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

Frustration creeps in from extended runbad and we overplay a marginal spot. I've been there and have made similar mistakes in the past. Good opportunity to reset. Lots of poker left to play. The clear favorable spots will come eventually. Onward and upward.

Venetian 1/2 PLO went very well, +2841. I almost forgot to cash in my top off black chips, because I didn’t need them. I didn’t think to snap a chip porn pic, because it was only the standard 4 colors (the goofy lime $2 chips don’t count).

My table was pretty soft all night. Busted lots of people buying in for 300-500. I don’t think there was ever any other stack over 1k other than me.

I busted one guy, he says lock it up, goes to the ATM, buys back in at the table for $500 in 20’s, and then I busted him AGAIN, and he stormed out. Felt a little bad about that, but as bad as he was playing, he was gonna give it away to SOMEbody. Might as well be me.

Back to back very nice cash sessions have partially taken the sting out of this 0-10 tourney slump I’m in. I’m still down for just cash games, net on this trip. But my mindset and my headspace is a LOT better than it was a few days ago.

The rungood has started. The momentum is bound to spill over to tournament play. I am optimistic for you.

Don't feel bad as poker is a zero sum game and if that guy went to re-load, that was his prerogative. The fact that maybe he wanted to win his money back and you gave him action is on him. Good luck with tournies but really think you should devote more time to the PLO streets!

Yes, I agree, so that’ll be what’s on the agenda for today.

I had a $400 one day NL tournament on my schedule for today. But I don’t much see the point in grinding a NL tournament allllllll day today, for maybe a shot at 10k or less up top.

So we’re going to make today a cash game day, at Aria.

Flight A of the Gladiators is tomorrow, then there’s a fun HORSE tourney at the Nugget on Thursday. There will be tournaments upcoming.

Walked the 7 or 8 blocks for breakfast at IHOP.

I received much better service here than I did the time I went to the Denny’s, across the street. So when I feel like walking this far, it’ll definitely be the IHOP going forward.

The pancakes were New York Strawberry Cheesecake pancakes… pretty good!

Breakfast was $34.

Now on the way to Aria for some PLO!

That IHOP food looks pretty good I'd say. GL GL GL

Hash browns!

Got back from India Dec 29th. Time clock still all messed up on NYD, up early. Had my cereal, but hungry again later (still early morning). Thought I'd walk up to the local Einstein's and get a bagel to tide me til lunchtime. I don't need a meal, just a little something, and they'll surely be open early.

Nope. Wendy's not open til late that morning. Wandered into the IHOP (maybe first time I'd ever been in, in 25 years in this house). it's about 6:15 AM by now. Waitress brings me the regular menu and one for specials.

One of the specials sounds good, I'll have that. She says they're not available until seven.

GRRR. Why the **** did you bring me a menu that I couldn't order from?

Where does the waitress work that only has one leg

Get thee to a Waffle House!

I hope IHOP hash browns approach WH's magic for TJ!

Go get 'em!

First session of the day went well, on an absolute scale, at +1052. I was up over 2.5k at one point, then bricked two big draws in huge pots. Won’t let perfect be the enemy of good, though, +1k is a fine session.

I was feeling a little tilted, and they were moving our table from the main room to outside, so I took that opportunity to pick up, and go get something to eat.

I’m back on the list, we’ll do this again after dinner.

Lol that’s horrible, but good, CowboyCold!

I’d heard good things about the ribeye at Lemongrass, so that’s what I wanted to try.

It comes with asparagus, on a bed of carrots, mushrooms, and onions, with a side of coconut sticky rice, and tamarind sauce on the side.

I tried the sauce, and it certainly WAS flavorful, just a bit overpowering, and loud. It worked better for the veggies, than the perfectly cooked medium rare ribeye, which didn’t need it.

It was $41, which is a way better price than I could have gotten upstairs, at Jean Georges Steakhouse, or Bardot.

Back on the list for Round 2!

Walked past the watch store in the Aria, and I couldn’t help but window-shop.

I don’t like Breitling as a brand, because in my experience, guys that own Breitlings tend to be douchebags.

But I liked the way this one looked:

I went in and asked for the price. This kinetic wrist sculpture can be yours, for only $10.4k!

But it does look nice.

Round 2 was meh, -436. I scooped a bomb pot when I check/potted a flopped nut straight. The board double paired, but my opponent was on diamonds and a bigger straight draw on that board. I completely whiffed everything on the bottom board, but somehow, my AJ high pai gow was good enough for the scoop.

I don’t claim to always make the best decisions in bomb pots, but I keep playing them because I’m CERTAIN my opponents are making bigger mistakes, enough to be wildly lucrative for me.

