BigWhale & brother does Vegas + World Cup 2026 (6th-20th June)
Hello, good people of LVL!
Starting this TR a bit early, well, for me at least. As the title says, me and my (twin) broth
Some pictures from the evening, including the ride back to Vdara:
I did not expect to be here today:
But I will damn well take it! Will provide explanation later today.
(This is Harrahs Las Vegas, for the uninformed)
Good morning from Las Vegas. That was not in the original plan, but here we are.
Long story short is that my brother woke up sick yesterday, the day we were supposed to fly to New York, pick up a car, drive from there, and eventually make it up to the Foxborough area where Norway is facing Iraq today in the World Cup of Soccer.
However, my brother is the only designated driver (my license has expired and living in Malta I never have the need for a car), and having him drive around while not feeling 100% didn't seem like a great solution. He would also very likely infect me, and we would likely both end up sick as a dog when flying home on Saturday.
We therefore decided that the best way for him to start feeling better quickly was to just stay in Vegas, relax, find some strong US medicine, and then hopefully he will feel better when we fly home.
To save some money we both got ourselves a room at Harrahs (or is it Harrah's?) for the remainder of the trip. Certainly a downgrade from Aria/Vdara, but the room is reasonable enough IMO and it's not like I spent a ton of time in the room anyway.
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After checking in here yesterday we went to the pool, which is bigger and more chill than I remembered. Then, a spur-of-the-moment decision meant that I found myself at The Orleans for their $240 HORSE-tournament. In theory that sounded like fun, but in reality I should never have played. I am outclassed in every way possible, and stood no chance at a deep run.
I started reasonably well though, as I won a good sized Razz-pot when I had (2-3-4) and ended up with a 76-low. I went to the first break with 42k, which is a decent increase from the 30k starting.
During the break I also got recognized by 'DogFace' who was also there playing the tournament! It was really nice to finally meet him, although I forgot to ask how much he is charging for MTT-coaching 😀
After the break I had (KK8) in Stud, but ended up losing a big pot against a fishy Asian player who got two pair on 6th. He made a lot of weird plays and kept running super hot throughout the entire time we were seated together.
A while later however, we pick up AA in LHE and raise it up from UTG. Someone 3-bets behind, I four-bet and we go 4-ways to the flop of J-7-9. I bet and everyone called again. Turn is a 5 and I just don't see 86 or T8 being likely Limit Hold'em holdings, so I continued betting and only got one caller this time. River paired the 5 and I thought about checking it over as my opponent possibly had missed something with a hand like QT or KQ. But I decided to value 4k against Jx, only to be met with a snap-fold.
When late registration was over, I had 61000 which was a decent stack. This was the situation in regards to entries etc. when we started again after the break:
As expected though, things went downhill from there. I got involved in Stud H/L with (44K), which is likely not a playable hand, and had to stay in until 6th as I kept getting great low cards. But by 6th I could no longer make a low + two opponents had received both the remaining fours.
Then our table breaks, and I try to steal the blinds in the same format with (AQ3)) no suits. A tight older woman 3-bets me however with a K showing (obvious KK) and I felt obliged to stay in until 5th to see if I could pick up an Ace or some low cards. But no such luck, and I was out of there.
That hand left me quite short and with the ante now being 1000 per hand it got very expensive. But on the last hand of Stud H/L I find a really good hand in (KKA) with the King showing. Someone raises to 5k with a 6 showing and I 3-bet to leave myself with only 2k behind. A guy with a good stack that was in a lot of hands 4-bets with an A showing, the second guy calls and I obviously get it in there.
They both check 4th street, but on 5th the guy who 4-bets pairs his Ace. Sigh, that is so absurdly lucky as I have an Ace in the hole and he only had two outs. I can not improve to trip Kings or two pair, and I have been eliminated around 60th place or something (top 19 paid).
To be honest, it was a stupid decision to play the tournament. I should rather stick to what I know and played some cash instead. That is what I will do today, with a break in between to watch the Norway vs Iraq game at 3pm (sadly not live from the stadium).
Gutted you missed the WC match! Haaland masterclass, what a player even though for me he plays for the wrong team in Manchester
Time flies too fast in Las Vegas, even with these extra couple of days.
Yesterday after updating this TR, I went downstairs to play a little bit of -EV games, then walked over to Horseshoe for a quick massage and some poker. Saw some sights on the way there.
Had to check out the Flamingos:
This hotel is now open for business:
Had a quick 20 minute massage at Horseshoe, before taking a seat in a $1/$3 game. The room was busy both with their morning tournament and some cash games going:
My session got an explosive start, as my first dealt hand is KQss and I raise to $12 from second pos. A rather douchey-looking guy to my immediate left 3-bets to $35, and I think my hand is way too playable to do anything but call. The flop comes Q-9-6 one spade, after after I check he bets $40. I obviously call.
Turn comes Ts, which means that we have two draws now in addition to our top pair. I check (leading makes little sense IMO) and he quickly tells the dealer to go ahead. River comes another 6, and to me it seems likeliy that he has either a hand like JJ or just something like AK that doesn't like the board.
