**** TJ's Summer 2025 Quest for Poker Glory ****

Pretty cool! Moby told me he’s impressed with all the extra attention we’re getting.

Now I feel like I need to deliver big results even MORE! Hopefully it starts today.

I really think all 3 options are in play, on the button with KJo facing a raise. Theres pros and cons to each decision, and I think the best decision is heavily influenced by game dynamics.

I’d be more inclined to fold if it’s a tighter table, or my chip stack was lower than comfortable. I’d want to 3bet more if there’s a loose opener, and no shirt stacks in the blind to be shipping light. Or I could just call, in more passive games, to keep his range wide.

Defaulting to a call, as I did here, is probably the worst of my options. Especially GIVEN that I called, I think it should make me MORE likely to raise flop in position, with or without hitting, especially since I did hit. As played, I think I was just too, too passive. Gotta wield that position on the button better.

RIP Gene Hackman.

So sad that he died, plus what grisly circumstances of his death. Nobody, especially nobody with means, should ever have to die like that.

Since his death, I’ve seen lots more of his clips being posted. A fantastic way to honor him, he was truly a great actor.

He seemed like he played exactly the same character in all his movies. It was truly and authentically him, he was one of the best.

Congratulations!!

You should do a trip report next time!

I know it’s a lot to keep up with, and even though it’s frustrating when the results are bad, like mine so far, it’s rewarding to network, and put a face with the screen names.

And when I’m buried in a busy stretch of work back home, it’s always a little mini-escape in my mind, to reread through my threads, and look forward to the next trip.

the summer of dickpics is upon us!

Got to Aria, and bought in. Then I went upstairs to Salt and Ivy for breakfast, but I had an AWFUL experience, and I will not be going back there.

Just wanted a pretty simple, standard breakfast, so I ordered the three egg breakfast, with comes with a breakfast meat, hashbrowns, and toast. I asked for two meats, bacon and sausage, and the extra meat was an additional $12. I asked for cheese in the eggs, and they forgot it. They gave me a ramekin of shredded cheese to put on it, then didn’t take off the $2 charge for the cheese. Finally, they charged me for two $10 orange juices, when I ordered one, and wouldn’t have if I’d known it would be $10. They did take off for the 2nd one, though.

So this is what a $62 breakfast looks like:

Never again.

But then it turned my mood right around, to be able to meet up with DogFace and TonySoprano9 over in the food hall!

Tony is playing the same event as me, one table over. Great to chat with both of them, I’ve been a big fan of all their trip reports for as long as they’ve been posting them.

Now it’s time for the HORSE tourney, let’s go!

Giddy up!

Yikes.

For basic breakfast, I just go to the Cafe Americano at Paris. I get it to go and eat it in my room. It's not a bargain, 30-35 ish, but it's not really any more expensive than any other place. Stuff like OJ I pick up a bottle in one of the shops while waiting for the food. My room fridge has cold water and v8.

First break, on 22k from the 30k starting stack.

Had a wired pair of 7’s, heads up in stud hi, and didn’t see any, so I kept betting. I rivered 2pair, but my opponent squeezed out a flush on 7th.

Flopped top two with a big blind special in LHE, and got a flop check raise and two big bets in.

Misplayed a couple razz hands. Missed a bet on 7th with a made 86, and my opponent checked back a loser that might have called a big bet.

I started with the nuts in razz on 3rd street, (A3) 2, and completed. A seven 3bet me, and even though I saw that two of my 4’s were out, I 4bet, with the best possible starting hand in razz. He caught an 8, I caught a Jack, he bet I call. Then I catch an ace, which went check check. Then I caught another 3, he bet and I folded. Guy next to me says “aces up no good?” I shrugged and agreed.

Then I played a bad razz hand I regret. I bring in with (23) K, then it folds all the way to the last guy, who completes with a 4. I don’t remember the exact runout, but we each caught middling cards on 4th, 5th, and 6th, with him betting the whole way, and my ugly king showing. I folded on 6th, but should have just let him have the antes on 3rd.

