Vegas June 2019 (WSOP)

Day 14 - NLH/PLO

Last Updated: 2019-06-19 13:56:11

Joann and I had a plan for Tuesday morning, unfortunately we both forgot what the plan was until it was too late. We wanted to go have a breakfast buffet, but it slipped both of our minds and we and didn't set the necessary alarm to get up early enough. Instead we showered and headed over to the Rio.

No Limit Hold'Em/Pot Limit Omaha mix "Deepstack". $600, 30K stacks, only 30 minute rounds instead of the usual 60. It was a little weird alternating between no-limit and pot-limit. And they use the big blind ante for no-limit but not for pot-limit, which I like!

Aria may have invented the whole big-blind ante thing, they deserve all the love from the poker community! But there are two things they do with it that I really don't like. One of them is using big blind antes for pot-limit. Ante is "dead" for calculating pot-sized bets preflop. Then why bother? (The other thing they do completely wrong is the "what happens when you don't have enough chips left to pay both the blind and ante" situation, which is a rant for another day...)

I was looking forward to it, unfortunately I don't have a lot to tell. Very few cards, missed almost every flop on the cards I did have and a sticky table in general so hard to steal.

The only hand of note in the first hour was 5-6-7-9 with a suit, always like to start out with "rundowns." Having a "gap" in the rundown can be a really good thing when the gap is at the low end because you can flop big straight draws and made straights that can improve. Gaps at the top, on the other hand, can get you in trouble because you end up flopping more straights that can't improve and draws that are usually not "nut" draws.

Someone raised out preflop, I called and I believe we saw the flop 3-handed. Flop was 2-7-8. Exactly what I was talking about.

I have middle pair and what looks like a huge straight draw or a "wrap". Any 4, 5, 6, 9 or ten gives me a straight. 17 outs! However only 7 of them are "nut" outs, the other 10 outs all give me a straight but there could be a better straight.

Original raiser bets, we both call. Turn is a 9. I make my straight, but it's the "idiot end".

I bet it out to see where I'm at and everyone folds. I'm at 33k from my 30k starting stack, probably my peak of the day unfortunately.

Missed literally every flop in every hand I played in the 3rd level, every time I c-bet with air someone hit their hand (which I know because they ended up showing...).

I pick up aces second to last hand before break and win the absolute minimum. 23,800 at the first break.

In a blind with 3-8-8-9 with two hearts (an awful starting hand) I flop a straight flush draw on a 6-7-K flop. I check seriously considering check-raising with my straight-flush draw (and the good end of the straight draw this time!) but everyone checks and I don't get the chance.

Catch the 2 of hearts on the turn, I lead out and get one caller. River another heart, I lead out again, monster stack who had taken out two other people who had clearly wanted to rebuy (all in with junk into his monsters preflop) says "ok I'm curious" and tosses out a call. I say "I have a flush, it's not a great one" and he says "flush is good..."

Hand or two later I look down at AAQT with one suited ace. Monster starting hand! But I'm in the small blind, there are 4-5 limpers into me. In hindsight I probably should have just called my monster because I know none of these guys are folding preflop and when I whiff I'm badly out of position.

But ... I make it 2k to go (blinds 200/400 I think) and maybe get one fold.

Flop comes K-7-2 rainbow, not one card of my suit, and I'm pretty well done with the hand at that point.

Hand or two after that I start with AKT9 with a suited ace, another really good starting hand. I call a preflop raise.

Flop comes A-K-2, with two spades (I have none) and there's a pot and a repot. Really good thing I went away at that point because a ten came on the turn and the one who called the repot immediately potted (all in or close to it at that point).

Whiff hold'em flops with AK off and QJ suited, got a little sticky with the AK (c-bet, check/called turn, got shown flopped top pair, river trips when I folded to river bet).

Then the highlight of my NLH/PLO day...

So I mentioned the one guy who had two people get all in with him with absolute junk. Both people eliminated, quickly, from the same seat. Another guy sits in the seat and we're all joking with him about how he's going to give monster stack all his chips next.

Apparently he is "somebody" but I didn't recognize him. We got a dealer I'm pretty sure I've seen on streaming and on TV, so is probably a "big deal" dealer. Well ... guy I should know says hi to dealer by name, dealer does double-take, said he didn't recognize him, wow did he get a haircut.

Well "somebody" also proceeded to take out one person and get into real big pots with others and also quickly built up a huge stack. And I'll give him credit, he was basically picking off bluffs left and right because he was showing some awfully weak hands at showdown like one pair in Omaha and winning!

That said, he continuation bet 100% of flops when he raised preflop. So his c-bets were not overly credible...

So I have K-Q-X-X with a suited King of diamonds. Other cards I don't remember were probably ten-nine, ten-eight, something like that. "Somebody" raises out preflop, I call on the button.

Flop comes A-8-2, two diamonds. He bets, I call with my bare flush draw.

Turn is an offsuit rag, we both check.

