WSOP TR part 7, The Never Ending Gory, Event 15 and Venetian 1k

[Bond18]

WSOP Trip Report part 7, The Never Ending Gory, Event 15 and Venetian 1k
TL;DR warning: This chapter chronicles two tournaments as well as various random happenings, and since one of the tournaments was deep stacked it’s going to be pretty long. If you’re not interested in the various bull [censored] I write about and just want to look at hands, scroll down to where it says “I wake up the next morning and head out to the Venetian.” Also, I am in full admittance that I made a few poor decisions in my play and I’ll be posting some hands.

The night before event 15 ($1500 NL holdem) I head down to the WSOP cage to register for the next days tournament a little before 2am. Unfortunately, I am greeted to a fairly substantial line stretching well out the door. [censored], I was hoping to avoid this by coming down by fairly late, but these $1500 events are just so popular. I stand in line for a moment and debate what I want to do, I can risk coming the following morning, but it just might be very crazy. As I’m waiting and considering my options, a security guard comes over to me and taps me on the arm.
“Sir, would you come over here with me for a moment?”
Ah [censored], I’m thinking he wants to card me or something.
”Alright sure, whats up?”
“Sir, would you like to bypass the line and get registered quicker?”
“Huh? Well yea, of course.”
”Okay, just come with me along here.”

He walks me down the opposing side of the outside of the Rio room and explains to me if I have any extra money feel free to toss him a bit and if not no big deal, he’s gonna make some extra scratch ferrying people back and forth to the little secret cashier side and if they’ve got nothing on them no big deal. I open up my wallet and show him that indeed I have exactly $1500 on me, but if I see him around over the next few days I’ll make sure to help him. He says its no big deal and takes me to hidden side of the cashier where there is one person In front of me. Lol, the city built on kickbacks.

I wake up for the $1500 feeling a bit groggy but good enough. As I get into the elevator an old man standing in the corner exclaims “Oh, we have a celebrity!!” without the slightest hint of sarcasm. I look at him to make sure he meant it towards me, yep, he’s staring right at me.
“Uhhhhh, what?”
“I said we have a celebrity!” he repeats.
I’m very confused. My only guess as to his logical math goes as follows:
Young guy +Las Vegas+ tucked in dress shirt = celebrity.
I stare at him a moment totally bewildered; this awkward elevator ride seems much longer than 5 floors.
“Ummmmmmm, I don’t think so?”
He laughs and says something about celebrity this and that which I just can’t make out. The moment the elevators open I rush out mumbling ‘have a good one’ and head for the Rio room, I’m running a couple minutes late.

I get to the table having missed a few minutes of starting play, which is really stupid of me considering we only start with 60 BB’s in a $1500 tournament. The first two hours are pretty uneventful, I find both AA and QQ and get almost no action (a caller pre flop and a check fold on the flop) and lose some chips raising here and there then c-betting into stronger hands. By the time we break I have around 2100ish left and blinds will be 100/200.

The first real decision occurs a little bit after the break. I’m down to 1825, and another young player on the table has been push boting quite a bit, at least once, often twice a round, having been quite short for a while. For the hand in question he has managed to push bot back to 1600, and in MP1 jams it all in. It folds to me on the CO with 66 and decide I’m a little ahead of his range (though this call may be questionable, especially live) and rejam. The blinds fold and he flips up his hand, AA. God damn it. The AA holds and I’m down to 225. The next few hands go something like:
I fold a couple hands, find AQ, jam beat KK, back to 750, jam an A, everyone folds, now have 1050, jam a K (didn’t look at other when folded to), everyone folds (other card was a 3, maybe I should have looked?), then pay a round of blinds and in the SB post 100 with 950 behind when the following comes up:
Button is a smart/aggroish player with about 6k, and BB is very tight weak with like 5k. As previously mentioned, before posting I have 1050. I am dealt A4hh. Folds to button who makes it 600 and I decide he’s raising huge range and jam knowing I’ll be called. BB folds and button calls, showing QJo.
Flop: J 6 4
Turn: 8
River: 4
Ironically, in the 7 events I’ve played this was the hand I was most excited about. I’m 90% sure I said “Boo yah” when the river hit and high-fived the guy who was BB that hand, who I’d been making friendly chat with. Could this possibly be one of the greatest WSOP come backs ever? I now had around 13 BB’s and had paid my blinds.

