Profit

Hey everyone,

First of all, I want to thank all of you who read any or all of my blog this summer. If nothing else, it was a good way for me to chronicle my time in Vegas for me to look back on and remember all that I went through. Hopefully some of you got something out of it too, whether it was a sense of the highs and lows of poker or simply entertainment. I hope I didn't worry anyone during my bad swings. In poker, the swings can be insane. Sometimes, the good runs make us feel like the best players in the world, while the bad runs make us question why we even sit down at the tables.

As much as I love the game, poker can be very stressful when you play for a living. Having to go to the ATM the morning after a bad loss can be quite disheartening. It is almost like the poker player's version of the walk of shame. This can hurt even more when just a few days before you had so much cash that you didn't know where to put it all. Such was my first week and a half in Vegas. My first session, I lost $500 and began to bemoan my luck. However, it instantly turned and I went on my biggest cash game upswing ever, easily making more money in 4 and a half days than I did all last summer. I began to think of all the possibilities: How much money I could make, World Series of Poker events I could play, dreams of playing the Main Event. In fact, I was worried about what I would do with my cash, as the ATMs in Vegas did not have slots for deposits, only withdrawals(those geniuses!).

All those thoughts drifted away just a few days later, as I began my walk of shame to get more money. The downswing was even bigger than my initial upswing. Poker can be so crazy, especially now that I was playing higher stakes than I had last summer. Even though I understood the variance in poker and was prepared for it, it still hurt and I began to wonder when things would turn around. Luckily, things turned before my bankroll was too far depleted and I began to approach even again. It began with my deep run in the Venetian tournament and continued with a few profitable cash game sessions. But, as soon as I approached the profit line, another downswing struck hard.

As I began to recover from my second harsh downswing, time began to wind down on my Vegas journey. As it got closer to my departure, I knew I had to buckle down and focus. I played tight, solid poker and concentrated on playing each hand to the best of my abilities. It sounds simple, but it is not always so easy in practice. During my last week, I was extremely focused and luckily ran decently too. By the final day, I was practically even and my profit for the trip depended solely on my last 2 sessions. I lost the night before, putting me down slightly for the trip. After winning early in the final day, I was up a mere 76 dollars and my fate would rest on my final session before I cabbed it from the Rio to the airport.

The first few hours of my final Vegas poker session went pretty terribly, and I found myself down to 77 dollars from my initial $400 buyin. There was no point in buying back in, as I had just 45 minutes until I had to leave for my flight. I decided to just play my short stack as effectively as I could and finish my session as best as I could. I shoved over a straddle to pick up the blinds, then soon found myself in the small blind after a button straddle. I moved all in for my 89 dollars with Ace King and got a call from a crazy guy who had 10 2 of clubs (seriously?). I flopped a King on a KQJ flop and was lucky to fade his straight draw. Up to around $175, I found KJ in another straddled pot and called the 10 dollars after a few others. The straddler, as they often do, raised to 45 when it came to him. 3 others called, so I took the flop with my KJ planning to shove any piece if I hit. The flop came 1096, and lucky for me everyone checked. I turned the nuts, as an offsuit Queen hit the turn. They checked to me, and I bet 55 with my straight. The straddler folded and the two crazy guys in early position called my bet. We saw a 5 on the river, which kept my hand safe with my nut straight. After the first guy checked, crazy guy from the 10 2 hand bet 100, putting me all in for my final $80 or so. I called of course, and the first guy folded and I won the pot. I left soon after, with my initial buyin up to around $500 from my low point of $77.

