Trip Report SHRPO 2024

Prelude

We get back to Medellin full of a cold. Does anyone not come back from Vegas sick?

Robert, my buddy who I met in Vegas had a flight to Cartagena and I convinced him to come to Medellin for a couple of days as well. He’s a big soccer fan so he didn’t need much convincing when he saw Nacional were playing America which is one of the biggest games in Colombian soccer.

44,000 full house, great atmosphere. Nacional come from behind to win 2-1. Party time [emoji3060] [emoji482]

Rob leaves and I allow myself one day in bed before getting back to the grind in my regular game.

Turned out to be a good decision as we win a $10 million peso pot. (About $2,500 USD)

It’s 5 card PLO. I’m on the button and flop the nut flush draw on a Jc-7s-5s flop. Seat 2 pots it, seat 6 calls, seat 7 calls and getting good odds I of course call.

The turn 2c doesn’t help me. Seat 2 pots it again, seat 6 calls, as does seat 7. This is now a very large pot and I have to call as we’re getting the right price for the flush draw.

The river is a beautiful King of spades giving us the nut flush. Seat 2 checks. Seat 6 goes all in (didn’t have much left) and we’re happy to call with the nuts to scoop a sick pot.

The next day I happen to see a post from SHRPO on my twitter feed.

Upon closer inspection this seems like a good idea. Some nice mix tournaments and a sweet looking guitar trophy for the winner of the mixed tournaments leaderboard that would look really great in my office.

We check out the flights and hotel. Flights aren’t the problem. $400 a night (WTF ???) at the guitar is.
We find a $100 a night alternative close by and snap call. Hard Rock here we come. Let’s see if we can continue our run good in Florida. [emoji267] [emoji3508]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day One - Tuesday July 30th

Travel Day. Medellin - Panama - Fort Lauderdale

I could have gone direct with spirit but with all the add ons for baggage and seat selection it wasn’t any cheaper so opted for Copa with a short 1 hour change in Panama.

Smooth flights with no problems and get checked into the Staybridge suites near the Hardrock.

Nice enough room. Google maps says it’s a 28 minute walk to the casino. We’ll find out tomorrow.

I do go out to the gas station to get a few things for the room and get my first glimpse of the guitar

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Two - Wednesday July 31st

We manage the walk to the casino in 22 minutes. The only other people we see walking about look to be homeless people.
It’s humid so we’re sweating a bit when we arrive but I don’t mind, I enjoy the walk.

First time here and I’m impressed. Very nice property. Gaming, bars, restaurants, retail, and importantly for us, sportsbook kiosks which we’ll definitely make some use of.

We get set up with their players card and buy into the first tournament.

The mix tournaments are being played in a small room to the side of the main ballroom. It’s a nice room with 12 tables. Looks like we’ll have around 100 runner fields with first prizes between $15k - $20k which is an okay size for 1 day tournaments but not worth firing multiple bullets for.

Big O is a game in general I think a lot of people play poorly and I see evidence of that but I’m not getting any hands to take advantage of.
I never really get going in the tournament and exit just before the dinner break.
Will try again tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Three - Thursday August 1st

On deck today $600 Omaha 8 or Better

I’m having recollections of my HORSE final table at the WSOP today. The dealer at my opening table was one of the final table dealers for that tournament in Vegas. We exchange hellos and shoot the **** a little before shuffle up and deal is called. He’s an excellent dealer which I appreciate as I started off life many moons ago as a dealer myself at 18 when I left school.

Then later when I get moved to another table who should sit down but Gary Bolden who did win that HORSE final table and the bracelet. I congratulate him on the bracelet as we tangle in a pot which we end up chopping.
Seems like these are good omens as I’m slowly accumulating chips.

That table breaks and I get seated next to my buddy Lee from Manchester on my new table. I had no idea he would be here but it’s nice to see a familiar face from back home.
We swop some poker stories and he tells me the dealers choice game in Blackpool is still going strong.

We hit the dinner break and go off to have a bite to eat together in the food court. I opt for the chicken parm with baked ziti today.

Unfortunately for Lee he stone bubbles in 13th place and the final table is set not long after.