That guy got me back when I shoved a turn with top two, and he called off with a wrap that came in on the river.

The whole session was like that… one step forward, two steps back.

I lost another one potting top set twice, and being committed with the nuts on the turn, but the wrap hit on the river.

Then the fishiest player busted, and the floor was moving the game inside. After 5 more hours, I wasn’t feeling focused, so I took that opportunity to rack up, even down, and call it a night.

Still up for the day, though. And tantalizingly close to being unstuck on the trip for cash games!

Still quite buried in tournaments, however. Flight A of the Gladiators tomorrow. A nice run in that could turn that right back around!

For breakfast today, went back to Cafe Americano, in Paris, and got the All American breakfast.

When I order breakfast, I usually get a full spread, and don’t care what it cost. For the first meal of the day, I want to make sure I start my day off right.

The menu price on the All American breakfast at Cafe Americano is a reasonable $26. But I order a second breakfast protein ($9), coffee, ($7), and orange juice ($10).

That made my breakfast come to $56, which is unsustainable.

In any event, it was filling, and I’m ready for a long day today.

Now it’s time for an event I’ve really been looking forward to, the Gladiators of Poker!

To me, this is one of the flagship events of the WSOP. It’s the most affordable buyin, $300, of the entire series. It’s got four Day 1 flights, spread out over a weekend, so it’ll likely be the biggest field of the whole festival. Maybe 20k, 25k entries, or more.

This is a format that suits my strengths as a player well, I feel. The live tournament I’ve played the most is the huge field, $400 mini main at Cherokee. I final tabled it when it was the biggest field in the 20 year history of the WSOP Circuit.

Obviously, you have to win your flips and run good in key spots, to make a deep run in ANY tournament. But another integral step to running good is being at the right place, in the right time, when an inexperienced player with a lot of chips decides to self-immolate.

There will definitely be a lot of that in this field. At every stage of this tournament.

So I’m feeling good, in a good place mentally, and ready for this thing. I’m willing to fire multiple bullets over multiple days, to find a bag in this thing.

But for today, I’m focused on giving this first bullet my best shot.

First break, on 45k from the 30k staring stack.

Second hand I was dealt was KK, I 3bet and take it down preflop. Catching premiums early, that’s a good sign.

Then I defended my BB with Js8s, and flop a combo draw, Ks-Ts-8c. I checkraise the PFR, and barrel the 3h turn, but don’t empty the clip when I miss the river, 9d. He checks back and wins, with K7o. Grrrr 14 outs twice.

I get some back when I defend a 3bet multiway in position with Kc5c. Flop top pair, float the cbet, and double check back brick undercard turn and river, and I’m good vs JJ.

The big hand was another blind defense, with Jc9c, vs the same opener as my combo draw hand before. Flop is 8c-6c-5s, and instead of checkraising, this time I lead out, into the raiser. I turn double gutted with the Qh, and continue. River is a beautiful Td, and I overbet shove the nuts, with initiative.

He tanks a moment and folds. Maybe I could have gone for the river check/shove to get paid… but if the guy is gonna float a check raise and barrel with K7o on a K high flop, I don’t feel bad about betting for fat value.

Nobody’s busted at my table yet, it’s skewing tight/passive. Nobody has impressed me, so let’s make it 4 more good levels!

Run it up!

I checked, there are no Waffle Houses in LV, so Cafe Americano will have to do.

Spin it up! Are you 10-handed?

8-handed for the moment, I think it’s 9-max

Sweet. 10-handed Salute was awful.

Might want to check out Carlos and Charlie's in the Flamingo. I haven't been there since pre-covid, but that was our go to spot for breakfast/reasonable lunch.

Looks like you can mix and match and get something similar to what you had this morning for about $35 before tax and tip. They also have burgers with fries in the low $20s.

Spoiler

Show

Second break, on 19k.

I identified a good squeeze spot, from late position over a loose opener and a weaker, shortstacked caller, with Ad7d. The flop came K-Q-9d, and I checked back, thinking I’m frequently getting shipped on if I cbet. The turn was a small non-diamond, and they check checked to me again, so I took a stab, then the shortstack called, having been committed. She shoved the river, and I had to fold, getting a stupid price, with no pair.

Got a little back when I busted another shortstack, AA > A7o.

Then I had a chance to see a 5-way, 3bet pot with 6d5d, and flopped a flush draw, which checked around. Turn didn’t hit me, the chip leader moved in, and everybody folded.

Coming back to 1k/1.5k and the big blind next level. Need to make something happen.

If I bust, I won’t re-enter this flight. There’s three more, and I want to give any and every bullet the best I’ve got.