which sadly prompted immediate folds from everyone. I also heard the OMC mutter semi-loud under his breath that 'I was folding because that son of a bit looks way too serious'. It's clear the comment was meant towards me and I was about to say something to him but then thought better of it. I had only been at the table for 20 minutes or so, and I have no idea what prompted that comment. I am aware that I can look quite serious and stoic when playing poker, but so does many others. And I had certainly not been unfriendly to anyone.

I then lose a few pots, including one where it folds to SB who raises to $8 (no chopping at Venetian). I call in BB with T7dd and we go heads-up to A-3-5 no diamonds. He plays with his chips for a bit and then check. Maybe I should bet here as I have no showdown value, but instead I just checked back.

Turn comes a 7 and he now leads for $15. Fairly big but having turned a pair I don't see how I can fold just yet. So I call, and we see another A on the river. He bets $15 again, and although I recognized the 'same bet' I didn't think I could rep a ton by raising here. And although I suspected I was behind, I also though tthat this player would not find a 'thin' bet twice with something like TT or similar. So I called, only to get shown AKo for trips.

I then win a very easy hand when there are two limps to me and I have T9dd in BB. I raise it up to $18 and both players calls. I didn't quite expect that, but we see A-A-5 on the flop. Although there are no diamonds, this one should be super easy to win. I throw out $15 and I am met with two quick folds.

Then we get a weird spot where a limp-happy Asian player in a good mood calls for $3, another player call and I have AJhh on the button. I raise to $18 again, and once again both limpers call. The flop comes A-2-7 two spades no hearts. The Asian leads into me for $35, second player folds and I decided to just call. He only has around $100 behind it seems, but I have no reason to believe that he would bluff this type of board into the preflop-raiser.

Turn comes a T and he very quickly jams for $91. I have to call $91 into something like $215, which is almost 2.5 to 1. But there are hands here that I am stone dead against, as I do think this guy would limp both 22 and 77. He could probably also have two pair like A7 or maybe Ax with spades. The latter is however the only hand I am currently beating, I think.

If I had AK I would have called here, simply because then it's a chance that he plays AQ or AJ like this (I can see him limping these as well). But with AJ I think I have to fold, although I didn't like doing so. I showed an Ace face-up to hopefully get him to reveal some cards, but he did not oblige. So I guess we'll never know.

But maybe I should just be a pay-off wizard and make the call, since his line doesn't make sense and I am high up in range. I am not entirely sure. Speaking of wizards...

Back to poker. I lose one small pot and win one small one, before we get into an interesting one. A new fishy player in his late 50s have joined the table, and he limps in from early position, as he did often (limping, that is). I have red AQo on the button and make it $15, and he is the only caller.

The flop comes A-6-8 all hearts, and he leads into me for $10. With Qh in my hand I could maybe raise here, especially as he only has around $110 back. In game I thought I didn't 'need' to though, as I thought he could maybe do this with Kh in his hand or with a weaker Ace. But both of these will call if I click it up to $35 or something, so maybe that is what I should have done.

I called, and we see a black 2 on the turn. He now bets $50, which is almost full pot with about the same behind. This one felt a bit close to me, but it's very similar to the AJ-hand above where a limper leads into me on A high board. That is probably strength, but at the same time also a weird line when he could go for a check-raise. So in lack of knowing what to do I just set him in, because how bad can it be with top pair and second nut flush draw?

He snaps and we see a lovely Kh on the river giving me the nut flush. And it turns out that I needed that one, because opponent have 97hh for a flopped flush (and straight flush draw). I guess people are just that predictable/bad, and only lead like this when they have it regardless of the board. But I'll take that lucky river for sure.

A bit later I make it $12 UTG with 66, only to be met with 3 callers. We see A-8-T spread out by the dealer, and although I could have all the strong hands here (AA, 88, TT) I chose to check this one as we are very multi-way. I would have been much more likely to start a bet on something like A-Q-5, and then just drive it through as a 3-barrel bluff.

It checks around and a random 7 lands on the turn. BB checks, and I decided to throw out $15 here. In hindsight a bit too small, but I thought that I could maybe fold out 7x and 8x, and get some value from gutshot draws like QJ and KQ. The sticky/friendly Asian calls next to act though, and the rest folds out. River comes with a 4 and I just give up and check. He immediately checks behind and wins with A3cc.

