Vegas June 2026

WSOP Seniors DDS and 20 years of my BLOG

Last Updated: 2026-06-26 02:39:00

As I'm typing this up before going to bed and heading home tomorrow I would be remiss if I failed to mention that today marks the 20th anniversary of my first BLOG.

On this day in 2006 Rich Provenzano and I drove my original Mustang (a blue convertible!) from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas, ate at the Treasure Island Buffet, played a $60 buyin tournament there, went over to Rio to see what something called the World Series of Poker was all about and then played a 2am $60 tournament at Aladdin!

My writing skills were not then what they are today :-)

But the good news is that I have a happy ending on my 20th anniversary!

I mentioned in yesterday's BLOG that I extended the trip a day because I badly wanted to play in a full triple draw mix tournament at the Nugget. I'm really feeling my TD game these days. However, playing a mix of three variants (2-7, A-5 and Badugi) yesterday they only had 65 participants. Adding Baduecy and Badacey (which I won't bother trying to explain :-) ) to the mix I was worried attendance would be even smaller and frankly wouldn't be worth my time.

That said, I've long been threatening to play in the weekly WSOP Seniors only Deepstack tournament that they run at 9am every Thursday during the WSOP.

I called an audible and skipped the tournament I stayed an extra day to play in ...

I had written yesterday's BLOG before going to bed, but ended up staying up until after 2am so I slept in a little. That didn't leave me a lot of time, and I did have a few things to do so I didn't actually get over and bought in until about 10:30 am. Just as level four was starting.

In the one half-hour level I played in before the first break I got involved in, and won, exactly one hand. Make it 900 to go with Q-J offsuit on the button, get called by the blinds, after an ace high flop I whiffed on we check around and then I lead out with a delayed C-bet on a blank turn and take it down.

We all know the guy or gal at the table who will pretty much call preflop with literally any ace 100% of the time. Well, that's usually also the older person at the table and I'm surrounded by old people. Not as easy to rep the ace on an ace high flop in this crowd ... but with nobody leading out the turn I felt safe.

I was a hair over my 25k starting stack (26,200 maybe?) at the break.

Next half-hour level I got involved in four hands. Defended my big blind with J-9 suited, whiffed and folded to the c-bet. Raised out with J-9 suited trying to steal blinds and check-folded to the button caller on the ace-high flop (see above on ace-high flops). Raised out with A-7 suited (I think this and previous both spades FWIW) and actually take this one down with a c-bet when I flop a 7, then stole blinds with pocket 10s, what would be a very rare premium starting hand for me in this tournament.

Finally I get something going. Under the gun raises to 1700 at now 400/800/800 blinds and I make it 4500 to go with A-Q suited. One caller, I think the big blind.

He leads out on an ace-high flop, I go all in and he thinks a little and calls with just A-2(!!!). Any ace, see above ... again ...

A-Q holds up and I'm around 38.5K.

Guy to my right was short stacked and had shoved a couple of times trying to steal and getting away with it. I'm in the big blind and it folds around to him. I always look at my cards when I get them, I had A-9 suited in clubs and was already planning the snap call in my head ...

Sure enough it folds around to him in the small blind, he jams, I beat him in the pot and flip over my cards. He's got Q-4 off.

Have a plan, stick to the plan.

He flops a four but also two clubs, queen of clubs on the river to give him two pair and complete my flush. Ship it!

Exactly 40k at that time.

A short stack goes all in for 3000 and I call with 66 I think in the cutoff or hijack. The big blind who was playing a lot of hands also called.

Flop 6-K-X with two spades. It checks around.

6 on the turn. He checks, I bet 2500, he calls.

9 of spades on the river to complete a flush. I want more than anything for this person to have a flush, he checks and I lead out for 4500. He reluctantly calls telling me my king is good (hehehe) and then tells me I got the absolute maximum out of him :-)

That put me up around 54k, dropped down to 52,000 at the break after winning the chips race.

1039 players entered, 156 being paid, 501 left. Already outlasted half the field!

Pay blinds and fall just below an average stack at the time.

Lose a chunk playing J-T suited late to act but getting two callers. Whiff on a monotone (not my tone!) flop, catch a 10 on the turn and some chips go in and I lose to A-10.