I decided to use my small sizing and throw out $15, which is around 10% of the pot. I can get more against JJ I think, but I also wanted to give him a chance to spazz out with AK as he will likely read this bet as weakness. He immediately min-clicks it to $30, and I am a bit confused but I call almost immediately. He shows JJ and I drag in the pot.
The guy proceeds to go crazy and starting verbally abusing me, talking about a '****ing great call pre', sarcastically saying 'nice hand' and again pointing out what a terrible fkn play I just made. I should have just smiled and said nothing, but I got rather taken back by this reaction to what is a fairly standard poker hand. I told him rather angrily that he should apologize immediately, and asked the dealer if he's not going to do anything about this guy sitting there abusing me.
To his credit, the guy almost immediately started apologizing after this, explaining that he was a bit on edge as someone had slow rolled him earlier + he had a lot of work to do on his laptop this morning (something about an event he was organizing). As he was to my immediate left we started talking a bit throughout the session, and he was actually quite nice with some occasional good humor. As of such, the situation was quickly forgotten even though I have almost never experienced someone go off like that in regards to my play before.
Up almost $100 then, but it started going downhill after. First I raise KJcc to $16 over two limps, and the OMC who originally limped is the only caller. He then leads out for $25 on A-T-4, and although this is rather fishy and unconventional I still don't think I can call. There are no clubs out there, which means that I am drawing to a single Q. If I had a backdoor flush draw I would have floated in position for sure though.
Then we find 88 from UTG and raise to $12, and an older woman calls in 3rd position before a serious 30s looking guy 3-bets to $50. He only has $200 back (if that) and it doesn't feel quite deep enough to setmine out of position. I fold.
A while later there are two limps for $3 and I have JJ in BB. I raise to $18 (too small) and the woman folds while the second limper (who seemed a bit sticky) calls. I didn't quite like the K-Q-3 rainbow flop, and decided to check and evaluate. Opponent now blasts for $30 into $40, and this felt very fishy and nonsensical to me. You are only limping and now you suddenly love this board? It's obviously not ideal that I double-block JT for the straight draw, but there are still combos out there. He would never bet QJ or similar like this, so unless he has some weird KT or similar I still think I can be best here. I call.
Turn comes 8, and goes check-check. River is another Q, and although I have many Qx combos that I play like this I just didn't think I needed to bluff. And especially not when it goes check-check again. But unfortunately he announces two pair, and shows K6hh. Meh, although I think my analysis of the hand was spot-on. But if he is going to limp-call a ton of Kx-suited, then obviously I might have an easier fold on the flop.
I do win a few small pots after this though, raised AKo from BB over limpers once and got folds. I also won a small pot after raising K5dd on the button and getting a fold on the flop from BB.
Then we find AQo and raise to $12 from 3rd pos, and only the younger guy in SB calls. The flop comes amazing, with Q-Q-4 rainbow, and after he checks I bet $18 into $27. Any pair between 4 and Q will call here, and his calling range in SB has a lot of these. He does indeed call.
7 on the turn, and although he could have improved to a full house now that is hardly a big concern. I size down a bit to $25 (into $61) to keep those hands calling, but he just folds quickly. Probably he was just peeling with some Ace-high hand on the flop.
And that is really it. I played for 2 hours, went for some food with my brother, and then it was time to watch Norway vs Iraq (sadly not from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough).
Some early scares and Iraq was better than expected, but in the end Norway ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. Great start, and hopefully the team will improve with each match.
After the match I wanted to try out the gym here at Harrahs, and I was there for an hour. And before you know it, it's 7pm already. And I had another plans that evening, of the non-poker variety (women). And that's how another day in Vegas disappears without much play at all.
But today there is no mercy, today I am going to grind cash like there is no tomorrow. That is the plan at least, and the plan starts now. I won $34 USD at Horseshoe for what it's worth.
Cash Games:
Hours played: 23h 30 min
Won/Lost: -$253 USD
Hourly rate: -$10.8 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
Sorry to hear about your brother's health and that you missed going to Foxborough. Hopefully the poker gods will compensate you with some run good to finish out your trip.
This is why I'm extra-cautious when in Vegas to avoid the Vegas black plague. At the first sniffle I'm pounding vitamins.
They showed the crowd at the game on tv. They were doing this rowing thing. What's up with that?
Sorry about your brother being sick, and the two of you having to miss the game. Thanks again for keeping us up-to-date with your trip.
Good morning from Las Vegas! Way behind on updates, but will make a quick one now. Yesterday morning-ish I walked over here:
After waiting for 15 minutes at Bellagio, I got a seat at a new table out in the Sportsbook. Tons of people there eventually that day, who gathered to watch England vs Croatia in the World Cup.
I got a decent start in the game (bought in for $400) when there is a limp for $3 and Small Blind goes to $12. I have AKo in BB, and 3-bets to $40. The limper folds, but the original raiser calls. We go heads-up to A-K-3 and after he checks I start with a small bet of $25. He calls.
