*** TJ's 2024 WSOP Trip! ...That Might Turn Into A Move?

GL at the interview.

That’s a big ****ing breakfast! I’d need to head back to bed to sleep that off

Pretty good value by Vegas standards too

The interview went really well. The director of operations is from Charlotte, so we connected about making the move to Vegas from NC.

He basically told me that as a qualified, internal transfer, I could have just about any nursing job, at any clinic that needs me, which would be most of them. When we talked about comp, he said he’d have to look at it, but that he starts his nurses out at least $2 an hour more than I’m currently making now. Without giving a number, he also said he’d be open to discussing a relocation package, if that’s what it takes to put the offer over the top.

If I want to move forward, the next steps would be to give notice at my current clinic, and apply internally for any of the open postings here in Las Vegas.

Now I feel like I’ve walked to the precipice, and I’m peering over the edge at the abyss… and I’m having second thoughts. Stay or go. It’s a huge decision, either way, with very real pros and cons on each side.

The most confounding variable now, that I have yet to mention in this thread, is how my Mom is doing. She’s had multiple falls a couple months ago, plus a hospitalization that led to inpatient rehab. She and her dog are currently staying at my sister’s house, while she’s trying to get stronger with home health and physical therapy.

She’s doing great, certainly better than she was in April/May… but my plan to move was based on the idea that her and my sister are both doing fine. Which may not be the case.

In any event, my professional goals for coming out here this trip were to find a place to live, and to have an offer… and I’ve accomplished both. Now I’m gonna think about it, by not thinking about it, and try to enjoy the rest of my time here, and maybe make a little money.

The deadline for a decision will be a couple weeks after I get back, mid-July. That’s when I need to give 60 days written notice to vacate my current apartment, or renew my lease and stay. Presumably this offer and these jobs would still be here for me in another year, or whenever, really.

So maybe that’s an option too.

However, for today, it’s a lovely Friday in Las Vegas! I think I’ll head to the Wynn, and see if we can activate some Strawberry Julius rungood.

Not think about it is the right thing to do.

Most of us write lists of pros and cons when facing big decisions. More effective way to do it is to sit on the decision and to see what the subconscious tells us

Congrats on the offer. The nice thing is you get to make the decision on your terms.

Strawberry Julius rungood…

ACTIVATED!

I also got to say hi to a buddy I’ve never met before, play in the same online private PLO game I’ve been in.

He’s here playing the 3k PLO event at the Wynn today.

Congratulations on the offer! Take your time to consider.

One thing I'll mention is to have the new offer and relocation package in writing before bailing out of the old company. Also consider COL difference. Is ~$4k/year a step up, down, or even?

You're right, a cross-country move is a huge decision. Best of luck. Once you're made the decision (either way), rip the band-aid off. No regraets, don't look back and play the "what if?" game.

Echo what golddog said, don’t put in your notice until you have the offer in writing. Maybe this was poorly worded and not what you meant, but alarm bells went off reading this part.

I wouldn’t be leaving my company, I’m staying within the same company.

I’d be applying for an internal transfer.

Humorous exchange at the table:

“Where are you from?”

(flatly) “My mother.”

“…Beautiful place.”

LOL

A+ response = I’ve been there myself a few times

Since we're back to the Mom subject... TJ, I don't think your mother would want you to pass up an opportunity like this because of her condition. If you stay in NC, she may even end up feeling guilty about it.

I agree. It isn't an internal move if you have to quit your job first before getting an offer. It may be though that the manager can't offer you more money unless you are an "external" hire. That would suggest that the parent company is a bureaucratic nightmare.

Frustrating session at the Wynn, I stayed too long.

Surely thanks to the ACTIVATED Strawberry Julius rungood, I won a pot for stacks in the first 30 minutes. Open 55 from CO to $15, BB makes it $50, I call. Flop A-2-8 rainbow, he checks, I check back. Turn off suit 5, now he leads 100. Well, AA could play this way, but so could AK, and wtf, I have a set in a 3bet pot, I’m not folding, so I call. River 7, he shoves for 300+.

