This is my 7th trip to Vegas (6th as a poker player). I was accompanied by 2 friends Kurt and JF, who are also poker players. This is Kurt’s 2nd trip to Vegas and JF’s 8th. We meet at 10:30 for our 1:00 Allegiant flight from Des Moines to Vegas for 4 nights at Caesars (Wednesday – Sunday). Get the car loaded up and head to the airport, stopping by the always delicious McDonalds on the way. Check in and security went quickly and we were having our customary preflight beer by 11:45. The flight was smooth and on time. Kurt packs a little bit like a girl so we had to wait for his bag once we got to Vegas but it was one of the first to come out. I hoped this was a sign of good fortune for the trip. There was no line at the taxi corral (another good sign?) and we are off to grab some booze and head to Caesars. We had booked a ‘Classic’ room, which I believe is in the Roman tower, but the $20 trick gets us into a 25th floor room in the Augustus tower. I’m not sure how Caesars decided to number their floors because our 25th floor room couldn’t have been more than 10 floors up. The room is very spacious, jacuzzi and TV in the bath room, beds were awesome. We have a couple drinks while unpacking and are finally ready to hit the strip.

It is our custom to start our gambling with some Blackjack Switch at Casino Royale. The past 2 trips this game has bent me over and now the streak is at 3 (down $100). On the way out JF is drawn to a Wheel of Fortune machine and I decide to throw in $20. I burn through that without hitting a single pay line (27 spins). We move on to the Venetian for dinner at the Grand Lux. This place has to be the best value in Vegas. We started with crab cakes followed by the Max Burger (burger with rib meat on top) and it was phenomenal. The service is usually top notch but that was not the case this night. Drinks ran dry on numerous occasions and he gave us the vibe that he couldn’t have cared less about our experience.

It is about 8:30 and it was finally time for some poker. We walked by the poker room at the Venetian and it was packed with a long list for 1/2 so we headed to TI to play 1/3 before the 10 PM tournament. We all get seated at a new game and the action picks up pretty quickly. About 45 minutes in there is 1 limper to me in the hijack and I raise to 15 with Q8 of diamonds. The small blind (pretty loose) is the only non-believer. Flop is a very pretty T97 with 2 diamonds. SB check calls 22. Q on the turn and the SB check calls 35. River is the 2 of diamonds and SB check calls 50. My flush beats his turned nut straight. Nothing else to eventful happens and I cash out +120. The 10 PM started with 3 tables but had 38 total entries. I ran cold and didn’t hit the flop when I played. I won 3 pots, 1 preflop and 2 with c-bets on the flop and busted in 23rd during the 5th level when my AT was called by AK (T on the flop and K on the river). Kurt and JF were still in the tourney so I bought back into the 1/3 game and played until about 1:45. No interesting hands but I cashed out +80. Kurt had a decent showing (about 12th) and JF finished 3rd. We wander back to Caesars and call it a night.

Wednesday results:
Gambling: -120
Poker: +135

Wake up around 9:00 Thursday morning, get cleaned up and head out. Grab a couple $1 Michelobs at Casino Royale and people watch for a while. Then head to the Grand Lux for lunch. The lunch serving of chicken parmesan was big enough to serve 2. Our service was excellent this time around. After lunch we stroll back to Caesars and head to the pool to hang out until about 5:30. The scenery was top notch. This was my 7th trip to Vegas and the first time I spent any time at the pool. I may have a problem.

We get cleaned up and roll to PHo, sign up for the players card and get into the 7 PM tourney. JF lasts 2 hands and heads to Bally’s. I can’t get anything going and bust out in the 4th or 5th level, about 28th of 48. Kurt is out shortly after me and we play cash games at PHo for a while. The table has a good mix of players and my stack yo-yos between -50 and +175. I cash out even after about 3 hours. Kurt and I then use a $25 match play on roulette and both win and then use up the free slot play for signing up or the players card and win a little. We stroll over to Bally’s to find JF. Bally’s was hoping and the action was fast and furious. I win a small pot early on to build my $200 buyin up to about 250 when this hand goes down. EP raises to $10 and is called by 4 people, I have 45 in the SB and call as well. Flop is 954 rainbow. I check, EP bets 35, one caller to me and I make it 125. EP goes all-in and I call (he has me covered). EP shows JJ. Turn is 9 and I don’t boat up on the river. I rebuy for another 200 but realize I am getting tired and playing poorly and cash out -270. On the way back to Caesars I get propositioned by a hooker.

