Once again our host Chris M. asked me to ballyhoo about my poker week at the World Series of Poker. I had been tempted to play the previous weekend with over twenty-two THOUSAND, that's right 22,000, players at the Colossus. The entry fee was $565 dollars, just over 1/3 the buy in of the bigger events. At first this seemed appealing but Colossus players started with only $5000 in chips.
A few years ago I would have said “FIVE THOUSAND! What a deal!” Today I realize, against a field as immense as this, I may as well flip a coin or play Open Face Chinese Poker (a real game at the W.S.O.P. - look it up.)
I was jealous that I was not playing in the world’s biggest live tournament of all times, as I was reminded over and over by a mutual friend of ours. My decision was made to play in Event #28, the Monster Stack, where you start with 15,000 in chips and get hour long levels. Even better, they were only expecting 8000 runners instead of 20,000 plus.
I drove from my home in the high desert to Vegas. You really have to be high to live out here.
I drove from my home in the high desert to Vegas. You really have to be high to live out here.
Made a mistake, missed my turn then had to rely on technology and a wild Google navigated ride back onto the 15. If I timed this right I would arrive in town around 3:00 p.m. for check-in right?
WRONG!
I was headed straight to the Rio to register because a chirping bird told me the Colossus was a mess and the lines for this Event were going to be just as bad. I arrive in Vegas, ready to take it on.
Funny, seeing the Rio gets my heart pumping. There it is... Poker Mecca.
Funny, seeing the Rio gets my heart pumping. There it is... Poker Mecca.
As I walk toward the “front” of the poker entrance I have a flood of memories of playing and also watching events play out over the last few years. It feels very familiar.
I walk down the hall briskly to the packed registration area, you know the one described as a super crowded area overflowing with people.
There are two start days, “Which should I choose?” I hemmed and hawed..
“Mike P. is playing on Friday. I want to get to it” but the little voice says “ASK if a lot of players are registered on Friday play Saturday.”
My reasoning was thus, if it is heavy with preregistration on Friday those are either professionals or more experienced players who want to get it done quick so they can play out the rest of the weekend without distraction.
The teller says Friday has over 2000 players while Saturday only has 800 entrants preregistered, so I buy my Saturday entry. Looking down at my Wonka Golden Ticket for the first time, I take it all in. Wow, this is real.
Well that leaves Friday open. So what do I do after driving for 3.5 hours into Vegas? Relax?
Nah.
I check into my hotel and splash water on my face and run down to play in the 7:05 p.m. Omaha8 tournament! Of course misery loves company so I talked Chris M. into playing this wild and crazy thing too. He was super happy to be playing fixed limit poker!
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| Orleans poker room, aka the seniors center / ash-tray of Vegas. |
As always the Orleans does not disappoint and as the youngest looking players in the room we both set to work.
I get the feeling my table will call every bet no matter what. Pay dirt!
Oh and did I mention that this fixed limit event was also a bounty tournament? What a great idea! Shockingly, the bounties did indeed start coming. Chris texted me that he knocked out a player, I texted back that so did I!
I was very happy as it the bounties changed the tenor of the game. Seeing $25 dollars in real money chips set down after a kill was intoxicating.
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| Sweet sweet red-birds. |
It was great watching the loose players get over extended in a hand with second best, I pushed, knocking out one after another. 3 hours later we had whittled 101 players down to 27. I had knocked out four players for a bounty total of $100 dollars - TOURNEY PAID FOR - FREE ROLL BABY!!
I had a much larger than average stack so I was on the attack. I probably could have slowed down tightened up and coasted to a higher finish, but why be a wimp? Blood was in the air and the small stacks were getting closer and closer to the felt.
I started pushing against the “nubs."
Ding! Doubled a player up.
Ding! Ding! Doubled two small stacks up.
Did I panic? No, I kept pushing. As a result I collected 2 more bounties and I was now up to 6 bounties or $150 dollars $50 in free money BABY.
