My fiancee and I arrived in Vegas last Sunday for 5 days of poker fun and frolics in Sin City, we had pencilled in deepstacks at Caesars Palace and Binions, our fave deepstack in Vegas at Aria and a lesser game with a new improved structure, the MGM Grand tournament.

Monday arrived and game 1 was in the Caesars Megastack festival day 1! 367 runners all paying $120 buy in with $15000 starting stack, 30 min levels meant lots of play. It’s fair to say we both made terrible starts and were both down to 3000 chips very early on but we both grinded it back and then Yorkie doubled up when her QQ binked a Q v KK and AJ, about 3 hours in I got short again and shoved with 66 only to get looked up by AA, a flop of 677 left me smiling but a river 7 counterfeited me and left me on Yorkie’s rail, suddenly she had 36k at the break and was looking very strong.

Just after the break she picked up KK and the money went in the middle preflop against JJ and AA, aces held to send her to the rail just short of top 100.

Next day it was the Binions Classic Event 2, a $150 buy in deepstack with $12000 chips and 35 min levels, plenty of play and I sat down hoping for a good run, safely folded first hand and then picked up AA second hand, I raised and was re-raised, as it was only second hand I flat called and flop was kind to me A 4 5, he surely can’t be 3 betting with a 2 or 3 but to play safe I led out strong which was called, turn was a blank and again I led out and was called, river was a 2 but again I failed to put him on a 3 so I led out, he re-raised and I paid him off, he showed 33, was hard to believe he 3 bet me with 33 and called on a gutshot draw but it worked, I was left with 1700 chips and a 5 minute sit out to clear my head.

As levels were slow I had enough to grind my way back and managed to get back to the 12k starting stack by level 4, it was hard work and same for Yorkie who was card dead all game. Straight after the break I picked up 22 and called a small raise to see a flop, AK2 10 seconds later I was all in v AK and doubled. Next hand I found 3 3 and yet again set mined on a flop of K 10 3, this was sweet as the 33 caller that cracked my aces 2nd hand shoved and I snap called, the set improved to a house v his flush draw on the river and I sent him to the rail. Alas Yorkie was eliminated after shoving a short stack with KQ and getting no help!

It was awe inspiring playing at Binions, the original home of the WSOP and I made it to the final 2 tables, I was a medium stack and could see I was 5 places from cashing, I was dealt AQ spades and raised attracting 1 caller, a Qxx flop left me confident so I led out but opponent with the chip lead re-raised me, I decided aggression was the key here so 4 bet all in over the top, he tanked for fully 3 minutes before finally making the call with 3 3, I held up to take the chip lead of the table with $105k.

The play in the tournament was very good as we approached the money, 14 paid and we reached 15 players with 3 or 4 short stacks, I was one of them, we went hand for hand as no deal was made to pay 15th, hand to hand lasted for over an hour and I was all in 3 times, once with 32 and another with 93, I got the fold to steal and keep my head above water. The bubble finally burst and I was thrilled to have cashed, I moved my stack nicely upwards and as the final table bubble arrived we went hand for hand again, with 8 BB I found A4 in the Big Blind and the SB raised as usual to steal, I defended with an all in move but he snap called with AA and despite one 4 arriving it wasn’t enough, I bubbled the final table but cashed for $371.

Next day we played the 11am game at MGM Grand, Yorkie cashed in this a year ago and we love the poker room there, we both did very well and with only 40 runners and a top prize of $850 we fancied our chances, Yorkie exited in 15th just as I picked up AA and was 3 bet by a local who seemed to be targeting me, I went all in and he called with A3, it was the end of his tournament and rightly so, I had a very big stack and nitted up to the FT.

It was suggested we do a 10 way chop for $200 each lol, of course we played on and I soon made the top 5 and the cash, eventually 3 handed I raised the short stack with A3 and he shoved, I called, he showed KJ and the flopped looked safe at T47, turn came a Q for the sweat and he rivered the A, my short stack went next hand and I cashed in 3rd place for $443, 2 cashes in 2 days very satisfying.

Our last night involved the 7pm deepstack at Aria, we were on the same table and both found it difficult to build a chip stack, eventually the table broke and we had differing fortunes, Yorkie shoved AJ into KK and missed the bink, I shoved AQ into AK and did bink! I then shoved A4 into AK and binked again! Suddenly I was in the final 15 players and on a very tough table with 2 US players and one GB player all here for the WSOP, it was really good to play with these players as I can honestly say I had the best hour long poker lesson of my life, one of the US pros outplayed me beautifully and left me around 10 big blinds.

Yorkie was playing on the Aria slots and enjoying the free White Russians when she decided to play a max credit bet, she didn’t win and forgot to change the stake back, she played a second spin at max credits and binked a $178 win!

I made the final table and with 7 paid places I was eyeing a 3rd cash in a row on this trip! Alas it was not to be as the British pro I had earlier sucked out on raised to 10k and he attracted 1 caller, I looked down at KK and shoved my 31k stack, original raiser (British pro player) tanked and made what looked like a crying call, other caller folded and I was heads up v A 10, I kind of knew my luck would run out here and it did, he flopped the ace and I was out in 9th, 2 short of the money.

All in all an amazing trip with a profitable poker week and a slap up $350 fillet mignon and lobster, gruelling 10 hour flight and 4 hour drive and we are home, back to reality......