A Floposaurus takes on Vegas: 3/18-3/21 March Madness TR
Long time lurker, first time trip reporter. This will be my third year going to Vegas for March Madness with a group including my buddy, his two brothers, their dad, and a random assortment of friends. They’ve been doing this for over a decade.
The first year I joined, we had 12. Last year, we only had 6. My buddy B and I will be staying at Horseshoe and I’m the only poker player of the group. B, his dad, and his brothers all like hanging at the Pai Gow table and Sportsbook.
About me: I’m a guy in my early 30s and enjoy studying and playing NLHE. Live play is limited with a young family. My wife doesn’t love it when I go to play in the casinos here, from both a time perspective and grossness perspective, so I pick my spots to go. As you may expect, a “poker bankroll” is not really in my list of priorities at the moment. But I’ll have a good bit of BR saved up for the trip.
Vegas is a good way to get good volume in a short amount of time and scratch my live poker itch. I do play regularly online at the micros and in the occasional home game. Games in my local casinos are 1/3 match the stack, but I’ve played 2/5 in Florida and 5/5 in LA.
What you can expect from this TR: As many poker hands as I can recall, plus some general debauchery and betting on March Madness. Hopefully some dice mixed in when table limits aren’t crazy. I’ll bring my running shoes for a Thursday early morning run on the strip.
General plan: Fly into Vegas on Wednesday, March 18. Find somewhere to play for the majority of the day. Check in to the room and usually go to nice steak dinner the first night with the group. Thursday and Friday could be watch parties at Blondies in the MM shops, then poker. Usually I’ll do one watch day with the group, then be on my own and play a long session the 2nd day. Then I’ll play on Saturday morning before heading to the airport on Saturday afternoon, hopefully a winner.
Where I’ve played: I’ve played Horseshoe, Bellagio, and Aria, due to proximity. Would like to hit Venetian or CP or both this trip. Have yet to go to Wynn, so open to that as well, although that’s quite the jaunt.
A little over a month away, but feels like a good time to get this thread started! I just downloaded Tapatalk, so I’m hoping that will help me quickly update the thread from my phone.
A little month-out excitement. I got the okay to play some last night and head to the card room around 6pm. I wait a bit before getting a seat in a new 1/3 game. $300 to start, then match the stack. Throughout the night, I’d witness quad 4s, quad 7s, and quad Kings at my table.
Hand #1
Effective stack: 300
Villain: I called him PS5 guy. Young guy with headphones wearing a PlayStation hat and tshirt. He’d been playing loose. This hand happens about 30 minutes in.
PF: I make it $10 from EP with Th Tc
LP and V1 in SB call.
Flop($30): AcKcQc
Checks through.
Turn: Jd
V1 leads for $8. I raise to $30. LP folds. He calls.
River: Qh
SB check. I check. I win against A9o.
Hand #2
Effective stack: $275
PS5 is again the V.
PF: he makes it $20 over 2 limps. I make it $75 with QdQs. He shoves. I call. Hold vs QJo.
Hand #3
Effective stack: $300ish
Villain is an older, friendly guy. Pretty tight and raising with big cards. Found out later his son is a very good reg in the room and has played pretty high stakes on a notable stream in another city.
PF: he makes it $10 from EP. I call on button with 8c8d and blinds call.
Flop ($40): 456r. Checks to him. He makes it $35. I call. Others fold.
Turn: another 5. He bets $35. I call. Seemed like a scared bet when he bets the same amount, and he can still have some unpaired high card combos.
River: 7. We get there with the straight. He bets $100. I jam for $100 more. He folds.
Hand #4
Effective stack: $500
Villain: A new player who just sat down.
PF: button straddle. 4 calls. I make it $55 with QdQs from LP. V in SB calls.
Flop: As7d8h. I bet $45. He calls.
Turn: 9c. Check check.
River: Qc. Check. I shove. He folds.
Hand #5
Effective stack: $300
Villain: crazy Honduran guy who is about 5 coronas deep. Very much a mayor of the room, talking to people from all different tables.
PF: a few limps to me on button with 8c6c. I make it $20. EP calls. Honduran calls in LP.
Flop: Ac9c3s
I bet $35, he calls.
Turn: 4c
He bets out for $45, I make it $150. He thinks and then jams. It felt pained like he didn’t like the decision. I call.
River: 2d
He has QcJc for better flush. Was really surprised he limp called this hand, as he’d been raising a lot from every position and raising big over limps. As played, I’m not sure I can fold given how crazy this player was and how long he thought about it for.
Hand #6
Starting stacks: $120 v1, v2 $500 effective
Villains: younger guys, V1 was short stacked all night and would rebuy short. He was losing to top pairs a lot.
PF: I’m in late position. 3 limps to me and I have Tc7c Out of boredom I decide to limp. Small blind (V2) makes it $20. V1 calls. I call IP.
Flop: Ts4c3c
V2 bets $25. V1 shoves for $81. I raise to $175 hoping to drive out V2. He tanks and folds.
Turn: 6h
River: 6d
V1 doesn’t show. I like finding the raise here and was happy I went for it. Probably a fold pre spot, but still glad I played it aggressively post.
After that, my stack dwindles down when calling PF and whiffing or calling flop and not improving facing big barrels.
