Gray-haired poker TRs: Living the WSOP dream

If you haven't had a chance to go from your sportswriting adventures, Final Four is a fun experience. Even better (I assume, my school will never make it) if you get a chance to have a rooting interest.

Don't know if it's still true in the days of e-tickets, but one strategy used to be to catch fans leaving the semifinals, and pick up tickets from the losing teams' fans for cheap.

I've gone half-a-dozen times to the championship game as a fan. And yes, the way to go is to wait until just after the semifinals to buy tickets online when it becomes a buyer's market when fans of the losing teams dump their tickets to the finals.

Monday is the schedule release day.

Yep, I saw that. A Monday release actually makes more sense than a Friday release.

Today was Magnificent Monday.

For starters, my Michigan Wolverines basketball team was officially voted #1 in the nation today. It was one vote short of unanimous.

Just as good, the 2026 WSOP schedule got released. I pored over the options, and I considered two possibilities for my WSOP schedule.

The possibility I chose not to pursue was the very end of the WSOP. The schedule would have included a $600 deepstack, two flights of an $800 Summer Celebration, a $1,000 turbo, three flights of a $600 ultrastack, and three flights of the $300 Gladiators of Poker, and maybe the $1,500 The Closer. All NLHE.

Initially, I was leaning toward this schedule, but then I studied the structures. Each day of the $600 ultrastack allows two rebuys. Each day of the $300 Gladiators of Poker allows two rebuys. The Closer allows unlimited rebuys.

I am fine with a single rebuy, but my concern with this many rebuys at the end of the WSOP is that people might be playing Bingo, going crazy on unnecessary all-ins as they try to build a big stack with a go big or go home approach knowing they can rebuy over and over while trying to find one final score. I’d rather play in something that is more reasonable. I think one rebuy as the end of late registration approaches is challenging enough. Two rebuys probably extends the crazy period.

I mean what do I do with 9-9 when someone who has just joined the table with rebuy chips instantly goes all-in on his first hand and is just as likely to have 3-3 as he is to have A-A?

Maybe I’m completely wrong with this thinking, but that was my rationale for taking a pass on these tournaments.

Instead, I have decided upon the following schedule toward the beginning of the WSOP (all NLHE and assumes I do not make any Day 2s, which would obviously change my schedule):

June 5: Maybe a $250 daily deepstack (which I’m not really a fan of) for the practice.

June 6: $1,500 Monster Stack, Flight D, just one bullet. Starting stack 50,000, 60-minute levels. I love how slow and deep this structure is.

June 7: $500 freezeout. Starting stack 25,000, 30-minute levels.

June 8: Maybe a day off, maybe something at a non-WSOP poker room.

June 9: Either a $1,500 super turbo (starting stack 25,000, 20 minute levels, one bullet only) or something at a non-WSOP poker room.

June 10: $500 Colossus, Flight A (starting stack 50,000, 40-minute levels, 2 bullets if needed).

June 11: $500 Colossus, Flight B.

June 12: $500 Colossus, Flight C.

June 13: $500 Colossus, Flight D.

June 14: $800 Deepstack 8-handed (starting stack 40,000, 30-minute levels, 2 bullets if needed).

My lodging and flight are all booked. Now I wait for the WSOP to get here. Almost four months away.

Helping matters is I will be playing live at casinos in multiple states over the next 10 days.

GG, seems like a good schedule. Where will you be staying? The $500 freezeout is probably a very fun format, although a bit shallow. The winner of that event last year, Craig Savage, used to be a prolific poster here on 2+2 fifteen years ago.

Sadly our paths will not crossed, as I will head out to Vegas after watching Norway's opening World Cup game (soccer) in Boston (live) on the 18th June. Then I will watch the next two games from there (and hopefully many more to come) while obviously firing some tourneys as well.

I will cross over with you RP but not you Whale.

Will be in town 10-18. Currently booked at both Horseshoe and Vdara and will choose later on. Will definitely play Seniors…both day 1s if needed but may also play Colossus and that $800

June 7-11 for me... hope to find a way to run into feelie and OP

Likely June 14-20 for me. Seniors again this year, can’t recommend enough. FYI seniors won’t likely finish until Friday 19 or Saturday 20th.

