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
For TJ….
I’m dealt 237xx and call an open from BB. We both take 2, I get two bricks and I check call. I take 2, he takes 1 and I’m given J8. I check, he bets. Now for the strategy / blind dumb thinking part. If I raise here, he can break a weak made hand. If he raises me, I can pitch the J. If he flats, I snow. As played, he called, I stood pat, he pitched one and then folded to my bet.
Snowing feels good but maybe I had the best hand all the way anyway.
Love it!
The whole “break a made hand/stand Pat and snow/draw to a wheel” element in triple draw is what makes the game interesting!
And yeah your J8 might have been good anyway
A failed snow and a big draw that whiffed all three streets means it ain’t looking quite so rosy now. Half starting stack and struggling to not tilt with the two grouchy, aggro scum bags to my left. Table draw is everything, not just for those wanting ti gain an edge, but also those just wanting a good experience.
I hate that game. I make pairs like crazy, much more frequently than in hold 'em. I've only played it in home games with really good players, or in Orleans mixed games. During the WSOP a bunch of dealers would hold a low stakes mix. I haven't seen it in the last few years.
Stay hard
Draw a no.4 and check raise after second draw. Opponent breaks an 8 and improves to a no.3 [emoji2961]
And that’s all she wrote. Got it in good, stood pat on a ten after first draw, he drew one, whiffed second draw but got there on third.
Re-entering is an option but I’m a little too tilted to do that right now.
How did I play? Good for two and a half hours, bad for one hour, and then had too few chips to do anything with afterwards. A bad level, particularly when it was my own fault, is very difficult to come back from.
Was just writing the following….
Licking my wounds at the $1/$3 in Resorts World; the table is loose and chips are flying. Many pots with 5 or 6 to the flop and over 200 BBs by the river. There’s a good vibe.
I get AA and open from UTG+1 for the very standard $15. Everyone folds. FML. I guess the cold decks and bad fortune is continuing for a while yet.
But then this happens…….
Couple of limpers. Tilting young reg (just lost $500 in set over set) opens for $15 from hijack and I 3bet with JJ from button. One limper jams his last $28 and tilting reg calls. Flop is 442 and tilting reg check calls $60. Turn 5 and after he checks again, I jam $277. He calls, asking if I have an overpair. [emoji1787]. I don’t think I needed to see another Jack on the river, but it was nice.
And just like that, the world seems a much better place again!
New guy sits down on my direct left with $300 and waits for the blinds to pass before joining in. His very first hand, I open to $15 from the hijack with J9dd and new kid makes it $35. Im getting a massage, I’ve enjoyed a couple of drinks and I’ve just won a big pot, and it’s only another $20. I call.
Flop is J94 rainbow. I check, he cbets $30, I make
It $85 and he calls. Turn is a 2 and he calls my jam for his remaining stack. Sure enough, he has aces and the board doesn’t pair the river.
Out for +$699 and the rot has ended.
Yay Dunc!
not sure what is up with tapatalk on my phone :( have not been able to get it to work as of 8p last night ...keeps saying error.....typing this on my laptop
We crashed the site I thinks
Been down all day till now
Plans for today went awry last night when Oscar and I decided we’d play a few hands of pai gow. He had just busted the 2-7 so a short decompress and a couple of drinks seemed a good idea.
14 vodkas over the next 7 hours meant we both staggered off in search of our respective rooms at 7am. Walking up at 2pm suggests I’ve finally beaten the jetlag .The headache suggests I may still have a way to go.
Vegas huh?!
In other news, guitarist landed the team’s first positive tourney result yesterday - a strong run in the Gladiator, busting just before the end of day 1. Still good enough for a cash and a reason to be walking a little taller than the rest of us. Well played Guitarist and congratulations.
Plans for today went awry last night when Oscar and I decided we’d play a few hands of pai gow. He had just busted the 2-7 so a short decompress and a couple of drinks seemed a good idea.
14 vodkas over the next 7 hours meant we both staggered off in search of our respective rooms at 7am. Walking up at 2pm suggests I’ve finally beaten the jetlag .The headache suggests I may still have a way to go.
Vegas huh?!
In other news, guitarist landed the team’s first positive tourney result yesterday - a st
That's the best way, now he can enter again tomorrow.
My first big suckout of the trip…..
Playing $1/$3 at Caesars and most of the table is straddling which is leading to a few steals and resteal attempts…
One caller if the straddle and I make $28 from SB. BB who has 3 bet my last two steal attempts makes it $85. I jam $320 effective and villlain doesn’t pause before chucking in a calling chip. Q high flop and I flip over my AQ. By the time the brick turn has been dealt, villain has turned over his KK. From thinking I had sucked out to feeling a tad deflated but alas, the Barry Greenstein ace on the river gave me the suckout.
Wooohooo D. Get em
Sent from my SM-A025V using Tapatalk
So, would you rather lose chips to a buddy or lose chips to a stranger?
Just lost a 300 BB pot to Guitarist when he cracked my aces by hitting his gut shot on the turn. That earlier picture…. That’s now his stack [emoji22]
Turned a $700 profit into a $47 profit. The silver lining is that it is still profit.
Nobody ever went broke taking profits!
Watbri, watbri jr. And his buddy hit Vegas tomorrow (Sun) woohoo
This trip although short, is much needed to step away from my **** show job right now lol [emoji2957]
I need a few days hanging with my buddies and catching up with poker pai gow dice and of course eating.
Bankroll is smaller than past trips but will make it work and still have fun. No golf this trip
Haven't put together a solid plan like I usually do
I know my son and I will work in a cigar and whiskey session or two this trip. We want to throw some dice together for sure [emoji456][emoji456]
Not sure with trip being so short if I will do more than maybe 1 or 2 tourneys and play more cash instead but who knows [emoji857]
Run good wished for us all!
Sent from my SM-A025V using Tapatalk
Honesty is the best policy…..
He's a lot more artistic than I could ever be. I couldn't make a sign that good with a ruler, 100 pieces of cardboard, and a hundred sharpies.
Headed away from Sin City with Guitarist and Oscar for the day. We hired a car, drive through Boulder City, an excursion across the Hoover Dam, and then down to Laughlin. We came back via Primm and then got back into Vegas 11 hours after leaving. An absolutely fabulous day full of laughs and giggles and some new experiences. A few of the highlights……
- Driving across the Hoover Dam
- Winning a couple of hundred at the $1/$2 game at the Riverside, Laughlin. This poker room has the best views of any poker room I have ever played in - straight through the oversized windows to the jet skis bombing up and down the river.
- A surprisingly good steak and ribs at Outback Steakhouse in Aquarius.
- Small gambles in the Aquarius, Golden Nugget and a few others around Laughlin.
- Saw my first ever tornado (it was probably just a dust storm but I’m sticking to my story!).
- Driving through the desert to Primm in what was stunning scenery.
- Some overly energetic air hockey at Whiskey Pete’s in Primm.
- A night time drive back into Las Vegas and along the strip.
The three of us pooled money for shared gambles, dinner and car hire and the day ended up costing each of us $80. Add on my poker winnings from Riverside, I managed to come out on top!
A really memorable day seeing sights I’d never seen, in great company. So different from a normal day in Las Vegas but probably one of the most memorable days I have had in my 23 visits to this town.
Looks like an AMAZING trip!
Definitely real good to get away from the sensory overload of being in casinos all day, that can be exhausting.
