Wife and I planned a short trip to Vegas a few weeks ago. I decided to stay at the TI partially due to the good reviews on this site. Arrived in Vegas on Wednesday around 2pm. Caught a cab to the TI, checked in. Did the $20 front desk tip trick and got a room upgrade (to a strip view) and free champagne, cool that will work.

Walked around the TI casino and got our players club cards. I really like how small this place is, last time I was in Vegas I stayed at the MGM, which is nice but huge. Anyways saw the TI poker room, looked nice, a few tables going although I will hold off until after dinner before playing.

Take the free tram from TI over to the Mirage, and grab some eats there. End up at the Roulette table, only played 3 spins? Got lucky and won $120, so bailed on roulette and head back to the TI. Around 11pm by now, wife is tired from the days travels and work, so she heads to bed. I head to the TI poker room.

+$120 roulette

As everyone says staff is really nice, room is somewhat busy, I ask for the 1/3 NL game and get seated right away at a new table they are starting, as the other 1/3 NL is full. I buy in for $250 as my BR isn’t huge ($1k), and I don’t want to dump ½ my BR at the table right away. Also I like playing short stacked, kills all the implied odds others think they can get from me as well as bluffing potential.

Competition was pretty soft this night, some kid from Spain, a local who I saw around the room the whole time I was there, few other randoms. Played a TAG approach which seemed to work well. Bounced around between +/- $100 until I got AK in LP. Raised, 2 callers, flop K72 rainbow, first guy bet, I called, button re-raised, folded to me, I call. Turn was a blank, I check, button raises $75, prolly like $200 in the pot now, I push my stack, a bit bigger than the pot. Button goes in the tank and folds. Lol, anyways I scoop that and was tired so bailed for the night after a few more hands. Our table got splashed 2x in just a couple hours but there was only $25 in each one.

+170 poker
+120 roulette
Trip Total +290

Next day wake up so f’ing early, cannot get on Vegas time easily, up at 7am. Was hoping to see a bunch of wasted players in the room but it is dead, a limit game going on but not much else. Enter into the 11am TI tourney and head to the pool.

11am tourney starts, around 20 players. Get a nice card rush early on and triple up in no time. Funny note was there were a couple Boise kids and a couple who are professors from OU. Sounds like there are still some bitter feelings about that bowl game. All in good fun though. Anyways the blinds go up really quickly, so the tourneys pretty much end up in expensive bingo games near the end…push or fold are basically your options. Everyone has an M of 4 or lower and you can’t do much else. Anyways my stack is getting lower, I am in MP with AK again, push and it folds around to the BB, Mr. Poker Stars with his iPod on talking about bad beats the entire time. He had pushed 3 hands in a row from being super short stacked and now is back in the game. He is the only caller and flips 10 10, no love for me and I’m out in 7th. Good time though. Can’t really blame the TI for the blind structure, can’t really have 12 hour tournaments running you know, otherwise a lot of pissed off wives?

Poker - $60
Trip Total: +$230

Later that night head to Venetian and get on the list for 1/2NL. Lady at the desk is a total bitch, sorry for interrupting you, I thought I was the purpose of your work. 10 people on the list, wait 20 mins and down to 9 on the list so leave back to the TI.

Get a seat at the TI with only a few minutes wait and the table is the opposite of the previous night. Everyone is all serious. I look around and I’m the only person drinking. WTF? It was the day after the ME ended, I think there were quite a few stuck players from the WSOP still in town. Game was very aggressive. I am seated in #10, meanwhile some donk has $2k in chips in seat #1. Jesus, this is 1/3NL right? All I see are handful of chips going flying in every hand by this guy. Waited for an hour for a good hand to trap this fish, but never came. Then started looking around and felt a bit fishy myself. You know the saying. Left down $70. Note: I just buy in for $250 since my BR is only $1k, the TI game as mentioned before is more like 2/5NL. I was playing scared money so probably not the best game for a small timer like me.

Next day head to Mirage at noon to play in their cash game. Nice room, dealers were OK, and competition much softer. Max buy-in is $200 so more my style. Played well and made $200 until my last hand. I had 98 and flopped the nut straight. Slow played the one other guy in the pot. I made a big F up and misread the board as only 3 flushed on the river when it was actually 4 flushed. Crap, lost all my profits + some in that hand when I called his all-in. He showed the Kh4s to make the flush. Felt like an idiot, I have done this b/f online and need to be more careful. Think I got a little to jazzed up with my str8t and was licking my chops instead of paying more attention. Complete donk move there on my behalf.

Poker - $110
Trip Total: +$120

Did the 3pm tournament at the TI. This was a Friday, 40 players. I was alternate #2. Players were all super tight, as nobody busted out until 30 mins later. So I felt sort of short stacked when I sat down. Made it until the 2nd break and busted out soon after. Had an M of 2 and called in the SB with Ad7d. Flop came 972, I pushed and BB called with a pair of 9’s. Out in 17th. Crap.

Poker - $60
Trip Total: +$60

Later that night head back to the Mirage. Played 1/2NL, started off shorthanded with only 5 people. I think the game maxed out at 8, so not really busy at our table. Bounced around a bit, kid on my right got KK three times in 40 minutes. What are the odds, although he didn’t really get paid off much. One interesting hand, I get dealt AsQs. Raise to $20, 1 caller, a TAG player on my left. Flop comes 9s 4s 4d. I’m heads up out of position. I can read this kid and know he has a 4. I’m getting ready to felt him. Bet $30, he calls. Turn is 2s. Yeah baby, nut flush, get ready to pay. Bet around $120, he calls, now I know he has trips or maybe 2 pair. No way he called $20 pf with just a 9 4. So of course river comes a 9. Shit, that blows. I see him squirming in his seat and know he filled up with that 9. I make a pretty weak bet, hoping the kid will think I have 9’s full against his 4’s full. He goes all in, I muck face up, he is like OMG you would have gotten all my money without that 9.
After this I’m steaming, buy another $100 or so in chips, play a bit longer but am not feeling it. Again not a lot of drinkers at the table. I say screw it and cut my losses and go play video poker for a bit.

Poker - $170
Trip Total: -$110

Next day, Saturday, and I’m leaving in the afternoon. Wasn’t feeling the gambling bug much, so decided to just walk around at the Wynn and the Fashion mall with the wife. Gotta do some stuff for her also u know?

Overall a fun trip, sort of disappointed in my results, although I think I played decent for most of the hands. I’ve been playing for a couple years, and overall am a winning player. I’ve been trying to do my homework with reading a lot of books, reviewing my big online hands (winning/loosing) with PokerTracker, as well as our local 1/2NL home games. I think I am improving a lot, but still have some leaks to sort out. Looking forward to going back in February. I would definitely play again at the TI in some cash games, but will hopefully have a bigger BR by then so I don’t play scared money style.

Good luck and thanks to AVP for all the useful info.