Our trip was from Sunday, Sept. 30 to Thursday, Oct. 4.

Sunday:

I had been looking forward to this trip for SO long, and when my alarm went off at 3:30 in the morning I couldn't have been happier. We drove to the airport and by 8:30 we were in the air, 2 and a half hours later, the strip was in view from our window. It looks amazing coming in, but wow, getting huge how much more will there be?

After we checked in to the Excalibur we decided to head over to NYNY as we wanted to ride the roller coaster. It was great, though for $14 apiece didn't seem to be good value. For lunch we went to the Nine Fine Irishmen Pub. Had to wait 15 minutes for a table, and promptly lost $40 and $20 dollars each on BJ... what a surprise, I don't even know why I play it anymore, everytime dealer has 5 or 6 and I double, they turn a 20 or 21! Anyway, at least the lunch was ok, not great, but ok. We then walked around the strip for a while, checking out MGM Grand to see the lions then moving on to the M&M Store and CocaCola store (the woman wanted to, I was dying to play some cards!).

Despite reading many bad reviews on the Excalibur buffet, the woman talked me into trying it as several of her friends and cowokers enjoyed it. What a disappointment. It was horrid, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The food was cold. Even the warm food wasn't prepared well. I can't think of any memorable part that would be a silver lining. Don't go there.

That night I finally got to play some poker, albeit at the Excalibur poker room. The room was ok. The felt was somewhat loose around the shuffle machine, but other than that the tables seemed ok. They had the wood racetrack around the table which I didn't like, but it seemed common as 4 of the 5 rooms I played at had it. What's up with that? Anyway, my session lasted about 2 hours. Bought in for $200 ($1,3 NL) and bled down to about $90 not playing very well. The table was fairly loose and the competition wasn't stiff. I get dealt AA in early position and limp as nearly every hand has been raised preflop. On cue the button pumps it to $20. Folded to me and I know that there's no point raising to $50 or something around there, so I just go all in for my $90. Folded to the button who tanks for a minute or two, then calls. I show my AA and after seeing a flop of QQ10, he shows his 9,9 and I hold up. After that I play some better poker winning a few pots and get my stack to around $250. Last notable hand I'm on the button and limp with QJ. Flop is 9,10,4 no suits. I call a $15 bet along with one other. The turn is some rag and I call a $25 bet on my own. River is an 8, giving me the nuts, he checks, I bet, he folds, I take a decent pot. End the session up $140. And as a pleasant surprise the woman is up $80 on slots (this wouldn't repeat itself).

Monday:

Got in an hour and a half before the woman woke up and I had to go out with her, inconsequential session in which I finished $1 up. We at breakfast at the Sherwood Forest Cafe and it was decent. We then took the Monorail from MGM up to Harrahs. We went to the Secret Garden at the Mirage as I knew taking the girlfriend to see some dolphins would by me some poker time later. Since we were nearby, we went to check out TI, and I went to the poker room there. There was a full NL game going so I couldn't play right away, got on a list but ended up playing 2-4 limit as there were open seats. Limit is lame, I just can't concentrate on it the way I do with NL, anyway, after an hour and a half I was down $52 and when the gf told me she had lost $250 on slots I knew it was time to go for dinner. On the plus side, since I was playing limit I got to get liquored up!

We planned on going to the Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops as we had been to the restaurant before on a previous trip in Hawaii and enjoyed it. It was around 6:30 so were a little worried about having to wait an hour or more for a table, but got in with no wait. It was great! Only problem was there was so much. We bairly even touched the cheesecake at the end. I'd recommend this restaurant. After dinner we walked through Caesar's Palace and the Flamingo before watching the Fountain Show at the Bellagio. It was great, make sure to check it out.

