3 AM in Montreal, Quebec. Felt nice reading these posts knowing I am not alone. 10 years ago when I turned 18 (legal age here to gamble) my friends brought me to the casino in Montreal just for fun. Even though I was iffy about it and had a bad feeling about this place, I went to check it out and played $5 for the heck of it. Second time, went back with some close friends and hit that $125 "jackpot" at War and that was it. It turned the switch in my head. So many wins and losses mostly losses. Changed to blackjack one day when my brother taught me the game and lucky me had won about $1500. Followed by more losses. Some big wins (7-8k) then lost it all. Fast forward 10 years with so often on and offs, digging holes, getting back up and so on. My ex at that time left me and I don't blame her. Got myself a second pizza delivery job to pay some of it off. 2017 got a new gf, told her about some of my problems and promised to not do it again very supportive and helped me pay it off when i got a new job at the bank. 2019 when things were going, I gambled again and maxed all my credit after having it cleared after years that really fd me up, so I turned to making quick money to fix this. 2019 ending, got fired from my job. Mentally fd me up even more so I turned to gambling. Luckilly found a decent job in finance and decided to never gamble again. Everything once again going well with maybe only 15k in the deep from gambling (very fixable). Started trading stocks in March through August. Little did I know my gambling nature would impact my trading decision started taking big risks and thought of big WINS. During that time while losing in stock, friend showed me bet 365, was just betting small amounts for the fun of it. September 2020, I had ordered a ring for that same gf who supported me soo much and looking at my finances, stocks not soo good. So this one day in September I played a round of online blackjack after being free from card gambling for almost 10 months. I made 7k which would cover my gfs ring and told myself im going to take time off and not go back. September to October 26th while I kept telling myself I wont go back I was on my hottest winning streak of net $50k. I had lost my head, my whole life was uphill, I was living the life. I had enough to pay all my debts, my car , my motorcycle and still have a little left. Heck Come Ocober 27th, overnight I lost it all. Then it had hit me, I needed change, self excluded myself right away on bet 365. Started applying to new jobs and stayed busy with the interview process. December 24th, got an offer for a job but I was still unhappy about having lost all that money which could have given me a different life. Told my fiancée it was through stock trading and I would not do it again. During the holidays I saw an ad on casino.com, couldn't resist the thought of having that same streak on bet365 and fixing all my problems. Made 8k wow was feeling great. Nope, 2 days later all gone and another 15k on cc maxed out on top. Went through depression for the 10000th time. Told myself new job pays well and ill get a second part time job which to my luck oncd again a local mikes needed a driver and schedule works good. On last Thursday got an email, after self excluding from stupid casino.com, from casino tropez. I am so fked financially about 40k deep and supposed to get married in June, told myself IF ONLY I can make it back. These fkrs took another 2K of money I needed and have had to borrow. 20 and 20 I have, machine gets 21 with 4 cards and followed with 3 blackjacks in a row. Just some examples. Anyway I self excluded from all these online sh1t sites and hoping to work hard and pay off this mess and live peacefully with my partner who deserves much more. I'm tired of being depressed, sad, anxious and stressed. I wish gambling were illegal. Anyway I don't think anybody will read this because it's long but felt good to share this here and for everyone going through this, there will be better days.

Ok so I've been playing live poker on and off for the past 4-5 years. I mainly play 1/2 and 2/5, and some MTT. I wouldn't say I crush those games but i usually do pretty well. With this Coronavirus going on, both cardrooms (Casino de Montreal / Playgrounds) I used to frequent are closed and won't be reopening for a while. So I'm thinking of playing some poker online since I'll be staying home for another few weeks.
I've never played online poker before except some Zynga poker before i was 18 so I would like some suggestions on what sites to use. I would also like to know the biggest differences between Live and Online. Any other tips and tricks are also welcome. My plan is most likely to start playing for fun but if i get a kick out of it, i ll prolly start grinding seriously.
Thanks.

Hi, are there any poker rooms open in Montreal? Casino de Montreal closed the poker when they reopen in August and Playground didn't update anything on the website. Are there any other cash games going on in the city?

Bonjou Hello everyone!
My partner and I will be heading to Montreal for a bit. He will be there for work for the first three days. please check out our Itinerary to see if there is anything we should add! I will be on my own for a few days so please leave me some recommendations. thank you for all the help.
Feb 25th
Arrive in the evening, around 4'oclock. We are staying in Old Montreal, any food recommendations for dinner?
I think we would like to try some dim sum, any recommendations? Or if not dim sum what can't we miss?
Feb 26th
Partner at conference and I am off to explore. I would like to explore the underground mall. 747 Rue du Square-Victoria. I am looking for shoes for my wedding. After this, I hope to grab a coffee and try a croissant.
any recommendations for a shoe store that will carry size 5 heels?
Feb 27th
I think I will head to another mall Le Centre Eaton De Montreal. I heard Simons is an interesting store so I am hoping to check that one out.
then back to Old Montreal to explore a possible bagel place?
in the evening, we heard about something called Montreal en Lumiere I think this will be fun to explore!
Feb 28th
During the day I am not sure what to do. Maybe explore Little Italy.
In the evening we will be heading to the after party at the conference my partner is going to.
Feb 29th
free day for both my partner and myself any fancy restaurants to celebrate our anniversary?
We will be going to Aura in the Notre Dame Basilica in the evening.
March 1st
My partner really wants to go to the casino in Montreal. We are from a smaller city so it is considered the biggest one for us. We will have dinner there.
March 2nd
we are leaving :)
thanks for the help.

For those that don’t know, the predominant language in Montreal is French. I sit down at Casino de Montreal $1/$2 and see a flop come down A6V. Yes, V. Thought I sat at the wrong game until the guy next to me explained their cards are in french R is King, D is Queen, and V is Jack.
At one point I was dealt pocket kings and raised to $15, and heard what I thought was the dealer telling the table “kings”. Was getting fired up in my head thinking “how does the dealer know my hand? And why the hell is he telling everyone?!” Turns out he was just saying “quinze” (pronounced “keenz”), which means fifteen.
I lost $150.

