MuckPls and BigWhale vs Vegas (01/13-01/27)

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MuckPls and BigWhale vs Vegas (01/13-01/27)

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

Hi everyone! It’s the holiday season so figured I’d start this thing off. 2 weeks until we go to Vegas for two full week

28 December 2023 at 09:58 AM
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MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

One last update before leaving to the airport. Any guesses? Yup you guessed it, blackjack! But this time insanity level!


brianr avatar
779 posts · member since Aug 2006
2yr ago

NICE

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

Some final stats as I have some time before heading to the airport:

Cash brought: $3000
ATM: $5200

Total: $8200

Expenses:

Laptop: $1500
Clothes: $1000
iPhone 15 pro for me & wife : $2300
Apple watch: $700

Total: $5500

Cash taken home: $8000

Profit if my math is correct: $5300

This does not include plane tickets, hotel ($300 total over 2 weeks) and bunch of money spent on restaurants, Uber and random ****.

I’m up $3200 or so on poker so it means that after everything I should be up around $2000 on blackjack and VP.

Not too bad overall. It was definitely extremely intense but fun at the same time.

Thanks for following everyone, I’ll be back in June for two weeks for the WSOP. Can’t wait!!

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

Final stats for poker, including locations:



Fun fact: I’m officially over 1000 hours in Las Vegas over 3 years total. Safe to say that it’s enough sample size to not be variance. I’m up a total of $20 000 for 1000 hours, mainly at 1/3.

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago
by MuckPls

Some final stats as I have some time before heading to the airport:Cash brought: $3000ATM: $5200 Total: $8200Expenses:Laptop: $1500Clothes: $1000iPhone 15 pro for me & wife : $2300Apple watch: $700Total: $5500Cash taken home: $8000Profit if my math is correct: $5300This does not include plane tickets, hotel ($300 total over 2 weeks) and bunch of money spent on restaurants, Uber

My calculation is wrong, forgot that I also bought some gifts for my kids for $1000 total so profit is actually $6300.

Langdon avatar
1815 posts · member since Jun 2019
2yr ago

nice work and congrats on a solid trip. glad you had a good time

4441 posts · member since Dec 2005
2yr ago
by MuckPls

One final update for tonight. After winning 600 at Aria I had some food at Park MGM and after hit a blackjack table for $500 and had THE SICKEST shoe of my life. Cashed out $1200 profit in like 10 minutes.And with that ladies and gentlemen and non-binaries WE ARE OUT OF THE HOLE!

One wonders what would happen if you took $1000 to blackjack instead of $500.

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago
by pig4bill

One wonders what would happen if you took $1000 to blackjack instead of $500.

This, probably:


golddog avatar
3182 posts · member since Feb 2013
2yr ago

Well, ****. If you're only up $6300, hardly worth mentioning. 😉

Nice run, looking forward to next TR!

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago
by golddog

Well, ****. If you're only up $6300, hardly worth mentioning. 😉

Nice run, looking forward to next TR!

Obviously amazing results and I’m very very happy with it, especially after the mini disaster I had a couple of days ago. Was 100% sure I’d leave Vegas with $0.

On another note, 18 hours later landed back home in Malta. Back to reality!

121 posts · member since Jan 2019
2yr ago

What a ride. Thanks for taking us along with you, MuckPls & BigWhale!

6 posts · member since Jun 2010
2yr ago

Muck and Big Whale-it’s super great to follow you along-all the time! Looking forward to June updates !

Javanewt avatar
3692 posts · member since Nov 2006
2yr ago

Well done, MuckPls. I hope I run half as good in March!

89 posts · member since Feb 2003
2yr ago

Great joint trip report. Looking forward to next one.
AA

TDMarathon86 avatar
4 posts · member since Mar 2009
2yr ago

Much love as always! You guys do a great job recapping the trip and giving enough detail to make me get the itch! Hope to see you there next time!

90 posts · member since Jun 2007
2yr ago

Great trip report, thanks for letting us follow along!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

Thanks again everyone, appriecate it!

This was me Saturday night at the airport after blackjack hahaha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emh7-VQ4...

urbanwaste avatar
222 posts · member since Mar 2013
2yr ago

Amazing TR. Make me miss Vegas more and more.

