Cash Game HEATER

 Tournaments continue to be blah blah blah - though I did finally Final Table and cash in the latest Moose regular league tourney last Sunday.  Up until then I had logged a big fat GOOSE EGG in Moose play outside of the WSOP series and the Monday night cash game...

Oh yeah, that's right - the Moose Monday night cash game!  It's now, and has been for awhile, a weekly thing and I've been LOVING it.  And it's been loving me as well. 

I did torch $280 two weeks ago, but outside of that, my time on Monday nights at le' Moose has been well spent.  My results tracker app has been all green for the last six months.  

Interestingly, I've been playing exclusively a Dealer's Choice of Mix Games, which means effectively zero No-Limit Hold-Em, though it is in the list of game choices and it does pop up occasionally.  We also indulge almost every time in No Limit Crazy Pineapple, which is very close to NLHE.

The stakes are Micro, to say the least.  A capped $80 buy-in with options to top off at any time or reload to $100 if felted.  My win rate at the Moose for the last year is just under 20 bbs an hour, which is only $10 an hour - BUT, it's pretty darn massive considering the big blind is .50¢.

It may seem silly for me to get so excited over what amounts to a very small amount of money, especially compared to even small stakes vloggers who routinely post videos of thousands of dollars being dragged in or lost in a single hand - but for me this game has never been about supplementing or generating my income - I have a real job for that and I do just fine.  No, the money is really just how we keep score, and I'm worked up in a good way that my score just keeps going up lately.

Plus, truthfully win or lose, it's always a fun evening, and I guess I'm a lightweight because I typically last from 7 to about 1130 or midnight - but the game almost always keeps going to 2am and beyond.  Yes, it is, all things considered, not a big sample nor is it any real volume.  Hey, I'm a recreational player, whaddaya want?  

A few weeks ago I again failed to cash in a Moose regular league poker tournament - BUT this time there was a cash game after.  NLHE only, tiny stakes, but I managed to earn back almost 3 full tournament buy-ins in under 3 hours.  Why have I been so obsessed with tournaments for the past decade?   Cash game poker certainly isn't easy, but it really looks to be a lot less painful than tourneys.

And then there has been my cash game at home - we have only in the last half year or so started playing regularly twice a month.  One game a Dealer's Choice Mix, very similar to the stakes and format of the Moose - and the other game exclusively NLHE.

The volume here is even smaller, but my hourly is comparable.  I haven't had any $280 torch sessions in the past couple of years, mostly, I've been up a decent amount.  Last week was crazy, I was in for $120 and out for $530.  Madness I tell you.

And finally - there is online.  As I likely mentioned in the blog awhile back, the pandemic brought about the resurrection of my friends online league for tournaments.  When we switched from Poker Stars Home Games to Poker Mavens software, we also started a weekly cash game.  Again it's Dealer's Choice Mix, again it's the same micro stakes.

While I am up four figures in profit at both the Moose and in my garage, approximately $1200+ each, online I am up well over $3000 in profit, with a lot of that coming in the last six months.

It has been very gratifying to be playing weekly and to see with my own eyes my results grow.  I've taken online to withdrawing $500 every time my account reaches 1K.  I've done that 3 times in the past half year.  The money goes right into my separate checking account which is for poker only.  Very happy to have my poker monies finally truly separated from my life money, and happy to see that it's not a tiny amount.

So the takeaway for me, after the past couple of years especially, has been that cash is pretty much where it's at.  At least when it comes to some semblance of guaranteed results.  I know if I'm focused and present, and go street by street, I can make better decisions than most of my opponents most of the time.   And in a cash game, unlike a tournament, there's no rush or ticking clock and a lot less pressure to get moving.  This means I'm calmer and more patient, and more likely to make the right decision more often.

I've said it before, but know I really know it to be true.  If someone held a gun to my head and said "You have to make a living at poker" I"m pretty sure I could do it, playing cash.  I wouldn't want to, as I love the game too much - and poker tournaments are quite a bit more exciting and gratifying when I do score - but it's nice to know that I'm an above average recreational player and when and if I retire, I have a very decent shot at at least breaking even.  IF, and who am I kidding, WHEN I decide to play poker every day.

Summer Camp Schedule - 2023

 Well 2023 has started off very cold and then very hot and then very cold for yours truly.  

The Good - I have taken down two tournaments, beating out 30 runners at the Moose for 1st place in our WSOP Main Event seat competition (more about that later) and then just the other week binkng 1st place (thanks in no small part to a generous chop offer) in my own home game tourneament.

