Bracelet Hunting - A WSOP 2026 Trip Report
Time for a new thread!
Credit to rppoker (who made the suggestion in my previous thread) for the title of this years’ tri
Besides pool time, do you build in any time to your day for workouts or anything to help stay healthy over an extended trip like this? Between Vegas food and a ton of hours of poker, I’m sure it can be a challenge!
No I don’t think I’ve ever used a gym in Vegas, but between swimming and walking it’s not too bad. Having said that I do usually find that I’ve gained a little weight when I get home.
Day 31
Thursday June 25th
The Stud 8 tournament teased me with a good start - 36k on 1st break and 64k on 2nd break - before pulling the rug out from under me. I lose a big pot with rolled up Queens when villain makes 3 Aces on 7th, after which follows a prolonged period of utter card deadness. Can’t do much with low-low high or high-high-low hands with no pairs. Never seen so many eights, nines and tens.
I put my last chips in with buried eights against split fours just before the last break of the evening and get sent packing when villain catches a 3rd four.
All the while the Poker Players Championship final table is going on.
Benny and Josh heads up and Benny goes on to win it which is the perfect exacta for me as I have 0.7% of Benny and 0.4% of Josh.
So without having done anything other than pick the right horses, I’ve had my best day of the summer profit wise so far.
Believe me when I say I’m really trying hard to get returns like these for those that have taken a piece of me. We still have some chances left.
After I busted out of the tournament we were able to get the $50-$100 OE game going.
Fig went to the Taco place out front and I got him to bring me a proper coke imported from Mexico. Nothing better than a glass bottle Coca Cola made with real sugar.
Unfortunately the game didn’t last long. It got short and people didn’t want to play short handed. I did manage to win $700 in the 2 hours it ran though.
Benny is obviously a great player and is a deserving champion, but he sure seemed to get smashed by the deck head's up. It seemed like he had the best of it every single hand.
After I busted out of the tournament we were able to get the $50-$100 OE game going.Fig went to the Taco place out front and I got him to bring me a proper coke imported from Mexico. Nothing better than a glass bottle Coca Cola made with real sugar.
Random, but that coke looks awesome and especially since it's in a proper glass bottle! Very rare to find these days, where every product packaging is designed to be so 'eco friendly' etc.
Tony you bought the right guys for that event - Only other one I believe people should buy (if he was selling is Paul Volpe - guy is always a threat in that one)
those bottles are returned and refilled in mexico, peak eco friends
and so agree coke with sugar not corn syrump is supreme
Day 32
Friday June 26th
No tournament on my original schedule. The Wynn $1,600 Mixed Game Championship is today but feel like a couple of days without a tournament would do me more good so a cash game day it is, but not before some pool time.
It’s quieter at a Bellagio today. Only 2 $80 Mix games and we get a seat in the 2nd game straight away. We begin by losing the cap and getting quartered for the cap in 5 card PLO double board. Why always the hard way?
The game is good though and we start clawing it back a bet at a time. We get moved to the main game which is also good. I’m sure I could have turned it into a winning session but had already agreed to go to Paris to play the $50 OE so racked up -$700 after 7 hours.
Had the Branzino from Lago today table side. It’s one of my favorites on their menu and it’s not too heavy. If I get the steak it can sit a little heavy while I’m playing.
The $50-$100 OE game at Paris is also good but again we start off losing. I lost several O8 hands where I started AA2x or AA3x.
We do eventually win one with AA56 on a A-K-4 flop. 3 ways and we all flopped a set!
When the game breaks I’m up $200 after a further 6 hours, so 13 hours played on the day for -$500. Frustrating, which is becoming the key word of the summer.
Will probably take a day off tomorrow.
Random, but that coke looks awesome and especially since it's in a proper glass bottle! Very rare to find these days, where every product packaging is designed to be so 'eco friendly' etc.
That's for politically-correct companies. That Coke was bottled in Mexico, where they don't have time or money for that sort of thing. It's common in the stores around here, since I live 15 miles from the Mexican border.
Day 33
Saturday June 27th
Got my steps in today. 16,000 total by walking to get a haircut and then to Best Buy to get some new ear buds as my current ones just died.
It looks a long way back to the strip.
Almost there.
But we made it back just in time for the England game. No poker today but plenty of soccer watching on the cards.
And of course we had a little action.
