This report lacks a lot of poker story detail since I didn't take notes (as I intended) and it's been a week since I've been back - I'm just getting to this since I came down with a cold/flu my last night of the trip and am just now getting over it. The information that is here is good/true (to the best of my recollections) and should be of some interest. I'm posting this because I've found this site of great value to me and feel I should contribute something back. Overall, I finished up $450 for the trip. If I don't play tired and dumb on Friday, I easily double that figure. The bottom line is that it was my play (bad at times) even during break even sessions that determined my results much more than the opposition. I guess contrary to other reports, I find the Mirage game (competition wise) consistently beatable by tight consistent play. The Mirage is now my number one place to play. MGM Grand would be number 2. I can't wait for my next trip!

Thursday, 12/22:
My wife and I have been waiting 6 months for this trip. We take an afternoon flight from Colorado on Allegiant arriving in Vegas around 3:30pm. First, we checked in at the Mirage. We hadn't stayed here for several years since we decided that we really liked Mandalay Bay better both hotel-wise and poker room-wise. However, after reading reviews on this site, I decided that I wanted to try a number of different poker rooms for which the Mirage was better located. It was also better located for my wife to shop and site see. The Mirage was a pleasant surprise from what I remembered and the room although basic was quite spacious and quiet - not that it matters for the amount of time I spend in it ;) We then head to the New Frontier for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant - Margarite's. After a huge dinner and a couple of marg's we return to the Mirage and I'm ready (well, as soon as the marg's wear off) for some poker.
The Mirage poker room is as I remember it. Large but nicely laid out and without a crowded or feel. The chairs are very comfortable. There's also plenty of room for someone to sit behind you and watch you play if your wife etc. takes any interest. The dealers are competent and friendly, with the exceptions of one sour guy dealer for 30 minutes my last night there and one dealer who wouldn't let a player pull back his out of turn bet until the floor was called who agreed that since it was out of turn he still had his betting options). About the only thing that could enhance this operation would be an electronic list system. However, it wasn't much of an issue as I never had to wait long for a game.
I get started about 8pm and play until 3am. I've had my usual first session with very little in playable cards and don't see very many flops. I end up about $100 down.

Friday, 12/23:
5-6 hours of sleep, a shower, and a large coffee/danish later, I head out for the MGM Grand. What can I say, Nice poker room! A bit loud with outside noise, if you're near the rail (which I was), but not a big problem for me. I play from about 11am-2pm. A fairly tough table, I finish up about $25.
I then head over to Paris. There's nothing much for me to recommend about this "room". It's just some recycled WSOP tables roped off in the middle of a high traffic area. The $5 chips are the most ugly and stupid colors that I've ever seen! The competition was (as I've seen reported here, and why I decided to try out this room) probably the easiest I saw the entire trip. However, the poker gods seemed intent on rewarding bad play the entire 3 hours I was there. The worst players kept winning and the best players kept busting out. I couldn't catch any playable cards until the last half hour and was twice river'ed with two outers. I can't wait to leave, down $175.
We (my brother and sister in law have arrived today) head out to dinner at an off-strip restaurant, who provided a limo ride to/from the Mirage and Paris. Dinner was great and I return to the Mirage to play from 9pm until 7am. This was a mistake, I'm now a bit too relaxed from all the previous play and pressing due to being down $250 for the trip. Three horrible suck outs and I make two horrible all in calls - to go down another $650. Despite being too tired to be playing, I tighten up and manage to play better the rest of the session for a loss for the day of $600.

Saturday, 12/24:
I sleep till noon and I'm back in the Mirage poker room by 1pm. I play until 5pm happy with an even session and we all head out to dinner. On the way back from dinner I go to the Wynn. It's a nice looking room, but in reality felt small and crowded to me. Despite having a height adjustment and being able to swivel, the chairs were the most uncomfortable I've ever sat in. At the 1-3 NL game (you can buy in for as much as you like) the $3 chips are the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Nobody including the dealers can track bets/raises in increments of $3. Everyone (including the dealers, who get in trouble for it if they get caught) eventually resorts to counting the number of chips bet - I raise your six $3 ($18) chips another six chips. Of course to make change you also get to deal with $2 chips (which look almost exactly the same as the $3) chips. The game would be infinitely better if only $1 and $5 chips were used even if the blinds are 1 and 3. The $3 chips alone is enough reason for me to never play there again. If you play the 2-5 game then it's probably not an issue. In any case, I play until 3am and leave exactly even. Merry Xmas!