I go totally card dead the next round and fold for a while, and the blinds go up to 100/200 with a 25 ante. Finally utg with about a 12 BB stack I look down at AQss. Raise folding feel’s pretty gross, and with the antes out there I decide to just jam (thoughts? 10 handed table.) A player with about 35 BB’s in MP thinks his options over for a moment then calls. It now folds to the BB (the player who was previously the aggro button) who has about 40 BB’s and decides to jam. It folds back to the MP player who has to tank with 1/3rd his stack in before finally calling. They flip up their hands:
MP: QQ
BB: AA
Jesus Christ, live poker is so rigged. Obviously I don’t flush it or anything like that, so I am sent packing.

After getting dinner with Curtains at the Italian place in the Rio (It was quite bad, the only food I didn’t really like at the Rio, so I guess I’d recommend avoiding it) I decide to head back to the Rio room and play some $1000 satellites.

In the $1000’s, they start you with $5000 chips at 25/50 blinds that go up every 15 minutes. The structure is a little worse than last year, but still not nearly as bad as say the $300 buy in which is $1500 starting at 25/25 and more or less unplayable. In my first $1000 I busto in the following manner:

UTG+1 is a really awful aggro player who makes the 100/200 blinds 600. It then folds to the button who calls. I look down at QQ with about 6300 and make it 2600. It folds back to UTG+1 who jams for a few hundred more than me. Button folds and I obviously call. UTG+1 flips over A4o. We have ourselves an expert.
Flop: K 9 6 rainbow
Turn: 4
River: A
Aweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesome. I run so hot. I am busted there and go to play a $300 since there is immediate seating and I’m not aware just how bad the structure is. I get 4 handed in that and shove my like 3 ½ BB’s with Q9o on the button and the BB calls with ATo and busts me.

I then run into adanthar and we decide to play $1000’s together swapping some action. I work my stack up to about $6200 when the following hand occurs:
10 handed, UTG young/fairly bad aggro calls for 200. Its folded to me in MP1 with KK and I make it 700. Folds back to UTG who shoves for a little over 4000. I insta call and he shows 88.
Flop: 8 4 2
Turn: 4
River: 5
Aweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesome. I have 2000ish left and after paying my blinds, stealing once, get A6o on the CO. I jam my 2000 and the BB with about 5k stack decides to call with QJo (Blinds might have been 150/300 at this point, I don’t remember so well.) He obviously flops a J and I am sent packing.

After the SNG adanthar and I get some Chinese food with Adanthar and we discuss whether to play Venetian 1k deep stack tournament tomorrow or online. I decide since I am down so much on my stake that I should go play Venetian and try and grind it back, plus if I played online I’d likely only have one screen to work with which doesn’t sound like fun on a Sunday.

I wake up the next morning and head out to the Venetian. The Venetians poker room is really gorgeous; tables are very comfortable, seats have wheels and lean back, the tables have automatic shuffling machines (you get roughly 2X the hands in), the décor is appealing, and best of all, you get $10,000 starting chips with 25/50 starting blinds and hour levels. The tournament had a bit fewer than 400 players and a first prize over $100,000. Everything sounds good to me. Overall the field was a bit stronger than any of the WSOP events I’ve played so far (outside perhaps 5k PL) but it was still quite beatable and since its on Sunday’s I think a lot of the online guys prefer to just stay home and grind the big Sunday.

