First off, want to say a million thanks to AllVegasPoker for the MGM room & food comp. What a great place to play and their Friday Seafood buffet was excellent! Can I win another comp (please)!

Trip started out driving w/ another couple to Laughlin, played 1/2 NL at the River Palms and I dropped $40 in a 2 hr "card-cold and chasin'" session, my budddy "G" tripled his $40 buy-in so one of us was off to a good start. River Palms is a fun room for those staying in Laughlin, a couple local rocks, but otherwise good T/A play will be rewarded (if the cards cooperate). They also have a $20 morning tourney, a good place to get some newby tourney experience if you're still afraid to test the waters.

Next day headed to Vegas and played 2/4 limit at the Palms, my T/A play worked well and I doubled up in a 2 hr session, G dropped $10.

That same night me & G entered the Aladdin $60 7pm tourney. We've both played this tourney before, I cashed 5th last time but not this night. The room has been scrapped and is now a rather pathetic roped-off area in a very busy area of the casino. Distracting foot traffic surrounds this area and the addition of a tourney info board is the only plus this "room" has at the moment. A heated dispute full of F-bombs wasn't handled well at all, and the room really can't be recommended. This on top of being card-dead and eliminated right before the first break made for a rather dismal evening. My buddy G had the same bad run, so it was time to "get 'em on the liquor", lol.

Next day we all headed out to Green Valley Ranch, had the buffet, and checked out the room, looks great and will give it a try next time. That evening we played at the Orleans (where we were staying). Played 2/4limit and had a crazy cold streak of cards, the only playable hand I had in 2.5 hours was pkt 6's. I saw the flop of 68J, raised, was re-raised and the turn brought a K, I bet was called by 2 other players and the river was an Ace. No flush was possible, but wary of the straight I just checked, was bet and called so I just called to see the sure enough straight filled by the guy w/9-Q. Sadly enough, my only "playable" hand was also beat on the flop by the guy who flopped a set of 8s. Pretty much sums up this night, dropped $60, G doubled up though, so all was not lost.

Next day we entered the $50 Monte Carlo 9am Tourney, what a great room! I will definately include this place on our next trip, read my room review for more. Me & G both final tabled and the group voted to return the buy-ins for the final 8, it only cashed the top 3 and I finished 6th, G finished 4th, but we had a great time w/ fun players, dealers, and a great room, so no complaints!

That night we returned to The Orleans for some 1/2 NL and they just opened a new table so no one had a significant chip stack. One guy came to the table on tilt and me & G were able to clean him out of about $160 apiece in less than an hour. We promised to see a movie w/ our wives so we had to leave this table (kickin & screaming, lol).

Wednesday was our 20th Anniversary so we moved over to the Wynn (my wife got a good room deal so we HAD to splurge). G and his wife got a day off from us so it was all on me, lol. First time I played poker at the Wynn and played 4/8 limit. I played a very T/A style and doubled up in a 2 hour session. Great room but very tight (at least in the 4/8 area), it's a shame they didn't dedicate more real-estate to an otherwise perfect room. The restrooms are a bit of a jaunt too.

Thursday played the Luxor w/ G, not a great room, but well run. Seemed to be a good mix of wannabes and rocks. The 1/2 NL $50 min-max is a bit of an awkward structure, you can't really go into an established table w/ a reasonable stack so unless you catch some good cards early you won't go far. If you can get in on a new table where everyone is starting w/ the same stack, then it tilts the whole situation in a very positive manner. Too many chasers, so you have to have good cards or a decent starting stack to make a run. I had neither, and so did G, we both busted out rather quickly, not because of the players, but because of the cards & structure. The blinds are also awkward, the 1/2 is actually a 1/1/2 w/ 2 small $1 blinds and a large $2 blind. I won't play here again under this structure, it doesn't give you enough of a break between blinds (especially when you get to 6 or 7 players), and 4 dollars per orbit is too much when much better rooms offer the traditional 1/2 game.

Our final day (G & his wife left earlier) we moved over to the MGM (thanks again for the comp AllVegasPoker). Prior to moving we stopped at the Rio for the buffet and to check in on the WSOP, sure glad we did! Stopped by all the promo booths and loaded up on free gear from FullTilt, CardPlayer, UltimateBet, and Absolute Poker. Went into the "warehouse" and took photos of all the top pros and on the way out saw Freddy Deeb in the UltimateBet lounge and talked w/ him awhile, what a nice guy. Then a true exciting moment happened, on our way to the car we saw John Juanda walking alone to the Rio, I said hi and he took the time out to talk awhlie and take photos w/ him, he's probably my favorite pro, so to catch him away from the masses and get some great personal photos was the highlight of the day (Sure hope he tears up the main event).

That night I played 1/2NL at MGM, what a great room, just a blast to play here~awesome dealers, great vibe, and money to be made. I doubled up in a 2 hour session and wanted to stay, but the buffet was calling and we had a big drive the next day so had to call it a night. Thanks for reading this long report, hope it helps someone out there. Can't wait for next time (BTW, only finished up $180, but had a blast!)