Vegas June 2023 (WSOP)

Day 10 - Aria Seniors

Last Updated: 2023-06-17 10:46:58

Yesterday's entry was a short one.

Today's will not be!

One of my favorite poker adages is that nobody ever won a poker tournament without getting lucky a few times ...

I usually sleep 5-6 hours a night (used to be 4-5), but the last few days I've been getting in a good 8 hours a night. Apparently I like Vdara beds as much as Aria beds. But ... it seemed my body decided it needed to make up for getting so much sleep because I hardly slept Thursday night. And it rained! Started probably around 2am, on and off rest of the night/morning.

But I can tell you I never felt sleepy the entire day, even right now as I'm adding this sentence back at the top of the BLOG at 12:33am local while doing some "mostly done proofreading".

Gave up trying to get back to sleep around 5, listened to some more rain while I re-proofread the Day 9 BLOG (short day so all typed up before I went to bed and actually made it live that night but found lots of typos the next morning), got my Starbucks right at 6 when they opened (and they gave me two bagels when I ordered one, communication error in my favor) and caught up some on newspapers while I waited for Joann to wake up.

She had the opposite of me, she slept real late. Good for her!

Little spare time for the two of us tho, I wanted to get to the poker tournament and Joann made plans for a shopping day with Heather. And Heather if you're reading this you're the reason for the day I had ... because if you and Joann hadn't gone shopping I was going to take the day off!

Joann and I went our separate ways, I headed down to the buyin cage in my 10th year of eligibility for seniors poker tournaments (50-59) while Heather was picking up Joann.

My day didn't start out great. Not because of cards, but because of who sat down at my table.

I don't remember the guys name, and I don't remember what he founded and sold for a gazillion dollars, but there's this guy who is probably 70-something who is a tier or two below the Gateses, Bezos', Buffett's of the world ... but he's filthy rich and has more money than he could spend in 10 lifetimes ... and loves to play poker at Aria.

But ... he cares little about money and loves to joke about his rebuy limit. Which apparently today was 9 times. All he wants to do is hang out with us little folk and gamble like crazy.

Which ... is great if he doubles you up ... but it turns every table he's at into a game of craps instead of a game of poker. And I'm there to play poker!

Naturally he sits down at my table two to my right. At least he's betting into me and not the other way around ...

10 minutes into my afternoon I score a takeout already! Someone raises to 1000 (probably 200/200/400 blinds), I make it 2500 to go with pocket kings. One other caller and the original raiser calls.

Flop comes 10-high, checks to me, I make it 6600, only the original raiser calls. Small card on the turn, I jam, he calls, KK vs QQ. KK holds up!

Gazillionaire raises out to 1400 shortly after that hand, I call with 7-8 of clubs, there's one other caller.

Flop 4-5-6. I smooth call 1500 bets from him on the flop and Ace turn (oh I hope he has an ace...), then he bets 1500 again on the king river and I pop it to 4500 with the nuts. In hindsight I can't believe the dude didn't jam over the top with his A-Q, but he at least paid off the 4500.

He would soon dark shove a short stack while cards were being dealt and him UTG, he was called by someone and busted.

66,600 at the first break from a 30k starting stack. Sweet!

Card dead for the next hour, won two medium pots both with K-J when I turned top pair the first time and flopped top pair then rivered top two pair on the second one.

Then took a couple of hits. Guy directly to my right meant to raise to 2500 but grabbed a 5000 chip instead of a 500 chip and made it 7k. I look down at AQ suited. This feels like a spot I should jam with his obvious mistake, but there are three behind me so I decide to smooth call and see what happens.

Well the button jams and we both go away. I either missed an opportunity (if that was a pure squeeze) or saved myself from disaster (if he really had it) by just calling. I'll never know...

Lose another chunk with a second best pair and I'm down to 53k. I would guess I had built up to around 74-75k before those two hits.

Nothing going on the rest of the second hour to break and I drop down to 40,500. Which is exactly 27 big blinds when we resume play at 1000/1500/1500.

