My first trip this year was part vacation and part conference. I was already scheduled to be there 3/10 - 3/13 for a conference so I pushed the flight up a few days and went out early for some solo vacation time. The one separate and one together vacation plan has been working out well for the wife and I. She's heading to NYC next month with one of her friends for her vacation. Not sure yet where we'll head together.

3/6

My trip began perfectly. I left Cleveland on Thursday right between two huge snowstorms that had caused all sorts of flight delays and cancellations the days before and after. Already a good sign of my luck to come.

I arrived in LV around 2:00PM and hopped a cab over to Hooters. What a dive that place is. If you haven't been there imagine your local Hooter's restaurant and add a couple slots and table games. The main reason I stayed here was they were offering $100 freeplay slots for a $50 room. Figured that was too good too pass up... and it was. The "Free Play" was actually "promo play" and was a complete waste of time. Luckily in the coupon book was a $25 match play. Throw $25 of my money + $25 match down on a blackjack table and one push and one win later I've paid for my room.

I then made my way over to MGM to get the poker started. Got my players card and it was off to the tables. I get a seat immediately at a $1/$2 NL table and buy-in for the max.

It's been a while since I've played live so I start off playing very tight. Over the next 2-3 hours I lose a few small pots, win a few small pots, drink a few "redbull" and stoli's and for the most part stay close to even. I think I was down around $30-$40 when the first hand of note takes place.

For the most part the table is extremely passive. Most flops are seen with at least 5-6 $2 limpers and a standard raise is to $12 which still pulls in 3-4 people. I'm in the small blind and 18 people limp in, seriously I think people from other tables limped in just to check out the flop, I look down at 8-4o and figure I'll throw in the $1 and pray for a miracle. The miracle flop of Q44 comes down and I check my monster (yeah I'm tricky w/ my 8 kicker). It checks around the the cut-off bets $10, I raise $20 to $30 total, all fold and he calls. Turn is a beautiful 8. I bet $25 and he shoves over the top and has me covered for my remaining $100 or so. It takes me a second to consider QQ or Q4 before I /fistpump and call the all-in. He flips up A4, I dodge the 3 bullets and take down my first nice pot to double up.

Suck-out #1 but I don't feel bad since he waited till he was behind to get the money in.

Suck-out #2 was a bit more brutal. I'm at around $350ish at this point. Player to my right is UTG and raises to $12 (about $120 behind). I look down at AKo and reraise to $25 total. Folds back around to him and pops it up to $60. He's been playing fairly tight so I figure the range for him to make that play is QQ+. Not looking too good there but the alcohol makes me call. Flop comes out K + garbage. He checks, I put him all in, he takes his turn to /fistpump all-in and flips up AA. I show my AK and spike another K on the river to send him for a long walk.

About 5-6 hours of play and really only those two hands of note. After the second suck-out I realized I was probably a bit too drunk to be sitting behind a bit over $500 and cashed out.

After that I made my way back to Hooters to get some ribs at Dan Marino's. The all you can eat ribs for $16.99 was much better than I expected. They weren't the best ribs ever but they were still pretty damn good. And a slab and a half for that price can't be beat.

Called it an early night around 11:00PM or so after that seeing as my body felt like it was 2:00 AM already.

3/7

Woke up pretty early after the early bedtime and went down to the breakfast "buffet" at Hooters. Avoid this at all costs unless you don't mind just eating fruit. The fresh fruit display was good but pretty much everything else was inedible.

Checked out of Hooter's and walked the luggage back over to MGM where I was staying for the next three nights. Tried the $20 trick but things went a bit haywire. I handed the clerk who was working directly with a manager at the time the sandwich, asked for a complimentary upgrade and he went to work on the keyboard. He looked up and let me know he couldn't provide an upgrade since I was already in the celebrity spa suite. Hot damn that boys good! Seeing as I was in a standard room I thought he pulled a fast one and had really earned his tip. Unlucky for me there were actually two people with my name staying there that weekend and he gave me the wrong room. Since my rate was $89 I didn't feel like paying the $219 price the other guy was getting so I asked him to fix it up for me. He did, I took my $20 back and ended up in a standard room on the 28th floor (but near the elevator). Ahh well I'll try again next time.