Also today is the first NFL game of the pre-season in the shape of the hall of fame game. The total was bet down from 33 to 30.5 earlier in the week which I didn’t really agree with as I think both teams have some good depth and should be able to put up points.
When I hear a sharp group is playing the 1st half over 16 I like it and bet it as well.

Here at Hard Rock they have 16.5 +100 which is pretty much the same thing with the half point being worth roughly 10 cents.
The half point difference does mean I’d lose on 16 which is sort of a semi key number in pre-season. 1 TD and 3 FG’s.
For that reason I only fire $500 instead of $1000 but I needn’t have worried as we get 31 points in the 1st half.

They moved us into the big ballroom for the final table which was good as they had the game on the big screens.

I enter the final table 3rd in chips and tangle with the chip leader on the very first hand.
I have A-K-J-2ds and open for a raise from middle position. The chip leader 3-bets from the small blind which i call.
Flop is K-J-10 with two spades which is not one of my suits.
He leads out. I call. A-Q is certainly in his range here but he’s aggressive and could also be betting just one pair with the flush draw.
Turn is an off-suit 7
He bets, I call.
River is an off-suit 4.
Again he bets. I now only have a bluff catcher with my two pair but can’t bring myself to fold. I call.
He does have the A-Q in a full hand of A-Q-Q-4
The best part of half our stack gone on the first hand. Not a good start. The chip leader is now a massive chip leader and looks like we’re all playing for 2nd place. (He did go on to win easily)
I don’t really remember any other key hands. We win some, we lose some and eventually limp into 4th place for a cash of $3,590

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Four - Friday August 2nd

I get my morning exercise in at the pool. A little overcast today.

Then head to the casino for todays tournament which is 8 game mix - HORSE + NLH + PLO + 2-7

The big bet games mean you have the opportunity to double up in one hand. Of course you can also go broke in one hand which is what happened today.

I get in all in on a flop of A-10-8r with top set against a 7-9-J wrap. Standard spot. The straight come and the board doesn’t pair and I’m out and elect not to fire another bullet.

We find solace in Rise with their prime rib special.

I can’t resist the bottle of wine as well for only $30.

After the bottle of wine we decide not to play cash and instead let Millonarios do the heavy lifting.

They win 1-0 but when I go to collect they tell me off for betting this much and the same thing multiple times at the kiosks.
Well if I’m not supposed to why do the kiosks allow it?
I think they’re making a mountain out of a molehill as I’ve only won $1,500 net but I know of course what they mean. I pretend to be a dumb tourist not knowing what I’m doing.
They pay me and I agree to make bets of this size at the counter in future.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good to see a followup to WSOP trip report. Just a suggestion but you might get more views and response if you get a mod to move this to LVLifestyle forum. A lot of the trip report posters put their non-LV trip reports there. This forum is mostly for cash game blogs. GL.

Thanks, but I think I’ll leave it here. It’s more just for me to document and give me something to do on the trip to help keep my sanity rather than looking for a lot of interaction

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Five - Saturday August 3rd

Mixed PLO, PLO8 and Big O today

I was looking forward to this one but while I’m trying to play small ball poker and keep pots under control everyone else thinks betting the full pot is the only option.

It’s a short starting stack of only 20k but we managed to avoid pitfalls and maneuvered up to 80k when we eventually step on a landmine.

Playing Big O I open for a min raise with AQQ24 ds then someone pots it and another player re-pots it. So I know they both must have an ace which rules out one of them having aces and think I have the best hand. I think hard and decide to gamble with them. One of them has me covered.

Cards are turned over and I was right. They both have A-2 with other random cards. Neither has a big pair so I’m in front for now.
I’m still in front on the K-10-8 flop but there are two diamonds. I don’t have any diamonds, thy both do so hopefully they have each others outs.
I’m not so lucky. A Jack on the turn gives me the straight but it’s a diamond and I hit the rail.
Maybe I could have folded and waited for a less high variance spot.

We find solace again at Rise. This time with their ribs special and again the wine.

It’s an obscene amount of food for one person. I fold after eating only half and take half to go.

We check out the poker room after dinner

I first sit in a 2-2-5 PLO which is absolutely horrible. Full of rocks. No more than 2 people seeing each flop.
I abandon the game and am ready to go back to the hotel when they call open seating on the 10-10-25 PLO 5 game

I try it out and short stack it for the minimum $1k
It’s a great game. Really loose, chips flying everywhere and multi way pots.
Unfortunately I’m not really rolled for it on this trip hence the short stacking.