A while later I get into a cheap pot from SB with 35ss (limped pot) and we get the 3-4-6 flop two hearts no spades. We are 5-ways and it checks to the above mentioned Asian who has gotten very short now. He bets $20 (!) into $15 and it folds all over to me.

He only has around $35 back, and with a pair and open ender I think we can gamble for it. I raise it up to $65, BB folds and opponent calls it off. Turn comes a 4, river comes a K and I beat his A5o for a naked open-ender without a pair. Nice.

A bit later I took a short break and found something to eat, and I also passed by the F1 pop up store that they have at Venetian. I had a quick look inside and they had some cool gear (some nice hoodies etc.). However, I didn't feel like buying anything as 1) They cost over $100 USD and 2) I don't really want to rep F1, I'd rather see it disappear from Las Vegas 😀 This one looks stylish though:

When I come back we have another spot versus the Asian. It start with me raising AJo in hijack to $12 and he is the lone caller from BB. The flop comes A-Q-3 and after he checks I decided to make an unusual check-back. He had given me a ton of respect on similar boards in some tiny pots earlier in the session, so I thought by feigning weakness I could get more value from him along the way. But honestly, against such sticky players I should just bet and keep it simple.

Turn comes a J so we make two pair. He leads for $15 and only has like $90 behind. I don't think he's gonna fold hands like KQ or AT here, nor will he fold QJ or an Ace. So I raise it up to $45, he jams and I call. River comes a K, but he turns over KTo for the turned straight. Sigh. I let him get there, although to be fair he might have called anyway on the flop unless I made it huge.

Back in a small loss then, but at least I got to say hello to 'urbanwaste' on here after he wrote that he was playing the $400 2-day tourney at Venetian. He seemed like a nice guy, typical Brit, and he has a lot of gamble in him, that's for sure 😀 (ref the stories in his thread).

Two more hands, first I raise A5cc to $15 over a limp from a miserable player (who didn't stay too long thankfully), and as expected I get calls from the Asian in BB and the limper. K-4-6 one club is a great flop though; it's very easy to bet and get credit on, and I have many good turns. So I throw out $20 after they check to me and I am bet with two quick folds.

Then it was time for one last round in the saga versus the sticky Asian, who once again was sitting a bit short. I find AA the very next hand, and raise up to $12 as always. He calls from SB, and we go heads-up to Q-J-7. He checks and I exploitatively bet $20 into $27 as there are ton of hands that can call here. And to no-ones surprise he does call.

Turn comes an 8 but I don't see him having T9 here for a gutshot. He checks and I have a decision as the pot is now $67 and he has $103 behind. I don't really want to divide it up into two bets, as that will just give him better odds and I am potstuck by the river. If I bet $35 here for example and he calls and jams in front on a Q river, then there is no way I can fold given that prize.

So let us go for glory against Qx and hopefully look a bit like a bully (although I had a tight image). I put out $105 and he shakes his head a bit but put the chips in within 10 seconds. River comes a T, which is not an amazing card but he shows KQ for top pair only like I hoped.

Played a few orbits more without anything happening, and although I had intended to play a little bit longer I decided that 5 hours and 15 minutes was enough. Plus $95 USD was the result, which is definitely better than losing. The sesson was a bit weird, as the interesting spots mostly were against short stacks. I probably didn't play my best, but apart from checking back that AJ-hand there are not too many spots that I wish I had back.

I took the Monorail back to Horseshoe and could feel my body getting tired. So there was no more poker to be played, and instead I just chilled with some Video Poker. See next post.

Cash Games:

Hours played: 9h 15min
Won/Lost: + $678 USD
Hourly rate: +$73.30 USD

Tournaments:

Won/Lost: - $150 USD (1 played)

As I mentioned above, I played some Video Poker here at Horseshoe last night. I must say that I have been running super well for the games that I am playing, and I am probably up around $400 or something if I have to guess. So let's gamble it up with some Triple Double Bonus. Look at this draw:

Can we hit the Jack of spades for a cool $2000 handpay? (and with $2000 I mean $1300-something since I would lose the rest in tax):

Meh, that is the wrong Jack. It was a fun sweat though, and I enjoy playing TDB although I don't dare to play it for a high denom. It's a very swingy game after all.