Also one fairly interesting early decision spot in stud hi. I started with split tens, which was the highest door card other than a king, that was behind me. I completed, the king and two others call. Then all three of the others of us catch a king on 4th, so all the kings were out, and I had the best board. I stayed in the lead on 5th, but didn’t improve there, or on 6th. I folded on 6th, and it turns out I was behind the whole way, to a guy with wired jacks. He caught his disguised set on 6th, so I was drawing dead by then.

Correct to play it fast early, with that runout? I thought so, but apparently maybe not.

The limits are starting to become meaningful. It’s now expensive to show down a loser. It’s also expensive to start good and catch bad.

Let’s play good, and run even better!

Busted the last hand before the 2nd break. Just couldn’t get much going.

Had a couple spots in stud games where I was unsure of the correct play. I really wish pre-Black Friday Pokerstars was still around! I’d play the HELL out of some low stakes mixed tourneys, all the games. It’s fun, and forces you to think in new pathways.

That’s been my big resistance to learning Badugi and its variants. I can’t find it online anywhere to work on fundamentals.

Anyway, I went broke in O/8, starting with about 10k chips in the SB with A239 double suited. I got a 3bet in preflop, and we went to the flop 3 ways. It came T-7-2 with two hearts and none of my suits, and we capped it for 5 bets 3 ways… and then I could only watch helplessly as another T and then the Kh came out.

One player had AA with nut hearts, which won, and the other player also had A3, so I was only drawing to a quarter. I guess I could have caught another deuce, to scoop. Ah well. Couldn’t fold at any point, with that starting hand and draw.

On the list now for 1/2 PLO at Aria

A couple guys decked out in vests, sidearms, and tactical gear came through pushing a secured cart.

I say, “Y’all must just be getting back from laser tag!”

They laughed.

Another long session, and another session where I ended down money… but a small victory in that I did get to exchange the rest of my chips for SOME cash back, so I didn’t go broke.

This session was much swingier. The most notable, memorable hand for me this session was shoving with 12 clean nut outs on a flop in position in a 3bet pot… but it came brick-brick for me.

Gotta be intellectually honest with myself… I made one decision where I think I made a clear bad play. In another spot I was facing a flop all in with bottom pair and a flush draw, plus some running straightening potential, getting a good price from after all the preflop action. I had three hearts in my hand, so one of my own outs was dead, but it turned out I was up against a set. Probably should have just folded that one (missed anyway, obviously).

So we’re gonna make a slight change to the schedule. I’m gonna take tomorrow off, do my laundry, and just relax.

I’ll fire the Millionaire Maker into Flight B on Thursday, instead of Wednesday. I want to refresh and reset, and I’m up too late and do need to wash my clothes, anyway.

And if the Millionaire Maker goes very well, or even just a little well, my trip could have a totally different feel to it.

I want to give it my very best.

GL in the millymaker

Didn't notice you had a new thread, i'll make a cuppa and catch up on everything later 😃

Best of luck in the Milly Maker TJ !

I believe in you! We all believe in you! Go TJ !

Go get 'em TJ!

Woke up around 11 today, and took my time getting out of bed. I’m glad I wasn’t rushing over to Paris for the 10 am start time of the Millionaire Maker today.

After I had my caffeine, I walked over to my favorite Italian place in Vegas, that ALL the locals who’ve been there rave about: Esther’s Kitchen.

They make everything fresh, and in house, including their own pasta. Most of the pastas on the menu I’d never even heard of. Today I got the zucca pasta, which is this pumpkin-shaped pasta, with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes, in a tomato-based sauce, which has an ever-so-slight kick to it.

It was REALLY good.

I hadn’t eaten anything since my abortive $62 breakfast at Salt and Ivy in the Aria yesterday, so I was pretty hungry. I also ordered the turkey sandwich on focaccia, which just came on the menu.

I consider myself something of a sandwich chain connoisseur. I’ve tried lots of different things, from every place, and I know what I like (current favorite: Pot Belly, based out of Texas, and growing and expanding FAST). This sandwich was truly special.

They cure their own turkey in house, so it was sliced thin and super-crumbly. You can also taste the olive oil and the pesto, and they bake their own focaccia every morning.