But then pick up a decent pot when I raise the cutoff with K-J off and flop 4-T-Q, I continuation bet with my open-ender and a perfect Ace comes on the turn! He leads out for 10k, I've only got 25-27k behind and can't believe he quickly folded when I went all-in. In hindsight I guess he was bluffing with air or bottom pair or something.

Steal blinds and I'm up to 72k.

393 left.

My table breaks up, not long after I get to my new table I decide to three bet in position with just K-Q off after a stack that wasn't very big opened for a raise and he folded.

Win a pot, lose a pot, then pick up pocket queens and lead out for 8000 at 1500/3000/3000 blinds and someone goes over the top for 20k! I jam, he thinks and folds.

I'm a dead average stack at 86,500. This is good ...

I sit out a round and with blinds I'm down to 71,500 and we go on break.

Blinds go through me again and I'm down around 66k, couldn't get in a hand until finally a premium! A-K suited in the cutoff. I go all in, the big stack at the table thinks a while and calls me with A-J, A-K holds up and I get a full double plus blinds to 144k. Average stack just 114k!

People have been dropping like flies, I pay some blinds and all of a sudden I'm now 30 from the money sitting on 114k while the average is now around the 140k I used to have.

I pay blinds again, we're 20 from the money.

Unlike the other day when I was willing to get all my chips in a 73/27 favorite to have a really big stack of chips and take a serious run, at this point in the tournament I'm in a spot where I don't really have a big enough stack to mess around and I need to make sure my first priority is getting into the money instead of thinking about final tables ... so I'm not playing anything but a monster until the money bubble bursts. I can fold my way to the money the way players are busting out, and if that's what I have to do than that's what I have to do...

In that vein it folds around to the small blind and he shoves into my big blind and I look down at A-10 suited. Earlier this was a snap-call. But this close to the money I think a long while and fold and he shows me his A-J.

Raise and a re-raise and I look down at A-Q suited. Seriously? I've had almost no premium starters all day ... but I fold again.

12 from the money.

Blinds, incidentally, are 4000/8000/8000 so 20k out of my stack every time I give up blinds. I get down to 74k.

11...

Couple hands later we're 4 from the money ...

3...

Floor announces all dealers are to complete any started hands, if you haven't dealt a card then don't, just spread your cards and wait.

Board shows 2 from the money.

Floor running around with tablets checking tables to verify empty seats.

Counter drops another player.

Still running around. There is some clapping. More running around.

Ladies and gentlemen I have an announcement. Dealers, if a player busts out at your table please announce "payout" and bust the player on your tablet. Players, if you bust out your payouts will be in the Versaille room over at Paris because I am happy to tell you that you are all in the money!

Minimum cash is $502 for your $250 buyin. You have to outlast another 48(!!!) players, another 1/3 of the field, to make another measly $25. Not much more than that for the next 10 players ... outlast another 30 or so just to get to $600.

Now the plan shifts. No sense in milking a short stack. Take some shots, try and chip up, accept the result. It's a long way to real money ...

I'm early to act but I see an ace and I jam. Bigger stack thinks and calls, the big blind even shorter than me also calls. Big stack A-9, small stack Q-J.

Flop K-5-2. Sweet!!!

3 on the turn, 4 on the river, me and A-9 chop up the short stack's chips. I get lucky and then I get unlucky. But I'll take 20-30k more in my stack!

I actually get a walk with 6-2 off! Which I badly needed at 5000/10000/10000 blinds!

But ... luck runs out. Couple hands later it folds to me in the cutoff so only three people to get through and I look down at Q-9 suited. Take a shot at stealing blinds, big blind sees he's risking 2/3 of his stack to call me and almost folds ... but tosses in his chips after all with A-J offsuit.

Flop Q-T-T!!!!

King on the river. Straight for him, done. 140th place out of 1039 for a min-cash.

Two cashes in 13 tournaments is actually not a bad number. I'll take it. I'm frustrated by what could have been, I had a couple real shots at some real money and just got terribly unlucky every time I put myself in that position. One of these times it's going to work out!

For everyone who reads these BLOGS it's been a great 20 years! Thanks so much, I really appreciate you!

We'll most certainly be back for year 21 next June!