For the first hour I dance around and try to see some flops cheap, connecting once for the flopped nut flush but it doesn’t get paid to huge or anything. After an hour, I’ve got about 8500 when the following hand comes up:

MP1 raises the 50/100 blinds to 300. MP2 calls. MP3 folds and I call on the hijack with 8c7c. Folds to BB who also calls.

Flop: 5s Qc Jc
BB checks, MP1 bets 800, MP2 folds, I call, BB folds.
Turn: Tc
MP1 bets 2200. That’s pretty odd given what a scare card it is, AK perhaps? I move all in and he calls, showing the 2c 3c and I’ve got him drawing dead. I am now up to around 17 or 18k. I get moved to a different table which is the toughest of the four I will sit at today. Luckily the table only breaks after about half an hour, and I go over to my new table with about 16k in chips.

I play a couple quiet rounds at the new table when at 100/200 with 25 ante the following hand comes up:
It folds to me on the button with 3s6s. SB is a bit of a donk and BB is tight/weak, but my reads aren’t that accurate given 2 rounds of information. I make it 550, SB calls (he has about 15k) and BB folds.

Flop: 5 5 8 rainbow with a spade
SB checks, and I fire 750. He thinks things over for a minute, seeming fairly unsure of himself, then calls.
Turn: 4, full rainbow
SB checks again. Very often I would check back with my draw, but I really feel like SB is quite weak here and I think there’s more FE firing two bullets live than there is online. I decide to bet 1500. SB thinks it over and CR’s me to 3200. [censored], I totally failed to read the live donk. Now I have to think this over. Would SB flat call 88 or 44 here? Very possibly. His tiny little CR sure looks strong. However, if he’s just got a 5 he just might totally stack off on river, especially with a 2, and I’m already getting great price plus implied. He’s also stupid enough to flat call a big pair here pre and try this tiny turn check-raise since board is paired and he thinks it’s really safe. I decide given price and his range to call.
River: 7
Not as good as a 2, but I’ll take it. As I’m considering my play, SB moves all in. Oh WTF? Does he realize this is at least a semi-scare card? I just don’t think I can fold at this point but I’m really not feeling good about my hand. I call. Donk flips up Q5hh and I win a huge pot. I’m really not sure if I like how I played that hand all around so I might go ahead and post it, but getting input on live seems more difficult/complicated than online.

I now have a very serious stack of around 27ish K and with aggressive play over the next couple rounds grow it to about 30k when the following hand comes up:

MP1 is a young guy who seems TAG and smart. MP2 is middle aged guy who I don’t have much read on. At 100/200 25 ante MP1 makes it 700, MP2 calls (both have about 12 or 13k behind) and it folds to me in the BB with AsTs. I call for 500 more.

Flop: Ah Ks Qs
HOLY SHIAAAAAAAAAT! Their stacks are both pretty good for a big check raise, and that board promises to have hit one of them. I check. Mp1 checks, and Mp2 bets 2100. I make it 8500 (most of his stack) and MP1 folds. Mp2 goes into the tank for a moment, then declares “yea, I can’t fold this” and jams the rest in. I obviously call and he flips up KdQd. Sweet, I have 17 outs, all in behind with the best hand.
Turn: Td
Yes, I am going to have HUGE stack early.
River: Qh.

*Siiiiiiiiigh* Sucked out? I’m not sure. I am knocked down to around 17k. A few rounds later I’m sitting about 15 or 16k when the next big hand occurs:

A very bad player limps in EP. I have AcJd in MP1 and make it 800. Folds back to said bad player who calls.

Flop: Kd Qd Td
Wow, that flop hit me just a little. He checks and I bet 1250. He check raise’s all in for 5600 and I snap call. EP flips up AhQh and I’ve got him drawing to a chop or runner runner.
Turn: Q
River: (Do I really have to tell you?) Q
He leaps out of his seat “YES!!! OH my god dude I am so sorry!!!” I now have around 8 or 9k.

