I spent two whole weeks in Reno playing video poker, paigow and live poker tournaments. I stayed 4 nights at Peppermill, 4 nights at Silver Legacy, then 5 more nights at Peppermill. I posted 17 video poker jackpot hands over on vpFree.
Two friends were in town for the first four nights. Mike hit a $4K royal his first day and, lucky him, hit another $6400 progressive royal ten minutes before heading to the airport his last day in town.
I sent out detailed daily trip reports to about two dozen friends and family. I usually paste from those reports for my vpFree_Reno reports- but I that makes for an exhaustive read, so I’ think I’ll trim it down this time.
In summary, I played 106 hours video poker, 17 hours paigow and lasted ten hours in the 3 live poker tournaments of the Heartland Poker Tour stop at Peppermill.
I played:
single line: $1 & $2 DDB, DDB progs, DDA&F, NSUD, ACE$BP, JW and DDB+.
3 line $1 BP, NSUD, DDB, SAB
5 line 50c & $1 BP, NSUD, DDB, SAB
10 line 25c & 50c BP, NSUD, DDB, SAB
100 line 5c SAB, DDB (9/5)
the multiline BP & DDB on the WMS machines at Peppermill had 275 credit paytable for SFs: a welcome extra 55-1 instead of the usual 50-1, which put 25 extra credits in my pocket the dozen or so SFs I hit.
I played some JoB Big Split for an hour.
I’ll gloss over my time at Pai gow: sessions were 1/2 hr to 3 hrs long and I hit only two big bonus hands in my 17 hrs: a SF paying 50-1 on my $5 bonus bet and a quad paying 25-1. I dropped a terrible $2900 total for a $170 per hour loss. Terrible drain.
I always played two hands at $20 or $40 per hand, plus $5 mostly but sometimes $10 on each bonus bet. While I’m fairly certain I played my hands correctly, it makes me question if this is a “relaxing” change of pace from the hyper speed way I play video poker. In hindsight, I would have had more money and more fun taking a room break for that change of pace.
Likewise, I’ll gloss over my live poker play. I played in a $350 entry kickoff tourney Oct 1. I lasted until level 13, after the dinner break. I went all-in with my AA, two callers - they had JJ and TT. My Aces got cracked with the flop of JJK. I’m out 29th of 85 entries. The hand that puts you out is always a bad beat.
The 2nd tournament I joined was for Seniors: age 50 and up. $235 entry fee. I lasted only 3 hrs in this one. My last hand was Ah 7h, board of 2K35A in that order. I couldn’t bet enuf, apparenty to force out an opp who stuck around even with his short stack (but bigger than mine slightly, who held 44 and rivered his straight. Out 70th of 80 entries.
I was comped an entry into the main event. I joined the first day 1A qualifying with 81 entries. I doubled up in level five when my TT hit a happy flop of T75. Opponent went all-in overr the top of my big raise with his 57. Level 8 my Jh 8h hit a flush on the turn: board was 4s Kh 6h 3h I flat called a big stack’s big bet river X (unimportant) again I called a huge bet and won a big pot almost doubling my stack.
Dinner break for an hour after level 9 and I’m thinking I’m sitting pretty.
Level 10, I have Kh 8h and I’m liking the flop of Ks 9h 5c until opp bets big, I just call. Turn is Jh - I have a 4-flush. Opp has a short stack & goes all-in. I read him for AA, (I’m correct) but my stack is bigger and after a lot of thinking, I feel my outs of a heart, K or 8 on the river is a good gamble. Maybe it was, but the river doesn’t help me and I’m now my stack is crippled. Soon after, I hold KJo on the dealer button, all fold to the BB, I raise big, but I should have gone all-in. Bigstack BB calls with some banter. I like the flop of JT8 he gets me all-in on the turn of X and shows 97 offsuit for a straight and, as they say, my tournament life is over. Out 48th of 81. 21 players qualified at the end of round 15.
Onto Video poker.Week 1 Highlights:
Day 1
Cashed out 800 from my 750 freeplay thanks to quad wild 2s/500.
First tax form with AAAAQ on $1 DDA&F for 2000.
Late night $1 DDA&F session: KKKKA for 800, then a DEALT JJJJ drew an Ace kicker for 800. Session UP 900.
