Monday, October 8 – Saturday, October 13

I made my third trip to Las Vegas with my father and his Las Vegas crew. My father’s crew, being displaced Stardustians, decided to go with a Boyd Group casino and stayed at the Orleans. From the get go I had reservations about this, as my original plan was for a solo trip to a central location on the Strip and I knew that the other group members had little to no interest in playing much poker.

Without boring with the details, the only poker that I played was twice at TI. Two $65 tournaments in which I had not one bit of luck. Never hit a flop, never improved a hand. NEVER! The few pots that I did win I had to push the best hand out of the pot and then dodge draws. Finally when I was down to 3 or 4 BB I was dealt the best hand I had seen in either tournament --- pocket Jacks. From UTG of course I’m automatically all in and it folds around to one caller with 10-10. I don’t need to tell you what flopped or turned or whatever, but I knew it was coming and that ended my tournament.

Had my hotel been closer I really would have liked to played more of the TI tournaments, but as a member of a group with group things to do, people waiting and a hotel several miles away I just didn’t make it to TI or other poker rooms as I had hoped.

I did play $1/3 NL twice at TI, both times after the tournaments. First time I won my tournament entry fee back and the second time I dropped $200 playing completely tilted after not hitting any cards in the tournaments, just having ended my tournament with J-J busted by 10-10, etc., etc. and then continuing along those lines at the NL table…. so as I can do so well I just pissed that money away.

One interesting/amusing thing of note from the first TI tournament is that we were blessed with a few $65 tournament pros to provide some comedy to the event. You know the kind of guys I am talking about…. Invested a whopping $65, might win $500 and you would think they were Daniel Negreanu. Anyway my cousin is on a card rush and is doing well in the tournament. After the break he is moved to my table and is in one of the blinds. No one raises preflop and so he plays a small king and wins the hand from one of these 65 Dollar Negreanu’s. So young punk says, “Is that they way you have won all your chips, playing hands like that?” And I am thinking WTF. And so cousin who is quicker witted than I am replies “I read the same books everybody else does. What do you expect me to do” (Something like that). I found it amusing that this young guy that supposedly was a local player would criticize someone playing an unraised blind…… point being it seems this belies player’s image and supposed knowledge of the game.

Previously, 65 Dollar Negreanu #2 who clearly thought he was the best player in the room, but not only was the first player out of the tournament, but also the second player out after rebuying and then did not last too long after the first break on his third rebuy… anyway this guy was sitting to my immediate right and making contorted faces and twisting his head like a confused dog, always commenting under his breath, etc. when players would bet at him or beat him… he get moved off after his third buy back to the table that my cousin was having his card rush at. This actually happened prior to the above paragraph….. again little to no preflop action to push my cousin off weaker hands in the blinds and he is hitting everything. I don’t know the particulars of the hand, but he beats 65 Dollar Negreanu #2 and the kid says something to the effect of “Are you having fun winning everyone’s chips playing weak hands like that?” And he gets this reply…. “I’d be having a lot more fun if you would shut you damn asshole mouth!” My cousin was surprised that he did not get a reprimand and said that he felt like the table and dealer were glad that he shut the kid up. Kid lost out of the tournament shortly thereafter.

I just found all that a bit amusing and the $65 Negreanu’s really are worth the price of the tournament entry alone. They just flat out have to make you smile!

Anyway, that was it for poker on the trip. Overall a good trip, but not a good poker trip. I enjoyed the time with my dad, uncle, cousin and the other members of the group. Saw a few good shows, got to see the renovations to the Golden Nugget and I am really impressed with that. Played a little of this and that all over downtown. Light show definitely has improved since last trip in ’05.

Things I would do different… First, you have to stay where you want to play or very, very close. The Orleans was alright if you want to mainly play pit games, but for me, it is too isolated for a poker trip. There is the shuttle, but that got to be a hassle, especially the cluster %#@ down at Bill’s trying to get on the shuttle for the return trip. Yeah, you can rent a car or take taxis constantly, but it’s got to be just a whole lot easier to stay where you want to play and I will not do it any other way. Second thing is that every trip I have ever taken my money has always been a little scared. I thought this time would be different, but due to circumstances it wasn’t and so as usual I tightened up more than I would like to after having made the effort to make the trip.

My final thought is that after my third trip spanning from ’95 to ’07, and I know that is not a very long period of time, but I am not sure that I love Las Vegas like I once did. The changes to the Strip are reaching the point of too much for me. Specifically the pedways and not being able to cross the streets drives me nuts. Some intersections are just flat out a pain in the ass to try to negotiate on foot and walking just seems much more difficult than it was 10 years ago. Maybe that has more to do with me getting old and fat, but I am blaming the blankety, blank pedways!

My other final thought is…. Damn I am unlucky. Not only was I literally in a poker dessert, but I was figuratively in one too! Let me tell you exactly how unlucky I was…. Being from Kentucky, as I was losing money throughout the trip there was one sure thing that I knew I could win at…. I knew for sure that the #1 team in NCAA football, the LSU Tigers would cover -9.5 on the Kentucky Wildcats. I went ahead and put $110 on LSU, and as I walked out of the TI poker room for the last time having lost and being on tilt, I said to myself, “Well I can’t win at poker, but there is one thing I know that I can win.” And so I headed to the TI sports book and put another $330 on LSU. Of course you know now that since UK knocked off the #1 team in the country they have not won since! All I can say is God bless a mule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At times I truly feel jinxed!

Still all in all good trip. Although I don’t particularly like the TI casino, mainly because of the low ceiling, I felt like the poker room was very good for a beginner like myself and a nice room in general. I did not make it known that I was an AVP’er until after I had played the first day because I wanted to see if they really were what is reported here…. The managers and dealers were excellent both days and the players were nice with the games being fairly friendly. Definitely will be back to TI. Walked through a lot of others, but as a member of a group, I did not have time to play. If there is a next time it will be all poker.

If I had it to do over I would stay at stay on the Strip, probably at TI and play there and in the Venetian noon tournaments…. Good thing is I guess I do have it to do over, so probably will make the trip again next year.