To Las Vegas Nov. 30 - Dec. 6
It’s a little early, but I’m excited for this trip. It’s been too long.
My husband is attending the MJBizCon conference (
) for his business, and of course I’m going to tag along! I’m looking forward to any samples he gets😉
We leave Nov. 30 and fly home Dec. 6 – conference is Dec. 4-6, so he’ll miss the last day. We are staying at our Hilton Grand behind Flamingo – Elara was booked, but we really like the Flamingo HG, and it was so few points it’s amazing.
We have reservations Sunday evening for Bazaar Mar, but now I’m considering The Orleans $40K guarantee NLHE tourney that day. Seems like a pretty good structure, prize, etc. Any advice? Is it worth it. If so, we might change reservations to Monday or Tuesday.
Will post shoes and roll as we get a little closer. Until then, I’ll share some “home” poker stories.
Played in one of the two local 1/2 NLHE games Friday night. This game has a dealer’s choice $5 bomb pot every round followed by two hands of PLO. I usually play w/o my husband, but he joined me this time. I always ask for my seat ahead of time, and someone else had snagged my seat 5. Annoying, but no big deal. I asked for seats 6 and 7 instead.
For background, my husband and I are definitely winners in this game. My husband has played only a few times, but he is very aggressive and a good player. He has won every time he’s been there, but these guys are terrible players. They buy in for $50 to $100 (then rebuy), limp/call almost every hand, and limp/raise or raise only with QQ+ (usually only w/ KK or AA – and then they limp/shove), but they rarely raise – I mean almost never. They call bets w/ any piece, chase draws for the wrong price, etc. Really bad. There is only one decent (and that’s stretching it) player. And they have zero idea how to play PLO, let alone PLO bomb pots.
When we arrived, they had us in seats 4 and 6 with nobody in seat 7. It turns out one of the players didn’t want us sitting together. I was pretty upset, but let it go.
Funny thing is, if these players aren’t related (at least half of them are on any given night), they grew up together and/or they work together. They are good ole boys, and this is a small town. My husband and I are the only ones not born in the area.
There is collusion among these players every game. These guys will check it down, check the nuts on the river, tell the other guy what they have, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if they shared profits at the end of the night. However, they are so bad it’s worth playing. Plus, they feed us and there aren’t many other options – and it’s only eight minutes’ drive.
My husband and I never collude. We never check it down and we sure as hell never check the nuts on the river. Plus, at least one of us always shows our hand, even if we don’t get to showdown, because I never want someone to think we are colluding/cheating. So to have this guy want to separate us was tilting. I desperately wanted his measly $100 stack. My husband got a little of it, but then the guy lost his last $60 KK
Halfway through the night seat 5 left, so we got to sit together. I won $150 and my husband won $500, so it felt good 😉 I didn’t push it Saturday night, but If I ask, I know they will never separate us again.
Waited forever for a seat and finally got 1/3. Had a terrible guy to my left. A couple of hands against him:
Someone raises to $5 and there are a few callers, and I call from SB w/ Tc8c and BB calls. Flop (~25) 79J rainbow. I donk out $15 and BB calls, everyone else folds. Turn is a Q, which I don't love, but I bet $25 and he calls. River is a 7, which I really don't love, but I bet $25 again planning to bet/fold. He throws out a black chip, and I turn my hand over and he asks if I call. I say, "
The lead in hand #1 is really good on this board, especially since you have a big value hand hand that unblocks everything.
Should have gone for river value in hand #2 yes, if turn and river was truly blanks. This fishy opponent probably just had Ax that he was ready to call down with.
Maybe NLH is your game instead? 😀
I like NLHE, but it is a little slow for me after getting addicted to PLO 😉 We did go back to Aria after dinner and play PLO. Bought in for $500 and was up to close to ~$1,700, then this happened:
Double board bomb pot. I have the nut straight on the top board and top two (J6) on the bottom board. A bunch of money goes in, and then the chip leader and I gii on the 6 river on the bottom board. I have the nuts on the top and the second nuts on the bottom. He, of course, has the same straight and JJ. Just sickening.
Now I'm back down to <$500. A few limps and active player raises his BTN to $25 and I defend the BB w/ KK57 or similar with K-high diamonds, and there are couple more calls. Flop gives me the diamond draw plus a straight draw. I check, MP bets, BTN makes is $300, and I think for a minute and just gii. MP folds. We run it twice and I hit a flush on both boards 😀 No idea what he had. You could tell he was not happy when I shoved, but it was tough for him to fold after putting in so much.
So, ended the night up $500, but it should have been more. Husband was done at midnight, so I left with him. He did not fare as well. No idea how much he is down, but I get the feeling it is a lot :( I don't ask.
Working now, unfortunately, but I'll head to the tables soon. Might get a run/walk in first.
Up ~$675 in poker; down $50 in roulette.