Both bets winners. Had to sweat a little on the Panama one as England had a couple of chances to make it 3-0 but the Colombia one was easy enough. Clear wrong favorites in that game. Colombia were far better than Portugal and were unlucky not win it outright. They were denied the winning goal by literally a big toe being offside. Silly rule.
I was tempted to bet the draw in the late Algeria vs Austria game as a draw would see both sides qualify for the next round but it was already priced in with Caesars closing here -102 when normally the draw price would be +220 at least.
It did end in a draw but if you watched the game you could not say it was an arranged draw, unlike Paraguay vs Australia on Thursday. In fact it was a really good game with both teams trying to win and some very late drama.
Back up to date with the trip report now.
On deck tomorrow: $1,500 Eight Game
The World Cup starts in earnest tomorrow when the knockout stages begin. Although in not going to any games it has been good just being here while it’s going on.
My humble 2 cents:
On the right side of the bracket I can’t see the quarter finals being any different than Brazil vs England and Argentina vs Colombia.
The left side of the bracket looks more unpredictable with likely R16 clashes between Germany vs France and Portugal vs Spain.
USA look to have a winnable game against Bosnia and I hope they get through as I think they may be over valued against Belgium in R16 and if that were the case I would be heavily on Belgium. Although no guarantee Belgium gets past Senegal.
I put a $20 on Portugal to win prior to the tournament, but they sure don't look like contenders. I knew Ronaldo was a shell of his old self, but I expected their young talent to show out more. They might not even win their next game.
Subsequently I've put about $100 on England in pieces, with a small piece of France as well.
To me, England and France are the two best teams in the tournament. The bracket has set up very nicely for England. No guarantees, but I like the price on them.
I know, but pass the Kool-Aid all the same. It's the year of the meme team: Arsenal, Knicks, Three Lions.
Realistically, nobody looks unbeatable this year and their squad is objectively very strong. They've also dodged most of the contenders in the bracket.
At +700, I'm happy to donate.
I've been watching a bunch of the World Cup since I got home from the WSOP:
France-Germany in the Round of 16 seems absurd. That matchup should, at a minimum, take place in the Round of 8.
After watching Portugal-Columbia I can see why there is chatter that Ronaldo might need to be benched. He did next to nothing. I knew he had declined but I had no idea he had become that much of a non-factor.
Norway seems like a team that might pull off an upset. Erling Haaland against the Brazil defense would be a fascinating matchup.
France and Argentina seem like the class of the field. I think they have separated from the next tier of teams. Can't wait to keep watching Messi.
Columbia seems like an under the radar team that is coming on that could win some games.
I'm wondering if we see a decent amount of upsets. It seems like the difference between the haves and have nots is narrowing.
Norway seems like a team that might pull off an upset. Erling Haaland against the Brazil defense would be a fascinating matchup.
Let's hope so! Gotta dispatch of Ivory Coast on Tuesday first though. But in all my time on earth so far, Norway has never had a more exciting team than the one we have now.
England are complete pants.
Knowing nothing of football, soccer-style, it seems as if USA#n and Canuckistan have a decent draw to get to 16?
Day 34
Sunday June 28th
Must be nearing the end of the trip. Time to change hotels again, this time for the penultimate time. Back to Aria we go for a few nights.
Same old story tournament wise in the 8-Game I’m afraid. Battled with the 25k starting stack on the first bullet for a long time and was never above 30k. Bust in level 8. I did fire the one re-entry that was permitted but did not win a single hand with it.
I must be a glutton for punishment as I then late reg’d the landmark satellite for the $10k Stud 8. There we battled until 3am. Got crippled on the last two tables when I didn’t improve burried aces and lost to villains two pair he made on 7th.
Down to the last table of 8 players with 4 landmarks remaining and almost 10k cash for 5th. We’re the shortest stack and get the bring-in with a deuce. It’s folded round to a 4 who completes in a steal spot. We have buried 77 and with only a bet and a half left put it in. Villain has buried AA. We do make two pair but so does he. Again we just miss out on a $10k seat.
End of week 5 wellness check:
If I’m being honest I can’t say that I’m still 100%, neither mentally or physically, but I’m sure it’s the same for anyone who has been here for the whole summer.
The days are all starting to blend into one. Sleep has become more erratic and the tournament torture is beginning to take a toll mentally.
Nevertheless there’s nowhere else I’d rather be and I still wake each morning with confidence and ready to do battle.
Thanks for keeping up with the thread. If you are still looking forward to playing compared to the alternatives with the summer you are having, that is a very good sign. I still have faith!
