Cash and Tourney Action in LV- 2/8 - 2/14
MGM - Stayed at the MGM, and played mostly here. Room is very nice. It is right next to a bar and is very much a part of the casino, rather than in a separate room as you typically find in most casinos. Very spacious, with many tables and consistently had several full games going of mostly 3-6 limit, and 1-2 NL. I played strictly 1-2 NL and tourneys. The competition ranges from weak tourists to serious locals. They have two tourneys every weekday, a $60 + $5 at 11am, and a $100 + $25 at 6pm. Don't bother with the $60 tourney...you only start with 1200 chips and blinds double every 20min. Its a crapshoot and not worth playing. The $100 tourney however is more playable, with 1500 chips and 30min levels. It also only attracts roughly 40 or so entrants so it is very beatable if you play tight-aggressive.
Alladin - fairly big room but not a lot of action. There are only 3 tables going tops, a limit and usually two 1-2 NL games. The competition is about the same as the MGM, however the players seemed more friendly creating a more relaxed environment. The dealers were cool as shit and when they weren't dealing they would be playing. On Sundays, there are 10 player SnG $60 tourneys all day. The house keeps $10 from everyone and they pay 3 places, which is rape for a SnG, but the competetion is extremely weak so its easy pickings if you play decent and don't get unlucky.
Excalibur - Definitely home of the weakest players I found during my trip. The fish were plentiful and they all seemed to have big bankrolls. I sat in a 1-3 NL game and there were 3 fish practically throwing chips at players in every pot, rebuying for $200 each every 10 hands or so. I witnessed one dude call a $100 bet on the river with nothing but 10-high.
Wynn - The whole casino is really nice and the poker room is no exception. I only played one day in a 1-3 NL game, and the competition was surprisingly weaker than I thought it would be. The one negative I had though was the cocktail waitressing. Although the girls were definitely the hottest I've seen in any casino anywhere, they rarely came around. Everyone in the room was complaining about it. It would easily take 30-40 mins to get a drink.
Bellagio - Definitely the highlight of my trip. I played in the 2-5 NL game for 5 hours. The competetion was very strong, with many locals and serious players feeding on the passive. It's not uncommon to see chip stacks well over a grand in front of multiple players at the table. I went Saturday around 7pm and got a seat no problem. The highlight came right around 9pm when Doyle Brunson entered the room. For the next half hour or so, some of top players in the world filtered there way in including: Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Jenn Harmon, Gus Hanson, Chau Giang, David Benyamine, David Grey, Todd Brunson, Phil Gordon, and Antonio Esfandiari. I was seated at the table right outside Bobby's room so I got to see all the action. It was my first time seeing pros live and definitely was an awesome experience.



