Vegas June/July 2022 (WSOP)

Day 1 - Drive, WSOP 8-Game mix

Last Updated: 2022-06-23 12:56:33

As usual it was an easy drive to Vegas. We were in the car at 3:48 am MTD and hit no traffic and only minor construction slowdowns along the way. Usual stops at Starbucks in the mountains and In-N-Out in the Georgetown, UT area and got to Vdara around 1:30 pm PDT

Got checked in and unpacked, then headed over to Bally's to buy into Event #48, 8-Game Mix.

Lemme start with the gripes...

The signage is terrible.

You'd think that with an annual massive event like this, it has to be one of their biggest if not THE biggest of the year for them, Caesar's Corp would make sure people knew where the F to go.

And you'd think they'd clean the walkways heading into the casino once in a while and make it look nice for their big event. Wouldn't want to make a good first impression in your new location?

And you'd think then when they have really long registration lines they wouldn't have EIGHT windows CLOSED at the buyin cage. Haven't they done this before? Don't they have an idea when there will be long lines?

We head over the Bally's, we walk into the hotel and not one sign which way to go for the WSOP. Figure it out for yourself, I guess. We find the convention area and then wander around aimlessly for 5 minutes looking for the buyin cage. See just two small cages in the floor of a big convention room with lots of tables with signs that say they're only for late registration for the event going on in that room. Not one sign showing me where to go to register. Signs that say if you're at so-and-so color table, it's in this room, but nothing about where other colors are. Paris, obviously, but still...

I have to walk through the table area to find a floorperson to ask where the main buyin cage is.

Paris. Of course it is.

Have to ask directions to get to Paris, I know there's a walkway connecting the hotels.

Eventually we find the buyin cage and I get in line about ten after three. It was about an hour and twenty before I was able to get through the line and bought in. Then I have to go wait in another line (behind Joe McKeehan) by the tables because they're creating new tables for new players but filling a few at a time so friends can't register late and try and get at the same table.

While I was in the registration line I overheard the best reason ever to late-reg especially for this event. It's a 6 handed event and they keep 2-3 chairs empty during registration before the event, then once it starts they fill in those chairs. What ends up happening then is that you start out playing 3-4 handed with blinds whipping around the table for an hour or so and if it doesn't go well for you for that first hour plus, it's not good. If you register later you get to sit at a full table to begin with.

By the time I actually sit town it's about 4:45, 15 minutes to break. I am not at all unhappy about this. And at a new, full table with all stacks even. I'm really not at all unhappy about this, it's all worked out quite well.

But that's all the gripes. Well OK the "WSOP Cafe" still sucks, however tons of food options between the two hotels and the bathroom situation is improved 1000%. Even with several urinals under repair I never once waited in line to "go" on breaks. The poker room was still on the chilly side but that's never bothered me, I have plenty of hoodies. Better than being warm!

At Rio it seemed like every table was directly under an A/C vent, I never felt that way here.

I've decided that on my October trip I got a little too much into the details so I'm going to strive to be a little less wordy this time around ... even on the really good days! :-)

No danger of that this time out, however, as this was decidedly NOT one of those...

Just one of those days where draws didn't hit for me but they were for other people and running into coolers with very good but second best hands pretty well sums up my day.

We draw for the button and the game at the new table. We're starting with No Limit Hold'Em, but not one playable hand that first orbit.

First hand of 7-Card Stud I look down at 3-4-5 with two spades so I decide to call the complete from the guy immediately to my right. I pick up a deuce on 4th street, and so far I've only seen one ace and no sixes so my straight draw is super live. I call a bet on 5th and 6th streets but never catch either straight card, not even a pair, and fold to a river bet when I can't even beat the ace high he's showing.

21500 at the first break 15 minutes after I sat down from a 25K starting stack.

Phil Helmuth is at the table over my right shoulder, Scott Seiver at the table behind me, a young Brazilian guy I watched play on a $50K PLO bracelet event on streaming at the table next to mine. Joann thinks she ran into Maria Ho in the ladies room.

Back to back tough hands in Limit Hold'Em a little while after the break. First one a loose player raises out and I defend my big blind with K-T off. Flop king high with two spades, he bets, I call. Turn a ten of spades, he checks and calls my bet with my two pair. River another spade, I have no spade. He bets out, but he's already shown he'll bet scare cards with nothing and it's limit so only one bet ... I have to call and he rolls over a pair of jacks ... with the jack of spades.

