Just a warning…..long trip report ahead….I left Monday, Nov. 30th, with little sleep the night before, due to excitement. Got into Las Vegas around 3pm local time, arrived at the Excalibur around 3:30ish. Older oriental woman checked me in….tried the $20 trick….no go, but got the bill back…..she said there are no complimentary upgrades….wasn’t exactly nice about it either. That should have been a sign as to how my night was going to go.

Get situated in my room; have to call the front desk because my room safe wouldn’t open. Get that taken care of, and head down to the sports book. $50 each on Saints -2 and over 56.5, each one paying at -110. 2 missed field goals, a failed 4th down conversion late in the third quarter by the Patriots, and I miss the over bet by 2 damn points. The winning bet on the Saints paid $95.45, so I’m down $4 and change on my sports bets for the night. I head to Planet Hollywood to watch the game while playing poker as SocalVegasMike said he would be there. Got seated, saw him but didn’t have an opportunity to say hello before he left. Should have left myself, as there were a minimum of 3 locals at my table and it was rough…..lost 3 $100 buy-ins and was too tired/jet-lagged to realize I was playing poorly. Back to the room to sleep and call it a night.

For the day:
Sports betting -$4
Poker:
Cash game: -$300

Tuesday, Dec. 1st:

Woke up, hit Krispy Kreme in the excal and used the free wi-fi while there….I love free wi-fi!! Went back to the room, tried to plan out my day somewhat…..First time in Vegas, so I have to get in some tourist time in addition to poker time. Head to the Excal poker room, get my name on the list, and throw $20 in a deal or no deal quarter slot…up $10, cash out, and see they are seating the 1-2NL game. Sit down, and start 4-handed. Not long after, we slowly gain players, and who do I see?? None other than SocalVegasMike himself!! I get up and introduce myself, and he mentions that LasVegasMike is also on his way….pure coincidence, but I get to meet them both…A highlight of the trip, honestly, as I love this website and enjoy their blogs. We play for awhile….I double my buy-in, lose half, then nearly triple up when my flopped straight holds up against a flush draw. This was an interesting hand, as I limped for $2 in late position with 10-Jo, LVM raised to $12 from the SB I believe, and after 4 callers before me, I felt priced in and called. The flop was Kd-Qd-9c……NUTS!!!....it checked around to me, and I bet, hoping to drive out any flush draws…..2 callers, turn was 3s, I push all in, get called by both, and the river blanks and I have the nuts…..1 of the callers showed Ad-10d for both the nut flush and Royal draw, although I had the Jd, negating his royal draw. Shortly after that another hand came up that I will post in the strategy forum. I left a little later, up $220 for the session. After lunch at the all-day buffet, I spend the afternoon doing touristy stuff, taking pictures on the strip, visiting M&M world and Coke World, and drinking some frozen Margaritas….Coke World is incredible, although as an employee of Coca-Cola back home, I think I have a different view than an average person. I head back to the room to relax before heading out for the evening.

I head out to Bally’s around 8:30pm, stopping often along the way to get pictures of the strip at night….stop briefly across the street from the Bellagio as the fountain show is going on….it was incredible….would be a great place to take a date/spouse. Arrived at Bally’s around 9:15, get on the list for 1/2NLHE, 2 ahead of me. New table starts roughly 20 minutes later, but someone from a current table wants to go to the new one, and I sit down at his spot. I run through my first $200 buy in, nothing spectacular, culminating with this hand: New guy sits down and straddles his first hand. I’m down to just under $100 and V, the UTG straddler, has me covered. Folds around to me in the SB, and I find pocket jacks, and raise to $16. BB folds, V puts me all in…..I call, V has A-Q, spikes an Ace, and I re-buy for another $200. I get pocket Aces for the first time all trip, and they hold, and around 1 am I leave with $250 of my total $400, down $150 for the night. I like Bally’s, competition wasn’t too rough, just few hands to play, and a lot of people chasing their draws regardless of the price they were paying. Also, when I got there, the total rewards desk was closed, and the system was down so they couldn’t get me a card….not a major issue for me, but worth noting.

