This trip was our annual trip to LV. Stayed in Flamingo, since the location worked out well for our midyear trip in March.

Poker started out at Flamingo Wednesday, for a 12 hour session (6pm to 6am) at 2-4 Holdem Limit. Many tourists, spending a lot of chips to see the river and lose at showdown. The seat immediately to my right was occupied initially by an elderly guy, who donated $150 before he gave up. The next person who sat there tossed in $250 before he packed it in. However, the chips did not go to me. They ended up in front of Mr Lucky, in the 3 seat, who caught a winning river card every time. There must have been well over $500 in his bundle. It is important to note that he NEVER tipped a dealer, even when other players brought it to his attention. He failed to tip the cocktail waitresses as well. Late in the session, an intoxicated guy sat down to the left of Mr Lucky. He was drinking white Russians like they were water, usually 2 at a time. His level of intoxication slowed the play, and he became obnoxious as he quickly couldn't keep up with the action, as he accused dealers of miscalling the winning hands. Floor management got involved, and ended his night. The Flamingo Dealers Willie and Brian did an outstanding job at attempting to keep the game moving, maintaining order, while faced with a player who refused to tip.

Thursday morning, it was off to Orleans, to play in the daily Limit Tourney. About 80 players entered, with a few local 'regulars'. Generally aggressive betting and chasing, with many in the pots. I held my own through the first 2 breaks, until I was dealt pocket K's. I raised, and was called by a short-stacked loose player and then a tight player. My K's didn't improve at all, while the tight player flopped quad 6's and slow played them. My stack took a hit, and then I went out in next hand with AJ. Finished around 32nd. I then went over to the 2-4 Limit table. They all seemed to know each other (a bad sign), and my hands wouldn't hold up to the many Junk Monkeys who chased (and caught) cards. The poker room is decent, an improvement over last year, but had to wait ½ hour for a seat. Cocktail waitresses can easily cause you to lose your train of thought.

First two days of play was all in red. And then two days of profit.

Friday's play started to show improvement. Was at Monte Carlo, where tables are a big smaller, but play was a little more stable. Again played the 2-4 Limit. Raises were respected, and play among all was more rationale. The house rake was smaller, there is a high-hand jackpot with immediate payout (not for me), and the poker room is convenient to rest rooms and main casino area. I was quite pleased with this room, and look forward to spending more time here at my next visit. Finished a little minus at this session, but was satisfied with how play went.

Saturday was getaway day (11 pm flight). It started with a session at Flamingo, where I finally got some cards. Had pocked 10's on one hand, and ended up with quads to win. I knew they had a high-hand jackpot, based upon my last visit in March. However, I discovered that they had switched the time frame cutoff from 1pm to 6am. Therefore, I needed to be at Flamingo at 6am Sunday to see if my high hand qualified. I quickly ended my session at Flamingo, up about $80. IMPORTANT NOTE...You should not play at Flamingo on your departure day, as your high hand bonus will get rolled over if you're not there to claim it within 24 hours past the 6am cutoff.

I walked over to the Imperial Place to play. It was my first time there. Although the reviews were not flattering, I found the Poker Room to be decent. I liked the huge tables, but there were some who had trouble seeing the cards from a distance. The players were decent, as not many were chasing cards. Raises were respected. Pots were smaller. House rakes were smaller. Comps are very good, although they don't have a sophisticated tracking system. You may want to use rest rooms elsewhere before visiting the Imperial Palace.

Went to the Aladdin, but they had no 2-4 Limit tables. Tried to steer me to 3-6 tables, as they will only open up a 2-4 table when there is enough demand. They had a high-hand jackpot, where money is paid immediately, based on the specific hand. However, I didn't stay to play.

Went to Bally's. The casino, although on the strip, is still quite a walk. The Poker Room is not really a room, and is exposed to a lot of outside noise. The play at 2-4 Limit, in general, was reasonable. One kid seemed to play every hand, winning more than his share, but his chip stack dwindled. Had quad Q's one hand, but won only the pot, as there was no high hand jackpot.

Walked through the Wynn poker area. Fantastic. But out of my league at this point.

I intend to play some NL on my next visit. And spend the bulk of the time at only 1 or 2 poker rooms.

In terms of ranking the poker rooms, I would go this way:
1) Monte Carlo - based on the players, rakes, convenience, and high hand jackpot.
2) Imperial Palace - based on comps.
3) Flamingo - based on jackpot. But don't play there on get-away-day.
4) Aladdin - based on jackpot structure.
5) Orleans
6) Bally's