Vegas trip report 7/1-7/7 -- WSOP satellites, etc. (long)

[nolanfan34]

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Nope, nice little read.

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Thanks. I wasn't expecting a ton of responses, but when I didn't see ANY for a while, I figured maybe I had written too much.

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No, I read it as well, just didn't have time to respond right away. Good report! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I wish I had played some of the WSOP SNGs. Did you feel like the blind structure went up too quickly?

[plaster8]

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I wish I had played some of the WSOP SNGs. Did you feel like the blind structure went up too quickly?

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The blinds went up every 15 minutes, which can turn it into a crapshoot pretty quickly, but I didn't mind. Anything longer probably would have gummed everything up, and the lines were already long for some of the satellites.

That said, you got 1000 in chips for the $125s and 800 for the $65s, and the blinds started at 25-25 before going up to 25-50. So you had a good half-hour of play to see some cheap flops while trying to build a stack. All in all, I thought they worked pretty well.

I was at one table, though, where we were 10-handed until halfway through the 200-400 level. The dealer, who was dead tired after working 14 hours the day before and getting four hours of sleep, just kept looking at us and shaking his head.

The other thing I liked about the satellites is that they were all cheap enough that the games were pretty friendly. It wasn't high-pressure stuff, even though we all wanted to win. Everybody was having a good time, except for the occasional table coach who thought he was the "pro" even though he was playing the lowly $65 satellites. I found them amusing.

[Isura]

Thanks for the report. Are there any other SNGs outside the WSOP ones? I'd like to find some with decent structures below the $200 limit.

[plaster8]

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Thanks for the report. Are there any other SNGs outside the WSOP ones? I'd like to find some with decent structures below the $200 limit.

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I don't know about that. Someone in another thread mentioned SNGs at the Aladdin, I think.

[GreywolfNYC]

Nice report. Sounds like you had a ball. Good job. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[MicroBob]

The Palms (just down the street from the Rio) is running a bunch of MTT's and also keeps starting up $125 SNG's (pays top 3 spots).
I imagine they are pretty soft.


I played a bunch of the single-table sat's from $125 to $225 at the Rio (also one $65 and one $325).

Since deals were so common there I looked at it as 'top 2 make the money'.
I made the money in 4 of my last 5 there....and I believe I was something like 7 for 12 overall.

Yes, there is quite a bit of luck involved in these almost-turbo style SNG's. But the play can be SO bad that they are easily beatable if you are comfortable blowing a few buy-in's while waiting for variance to catch up.

They were incredibly soft.


Also - am I reading the OP's 'deal' correctly?
He was down 7 to 1 in chips....the other guy gave him his $65 back in exchange for the $500 chip?
This is a bad deal for the original poster isn't it? (although not by a terrible amount).
I would certainly take this deal if I was in the other guy's shoes.
And if I was down by that many chips I would offer to let him have the chip if he gave me $150. There's a reasonable chance he would accept that deal.


My first single-table there was a $125. So the total pay-out to the winner is $1120.
We're down to 3-handed....big-stack guy probably has a little more than the other 2 of us combined.
Other short-stack asks if we're interested in taking a $200 save.
Big stack doesn't even know what that means and short-stack explains that whoever wins will give the other two $200 each...so we are essentially 'locking in a win' for each of us and are still playing for the remaining $520.

Much to my surprise, the big-stack doesn't realize what a bad deal that is for him and he accepts!!

So the two short-stacks (me included) got $200 back AND still got to play for $520.

I was heads-up with him and was making a comeback but my pocket 10's all-in lost to his 86s when he caught 2-pair. Oh well...at least I got $200 out of it.


Anyway - I'm not seeing why getting the $65 back is so bad for the other guy to accept.


Nice report...accept I don't agree that they were ALL light-hearted due to the low buy-in. Most of them were pretty cool...but there were some really serious pricks in some of these including some near fights breaking out. These happened on Thurs or Fri night while people were drinking naturally....but it almost was scary how stupidly serious and belligerent some of the players could get.
These idiots were the exception though...thankfully.

