Arrived in Vegas at 11:30 pm from Atlanta, GA. Had purchased a Spirit Air Red-Light special flight for $44 outbound, $88 return 10 days ago. Since my flight was so cheap, I decided to pay the $50 for an upgrade to the "Big Seats" (first class) in the front. This little splurge set the tone for the rest of my b@lls-to-the-walls poker adventure...

Since my room at the Casino Royale wasn't going to be ready until Wed afternoon, I went straight to the Venetian to start my first all nighter session.

Decided to start my trip off at the $1/2 NL table to get my feet wet. I buy in for the max of $300. After getting too frisky in the first few hours, I dwindle my stack down to $44 when this hand comes up: I limped in with 22 on the button. SB makes it $4 to go and gets 4 callers. I decide I need to make my move since I had been card dead for hours. I re-raise all in for $42 more, SB calls and everyone else folds. She flips up QQ and I think I'm dead in the water. Someone tells me they folded a 2, but on the Turn I spike the miracle one-outer 2 and take down the pot. I'm back in the game!

Next memorable hand: Everyone limps in and I have Q5o. Flop of 8,9,10. EP makes small bet, I call with my gut shot straight. Jack on Turn gives me the Qhigh straight. EP bets out $15, call, call, I raise to $30, I get two people who call. River is a Q, counterfeiting my straight. Checks around to me so I decide to go all in for $100 trying to represent the K high straight. Last to act goes in the tank for several minutes. He finally folds and I take down the pot. I flip up my cards and say I was playing the board. :)

I go on a heater after this win and run my $44 short stack all the way back up to $517 when I finally cash out at 12 noon the next day. There was still several more hours before my room would be ready so I head for lunch at Noodle Asia across from the poker room (it is fantastic by the way).

After trying to sleep from 2:30 pm until 5:30 pm, without much success, I decide to shower and return to the Venetian for my 2nd session. I arrive at 6:30 pm on Wed night. I sit down once again at a $1/2 NL table.

I look down at 88 in LP. EP raises preflop to $15. MP calls, I reraise to $40 straight to see where I am. Both players call my re-raise. Flop is a sweet K,blank,8 with 2 clubs. It checks around to me and I fire out $100 because I don't want the club flush draw to chase. EP calls, MP folds. Turn is a blank. I go all in, EP calls. I drag a nice size pot to double up.

I look down at KK in LP. MP raises to $15, I re-raise to $30. SB and MP calls. Flop is 6,6,Q. Checks around to me and I bet $100. SB calls, MP folds. Turn is the Q. I bet $100, MP calls. River is a blank and I go all-in. He calls with A-6o and stacks me off for ~$500.

I look down at pocket 4's in MP. SB raises pre-flop to $12, BB calls, I call. Flop is A,2,4. SB bets $15, call, I raise to $60. Both players call. Turn is the 5. I go all in and get one caller. I'm scared of the straight at this point when the miracle 5 hits the River giving me the boat. I double my stack.

There was a French donkey at our table all night who was hitting runner-runners all night to suck out on people...everyone at the table was out to get him. I look down at 7,5o and decide to play it since it is my birthday year. Everyone limps in and I get to see the flop for $2. Flop comes a beautiful 7,7,b. French donkey bets out $20 in SB position. I smooth call. Turn is a blank. He bets out $20. I smooth call again, but am starting to wonder if he has a higher kicker with a 7. River is a miracle 5 giving me the boat. Donkey bets out $60. I raise to $180. After a few minutes, he calls. He shows QQ and I happily drag the pot with my 7,5o. What an idiot for limping in early position with QQ!! Definitely came back to bite him in the a$$! :)

My 3rd session starts at 6:30 pm at the $2/5 NL table. I decide I've had enough of $1/2 with all the River chasers. I buy in for the max so I'm not feeling vulnerable against the big stacks.