I went to the casino in Montreal where I current live. 15 dollar minimum tables as always. But less people cause it’s a Monday.
I scouted a table with just two people playing. Noticed the table was cold due to the amount of 7s being produced quickly.
So I buy in 400 dollars and play dark side on the other players. I play light with a dc when I shots
Basically I made some money from playing dark. 15 DP, hedge for 3 dollar 7. After point is made, 75 DC and 5 dollar yo hedge. Usually I do a 20 dollar 7 bet to hedge also but I didn’t this time. Was a big mistake and would 7 out when the 75 was on the DC box. Other times it worked out. I think I was ahead 100 bucks at one point.
When I played light, I did 15 Pass, 3 dollar crap hedge. Then placed the 6 and 8 for 18 each and 15 on the field to start building up more place bets. I also threw 75 DC with 5 on yo yo protect the place bets.
Needless to say, I walked out the casino with 80 bucks. 320 dollar loss within an hour, then I went home.
Usually I try my strategies on an amp until I get comfortable and go. This is the second time where I lost a lot of money in my Craps career.
I was just curious about what ya’ll think. Before I used to play at 5 dollar tables when I lived in Oregon and Montreal has high table limits where you need to go with a bigger bank roll.
Maybe I should just wait til I can travel to a place with a smaller table limit?

So I've been playing poker on and off for 15 years. I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. My progression went from playing with college friends during the Moneymaker boom, to semi-weekly trips to AC for cheap tournaments and low stakes cash games. I was involved with online poker before that became heavily regulated and recently have gotten back into it (at macro stakes). Now I really only play with friends, online (with a huge 25 dollar bankroll!), and the occasional casino trip (like once a year if that).
Over my lifetime I'm definitely up. I usually beat my friends - and overall I'm a winning player vs them for sure. I probably made $1000 online during the poker boom in rhe aughts despite never playing anything over $0.05/$0.10 NLHE or $4 MTTs (strict with my bankroll management). I have won more money than I lost in casinos probably, and I have split the winnings in two tournaments on separate occassions (granted each tourney only had about ~120 players or buyins.
I know it sounds like a humble brag but I promise I'm getting to a point here. I have played enough poker, and read some books, and I'll watch it on tv or youtube occasionally, that i understand basic concepts - like pot odds, starting hand strength, position, different types of players, good bluff spots, etc. However, I don't usually calculate the pot odds (and do the "if he has x hand then I only have a 30% chance to win but he just bet 20% of the pot so I should call because its a winning play overall"). I don't follow any real advanced concepts and sometimes I read what you guys write on this forum and just get totally lost. But overall I seem to hold my own, and often when I'm watching it on youtube or TV I try to think of what my bet would be if I was one of the players (granted I see both hands) but I'm usually closer to their bet or raise than not.
Is having advanced knowledge of concepts and following odds incredibly important? Or is that only for higher stakes? I feel like i have general knowledge and often follow my gut and seem to do okay. Is this because I'm a low level player and got lucky when I needed to? (One of my tournament splits was at a casino in Montreal when i went up there for a bachelor party trip - I live in America). I would like to play more often and I'm trying to grind out my way to a bigger bankroll online. Its hard to play at a casino often because money is tight and I have a kid (and another on the way). I know one can always learn more about the game and of course it makes sense to read everything you can about it, but if I really only play recreationally and do okay when I do, should I just keep on keepin on?
Tldr: recreational player - do I need to learn advanced stats and concepts?

Dumb question... Casino de Montreal, not from around here just in Montreal for a few months.

Hand happend last saturday night at Casino de Montreal
Hero has been playing pretty tight
Table has 2-3 regs, all the others are recreationals and tourist.
500$ effective
Hero has 9s8s on the Button.
1 reg limps UTG
2 more recreationals limps
hero Raises to 35
BB calls and the 3 other limpers too.
Pot is $175
Flop comes : Kd 6s 5c
checks around to hero who bets 60$
UTG regular calls
UTG + 1 recrational calls
Pot is $355
Turn brings THE BEST CARD EVER 7s
Checks to Hero who tanks and shove.
UTG calls
UTG +1 folds
River pairs the board UTG shows 55 for a full house.

So I know this is a cooler.
I just want to know if I could have made something different? Should I Cbet the flop?

Hi all,
I have two friends from Korea (two girls, both around 25) visiting Montreal later this week, from Thursday morning until Friday night. It’s part of their visit to North America, and they’ll have visited Washington, DC, New York, and Quebec before getting to Montreal, with visits to Toronto and Chicago after. I’ve been doing some research to find out what they can do once they get there, but would like some recommendations from people living there as well (I’ve been to Montreal, but this was almost 7 years ago and don’t remember much…).
One problem is, while they can understand and read most English, they can’t speak it very well, and don’t know French at all, which makes it a bit more difficult to recommend places to go. They can do enough to get around, but while they were here in the states, they asked me to speak for them. They don’t mind walking a fair amount, but I heard there is a really good bike app (Bixi, I believe?) and they’ll have mobile data. They like parks and museums, but having visited all the museums in DC and New York, I feel like they may be tired of museums, and they like beer and wine, and may be willing to check out the night scene there. They would love to sightsee as well, and like the “old town” style.
As for list of places:

• Mile End
• Old Port
• St. Catherine's St.
• Parc du Mont-Royal
• Biodome
• Botanical Gardens (heard the Japanese Garden section in particular is really nice)
• Casino de Montreal

Restaurants:

• L’Express (the tartare especially? But if there are other suggestions, let me know!)
• Olive et Gourmando (any sandwich in particular? Or any sandwich will be really good?)
• Poutine? I’m assuming they’ll have tried some kind of poutine before arriving at Montreal, since it’s one of the few things I recommended to them they try, but if there’s a particularly good one there…
• Bars or breweries? I know they like rooftop bars a lot, but from my light research there doesn’t seem to be many open to the public. I know there’s good number of great breweries as well, but I’m a little wary of recommending them as I’m not sure they know what they’ll be reading with the huge amount of beers available at each one

Any other suggestions? Thanks for your help!