Double board bomb pot. I have the nut straight on the top board and top two (J6) on the bottom board. A bunch of money goes in, and then the chip leader and I gii on the 6 river on the bottom board. I have the nuts on the top and the second nuts on the bottom. He, of course, has the same straight and JJ. Just sickening.
Ouch 😮
Yeah, I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t always go crazy with the nut straight in DBBP’s, because of the chance of getting quartered.
Yeah, I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t always go crazy with the nut straight in DBBP’s, because of the chance of getting quartered.
This is sage advice.
I've dabbled in some PLO myself, so whenever I play NLHE I just drill into my mind "patience, patience, patience" periodically throughout the session. Having a mantra like that one (or whatever works for you) while playing NLHE can be quite helpful -- as PLO, by comparison, is straight action to your poker veins!
Worked most of the morning, then my husband and I took a walk down to Venetian and made it all the way to the poker room and back. That was just for exercise.
He still had to work, so I headed over to Aria on my own. Got there around 3:00 and sat in a short-handed PLO game. Finally got moved to a better table. Was in for a thousand, the first $500 I lost on a stupid chase of a flush draw. The second $500 I lost when I flopped a full house and another guy turned a better full house.
Rebuy for $1,000 more. Met prairiebreeze!He sat just to my left. What a fun time. I hope I get to play with him again.
Just after he left, I announced the bomb pot as my last hand. I ended up winning a huge pot, so was up $1,269 for the night. My husband also had a good night, so we are in the black! (Turns out he was down quite a bit.)
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FWIW, the money went in on river when I had nuts and second nuts in the bomb pot [emoji20]
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"Back in the Black"
I'm McLovin' it!
GO GO GADGET!
Think I am going to play in the $800 PLO Mystery Bounty at Aria on Thursday. $100,000 guarantee. Glad I saw the sign. I didn't see any PLO tournaments on Poker Atlas during our stay.
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Nice to see I left you some Canadian-Run-good.
Sounds like I left that spot at the perfect time. The guy who moved into that seat looked like a pro but my read might be way off.
Nice win. Hope to run into you again before I leave.
I'm not sure if the old guy drinks green tea, but I think so. He's always got a young woman with him who is a writer. I think they're in a relationship, but she is like 30 years younger than he is. Good for him!
The High Roller and sphere picture was taken when we got off the elevator at our Hilton Grand. Unfortunately, we are on the other side. The picture of the pool is from our room.
The good news is we both had a winning night. I was up a whopping $75, but my husband was up $300. A good way to
found you trip report :-)
re. the "old guy": He's name is Virg, he's playing at Aria prob since they opened and he will most likely die there (don't mean this in a bad way), it's just what he does.
And his girl friend (that's what he calls her) is likely more than 50 years younger (he's either going towards 90 or already above)
he used to be really sharp and a dangerous player like 5 years ago may be, but now age is really catching up with him, but you can't underestimate him, he still knows what he is doing
aaaah, trip report, pics, i love it ...gives good vibes. can't wait, will be in Vegas next week myself.
good luck, but don't clean them all out, leave some money for me ;-)
I like NLHE, but it is a little slow for me after getting addicted to PLO 😉 We did go back to Aria after dinner and play PLO. Bought in for $500 and was up to close to ~$1,700, then this happened:
Double board bomb pot. I have the nut straight on the top board and top two (J6) on the bottom board. A bunch of money goes in, and then the chip leader and I gii on the 6 river on the bottom board. I have the nuts on the top and the second nuts on the bottom. He, of course, has the same straight and J
yeah, the bomb pot hand is just extremely bad luck, the money will always go in on that one, and you are good 8/10 times ... **** happens.
found that people in bomb pots (especially in the 1-2 plo games, at 5-5 rock people are a little better) are terrible, even if they are somewhat decent players in regular PLO, so you just have to be patient and you will get it all back
re. "not asking the husband about results": smart woman :-)
Virgil is great, although we got in a "fight" a few years ago, but we made up 😉 I've been at a table with him all of my sessions this trip. He's definitely a good player, although he had a few bad beats last night. And he is 91! (He mentioned it.) I hope I'm still playing poker at 91. I agree, after seeing her up close again last night, she might be close to 50 years younger.
prariebreeze, he did seem like a pro. I'm not sure you would have lost as much as he did. Someone from EP bet $25 on the flop and got four callers, then he bumped it to $350, another guy went all-in for $385, and I tanked a minute then called with a K-high flush draw on one board and a straight draw on the other and maybe a couple other outs. I thought he might be trying to buy it (I don't think you would have done that? I would not have.) and figured it was worth a shot. I hit both rivers and shoved; he folded. I scooped. I probably should have bet $300 or something. Oh, well.
Think I am going to play in the $800 PLO Mystery Bounty at Aria on Thursday. $100,000 guarantee. Glad I saw the sign. I didn't see any PLO tournaments on Poker Atlas during our stay.