Since I couldn't actually check into my room yet I hit the poker tables with the vow that this time I would stay sober and play better than the night before. I did and I did.

Two key hands from this session as well.

The first hand almost put me on tilt despite winning the hand. I forget the exact action but I hit a set on the flop, the turn flushed, then the river filled me. Down to myself and one other player. Turned out he hit a smaller set on the flop, got scared on the turn, and then under-filled on the river. I took down a nice $200+ pot but how this guy didn't go broke to me I will never know. He flat-called my $50 bet on the river with around $100 already in the pot.

The next hand happened after another guy sits down at the other end and proceeds to either raise or call every single hand. For the next hour the entire table was salivating to get a piece of this lagtard. He was just throwing chips all over the place but he was winning and had about $300 behind. I had little more from the previous hand and a few small pots.

Lagtard makes it $12 from UTG+1, one caller, folds to me and I see KK. I pop it to $25, lagtard calls, other guy folds. Flop is J22 w/ 2 spades. He checks, I fire out $50 to try and take it there but he smooth calls and he's screaming flush draw. Turn is a blank, he checks, and I make the weak play and check behind waiting to see the river.

Yahtzee!!!!!

River is the Ks. Lagtard pushes out $80. I tank for 30-45 seconds trying to figure out how to get the rest in without scaring him until I realize he's itching to either call or flip his cards up anyway. I shove over the top, he calls and flips up 8s9s! Not even the nut flush. I take down around a $600 pot and toss 2 reds to the dealer.

Played for around 4-5 hours again and cashed out even at $700 to grab some dinner at Ellis Island. The steak special got a big thumbs down from me but another quick hit for +$50 at blackjack paid for the meal and round trip cab fare.

After that I made my way down to TI but the room was full and there were 7-8 ahead of me on the list. I waited about 20 minutes but the list didn't appear to be moving so I cabbed it back to MGM.

My Friday night session was my only losing session of the trip. Lost about $60 with QQ with a poorly thought out continuation bet on a flop with AK. Then lost AA after a $25 preflop reraise to 79 sooted. I called it quits down around $250 since I felt like I was starting to chase my losses (and I was starting to get drunk again).

Back up to the nice comfy extra-deep pillow top bed in the room at the MGM.

3/8 - 3/9

Disaster! I woke up Saturday morning and could barely move. I've had back problems for the past 3-4 years and had back surgery 2 years ago. That damn comfy pillow-top bit me in the ass and I spent the next two days lying flat on my back on the floor of the MGM.

No poker at all during this time. I was barely able to make it out of the room to grab some quick food (WichCraft - Delicious, MGM Buffet - Acceptable). Since I couldn't gamble and had an entertainment comp I decided to check out the Crazy Horse show. You know you're in a lot of pain when you can't even sit all the way through a topless show. And I LOVE me some boobies! Decent show I just couldn't sit in a chair any longer.

3/10 - 3/13

My back was finally starting to feel a bit better. I had the start of my conference today and a number of coworkers were coming in so I knew I had just spent the better part of my poker playing hours flat on my back on the floor of the hotel room. Very frustrating!

I did manage to get in a couple short sessions (2-3 hours) on 3/10 and 3/11. Nothing too exciting but cashed out both around +$100.

At this point I was up about $800 and had my eyes on winning an even grand at the poker table.

The last night 3/12 I said screw the conference the following morning and played from 8:00 PM until 4:30 AM. Thanks to a drunken Canadian donor I hit my double up mark at about 4:00 in the morning. Nothing much doing for the next 30 minutes and even though my Canadian friend kept rebuying I had to call it a night.

I did get to play a few more hours before my flight the next day and took in another $150.

All told I ended up winning around $1200 all at 1/2 NL at the MGM. Checking my comp balance at the end and I had $32 which I guess equates to 32 hours played. Not a bad rate at all.

I kind of scimped a little over those last few days since this is getting long but if it's remotely interesting I can always give more detail. I did get a chance to play against a number of the MGM local "pros". Nice guys but no idea how they claim to make a living. They just didn't seem that good.

Take care all, until the next trip in May!