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2015 WSOP! (1 Viewer)

Alright... Finally back to Michigan and with a good keyboard in front of me so I can type some words... Well, more like random thoughts really... Here I go:

- Once again, I cannot thank you guys enough for all the support, comments, likes, PMs, etc... It was absolutely awesome to feel I was representing PCF in a small way... I certainly understand it was not the Main Event, and not even a $5K event, but playing against a record breaking 23K entries was definitely something I'll always remember...

- A special thanks to @Poker Zombie and Liz, and @snooptodd for the live railing moments... It was great having them there for my first double up on Day 2 and when the money bubble bursted... We celebrated together although from a 30ft distance... Thanks guys!

- It was also pretty special to receive the picture with best wishes from @Redbelly !! As I said, I was speechless he would take time (and having the thought!) for it... I will always remember that Sean!! Thank you brother!!!

* BTW, I am NOT aggrandizing my performance AT ALL with my 'thank you!'s... On the contrary, I certainly understand I got from you guys A LOT MORE than I deserved... And that's what makes it even more special for me... It all made me feel I had accomplished a lot more than what I actually did...

- In regards to the pay-out discussion, I have mixed feelings about it... My biggest complain is that WSOP did not announce the PO structure beforehand... All players deserve to know if they are entering a top heavy tourney or a flatter PO one... Putting that aside, I believe the organizers could have increased the payout at the top... Money bubble was at 2x and I don't think any of the players (including first timers) would care if a much smaller percentage of players were paid but at a higher level... But the money stayed in town at the tables and lots of people were smiling, so I guess it's cool...

- Dealers at the WSOP were absolutely atrocious on average... They couldn't handle chips well, they couldn't call the action, they couldn't award pots correctly and felt just lost... Not all of them of course, but a big percentage... Throwing rookie dealers to the wolves was not the right strategy imo... Lots of complaints... They could have spend a bit more money...

- On the other hand, dealers at the Venetian were outstanding!! You get what you pay for I guess...

- The field for the Colossus was actually stronger than I thought it would be... I expected to see a good percentage of people with limited idea of tourney play but what I saw was the opposite... I don't remember having played against any player there who I'd consider horrible...

- The field at the Venetian (1/2 and 2/5 cash) was much weaker on average imo...

- Omaha is exploding in Vegas... I'm not sure how long this trend has been going on but comparing last year with this year, the Venetian had at least twice as many Omaha tables going versus a year ago... And I'm talking about PLO, O8, BigO, BigO8, several limits, etc... Just beautiful to see...

- Putting Adelson aside, imo the Venetian is still the best poker room in town... That's my humble opinion... Aria's is great also but not quite at the same level...

- Waiting lists at the Venetian were running 160 players deep for most HE and the more popular Omaha tables during the weekend and some week days as well... Just absolutely brutal... They were running a $1.1K tournament that was one of the talks of the town so that didn't help either...

- I am more and more certain poker belong to a different time continuum... I've played many 14+ hours sessions that felt like a few minutes...

- For as much as I'm appreciating Tournament poker more and more, cash is where I find the most 'poker' challenge... Granted, in tourneys there's a ton of different dynamics as well, with the different stacks depths, money ladder, etc, etc... But the 'poker playing' aspect of it lags imo... For each its own but for me, still, cash is king... As no limit is king as well...

- I don't believe I could have had an unhealthier stay in Vegas... Basically having breakfast at 11:30am consisting of as many eggs as I could eat, bacon galore and gallons of coffee... Then on to alternating beer, bourbon and red bull at the table until my poker sessions were over... Huge burger and fries 5 mins before falling asleep... Rinse and repeat for 8 days...

- Played with one of my brothers-in-law at the same 2/5 table. We were clashing every other hand... I ended up getting his whole stack on a hero call... I felt bad until I realized he wanted to bluff me out of a $2K+ pot!!! MFer!!! My b-i-ls are much more than that... They are truly my brothers from another mother...