Turn comes another A, so we have the nuts. He checks, and in hindsight I could maybe check back as I have a complete lock. But opponent looks a bit OMC-ish, and if he has a good Ace he will never in a million years relase it. I chose to bet small-ish again for $55, to hopefully keep a hand like KQs in, and then I can just blast the river if he calls. But sadly he just folds.
I play a few small hands and still have a small profit when I find AJo and makes it $12 from early-ish position. Small Blind 3-bets to $35, and although this would normally be a fold this guy has been very active so far and seems like he is there to play. I call in position, and we see K-4-7 on the flop. He surprisingly checks, and I chose to just check it back. I could maybe bluff here, but his check on this board had me a bit suspicious.
Q on the turn, and he now blasts for $65. I was willing to call a small bet in position, but not this one that is almost full pot. I fold.
The we find KQss from EP1 and raise to $12 as always. The same opponent as above calls in SB, BB calls, and then a fellow Norwegian 3-bets to $60 from BB. This guy tried to be very friendly with the whole table, but to be honest I found him more annoying than anything else (he was trying too hard). He had talked about playing $5/$10 last year etc., and I had sort-of been waiting for him to get involved. At the same time I was a bit suspicious of the size, as this seems a bit small from OOP. But I have a playable hand in position, and chose to make the call. The other two players fold.
2-3-4 two clubs no hearts, and he now checks. Seems a bit weird, but with K high and no showdown value I guess we bet? I made it too small though, only $50 into $148 or something. He check-calls. Turn comes 9c, which means the flush fills. He checks, and I make a mistake here and check back. I should have instead thought about how I would play my TT/JJ type of hands, and that would be to bet again to get him off AK no club. A bet like $90 or something could have done it.
River comes another 2 and he now leads for $150? WTF is this line? I only have K high, but why would he feel the need to bluff Ace high after I check back turn? He could bluff AK with Ac to get me off a hand like 88 or something I guess, but that's about it for bluffs that actually beat me. And who plays an overpair like this, with check-call on low board? Seems extremely unlikely in my book. One hand I didn't consider though is A5 suited, who would have flopped a wheel.
In game though, I became too focused on how this line is so weird and that it would never be an overpair. There are however hands he needs to bluff with, like JTs/QJs/KJs with a backdoor on the flop. Although those would likely just bet the flop and not check/call.
I make a idiotic King High call, and get shown a very weirdly played QQ. Sigh. I don't think he played it well, but I played it even worse. As played I should have either fired turn as well, or just completely given up and not put any more money into the pot post-flop.
I reload $200 more and do win some small pots here and there, such as when I raise ATo to $12 on the button and BB calls. The flop comes K-7-3 two diamonds, and I have Td at least. He checks, I bet $11 and he check-calls. Turn comes Jd, which means I have two draws now. I increase to $35 after he checks, and get the fold.
Random small stack picture:
I also win two small pots with AA (no action post) and AJ (defended big versus Norwegian, who left shortly after), and are just about hanging in there.
Then we have one limp for $3 from a sticky OMC, and I raise 98ss to $15. He calls, and we see the 3-5-7 flop. No spades, but I have two overs and a gutshot. So after he checks, I bet $20. He calls, but doesn't seem super convinced while doing so. T on the turn giving me an actual open-ender, and I take it down with a bet of $55.
But then we play a big one where I am not sure about my line. There is an UTG-straddle for $6, and the active guy briefly mentioned earlier makes it $25 from MP. I have AKss in BB and 3-bets to $85. He thinks for a while but then calls.
The flop comes 9-9-5, and I decided to check here. I know I should bet small with my entire range, but I didn't think it would accomplish much. Plus, this guy is active pre but has been too afraid to value bet thinly post-flop. As of such, I thought his actions here would tell me exactly where I am in the hand. He quickly checks back.
Turn comes an 8, and although he could have improved to 88 I strongly assume I have the best hand here. As of such, I throw out a tiny bet of $30 to get called by AQ or similar. He calls, and we see a Q on the river. Meh. I check it over to him, prepared to fold to a bet, but he just checks it back. I assume I am best then, but no - he turns over TT. See what I mean about him being afraid to put in value bets?
Hands like this are annoying though; because he won't fold to a bet on the flop and I pick up no equity on the turn in that scenario. So what am I supposed to do? Just blasting AK high through on three streets doesn't seem smart to me, as that would be better reserved for hands that have very little showdown value.
A while later I become involved with this guy again, when there is a straddle and he then double-straddles. He is clearly on tilt now after being scooped in a huge bomb pot versus an OMC, and although he tries to hold it together outside I can see from his body language that he is getting very frustrated.
I find A9o in hijack, which is not a monster but we were only 7-handed for this hand. I raise to $35 and the double straddle is the only caller. The flop comes 9-5-5, which is obviously good for my hand. He checks, I bet $40 and then he check-raises to $110. He obviously have all the fives and I noted above that he is afraid of value betting post. But I think his tilt-factor might change that now + he is not repping much here except 5x. I call to evaluate.