What I really need to know to solve this is a typical distribution of pot sizes at each game. Here's why:
I'm moving to Montreal soon, where they have the Playground Poker Club and also the Casino de Montreal. At the Playground, the rake at 1/2 is 10% up to $8 + $1 bbj, and at 2/5 is 5% up to $14 + $1 bbj. No flop, no drop. At the Casino de Montreal, 1/2 is the same, while 2/5 is 10% up to $10.
I can do a calculation if I assume the max rake on every pot. Say my current winrate is $20/hr at 1/2 when the rake is 10% up to $5 + $1 bbj (I don't know this with precision because I don't have enough live hours, but the absolute rate doesn't matter for this calculation). When the rake is $8 instead of $5, that's $3 x 30 hands/hour = $90/hr extra coming off the table. If we assume that's divided equally among the 9 players, it takes $10/hr off my winrate, so turns $20/hr into $10/hr.
However, every pot is not going to be raked at the max. Any pot up to $50 is going to be raked identically at the "10% up to $8" and "10% up to $5" tables. So a better estimate of the hit to my winrate might be $5-7/hr instead of $10/hr. I'm not sure, and it depends upon the distribution of pot sizes, so that's what I'm asking.
A similar calculation could be done for 2/5. There the pot size distribution is going to determine which Montreal game is favorable, since the rake structures are quite different: "5% up to $14" vs "10% up to $10".

I've won about 700$ at 1/2$ NL at Casino de Montreal over maybe 5 or 6 nights. I thought I was a decent player but i lost about half of my winnings on Friday. I was considering making poker my summer job but I'm having doubts now. Here are some of the hands I lost:

1. lost aces with a 6 kicker to aces with a 9 kicker
   
2. lost a queen high flush to a king high flush with only 3 cards of that suit on the board and no full house possibilities
   
3. went all in with sevens preflop (clearly on tilt here) and the caller had sixes. he got a set on the turn and a flush on the river...
   
4. had ace queen suited and had to call a raise all in with a flush draw on the flop but missed the flush and the opponent won it with kings
   
5. my friend who was with me also lost with kings against the same opponent from 4 who had nines and hit a set on the river
   

Please someone tell me they've had nights like these?

Alright, so I was playing 1/2 at the Playground Casino in Montreal. I've been at the table for about 2 hours, playing fairly tight. Didn't pick up a lot of hands but won a few pots raising in position with cbets and semibluffs.
The villain in this hand is a young white guy with sunglasses and a hoodie. He plays fairly tight aggressive and is pretty solid. Haven't been involved in any notable pots with him. He's sitting with $450 and I have him covered.
For this next hand, I am in the big blind with the Ks7d, ready to fold to any raise. There are 4 limpers and the action is on the Villain who is on the button. Villain raises to $12. I figured he was just attacking the limpers with a wide range and given how I haven't 3bet yet once I thought it was a great spot to 3bet light and hopefully take it down right there. So I raise to $40. All the limpers fold and the Villain calls.
At this point I'm thinking "Oops, he actually has a hand. Alright maybe he'll fold to a cbet".
The flop comes As7h7c. I can't believe my eyes. Is this really happening? I think for a bit and bet $50. The villain thinks for about 10 seconds and min-raises to $100. I realize now he almost for sure has AK and very rarely AA. I tank for a bit and shove and he calls pretty quickly. I show him the bad news his face just falls. He's visibly shaken and says in a pleading voice "Noo....oh no... I couldnt...I didn't think you had a 7..." He flips over AhKc. The turn and river brick out and I win.
Now for some reason I found this hand extremely funny. I'm stacking my chips and using every ounce of energy I have within to keep myself from bursting out in laughter since I don't want to be an asshole. I walk away from the table and howl in laughter.
Even now, every time I think about this hand I start snickering. Maybe it was the soul-crushing look on Villains face or the way he said "no...oh no". No one's pain has ever brought me this much pleasure before. What has poker done to me?!

I luckily came into about C$13k while on vacation thanks to Casino de Montreal. The problem is that trying to get a decent exchange rate is pretty difficult. The spot rate is .90, which I'm not expecting to get, but Bank of America will give me .85, and the Travelex will give me .835 (No surprise that they're hot garbage).
Is there any way to get better rates than that? Or to even hook up with people who need to exchange the other way and so neither of us gets boned by these huge spreads?
Thanks, Reddit!

Hey VisitMontreal my girlfriend and I are planning a trip for the end of next week and we were thinking of going to the Casino in Montreal. I notice its done by the same people who run Lac Leamy in Gatineau and I was wondering how similar the two were if anyone's visited both? Also how are the minimum bets on the tables? At Lac Leamy its about 15 bucks min for the tables (10 for Craps) any chance Montreal is a little less pricey?

Bonjour à tous,
Je m'appelle Jonathan Dacosta, étudiant en MEC 3e année. Durant la session hiver 2013 se déroulera la 5e édition du tournois interuniversitaire de poker.
J'ai été désigné représentant de l'université ETS cette année, mon rôle est de faire la promotion du tournois afin d'attirer le plus de joueurs de l'ETS possible. Tout ca évidemment dans le but d'avoir de bons joueurs lors des finales live.
Tout est 100% gratuit et il y a des bourses à gagner à chaque tournois en plus des gros prix à la finale live.
Même si vous ne pouvez pas participer à tous les tournois en ligne (cours de soir, travail, etc.), sachez que les 6 meilleurs résultats sur 10 sont retenus.
Étant donné le faible taux de participation à l'ETS, les chances d'être parmis les meilleurs sont bonnes, même si vous connaissez seulement les bases du poker.
Le tournois grandit à chaque édition. Cette année, tout est commandité par Lotto-Québec et le logiciel de poker espacejeux. D'ailleurs, les finales lives se dérouleront au casino de Montreal.
Pour plus d'information, visitez le site officiel de la compétition: http://www.princepoker.com/omnium-universitaire-de-poker-2013
Vous pouvez aussi consulter et liker la page facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmniumPoker?fref=ts
Si vous avez des questions, vous pouvez les poster ici ou m'envoyer un courriel: [email protected]
Bonne journée :)

Back in the states, a visit to a big destination casino means free cocktails and comped visits to the disco while you gamble. Can we expect the same here? We're not interested in anything drug or sex related, we just want to wander around and get drunk and maybe gamble a little bit while we do it.

