Black Friday getaway to the 702: TR 11/28- 12/3

You're gonna be there just a few days before I get there, so subbed for intel.

GL with all the AWS nits.

Amazon Web Services?

re:Invent - AWS conf - ~55k attendees, is Dec 1-4.

For comparison:
SEMA is this week, ~160k.
CES in Jan, ~140k.

Guess the money is in car parts.

November looks fully lined up for trip reports. should be a good month in the LVL forum

CES, the porn convention, and SEMA are all at the same time every year.

SEMA is always the first week in Nov, CES is always, etc, etc.

I can remember specifically CES and AVN happening simultaneously 5-6 years ago, maybe. Upstairs for CES, downstairs for AVN? And maybe for years prior to that? IDK, my pot-addled brain can't keep timelines straight anymore. Buddy of mine used to work the AVN (not talent, artist) with his boss, who produced Girls Gone Wild style videos. They've both been gone for a while, though, so it might have been like 10 years ago...

I've been bugging my wife to go to a new Brazilian steakhouse in town that I love. finally gave her the ultimatum that if she doesn't go with me for lunch today (Friday) then I'd take that money and go play poker. she agreed. we drove over and wouldn't you know they were closed. wtf. I went earlier in the year on Friday, and their Facebook said they were open for lunch on Halloween last Friday but alas.

I went out tonight to play anyway.

this final pre-trip tune-up was Home Game B, no bomb pots here, but a place I haven't played in a while because I always lose. last time was before a 2024 trip.
will admit I'm a little scared money as I'm trying to save for my Vegas trip and I don't have a big budget but I acted tough, buying in for $300 with two hundred more in my pocket. busting would be pretty disastrous.
here are some HHs-

1. - utg I open KK. I get raised, I call and guy between us calls
no ace, flop 863. I c-bet $30, call, she raises to $75. I call.
turn 7. I check, she checks
I check in the dark. turn is another 8 and I'm pretty sure I have best hand. but she checks back and shows QQ.
left some money out there (dumb river dark check) as I thought this whale would bet, but it was good to win my first pot of the night.

won a couple more hands and about 20 minutes I'm up about +$180. can breathe easy.

2. button straddle, I come along with 7-6.
flop 763. I bet and calls.
turn T. check I bet call call
river 9. it checks around, button has T, ep has K8 for runner runner straight beating my flopped two pair. bummer, but I bet when I was ahead and checked when I was behind.

3. straddle, utg folds, next lady jams small stack and it folds around to me with T9cc. it's only $50 so I call.
board bricks out and I lose to 33, damn

4. limps around to me in CO with pocket aces. I open to $12 and get like five calls.
another low flop, like 643r. I c-bet $45 and get two calls
turn K. she (same lady as 1 and 3) only has $29 so I bet it, she calls and my aces are good for a decent scoop

5. I decide to open loose with 97o, get a bunch of calls
fortunate flop: T97. ep donks, several calls
turn 4, donker bets again, I raise, one lady says "I want to see another card" and folds. donker calls.
river is J. he bets $50, I do not believe he has a straight, I expect the folder hit it. I call and he says good call and it is good.

6. $15 straddle, I call with 87cc, like seven players
flop Js4c2c. I bet $25, three calls
turn Kd. I bet like $45 and they fold and I steal a decent pot.

It was a very loose wild table. a bunch of rich farmers, a rich young widow, and a few whales. very loud and social with a lot of laughs. except the quiet serious guy on tilt to my left and the super nitty but chatty lady on my right. no jerks. an old clown was in the game for like $1500 after two hours. he would straddle +5 each orbit. he got to $35 straddle, widow lady had had enough and raised to like $150. whale lady called the rest of her $110ish stack. old clown tanked for like 2 minutes before folding 65o. it was AQ v A6. bricked out (5 on flop).
another ridiculous hand, old clown called a AdKd6h flop, all in on the 5d turn, other guy had QJdd for turned nut flush, river 6s and clown has 65 for runner runner boat.
little later, preflop shove for $195 and old clown calls with J5s and flops trip fives.

7. didn't see any nice cards for a while, opened 3-3 utg, bunch of calllers.
8. flop comes QQ4, I blast away a cbet and they fold and I happily take it.

