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
Wynn Fall Classic
Day Eight - Monday October 13th
Just two days of the trip remaining, but that’s still time for one last hotel change, so I take my bags over to Excalibur again and leave them at the bell desk before heading off down the strip.
Brunch at Chick-fil-A outside of Planet Hollywood. There’s a busker on the sidewalk there with a loudspeaker absolutely murdering Careless Whisper. Can’t sing a lick. I go over and give him $10 to STFU for 10 minutes so I can eat my meal In peace.
From there I go to the cage at Paris to see if I could put some money on my WSOP+ account for the Bahamas but they say no.
Then I go to the Horseshoe to put a couple of bets on and also swipe my card as there’s a 5x multiplier promotion on which leads me to harness my inner Leon.
I know it’s pretty poor VP porn but two pair was as good as it got for me. No quads, royals or hand-pays to see here. Move along.
$200 down the drain and only generated 100 tier credits which I assume is before the 5x ? I’m about 3,500 short to get diamond but VP isn’t my thing.
I continue on down the strip past Venetian and onto the tournament at Wynn. Today it’s Mixed Triple Draw, which is 2-7, Badugi and A-5. Surprisingly it generates the biggest field of all the mixed tournaments so far with 71 entries. Still not great, but better than 30 or 40 something.
The tournament torment continues for me on this trip as I run into at least 4 wheels and bust in level 6. I opt not to fire a 2nd bullet. Not looking like my trip for tournaments but we’ll give it one last try tomorrow.
There’s no cash game to play so I head to the sportsbook at Harrah’s to live bet the evenings sporting events of note which is an MNF double-header and some playoff baseball.
This is actually a nice spot to watch and bet games. Good big-screens, handy kiosks, not too crowded and no lines at the counter. Will bear it in mind for future trips. I sit next to a couple of old guys and share my drinks tickets with them.
I turned over around $14,000 in bets on the football and baseball combined and came out pretty much even. I was looking at a $2,500 winner until Washington fumbled the ball and let the Bears score the winning field goal as time expired. [emoji30] At least that should be 1,400 tier credits.
On the way home I stopped in at the Flamingo and played a little Pai Gow. The tier multiplier promotion is actually 7x on table games although not sure how exactly they rate it. The table was friendly and everyone was having a good time. I played for a couple of hours at $150-$200 per hand and ended up winning +$700.
My last home for this trip.
Resort Tower twin again, but this time with an exterior view.
On deck tomorrow: last day and last tournament, $600 TORSE
Yeah, I don't mind Harrah's for watching a game. It's typically quiet. Paris might be my go-to spot. It's a big book and often on the empty side, so you can usually tuck away in a back row and relax without feeling cramped. I happened to see E-Dog (Lindgren) there during a recent WSOP, which is very on-brand for him.
I've been hitting the NBA futures with the season coming up. Plays I like are Orlando for ECF, Orlando wins over, and Portland to make the playoffs (getting big odds). This is not financial advice, though I did beat the NBA over a decent sample last season on DK.
GL in the TORSE. I've experienced my fair share of Wynn brutality, but the rungood is always out there waiting for a reunion.
The 5x or 7x is credited later, after the period ends. Usually its a few days, sometimes its a week and a half.
Wynn Fall Classic
Day Nine - Tuesday October 14th
Last day. It might be only day nine for the Wynn part of the trip but it’s day nineteen overall and I’m ready to go home now. Life on the road can be lonely. I miss my kids and the dogs.
It’s overcast, cold and windy. I give the pool a miss today and just chill in the room until it’s time to walk down to Wynn for the tournament.
It hasn’t been good to me this trip but it’s still the best place on the circuit to play. You take it for granted sometimes, but everything is immaculate, and there’s beauty wherever you look.
I didn’t have anything to eat before going to the Wynn as I wanted to have at least one Turkey sandwich this trip. I ask the dealer to push the food button as soon as I sit down. It’s as good as always.