Since The Weeknd is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show, I thought it’d be nice to post a little guide to his discography for anyone interested in looking to do a deep dive into his work. I would’ve posted this the day of the event, but I assume that some people would probably like to go through it over the weekend.
This shares a direct overview of his released material, talking about his career and the background of the music, the videos, the meanings and all. I’ve written this from a pop perspective, keeping in mind that his history might be fairly new for general pop fans.
I also go into the storyline of the red suit character, if your interested in catching up on that narrative before the Halftime show (which will continue the story), I’ve listed the chronological order below followed by an explanation of that narrative.
I wanna be clear that the interpretations/theories are not conclusive. Abel rarely shares the metaphors or meanings behind his music. This is based on widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Fans can feel free to expand on anything in the comments.
It is important to know about Abel's backstory to get a certain perspective of where he’s coming from, especially when discussing the songs that deal with substance abuse. These recent articles cover his early years really well and share an up-to-date point of view of his success.
Variety 2020
Billboard 2021 - Also a good source for getting to know his team.
So, an essential TL;DR is this: Abel Tesfaye came from a broken home, he was born to Ethiopian immigrant parents who split up when Tesfaye was less than seven. He then lived with his mother and grandmother, only rarely seeing his father but having a nice impression of him. His drug addiction started as soon as he was a high schooler, he turned to shoplifting to pay for this need of various substances. Soon he dropped out of high school, leaving his home the same weekend, which would later inspire his stage name, The Weeknd. The name is reference/homage to the weekend his life changed.
Quick side note, I didn’t think this post would nearly reach the character limit. So I’ve cut out excess detail and lists of producers (with the exception of After Hours since we’re in that era).
Table of contents

1. XO.
2. House of Balloons.
3. Thursday.
4. Echoes of Silence.
5. Trilogy.
6. Kiss Land.
7. King of the Fall.
8. Beauty Behind The Madness.
9. Starboy.
10. My Dear Melancholy.
11. After Hours.

XO.

XO is the record label that The Weeknd and co. created in order to publish the first mixtape (House of Balloons) and the ones that would follow afterwards. XO has a lot of meanings that have to do with what went into the music and what still goes into it. XO is what the fans call themselves, popularly with the phrase XO Till We OD (shortened to XOTWOD); another way of saying “we’re ride or die for The Weeknd and his team.”
While some argue that it could mean anything since there isn’t clear meaning to it, fans continue to associate the abbreviation with ecstasy (X) and oxycontin (O). That definition stems from XOTWOD, fans assume it’s true because of the team’s history of drug usage. While others take it as it’s classical definition “hugs and kisses” because of the consistent lyrical nature of The Weeknd’s songs.
Overtime the definition of XO is simply known as: the fans, the crew, and the label. The Weeknd is more than just one person, he comes with XO. For the sake of clarity in this writeup, I’m going to refer to his crew as XO and the fans as “the fans.”
XO still serves as a record label, the current roster is The Weeknd, Belly, Nav, and Black Atlass. It remains The Weeknd’s record label and was his first label before becoming a subsidiary of Republic Records.
Throughout his career, The Weeknd has worked with Illangelo, a Canadian producer who’s work the fans adore. Carlo “Illangelo” Montagnese was one of main the producers on The Weeknd’s Trilogy, he’s credited on each track. The fan base claims his work to be some of the most notable artistry in The Weeknd’s discography. Their work together continued with Beauty Behind The Madness, Illangelo worked on seven tracks for that album. He then returned for After Hours working on another seven tracks.
DaHeala, another Canadian producer, is another significant factor in The Weeknd’s music. Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville worked as lead producer on Kiss Land. He returned to work on six tracks for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness, including the hit Earned It. DaHeala returned as a writer for six of the songs on Starboy. Then DaHeala worked on nine After Hours tracks, and worked as the only producewriter alongside The Weeknd for bonus tracks Missed You and Final Lullaby.

House of Balloons.

Didn't wanna make this NSFW, so here's the super clean edited cover

This is a happy house. We’re happy here. (House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls)

One of the most iconic title tracks of all time. House of Balloons is about a lifestyle of drugs, sex, and partying; all in effort to drown out self-doubt. It comes from a place of wanting to make it big while doing what you can to survive, all while pretending everything’s alright. The mixtape describes various sorts of women, how they’ve had impacted the life of someone who’s already down on his luck.
Fans often refer to House of Balloons as The Weeknd’s best work. The mixtape was the first introduction the world got of XO, and it was one hell of a way to make an impression. It’s personal for the fans and Abel because it’s the only piece of work known to be based on his life. At the end of the day he’s a songwriter, with many of his albums he creates scenarios and world that he likes to explore through the music. But House of Balloons is known to be based entirely on his life. It remains The Weeknd’s most critically acclaimed work.
House of Balloons was crafted through the influences of Hip-Hip/Indie-Rock with the main focus on R&B. Through the genius of Ilangelo, the record was—and is—mesmerizing capturing the essence of a lifestyle that The Weeknd described as “anti-everything.”
House of Balloons assisted The Weeknd in gaining the attention of Republic Records, which would then host The Weeknd’s own label XO. Though hesitant at first, XO decided to partner with Republic after the co-founding brothers Monte and Avery Lipman kept coming back to Toronto solely for The Weeknd.
House of Balloons received three videos, The Knowing, Wicked Games and Twenty Eight. The Knowing was the very first video The Weeknd made, so of course it’d be something other-worldly; it essentially reflects the song itself but in a sci-fi setting. Twenty Eight represents Abel’s life after fame but also his remorse of letting captivating women into his life.
Fun fact— House of Balloons is an actual place in Toronto, it was where him and his crew lived after he dropped out of high school. They’d host parties, call girls, do drugs, and to make it less depressing they’d fill it with balloons.

Thursday.

