I enjoyed playing the 2am Tournaments at the Aladdin - lots of mediocre players, as well as ones who had too much to drink. Disliked both the Flamingo and Imperial Palace poker experience. The rooms just seem kind of sleazy to me. When I go back, I'll stick to the nicer rooms - like the Venetian (Wow!) and Mirage. I was surprised to see so much 2/4 limit. I much prefer 3/6 or 4/8. The 1/2 NL I saw was a bit crazy. Bad players with big stacks - too risky for me. Below are poker game notes taken during my trip. Hope it doesn't bore you.

Day 1

6pm - 7pm
$60 Flamingo Tournament
Finished 23rd out of 40 players. Won 2 hands - 1 as the small blind - an all in bluff after the flop with K5. The other was with AK, won before the flop. Got horrible cards. I folded 55 and 66 after big pre flop raises in front of me. That was it. I had $800 in chips with blinds @ 100/200 and go all in with 22. I get called by 2 players - 55 and AT and lose. Players pretty bad. Most don't know what there doing. Down $60 for the trip.

8:15pm - 10:45pm
2/4 Limit @ the Imperial Palace
Bought in for $80. Saw no playable cards for the first hour and didn't play any hands. But then I started getting some, like KK with a K on the flop that took down a guy with pocket aces. Hit a flush on 5th street for another. Also got a Q on a flop to go with my QQ. I quit when I doubled my money - cashing out for $160. Won 80 for the session. Up $20 for the trip.

11:30pm-12:45am
$60 Sit n Go @ the Aladdin
10 players, 1st place gets $350, 2nd place gets $150. I continue to get horrible cards. Get a bad beat when my top pair (AQ with a Q on the flop) gets beat by a flush on the river. I'm now on the brink. Then I get pocket sixes, go all in and double up. I get to hang around and several players go out. All of the sudden I am in the top 5, with 1 guy whose a huge chip leader, and the rest of us are waiting for eachother to go out. I stop getting cards and fold fold fold, while the others do battle and then find myself in the top 3, but am the short stack by about 500. The game then turns into us pushing the blinds around with the chip leader waiting for me and the other guy to get bounced. Finally, I get pocket tens and go all in. The other short stack calls with J9 - it holds up and I win. He can't even post the big blind next hand and he's out! I'm in the money! Me and the chip leader do battle for another half hour or so - at one point I almost pull even. I end up calling an all in bet with A6. He's got A9 - it holds up and I finish in 2nd. +$90 for the tournament. Up $110 for the trip.

2am-3:45am
$60 Tournament @ the Aladdin
24 players - top 4 finish in the money. Once again, I can't get any cards. For an hour and a half, I steal the blinds twice, win them again with AK, and barely survive an all in with an AT vs. AK when the board makes a straight and was split the pot. Somehow I make the final table, but am severly short stacked compared to the rest. When down to the final 8, I go all in with A3 of diamonds. All fold but the chip leader who is in the big blind. He almost folds, but another player talks him into calling. I would love to double up here. He calls with a 42 of spades. I get my A on the flop, but he hits 2 spades on 4th and 5th to knock me out in 8th place. Up $50 for the trip.

Day 2

11:45am-2:45pm
2/4 at the Flamingo
Horrible cards, lost 2 big pots - lost a flush to a higher flush, and the other - I lost with top pair (pocket QQ) to pocket KK. Lost $20 for the session. Up $30 for the trip.

10:15pm - 2am
4/8 @ the Aladdin
Highlight was a huge hand where I won a $95 pot with 3 Q's and then 2 hands later won a $60 pot with a nut flush. Won $61 for the session. Up $91 for the trip.

2am-2:15am
$60 Tournament @ the Aladdin
1st out out of 21 players. Went all in after 4th street with pocket QQ's. Got called by pocket KK's and lost. I knew she had AA or KK, but went all in anyway for some reason. I played poorly all around. A big problem was that I didn't switch gears from limit to no limit play. I should have taken a break between games and prepared mentally for the tournament. Up $31 for the trip.

2:15am-5:30am
4/8 @ the Aladdin
Lost 2 monster pots - both with pocket KK's. Lost 1 to trip 3's and another to pocket AA's. Probably lost 50 to 60 on each hand. Ended the session up $19. Up $50 for the trip.

Day 3

12:30am-2:00am
2/4 @ the Aladdin
Lost a big pot with trip J's to a flush on the river. The winner of that hand had 84 offsuit. Lost $17 for the session. Up $33 for the trip.