I speculate on the button in a 4 way raised pot with 4-5-6-6-8
We get the perfect flop of 5-5-4 and go all in for $675 into about a $1200 pot when it gets to us.
The original pre flop raiser is the only caller and I know which card I don’t want to see.
Not my day as the Ace comes on the river and he turns over two aces. No five. GG
-$1,000 we call it a night.

As I’m getting back to the hotel I’m slightly shocked to get this message with a loud alert sound on my phone.

It was windy and raining but thankfully I didn’t see or experience any tornado [emoji2417][emoji44][emoji120]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Six - Sunday August 4th

Today’s tournament didn’t start until 2pm so we watched the final round of the Olympic Golf in the room in the morning.
I’d put a small interest bet on John Rahm at +200 last night before I left the casino.
With 6 birdies in his first 10 holes he’s two clear and looking good but then unexpectedly implodes going bogey-bogey-double in the space of 4 holes. Meanwhile Scottie Scheffler comes home in 29 to take the gold.

Today’s tournament is big bet mix dealers choice with the choices being NLH, PLO, PLO8, Big O, PL 2-7 triple draw, NL 2-7 single draw and PL Badugi.

The trick is to pick the game you think your opponents don’t play well, not necessarily pick your best game.
At my opening table it was Badugi.
The plan was working nicely as we increased the 30k starting stack up to 90k but if you live by the sword sometimes you die by the sword as well.

Out-pipped in a huge pot 7-5-4-3 not good enough against 7-4-3-A

So that was most of our chips gone and then we get moved table and lose the rest with a 9-7 in single draw also not good enough against a 7-6

Feeling a little dejected to lose with two big hands that would normally be good we head off for some comfort food again at Rise.

No specials and no wine tonight. We opt for the open faced roast beef sandwich and it’s pretty good.

There’s still time for one more bad beat however as we bet Junior in the Colombian soccer. They’re winning 2-1 but for some reason they play 10 minutes stoppage time and concede an equalizer on 90+8 [emoji30] we lose with the draw, needed them to win.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Seven - Monday August 5th

Today’s tournament doesn’t start until 2pm but we’re at the casino early waiting for the NFL Preseason week 1 lines to open.

We fire on 7 plays, all at the kiosks as I know the lines are going to move fast and the counter would be too slow. Limits on the kiosks are very low so I have to fire multiple times. I’ll just get my buddy Lee to cash some of them for me so I don’t get in trouble again [emoji23]

Lee by the way is having a good trip. He finished 5th in the big bet mixed yesterday and 3rd in the Seniors today.

It’s also men’s soccer semi finals in the Olympics so we have a little parlay for interest.

Just as well I bet the to advance on France as they have to go to extra time to get the job done.

Today’s tournament is 2-7 Triple Draw. It’s a fun game which I enjoy although I wouldn’t necessarily say it was one of my better games.

At my opening table there is a guy there who’s never played before. He’s calling 3 bets and taking 4 and 5 cards. Great right? Well not really because he keeps making big hands. I’m starting with 1 and 2 cards draws. He’s drawing 4 and 5 and keeps beating me which is severely depleting my stack, eventually to the felt.

Feeling cheated somehow I opt to fire another bullet. It’s not really +EV as it looks like a smaller field than usual today but what the heck.

My new table on the 2nd bullet is a lot tougher and includes Gary Bolden again but we’re faring much better this time. We tangle with Gary a couple of times and come out ahead and are chipping up nicely.

Tournament clock on the bubble.
Hand for hand play takes almost 20 hands but we make it.

I like the over-size 25k chips in this chip set.

The final table is wild with a lot of up and downs. It’s the nature of the game I guess. Very high variance.

We get down to 3 handed all with roughly the same chips. I have slightly less with 500k, the other two 600k.
As the limits are so high now, one player floats the idea of a deal and we look at the ICM numbers. It would be around $6k for me and $7k for the other two. I’m happy with that but they won’t let you play on for the points and the trophy, and the guy who would officially be classed as 2nd wants the trophy so no deal and we play on.