The Bad - other than those two bright spots, the first two months and a half of this year have been - for me - bubkis.

The most notable wash-out was the Moose International massacre I detailed in the previous post, but I've also had little to no success in all my other usual Moose and home game tournaments as well.  The cash games have been a bit better, but only a bit.  A couple of uncharacteristic negative showings at the Moose, breaking even in the two cash games in my garage, and doing much better online with friends, with over $1000 in profit withdrawn over the past few months.

To be fair, there has been some personal stuff going on that has distracted my focus, but I also feel that I've been playing well enough that my results should not be as terrible as they are.  But it is what it is, as they say, and going forward I'm going to make great effort to keep my focus sharp and my attitude positive.

That especially goes for my next "Trek to the Main" event at the Moose.  This is the aforementioned tournament series that is going to award at least 3 and possibly 4 WSOP Main Event seats.

Right now we have 3 events remaining, and I have a decent shot at capturing 2nd or maybe even 1st place in points by the series end.  If this happens, I will win a seat - as they are awarding two seats for points alone.  If I fall short, I am still qualified for their Tournament of Champions, which will have a seat for 1st place and maybe a seat for 2nd place, but for sure a couple or more 1K seats for people who finish in the top 4 or 5.

So I would love, love, LOVE another crack at the WSOP Main.  I've played exceptionally well in the Moose series last two events, finishing 4th and 1st and catapulting myself from the 20's into the top 10, number 7 I believe - out of over 40 participants.

Plan A So in the spirit of overwhelming optimism, I've already booked my room at the Horseshoe (formerly Bally's) for the dates of Day 1B of the Main through day 4.

If that ticket fails to materialize, I still very much plan to make my way to the Mecca of poker, but on a different date for a different event.

Plan B (as Plan A is the Main) - Play in the Senior's 1K on Day 1A, Wednesday June 21.  Whether I survive or not, play the next day - but not in the Seniors, instead play Day 1 of the 1K Tag-Team!  My partner will be the part-time crusher poker player extraordinaire G-Bone!  Very much looking forward to this!

If I make Day 2 of the Seniors, I will carry on on Friday, June 23.  If my partner and I are still in the Tag-Team, it will be G-Bone alone likely to play on Day 2 of that event which is also on Friday, June 23.

If I'm out of both major tournaments, the remaining weekend is wide open for smaller events - likely to include the WSOP Daily Deepstacks at 2pm on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Plan C - is what happens if for some reason I can't make Plan B.  That is, something comes up at work and I have to pull the plug on the Seniors/Tag-Team itinearary.

I've booked a room for the week of July 10-14, which is very cheap (and free to cancel).  The week contains no less than three bracelet events for $800 or less.  I will for sure make this trip if the other two plans fall through.

And finally - Plan Z - which may happen or not, irrespective of the other plans.   

The very first week of the WSOP there is a 1K Mystery Bounty event which is expected to shatter every attendance record before it.  I've booked a room to play Day 1C and possibly 1D if I don't survive, on the Friday and Saturday of June 2 & 3.  Day 2 is that Sunday the 4th and they are planning to play down to a final table that day.   Obviously if that happens I'm staying another night and playing hooky at work on Monday the 5th.

I'm really, really, really, going to try and sneak out this weekend and make the event.  If, and that's a big IF, I make Day 2 that means we are into the bounties, which are envelopes with mystery amounts ranging from a bunch of $500 tickets to a single 1 Million Dollar prize.   That will be an absolute thrill if I get to pull an envelope from the chest!

*****

Leading up to Summer Camp I'm afraid there's no time to sneak away to any other series, local or elsewhere.  Work is thankfully very busy, and I also have family to attend to of course.

I am going to be playing the Moose when I can, and of course my always entertaining home game is going to be firing on all cylinders.

You probably noticed, as I have just realized, I don't have any plans for Mix Game events at the WSOP. Frankly, it totally slipped my mind.

I recently got a strategy book on Kindle for Mix Game play and I'm trying to slog through it.  It's an informative but dry book, and I'm kind of surprised (though I guess I shouldn't be) at how much I already know.

I know I spent an entire post going on and on about how I wanted to shift some of my focus to Mix Games, but I forget how busy I am day to day, and also how much I enjoy and how much time I"ve already invested in No-Limit Hold-Em tournaments.