---

Today is Wednesday and I woke up just before 6am. It's slowly going in the right direction, and I am gonna head out now to start the day at the gym.

This is also the day where I move from Horseshoe and over to Bellagio for the remainder of the trip. I am really looking forward to staying there, and I will obviously post some room pictures as soon as I am checked in.

Sounds like Mariano. "I'm not sure what to do, so I put in the money".

Crushing, as always.

That's when you want to be playing multiple hands.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Horseshoe, but it was time to level up a bit and treat myself:

We are at Bellagio, and I think I will love it here the remainder of the trip 😀

Room looks nice!

Ballin’ at the B. Nice!

Nice! I haven't stayed there in so long, you had to open and close the drapes by hand, like an animal.

Bellagio was a bucket list item for me, I stayed there one night a few years ago and loved it

What a strange, strange day we have put behind us in Las Vegas, with a lot of ups and downs. I will probably have to split this up in two parts, so the remaining details will come tomorrow morning. So let's get to it, shall we.

After getting settled in here at Bellagio, I eventually made the stroll over to the above location and immediately got seated in a $1/$3 game. I bought in for $400 and end up playing the very first hand I am dealt. I find QJhh in hijack and raise to $12, only to see button make it $30. Very small sizing though, and even OOP I think a hand like QJs have to be a call. I put the $30 in, and we go heads-up to T-6-2 no hearts. Not quite what I was looking for, so I just check-fold to a bet of $35.

Then we have a limp for $3 from a fishy player before EP2 raises to $15. I have KJdd on the button and chose to see a flop here. The limper folds, so we go heads-up to Q-9-7 two hearts no diamonds. He does however check, so I take a stab of $15 to hopefully get him off hands like AK or AJ. He thinks for a bit and calls. We do however get the lovely Th on the turn, so I make my straight. He checks, I bet $40 and he thinks for a little bit before folding.

Shortly after I find AQo in mid-pos and make it $12 as always. A guy probably around 60 years of age calls in SB and BB folds. The dealer spreads out A-K-Q, which is pretty favorable. To my surprise he leads out for $20. I think I have to raise here as him taking this line with JT should be very infrequent, and it's easy for him to have hands like KQ for lesser two pair or a hand like KJ or QJ trying to set it's own price. He could also just have something like AT or AJ. So I raise it up to $65 (a bit too small) and he calls fairly quickly.

Turn was not ideal as it came another K. He checks and I check back fairly quickly. River is a harmless 4 and he now leads out for $75. Not ideal, as this is never a bluff after I showed strength on turn. It really smells like KQ, and although two kings and two queens are dead, I still think we can assign him all 8 remaining combos of KQo. There is obviously also a tiny chance that he was playing JT this yay.

All this should have lead to a fold but I still talked myself into a call. And he obviously had exactly what I suspected (KQo) for a full house. Sigh. On another turn we could have won a big one, but overall I think I should be able to find the fold there on the river. Instead I had to reload another $100 into my stack.

More AQo as I raise this one from EP1 and only Small Blind calls. The flop comes 7-3-3 and after he checks I decided to check it back. Turn comes a 6 and he now leads for $20 (into $27). I don't buy this story, as the guy have been active enough and a value hand wouldn't bet that big against my rather weak range. So I call.

River comes with a K and he thinks for a bit before checking. I briefly considered if I needed to turn my hand into a bluff by repping the K, but quickly decided to stick with my original reasoning and trust that I have the best hand. And indeed I had; after I checked it back he announced 'Queen high' and I just flipped up my hand instead of forcing him to show.

Then we find T9ss from EP1 and make it $12 as always. Only the OMC on the button calls and we see A-2-9 one spade on the flop. Decent enough, and I start with a small bet of $10 to get some value from pairs below 9x. He calls.

Turn comes a 7 and I decided to bet small once again for the same reason as above. I made it $16 and he called after thinking for a bit. The plan was to check river but then another 9 appeared. Nice! The pot is now $80 exactly and although I didn't think he had an Ace too often I think we should target one. So I make it $75, and he goes into the tank for a bit but sadly lands on a fold.

We then see two limps for $3 and I find TT on the button. I raise it up to $20, only to see SB (the guy who 3-bet me first hand) make the call. He has been playing very tight and straight forward so far. The two limpers fold out and we go heads-up to Q-5-6 two hearts.

