Gray-haired poker TRs: Living the WSOP dream
At the age of 62 (AARP members unite!), I have decided that I will write a trip report for my 2024 trek to the World Ser
Heck a great writer and a photo journalist! Multi talented to be sure. Waiting to be wowed by your felt exploits....and I'm not referring to the (s)craps table. :-)
Best of Luck
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
One more cliche, but a good cliche, at the WSOP
It's 7:30 pm and things seem quiet
Tons of empty tables at Horseshoe poker ballroom:
Tons of empty tables in Paris Ballroom:
Plenty of open tables at the Horseshoe Arena (where TV final tables are):
In fact there was only one tourney going on, and that was down to five players.
The one area that seemed to be active was the cash game area in the Paris Ballroom:
View from hotel room:
From the cell phone camera of rpphotography
May 31, 2025 the day before rppoker starts playing the WSOP
Grocery shopping
Unlike last night dinner time, tonight the Paris is packed at 4:15 pm
Cash however is 1/2 full
Can't have rpphotography at the WSOP without dog pictures
Horseshoe Ballroom is, like the Paris, packed; even the dealers line is long
Event Arena at Horseshoe is the same packed story
Lots of action and final tables.
We start with 7-card stud final table head's up on a secondary featured table:
Next, on the main stage is the $5K NLH:
While we are there, a new final table ($5,000 pot limit omaha) shows up at a secondary featured table:
Miscellaneous
Poker Kitchen menu outside Horseshoe Ballroom if anyone is interested
This has absolutely nothing to do with poker, but we passed this guy when leaving the WSOP and headed for the Paris cab stand. You've got to be pretty confident to wear this outfit. If he plays poker, you know he is an action junkie at the table.
This has absolutely nothing to do with poker, but we passed this guy when leaving the WSOP and headed for the Paris cab stand. You've got to be pretty confident to wear this outfit. If he plays poker, you know he is an action junkie at the table.
Looks too tall for Jungleman and too young for Hellmuth.
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Had dinner tonight at a restaurant in Caesars Palace, so I thought I'd do a photo shoot that shows the over-the-top grandeur that this property projects.
Back to the Paris, 9:30 pm sighting
Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Day 1, Level 9
116 or 177 players left
DogFace's story reminds me of this.
A while back, (before covid, anyway), I was playing in the Seniors event. After we'd started, a guy comes up, gives the dealer his entry slip and players' card.
The dealer says he needs photo ID. Guy looks around a bit, and points at a banner on the wall.
Turns out it was Berry Johnston, 1986 ME champion. We all got a good laugh out of that.
Golddog,
That is funny. Although I recently moved from Las Vegas (to South Florida) I played at the same table (1-2-5 PLO) with Berry Johnston on several evenings at the Aria in the past couple of years. A very nice and polite man. He seemed to win most nights as well. I've always wondered why winners (especially ME champions) don't wear their bracelets. I know if I ever won one, I would never take it off. LOL
Racetrack
More from the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Only had time for a quick run through the WSOP the first part of today.
Wear a colorful top to work day:
WSOP Dog of the Day:
$1,500 Dealer's Choice, I believe the Final Table:
What appears to be WSOP on-air talent getting ready (I don't know her name):
Daniel Negreanu in background and I think a well-known streamer wearing the Texas hat (I'm not good at knowing the names of young poker talent), 10K Omaha HiLow:
Erik Seidel, 10K Omaha HiLow
I went to the Paris Ballroom, and I decided I would take pictures of one, and only one, person pulling a bounty, and the guy pulled a $500,000 bounty
Appreciate the pics. Nice to get some vicarious WSOP vibes.
The befuddled fellow is Michael Moncek, aka "Texas Mike".
Breadcrumb: Level 12. Early position preflop open, I 3-bet and when the dust settles two players are all-in, I have them both covered and I make the call. Monster sized pot. One of us has QQ, one of us has KK, and one of us has AA ...
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Didn't have a lot of time for pictures because I was playing in a tournament throughout the day, but here is what I squeezed in:
WSOP Dog of the Day picture
Daniel Negreanu at the final table of the $10K Omaha Hi-Lo 8 of Better Championship
Daniel Negreanu vlog filming on dinner break
Pictures of known poker players during $25K Mixed PLO/NLH High Roller Day 1
Dealers during dinner break of $1,500 NLHE 60-handed, Day 1
Breadcrumb: Level 12. Early position preflop open, I 3-bet and when the dust settles two players are all-in, I have them both covered and I make the call. Monster sized pot. One of us has QQ, one of us has KK, and one of us has AA ...
Three things...
1) I hope you had the AA
2) I hope it held
3) The suspense is killing me!
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
We start with Las Vegas after dark, which of course means we have to include the Sphere:
More Las Vegas after dark:
Planet Hollywood
No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a trip to ...
While at the Earl, we find our Las Vegas Dog of the Day photo
While at Planet Hollywood we passed its poker room
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Had very little time to take pictures today since I was play in the Colossus in the Horseshoe Ballroom, but on various breaks I ran over to the nearby Events Center to shoot what I could.
$25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed (final two tables at the time):
$10,000 Dealers Choice 6-handed Championship:
$1,500 NLH 6-Handed Final Table:
Colossus Flight 1B
Breadcrumb #1: It's dinner break, and I am low on chips.
Breadcrumb #2: I'm in the money.
Breadcrumb #3: I'm bagging chips.
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Didn't get back to hotel room until 1:00 am after playing the Colossus, so didn't get to post these photos from yesterday until now.
Head's up for a bracelet: Lou Garza versus Ben Lamb
Head's up for a bracelet: Benny Glaser versus Travis Pearson
From the cell phone camera of rpphotographer
Playing in the Venetian Championship Poker Series Event #33 $800 NLH today. Took these photos when had a chance.
Gondola rides
Love
Architecture and other things to gawk at
Colossus Day 2 (June 8, 2025)
Already inside the money. I have one of the shortest chip stacks in the tournament. I only have 103,000 chips (8 BBs). I think I am something like 2,100+ in chips out of 2,326 players who remain in the tournament, which had 16,301 total entries. As I sit down at my table, I realize this might be a very short day of playing poker. Instead ...
Breadcrumb #1: I make it inside the top 2,000.
Breadcrumb #2: I make it inside the top 1,500.
Breadcrumb #3: I make it inside the top 1,000.
and ...
... and that's enough breadcrumbs for now. You'll have to wait until my trip ends and I start posting the written content. I will leave you with this, my Day 2 was quite the wild ride. A total roller coaster.