Turn comes a 7 and he now checks. I decided to bet $85 here, basically for value but with view to check back river if he calls. He thinks for a bit and calls.
We see a harmless 2 on the river, and he checks again. We can rule out a five now, and I really think he has a worse 9 than me. I considered betting something like $50 to eek out a call, but sadly I chickened out after thinking for 20 seconds and just checked it back. My hand is obviousy good, but in conversation after he said he was glad I didn't bet. Which means that I missed out on value, and that is simply not good enough even though it was a nice pot to drag in.
I win a couple more pots, including 3-betting this guy with AK and getting a fold. I also won a decent one with A8dd when there is a limp for $3 from an OMC and another OMC raises to $12 from hijack. I have above hand in SB and decided to just call, which also brings in the limper.
J-7-9 one diamond is a decent flop, and when it checks through I have an easy bet on the turn. Especially as it's the 4d giving me two draws. I bet out for $30 (fairly big) and they both fold.
I also chop a big bomb-pot shortly after, when I have quads on one board but only one pair on the other. I obviously expected this to be a chop, but it's still fun when you have the nuts on one board and can just pile in money hoping for the opponent to fold. But he was too strong on the other board to do so.
After being down about three fiddy ($350) for a while, I rallied back to only lose $31 USD after 3 hours and 45 minutes. Reasonable enough, but I cannot make idiotic K-high calls for big amounts. I also need to get value in the A9-hand against the tilted guy, and that is a huge mistake to not milk him for a bit more in that spot.
I played one more session last evening, but that update has to wait for now. Apologies if any spelling mistakes here, as I don't have time to double check.
Cash Games:
Hours played: 27h 15 min
Won/Lost: -$284 USD
Hourly rate: -$10.4 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
Way behind on updates, and leaving Las Vegas today (sigh), but I will catch up on this thread tonight.
Here is a quick summary of my session at Venetian on Wednesday evening. I was quite card-dead in the beginning and couldn't get much going in the Bomb Pots, so after an hour or so I was down $75 or something like that.
Then there is a straddle from a tilty guy to $6 from UTG, two people call the $6, and I have QQ in BB. I raise it up to $35, and the original straddle now raises to $106. Interesting. The other two fold out, and this seems like a very easy jam. This guy is clearly a bit tilted from not winning many hands so far, and with the straddle my stack is less than 40 bb. I jam, and he snap-calls.
K-4-2-7-2 is the runout, and after I turn up my hand the opponent says it's good and mucks. We are suddenly in profit now:
I do lose some back when I make a light open to $12 with 75ss from hijack (actually a fold pre according to charts). The BB, who is a very recreational dark-skinned convention guy, calls. We see A-8-7 two clubs, and he leads for $5. No backdoor flush possibilities for me, but I have a pair which makes it an easy call (didn't consider raising).
Turn comes a 9, and although this gives me a gutshot straight as well I just check it back after he checks. He's not folding an Ace anyway, and the only thing I can charge are the flush draws.
The river comes a Q and he now bets $20. I didn't think this guy was good enough to value-bet a weak Ace, and what else can he be betting here? Furthermore, the flush draw missed and his lead on the flop would be typical of a flush draw trying to set it's own price. I throw in the curious call, only to get shown A3o. My call is very light, and I should probably stop making so many of these hero-calls.
That said, this guy was a complete button-clicker and a real ATM to have at the table. So him finding the bet with A3 here was not because he was a good hand reader or anything like that. I do think he would have bet a missed flush draw in desperation as well.
To the left of this fish is a new active white guy, and he raises to $15 over a $3 limp. I have K8cc in BB which seems good enough to defend, and the limper comes along as well. The flop comes J-8-2 one club, and checks around.
Turn comes a K, which gives us two pair. I check again, the limper checks, and the preflop raiser now bets $25. Maybe I could have slow played, but I just didn't think this guy would get away from a King. I raise to $80, and he thinks for a bit and asks if I have pocket threes. Then he eventually flashes a King and folds. Meh. That said, I still think I get a call here from most players and I was just lucky to find someone that was able to fold TP.
Then we get into a very fun Bomb Pot where we have A955 three hearts, and end up scooping the pot when we turn nut flushes on both boards (!) and also make a full house on one of the boards by the river. A short stack raised me on the turn and we got it in there, while sadly no-one else showed much interest in the pot. Still a nice one to win though!
I was up around $300 now, but sadly could not get much going after that despite the huge fish donating hard to everyone else. I could clearly tell that most people wanted to get into pots with him, but I couldn't get much to play with for the most part.
I also got into an interesting spot when I had AJo and raised to $15 over a limp from early. The convention-fish calls in SB plus the limper also calls. The flop comes A-J-T, which is pretty decent. They both check to me, and I bet $22 (could go even higher). The fish calls for half his remaining stack, and the third player also calls.
