The Summer Wind - A WSOP Trip Report …… and beyond!

How do you keep all the games straight? My head spins with NLHE/PLO bomb pots. Can’t imagine all the variant knowledge you have!

WSOP-C Horseshoe Las Vegas
Day Seven - Tuesday March 24th

Run bad continues in the cash game. Lose the cap in Big O with AKKQ3 on a K-5-6 flop. All the money goes in on the flop. Villain has AA4xx for a flush draw and worse low draw and only wants to go once. It runs out with a flush and no low and we’re out $1,600.

It wasn’t much better in the other games and we rack up down -$2,500 to go play the tournament.

The tournament is $600 Mixed Triple Draw which consists of Ace to Five, Deuce to Seven and Badugi. It’s a fun and highly volatile one.

The first bullet misses about 30 minutes before the end of late reg. We fire again and win a couple of pots before the break to have a 50k 2x starting stack at the break and the start of the tournament proper.

Pots are won, pots are lost, draws made, draws missed and we sit on an around average 100k on the next break at the end of level 14.

We then go a little card dead but survive the bubble and are in the money.

I went down to about 60k before winning a nice Badugi pot near the end of the night to knock out Ian Chan. I start 235 against his pat and the 6 slides in on the first draw. He had a pat 9 and calls me down.

Finally a bag.

Would have liked it to be more full, (it’s a bottom 3 bag) but at least we’re still in there with a shot.

10 of us left fighting for the ring. We’ll re-start at 1pm playing 10k - 20k limits.

Get some!

GL tomorrow

Good luck on day 2!

Wow Freddy Deeb still playing nosebleeds. Color me surprised.

It’s down to 3 and Kessler is chip leader. That is all the spoiler I will give.

So I took some video content for a vlog on the 1st day and have just finished editing it. I got permission from Bellagio to film at the table (without faces) but I did not have permission from the Horseshoe. Let me know what you think please.

And don't forget to like and subscribe!

Nice camera work. How are you holding the camera (it's always in focus, framed well and no shaking or bouncing around)?

Nice mix of poker and the sites of Las Vegas casinos/hotels. You do cover a lot of real estate.

Watching the video makes me aware of the fact that I know nothing about mixed games when you mucked a 7 from your starting hand, whereas I thought it was a good low card. I'm guessing that while a 7 is somewhat low, it's a card that makes second best type hands and potentially gets a person in trouble?

One last question: Is your time spent making videos just something you are goofing around with, or are you thinking of doing it regularly to build your brand?

One idea I have from a video storytelling standpoint is when you are at a table with name players (or unknown but personable, interesting players), interview them for the video during breaks (perhaps outside the tournament area to get around video restrictions). What you interview them about would be dependent on what has been taking place at the table (it can range from poker discussion to something interesting they talked about at the table to something that has nothing to do with your table but it is about something that is happening in the poker universe).

Your instinct is correct. In the triple draw games, you want to be drawing at the nuts or close to it. A mediocre hand is too vulnerable across three draws.

Mediocre hands are not the goal, but can become bluff catchers or maybe thin value in certain spots.

I've never played A-5 triple draw, but in a game where the wheel is nut low, A-5 are the heaviest cards. 6 probably still very good. 7 and 8 far less exciting.

The three draws are the key variable. In single draw, weak pat hands are much more valuable because there's only one draw for the opponents to improve.

In 2-7 single draw, you will often see people three-bet a pat ten or pat nine before the draw. Any made hand is strong with only one chance to draw.

With three chances to draw, you are trying to make the nuts or very close to it.

A man after my own heart.

Just a simple selfie stick

Correct. In A-5 a Seven isn't that good of a card and you certainly shouldn't be keeping it before the first draw. You can keep it later if your opponent is still drawing but it's always going to be vulnerable.

Good question and at this point I don't really know the answer. I'm going to do a few and see what happens.

I like that idea, thanks.

What he said.

WSOP-C Horseshoe Las Vegas
Day Eight - Wednesday March 25th

We limber up for the re-start in usual fashion. I took this photo around midday as I was leaving the pool deck. As you can see, at that time the sun is halfway across the pool.

So we have a bottom 3 stack and are sandwiched in between, in my opinion, two of the very best triple draw players in the game in the form of Jon Turner and Patrick Moulder, who won the bracelet in this event in 2024. So this won’t be easy.

I also have a last longer still running with Jon again. This time, because this is his strongest game he gave me 1.4 odds. His $420 to my $300

We re-start on time at 1pm

Level 19: 10,000 - 20,000
(45 minute levels today)

We knock Kathy Chang (who was short) out in Badugi making a 7 to her Jack.