The rest of the tournament was big swings and managing my bleeding chips. I was in rough shape and doubled up myself at the end a couple of times… and suddenly we were at the final table.
I was paid back my bounty as is the tradition at the final table I found out. Seven bounties total!
Sweet.
Plus I was guaranteed a min-cash.
I looked down at AA6K so hells yeah, ALL IN. My low got counterfeited and I could only manage trips for the high. I am OUT in tenth place but do squeak into the money, getting paid $196 dollars for my finish, plus the bounty action.
$371 total for my troubles. I tipped my dealers and was off to bed.
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Woke up Friday morning - what to do what to do? Do I want to go watch Mike P. in the Monster Stack or do I want to play in the fabulous Orleans R.O.S.E. Tournament at noon? Tough call!
Woke up Friday morning - what to do what to do? Do I want to go watch Mike P. in the Monster Stack or do I want to play in the fabulous Orleans R.O.S.E. Tournament at noon? Tough call!
Sorry Mike you don’t need me rail birding you anyway. So R.O.S.E it is! R.O.S.E. is Razz, Omaha8, Stud High and Stud8. And a blast to play! Alas, less than 4 hours of play and no payday this time.
Now for the part you might care most about -
Now for the part you might care most about -
W.S.O.P. EVENT #28 - THE MONSTER STACK BRACELET EVENT!!!
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| It's the big one - boyeee. |
Saturday Entry. Since my math skills are terrible I thought I had earned enough through our poker league to warrant entering a $1500 event. In the Pepper Street satellite I came in second for this $1500 seat, so close I could taste it. I had to enter.
On Friday I decided to call it a night around 10:00 p.m. I set the alarm on the clock, phone and set a wakeup call. I don’t want to miss this. My eyes popped open before the alarm at 7am. I was ready! Er, wait... ugh... no... need coffee.
On Friday I decided to call it a night around 10:00 p.m. I set the alarm on the clock, phone and set a wakeup call. I don’t want to miss this. My eyes popped open before the alarm at 7am. I was ready! Er, wait... ugh... no... need coffee.
I arrived at the Rio and pulled into the parking lot and popped out of the car. Funny, I am did a warm up dance shaking my arms and bouncing up and down before I was off to meet Chris, Jeff S. and our satellite representative Eric T. for a last minute meeting before the cards went into the air.
Everyone seemed in a good spirits. I wanted to get this going, but I didn't want to appear too eager. As you can see, mission accomplished.
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| Twins? |
We sit down at our respective tables. Did we get to start right away? No we get to be a part of the 14th bracelet celebration for Phil Helmuth. In the old days they presented in the Pavilion Room now they do it in the smaller Brasilia Room.
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| Oh Phil, you're so dreamy. |
My phone calls it the Brassiere or Gracias room in auto correct.
What a rush hearing the national anthem played and to hear Phil’s statistics, it is humbling, the
longevity and accomplishments of this player. A very powerful and dignified moment.
And then, just to cut through the treacle, the monsters came out for the Monster Stack.
Yes, they did the "Thriller" dance up on stage. So much for quiet and powerful dignity.
Ok let’s pretend that never happened, and LET'S DO THIS!
Let me just say, 15,000 chips sounds like a lot and it is - in the first couple of hours.
But remember, if you fold every hand on day one you would only have 15 big blinds at the end. A pittance really.
Right off the bat I grabbed about 5K in chips right away. A non believer called my soft raise at the river. That's right sir, I'm bluffing. I never have it. Well done.
Floating around 20K for a while with slow ebb and flow, I watched and learned who was who.
Floating around 20K for a while with slow ebb and flow, I watched and learned who was who.
I am typically very quiet for the first hour - I know those who know me would say IMPOSSIBLE!!!
But it was true. Watching like a hawk circling and circling high overhead in concert with the blinds as they rounded the table.
What are these players doing? Who is aggressive? Who can I run over?
I remember from my last time playing in the W.S.O.P. I figured out after a bit what was going on AND I only had to play MY table, not the whole field!