Turn comes 9d, which means that the flush comes in and I have no diamonds. Small Blind now jams for $28, the limper calls with around $100 back and I call as well. Could I raise and get it in versus the third player as well? Probably I should have, but I didn't really consider it at the time.
River comes 6h, and the opponent now insta-jams for around $110 into the empty sidepot. I have top two, but does a 60-70 year old Asian male ever jams anything but a flush here? He looked like a huge OMC, and I ended up folding although I think I made a mistake by doing so very fast. My mind got too focused on him having a flush, although to be fair I think this player type will have a flush most of the time in this spot.
The fish shows A4o no diamond (lol), and the Asian wins the pot with A9 for worse two pair than me.. Very frustrating to see, and maybe I should be more sticky in some spots. As I said above, the mistake I did was folding too fast instead of asking for a count, check the pot-odds and consider his possible other holdings.
This pot, plus generally just losing small amounts here and there meant that I cashed out after 4 hours with a profit of $165 USD. Definitely better than losing though, and I'll take it!
Cash Games:
Hours played: 31h 15 min
Won/Lost: -$119 USD
Hourly rate: -$3.8 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
Thursday:
The last full day in Vegas was as always a bit of an anticlimatic feeling, but I tried to ignore that and just focus on getting a decent amount of hours in at Cash Games and try to get back into profitville. There were some long waitlists when I started to check Bravo, so in lack of better options I ended up here:
This is MGM Grand, and I bought in for $400 in this no-max game (or was it $1000 max? Don't remember), and long story short is that it was a very easy and trouble free session without many big pots.
I was as bit down in the beginning but then chopped a Bomb Pot which also had a third short-ish player involved. I had two pair on both boards which is not a monster, but the way the boards were constructed made it virtually impossible for me to be beat on both. And indeed, one of my sides held up and me and the other player scooped the shortie who missed some draws.
I then won some small hands with hands like KTs, QQ and AK, all three times getting folds on the flop or the turn for small/medium pots.
Then we get into a spot where I think I made a mistake. There is a small raise to $7 from the button and I defend $4 more with 96o (wouldn't hate a fold either). The flop comes K-Q-9 two hearts, and after I check he bets only $6. For that prize I don't think I can fold a pair, although there are not many good turns.
The turn comes a T and goes check check, and the river fills the flush with 5h. My immediate thought is that I have no showdown-value, but I have 9h and I can have all the Tx combos here. Betting an amount like $60 (into $37) came into my head, but I sadly chickened out and checked after thinking for a bit. Opponent check back and won the hand with KJo, but in conversation afterwards indicated he would have folded to a significant bet. I just didn't think he would fold two pair, but I still should have tried.
Then we raise ATdd to $15 over a limp, and get calls from BB and the limper. The flop comes A-5-5 rainbow and for some reason I decided to check back here. Turn comes a T, and the limper now leads for $20. I could perhaps have found a raise here as I beat all Ax, but in game I just called. BB folds.
River comes with a 6, and opponent now checks. I bet $70 into around $85 as I am thinking an Ace will never fold when I check back the flop. Opponent does however just quickly fold, so maybe I he was just trying a cheap bluff.
I won a decent pot with 99 a while later where there is a straddle from a sticky OMC from UTG, one call, and I find the mentioned cards in the Small Blind. I raise to $33 and the straddle calls while the third player folds out. J-5-5 is reasonable, and my bet of $35 is enough to take the pot down. This OMC was very fit or fold post-flop, and I often got him off on the flop after he had called pre.
A young-ish action player had joined the table, but he did not last long. In his last hand he raises to $15, a tight player calls on the button, and I follow suit with 66 from Small Blind. The original raiser is short, but I am at least $450 deep with the button.
Q-3-2 on the board, and after I check the raiser just jams for $130. The button seems perplexed, but eventually calls, which makes it an easy fold for me. Button won the hand with AQo, but I would have been in a spot if he had folded. I really think the action-player was tilting a bit by now, and would likely have jammed any piece on the flop. That said, there are obviously hands that he does this with that I am losing to as well. As it was, he never showed his hand so I have no idea what he jammed with.
I also lost some back on occasional bomb pots and blinds etc, and decided to just take the $61 profit after playing for 2 hours .The game was not that interesting, and I was sure I could find better ones in the evening.
Random pictures:
Cash Games:
Hours played: 33h 15 min
Won/Lost: -$58 USD
Hourly rate: -$1.7 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
Thursday:Then we get into a spot where I think I made a mistake. There is a small raise to $7 from the button and I defend $4 more with 96o (wouldn't hate a fold either). The flop comes K-Q-9 two hearts, and after I check he bets only $6. For that prize I don't think I can fold a pair, although there are not many good turns.The turn comes a T and goes check check, and the river
He made a straight, no?
Cash Games:
Hours played: 33h 15 min
Won/Lost: -$58 USD
Hourly rate: -$1.7 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
6 tournaments, losing only 536 is pretty good.
