BigWhale & brother does Vegas + World Cup 2026 (6th-20th June)
Hello, good people of LVL!
Starting this TR a bit early, well, for me at least. As the title says, me and my (twin) broth
Now it's time to channel my inner 'DogFace":
Spoiler for next update:
ITM on the Saturday daily deep stack.. living the dream!!!!
Congrats and take it down!!!
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Been like that for a couple years now, you also update your chip stack live in the app and see the updates of all other players too.
Nice blog and good luck. I've done my own first blog and here as a solo, if you fancy grabbing a beer and watching the world cup, let me know!
Here is a recap of yesterday's $250 Daily Deepstack at WSOP, which attracted 723 runners (a bit fewer that I expected), and top 109 entries would get paid.
Before entering I had a lazy morning with a quick trip to the Vdara gym, and some -EV gambling (lost as always). Then it was time to head out into the heat:
I arrived a few minutes after the tournament had started, but there was not a long line to register and I was in my seat around 5 minutes before level 1 ended. We start with 25,000 chips and the levels are 30 minutes long.
After winning a few small pots early, we get this fun spot where there are two limps for 300 and I come along with 66 in the cutoff. Small Blind completes, before the player with an Indian name in BB (who was annoyingly slow to act) makes it 1200. First limper calls, the second folds (!), I obviously call, and SB folds.
We go 3-ways to 7-4-2 two hearts, one diamond. The raiser checks, and the OMC next to him bets 1100. Seems like weak sizing, so I decided to call once in position and evalute. I double block 56 for the straight, so I had some plans if one of the straight cards came in as well.
The raiser also calls, and we see a black K on the turn. The raiser checks, and the OMC now bets 1100 again. Same bet, and this is a seven all day in my opinion. But we don't beat a seven, so we can't just keep calling. We therefore make it 5000 instead, as we can have all the slow played sets here or a hand like K7s, and this also puts the raiser in a ugly spot if he check-called with overs and now made TP. Both players think for a while, but end up folding. Nice.
Then a new OMC joins the table and he is in there almost every hand. He seems completely clueless, once isolating a jam for 10k on J-J-5 with KQo (?), gifting the decent French player to my left a double-up.
He raises to 1100 the next round from mid-pos, and I have A9cc in cutoff. I make it 3100 to isolate him in position, with what is likely the best hand. He quickly calls with around 9k behind, and we see J-7-2 all diamonds. Not exactly what I was hoping for, and this guy is sticky so I just check it back. Turn comes a random 6 and it once again go check-check.
River is Ad, so there are four diamonds out there now. He checks again, but although he is fishy I think it's hard to value bet here. Maybe I could have bet one blind to get called by a worse Ax without diamond, but it seems optimistic. I just flip over my hand at showdown, but I lose against his T7o one diamond. Interesting raise and call, I guess.
Sadly this player busted with set over set a while later, although he obviously played it terribly and should have folded pre (22 vs AA on A-2-x).
I won a small pot after and was around 30k in my stack, but then I got super card-dead for what felt like 2 hours. I did win one pot blind vs blind, when the US player in his late 30s or something limped SB and I just check 85o in BB. This is at 400-800-800 blinds. The flop comes Q-7-2 and checks around. 4 on the turn, giving me a gutshot at least, and two clubs are also out now. He bets 1300 and I decided to call in position. I have the gutshot and a club in my hand, so I had planned to maybe represent clubs if they come in and he checks.
We see a 5 on the river, so I make a pair. He quickly bets out 3000 and immediately I find this suspicious. This guy is not good enough to value bet 7x in my opinion, and there has to be some frequency of him betting Qx on flop. I thought that unless he has a slow played Queen, I should be good here. I throw in the call, and he just immediately mucks saying he has nothing.
I saw on here that 'patman1601' was playing the tournament as well at a nearby table, so I went over to say hello to him. We also chatted a bit in the second break, nice meeting you Pat!
Being very card-dead made me perhaps a bit impatient, because I did open J7hh in the cutoff to 2500 with my 20 bb stack (now 600-1200-1200). The Indian guy calls in BB with a good stack, and checks the 8-7-4 rainbow flop (no hearts). He checks, and I decided to check it back. I likely have the best hand, but with my stack I can't afford to face a check-raise.
J on the turn gives me two pair all of a sudden, and after he checks I bet 3000. He thought for a little bit (as he always did) but then ended up folding.