For now I'm not going to worry or stress about my earlier commitments to this pursuit.  I'm going to continue to play it by ear, and if it turns out I have a real hankering for a H.O.R.S.E. or Omaha/8 tournament, then by golly I'll study for it and play one!  If not, it's ok.

In fact, I'm playing an Omaha/8 tournament next month, in my home game so there!

Keep watching here of course for my first WSOP foray and an update on results.  If I play any card room / casino tournaments between now and then you may or may not see it here.  You most likely will of course if I bink four figures ha ha.

Moose Massacre - and a bit of LIVE inspiration

 For only the second time in my life, I took off a few days from work at the start of January to indulge in the Moose International Poker gathering at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.

This year there was one major thing that was awesome - no more mask requirement!  I loved being able to play sans face diaper, and I knew I was going to have a great time no matter what with this silliness out of the picture.

Turns out, I was not alone, with easily 90% of my fellow players also dispensing with the mask thingies. It made playing with everyone a real pleasure.

Alas, the Poker gods (note the little "g") were not influenced at all by my happy mood - they sought fit to smite me, over and over.  And over again.

Yes, that's my AA getting run down by AK - AIPF (All-In Pre-Flop) in the 2pm on Tuesday.  I had busted the Moose Main earlier in the day (having made it with 6.5 big blinds to day 2) when my KK ran headlong into the oldest person on the planet (not just in the tournament) and he had AA.

This will not be a post replete with bad beats, though I did have quite a few of them over three days.  I failed to cash once in six tournaments.  And I was too bummed out to try to recoup anything in cash.

The trip, at least poker-wise, was a total bust.   However, in all honesty, I actually had more fun than I did last year, which you can read about here.  

Sadly, my good friend from the Moose - Adam, was unable to make it this year as he'd had a heart attack just before Christmas.  Fortunately, he is still with us and is on the mend.  I talked with him on the phone during the trip more than once and was able to give him updates on my fellow Moose brothers and sisters (31 of us total!) who were making deep runs in the Main Event tournament.

One of these brothers, managed to parlay his $330 entry into almost 10K!  He made a five way chop deal at the end, and locked up a very nice nearly five figure score.  Yes, I'm very jealous, but he's a great guy and a very good player who absolutely deserves it.  I laughed as his wife quipped from the rail - "Now we can pay for gas on the way back"

I really had a blast riding the rail for my friend, and for others who went deep.  We had 6 of us make it to the final five tables, and 3 of us make it to the final two tables!  Way to represent Burbank Ladies and Gents!

And truly, I also did enjoy my time on the felt - brutal exit hands not withstanding.

Overall I felt my play was sharp, though it did dull a bit with each new tournament I sat down for - my enthusiasm got dampened quite a bit with the brutal AA<AK nonsense.  Then it was dampened more when my AQ was cracked by AJ (again AIPF) 

And dampened even further when I collided with the only other big stack at my table as the money bubble approached - of course I had AK and she had AA.  No suckout this time though.  The very next hand I had AQ and someone else had KK.  GGs and fuck right off lol.

Yes, it can be an exasperating game.

But I have to take solace in the pros that Vlog and are transparent - mainly that guy Rampage who shared this amazing video where he completely revealed his financials for 2022.  He made over a million dollars in profit in poker - but only after he binked two big tournaments at the very end of the year - after almost 12 full months of losing.

Yes, that is the nature of the beast that is tournament play.   Lose, lose, lose, lose, etc. etc. then BINK one or two big scores.  

I understand that I don't play tournament poker every day, or even every week.  I play a handful of times a month these days, and almost always in ultra-low buy-in recreational events, either home game or Moose Lodge.   A "big" event for me is the $330 Moose Main in Vegas.  Or the 11am $250 side events.  Even when I do hit we're talking about $1K-$3K tops.  I can blast through that in buy-ins in a month or two no problem.   I have a very steep uphill climb to grinding out a decent profit, and truthfully, I'm amazed that my results have been as good as they have been for so long.

So I won't stress too hard at a long string of bad beats and goose-egg finishes.  After looking at Rampage's results, or Daniel Negreanu's for that matter, I can see the big picture and see that both of these guys are big time long time winners - and yet most of the time, they bust out early.

As I type this - right at this moment - DNegs is all in for his tournament life with AQ, AIPF against AT against a young aggressive opponent.  And...