Maneuvering when I could and playing the middle pair hands I was being dealt with strength was profitable in the early levels. I looked down at one point after I had taken a hit and I was at 13K. Soon after, I tripled up a couple of times through multi-way pots to 36K.
Maneuvering when I could and playing the middle pair hands I was being dealt with strength was profitable in the early levels. I looked down at one point after I had taken a hit and I was at 13K. Soon after, I tripled up a couple of times through multi-way pots to 36K.
Ugh, this was a crawl.
Carrying on, I was feeling pretty good stabbing here and there with positive ev. No problems folding a blind here and there firing from the button occasionally to win the minimum.
Carrying on, I was feeling pretty good stabbing here and there with positive ev. No problems folding a blind here and there firing from the button occasionally to win the minimum.
Playing along and making a little headway with 48K, level 6 was coming to an end and the announcer says that this was a 90 minute lunch break. Excited because I could take a break, I rushed the door. I heard a murmur on the P.A. as I exited but I was headed to eat, it could't be that important. Right?
The lines were surprisingly shorter in the Poker Kitchen and I went to my favorite vendor, Asian Cuisine Salmon filets. Topped off with fresh snap peas blanched and brown rice. Perfect brain food.
Sitting having my lunch I was in my own world.
BING a text message. My friend and fellow PSP player, Dog is here to play a 6pm deep stack.
A semi-pro from my table, a very large player (in chips and in stature) looks at me and says hi, and he looks like he is hustling somewhere.
NO RED LIGHT GOING ON YET.
I meander over meet Dog, the hall is empty.
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| Tumbleweed just out of frame... |
NO RED LIGHT YET.
We chat for a bit, go over a few hands and I wish him good luck in his tournament.
I head to the bathroom and NO LINE! I look around the red light sparks and flashes on for a second. I make my way back, I scratch my head. Boy is it quiet. Everybody seems back at the tables.
Hmmmm...
I finally look up at the sign. Level 7 and the time elapsed says 35 minutes left...
Red light... FINALLY GOES ON!!!
I have missed 25 minutes of play and we are at 50/200/400. Well that just SUCKS.
Everyone is just looking at me like what a doofus. The semi-pro from the poker kitchen said "You looked like you were at peace and not in a hurry." At 10 minutes in they figured I was dinner.
At 20 minutes they were sure the semi-pro was going to come get me.
I sat at the poker table for a minute stunned at my stupidity. Then I saw an opportunity. I felt satiated and relaxed and everyone else seemed super tense. I laugh off my tardiness and tell the table I probably avoided trouble.
I asked how many orbits happened they said not too many. I figured at 9 players and 2 minutes a hand only twelve and a half hands had been played. One orbit or about 500 in antes and 600 in blinds just over 1K in damage. Not the end of the world. I settled down.
For the first time I looked around and started to see panic on some of the shorter stacks faces. I felt an almost zen like moment as I started pushing. The table was watching me as I pressed and nudged people off hands. Did I have it? 3x the big blind seemed to be the “magic number though always a couple of callers come along.
Still, I stayed aggressive and quickly gained back my deficit.
I looked down at AA and raised 3x. It comes around to the semi-pro who re-raised 10x, and the callers that were in drop. I shove and he snaps, flips over QQ. Aces hold. All skill.
He kept shaking his head “I thought you had AK there” he said in disbelief. Okay sir, don't think of it as a cooler - beat yourself up over a hand that played itself. You'll go far.
It was a big hit to our biggest stack at the table and I was happy to be on the lucky end of the collision. One orbit later I look down at AA again and fire 3x again. Quickly I get re-raised. I shove and get snap called by a bigger stack, he has JJ. Man am I good at this game or what?
Aces thankfully hold again. These two hands were a great help, but I also accumulated by I playing AK and AJ in position by the book a few times. Once with the former I was rewarded with a flop AAK. These were delicious and wonderful. With two hours left I was close to 60K and I hit 70K before I was moved to the Brasilia Room.