Made #1 vs Patrick #2 in Ace to Five

What a great player he is. Last draw I draw one and he was pat. I catch the 4 to make the wheel and bet into him. He has #2 and just calls. Great instincts.

End of Level 19: 185,000 with 9 players remaining.

Level 20: 12,000 - 24,000

Lose huge A-5 pot vs Allen. I catch a 7 after the first draw and pat it as he’s still drawing.
He takes one and check-raises me after the 2nd draw. I call and ditch the 7 to draw to A245. I don’t hit and fold to his river bet. He shows a 6. Good break.

Win a 2-7 pot vs Patrick. He’s so good. Doesn’t raise me with #4 when I have #3. 2nd time today this scenario.

Lose another A-5 pot to Allen. Both drawing one on last draw. I have A245 again and miss. He hits. It was 3-way and Patrick is eliminated in the hand setting the final table of 7.

We’ll start it as the short stack with 170,000. Average is 320,000 and we’ll start it on the new level.

Level 21: 15,000 - 30,000

We start on 2-7. No playable hands. Lose 45k in blinds.

Badugi: get a full double against Ruiko the Japanese girl making a 6 against her 10 perfect.

but then lose a pot the very next hand vs Jesse missing a one card A24 draw against his pat in a blind vs blind battle.

Ace to Five: I 3-bet Leyla’s open with A4446 she calls.
1st draw: 2-2 I catch a 2 and the case 4 lol.
She checks, I bet, she calls.
2nd draw: 2-1. She checks, I pretend to look and bet. She folds.

End of Level 21: 300,000 with 7 players remaining. Average is 321,000

Break

Level 22: 20,000 - 40,000

Still on Ace to Five - No further playable hands. Lose 30k in the blinds.

Deuce to Seven - No playable hands but I steal the blinds from the button to break even for the round.

Stacks have evened out now apart from Allen who is the big chip leader. So lots of ICM pressure for the rest of us.

Badugi - Ruiko eliminates Casey in 7th. We don’t have any playable hands and lose 30k in the blinds.

Ace to Five - Open 234 from the cutoff and catch bricks. Lose 40k

Lose a big blind vs blind pot against Jesse. We both take 1 on the last draw. He makes a 7, I make an 8 and have to pay off. I’m the shortest stack on fumes now.
Jesse is the guy with ducks on the table. I have not won a pot against him for two days. Most annoying.

Level 23 - 25,000 - 50,000

Deuce to Seven - Win my all-in hand. Made a wheel with no chips!

A couple of hands later Jon opens, I 3-bet with 248xx and Allen 4-bets. Jon folds and I call which puts me all-in.
1st draw: 2 for me, 1 for Allen. We catch a 5 to improve to a D1
2nd draw: 1-1
We make an 8-6
3rd draw: pat-pat

When Allen pats behind me my stomach sinks. I know when he 4-bets and takes 1 he’s got a 7 draw and sure enough when the cards are turned over:

GG. You can see Jesse’s fcuking ducks in the picture lol.

A lot of times in poker you can do everything right and still not win. I played pretty much flawless poker today and still came up short but that’s the game and that’s what I signed up for.

And that concludes the tournaments for the Vegas part of the trip. On the whole disappointing, but at least avoided blanking then with this final table and cash.

Despite holding a big chip lead 3-handed Allen couldn’t close it out and the Japanese girl Ruiko Mamiya took the ring. She’s a good player who also plays the $80 Mix with us sometimes.

I took a night off from poker and ended up in the Paris sports book having some drinks and watching an absolutely insane NBA game.

I had a bet on Minnesota and they were up 11 with 3.47 to go in the 4th. Easy winner right?

Wrong.

Houston goes on a 14-2 run to lead by 1 with 53 seconds left.

Minnesota finally makes a bucket and goes up by 1 with 9 seconds left.

The officials call an absolutely horse **** away from play foul on Ruby Gobert.

I’m on my feet and screaming at the big screen

mother fukcer cheatin bastrds, that was never a foul [/b]

There’s some guys from Minnesota also watching and they agree, although we might be a little biased.

They review and uphold it. It also means Gobert has fouled out.

KD makes the free throw to tie it and they still have possession.

But KD then turns it over and Julius Randle is going the other way for the win.

Come on, yes, go I’m yelling along with th Minnesota guys.

But WTF? The shot is blocked. Are you fcuking kidding me. We’re going to Overtime.