Bam, a TEN literally just hit the flop.  FUCKING CRAZY.  I'm not making this up - I'm literally typing this at 3.40pm in the afternoon of Jan 19 as the Poker Cup Event #7 plays out LIVE.   Board bricks out and DNegs is OUT.

Did everything right, played it perfect - doesn't matter.  He's out.

Yep, that was me for three days.

I feel rejuvenated right now, in real time, watching the hand unfold right next to this window.

Just incredible.

*****

Grateful for this great game - and grateful that I will continue to enjoy it as a serious minded recreational player.

Looking forward to my home game tournament, the first regular event of the year, in two days - and looking forward to more Moose fun and whatever else comes my way in 2023.

Bring it on!

Cross-Roads

 Poker is rolling on for me in 2022 - right at this moment I'm in a mini-slump in not having cashed for half a dozen tournaments or so, and I also have a couple of losing live cash sessions under my belt.  Not that big a deal, and also I did have a fantastic past couple of months online, especially in Cash, being able to cash out over $1000 in profit - so really it's all good.

Still, I feel like it's a mini-downswing so I have been on a mini-break for almost two weeks and am very much looking forward to returning to the live felt soon; on tap is a cash game in my garage on Friday, a TOC in one of my Moose Leagues on Saturday (a free-roll so that's nice) and a monthly tournament also in the Moose (a different league) the very next day.

I do truly love the game more than ever and I look forward to playing for the rest of my life, but I'm also pondering what the next step is for me as I feel like I want to change it up a bit, as far as what my priorities and goals should be.

I am super happy to look back on the past decade plus - and see on my Hendon Mob page that I've had a lot of good and fun results playing really very few poker tournaments over the course of a year.   Really, my "results" on this page are pretty amazing considering a couple of things -

• I almost exclusively only play very small buy-in tournaments (almost always under $500 entry), and then only a few bigger events over the course of a year.  Probably I average 3 tournaments a month in a card room, one or two in slow months and then 4 or 5 on a weekend trip to Vegas
• There is a limited number of casino tournaments that are even recorded on the Hendon Mob.  I play in a bunch over a year that don't even count here - and I cash in them often.  The Hendon Mob page also obviously doesn't include home games, and that's for sure where I have my best results.

Truth be told - if nothing changes in my approach going forward, I'll be ok with it.  I like playing fairly infrequently, though it's more frequently these days with my daughter away at college.  Right now in 2022 I'm averaging two poker sessions a week, usually this also includes a cash game session.  If I played for another ten or twenty years and nothing changed - I would likely have a similar continuation on the Hendon Mob and I would be truly happy.

I've tracked my results for over 10 years, and I'm up over 50K in profit - mostly from tournaments.  But in my limited cash game play, I have way more winning sessions than losing sessions.  If I was forced to make a living at this game, cash games are for sure what I'd stick to.

Anyways - I don't feel restless, I don't feel unfulfilled - but I still do feel like I should push myself and reach for a bit more.  Goals I think are a good think in poker, if you set them as aspirations to aim for rather than do or die achievements that if you don't make mean devastation.

I forever plan to be an amateur and not try to earn a living at the game of poker.  However, I think it's worth my time and efforts to aim high and put a good amount of the work in...

Here are a few of specific goals that I'd like to reach in my lifetime.

• Make the money in a WSOP (or big series equivalent) Mix Game bracelet event.
• Hit a five figure score in a tournament with a three figure entry.
• Hit a six figure score in a tournament with a four or five figure entry.
• Make a final table in a WSOP bracelet event.  

I think these are all realistic goals - but I don't think I will necessarily reach them with the same study and play schedule that I've been keeping for the past decade.

Of course the ultimate goal would be winning a WSOP bracelet, but that is very unrealistic even if I were to quit my job and play tournament poker full time, so I'm happy to set that aside in favor of more directly achievable goals.  And who knows - in aiming for the goals above, there's always a chance I might bink!

Anyways - in terms of ramping up the study and play.

I think I can do this rather easily.  

Studying sucks, but I have done it in the past and I can do it going forward.   One thing that always kick starts my studying is attending a poker workshop.  I've been to four in my lifetime - a WSOP Academy in 2015 which saw a drastic improvement in my game, and three LearnWPT workshops, in 2017,  2018 and 2020.

There is a workshop coming up in Vegas early this December.  If there's anyway I can make this happen, I'm going to do it.   Unfortunately work might be an obstacle, I likely won't know if it's possible until the week before.   In any case, if I can't do this one - I'll make every effort to do the next one.