One round later I have K6cc in the same position, and I think this is just about good enough for an open. I make it 2500 again, and the same player defends his BB. We see Q-8-6 two spades no clubs, and he checks. I check it back again, with the same reasoning as above. I have flopped a piece but I have no backdoor flush and I rather call a turn-bet in position and see what he does on the river.
Except it never came to that. Turn is 6s, so we make trips. He checks again, and I decided to bet 4100 into 6200, which must look a bit confusing after checking flop. He calls, and then checks to me on the red 7 on the river. I can be pretty certain he is not playing a flush this passively, so I use the strategy of betting 13700 and leaving one single 5000 chip behind. This is something I could do as a bluff as well for what it's worth, leaving a little behind so that I have a chance at a comeback if I get called.
In this spot I did however not get called, although opponent thought forever (at least one minute) before folding. Too bad, but still a nice stack boost.
We then find AKhh from UTG at 1000-1500-1500, and raise to 3500. It folds to a short stacked woman in BB who jams for 12k or something. I obviously snap, and she has KJo. The flop comes J-J-2, but there are two hearts there. Turn is blank (7), but river is the glorious 4h giving me the flush to eliminate here. Now we have over 50k and things are looking up.
After passing through the blinds we find ATo in hijack, which is good enough for another raise to 3500. Only BB calls, a guy around 30 who haven't been at the table long. That said, I had seen him open-limp and his mannerism tells me that he is not an experienced grinder or anything like that.
A-6-4 two diamonds is the flop, but he comes out leading for around half pot (5500). I have Td in my hand, and with a flush blocker I decided to just call and keep worse hands in. Despite my blocker though, turn comes 7d. He quickly grabs his entire stack and jams 41k in there. Huge overbet, and it's for basically everything I have left.
I struggled with this one, but eventually decided on a very tight fold. It's close, especially since I have a diamond. Maybe I should just close my eyes and call, but I just thought he was the kind of guy who have all flush combos from BB, stuff like J5dd, Q6dd etc. And hands like that have me stone dead.
Making folds gets expensive though, especially as I couldn't get any spots for a while after this. Blinds increased and my stack decreased. Eventually we found ourself with 5 bb left having passed through the blinds at 1500-3000-3000, and a female Asian player raises to 7000. I have AQo, and it's go time. We put it in there, and even though it's only 8k more she doesn't seem to like it. But eventually she calls with KTo.
9-8-3... T... Q
Nice river there, and we are back in the game. I was also able to win more chips a bit later when a very active young German (who had shown stuff like 64ss from UTG) raises to 9500 (2k-4k-4k) and I have A8o in BB. Seems like a jam against his hijack range, and he thinks for a bit but end up folding.
I also won another hand with AJ before my table broke. I fold a few hands at my new table, before it was time for the 30 minutes 'dinner break'. I had 61000 chips, but blinds would increase to 3000-6000-6000 after, and I would be the Big Blind when we returned.
When we return, I post my BB and ante, and see that it folds all the way to a fellow Norwegian player in the Small Blind. He jams on me with a covering stack, and I have JJ. Obvious snap-call, but he also have a monster in AKhh. It's a flip for my tournament life around 40 players before ITM, and this time the dealer chose me. 8-7-4-Q-3, and no flush or pair for him.
A few hands later I find AKo and raise to 12k, only to see an OMC-looking guy jam for around 80k behind me. It folds back to me, and even though it's for a lot of my stack I obviously call quickly. He has AKhh, and everyone loves a chop pot.
I stole a few blinds with decent hands, before I am BB. It folds to the Norwegian who now only have 4 BB left, and he jams for 26k. I have KQo which is an obvious call, but he has AA this time. Crazy. I hit a K on the flop but no further improvement, and he doubles up.
The next time I am BB, the floor comes over and move me to another table, and we settle in there and fold some hands while waiting for the bubble to burst. And it didn't really take long at all; three players got eliminated on the same hand when we were 110 players left. We are In The Money, which was a great feeling although the pay increases for laddering up are extremely tiny. But we are not looking for the min-cash, we are looking to join the winner's circle like the guys in this picture:
Despite this, I made a super tight fold a bit later. I had stolen the blinds with 88 earlier, before finding the same hand from UTG a couple of hands later. I have around 135k, which felt a bit too much to commit myself with. Thus I only raise to 22000 (should have just minraised to 20k), but then the player in fourth position jams for around 130k.
It folds back to me, and this one feels very close. I hadn't really planned on raise/folding to a single player, but this guy have not played any hands since I came to this table, and he has no reason to suspect I should be light here from UTG. I ended up folding, which might be a mistake. I don't hate it, but in this tournament I should maybe rather take my chances against all his AK and AQ that are out there.