I was up a bit but some new players came and there was so much money on the table, I tried to keep up but in this 1/2 game with $40 straddles and $100+ preflop raises, people calling preflop with trash and then binking it... tried to get lucky with more pocket 4s and 3s but in 4 hours I hit zero sets, flushes or straights. what can you do. had a pretty tight nitty image but I was selectively loose at times too. cashed out for +$115, which was a victory for my pride and vacation plans. or I can pay for the full dinner price instead of lunch.

the first snowstorm of the season on the ride home. it was messy

despite having my final pre-trip tune-up, I found myself free a week later with a seat reserved for the same game. will share just two hands, early on and four hours later.

- straddle, open to $50, I look at KK in bb and call, straddle (whale who plays everything) calls too.
flop is QT5dd. I check, he bets $40, whale folds, I raise to $100. he thinks for about 15 seconds then makes it like $250 (covering me).
I've played with this guy just a few times. he is a very competent tricky player. would he do this line with AQ or JJ? don't think so. I put him on AA or QQ and fold my pocket kings without seeing a turn on a queen high flop. tightest fold I've ever made but I don't think it was wrong.

dumb whale has been playing and opening about 80% of hands, opening crap to huge bets, calling down to river with crap. sometimes winning stacks with QQ. talking constantly, mostly about various experiences with prostitutes. I got a few pots off him (other players getting a lot more) but I'm now down about $240 hoping for one nice pot to go home a little less in the hole.

- whale opens utg; after waiting patiently for a good spot for like an hour and half, finally look down at KK again mp and raise to $40. several calls.
flop T54r. my mind is ready to stack hundreds of chips and run. I bet $100. only he calls.
turn 2. I shove and he calls. has 63o; called flop open-ended and binked the straight and I'm dead.

playing against maniacs is not something I enjoy. yeah I want to play against clowns who call 20 bb preflop with 6-3o but you never know where you stand, even on a favorable flop.

small wins, big losses, that's how it goes. $500 loss is tough pill to swallow, my biggest home game loss and second worst ever session. most of it from those two KK hands. should have just skipped this night and been satisfied with my trip bankroll.

I've lost more money with KK than any other hand and it's not particularly close.

have enjoyed reading and following along to the several other recent TRs as I've been counting down the days. we are finally at week of trip. first major snowstorm of the season is tomorrow so a getaway to Vegas is quite a welcome thought. had a dream last night where my sister picked me up at the airport Friday and I ended up staying at her home with the little kids all weekend causing me to miss my poker days at the Venetian and Wynn. it was a terrible dream but a good reminder not to let family get in the way of my vacation priorities.

my typical trip is Sun-Thur, 3.5 weekdays. this time it is Fri-Wed, so 4.5 days with the weekend. expecting to play poker at Venetian, Wynn, Bellagio and Red Rock, with no pressure to visit another room. although primarily a poker trip, not forcing myself to poker for a million hours like last couple times. while the NFL season is going down the stretch, my Vikings are terrible so I won't get distracted by football.

reconsidering my vow to skip tourneys and will play the Wynn $300 Saturday. my biggest poker score was a holiday weekend tourney at Wynn in 2024 so why not take another shot.

one perk and purpose of this trip is a little freeplay I'll be using: $125 for Treasure Island, $70 at MGM (Bellagio), $50 (table) at Red Rock. curious how you would suggest a low-roller handle this: do I
a) play 125 pulls of $1/spin
b) play 50 pulls of $2.50/spin
c) play 25 pulls of $5/spin
d) 25 hands of low volitility VP $5/
e) play until either it's gone or I hit good

my recent loser session depressed the playroll a bit but my rooms are comped, will skip Mariah Carey Christmas and no other events planned, so expenses are minimal and freeplay should help.

Hand 1, You really need to raise with KK in the bb. Insane to flat there you want to get it in and not play oop

would not have made a difference

Yes please reraise with KK

In this specific instance maybe not, although maybe he folds and you win the pot? But more importantly, if he’s always getting it in here with JJ and QQ then you will be winning a chunk in the future

Through a lot of your hand histories there’s a seam of overly passive play that is costing/will continue to cost you $$ and will put you in more difficult positions.

If you’re just sharing hand histories to tell the story of the night then all good and I will continue to enjoy your thread and won’t comment on hands. But if you do aspire to win at poker as a means to enjoy these trips more, it is worth evaluating feedback and changing?

Your call

I called an already significant raise as a trap, then check raised the flop, which was my plan from the beginning. I put in $140 already into the pot on the flop. he just had it. I am not contractually obligated to bust or double every time I get a premium holding.