I have a good first two hours increasing the 30k starting stack to 45k at the first break. The 2nd session is tougher but still doing okay with 50k at the end of late reg, but then as the limits go up the cards turn and we’re out about an hour later.
Just one interesting spot that I remember that I think is worth including today and it’s from 2-7.
I open with 33447 and get 1 caller.
We both take two on the first draw. I catch another 4 and a king and it goes check-check.
2nd draw we take 2 again and villain takes 1.
We check blind and I notice that villain didn’t look at his card before betting.
We get a 9 and a 10 and as villain bet blind and we’ve thrown away 3 cards that would help him make a good hand I decide to go for the check raise. Villain just calls.
Last draw we stay pat and villain draws one.
We lead out and villain folds.
Sometimes you have to get a little creative to win pots.
There’s a line about 20 people long for taxis so I decide to walk to Bellagio. Last look at the Wynn until next time.
Good news - the $80 Mix is going at Bellagio and there is a seat open.
Bad news - 4 people leave half an hour later and the game breaks after 30 more minutes.
Good news - We managed to win +$700 in the hour that we played.
We were back in the high limit section today but you can still see the water damage on the ceiling.
I watched the end of the ball game at the B before walking across the street to the Horseshoe to collect on the bets I’d placed this morning.
Always nice to have a win on your last day. So time for one last meal to celebrate. Somewhere I haven’t tried perhaps?
Caramella at Planet Hollywood. I go for the Salmon al forno with spicy tomato penne.
And tiramisu for dessert of course.
A little pricey, but hands down the best meal I’ve had this trip. The tiramisu was only average, but the salmon and pasta were both really delicious. 10/10
As I walking back to the hotel I notice Lids is still open so I go in for a nosey and couldn’t resist treating myself to this, due to the fact I’ve won money on them the last two nights.
I’ve got an early flight in the morning with a long layover in Houston so will do a final accounting and wrap-up from there.
Thanks so much. Love following along. Sorry the last few tourneys didn't go as planned, but seems a lot of other run good came your way!
Wynn Fall Classic
Post-Game
I’m waiting in Houston airport for my connection to Medellin as I write this.
The idea was a good one in theory. I was already in Sacramento, the international flights had already been accounted for, why not extend the trip to take in some of the Wynn Fall Classic?
Well, If I would have known there would only be 40-50 entrants in these tournaments I would have just gone home as planned. I was expecting 80-100 runner tournaments based on last years numbers. Add to that, the fact that the $80 Mix cash game also struggled, not going some days and finishing very early on the days it did run meant I was not able to put in the volume I would have liked. So as it turned out, not one of my better decisions to extend the trip.
Final Numbers
Tournaments
Played: 6
Bullets Fired: 8
Total Entries: $6,300
Cashes: 0
Total Prize Money: $0
Net: -$6,300
So in stark contrast to the first part of the trip in Thunder Valley where we had a lot of success, this is the other side of the roller-coaster that is tournament poker.
Cash Games
Hours Played: 36
Net Profit: +$2,800
Hourly: $78
As I said I wasn’t able to get the volume in that I would have liked, but still okay results for the small sample size.
Expenses
Flight: $200
Hotels: $800
I accounted for the international flights on the Thunder Valley trip so the only extra for this trip was the Southwest flight.
Final result after expenses: -$4,500
That puts a bit of a dent in the Thunder Valley profit but I’m still going home with $10k more than I came with.
On Deck
Well, winning the Bahamas trip actually put a spanner in the works. I’m going to go, but as a result, may now not go to some other places that I was going to go to. Will sit down and have a think when I get back home.
As always, thanks for following along. Until next time.
Great trip report, as always.
A Cunning Plan?
Whoever knew that winning a trip to the Bahamas would cause such headaches? First world problems I guess. [emoji23]
I’ve been home for a week now and part of my daily routine has been checking flights, hotels and trying to work out a travel plan for the rest of the year in the most economical way possible.
That still leaves time to get absolutely soaked watching Medellin in a torrential downpour. October and November are the wettest months of the year here.