Decent enough board as I can get value from hands like 77, 88, 99 and also stuff like 76s and 78s + flush draws. So I bet $20, only to see him raise to $60. I thought about it for a bit, but I didn't really see this player getting aggressive with a flush draw. I also have Th in my hand, which reduces some of his flush combos that could have called pre. So I fold.

A bit later we play a fun one, where a new female player limps in from early and I make it $15 with QJo on the button. An OMC in BB calls and the Asian female also calls. The flop comes A-K-7, which is pretty great. BB does however lead out for $10 and the woman also calls. Small sizings but I decided to just call. I obviously had devious plans of driving this hand as a 3-barrel bluff with range advantage, but I wanted to see their actions on the turn before deciding whether this was viable or not.

Turn comes with a 9 and they both check to me. I bet out $45 with plans to blast the river pretty hard if one of them call. My plan worked to perfection however, as BB folded (claimed weak Ace afterwards) and the limper showed a K and folded. So I got two better hands to fold.

Well timed move there, but the next hand of note was a bit more iffy. I had won a medium pot with AQ the hand before (flopped trips), and the very next hand I have AKss. I raise to $12 from early pos and get calls from both blinds. The flop comes Q-J-3 one spade, and after they both check to me I make it $18. SB then check-raises to $55 and BB folds.

My first thought was to fold but I quickly realized that this player was active enough to where he would have 3-bet JJ and QQ pre. So unless he has exactly QJ or 33 I don't think he is super strong. Furthermore, there are some good turns for me. So I called, and we see one of the good cards on the turn in the form of 5s. I have a gutshot and 4-flush now, and opponent bets out $100. However, in line with the reasoning above I think I have a ton of fold-equity here unless I run into one of the two hands mentioned above.

In other words, I jam for $270 more, aiming for max fold-eq but also thinking he has to fold one pair (hands like KQ or AQ) to this action. He immediately does not like it and mumbles 'damn' before asking for a count. He thinks about it for a while, before finally stating that he hopes I have an overpair and calls. I ask him if he actually has QJ then, and he replies 'Queen three'. Ok dude, great call pre but we still have outs.

The legendary Aria-dealer Clyde does however not deliver good news on the river; it's a red 8 and I lose my entire stack. Not fun.

I buy-in for $300 more and I am now in for $800. I actually find KK only two hands later after the same opponent who took my stack had opened. He made it $12 and I 3-bet to $45 from SB. He calls, and we see Q-T-6 two diamonds. I bet out $40 and he folds instantly.

We then play one of our favorite hands so far this trip, where the same guy once again raises to $12 and I defend from BB with A6dd. The flop comes 8-4-3 all clubs and I am ready to check-fold, however opponent checks it back. Turn gives me a pair of 6 and I lead for $12 to get some value versus A high and similar. He calls, and we see another 4 on the river.

This is a cool spot, because I think opponent is very capped to Ace high when he checks back the flop and calls the turn. And I also assume that he thinks I am on tilt after losing that big hand against him. So I bet $65 (into $49) and opponent goes into the tank for close to a minute. He eventually says he will donate me, and I confidently flick up my hand which is good. Poker is really fun when you are able to read the situation like this, make an overbet (!) with second pair for value and getting paid off.

I did however lose one more annoying hand, when there is a small raise to $8 from cutoff who had been fairly active since he sat down. I have A4hh on the button and should maybe 3-bet, but I settled on a call since I am in position. SB and BB also comes along, and we see A-K-9 rainbow. Everyone actually checks to me and I probably missed a bet here. In game I thought I could get more value on a safe turn, but it's probably better to throw out something like $15 on the flop and pick up the pot with my weak kicker.

Turn comes with a 2 and BB leads out for $20 after it checks to me. This guy is fairly drunk and did not seem very sophisticated, and I don't think he has many value hands here for this sizing. So I call when it gets to me, prepared to probably call down on many rivers.

The river is another 9 and he bets $45. Any Ace is now a chop and I briefly thought about raising to try and get him off a chop (AA99K). However, just in case he has a 9 I decided to just call, although I think leading out into 3 people with just a nine on the turn would be very strange. Strange or not, he did show up with [U97o[/U] for trips. I could have 3-bet pre and I could have bet the flop, but as played I think river is a very easy call against this drunk guy.

