The Best In The Business

[cambridgealex]

Is that for real or is he aware of this thread?!

Lol, must be a level Tal!

It was a couple weeks ago but saw it bumped today. Not sure blonde poker is as widely viewed as you think! That's why I hand out business cards with my blog url on when I go the wsop.

Lol of course it was a level. He's never heard of plinop; he's hardly going to be reading his diary!

Well my post was also a level - Haa.

[Tal]

Is that for real or is he aware of this thread?!

Lol, must be a level Tal!

It was a couple weeks ago but saw it bumped today. Not sure blonde poker is as widely viewed as you think! That's why I hand out business cards with my blog url on when I go the wsop.

Lol of course it was a level. He's never heard of plinop; he's hardly going to be reading his diary!

Well my post was also a level - Haa.

[pleno1]

Colossus day 1

Played two hands all day. First I defended bb K7 vs cut off opener. I c/c, c/c, c/f 76286. Felt like I should have probably folded the turn but it's very likely a weak recreational player is going to mindlessly bet twice here with any two cards but very unlikely he will triple barrel bluff.

Second hand is bvb I jam 30bbs vs a 4x open and lose vs AQ with 88 (again! XxxxA)

Fucking snowmen.

I didn't feel upset, sad or frustrated. Kinda wish I could play online tomorrow, the 1k hyper starts at 11. It should be incredibly soft. The field in colossus was predictably hilariously weak. Good fun though.

[pleno1]

Event number 2 - $1k hyper

This tournament was seriously amazing. The girl was phenomenal and players under adjusted to the structure so poorly. 2 examples out of probably less than 150 hands

Limp, limp, limp, limp. Bb with 18bbs checks 99.

Bvb raise 3x I jam 26x and he folds TT.

Not much to report on personally. I got upto 40k from 5k basically stealing these poor farmers and Cowboys big blinds orbit after orbit and eventually the BB caught up with me and I jammed 9bbs with 180 people left and 140 paying out of 1450 runners with QJdd and the big blind had AA.  It's somewhat encouraging whilst completely meaningless that I've gone close to cashing both of my opening events. Definitely changing things in a lower variance style that my 24 year old self would have scowled at a couple of years ago.

Ordered All Anerican Dave food this evening and Phil Laak delivered straight to my door. Pretty funny actually he was giving me heaps of banter, legend. Matas and I then started watching the $5k WSOP event, breaking down /agreeing/disagreeing with every decision every player made and looking a lot at live poker tells and different things that would help us determine our decisions.

Tomorrow is the $1500 pot limit holdem event. I'm playing the $10k on Thursday so I'd like to warmup with this one and see how the general approach is from others. I have a decent idea how my strategy will be and my newer tighter self will probably be decent for this style of the game. I'll likely play some SNG's and cash games over the next few days too. Unfortunately this part of the WSOP schedule is somewhat underwhelming. Really love where I'm staying and thinking of actually staying out here once the series ends. Not sure yet though.

Hopefully can get off the scoreboard sooner rather than later, definitely trying my best. One thing I did very well in the $5k but awfully in the $1k was staying off my phone. Really going to try and limit time spent in my phone whilst at the table to an absolute minimum.

[Whollyflush]

I don't like the turn call with jacks. In retrospect were you kinda thinking that it would be great to 'own' WCG?

I also don't see why he should know Pads. It's not like he was on his starting table. He got moved and likely doesn't know anyone's named.

+1 I actually think 3 way flop is pretty close at a FR 5K table.

[pleno1]

I've been in Vegas for a week so far and I have to say I really love it. I have great eating habits now (All American Dave 2x/day, fruit/water throughout the day) I'm sleeping really well and I'm going to the gym every day. I'm awake in the time of day that I should be and of course there is non stop poker.

Today is actually my day off, yesterday I played the PLH $1500 which was a great event. One hand that was close/lost a bunch of my chips on.

Terrible fish limps mp2, I iso hijack with a9o to 350 at 100bb. He calls. Flop 972sss, he checks (3 way) I cnet 700, he calls. Turn is 972J he checks. Who is betting here? I felt like this is the one street I can get value, so many bad rivers and he will be calling turn prettttty wide, only concerned about like JT/AJ/KJsx etc. I decided to go for 1800 and he called. River paired the deuce, I contemplated betting 1000 but checked back and lost to JTo which was semi frustrating. Uusally the first big pot you play in these tournaments makes or breaks the tournament, because going over to like 12k is so great, but getting to 3000 can really hurt you. Busted and played some cash games, I booked a nice win and I was really focusing a lot on live reads. I really do love playing live at the moment despite the apparant run bad.

