Whale does Vegas - 2025 birthday-ish edition (23rd Nov - 2nd Dec)

Awesome write up - I know how much work they are and you are very generous with your time and words. We all appreciate it

Glad you had a fun trip

Great trip, great write up!

Thanks for sharing as always. Not that I play much NLH but I think the bigger jump up in terms of ability of the players is from 2/5 to 5/10 and not 1/3 to 2/5. Just from reading your reports and thought processes I’m sure you’d have success at 2/5 if you wanted to try it next trip.

How much younger? 😀 😉 😀

Thanks for the write-up, as always. Here's to more in 2026!

My husband played 5/10 NLHE (I think it was Wynn) this last trip and ran over the table. He says they were very passive/predictable. I've played at Aria, but it was a little tougher, still won a bit.

The 2/5 seems to always be full of regs, though, so I usually avoid it. I don't play NLHE often, so I'm sure there are some good tables. Plus, I'm usually at Aria or Wynn, so lots of regs. I think if you get the right table, you will be comfortable -- give it a try. (I never play long -- just while waiting for PLO.)

Yeah Aria 2/5 is notoriously reg infested, it’s probably the worst game regardless of stakes. I’d rather play the Bellagio 5/10 over the Aria 2/5.

That looks like death on wheels, especially in Vegas, where the streets are full of maniacs. I want lots of crush zone, even if I'm sitting in the "back seat".

It's kind of like a free tv show. Put your feet up on the table, crack a beer, and stare outside.

I don't know if you discovered the secret to Horseshoe's appeal, but it's that it's attached to Paris. Better places to eat, better places to buy snacks and drinks, and even better vp. There are theoretically vp machines with the same odds in Horseshoe, but they are a lot harder to find.

Let's hear more about that. I kind of want to increase my visibility to the MGM comp-wizard, and vp might be the way without losing my keester.

I used to stay at Bellagio all the time. One of the fun things I used to see all the time was a cab arriving, four hot (but broke) chicks pouring out, and then scrambling to put 20 bucks together between them to pay the cab. They stay at places like the Linq, but party at places like the Bellagio. Me with 2 grand burning a hole in my pocket on the way to a poker room somewhere, wondering if I have a shot, and the perfect entre' - pay their cab fare and offer to show them around the fabulous Bellagio. But alas, I was a bit too old, a bit too ugly, and they were a bit too sober. But for a mac-daddy like you, with a Norwegian accent, you're in!

Looks like 5/10 in Vegas plays completely different compared to Europe. Over there, people are either way too tight or ridiculously passive, which actually opens up some nice post-flop opportunities if you feel comfortable reading the table. It’s really about spotting those tendencies early and adjusting—once you get the flow, you can pick up some easy pots that just wouldn’t exist back home.

Oh definitely! I’ve played 5/10 pretty much all over Europe and it’s nowhere near as good as in Vegas. Sure you can find good and bad tables at both places but on average Europe is much much more difficult to beat.

Great report BigWhale and glad you came home in profit.

One suggestion I had (which is actually what I do on my Vegas TR's over the road) is do your daily recap post first thing in the morning, whilst you're still waking up and having breakfast. I found it was a good way to get myself back in the game for the next day because I was thinking about the hands from the day before as I was posting them and it put me in the right mindset for a day of poker.

Thanks. Yeah, the first thing I do when waking up is usually to eat something in my room while sitting down and writing on the TR.

Maybe only posting once a day (each morning) would be a good idea though - it might take a bit longer, but then I am finished with it for that day. This trip I ended up - due to non-poker activities - often being too tired to write in the evening and falling behind on updates. I guess the problem would still be there, but at least I could crack down for one hour plus in the morning and then be done with it for the day.

I have also thought that maybe I should cut down on the number of hands and only post the bigger/more interesting pots. That might also give a better balance for those who are not used to and/or don't want to read gigantic strategy posts with 10+ hands.

Will give it a serious think before next trip on how to do things; and I also need to force myself to take even more pictures even though I have been in Vegas so many times that I am struggling with not repeating myself.

Whale,

I'd say all the HHs you post are interesting hands. Really enjoy you laying out the thought processes that came to your decisions.

It’s a tough one. When I do a tr I shorthand my hands eg

Raise 30 from MP with AK Bb calls
Flop k62 x 30 call
Turn ….

I cover the ground but they’re not nearly as interesting to follow and I don’t get nearly the engagement you do

But it’s got to be fun and not a chore for you on your precious vacation

I really enjoy your hand histories and thought process and I am envious of the detail. I can never even remember most of my hands to post. I have vague recollections of how important hands went down but have trouble relaying them in a TR so I resort to a lot of food pics 😀

She tired you out that much, huh? Way to go!

Maybe you could get one of those speech-to-text programs. It would at least speed it up for you.

This.

Given your aforementioned Bumble activities, this is an exceptional use of euphemism! Well played, sir!