After the move I would occasionally grab the blinds and antes if I had a starting hand that I was comfortable with. I actually played pretty aggressively during the first hour but I lost about 15k over the drain of antes and blinds in the second hour. I'm still pretty comfortable with how I was playing.
Now I know what happens now you get down to the final 10 minutes. A pre-determined table draws a card and based on the rank, that's how many more hands we all play. At the end of Monster Stack day 1B we were to play three more hands.
Now I know what happens now you get down to the final 10 minutes. A pre-determined table draws a card and based on the rank, that's how many more hands we all play. At the end of Monster Stack day 1B we were to play three more hands.
I was on the big blind for the first hand small blind for the second hand in the last hand I was on the button. Unfortunately I didn't make any headway - I had garbage all three times.
There was an all in on the final hand and someone called him and he had less than, I think it was JQ vs. Ax. Ace guy flopped a gut-shot and ended up binking it on the turn so guy that waited all that time with a significant amount ended up going out.
Time to bag up the chips!
I was so tired. Almost too tired to sleep. I set my phone and my alarm and set a wakeup call. I am going to have breakfast with couple of friends in the morning, yeah!
The night was short and restless, several times I jumped out of bed with leg cramps, or popped up thinking I overslept. Then it was alarms all ringing “Too soon” I thought. I felt ok, not great. Then it hit me “Wow, I am in day three of a 5 day tournament!” (Editor's NOTE: That would be day 2 sir, you started on day 1B not day 2.)
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| Morning arrives just in time |
I had received an email from a poker degenerate who had looked up everyone at my starting table on Hendon Mob. I had information on everyone. I was ready, I moved and played for….wait for it...
THREE HANDS. Then floor broke our table.
I landed at a wonderful table with a lot of short stacks. I got an orbit at this table and I managed to take a few pots down, pressing hard with air. Nobody wanted to go out early. This was the softest table I had ever been at. I was going to enjoy dismantling the small stacks and getting to work. Wait, what? We are moving again?
Sigh.
I was at my third table in less than 40 minutes still in level twelve. I was flummoxed, but looked around at another subpar field and licked my chops. Tasty.
I was hoping to stay at this table for awhile as everyone looked worried when I plunked down a well above average stack (for this table). Again I went to work, making use of position and stack size against the small stacks. A few were below 15 bigs and had two options, shove or fold as they got anted off. One and a half orbits later, this table was also broken. Crap.
I packed up my chips in a tray frustrated that we had a full table and this was my third move in an hour.
NOTICE! This is my only beef with the whole setup at the Rio! I have a suggestion if a player has been moved once, you get to stay at the new table for at least that level, ONLY break the tables that are dropping players. Every single time we were broken we had a full table and it was only because we were on the outer edges of the field. Maybe a solution would be to give players who have been moved a card to show when they were moved. Just to even it out better.
(Editor's NOTE: Someone call the whaaambulence.)
Final chapter: the table of DOOM.
NOTICE! This is my only beef with the whole setup at the Rio! I have a suggestion if a player has been moved once, you get to stay at the new table for at least that level, ONLY break the tables that are dropping players. Every single time we were broken we had a full table and it was only because we were on the outer edges of the field. Maybe a solution would be to give players who have been moved a card to show when they were moved. Just to even it out better.
(Editor's NOTE: Someone call the whaaambulence.)
Final chapter: the table of DOOM.
I arrived and set my meager holdings down which actually were quite substantial in hind sight. This happened midway through Level 13 at 200/800/1600. Every pot started at 2600 in chips. I actually accumulated a little and got back up to 65K, staying at around 40 big blinds.
The table was pleasant enough but there were some really good players. To my right was the only player who had no idea what was going on, huffing and puffing after he was man-handled by the table (including me).
The table was pleasant enough but there were some really good players. To my right was the only player who had no idea what was going on, huffing and puffing after he was man-handled by the table (including me).