I was so happy to make that comeback in my last 45 minutes of my trip. It felt like justice, as I was finally in the black again after such a trying summer which saw me dip so far into the red. After the first few days of the summer, I would have laughed at the notion that I would be happy breaking even at the end of the month. But, after all that I went through at the tables, I am proud to say that I barely squeaked into profit. It looked like I was doomed to have a losing summer, but I made the necessary adjustments to my game and worked hard to put myself in a position to win. I am once again happy that I went to Vegas. I didn't always play my best, but I am happy with my play in the end and my ability to react to adversity. I believe that if I played another month, I would be in way better shape to win. I am a much better cash game player now than I was a few weeks ago, and I am still learning. It will be strange to now be without poker for a while as I attend grad school in Atlanta, but I will be looking forward to perhaps another journey next summer in Vegas if it is in the cards. Til' next time...

-Danny

Homeward Bound

I'm comin home! Right now, I'm sitting in the Las Vegas airport now waiting for my flight to Chicago which leaves at 1:30 am Vegas time. Then its a 2hr 45 min layover in Chi-town and finally my flight home. I get in around 1:40pm Ft. Lauderdale time. Man it's gonna be a long night. Once I am home and recovered, I will do a full write up of my trip. Spoilers: Made it back above even! Just barely, but I made it and I'm very happy about it. Poker was very trying this summer and I am very proud that I stuck with it and grinded out the tiny profit that I ended with. More to come next time...

My Last Few Days in Vegas

So, I haven't been able to update since I moved to the Rio because the internet there hasn't worked for me. It worked perfectly when I was first there a few weeks ago, but now I can't seem to get a connection. So, for the benefit of this blog, I took the shuttle over to the Strip today to use the internet. I am also here to spend my Venetian comp dollars that I earned playing poker and to go to Walgreens to get some iced tea that I have been craving.

Over the last few days, I have been playing alot of poker and recovering from my downswing. On the day after my last blog, I played a session at the Venetian which started off with 2 gross beats in the first 5 hands but ended with me taking down alot of pots and raking in a substantial win which was very welcomed. The next day, I moved to the Rio for my final leg of the trip. I really like the Rio and would definitely consider staying here for my entire trip if I were going to come back next summer. The rooms are very spacious and clean, not to mention that they come with a fridge and safe. When I got to the Rio, they didnt have any non-smoking king bed rooms available for a few hours, so I elected to just take a room with 2 queens instead. Here are a few pics:

View:

Couch/Suite Area:

View upon walking in:

My 2 Beds:

Warning for the easily bored: Poker Content

Since I have moved into the Rio, things have been going pretty well. I had a few small wins on my first day here. I played a few very interesting hands at the Rio with some opponents who I would love to play against every day. Probably the funniest hand came in a straddled pot. For those who don't know, a straddle is basically an optional blind minimum raise which converts the came to double the limits for that hand. The blinds in my game are typically 2 and 5 dollars, but the button straddled for 10, making it a minimum of 10 dollars for anyone else to play. The small blind and big blind both limp in for 10 and it folds to me in the hijack with pocket 7s. I make it 45 dollars and get folds from the button straddler and the small blind before the big blind decides to call. The flop is J83 with two hearts, not a great flop for my hand but an easy continuation bet once the loose big blind checks to me. I bet $50 and he instantly calls. I figure its about time to shut down on the turn and keep the pot reasonable. This guy was pretty crazy and could show up with alot of hands here. The turn is the 2 of clubs and I check behind after he checks. The river is the 3 of hearts, which is a pretty bad card as it completes the flush, but luckily he checks and I oblige with a check as well. He turns over the almighty 92 offsuit for one of the worst starting hands in poker that check called a flop bet with 9 high, no draw. My hand was shockingly good and I won the pot laughing inside at the events that had just transpired.

Yesterday, I played a small tournament at the WSOP(it was not a WSOP bracelet event, just a daily $235 dollar tourney that they have). Even though it wasn't really a WSOP event, it felt pretty cool to play with the WSOP tournament chips that I posted a picture of at the top of the blog. Unfortunately, I didn't really win any hands and was out in about an hour and a half. No big deal though, I'll save my WSOP tournament rungood for the year that I play the main event. Hopefully next year Cliff and I will be able to come out and play it once he is home from Israel for good.

