The Summer Wind - A WSOP Trip Report …… and beyond!
Don’t ask me why I chose the title of an old Sinatra song to be the title for this year’s trip report, i have no idea, i
So sorry for the losses in Vegas, but so glad the Bahamas went well -- still a great poker and family experience.
On a side note, 90% sure I saw you in the Harrah's lobby late last night just as I was checking in. By the time I recognized you (white track suit?), you were about to hop the elevator, and my "read" was that it probably wasn't a good moment to chat anyway. Two ships passing in the night. If I'm mistaken, disregard.
Yes that was me. I didn't see you. Hopefully your time there will be more profitable than mine was.
Yes that was me. I didn't see you. Hopefully your time there will be more profitable than mine was.
Thanks. It wasn't a spectacular trip, but I scraped back some bounties and am happy with how I played.
I won't get into the gory details of gross runouts and related nonsense. 😃
I hope to catch up next summer if our trips overlap. In the meantime, good luck with the continued adventures on the felt.
The Story So Far
I hope everyone had a good Christmas.
As the year draws to a close it seems like a good time to take stock and look at how I’m doing thus far on this journey.
Since I starting playing tournament poker again at the WSOP in June 2024 these are my full results:
Tournaments Played: 144
Bullets Fired: 193
Total Buy-Ins: $176,300
Avg. bullet: $913
Cashes: 43
Final Tables: 26
Wins: 5
Total Prize Money: $316,141*
Profit: $139,841
*includes bounties
And we don’t limit ourselves just to tournaments. We go both ways and have logged some cash game hours to boot.
Hours Played: 394
Profit: $37,400
Hourly: $95
Alas there are some expenses to deduct. We’ve spent $23,798 on hotels and $13,188 on flights. There are also other expenses such as food, uber and taxi fares which I didn’t keep track of.
So the total net profit from tournaments and cash games combined after deducting flights and hotels is $140,255, which, if I divide by the 17 months I’ve been at this, gives a monthly wage if you will of $8,250. That’s certainly not bad, but maybe a very high variance way to make ends meet. Did someone say ‘hard way to make an easy living’?
My off-season retreat in Santa Fe de Antioquia. Re-charging the batteries.
Tournaments vs Cash Games
This is something that I think about a lot. Is it better to focus just on tournaments, just on cash games or to do both?
I didn’t track my tournament hours but I think if I estimate each tournament I played to have taken 8 hours on average it won’t be too far off and will be useful as a comparison.
So 144 tournaments played x 8 hours is 1,152 hours, meaning I’m spending about 75% of my time playing tournaments and only 25% of my time playing cash games.
Those 1,152 tournament hours translate into an hourly rate of $121 which is greater than my cash game hourly of $95, although it should be pointed out that I finished the year on a cash game downswing.
So in conclusion? Well, I’m not really sure what I conclude to be honest lol. I’ll probably continue to play both and evaluate as I go.
Thoughts for 2026
Still no sign of any honest employment on the horizon and I guess the longer I go on this journey the less employable I will be. So we’ll carry on regardless and adapt and adjust as needed.
One thing I am thinking of is to travel a little bit less and grind the cash game here in Medellín more which is something I neglected a bit in the latter half of this year. So instead of traveling 150 days as I did this year, maybe only 120 days or something like that.
It was a pleasure meeting many of you this year and I hope to see you all again next year.
Happy New Year.
That’s a year of fantastic results… thanks for taking us along on the journey!
I think a lot about tournaments vs cash game time, too. The conclusion I’ve drawn is that only tournaments can have the upside of a high variance win,
But a cash game mindset is important to hone to a fine edge. It keeps instincts and reads sharp.
I think people who exclusively play only one or the other are less rounded all around players, and are leaving EV on the table. Especially so for mixed games.
Can’t wait to read about what’s in store for 2026!
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So the total net profit from tournaments and cash games combined after deducting flights and hotels is $140,255, which, if I divide by the 17 months I’ve been at this, gives a monthly wage if you will of $8,250. That’s certainly not bad, but maybe a very high variance way to make ends meet. Did someone say ‘hard way to make an easy living’?
Correction. This should actually be 19 months not 17, so $7,381 per month.
