Planet Mark's Blog. Thoughts, News And Strategy For Poker Tournaments Of All Sizes

Planet Mark's Blog

Best Vegas Vloggers Spring 2022

Every week there is a new Las Vegas Vlog appearing on YouTube.

These are made by regular Las Vegas fans, taking the time and considerable effort to create original content. For those of us that would like to be there more often, Vegas vlogs are a brilliant way of filling the gaps. Quality varies hugely, and with only so many hours in the day and all those vlogs to choose from, it is difficult to zoom in on the best ones.

I created this post to highlight three that have made my ‘must view’ list recently.

Submitted by Planet Mark on Mon, 04/25/2022 - 14:11

Minimum Skills to Beat Small Stakes Online Poker 2002 to 2022

Poker is unrecognisable today compared to the games of 2002/5.

What is more, the pace of change is accelerating.

A winning player of just 5 years ago would struggle against an army of grinders prepared to study using solvers, that know exactly when to deviate from GTO to exploit your weaknesses and muti-table fast-fold games.

This is a problem. New players at the lower to mid stakes used to have a chance of going on a good run. That would be enough for them to learn the ropes, enjoy the games and become long-term poker fans.

Submitted by Planet Mark on Fri, 02/18/2022 - 11:37

Christmas and New Year: Las Vegas Trip Report

Just returned to the UK after a long trip covering Christmas and the New Year. It was a relief and a delight to be back in Vegas – well worth all the testing and administrative hassles. This post is an expanded version of a trip report I posted over at Vegas Message Board.

It is split into three. First, my random thoughts and observations. Some are simply reports, others more tongue in cheek. Next an overview of the hotels along with pros / cons. Finally, some highlights and recommendations.

As with previous trips I did not play any poker.

Submitted by Planet Mark on Fri, 01/07/2022 - 09:16

Slot Betting Strategies for Fun and (Hopefully) Profit

Betting strategies like ‘Ladder Betting’, ‘Min vs Max’ and ‘Higher / Lower’ will make any casino slots session more entertaining. While these strategies don’t change the math – the house edge is still the same over the long run – they can give you a shot at a windfall. They will also help keep those losses in check when the reels run against you.

You will see many of the slot betting strategies outlined below used by YouTube slots vloggers. My favorites include Neilly777 and SD Guy. There are many more (though please, don’t mention the ‘BC’ word).

Submitted by Planet Mark on Fri, 06/18/2021 - 11:13

Vegas YouTube Channels: 3 New Picks for 2021

I find the £10 or so a month for YouTube Premium amazing value. Having no ads improves the experience for music, educational videos and (of course) the all-important Vegas updates.

There are a ton of established Las Vegas YouTube channels, many from Brits. I look forward to new material from Matt Bridger, the Furmage’s, WeWorkToVisitVegas, Em and Dean, BombsBits, L and C Travels, Begas Vaby, Ben Heath and many others later in the year.

Submitted by Planet Mark on Sat, 02/27/2021 - 17:56

A Rusty Return to the Sit and Go Tables

Lockdown has seen a spike in poker traffic. As hard as I tried to focus on business, the tables tempted me. It has been a while since I fired up a screen full of Sit N Goes. Considering how long it has been since I last played with an ICM calculator, I have not been doing too badly.

There are regs (I’m at Stars), though they are surprisingly mechanical. It feels like those instant button min-raises are super-easy to pick off for a mid-game boost.

Reason for this quick blog post was an entertaining $15 game. A chip and a chair really came into its own.

Submitted by Planet Mark on Tue, 06/23/2020 - 13:33