Note : Apologies for the quality of the photos. Not sure what happened there! A larger photo should open when you click them.
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Had a ridiculously stressful journey to Vegas largely due to nightmare traffic on the M25, which by my calculations meant that I would 100% miss my plane. given that it took over an hour to move a mile or so and the traffic reports were saying the problem stretched for five junctions! Ended up nipping off on the M1, and then taking the north circular/M4 up to Heathrow which was a bit of a gamble but paid off as I at least kept moving. Reached the plane with literally seconds to spare and whilst I was thankful to be on my way, I couldn't collect the money from the Travelex kiosk (I had bought online and arranged for airport pickup).
11 hours later I arrived and checked into the hotel. Planet Hollywood was okay, I liked the location and I could make it from sidewalk to my room on the 24th floor within approx 3 mins which is good by Vegas standards! Most Vegas casino hotels are much of a muchness inside, and whilst PH is in the 'mid range' hotel bracket, some aspects of it seemed a little worn - although the room itself was very comfortable and had 'Back to the Future' memorabilia all over the place (each room is themed). It also had a very impressive bathroom which was about the size of my office back home!
Following a brief freshen up, I took off to scope out the Rio convention centre where the WSOP is held.
Needless to say the venue is huge, with the Pavillion room the size of an aircraft hanger with hundreds of poker tables filling the floor. The neighbouring Amazon room feels tiny in comparison (although its still large) but has much more of a WSOP 'vibe' about it, as this is the room with the feature tables, and the wall-of-fame posters hanging of previous champs. Essentially, this is the room you will identify with if you ever watch the TV shows and it was fun walking around it late at night, even if it was half empty at this time! Despite the size of the place, it was pretty easy and intuitive to walk around, with various rooms housing things like the Poker Kitchen cafe, registration cage, payout room (like I'd need that!), the Bad Beat Bar (which was a bit disappointing really as there wasn't much in it) and sundry sponsored site areas.
Needless to say the venue is huge, with the Pavillion room the size of an aircraft hanger with hundreds of poker tables filling the floor. The neighbouring Amazon room feels tiny in comparison (although its still large) but has much more of a WSOP 'vibe' about it, as this is the room with the feature tables, and the wall-of-fame posters hanging of previous champs. Essentially, this is the room you will identify with if you ever watch the TV shows and it was fun walking around it late at night, even if it was half empty at this time! Despite the size of the place, it was pretty easy and intuitive to walk around, with various rooms housing things like the Poker Kitchen cafe, registration cage, payout room (like I'd need that!), the Bad Beat Bar (which was a bit disappointing really as there wasn't much in it) and sundry sponsored site areas.
The next day I spent a good slice of time speaking to Travelex about a full refund (which they gave, thankfully), and my Bank about transferring money around. And then after hitting my daily ATM limit, and having a cashier tell me that my card was declined, another slice of time talking to my banks fraud department to convince them that it really was me trying to withdraw $2k in Las Vegas. Who would have thought getting hold of money would be so difficult in a place like Vegas!
Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in getting the currency, I was too late to buy in for the Day 1A schedule for Event 47 ($1k buy in), so instead entered the 1pm $200 deepstack event. Aside from the poker, which was fairly uneventful (not to mention I was still dazed from the travel), it was nice to start off the event playing in the Amazon room rather than the Pavilion, as it had that aura the larger room doesn't quite match. Bust-out hand was annoying, in that my Jc9c shove on a fairly dry board (but with two clubs) was called by QQ that eventually held up. Annoying in that it was a multi-way pot which the chap with the queens had limped into, hence my feeling my shove was good. Ah well.
One notable thing about this deepstack tourney was that I sat next to a really nice Canadian girl who is apparently going out with a british pro (Nicky Evans) and was at a rented house with a bunch of brits, including James Dempsey and the chap who won the Irish open. She even knew about the Neil Blatchley saga (a topical sports-betting scandal involving a british poker player), which made for an interesting chat during the more dull parts of the game.
The $200 deepstack events run daily and have a starting stack of 15k with half hour levels. They are completed within a day - so if you go deep, you are talking about 5am-6am finish BUT have a decent field of anywhere between 500-700 players depending on other events, which can net a decent score for the winner ($25k-ish). Having said that, one bloke was saying that on one night it was chopped 18 ways to save time, although don't know how true that was!
Now hungry for action I went to the opposite end of the spectrum and played a SNG for $125 buy in. The winner technically receives two $500 lammers plus a little cash, but in reality they nearly always get chopped heads-up. My grinding of SNGs earlier this year which helped me so much in the Steps system to get me here also played dividends, as despite it being really shortstacked (1000 chips, 15 min levels), most people seemed to ignore proper single table strategy and just start gambling from the first hand. This means you can pretty much fold the first couple of levels and end up being 4 or 5 handed without too much trouble. Then pick out the people trying to conserve their stacks and start shoving on them. With a little fortune from the cards on the occasions you are called, it seemed fairly straightforward to get into a position of shooting for the final two, and hence some money. Chopped the game when HU and felt quite good about the first day.