For the day:
Sports betting: 0
Poker:
Cash game: +$70

For the trip:
Sports betting:-$4
Poker:
cash game:-$230

Wednesday, Dec. 2nd, I woke up and headed down to Treasure Island for the Headhunters tournament. I signed up, and we started with a whopping 7 people. The prize pool was $350 winner take all. I was able to pick up some chips with some bluffing and a decent amount of good hands, and at the first break we had 4 people left, and I had gotten 1 bounty. After a short time, I managed to get a pocket pair(8’s, 9’s, something like that) to hold against 2 overs and secured a 2nd bounty. At this point I was way ahead of the other 2 players in chips….I asked if they wanted to keep playing, or chop 3 ways to guarantee money for us all. I suggested $100 each to the other 2 players and $150 due to my chip lead, and we would keep our own bounties. They both agreed, and after I tipped the dealers $25, I left with $275….up $150 for the tournament. I headed back to my room, stopping at O’sheas to look around(never did see a leprechaun!!). After that, I walked into Bills, and saw our very own TBC sitting at a table. I waited, sat down with $20, lost it a short time later, bought in for another $20, pushed all in over Tony’s raise with AhJh, and he called with pocket 9’s and won. I left there down $40, but with the experience of playing at a table with TBC that you just can’t put a price on. I headed back to my room to rest up and get ready to play some 1-2NL at the Excalibur. I buy in for $100, run it to almost $300, suffer a few suck-outs, am down to just over $100, and get pocket Queens. I raise to $12, and get 2 callers. The flop comes 8c-6c-3s. I bet $25, both opponents call. Turn is 9s, and I shove. Both call, 1 having pocket 3’s, the other with 8-9o, and I leave. I notice my right eye is hurting a bit, and while it was slightly red this am, I thought maybe it was scratched and used some eyedrops to help. Now it is extremely red…..hope I don’t have pinkeye!! No way of knowing really, but I can’t play poker well in this condition and call it a night.

For the day:
Sports betting: 0
Poker:
Cash games: -$140
Tournament: +150

For the trip:
Sports betting: -$4
Poker:
Cash games: $-370
Tournament: $+150

Thursday morning…..Look up webmd on the laptop and realize I have all of the symptoms of pinkeye, including a sensitivity to bright lights….not a good thing while in a casino. Decide to cancel all poker-related ideas for the day, as I can’t focus well…..walk around the fairway at the Excalibur and play a few carnival games, then back to the room…..down to eat awhile later, and then decide to put $20 in a slot machine trying to win a harley chopper…5 spins later I’m at $70 and go to the deal or no deal machine. I manage to grind my $20 up to $30 and leave for the wheel of fortune machine behind me. A few spins later I get a wheel spin and win 250 credits(on a quarter machine). This $20 turned into $92, I take my winnings to play the roulette table. When I arrive, the number 26 has just hit. 3 people at the table are piling on in case it hits again and I add $3 to it, as well as betting black and the 2nd and 3rd 12’s. Sure enough, 26 hits again, and it hits again 5 spins later….3 times in 7 spins!!! I am at the table for 6 spins, starting and ending with 26, as well as hitting 2 other numbers in between, and I leave with $410 off of the initial $20 slot investment as well as an extra $10 I added at the start of the roulette table. Not a bad day. I put $100 on the Bills moneyline, but the Jets hang on for the win.
All in all, not a bad trip, but I missed out on playing at the MGM due to the pinkeye. Guess I have to come back to Vegas now, so I can play there….lol

For the trip:
Sports betting: -$104
Poker:
Cash games -$370
Tournament: +$150
Casino play: +$300 (roughly)

After paying cash for my room, as well as all expenses(souvenirs and food) on Wednesday and Thursday, I am leaving Las Vegas with $1900 of the original $2500 I took with me…not bad for my first trip, hopefully there will be future trips to follow!!!