JUN 4-6 2006
No delays coming or going on SpiritAir, got in at 9:30pm. The perfect 2 niter would have you getting in mid-afternoon.....next time. No bags to wait for since I got away with a carry-on and quickly out into the desert heat to pick up the Dollar rental. I had just bought a Dodge Caravan back home, and admired the new Dodge Caliber at the dealership, saw them on the Dollar lot and got a chance to drive one for the next two days. Cool little car if anyone is looking.

Made my way to the "Dust" with a quick stop at Strip Liquor and Walgreens, a quick check-in and off to Ellis Isle for the $5 Steak and
$1 Beer. The only rooms left at the Stardust are in the West Tower, they had closed the Villas recently and the East Tower's last patrons were there Saturday Nite. The thing I like most about the Stardust and Riviera is that you can get out on the strip quickly. Once out there you can gets lots of cheap eats/drinks and supplies. Saw the big empty lot that once was the WESTWARD HO, just a big empty space now. Next stop was PARIS, I was hoping to play lots of Hold-em Poker this trip and Paris was a place I yet to play at. It's a nice spot, not a separate room but next to Gustav's Bar. Did not find it too loud or smokey, both huge pluses for me. The players were all nice, this nite Paris seemed to draw a white collar crowd not hung up on themselves. Nice tables, love the Paris/Bally's type chip that is slightly rounded on the edges. Very attractive cocktail waitressess, with sexy but tasteful outfits and GREAT Bloody Mary's! These small things make for a good poker experience. Played for 2.5 hours and cashed out down $22. Good entertainment value. Back to room for a short 3.5 hour sleep.

Monday morning wanted to enter a tournament somewhere I had not played. I chose the Monte Carlo $50 No-Limit event. Really nice separate room, very nice tables and some plasma screens to watch. They had 45 players sign up, only pay the top 4. These tournaments are like slots compared to cash games. You require some luck to get in the money, but with a 1st place prize of over $500 it's worth a shot. I made it down to 2 tables worth of players. There was a definite chip leader at my table then about 3 of us in second place. Got dealt pocket K's made a small raise preflop and got 2 callers. Flop came low rainbow cards and I went all-in, one caller? he had pocket Aces No luck on the turn or river and I was done in 18th. Next stop was the Luxor. I had been through this casino before, even saw the Blue Man Group here, but can't remember spending much time here. I liked the Luxor, with the Stardust closing I think I would give this place a chance. First impressions were good. nice tables, friendly dealers and good drink service. The Luxor has a low buy-in 1-2 No-Limit game that gives you a chance to play without the fear of being bullied by big stacks. Got in on a new table and played for 3 hrs cashing out with half my stack in tact. Went back to hotel had a quick lunch off the Hound-Doggies menu at the Riviera. Picked up a free mug and free beer, both Riviera staples! Layed by the pool for an hour, got cleaned up and after a quick stop at the FRONTIER's SIGMA DERBY I was off to the FAB FOUR show at the Alladin. Show started at 6pm and lasted 75mins. Talented musicians, as they changed Beatles eras they even seemed to try change thier on stage demeanor, from the innocent Beatles of the early sixties to the aloof bunch of the early seventies. The guy who did George I thought was the most accurate. With the early show start we still had lots of time to gamble! I watched the end of the Oilers/Hurricanes game at the pub outside the theatre. I had bet $10 to win on Carolina and $10 they would score more than 6 goals combined, both winning tickets. Made a quick trip to Bellagio for a fountain show or two. Watched some rich guys play black-jack. Never get bored of watching guys bet more than my weekly take home pay on a hand of blackjack! Decided I liked the Luxor's No-Limit game enough that I headed back over for 5 hrs of No-Limit rollercoaster action. Was card dead and just could not get my stack up. At about 2:30-3am I had just about gave in to my lack of sleep and went all-in with A 10 diamonds against A 7 unsuited, pot was about $80. One diamond on the flop, another on the turn and a black 7 on the river busted me. Great fun for 50 bucks!!

