Four and a half days in Las Vegas from 5/4 to 5/8. I was primarily there to golf, but I love to play poker too so I got some poker sessions in.

The first session was Thursday night. I flew in early Thursday and headed straight for the golf course (Painted Desert), then off to Lawry's for their usual fantastic prime rib dinner. After that I headed back to the Luxor for some 2/4 Limit. At about 10 p.m. with $100 in front of me I grinded away for a while up $20, down $40, but I'd really been sucking back the beers, the waitresses were attentive even though they had all seen better days. At about 3.30 a.m. I was down $120 having been steadily weakening my starting hand requirements, and suffering quite a few bad beats - including getting my AA cracked by 2 pair on the river. Then the dealers started mentioning that the locals would start arriving shortly for the Friday morning high hand free roll. Essentially $1,000 goes to the top 4 hands in a 4 hour period between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., $500 for the best and so on. I figure I better either go to bed now or sober up if I wanted to keep playing. I chose the latter. My game improved dramatically and while I didn't make any of the top 4 hands I went on a very good run called it quits at 7 a.m. and ended up $31 for the long 9 hour session.

Day 2, Friday, was poker free. I played golf at The Legacy, ate dinner at the Tamba curry house, and then went to the Improv Comedy Club at Harrahs.

Day 3, Saturday, I had 45 minutes to kill before I had to head off for golf so I tried the 1/2 No Limit game at Luxor. This is a crap shoot. With the $50 max buy in and the inevitable big stack bully, it made for an all in fest. It didn't help that half the table had been up all night and were all hammered. I saw 2 orbits. I only got involved in 1 hand, AKo UTG, I raise to $20 (which unbelievably was a standard raise) 1 caller, flop comes all low cards. I'm first to act, go all in, caller folds. I see the next hand where I'm big blind then call it quits. Up $10 for the session.

Later on before dinner I sit down at the 2/4 Limit table at the Luxor again and splash around for an hour. Had 2 beers, played and won a few small pots, up $13 for the session.

For dinner we head over to the buffet at Mandalay Bay. After gorging myself on Alaskan Snow Crab legs I struggle over to the Mandalay Bay Poker Room. It is noticibly busier and nicer than the Luxor. I sign up for some 2/4 limit and wait about 15 minutes for a spot. It's about 10.30 p.m. when I get seated at a very loose table full of very nice calling stations. I play my strong hands hard and invariably get a lot of action. Had a couple of beers, saw Jason Alexander playing 4/8 and call it quits at midnight up $73 for the session.

I then go back over to the Luxor and play some more 2/4 Limit. All is fine until this couple sat down and they raised and capped everything. When they did get to a showdown they showed junk. Very strange. Anyway, I only got involved in a couple of hands, but I was playing great second place cards. Ended up down $43 after about 2 hours.

Day 4, Sunday is golf free, so I sign up for the 10 a.m. tournament at the Luxor. $30 gets you 250 in chips, but everyone donates the extra $3 for an additional 50 chips. Limit for the first hour, no limit thereafter. 1st hand, I'm dealt JJ. I raise and get one caller. Flop comes A58 rainbow. I check, caller bets, I call. Turn J - lovely. I bet, get a call. River is 5 and I have my boat. I bet, it gets raised back to me I reraise and he calls. He shows AK and my Jacks full are good - 1st hand I'm up almost 250. Well to cut a long story short I am dealt KK twice, TT once and 44 in the first hour and they all hold up. I have approx 2800 chips at the end of the Limit period - excellent. I sit back and assess the players for the first NL blind cycle just playing enough to maintain my stack. We make the FT and I'm chip leader or close to it, but everyones Ms are low. The blinds are at 200/400. I'm UTG and look down at AsKs - I raise 3xBB to 1200. Guy on my left goes all in for 1400, everyone folds back to me and I make the mandatory call for 200 more. He flips over 55 and I don't improve. This leaves me with 1400 in chips. I don't play the next orbit and I'm down to 800. Next time I'm BB I look down at 83o. Button puts me all in and the pot odds dictate that I have to call. Unusually for me my 83 holds up against A8o when my 3 makes a str8. There's only 5 left now and they pay the top 6. I look down at the payout structure and it's some thing like 235/130/85/43/38/22. I figure I am destined for 4th or 5th if I don't make a move so next time the button is in front of me I decide to push with any 2. I see Kd6d and push. SB folds, BB calls with A8o, neither of use improve and I'm out in 5th. I had a good time and think back on the AK vs 55 race as pivotal as to where I finished. Up $5 for the tourney.

The last time I play is on Monday morning just before I head to the airport. There's just the 1/2 NLHE game going at the Luxor and there's a waiting list. I wait for 20 minutes before being seated at a table full of drunks - excellent or so I thought. The first hand I play is 66 and I double up to $100. Then I get into 2 interesting hands. UTG I look down at AKo. I raise to $10, guy on left goes all in for $42, SB goes all in for $60. So it costs me $50 to win $115. Even if I'm behind, I figure I won't be a huge dog and I'm getting great odds. I call and villians show Ac7c and AsQs. Turn brings a Q and he wins a huge (for me at least) pot of $165. The next time I'm BB I look down at J8o I check the option with 4 players seeing the flop. Flop comes 8JQ, 2 spades, I check and it gets checked around to the button who bets $30. Looks like an overbet so I go all in for $42 with my 2 pair, the second checker calls (???) with a crappy flush draw. Button raiser calls and at showdown shows Q7o. River is the 3s and I'm done. I thought about reloading since I figured I could take a lot of money off these guys but I was really out of time. Down $50 for my final session.

All in all I had a great time and I was up $34 for the trip, but drank a lot for "free". I don't think I'd stay at the Luxor again, but the action in their Poker Room is wild.