I'm loving being in Vegas so much, I'm actually contemplating extending my stay until perhaps Christmas, but not 100% sure yet. Everybody just treats you so nice here, I love the place I'm staying in and the convenience of getting to wherever I need to go. I could play live cash a few days a week and hopefully do decent.

Next event in the $1500 6max tomorrow, I'm really pumped for it, looking forward to making the correct exploitative adjustments to each opponent and finishing the day with a big stack.

The day after is the $1500 shootout and the $10k PLH, I'm really looking forward to both, but may prioritise with the latter.

I think I may be going on the WSOP live stream to do some commentary this/next week, really would love to do that, will be very fun.

Haven't had an itch to play the $25k aria tournaments, but very disappointed at myself for not playing the $10k HU. I assumed it would be way tougher than it actual is and all I needed to do is check the field from last year, no idea why I didn't. I guess a reminder to myself to really keep very organised.

BTW, very random I know but thinking of doing a prop bet where I have to be the battle rap champion of the UK (don't flop league) its a very big league, very organised and the battlers are super sick, so obviously would need crazy odds, but may be a fun prop bet coming up..

[pleno1]

I don't like the turn call with jacks. In retrospect were you kinda thinking that it would be great to 'own' WCG?

I also don't see why he should know Pads. It's not like he was on his starting table. He got moved and likely doesn't know anyone's named.

+1 I actually think 3 way flop is pretty close at a FR 5K table.

Hey

At the time flop was definitely a call, but turn is a fold I think. Like I was trying to imply in my post, what I was thinking on the river was what I should be trying to think on the turn. I have a semi history of not wanting to be out-bullied by the bigger boys and whilst thats something I've really improved on its definitely still in my game. Just got to tap the felt and say nh sometimes.

[Longy]

Enjoying the blogging from Vegas.

Unless I am missing something doubt you will be able to stay in Vegas to Christmas, 3 month max stay on an esta and the Americans aren't known for their leniency in these matters.

[Simon Galloway]

Also Vegas poker scene obv at its annual high atm.  It crashes really hard as soon as the circus leaves town.  It is still vegas, but it is a very different Vegas to what it is right now.  The games won't be there, you can still have fun ofc, but defo see how things go...  And definitely ^^^ keep to the Visa conditions.

[pleno1]

Today was a long day! I slept in a little late after they told me yesterday if I was late they wouldn't take my chips. I got to the rio and my stack was 6700 instead of 7500. I had to make a decision quickly as every hand my chip stack was getting lower and lower. I decided to text all my backers that they wouldn't have action and just treat it as an expensive lesson. I quickly got to 9k and texted all the guys (30-40%) that they could free roll my action at the same %s to hopefully get some karma on my side!

My initial table was pretty good, I chipped unto 17k without really anything funky happening. I then got moved tables to an absolutely fantastic table with 30 minutes left of the level before the break. I bet/folded 3 rivers when I was value betting the top of my range vs the old guys who just clearly had it. I would have made those calls this time last year but I really tried to focus and make the best exploitative decisions possible when playing vs the weaker opponents. I was down to 13k and I'm not sure why but I felt really tilted. I wanted to have my 17k, the break came at exactly the right point, but it was alarming that mentally this had cropped up, I hadn't misplayed any hands because of it yet, so perhaps I was saved by the bell. I told Rob on the break that I was feeling like I may do something slightly needless but assured him I felt ok and would just play every pot as well as possible. Coming back from the break I call from the bb with AQhh and the QT8hhx flop gets checked around, the turn is the off suit 5 and I bet big, I think he is either ALWAYS calling, or NEVER calling here, so I should go as big as possible, especially as a lot of the hands I get value from are one street hands, IE he will call 99 on the turn and fold river very often, same for AJ/AK. River is the QT85T and I bet again pretty big and he tank raises me and this is the first hand after the break where I felt like I would do something stupid. Now he never really has better than AT except for potentially 55. On the river I felt like I could turn my hand into a bluff now and make him fold a naked T, I can have 88, QT, T8, J9, 55 and he can't really have many of those, but I just decided you know what, livepokerlol. I was left with 8k, when I had 17k like 45 minutes previously and was literally the dream table, it was so fantastic that if I got upto 25k I could take all the chips on the table slowly.