Fall down to 20 bigs and looking for "over the top jam" spots. Get one with KQ suited that gets through.

I make it 5k to go now at 1000/2000/2000 with pocket kings, there is a caller and then the cutoff jams. I call, other person folds, I flip over my kings and he flips over his aces. Dammit!

King on the turn, ship it! 88k!

419 geezers paying 54 places. Average stack is about 70k, I'm well above that. I've always estimated that exactly an average stack is probably the top 1/3 of chip stacks, there are always only a few big stacks and lots of short (thus below average) stacks. So I'm feelin' good at the time.

Then a brutal hand. Guy new to the table raises out early to act to I think 5500 or 6500 and I call with K-Q suited in the big blind.

Flop comes 2-3-J with two hearts. I fully intend to check-raise my flush draw and two overs, but he checks behind. Turn is an offsuit 4, I lead out, he calls. River is the Queen of Diamonds. I lead out for 12k, he pops it to 33k. I don't think I can fold here ... I call and he rolls over 5-6 for a turned straight. Raised out early to act with 5-6 off, wow. And what a cooler for me.

That dropped me just over 40k, and then I get a walk in the big blind with AK off. Sheesh.

Hijack seat raises to 6500, in the cutoff seat I shove all in with 10-10 and he quickly calls ... with 77. Tens hold up, full double. I had rivered a full house.

I'm back up to 85,500 with the average about 82k and my table breaks up.

Can't play a hand for a couple of orbits, lose 15k in blinds and antes. I lead out for 7500 with A-Q suited, a loose player calls but then a tight player goes over the top for half my remaining stack. I make the fold, but at the time I was wishing I had made the call and taken my chances. Around 63k, 21 big blinds.

Get away with an over the top jam with A-7 suited after a loose player raised out. 135 left, 81 from money, sitting on 70k.

Jam with A-Q, no callers, but blinds added to my stack. I do wonder if I should have just raised, but if I miss the flop I probably have to give up.

Folds around to the small blind while I'm in the big blind and he makes it 6500 to go. Obvious steal, I jam with 22. He quickly calls with 77.

Oooops.

Flop comes A-Q-9.

I say "Ace!"

Ace on the turn!

I say "Queen!"

Nine on the river.

Close enough! Chop it up!

80,500 going into the break, but they race off the 500 value chips and I don't win so 80k exactly.

I go over the top of raises with A-10 suited and A-K offsuit, no callers, up to 107K.

99 left, 45 from money.

Raise to 10k at 2000/4000/4000 early to act with AJ off, one caller, 8-high flop, c-bet takes it down.

36 from the money.

At this point they decide they want 8-handed tables instead of 9-handed tables, so at every table next person to bust out just isn't replaced.

Short stack shoves and I look down at KK, he only has 22, KK holds up and I'm at 167k!

Raise out with A-Q, called, checks down on a board of Ac-Tc-Kc-Js-Jc, he only has 66 and no clubs, straight good!

24 from the money.

Get a walk in the big blind from the monster stack in the small blind with 4-2 off. I'll take it!

188k, 161k average, 19 from the money.

My next BB hands are 4-3 suited, 5-3 off, 6-4 off. Instead of a walk the SB raises into me as it folded to him every time.

17...16...15...14...13...12 from the money.

Raise with 88, get called, c-bet and take it down. It all helps.

11...

I take out a short stack. I don't remember the hand but suddenly I feel like it was an AK vs AQ or AQ vs AJ hand. I'm sure I got it in with the best hand and it held up. I'm at 219k, average 210k, great shape. 10 from the money with my takeout.

8...

Oops, someone was overzealous with the clock, really 9 left.

Now really 8...

Raise out on the button with A-8 suited. Small blind calls. We check down as the board runs out 4-7-4-7-T and ace high is good. 259K.

7...6...pay blinds and down to 239k (4000/8000/8000)

5...4...3...blinds again, 219k

2...oh, we're hand for hand.

1:23 left before break. We do one hand and then go on break.

