The (older) boys are back in town….. yet again
You may well know a few of us from previous Pulitzer winning trip reports such as “The Boys are Back in Town” and the creatively titled sequel “The Boys are Back in Town Again”. The third part of the trilogy, inspiringly titled “The (older) boys are back in town….. yet again”, our very own Return Of The Jedi if you will, is coming soon to a mobile device near you soon.
Guitarist, Watbri, Watbri Jr, Oscar, Ryan (unconfirmed) and myself will be lit up by the bright lights of Las Vegas next weekend for a few weeks. The intention is to steal from the whales whilst feeding the fishies. We’re self-styled poker eco-warriors really.
Oscar (the highlight provider from 2023 trip with his second place finish in the $10k 2-7 TD), arrives Thursday 30th May, Guitarist and myself on Sunday 2nd June, Watbri and Watbri Jr on 9th June and Ryan hoping for 5th June. When we’re coming from all corners of the globe (Australia, UK, Dubai and NorCal), it’s ain’t an easy diary alignment.
The plans are as usual - play a lot of poker, donk a few $$$ at the pai gow tables, and enjoy some great food which includes our annual trip to Craftsteak. No hookers and blow for us (I speak for myself there really) as the old ticker may not take that level excitement. We’ve got a good record in not doing a Blasted and between us, we’ll get a few pictures and stories added each day.
From a poker perspective, what can you expect? Well, Oscar has two runner up finishes in WSOP events, both in 2-7 TD. Third time lucky we all hope. And whilst Oscar and myself may be firing a couple of mixed game WSOP events, all of us play NLHE….. to varying standards of course. There should be everything from $1/$3 to $10/$25 being played between us so expect the notated hand histories to range from “that f###ing fish hit his f###ing three outer on the river” to “I had blockers to the back door flush draw and his range was super capped to one pair based on his small raise from mid position on the brick turn” or something suitably GTO inspired. Clearly those second insights won’t be coming from me.
With 9 days still to go before I board my 11 hour flight, it seems a little early to subject you to pictures of shoes and $3.50 subtly hidden in the shot. Suffice to say I’ll be rocking up with $15k (most of it courtesy of having 5% of Oscar’s $192k win for his aforementioned 2nd place in event #38 last year), a pre-completed FinCEN 105 form and hopes of fame and fortune. A couple of the others will have more, a couple of the group perhaps a bit less. But between us, we’re expecting a feeding frenzy akin to piranhas around a drowning sheep.
Hoping to catch up with as many of you as possible whilst there. For those that can’t make it to the 2024 WSOP, our wish is that this trip report allows you to, at least in part, vicariously share the experience.
Run good, be lucky, and see you at the felt.
Donk Dunc
In less spectacular news, I dropped $900 at the Wynn cash tables, much of it to Guitarist. Two massive combo draws whiffed and a few extra $$$ at the end were donked off in a style that fish would consider the epitome of high fashion.
About to jump in the H.O.R.S.E. daily deepstack for a slower pace and something a little less expensive.
Glgl
I am going to play the horse next Monday
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Fast structure in the daily Deepstack HORSE, especially when you late reg. Got up to 1.5 x starting quickly and then got involved in a big O8 hand with AJJ4ddxx on a KJ7dds flop. Bet bet bet bet and the same on the turn, three way and one player all in. River completed backdoor spades and I was left with fumes. Busted shortly after.
Yea, I didn't want to be negative when I first read your post, but I played that $250 HORSE in 2022 and it's anything but "slower paced". I think it's actually the fastest tournament I've ever played in Vegas. On a positive note, your friend seems to be cruising in the badugi! Great stack with 32 players left.
Fixed limit tournaments are weird. You have to get used to playing with 6 or 7 big blinds in a hurry.
A rough end for Oscar - when you don’t hit your draws but your opponents do, it can be a quick decline. Great run though and congrats to him on a super start to his summer.