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago
by urbanwaste

Amazing TR. Make me miss Vegas more and more.

Haha I just got home and miss it already! A friend of mine is going beginning of March, played with the idea for a few minutes but nah too early. Can’t go before June next time.

4441 posts · member since Dec 2005
2yr ago
by MuckPls

Haha I just got home and miss it already! A friend of mine is going beginning of March, played with the idea for a few minutes but nah too early. Can’t go before June next time.

Finally??! WSOP?? Epic bracelet runs?

Polish up that tournament game!

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago
by pig4bill

Finally??! WSOP?? Epic bracelet runs?

Polish up that tournament game!

I was in Vegas for the first week of the WSOP during my May TR in 2022, I even played a deepstack event (that I obviously bricked).

I might play something smaller if the schedule allows it, but I have grown to really hate MTTs over the years so definitely won’t play more than one.

It’s a bit funny because I’ve always been a tournament player, guess Vegas over the years broke me haha

golddog avatar
3182 posts · member since Feb 2013
2yr ago

Can't miss twice in a row! Plus, Euros win the ME all the time.

Whale with the bracelet, Muck with second. With some semi-shady backroom deal-making, ofc.

4441 posts · member since Dec 2005
2yr ago
by MuckPls

I was in Vegas for the first week of the WSOP during my May TR in 2022, I even played a deepstack event (that I obviously bricked).I might play something smaller if the schedule allows it, but I have grown to really hate MTTs over the years so definitely won’t play more than one. It’s a bit funny because I’ve always been a tournament player, guess Vegas over the years broke me

That's the double-edged sword of tournaments. Everyone wants a good structure, but that means 12-14 hour days.

The good thing about the WSOP is there are lots of other series around and you can find a decent $400 tournament somewhere. I like the ones at the Orleans.

MuckPls avatar
OP
997 posts · member since Sep 2015
2yr ago

Officially booked the next trip, 15-29 June. Only 140 more days to go!

202 posts · member since Nov 2009
2yr ago

Nice run MuckPls!

If all your shopping is paid by Vegas, is March too early in that regard?

Did we hear how you turned 1K in to 5K+? I think I might have missed it.

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BigWhale
2yr ago

I have made it safely home now, in much better condition that the signage from the airport above (no light bulbs on the first A + still haven't updated the name).

Flights home were uneventful; managed to sleep a lot on the flight from Vegas to London (probably 5-6 hours of sleep). And the flight from London to Malta went by super fast as well. Have been working a half day today to ease back into things (didn't have to wake up super early), and now I just need to buckle down with work & gym and some poker in between for a couple of months. But I will surely get the itch to go back to Las Vegas again soon!

Let's do some final thoughts:

Horseshoe

As always, a chill stay without being too fancy. Room is big and clean, gym is pretty good (love the selection of machines & the opening hours), and I actually think the Video Poker selection and paytables are reasonable for a Caesars property. There are some machines that aren't completely horrible, and they have a very good selection of different games.

New York New York

First time staying here. I like the overall casino floor, and it's not so huge that you get completely lost. Had a Premier King Two Queen room, which was huge (that's what she said). However, some very visible scratches on some of the funiture, and the shower/bath tub sometimes didn't have very hot water (seemed to be a capacity issue, as other times it was good). Furthermore, the switch between bath and shower stopped working after two days. So I only had water for the bath, and practically nothing coming out of the shower. Probably just unlucky with the room, and should probably have complained. But it was certainly not perfect.

Video Poker selection was ok-ish but obviously not very good pay tables. That said, I did like that some of the machines looked very new and inviting, no sticky buttons and very nice screens with good sound as well.

Video Poker in general

I didn't play as much as I had planned, mostly because I was running pretty terrible. That said, I was very disappointed to see that Aria had removed some of their offerings, and seems to only cater to people who either wants to play carnival games (like UX or DSTP), or want to play for very high stakes. I guess it's to be expected though, as Aria is probably catering more to high rollers. At least there was a lot of machines for my taste over at Mandalay Bay, although that's obviously a trek unless you are staying in that area.

Selection at Horseshoe was as expected, and I quite like some of their machines (like the progressive DDB machines near poker room). Didn't check out the other properties too much, although I swung by Paris one morning (seemed to be about the same).