He could not see that his bet sizing and out of position play was hurting him. It was pretty evident he had subpar holdings as he would throw his cards in the muck disgusted. I even played junk and bet at the pot representing a straight and the villain to my right said “What, you can’t have it every time!"
He folded.
But as for everyone else, I watched and was amazed by the quality of play. Four and five betting was the norm, I assume often raising with air and whiffing flops but still c- betting and showing to add to the frustration. I made sure to tread carefully and avoid traps. These players were not weekenders.
My frustration was growing, wish my guru had been here. After a much needed break it was on to level 14!
Here is where I start to falter, letting the structure determine how I was to play.
Here is where I start to falter, letting the structure determine how I was to play.
Antes were 500 and blinds were 2000/4000. Time to double up or go home? Yep.
Truthfully, I should have been in shove or fold mode a level ago - but here we are.
Truthfully, I should have been in shove or fold mode a level ago - but here we are.
I tried to maneuver but at this level even a small hit carved out 6K.
I flinched and folded down to 48K. I tightened the reigns and slowed way down. A young man at my table was firing like a crazy person with a small stack and doubling up without a care. Then, after a big triple up he started working with the chips. It was amazing. He muscled people off their hands expertly.
I looked at the players left now, 1800 remained. I needed a double up.
Alas, it did not come. I had to settle for grabbing small pots with over-betting every so often. The table tightened up. At the end of the level I had managed to hold on to 52K. Just over 40 bigs heading into level 15.
But with this level, the players at my table cranked up the aggression even more. Even though levels were only 400/1200/2400 (40 bigs for me) I felt like that I may as well have had 10 bigs with the kind of table I was at. These guys were nuts, and there were multiple true monster stacks.
But with this level, the players at my table cranked up the aggression even more. Even though levels were only 400/1200/2400 (40 bigs for me) I felt like that I may as well have had 10 bigs with the kind of table I was at. These guys were nuts, and there were multiple true monster stacks.
The shoe was on the other foot now, the hunter had become the hunted with people eyeing my dwindling stack, all waiting to pounce.
I looked down at 99 and raised almost a fifth of my stack. The huffer and puffer was still in but on fumes, he jammed and the player to his right jammed. I have to fold as both players turn up QQ chop chop.
I am disheartened, now I only had 24 bigs and was soon down to 18 and being chewed up by the antes.
In one orbit I have to give up $4000 in antes! I am bleeding. It is not too much later that I have a decision looking down at pocket 7’s with a couple of players to act behind. I jam.
One caller. He turns up A10 of hearts and I have to sweat.
Board runs out - HEART HEART blank,.
PAUSE.
BLANK!
I have dodged it! I am going to double up…and...
HEART.
Thanks for playing.
I finished 1422 out of 7192.
Wow what an experience, crazy amount of hands and the opportunity to break into day three. I really can’t over think the way I played on my second day. I just might have gone home sooner. I think had I been able to stay at one of those tiny stack tables I would have done better.
I am not Zoltar, so I do not know. I do know I had a ride of a lifetime and got to learn some new poker skills while I was there.
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Epilogue
Was poker over for me on Sunday? No way!
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Epilogue
Was poker over for me on Sunday? No way!
I played in a H.O.R.S.E. Tournament with Dog D. and finished 44th out of 100. Was a blast.
Monday poker over? Why NO! DEEPSTACK at the RIO.
Here is the crazy long line I was warned about...
Here is the crazy long line I was warned about...
...and after I registered I see this young man talking to someone and about to sit down. I begged my pardon and proceeded to chat him up about poker, I mean how cool someone who did it, went all the way. He was very gracious and even took a picture.
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| Presto! |
Results not withstanding I was humming along until a player raised I jammed with my Jacks snap call behind me with Queens, an old man at the end of the table hemming and hawing. He finally folds. So I can’t win a three way pot with QQ vs. JJ vs. 1010 and the old man folded 88.
Queens hold and I am out.
5 days of poker and almost 30 hours played, one good money finish!
Awesome! Can't wait to come back!