My wife is complaining I should stay away from the computer for a couple of hours after having lived the single life for 9 days in Vegas, and she's probably right... I'll add some more thoughts if they come to mind later on...
 
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Thanks for sharing. Go get some rest and family time!
 
ChaosRock said:
- Dealers at the WSOP were absolutely atrocious on average... They couldn't handle chips well, they couldn't call the action, they couldn't award pots correctly and felt just lost... Not all of them of course, but a big percentage... Throwing rookie dealers to the wolves was not the right strategy imo... Lots of complaints... They could have spend a bit more money...

- On the other hand, dealers at the Venetian were outstanding!! You get what you pay for I guess...
Click to expand...


that's shitty about the dealers... here i am, literally in the top 5% of dealers on the planet (prolly top 2%, realistically) and i can't work in vegas because my rinky-dink home game got raided by money grubbing vice cops eight years ago (sigh)

back on topic: they have to hire HUNDREDS of dealers to meet demand... it isn't a matter of paying them more - there just aren't enough competent dealers to go around... in addition to the WSOP, i'd bet that all the other poker rooms are also running tourneys right now and they're hiring any fresh-out-of-poker-dealer-school donkey with a heartbeat (sigh.... i miss living in vegas)

but i did have a seven-week stint as a temp at the venetian - what a treat that was!!! i LOVED working there! and i agree that it's one of the best -if not THE best- poker room in vegas ;) hopefully i can get the NGC to allow me to get my license within the next couple years :(
 
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Pic of the new 25k chips.

Seems like they'd clash with the 1ks a little bit. I really wish they would've came here first for feedback.

image.jpg
 
Bordizzle said:
back on topic: they have to hire HUNDREDS of dealers to meet demand... it isn't a matter of paying them more - there just aren't enough competent dealers to go around...
Click to expand...

Completely true. A buddy of mine was once one of the fresh-out-of-school dealers they hired. He was totally jazzed thinking he was the new hotness, only to eventually realize it was a complete grinder in there, and that they would take anyone who knew their name and what the seven of diamonds looked like in order to meet the demand spike. Good, albeit grueling, experience for him; terrible experience for the players.
 
Psypher1000 said:
Completely true. A buddy of mine was once one of the fresh-out-of-school dealers they hired. He was totally jazzed thinking he was the new hotness, only to eventually realize it was a complete grinder in there, and that they would take anyone who knew their name and what the seven of diamonds looked like in order to meet the demand spike. Good, albeit grueling, experience for him; terrible experience for the players.
Click to expand...

Do they get paid well?
And does one have to prove that they passed some kind of dealer school to get hired?
 
Luk_nuts said:
Do they get paid well?
And does one have to prove that they passed some kind of dealer school to get hired?
Click to expand...

Can't speak to the current pay as my buddy was a dealer for it eight years ago. As for the "proof", the proof is in the puddin'....errr, audition. Some schools may ask for certification or some such thing, but what it really boils down to is "Can you do the job?". Do you know the games, maintain control and pace of the game, have good hands and techniques? Do your table skills or background make you a security risk? They look at those kinds of things far more than any schooling. It's possible that trainees of specific schools are more preferred than others, though, and that preference may vary from manager to manager.
 
Luk_nuts said:
Do they get paid well?
And does one have to prove that they passed some kind of dealer school to get hired?
Click to expand...

As to the dealers I've talked to, the response was "can't complain", and one was a school teacher in Georgia - and he chooses to do this on his vacation. I take this to mean that either dealers are paid so poorly, that the WSOP is just another opportunity to deal - a lot, and for long periods without breaks. I know Georgia school teachers aren't paid a luxury salary either.

Shot answer is, "paid well" is a relative term. I doubt you'll see doctors, lawyers, executives, or pro athletes pitching cards. The grind, the repetitive stress, the constant leaning forward, and constantly hearing about how the dealers suck is for people that deal with that kind of abuse every day for meager pay.
 