After literally spending hours on airline and cheap fares sites I’ve finally got everything booked. All airline miles have been used, every hotel rewards point spent.
The rest of the year looks like this:
Nov 3 - 11 Borgata Fall Poker Open
Nov 18 - 27 Hard Rock Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open
Dec 3 - 13 Bahamas WSOP Paradise
Dec 13 - 20 Wynn WPT Championship
I’ll go straight from the Bahamas to Las Vegas.
My Caesars Rewards status has now updated:
Diamonds are forever baby!
Which helps enormously as I was able to book this:
7 nights, fully comped, no resort fees, no taxes. Total cost $0 [emoji3]
I was also wary of how many days I was spending in the USA this year. I’m allowed 180 days maximum with my ESTA but I didn’t want to get really close to it, preferring to cap myself at 150 just in case, to avoid problems. Including these trips for the rest of the year, I’ll come In at 149 days which is perfect.
I have commitments for 45% of my action for the $10k 8-game in Bahamas and still looking to sell another 15%. Please send me a message if interested. It’s zero markup with a small freeroll for the mystery bounty thrown in.
Here’s to finishing the year in style!
Borgata Fall Poker Open
Day One - Monday November 3rd
Usual middle of the night flight to start off the trip to AC meaning I actually started this trip on Sunday. The only good thing about it was that it allowed me to go to the game before heading to the airport, so I got to see this incredible reception for Atletico Nacional in their cup semi-final 1st leg vs America.
Que vieron al diablo, corriendo de miedo ……
The team was worthy of the reception and humiliated their fierce rival 4-1. Medellin also won their semi-final 1st leg so an all-Medellin final could be on the cards.
On top of the red-eye flight theres also a lengthy layover in Fort Lauderdale which I could do without. I enjoy going to Borgata but it’s really a pain in the ass to get to.
A rainy night now waiting to board.
The flight to Fort Lauderdale is uneventful and when I get there I find a row of seats with no arm-rests so lie down and manage to at least sleep for a couple of hours of the long layover.
The flight to AC however is one of the worst I can remember. Really bad turbulence throughout. At no point was the fasten seatbelts sign turned off. Was very happy when we finally landed.
The taxi fare from the airport is fixed at $40. My driver said he’d been waiting since 8am for a fare. Low season now, not that you’d know it from the Borgata room rates.
King room, high floor, decent view. This will do nicely.
I can’t wait for the restaurants to open at 5pm so I hit the buffet. I skip the line and only pay $12.50 with my new gold card privileges but the quality of the food here does reflect the price. Cheap.
Prime rib and potatoes.
Salmon and baked ziti.
Tiramisu and cookies for dessert.
The poker room is quiet. $1 / $3 NLH is the only game in town which doesn’t appeal so I go back up to the room and mess about on the computer a bit until MNF starts.
I sit at the front as I’d rather watch on the smaller screen with better resolution. No opinion pre-game. Line solid on 3. It’s one of those where if it went 3.5 I’d take the dog or if it went 2.5 I’d take the fav.
I jump in live with Dallas +7.5 when they were down 10 and spend the rest of the game cursing their pathetic defense, their turnovers, and their bad coaching decisions. They refused two chip shot field goal opportunities which would have resulted in a cover for me.
On deck tomorrow: $500 BEAST
Can't wait to read about you going ...
... on the opposition.
Borgata Fall Poker Open
Day Two - Tuesday November 4th
All the tournaments on my schedule this trip are 1:15pm starts which means not only did I have time for a swim, but I also hit the gym [emoji44]
And lunch from the Italian place in the food court. Penne a la vodka with sweet sausage.
We’re playing upstairs in the ballroom today.
Today’s tournament is BEAST which is a fun mix consisting of:
Badugi
Stud 8
Ace to Five
Stud
Deuce to Seven
So not a flop to be seen. Two Stud games and three Triple Draw games. We started like this:
Start: 30,000
End Level 4: 47,000
End Level 8: 72,000 (end of late reg)
We finished the late reg period with a rather disappointing 34 entries. For the same tournament in January we had 70, and that was during a snow storm! I thought gambling was recession proof?
