Even though I had been in Vegas for a week in July, I went back the week of January 9 - 15 since MGM offered me a $59 rate. That was more than the $35 rate I got from Flamingo in July but MGM gave me three free buffets each day so they were paying me to stay there.

I like to play early tournies. Often, they're cheaper. More importantly, I'm fresher since I've had a good night's sleep. After an early tournie, I can drink, hang out on the Strip and otherwise not worry about getting tired by the evening.

I took it as a sign of the times when the 11 AM Mirage poker tournament could only muster 6 players on Monday. I like this tournament because (a) you get 5,000 chips for $60, much more than the typical 2,000-3,000 and (b) players tend to be older and not as “crazy” as the younger ones.

I thought about Hard Rock, which has a 1 PM tournie with 5,000 chips for $50. Played there in July and finished 5th but only the top three were paid. Problem was, the shuttle to/from the Strip is now only running on weekends.

So I walked over to O’Shea’s for their “Aces & Kings Cracked” $1-5 “spread” table. This single $1 blind game, which runs until 4 PM,pays you $50 if you lose with pocket Aces and there’s a least $20 in the pot or $25 for losing with pocket Kings. Other payouts for quads or a straight flush, and they only need $10 in the pot. I won $40 at this game in July because most folks are just trying to get cracked and will often fold to a $3 bet if they don't have top pair.

This trip was not as profitable. I lost $70, most of it on a single hand when I raised with pocket 10s and got one caller. The flop gave me trip tens so I put out another $5 and was raised. I put him on middle pair (ten was high card) and decided to slow play to trap him for next round.

Turn card was a jack. I put out another $5, was raised, I re-raised, and was re-raised. River card put a potential flush on the board so I checked. He bet $5, I called and he showed me pocket jacks. He had trip jacks on the turn. Ouch! I left after that hand.

During that game, I saw an example of why not to drink alcohol when playing. A player who was doing well started drinking. After about his third drink, he started becoming aggressive.
Regular raises. But no one catches hands regularly. Soon, someone looked him up and caught him with zilch, taking a nice pot. (That's a relative term on a $1-$5 table.)

He then went on tilt, and started raising preflop and on each round of a hand. Others with a hand looked him up and he soon lost most of his stack. (That happens soon if you lose $20 a hand.)

Tuesday, I didn’t want to chance walking all the way to Mirage for no tournament so I decided to play a tournament at Bill’s. From watching the table Monday, these folks looked to be soft. I was right but I was a little incredulous by one player who sucked out three times in less than an hour. He was also commenting on others' play and giving advice, which is tacky and arrogant. I decided to wait for an opportunity to take a chunk of his chips and all his ego.

That opportunity came when I looked at A-K and he was big blind. We were close in chips and I thought about raising immediately but decided that might scare him off. Although I always take about the same time to come in or fold, to reveal nothing about my hand, he had to notice I wasn’t playing much.

He also must have noticed me eye counting his chips and saw my call as weakness because he went all in. I called and all he had was K-J. He needed a J. But he got much more than that. The flop gave him an open end K high straight. He made that on the turn. I needed a K at the river for an Ace high straight but didn’t get it and so I was out. I was his fourth suck out.

During break, the other players consoled me about his luck. I asked the other big stack to take him out and I stayed to watch. Sure enough, what goes around comes around. He went all in with an A-x against a K-7 and was busted by the other big stack, who hit the 7 at the river.

Then, the Suck Out King had the nerve to whine “How does this happen”? I yelled across the table that he had sucked out four times, including three cards to catch a straight with me, so why is he whining when he gets sucked out? He just glared at me because he knew I was right. I left happy.

Earlier that afternoon, I called Mirage and asked how many had shown up for the 11 AM tournament and was told there were two tables. So Wednesday morning I played there. I like Mirage. It’s a nice room, I earn $1 an hour in comps playing a tournament and there are few crazies. With 5,000 chips and 20 minute levels, I can play my “tight” style in the early levels without losing too many chips.

