Best friend since 2nd grade flew into Phoenix and drove with me into Vegas...No major issues and it was a pleasant drive catching up and discussing life...We both grew up in the Dallas area and listened to Rangers-Tigers on the last part of the drive in...very cool..

Made the self park at the Mirage about 6pm...Barron orchestrated a comped room, food, and beverage for the full 3 days of his visit courtesy of his Mother-in-laws slot host...Very nice room and all meals on site were comped if charged to the room....

Free California Pizza Kitchen and the end of Rangers game after check in...Off to Mirage poker room for some 1-2 NL...Started at different tables and ended up immediately to Barron's left when this hand came up...UTG I look down at two black KK's...Have played ubber tight and figured UTG raise would likely scoop the blinds so I limp hoping to get raised as table had a couple players in LP who liked to punish the limpers....My call induces 5 more callers behind...sb completes and Barron raises to $12 from BB...I pop it to $30 hoping to make all the weak Aces behind me fold and get it heads up with what I figure to be an inferior pair or maybe A-Q's or similar....much to my surprise and chagrin my buddy I have known since age 7 pushes all in....I've never laid down KK pre-flop in my life...However, I know this dude better than anyone on the planet...He has to have AA! No way he shoves against me w/QQ....I asked if he'd show if I mucked and he said yeah...I muck and he shows the other 2 KK's!!! Crazy hand...My first (and likely only) PF fold of KK!!!

I grinded for a couple more hours and we called it a night...I booked a decent win and Barron a moderate loss...Next day was NFL Sunday at the Hilton..

After a $9 comped grilled cheese at the Mirage Barron realized he forgot his glasses and we went back up to the room....on the elevator up we saw a very odd, drunk or impaired individual slurring his words and acting very erratically...Barron and I got off on the 22nd floor and went back to the room for his glasses as we discussed the strange behavior of the person on the elvevator...After retrieving Barron's glasses we walk to the bank of elevators and are greeted by the same dude standing with his back to us.....his pants are around his knees and he's peeing in the trash can...He seemed to sense we were behind him and he cast a glance over his left shoulder and gave us the same weird smile the Hillbilly shot Ned Beatty in "Deliverance"....Luckily the elevator arrived before this dude could could ask either of us to "Squeal like a pig" and we were off... Gotta love Vegas...

We made the Hilton Theater about 15 minutes before the first kickoff....I employed a new strategy this year which is betting the money line instead of the point spread...I correctly selected a couple of nice underdogs when the Bills beat the Eagles and the Raiders beat the Texans....I still can't figure out how the Giants lose at home to the Seachickens but that's the NFL...Good time...Small loss for me and small win for Barron...

Back to the Mirage for more 1-2 NL....Started a new table and we almost had a fight before the first hand when this older Asian dude got extremely irate when asked to square the table...This guy selected the 5 seat but was aligned way over in the path of the 4 seat as well...Another weird dude...

This time Barron was to my left and another interesting hand developed....I limp on the button with A-8 suited...Barron calls the extra $1 from the sb and we take a flop with 4 other players....the flop comes A-7-2 rainbow and its checked to me on the Button...I bet $10 into about a $12 pot...Barron in SB calls and everyone else folds...turn comes another A...the board is now A-A-7-2....pot has around $32 dollars and Barron again checks to me...I bet $20 and Barron says "All-in"...I've got Barron well covered as I have around $270 in front of me and he has a small stack of red chips which seems to be about $50....I figure it's about $30 more so I snap call as there is no decision on this...As soon as I snap call barron pushes his remaining chips AND a C-note into the pot....(Sidenote: the Mirage has those big cupholders at the table which apparently obscured my view of Barron's C-note which was placed under his stack of chips...) It's totally my fault for snap calling instead of verifying the actual amount of the all-in...However, I knew I was beat when I realized how much Barron's bet was...He showed A-2 for a turned full house....Given that I laid down KK preflop against him earlier I'm pretty certain this is an easy fold if I knew how much $$ he had...in fact I would have likely played the hand differently on several streets....oh well...I said the following as only a person can tell someone he has know all his life: "Nice hand.....Bastard." and we both laughed...