Speaking of such hands, two hands later a mid-30s guy raises to 22k and it folds to me in SB. I have AK off-suit in Small Blind, and we are getting it in there. I announce 'all-in' and start moving my chips forward. In the corner of my eye, I see that the opponent immediately grab a stack of 5k chips to make the call, even before BB have folded.
It's a coin-flip, JJ versus my AK.
Sadly this story have no Cinderella-ending, 'DogFace'-style bink to it. Instead we see J-4-5-2-6 and we have been eliminated. I frustratingly shoot out of my chair and have to stand around for a few seconds before the floor comes over and informs me that my payout information has been added to my app.
Disappointing obviously, but I am very happy with how I played and there is nothing I can do about the bustout hand. It's just a standard tournament flip that was well played by both players, and this time the coin-flip did not go my way.
It's the last full day in Vegas for this trip, and all I could think about when playing yesterday was how fun this is, and how I wished I had two weeks more or something to just fire away. But realistically I cannot afford it, and I obviously know that some fun adventures awaits next week as well.
Now I am going to head out and lounge by the pool for a bit, before deciding what I will use the last day on. Another tournament, or try to make a dent into the cash game losses? We shall see.
Congrats on getting to that point. So many things need to go right for a deep run.
Nice to get the cash
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Congrats on the cash although I know you wanted to go deeper. Enjoy your last say here.
Grats on the cash! I know you wanted more, we always do! But getting to the money is always an accomplishment.
Spoiler for next post, top 15 pay:
Nice, keep it up! Where is this?
Question about the DDS. What time did the money bubble burst. I got knocked out at around 7 pm and 100 off the money. But the players left number was dropping fast. It always slows down around the bubble though.
SHIP IT at the Southpoint!!!!!!!!!!!!
For our last full day in Vegas, me and my brother first went to the gym and then decided to play the $120 Super Turbo Bounty at South Point just for fun. While at Aria though, we randomly ran into this guy:
(note to self, even more gym and less junk food as even RDP looks more in shape than me):
Ryan DePaulo was super nice, and he actually had his daughter, Quinn, with him in a stroller. He said he was going home that evening, but would be back later in the series. Didn't want to bother him for too long, so I just said that I enjoyed his content and asked for a picture etc.
Anyway, over to South Point. The tournament got 120 entrants, and we start with 20,000 chips, however the levels are only 15 minutes long. For every player you knock out you do get a $25 bounty though, which makes for some extra fun.
I was actually in for two bullets, as I busted my first one on a read gone wrong. I raise JJ up to 2500 from early pos and only BB defends. Q-6-3 rainbow seems fairly harmless, and I bet 2k into 6800 to get calls from things below a Queen. He obliges, and calls.
Turn comes a 5 and he checks again. I am certain this card could have improved him, with hands like 67, 45 or 43, and opponent is actually an early 30s grinder-looking guy with caps and sunglasses. I bet 3100, simply because I think there is a good chance that he will now check-jam many of these hands, and I can make the call.
Indeed he check-raises all-in (covering me), and I decide to go with my read here. When he does this, I expect to see a hand like Q9o for just one pair almost never, so unless he has something like Q5 suited or 56, I should be good here. I call, only to be shown 42dd for the gutshot-bink on the turn (with backdoor flush on flop).
J on the river would have improved me against many of his hands, but not this one. I decided to buy in again at the last second before late registration ended.
In short, the second bullet goes great. A young-ish guy to my right at the new table opens for 5000 (at 1k-2k-2k) and I jam 77 for 22k from the button. An OMC sigh-calls all-in from SB, and the raiser snap-calls. I am up against AKo and QJhh but somehow manages to hold despite the OMC flopping a straight flush draw with the QJ suited. I also get his bounty as he was shorter than me.
I get moved table, where there is a weird Asian player who likes to all-in a lot. I had to fold AQo earlier to him after I raised fairly big over two limpers, only to have him limp-call and jam in front on K-9-8 two hearts. Without a heart I couldn't really call, although his line is fishy AF.
That sets up the very next hand where he limps again and I raise 6x (!) pre with AK, fully knowing that he is capable of calling regardless. He does something even better and move all-in, which I obviously snap-call. He has A4o and we hold once again for a great double-up.
I lose a few small pots after this though, and then get an annoying spot when UTG jams for 28k at 2k-4k-4k. I have AJdd and rejam for around 60k, only to see opponent show up with AK. Much stronger than I expected from that stack size, and I am now suddenly very short.