After losing the tournament I played and lost a little bit in a cash game before eating dinner, but I followed that up with a pretty big win last night. It started out pretty terribly as I lost a big flip in a $900 pot to put me down $400 early. Luckily I stayed and made it all back plus some to get a very satisfying win. It was especially nice to get that win as there was a very good player to my left who I was slightly afraid would suck up all the equity from the table. It went well though and there was plenty of money to be made there. It was alot of fun and everyone at the table was very nice and fun to play with. Definitely one of my favorite poker sessions of the trip so far.

So, thats my long update for the past few days. I may not have internet during the rest of my trip, so if I don't update again while I am here, expect an update or two when I get home this weekend. Thanks again for following along with me. I really appreciate everyone's support.

Peace,

Danny

A Day Off From the Roller Coaster...Kind Of

I decided to take the day off from the craziness called poker. At first, my plan was just to take the morning off, but the day turned into an adventure of sorts and I decided to unwind tonight before resuming tomorrow.

This morning, I woke up with a craving for In-N-Out Burger. It dawned on me that it would be a shame to be out here all this time and not get a taste of the west coast sensation. The only problem is that there is not one on the strip. I went down to the concierge and inquired about the nearest In-N-Out location. He said that he thought that I would need a car to get there, so I took that as a challenge and began working on my plan to get over there sans automobile. The nearest one is located down Tropicana, behind the strip just past the highway. I decided to cut out some of the walking by taking the monorail down the strip to the MGM Grand, which just so happens to be located on the strip along Tropicana. Aha, I thought. This shouldn't be so hard afterall.

So, I took the monorail, which, lucky enough, has a stop at my hotel. After arriving at MGM, I walked through the casino to get to the strip, which is actually a longer walk than it sounds. I crossed over the strip towards New York, New York and began my trek down Tropicana. Unfortunately, the sidwalk abrubtly ends, so I had to walk in the grass and gravel alongside the road until I reached my first real obstacle: the highway. Unfortunately, on that side of the street, there is not a great way to get under the highway, which made me walk a good 10 minutes out of my way just to get back onto Tropicana. Then I continued my walk in the 100-plus degree heat until, finally, I reached my glorious destination. At least an hour after I left my hotel, I finally made it to In-N-Out.

Drenched in sweat, I made my way through the double doors and got in line behind the 40 other people who had the same idea I did. It wasn't long before I made it to the front of the line and ordered my double double with fries. When I finally got my food, I was excited to sit down and eat. One problem: Every seat was taken. Not only were there no tables, but people were lined up just to get seats after they got their food. So, I settled for sitting outside in the heat. I wasn't going to let it spoil my meal though. The burger was spectacular, as were the fries. The journey just made the food taste that much better. That said, I would never walk there from the strip again. And just like that, I made my way back to the strip. This time, I walked down the other side of the street, which I discovered had a sidewalk and a crosswalk over the highway.

On my way back, I had to walk through New York, New York and figured I would add to my day's adventure by going on their roller coaster. Let's just say that the drops on the roller coaster aren't the only things that are steep. I somewhat begrudgingly paid the $14 charge to sit in a cart for 60 seconds and was ready for my first Vegas thrillride. As we rolled through the twists, turns, loops, and spirals of the taxi-cab themed coaster, I briefly forgot about the downswing and all that comes with it. For that reason alone, it was easily worth the $14 fee. Just like the walk to In-N-Out, it is probably something I won't repeat for a while, but I am glad that I did it.

I am hoping that my day off will reinvigorate me and give me the fresh start I need as I begin my final week in Vegas. While walking to get a burger isn't usually the most uplifting accomplishment, it may have been the victory I needed to get my mind where it needs to be. Now, I am going to finish watching the Godfather, Part II and get a good rest before the day of poker playing that is ahead of me. Wish me luck(and skill!).