My big hand came when I decided to play K-9 suited in late position. The flop gave me a flush draw. A big bet came out; presumably the player had a K, and the only other player still in besides me folded. I went into my hesitating “should I call” act and finally did.

The turn did not help me and out came another big bet. Now I really did have to think. I didn’t have pot odds to call but I already had a chunk of chips in there. And I still had a chunk to fall back on even if I lost.

The river gave me the flush. Instead of checking, the other player bet big again. (Did it not occur to him that I had a flush draw?) I “thought about it” before raising two thousand and he called. I took down a huge pot. He was basically finished.

A few hands later, I decided to play a weak Ace-2 in late position since only the blinds were in. Three diamonds came out on the flop and I had the Ace of diamonds. I check, small blind(older woman) bets, big blind folds and I call after “thinking about it.”

Turn is another diamond so I have the nut flush and I pray to the poker gods the small blind has a flush. The bet is not as big as I would expect from a flush, but I’m thinking it’s a weak flush so she’s being properly cautious.

A raise now will reveal my strength so I “think about it” before calling. River is garbage and now she bets a bit bigger. I count her chips and put her all in for about 1,500. I show her the Ace and she graciously leaves the table.

Shortly afterwards, I sit down at the final table with the second largest stack - about 28,000 chips. The big stack, who was at another table, is to my right, which is where I want him, especially since I've not seen him play. If he comes out betting, I will fold.

The short stacks started their kamikaze all-in runs and began flaming out. After that, with about 7 left, the game became grueling. The top four were going to be paid and so most of the time it was just the blinds playing, especially as the blinds and antes went up and up.

When it got down to five, with blinds at 1,000 and 2,000 and antes of about 100 (or maybe it was 200), the word “deal” was mentioned. By this time, I was the third big stack because I did not want to go out on the bubble. The top two stacks did not want a deal with five players unless it was proportional to chip count. So, no deal.

Finally, the fourth stack went out after going all in against, and losing to, the big stack. By then, we had played three and half-hours and were tired. Looking at the stacks, the top two were close and I was just a bit ahead of the fourth player.

So we decided on a two tier chop. The top two would chop the combined amount for #1 and #2, and I would chop the #3 and #4 total with the other player. With a bit over $1,000 in the prize pool, my share was $170. Minus my $60 buy-in, I had won $110. After considering the $120 I had previously lost,I was $10 down.

Friday, I was thinking about playing at Mirage again but decided to try out the noon tournie at Imperial Palace. The buy-in is $40 for 3,000 chips. There’s an optional $10 “rebuy” during the first hour which gets you 1,500 chips and then a $10 “add on” at the end of the first hour for 2,000 chips. I figured I could go with just the “add on” and end up with 5,000 chips for just $50.

The poker gods were cruel to me. I went the first three rounds playing no hands other than the blinds and then usually folding after the flop when I was big blind. I’d never seen such junk for 45 straight minutes before. I finally got some cards and won two or three hands in the fourth level. With the add on, I had just about 5,000 chips.

But with the fifth level, we were at some large blinds (300 & 600)so I had to start playing. The poker gods appeared to have been good to me when shortly into the fifth level I looked down at pocket Js.

I raised but was re-raised by the big blind, with everyone else folding. I thought about going all in but with a re-raise I put him on A-K or A-Q. I doubted he’d fold that and I don’t like coin flips.

So I just called to see what the flop brought. It brought a Queen and two rags and he put me all in. Now this player had been brought in from another table after the fourth level to rebalance our table so I had not seen him play much. I had to make a big decision with almost no information about how he played.

He was young and so I began to think he was just pushing with an Ace. If I folded, I wouldn’t even have 10 big blinds left. So I called. He had the Queen and a King. I finished 11th, just out of the final table.

I remember when IP's poker room was on the second floor. They had coffee, pastry in the mornings and finger sandwiches in the afternoon. Room was quiet. Now, the poker "room" is smack in the middle of the slot area. The noon tournie wasn't too noisy because it's not peak slot time.

Until next year....