Slept from a little after 3 to a little after 8. Tuesday morning had a quick 1/2hr run on the treadmill and lifted a few weights before I lazed poolside for most of the morning. Checked out at noon said goodbye to the DUST and headed to the ORLEANS for the lunch buffet. This was my first time at the Orleans, thought the buffet was a great value at less than 8 bucks. Found the Casino smokier than the Stardust. Very sexy cocktail waitress outfits , but still give the nod to the PALMS outfits . The Orleans had sent me a coupon for 40,000 free points or something like that for joining thier Club Coast. I cashed them in for $12! so lunch was free! After filling my belly I checked out the WORLD POKER TOUR action at MANDALAY BAY. Only notable player left at 1 of the 5 final tables was Hassan Habib. Next stop was the Excalibur, had heard friendly reviews of their poker room which were correct. Sat down at a 2-4 Limit table with 2 big stacks that did not play chip bully. First time in the big blind I was dealt Q-8 unsuited, I hate Q-8. I checked my big blind to a unremarkable flop that included an 8 and one overcard.I bet $2 got three callers, figured at least one of them for the overcard. I hit my set of 8's on the turn, checked to a $4 bet that I obviously called. 2 players left, and an EIGHT comes on the river!!!! I checked to another $4 bet that I just called because I wanted to show my QUAD EIGHTS!!! the pot was not huge but at the EXCALIBUR you get to spin a wheel for every QUAD you get. Spun a $75 slot!!! The dealer joked that the wheel was supposed to land on the one of many $20 spots and that they would have to call maintenace Tipped the dealer $5 and tucked the other $70 away before I lost it, but this was my afternoon and went on to cash out about $65 ahead after 3 hours of fun (add the $70 from the wheel and I made up all previous losses) . The staff at the EXCALIBUR were real nice, the dealers were frustrated because they had lost the Poker room manager and he had yet to be replaced. The poker room was being taken over by the Sport Book and moved next week they said to a spot in the middle of the floor adjacent to it's current spot. The Excaliburs tables were dreadful, I built a table that is nicer than the ones I was playing on there.

I had parked at the Luxor earlier because of the convenience of the parking garage so headed back thinking I could play a little No-Limit before heading to the airport. The Luxor room was hopping. No seats available at the 1-2 No-Limit so I sat at a new 2-4 limit table. Found out that I was seated with all locals who if they play atleast 15hrs a week get entered in a free roll tourney that they just chop the jackpot and come every Tuesday at 7pm to collect their money. This day was $85, they say they get atleast this every week, not bad for playing poker $15hrs a week. At first I was intimidated to be playing at an all locals table, but the cards followed me from the EXCALIBUR and I had another winning session. I had bought in for $40 and cashed out at $66, on Jun 6 2006! SPOOKY

Had one last thing to do before dropping the car off, I needed a yummy IN/OUT cheeseburger and fries! mission accomplished. found my way back to the Dollar lot and was having a preflight beer with 1 hr to spare.

Had a couple with a crying baby in front of me on the Red Eye back to Detroit but slept through most of it. Had a half hour dealy in Detroit while they figured out how to use the skyway thing from the terminal to the plane. No trouble at the border and made it back home in one piece.

Is 2 nites enough? I would say yes if you don't need to sight see. Ideally arriving mid-afternoon and a red-eye home gives you plenty of time to play Poker. I would say my perfect Vegas vacation would be arriving mid-afternoon staying 3 nites and heading home at a reasonable time the next day. The red-eyes are hard on an old guy! I don't know when I'll get back, but will!!! here are my suggestions

EAT AT ELLIS ISLAND IF YOU HAVEN'T
EAT AT IN/OUT BURGER IF YOU HAVEN'T
BECOME A DOLLAR EXPRESS LANE MEMBER
EXCALIBUR/MONTE CARLO/LUXOR /PARIS are all great rooms for the average poker player. they spread affordable games and have great people working for them
2 NITE TRIPS ARE GREAT FOR A POKER PLAYING