Sunday, 12/25:
Back in the Mirage poker room and start playing at 11am. I don't even see a flop for 2 hours! Easy table but horrible cards and/or raised blinds. Then suddenly I look down to find A,K spades on the button. 4 limpers and I raise $20. You'd think I'd get a little respect my first raise/pot after two hours, but no, I get 5 callers. Flop comes Ah,Js,5s. Checked to me and I bet $15 mainly to throw everyone off the scent should the flush come. And of course I still have 3 callers. Turn comes 7s and everyone checks. River is 4h. Early position player bets $15 everyone folds to me. I raise him $15 and he calls with his Ad,Qs. Nice $130 pot! Then like a light switch was flipped I win 3 of every 4 pots (mostly with nutt flushes) for the next 30 minutes - up at this point $400 for the session. My attitude finally starts to improve. Stop at 5pm for dinner at Kokomo's (excellent steaks) and back at the tables at 8pm. I play basically even until 2 am.

Monday, 12/26:
Start 10am Mirage poker room. I basically play until about 5pm and am up $100. We all head over to eat at a Brew Pub / Sports Bar at the Monte Carlo. On the way out I stop by the poker room. It looks just like the pictures (dumb post in the middle of the room) but I don't stop to play. We head over to Mandalay Bay so that the wife and in-laws can see the Rock & Roll Karaoke at the House of Blues. I'm immediately seated around 9pm at a 2-4 NL game (which is what/where I've played 95% of my Vegas Poker the last two years). The Mandalay room is very nice, excellent dealers, and very well managed. My only complaint is that (except for Bellagio) I think it has the toughest games in town. There are always 3-4 rock locals at the table and it seems I'm lucky to find 1 or 2 other players who I think I'm clearly better than. In any case, the game is fairly tough/tight for about 45 minutes when all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. Every other pot is 2-3 all in players which huge sums going back and forth. This lasts for an hour or so by which time the craziest of the players are busted and the game settles back down. Meanwhile, I'm not getting any cards and when I do I win a small pot. I'm down $100 by the time the wife comes to get me at 1am.

Tuesday, 12/27:
Last day. Start 10am Mirage poker room. I play until 1am except for a 50 minute dinner break with my wife, during which time my chips/stuff are mistakenly picked up for being gone from the table for too long. After explaining the situation (dealer mistake) to the floor they return my chips/stuff and re-seat me. Up to this time (6pm) I'm playing basically even. Suddenly my table fills with complete poker idiots. Half of us know how to play and half of us obviously have no clue. For the next 4 hours the idiots consistently hit runner-runner and/or river two outers to bust virtually every good player at the table. I not getting any cards (lucky for me I think now) and only get runner-runner'ed once to leave me down $100 at about 10pm. I'm now determined to get these guys (not a good strategy) and have decided to wait for the nutts to do it. And it's a long 3 hour wait as I fold everything other than the most premium hands, and then those when they don't hit the flop. But somehow I've won a few small/medium pots and am now back up about $100. Finally at 12:45 am it happens... Two of the worst players are still there but due to loose/bad play have lost much of their huge fortunes back to other bad players who have left. I'm on the button with A,9 of diamonds. Player A in early position raises to $20 and we have 5 callers. The flop comes Kd, Qd, 10c. Player A bets out another $20, Player B (ahead of me) calls, another player calls and I call. The turn is the Jd. Player A bets $75, Player B calls, and I (trying to remain calm) just smooth call. At this point unless the board pairs, making a full house possible, I have the absolute nutts (only I can make a straight flush). The river comes with the 8c. Player A goes all in for his last $120. Player B calls. I go all in for an additional $100 ($20 more than player B has remaining). Player B calls. Player A shows his A,10 for a straight, Player B has the 7d,6d for a smaller flush. As I scoop up the $900 pot and the shock settles in, Player B says to me "You've been waiting all night for that, haven't you?" All I said was "Yes". I wait 15 minutes and leave the table up $750 for the day.