WSOP Trip Report (Twitter transcription, May 28-June 15, 4 tournaments)

Hello Two Plus Two!
I returned last week from a trip (actually two trips) to Vegas to play a few tournaments. I update my play in these tournaments every year for my friends through a Twitter account, but it turned out to be interesting enough that I thought I might post it here. So what follows is basically a transcription of my poker Twitter feed during four tournaments.

As background, I’ve been playing a couple WSOP tournaments each year since around 2011, with a few years off in 2018-2022 during which I got married, had a kid, and of course covid. I almost always center my trips around the $1500 Omaha Hi-Lo and $1500 Limit Hold-em tournaments, with one or two other tournaments added as they are convenient. This year, those two tournaments were almost two weeks apart, so I ended up taking a short trip with my wife for the first one on May 28, and a longer trip with an old poker friend from high school starting June 9. My schedule was as follows:

May 28: WSOP $1500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
June 9: WSOP $1500 Limit Hold-em
June 11: WSOP $1500 H.O.R.S.E
June 15: Wynn $1000 NLHE
(I do like to sprinkle in a couple NLHE events, but the WSOP NLHEs tend to be too much of a zoo for my liking, so I played at the Wynn for my last game since I was staying there that weekend).

I ended up doing pretty well and it was a very exciting trip, though (spoiler alert) I didn’t win any bracelets or life-changing money. This is pretty raw since it’s just tweets, so I apologize for any typos. I also try to add so chip stack pics, though it doesn’t seem like I did that many this year, but I’ve tried to include them where I did. I’ll add a couple comments in italics.

May 26: Arrival in Vegas
4:30
I’ll be back at the WSOP this year, playing 4 events, the first starting this Wed. ($1.5k O8) As always, I’ll post frequent updates here

May 28: WSOP $1500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Day 1
3:47
WSOP Event 4: $1500 Omaha 8 gogogo! 25k chips to start. I’m entering at the end of level 3.

4:47
End lvl 4, I have 29k. Got 3/4th of a nice one with AQ34 at the end of the level

6:00
Won a good one with a super weird hand. Called on BTN w/9923ss, flop A94! Turn 2 so I had to be cautious, but I held up…35k

6:15
End lvl 6, I have 34k

7:12
Oof, I just made a very good fold that would have sucked out for a huge pot. Checked BB w/J873, flop J43, I fold for 2 bets. Turn J ��. One player had 44, the other had 33.
End lvl 7, I have 34k

7:53
End lvl 8, played a bunch of hands I won’t try to describe but it was mostly a wash.
36k

8:16
Moving down, just got quartered in a brutal pot w/A256 in a 346 flop. 23k

8:34
End lvl 9, got completely destroyed that level. Rivered on last hand w/AAQ4.
11k

8:59
Won the first hand back from break to 20k

9:34
End lvl 10, I have 22k

10:06
910 players in the tournament, 137 will cash

10:16
End lvl 11, back to 34k

10:36
Been really card dead this level so far, I have 28k with half the field remaining

10:56
End lvl 12, I have 41k, final break of the night

11:20
My table has gotten much tougher with a big stacked Yuval Bronstein on my right
https://t.co/H9CFsod2JE

11:54
End lvl 13 I have 27k
Limits are up to 4k/8k so I pretty much have one hand left

12:30
Wow, just knocked out 2 short stacks in consecutive hands. First was an awful beat, A9>AK on a AK9 flop, 9 on the river

12:35
End lvl 14, somehow I have 95k, one more lvl tonight
262 players left
1:14
End of Day 1, I’m bagging 135k. Got aces 2 of the last 3 hands, won small pots on both of them. Restart 1pm tomorrow

May 29: WSOP $1500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Day 2
12:55
Day 2 of WSOP Event 4 gogogo!
Starting at lvl 16, 3k/6k blinds.
224 players left, 137 will cash https

O8 hands tend to be hard to describe over Twitter, so there’s not a lot of hand detail for most of my posts on this tournament

12:58
I don’t really recognize anyone at this table, but it seems like everyone has a ton of chips.

1:39
At a new table with 127k, 200 players left

2:07
End lvl 16, I have 124k. Mostly just winning some blinds & losing some blinds.
4k/8k blinds…178 players left

2:41
Lost a pretty big one defending my BB, down to 75k

3:02
Lost a brutal blind v. Blind pot, BB hit a 4-outer on the river. 40k :(

3:08
End lvl 17, 150 players left but I’m likely one of the shortest stacks in the room.
New blinds will be 5k/10k, so I could only survive two rounds if I fold

3:33
Folded my blinds, down to 25k with 145 left

3:41
All in..

