Vegas June 2017 (WSOP)

Day 14 - Aria

Last Updated: 2017-06-28 11:17:51

In like a lion, out like a lamb...

We decided that my best chance to get a nice cash before we headed home was the 7PM at Aria. That left us a whole day to kill, so we walked up to Caesar's to go shopping. Joann had a good day at the mall there.

Dinner at Todd English's Pub just outside Aria. We assumed it was associated with the hotel but it isn't, it's associated with the Crystals Mall so we couldn't room charge.

It wasn't bad, but I can't imagine going back. Onion soup was real good, but we got a pretzel appetizer that was slathered in butter and the butter didn't really do anything for us and my french dip (not what they called it but it was what it was) had a lot of fat and grizzle in it. Not a great final meal.

On to the 7pm.

I was up and down in the first three levels.

First I tried to steal a pot when I was sure a guy missed the flop. I had A-10, flop came 455. He c-bet but didn't look like he liked the flop much so I called. He checked a 6 turn so I bet out trying to steal it. River was a K so I decided to fire another bullet when he checked, he called and rolled over A-6. I was right he missed the flop...

A little later I took out a player down to half his stack on a flip. My QQ vs his AK, ace on the flop but queen on the river. 22K

Short stack cracks my KK with his JJ. 13K

Pick off short stack's bluff and pretty much get my chips back. I forget if he raised or limped preflop but whatever he did I called with Q-T offsuit. Flop came J2K. I called his flop pot-sized bet as did someone else. 4 on the turn, he bets same amount as the flop. Getting the correct price I call, other person gives up.

Q on the river. He leads out for the same bet again. Wish I could say I made some great read but the reality is that I've just caught second pair against a guy who's shown nothing but weakness and is giving me over 7-1 on my money.

I call with my bluff catcher, he rolls over Q9. 10 plays, ship it. 19K.

19625 at the break after three half-hour levels.

I whined to Joann that it seemed to me that it had been a real long time in this trip since I had flopped a set on a hand that wasn't a pre-flop all-in to give me a chance to trap and stack someone.

Few hands later I pick up pocket 8's.

Still haven't flopped that set.

My table was crazy with three-betting. I hadn't seen so much in any tournament the entire trip this early. Not many hands I was involved in, I tried to stay above the fray and wait for good cards.

Then I called clock on someone. I don't know if I've ever called clock on someone, but this was awful...

Board is irrelevant to the story but I think it contained an A and a K and we're on the turn so one more card to come.

Guy who had been at the table for all of 3-4 hands has 11K behind and leads out for 3700. Other guy in hand, who probably had 25-30K behind at that moment, goes over the top and throws out 8000 in chips (later turned out he told the dealer 7500, but whatever).

First guy goes over the top for his total of 11K, raise of 3500. There is easily over 30K in the pot.

Dude goes in the tank! A minute later we're all still watching him. I call clock.

Bottom line is this. He's getting something close to 10-1 on his money. If he has anything at all with another card coming he has to call, period. Simple math. If he just has air and got caught he should release his cards and stop posturing. There is absolutely no excuse for being in the tank in that spot.

And besides, the fact that he had to go into the tank means he's a dumbass. Folks here's my final bit of sage advice for this trip.

If you are going to go over the top of someone look at their stack FIRST. The other guy cannot just call the 7500 because his stack is too short. He either has to fold or go all in. And let me tell you, a person who invests 1/3 of their chips is never going to just call for another 1/3 of their chips. Ever. (well...ok...I've seen it happen once or twice with a card to come but the person who does call off for that much of their stack is dumber than this guy...)

Before you go over the top of someone who has invested 1/3 of their remaining chips but go over for less than their whole stack plan ahead for the all in!!! There's no excuse for going into the tank. You have to know before you make the raise in the first place that the other person is either going all in or folding. They are never, ever just calling. If you're not willing to call the over-the-top all in for 3000-3500 in a 30K+ pot don't raise in the first place!!!

Especially not with another card to come!

After the hand short stack claimed QQ and bigger stack claimed JJ. So both claim trying to steal with two overs on the board. Fine, dude, you tried to steal with your jacks and you got caught. You really don't need a two-minute tank to figure out what to do in that spot, you really should call and hope for your two outer but if you can find a fold in that spot good for you. No excuse for tanking tho...

Not long after that I bust out when I river trip queens and run into a straight. Ouch. I was the third person at the table I saw in about 2 hours of play bust out with 3 of a kind vs a straight (the other ones flopped a set, which I still haven't done :-) ).

Would have liked to finish on a higher note, but that's poker folks.

What a trip!!!!!

14 tournaments, 6 cashes for a 43% cash rate. I had something around $14,000 in prizes. Obviously it wasn't free to buy into all of that stuff...

I played in 5 WSOP bracelet events. One cash, another Day 2, and 22 minutes short of a 3rd Day 2.

In daily tournaments I cashed in 5 of 9 (55%) and well over $10K in prize money off about $2400 in buyins. I'll take it!

Looks like Joann is up so it's time for me to head back up to the room and start loading the car.

As always, thanks for following along!