Arrived at TI 5-5-07 at about 8:30AM. went to check in at 11AM and after about a 20 min wait it was time to try the $20 trick. IT WORKED! A young black girl (Monica I think looking all pissed off when I walked up to her)I handed her my license, CC and $20 bill in between, and asked for the complementary up grade due to our anniversary being the next day Sun. She didn't say a word and started typing. I know it was at least 3 mins worth of typing and I began to worry. I watched as she held the license, CC and 20 in her hand the whole time. She then told me she can give me an upper floor strip room and I said fine. She then placed the license and CC on the keyboard and held the 20. about 2 mins later she said she couldn't do anything else then, but the next day (Sun) we can move to a corner strip view room and gave us a complementary bottle of the champagne. GREAT! Told my bro-in-law about the trick and it worked for him too. We got TOP floor strip view Sat, then 35th floor corner strip view Sun/Mon. $20 tip was about a $250. value.

Now for the poker. Working backwards I played TI 11AM Mon tournament. Table 1, Seat 1 ( I HATE SEATS 1 & 10 CANT SEE CRAP!) I limped in on a couple of pots with marginal hands, Local bluffers/bullys buying pots. first level, I look down at KQos so I limp in 2nd position. Fold to SB calls BB checks. Flop comes xK3. Check, check, check I bet 200, fold, fold call. Turn a blank Seat 10 bets 500. I think and remember the bluffers buying pots so I go all in with my 1200. He turns over K3 and blank on river. I'M OUT, 1st level. I looked like a out-of-towner fish in my crazy eye glasses. What a dummy I bet it all on one pair.

Sun played the Sahara 7PM tournament. I think they said there were over 130 players. CARD DEAD. I bluffed 4 or 5 small pots. By the break I knew who the locals were, who the bluffers were and who the lucky donks were. After the break and still card dead blinds were 200/400 and I catch 77. Best hand I've seen all night. 2 callers, and I decide with 1400 in the pot, I'm playing tight and everyone knows it, I go all in. SB folds BB calls everyone else folds. I turn over my 7's and I see 99. OH CHIT! I'm out.
No auto shufflers, but dealers were fast, no mistakes but they all suck because they didn't give me any playable cards. LOL.

Sat, TI, 7PM tournament. My first B&M buy in tournament. My shinny new crazy eye glasses and some of the locals laughing at me. Good! I look like a fish that watched to much poker on TV, just what I wanted. Sat next to a guy in a wheelchair, real nice guy. Couple of bluffers, one WSOP wanna-be that took way too much time when he folded. and a couple of young gun loose cannons. I played my usual tight passive, calling a couple of limp pots with marginal hands, when someone bets more then the blind I fold to make me look like a beginner. Bluffed a couple of small pots then the 3rd level I got KK one hand and AA another. I raised the KK with one caller to the flop who folded on my next raise. Slow played my AA and raised after the flop everyone folds. My TAP cost me some chips I guess. nothing else to speak of time after the 2nd break when I made the final table and I was about 7th or 8th in chips. Tightened up the play some, won about 2 real small pots till I was the short stack out of 5, tourny paid 4. OH CRAP. blinds 1000/2000 I'm in SB and it's battle of the blinds (BB is 2nd in chips)and I have 22 ( I HATE 22) Flop comes QQx, check, check (I'm glad for the check) turn is a 2. Boat, I check BB (older man in his 60's white haid and beard looks like hes tired all the time, Local I think)check, river is a 2, for my quads. I play it slow and appear to be trying to buy the blinds but he folds so I show my 2's. I'm still last in chips and a couple of hands later the guy in 4th chip stack calls a large raise and is down to 1000. If I just wait till the blinds pass I'm in but I get A9 5 handed in the BB, short stack all in for 1000 and SB calls. Flop xx9. I bet 2000, SB folds. I take out short stack and I'm in the money. A couple hands later I'm still short stacked go all in the I have no idea what it was but lost anyway. 4th in my first B&M buy in tourny brings me $145.

TI dealers are good, Nice room a little small. Didn't get to meet any AVPers. The floor running that tournament acted as though he didn't know what a was talking about AVPers. Acted like I was taking up his time. Most staff was great. Only one jerk playing I talked about above.
Played Video Poker in TI, VERY TIGHT MACHINES they suck.

Cannot wait to get back and play more. Hope to see LVMichael and get that AVP poker chip I keep reading about. Loved my (fish-looking-too-much-poker-on-TV-looking crazy eye glasses) worked for one tournament at least.