Valerie on the cover

Welcome to the other side. (Life of the Party)

Thursday consists of the same themes as HoB; sex and drugs. But there’s a twist, he’s in a semi-relationship with this girl Valerie. She’s the only one on his mind, even though they meet only one day of the week, any guesses on what day that could be? Through The Weeknd’s phenomenal voice and the insane production, we’re also presented with this story of a toxic relationship where Valerie used to have the upper hand but she no longer does when she falls for The Weeknd.
While Thursday isn’t entirely about the relationship of The Weeknd and Valerie, it consists of reflections to Abel’s life after the release of House of Balloons. The song Rolling Stone notably has a double meaning, in which Abel asks his fans if they’ll stick with him when he gets mainstream appeal and decides to change his sound.
The track Valerie wasn’t on the original release of Thursday, it added when Trilogy was released. Ending the mixtape with Heaven or Las Vegas meant that The Weeknd’s actions with and without Valerie were a result of his fatherless childhood, making him push anyone away. That meaning behind Thursday doesn’t change when Valerie is added to the track list, it just means that both want the toxic relationship back.
The Zone (feat. Drake) was the first feature The Weeknd had on any of his work, the video for it was released in November of 2012. Rolling Stone had also received a video in October of 2012. Both were directed by The Weeknd and reflect the two different aspects of Thursday. The Zone has Valerie living it up in the House of Balloons. And Rolling Stone has The Weeknd doing a photoshoot for Trilogy, reflective of the song itself.
Fun Fact— the female voice heard in Lonely Star is The Weeknd’s, he pitched his voice to make it sound like a woman’s.

Echoes of Silence.

Diana on the cover

Laisse tomber les filles. Un jour c'est toi qu'on laissera. [Leave the girls alone. One day it’ll be you they will leave.] (Montreal)

Out of a dark introductory into the early life of The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence is the darkest work of his Trilogy. Let’s be honest the story here isn’t entirely ethical at times but makes for one hell of a mixtape.
Similar to Thursday, Echoes of Silence follows a storyline. After accumulating success, The Weeknd gains the attention of various women. There was this one woman (D.D.) who he liked but she initially rejected him (Montreal). The woman came back to him for his fame status and evidently fell in love with him (Outside), but now that he’s got the upper hand he treats him like a groupie (XO/The Host) and lets... bad things happen to her; she’s gotta pass a test before she can get with him. This test is either drugs or his crew (Initiation). He ultimately tells this woman that he’s not exactly longterm-relationship material, perhaps because her love is temporary (Same Old Song), because he’s Next. With the end of Echoes of Silence (originally ending on the title track) the listener is left to wonder why The Weeknd left her if he’d simply want her to stay.
As a side note— Initiation should not be condoned. It remains true that The Weeknd is a songwriter and the progression of time has changed perspectives. But a song that makes such suggestions as Initiation should not be ethically/morally claimed or celebrated.
The mixtape follows The Weeknd’s lifestyle after he’s gained all this success, he’s still the same person but now he’s gotten everything he wanted. Some tracks such as The Fall continue to emphasize his journey into stardom and his acceptance of fame being temporary. With the added Till Dawn (Here Comes The Sun), The Weeknd acknowledges the changes in his life, realizing that the old lifestyle is no longer there for him or his past lovers.
Echoes of Silence is known as an underrated gem of The Weeknd’s discography, it’s well received by fans and critically acclaimed but often brushed under the rug in discussion of his work. A lot of fans and casual listeners play the mixtapes through Trilogy rather than their respective albums. This often leads to people not playing EoS either at all or only the first few tracks, this is predominantly due to the nature of the compilation being nearly three hours long.
Fun fact— D.D. is a cover of Michael Jackson’s iconic Dirty Diana. Fans have named the woman in Echoes of Silence Diana because of this track. Various theories argue that the mixtape itself is based on the Dirty Diana itself with exaggerations of the truth, or whether or not it’s a story The Weeknd crafted based on the song.

Trilogy.

Rolling Stone video doubled as a shoot

You don’t know what’s in store. (High For This.)

Trilogy is a compilation of The Weeknd’s mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. These three mixtapes were released 3-4 months apart from one another for free digital download in 2011, they gained quite a lot of attention from various industry executives.
Prior to the release of Trilogy, The Weeknd featured on Drake’s Take Care with Crew Love. The song was Abel’s first exposure to a Rap crowd/Rap fans, more people began listening to his music after the release of Take Care. The Weeknd then featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Remember You, which served as the second single off Wiz Khalifa’s O.N.I.F.C. Following those two releases, The Weeknd released Wicked Games as the first single off Trilogy.
Trilogy was formed after The Weeknd came under Republic Records’ management. The compilation album reached a debut/peak position of 4 on the Billboard 200 while reaching number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It’s a well received album with the highlight said to be House of Balloons, which arguably went on to influence various sorts of R&B music of the 2010s.
Videos for Trilogy

Kiss Land.

Iconic

I went from starin' at the same four walls for 21 years. To seein' the whole world in just 12 months. (Kiss Land)

Kiss Land is based on The Weeknd’s tour life. Visiting unfamiliar places gave Abel horror movie vibes. A guy who used to own the city (Toronto) he lived in is now a small fish in the ocean of the entire world. The Weeknd’s first studio album was a great introduction into the sound he would soon get well acquainted with.
While continuing the R&B sound with the essence of Dark Wave, the album explores emptiness and regret throughout the lyrics—or what pop fans could categorize as dark pop—. The Japanese aesthetic used for various videos and the single covers/booklet reflects the themes of feeling overwhelmed by such a loud world that there’s no point in being if you don’t belong.
The album explores the real-world and the women in it as well as regrets regarding past actions, namely letting go of women who could’ve been the one in Adaptation. The Weeknd attempts to find that satisfaction in other women and past lovers, but accidentally falls for a sex worker in Belong To The World. With Wanderlust he accepts and expresses that love in the modern world isn’t entirely possible. While continuing to tour the world he enjoys these new experiences with XO (Live For feat. Drake), as well as the new women in his life (Kiss Land). And when he’s back home, he accepts the loss of the relationship he cherished.
Kiss Land debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It was fairly acclaimed but gained a massive cult following. There were four videos for made for the album, the title track, Belong To the World, Live For (feat. Drake), and Pretty. Those four songs received interesting visuals that kept up with their respective themes while Belong To the World/Kiss Land got visuals that matched the aesthetic of the album. To this day fans ask Abel for a part two to the horror-movie-inspired album after he said it’s the only album he would have a sequel for.
Videos for Kiss Land
Fun Fact— The video for Kiss Land on YouTube is an extremely edited version of the actual video shot for the song. The directors cut further explores the erotic-horror themes if the album.

King of the Fall.