14-26 June for me. Will play both "old man poker" tourneys, and cash or dailies if I bust those.

RP, big game tonight! I'm a Purdue alum, and while I do believe that Michigan has more talent, I'm hoping that the Boilers can put together a complete game and find a way. Boiler up!

I’m looking at June 4 - 23.

I think you chose wisely. Colossus and Monster Stack are always great to play.

Early July at the WSOP is still fun, but early June is probably more fun and you have the added bonus of a shorter wait time.

Agree. I think early June is the sweet spot. For me once you get into July it just doesn’t feel the same. Everything is winding down and it’s all about the main event. Maybe it’s different for those that play the main but for me I love June.

Yes. I will be delighted to has to miss my flight if I go deep on day 3

Signature is where I always stay via Airbnb. It's a mini suite and since it is airbnb there are no resort fees, and parking for a rent-a-car is free. The mini suite is hardly over the top but it is a nice amount of space with a bunch of amenities.

I have started a chart of dates everyone here on LVL will be at the WSOP on dates that overlap with my trip. As we get closer to the WSOP, I will PM people for their cell phone number if they are interested, and I will group text people at regular breaks and dinner breaks (if I'm still in my tourney) with a location where whoever is interested can meet up.

I was thinking about doing a thread in LVL a little closer to the time for everyone to list their dates and then we can either do independent meets or perhaps a group one?

It’s telling that most long term tpt posters are now qualified for Seniors!

EDIT: deleting weird duplicate post that came 3 hours after first one

MSPT, Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I drove from Illinois to Wisconsin today, played in an MSPT tournament at Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee and then drove home. Just got in at 2:00 a.m. Long day/night. Obviously I'm not going to start writing up the trip report right now. I have to work tomorrow so it may be a day or two before I can start posting.

I have now played in two MSPT tournaments in different Midwest locations and two WSOP Circuit events in the Midwest (Elgin, IL and Hammond, IN) in the last six months or so. I think the MSPT setups were significantly nicer than the WSOP Circuit events. Small sample size. And maybe WSOP Circuit events are nicer in other parts of the country, but in my neck of the woods I thought the MSPT tournament rooms were more elegant and pleasing to the eye than was the case with the WSOP Circuit venues.

And the icing on the cake ... on the casino floor there were free soft drinks (not a big deal), including ... Dr Pepper (a big deal).

That's all I've got for the moment. I need to crash and get some sleep.

More to come.

Hopefully you are still running in the multi day tourney (maybe not if you’re not coming back tomorrow). That’s my home casino (not playing in any events, time is limited). I played the Seniors event a few months ago there, thought is was well run.

Taking care of business before heading out ... Road trip! ... A glorious pre-tournament meal at the sports book has me livin’ large
MSPT, Potawatomi Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. $250 NLHE tournament trip report (PART 1)

Busy day. Moving fast. I’ve got a bunch of work on my plate today, plus the plan is for me to drive to Milwaukee to play in a late night MSPT NLHE tourney at the Potawatomi.

First things first. I have a morning meeting with my accountant. Then a couple of bank stops. A phone call with a worker bee at the wealth management firm I’m leaving. A couple of phone calls with a worker bee at the wealth management firm I am moving my portfolio to. I make some phone calls to Florida to find some notaries near where I will be vacationing next week, because a piece of real estate that is being sold may close when I am in the Sunshine State, which will require signatures on my part, notarization and then the ability to scan everything and send the documents to the closing company and attorneys. I get that done. I run into difficulties on a small, stupid task. I have to file an annual form with my company’s health insurance provider and once inside the portal it won’t let me in the necessary document. This does not get resolved and will have to wait until post MSPT. I get a call from a tenant of a building I previously sold who has a problem and has forgotten I am no longer his landlord. I suggest how he should get his issue resolved, remind him I no longer own the property, and I tell him who to call. I try to be helpful, but in my head I am happily thinking in a sing song manner, “It’s not my problem. It’s not my problem!!!” I get a call from an attorney who I work with, who needs some information.