I say “AA? Really?” …And call, but nope, it was AK, and I win.

Was as high as +700, then lost a big one to the only guy that had me covered. There’s an open to 15, chip leader in CO calls, I call from button with 6d5d, a blind comes along. Flop 8c 7s 2h, checks to me, so I stab for $25 with the open ender. Only CO calls, and the turn is the 9c, putting two clubs out. I continue for $80, he calls. River 3c, now he leads $300.

Back door clubs gets there, or maybe a slowplayed gutshot JT also had me crushed. If I think long enough, I think I come to the conclusion that I’m not beating any value hands, and bluffs don’t make sense, so I should fold the idiot end. But I didn’t think long enough, and called, and got shown the nuts, Ac5c. Back to about even.

Grind some more, and steadily chip up to +500 or so. Then a guy opens HJ, I 3bet AKo, he calls. Flop A-8-7 two diamonds, he check calls my continuation of $60. Since we were about 1k effective, I was planning to check back the turn and pot control one pair, but the turn was another ace. So I go another $110, he calls. River offsuit queen, now he leads $250.

I say “Really? AQ?!?” And snap call. I gotta say, it’s an awful feeling to call out Villain’s exact hand, then snap call anyway with the loser. Yep, that feels pretty, pretty dumb.

The finisher for the night was your garden variety cooler, QQ < KK in a 4bet pot, get it in on a 9 high flop. Picked up the rest of it to book the session at -740.

The lesson that I’m taking away, however, is that I think it’s a leak to play cash sessions as long as I do. I played for 9 hours today, and never once asked for a table change, or a seat change. The game was good at times, meh at other times, and I just kept playing through it all.

The disaster sessions I need to avoid is when I play, and keep reloading, to the point that I’m in too deep for a game, that I can’t realistically get unstuck.

However, being able to play long sessions with at least a B+/A- game for 8+ hours straight is a necessary skill, in tournament poker.

I told myself I’d consider playing the $1500 Millionaire Maker this weekend, if the first week was going well. The first week has most definitely NOT gone well. Instead, I think I’ll fire the 1pm $250 daily deepstack at the WSOP. They’ve been getting GREAT turnouts, for a daily, and Saturday could be their biggest day of the week!

So that’s the plan for tomorrow.

TJ I think your reflection about length of session is certainly a good one. Over the years I’ve tried to limit
My average sessions to 3-4 hours max if possible, if the game is great, I’m feeling good and running well, then of course I will extend that to 5-7 hours but never more than that. I know people have stop loss limits, but I lap think people should more often consider win stop guidelines. If you’ve won 1-3 buy ins and have played for any length of time (say 2-5 hours), in my view there is zero reason to continue. I know people disagree but it’s important to book wins

Yes, Pardo, that’s definitely good advice.

Let’s start another weekend in Vegas! For breakfast, I went to Siegel’s 1941, in the El Cortez.

The country fried steak and eggs were good.

Plus OJ and coffee, it came to $33.

Then I took an Uber over to the Horseshoe, and bought into the 1 pm daily deepstack. No line about an hour and a half before the start time. According to brianr, they got over 1,000 runners yesterday, with CRAZY lines to late reg. Smart to be the early bird.

Now I’m over in the Horseshoe poker room, playing a SHORT session of 2/3 until my donkament starts.

GL today TJ.

Yeah I've read a number of your TRs by now and I definitely notice a pattern where you force the issue / lose concentration in longer sessions. If you do well after 4-4.5 hours you can always pick up, grab a light snack, and go jump on another table. This way you pocket your profit (booking a win is also great for confidence AND the bankroll) and can start over with fresh eyes and 100bb.

I busted the daily deepstack on the last hand before the first break. My table was very soft, with hilariously bad opponents… I just didn’t make any hands. I missed a 14 outer on the turn, and tried to bluff raise the river, but it was not the type of opponent I should be bluffing.

