Friday

Early flight from Montreal landed in Vegas at 10:30 am. Check in at Palazzo at 11 am. Beautiful room (all rooms are suites) 45th floor with a great view of the Wynn, Bali Hai golf course and the mountains. Lunch at the Grande Luxe Cafe at Palazzo - good value huge portions. The wife won $250 on Wheel of Fortune in the first 5 mins so we are off to a good start. Dinner at Isla (mexican) at TI decent meal - good nacho chips and dip.

Registered for TI 10 pm tourny - ended up with about 40 entries. Didn't really get any cards - best hand 99 limped in 3 places to me in sb I completed - flop was 3 overs so folded. After the first break with blinds at 200-400 I found myself shortstacked with 2900 chips. Chip leader with 13k raised to 1000 in mid position - had been using his stack well - I was in bb and pushed with AJs. He called with K10s and flopped a king. Ended up finishing around 20-25th. Enjoy the room, nice quiet, cool vibe.

Saturday

Wandered along the strip with my wife playing slots (her mainly). Early lunch at Hawaiian Tropic - good eye candy with the waitresses all wearing bikinis. Food was better than expected.

Got to MGM at around 12:30 and got into a 1/2 NL table - bought in for $200. Picked up a few small pots but had 3 hands that cost me:

Hand 1 - first in in 4th position raise to 10 with ako, 2 calls. Flop k66 rainbow. I bet 20 one fold and one call. Turn a 7 check check. River a 2 he bets 25 I call he shows 106o.

Hand 2 - next hand 3 limpers to me with 88 and I limp along. 5 way pot flop A86 rainbow (I'm already thinking about how I'm going to stack someone!). I bet $10 two callers. Turn is a 7 bet 30 to me I push for about $110 lose to 109o when the river doesn't pair.

Hand 3 - AA first in in mp raise to 10. Button and bb call. Flop k106 (2 spades, I have A). I bet 20 one caller, turn is the Q (not spades). I check he bets $60 I push all in for about $170 and he calls. River is a 10 and he shows 109o for the rivered set. After that hand called it a session down $300.

Dinner at David Burke (American cuisine) at the Venetian - great ambience and cool deserts - definitely worth a try. 9 pm Wayne Brady show was pretty good (improv). Took a cab down to Binions saw the Freemont light show.

Sunday

Breakfast at Grande Luxe in Venetian. Signed up for noon tournament. Outstanding room and tournament format - 7500 chips 30 min levels - about 90 players. 3 hands of note:

Hand 1 - Lost half my stack to a lady who claimed she was psychic and knew she was going to hit her 3 outer jack on the river so just had to call to beat my set.

Hand 2 - About 1.5 hours in just before first break - raised a limper to 5x with AKs. Flop A67 rainbow. I bet 2/3 of pot, he reraises me about 3 times I have him covered and push and he tables 77 for the set.

Hand 3 - About half hour after the break - blinds at 300/600 I have 3500 in chips push in the hijack with A9o and button calls with AKs and flops a full house to put me out of my misery.

Went to the Wynn to play a little 4/8 limit. Fun game - bought in for $100 got as high as $140 and cashed out with $75 for a small loss. Enjoyed the room and the waitresses!

Dinner at SW - nice steakhouse - was a little loud - interesting to watch all the old men with the surgically enhanced trophy wives. I would take Delmonico or N9ne over this any day of the week. Went to the Sahara to play slots. Wife and I had a roulette challenge $25 each (min $5 each spin) - we both lost our $25 in the first 5 spins (never hit anything - 0 and 00 were 3 of the 5 numbers that came up!).

Monday

Hit TI early to play $5 blackjack with my wife - her first time playing so wanted an open table. Burned through that in about 25 minutes. Walked by poker room considered playing in morning tournament but only 3-4 players in the room.

Headed to Sahara signed up for their 11 am - only 23 players. They have improved the format since I was last there - the $65 gets you 6,000 chips - there is also a 75/150 level that I don't think was there when I played before. Structure wise I think the changes make it a better offering than either TI or PH which are the same price (granted TI and PH are much nicer rooms to sit in though). Ended up busting in 7th (top 4 pay) - was down to 6 bb and pushed on an early position limper with AKo. He had the stack to call and did wtih QJo. Rivered a jack. I really have to start getting more aggressive earlier when I am not getting cards (got to learn to pick my spots).

Took a cab to N9ne at the Palms. Had surf and turn (filet mignon and lobster) maybe the best meal I have ever had. Strongly encourage everyone to give it a try.

Back to MGM to try some more 1/2NL - played a couple of hours down $50 flopped a set once but didn't get paid off. Aggressive table with several locals - didn't like the vibe too much (wasn't very sociable). Headed over to PH listened to a little karaoke and then signed up for the 2 am tournament. Two tables. After 1st break down to 10 bbs and pick up QQ in sb. Early position raise followed by a reraise and an allin I push all in - ends up being a 4 way allin. JJ vs QQ vs AKo vs AA and AA holds. Probably should have folded the QQ given all the action in front of me but with 10bb felt I had to make the move.

Tuesday

Pretty much just wandered the strip, drank some frozen slushy drinks. Wandered the mall across from the Wynn to pick up a few things. Got a late checkout at Palazzo.

Went to Wynn for 4/8 limit again - everyone knew each other tonight - lot more active game with lots of raising and reraising. Had QQ twice but cracked both times once by a straight and the other time by j10 hitting two pair. Ended up down $50 after a couple of hours.

Back to the airport for a late night flight out.

Summary notes:

I may be getting worse at poker each time I go to Vegas.

Palazzo hotel is excellent.

I like blue slushy drinks from in front of IP the best.

N9ne may be my new favourite restaurant.