One more update to come, but right now stuck at JFK Airport (New York), after my flight to Amsterdam had a leaking front tire. So we had to abort taxing to runway, and are now back at gate. Hopefully this won't take ages, although I have a long connection in Amsterdam before my flight to Malta tomorrow.
Better than it blowing upon landing. Hope they get you underway quickly!
Thanks again for the TR, Whale. Safe travels. Hope that noticing a flat on takeoff rather than arrival is a good omen.
Yaay, 2+2 is finally back, which means I can wrap up this thread. Below is Thursday evening last week:
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After getting in a workout at the Harrahs gym, I pondered where to play my last session in Vegas for this trip. I was originally thinking about Aria, but they had around 30 people on the waitlist. And I still hadn't been Downtown for a cash session this trip, which means that we ordered an Uber and headed down to Golden Nugget!
After arriving, I got an immediate seat and bought in for $400 at a new table that was just starting. The opposition looked very recreational and OMC-ish, which turned out to be true on both accounts. Golden Nugget is simply just a goldmine that not many serious players bother with, and long may that continue.
I start winning right of the bat, when there is a button straddle to $5, one call, before I make it $25 with KJo ($30 would be better). Small Blind calls the raise, and the first caller also joins in. 2-5-6 is not an amazing flop for my hand, and it checks through. That said, maybe I should stab here?
Turn is however much better as it comes a J. They both check to me again, and my $35 bet is enough to take down the pot.
Then we find A9hh after a limp for $2, and raise it up to $12. BB calls, a very sticky gentleman with darker skin, and the limper also calls. We see 9-5-4 which is a good flop for me although there are some straight draws out there etc. They both check to me, I bet $20 and to my surprise both of them calls.
Turn is a J that shouldn't change much unless J9, so when it checks to me I bet $35 this time around. That gets the job done, as both opponent tank-folds.
Then we have a limp from a very fishy woman who was short-stacking (and already on second buy-in of $100), another player limps, SB completes, and I find AKo in BB. I raise it up to $15 which is too small, and indeed both limpers call (SB fold).
A-K-7 is a pleasant sight though, and when it checks to me I bet small for $15. I should probably go higher though, as any Ace will call regardless. As it was now, I am just giving hands like QJ and JT better odds to call. But either way, the short stacked woman jams for around $60, second player folds and I obviously snap-call. Her T7o that she limp-called for 25% of her stack was still not the best hand by the river.
After this great start however (I was up over $160 in 40 minutes), things went downhill for a while. It starts with me raising AQo to $12 over a limp, and I get no less than three callers. We see K-7-4 two hearts, and although this is a decent board for me (I have Qh) I chose to check as we are 4-ways. It checks around.
Turn comes Jh, so now we have two draws. The limper checks, I check, and then the third player bets $17. The fourth player in the hand calls, the limper folds, and it's back to me. With two draws and only AQ high I could perhaps raise here, but I thought I had too much equity to where I needed to. Plus, it would suck if I make it $65 or something and then someone jams for $300 or similar. I call.
We brick the river though, as it comes 6s. It checks around, and AJ from the guy who bet on turn is the best hand. Maybe I should have considered raising the turn more strongly, but as we see here I did have a fair bit of outs to make the best hand regardless.
Then we have a limped pot where i check my K4hh in BB, and we see the flop 3-ways. It comes A-K-9 one heart, and an OMC bets out $11 into $6. Second limper folds, and I think it would be too weak to fold here for one bet. I call, and we see Ah on the turn. Interesting card, as I now have the flush draw as well.
Opponent does not stop betting however, he throws out $15. Seems like an easy call for me, so that is what I do do. River is a red card, but sadly only Jd which means that I miss my draw. He now bets $20, and although I am getting good odds I just don't think this is a bluff ever. Most likely he has some kind of mediocre Ace that he limped in, especially given his age and general profile. I fold.
We then find JThh on the button and raise to $11 from the button over a limp. BB call and the limper also calls. We see A-T-6 one heart, and they both check to me. I decided to bet $10, but this is debatable. Although I guess I can get value from hands like T9s and KJ/KQ at least. Both opponents call.
An OMC then leads for $13 on the 9s turn, the limper call, and I should perhaps fold here but ended up over-calling. He is giving me a good prize, although I am really only drawing to a T or a J. These do not come on the river however, as it's 7s which fills a backdoor flush. The OMC now bets $40, second player calls and I fold. He was leading the turn with A4ss for TP and flush draw, but I still think I should have just folded on the turn even though I was in position.
More sloppy play, sort-of, when I raise ATss from EP1 to $10, and get three callers. The flop comes 6-7-2 one spade, and this one felt close. BB checks to me, and although we are 4-ways I have some good turns (A, T, 8, 9 and all spades). That lead me to bet $20, only to see the active African American gentleman in SB now check-raise to $40. The good old min-raise. It folds to me, and in game it felt too weak to fold for such a good prize when I am in position. But this call is probably too optimistic, even though we are reasonably deep.