I don't play thousands of hours of poker per year with an unlimited bankroll.
pretty sure if I make a raise to 50+ bb preflop in the third hand of the night when I make a live read that he has AA or QQ (he did) then I bust in the first ten minutes of the night, that is literally not worth the risk.

but thank you for the comments. I continue to look to grow as a player

yes I am sharing hand histories to tell the story of the night. I recognize I am not a pro and while I am improving, I do not have the time or resources to play GTO as aggressively as some people. and I'm fine with that. with my limited time and resources, results are what is important

finally made it to getaway day. gosh the countdown to Vegas takes forever.

my sister had offered me to use her car during my trip, and I've been planning that for two months, cancelled my other car reservation. as I'm checking in online yesterday I get a text from my sister, she "never got around to getting the car registration renewed." wtf it's been months, way to tell me day before my flight. was lucky to find a last minute rental for Sunday to Wednesday.

one of my yearly goals was to run a 5K race. it's been like 16 years and while I'm old and fat now I registered for the Turkey Trot and I've been preparing well. felt a lot better about it on Monday before we got 5 inches of snow on Tuesday and a lot of ice, and the temp at start was around 10 degrees F. but I ran and finished with a very respectable time that I'm proud of. felt good enough to run more if I had to.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and another goal I had for this year was to volunteer again as a server for the well-run community free meal. but when I called over a month ago they already had a group serving and didn't need/want my help. well shoot. I did cook a nice turkey dinner a couple weeks ago and I didn't want to cook another huge feast this week as 1) I was spending the morning running 2) would be gone for leftovers, so instead of serving I convinced my family to go eat at the community meal and be served to. tried to fit in as respectful poor people and get my kids an experience being around the less fortunate. they still complained about the food. probably because of the elementary school/prison style trays. I still thought it was good and after eating what they wouldn't finish I was quite satisfied. other than fake mashed potatoes it was a great turkey dinner. I left a small donation for the organization but it was quite a savings of time and money for me.

with all those final checklist items completed it is time for Vegas. another winter storm just started so it's either a good time to go or a day late.

will play cash at Venetian tonight and the Wynn $300 tourney tomorrow. I will share stories and some hand histories from my sessions, mostly focusing on people and the things I see. expect some bad play and missing out on max value but the goal is to win some and not bust out, as I am still a small time low rolling rec. result oriented is the way, although if I get a bad suck out it will surely find its way into the HHs. a future trip this winter or not until late 2026 will depend on the financial outcome of the trip, so wish me luck.

bye-bye to Eevee (or +EV for short)

]
She will definitely miss me the most out of everyone

the forecast was no joke, a bad winter storm just began a couple hours ago. the short drive to the airport was much slower and treacherous. but we made it.

...]

definitely a good time to get out of town and go south

Eevee needs more cover, you brute!

Have fun! And win enough to keep Eevee warm through the winter!

got on the plane and they announced a delay for de-icing, just want to get in the air out of this storm! it isn't getting any better out there

an hour later we were ready for takeoff and it was the first time in my life I was afraid would be in a plane crash as it didn't look like we would lift off by the end of the runway. lived to tell the tale.

young black girl next to me hands me her phone which has a translated paragraph, something about help do a video of her for a vlog. top part French. sure whatever, didn't quite understand it all but apparently ended up being just video out the window as we approached. I studied French in high school a long time ago so I tried using a little, ou habite-tu, which caught her by surprise and she laughed, she mumbled something that I couldn't hear/understand so I didn't find out where she was from. she asked parlez-vous francais, un peu. first time here? oui (of course). was going to impress her with "j'adore Vegas" but whatever.

new welcome archway design

while in the hotel line I joined the Venetian waitlist: 20 people for 2/3 and 30 for 2/3. wow, poker is live and well in Vegas. this is one of my first times playing here on a Friday night though so maybe that's typical. after like 25+ minutes waiting at hotel registration it was finally my turn. Sir, you are a big spender, you don't have to wait in the general line, you can go right to the Invited Guests Express line. well damn. next time.

was gonna hit up happy hour at Grand Lux but the delayed flight stopped that. decided to grab Popeyes instead. but $9 for a sandwich? cmon now. headed to poker instead.

they called my name for 1/3 but looked like I was next up for 2/3 so I skipped. that was dumb as it took 30 minutes for my spot to open in a brand new game and cards dealt.