We then played at Bally's, I got right in to a $1,2 NL game. Bought in for $200 and was up about $45 in 10 minutes, nice. Then, on the button i get QJ of hearts and limp. Flop is K,10,9. 10 is hearts. Wow, I just flopped the nuts! Wait, K and 9 are clubs, don't get cute. Someone bets $15, one caller, I raise it up to $60. They both call. Turn is 8 of hearts. Original better bets $60, other caller folds, I go all-in for about $200 and I just bairly have him covered. He calls relatively quickly and I think we must have the same hand. Turn is K of spades. I say I got the nuts unless pairing the board helped you and show my cards. He mucks and disappears into the casino, not saying a word. I now am up about $300. Well I should have left right then and there, but kept playing because I was waiting for the gf to meet me there. Short story, I pissed all the winnings back and when she came back telling me she had lost another $200 I decided my $2 profit from the game was enough and we left.

Back at the Excalibur we watched a free show at the lounge and got liquored up. The woman went to bed but I was now feeling rowdy. Again, I went to the Excalibur poker room, there were two full tables of NL and a wait, so I decided to try the 2-6 spread limit game and get tanked. Both went well. I won $223 and got loaded. Only one hand of major note. Late position raises prefop to 6 and I call (along with 5 others) with KJ. Flop is A,10,7. He bets and I call. Turn is Q. Alright, nuts! He bets I raise, he reraises and I cap it. River is some off suit rag, he bets, and I, being drunk and stupid, call and say I guess we've got the same hand, tabling my KJ. He shows AA and I kick myself. Oh well, still was a pretty big pot for that game.

Tuesday:

We slept in late and went to the pool 'til around 2. No housekeeping had came, but as we left the DND sign on until about 12 I wasn't shocked. We then went to the Stratosphere via the Monorail stopping for some pizza along the way through the MGM. The view up there is really cool. Though now it seems there is so many hotels that many of them block the view of the others. We considered going on the rides, but they actually looked pretty lackluster so we passed on it. After that we took the monorail back down ot Harrahs and went to the Fashion Show Mall. The woman dragged me through some shoppping, but I knew that would happen this trip so I didn't complain. We then did the gondola ride at the Venetian. It is nice, but kind of a rip off. After that I wanted to show her the Wynn cuz I knew she would like it. While there I decided we were gonna go to the buffet there cuz I heard it was amazing. We went and weren't disappointed. It was awesome, all the food was good, and so much selection, the all you can eat crab legs were great! By far the best meal of our trip (no knock on Cheesecake Factory). If you've got a few extra dollars to spend on a meal, go for it! On the way out I won $100 on Let it Ride. Nice.

Back to the Excalibur, and after walking the gf to the room I went down for some poker. Got right into a $1,3 NL game and immediately picked up good cards and started running the table over, 30 minutes in and I'm up a little over $200. Onto my biggest pot of the trip. I have Q,9 of spades on the button and limp. Flop is Q,10,5. 5 is spades. Big blind makes it $15, and with two callers to me, I call. Turn is 8 of spades. What a great card! Big blind bets $30. I raise to $80 hoping to take it now, or if not feel I have tons of outs. But instead he goes all in over the top and it's another $157 for me to make the call. I tank, but feel I have way to many outs to fold. I make the call. River is another 10. I don't feel good about that, but table my Q,9. He looks like he's gonna throw up and shows Q,5, getting counterfeited on the river. He leaves and never returns. I'm up a litte more than $500 for the session now. I stay another couple of hours and leave with a final profit of $522.

Wednesday:

Went to the Royal Treatment Spa in the morning with the gf for a back massage. It was nice, we had hoped it would be the two of us having it done side-by-side as a nice romantic activity, but that was not the case. Either way, another activity I knew would get me more time on the poker table. Walked through the Bellagio and there poker room was the busiest of any I saw during my trip, even at 1 pm in the afternoon.
I played at the 2pm PH tourney as I heard it was one of the better cheap tourneys in town. I was actually I little disappointed in it, I thought it would be better, but by level 4 I realized it was just another all-in after the first hour type tourney. I did ok in it, but on back-to-back hands in level 6 of K,Q vs 10,10 and A,J vs 10,10 I busted out of the final two tables. Met up with the gf back at the Excalibur and donked off $84 on 2-4 limit as NL was full. I need to learn to just not play if it's not NL. I always end up losing on limit.