So despite feeling like I am playing well I am again back down to being stuck almost $500, which is no fun. I had plans to play longer, but had to change course and cash out after 2 hours and 45 minutes, down $497 USD. Not fun, but I have no issues with how I played except the AQ-calls on the river early. But apart from that I thought I played really good to be honest, so it felt very weird being stuck that much.

There is obviously a (good) reason for why I left earlier than anticipated in this session, but that have to wait until tomorrow. Now I need some sleep.

Good morning from Las Vegas! Here is part 2 from yesterday:

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I am honestly a fairly private person and I debated on whether I would put this here, but I figured I have to give an explanation for why I didn't play so many hours yesterday. And I have been joking enough about these things in previous TRs that I figured it was worth mentioning.

The reason I left the game at Aria is simply because I had a date (!) with a woman I met on the dating app Bumble. And no, it was not a hooker 😀 We met and hung out for 3-4 hours and it was really fun and we had very good chemistry after a while it felt like. And it was impossible to be in a bad mood about the loss at Aria after that experience.

Anyway, I got back to Bellagio (alone) around 8pm and felt like I had ton of energy. So I just took a quick shower and headed down to the poker room here where I got immediate seating in a $1/$3 game.

Not that many hand of note really, and very few are worth much detail. We had:

- I tried flopping a set with 77 in a 4-way pot but did not hit.
- I 3-bet AJo from cutoff versus a young Asian's open and got it through.
- I had KK but could only win around $20 on it (opponent folded flop).

Basically I was break-even when a very young Asian player sits down with $500, only to get told it's $300 max. He has raised a few hands but we have only been seated together for around 15 minutes when he opens from early pos to $12. I have 88 in SB and debated 3-betting, but landed on a call as I try to be a bit cautious before I know more about opponents. And pocket pairs are one of the few hands we can call from Small Blind I think.

BB folds out and we go heads-up to 9-2-3 rainbow. I check, and het bets $15. I think I have to peel once against this sizing, so I call. Turn comes a T which puts a flushdraw in hearts out there. I check and he now increases to $55 (into $57). It's almost full pot and felt a bit weird to me, because my range isn't super strong here although I guess it's easy to put me on a pocket pair. So I decided to call once more and see what he does on the river, and potentially play a bit of 'Fifth Street Chicken' as Bart Hanson call it.

(you make it look like you are going to call down but if he bets again you are actually going to fold, even if the river is a blank)

The river was indeed a blank as a black 5 appeared. 64 came in but neither of us have that in our range, so that's not a concern. I check it over to him and he starts thinking for a very long time before betting $150. Another fairly big bet and I don't know - I just got a vibe that something was off here.

How many strong hands can he really bet here apart from good overpairs, and there are some hands that might feel forced to continue after bricking off river (QJ, and all heart draws). Heck, even a hand like A5 of hearts can be turned into a bluff, simply because it realizes that it cannot beat my hand very often although he rivered a pair. And I do think this player based off his look and sizings were capable of making some kind of play.

88 is still a pretty bad hand to call down with, but I am never accidentally going to lose to 9x here obviously. He would just check that back on the river, so I decided to trust my gut on this one and make the call. And my gut was completely wrong, as he turned over JJ. Fair play to him, he played it really well. But it obviously feels very frustrating to be wrong in a big spot like that and once again being stuck a lot.

I did win another small pot after that and escaped with a loss of -$189 USD. So although there was some beauty in the day, these results are very ugly and put me right back into stuckville. Probably I should have trusted my plan in the 88-hand, which is to fold river to another bet even though nothing changed.

But we are in Vegas and there are still plenty of days to turn it around. And we have this great view from our hotel room while I casually sit by the window and update this TR.

Now I am going to head out to the gym here at Bellagio and get a workout in; and then I am going to play the $300 1-day tourney at Venetian that starts at 11:10am. Should be a fun one, and although I have to buckle down for a long day if I am to go deep, I am ready for that.

Depressing numbers follow below, although I guess being stuck $8 USD is not the end of the world.

Cash Games:

Hours played: 13h 45min
Won/Lost: - 8 USD
Hourly rate: -$0.58 USD

Tournaments:

Won/Lost: - $150 USD (1 played)

Gym was a great start to the day. And here are some pictures from the Conservatory: