Tenth Trip to Vegas
Last November.

Pardon the late and long trip report. If you’re looking for detailed hands this might not be the TR for you. I took notes on my phone, but after a few drinks the notes seemed to be less of a priority for me.

I’ve been reading trip reports on the site for a few years, but never posted. I told myself I’d write one for my 10th time to Vegas, but when I got back I didn’t even think about it.

A little background for you, my friend and I have been playing poker about 15 years. I know that sounds like a good chunk of time, but the town we live in doesn’t offer any live games other than some underground rooms and online poker has never kept our interest, so we keep it 1 or 2 annual trips a year to Vegas or other cities that offer poker. This might sound terrible to any other poker player, but we don’t mind, we love the anticipation.

Over the years our trips have become more focused on poker. Gone are the days of us going downtown to see Fairmont Street or walking the strip to see the sights. It’s gotten to the point were we don’t eat at buffets anymore because it hinders our poker play after a big meal.

I have a hard time not staying the smaller casinos in the middle of the strip. This being my 10th time in Vegas and I’ve stayed in Bally’s 4 times, the Flamingo 3 times, IP/Quad/Linq twice and Bills once. I like staying in a casino where I’m comfortable playing poker and if I get bored I can walk over to another poker room without trekking too far. I don’t know maybe that sounds lazy, but players are more our speed in the smaller rooms.

We’re casual poker players in every sense of the word. I usually make a schedule of tournaments from our preferred rooms and we jump around from 1-2 to tournaments. We do all right. We usually win enough at poker to go lose it on the table games when there’s a wait list.

Day 1

Anyway… So last November we left for our annual visit to Vegas. The short 2.5 hour flight went by so so very slowly. Sadly, my buddy and I were separated on the plane and had to sit by ourselves, and to top it off the plane had no in flight entertainment. Another so very slow line to get through customs and a “No Tunnel” cab ride and we’re at the classy Flamingo Hotel, BOOM, another line about 30 or so deep to check into our room. We waited about 15 minutes before we had the idea to see if we could leave our bags with the door man/bag guy at the front door; lo and behold it worked. We slipped him a tip and he told us the best time to come back to check in. So began our adventure.

We walked straight to the Flamingo poker room to check it out and the first thing we noticed was that we recognized a few of the players from the last time we were there… it kind of blew our mind, but I guess people live and play there regularly. Before we jumped into the poker room we decided to go check out the Cromwell. Wild Bill’s use to be one of our favorite casinos on the strip before it was closed for renovations. We loved how much of a dive it was, cheap table games and very good drink service; the 2-table poker pit wasn’t great, but we liked it there. Neither of us had seen it since the reno and wanted to see how our favorite dive had changed. Sadly, it’s not as “good” as it once was, it doesn’t have the same life to it as it did before, but maybe I just fear change… but now there’s no poker at all, big minus. Either way we sat at Let It Ride (I know it’s a slow game for grandma’s) and our first free drink was there in moments of our arrival, I believe we both ordered new castle ales. After a quick hit on roulette I was up 250 in first 2 hours of the trip and it was time for some poker.

I can’t recall why, but we walked over the Linq. The Poker room was just getting started and they had a just opened a 1-1 with 2 seats available. The table was full of beginner players, so new that it wasn’t that much fun. My buddy and I sat at the same table and both bought in for 100 dollars. I flopped 2 sets in the hour we played there and was sucked out on both of them. I also ended up going head to head with my buddy and lost 60 dollars to him, we don’t play together or anything funny like that, but when we’re at the same table we usually get out of each other’s way. The drink service was great at the Linq, I must have had 3 or 4 drinks in the short time we lasted at the poker table.

We checked our tournament schedule and decided to play in the 65 dollar, 5pm tournament at Bally’s (1000 guaranteed I believe). There was about 4 or 5 tables to start. My buddy held on but went bust around 15th. I made the final 4 players but was the short stack when I started talking about a chop… everyone agreed, but the chip leader and made it clear in rather short manner that he wouldn’t, so we continued. I got lucky and doubled up in the next hand and then tripled up on the following hand, knocking out the 4th place guys and disabling the previous chip leaders stack. Shortly after, the guy who didn’t want the chop started asking us for a 3 way chop to which the 3rd man simple said he wouldn’t do it. I was having fun and was now the chip leader so I didn’t mind. A few hands later the 3rd man knocked out the previous chip leader/guy who initially denied the chop, out of the tournament. We were about even in chips, but before the next hand started he offered me the chop again and I took it for just over 500 each. We laughed and I asked him why he wanted to chop now and not before. He told me he didn’t like the way the other man hand been short with us and didn’t want to share anything with him. It was great start to the trip.

We returned to the Flamingo to check in/throw our bags into our room and come back down to the poker room where we were promptly seated at a 1-2 table. We had a few more drinks and I ended a short session up 20 dollars or so and entered their 50-dollar tournament. It might have been all the drinks I had, but I made some big moves on an open ended straight draw that missed and after a rebuy and another busted straight we decided to move on.

Walking down our favorite side of the street we decided to venture out and walked over to the Mirage. The last time I played there I had an amazing drunken run and cleaned up… this time we couldn’t get on a table. We settled for some more Let IT Ride and sat at a table with a couple who was obviously drunk and another guy sitting at anchor. It’s a little foggy, but I remember the man in the relationship telling off his wife and the other guy saying something and the table getting really awkward. Paid 100 dollars for a drink and retreated back to the Flamingo poker room.

Back at the 1-2 table and again the drinks coming fast. I think it’s the smaller casinos are good for drink service due the distance from the poker room to the bar. I bought in for 100 and played pretty loose. I’m raising most of the time and my buddy is straddling the blinds, but thanks to us being openly drunk and loose we’re getting called all the time. Luckily, I was getting amazing cards. I won with AA and KK and 10’s for a 300 session when we decided to sign up for the 1230am tournament.

50 dollar buy-in, I believe there was 3 tables. My buddy and I both made it to the final table but I bust out making some terrible calls and finish 7th. My buddy holds on and chops 3 ways for 250 dollars. First day “tournament champions!” at least that what we were telling people.

I wise man once told me never over do it your first night in Vegas or you’ll be sorry the next day, so we decided to play some table games before retiring around 3am.

Day 2

My friend woke up early and went down the Flamingo pool while I slept in and slowly got ready for another big day. He returned with coffees and told me about how great the pool was, and how nice it was to start the day that way. I agreed to go the following day, but for now we had gambling to do.

Nursing a slight hangover I decided to sit at 2-4 limit and have a Baileys and coffee to get me back to normal. I learned to play poker-playing limit and 2-4 has a special place in my heart for casual sitting, chasing crazy draws and sucking out on pre-flop raisers. Nothing worth of note here, is there ever at 2-4?

We walked over to Bally’s to register at for the 70 dollar, 11am tournament. We both decided to play 1-2 while we waited. I sat with 160 as the table had a lot of money on it, thanks to what seemed to be players still sitting from the night before. I had set with 6 players in the hand and last to act and it checked to me and bet out 6 dollars on a 12-dollar pot and everyone folded, wasn’t really thinking there. Oops. On the last hand before the tournament I hit quad 8s… then they draw for someone at the table to draw for cash, up to 500 dollars. Magically I won the right to draw but un-magically I missed the 500 and hit 50 dollars. Love that stuff. Finished the session up 240.

11am tournament and I bust out in the first level. I was a pretty short stack and pushed with KQ in early position and got 2 callers, AQ and QQ. AQ takes it and knocks both of us out. I grabbed a bagel at the café beside the poker room and they put the most disgusting amount of cream cheese on it that I had to use a napkin to wipe it off. I hummed and hawed and then finally decided to buy back in. I stick it out to the final table but sadly my buddy was knocked out 11th right before we had to chance to reunite. I get lucky and make it to the money where the talk of chop comes up. Massive chip leader does all the talking and gets us to agree to pay him 600 and the others get 300 a piece, AGREED. 2 tournament “wins.” Have I mentioned how much I like Bally’s poker room?

I almost immediately lose my small amount of poker winnings on the way out the door making bad decisions at the table games. We decided to make our way over to Planet Hollywood for some more poker. Walking through Paris I remarked how weird of a casino it is… it’s almost as if the gaming floor was an after thought. We’ve only really played a couple of minutes there ever.

I like poker at PH. I like the darker atmosphere and tables are comfortable. The games are usually loose, most of the time the player’s are good-natured drinkers like myself and I usually do all right.

We signed up for the 80-dollar tournament and sat at 1-2 while we waited. Nothing too remarkable prior to the tournament, but I ended up making my entry fee while we waited. The tournament was uneventful for me. I busted out just before the final table. Sadly, my buddy bubbled the tournament and we kept walking… straight to the roulette table where we couldn’t catch a number to save our lives.

My buddy had never been to the Aria and the poker room reviews are always so high so we walked down the strip to check it out. The room looks amazing and seems to be run very smoothly, but I think I was a little too casual for the table we were seated at. I bought it for 100 dollars on 1-2 and had my bets raised most every time… this only bolstered my thinking that I don’t like bigger poker rooms. Again we kept walking.

I had heard that there was a table of Caribbean Stud Poker left at the Monty Carlo and since we were so close we walked over and 200 dollars later I no longer had a hankering to play CS anymore. More bad luck with the table games and we cabbed back to our home base at the Flamingo.

We sat at a Pi Gow table and I continued to have back luck at the tables. At the end of the night we sat at 1-2 and played till late in the night. I bought in for 150 and cashed out for 230. After many drinks and much gambling, bed was very nice.

Day 3

I wasn’t feeling 100% the next morning so I decided to accompany my buddy to the pool for a refreshing dip. As we walked up to the pool we noticed that nobody was around. The entrance gate was locked. A maintenance person happened to be walking by and told us that the pool was closed for the season. What terrible luck! I settled for a warm shower.

We started the day at Bally’s playing 1-2. I bought in for 160 and played fine for a time. I pick up AA in early position and raise to 10 and get 4 callers. 7-6-3 rainbow flop. I bet out 15 and get two callers. 7 on the turn. Villain bets out 25 and I call. 2 on the river. Villain bets out 60 and I call knowing I’m going to lose. I hate when I do that. Villain turns over J-7

We both play in the 11am tournament again against a larger croud than the day before. I bust in the shove-fest section with AQ vs. 99

After some frustrated table games play we decide we need a change of pace and go play at Harrah’s. Nice little poker room, but sadly I had no luck. I lose 180 in a matter of 30 minutes. I flopped a set and lost to a bigger set on the turn. I figure we need to play in another tournament to slow down the bloods loss.

60-dollar tournament at Harrah’s and drink service was almost too good to be true. We both ended up lasting a few hours but ended up busting out. My buddy had a an exciting hand where he could have quadrupled up when he went all in with 99 and three others called with smaller pairs and an AJ, but an ace hit on the river.

We did some quick shopping for our wives at the PH mall and then walked over to Ceasers Palace to check out their poker room, but on the way we got distracted by the noodle bar there, Beijing Noodle No.9. Amazing. We sat at the bar and watched them make the noodles for our dish right in front of us.

After the beating I took at poker I didn’t like the look of the Ceasers room so we retreated and went back to the Flamingo where I licked my wounds at 2-4 limit and took it easy on the drinks thanks to our early flight out the next day.

And that was my 10th trip to Vegas.
TLDR: I like poker

Lessons learned: Stay away from table games.