That night we decided to check out downtown Vegas. Took a cab there it was about $20. I really liked downtown, all the old school Vegas stuff was really cool. I think all the flashing signs look way better and more "Vegasy" then the opulence of many of the new strip casinos. Old school rules! Lost $25 on BJ/Let it Ride at Fitzgeralds. Checked out all the Downtown Casinos and made sure to have a walk through the Binion's Poker room to see all the photos of the WSOP winners. Ate dinner at a Binion's restaurant and it wasn't good. I guess if a steak and lobster is $11.95 I shouldn't expect much, and it wasn't. Golden Nugget was by far the nicest place downtown. We took the cab back and rather than go to bed decided to go to Mandalay Bay. As is tradition I put $20 in a one cent machine in hopes of hitting a miracle, but no luck on that. At least the comp'd drink was strong. As an aside, the cocktail waitresses at Mandalay Bay were the best I saw on the trip. Wow! And not just one or two, seriously, WOW!!! I then went to the poker room and got seated at $1,2 NL right away. Two hands that made me most of my profit. I limp with KJ on the button. Flop is J,8,2 with two clubs, neither of my cards are clubs. Checked to the cutoff who bets $10, I need to make sure not too many stick around, so I bump it to $25. Folded to the better who calls. Turn is a K (not clubs). He bets $35. I raise $100. He tanks, commenting that he thinks I'm on the draw, but eventually folds. Maybe I played this too fast, but I didn't want to see another club and was ok with the win. Not much goes on for a while until about 45 minutes later when I get 6,7 of hearts in late position. I limp preflop. Flop is Q,4,3 two hearts. Checked to me and I bet $10, get one caller. Turn is a non-heart 5. Sweet, nuts! He checks, I bet $25 and he calls. Now I really don't want a heart on the river but guess what, 10 of hearts on the river. He checks, and I decide I must be best, I bet another $25, and he just calls. Now I know I'm good, I table my flush and he mucks. I end the session up $205. Nice. Meanwhile as I was playing the woman has lost another $100 on slots!

Thursday:

Our last half-day in Vegas is pretty uneventful. We check out and go for breakfast at McD's. Then do some souvenir shopping for the family. We check out the Tropicana and consider the Bodies exhibition, but for $25 each I decide it's not worth it. We end up back at the Excalibur needing to kill a couple hours before our flight. I decide to try the Excalibur 1pm tourney, knowing full well that it's a donkament. I bust out in 7th, two off the money, while the gf loses $60 in slots. Damn, we lost $95 together, should have just spent the $50 on the Bodies Exhibit, lol! Had our last meal in Vegas at Dick's Last Resort. Had a fun time there and the food was ok. I'm glad I went though, good laughs! We then get our cab to the airport and are on our way home.

Results:
NL Poker: +$870
Limit Poker: +$87
Tourney Poker: -$95
Table Games: +$35
Slots: -$20
GFs Slots: -$530
GFs Table Games: -$40

Final thoughts:

Vegas is awesome, I wish I could come there more often.

When planning your trip, it really is easier to stay where you want to play. Did I necessarily want to play at the Excalibur... No. But because I was staying there it was easiest, and ultimately where most of my hours at the tables were played.

I should stick to what I do best, NL. Stick to what you do best, no matter what the game, better to play and win!

Downtown Vegas is something not to be missed, make an effort to get there at some point during your trip.

Lastly, some of the advertising is just too much. I know everyone wants our money, but putting an add for Vodka on the Luxor Pyramid takes something away from it. The "Love" advertising on top of the Mirage and the "Toni" on the front of the Flamingo both take away from the buildings. And the "Phantom" on the Venetian's front tall tower just takes away from it. I don't like it at all. All these hotels have there marquees in front of them which should be enough. Lay off the huge adds on the hotels themselves.

Oh, and go to Mandalay Bay, the Cocktail waitresses will be worth it!