Well I was in Vegas from Jan. 6-11 for one of my two trips to Vegas a year. The main goals for the trip were to play poker, drink some drinks and have fun. My trip in was uneventful as always, lucky for me I sat next to a skinny guy. I got my bags in relatively short order and was on my way to the IP. The IP may not be the belle of the ball but it is cheap and in the middle of the strip. I got checked in and was immediately on my way to Ballys for a little 1/2nl action. There were several tables going and I got seated right away. I played for about 3 hours with no big hands so I decided to head over to Paris to play my new favorite pit game Ultimate Texas Holdem (UTH). I sat down and immediately hit some trips and 2 flushes. I did a quick profit check and decided to leave up $150. I hit up the burger joint between Paris and Ballys. I got the Paris burger, brie cheese, bacon and caramelized onions, with waffle fries and it was very good. I recommend this place to anyone. I then headed over to the Mirage to play some more 1/2nl and place a few NFL bets. I was surprised to see the Packers as 1.5 dogs so I made some calls back home to see if any of my buddies wanted to get down. I ended up placing some bets and then went to the Poker room. Mirage had several tables of nl going and I got seated immediately. Again I could not get anything going in this session. I ended up leaving down about a $100. I was really tired at this point and decided to call it a night.
I managed to get a whopping 5 hrs of sleep before giving up. I did the three S’s and was on my way out the door for a long Vegas day. I meandered my way to TI and decided to play a little BJ. I was down immediately and fought back to almost even before losing my $100 buy in. I then found my favorite game UTH. I sat down with a $100 and was kicked in the balls in short order. I think to myself WTF just go play some poker. I walked by the TI room and saw that it was dark so I took the tram over to the Mirage. I again got seated right away. I was playing for about 45 mins when I look down at AA and raise a few limpers. I get one caller and we see the flop of A,A,blank boom goes the dynamite. I check the other guy checks. I bet the turn and the guy folds, I flip over my quads and am pleasantly surprised that flop quads get double the high hand payout. So I get a total of $350. I play for about an hour more and have to leave to go over the V to get online to play the AVP wsop tourney on fulltilt. I get wacked in the AVP when my JJ runs into QQ and 33 with 33 making a straight. I grab a quick bite to eat and a nap. I get a couple hours of sleep and when I wake up I think that is about time for the famous drunk Ballys action. So I head over to Ballys and get into the fray. I am again seated immediately and I see lots of bigger stacks at my table and buy in for the max $300. I am not disappointed with this table, lots of action. I get involved with a couple rounds of Jager bombs with a couple of tablemates. There is a fairly drunk guy on my right who can’t stop saying the f bomb and is on the cusp of being kicked out. He finally gets cut off from drink service and immediately goes all in blind so he can double up or leave. He doesn’t double up and is sent off into the Vegas night to find alcohol elsewhere. I am on a rollercoaster ride at this table, up about 200 after making a hero river call with KK on a flush and straight board. I am then down a little after whiffing 2 pots with straight and flush draws. I some of it back and decide to cash out after the 2 main action players left. Ended up about 50 for the session. I called it a night at 4am.
I wake up at the ungodly hour of 7am and can’t get back to sleep. I say f it and go get some breakfast at dennys. I then head over to TI to play the 11am tourney and get into the cash game with LVM. I didn’t last long in the tourney as my flopped set ran into flopped flush and no board pairing to save me. I sat down with LVM and we got a cash game going about 30 mins later. LVM hit a straight flush for a high hand payout. The game a little slow for the first 2 hrs or so but the table got better as the afternoon went along. LVM had his aces cracked several times and I was up and down. LVM left about 6ish and I was up about 75 and about to leave when Minton showed up to see if the mixed game was going. We decided to head over to the V to see what was happening. We disappointed not to see half naked porn stars everywhere so Minton place a couple of NFL bets for the next day and we went up to “First” which was a nice spot. We had a couple of beers and $1 shots. We then took off to Casino Royale for a few more beers. I introduced Minton to my new favorite game UTH. Minton ran hot as the sun hitting quads and a full house in short order. I was up and down and finally put my last $70 down blind. The board ran out with 3 diamonds so Minton and I were like I have to have a flush. RC the dealer flipped my hand slowly squeezed out one diamond and a second diamond, boom goes the dynamite. We immediately cashed out our profit and headed out. Minton headed over to TI and went over to the mirage. I eat at Carnegie deli well I attempted to eat there but it was more like performing surgery on the sandwich to make so I could take a bite. I went to the poker room and got seated in a 1/2nl game. At this time I was super tired so I hit a nut flush for a quick hundo and took off for bed.