If the poker room manager or dealer coordinator knows you and knows your a competent dealer, they can get you in the door... If not, you have to audition - doesn't matter which school you went to or what certifications you have

I went to dealer school out there simply to network and learn how casinos like things done... I already knew how to deal... But most of the donkeys in dealer school didn't know which end of the deck to pitch from and couldn't get a single orbit in without making an error

As for pay: a percentage of the tourney buy ins go to the dealers and tips supplement their income... Not sure how much tourney dealers make at the Rio during the WSOP, but I avg'd a little over $30 / hour at the venetian (prolly 75% cash / 25% tourneys)... Generally, you end up with $22 to $28 / hour in tourney pay... So it pays well enough ;)

It's been my experience that people who play poker see what dealers do and say "meh... That doesn't look hard... I can do that better than this donkey"... But 9,999 out of 10,000 of them are dead wrong... It isn't an easy job at all... Few people have all the attributes / skill sets / mentality / stamina / focus to excel at it
 
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Poker Zombie said:
As to the dealers I've talked to, the response was "can't complain", and one was a school teacher in Georgia - and he chooses to do this on his vacation. I take this to mean that either dealers are paid so poorly, that the WSOP is just another opportunity to deal - a lot, and for long periods without breaks. I know Georgia school teachers aren't paid a luxury salary either.

Shot answer is, "paid well" is a relative term. I doubt you'll see doctors, lawyers, executives, or pro athletes pitching cards. The grind, the repetitive stress, the constant leaning forward, and constantly hearing about how the dealers suck is for people that deal with that kind of abuse every day for meager pay.
Click to expand...

...and just another day in the office for a Georgia public school teacher...
 
ChaosRock said:
- I don't believe I could have had an unhealthier stay in Vegas... Basically having breakfast at 11:30am consisting of as many eggs as I could eat, bacon galore and gallons of coffee... Then on to alternating beer, bourbon and red bull at the table until my poker sessions were over... Huge burger and fries 5 mins before falling asleep... Rinse and repeat for 8 days...
Click to expand...

Still waiting for the unhealthy part...
 
Just busted in event #30.

Bust out hand, approx 10 minutes into the tournament.

Blinds 25-50, everyone still around starting stack of 5k.

Folds to button, a guy in his 50s who looked familiar, bets 150. I have QhQc in the BB and raise to 600. Button calls.

Flop 9h 7c 5h

I lead for 700, button raised to 1,500. I shove, he calls with Ah4h. River is an ace.

Seems pretty standard and I was happy to get it in good (slight favorite, 53%). Any criticisms?
 
Just caught up on this thread and it was a TREAT to read fro start until now.

Good luck to everybody else with up coming tournaments, and a BIG congrats to Paulo for the cash, lifetime memories right there...


I also want to say congratulations to Bordizzle for turning off the skittle colored text, I can now read your posts and not picture a 14 year old chick writing a love letter. ;) j/k about the chick part, but seriously thianks for turning that crap off. :D
 
12thMan said:
Just caught up on this thread and it was a TREAT to read fro start until now.

Good luck to everybody else with up coming tournaments, and a BIG congrats to Paulo for the cash, lifetime memories right there...


I also want to say congratulations to Bordizzle for turning off the skittle colored text, I can now read your posts and not picture a 14 year old chick writing a love letter. ;) j/k about the chick part, but seriously thianks for turning that crap off. :D
Click to expand...

image.jpg
 
12thMan said:
Just caught up on this thread and it was a TREAT to read fro start until now.
Click to expand...

Same here, I had no idea that all this had transpired over the last couple of weeks - but it was almost like living it live just reading post-events.

Congrats Paulo!
 
DarPodo said:
Just busted in event #30.

Bust out hand, approx 10 minutes into the tournament.

Blinds 25-50, everyone still around starting stack of 5k.

Folds to button, a guy in his 50s who looked familiar, bets 150. I have QhQc in the BB and raise to 600. Button calls.

Flop 9h 7c 5h

I lead for 700, button raised to 1,500. I shove, he calls with Ah4h. River is an ace.

Seems pretty standard and I was happy to get it in good (slight favorite, 53%). Any criticisms?
Click to expand...