2am-4:45am
$60 Tournament @ the Aladdin
Got very bad cards for the first 3 rounds. By the end of round 3 (the first break) I had played only 1 hand and had exactly $2000 in chips - the starting chip amount. The tourny was now down from 3 tables to 2. I was the big blind (blinds @ 200/400) when the button raises to 1200 and 3 others call. I look down and see big slick. I go all in, get an A on 4th street and quadruple up. I win 2 more decent pots and find myself at the final table of 8 players - top 6 finish in the money. The tourny now tighted way, way up. I don't think we even saw a flop for over 2 rounds of play. One pre flop raise and all would fold. I of course got into the fun and stole my share of the blinds, while getting into no serious confrontations. My mind is foggy about particular hands that followed, but I finished 2nd out of 32 players for $327 payoff. There was only 1 heads up hand between me and the chip leader. I went all in with A5 and he called with AQ and it held up. +$267 for the tournament. Up $300 for the trip.

Day 4

6:15pm - 7:30pm
3/6 @ the Mirage
Had some good cards. Got one large pot by getting a free flop in the big blind with a 87o and hit a straight. Won $55 for the session. Up $355 for the trip.

1am - 2am
1/2 NL @ the Aladdin
I finally decide to try some 1/2 no limit. Crazy play all around. Some players betting $50 preflop with only the $3 in blinds in the pot. I obviously decide to play super tight and hope to hit a monster hand. I eventually do. I get AJs and raise 5, and get 2 callers. Flop comes ATX. I raise 20 and get 1 caller. 4th st is another A. I raise 20 and get called. 5 street is a J giving me the nut boat. I raise 20 and get re-raised (the guy goes all in) for another 40 or so. I call and win a huge pot ($100 plus). He then shows AT which means I would have lost all my chips had I not gotten the J on 5th street. Won $123 for the session. (played only 1 hand) Up $478 for the trip.

Day 5

2:00pm - 3:30pm
4/8 @ the Venetian
Lost 3 big hands on the river. One with pocket AA to a flush. The guy had J4. It was the first time I slow played any hand before the flop in a limit game all trip and it cost me. Also lost top pair (Jacks) to trip tens on the river. Played a bit too loose during the session. Won only 2 hands. Lost $109 for the session. Up $367 for the trip.

10:00pm - 1:15am
4/8 @ the Venetian
Back to the 4/8 table at the Venetian, hoping to redeem myself from earlier in the afternoon. Lost a big hand with pocket Aces. Won 2 big hands by sucking out (flush and top pair of an Ace) on the river. Won $90 for the session. Up $467 for the trip.

1:30am - 2am
1/2 NL @ the Aladdin
Played 1 hand (JJ) and won it. Won $5 for the session. Up $473 for the trip.

2am-3:30am
$60 Tournament @ the Aladdin
Finished 17th out of 41. Got some good hands early but just won the blinds. Cards dried up and I eventually had to go for it when I get T9s in round 4. Went all in - got 3 callers and lost. Up $413 for the trip.

4:15am - 5:45am
4/8 @ the Venetian
I sit down at a table with several drunk players. I've got just under 2 hours before I have to catch my flight back to Portland. The table is wild and crazy. Nobody folds and huge pots are won every hand. I play super tight just hoping to win 1 or 2 of them. I watch one hand play out where 5 players are raising and reraising all the way to the river. The pot grows to the largest I've seen yet on the trip. A women ends up winning a $350 pot with just a pair a Aces, beating a guy with pocket Kings - which is unbelievable with all the raising going on and a pair on the board. I finally get a hand (AK) and play it accordingly - raising and betting all the way and win a big pot with top pair.

A couple hands later and about 15 minutes before I have to end my poker playing for the trip, I look down and see pocket aces. I decide to limp in and the standard five other players call. Flop come with a rainbow of 3 low cards. I raise from here on out and end up against 1 other player. Her 56o ends up hitting the straight on 5th street for the win of a huge pot ($80 range). I probably lost $45 plus on the hand alone. It's my final hand played of the trip. What a way to go out. I got pocket AA's 3 times during the day (limping in with them twice) and lost big pots each time. Up $19 for the session.

Breakdown

Day 1: +$50 / 6.5 hrs. of play
Day 2: +$0 / 9.25 hrs. of play
Day 3: +$250 / 4.25 hrs. of play
Day 4: +$178 / 2.25 hrs. of play
Day 5: -$55 / 6.25 hrs. of play
Real Money play: +$306
Tournament play: +$117

Totals for the trip: +$423 / 28.5 hrs. of play