Going to a workshop always helps me re-set my focus on studying the game.  In this case, tournament poker of the No Limit Hold-Em kind.

But you may have noticed that my first goal is to cash in a Mix Game tournament event.  Ideally making the money in a WSOP bracelet tourney would be the best, but I would consider my goal met if it was at the Wynn, Venetian, Aria, Bike or Commerce or some such, for a $500 entry or more.

I feel comfortable in mix game tournaments, I've played more than a few in the last year or so since we came back from Covid.  But I'd like to play more going forward, and in doing so really focus on studying and improving my mix games enough to be a force in tournaments. 

Unfortunately there aren't too many study resources, at least in comparison to NLHE tourneys, when it comes to mix games.  Still, if I can do the LearnWPT thing, and then shift directly to mix game study (using perhaps UpSwing or a similar training sight that offers mix game tutorials) I feel I can make the same leap in quality in my Mix game as I did with my NL Hold-Em in 2015.  After my WSOP Academy workshop that year, hosted by Brian Rast, the spike in my results was crazy good.  All of the sudden I started crushing my home game.  I also went on to cash the Colossus in the WSOP, my first bracelet event cash in that arena in 5 years of playing, not once, but two years in a row.

I would love to get that kind of boost for my Mix games, and in doing so I would hope that such a drastic improvement would translate to even better results - as unlike NLHE, mix games have not only far less players, but far less players who study.  A much softer field overall.  Right now I feel I'm squarely in the middle of the pack.  If I could somehow work up to being in the upper 25% (very achievable) and then (dream big) perhaps the top 10% (maybe not possible, but who knows), the future could be very very bright for my mix game tournament efforts.

My interest in improving my mix game stems from two things.

• I love playing them.  I get the biggest charge from the variety and break from NLHE.
• There are a lot less great mix game players out there than there are great NLHE players.

There is however, one big downside to mix game tournaments - and that is simply that results are VERY dependent on good or bad cards.  Much more so than NLHE events.

If you run not so great in a NL Hold-Em tournament,  you can still very likely make the money, and sometimes (against a soft enough field) you can even take it down.  I myself have done this - won an entire live tournament at South Point in 2021 without a single premium, save AK a few times and JJ and TT once each.  No AA, no KK and no QQ.   It's in this blog, it can happen.

If you run bad in a mix game tournament, you are well and truly screwed.

So the key I believe, is to get as good as you can, so that when you do run decent you are winning the maximum with your bets (be they fix, pot or no limit) and losing the minimum.  The idea, as is also true with No Limit Hold-Em tourneys, is to not squeak into the money, but to make a mountain of chips so you can with stand bad beats and also make a deep run into the top half of the final table.

So as far as Goal #1 - the plan is to Live Workshop, then pay for a training program online for Mix Games.  Unfortunately it likely won't be online training for tournaments, as they really don't exist - but if I can gather info on how to best play cash and when deep and mid-stacked, my tournament training at this point is more than sufficient enough to carry me through the later stages.

As for the remaining goals - the cashes and the final table - I feel that if I shift my study and playing focus to mix games, there will still be plenty of NLHE and plenty of opportunities to have real shots at achieving those benchmarks.

I don't ever see myself abandoning NLHE and exclusively focusing on Mix tourneys.  First of all, there simply aren't enough of them (Mix events) to do that.  And second,  I really feel that if I'm workshopping and studying and playing Mix, it will still keep me sharp on the Hold-Em stuff.  The very best players in the world that I follow, consistently, are always bouncing back and forth.  Ivey, Hellmuth, Negraneau, etc.  They are all Hold-Em and Mix players.  I really feel that to get great at poker, you've got to play all of it.

So, that's the plan!  Play all of it!  

Also, ramp up my frequency.  Truthfully, since my kid moved into her dorm, I've kind of already done that.  I think that's one reason why I'm on a break now actually, playing every single week is not something I did when she was here, and now that she's at college I have for sure increased my playing time.

This is good for my game, and the wife so far is ok with it - but I also have to be cautious that I don't overdo it and get burnt out (like I did recently to go on break) or lose that important life/wife balance.

That said, I know my goals won't come within range if I don't keep up my playing frequency.  So for now, that's what I plan to do - ever mindful of my family and work needs.  I love the former with all of my heart and I like the latter very much, so I don't want to damage either.   I think a big part of that is to keep my intentions and communication wide open and frequent.   That's what I'm doing here, and of course that's what I'll do with the wifey.