-Danny

Roller Coaster Continues

Unfortunately, I am finding myself on another downswing. Yesterday's and today's sessions were ugly. I'm running pretty bad, but I am also finding myself a little lost at the tables. That may be in part due to running bad, as when things aren't going well you begin to question your decisions. I wonder how profitable I actually am at cash games. I am pretty sure that I am a winning cash game player overall, but I know for sure that I would be way more profitable in tournaments.

I feel way more confident in tournaments, and my decisions always seem to feel easier. Playing online, it is way more reasonable to concentrate on tournaments as you can play many at a time and they run all day. Playing in the live arena, you really need a large bankroll and alot of time to iron out the variance that comes with tournament play. Thus, I am pretty much forced to concentrate on cash games. I hope that I am just running terribly, but there are definitely some spots in cash games that I need some work on. Hopefully I can plug some of these leaks soon and finish out the summer on a high note.

The WSOP Main Event started today, and boy do I wish I was playing. I thought about playing a satellite, but the downswing is keeping me from being willing to pony up 550 on a 1 in 20 shot. I will 100% play in it one day, I just have to wait for it to be my time. Hopefully online poker will come back eventually and allow me to grind tournaments again.

Not too much else is going on here. Tonight I went to the 2+2(an online poker community/forum) party and got some free food and dessert. I will probably take the night off from poker and do some apartment searching. Then, it's back to the grind. Tomorrow is a new day.

-Danny

Nearing Even

Yo,

How's everyone doin? I'm still at Harrah's, grinding my way back to even. Poker can be crazy. I had a huge upswing to start, an even bigger downswing, and now I am grinding out small wins that are pulling me closer and closer to being even for the trip. I got very excited after the first few days at how much money I was making and could make if things continued that way. The downswing was terrifying and humbling at the same time. I haven't played too many hours over the last week or so, but the short sessions with small wins have helped me recover.

Now it is time for the final grind. I have about 9 days of play left. I am going to grind as many hours as I can in the cash games. I would also like to play another tournament. I may play another $350 tournament at the Venetian on Sunday, or I might try to go to the Rio one day soon and play a satellite to try to qualify for the Main Event of the World Series. We'll see how tonight and tomorrow go in cash games. I am excited for my last week and a half here. I am excited for the grind and to go back to the Rio for my last 5 nights. I enjoyed having the World Series of Poker cash games downstairs at my disposal when I was staying there. I love being on the strip, but it will be cool to be back at the Rio.

Last night, I went over to the Fashion Show mall on the north end of the strip to get a new hat. As most of you know, I love my white hats. Sadly, a huge gust of wind blew my hat off during the storm a few nights ago and my white hat became white with black spots. So, I went to Lids and bought a new one. While I was there, I discovered that RA Sushi Bar has a great happy hour menu, and I had a delicious california roll for just 4 bucks. I went back today for lunch, as they also have a terriyaki chicken lunch special for 8 bucks. If you have a RA near you, I suggest checkin out their lunch and happy hour deals. I also found a way to get pretty much all the way there without having to be in the Vegas heat. I'm really learning alot of little Vegas tricks that make it way easier to be out here for so long. Maybe I'll do a blog at the end outlining my Vegas tips and tricks. That's about it for now. Hope everyone's summers are going well.

Peace,

Danny

Happy 4th!

Hey guys,

Just a quick update. I just finished a short poker session at the Venetian. I have been playing shorter sessions since my mom and grandma got here and it has been going pretty well. I have had a few small wins and a few mid-sized wins in cash games since the tournament, and I'm climbing back to even.

I don't think I had any really exciting hands to report on or anything. It's been good though. My mom and grandma are still here and we've been having a good time. My mom and I have both played a bunch of poker (her more than me!) and the three of us have had some delicious meals and walked around alot of the strip. We checked out the new Cosmopolitan hotel and City Center one day, which meant a long walk down the strip. Last night we went over to the Mirage to play cuz it's my mom's favorite place to play. They didn't have any 2/5nl games running so I decided to just play 3/6 limit with my mom. Unfortunately, neither of us did very well, but it was fun to play poker with my mom. She has been doing well in the 3/6 limit games there outside of last night, so maybe I brought her some short term bad luck!