[plaster8]

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Also - am I reading the OP's 'deal' correctly?
He was down 7 to 1 in chips....the other guy gave him his $65 back in exchange for the $500 chip? This is a bad deal for the original poster isn't it? (although not by a terrible amount).
I would certainly take this deal if I was in the other guy's shoes.

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Maybe it wasn't such a great deal for me. But down by that many chips, I was happy to get something out of it. I'm not very experienced at deal-making in tournaments. Now I'm pissed, though, that I didn't aim higher with my offer.
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Nice report...accept I don't agree that they were ALL light-hearted due to the low buy-in. Most of them were pretty cool...but there were some really serious pricks in some of these including some near fights breaking out. These happened on Thurs or Fri night while people were drinking naturally....but it almost was scary how stupidly serious and belligerent some of the players could get.
These idiots were the exception though...thankfully.

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I'm glad I missed out on the idiots. I'm sure there were some when I was there Tuesday and Wednesday, but the vast majority of the people I played with in these tourneys were very cool.

And I cashed in only 2 of 7 of the SNGs, unless you count the one where I got my money back, so nice work at going 7 for 12, Bob. That's great.

[MicroBob]

I got REALLY freaking lucky on these.

Although I would count the $65 you made as actually 'cashing'.

I counted my first one as a 'cash' even though it was $125 to play and I only got $200 back. I was happy though. Victory in my first ever WSOP 'event'!!


I'm not very experienced at deal-making either and made kind of a lousy deal in one of mine so I know of where you speak.


After that first save for $200 I decided that if you are persistent and/or stubborn you can gain EV with proper deal-making.
You're already losing EV on the entry-fee as well as the obligation to tip.....so if I can make up that EV by accepting a favorable deal and turning down a lousy one then I'm pretty happy.

Deals are VERY important as it turns out and I'm still learning.


The rebuy tourney I have played twice in Tunica gets kind of weird sometimes.

I finished 9th out of 70 my first time playing a couple weeks ago.
I left but later bumped into some rail-birder a couple hours later who recognized me from the final-table and told me of the deal they made.

He was incredulous...the big-stack guy (who had the big-stack when I busted) probably had the other 3 players remaining out-chipped even if you combined all their chips.
3 short-stacks...and one REALLY big stack.

And they agreed to an EVEN 4-way deal!!
That big-stack guy lost a ton of money there. Incredible.

First place was supposed to pay $2400 I believe. 2nd place $1400 maybe?? 3rd and 4th were probably $950 and $700 I guess.
Sounds like they probably each got $1.3k or so.
I mean....just a truly awful deal that the big-stack agreed to.


As for my run of luck (both good and bad):
i was playing a $225 and am all-in with A9 I believe.
Get called by KT.
Flop has AA3

runner-runner QJ though makes his straight.
Amazing.

And I'm down to only 2 chips now after posting the small blind.

I double-up somehow with 53o against the BB's A4.
Then double-up again with something like 98s.
Then get to wait a little...and find a spot to double-up yet again.
I come all the way back from 2 measly chips and a 53o forced all-in to split the whole thing (we were dead-even in chips when we got to heads-up).
That's $1060 for each of us which is a nice little miracle I pulled off.


I don't claim to be an amazing single-table tourney player. I'm decent and I had a nice damn streak to win money in 7 of 12. but the players really were pretty damn soft/drunk much of the time.


Played in one where an older guy was complaining that it was just too freaking cold in there so he went all-in to try to get knocked out (it took him a couple tries).

Another hand I posted earlier from a $225:
9-handed, 2nd level I think (but maybe the first):

EP raises 2x (I was thinking he was kinda tight...just because he looked like it to me)...2 cold-callers...button pushes all-in...EP calls...2 MP guys fold.


EP has KJo against button's pair of 9's.
The 9's hold-up (and she winds up splitting the win with me in the end).
It was just getting progressively worse throughout the hand I guess.
-- Raising with KJo is pretty bad
(he still had his starting stack),
-- pushing with 9's was probably a bit worse
(since it's a guy who hadn't played a hand yet raising the min from EP plus the 2 cold-callers that were still in of course),
-- and then him calling the all-in with KJo is just ridiculous.

Soft, Softer, Softest!!
Welcome to the WSOP single-table SAT's.

[Isura]

Thanks Bob. I'll definitely check out the Palms.