They start OT at 95-95. Houston scores 13 unanswered to lead 108 - 95

Game over right?

[i]Not so fast my friend

Unbelievably Minnesota score 13 unanswered of their own to tie it at 108-108 and then Julius Randle scores the go-ahead basket with 8.8 seconds remaining. 110-108 Minnesota.

Kevin Durant can’t believe it, and neither can I.

But we’re not done just yet.

The officials call another bull**** foul and KD will go to the line for two free throws to tie it.

[i] mother fukcer cheatin bastrds, the game’s bent. How much are these officials getting paid? [/b]

KD misses the first one!!!

Yeeeeessssss. Come on!

He intentionally misses the 2nd and in the fight for the rebound it goes out of play their way. 1.1 seconds left.

They don’t manage to get a shot off and the game is over. 110-108 Final in OT to Minnesota.

Craziest game I’ve seen in a long time.

Great run to another final table!!

Well done on the cash! Vlog is great.

Both the poker stories and the NBA story very entertaining. Congratulations on the cashes!

David, nice to see some mixed games on a VLOG. I think you should give a real quick breakdown of the rules for the game so that viewers who don't know the games can follow along. Like for A-5, you can just sprinkle in, "We're playing A-5 triple draw. You have to make the best low hand; aces play low and straights and flushes don't count against you, so A2345 is the nuts." Just enough so that viewers who don't know the game can follow along.

Nice run, David. We've played together (I'm David Rivera) quite a few times in the last year or two, good to see someone on here that I get in the streets with. You're a killer player. Looked like a fun FT with all the regular faces, even with grumpy Casey to balance it out lol. I took a break for a few months to do tax prep and I'll be back around the 2nd week of the upcoming Hard Rock series. May see you there if you drop in, otherwise see you in the summer. Good luck either way!

Excellent idea, will incorporate into the next one thanks.

Hi David, yes I remember, you’re pretty tough yourself.

Casey was uber-grumpy yesterday. One, or maybe both of the final table dealers had done something to set him off.

I probably won’t be at Hard Rock in April so hope to see you in the summer.

WSOP-C Horseshoe Las Vegas
Day Nine - Thursday March 26th

My midweek comp nights are up at the Horseshoe which means I have to pay on my own dime now so it’s back to the cheap and cheerful magic castle we go.

Royal Tower Queen. About as far from the elevators as you can get.

After changing hotels we make our way to the office (Bellagio) and clock in just before noon. We’re on the must move table today but doesn’t look to be much between the tables.

Playing 2-7 NL Single draw, Pizza Tim opens for $240 in early position. Peter R raises to $700 from middle position. We’re in the big blind and look down to see 87642. Oh baby! Cappuccino.

Tim folds but Peter makes the call. He’s drawing one. We go twice. He is live with his 8632 draw but pairs the deuce on the first run and hits a queen on the 2nd so we scoop.

We also scoop a nice Ari pot on a 5 spit card we make A2346 for a #2 low and a 6 high straight. It’s unusual to win the high with a straight in this game but that’s what happens on this occasion.

Those were really the only two pots of note we won. At one point we were up $4k but when it comes time to rack up we’ve lost a couple of pots and the win is only +$2,600

I did record part of the session for a new vlog but unfortunately it was between winning those two big pots so not sure how good the footage will be.

We racked up to go to the hockey game. A good one tonight at T Mobile. The visitors are the Edmonton Oilers. It’s Knight time!

Re-sale ticket from AXS. Upper level, 1st row, center ice. Sweeeeet. $125 including fees. Seems reasonable.

The game had everything. Two good teams, three fights, seven goals, and overtime. Unfortunately it was the Oilers who edged it and if I’m being honest they probably deserved it more. Vegas were very sloppy. I’m becoming a hockey fan. I didn’t see this coming lol.

After the game I’m hungry. I haven’t had a steak yet this trip so decided to put that right.

We go off-strip to Herbs & Rye. Why pay $100 for a steak on the strip in a casino when you can pay half that for something just as good?

We eat at the bar. Our server - Brooke - is gorgeous. She’s also a sweetheart. I order a Mojito to start with but the place is packed and she’s run off her feet so she forgets and I have to remind her.

When the bill comes she says it’s on her for forgetting and doesn’t charge me for it. What a darling.

My kind of place, my kind of town. Where else can you go to a packed restaurant at midnight and have a good steak in a nice atmosphere with great service?

Nightcap back in my room while writing this up for y’all

Do you have to be a ring winner to get a discount like that?

I think a butterfly landing on his lunch box would set him off lol.