Tonight we're going to one of my favorite Vegas restaurants, Mon Ami Gabi. It's a great French steakhouse in the Eiffel Tower portion of the Paris hotel. I love the steak frites there, but we chose this restaurant tonight to be strategically placed on the Strip across from the Bellagio fountains and within view of Caesar's Palace to watch the fireworks tonight. Should be fun. Hope everyone has a great, safe Fourth of July.

-Danny

Venetian Deep Stack

Hello there,

I just posted the blog entry below this, which I tried to post a few days ago but the blog website has been down. It is working now, so I figured I would post that entry as well as a new one. I also included the pictures of my room at Harrah's that I would have put in the last one on here.

Since I wrote the last blog, cash games were still sucking for me. I decided to try something different and play a tournament at the Venetian. During the summer, the Venetian runs a series of tournaments called the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza. Yesterday was one of their $340 dollar tournaments, which has a great structure and draws a huge field. I decided to take a shot at making my way through the 910 person field. I truly enjoy playing tournaments way more than cash games, and I am definitely a better tournament player. Thus, it was nice to get back into my element and take a break from cash games. I would love to spend the month out here playing tournaments, but the variance is even higher in tournaments and the buyins can add up quickly. Still, I definitely wanted to play at least one at the Venetian.

The event would pay out 10% of the field, meaning 90 people would make the money. Because of the size of the field and the good structure, the day was a very long one. The tournament did not reach the money until about 12:30 am, more than 12 hours after the tournament started. It is pretty devastating to play that long and finish just out of the money. I never really had a very big stack in the tournament, but I was able to stay afloat by shoving over loose player's raises and picking up small pots. Luckily, I survived the money bubble and with 90 players left I had about 61,000 chips from the 12k that we started with. After winning a few small pots and a big coinflip with pocket 9s vs Ace King, I found myself in a very comfortable position to make the second day with about 170,000 in chips.

At around 2:00 am, the tournament director announced that we would play 7 more hands before calling it a night. On the second to last hand of the day, I looked down to find Ace King of clubs. I raised to 15,000 with the blinds at 3k/6k, and the button moved all in for around 75,000 which I quickly called. He turned over pocket 8s and we were off to the races. Unfortunately, the Ace on the river was not enough as he made a set of 8s on the turn and I lost the huge coinflip. After losing my big blind on the last hand of the night, I was left with 88,000 to return with on Day 2.

Today, I returned to the Venetian at 2pm with dreams of making the final table and taking home the $55,000 first prize. That kind of money would do way more than just put an end to my downswing. However, it was not to be. We returned with 47 players left, so close that I could taste it. I needed to make something happen quickly though, as I only had about 11 big blinds. On the very first hand of the day, I looked down to find Queen Jack of diamonds. With only 4 people left to act behind me, including the blinds, this was a no brainer. All-in. The cutoff and button both folded, but the small blind woke up with pocket queens, just about the worst hand I could see in that situation. The flop came KK7 with one diamond. The turn gave me alot more life, as the Ace of diamonds peeled off the top of the deck. Now, I could catch a 10 or any diamond to win, or an Ace to split the pot. In fact, the 10 of diamonds would have given me my first royal flush! If there was ever a time to hit it, this was it. It was not to be though, as the five of hearts hit the river and put an end to my tournament run. I had alot of fun, but it is always disappointing to lose a tournament and the chance to make life changing money. I got paid $1,029 for my efforts though, for around a $630 dollar profit for my one day and one minute of work.

My mom and grandma are here now, which is really nice. We will probably try to find something good for dinner on the strip tonight and maybe see a show while they're here. I'll try to update after the weekend to fill you in on anything new. Sorry for the lack of updates recently. As long as the blog website cooperates and I have something to say, I will resume more regular updates soon.

-Danny