Spent 4 days in Vegas staying at the Luxor, which is a fine hotel. Comfortable, clean and relaxing, although I didn't spend too much time in the room. Does anyone?

I played in the Sahara tournament three times, and the MGM 10am twice. Very different.

The Sahara is at the north end of the stip and has quite a low buy-in of $42, with an optional add-on of $20 that can be used at any time in the first hour. This tournament has the best structure of any of the cheap games in Vegas an attracts many good local players.

In the first game I played (11am, ~40 runners) I started steadily early as it was my first B&M action. I build my chip stack steadily without having to show-down any cards. I always had them, and perhaps should have shown them to protect my table image. I had a stroke of luck when a good player, short stacked to my right pushed into me when I was holding aces, but after that my AQ ran into AK and my AJ ran into AQ, and I was done.

The second game there I played hopelessly. I was dealt aces first hand and my opponent flopped a flush and I couldn't get away from it. I imagined I was projecting a very weak image, and read his all-in on the river for a bluff, but I ended rebuying before the second hand, and didn't play much better after. I was busted holding A5s, when the flop hit my 5, and gave me
the nut flush draw, but instead of jamming the flop called weakly, and the ace that hit on the river gave my nemesis the wheel (he was playing 23s, drawing to the same flush). I think I would have lost anyway as he would have called my flop push, but I would then have got my chips in when ahead rather than calling when behind.

The third game (110 players) I was dealt no cards on a very strong table for the first hour. I rebought at the break. I was fortunate in that the two most agressive players were on my right, and if I could hit a hand I knew I'd get paid off. I called a raise w/88 and I was heads-up with one of the aggressive players. She bets into a Jxx flop. I flat called (weak again) certain she bluffing and we both checked the turned ace. The river was an 8 (woo-hoo!) and with 1300 in front of me I pushed after a 1000 bet. It was only 300 to call, but she folded muttering she knew I'd always had it.
My newly grown stack was still getting eaten up by the blinds though and with A10 on the button I tried to steal the blinds, but the BB pushed and I gave it up. Same position 2 orbits later and I try to steal with K4o. Again the BB pushes, and I'm in trouble if I lay it down, and again am worried by my perceived weak image so I call (I'm almost pot committed anyway, I've got the odds to call any non-paired hand) and she turns over Jacks. The end of my Sahara fun.

All in all the Sahara is an excellent tournament with friendly efficient dealers, in a slightly run-down casino. The competition is tough, but it is really good fun, and if I happened to be in Vegas again I'd buy in expecting to learn more than I won.

I also played in the MGM morning tournament a $65 freeze-out. This is completely different with the blinds rising quickly (doubling each time). The tournament overlaps with the Caesars morning game, so most of the good players go there. Consequently there were virtually no good players in the two tournaments I was in. At least very few who understood the necessity to play aggresively and stay ahead of the blinds. Unfortunately unless you hit cards early you are dead and my terrible run of starting cards continued meaning it was fold-fold-fold until it was time to push-bot and then my very first push was called and I was done.

The MGM is a much swisher casino generally, with really nice decor and a refined atmosphere. The staff are friendly. I played some limit afterwards and donked some chips away with silly calls when I was clearly behind. D'oh.

The poker gods finally repaid me a bit with a very profitable session playing 2/4 at the Luxor. Pleasingly the table was absolutely terrible, and eventually I hit some cards to leave myself with a decent profit for the session and some stories to tell when I got home.