Actually I think the tournament poker circuit is over-saturated. There’s just too many tournaments and not enough players to go round.
I can’t worry about the number of entries, I can only focus on beating the players that are here, no matter how many or how few.
We kick-on to go to dinner with 135,000 at the end of level 12.
And opt for a chicken parm sandwich.
The final table of 7 is set not long after dinner. We’ll start it with 160,000 playing 8k - 16k limits. Avg is 145k.
Tal Avivi is the massive chip leader with 400k and is directly on my left which isn’t good. Greek Phil is 2nd in chip and we’re 3rd. Makes a change not to be the short stack at the final table [emoji23]
Tal Avivi plays fast and loose so as quick as he can accumulate chips he can also lose them just as fast. He donates a couple of big pots to Sai the Indian guy and then I destroy him in 3 hands of A-5 sending him home as the bubble boy.
The last of the A-5 hands with Tal was a big 3-way pot that also included Phil which left him short. I knock him out in 5th after the game changed to Stud when my split Tens hold up unimproved. We’re doing all our own dirty work.
End Level 16: 540,000. Avg is 255k with 4 players left. Going back to 12k - 24k limits
3rd and 4th are eliminated quickly after the break, one of them by us and the other by Sai whose full name is Madhan Anandan. Don’t ask me why they call him Sai? I played with him on the HORSE final table and also in the cash games the last time I was here. He’s a good player and I know the heads-up will not be easy even though we start it with a slight advantage 550k to 450k.
I increase the advantage to 650k to 350k before it swings back to him and I request a bathroom break at the end of level 19 sitting on 400k to his 600k going back to 25k - 50k limits.
He increases his lead after the break to 700k - 300k. I’m wearing my Dodgers Ohtani jersey that I picked up in Vegas. It’s game 7 and I’m down a run going into the 9th but it’s not over yet.
I pick up some pots without having to go all-in and claw back to even.
Into level 21: 30k - 60k limits. I send in Yamamoto in relief and now I have the 700k to 300k lead.
Badugi now and I defend the BB with a D2 to 3-5
1st draw: 2 for us, 1 for Sai.
We check, he bets, we call having improved to a D1 to 3-5-6
2nd draw. 1 for us. Sai pats.
We check, he bets all-in for a full bet. We bricked but we’re not folding.
Last draw: 1 for us. Sai stays pat.
Showdown: Sai has a Ten Badugi. We need a heart ten or lower that doesn’t pair us. 7 outs.
We’re squeezing. When the hell did I become a squeezer? [emoji23]
It’s red!
4 across!
Oh baby!
Ship it!
This might sound weird but when I put this jersey on and looked at myself in the mirror in my room before going down I had a feeling I was going to win today.
Credit to Joe from poker.org for the photos and Jeremy for the write-up.
On deck tomorrow: $500 Omaha 8
Congrats. Love the trophy. It will go nicely alongside the mini Wynn.
Winning the first event on your slate has to feel good.
I have mixed feelings on the Dodgers jersey. I grew up in the backyard of the SF Giants, who are their hated rival. However, I used to live just a couple miles from Dodger Stadium and saw a few games there. I can't deny that their unis are slick. In a vacuum, I like the aesthetics more than the black and orange.
Regarding turnout, I've been in Vegas for a week and rooms are struggling to hit their guarantees on smaller stuff. I've seen some stuff overlay at Venetian. Wynn dailies have been small. NAPT just started at Resorts World. Turnout has been relatively sparse except for the big marquee events. The side events and satellites have been small. I think it's a combination of many variables. There are political and economic components. As you said, there's also paralysis of choice for poker players. Pros with deep bankrolls have many options to choose from while recreational players may have to pick and choose one series to commit to from the many options. Nobody can be everywhere at once.