Turn comes a Ten, giving me top pair. He now bets $40 again, the 'same bet'. That said, I didn't consider raising here simply because this is the first time I have seen opponent be this aggressive post-flop. But it seemed like an easy call and then evaluate river, especially as he is using a fishy sizing that could mean anything.
River comes a blank as it's a J. I was hoping for him to check, but instead he bets out for $70. It's not a huge bet into $200, and I was tempted to call. But the mere fact that he bet again makes his range look much stronger (7x or 88 for example, would likely check the river). I also look over at the guy and he looks very content, even having a little smile on his lips. I took a minute with it, but ended up folding. He is kind of enough to show me 77 for a flopped set. Makes sense I guess, although I am probably making a too optimistic call on the flop.
I keep losing a few more small pots, and suddenly I am down around $20 USD. While not a big amount, it felt a bit annoying after having a hot start and thinking this was going to be a super easy session.
We then get involved in another big pot versus the African American gentleman, who is in there in most of the hands and does not have much of a fold button pre. I raise to $10 from second pos with 76ss, before a young-ish guy who didnt stay long at the table makes it $20. Villain cold-calls the $20 from SB, and I call for just $10 more with a playable hand.
6-4-2 is a reasonable flop despite no spades, and I check it over to the preflop-raiser after SB have checked. He does however just check it back, which mans we get a free turn. It's a 7 (aways coming seven), so I now have top two pair. SB check, and I have to put some money into this pot. I bet $20, the original raiser folds, but then above villian makes it $85 for another check-raise. This seems strong considering I have only see him play a set this way before, but I have top two which blocks a lot of the sets. I make the call.
River comes an 8 which fills 9T, but I think it's very unlikely that he is taking this line with just a draw. He now bets for $100, and in lack of better information I decided to ask the dealer for a count while studying him. He now looks visibly less relaxed than in the last hand; body seems a bit fidgety and he is definitely not smiling but rather looks a bit nervous. That, along with me blocking some sets, tips it into a call for me. He seems unwilling to show, but then flicks up AQo for a stone cold bluff at he same time as I table my hand.
That's a nice pot to drag in, although I think there is no reason for me to consider raising the river for what it's worth. He did however cold-call a 3-bet so I guess hands like TT or JJ could be out there (or 88). I didn't consider that strongly enough in game to be honest, although against his actual holding I obviously won the max.
We then win a decent pot versus a semi-aggro Spanish-speaking player, who had joined tbe table 45 mnutes ago to my immediate left. He had not had much success however and was down to less than $100 in his stack.
There a limp from a new OMC to my right, before I make it $12 behind him with AJdd. The Spanish guy mentioned above calls, BB calls, and the limper call. We see A-Q-5 all spades, but instead of betting I decided to check it. I had a feeling the short stacked guy would go with a lot of hands now that he had gotten three checks to him. And if he jams and someone goes bezerk behind me, then I can just fold.
The best thing happened though, he jammed for around $55, the other two folded and I have an easy call although I probably need to dodge a spade. Turn is a red 6, river is a J and my two pair is good.
It's always chill to be Downtown, and even more so when I pick up KK after returning from a short break. There are 3 limps in front, SB complete, and I raise it up to $19 with above holding. But really, I could probably make it $25 here and still get the calls. Everyone (!) ends up calling, and we get the T-7-4 two spades flop. Seems reasonable, and I also have Ks for what it's worth. I bet $40, and an OMC folds before my 'nemisis' from the previous big pots calls after doing some speech play (seemed like he was genuinely unsure).
Only us two to the J turn, and although 9T comes in I still think I have to bet for value. I think Tx is his likely holding, so I don't want to bet too big. I throw out $70 and he thinks for a bit before calling.
River comes 5s, which means that the flush fills. I decided to go with my standard 10% bet here, and made it $35 (into $325). This is simply to target Tx, and make it too enticing for him to call with hands like that.
What I did not expect was for him to jam for $233 in total, which means $198 more for me. Ouch, not what I wanted to see even though I have a strong hand. But I have already caught him in a silly bluff earlier, so we know that he is capable of doing something random here at least. Once again I decided to study him, and I still don't think he looks as comfortable as he did when he flopped that set. I ask him if he made a flush, and he now turns and looks straight at me for a couple of seconds.
This is a classic 'strong means weak' type of tell, and although I don't like to rely on live tells I still think that his demeanor and actions throughout the hand is not very convincing. He seemed unsure about calling the flop, and he wouldn't be unsure if he had a flush draw. There is obviously also the chance that he reads my small sizing for weakness, and with all the information available to me I just couldn't justify a fold. I call.
He immediately looks disgusted, so I just quickly flip up my hand instead of forcing him to show. He nods and says 'good hand' before reaching for $100 more from his pocket. We can however build a chip stack worth four figures:
I did win a couple of more small pots here and there as well, before the game started breaking as the mark above left, and some of the OMCs obviously didn't want to play short handed. And I was obviously very happy with my $700 profit after 4 hours, so I just called it a night. What a great feeling, and the games at Golden Nugget are truly remarkable. While a bit tight on occasion, you just find players like this guy above that was willing to bluff it off to me + had very obvious live tells for when he was strong and not.