We play 3 handed for over 2 hours and it’s now after 3am. I’ve bricked some good draws and am now the short stack.
I raise from the button with a 2-3-8 draw. They both call and take 2.
I get a 5 and a brick and bet, they both call and we all take one.
I brick but nothing else to do than bet all in for a full bet. They both call.
My brick is a Jack. They both take one. What do I do here?
I’m tired as it’s 3:30am and we’ve been playing since 2pm and I’ve been at the casino since 10am. Maybe that plays a part in my decision.
I elect to stand pat which In hindsight I think is clearly wrong? Any opinions?
One guy makes a 9 and I’m out [emoji22]

The 3rd place does take me up to 8th in the mixed game leaderboard and within striking distance with 4 events still to go.

With a win worth between 100 and 120 points depending on the number of players I still have a chance at the guitar [emoji450]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good luck guitar hunting!

Sub

Great stuff again Tony - you've nailed the content blend for a TR IMHO.

Agree with the poster who said it deserves a wider audience.

Day Eight - Tuesday August 6th

We have the $600 HORSE today at 11am. If it was any other tournament I might have taken the day off as I only got about 3 hours sleep, but HORSE is my favorite, so we man up with plenty of coffee, strong and black.

The first bullet is off the mark. We make a lot of 2nd bests, albeit getting outdrawn when we had the best on most of them. Feeling good though we reload and the 2nd bullet starts off straight and true at a new table.

It continues on course after the dinner break as we find ourselves hand for hand on the bubble. Slightly more entries today with 72 and paying 9 spots.

So we’re on the bubble playing Razz and I get the bring in with a Queen. Alan Kessler, fresh of his $1.2 million slots win, completes with a 6 and its folded around to us. We look down to see A-5 in the hole and give him a spin.

I dont remember the exact runout but he’s short and all in on 5th street and at risk.
We end up making a 10. He’s drawing to a 9 on 7th but pairs up and our 10 is good. We’re in the money and Alan heads to the rail muttering to himself.

I have a slightly below average stack to start the final table which includes the $10k HORSE winner from the WSOP this year Maksim Pisarenko. He was the one we lost the big badugi pot to in the big bet mix. He’s wild and unpredictable and we mark him as a danger, but happily he’s a short stack.

The draw for the game results in us playing Omaha 8 first up and we have an absolute dream round including scooping a monster multi-way pot with A33Q.

Limits are 15k-30k
On the turn the board reads 2-2-3-Q.
I bet, someone calls, then another person raises so I 3 bet squeeze to force the other person out who for sure has the low draw. I put the raiser on 2-3 or 2-Q.
It works as the other person folds and the raiser calls.
The river does bring the low.
I bet, villain calls with 2-Q-x-x as expected and no low so we scoop a monster.
Seat 1 who we squeezed out said he would have had the low.
I also get 3⁄4 of another big pot and split at least two more during the round to become chip leader.

We use our chips to put pressure on the short stacks and they start dropping, including Maksim.
Not all to me though. Seat 2 has been active and making good hands and has overtaken me as the chip leader.

3 handed play. They put the trophy tantalizing close to me but I don’t touch it. That would be bad luck of course [emoji3]

We play 3 handed for a while. Seat 2 takes most of seat 3’s chips then I finish him off during a Razz hand.

We start heads up play with seat 2 having 1 million and 800,000 for myself.
We briefly discuss a chop but with him having more chips I’m not keen. I’d rather play for the win, the trophy and the points. He also says he wants the trophy so we play.

We soon clash in a big Stud hand that would define the heads up battle.
I start with a Q up and K-2 down, all diamonds. He has an 8 up.
I catch the 10 of diamonds on 4th giving me 4 to the flush. He catches a Queen. I don’t remember the exact betting but its capped on this street.
5th and 6th I brick and just call his bets.

On 7th I make the flush, but I sense he's strong and only call his bet.
Sure enough he shows down a full house. He had two pair Queens and Eights going into 7th and filled up.

Talk about a cooler, losing with a flush to a full house heads up in Stud. Its a massive pot and I’m now out chipped 400k vs 1.4 million. To take something positive away I am happy with my read and having saved 2 big bets by not raising on the end. (Or 1 big bet if I raise and then fold but not sure I would have been that disciplined)

I claw back a little then we play the next big pot in Stud 8.
I start with 3 low spades and catch another spade and have a low made which I improve on 7th but miss the flush.
My 7 low is no good against his 6 low and he also wins the high with Ace King high. [emoji30]

Down to my last 200k playing 40k - 80k limits he bullies me through the hold’em round and I have nothing to defend with.
We’re all in on the first hand of Omaha 8 which we split then all in again on the 2nd hand with A28T against AQ55
A Queen on the flop and no low gives him the trophy and I’m gutted.

