We check into the TI about 3 o clock and my wife decides to take a nap so I go and hit the poker room. TI is a small room but a good atmosphere and timely cocktail service. I sit down at the 1-2 table and get dealt pocket aces on my third hand and raise it to 12 dollars. Toolbag puts me all in preflop and I take 100 from him immediately. Probably 5 hands later I have pocket 9s and the flop comes Q, Nine, rag. Same toolbag immediately puts me all in again. I call and he flips his pocket aces and stares me down before I flip to show my set and he mutters "unbelievable" as I take another 100 from him. Grind out for about another hour and I'm up 275 for the day.

Wake up early the next morning and go to the Venetian and the only game going is the 2-5 no limit. Only bought in for 200 and it was clear right away that I had no business being in the game against their 1000 dollar stacks. Luck up on one hand with pocket kings and take a 60 dollar pot. Head over to the 1-2 game when it starts and end up about 40 bucks in the black.

Went to the Mirage about 10 that night and really enjoyed the atmosphere there. Very first hand I played there was once again pocket Aces. Austrailian across the table is betting into me big time and I'm just calling not sure what he's up to. Lo and behold he makes a set of tens on the river and I'm down 100 right away. I end up taking the agressive guy to the right of me for a couple of big pots with pocket queens to get back to even and call it a night.

Wednesday was pretty uneventful. Played a couple of short sessions and lost 40 and 50 bucks respectively.

Thursday morning I get up early to get in the 9 oclock tourney at OShea's. Register and go to Imperial Palace to play some 1-2 while waiting. Here's the one bad beat I delivered for the week. I saw people chasing straights and flushes and taking down crazy pots all week so I decide to give it a try. I get dealy AK and raise to 6 bucks. One other guy across the table calls and the flop comes all diamond rags. I look down to reveal that I have the Ace of diamonds. I check and he bets first to 15 and I call. Flop comes off suit rags, I check and he bets 50. I figure I'm chasing it down all the way so I call. River comes King of diamonds and I check. He puts me all in for about 120 more and I call. He gets irate that I called the 50 dollar bet on the turn but I told him that I made a commitment to chase this one down.

Finished 3rd of 13 in the OShea's tourney and didn't get squat.

My wife had a stomach virus this whole day so I went back to the Mirage and took on about a 5 hour session. This is when things get bad. Nice easy table for about an hour until a middle eastern fella sat down and started raising everthing up to 15 preflop on every hand and the 1-2 table. Then Brady, a sports agent with tons of money to blow, sits down and the fireworks start with these two. There pots were averaging about 200-300 a piece as they passed money back and forth to each other. Finally I get pocket Jacks and call the 20 pre flop raise. Middle Eastern dude is low stacked at this point so he goes all in after the rag flop for about 80 bucks. I call and Brady calls. We check the turn when a heart comes and then the river comes another heart. Brady puts me all in and I'm sure that I'm beat so I fold. He flips to reveal a flush, but middle eastern dude hit a boat with his 9,2 offsuit.
I reload with another 100 since I was down to about 40 at that point. Very next hand I get pocket Jacks again. Never had that happen before. Raise to 12 and its just me and Brady at the flop. Flop comes J,9,rag and he raises to 50. I go all in and he calls and now I'm about back to where I started.

Here's the one hand I will always remember. I have KJ and the preflop raise is 15 so I call. Flop come K,9,6 with two clubs. Middle eastern dude raises to 30 and I call. Everyone else folds and then the turn comes Ten of diamonds. I raise to 30 and middle eastern dude raises to 130. He's been playing crazy so I call. River comes 4 of clubs. Middle Eastern dude goes all in. I started the hand with 340 bucks and already had about 175 in the pot. I'd been hitting the rum and cokes for quite some time and was just buzzed enough that I about pulled the trigger and called. Now looking back at it I should have absolutely called since I was already that committed and I was up about the much money already but I thought the flush beat me for sure so I folded. He shows 7,8 of spades and I begin kicking myself for the next 24 hours.

Later that night I hit the TI room again before bed. Get pocket aces again and take down a 100 dollar pot with Aces full of jacks. Piss that 100 dollars away and am back to 200 on the table when I get AA again. Raise to 12, guy next to me calls and on other guy raises to 40. I call and so does the guy next to me. Flop comes Q,T,J. I'm first to act and I don't want anyone chasing and since the pot is already over 120, I go all in. The guy next to me immediately calls and I feel sick. The other guy folded and the guy next to me flips and reveals A,K. No help for me and I'm down 200 bucks.

In between were some small ups and downs, but I finished the entire trip up about 20 bucks. Far cry from the 800 or so I woulda been up if I made the call at the Mirage. First time ever playing in casinos and I gained a lot of confidence and experience and can't wait to get back and do it again.