I zeroed at the WSOP, so take my advice for what it's worth...

10 minute in, so I am thinking there hasn't been enough hands to get a read on you yet, unless you've personally already played a lot of hands in just 10 minutes. I don't see why you chose the jam with an over-pair. His re-raise gives a good feeler to see if your C-bet was legit, but the jam just looks overly aggressive. Overly aggressive with no other info makes me think you are bluffing. Overly aggressive if you've played a lot in 10 minutes makes me think you're bluffing. So now you're possibly going to get called with any made hand (trips, straight) big aces, pocket pairs of 10s or better, straight flush draws, or Ace-anything Hearts. The only hands you beat out of all of these are 10s or J-J. the rest are coin flips. If this were a cash game, I'd agree with your play, but in a tournament, you need to protect your stack. There is a lot of time to build it in the slow structure available. I would have preferred to see a simple call of his re-raise. I doubt he would bet with the missed turn, as his outs just were depleted and he's down to roughly 30% on anything that does not make his hand. Then I see the hand playing out like this:
  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you re-raise thinking he's bluffing, and he folds with his weak kicker.
  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you fold knowing your beat
  • He accepts that even a value bet won't earn him more and the river goes check-check
  • You value bet the river. Again a reraise is unlikely as the only thing calling a reraise here is all nutty (straight or trips).
In all circumstances, you are better than bust-o, and with a good/bad (thinking he's bluffing) read, you win the hand.
 
I just got back from my second trip to Vegas in as many weeks........!
WSOP was no bueno, but the cash games downtown were juicy.
I figured since I was break-even the first time round, why not try again. ;)

Anyway, I'm done for this year, have to start refilling the coffers for next year....LOL

I did hear (and agree) that the weekend of the Colossus was perhaps the largest "poker weekend" in Vegas history....pretty amazing, and pretty cool to be a part of.

Good luck to anyone going out for the Main or whatever.
nitzilla
 
Poker Zombie said:
I zeroed at the WSOP, so take my advice for what it's worth...

10 minute in, so I am thinking there hasn't been enough hands to get a read on you yet, unless you've personally already played a lot of hands in just 10 minutes. I don't see why you chose the jam with an over-pair. His re-raise gives a good feeler to see if your C-bet was legit, but the jam just looks overly aggressive. Overly aggressive with no other info makes me think you are bluffing. Overly aggressive if you've played a lot in 10 minutes makes me think you're bluffing. So now you're possibly going to get called with any made hand (trips, straight) big aces, pocket pairs of 10s or better, straight flush draws, or Ace-anything Hearts. The only hands you beat out of all of these are 10s or J-J. the rest are coin flips. If this were a cash game, I'd agree with your play, but in a tournament, you need to protect your stack. There is a lot of time to build it in the slow structure available. I would have preferred to see a simple call of his re-raise. I doubt he would bet with the missed turn, as his outs just were depleted and he's down to roughly 30% on anything that does not make his hand. Then I see the hand playing out like this:
  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you re-raise thinking he's bluffing, and he folds with his weak kicker.
  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you fold knowing your beat
  • He accepts that even a value bet won't earn him more and the river goes check-check
  • You value bet the river. Again a reraise is unlikely as the only thing calling a reraise here is all nutty (straight or trips).
In all circumstances, you are better than bust-o, and with a good/bad (thinking he's bluffing) read, you win the hand.
Click to expand...

Thx for input. There was no ace on the flop, fwiw.
 
DarPodo said:
Thx for input. There was no ace on the flop, fwiw.
Click to expand...

  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you re-raise thinking he's bluffing, and he folds with his weak kicker.
  • He fires out after you check with the Ace on the flop, you fold knowing your beat
  • He accepts that even a value bet won't earn him more and the river goes check-check
  • You value bet the river. Again a reraise is unlikely as the only thing calling a reraise here is all nutty (straight or trips).
"Flop" should have read "River". My bad for using PCF at while being buried under workload.
 

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