Guitarist and I went to see Postcard from Earth at The Sphere. Amazing immersive show with the feeling you’re in a giant VR experience with added sound effect, smell changes and wind. Very very cool..
Two negatives though; seating is uncomfortable for anyone with legs. They don’t have to be long legs, just legs that touch the floor. A distinct shortage of legroom..
And secondly, it is expensive for what is ultimately, just a movie show. Yes, it’s incredible but $200 for a movie…. It is kinda pricey.
If you can justify the expense, definitely worth doing once. Unlikely to be something you’d do twice.
A couple of hand histories from a late night session at Venetian’s $1/$3 tables. Very loose passive table and enough chips to go round. Combination of drunks, newbies and the walking dead.
Limped 4 ways and I check my option in the BB with J9. Flop is J94 rainbow and we check round to the bluffiest person at the table who bets $10. Newbie with a stack flats and I check-raise to 65. They both call. Turn is the brickiest of bricks - a 2 that completes the rainbow. I lead for $125, bluffy folds and newbie tank calls. River is a 7 and I jam my remaining $295 and newbie tank calls. I proudly turn over top 2 pair thinking I had masterfully managed bet sizing on every street to engineer getting full stacks in by the river. Newbie has a set of 4s. ****!
Next hand after a rebuy, bluffy opens for $10 and I’m second caller with 22. Flop KK5, I check, he bets $30, third player folds and I call. Turn is a 5 and I check call $60. River is an 8 and I check to bluffy who jams for $140. I call and my 22 I beats bluffy’s obvious ace high.
Another limped pot (4 ways) and I again check my option in the BB, this time with Q7. Flop is Q74 and it checks round. Turn is a 7 and my $5 bet is called only by newbie. River is a 2 and I bet $100 into the $21 pot. (After rake). Newbie calls my 5x pot river bet.
Last notable hand…. I open A9 for $15 and get bluffy and newbie to call. Flop is AK5 and bluffy calls my $25 c-bet. Turn pairs the K and we both check. River is a 4 and I check to bluffy who bets $60. I call and A9 > A7.
So, out with a $234 profit and a 4th W out of 5 sessions. Unfortunately the one L on the ledger was the biggest swing by far (today’s $900 loss at the Wynn) and I’m approx $250 up only at cash; the exact cost of today’s HORSE tourney.
Poker would be much more profitable if I didn’t get stuck early in every one of the sessions I’ve played so far. [emoji849]
Yeah don’t sweat the J9 vs 44 hand, sooo many worse hands will call, way that played out.
Nice session!
Next hand after a rebuy, bluffy opens for $10 and I’m second caller with 22. Flop KK5, I check, he bets $30, third player folds and I call. Turn is a 5 and I check call $60. River is an 8 and I check to bluffy who jams for $140. I call and my 22 I beats bluffy’s obvious ace high.
Some nicely played hands, but I assume the above is a typo?
On K-K-5-5-8 your pair of twos would have been counterfeited and Ace high wins the pot.
Guitarist and I went to see Postcard from Earth at The Sphere. Amazing immersive show with the feeling you’re in a giant VR experience with added sound effect, smell changes and wind. Very very cool..
Two negatives though; seating is uncomfortable for anyone with legs. They don’t have to be long legs, just legs that touch the floor. A distinct shortage of legroom..
And secondly, it is expensive for what is ultimately, just a movie show. Yes, it’s incredible but $200 for a movie…. It is kinda pric
Can you compare it to Omnimax? I think Caesars used to charge about $4.50 for it.
I haven’t been to Omnimax before so can’t compare. But, if Omnimax is like the iMax screens they have in Australia, there is no comparison; the Sphere experience is far and away the best seated viewing experience I have had.
I haven’t been to Omnimax before so can’t compare. But, if Omnimax is like the iMax screens they have in Australia, there is no comparison; the Sphere experience is far and away the best seated viewing experience I have had.
