This was my first trip to Wynn, but it certainly won't be my last. I had to leave my hotel room because my roommate had planned to bring a stripper back. So I took one for the team and headed out to the Strip. This was on Sunday 04/23, from 0430 to 0930.

Only a few tables were going, and the only NLH table was $1/$3. I sat down, asked the guy on my left what the buy-in was and he said $100, so I bought in for $100. Most of the players had stacks of $300 - $1000, most were young, and some were very poor players.

I'll summarize the room and table data first:

Room:
- High tech waiting list and "red card" comp system
- High class and low-key decor
- Very professional and pleasant staff
- Apparently very good food service
- Slightly too much air-con (see below)

$1/$3 table:
- Shuffle machine built-in
- $1 and $3 chips: logical but the $3's felt weird at first
- Chips and tables are relatively new and clean
- Very comfortable pneumatically adjustable chairs

OK, now I'll get into more detail about the players. I recognized one tough player I'd seen at Hustler in So Cal. He didn't stay long, but he played well. Many others showed up, and what a parade of characters it was:

The Drinker
He sat down drunk, bought in for a few hundred, drank more, and sang U2 lyrics when he lost pots. He took a tough beat, stood up to go to the mens' room, and did a face plant on the carpet. Someone had to help him down the stairs. He said he'd be there for a week. Too bad it was my second to last day.

The Shark
Young guy with slicked back hair and a huge blingy watch. He outcarded and outplayed people, was obviously talented but also was really catching cards too. Lucky and good: not fair! I saw him build his stack from $500 to about $1500 in a few hours. At least he seemed to be a nice guy.

The Golfer
He had the visor, shirt, and shorts of a golfer. He said "My tee time is in about 2 hours so I thought I'd come down and play some poker." His greatest weakness was that he almost always announced exactly what his hole cards were: "Well, I've got nine deuce of diamonds. Let's see if I can hit anything." He would then usually chase and lose. "Total disregard for money," he would repeatedly say as he cheerfully dug for more cash. He did leave for the course, but only after firehosing about $1200 onto the table. We were all sorry to see him go.

The Hottie
She was on my immediate left and boy was I happy about that. She played OK, but at one point the dealer explained what a "string bet" was, since she'd done it. She replied "Don't confuse me. I'm a lesbian." The guy on her left was obviously her boyfriend so I didn't believe it. It would be a tragedy for all the hetero men of the world: she had a perfect tan, chestnut brown hair, was wearing a thin low-cut cashmere sweater, and frequently stretched with her hands behind her neck. Good thing for me, since I got to enjoy a great view of her chapstick-cap sized nipples trying to punch through said sweater. Did I mention that Wynn's poker room was slightly chilly? I asked some subtle questions and determined that she wasn't a stripper. Damn. She would have been a spectacular stripper.

The Whale
A mid-50-ish guy showed up, with a bowling shirt, shades, and about $12,600 in chips and cash. That's right: a few stacks of $3 chips, a stack of black $100 chips, and a ring of benjamins. That would be 100 $100 bills, or ten grand. "I just wanna play some cards" he said. (And yes, cash plays at Wynn, so you'd occasionally see guys fluttering benjamins into the middle.) I beat the guy out of a few decent pots. Peanuts for him. Another guy sat down with about $5000 and The Whale avoided getting into any big pots with him.

The Slider
This guy was 20-ish, had hair pulled down over his eyes, and bluffed WAY too much. He'd move in, then freeze up, peering out at us through his bangs. It didn't work: he blew through about $600 and then quit. Too much TV poker is my guess.

The Midwesterner
I think he said he was from Wisconsin, he was a skinny pale guy with glasses and a baseball cap, and he hit some big hands. He bought in for the $100 minimum and left about an hour later with $500.

I'll always remember that session. I played very cautiously and went from $100 to $300 in a pretty much linear fashion. But the players are what made that session special. I'd recognize any and all of them if I ever ran into them again.

I can't say that this is the usual clientele at Wynn, but I will be back again for sure to find out...