I took an Uber back to Harrahs and went to bed fairly quickly, happy with having turned around the trip results into a small profit:
Cash Games:
Hours played: 37h 15 min
Won/Lost: +$642 USD
Hourly rate: +$17.2 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$536 USD (6 played)
And that was really it for the trip. On Friday we flew from Las Vegas to New York, as that's where our return flights were from. Landed around 8pm and slept great in a nearby airport hotel, before flying home on Saturday.
(brother direct to Oslo, while I was on another flight to Amsterdam and connected to Malta through there)
As mentioned in a previous post, my flight got severely delayed due to the plane having a leaking front wheel. But it's a good thing that they discovered it before we took off at least, and with a 6 hour connection time in Amsterdam I had no issues making my flight home to Malta.
I will wrap up with some final thoughts later tonight or tomorrow, but right now I am a bit delirious due to jetlag + staying up until 4am last night to watch Norway versus Senegal (although it was well worth it!) in the World Cup 😀
Another trip in the books:
Final thoughts, in no particular order:
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- I really enjoyed my stay at Vdara. Although the rooms need a refresh eventually, my room was overall in very good condition. The gym is small but more than adequate for a decent workout, and you also have access to the gym (and pool) at Aria as well! The walk over from the Vdara room is very short, even for Vegas standards.
- I also randomly stayed 4 nights at Harrahs at the end of the trip, which I think was fine as well. The rooms are mediocre but not terrible, the gym is open 24/7, and the pool was slighlty bigger than I remembered. That said, it quickly can get a bit crowded and there are not many free lounge chairs. The hotel location is ideal if one like to play at Venetian, as that is a short walk.
- My brother got sick towards the end of the trip, which meant that we decided to change plans and stay a few extra days in Vegas instead of traveling over to the East Coast for the World Cup game and some road-tripping. In hindsight though, I think we both feel that we should have gone ahead with these plans regardless. Although brother is our only designated driver (my license has expired, and I never have use for a car in Malta), he would have managed to drive to the game and then we could have just relaxed after that. I have to admit that I got a bit too hung up on a few extra days in Vegas once the situation arose, but in hindsight it was stupid to pass up the opportunity to watch our country play in the World Cup. But there is nothing to do about it now, and I obviously enjoyed the extra days in Vegas as well.
- Although it's hard to find time for things like this, it was fun to meet various 2+2ers along the way. I briefly said hello to 'TJ Eckleburg12' and 'mrbaseball' again, and also briefly spoke with new faces in 'rppoker' (twice), 'patman1601' and 'DogFace'.
- For Tournaments I went 2/6 for cashes, which is actually more than I excepted and very reasonable. I also got very close to a 3rd cash in the Golden Nugget tournament that I played. I min-cashed a $250 Daily Deepstack, only to lose a standard flip with AK vs JJ. And I completely threw away the Final Table in the small $120 South Point Turbo Bounty that I played, finishing 9th when I should have taken it easy and realized that everyone was short AF and there was no need to panic. Not good enough. Not nearly good enough. But overall, I can't complain about cashing 33% of my tourneys.
- I managed to turn my Cash Game results around towards the end, and ended up with around $17 an hour in profit. That is more than reasonable, but I still don't feel like I am playing my best. I need to put myself in more akward situations by 3-betting more, finding more overbets and bigger bets in general, and be fine with being uncomfortable. I am sure many on here will say that is not necessary at $1/$3 and similar, but there are still too many spots for 3-bets that I shy away from just because I don't feel like it in the moment. I 'only' played 37 hours or so over 12 days, but it's reasonable enough given I had some long tournament days + spent some time with brother as well etc.
- Vegas is always hectic, and in the summer even more so. There are always good tournaments to consider, tons of cash games, and as always I stress around too much and don't take enough time to sleep and relax in between. This trip report suffered a bit as a result, and although I was decent at taking breaks for pool or gym I am still not doing a good enough job in regards to staying healthy and balanced in Vegas. Although I realize that's a problem I share with many people visiting Las Vegas!
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My overall feeling now is that, although I love Vegas, I need to learn and pick up some better habits going forward. Both in regards to saving money as I am broke and it's too expensive (cheaper hotels incoming), and as mentioned above I must also have some days where I really catch up on some sleep, eat decently healthy (for me at least) and don't just stress about getting out play. There is still more than enough time for everything, as long as I have a good plan in advance.
But there are no new Vegas trip in the immediate horizon for now, and I will just stay here in Malta throughout the summer to focus on work, getting in shape (in terrible shape now sadly), try to save money on various things, and getting a good routine in. Then we can hopefully consider Vegas sometime in the fall, or maybe it has to wait until next year. Who knows.
Over and out for now. Until next time.