Session 1: Venetian 2/3
good mix: young guys, old guys, Asian, Indian/Middle Eastern, middle-age woman, Euro, Brit. some weird plays going on, within the first two orbits a couple guys tried bluffing river only to muck on the old man's call. he also chopped the first two BP so pretty quickly he had a $1100+ stack.

however, I managed to get a hot orbit. after folding for half hour I opened A6o, c-bet with Ace on the flop, bet turn and they fold.
next hand opened AQ, Ace on the turn, check backed the river like a wimp and won.
next hand KJss, flop came AQTddd for a dangerous straight, but safe turn and he folded to my bet.
couple hands later I have K3dd, flop is K72hhh. goes to turn and my bet is good so I won 4 out of 5 hands.

- I open T9o in lp, several calls
flop 7x4c2c. I c-bet $25 and get a couple nonbelievers to call.
turn 9d. I keep betting $45 and young Asian sb calls.
river is interesting, Ac. he thinks and then checks for the third time. I think I'm good, but is there any hand he calls down that I beat? don't think so, check back and my 9 brings a muck.

- in late position I look down at AKhh. my open had been $10 every time but I thought let's see what happens if I go $20. shortstack SB then raises to $65. hmm I just call.
flop comes Jh 4h 2d. he shoves his last $116 and I call right away. I figure he is ahead and I have lots of outs.
river is one of them. 3h for nut flush vs his AJ and I am now up $300.

- I open JKo $15, call, young Asian guy raises to $60. he's been doing a lot of 3-betting.
check dark, king high flop. he bets $50 or something and I call
check dark again, he checks back.
river queen, I bet $70 and he folds

- open to $25, call, I have AA in the BB. raise it up to $100 (are you proud of me?), he jams and I call.
dream spot, Aces v Kings
eight-high straight on board for the chop. too bad

- hand of the night for me: I limp co with 65hh, button opens $25 and I call for heads up.
check dark, flop K54h, he bets like $40, I call
turn 7h, check bet call
river is a heart. I bet $110, he tanks... and calls! I show and he cannot beat my runner-runner flush.
I can afford a whole combo meal at Popeyes now.

that guy leaves (too bad, wasn't very good), and this old Sri Lankan came and sat to my left, funniest guy ever. talking nonstop but hilarious in a thick Indian accent.
making fun of the young guy with a hoodie, hat, sunglasses and headphones next to him. he gets on this river showdown, tanks, continues talking... eventually shows a non-pairing king as he folds. the other guy also shows a non-pairing king too and the table erupts.
masseuse comes and says "who said yes to massage?" I say no one said yes. old guy says you heard me say yes? ok I said yes. then as she's going he says "harder, harder. hurt me." later on he mentions he's leaving soon and if we don't win his chips he's going to a hooker. then he pulls out a little piece of paper with the lady's name and number, "ah you see?" he was very amusing.

eventually I lost my biggest hand, trip kings v kings full.
I lost another kinda big hand 88 < JJ. should have left when I was +$500.
just didn't get much to play. if I opened I got raised. got 33 and 88 several times but bad flops. never got seriously involved in a bomb pot. after a couple more hours finally at 1:30am several of us were done and I racked up for a (disappointing) win of +$87. at least the good start gave me a runway to play with.

thinking about that AA v KK chop. that was like an $800 pot.

five hours of sleep, that's as much as I can ever manage first night in Vegas. Interrupted once due to an excruciating leg cramp. showered and dressed by 8am.

I had $150 freeplay, no bonus, nothing big, I turned it into only $60.

played a couple hours of pai gow. a few interesting hands: dealer got KKQQJJA, I had TT999 (for a push). another time dealer had full house, other player had flush, I had straight, other player had trips. another time I had straight + pair and couldn't even push.

first hour was bad, going down 6 bets. second hour was good, I managed to get it all back and reach +1. but then three losing hands in a row, I left -$50. still up a little for the morning.

still have yet to buy food this trip so per tradition I walked down to Cheesecake Factory. it is a beautiful autumn day, perfect hoodie + shorts weather.

ordered the jambalaya hash. good, but a lot of bread and rice. since haven't eaten in a while and have a (hopefully) long tourney ahead I guess that's fine. finished it off with a slice of mango key lime cheesecake.
like cheesecake, like key lime pie, like mango... mango key lime cheesecake might be a bit much. used up the rest of my gift card, filled me up and may be my only meal today.

photo dump