Went back to the Horseshoe, and played another looong cash session, despite how we had talked about thisvery thing! Was +500 at one point, but picked up at +218 when the game deteriorated, and I was bored and tired of poker for the day.

Looking forward to some fun tournaments next week. I think I’ll head over to Bellagio tomorrow for more cash games.

Many thanks !!

Went to breakfast at Siegel’s 1941 again, got the farmhouse breakfast this time. It’s bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, OJ and coffee. Didn’t think to snap a picture, it was $36.

Today I thought I’d head over to Bellagio and play some 2/5. Of course, you gotta check out the conservatory any time you’re over here.

The Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky was playing overhead. “Cellophane flowers of yellow and green, towering over your he-ad…” it felt fitting.

Seems like a pretty good game so far! Gonna meet @fatboy8 for dinner later at Shang’s Artisan Noodles, a great Asian place that’s been on my list the last few trip reports I’ve made.

Fatboy8 recommended it to me on my first trip, and I never made it over there. Last year, I deliberately took an Uber there to check it out, but the line was out the door with a 45 minute wait, so I got a sandwich instead.

This year, we’re finally gonna see what it’s all about!

Sorry for the lack of updates… I need to catch this TR back up.

The game at Bellagio was very good, even though the results were unsatisfying. I was doing fine, grinded to about +1k, when the following hand came up:

Young Asian pro-seeming LAG opens 20 from HJ, button an older weaker tight/passive player 3bets to 65, I’m in the small blind with TT.

I considered 4betting, but I didn’t want to overrep my hand with the Asian guy still to act. He’s one of those regs you find at 2/5 tables…. Folding mostly, then comes in for big preflop 3bets or 4bets, when he plays.

Anyway, I cold-flat the 3bet, now the Asian kid just cranks it… shoves for about $850 total. Button folds.

I’m thinking to myself, that the Asian guy assumes my range is capped, because I flatted and didn’t 4bet myself, while he could be uncapped. I thought about it more, and decided he’d NEVER just shove there with QQ+, because being this deep, he’d 4bet smaller.

I think that HE thinks that he can win this pot by embracing variance, and not being afraid to flip for it all, this deep. Then I think that there may be a dead ace or a king from the button’s 3betting hand. Then I look at the man, and he’s staring right back at me, with all his money in the pot, he looks like he really doesn’t want a call.

So I call. Flop contains an ace and a king, a 3rd heart queen on the turn picks up a flush draw and a gut shot for me, but everything bricks the river. Villain shows AKo, and I suck at flipping. It was about an $1800 pot, which would have made me very robusto if it could have held, but as it is, knocked me back down to about even.

It was a big spot, I worked through my thought process, and made the correct decision. That’s just how it goes in this game sometimes!

Finished the session up… 30 whole dollars. Lol well I guess that’s better than being DOWN 30 dollars.

So yeah, now 0-3 in big cash game all in preflop flips, in pots totaling about 3.4k. If I run a little better in those spots, maybe my trip so far has a different feel to it. Guess that means I’m way due to win some tournament flips!

Then it was time for dinner.

Shang Artisan Noodles is one of the best noodle places in Vegas. You see them hand pulling their own noodles back in the open kitchen.

It was great to meet fatboy8, who’s lost a lot of weight since he chose his screen name, and really ought to be called more like SvelteBoy8. We chatted about people we’ve met and interacted with on forums, and he gave me great advice and insight about living in Vegas.

We both got the Shang Beef Noodle Soup, one of their signature dishes. Went with the shaven noodles instead of the hand-pulled, because it’s a bit thicker and girthier, which holds the AMAZING broth better.

Also had the beef pancakes as an app,

And the fried wonton beef dumplings.

Everything was outstanding, and absolutely worth the wait. The Asian food scene is so much better out west. Other than New York or maybe Boston, there’s nothing like THIS back east.

It was great to share a meal, and get to know a friend who’s been sharing posts for years!

I am convinced that whatever I do with TT, it is wrong