That’s a year of fantastic results… thanks for taking us along on the journey!I think a lot about tournaments vs cash game time, too. The conclusion I’ve drawn is that only tournaments can have the upside of a high variance win,But a cash game mindset is important to hone to a fine edge. It keeps instincts and reads sharp.I think people who exclusively play only one or the ot
Yep tend to agree. Those big tournament scores do make a difference when they come along and in the meantime it’s good to eat via the cash game streets and keep sharp that way.
What gets me about tournaments is that the difference between a break even year and a great year can be a few hands.
My extremely low lifetime best score could be 5-15x higher if I had been dealt winners in a couple spots.
The prospect of relying on tournaments for sustenance would scare me, though I definitely think they're beatable.
Cash feels steady and a lot more predictable, though I enjoy tournaments more.
Awesome results. Something to really be proud of.
Awesome trip reports. Something to really be proud of.
Thanks for sharing the journey.
What gets me about tournaments is that the difference between a break even year and a great year can be a few hands. My extremely low lifetime best score could be 5-15x higher if I had been dealt winners in a couple spots. The prospect of relying on tournaments for sustenance would scare me, though I definitely think they're beatable. Cash feels steady and a lot more predictabl
One difference compared to Tony is that if you play Hold 'Em, there's always a chance of a huge score. Many WSOP events pay a million or more up top. Depending on other resources a player might have, it could be enough to send you to Retirementville. The smaller fields of mixed games make it much tougher.
WSOP-C Planet Hollywood
Pre-Game
So here we are again, starting the new year before the old one has even finished. I know I said I wanted to travel a little less this year and here I am on the road again before it’s even 2026 lol, but this will be my only trip In January.
I like the Medellin - Houston - Vegas route with United as the times are good and means we’ll be on the strip to see-in the new year.
Writing this in the airport as I wait for my flight.
There was a lot of choice for where to go in January, which says a lot about the growth of mixed games. Hard Rock as always has a great mixed schedule. Borgata also came out with a great mixed schedule and a leaderboard to boot. Thunder Valley has 3 mixed ring events in their circuit stop, but in the end we opted for Planet Hollywood.
As I said in an earlier post I really want to win a return trip to Paradise so will be giving priority to WSOP circuit events with mixed tournaments and the PH stop fit the criteria perfectly with a TORSE, HORSE, Omaha 8 and what will probably be the only O.E. ring event of the entire year. Throw in a couple of PLO’s and my flight was booked as soon as I saw the schedule.
The flights were cheap enough. Hotel rooms on the other hand. I’m flying in on New Year’s Eve which is an expensive night and the tournament clashes with the CES convention so the 6th and 7th are really expensive nights as well. I do have 5 nights out of my 9 night stay comped but am having to hotel hop again to get the best deals.
I just played one cash game session while I’ve been home and it was a pretty good one. The game is 5-card PLO with blinds 5,000 - 10,000 pesos and a 25,000 rock. One optional straddle of 50,000 from any position which was being put on nearly every hand so the game was playing big.
In USD it’s like $1.25 - $2.50 - $6.50 - $13
The highlight of the session was when we made a straight flush in a 3-way pot:
We flopped open-ended straight flush draw on a J-9-x flop with two spades.
Villain 1 bets about 75% pot, villain 2 calls and we call.
Turn: Q spades completing the straight flush with our T-8 spades.
We’re first to act and I decide to lead out small for 500,000 pesos (about 1/4 pot) and both villains call.
River: blank
We lead out for 1 million (again on the small side at about 1/3 pot)
Villain 1 folds (said he had top set after)
Villain 2 raises to 3 million !!!
Bad error. You absolutely cannot raise on the river without the nuts or nuts blockers in 5-card PLO.
We have about 5 million total and go all-in. Villain (with the nut flush) realizes his error and finds the fold.
We show, as the room rakes for a high hand jackpot and our straight flush is good for 30% of it which is another million pesos. (Would probably have shown anyway)
A rare 5 million peso ($1,300 USD) chip in our stack, although there were a few of them on the table as it was a real action game.
We rack up not long after as I had something else to do. In for 2 million, out for 9 million and change to book a +$2,000 USD win.
On Deck: Fireworks! [emoji313]
Good luck in 2026. Your 2025 trip reports have been outstanding. Looking forward to another superb year for you.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I'll be interested to hear your experiences tonight. I've considered going to Vegas for NYE, but heard enough negative things that I haven't.
