An Animal Abroad

[animalpoker]

Ok let’s do this.
Updates from vegas gonna go here when make time to write them.
Currently 7am and lost count of the coronas last night, reckon was about 13 on a near empty stomach bar a few snacks.
Wanted a chicken kebab from bazaar shops at midnight but queue was huge so ended up with Dave’s hot chicken for the 2nd time in 3 nights.

Let’s do a plo8 at Venetian review from yesterday to start with , was on day 3 of my trip .
$800 30 min levels so usual fast structure in these “lower” buyins at other casinos that seem to have got higher each year .

First hand was probably my most interesting hand of the day .
100/100 with 100 bb ante
4 handed on button I make it 200 with 9634cccc, not quite a premium but wanted to get image and info early when we are 250bb deep and only 4 handed.  
Flop A102ddx.  Bb only caller check calls 300.
Turn 10d and again he check calls 600..
At this point I’m either giving up or betting 1000 on the river if it’s a brick but I’ll never know as river is a 6
Love that card when bb checks I pot it for 2400.  He calls fairly quickly with 79ddxx , no low draw .  
So joint chip leader at the table by 100 chips after that chop .

Table gradually filled to 9 handed by the end of level 4.  Was very passive table but I just couldn’t seem to get much going with lack of tools and spots.
My 25k dropped to 20k before hitting a few hands and hitting first break with 33k .  
Coming back with 300/600/600 and blinds going up fast I figured make or break time might come soon and it did.  
I had lost a couple of pots and was back to 25k when I raised in mid position with a24Khhhx to 1200.
Button who had been solid tight, and not out of line at all especially post flop reraised me to 3500.  
Hindsight because he hadn’t potted it I should have gone back over the top to 11,400 but I chose to just flat call at the time which I don’t hate either.  
Flop comes J102hhx and knowing I’d rather just take what’s in the middle I bet pot of 8500.
He pushes me all in and I’m shocked but still happy to see he’s reraised me with jj85 1 suit ( not hearts ) , so I’m probably slight dog but don’t mind a 50/50 type anyway to get a stack or bust tbh given how the tables gone and the blinds increasing .  Unfortunately the turn is a 10d and I’m drawing dead .
So not to be but still fun experience and reminded me how much more I enjoy pot limit live mtts as oppose to limit ones.  Played limit day before , report to come .
Decided not to reenter and only get 30-40 bb .

Headed back to 1/2/5 big O at horseshoe where I played for about 7 hours.  Didn’t start well but had chipped up nicely at the end of the session for ?possibly a 400 profit .  It took a while but eventually I got half the table drinking and it was great fun with a lot of friendly banter and zero need for earphones music thankfully.

Big O changes this year
Rake now $9 a man every half hour, up from 8 last year which was up from 7 the year before .
Our table agreed to bomb pots every half hour 20 a man to cover time , difference from last year was that it was ultimate high and ultimate low from both boards - love this and creates some real thinking spots as opposed to previous years where I would be one board hilo or 2 boards of plo high instead .

Probably plo 400 at mgm today hungover but had fun there last year and isn’t many things there this year I can play so think I’ll crack on and get there for the 11 start .  

[animalpoker]

Some back ground on me for those lucky enough to have never come across me
Gives me a chance to see if I can write on my phone while walking on the treadmill too
Ex lazy online poker pro from the boom days but still lazy
Cornwall based
Lost count of Vegas trips, but somewhere in the twenties
Consider myself retired these days at 47 but it will depend on investments, the desire to work, and inflation whether I ever return to regular work
Often get angry playing poker online whilst I’m actually the complete opposite in real life , I’ve no idea why
About break even the last year onliine but only play when on the mood , often with beer or cider to accompany an evening session
Year before I made enough to cover Vegas losses
Vegas the last 2 trips has been dry with no mtt cashes at all , lost over $10k both trips , budget for this trip is around $25k max
Prefer split games and plo rather than nlh and have played at the same table as the legendary tiikay many times in both mtts and cash. 
Currently heaviest in 14 years so hoping to lose weight in vegas , it usually happens strangely as I walk/jog gym most days , get loads of steps in elsewhere and generally don’t eat as much as I would at home . 
Definitely have an addiction to playing pool at home , lots of spare time in winter goes into that
Oh and I used to write a blog many years ago, google pokeranimal and you’ll prob find it if really bored .

