2011 WSOP – Episode 7: Sahara Liquidation with Remko (6:12) – Benjo and Pauly discussed the Sahara Casino liquidation sale/auction with one of the members of the Dutch press, Remko. Both Remko and Benjo expressed a keen interest in acquiring a slot machine for super cheap, while Pauly has his eyes set on a Pai Gow table. Meanwhile, Benjo and Remko try to figure out how to ship a slot machine from Vegas to France and Holland.

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Team Pokerati is off to quite the fine start … and we I haven’t even gotten everyone their patches yet! (Required to wear upon making the money; my bad this time — no one has to run laps.)

While Harris took home nothing valuable Day 1 experience in his first $1k of 2010, the Arizona contingent showed up in force for the $1,500 O8B. Team members Pat Poels and Julie Schneider checked in, while Tom Schneider and Robert Goldfarb both mid-cashed. 81 total made the money, with Tom and Robert finishing 32nd and 29th, respectively, for $6,128 paydays.

But the real Team Pokerati powerhouse emerging right from the summer git-go comes from our JV squad and Toothless Bob. I hope we’ll be hearing/talking more about him as the Series goes along, because he’s a great guy and an inspirational amateur … and he showed he is ready to tear it up playing the non-Rio WSOP offshoots.

JV All-Star Toothless Bob – thus far the winningest player to don the upside-down spade in 2010.

Bob’s a 60something Vietnam vet and retired security guard who came out to Vegas content living on social security, VA benefits, and low-stakes grinding. You may recall my drive out here with him, when Pokerati relocated its headquarters from Dallas to Las Vegas. Alas, the economy tanked and jobs disappeared as he learned the hard way he couldn’t beat the rake playing 3-6 limit. And then he had the problem with the Golden Nugget and his teeth, or lack thereof. (That’s a whole ‘nother story for another time.)

Anyhow, after heading back to Dallas to unretire (perhaps a bit with his tail between his legs, but always with his head up!) Bob eventually made it back to Vegas about six months ago, and says this time he’s staying for good. He’s still recovering from some pretty serious surgery, however, as less than a month ago, doctors finally removed a football-size cancerous tumor from his gut. But looking to re-find his joie de vivre, Bob entered Event #2 in the Binion’s Poker Classic — a $160 NL.

There were 187 players … he made it to the final table as a short stack. Survived long enough to chop six ways for $3k, and finish in 2nd place. Then, after a day of rest, he tried the $65 nightly at Sahara … and won it!

I don’t have the exact numbers from the Sahara yet, but it’s usually 90 people or so, for a first prize payout slightly over a G.

I think that makes Bob the team leader in net cashouts and ROI thus far.

Congrats, Bob! And pretty good everyone else.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, he did use a firearm when robbing the Sahara on December 19th and escaped on foot. He was described as follows:

The gunman was described as white and about 20 to 30 years old with a thin mustache and thin build. He was wearing blue jeans, a brown cap, a brown or green hooded sweatshirt with lettering down the left side and a yellow ballcap, authorities said.

Yikes, if Metro has ever been in a poker room, they know that description alone will get them nowhere, as it sounds like two-thirds of players in any given room!

Regardless, Poker Grump reported tonight that the Sahara looked as if it had been robbed, as the poker room was closed with police tape keeping patrons out. And he was right, as a local news outlet reported that there was an armed robbery at the poker room just before 6pm.

Obviously, the robbers did not know that there is a 7pm tournament there each night, so there may not have been much money in the poker kitty more than an hour before. Curious to know if anyone witnessed it, as this seems a bit brazen…to commit a robbery in a casino in Las Vegas on a Friday night.

Dan,

I have a quick question for you… in your opinion what is the best for me to do w/no bank roll…. just able to spend about 200-300 every other week…

a. small (50-60) buy in tournys

b. play one larger tourney (say the venitian) once every two weeks

c. invest my 200 in a ring game some where

or d. none of the above and save my cash til i get enough

if the answer is d…. what is “enough” to play? I have a VERY hard time not playing, but, have been on the roller coaster of up down small amounts til i get felted in cash games (can’t seem to stay away from getting my money in w/the best and not fairing well…. or… when i do well in one session i don’t do well in the next two and get felted)

Just wondering your opinion… thanks!

Troy, you pose an interesting question, because I suspect a lot of folks are in your position, where they have money to spend on poker, but they don’t have a real bankroll. We all hear that you should have $2-3k to play 1/2 — and it doesn’t take long playing to realize those numbers might not be a load of shit — but how many 1/2 players actually have a few thousand bucks in a non-interest bearing poker account?

I know I don’t … and when I write about my play, that’s what you’re really witnessing – an OK player who generally knows what he’s doing but occasionally fugcks up big-time trying to build a bankroll while theoretically playing above it.

To answer your question, that’s really up to you … but I would recommend sticking to one option for at least four or five months, because cash games are about long-term numbers, and tourneys are like a soccer defense – something that a good opponent can eventually crack if they pepper it enough to figure their way through. Maybe not the best metaphor … but recurring tourneys have certain consistencies that regular players will pick up on each time they play, putting them at a distinct advantage over the continued influx of dead money and even a better player who comes in and is playing for the first time.

So basically you’ve got $500/month to put towards poker … but I suspect were you to lose that much 6 months in a row you’d be pretty unhappy. The smart thing to do, of course, would be to buy a few books on poker (cash games specifically) and limit your play to micro-stakes online for four or five months and then go play 1/2. But I could never do that – holy friggin’ discipline that would require. Might as well go to med school if you can do that.

You definitely don’t want to do a cash game once a week with $200, I don’t think. It’s simply not enough to play with often. And knowing you might be loathe to rebuy in the face of a bad beat, that will negatively affect your play. Going this route would put you in a bad game in a bad stack position week-in and week-out.

I like your idea of playing the Friday Venetian tourney ($195) every other week, however. It’s got a good-size field and some nice four-figure payouts regularly … and play it consistently and surely you will eventually cash and possibly make a final table. But will that be enough to give you your fill? If so, go for it …

But in the most preferable alternative, I’d suggest playing the $65 Sahara tourney with regularity. The field is super-weak. The only problem is the payout structure is very top-heavy, so you don’t make any real money if you don’t finish in the Top 3. But even if you don’t make that much, it would provide you some great practice for that time you get, say, a $500 payday and decide to try your hand at a Venetian tourney a few days later.

The 1/2 cash games there are also delightfully pleasant. I’ve played once since my arrival, and had one of those turn $200 into $900 kinda nights, compliments of a couple drinky Swedes that were just having a blast playing any two cards. The other advantage of making this tourney your regular game – think of an old Rounder Club tourney in Addison – is that you do leave yourself a little something extra each month, so you can comfortably sit down for a cash session should you bust out early one of those times. Overall the Sahara is your best bet in terms of a manageable game, and one that leaves you other poker options in the process – especially when you’re running good.

But run bad and that’s OK too, because in this game you can handle the weekly tourney without cashing for a while and ultimately can make better poker decisions because at $280/month ($65×4) you’re playing below your budding, quasi-bankroll … and therefore stand the best chance of building a real one.