For the first time in as long as I can remember (probably a year or more) I actually felt that sort of ‘punched in the gut feeling’ after this hand. It wasn’t so much that THIS beat was so bad or anything but I think the collective crushing I’ve been taking finally wore my mind out a bit. We had a break a few minutes later and I strolled outside into the sun and air to try and collect my thoughts for a moment. I still had about 9000 when we came back to 200/400 with 25 ante, so I’d have some room to work with.

When we got back in I really started to get chummy with a couple of the players on my side of the table including the guy who put the AhQh beat on me. Turns out he was Australian but had been living in the U.S. long enough that his accent was warped in a strange way, indistinguishable way. I can relate man. I also get friendly with the older gentleman on my immediate left who tells me what a polite young man I am. I’ve found that when you make friends on the table and get people to like you, they play you more honest, believe you more, and sometimes even directly what to do in order to save yourself verse them. Last year in the main 2p2’er FOLD IT told me he wouldn’t be going over the top of me without AA, so when I 3 bet him with AK and he jammed I let it go and he showed me AA. In this years limit event I got friendly with online’s Sooners who told me when to fold to his AA. Sometimes if a guy is very nice to me and we’re hitting it off but he’s also very weak and I have to attack him/his blind with regularity I start feeling dirty telling him I had AJ and mid pairs over and over.I can just imagine one day telling some recreational nice guy who’s blind I raised with 57o I had pocket 88’s, then my cards getting flipped up when they hit the dealers hand while being flicked into the muck and my friend turns to me in an Al Pacinoesque moment and tells me how much I broke his heart. Hopefully there won’t be a kiss of death included.

At around 300/600 (50 ante) I have managed to get my stack back to around 10.5-11k when the following hand comes up, which I’m pretty sure my pre flop play was quite bad.

It folds to the table chip leader who is like UTG+2 or 3 who limps for 600. He’s limped sometimes, sometimes folding to a raise afterwards, sometimes calling, one time reraising. It folds to me on the CO with 77 and I make what I think is a fairly questionable limp. With less chips I’d certainly jam, with more certainly raise, but at 18 BB’s I really wasn’t sure what my MO should be. The button limps behind me and now its up to a very tricky/aggro/spewish SB who seems to be a habitual move maker. The SB moves in for 12 or 13k, BB folds, CL folds and its up to me. Bleeeeegh. I start rambling about how much it looks like a move, god it looks like a move, screw it, it’s a move, I jam (call.) The button folds and the SB flips up his hand……..83o. The table is freaking about what an “awesome call that is dude!” I’m still sitting there in my own little world questioning my limp behind while the dealer flips up the board and I manage to dodge the 8. I’m now back in the game at like 25kish. One guy from the opposite side of the table walks around, pats me on the back, and tells me I what a sick read I just made.

I fold the next hand, but the hand after that I am dealt KdTd in MP2 (we’re 9 handed due to a bust out.) I raise to 1800 and the button (the player who came over to tell me about the sick read) calls. The SB folds and the BB also calls.

Flop: Tc 7h 7c
BB checks and I bet 3600. Button quickly raises to 8000 of his 14000 chip stack. BB folds. Now I tank again and try to put the pieces together. Button had been playing really tight, especially with cold calls. Two hands ago he came over specifically to tell me I can make sick reads. I’ve got a pretty tight image from all the folding I was doing when I was 15-20 BB’s. He’s made a little more than min raise with 3 players in the pot for over half his stack when a flush draw almost always jams in this spot. I think things over a bit, announce “god I’m so weak” and muck my KTdd. He flips up QTss and I feel like a total [censored] idiot. God I feel like I’m getting everything so wrong today.

A few rounds later the following hand develops at 400/800 with 75 ante. I have 46o on the button and like 16k stack. Friendly older guy on my left has about 18k and he perceives me as very straight forward and honest, especially with him. Folds to me pre and I make it 2200. SB mumbles about how he should probably just fold, then calls. BB folds.