Thursday results:
Gambling: +65
Poker: -350

Sleep till about 9:30 and decide to check out the food court at Caesars for lunch. Get there and realize we can eat at the Grand Lux for about the same price so we head to the Venetian via the Forum shops. Had another excellent meal and then go find a 1/2 game at the Venetian while Kurt and JF head to the Wynn to hang at the pool with another friend who was in town. My table was a little tight. Nothing to interesting happens and I cash out -5 after a couple hours and head back to Caesars to take a nap. Kurt and JF call a few hours later and want to eat at RA at the Fashion Show Mall. I make the long walk for some pretty good sushi. Kurt and JF want to play at Bally’s again but refuse to take a cab. 3 days later we get to the Bally’s. The action was great again. I lost a series of small pots where my draws missed and my top pairs didn’t hold up. Once the stack hit 75 I added another 200 and continued to bleed chips. I finished -210 after about 3 hours. I need to start taking notes on the hands. Kurt and I head to the Flamingo and get seated at the same shorthanded table. I crack aces when my pocket 10’s turn a set for almost $100. After this my stack yo-yos between +150 and -50 before cashing out at +25. It is getting late and Bill’s 5.99 steak and eggs sounded like a good idea. It was a 40 minute wait, so we played 3 card poker for a little while (my first time for this game), +30. The steak was the worst I have ever had and the service wasn’t much better. Not recommended. Call it a night around 4:30.

Friday Results:
Gambling: +30
Poker: -190

I wake up at 8:30 and can’t get back to sleep. I finally get up and go to IP while JF and Kurt get some more z’s. Played about 1.5 hours and won 15. Not a whole lot of action on my table. The other table that they had going seemed to be pretty active, but my table was short handed and I couldn’t move over to the other one. Grabbed a couple of slices of pizza at O’Sheas and went back to Bally’s. Bought in for 300 and wasn’t getting much for cards. I raised to 12 with 68 in the cutoff when it was folded to me and only the BB calls. Flop is K88. I value bet all 3 streets and get paid off by KQ. I win a couple more small pots and build my stack up to 440. I limp with 75 in LP along with 6 others. Flop is 643 rainbow. EP short stack bets 6, a guy in MP who over plays everything raises to 20. I call as EP looks like he wants to shove but he just calls. Turn is J of spades, putting 2 spades on the board. EP checks, MP bets 60 and has about 85 more. I raise enough to put both players all-in, EP folds and MP calls with 63 of spades. River is 2 of spades. I almost get up to leave as I am afraid I might be a little tilty. A few hands latter there is a straddle and I am first to act. I limp with AK clubs with the intention of reraising. MP bets 16, LP goes all-in for 46. I make it 100 straight assuming it will be heads up with LP but MP calls. MP has been making comments about my raises ever since the 86 hand so I don’t think he is giving me credit for a hand. He has been playing very straight forward and calling the 100 screamed AK to me. The flop is 876 with 2 clubs. I think I am free rolling with MP and am pretty sure he will call anything I bet. I push all-in and he snap calls. I tell him I don’t have a made hand. He says I didn’t think so and proudly turns over AQ off suit. Turn and river brick out and I am up to 585. I play a few more orbits and cash out +245.

I head back to the room to take a nap but JF and Kurt are there and we end up shooting the shit for a couple hours. Our friend staying at the Wynn is playing in the WSOP and we were going to go check up on him but eventually decide to eat dinner at RA again. We get seated at the same table as Thursday night and have the same waitress. JF and Kurt want to play the TI 10 PM tourney again so we head there. I opt to play 1/3 until 1:00. The table had a fair amount of action on it except when I had a hand. I took down some smallish pots and cashed out +25. I thought about hitting IP on the way back to Caesars and trying to play all night but I was too tired. Grabbed a sub at Casino Royale and slept for a few hours before getting up at 4:45 to catch a 7:00 flight back home.

Saturday results:
Gambling: N/A
Poker: +285

Trip totals:
Gambling: -25
Poker: -120 (about 25 hours)

Overall I had a great time on my trip. If I had won 1 of the 2 big pots that I lost I would have come home ahead on poker (+400 or +650). I am happy with how I played for the most part. My biggest problem on past trips has been being impatient and I was able to avoid that. I don’t feel that I ran very good, as I wasn’t able to get much action on my big hands, but it wasn’t like I was running really bad and getting coolers all over the place either. Hope you enjoyed the report and I can’t wait to get back to Vegas.