And the chips! What they do is they slice root vegetables and sweet potatoes paper-thin, then fry them and stir them up so that they’re wavy, and lightly salt them. They don’t have additives or preservatives like potato chips you’d buy in the store, so they’re made fresh that day, and only good for one day. I’d buy a bag and eat the HELL out of them, if I could.

Both entrees total were $46.

So yeah. If you find yourself in the Arts District or downtown, or even just in Vegas, don’t miss Esther’s Kitchen. It’s worth the Uber.

Then I walked back to my place, to relax on my reset day, and start my laundry.

I’ve heard of turkey being described as, “like chicken, but with quaaludes.”

Can confirm this is the case.

So even after sleeping a good 8 hours last night, and my morning caffeine, I felt like lying down, after all that pasta and my turkey sammich.

…I woke up in bed, socks on, contact lenses in, about 3 hours later. It was a GREAT nap, felt like a total brain-rinse. I guess I needed it.

Nobody will ever accuse poker players of doing a strenuous, taxing activity for sitting in a chair moving chips around for 8, 10, or 12 hours straight. But I can absolutely confirm that it can be mentally exhausting, when you’re trying to maintain focus, make observations, process, and calculate the optimal decisions for hours on end, day after day.

I suppose it all caught up to me today.

I’m REALLY glad I didn’t fire the Millionaire Maker today, it would have been doomed from the start.

Then I did my laundry.

As I was waiting on my laundry, my private, online PLO game with my friends got going. It doesn’t always get together, but it can be really good when it does.

It’s always short handed 2/4/8 PLO, with no rake! Small, invite-only player pool. So reads and history are VERY important.

Even though I said I was taking today off, I might as well play in a no rake game on my phone, while I’m waiting on my laundry.

Got unlucky early, when KKT7 with one suit loses, all in preflop, to Q642ds. Without getting too specific on my reads, let’s just say I was happy to be PILING in pre with that hand, in that spot.

Stayed calm, and patient, and topped up, then I ran a little better, made some hands, and picked off a couple bluffs.

Finished up about +1.5k, so it was a pretty nice session. Good to put one back in the win column. Great for my confidence, and my sanity.

For dinner tonight, I walked to my favorite Las Vegas barbecue place, Soul Belly.

It’s right next to a brewery, so there’s a cool patio with outdoor seating and a place to bring your dog. Great spot to chill for a while.

Vegas isn’t exactly known for great, regional barbecue, like Kansas City, Memphis, Texas, or even Hawaii barbecue.

(Note that I deliberately didn’t include Eastern NC barbecue. They get SUPER defensive about that. But when you take perfectly good pulled pork, and douse it in a vinegar-based sauce, it comes out tasting like battery acid).

What I like about a good barbecue place is that the owners treat it as though it’s their only purpose in life to make their place the best it can possibly be.

The best thing Soul Belly has on the menu is the burnt ends, which are these delicious meat cubes of the end pieces of the brisket cuts of the day. They don’t always have them in, and they go out fast, so you should always ask if they have them when you go there.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have any in when I got there, 45 minutes before close. So I got the brisket instead, with broccoli and mac and cheese:

That’s panko bread crumbs they top the mac and cheese with, to give it a little crunch.

Very tasty, for $29. Highly recommend.

Please tell me there were more than 2 pieces of brisket for ~$30 bucks. I know it's Vegas pricing but damn that's expensive if true.

It was 5 oz. They were cut pretty thick.

I could have ordered the 1/2 lb but I wasn’t that hungry.

It looks very well cooked. Reminds me I've got to procure a brisket for the 4th of July.

Enjoying the trip. Carry on.

I had breakfast this morning with one of the guys in my online PLO game. He’s in town for the Series as well, lives in Georgia. We met over at Cafe Americano in Paris.

Got the All American Breakfast, which was pretty standard. Plus toast, OJ, and coffee, my share came to about $36.

He took a piece of me for my Millionaire Maker that’s starting later this morning. Gonna give it my best to make it a profitable investment, for both of us!