King of the Fall 2020 cover (even though I talk about three other songs here)

Driving by the streets we used to walk through like a triumph. (King of the Fall)

These next few song were released between the Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness era. Some fans would classify them as part of the Beauty Behind the Madness era—I’d say the same tbh—but they stand apart on the basis of success and acclaim. It’s a transition between The Weeknd being an underrated R&B musician to being a mainstream artist with massive recognition and appreciation.
The first of these four songs is King of the Fall. A fan favourite and a standout in The Weeknd’s discography. This is one of The Weeknd’s few Rap tracks, it gained a lot of attention within the Rap sphere. It was the way in which XO would announce that they’ve made it, little did they know that this was just the start.
Prior to the release of Beauty Behind the Madness (BBTM), The Weeknd gained mainstream attention. The Weeknd’s exposure to mainstream music was uphill, it wasn’t overnight. The first taste of BBTM came from Often, a song that reflected the themes of sex that Abel was known for. The track was released more than a year before BBTM’s release and had made it onto the trackless unlike King of the Fall. Slowly but surely The Weeknd gained exposure, his main sources of exposure were through a collaboration and a soundtrack.
Most pop fans heard about The Weeknd through his hit collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. The collab was made through Republic when The Weeknd said he wanted more than what he had gotten through Kiss Land. Ariana and Abel had formed a real bond cough The Hills cough, their bond assisted the song in becoming a memorable hit for both artists. Love Me Harder was a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Later that year, The Weeknd was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack with Earned It, as well as Where You Belong. Earned It became a massive hit peaking at 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving an Oscar nomination for The Weeknd; a massive milestone for XO. Earned It kept up with Abel’s signature lyrics but the production differed heavily from the sort of R&B he was known for.
Videos from that era

Beauty Behind the Madness.

I can hear this image

I'm that ***** with the hair singin' 'bout poppin' pills, fuckin' bitches, livin' life so trill. (Tell Your Friends)

Following the success of Love Me Harder and Earned It, the Beauty Behind the Madness era began with The Hills. This was The Weeknd’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with the video, The Hills became an addictive classic. The production and lyrics mirror a mature version of the sound that was originally found on Trilogy. It was truly in keeping with The Weeknd’s character, the only difference was his haircut.
Next came Can’t Feel My Face, a Max Martin production that differed greatly from anything The Weeknd put out in the past. In past songs, Abel had expressed his fear of losing his following if he went mainstream simultaneously asking his fans if they’d stay. He repeats that sentiment in the Can’t Feel My Face video. The sound has changed, the lyrics stay the same but now he’s a pop-star. The song became a hit as it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With this massive bop previous fans still stayed, The Weeknd becoming a pop singer didn’t at all alter his image or sound; he mastered it.
In The Night and Acquainted were released as singles on the same day, the were the only singles to come after the release of Beauty Behind The Madness. The former received a music video treatment that followed the theme of the song itself while also starring Abel’s girlfriend at the time, Bella Hadid. Acquainted was robbed of a video even though Abel had shown off the fact that a video was in development; the song kept in the tone of The Weeknd’s work prior to BBTM.
Beauty Behind the Madness captures a Hollywood-based reality that The Weeknd came to understand: the dark aspects of your life will continue to follow you wherever you are. Real Life, Losers (feat. Labrinth), Tell Your Friends, Dark Times (feat. Ed Sheeran), and Prisoner (feat. Lana Del Rey) all capture a nihilistic view of a dream achieved.
Most of the videos of Beauty Behind The Madness have a mysterious white man. He’s featured in The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and Tell Your Friends. That man represents the devil. Throughout his journey in those videos, (The Hills) Abel runs into the devil after his car crash, (Can’t Feel My Face) he’s at the club then lights him on fire. The significance behind the fire could be selling his soul to the devil, BBTM is about Hollywood and a popular Hollywood myth is that celebrities sell their souls to the devil in exchange for fame. So in the Can’t Feel My Face video, Abel changes his sound to Pop (from R&B) thus leaving his signature sound in order to become famous, everyone starts enjoying his music once he’s sold his soul.
Then we see The Weeknd burying himself in Tell Your Friends, perhaps leaving the old Abel behind after the deal with the devil. However, instead of thanking the devil, Abel takes his revenge and shoots him. But wait, there’s more! The album trailer for BBTM features the devil burning a billboard with The Weeknd’s face on it, revealing Beauty Behind The Madness. HOWEVER, the final cut for the video features the devil being arrested while The Weeknd watches. This is a more realistic form of karma that the devil gets.
Videos for BBTM

Starboy.

Filled with bops

If I could, I'd trade it all, trade it for a halo. And she said that she'll pray for me, I said, "It's too late for me.” (Ordinary Life)

After the massive success of Beauty Behind the Madness, there was a lot of hype around what The Weeknd would do next; evidently he decided to explore Pop. The fandom he had gained wasn’t entirely based in the Pop sphere, his fans consisted of general Rap fans, but Starboy attracted the Pop audience.
Initially, most of his older fans couldn’t get behind Starboy, it differed greatly from the previous sound. It was crazy to think that the guy who made Trilogy managed to make such a Pop-centric album. But this was Abel expressing his versatility.
Since this is where most pop fans found out about Abel’s work and became fans I won’t talk too much about the singles, rather more about the album itself. His work with Daft Punk cemented this album in an efficient mix between Pop and R&B, where Beauty Behind the Madness was more R&B with Pop, Starboy was considered Pop with R&B.
Beyond the genres, Starboy explores two evident themes. One being his life with fame and recognition. The next being his love life in Hollywood, this aspect of the album came from his relationship with Bella Hadid which ended after the release of the album.
The cross became the symbol for that era and appeared in the album’s photoshoot as well as the videos. There was never any conclusive word on the use of the cross but there are various theories about it, something to note is that Abel was raised Christian, it could perhaps be a reflection of his past.
The cross he uses to destroy his accolades (Starboy video) is assisting him rather than something that’s holding him back. Abel’s upbringing was rough but now he’s celebrating it rather than feeling bad for himself. The cross continues to come up in the Party Monster video, this time it’s in the party house he’s making his way through. Then it shows up in the video for Reminder, this time in the form of his merch, the people wearing it are perhaps representative of his fans. Then we see it in the False Alarm video, both Abel and the girl are wearing it; the notable thing being that Abel holds his cross up before dying. Then in the brilliant video for Secrets, after giving up on the girl he’s with he leaves the building to find a giant cross. And finally in the I Feel It Coming video, The Weeknd sports a shiny cross necklace, and Daft Punk find it years and years after Abel froze.
The videos tell us that the cross is an evident piece of his story. This could mean that his past will always be with him, no matter what sort of fame he’s experiencing he’ll always be who he once was.
Also, I’m gonna take this moment to once again the genius that is the Secrets (both the song and the video). Yes it’s my favourite song/video off of Starboy but it’s so underrated.
Videos for Starboy, Secrets video bottom right
Fun Fact— Most demos of the tracks on Starboy weren’t as pop as they became, they started off R&B but became pop after production.