Looking forward to the LearnWPT workshop in Vegas (hopefully I'll be able to swing it) and then also there's a good amount of poker to play at Commerce in November as they are doing a tournament series (LA Poker Open) that has a good amount of Mix Game events.   Going to try and carve out some time for those, and make my home game and the Moose a bit less of a priority.  I will for sure have a higher cashing rate playing softer players, but I won't necessarily get better or have a chance at a bigger score, which is after all, the goals I wrote down above.   

There will also likely be a good amount of poker tournaments in the second half of December, as I'll be devoting the long weekends to that pursuit as well, especially as work slows down a bit.

After that, going into 2023 it will all be about the WSOP preparation.   Ideally I would like to finagle a 3 or 4 day weekend springtime trip to Vegas to play in some smaller buy-in events.  I've got my eyeballs out to find a smaller series somewhere like South Point or Orleans to fit the bill for that.

In my garage home game in April and May I'll be running WSOP satellites for me and my friends, including a single table $1200 satty for the mighty WSOP Main.  Hopefully I will get enough players to make that happen, and then hopefully I will be the one to win it!

Failing that, I will carve out a 4 or 5 day weekend in the WSOP itself, and I will devote my days to Daily Deepstack NLHE events - PLUS a single WSOP Bracelet Mix game event, hopefully H.O.R.S.E. or some such.

This really helps me to pound out my thoughts and aspirations on this here keyboard.  If you're still reading, good for you!  Mostly this one was just for me - but I appreciate your interest!

Hopefully my next post here will be from a nice big juicy score in November at the Commerce!

WSOP 2022 Pt. 2

 I was back at the WSOP for a full week of tournaments!   Had some smaller events at South Point in my sights, including a $240 mixed game tournament right off the bat on day one (Sunday, July 10) - ROSE, aka HORSE with no Hold-Em (Razz, Omaha/8, Stud, Eight or Better Stud)

I must say, I had an absolute blast with this one - the players weren't that grumpy (they usually are in these fix limit old-school events) and my bust out wasn't near the bubble.

I really didn't misplay any hand, except maybe once in Razz.  I couldn't help but alert my opponent when he called 4th street with KQ showing that the game was low-ball, and he folded.  It was second nature to me, but really - I should keep my mouth shut in a $240 tournament in a casino.

So I ubered back to Bally's and checked out the scene.  It was the tail end of Day 1A of the Lucky 7's tournament.  I would be playing in Day 1B tomorrow.

I of course was hopelessly early, and was ready to sit down in the Paris Ballroom as soon as they opened the tables, a good 15 minutes before start time!   

Beforehand I had paid a visit to the little boys room, and the once clean and massive restroom that I had seen at the beginning of the WSOP (see my part 1 video) was now absolutely TRASHED, with at least half of the stalls and urinals busted and taped off.  This room was designed to take a gradual influx of a thousand or so people over the course of a day - NOT designed to handle a thousand all at once, multiple times a day.    It will have to be overhauled, not just patched up, to survive next years series.

Anyways, before I walked in, I ran into a friend from my home game, Mr. Joe F. , who was also playing.  We were both raring to go.   But then we walked into he ballroom, and it was SERIOUSLY empty, as in - they had moved our tournament over to Bally's.  D'oh!   We jammed on over (about a 5 minute walk) and found our replacement tables... wished each other luck and then we were underway!

I have to say, playing 7 handed is AWESOME.  

We actually played 5 handed for almost an hour before the other players showed up, which was fine with me.  Everyone was an amateur and I was happy.  Of course the two that were late, were decidedly NOT rec players.  Oh well.

All the same, I had a pretty great morning and afternoon.  Expertly chipping up and rolling with the punches just fine.

Then the bad beat came - according to my twitter it was not pretty...  I truthfully don't remember the hand but...

I was out less than an hour later, though at one point I did get moved to a new table that also had my homie Joe!

Unfortunately, only one hand was played - and then that table broke as well!

Less than ten minutes at my next table, my big hand ran into a bigger hand and that was it for the day.

Well, mostly.  I did take a stab at a small evening event at the MGM down the street.    Did not cash, busted 23rd out of 69, 12th from the money.

Fishy players, fun times, no monies.

And so it was off to bed, day 2 in the books.

The next morning I passed on the aggressively mediocre breakfast sammich from the day before at the Paris deli, and instead went next door to the creperie' and got a Monte Cristo crepe.  It was very good - but the Nutella crepe the next day was even better!

