Day 5 January 3, 2012
We travel downtown today to check the Freemont street area. Wind up playing blackjack with my brother and lose about $150. Sit down at a Dueces Wild 5 card stud “table game” at the Fitz and win most of it back. Spent some time with the family and then get back down to Freemont for the light show for the wife, she was pretty disappointed. Get involved in the Golden Nugget $65+ $40 add on/rebuy tourney at 10PM. 18 runners and I finish 8th. No real exciting hands and a really fast structure. We were at 1k/2k within 2 hours and we all had about 10-15k in chips. Pretty much a coin flip. Running very card dead, so I shove with A3s and run into JJ. Jacks hold up and I am out.

-$115

Day 6 January 4, 2012
We left town to go to Hoover during the day. Very cool tour into the Dam. Get back in town in time to go to Phantom of the Opera with the wife. Then onto the Flamingo and get seated right away at a 1/2 table. Good table with a local guy sitting three to my left who I got along with pretty well. In between us was a 20 something girl out of Florida who was freezing in a tank top. They had the room freezing but the dealer said that they had just turned off the heat due to complaints from the players. It was cold while I was there. There was a guy at the other end of the table that was beating up on her as he was playing with cash behind and not chips which made it difficult for her to judge the number of chips he had. I down to about $60 in chips and catch pocket Kings. He shoves post flop with a dry board and I catch a 3rd King on the river for a set. He does not show and mucks. Biggest hand of the night came against the other female at the table. I get Pocket Jacks in late position and Make it $12 to go after a couple of limpers. 4 of us see the flop of 9x9x10x rainbow. I make it $30 and get one caller. She called so was not sure if she had a 9 or not. 7d on the turn and she checks and I make it $60 to go, she calls, uh oh 9x10x ??. Rivers is the 8h. She checks and I check. She says she has a 9 as she shows K9 suited. I show the straight and she is pretty upset. She calls for a table change and moves a few hands later. No real hands after that worth anything and wind up cashing out +$145.

+145

Day 7 January 5, 2012
Start the day at Gold and Silver Pawn. Pretty cool shop and did not have to stand in line to see it. Do a little shopping with the wife as we are leaving the next day. Stop at Circus Circus for a chip for my collection and buy my wife, her sister and mom tickets for Thunder down Under at Half price tickets. Talk to a guy there that said he used to play on the east coast at Atlantic City a lot. Talked about the different rooms and told him I was going to try Aria today/tonight said it was a different game than anywhere else in town. Hmmm did not deter me but it was interesting view. Wind up at Excalibur with the wife so she can get her seat tickets and sit down at the 1/2 game there. Play awhile and recognize a guy from the tourney at the Nugget. He said he busted out about the 6th as well. Fun table and wind up stacking a guy when he catches A10 on a 10x10xJx flop. I have AJ and the turn is a jack He makes his full house and checks to me after starting for his stack. I say “all-in” and he beats me into the pot. He is crushed when he realizes that he is behind. Kind of felt bad for him as he was a nice kid from Japan. Turn around and see the relief dealer getting ready to come to our table… it is the lady that I caught the rivered straight on at the Flamingo. No doubt in mind that she recognized me and no doubt in mind that she is a true professional and it never came up. Two of the locals really liked her and one went and bought her lunch. They both said that she was a great person. Played awhile longer with no real cards or hands. Leave up +$100 after tipping the cashier.

+$100

Get in a second session of the day, as the girls go to their show. Went to Aria and were 14 on the list. Asked how long the desk thought the wait would be and he said 15-20 minutes. Wait 20 and they move 3 players, no Aria for me. Over to the Bellagio and I am second on the list and seated within 10 minutes. Nice room and staff. I played pretty poorly. Let a German guy get in my head a little after he stacked me with 68o versus my AQ. But recover nicely and actually thought that I was going to duck a losing session until I double up an Asian kid that had no poker face and I KNEW he had a 9 on a 9x9x7x flop and a 7x on the turn. I had A7 and shoved knew it was wrong before I did it and did it anyway. Nice local sitting on my right bluffs me off a pair of kings with an Ace showing on the board (he shows me the bluff with 10s7s.) My nickname quickly became “Dallas” as a gal from New York sat down with us. One of the best tables all trip even though I posted a loss.

-$115

All in all about 25-30 hours of Poker in a week, with some great people. Spent a lot of money away from the poker tables but had a great time. Poker alone came out ahead by about $480 dollars. Had a lot of fun and I am already ready to go back. Playing the WSOP circuit satellites later this month at Choctaw and hopefully will make into the final event, and then who knows!