From a few weeks back. The weekend Venetian opened its poker room:

The 8/16 at Wynn is sweet and what a great room. I'm sorry I didnt get to see the Venetian but I really didnt want to fight the crowds just for a look before my flight.

Day 1 Session 1:

4/8 mini blinds Palms:

To say the Palms poker room is a disappointment is an understatement. These two small rooms are the homes to many local players and not many fishy tourists. The rooms (Notice I said rooms, one Limit Room and one "High Stakes" room where the NL games are spread) are a bit dirty and unkept. Each room holds 4 or 5 tables but only 1 2/5 400 max NL game 2 4/8 mini blind games and 1 2/4 limit game were going at this time. The play at my table was rockish and I took advantage of a hot rush of cards and a maniac image to roll up a win of $47 in 1 hour of play. Friends playing in the other 4/8 mini blind game found themselves playing hit-to-win where every flop and turn were 7 and 8 handed. I have no need to play at the Palms again and I wasn't exactly playing focused solid poker as we were just killing some time at low limits before lunch. I know some say to lay off of playing for the first day but this wasn't really a focus session of my weekend. 8/16 and 6/12 games at Wynn and Caeser's were what I was looking forward to.

Net +$47

Session 2: 4/8 mini blinds Mandalay Bay

I've played in this nice room previously and like it. The high ceilings and competent staff make this a good place to play although they rarely spread 6/12 or 10/20 anymore. Some of the guys I was with wanted to play this room so I went along. The game I was in was totally hit to win. A raise to $6 did nothing to discourage callers.

Hand 1 I'm in the BB with 6 limpers I check with AJs, find an ace on the flop, I drive it the whole way only to get heads up on the river and get called by the guy who limped in MP with AKo. He limped next hand with QQ and called all the way again with an overpair. He never once bet or raised but only called. If I had had his cards I'd have won about $600 in this low limit game but he was only up a bit due to his passive nature.

A little later K5o who called two cold cracked my aces and 88 who chased his two outer and caught it hurt me some.

Just one of those sessions no big deal though I still feel good about my game.

Session ($92)

Net ($45)

Aladdin 2 a.m. tourney

We were there for a bachelor party and decided to play this and just have fun. Since the Super Bowl weekend this poker room has been moved and is no longer an enclosed room but an area of 16 or so tables within the casino. With the amount of construction going on there who's to say whether this will be the poker room for good or if it will move to another home upon completion of construction.

This tourney was a grind for me. I was at a semi loose table and stealing really didn't present itself often. I maintained my stack right at about starting chips for the first hour making no head way. With blinds of 100/200 I’m short stack and move in with AJs form MP, the button who was a solid player stews for a minute but he has 300 less chips than me and he calls with AQ...oops. We both flop our kicker and I turn my trips. He walks away from the table muttering to himself. I make a play at a pot with KJo and get raised by a short stack and I have to call due to odds. He shows QJ and I’m loving life until the Q hits the river. Drat, now I’m short stacked again. I Quadruple up to 4K or so with 88 when I flop a set (I was all in PF and got 4 callers) the flop come 873 all hearts. YIKES. There’s a bet by UTG who limped in and everyone folded. He shows AJs in hearts. I yell "Pair the board dealer" He obliges with the 3c. BOOM! Back to 4K.

Once again the short stack who had kicked me with QJ and I get him all in. This time I have AQs and he has AKo. He holds up. I’m shortish again. This roller coaster continued. Three times I was down to one chip and three times I came back. I continued to make good reads, folding when I thought I was against pocket pairs calling all in when I knew I was 60/40 with two live cards and winning those. One of my friends was seated at my table and the next day he told me I had played the short stack like a pro. That compliment meant a lot to me. I busted out in 12th just short of the money after milking a short stack for about 2 1/2 hours. Another friend finished third not only cashing but winning a last longest bet that had 9 of us in and also winning the $70 bounty we put on the bachlor's head.We let everyone in the room know we had put out a bounty on him. The $70 bounty in a $60 tourney is hot!

Session ($60)
Net ($105)

Day two: 8/16 Wynn

This is the first serious poker I'm going to play on this trip. It's at my normal limit range and I am going to bring my A game.