I decided to just really focus and keep my head, I felt like this trip I've played really good so far, I really don't regret much at all from the tournaments I've played, but it was alarming that I was feeling like this. I started to small ball as much as possible, Dan Shak was on my direct left and I know he's super sticky, so whenever I had a big hand I just exploitatively bet very large and when I cnet the flop with some back doors or whatever I just bet small. There's no reason to be balanced vs him. I got back upto 15k and then started opening around 75% of pots, I didn't get 3bet once when I opened perhaps 30 hands out of 40. Everybody laughed a little every time, but they didn't want to do anything about it. I got unto 40k literally from being a red-line warrior and then decided to 3bet Candace Colins with AKs, a tilted Chinese woman cold called and I bet twice and checked river in pretty large inflated pot on A32J5 and lost to 22. Again I didn't feel too great, but tried to keep some form of composure. I was talking a lot at the table and generally I've been really happy with my table behaviour this summer I basically switch from complete stare down to talking non stop, just depends on the table.

I get moved from literally the dream table to a tougher table with Craig Mccorkell, Firaldo and a few other good regs, I just decided to play tighter abit. All a bit of a blur the last 4 hours of the day but was relatively swingy. I basically got to 50k from 20k and then lost KK v AJ for a really nice stack, it wasn't really huge, but just that nice cushion that puts you on 100+bbs relatively close to the money. I don't know why but I felt really bad losing this 70/30, I mean its a 70/30, I'm going to lose it so often, there's no need for me to have the sense of entitlement to win the pot. I think just because of a poor Monaco/SCOOP/Vegas so far I was thinking to myself "ffs when will it end" but it's a very bad mindset to have, I just need to focus on how many big blinds I have and exactly how my strategy is. Again I climbed back to 50k and was feeling good, I get al in with KK v 87s and lose again and again my mindset was too weak. I didn't splurge any chips because of it, but it shouldn't have been on my mind how I felt, I should have felt fine about my situation. Get a third A4s < 98s after grinding it back up some more, but was kinda OI at this point.

I played 2 very big pots vs Craig. Won one, lost one. One was standard one was very debatable, probably post more about them at a different point but don't want to write to much strategy in this post and focus more on my mental state throughout as it didn't feel completely peak.

The end of the day came and I had 80k. The day had gone similar to the 25k in Monaco, I was playing great, ran bad, played very focused and had a good stack at the end of the day, 1.5x average and then it just felt I like here I wanted to avoid to play a big pot at the end of the day, like I was hoping to stay out of trouble, I was dealt q6 on the last hand of the day and I was probably happier than if I got AQo.

I finished the day with 79,400, coming back tomorrow at 600/1200, 200 left, 180 pay. I feel very satisfied about my play, but with my mental game apparently as weak as it felt, there's only so much I can fight. I'm going to prepare tomorrow better, today I just slept in late and then played. I will 100% be meditating and trying my best to do a workout too because every day that had made me feel mentally satisfied and calm.

Lets go bracelet hunting!

[tonytats]

Update courtesy of wsop site

6/4/2015 2:34:56 PM PST (about 56 minutes ago)
 
Big Pot For Patrick Leonard
 
Javier Zarco had tangled in a small hand blind on blind minutes before against Patrick Leonard where Zarco had had caught Leonard in a small river bluff. Now they are clashing again.

The board on the turn reads  and Zarco check-calls a bet of 11,400 from Leonard. The river is the  and Zarco checks once more. Leonard spends a minute or two counting out a bet before re-stacking his chips and then once more counting out a stack and sliding out a bet of 28,600.

Zarco stares him down and Leonard meets his gaze unflinchingly. "You have any blues behind?" Zarco asks referring to the 500 value chips. Leonard confirms he does. "Wow. I had a plan already in my head. Wow, wow."

Zarco runs through a few hands out loud that Leonard could have and he confirms that he could indeed have any of those hands. Zarco makes the call and Leonard shows him  for a flopped set and Zarco mucks his hand.

Patrick Leonard - 135,000
Javier Zarco - 24,000

Gl gl unusual for Europeans to get a mention !!

[Longines]

Missing cars above:

on the turn: 
river: 

pads hand: 


And another update:

Patrick Leonard Gets Paid
 

Patrick Leonard is in the small blind and calls an open from the player on the button. Leonard check-calls a bet on the flop of  and both players check the turn card  .

The river is the and Leonard checks only to face a bet of 15,000 into a pot of just over 17,000. Leonard check-raises to 41,500 and gives a little speech. It seems to work as his opponent calls and Leonard shows him his straight for the winner.

Patrick Leonard - 177,000

[pleno1]

Got like 360k playing a super weird style. Table is breaking bow, think I'm like 1/70 ish

#bracelethunting

[slowmo]

GOOD LUCK
Don't think we have ever met but I read your diary with interest. Will try to get Tikay to introduce us when I get to Vegas
Go win it

[Marky147]

Go ooooooooooon BITB!