Poker Stars overlooking Pattaya Bay

It’s strange to be back in Las Vegas, playing against players from New Jersey. I didn’t miss the merge purposely, I had an Asia vacation planned a year ago for those months, but now I wish I was still in Asia. 

I’ll try to post an article with a more in-depth opinion of WSOP after the merge in a week or so. For now, I’m adjusting back to playing stateside. 

New Jersey grinders 

It feels more like New Jersey than Nevada. The short time I played in New Jersey, I battled with mostly grinders, mindless players following the rules, or players a lot like myself. There are bigger games and more of them, but getting a good position on a fish seems tough, if there are even any fish to be found. 

Nevada had fish. Fish that would show up every couple weeks and sit at the games for hours. They were able to because every game wasn’t made of 5/6 grinders. Sitting on the fish is where a player like me finds his profits. 

The series is going on, so hopefully my first impression will change. 

Bonus heaven 

Claim your $1000 signup bonus

Between the $1000 signup bonus WSOP gave to everyone, the $1000 WSOP reload bonus, and my $2000 Birthday bonus, I have $4000 in bonus to play off in about 4 months. It will take some strategic loading of the bonuses but I believe I can play them off.  

I’ve yet to analyze the new cash back system but I assume it will mimic what we had before at 20% rakeback for my level. This means I have $8000 in rakeback for the next 4 months. I’d have to run terrible to not do well. 

Should I bother with trying to win a WSOP seat? We’ll see… 

Back in the groove 

I played a little while on vacation, but hey, I was on vacation! Getting back into the habit of playing 400-500 hands an hour will take some time. My strategy: 

• Stick to $100 and below 
• Limit sessions to 1 hour 
• Focus playing outside of primetime 

While I’m jet lagged, the 3rd point will be easy and should help my EV. During the evenings, though there are lots of games, there are lots of grinders. Hopefully, by the time my jet lag eases, I’ll be able to disregard these temporary rules.