3:44
And doubled up!

3:48
I have 50k with 141 players left

3:53
Hand-for-hand on the money bubble

4:08
In the money!

4:31
End lvl 18, I have 43k, 119 players left

5:12
Just won a huge pot to triple up spiking Broadway on the river w/AQ83. 210k!

5:31
End lvl 19, I have 240k, 90 players left

6:14
Scott Clements (3 time bracelet winner) just joined our table

6:50
End lvl 20, I have 390k. 70 players left, average is 330k

7:25
Struggling a little this level, down to 250k

7:39
Just lost most of my remaining chips bluffing off w/AJ32 in a high board ��

7:51
In dinner break w/90k. I’ll be big blind when we get back. 56 players left, average is 400k

8:04
I’m in 55th place out of the remaining 56 players.

8:52
Had to fold my blinds at 15k/25k, down to 50k

8:59
I’m out! A852<6432 (which made a wheel).
54th place for $4200 https

9:15

Jun 9: WSOP $1500 Limit Hold-em Day 1
4:19
WSOP Event 33: $1500 Limit Hold-em gogogo! 25k chips to start. I’m entering at the start of level 4, with 15 40-minute levels played today.

4:57
Weird hand I won…CO raises, I 3-bet in SB w/KQo. Flop KhTd7h, I bet, he calls. Turn Jd, I bet, he calls. River Kd, I bet, he calls. He has AA!
Happy to crack ‘em, but I think I won the minimum.

5:35
End lvl 5, I have 32k
Table seems pretty tight and more interested in the hockey game. Most of what I’ve won is just stealing blinds.

6:15
End lvl 6, I have 43k.
Pretty smooth sailing, no huge pots

7:10
End lvl 7, I have 40k, still no really big pots

7:36
Just got a bluff through that I’m very surprised worked. I 3 bet button w/ A7d, raiser calls. Board runs out K8568sss. I bet every street, he folds river ����*♂️

7:37
Yikes….Eric Baldwin just sat down to my left.

7:47
Won my first pot vs. Baldwin. He raises UTG, SB calls, I defend BB w/98o. Flop T94, Baldwin bets when checked to, SB calls, I call. Turn 8, I bet out, Baldwin calls, SB folds. River 5, I bet, he calls, MHIG

7:51
End lvl 8, I’m sitting comfortably on 65k, though my table has gotten much tougher

7:56
Lost my first big pot 55

8:12
Busted a shorty in a 3-way pot, JJ>A5o

8:24
Just lost a very weird hand, situation I don’t think I’ve ever seen. BB and SB both get dealt 3 cards, don’t notice until after EP raise, so their hands are dead. I call BTN w/K3s, with so much dead money. I lose v/ A6s on AAK3x board, though not that much went in post flop

8:32
End lvl 9, I have 53k

9:04
Baldwin just lost the biggest pot by far I’ve seen today, around 40k. He’s down to 7l

9:18
Tournament got 491 players, 74 will cash

9:21
Just saw a hand with 3 players all-in. Baldwin eliminated, shortest stack won w/AT, others chopped the side with both having AK

9:25
End lvl 10, I have 80k

9:45
Chris Hunichen at my table now

10:05
End lvl 11, I have 71k
10:14
Got lucky in a big one. I raise UTG w/QTs, get 3 bet by CO. I check-call Q45 flop and 2 turn. River T(!) and I get in a check-raise. I definitely rivered him.
90k

10:19
Knocked out a short stack. We were all-in on the flop, but the run-out was crazy. AK>A7 on a 988 flop, 7 turn, A river

10:33
Just made a really tight fold to Hunichen, not sure how I feel about it. He raises UTG, HJ calls, I call in BB w/AQo. Flop Q92. Hunichen bets, HJ calls, I raise, they both call. Turn 8. I bet, Hunichen raises, HJ folds, I fold(?). Pacing of the hand made him feel real strong idk

10:46
End lvl 12, I have 87K.
Last break of the night, 186 players left

11:04
Lost a big one first hand back, I raised AJ, BB just called with AK, we put a bunch of bets on an AQ4 flop…61k

11:11
Lost another big one blind vs. blind T7cc
Down to 38k

11:18
Lost a 3-bet pot in my BTN but then almost doubled up in the CO….60k

11:23
Hand I doubled: I raised CO w/QTo, Hunichen 3-bets SB, I call. Flop T34, I call. Turn & river are clean, I get a bet/call both streets & MHIG

11:41
End lvl 13, I have 68k

11:47
Omg got AA>KK! 125k

11:51
Two hands later I defend A7o in BB. Flop T77! I get in a check-raise on the turn and MHIG. 160k

12:21
End lvl 14, I have 185k.
One more level tonight, 124 players left

12:35
Interesting BvB hand…fold to SB, he raises, I defend A3o. Flop KQ2, he bets, I call. Turn 4, he bets, I raise, he folds 😀

This wasn’t a huge pot, but it was definitely one the my favorite hands I played on the trip.