Poker

On paper my results doesn't look great. $16 profit on Cash Games after almost 45 hours, that's so pathetic that the hourly didn't even reach $1! But if we put things into perspective I was down almost $1000 with two days to go, and in that regard I am very happy that I managed to turn it around for a tiny profit.

I did get slaughtered in the one $2/$5 shot that I took, but such is life. It's not because the game was very tough, I just made one terrible call that I shouldn't have made + got somewhat coolered in the other big pot. But apart from that I also think I was trying a bit too hard in some hands, and ended up costing myself a bit too much in some spots. Might be a mental thing, since I quickly saw some of the other players limp a fair bit and thought I could run over them a bit. Instead I easily got stuck a hundred or two, and probably lost a bit of confidence. I definitely remember feeling a bit 'stressed' in the game, and stupidly enough I recognized it but didn't take a break to reset mentally etc.

But like someone wrote in the thread, now I know how it feels to lose quite big in that game and it won't be as scary next time. I am not saying the game was scary, and I felt totally chill when I sat down, but I am obviously aware it's a bigger game and probably need to get even more comfortable with it.

And in general I am quite happy with a lot of my play. I still need to be better at adjusting, both in regards to sizing and when I can be aggressive versus when I should restrain myself a bit. But I think I had a lot of good thought processes while playing at times, although there is still work that needs to be done.

I also need to get a better mental game; and be ok with losing some pots. I can probably end up looking/sounded very frustrated if some things doesn't go my way - never in a rude way to others, but I am still too visibly upset at times, even if it doesn't affect my play (I don't think I have any tilt issues at all really).

And although lol sample size (45 hours is nothing), I actually think that I was never all-in for my stack and getting called when I had the best hand. So I never got any kind of full double up, although I at times took out some shorter stacks. But never a full double in a huge pot. Granted, I should have had it in some spots (opponents making terribly tight laydowns), but still might be an indication that I didn't run insanely well. That said, I don't think I ran insanly bad either. Probably somewhere in the middle, and regardless my only focus should be my own actions and how to improve those.

Vegas

Very lively as always, and lots of people around most days. Especially Bellagio is always crowded AF. I must say that since I got sick and didn't feel too great some days in the middle, it was a bit exhausting at times. So some of the days when I was not running terribly well in poker and was pretty weak in my body, it was a bit harder to take it all in and feel grateful for being in Vegas. But I somewhat recognize that feeling from other trips as well, although I also remember many times looking around and feeling blessed to be able to go to Las Vegas so often and just being in the moment. Although it's much more 'routine' by now to be in Vegas, I still have moments every trip where I just smile to myself and think how awesome this is.

What else? Let me see...

- I loved having the view to The Sphere at Horseshoe. Definitely have to actually visit inside The Sphere one of these days.
- I never made it to Fontainebleau, was a bit too tired/sick most days and didn't quite have the energy. Will do it next time.
- Although no success in $, I had a lot of fun playing the daily tournament at South Point. Lots of value if you can get chips early.
- Despite trying to, I didn't end up playing poker at Resorts World this trip either. Too bad that such a nice room struggle with traffic.
- Game quality in general was good most places, some grinders here and there obviously, but the $1/$3 games mostly play like they always have.

All in all it was a fun trip, and it felt really long this time around! Normally the days just fly by and I feel like there is never enough time, but this one actually felt like it was the right amount of days.

Hopefully MuckPls can get some rungood his remaining days, but for me this is the end in this thread. But as said above, will be back before you know it. So stay tuned for hopefully more TRs in 2024 and beyond!...

MuckPls avatarMuckPls
2yr ago

Landing in Vegas 12th of April and staying until 29th of April. PLO friend who I’ve mentioned a couple of times in previous threads will be there at the same time and we’ll be sharing rooms for 2 weeks.

I was initially going to book June but I had 3 general problems:

1, WSOP and tourneys will make cash game waiting lists very long and annoying

2, it’s probably going to be pretty hot already

3, I have a couple of other plans for the summer

Anywho, will put together a new thread when the time comes. Who knows, maybe BigWhale joins too....

MuckPls avatarMuckPls
2yr ago

Officially booked the next trip, 15-29 June. Only 140 more days to go!...