Finally, 3:45 p.m. comes far too quickly, and it’s time for me to leave. It’s a one-hour drive to Milwaukee for a 7:00 p.m. tournament. I am leaving this early because I will need to get a player card since I’ve never played at the Milwaukee Potawatomi, I’ll need to sign up for the tournament, and I’ll want to eat dinner since I skipped lunch due to how busy I was.

The drive is smooth with no traffic jams, although once I pass the Wisconsin state line I notice that the local police are giving out traffic tickets all over the place. I slow down my speed since I have plenty of time.

I arrive.

I notice that the parking structure is loaded with cars on a Tuesday, early evening. Business appears to be good.

By 5:15 p.m. I have my new player card, I have bought in to my tourney (the staffer who signs me up assures me that the seat I am being assigned has been earmarked to get good cards). So I’ve got that going for me. Which is nice.

I take a lap around the casino to get the lay of the land. I see the free pop machine, it has Dr Pepper and of course I partake.

I consider going to the casino’s steakhouse, but I decide that I will first check out the sports book to see if the Michigan-Purdue basketball game will be shown there. On the one hand, my Michigan Wolverines are the #1 team in the land and they are facing a tough road test against a top 10 opponent. Why wouldn’t the game be televised? I consider the fact that the game is being broadcast on Peacock, which is annoying. Does the casino sports book get Peacock? I get there and pose this question to a staffer. He pulls out the official sheet of what games will be televised on which big screens in the sports book. No Michigan-Purdue listed. “That’s too bad, it’s the game of the night,” I say. The staffer asks me to stay put, and he’ll look into it.

A couple minutes later he returns and says the game will be shown on the main big screen. My man. I check out the sports book menu. Traditional bar food, which suits me just fine. The steakhouse is a no go. I ask to be seated at the sports bar. The hostess has obviously heard my conversation with the staffer, because she seats me right in front of the massive TV the Michigan game will be on shortly.

I realize I will only be able to watch the first half of the game before my poker tournament begins. This is a big concession on my part. It’s not like me to miss a big Michigan game. It shows my commitment to poker. Truth be told, when I first marked my calendar that I would play in this tournament, I didn’t factor in whether Michigan would be playing. I didn’t realize the scheduling conflict until yesterday. I figure there are a ton of huge games still to be played since Michigan looks like the favorite to win the national title. Plus, I need the work playing live to prepare for this summer’s WSOP.

I place my order a bit before tipoff. Garlic parmesan chicken wings and a cheeseburger with a fried egg on it. Hey, I’m hungry. Didn’t eat breakfast or lunch. The game starts. My food arrives.

This is supposed to be a close game, but Holy Smokes. My Wolverines are a killing machine and build a huge lead (and will eventually win the game quite comfortably). I am eating tasty, unhealthy food while watching Michigan rock and roll, while texting with my Michigan friends about how awesome our team is playing, and I have a live poker tournament in my near future.

#LivingMyBestLife

Congrats to the Wolverines on the relatively easy win. They are just the type of team that seems to give Purdue fits lately...long, athletic, and dangerous from 3-point land. My Boilers need to get their act together if they are going to make a deep run in March Madness. I haven't given up hope yet on a Final Four run, but have conceded the Big Ten regular season title to the Wolverines.

A surge of premium hands first orbit = lost chips ... I can’t make a hand ... I make a hand and run into a monster
MSPT, Potawatomi Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. $250 NLHE tournament trip report (PART 2)

7:00 pm

This is the first time I have ever played in a tournament that starts this late. It has the potential to go very deep into the night/morning. I promised Mrs. rppoker that if it goes crazy late I will look into getting a hotel room to grab some sleep before driving home. But that is not worth thinking about right now. Long, long, long way to go before that becomes a consideration.

I get to my table. I am the oldest player by at least 20 years. I take a quick look at the neighboring tables and don’t see gray hairs like myself. I’m guessing the late start is not a selling point to those of us who are deciding what age is best to start receiving social security checks.

Level 1
100/200/200
30,000 chips starting stacks

I start by getting dealt a bevy of premium hands in the first orbit. It goes badly.