Flop: 2 5 8 rainbow. Double gut shot for me.
SB donks out 5k, and I quickly move all in. I thought I had a little more than 3X his bet at the time, and I wanted to move quickly to look strong, but when we counted we realized I only had like 8k more. I am normally very constant about counting down my stack over and over, but I guess it had been moving around a lot. Luckily though, this shove does put SB to a decision for all his chips which is a BIG deal in live poker. SB tanks super hard core, mumbles how I would never do this with a draw, never with AK, so I must have TT, and folds 99 face up. I quickly muck then begin telling him what an amazing fold he made, and how is read was close but I actually had JJ, and really can’t believe what a ‘great great’ fold he made.

A round or two later an aggro player with about a 30k stack who has never once open limped open limps UTG+2. It folds to me in the SB with like 25k and I complete with Ks7h. BB checks.

Flop: As 7s 7c
I lead out 2200. BB folds. UTG+2 raises me to 5000. This is a hand I’d really like to post. I feel like his range is: AA, random Ax suited like A8 A9 AT etc, flush draws, small pairs that he’s turning into bluffs, air. If I 3 bet now I’ll likely fold out everything but AA, but I also don’t have to worry about making a tough turn decision OOP if a spade rolls off. This one is definitely getting posted in HSMTT. I decide to call, believing he doesn’t think I’ll lead a 7 this strong here and that he’ll continue his bull [censored] on the turn. Again I think this is questionable.
Turn: Jd
I check, he checks back. [censored].
River: 8h
I lead 7000. He quickly barely over min raises to 15000. If I flat call him I’ll have like 4 or 5k left (if it doesn’t add up from original chip counts, sorry, this Is all from memory.) I feel like his range is very highly polarized to big hands (boats) or air plus missed draws. I call leaving myself about 5k back (again this is very questionable, should I be like insta shoving here?) and he quickly mucks. I now have a pretty serious stack.

A couple hands later a fairly quiet and tight player on my direct right raises to 2400 UTG+1, with about a 14k stack. I am UTG+2 with AKo and make it 7800. It folds back to him and he moves all in, so I figure I’m very likely racing a TT/JJ/QQ type hand, seeing as how tight he’s been. He flips up….KQo. WTF?
Flop: A 7 5
Turn: A
River: X
UTG+1 busts, shakes my hand and tells me good luck. The table looks around in confusion. We reach the dinner break shortly after that and I have over 60k. I go to dinner with the Ozzie guy on my right, and his friend who turns out to be the guy with the QT hand with me. We run into another guy who joins us, and guy 3 tells us about the blackjack teams he runs, how he’s barred from the floor of every casino, and how he is making a documentary on blackjack teams. His story was really interesting as he was a member of one of the split off teams of the original MIT squad which ‘Bringing Down the House’ was based on. I find that often during tournaments my appetite is very weak, especially if I didn’t have time to work out that morning. I often end up only eating half my food and feeling very full afterwards, as sitting in a chair for 8 hours is hardly a way to work up an appetite.

After we get back from dinner my table is broken and I show up to my new seat with about 60k in chips at 600/1200 blinds with 100 ante. The player in seat 1 is a middle aged guy with about a 90k stack, and the player on my immediate right is about 30, bookish looking, and we had been making chat at my 2nd table. He has about 25-30k.

A round or two into my stay at the table the aforementioned big stack raises to 3200 on the hijack. It folds to the SB who calls, and in the BB with QhTs I toss in 2000 as well.

Flop: Qd 9s 7c
SB checks. I decide to check and see what the big stack does. I considered betting, but if I lead out about 5k and the hijack raises I would be absolutely clueless OOP and I guess fold? HJ checks behind.
Turn: Qs
SB looks down at his chips for a moment, then fires out 6k. He has like 20k more I think. I raise to 20k since board is moderately draw heavy and if he’s got me beat he’ll be shoving river anyway and HJ folds. SB goes all in for 6k more and I obviously call. He flips up 77 for a boat, [censored].
River: 5
Damn it, there went my nice big stack.