I look down at pocket 10's on the button. A few limpers in the pot and I pop it to $25. I get one caller. Flop is 9,10,J. Not the prettiest of flops for me since the made straight is a strong possibility. My opponent checks, I check. Turn is the 7. He checks, I bet out $20. He raises to $95 straight. At this point I put him on the straight, but decide to call him anyway. The river comes the miracle 10, but because I was so sleep deprived and sitting in the #2 seat, I didn't even see it. He checks and then I check, not knowing I had the monster quad 10's!! I almost muck my hand thinking for sure he had the straight but I just throw my cards face up and say "you got me"...the entire table lets out a roar and says "you have quads!!" I do a double take and the whole table is laughing at the almost disastrous muck....This hand was played against a local gentleman who I had been chatting with all night. Because we had been having friendly table talk all night, I didn't feel at all bad the hand turned out the way it did....

I love Vernon the dealer at the Venetian. He sits down for the beginning of his rotation, when I toke him $1 and say, "Hi Vernon, I've been card dead for hours...help a girl out!" He flashes his fantastic pearly white smile and deals the first hand. I look down at KK on the button and do a little dance in my head. Ask and ye shall receive!!!

I raise it on the button to $25. One caller. Flop is Qs4s,b. Caller checks, I bet $75. He raises to $150 trying to bully me out. I go all in and he folds. Don't mess with the turtle!! (my card protector) I toke Vernon a red bird for finally pulling me out of my slump.

My last session at Venetian, I had been card dead for hours, when I finally look down at QQ. I drag a $700 pot. Next hand, I am dealt QQ again, but this time I lose $500! Next hand I am dealt KK and couldn't believe my eyes. Overbet the flop when I flop a set (two flush cards out there) and only drag $100 pot. The very next hand I get JJ and had to lay it down when an Ace hits the flop. Couldn't believe my consecutive run of QQ, QQ, KK, JJ. A few hands later I got the rockets!!

Overall, I continue to love the Venetian as my all-time favorite room. The tableside food service is great. (I had a little bit of everything during my 3 day bender) I treated myself to two tableside massages (well worth the $2/minute)

I met some amazingly interesting characters. Just a quick shout-out: Dwayne J. "Jake" from Nebraska: it was a pleasure talking to you and learning all about diabetes, castrated steer, and the fact that you are a bigger degenerate poker addict than I am :) ...the young guy with the most perfect teeth I've ever seen from MN who moved to LV a few months ago to play poker and has been playing in some serious high stakes ($30K pot type stakes!), NYC Scott P. who bought me shrimp cocktail and made the table incredibly fun and wild..let me know next time you're out there for poker!!....Michigan Jacob who felted me for $1200 with his trip Q's with A-kicker over my trip Q's with K kicker, but I still thought he was a loveable guy; Shawn the female DJ at Tao, the Boston Redsox fan who drank White Russians next to me and drinks half a gallon of milk each day: hope you won some big money at that table after I left!; Tibetan Young who offered me a ride to the airport but then later felted me for a $1600 pot with his K-high flush vs. my J-high flush.

I even saw my pro-poker crush, Antonio Esfandiari on my last night....I wanted to chase him down with my digital camera but he walked out of the poker room before I could get to him....that would have really made my trip!!

I love all the dealers there too, except for Angela who was the worst dealer I've ever had and was grouchy as all get-out.....special thanks to Lisa, Nat, Joshua, Vernon...I will definitely be back soon to my favorite place in the entire world to play poker!!!

Random trip report statistics:
# hrs in Vegas: 72
# hrs of sleep: 7.5
# Pellegrinos consumed at tables: at least 80
# of trips to the bathroom: at least 120+
# minutes spent outside: 12 minutes (walk from Casino Royale to Venetian)
# meals ordered to the table: all except 2 (which I ate right outside the poker room at Noodle Asia and Grand Luxe Cafe)
# minutes of tableside massages: 55
# pounds I lost during my trip: 5
# women players at the table with me at one time:3
Biggest diamond I saw at table: 3+ carat in a ring worn by guy in a yellow button up..he moved to the 5/10 NL table shortly after passing some time at the $2/5 table....

I absolutely love Vegas and can't wait to get back!!