I was in for $300 and out for $346. I had to leave at midnight but had a good table. There ended up being probably $6k on the table at one point.
If that flush over flush hand goes differently, I win a bunch. Overall, happy with my play.
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Just realized that the emojis on my phone didn't translate here so updated with text instead... apologies!
Looking forward to reading about your trip!
subbed. have fun in Vegas and GL with the TR. They can sometimes get away from you...particularly when you're in a group but I hope you can make it stick!
Dice:
Early in the day at Harrah's crap are $10 tables. Limits go UP as the evening progresses. It jumped to 15 on us and a half hour later it went to 25.
Stadium Craps at Horseshoe... TRUST ME. If it's anywhere else, report it here as I LOVE that style and the limits are lower.
Subbed.
Dice:
Early in the day at Harrah's crap are $10 tables. Limits go UP as the evening progresses. It jumped to 15 on us and a half hour later it went to 25.
Stadium Craps at Horseshoe... TRUST ME. If it's anywhere else, report it here as I LOVE that style and the limits are lower.
Subbed.
They also have (or had) bubble craps too (Push the button!). I figured those machines were all over town, but apparently they're not?
Played some hands today during the day at the local 1/3 MTS. Not much to report except I ran bad and missed pretty much every flop. Stack just kinda slowly dwindled.
I’m still waiting on that positive variance thing to kick in. Meanwhile, a guy at my table got aces 3x in 3 hours and stacked the same guy for about $1k each time. Would be nice.
Maybe another session or two on tap before the Vegas trip, as I’m heading out of town next week to visit a client and I like the room in the city I’m heading to!
I’m in Cincinnati for work and decided to play some at the $1/2 here. Since I’ve last been here, it’s gone to a $5 bring in game. Some HH promos happening and the room was pretty busy. Played 2 sessions and ended up dead even after both days.
HH1
Starting stacks: 450
Villains: young white guy who just moved tables. He has a similar stack
Pre-flop action: I’m in the bb with Q9hh. Folds to CO who makes it $20. Button calls. SB calls. I call.
Flop($80): Kh Jh 4h
Checks to me. I bet $15. 4 calls.
Turn($140): 3s
Checks to me. I bet $85. CO makes it $175. I jam and he calls.
River: 3d
He didn’t show but when he mucked I saw 8h. So I assumed it was a flush over flush.
The next night, I was the only person at my table 3 betting with any frequency. I watched an old guy to my right limp every hand for $5, and wouldn’t raise even when he had hands like AKs or AJs or 99. He proceeded to get there against every opponent and always seemed to have it.
Table was weird. Lots of promo hunting. $5 bring in, so no $2 limps. But plenty of $5 limps. When it’d limp, I would make it $20/25/30 depending on limpers and would sometimes get multiple callers. Just a really weird one.
For example, effective stacks are about $400 and I make it $10 in EP with ATo. I proceed to get HJ, CO, BTN calls. $40 to the flop and we see Tc8s4h. Checks to me and I bet $10. 3 calls before the button makes it $35. Next to act, I decided to fold with 2 players behind me…I folded but not sure what I should’ve done here. Probably just call. Even worse when everyone folds and the guy shows a 9.
First night I played okay, second night I just whiffed almost every flop. Very frustrating.
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Good old Cinci. NLHE there is terrible. LOL. That $5 bring in allowing a $5 straddle is the stupidest rule in poker. However, I take advantage of it and straddle 😉 (I'm usually playing PLO there, though, which is fantastic!)
Yeah, that seemed wild. I kept just raising more and more, and I kept getting callers. But hardly anyone else was raising [emoji1787]
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Alright, one week and a day til I'll be in beautiful Las Vegas and the excitement is mounting. I get in about 7:30 local time, so trying to figure out where to play for the first day before the rest of the crew gets in town.
My thoughts are taxi to Horseshoe, drop bag off and then head to Venetian's food hall, grab some breakfast, then hop into a game until lunch time. Then grab something on the walk back and either play at Bellagio or at HS in the early afternoon til the room's ready.
Willing to hear all ideas. Do I need to make the stop at HS? Do I just go straight to the Venetian room with backpack and carry-on luggage (after eating)?
Alright, one week and a day til I'll be in beautiful Las Vegas and the excitement is mounting. I get in about 7:30 local time, so trying to figure out where to play for the first day before the rest of the crew gets in town.My thoughts are taxi to Horseshoe, drop bag off and then head to Venetian's food hall, grab some breakfast, then hop into a game until lunch time. Then grab
I’d just go direct to Venetian, check your bag there and eat/poker until ready to check into room.
Yes, skip the extra stop at HS if you want to play at the V. Otherwise, just tip the front desk and check in at like 8am.
Yes, skip the extra stop at HS if you want to play at the V. Otherwise, just tip the front desk and check in at like 8am.
Horseshoe definitely won't allow you to check in without paying an early check-in fee. The fee usually starts around $50 (?) dollars, and then goes down the closer it gets to check-in time.
And what exactly do you think the person at the front desk will do? They will pocket the $50.
I did say a tip and didn't try to say it was free.
Don't really *need* to get into the room early, so probably will just head to the V and get the bellhop to store my roller bag.
Storing your bag will cost you $5 and the Uber will be $15?
I haven't checked into a LV hotel after 9am in like forever except the Cosmo penthouse and a specific room at Cosmo.