The Wynn poker room is everything I've heard it to be, beautiful, comfortable, awesome service and generally a class act. Waits can be long. When you go make sure you sign up for a Wynn card as after just three hours of play you'll probably be able to get a meal comped. I get on the 8/16 list just as they have enough players to start a new table so I got my seat right away. I buy in for $400 (not too much or too little for an 8/16 game) and get my two racks of $2 chips. Oddly most players in this games (a few locals but not great players by any means and a few inexperienced live players) buy in for only 1 rack. $200 just isn't enough to play this game and for me the psychological hit of having to rebuy if my stack gets too low just isn't worth it. I don't buy in short as a rule.

Hand #1 at the table, I'm the BB and get KJs, it folds to the button and he raises, the SB folds and since this is hand one I’m going to take the flop but am not quite ready to three bet him here. The flop comes down K63 I lead out and he raises. I call. he turn brings my bingo card the J and I lead out and he raises I three bet and he calls. I bet the river which is a brick and he calls. He shows K6 for a flopped two pair and proceeds to tell me how lucky I got. Sure I did on the turn but he got more lucky on the flop. This table could be sweet. At first our table was a must move table to feed the main game, once the table was full for 1 hour however we would become a main game. two friends were at my table and they were both moved to the main game. Just after they left my game got really good. It was the typical cast of characters. The maniac (this guy was so sweet) the crazy Russian who knew how to play post flop but was loose and aggressive preflop and the loose passive crazy Asian lady. Two young guys playing above their limt and trying to play good poker, a loose passive bad player, two older ABC type players and myself. I had actually wanted to sit with my friends but when a seat opened at that table the crazy Russian looked at me and said "You can't be serious? You're actually going to leave THIS?"

No, I guess you're right, I'll keep my seat. I was treading water in a game that had massive pots, the maniac was in the one seat and I was in the 10 seat. This guy raised about 90% of hands PF and was happy to cap every street and fold to one bet on the river. I once saw him cap a hand in SB then just muck when the flop hit the board. He really didn't know how to play but the friendly dealers helped him along.

I just had to wait my turn and eventually I'd get my share. Sure enough I get QJs in the SB. The bad player limps and I complete. The manaiac raises, no spurpise there and we both call. The flop comes A62 with two of my suit I check, maniac bets, we both call. My aboslute bingo card hits the turn the Ks I have the nuts and I know if I bet out the manaic with raise so I lead, he raises, the limper folds and now I have him heads up with unlimited raises he finally slowed down on the fifth raise beacuse I think he didn't understand that there was no cap at this point. He just called my river bet, I showed the nuts and he folded. I won a monster pot.

I then get AA flop a set and get three way action for multiple bets on each street and scoop another huge pot.

Throughout the entire session I only took one loser to showdown when I had KK on a board of 868J3r when the crazy asian lady called two cold with 86o. Nice hand Ma'am.

After about 4 1/2 hours I was up $280 and was feeling myself loosing the ability to concentrate. I racked out, even though the game was good, because we were leaving the casino soon anyway

Session +$280
Net +$175

Sunday we head over to Caeser's to play some 6/12, the highest low limit game going at the time.

Caeser's poker room is amoung my favorite. They spread games I enjoy, the room is really spascious, cocktail service is frequent and the games are juicy. The room is a bit stark though, like they took a meeting room and dumped a bunch of poker tables in it. They could use a bit of decorating help in the room and maybe a few more TV's but other than that I like it.

A freind and I get seated along side one another in a new 6/12 game. I quickly developed a book on the table. Seat one was a guy who was a bit loose but generally knew what he was doing post flop. Seat two was filled by a cast of charecters threoughout the session, seat 3 loose/passive asian guy, seat 4 solid ABC guy #1, seat 5, Solid ABC guy #2, seat 6 bad loose passive guy, seat 7 my friend Hokie, seat 8 me, seat 9 young OK player trying to play good obviously giving 6/12 a shot for the first time, a bit weak tight, seat 10 loose passive young guy obviously a very low limit online player trying to play well but playing badly.

Nothing special happens and I'm about even for the first hour picking up a few small pots loseing a few.

Hands of interest. I'm in the SB with QJs my friend Hokie open raises OTB. I call and flop a flush draw I bet out Hokie raises I call. I turn my bingo card and lead out Hokie calls. I now am fairly certain he has a high spade, the river brings the fourth spade and I check call, Hokie shows KQo with the Ks for a better flush. NH Sir. I should have folded perhaps.