3rd place last night and now 2nd tonight. Its bothering me now that I can’t get the win. I made a mistake last night but don’t think I did anything wrong tonight, the cards just fell his way.

On a more positive note this now in puts me in 1st place on the mixed game leaderboard with 3 tournaments to go, the last of which is a $1,100 HORSE. [emoji237][emoji3]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have a lot of action on NFL Preseason Week 1

Our card so far is:

New England -4.5
Atlanta / Miami Over 36.5
Buffalo +3
Las Vegas / Minnesota Over 36
Las Vegas -2.5
Cleveland -3
San Francisco / Tennessee Over 36.5
Cincinnati -3.5
Seattle -2
Denver +1.5

All these lines are now gone so wouldn’t recommend tailing at current numbers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great run and write up

Are you in the gambling world for your job?

Nice run!

Not sure job is the right word as I’m a bookmaker / sports bettor.
Currently independent, which gives me more free time to play poker, but I have worked for some of the biggest sports books out there.
When anyone not from the gambling world asks what I do for a living I usually just say I’m in risk management as it sounds more respectable lol [emoji23]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Day Nine - Wednesday August 7th

We wake up feeling like new after a full 5 hours sleep. What a luxury! $600 PLO 8 today, again with an 11am start.

We arrive on time, as we normally do. Makes for a longer day but I think you have a chance to accumulate some chips early against any bad players there might be, rather than late reg’ing. Our on time arrival is justified today as we get it all in on the first hand with AA28 against AA46 on a 3-5-9 board. The low comes and we’re good for 3⁄4

While playing I find myself singing and humming along to the background music. As is the guy next to me. ‘Good music’ I remark. He agrees, and the dealer makes a valid point ‘If you can’t get good music at the hard rock then where can you?

There was a few players in the field today who thought it was just a PLO high only tournament and had never played high-low. I didn’t really benefit from any of them.

Seems it’s not just me interested in the guitar and I’m being recognised as the new front runner on the leaderboard. Feels like I’ve got a target on my back now lol.
It’s basically the same core group of 50-60 players in these mix tournaments every day so we know each other pretty well by now.

Loni Hui is next to me and it’s good playing and talking with her. (I later get moved to her husband Phil’s table who also has a shot in the points leaderboard) Yuval Bronshtein who I just overtook on the leaderboard joins us but fires a blank bullet. Loni tells me he really wants to win the leaderboard which is why he's playing aggressively trying to build a stack.

In contrast we’re going for the more low variance approach and happily finish the late reg period on our first bullet.

Roast chicken with baked ziti in the food court on dinner break.

Down to 3 tables now and back playing with Yuval. We laugh and joke about the race and each wanting the other to get knocked out. We get split up on the 2 table re-draw and he does bust just short of the money.

I don’t get much further unfortunately busting in 10th place for a min cash and only 15 points for the leaderboard. I’m unlucky as I get it all in pre with AA37 against AA3T. The flop includes a Ten and when the turn comes a 3 it gives my opponent 2 pair. There is no low and I get to go back to the hotel early tonight.

Ominously Darryl Fish who was short stacked on the bubble has doubled a few times and is now chip leader. If he wins he will overtake me on the leaderboard.

It’s just before 9pm when I get knocked out which is just in time to go outside to catch the guitar light show before I head back to the hotel. It’s pretty cool.

They’re updating the PLO8 tournament on the live updates so back at the hotel I’m refreshing like a lunatic to see how Darryl is doing.
I get the update I’m looking for as he busts in 4th and I’m still in the lead with 2 events to go.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a cracking read,
Good luck in the last two events

What's your plan for the prize? Sell it or play it? Or can you just take cash instead of an entry?

Jajajaja no, no danger of becoming a tourney pro.

I only play tournaments on these trips and this will be the last trip until at least after the Super Bowl.

Tournaments for show, cash games for dough

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk