WSOP Summer Part 4: Not Dead Yet
- Puddnhead
- Aug 20, 2024
- 11 min read
WSOP Day 44
My Main Event is over but I’m still in Vegas another week so now the consolation tour begins. Starting off with a $700 Badugi tournament at the Golden Nugget.
Badugi is a triple draw game where you’re dealt 4 cards and trying to make the lowest hand with one card of each suit and no pairs. The strategy is fairly simple and most people aren’t very good.
I’m still bummed about busting the main but I guess it’s worse to bust on a mistake where I’d be beating myself up about it. I played great for 14 2-hour levels and it took a disgusting cooler to bust me. Still sucks because if that guy doesn’t hit one of 2 kings on the river I’m basically guaranteed the $15k min cash and the dream is still alive. 🤷🏻
In other news I haven’t had a drink in 4 months and wasn’t even tempted after busting the main. So looks like that is going to stick.
So turns out I read the schedule wrong and it’s a $700 TORSE tournament at Golden Nugget today, which is HORSE with 2-7 triple draw instead of holdem. Consolation tour off to a great start 🙄
Lost a big stud pot right after the break where I had aces in the hole and dude made a straight on 6th against my aces up. Down to 11 big bets
Lost another big pot straight vs hidden boat in stud 8 and down to 6 big bets. Nasty 7th st in that one. I had a low draw that was good but made a high straight that wasn’t instead.
Lost like 70% of my stack in the last 20 minutes.
Scratch that 90%. Lost another one. Less than 2 big bets.
Busted
WSOP Day 45
Consolation tour continues, today at the Wynn. Playing an $1100 single day to start. They have a $600 nightly later that’s a possibility too.
Moved rooms again back to Hilton Grand Vacations and for my last week here I have a nice room with full kitchen and washer/dryer. So I’ll be making my own eggs and eating nothing but the finest Cinnamon Toast Crunch again.
Played 2 hands so far and lost half my stack.
First one a 3b pot with KQo. Ace high flop checked through. Queen on the turn. He jammed. I folded. He showed an ace. Cool 🙄
Second one 3 ways with A4s. JT6tt mostly missed me and checked through then turned the nut flush draw, called a chunky bet. River Qx and folded to a bet for like 80% of my stack. He showed K9 for the rivered gutshot straight, no flush draw. Says “I had nothing” in Japanenglish. Cool 🙄
Guy just got KOed KK < 88. Afterward some Southern drawl wisdom from across the table - “You see a lot of sets with 8s. 8s and 7s make it a lot.” 🧠
Got it in KQo < T9s 🙄
For bullet 2 so far I’ve been putting on a clinic in how to fold everything. I defended my BB once but not for long. 10bb
Got it in 7.5bb ATo < AKs 🤷🏻
Busted 1st bullet of the nightly in 2 hands.
First one was a 3b pot where I had KJs. Jack high flop checked through. I bet the turn, 3-better min-raised, I called. I check-folded a blank river. He had JJ. Good fold.
2nd hand I got all in 130bb AA vs QQ and he rivered the queen 🙄
I guess it would have been better to just fold to the min-raise on the turn in that KJs hand. I assumed I was beat but called anyway.
I guess I’ll try again. It’s early.
Busted KQo < AJo. Going to call it a night. Not really locked in at the moment.
WSOP Day 46
Taking the long road to playing the $3k WSOP Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1B today.
Took the monorail down to Paris and sweated MN’s Jason Hoffman who is deep in the main a bit. Negotiated a small swap with a couple other MN guys for this $3k. Gave Ren Lin a little fist pump on his Main Event feature table.
Then learned that I can neither add to nor withdraw from the $2400 I have left in my TBIC account. Since I didn’t have $3000 cash on me I took the monorail back to my hotel, where I ate a nutritious lunch of ice cream and cheese balls.
Now I’m on the monorail back to Paris, and we stopped in the middle of the track for 10 minutes for no apparent reason. We’re moving again though and late reg is open until Day 2 in this one so presumably I will make it in time.
My table is the worst. No talking. Everyone is slow and appears to be competent. Nobody over 50. Lots of euros. Sheesh.
On break with 35k coming back to 500/1000. I finally won a little one. Still haven’t paid my 3rd big blind. Table from hell.
Just flopped a set of 6s vs 97 on T86 🙄
Managed to not get it all in somehow but lost a big one and down to 22bb
I busted. Hero called I think correctly? Tough spot. I’ll check it later.
WSOP Day 48
Yesterday decided to play the $1400 7-Game Mix Main Event of the mixed series they’re doing at the Golden Nugget. Played well but eventually busted.
Got a big dinner and then did some stupid gambling in the pit. Got up to just enough to max late reg the 7-Game Mix for bullet #2 and grinded that one deep into the night and what do you know it’s Day 2 and I’m in the money.
Small field - only 7 paid. Min cash is a break even $2800 and 1st place is ~$21,000. The games are Big O, Omaha, Stud, Stud 8, A-5, 2-7 Triple Draw, and Razz.
Maybe I can run good these last few days and close out the trip on a high note 🤞
4th Place in the Golden Nugget $1400 Seven Game mix for $6500
WSOP Day 49
Just a few days left here in Vegas and it’s back to the WSOP for a few more big field holdem events.
First up today I’m late regging the Lucky $777 event and then planning to play the 4pm flight of the $1500 Closer if that doesn’t go anywhere.
Feeling pretty tranquil today, like all the excitement is over. Not sure if that’s good or bad for my poker game.
Brian Hastings is at my first table here in the $777. I guess that makes it a bad table draw.
Cracked aces early with a turned flush and over double starting here in level 10. 49bb
Jonathan Little is at the table behind me. I guess lots of top pros are playing this one. Surprising to me.
Running like shit now. Lost an all in A9o < A6s to double a shorty then lost a blind v blind pot 88 < K3o where he rivered a king.
Doubled AQs > 44 and then lost a heartbreaker right before the break and down to peanuts.
JTo HJ vs SB.
Flop 984tt. Check-bet-raise-call.
Turn was a 3rd heart giving me a flush draw and he jammed 57k into 94k.
I could have been drawing dead against a nut flush but I didn’t think this guy was raising a nut flush draw on the flop and the SB flat just screamed of a 88 or 99.
I made the call, he had 88, river was a brick 😢
If I hadn’t turned the flush draw I could have just folded but against a set I only needed 2 to 1 to call and I was getting 3 to 1. Oh well.
And busted 77 < AKo and AJo in a 3-way allin. Onto the Closer.
My table in the Closer is the stuff dreams are made of. Unfortunately one fish already punted it off to a different player.
We have limping. We have misclicking bet sizes. No familiar faces. One guy just asked how drink service works. As if it’s his first tournament at the WSOP?
My table in the $777 seemed normal but here in the $1500 Closer it’s completely off the rails. Tons of dealer mistakes, players exposing their cards, weird fishy lines.
A guy just folded out of turn in a multiway pot and legitimately did not know that it was against the rules. Another guy at the table chimed in “yeah I think they changed the rule a few years ago”!?
Ryan Reiss just got moved to the table. He has less than a starting stack though
Just doubled up 2 shorties AQs < KK and TT < K8o 🤮
Guy doesn’t play a hand for an hour then jams 14bb with K8o out of nowhere 😡😡😡
So goddamn frustrating. I’m cruising and outplaying the table then just have to get it in with good hands vs shorties and can’t win an all in. This is the worst part of texas holdem.
Busted on just another shit all in.
Opened AJo CO off 19bb. SB flat J8s (this should be a fold).
AQ7tt flop. Check, bet, he raises me almost all in with the flush draw, I put the rest in, he hits the flush and I’m dead on the turn.
WSOP Day 50
50 days in and they’ve repaired the escalators at the Sahara monorail stop. Toot toot.
Back in the Closer today. Table seems fine. Nothing to report so far. Starting stack of 50k on the first break.
Just lost a big pot on a disgusting runout.
Long story short I had K8s and flopped a flush draw on J84tt and somehow ended up losing to AKo.
Guy overcalled the flop with just overs and backdoors multiway and hits a 2-outer on the river to make a better 2 pair. 🤮
Got involved in another pot with the same two monkeys.
They ended up chopping AJo vs A6o 😤
Had it up over starting but then 3b-folded AQs vs a nit and then lost a 3b pot with KQo vs a good player and down to 35k again.
Just bluff-jammed with 8-high in a ridiculous 7-handed pot and got it through.
It was KK2r and checked through on the flop.
4x turn completed the rainbow and I bet 6k into 18k with 87s. Only one caller.
5x river and I jammed 36k into 28k. He tank-folded and I showed the bluff. I should probably stop doing that.
Just 3b AQo SB vs UTG7 and he 4b jammed for 48bb. I made a crying call and he flipped over Q8s? And I held?
Up to 118k at 500/1000
Seeing lots of familiar faces in the late reg line. Everyone is playing this one. No more competing higher stakes tourneys.
Ug just got it in with a straight flush draw on the flop vs top pair and bricked again. For fuck sake. Down to 64k (40bb)
Busted AQs < KK. Gonna get something to eat and fire one more.
Jason Krpan - Get some fruit, too. Boost those electrolytes
I went with the barbecue potato chips over the banana
Jason Krpan - Over the $6 banana…
45k (15bb) at the end of late reg. Time to spin.
Jesse Lonis is at my table now on a max late reg. A buddy of his took the seat next to him but I don’t know who he is.
I KOed Lonis AA > AKo and up to 35bb. Sometimes this game is just like playing slots.
Got another KO with 99 and up to 180k (45bb). The spin has begun!
And another KO 88 > KJo. 225k (56bb). Spin spin!
Chris Hunichen (Big Huni) just got moved to the table
Flopped a straight defending BB against Big Huni and won a big one. Up to 335k at 3k/6k (56bb)
French pro that I KOed on Day 3 of the main just got moved to the table. He’s a tanker 😕
304k on the last break of the night coming back to 4k/8k. We should be close to the money but probably a couple more levels before the bubble
I’m down to 250k (25bb) here on level 18 and we’re still a ways off the money. 477 left and 363 paid.
Lost a pot with AKs vs BB and down to 160k. Looking grim.
Blinds are up and I’m down to 13bb. 53 off the money
The French guy is in the tank on the river in a hand that’s been going on for like 10 minutes. I’m never calling the clock here since I’m short approaching the money and I guess this time wasting is good for me.
Just folded through the blinds and down to 11bb. 26 off the money
I just folded AJo on the BTN vs an UTG9 open and it feels gross. I guess the new plan is to limp into the $3k min cash and then try to spin it back up. 15 off the money
I jammed A9o in the CO and got it through. That was probably ICM suicide. Anyway up to 160k which will be 10.5bb in about 1 minute when the blinds go up. 11 off the money
Just 3b jammed AQs for 10bb on the soft bubble and got it through. Still trying to commit ICM suicide. 230k (15bb)
Okay in the money. Time to spin again. 12bb
Ug just folded 88 vs an early position open from an old guy and there was an 8 on the flop.
Bag of peanuts for Day 2
WSOP Final Day
It’s Day 2 of the Closer.
Last year I had a bit of a sweat in this one - made it to the final 100ish with a big stack and then lost 3 flips in quick succession and flamed out.
This year I’m starting Day 2 with a baby stack of 7bb so pretty low expectations but who knows?
The final bracelet event of the series is a $1000 super turbo bounty with late reg until 2pm so if I bust the Closer early I’ll hop into that.
Both of these are fun tournaments that all the famous poker pros play because it’s the end of the series and there’s nothing else going on.
Final accounting:
I brought exactly the right amount of coffee
I brought too much tea
Busted very first hand 99 < AQs. Queen came on the river for max pain.
Jeremy Ausmus is at my table in the super bounty. 50bb to start but 20 minute levels so that will change fast
Still on my first bullet in the super bounty with 24k (30bb) at the break off a 20k starting stack but I made a bad call for 6k in one pot.
I had QQ vs the BB and bet flop bet turn on a ten high board. River was a flush completing king and he led into me for 6k. I had the flush blocker so called. Definitely should have folded - this guy always has it. He had KT and made kings up on the river.
Another top pro Calvin Anderson was at the table and just busted
Busted QTs < AKo. Final bullet of the summer incoming.
No famous poker players at my new table. I’m disappointed.
Also realized this isn’t a bounty tournament. It’s just a turbo. I was thinking the bounties must kick in later but actually there just aren’t any.
Folded my blinds and down to 16k which is 10bb. So probably going to need to win the next one. We’re 6-handed at the moment too so I will surely be all in within the next 5 minutes.
Jammed my 10bb SB with 87s < A8o in the BB and that’s a wrap.
Conclusions
Another losing summer at the WSOP in the books. It feels shitty to lose. I think I played well enough to win but came out on the wrong side of variance. Especially the first two weeks of July I was playing lights out poker but never found that huge score.
My biggest poker regret was calling it off bad with a worse top pair on Day 2 of the $1500 WSOP Monster Stack and busting in 680th out of 8703 players. Tough spot but who knows what could have happened if I would have survived that hand.
My biggest degen gamble was buying in twice to the $2500 triple draw mix bracelet event. To be fair I think I played that one well enough to cash too.
The hand I lost with pocket aces on Day 3 of the WSOP Main Event was the biggest cooler of my life. If buddy doesn't find a miracle king on the river there I'm basically guaranteed my first Main Event cash and at least $15,000. I would have had a big stack on the bubble and been in a good spot to accumulate more chips.
I did survive 7 weeks in Vegas without taking a sip of alcohol and I suppose for an accomplished drinker that's saying something. I don't intend to be drunk for my 40s. I suspect this will be the most boring decade of my life to date, and I plan to remember it well!
I hate to admit defeat in anything, but it's safe to say I'll never play another full summer schedule at the WSOP again. Friday I'm adopting a puppy, and I think that will be reason enough to not leave for months at time.
Going forward I will not just be a loser. I will be a loser with a cool dog.
Or who knows? Maybe some day I'll win. I'm not dead yet.
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