Second full day was bracelet day in the $1k buy-in. I had registered the night before so made my way to the table at noon. All excited and pumped up from the previous days SNG, I was willing to bring my A-game….which soon went out of the window when I remained absolutely card-dead for the first three hours. Three levels, and the best hand I had was J10 which wasn't enough to call the shove from the player on my right. I moved tables once, and there was a woman I didn't recognise on it, although she was clearly a pro as the pokernews guys were buzzing around her. She bust out shortly afterwards and I started thinking that at least if I am going to blind-out, I'd like to do it with a named pro at the table rather than a bunch of randoms. This was all the more evident as I had Joe Seebok at a table to my right and at the table behind me, about four feet from my chair, was Chris Moneymaker and (I believe) Jen Tilly. Not going to happen though, and eventually shoved pre-flop with AJs which was called by 77 who spiked a set. Bracelet over.
One notable thing about this deepstack tourney was that I sat next to a really nice Canadian girl who is apparently going out with a british pro (Nicky Evans) and was at a rented house with a bunch of brits, including James Dempsey and the chap who won the Irish open. She even knew about the Neil Blatchley saga (a topical sports-betting scandal involving a british poker player), which made for an interesting chat during the more dull parts of the game.
The $200 deepstack events run daily and have a starting stack of 15k with half hour levels. They are completed within a day - so if you go deep, you are talking about 5am-6am finish BUT have a decent field of anywhere between 500-700 players depending on other events, which can net a decent score for the winner ($25k-ish). Having said that, one bloke was saying that on one night it was chopped 18 ways to save time, although don't know how true that was!
Now hungry for action I went to the opposite end of the spectrum and played a SNG for $125 buy in. The winner technically receives two $500 lammers plus a little cash, but in reality they nearly always get chopped heads-up. My grinding of SNGs earlier this year which helped me so much in the Steps system to get me here also played dividends, as despite it being really shortstacked (1000 chips, 15 min levels), most people seemed to ignore proper single table strategy and just start gambling from the first hand. This means you can pretty much fold the first couple of levels and end up being 4 or 5 handed without too much trouble. Then pick out the people trying to conserve their stacks and start shoving on them. With a little fortune from the cards on the occasions you are called, it seemed fairly straightforward to get into a position of shooting for the final two, and hence some money. Chopped the game when HU and felt quite good about the first day.
Second full day was bracelet day in the $1k buy-in. I had registered the night before so made my way to the table at noon. All excited and pumped up from the previous days SNG, I was willing to bring my A-game….which soon went out of the window when I remained absolutely card-dead for the first three hours. Three levels, and the best hand I had was J10 which wasn't enough to call the shove from the player on my right. I moved tables once, and there was a woman I didn't recognise on it, although she was clearly a pro as the pokernews guys were buzzing around her. She bust out shortly afterwards and I started thinking that at least if I am going to blind-out, I'd like to do it with a named pro at the table rather than a bunch of randoms. This was all the more evident as I had Joe Seebok at a table to my right and at the table behind me, about four feet from my chair, was Chris Moneymaker and (I believe) Jen Tilly. Not going to happen though, and eventually shoved pre-flop with AJs which was called by 77 who spiked a set. Bracelet over.
Back to the SNGs, I went on a bit of a winning streak. Chopping another for $500 and then playing a $175 game where we chopped three-ways for another $500. Frustratingly, in another $175 game I also got HU but the guy refused to chop, even with me offering a 2 to 1 chop as he had a larger stack. I then shoved with AK which he called with a trash hand (something like J-9) and he hit the 9 on the flop. I wonder if he would have changed his mind if an Ace or a King had hit, and I'd been chip-lead? So far, out of all the SNGs I'd played I had only not cashed legitimately in one of them, which wasn't too bad.
So now, with three $500 lammers (buy-in chips) in hand, it was just too tempting not to enter the next days $1500 bracelet event. My reasoning was that I am in Vegas, at the WSOP, and I am effectively freerolling. If I didn't enter it, I'd always have that 'what if' thing going, although it was certainly a heart-over-head decision which it turns out I regretted somewhat later, as that money would have made it a very cheap trip overall whereas I ended up about $3k down for all events instead. Still, you live and learn and would probably do the same thing again all things being equal…
The following days bracelet event annoyingly went similar to the first. Largely card-dead, although not quite as bad as the first event - and yo-yo'ed a bit in chips but due to a chased flush draw found myself at break with about half my meagre chip stack remaining. Wanting to get my chips in due to the imminent increase in the blinds after the second break I went to a flop by raising with A9 and getting one caller. Hit an ace on the flop and came over the top of his subsequent raise for all my chips. He tanked for a while then called with 55. My excitement lasted a few second until the turn brought his third 5 and I hit the rail. Again.