A bit later I complete in the SB with QTs flop a flush draw turn a striaght draw and wiff the river. Hokie looks and says "QTs eh?" I ask him is he saw my cards. Now I know what if feels like to have someone call your exact two hole cards out like I do to people.

Hokie was really on his game and was up a few stacks. Its the best poker I've ever seen him play. He was doing a great job of maximizing his good cards and getting away from silver medals.

Later loose passive bad guy in seat six open limps in the CO, I raise AQ in the SB BB folds and I get heads up. Flop comes Q62r I bet he calls, turn is a ten I bet he calls, river is another 6 I bet he raises I make a crying call. he shows me K6o. I steam a bit and go for a walk.

I come back and settle back into the flow of the game. Soon I look to AA in EP and pop it up, seat 1 calls flat and everyone else folds. Perfect. Flop comes A72 I check he bets I raise he three bets I four bet he caps. Im pretty sure he has 77 and Im in great shape. There's no way Im slowing down here as he seems content to put a lot of bets in. The turn is a 3 and I lead he raises I three bet he four bets and I cap. River puts out 4 and theres no way he played 56 I lead out and he flat calls showing AKs. Way to overplay TPTK eh? He then says "I just can't believe you had the case aces, what are the odds." This gave Hokie a good laugh.

Then "Action Bob" sits down at the table, this guy looks like a NASCAR fan, straw cowboyhat, bushy mustache mid 40's in age. He's a manaiac and I can't wait to get in a hand with him. he loses a few stacks then moves to a NL game and I never got my shot at him.

session +$84
Net +$259

After about 4 1/2 hours Hokie and I go get lunch and come back about an hour and a half later to find the game has changed a lot. First, most of the table is on complete tilt. I take the 9 seat hokie gets the four seat. Seat 1-3 are unimaginative AB (they don't even get to C) players, seat 5 is an angry black lady completely on tilt with very few chips, seat six is a little old man playing litterally every hand, seat 7 is a young black guy whop's tilting some seat 8 young "sunglasses guy" who's out of control tilting like I've never seen before, I'm in 9 and seat 10 is the same young guy from earlier whos trying to play well but not pulling it off.

Hokie right away jumps on sunglasses guy with a comment about shades at 6/12 which sunglasses replies "I'm wearing sunglasses because I've been up for three straight days playing no limit and my eyes are bloodshot and I've lost thousands of dollars" AB guy inseat 3 says "You lost money playing poker? No way!" This gets the guy even crazier.

Most hands are being 3 and 4 bet preflop and I'm seeing no cards at all. But the tilt factor of the table is fun. Im laughing a lot and people are swaering and screaming at one another. The dealer was doing a poor job of controling the game. The floor is called over for a few infractions, one time and AB guy asksa the dealer to see the black ladies mucked losing hand. The dealer pulled them out of the muck and turned them over. She goes absolutley ballistic. The floor comes over and a 5 minute screaming match between the dealer the lady the floor and seats 7 and 8 (who weren't even involved in the had) ensues. I laugh openly for a long time just to add to the chaos and tilt. Soon after the black lady is felted and needs to rebuy, she puts $100 on the table and before the dealer deals her a hand he asks if she needs chips, she goes ballistic again, seats 7 and 8 join in and a lot of screaming and swearing ensue. The floor is called over again and I laugh openly more. Soon seat 8 says "man you can't get anyone to fold for $12" I inform him that the NL games are over there. He sneers, that was fun.

Hokie raises from UTG and gets like 4 tilty callers, flop comes ATx hokie bets out gets a few callers then it comes to sunglasses guy who reveals his cards ATo. This is allowed in a cash game but the dealer wants to verify calls the floor and more screaming ensues. Floor makes the right choice and lets the action continue. folds to Hokie who says, "I'm not drawing to three outs" and folds. The idiot cost himselff a lot of bets because Dave would have reraised, called the four bet and called him down.

Soon after the game broke up when sunglasses goes broke.

It was a fun session but I lost $10

Anyway that was the Tilt-a-whirl that was the last session I played in Vegas.

Hope you enjoyed as much as I did.