Fortuantly I was able to sleep better and got a solid 8 hours of sleep. I had plans to meet up with Minton again when he got off of work. So I decided to hit up the Excel for some poker. I took the monorail to MGM Grand and had to walk though Pans Labyrinth to find my way out. I got to the excal and was seated in the softest nl table of the trip. I was cruising along up about 150 watching some football when I got my aces cracked by a Cuban fellow holding 33 luckily he only had about 130ish. He then went on a little run and was up to 350ish. He liked to bluff over bet and show it. A couple of orbits he raises a couple of limpers to $22 I call on the button with 65dd. The flop comes 6,6,10 he comes out firing $45 and I come over the top to $110 total. He eventually folds and I show him the 5. He shoots me a glance and I know it’s on. 3 hands later I pick up QQ and raise some limpers to 20 total, my Cuban friend is the only caller. The flop comes down Q,Q,8 he checks and I lead out for a weak looking $17 and say he can’t call that. He immediately says all in, I insta call and table my quads. The whole table goes crazy; I just smile and rake in the chips. I get a wheel spin and hit $20. Minton texts me that he is about done with work and will meet me at the Excal. Minton shows up just as I hit a flush and I rack up my chips for a profit of $380. We head over to Ellis Island for the steak special. We have a few drinks while we wait for our table. We hit the craps table for a small profit. Eventually we get called for our table and enjoy the special. You can beat soup, steak, potato, green beans and a beer for $7. We then hit up Casino Royale for some more UTH. Minton again runs like god cashes out way ahead. I gave back some of my Excal profits when I can’t hit a miracle with my patented blind all in. We hit up Harrahs and IP for some VP I hit quads at IP for a hundy. We then head over to Bills for some .50/1nl. We get a new table started and are seated with the whos who of crappy poker players. I am donking it up and hitting some hands, Minton on the other hand shows his run bad ability in regular poker by getting his AA smashed by AKo when the board comes out with all clubs. Minton soon begs off talking about having to work in the morning. I play for another 2 hours and walk out 160 richer.
I wake up the next day a couple of hours before the Packer game. I head over to TI for some lunch and to watch the game. I get seated in front of a TV at one of the bars. I get the bucket of beers for $18 so I don’t have to dick around pretending to play VP while getting free drinks. I then feel like I am getting kicked in the balls for the next 4 hours culminating in the overtime fumble for a touchdown. I head out of TI and go to Casino Royale for some blackjack switch. I hit and run the table for a quick hundo and head to Ballys for my last poker session of the trip. I proceed to get dealt a ton of small pocket pairs and can’t flop a set to save my life. I slowly bleed my $200 stack down to 75ish before deciding to call it a night. I see a bank of VP machines and decide to put a hundo in and see what happens. I am playing along and a guy comes up to me wanting a few bucks so he can take the deuce back downtown. I get him a five and he says thanks and good karma. Several hands later I hit 4 of a kind for $400. It was a nice little way to end the trip. I get up early for my flight and get home safe and sound.
Miscellaneous events: Played a short session at IP got AA cracked by 55 aipf. Played a short session at Harrahs won a couple of small pots and left with a $90 profit. Played a short session at TI but table got shorthanded with a couple of friends soft playing each other so I got up.
Overall it was a profitable and fun trip. It was fun hanging out with Minton and meeting LVM. I hope to be back in June during the WSOP.