Edit: The above was a bad miscalculation on my half, as I should have checked the imminent level increase would only introduce antes and not increase the blinds. If I had studied the levels properly I should have picked a better spot to shove.
Once again, I headed over to the SNG tables although this time had not so much success, although partly I think I was tilted from my bracelet exit. To illustrate this, given my earlier success had come from a measured early-level strategy, there was one game where I busted first after getting all my chips in behind. Played about three, and finished third in one but the only notable thing was a guy who bust me in two of the games was clearly some TV celebrity in the US, as various people came up to talk to him about it, but I don't have a clue what show and wasn't in the mood to ask. Eventually reason set in and decided that I was just burning money playing in my current state of mind, so quit the game - and the Rio for the day.
The next two days I only played the $200 deepstack at 1pm. But decided to play a more aggressive strategy to some moderate success which made me feel a bit better. The problem with the bracelet events for a recreational player like myself is that regardless of how you know you should approach the tournaments, the singular nature of the event and the size of the buy-in does make you 'scared' money, especially in the early rounds. I was able to loosen up a bit in the deepstack and allowed me to get a bit of confidence back. Still didn't last that long, but went out on a bit of a bad-beat and wasn't too upset.
Later that day I met up with Judi Edwards, from the GNF Forum (also qualified for a preliminary event online) who had arrived sans-suitcase after a fairly stressful journey. I showed her round the WSOP venue and we celeb spotted for a while as well as grabbing some food. Then back to the strip, where I wandered up from the Palazzo (her hotel) to Planet Hollywood (mine) which is a fair distance, although seems much easier if you walk through casinos like Harrahs and Flamingo rather than use the sidewalk, I found.
The next day was to be my final day at the Rio, and I decided to play one more deepstack before leaving. Judi elected to play the low-stakes cash games at 'Bills Gamblin' Hall' on the strip whilst still recovering from jet lag. I took the same, loosey-goosey approach to the game and was doing fairly well - building my chip-stack up to 35k after the first few levels. At one point, I called an all-in with a made-flush, but a low one - cracking Villains set. Whilst in the hand I tanked for ages before making the call, as I was trying to work out if he could have the Ace which would potentially see me drawing dead. Whilst I was tanking Judi appeared and came over to see me win the hand, although my game face must mean I just look miserable as she said I 'looked depressed'. I obviously haven't mastered the Phil Ivey 'focused look' yet!
Unfortunately, the problem with widening your range (re-raised one guy preflop with 86s etc), especially when it isn't your natural game, is that you can get caught out doing some stupid moves, and a chased draw saw me back to 20k and then calling a button shove from a short-stack (who, importantly, had shoved multiple times previously when short so had a wide range) with K9, only to lose to his A10 when an ace hit on the river. This saw me down at around 12k and in familiar push-fold territory. Eventually, a big stack in early position raised 3x the blinds, a guy in mid position with similar stack to me called and everyone else folded to me in the BB. I looked down at pocket 4s, and decided to squeeze-shove as I felt the big stack would probably fold to another 7k bet and the other shorty couldn't have a monster otherwise he would have shoved instead of flat calling. Sure enough, big stack folded but the shorty tanked for a long time, muttering pot odds under his breath and trying to work out what he was being offered. At one point someone offered to lend him a calculator, and another said 'Its obvious this kid don't work for NASA'…..eventually he called with 99, which held up and to be honest, should have been either a pre-flop shove or an insta-call, so I don't know why he was mucking about, but that was that. The tournament was notable for two other 'firsts' for me…..the first time I've ever folded AA post-flop in a live game (to a very straight board and massive action) and the first time I've seen someone given a one-round penalty for picking up someones mucked cards to have a look!
Back to the hotel for an evening wandering around the strip and having a few drinks on my last night - alas without Judi who was catching up on sleep and getting herself ready for her bracelet event the next day. A final day of shopping (if you ever go to Vegas, get the ACE bus up to the Las Vegas Outlet Centre just south of Mandalay Bay - ridiculous bargains in just about every shop).
Other items of note, regarding the WSOP :
- You become de-sensitised to seeing famous players after a couple of days. I think I ticked just about every player I could think of from my mental checklist, although didn't see Ivey until the last deepstack day, when he was playing in the 25k event about eight tables away from mine.