12:45
Really complicated hand where I think
I made money? I 3-bet w/KK, shorty goes in for less, raise also calls. Flop AKxsss, I raise and bet blanks of the turn & river. MHIG vs. original raised for side pot, but shorty wins small main w/86ss

12:50
Moved to a new table with 12 minutes left in the night

12:54
End of the night, I’m bagging 230k with 102 players left. What a rush!

1:13
Ngl, I feel like the best LHE player in the world right now

June 10: WSOP $1500 Limit Hold-em Day 2
12:16
It looks like I’m chip leader at my starting table today, which is nice but doesn’t matter too much in LHE. Two very short stacks to my left, so I need to be ready to get it in with them with whatever I open.

12:58
Daniel Negreanu at the featured table in 2-7 NL Championship

12:59
Day 2 of WSOP Event 33 gogogo!
We start at level 16 with 3k/6k blinds.
99 players left, 74 will cash

1:03
One of the shorties at my table busted to the other shorty on the 2nd hand, which really changes the dynamic

1:11
Lost a pretty big one on the BTN, tried to bluff a 4 flush board but got called down by 2 pair, 180k

1:15
Lost another small one but I guess I need to slow down, can’t run over the table at LHE

1:25
Lost another one, QQ
I really thought I was good when he checked back the river on a K8449 board

1:29
Somehow lost more than half my stack already, down to 110

1:36
I did finally win a small one the next hand
Dammit, got folded out of a big pot. I called BTN over a limp w/76, but SB raised & BB 3-bets, I have to fold. Board runs out K435x, SB had a K.

2:02
End lvl 16, I have 145k, only 76 players left

2:04
Hand for hand on the bubble

2:29
Still on the bubble jeez

2:35
I have 140k, average is 165k
In the money! 2-for-2 cashing this Series.

2:41
At a new table with 9 tables left

2:59
Lost a big one w/88 in the SB, guy hit a flush on the river w/54s, down to 75k

3:10
End lvl 17, I have 65k.
5k/10k blinds next level, so chances are I’ll be all-in next hand I play.
58 players left, but there’s no real pay-out jumps until we get down much lower

3:12
Btw, there’s a story on PokerNews saying I busted a player w/KK>AQ. That’s wrong, the hand happened at my table but it wasn’t me ����*♂️

3:26
Got most of my chips in on the 2nd hand back, but it was a chop AQ=AQ

3:33
Got AA blind v. blind! Couldn’t quite get my stack in but it was a nice pick-up…120l

3:37
Stole the blinds twice in a row, chipped up to 160k

4:05
Our table is breaking w/6 tables left, I have 140k

4:07
Scott Seiver at my new table with a ton of chips

4:15
Just got into a huge pot w/JJ with Seiver(AQ) and a short stack (A9), but the board ran out 56789 and we all played the board

4:22
End lvl 18, I have 150k, 41 players left

4:38
Won a nice one with a semi-bluff turn raise, 98ss on a QJ5Qss board. Also picked up a couple small ones…I have 270k

4:52
Just cracked AA w/88…866 flop! 380k

5:03
On a rush, won 3 hands in a row, just over 500k

5:08
Seiver just busted

I should mention a weird hand that happened around this point that I didn’t post about. Folds to be on the BTN w/AA. For some reason, I got the blinds mixed up and intended to raise, but didn’t put out quite enough chips. Both blinds fold, but the dealer rules it a call and gives BB his cards back. The flop, turn, and river all come out pretty safe and I bet every street, and BB calls me down. MHIG and he doesn’t show. I mention as I reveal my aces that this must have looked like an angle shoot, although everyone at the table agrees it obviously wasn’t. Still, I won 6 blinds on a hand where I probably should have only won 1. I’m not going to feel bad for the BB, because he ended up winning the bracelet! (The guy who ultimately knocked me out finished 2nd.

5:22
End lvl 19, I have 520k. Color-up break w/ 32 players left

5:44
Lost one w/A7 in the BB vs. KK, flopped a 7 & called down…410k

6:04
Lost another in the BB to the same player, 300k

6:45
I lost in the BB for a third time to the exact same guy! This time we both had big hands, 85<97 on a A658 board.
Fortunately I bounced back somewhat w/AA on the next hand.

