A great trip. From Sept. 21st to Sept. 27th. Stayed at Excalibur but thats another story. Just a few basics. I was playing 1/2 No Limit Holdem. My starting stack for play is generally $200. I'm a decent player looking to get better.
The rooms I played were Excalibur, MGM, Mirage, Venitian, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, Orleans, Luxor, Bellagio. Im going to start with the toughest rooms.

Mirage: Ahhh the Mirage. Its a great room. The decor is good. My table was a tough one. There was lots of straddling and raising. Players putting each other to tough decisions. Most pots were a decent size. I lost two big pots which had me down to $75. Took some time but I worked my way back to $175. For this room patience was the key. Cashed out with my $175. At least this time I didnt get felted.

Venitian: This was a very tough room. Everything about this room was great. Staff was'nt super friendly but were very professional. I initally didnt want to play here. I read and heard that this was a tough room. My friend insisted so I said "what the hell. ya only live once" and sat down to play. Two local grinders joined our table from another table. They both got on the table with at least $600 to $700 each. So with my nerves frazzled I decided to play ultra tight. The aggression here was high. A lot of srtaddling and raising. The big stacks at the table were bullying. I took down a few decent pots that had me up a decent amount. Got caught on a few and was down to about $150. Hung around for a while and made it back to $200. There were a lot of big pots ( $250 and better on a 1/2 table )from the big stacks. I played for a few hours then cashed out with $225. A little profit but I will take it. A tough room but I will definately play here again.

Bellagio: Beautiful room. Staff was decent. Game was tough. I actually passed on playing here but my friend did play. He isnt the best with words but he said it was a rough game. He got felted.
Thats it for the tough rooms.

Planet Hollywood: What a disappointment. What was a decent room has become a poker area. The room is occupied by high stakes slots. Whatever. I have a bad history with PH. I lost there. Was still new to poker back then. Looking for a little payback. Not this time. I lost my whole stack here. This day was hard. I couldn't hit hand for nothing. Play was loose and aggressive. Nobody seemed to be that good. Maybe running good that day. I think thats what got to me. No matter the hand I couldnt win. So I got frustrated and donked off my stack. Trust me this is a place where you can win. I have vowed to never play there again. Me and my bs. LOL!

MGM Grand: This is a decent room. Staff was really good. The competition here can vary. The first day I played here I did well. The table was full of experienced, competent, friendly, and talkative players. I played a little looser than normal because I felt I could. It wasnt overly aggressive. I doubled my stack within a few hours of play. On the last night of my vacation I played here again. This time was very different. It was an ultra aggressive table. Almost every hand was straddled and raised. Most of the players were loose aggressive and proud of it. I kept getting raised off of pots. I lost my stack holding pocket aces. Lost to a guy who chased down a straight. I was firing heavy but he wouldnt go away. It happens right? Overall its a good place to play with decent competition.

Excalibur/Luxor: Not much on decor but decent enough. The Excalibur is a place for new players to grind it out. Competition was kinda soft. Be careful though. Local grinders find their way here to pick up easy money. I ran into a few one night. You could do well here if your experienced enough. Cheap, cheap, cheap tourneys here as well. Not much to win but good for experience. As for the Luxor I would say that its a little step up from Excalibur. When you graduate from Excalibur your next step up should be Luxor. Again decent places to play.

Ok. Now for my single best night. Orleans and Mandalay Bay.

Orleans: Off the Strip. I love this place. The Orleans is a locals casino. I work with a woman who used to live in Vegas and she told me about this place. She said its a great place to hang out without the pretentiousness of the strip. If your looking to be wow'd this aint the place for you. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. I got to see all the local/neighborhood characters. It was like being home. The staff as well as the people were friendly. Here is where I got to open up my game and play a little crazy. I was playing and winning with hands like 6 2, 6 10, 10 8, 7 3, 7 2, and so on. There was enough aggression to keep you honest in certain spots but nothing ridiculous. I took a lot of chances and did things I wouldnt do in other rooms. I doubled my stack here. Its a great place to play and learn poker. WILL BE BACK! I love this place. Buffet was good if you get hungry.

Mandalay Bay: This is a good looking room. Not as big as I had imagined. The staff here was fantastic. The hostess who seated me was very friendly. I would go back just for her. Not like that. She was the friendliest person I met there. Anyway, the game at this table was semi aggressive but nothing crazy. There was some straddling but not every hand. A lot of action as well. Explosive emotions coming from several tables. I would say that the players were better than average. My table had about 3 to 4 local grinders. The hand that more than doubled me up was a hand was straddled, raised, reraised, and wound up with a three way all in. Myself and the other two players all hit trips on the flop. I had AA the other guys had 22 and 77. My trip aces held up for a beautiful pot. This was a great night. Two solid wins in one night.
So thats it. My poker experience.
TIPS: Should you be looking for a mental break from poker I would suggest other games. Craps, roullette, slots, blackjack, or whatever. Also give the GUN STORE a try. I shot off a Glock 9 and a Magnum 44. Great experience.
Enjoy Vegas. BE GOOD. Later.