And then it was on to Day 1C of the Lucky 7's!

Once again I was scheduled to be in the Paris Ballroom, and this time - we actually played in the Paris Ballroom.  A very cool room, and decidedly cooler than Bally's.  The day prior had actually been a bit sweaty.  Supposedly they had fixed the air conditioner, but whatever system was in place, was clearly old and barely functional.  Hopefully next summer it is dialed in and nice and cool like Paris.

Alas, this time around there was only a couple of other amateurs at my table - everyone else was either a pro or a more serious and younger poker player than myself.  It was decidedly harder to spin it up, though I still did for a time.

I was out in under 4 hours, and I happily enjoyed a great burger at Cafe Americano, with my favorite accoutrement. 

It rocked.

My twitter indicates that I was in pain from a couple of tough beats and a seeming inability to win flips...

Truthfully the pain and "woe is me" attitude here has completely faded by now, as it's been over a month since the trip.  I'm happy to see that I was comfortable, and successful, with big bluffs.

That night I once again Ubered to South Point for a small ($150 I think) tourney.  Nothing of note to report there, but I did have a bizarre return trip...

It was really weird.  I oddly felt guilty for not having a mask - but not too guilty, as I didn't say anything.  He really did mumble at me for the entire trip.  I smiled and said "Uh-huh" over and over.  Still tipped him well.

The next morning, after the AMAZING aforementioned Nutella crepe' - I was pumped to play EARLY poker at the weekly Wednesday $250 9am Deep Stack SENIORS event.   As you know, I finished 3rd in this event in June, I was looking forward to a repeat performance!

While the chips were an improvement from last time, I'm afraid my run wasn't nearly as good.  I busted well in time to register for the 2pm Everybody Eligible Regular Ass $250 Daily Deepstack.

One cool thing in the morning seniors event, I sat directly next to the champion of the 2018 1K WSOP Seniors Bracelet event - a Mr. Matthew Davis, who was very nice and very cool and fun to chat with.

I ran into him again a few days later and we caught up on our results (both bad lol), it was fun chatting and commiserating. I called him "Champ" and he smiled in appreciation.

Anyways - the 2pm Daily that day...  It went well, but I needed some fuel at this point to get going.

Within two hours I was short stacked and unable to get away from TPTK (Top Pair Top Kicker) against an opponent who had AA.   I was out!  No worries - rebuy!

I wasn't discouraged at all - I had been playing well and dove right back in.  These lower buy-in tournaments were quite a bit softer than the Lucky 7's, and I had no problem spinning up chips and being comfortable pushing the aggression and mixing it up post-flop.

By 940pm we were hand for hand, and ten minutes later we were in the money.  I had 20ish big blinds and was very happy to keep getting involved, hoping to double/triple up and make a run at the real money at the final table.

Unfortunately, it was not to be, and I had to settle for this...

Better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick and a decent cash for the buy-in (just under $600, but of course I was in for two bullets) - and it would've SUCKED to not cash at all this week, and until this tournament that had been a very real possibility.

So fairly happy, after another long but super fun day of grinding - I was burnt toast and off to bed.

With only two days of playing left, I awoke and once again went for the Nutella crepe!   Why eat anything else ha ha!

Don't need to get into crazy detail about July 14th, but I will say this, it was one tournament - the $250 2pm Daily Deep Stack once again, and my twitter pretty much says it all - 

Again, this being a month later - the pain has GREATLY faded and I don't really remember the agony that is evident in my twitter.  Sometimes getting older is a good thing!

And so the last day - July 15

After quickly busting a 10am $60 silly-ment at South Point, I registered for the 1pm $240 Omaha/8 tournament.

Did not cash, but as always enjoyed myself immensely in a fixed-limit / NON-Hold-Em event.

And then I was back to Bally's to say goodbye, watched a little bit of the Main Event Final Table in the Bally's Event Center (their equivalent of the Amazon room) and was in awe of the players and the once in a lifetime experiences they were undergoing.   Some day I'll get there!

Very cool set up and very exciting!

Also noticed this nonsense in the casino...

The idea of people watching this kind of thing as entertainment just kind of boggles my mind, but to each their own I suppose.

And so that was that - the 2nd chapter to my 2022 WSOP experience was certainly not what I wanted results wise.  You can do the math here if you like, but I'll save you the trouble and let you know that I was down well over 2K.  Fortunately, my $2800 cash in June helped offset that quite a bit, alas, over all for the 2022 WSOP, I was in the negative.