6:40
End lvl 30, I have 350k.
25 players left

6:48
We are doing a complete redraw at 3 tables (24 players)
I have 400k

7:18
Bust outs have really stalled w/23 left, almost everyone has a lot of chips

7:43
End of lvl 21, I have an even 600k, 21 players left

8:40
Coming back to 15k/25k blinds, I’m in BB first hand

8:46
Down 100k just defending preflop the first 2 hands…all these pots will be huge now

8:57
Won a nice 3-way pot w/KK. I flopped a set, but couldn’t get paid in the river in either spot…750k

9:10
Just lost a massive pot to a river 2-outer. QQ
450k

This was by far my -least- favorite hand of my trip. We got in 3 bets both pre-flop and on the turn, and if he doesn’t hit exactly an Ace on the river, I have well over a million chips and am a top-3 stack with 18 players left.

9:13
Lost another AT

9:23
I have 240k, which is probably the shortest stack among 17 left

9:28
Down to crumbs in another brutal river…A9

9:30
I’m out! 17th place
Defended my BB to BTN open w/K2 check-raise AI on QJ2 flop, he sigh-calls w/55 and I brick out

9:45
I think this is the first time I got far enough for a “Nicholas Goedert eliminated in Nth place” blurb on Poker News. I wish there was more to the hand, I was basically just all-in in the BB for 2 bets.
Also noticed Hunichen made the final table.

9:46
I’ll be back to it tomorrow for the $1500 HORSE. Haven’t played a hand of stud in years! I might register pretty late, I’m exhausted.

June 11: WSOP $1500 H.O.R.S.E. Day 1
4:28
WSOP Event 38: $1500 HORSE gogogo!
25k chips to start, entering in lvl 4.
I lost my first hand at Stud 8. Raised w/8(A5)hh, called by bring-in 2. 6 on 4th, but K on 5th and T on 6th, while BI caught 546, I had to fold.

4:57
End lvl 4, I have 22k

5:39
End lvl 5, I have 18k, haven’t really had anything playable.

5:44
Folded a pretty big stud pot on the river. I had AKQQTx on 6th street vs. a pair of 77s showing. I bricked 7th, and I’m pretty sure villain had a set the way it played

5:51
Won a weird stud pot where I called an open from an A showing with Q(Q3)ss. I didn’t improve the entire hand but somehow QQs held up.

6:16
End lvl 6, I have 15k.
I have to get used to these stud games again. I haven’t really gotten many hands, but I might be hanging around a street to long in some

7:11
End lvl 7, down to 8k, maybe you can’t cash ‘em all

7:13
Razz coming, pray for low!

7:31
Down to 2k

7:41
I’m out! An early night for once.
Fun tournament though…
My next tournament (and perhaps last) will be the Wynn $1100 NLHE on Saturday

I didn’t post my bust-out hand because it was pretty anticlimactic since I was so short. I had QJ8 with a 2-suit in Stud Hi, AK7 isolates to heads-up, so I’m actually in a pretty good spot with the ante/BI overlay. By 6th, he has a pair of Ks and I have a flush draw, but I brick.

June 15: Wynn Poker Classic $1100 NLHE (one day tournament)
12:49
Wynn Classic $1100 NLHE gogogo! Or not quite…I’m sitting at an empty table now waiting for it to fill. But anyway, it’s level 2 & I have 30k chips to start whenever that actually is.

12:51
This seems like a pretty tough table filled entirely with late-registrants. But cards in the air!

1:05
End lvl 2, I have 25k. Lost the only significant hand BvB KQ

1:28
They just sent me to another empty table! No one registers on time anymore, they really need to rethink some of this late reg policy

1:33
First hand at my table goes all-in preflop AKo>AJo(??) in lvl 3?

1:37
End lvl 3, I have 30k.
Picked off a 6k river bluff w/AKo on a J6352 board (bluffer had T7o)

2:07
End lvl 4, I have 41k.
Got AK 3 times & won them all.
Last one, I 3-bet 3100 CO w/AcKh, UTG raiser calls. Flop T82dd, we both check. Turn Ad, he bets 3k, I call. River Kd, we both check, MHIG v/KcTs. Him making 2-pair saved me from a tough call I think
He should almost certainly fold to my PF 3-bet with that hand fwiw

2:51
End lvl 5, I have 36k

2:58
First hand of lvl 5 took 7 minutes yeesh

3:21
End lvl 6, I have 32k

3:50
End lvl 7, I have 36k.
I 3-bet 6k w/77 in HJ, called by UTG raiser. Flop AQ7! But unfortunately I bet 7k and he folded