WSOP-C Planet Hollywood
Day One - Wednesday December 31st
No problems with the flights. I was even pleasantly surprised to get a hot meal on the Medellin to Houston leg, but then disappointed when the chicken was so dry it tasted like cardboard.
The $21 cab ride from the airport to Excalibur was bumped up to $31 due to a New Years Eve surcharge.
And we’re paying $250 for tonight to stay at the Excalibur [emoji30] but it was the cheapest option I could find. Royal Tower twin:
Everywhere is jam-packed. The strip is closed off for cars and there’s supposedly 300,000 people here. There is a lot of people admittedly but I’d have to take the under.
It’s wet and it’s cold but I manage to stay awake for the fireworks at midnight.
They do fireworks well in Colombia, and for me Medellin and Nacional put on a better display when they play a soccer match than what I saw tonight. Underwhelmed.
On Deck Tomorrow: $400 PLO
WSOP-C Planet Hollywood
Day Two - Thursday January 1st
Happy New Year everyone!
Awoke to another grey and drizzly day here in sin city. I have a view of the baseball stadium construction from my window. It’s starting to take shape a little now:
Today’s $400 PLO tournament didn’t start until 3pm which gave me time to have lunch in Buca di Beppo here at Excalibur. Chicken parm, decidedly average. 6/10
Tournaments being played on the mezzanine level outside of the poker room. It’s a nice setup with plenty of space.
The first bullet missed the mark when we couldn’t hold with top set of Kings all-in 3-ways on the flop against top two and a flush draw. Flush on river. Re-buy!
The 2nd bullet fared better and we had 80k on 2nd break and end of late reg with 37 players remaining out of 96.
We would have had 150k if we could have held in another 3-way all-in on the flop. We had top straight and middle set against bottom straight and top set.
It boats up on the river. Why always the hard way? [emoji30]
But I’m playing A++ controlling the table and pot sizes. Knowing exactly where I’m at. It’s almost as if their cards are face-up. Absolutely in the zone. Just need these big hands to hold.
End of Level 12: Tough sledding. Can’t get my hands to hold. Had to make some big (correct) lay-downs to stay alive. Down to 55,000 which was one of the shorter stacks but thankfully the bubble burst after only 2 hands of hand for hand and we’re in the money.
15 players remaining. Average is 128k going back to 2,000 / 4,000 / 4,000
We make the final table of 9 with 10 minutes to go in level 15 (3,000 / 6,000 / 6,000)
We’ll start it with 105k. Average is 213k
Level 16: 4,000 / 8,000 / 8,000
Doubled up with AQJ8ds vs AAxx all in pre flop. Made flush on river. First time all-day our money went in bad. If other people can suck out on us then why can’t we do the same?
Knocked out the 9th place finisher who was short with KK68 vs AJT7 all-in pre, flopped a flush.
Kamikaze run-good is real!
Break at end of level 16: 200,000
Average: 274,000
7 players remaining.
Level 17: 5,000 / 10,000 / 10,000
Win huge gross gross sick pot. Knock two people out!!!
We were 5-ways to the flop.
Flop: J-5-2 with two diamonds
On the flop the SB who was short made a bet of about half his stack.
I’m next to speak from the BB with J-K-8-7, top pair and King flush draw. I cover and pot it trying to isolate.
Guy on my left then moves all-in with top two!
Cut-off also goes all-in with nut flush draw!
SB folds.
I cover them both and it’s not much more so I’m committed.
I make a bigger two pair on the runout to scoop a monster.
Gotta love PLO!
End of Level 17.
We were scheduled to play 18 levels today but floor says something about the cashier being sick and needs to go so they want to shut up shop for the night.
That means 4 of us will be coming back tomorrow at 1pm. We’re chip leader with 786,000 coming back to 6,000 / 12,000 / 12,000
Just 3 players standing between us and another precious and a return ticket to paradise, but it won’t be easy. Jack and Konstantinos both play a good game and we’ll have to defeat the lord of the rings, Ari Engel himself.
This is the prize pool btw. We’re guaranteed $2.5k but have our eyes on the $8.6k up top.
GL, and take it down!
Exhilarating to read and need to see a win for the Good guys! Good luck Tony!
Funny how one or two moments in a tourney change the fortune of the players... like 3 way dominated both ways but pull the rabbit out of the hat!
All those 3 ways, such a kinky game.
Good luck.