However, the experience, all of it - was once again truly GREAT.    

Summer camp for grown-ups, for me, has and always will be the World Series of Poker, and now that it's in it's new awesome home on the strip, it is absolutely better than ever.

I can't wait for next years sleep-away, and am super pumped to come back with my mind and body energized and my heart full of love for the grind and the great game of poker!

Post script - came back come, grateful to see my girls and get back into the routine of a job I like a lot and a family I love - but I also of course had time for the next poker tournament at the Moose, and...

There ya go! 

WSOP - 2022 - Part 1

 Great news - I absconded to the WSOP at Paris/Bally's early!

Click HERE to see some stuff that happened - 

And now I'm back, and wasn't sure until today if I would get back to the WSOP at all this year.  But thankfully, they finally nailed down the schedule for my work (we've got two big shows, including a pilot that I'm directing) and not only does it not conflict with the week I wanted to go (see post below) but I've already e-mailed the boss and he has signed off!  Yay!  Of course if work changes, it may all get canceled, but as of right now I am BACK ON for the week of July 10-16!  

Can't wait!

SPOILER ALERT, SCROLL DOWN!!!!

Couldn't resist sharing this!

Plans for Summer Camp!

 The World Series of Poker is going to be back and bigger than ever in 2022!   

Once again it returns to the summertime, only this time around it will be at a brand new venue - the first change of scenery in 17 years.  Leaving forever the old and busted Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, and entering the new hotness of Bally's and Paris on the strip!

At some point Bally's will become the Horseshoe - not sure if this will be before or after the WSOP, but big changes are afoot in the upcoming months that's for sure!

I for one am PUMPED about the new location.  The WSOP on the strip can only mean bigger and more energized fields.  The Rio is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, and Bally's/Paris is right in the middle of all the action.

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Originally, before the schedule was released - which you can find by clicking HERE - I was envisioning once again entering the Seniors Event and probably also Colossus.  These tournaments tend to line up on a good weekend for me - so I went ahead and booked a surprisingly cheap room at Bally's.

Then the schedule hit - and also my work announced that we would be doing a big show smack dab in the middle of the WSOP, the same weekend as the Seniors and Colossus!  Boo!   So those events are out for me.

In fact, the show we are doing is so big I know it will likely be impossible for me to get away for at least an entire month leading up to our show.   My only option it seems will be to attend the WSOP after the 25th of June.

So that narrows it down quite a bit - basically I have two options.   One, try to satellite and play in the Main Event OR go right after the Main Event starts and take advantage of a handful of lower buy-in bracelet event.s

Option 1 is certainly appealing, I would LOVE to get back into the Main Event somehow.  And even if I strike out in a satellite there's always the Daily Deepstacks and other WSOP events that I can probably figure out.

Option 2 is also very alluring - there are no less than THREE bracelet events that are just perfect for my budget and temperament that start on July 10 and go through the week.

Ultimately it was the room rate at Bally's that made my decision for me.   It was literally less than half the price to book a room after the Main Event.   The price was, and probably still is, less than $50 a night on average.   Amazing.   This plus free parking and no resort fees with my Diamond card makes it a slam dunk.

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So my WSOP schedule is as follows -

Sun July 10 - drive in and check in.   Scope out the scene and probably play the afternoon $400 Daily Deepstack.

Mon July 11 - Play Event #75, day 1B of the $777 Lucky Sevens No-Limit Hold-Em 7 Handed Bracelet Event

Tues July 12 - If I make day 2 in #75 then play the 1pm Daily Deepstack or an alternate tournament at a different location.  Should be good options at Orleans or perhaps Aria or Venetian.  If I didn't make day 2 then fire again in #75 at noon for day 1C.

Wed July 13 - Assuming I'm out of event #75 - play event #80, the $600 Mixed NLHE/PLO bracelet event.

Thurs July 14 - Assuming I'm not in another event - play event #82, the $800 8 Handed NLHE Bracelet Event

Friday July 15 - If I have cashed in any previous event - play #85, the $1500 NLHE Closer Bracelet Event.  Otherwise hit a Daily Deepstack to finish things off.

Saturday - come home unless I'm still in any multi-day event!

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There we have it - thems my plans and I'M PRETTY FKING EXCITED ABOUT THEM!!!!!

Summer Camp can't come soon enough!!!!