I've never seen IMAX, but I'm guessing the concept is similar to Omnimax.
The shows were about 30 minutes long and projected on the inside of the ball. The seats laid back and you were basically surrounded by the video and a bazillion watts of sound system. They did some outstanding action scenes, like in a hang glider going over a waterfall. If I watched something like that now I'd be puking.
A fairly uneventful day yesterday with not a lot to newsworthy stuff to report.
Kicked off with some cash games at The Orleans. A very loose passive table highlighted by this hand. Two limpers and I make it $15 from the button with 99. Only the guy on my immediate right tank calls. Flop is QQ8, and he check calls my $20 c-bet. Turn is a 5, he checks and I bet $60 to cover his remaining stack. Villain tanks but eventually calls and after the river bricks, he gets ready to muck his hand. I flip over my 9s and he looks at the board and his hand a few times before turning over QJ, saying he thought he must have been out-kicked and wanted to fold.
An orbit later and it’s time for revenge. Again he calls my $15 open (I have A4 off) and then tank calls my cbet on a T52 flop. Turn is a 9 and after he checks, I decide I’m barrelling this one. He tank calls $50. River is a 6 and after he checks again, I jam, covering his remaining $140. This time he tank calls with pocket 8s.
One hand he wants to fold trips when he’s short and the next time I can’t get him to fold third pair. Wtf!
My $135 loss in this session was quickly added to by a $250 short lived experience in the HORSE tourney, compounded by losing an additional $50 to Oscar in our last longer bet. [emoji2961][emoji2959]
I made a small recovery late on with $170’profit back at Resorts World (I think possibly my second favourite poker room now after Wynn) but that was it for the day. A relatively early night before a day downtown today - it’s the mixed triple draw and the 2-7 triple draw at the Holden Nugget today - both events that I thoroughly enjoy.
Btw, what is it with not being able to buy eye drops for conjunctivitis without a prescription here? I’m starting to look like Long John Silver with one eye half shut.
QQ < T9 on a T82 flop for $1.4K pot. Not exactly something that sets the best state of mind prior to the draw tourneys today.
Time to drink a cup of cement and toughen the f### up.
Ugh. Let's hope it can only go up from here! Good luck.
I have faith. Regardless, you should fare better than I did my last trip: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
Was down $6,000 in PLO until the last night, when I was down $7,000, and then ended up down only $3,000 for the trip 😉
I have faith. Regardless, you should fare better than I did my last trip: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
Was down $6,000 in PLO until the last night, when I was down $7,000, and then ended up down only $3,000 for the trip 😉
It’s like golf - we just need to hit one good shot and we’re desperate to play again the moment it’s all over.
Playing the $340 mixed triple draw at the Golden Nugget. 133 entries, 30 left and we have a little over average stack at dinner break. 15 get paid and $10.6k up top.
I know this is weak but I’d take a min-cash now. The entry on my Hendon Mob page for mixed triple draw (I’ve never cashed any draw tournament other than 2-7 triple draw) would make me as happy as a 3rd place finish in this.
Not sure Oscar would agree though - we swapped 10%!
Maybe I’m the only one, but I’d love to see some triple draw hand histories!!!
Playing the 8 game tourney when I get out there.
They got me, one off the bubble. Here’s the updates to our group…..
That’s rough.
I had a major “a-ha!” moment when somebody explained to me that 2-5-7-x-x is a better starting hand than 2-3-5-x-x in 2-7 triple draw. It seemed counterintuitive at the time. Even though they’re both three wheel cards, since you have the deuce AND the 7, you can’t “accidentally” make a straight, with the former.
That’s rough.
I had a major “a-ha!” moment when somebody explained to me that 2-5-7-x-x is a better starting hand than 2-3-5-x-x in 2-7 triple draw. Even though they’re both three wheel cards, since you have the deuce AND the 7, you can’t “accidentally” make a straight, with the former.
True, but I’d happily take either. A 6 is the card to avoid.