River is a queen. He quickly checks, I lead out for 2/3 of the pot. I honestly think I'm value betting my queen thinking it's good (so I probably didn't have an 8, don't think I had two-pair).

He thinks for a long time, remember he's been awfully sticky ... and folds an ace face up. NICE! Turned my hand into a bluff and it worked! Sometimes you get lucky!

But that really was it for my story.

Not too long after that hand almost exactly the same situation except in this case we both had top pair and he had me just outkicked - pair of 9s won the Omaha pot, his ace better than my king kicker. Pretty much gave it all back to him.

I drop to 20k, and now they're furiously breaking up tables as people are busting out.

Call a preflop raise with A-Q-T-8 with spades including the ace, flop came J-8-X so I have a pair and one of my "pivot" cards, I call one bet, and the turn brings me the king of spades!

I have to call a bet with my massive nut wrap/nut flush draw (9 flush outs plus 2 more aces, 3 more queens, two more tens and three nines - nineteen outs(!!!) and I whiff the river in a huge pot.

Sometimes it's really just not your day. Or week. Or couple of weeks. Hitting that massive draw would have very much put me in the right direction.

I'm down to half a starting stack at just 15K. I get one over-the-top all-in through with K-J suited (blinds now 400/800, I'm under 20 bigs) just before our table breaks and I go to my new table with 18k.

But...pay some blinds, raise out with A-9 suited on the button and the small blind goes over the top and I have to go away. 13,700 at the next break and blinds are going to be 500/1000 with a 1000 ante for hold'em.

Not good...

Give up another 2500 in blinds, then two people sit down as late registers at the table. They promptly get all-in on the first hand they play in PLO. The one guy said as he was putting all his chips in "well I guess this will be a quick rebuy". He just had a pair of jacks and one suit, the other guy had aces and his suit covered. Aces hold up(I think he even flopped one). Next!

I'm in the big blind with 3-4-5-7 and 5 people limp to me. I call. Flop comes 3-7-T. I've got two pair, 10,200 in my stack and 6000 in the pot. What else can I do ... I pot it, woman calls, monster stack calls.

Turn is a 4, now 3 pair. I toss in my last 4200, woman pots it, other guy goes away. She had called with exactly what I expected: 4-5-6-6. Not a great straight draw (had one of her own outs) but the good news is she only has one of my outs so I at least have 5 good outs.

But ... no help on the river, done. Can't hit big draws, can't get lucky.

On to dinner at Tom's Urban and then the 7pm.

Register just a little into the first level and actually get a seat! They only ended up with 170 or so players, smallest 7pm I've seen on the trip, but still paying 21 places.

Here's the highlights:

Get in a 3-bet early on with A-K suited, he folded.

Raise out with TT, get 3-bet, flop comes 9-high, she makes a huge bet. In hindsight I knew she had a bigger pair and it was close whether stacks were big enough for me to set-mine. I probably should have folded pre.

She led out big on the flop, I fold, she shows me her aces. Didn't need to, but thanks.

Get back over starting stack when I call a raise with KQ in a blind. Check/call when I flop top pair, check-raise on the blank turn for half my stack, he folds.

Into the first break at 21,500.

Get AA at 500/1000/1000 blinds early to act, raise out and only the blinds call. Flop an ace, I "dejectedly" check out of position, nobody bites. I lead out on a blank turn, no callers. Absolute minimum for my set of aces.

Raise, reraise into me, I look down at KK! All in, no callers but I add 10k to my stack.

Suddenly I have a 35k stack, close to average! And not bad relative to blinds.

Then a monster stack comes over and sits directly to my right from a table break and is in the big blind in the first hand. I look down at AQ and raise out.

Folds around to him, he calls. Flop comes jack high, he checks, I c-bet, he check-raises. I fold.

Get AA again this time in the big blind. Folds all the way to the small blind monster stack who just limps. Seriously? I check.

Flop jack high. Small blind makes a small bet, I call.

Turn a blank, another small bet, I call.

He gives up on the river. I get the absolute minimum for my pair of aces.

Next hand multi-way limped pot in my small blind, I limp with Q-9.

Flop a double-gutter with 6-8-T. Call a flop bet, miss the turn, fold to a 2/3 pot bet.

I'm down to 15 big blinds as the blinds keep going up...

Get a couple of all-ins through and get back to 35K but blinds now 800/1600/1600 so just over 20 bigs.

A seriously monster stack comes over from another table break.

I'm late to act, maybe button. Folds to monster stack who makes it 3500 to go. I look down at AA, make it 8500 to go. He calls.

Flop comes K-J-T. He checks, I push all in, he thinks a few seconds and calls.

He has K-7 off.

King on the turn, hits his 5 outer, I get none of my 6 outs (AA,QQQQ) and I'm done around 60th place.

The words "you gotta be fucking kidding me" come out of my mouth. I go get some pizza since I'm starving.

Seniors tournament at Aria Wednesday. I'm running out of opportunities on this trip to make up some of this money...