Twice I have A-Q, open the betting and get called. Both times the flop misses me completely and hits the ranges of the blinds, who bet and I fold.

Then I get dealt A-J. UTG bets, UTG+1 calls. Given that the opening bet came from UTG, I decide against bloating the pot, and I just called. The flop is J high. No flush, no straight concerns. It’s as good a flop as I could have hoped for. UTG and UTG+1 check. I bet. UTG folds which is very good to see. UTG +1 calls. I don’t have notes on the turn and river, but it goes badly for me as UTG+1 was really, really slow playing A-A.

(Note to readers: I have made the decision not to take as extensive notes as I have in the past. I have not made a point of identifying characteristics or each player at the table. I have not given them nicknames. The reason is I think doing so has led to me not being as focused on my foes' poker style as I can be if I’m not writing down so many notes. Obviously, I’m still taking down notes, just not as detailed.)

So, to recap, good starting hands have gotten me into a world of trouble. I am already down to 20,500 chips. How on earth have I lost one-third of my chips in less than an orbit in which the blinds are a puny 100/200/200?

About the only thing worth celebrating is the poker room is nice and toasty. Not the usual ice box.

I get dealt A-10. I again whiff the flop. This time I show aggression. I act “as if”. Meaning I act “as if” I have IT. I finally win a pot. I have 23,000 chips.

End of Level 1: 22,600 chips.

Level 2
200/300/300

UTG+1 opens. I have A-K suited and I raise 3x. UTG+1 calls and announces that he is checking in the dark. I whiff the flop again, but I again decide to show aggression and act “as if”. I bet and UTG+1 folds.

End of Level 2: 26,500 chips.

Levels 3, 4 and 5
Thus far I have not been connecting with flops with my strong opening hands. That ceases to be an issue. Not in a good way. Not because I start hitting flops. It ceases to be a problem in a bad way. As in I go so card dead that I can’t play a single hand for three levels. Sixty minutes of relentless folding.

The nice and toasty room actually becomes a smidge too toasty warm. I am dressed for a room that is cold. I roll up the sleeves of my shirt to combat the heat.

My ice-cold cards are the polar opposite of the rising heat of the room.

End of level 3: 24,800 chips

End of Level 4: 21,500 chips

End of level 5: 19,500 chips

The power of 9-9 ... I have A-A and play a big pot ... Patience rewarded
MSPT, Potawatomi Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. $250 NLHE tournament trip report (PART 3)

Level 6
600/1,200/1,200

It’s not a crisis yet, but the fact that each level is only 20 minutes is making it clear that the blinds are going to become an issue before long. I have been the picture of patience and haven’t donked off my chips overplaying bad starting hands.

I get dealt 9-9. I open and receive one call. The flop is K high. The only thing that is somewhat working for me is betting “as if”. So that’s what I do. I figure the K hits my range more than it does that of my opponent. I act “as if”, bet and take down the pot. The power of 9-9. I have 24,000 chips.

I get hit by the blinds twice this orbit, and my chips take a hit.

End of level 6: 16,500 chips

Level 7
1,000/1,500/1,500

I get dealt 9-9 in the big blind. It folds to the button who limps. The small blind bets enough to put me all-in. I call. The button folds. The small blind has 10-J off suit. It’s a coin flip. There is a 10 on the flop. Not looking good, although I have a back door club flush draw. I start to consider whether or not I am going to re-enter. Turns out, I don’t have to re-enter. I hit runner-runner clubs for the flush. On the one hand, I got really luck after the flop. On the other hand, it was a coin flip when all the money went in so I don’t feel all that guilty. The power of 9-9. As the tournament progresses, players at my table with 9-9 flop a set over and over and over. It becomes a table joke that 9-9 is the second nuts to A-A pre flop.

I have A-10, and two players limp. My table image is extremely tight so I raise, and as expected both villains fold. I have 39,000 chips.

Next hand I am dealt A-A. Fittingly, the player who had A-A on the hand I had A-J on a J high flop and I lost a bunch in level 1 decides to lose his mind this hand. I win a monster pot. I have 63,000 chips. My earlier patience when I was card dead has been rewarded.

End of level 7: 63,000 chips