My Dear Melancholy.

Note the comma

They said our love is just a game, I don't care what they say. But I'ma drink the pain away, I'll be back to my old ways. (Privilege)

Oof (but in a good way, this whole thing is a bop). For this one I’m gonna talk extensively about The Weeknd’s relationships, which personally feels really invasive but it’s but it’s essential when talking about these sad boy anthems. Beyond that I’d just like to state that though they are part of the narrative both Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez deserve respect/privacy.
So when it comes to Pop music fans I think it’s safe to say that we all know a lot about this one. My Dear Melancholy (MDM) came after the very public relationship of The Weeknd and Selena Gomez. However it’s not just about Selena, some songs reflect his relationship with Bella Hadid (whom he got back with a month after MDM’s release).
My Dear Melancholy consists with The Weeknd’s exploration/mastery of merging Pop and R&B together. The EP was praised by fans for its lyrics and production, many went on to theorize that it was his most personal project since House of Balloons. The EP was the shortest album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
My Dear Melancholy and fan conspiracies; name a better duo. The first theory being that the EP is entirely about Selena Gomez which wasn’t too much of a mystery since the lyric “I almost cut a piece of myself for your life” exists. Not only did MDM come after Abel’s relationship with Selena Gomez but also after his relationship with Bella Hadid. As far as fans were aware those two relationships were the most important relationships Abel had ever been in.
In theory, the songs about Bella and Selena can be categorized. Call Out My Name, Try Me, and Privilege are likely about Selena. Wasted Times, and Hurt You are likely about Bella. Leaving I Was Never There to act as an introspective look into The Weeknd’s life, basically making him hop back on his vices for comfort.
Another popular theory was that My Dear Melancholy was the first of another trilogy. This rumour was widely believed due to the comma at the end of the title on the album cover. But the fans soon gained a real reason to believe this theory, since the CEO of XO (the record label), Sal had liked an Instagram post that featured the cover and alleged date. Since Trilogy is a fan favourite this conspiracy spread like wild fire, so much so that fake titles and covers were made. The name of this trilogy would be: (1)My Dear Melancholy, (2)We’re Alone Together, (3)Abel.
Only one song served as a single for the EP. Call Out My Name was released nearly two months prior to the actual release of the album, it debuted/peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The mysterious video captures The Weeknd in various atmospheric places that reflect the tone of the EP, a haunting yet unexplained reality that the listener is to reflect on.
From the cover, to the music, to the video, to lyrics, My Dear Melancholy is an introspective reflection of heartbreak.
Call out my name video

After Hours.

Talented, Brilliant, Incredible, etc.

My darkest hours. (After Hours)