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i played that one 2 times during the summer series, just be aware:
The payout structure is super top heavy, not only from the bounties, but the regular price pool as well.
i min cashed twice in them, and barely got my buy in back (one i remember was like 1143 price for 1100 buy in) ... i didn't like it.
There is a 99.9% chance that you have played with PLO friend I mentioned in my previous trip reports. He is, surprisingly, STILL in Vegas and although he is up an absolutely obscene amount he is still sticking to the Aria 1/2 PLO game. So if you see a bald Swedish guy say hi from me hahaha
Sounds very familiar. Heading there soon. Will definitely keep my eyes open for him.
Walked through Caesars, over to Bellagio, then back to Ellis Island for lunch and to cash in our chips from the other day. Met a really nice guy sitting at the bar who is a bartender at Cosmo. Bartender at The Front Yard was great. Had too much food and a few beers. Photo dump. Love the Piff dog walk area outside of Flamingo.
Heading to Aria soon. My husband's dinner was changed from Nobu (deemed too loud for business) to Javier's, so at least it'll be close for poker later.
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For some reasons your photos don't load for me - not sure if it's a problem just on my machine
that pork belly looks delicious
always thought Ellis Island more to be like a dump, but after all those yummy "food reports" i gotta check it out myself i guess.
i'm sure you know but in case you don't:
888 Korean BBQ in Chinatown, amazing place, i go there at least once a week when i'm in town.
always thought Ellis Island more to be like a dump, but after all those yummy "food reports" i gotta check it out myself i guess.
i'm sure you know but in case you don't:
888 Korean BBQ in Chinatown, amazing place, i go there at least once a week when i'm in town.
We pretty much had breakfast every day at Ellis Island last week. Granted the place is not the best in terms of decor or location but the food is decent and the prices are even better. Not sure you can find a New York Strip, eggs, potatoes and toast for $14.99 anywhere else in that area of Vegas
Ellis Island is awesome. The Pub has good "normal" breakfasts like eggs, meat, omelets. The Front Yard has much more variety and still decent prices. They are doing a ton of construction, but both places were open yesterday. The Cosmo bartender we met recommended 888. I love Korean BBQ -- used to live in Korea. We've been to Biwon a few times and enjoyed it. Not sure we'll have time this trip.
Absolutely destroyed yesterday :( Piffed away $1,500. Just could not make a hand. I should have known when this hand happened early in the session:
($700) limps to me, I raise from BTN w/ 48TJ ds, SB and BB call. They are just average players -- it's early in the game.
Flop ($40): 8c4c8d LOL. Beautiful. They check and I bet pot. Might as well try to get some money in -- they can either continue or they can't. SB folds. BB ($400) raises. Somehow, we manage to gii on the flop. I know he will run it twice, and I know I'm ahead right now 😉
It's even more beautiful than I thought. He has AAc6c7c. And he hits a miracle three-outer on the first board and then talks about how he couldn't fold a straight flush draw:
8c4c8d J A
8c4c8d T X
Chop/chop.
Soon after in a bomb pot, I gii on the turn with the nut FH on bottom and top two and a flush draw and gutter ball on top. He had hit his straight on the top board (I had potted flop) -- and that's all he had. Nothing on the bottom, no other outs. Of course I whiff the top. Amazing. Right then I knew the day was not going to go my way. The even more horrible than usual cocktail service should have tipped me off, too. That actually tilted me a little. Aria has the slowest cocktail servers ever. I could have made a fortune working there when I was young. Why not maximize your money if you have to be there anyway?
Get moved to the main game and whiff an open-ended straight flush draw (TJ) against a Q-high flush draw and two pair. We even ran it twice. I'd raise with AA or KK and the flop would come 678, I'd raise with a rundown and the flop would come KKQ, etc. Twice I raised with KK and the flop had AA with tons of action. Once I had a rundown and flopped trip Ts (TT6). I bet and two guys call. Turn is a K, and one of them has KK (I didn't put anymore in). You guys know how it goes.
My last hand is a dbbp and I have only about $400 left. Three of us gii on the turn. I have the nut straight on the bottom and a flush draw and straight draw on the top. The flush hits on the bottom and nothing on the top. They chop -- one has A2T6 with 2hTh for the bottom (nothing on top); the other has a pair of Js for the top (nothing on bottom). LOL. C'est la vie.
Working now. Will go for another walk/run, get some food since my husband ate my leftovers last night (I was really looking forward to them) and then head to the tables. Might skip Resorts World given prairiebreeze's poker room description (no games) and just head to Aria to make a massive comeback!
RIP Mr Piffles
The run good is coming Java, I can feel it ������
Re. Cocktails at aria: yeah, it’s gotten worse there year after year, there’s prob like 1 or 2 girls left over all the shifts that are decent, the rest just s***