Come back from the break and someone busted out on that last hand. Bubble time!!!

Finally in my big blind it yet again folds to monster stack, he raises out and I look down at A-3 suited and call. Flop came with a couple of spades to give me a flush draw, he checked, I led out, he folded. About time I can fight back! Next hand it folds to me in the small blind and I look down at 99, I raise, big blind calls, flop all small, I lead out and he folds. 281k with 228 being the average. In great shape still!

I look around and I think I'm second in chips at the table only to the monster stack betting into me.

And just like that two bustouts in the same hand and we're in the money!!!!!!

Now it's about laddering up!

Bottom money is $1291 for an $800 buyin. My longstanding gripe is that bottom money should never be less than a double-up of your full (with fees) buyin. This is only a 62% or so profit on your buyin. But I don't make the rules.

Now we're counting down money bumps. And we need 9 to get to the first bump.

Raise and a call to 23,000 and I look down at pocket kings. I make it about 80k to go (really just grabbed a stack of chips that looked about the right amount and pushed them out) and everyone folds. Up to 354k.

Next hand UTG+1 raises out to 22k at 5000/10000/10000 and I jam with A-Q. He folds and we're three from the first money bump. And we get there before I play another hand!

Next bump is another 9 players. We've gone from almost $1300 to $1400-something.

Monster stack min-raises into me to 24k at 6000/12000/12000 blinds and I call with A-Q off. Board runs out 7-K-K-5-7 checked down all the way, my ace high good!

Raise out early to act with K-10 off, one caller, king high flop, bet and take it. 445k stack!

Don't play another hand all the way through the money bump that I'm counting down to Joann in messenger. I'm up to a little over double my buyin now! Sweet!

390K stack, still above average, going well...

But again 9 more until we get another small money bump.

I make it 40k to go with KK again. Both blinds call. Flop comes 225 two diamonds. Small blind checks, big blind leads for 40k and I pop it to 110k. They both fold, I crack a 500k stack for the first time. After that nothing going for me while counting down to one more from the next money bump...

There are now two monster stacks at the table. The guy to my right still but also now the guy in the small blind from the last hand I talked about. I'm the 2-seat, he's the 7-seat 8 handed. I'm early to act with A-K and make it 60k to play, he's the only caller from the small blind I believe. Flop king high, he checks and I make it 120 to go. He scowls and folds pocket jacks face up. 580k.

We get a money bump, and now it goes up every 3rd bustout. I pay blinds a couple of times, we get another bump.

My table breaks up. 24 remain, 21 is next pay jump.

At my new table a few hands in I'm in the big blind at 15000/25000/25000. It folds around to the small blind who is very short stacked and predictably goes all in. I quickly call another 60k or so (getting 2-1 on my money) with J-9 of hearts.

Of course the dude woke up with aces. What a setup. Between the blinds, antes and the call I dusted off 20% of my stack and I'm down to 400k.

Someone busts at another table. I'm around 400k, pay blinds and I'm down to 350k and we go on break.

Coming back from break blinds are going to be 15000/30000/30000 so I'm around just 12 bigs.

Folds to me in the cutoff and I look down at 99. Easy jam with 12 bigs.

Small blind wakes up with QQ, I get no help, out 23rd of 419 for a little over triple my buyin.

What a run! Got lucky a couple of times, but I think I made all the right decisions, which is all you can do, and the 9s at the end were just a cooler.

While I'm standing in line at the cage to get paid out I see a flyer for the Triple Draw Mix I'm playing in on Saturday.

The mix is NOT what I expected!

2-7 Triple Draw (check), Badugi (check) and Badeucy (what???).

I have never played Badeucy, but I've wanted to! I understand the fundamentals, I did find a web page that gives a good readout on starting hand strategy that I started cramming while walking back to the room and am going to cram some more after I finalize this!

Sunday will be a day off, not just because it's Father's Day but also Peter and Grace arrive Saturday so I'm going to spend a day with them and Joann before I get back to the grind Monday.