After Hours comes after success but references two lows in The Weeknd’s life. The album welcomes darkness and leads the listener towards a dead-end. The Weeknd’s past two albums (Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy) ended on hopeful notes, they left the listener with a sense of hope but all hope his lost with After Hours.
Fans compare After Hours to House of Balloons—a rare occurrence considering House of Balloons’ acclaim—arguing that both albums are on the same level. Debate continues on whether or not both albums are on the same caliber. The belief that After Hours stems from reality does a lot to help its side of the argument.
The era began with Mercedes-Benz commercial that featured Blinding Lights, that was our first taste of the everlasting bop. Heartless was premiered on an episode of Memento Mori hours before its release on the 27 of November (2019), Blinding Lights was released two days later. Both videos were as brain melting as promised and the served as the tip of the iceberg.
After Hours was released nine days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there was a massive risk in releasing an album that would not have a lot of promotion after it’s release (other than magazine coverage). There was no telling whether or not people would pay attention to the album during the height of the fear surrounding the pandemic, but it was a massive success. After Hours debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with singles Heartless and Blinding Lights topping the Billboard Hot 100.
The album is layered with haunting productions that remains predominantly R&B but dives deep into Pop with some of the tracks. Max Martin produced the massive hit Blinding Lights as well as In Your Eyes, Save Your Tears, Hardest to Love, and Scared to Live which samples Elton John’s Your Song. Other notable producers include Metro Boomin who worked on the hit Heartless as well as Escape from LA, Faith, and Until I Bleed Out. With Kevin Parker on the interlude Repeat After Me.
Beyond the production are the narrative driven lyrics. In theory the album references two significant events in Abel’s life, his second breakup with Bella Hadid and his arrest in Las Vegas. The latter was due to his misbehaviour; in January 2015 he punched a cop in Vegas, lmao. Which means that After Hours is a recollection of The Weeknd’s first few years in LA. He merges the concept of his breakup with the idea of being an upcoming star, feeling free in the city of lights all while diving deep into the meaninglessness of those lights.
While After Hours starts with loneliness and a second chance it leads up to Abel returning to his vices of lust. In Alone Again his loneliness caught up to him and he’s asking for a second chance. He acknowledges his mistakes and situation in Too Late/Hardest to Love, in Scared to Live his ex then returns to him for a second time. He remembers his past ways in Snowchild and the way in which it lead to better days, but where do you go after such highs? In Escape From LA he faces the superficial reality of Hollywood, glad that he got that he got back with his ex, while continuing to question if it’s worth it. But he fucks up the second chance when she pulls up to the studio.
Who is she? Much like the other mysteries surrounding The Weeknd’s music, we may never know. Is it all more of The Weeknd’s songwriting ability or is it driven by reality? Fans found a merge between the two to be more accurate, After Hours is about heartbreak and a return to the vices that held The Weeknd back.
Heartless is when The Weeknd is once again back to his ways, he may have been in a serious relationship but after throwing that away he spirals back to the way he once was. It’s sad but it’s one hell of a song. Speaking of brilliant songs, Faith is when Abel admits that he’s back on his vices, he states that he needs his ex back with him till the end; he’s back to self-loathing.
So when he says he’s blinded by the lights, there’s two meanings to it. The Faith outro tells us that he’s in a car with flashing lights, a cop car (as confirmed by Abel) to be exact. Then Blinding Lights tells us that while he’s watching the bright lights of Vegas pass him by he calls out for the girl that he regrets losing. That is the peak of the After Hours narrative. He’s behaving badly over the loss of the girl he loved and is now at the worst position trying to find her and gain her trust for a third time.
Following Blinding Lights is In Your Eyes, this is where The Weeknd vows not to judge her; he can see right through her but will never do anything to make her upset. Does this mean their back together? Not exactly. Save Your Tears details a sort of moving-on that The Weeknd isn’t ready for but tries to help her move on, blind to his own inability to move on. Does it work? Not really. Repeat After Me (Interlude) shows that he’s still trying to convince himself that he’s unfazed by the loss of a meaningful relationship.
Then you hear a true masterpiece. The title track is a spiral into true regret and an apology for his actions, he admits that his ex girlfriend is the only reason he lives. In a dark lonely city she’s the only one keeping him sane. But his pleas fail, Until I Bleed Out is when The Weeknd no longer wants her in his life so much so that he wants to erase his memory of anything related to her. The bonus tracks then echo the final sentiment.
It’s one sad ass album, ain’t it. But here’s where the Red Suit Character comes in.
Shoutout to the makeup department
The album isn’t the only narrative to follow with After Hours. The videos for the album follow their own sort of narrative. The story follows an unnamed guy that goes by “red suit character” according to The Weeknd.
There’s a lot of confusion and endless theories surrounding this character’s story, after The Weeknd confirmed that it’s about a decent into Hollywood culture it makes more sense… kind of. I’m gonna discuss the storyline without talking about the movies that have influenced it, this way the focus remains on the character.
The order of these videos is Heartless / Blinding Lights / Blinding Lights (Live on Kimmel)* / After Hours short film / In Your Eyes / Until I Bleed Out / Snowchild / Too Late / Live at AMAs* / Save Your Tears
*Though all live performances could count as part of the narrative, these one relate directly with the videos that follow.
He’s is first seen in Vegas with Metro Boomin (Heartless), intoxicated on various substances. He dives deeper into his high until he licks a frog, after that he faces the true effects of this high. He’s frightened by the result and runs far away from Vegas. (Blinding Lights) He’s then found in LA, where he’s dancing in the street, hypnotized by the singer, beat up by guards, and races past all those bright lights in his Benz. Ultimately realizing the shallowness of the Los Angeles fantasy.
(Blinding Lights Live on Kimmel) We then find him performing Blinding Lights live, while he attempts to find more reason in within the madness city; he couldn’t find it on the streets so he goes to the stage. (After Hours short film) Even then there’s no meaning to anything in the city, he mindlessly wanders into the depth of the subway where he’s dragged by the reality of it all and ends up possessed. (In Your Eyes) After being possessed he chases the woman whose boyfriend he just murdered, she runs into a club falls deeper into the After Hours fantasy, in a successful attempt to defend herself she beheads the red suit character and dances all over LA with his head, iconic behaviour.
(Until I Bleed Out) Then in an ethereal dreamscape, red suit character finds himself in a House of Balloons. He’s trying to escape, but the people there keep pulling him in; he’s getting higher while observing Glass Table Girls. He spirals into the antarctic, the other side of the world. From Heatless to this point in his story, his vices lead him back to the lowest point in Abel’s life. Is it Hell, Heaven or Las Vegas? (Snowchild) He relives his career up until the point where his story began. Considering he’s dead, his life basically flashed before his eyes.
(Too Late) LA girls find the red suit character’s head and live their best life. They wanna have sex with him so they find the best boy parts by calling up a stripper who could be the body. The stitch the head up with the body and do what they want. But now he’s brought back to life. (Live at AMAs) He’s had work done… He went in to get his nose fixed and the doctor said “you sure that’s all you want?” The red suit character’s face is healing while he tries to celebrate his life on top of a bridge.
(Save Your Tears) Surrounded by a masked cult he debut’s his new face. Do they like it? Are they impressed? Not instantly, their masks translate no expression so how’s he to know? Is any of this worth it? Nope red suit character continues to die inside. He finds a maskless girl in the crowd, she’s lively unlike the rest; but even then, nothing on the inside nothing on the outside. He wants death again, somehow a second chance with this city is still pointless. He tries to kill himself via the girl and himself but it’s all a facade; theatrics.
His story continues but that’s all we know so far.
The videos make a lot of film references. This post by explain these references very well, as well as past album references here (part one) and here (part two).
After Hours is inspired by a lot of movies, since Abel is in fact a cinephile. The main movies that inspired the aesthetic and storytelling are believed to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Casino (1995), Joker (2019), Uncut Gems (2020), and After Hours (1985). The album tells two sad narratives but remains one of The Weeknd’s best works yet. He’s expanded his videography and enhanced the interest of people who casually enjoy his music and of course his fans.
But the era isn’t over, by the time this is posted his Super Bowl Halftime show is yet to happen. And it’ll continue the red suit character’s story.
Videos for After Hours (so far)
Fun Fact—The Heartless video features a reference to Thursday. When he’s trying to run from Vegas, a sign behind him flashes “Heartless / Heaven or Las Vegas.” This could be a reference to Abel running from his past, after all Heartless is about him returning to his vices.

END.

Thank you for reading this, again, I didn’t realize it would end up being this long. But I hope this this served as a nice refresher for any fans who wanted to revisit Abel’s work before the Super Bowl.
And I really hope that anyone interested in getting into his music finds this helpful. Once again, the theories/interpretations mentioned aren’t conclusive, they’re widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation.
Due to the character limit I couldn’t add too links to the albums, so here are some artist links.
Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | The Weeknd’s Shop | Tidal | Genius