[RED-DOG]

Subscribed.

Good luck, get the lot.

[doubleup]

Thanks for doing this and good luck. Where are you staying?

[animalpoker]

Thanks for doing this and good luck. Where are you staying?

Horseshoe .  Will do review of travel:/day1 and day 2 of trip when I get time .

[animalpoker]

So todays mtt is a $400 plo very fast structure at MGM
If I wasn’t I would seriously considered playing the 1000 mystery millions at WSOP nlh but just couldn’t face it
Done 45 mins in gym mostly walking and another half hour walking from room to mgm
Hangover is mostly making me tired , don’t feel too rough .  Rare to get a bad hangover in vegas in my experience.
I’ll try to update as I go along but could easily be another early bath, just looking to enjoy this one and get a feel for some plo as I rarely play 4 cars these days - mostly 6 card plo online instead .

[animalpoker]

15 mins in on a relatively passive table so far then this hand
100/200/200 7 handed and 2 limpers , I make it 800 with qxqx10d9d from late position and just those 2 call.
Flop is a dream Q24xdd and I get check called by one player for 1800. 
Turn is horrid 5 and he leads for 5000 and I call. 
River is the and he same bets for 5000 fairly quickly
Not a huge fan but know I have to call the way it’s played to probably see a3 but whether it’s with diamonds or not is up for debate .
He has a357 with just one diamond and I pull in a decent pot
Hit few pots as well as that and end of level 1 at 43k
Starting stack was 25k

[animalpoker]

200/300/300 and this hand plays out
8 to a flop in my bb with 10x742hhh
Flop is 922 and I lead 800 called by 3 players
Pretty much ready to give up when a 10 hits the turn
I lead for 2000 and it’s called by 1 player
River is a 4x and I lead for 4500 . He instantly shoves or pot raises and I quickly fold
Down to 33k

[animalpoker]

Carnage here
End of level 2 and there’s a 5 way all in preflop with the smallest stack having 10k
Then start of level 3 there’s a 3 way all in preflop at 200/400/400 , again shortest stack had over 10k
The only shock was I wasn’t involved in either hand, tables certainly warmed up since level 1

[animalpoker]

300/500/500
Bb with Qj86xxhh and call button raise of 1800
Flop is J57 rainbow and I check raise a 2000 bet to pot of 10,500 pot
He flats .  I’ve got 20k left and the dream hits the turn giving me a flush draw as well
No slow playing here and I shove expecting a call but he quickly folds .
Back to peak stack of 44k

[animalpoker]

Up to 74k after this hand
A limp of 600 I make it 2000 from mid position with Ah7h9d6d and get 3 calllers
Flop is 10d, , and I cont bet 8000 and get 1 caller tighter old chap on the button
Turn is 2x and I bet 16000 which is quickly called
River is and I move all in for about 20000 and he quickly folds - felt like he was on a draw . Maybe QJ with hearts as well but obv a chance he had set and if he does and calls then so be it . 

107 entrants so far , I think late registration is 2nd break at the end of level 8. Obviously I won’t be entering again if I bust. 

Currently trying to tell myself to enter the mystery millions at wsop tomorrow instead of another plo at Venetian but will prob decide first thing in the morning

[tikay]

Great stuff Rob, gonna enjoy this.

[animalpoker]

End of level 6 I raise an 800 limper to 2400 and call a reraise behind me of 9000.
I have AK94 dbl std and flop is kkx with my suit . Check check .
Turn is kx. I lead 6400 which is called . River x and I bet 21k .  Matey angrily announces you have it but u call anyway and thumps his fist down, obv had aces . 

107k

[animalpoker]

Great stuff Rob, gonna enjoy this.

Thanks, when are you out ? I’m guessing it well after I’ve left .

[tikay]

Great stuff Rob, gonna enjoy this.

Thanks, when are you out ? I’m guessing it well after I’ve left .

Not until July 12th, you'll be back in Cornwall by then. 

Am seriously considering going out for the full 5 weeks next year. Gotta be done.