Went over to the IP for the Sunday night mixed game....It was supposed to start at 7pm but didn't really get going until around 7:30 or so....It was a very nice diversion from hold em...Everyone was pretty nice and it was more laid back than a typical hold em game...

Some of these games are crazy...Baduci, Badugi, 2-7 triple draw, double flop omaha, etc...I was pretty tired but I think we mixed in a round of Battleship and Twister in there too!!! Lots of fun and I actually booked a pretty nice win after I got the hang of a couple of games...I really tightened up on some of the more obscure games until I hit my comfort zone....good time...We broke the game about 1:30 or so...

Next day was last in town for Barron and was mostly hold em at the Mirage....this was my only losing session thus far....Barron booked a nice win which was good to see....in a nutshell here is how the day went....The table has been on tilt and every pot is raised and/or 3 bet before the plop....There are two major catalysts for this and they are both dealt in....The first maniac finally decides to muck his cards as his food order is delivered and the other maniac is in late position with chips in hand when his phone rings and he mucks his hand....Its folded to the SB who asks if I chop...."I haven't looked but I always chop" as I turn my cards over and see KK !!! First chopped hand in 4 hours and I have KK!

I drove Barron to the airport that afternoon and went to the Southpoint for the night before driving back the next day...This was my first visit to the Southpoint poker room....It was really odd....I played a couple different sessions and just never physically felt comfortable...I don't know if the room was too bright, the seat too close, the locals too annoying or what....results aside, I just always felt cramped.....

However, there was one very funny moment here....I'm playing in seat 4 w about $100 in front of me when I'm dealt 5-5...The guy in seat 3(drunk local and boyfriend of the hot girl who WAS in seat 3 until about 20 minutes ago) raises the pot to $17....I'd love to see a flop with 5-5 but can't justify it from an odds perspective after that raise....I reluctantly fold 5-5 and seat 6 (surly, thick, drunk local) calls the raise....everyone else folds...the flop comes down (you guessed it) A-5-2....I'm cursing my luck that I would have flopped trip 5's and convincing myself that I made the right laydown anyway when the action (literally) gets heated...Long story short the surly, thick, drunk local in seat 6 gets all his $$ in the pot and wins with a turned two pair.....I'm sitting between these two with my head down wondering why I'm still awake and listening to this conversation:

Seat 3: "Really? Ace-eight? You called me with Ace-eight? Wow! (Extreme sarcasm and derision) Nice hand! (more sarcasm and derision) Your good!
"
I'm sitting with my head down rolling my eyes to myself hoping this A-hole is just blowing off a little steam and will let it go when I hear the following:

Seat 3: "Did you just shoot me the finger?!! Did you just shoot me the finger?!!"

I have now forgotten about my pocket 5's and am watching closely as this plays out...The manager (Southpoint Perry) comes over briefly to admonish the 2 players as the yelling really begins...

I am now aware that I am sitting in the middle of what may turn into a real fight...finally Seat 3 yells the following:

"Damn it Perry!!! I'm just gonna have to go to jail!!!!" This is my new catchphrase by the way...

Seat #3 runs at seat #6....Seat #6 shoves #3 on his back near the podium....Now both combatants are standing (no small feat considering the large amount of intoxicants both had consumed) face to face yelling....This reviewer had managed to quickly stand and grab my 20 $5 chips in one hand and walk in a serpentine path out of the octagon...The 2 would be combatants were then interceded by apparently more locals as Perry went back to the podium to call security....As Perry is waiting for Security to answer I hand him my chips and he cashes out my $100...I smiled at him and said "This is my first time to this poker room." Perry never missed a beat as he said in a loud, jovial, and overly enthusiastic voice "Well, welcome to the South Point." Indeed. What else could he do at that point....this was very Monty Python-esque....I have expected someone to threaten to "screw his bloody pelvis to the poker table."

I want to be fair to Perry and the Southpoint...I probably saw more knuckleheads per table at the Mirage than I did at the Southpoint....interestingly most of the knuckleheads I saw at the Mirage were also locals....If I happen to be at the Southpoint again I would not boycott the poker room or anything like that...I just don't think this is a place I would go out of my way visit again...

Annual wife trip is coming in November....I'll submit a trip report on that as well...