4:20
End lvl 8, I have 34k, really no interesting hands for a while

4:39
I joined this tournament half an hour late and was entry #79. In the end it got over 360 entries. Kinda ridiculous

5:07
End lvl 9, down to 18k. Has nothing playable, all the chips I lost were BB defenses.
All-in or fold time now with 1k/2k blinds

5:11
Tournament got 367 entries, 172 left, 47 will cash.
Wynn only plays 12% of field, compared to 15% for WSOP, which I learned the hard way last year

5:27
Doubled up! TT>A2s aipf. 37k

5:39
End lvl 10, I have 65k.
Won a big pot last hand of the level JTs>A3o on a AKJT5 board

6:05
End lvl 10, I have 60k with 100 left in the field

6:31
Omg, just made a huge call for my tournament life to double. EP raises to 8k, BTN calls, I defend BB w5c4d. Flop J74cc, I check, EP checks, BTN bets 11k. I call, EP folds. Turn 3c, we both check. River Jd, I check, he puts me all-in for 38k. Eeek.
I call, he shows A8, MHIG!

Now -this- hand above was my favorite hand of the entire trip!
I think I got good karma from the it based on my next post…

6:38
Got AA>KK on the last hand of level 12!
I’ll count after the break

6:48
Coming back from break w/235k, blinds 3k/5k, 77 players left

7:05
At a new table w/ 220k and 67 players left, 20 from the money

7:22
End lvl 14, I have 225k, 63 players left

7:38
Lost a big one but I think I lost the minimum. I raise BTN to 13k w/AdJc, BB defends. Flop J32 all hearts. I bet 21k, BB calls. Turn Kh, we both check. River Js, BB bets 22k, I call. He shows 8h7h for a flopped flush…180k

7:53
End lvl 14, I have 140k with 54 players left. Our table is surprising aggressive as we near the bubble, all of my raises getting 3 bet (except when I had AA ��😉

8:20
End lvl 15. I have 120k with 50 left. Haven’t gotten anything to play & blinds are killer. New blinds 5k/10k/10k and I’m next BB ��

8:30
Hand-for-hand on the bubble. I have 100k after folding my blinds

8:34
I’m the money! Two big stacks next to me went all in preflop AA v. QQ, with AA at risk. Q in the flop!

This hand to pop the stone bubble was totally nuts, it involved the two players immediately to my left. It folds around to them, and I see raise, 3-bet, 4-bet, 5-bet, snap call by the player w/AA. Of course followed by like twenty players from around the room gathering around the table to sweat. The player with QQ was playing very loose (and very slow) and might have been the chipleader of the tournament even before this. After he sucked out in the hand, I think he was wire-to-wire chipleader at least until I busted, and I believe ended up winning the tournament.

8:57
End lvl 16, I have 75k.
I did steal the blinds twice but then lost a big one where I defended KTo in BB. Flop was QJ6, but turn and river bricked. Maybe I should have shoved flop

9:27
2nd one was AQ>AJ aipf, no drama…305k!
Just doubled two hands in a row. First was A9>QJ aipf, Q in flip but A in turn.

9:43
End lvl 17, I have 390k, 33 players left

9:55
Busted a short stack, A4s>T9o. 974 flop but hit another 4 on the turn…520k

10:17
End lvl 18, I have 380k, 27 left.
No phones allowed at final 3 tables

10:47
End lvl 19, I have 380k, 23 left

11:21
End lvl 20, I have 260k, 17 players left

11:46
I’m out! 15th place for $3800
FWIW, here’s the last hand: I defend Q2s in BB to a button raise w/ 7 bbs left. Q high flop, I shove, he calls with KK, turn and river brick, gg

12:01
This will be the end of my 2025 WSOP schedule. Very proud to have 3 cashes in 4 tournaments, though short of the big money in all of them. If you invested, this will pay out $129 per share.

This last note is because I sell small pieces (about 20% of my total action) to friends. The largest of this was that I swapped 5% with my friend who joined me on the trip, who also played 3 WSOP events but didn’t have much success.

After everything, I cashed 3 out of 4 tournaments, and end up with $12,900 in winnings off of $5,600 in buy-ins. Though I really think the WSOP payout structure could be improved. There’s very, very, little increase in payouts between the bubble and the final table, and it feels like you should get more than 3x your buy-in for finishing in the top 5%. I’m pretty sure this is a consequence of the fact that WSOP pays 15% of the field, and decided last year to increase the mincash from 1.5x to 2x the buy-in. I don’t mind paying 15%, but maybe they should go back to a smaller payout for in the 10-15% range to better reward really deep runs.
In any case, it was still a profitable and thrilling trip!