We don't give up however, and quickly doubles up when the same guy who knocked me out of my first entry raises to 10k, and I rejam AJo for 38k. He tank-calls with A8dd but the board runs out J-8-3-2-T, which is good news for my hand.
That leaves this guy very short, so when he jams button one orbit later for 36k I think that my A6ss should be way ahead of his range. I call, only to find out that he has 99. No problem though, Ace on the turn, we eliminate him and get his bounty.
The guy who I doubled with AJ vs AK is now short again and he jams 25k at 3k-6k-6k. I have AJo and call, fully expecting the OMC in BB to fold. He indeed does, and we hold once more, this time against Q5cc. We now have three bounties and stack is looking good.
Unfortunately I became very card-dead after this hand, although we made it into the money fairly easily. Blinds are now very high though, and the average is hardly 10 big blinds. I can't find anything to play when we get short-handed, but manage a crucial double up just before the Final Table when my measly K5o beats T4o from the BB who was almost prized in to call.
After an elimination at the other table, we find ourselves at FT with 6.1 big blinds. That said, its only 2-3 big blinds from the average, so there should be no stress with being short here.
So what do I do instead? I make a massive ICM-blunder, after having folded two hands. The UTG-player then goes all-in for his meager 35k stack, which is just over one BB. I have K9dd behind him, and I am thinking all the wrong things. I am thinking about hopefully winning his bounty if we can get it heads-up, and I am also thinking that if he gets eliminated (and I fold), I am suddenly BB next hand.
What I instead should have been thinking about is that we are 9 players around the table, and the chances of someone having a better hand behind me is way too high. Furthermore, even if I have to pass through the blinds I can still come back - just like I did in the K5-hand above when I was equally short.
Instead I jam it in there like a fkn moron, an OMC wakes up with TT behind and UTG even have me beat with ATo. The absolute worst thing obviously happens as well; the shortie turns an A. That means that instead of us both getting eliminated (and me getting 8th), he triples up and I get 9th place. Pathetic, terrible, and frustrating. Although this is not a huge tourney, it was almost 2k on top and I can't just throw away my chances like that.
The total cash was for $343 USD after bounties, thus only a small $103 profit after my 2 buy-ins.
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No time to rest though, I take a taxi over to Venetian and hop into a game. I was super card-dead for the short time period that I played, and hardly have any hold'em hands of note. So let us talk about PLO Bomb Pots instead!
In the first one I get dealt A889 with A8 hearts, and end up flopping insanely well on both boards:
Top: Q-8-3 two clubs
Bottom: 8-5-4 rainbow
Check to me, I bet $30 and get two callers.
Top turn: 4c
Bottom turn: 6d still rainbow
They both check to me and I am not focusing enough, because I throw out $110 (into $130). As soon as I do, I notice the third club on the top and think to myself 'oh ****, I am probably not good on either board now'. I simply failed to notice the third club until it was too late, and I would have definitely checked back if I did. Both opponents call, leaving themselves rather short behind, and I am hoping for one of the boards to pair.
Top river: Q
Bottom river: 5
Zomg, both boards paired and I have very strong full houses. The Asian player first to act goes all-in for $73, and the young white guy to his right calls with only $50 behind. I put him all-in, he snap-calls and I scoop the pot. That was lucky!
One more Bomb Pot, where I did not fare as well. I am dealt QTT5 two clubs, and end up flopping top set on the top board, while only a gutshot on the second one. Still, I bet $25 when it checks to me and get two callers.
Turn changes nothing on the top, but a flush comes in on the bottom. I am practially drawing dead there as I have no outs to improve against a flush. Should I keep betting? I don't know, I checked as I was first to act. Second player checks, before the Asian from the last hand jams for $111.
T-7-5-2 is the top boards, which means that I obviously have the nuts there. But I cannot improve on the bottom at all, and a diamond draw have materialized on the turn for the top board.
I just couldn't justify folding when I know I have the nuts, although it feels like a negative situation where I need to fade a lot of cards. The third player folds out, and a 9 lands on the top board. And indeed, the Asian player had the nut flush on the bottom, while rivering a gutshot straight with J8 to scoop me. Sigh. Obviously a bit unlucky as he does not have many outs there, but hopefully some PLO-experts can chime in with what I should do here?
I ended up cashing out +$322 after two hours. I will update more a bit later, for now here as just the numbers.
Cash Games:
Hours played: 21h 30 min
Won/Lost: -$287 USD
Hourly rate: -$13.3 USD
Tournaments:
Won/Lost: -$296 USD (5 played)