- Heard a moderately heated exchange between Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow and Devilfish regarding a hand that must have been played a couple of weeks previously between them. Not exactly a blow-up, but a glimpse nonetheless!
- Watching top players playing poker is pretty boring on the whole. Once you are over the fascination aspect, it really isn't a spectator sport! The only two memorable hands I watched was Durrrr all-in for his tournament life only to double up, and Chris Ferguson busting out. But thats about it!
- I came back loaded with free magazines and the DUCY Sklansky book, which is on sale there. Read about a half of it on the plane home, and whilst there is a lot of interesting, thought provoking stuff in there, Sklansky himself comes across a little self-centred and arrogant in places. Still a good book, but could maybe do with some revisions in the next edition.
- I bought a signed Humberto Brenes card-protector (all to do with his save the sharks fund). Good cause but never been a big Brenes fan and his protector certainly didn't help bring any luck :)
- I bought a signed Humberto Brenes card-protector (all to do with his save the sharks fund). Good cause but never been a big Brenes fan and his protector certainly didn't help bring any luck :)
- Was cool to see a recording of the 'PokerRoad' podcast in the Rio corridor. This was the day after Gavin Smith won his bracelet, so he was clearly recovering after celebrating!
- Was stood next to Jeff Madsen and his mates railing one table where Roland de Wolfe was playing. They were taking it in turns to take the piss out of De Wolfe, trying to put on mock cockney accents. It started off quite funny, but soon looked like it was pissing Roland off when they didn't shut up. Still, at least he was at the Rio this year rather than being attacked in strip clubs
- The standard of play in the bracelet events (and the deepstack) was not as aggro or difficult as I anticipated. I'd actually say I am put under more continual pressure in the regular tournaments at DTD. I wouldn't say the standard was terrible, its just that in fields that big you will get a bit of everything. Great players, average recreational players and poor players. I certainly felt in both events that if I had picked up one or two playable hands, I could have extracted value and kicked on. Unfortunately it didn't happen.
- Poker in Vegas is very addictive. One of my regrets is playing so much that I neglected to do much else, including spending any time in the sun, at other casinos (wanted to play at Binions for example, or the Venetian deepstack seried). Even on the last day when I went shopping, I very nearly popped over to the Rio for one last sit-and-go!
- I know its stereotyping of the worst kind, but it really did seem to be the case that the chinese players were very loose and happy to gamble big, and the big brash black guys with the gold chains and tracksuits were aggresive and macho, but didn't seem to know how to play proper tournament poker!
- A lot of people seemed to be wearing 'Beats by Dre' headphones, including Phil Ivey. In my shopping trip I picked up a set for the plane flight home from the Apple store (I can't get on with ear-bud headphones and the plane ones are rubbish), and have to say that whilst they are expensive (£150ish for the Solo HD pair), they seem to have outstanding sound quality and are well made and incredibly light. Whether I'd have the balls to wear them in a regular game at DTD remains to be seen though…..
- The standard of play in the bracelet events (and the deepstack) was not as aggro or difficult as I anticipated. I'd actually say I am put under more continual pressure in the regular tournaments at DTD. I wouldn't say the standard was terrible, its just that in fields that big you will get a bit of everything. Great players, average recreational players and poor players. I certainly felt in both events that if I had picked up one or two playable hands, I could have extracted value and kicked on. Unfortunately it didn't happen.
- Poker in Vegas is very addictive. One of my regrets is playing so much that I neglected to do much else, including spending any time in the sun, at other casinos (wanted to play at Binions for example, or the Venetian deepstack seried). Even on the last day when I went shopping, I very nearly popped over to the Rio for one last sit-and-go!
- I know its stereotyping of the worst kind, but it really did seem to be the case that the chinese players were very loose and happy to gamble big, and the big brash black guys with the gold chains and tracksuits were aggresive and macho, but didn't seem to know how to play proper tournament poker!
- A lot of people seemed to be wearing 'Beats by Dre' headphones, including Phil Ivey. In my shopping trip I picked up a set for the plane flight home from the Apple store (I can't get on with ear-bud headphones and the plane ones are rubbish), and have to say that whilst they are expensive (£150ish for the Solo HD pair), they seem to have outstanding sound quality and are well made and incredibly light. Whether I'd have the balls to wear them in a regular game at DTD remains to be seen though…..
- The new 'City Centre' complex housing the Aria casino and hotel is one awesome building.
Overall despite my little regrets in playing too much at the Rio and entering the second bracelet event rather than banking the money, I had a great week all in all. Nice to meet up with a fellow forum member over there, and I would certainly recommend the WSOP experience (even if just preliminary events) to anyone for future. There really isn't anything quite like it.
Just fingers crossed I can qualify for the WSOP 2011!!!
Just fingers crossed I can qualify for the WSOP 2011!!!
