WSOP 2017

Another year another epic journey to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas!

This time around, for the first time ever, it actually wasn't a furnace - aka a hairdryer in my face.  Vegas was a lovely 82 degrees when I arrived late Friday night at the Rio.

The bad news - I tried to check in and was told that the tower my room in was closed for "a bacteria issue in the water" and that I would be moved to the Flamingo.

The good news - it meant my room was now free.  Sounds good to me!

Bad news, I got to the Flamingo (courtesy of cab fair provided by the Rio) and there were at least 300 people in line in the same boat I was in trying to check in.  It was 1am.

The good news - I said screw this noise and got in the empty Platinum status line, got called up to the counter and just pretended that I belonged.  "Hi there, they just sent me from the Rio!" I chirped.  My ruse worked.  Checked in in 10 minutes and fast asleep five minutes after that in a brand new "Go" room with a strip view.

Morning came early and I was off to gamble - since I was in the neighborhood I hit up one of my old reliable haunts.

Unfortunately my usual run-good in the ultra crap structured Harrah's turbo was absent - and I was out in just over an hour.  I snapped what would be a recurring photo, in black and white in tribute to YouTube poker Vlogger Jeff Boski.   Check out his awesome Vlog if you get a chance!

And we are out!

 I wasn't going to play in the Millionaire Maker on Saturday, this was my warm up time, and since I didn't have a quick ride over to the Rio (though they said they would reimburse my cab fares) I instead went to the 11am Mirage.

I ran up my stack quickly, though with 50 runners the field was surprisingly capable, not the usual super soft recreational field I usually find at the "timewarp" that is the Mirage.

Easy game.

I was one of the chip leaders for most of this 4 1/2 donkament.  I got my money in with KK vs. QQ and lost at the final table and ended up finishing 5th for $400.  Not too terrible for a $120 entry, but not the 1K plus I had my eye on near the top.  Of course the remaining four players chopped as soon as I left and they each got about $1200.  Typical.

So then as dinner approached, I made my way to El Rio.

It was great to be back and wandering the familiar halls.  But this year things were shifted around a bit, the mother ship was moved from the Amazon to the Brasilia.

The room was a wee bit cozier, but really the difference wasn't that noticeable.

Definitely noticeable was this thing in the Pavillion -

This was a high stakes cash game area, which really amounted to what has been in this spot in years past.  Crazy big ass cash games, with black, purple and sometimes yellow and cranberry chips flying in every direction.  It's pretty crazy to look over and see games where the average stack could buy you into the main event several times over.  Whenever I get delusions of playing this game for anything more than fun, I just watch degenerates like these slinging yellow frisbees (that would be 1K cash chips) around like they mean nothing.  Cray cray.

Poker nerd sighting - Mercier the BEAST.

And so after a delightful burger at the All American Grill I got down to business in the 9pm stupid-ament.  Pretty much the entire time my stack looked like this -

 Twice early on I was in a great spot to chip up, twice the poker Gods took a massive dump on my hopes and dreams.   First was AK vs AQ, I had the former my opponent out flopped me with the latter.   Then my Jacks ran into Queens against the only other stack against the table that I barely had covered.   A cheerful fellow that I nicknamed Lobot.

Lobot shows no mercy.

And by cheerful I of course mean basically soulless and bereft of any humor or humanity for that matter.  Good times.  Of course he would later finish me off when he picked up aces and I had ripped with 7 big blinds and AJ.

Tournament poker - thy name is beatch.

And so I ubered my way back to the Flamingo and rested - excited but somewhat apprehensive about the Millionaire Maker in the am.

I almost didn't pull the trigger the next day, but in the end, the gorgeous sight of 3000 poker players, all with million dollar dreams floating in the ether, was too much for me to take and I bit the bullet.

Cool right on the rail so all my buddies can watch the action!  Oh wait...

It seemed to take a very long time for 10am to arrive, but once it did, I was back in my element and all the nerves seemed to evaporate.  It was just another tournament at a surprisingly soft table.

Two of the fellows were aspiring pros, but both were spewy and I predicted they would be gone with in an hour or two.  Glad to say I was 100% right.   Everyone else was purely recreational and I managed to build up chips quickly.

From this...

...to this!

The dealer was a little Dusty.

The first break came and went, and I held my own until the next break.  An hour later, our table broke.

#bagandmovetotheotherroom

And this my dear reader is where things went south for our hero.  As you can see by the sack o' chips above, I was doing okay - I had taken a couple of hits, one particularly nasty suck-out against a shorter stack who binked a 3 with his A3 against my AK all-in pre, but I had upwards of almost 40 big blinds, just a little above average.

Alas, my table in the amazon was a true table of doom. It's not that the players were all that great, but at least 4 of them had gargantuan piles of chips and they were all boisterous and opening basically every hand.

It's tough to make moves when one is utterly card dead as I was, but it's basically impossible when you are surrounded by maniacs with mountains of chips.

The next hour and a half was about the most miserable time I've ever experienced at a poker table.  A real shame because the day had started out so promisingly.  In the second hour I ran a double barrel bluff against a regular that I recognized from the Bike, and it got through.  Absolutely awesome and a highlight poker-wise for the trip.

But now I was 37, 63, Q2, etc. etc. etc. and everyone was catching premiums left and right.

I finally had to take a stand with 10s7s in middle position with 7 big blinds.  Normally I would never wait that long to get it in - but I had been genuinely bereft of anything playable.   I got it in first and promptly ran into AA.   The End.

F U Poker.

So there it was - overall a good experience, but in hindsight I think once again I was doing it wrong.

I've got a big trip to Europe coming up with the family here in another week, so my summer had already been booked.  I was only able to get away to Vegas for 2 days.  In other words, had I made it to day 2 I would've had to call in sick to work, which I really didn't want to do.  What does that say about my state of mind in approaching the Millionaire Maker?  It says to me that this is the WRONG place to be mentally.

Next year, if I have a massive vacation planned in June or July, I will not be playing in a four figure entry event - perhaps a $235 deep stack or two, but not a bracelet tournament.  If my summer is pretty open, then yes, I will throw down the big bucks for a big score - and I will book my room in anticipation of making the final table.  If I somehow fall short, I will still be in town to play the deep stacks and enjoy myself.

So farewell for 2017 WSOP - next time I will be in a better state to get down to business and rock it no matter what you throw at me.  Once again, a lesson learned by me!

The good news was for Sunday night, that my room was now available at the Rio.

The bad news was - I found out online that the reason the tower had been closed was for Legionnaires Disease.  Google that one if you want a good laugh.

Not ominous at all.  Sleep well!