Next hand I defend my small blind to a raise from a guy at the other end of the table with A-T off. Flop T-6-5, I call bets on every street with no scare cards ... and he turns over a pair of sixes for a flopped set.

Just like that down to half a starting stack.

I finally win a decent pot against a fairly tight player in Stud 8/b. I started out with an Ace of hearts showing and 5-6 of diamonds underneath. I bet out every street as I caught 4 hearts on the board with 4 to a low (so it seems obvious I have a flush, but I only have a flush draw) and he folds to my 6th street bet.

But then a hand or two later I start out with a 2 showing and 77 underneath, so I bring in and call the complete. I catch a 3rd 7 on 4th street, he check calls me on every street where I don't improve but he's showing a pair of Queens and I think it unlikely he has a set himself, more likely he has two pair ... then raises me on the river and I call ... he had drawn out A-2-3-4-5 for a straight with A-2-4 underneath and the nut low against my unimproved set of 7s. Wow. That's a cooler.

Then a tough stretch in 2-7 Triple Draw as well. I defended my big blind with 3-5-7, which is actually a bad hand to play but I catch a whole lot of nothing anyway. Then I start a hand with 2-6-7-8 and catch a 2, a Q and a 7. Ouch.

Now down to 9k or so.

Catch a nut flush in NLH to get back to at least half a stack, but then get hammered with bring-ins in Stud and get scooped in an Omaha 8/b hand where I miss nut flush draw and only end up with second nut low running into the nut low. Argh.

Down to 6k. Not good. I tell Joann Razz is going to make or break me...

First four hands of Razz I start out with pairs. AA, 77, 88 and TT. I'm down to about 5000 chips.

I do win two small pots tho in the last two hands, at least something, back up to 8900 at the next break.

But get outkicked in limit hold'em in another top pair hand, down to 4400.

Then ... finally ...

Stud 8 I start out with two hidden aces and a queen showing. I bet every street going all in on 6th and get called down by the guy who had hit the wheel earlier. He's got no pair, hoping for a low. We both run out unimproved, he never hits his low, and I get a full double in a split pot game with just a pair of aces.

9200

Give some back in 2-7 TD when I start out with 2-3-5-7-X, huge starting hand, but draw a 2, a Q and a 7 on my three draws and give up on river. Ouch.

Back to NLH, defend my big blind with 8-6 off and the flop comes 7-9-T! We check around the flop, I check/call an 1800 bet on the A turn hoping he has an ace. River is a harmless 4, I check and he puts me all in! Snap call, he was bluffing with 22. Sweet!

20,400.

I win a couple small pots and work my way up to 24,400. Almost a starting stack!

Unfortunately that was my high point for the night.

19,700 at the next break, card dead a while.

Guy raises out preflop in limit hold'em, one other caller and I defend my big blind with J-8 of diamonds. Flop J-2-2 one diamond, we all check. Turn a 9 of diamonds so I have top pair and a flush draw and decide to lead out. Original raiser comes over the top with a reraise for what would have been almost half my remaining stack, other guy folds and I decide to give up. That was my one mistake of the day, I should have checked and called a bet, would have seen the river for probably about the same amount of chips I had bet.

Then in stud high I again have hidden aces with a ten showing, bet every street when I pair my ten on 4th ... and he drew out three 5s to beat my big two pair. 10k gone.

Few hands later in Omaha 8/b I start out with a big hand, A-2-5-J double suited and raise out to 2k of my 5k stack ... only to flop 6-6-T and have to go away.

I get my last 3000 chips in with A-3-3-T with a suited ace and only catch second nut low. 33 no good for high, someone had the nut low and I was done.

The only hand of PLO I played the whole night a guy raised into me when I had A-A-Q-T with one suit, I bet pot and he went away. Literally not one other playable PLO hand all day (several I would have played in 8/b, unfortunately).

Pizza and beer for dinner, Joann had gone to bed already.

For Thursday it'll be HORSE at the Orleans and with us playing in the Tag Team Sunday and nothing good for me at either Orleans or Aria Friday and Saturday will be days off from poker. Although I am now pondering the Daily Deepstack at the WSOP on Friday so maybe only Saturday will be an off day? But The Colossus is running Friday and Saturday (only $400 buyin bracelet event, but a 4-day event so I can't...) so there's a very good chance no Daily Deepstack to buy into Friday. We'll see...