EVEN money for the day.
Day 2
an early session of 50c x 5 DDB with 5 bonus quads without kickers I bank +700.
a mid-day session of 50c x 5 DDB I get a lot of quads and then a tax form from dealt 3333 with drawn kickers on three lines for $1600.
next session on $1 DDA&F I bank +900 from 4 quads @250 each.
Almost all my other 27 sessions are negative. I see quad wild ducks on 50c NSUD for 500, quad 6 on $2 DDA&F for 500 and a SF on $2 ACE$BP for 500.
DOWN 4000 on the day. Ouch.
Day 3
$1 DDA&F QQQQA for 800.
50c x 10 SAB, AAAA for 1000.
$1 x 3 SAB, DEALT 4444 for 1200 + tax form
$1 DDA&F KKQKK for 800.
$5 ACE$BP , down 500 but even on the day to here.
$1 x 3 session on the WMS machines:
BP Down 300
DDB Quad A for 800, even session.
NSUD RF & WRF on same hand for 4125 + tax form, UP 4300
Dinner at Bimini $52 New York Strip prime aged steak.
$1 DDB with prog suited RFs - Hearts & Spades up over 6000: 33332 for 800.
UP +1600 for the day.
Day 4
50c x 10 SAB RF for 2000
50c x 10 SAB eleven minutes later: RF for 2000.
$1 x 3 DDB 22223 for 800
50c x 5 DDB AAAA3 for 1000
$2 DDB in hiLimit, quad progs, Quad 5 for $508 & quad T for $501. session +900.
VP +1500 on the day.
Day 5
$1 x 3 BP Quad A for 400
$1 DDA&F Quad J for 400
just after the poker tourney ends for me:
$1 x 3 NSUD Quad 2 for 1000
After this hand, I taxi to and check-in at Silver Legacy.
It’s a crowded Saturday nigh in the casinot, but I play some video poker:
$1 DDB (w/prog RF @ 4228) 3333A for 800.
5 hrs VP, UP 200 on the day at two casinos.
Day 6
my name gets called twice today for Random Riches. $10 and $25 freeplay.
$1 DDB Quad 4/400, Quad 3/400 two quads for 250 ea. and a Dealt quad T for 250.
UP on session only 200
fish tacos at Hussongs cantina are excellent. I tip the two cooks directly $10 each. I always wanted to do this, first time I actually did it.
5c x 100 line SAB dealt Quad T for $1250 & tax form.
DOWN 3900 for the day. Horrible.
Day 7
$1 DDB AAAA for 800, 2222 for 400
I walk about 1/2 mile down Vine St. to visit the Gold Dust West casino for the first time ever. I’m looking for a new game, Super Draw 6. See recent topic “new Game” on vpFree for more info. You pay double the creds for a 6th bonus card.
I get dealt 333 on three line DDB. I draw a 3 plus a pair on one line for 800 and a 3 plus no pair on another line for 400 for a $1207.50 hand pay + tax form.
back to Silver: lose bunch at paigow, then I have a fine dinner at Sterling:
appetizer of a crab-stuffed avocado, a Ferrari-Carano glass of Tresor a “complex” and almost syrupy bordeaux-like $25/glass wine and the Swordfish.
Back to my home bank of the $1 DDB progs. As I start to play, a gaggle of five Chinese woman surround my machine to watch. It’s not annoying at all- I’m amused at their interest and bravado. I catch a quad 3 for 400 and they take photos of the hand and tell me how lucky I am. It’s almost cute. I ham it up, but they drift away to find other entertainment.
$1 x 3 BP AAAA for 400, an UP 500 session.
$1 NSUD DEALT quad 2 for 1000.
UP 1200 for the day.
Week 1 summary:
62 hrs VP DOWN 1800
11 hrs Pai gow DOWN 1800
6 hrs live poker down 300
Jackpots:
2 x 100
69 x 125
22 x 200
41 x 250
30 x 400
7 x 500
9 x 800
5 x 1000
1 x 1250 (100-line dealt hand)
3 x 2000
1 x 4000
190 total jackpots worth $62,425
Week 2 to follow in separate post.
~MARK