A few rounds later the blinds have gone up to 800/1600 with 200 ante. I had raised on either the HJ or MP3 (10 handed) with 22 the hand before and successfully taken the blinds with a 4200 chip raise. This hand I am dealt AKo with about a 33k stack in either MP3 or MP2. Folds to me pre and I raise to 4200. Folds to the button who is a older guy of 50-55 who has like 65k. He reraises to 12500. SB folds and the BB, who was the HJ in the previous hand and has like 85k now, looks over his stack, thinks quite a bit, then calls. I move all in for about 20k more hoping to fold one out and hoping BB isn’t trying to lay some lame ass trap with AA/KK. Now the button tanks hardcore, counts out his chips, stares at me, stare at BB, counts some more. Finally he calls. Now the BB moves all in over the top. We go back to the button who with half his stack in, tanks hardcore. I stand up and put my suit jacket on. The guy on my right looks up and asks “your THAT sure your done?”
“Hell no, but if I am I want to go out with some class.” I try to smile.
The button is still tanking and finally calls.

The hands are flipped up:
Me: AKo
Button: AKo
BB: QQ

The board blanks out with T high, and both of us are sent packing. I feel exhausted and stumble out to the taxi line.

My WSOP progress so far looks something like:
Live multis: - $24,700
Live SNG’s: -$2385
Online: + $4,400
Total live cashes: 0

Aweeeeeeeeeeeeeesome. If it kills me, i am not leaving this city down in live donkaments.

[cameronw01]

Jesus Bond you picked a terrible time to run bad. Thanks for taking the time to write the trip reports/ not killing yourself, I appreciate it. Of course you winning something at some stage would make it a better read.

[Soulman]

Gah...gotta echo cameron here. Nice to read these reports, but goddamn a better ending would be cool! Write better scripts man!

You know you'll get there eventually, keep it up and keep your head in the right place!

[bismillahno]

Thirded, you play good, write good, you'll start to run good soon enough. Keep writing please!

[im_the_dirt]

Keep your head up Bond. I'll be out there in a couple days and maybe you'll get a chance to sit on my left and reraise me off every hand.

[DonkeyChip]

I've been reading all of these...and enjoying them thoroughly except for your bad luck.

[ QUOTE ]
After getting dinner with Curtains at the Italian place in the Rio (It was quite bad, the only food I didn’t really like at the Rio, so I guess I’d recommend avoiding it)

[/ QUOTE ]
You must not have eaten at that Indian place yet (Gaylords?)...worst meal I ever had in LV and it's not even close. The best restaurant they had (IMO, Bamboleos) was closed sometime between last year and this year.

Usually one of two things change my luck in LV...one is a Kingburger, skinny fries, and chocolate shake from Fatburger across the street from Monte Carlo (if you haven't been and you like burgers...you'll thank me later...trust me) and the other is a hooker.

Through a tiny bit of 'detective' work I got a chance to see what you look like...you do kinda look like some celebrity but I can't think of who it is.

[The B]

[ QUOTE ]
The first real decision occurs a little bit after the break. I’m down to 1825, and another young player on the table has been push boting quite a bit, at least once, often twice a round, having been quite short for a while. For the hand in question he has managed to push bot back to 1600, and in MP1 jams it all in. It folds to me on the CO with 66 and decide I’m a little ahead of his range (though this call may be questionable, especially live) and rejam. The blinds fold and he flips up his hand, AA. God damn it. The AA holds and I’m down to 225.

[/ QUOTE ]

love the trip report...hate this play

gl Bond, still a lot of poker left

[NHFunkii]

I think most of those hands you had questions about were played fine. I would probably fold the straight draw to that minraise, he CLEARLY flopped a monster, and I think a boat is a lot more likely than trips. worked out well though.

[black666]

very nice report once again.

there is still a lot of play left in the wsop ... I'm sure you will turn things around.

[Cornboy]

I fail vicariously through you. I'd like to turn that around. Good luck, sir. Really enjoy the TRs, thanks for writing.