This was a Vegas visit from 05/19 to 05/23. Unlike many of my past trips to Vegas , the wifey was planning to meet on Friday for family events that weekend. This meant I was likely to get only 1.5 days of poker.
My flight from Milwaukee to Vegas was delayed for an hour due to mechanical issues. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out prior to leaving Madison; leaving me sitting in the airport an extra hour. The flight was uneventful and we managed to make up some time and only landed 20 minutes behind schedule.
It was off to the Trump. The plan was to stay @ Trump on Wednesday & Thursday and then move to Encore when the wife arrived on Friday & Saturday. My room was awesome and I took a moment to refresh before heading out.
Day 1
Session #1 ----Mirage $1/$2 NL
After some contemplation about where to play, I elect to head to the Mirage. I’ve not played at the Mirage since one of my very first trips to Vegas over 7 years ago. The Floor states that she has several $1/$2 games with immediate seating. It’s 1AM.
I am seated at a table and it is clear a bulk of the table knows each other. They are all vacationing from Geneva, Switzerland. The dealer has to constantly warn them about switching to French during the hand. There is little compliance with the dealer’s repeated requests. I’m too focused on drinking my next beer to have it bother me.
I get down about $60 early chasing a flush. The Swiss guys are actually decent players. One of the Swiss guys goes crazy after he is busted by an older lady (she and I are the only ones not part of their group). She called an all-in on the Turn of $45 dollars in a $100 Pot. She flopped and turned a flush draw with top pair. IMO, this is a pretty standard call. The River brings her flush and the Swiss guy goes berserk and yelling, “Fish” and derogatory comments in French. He shows that his Set of flopped 6s got cracked. The Lady takes it in stride despite the fact that she didn’t seem very experienced. I work back a little bit and I’m down about $30 when our table breaks as the Swiss guys need to catch their plane.
The Floor offers me a seat in one of the two remaining games. Ask to go to the one with the most money on the table. I am directed to one of the tables near the entrance of the poker room.
Play for the next two hours is pretty uneventful and I’m not shy about ordering Coors Lights as fast as the waitress can bring them. I bounce from being down $80 to up $80.
Fast forward to 6:00AM, short handed and suddenly I decide to overplay/bluff on a series of hands taking me down $290 for the session.
It’s nearly 7AM and I think need to head back to Trump to get some sleep. I wander back upset at myself that I lost so much in the session. Completely unnecessary!

Day 2
I awake at 11:30AM and decide that I’ve had enough sleep for the morning…..I shower up and head to the Grand Lux for lunch. I was extremely impressed with the restaurant (kudos to those on this site that have recommended it). One of my goals for this trip is play at the Aria. I was in Vegas on the opening weekend but didn’t find time to make it to the new casino.

Session #2----Aria $1/$3 NL
I arrive at the Aria and I’m surprised by how far the casino is set back from the Strip. The casino is extremely nice although the “modern chic décor” isn’t really my style. The poker room is extremely nice (especially the chairs) and staff seemed eager to help. I am immediately seated at a $1/$3 game and buy in for the max of $300. The table is very deep only 2 players have less than $200 and the big stack is my immediate right with around $700. Perfect!
It didn’t take long to get involved. On my second hand at the table, I’m dealt J,J UTG. Not knowing how the table is playing, I raise to $12 and receive 5 callers. Not what you want to see with J,J! The flop comes Jh, 3h, 4s. Yahtzee! It checks to me and I fire $50 into the Pot. It folds back to the Big Stack in the BB and he calls. Turn is the 9s. Big stack checks and I bet $100. He flat calls immediately. River is the 7c. Big Stack immediately goes all-in betting over $200……I insta call with my remaining $150. He declares “You win” and refuses to show his cards. I ask, “Are you mucking then?” He then turns over 7h, 5h. I show my trip Yaks and the dealer ships me better than a double up on my second hand. The big stack is a nice guy from New Orleans and we talk for 45 minutes before he has to meet a friend for lunch.
I proceeded to be hit with the deck over the next 1.5 hours. I’m dealt QQ twice, KK, TT, and my ducks boat up on the River. I make those work. I do get my AA snapped (see strategy forum).
After 1.5 hours, I’m up over 5 bills. The table has been wild and loose. I decide a change of scenery is in order and want to book my gain with the variance this table is bound to bring.

I walk over the Planet Hollywood to get in a game. They have just one $1/$2 game running and the deepest stack only has $150. I decide it’s not worth my time and keep walking. This is the third time I’ve been to PH and each time the games have been extremely shallow. Maybe just bad timing? Insight?

I walk down to Bally’s. It’s the first time I’ve played here and even been in the casino. I am immediately seated in a new game they are starting. It takes about 30 minutes to get things up and running. Most buy in for $200.

Session #3 ---Bally’s $1/$2
It clear early in my session that these are some of the worst poker players on the planet. I watch as KK vs. AA vs. QQ get all-in pre-flop after a myriad of raises and re-raises. The woman holding QQ triples up after a Q pops off on the Turn. She called an additional $150 after both other players were all-in before it was her turn to act. One of those players was one of the tightest players I’ve ever seen. Isn’t she paying attention?
I bust a short stack when he plays A,8 like it’s gold and I hit a K with my K,Q. I manage to chip up about $120 in the first hour or so. Nothing eventful.
The spade Royal jackpot hits at another table. I think the guy earned $4k plus. Half an hour later, guess what? Spade Royal hits again. Unfortunately, he only earned the minimum, $250 I think. Unfortunate luck for him.
Maybe this branched out to me, I then get my Top Pair Good Kicker snapped by the same player when he Rivers an ugly two pair nearly 3 hands in a row. He Rivered his J,5 & T,6 & A,4. In all cases, I blasted away on every street and he called not even having top pair. He’s not even good enough to re-raise me on the River when he hits his two pair. All I can do is laugh. I’m now down $100.
I managed to chip back after busting a short stack with my QQ. He mucks without showing.
After a few other hands I’m sitting on a $25 profit. I decide it’s time to move on from Bally’s.

I knew I had significant comp dollars at TI from previous trips. My thought is to go get a comp for the sushi place and play some poker @ TI after dinner. I arrive in the TI poker room to find only the Floor and dealer sitting around. (It’s 6PM on Thursday) I receive my comp ticket and head off to dinner.
Dinner was great although I’m not a sushi expert…in fact I’ve only had it a handful of times.

I head back to the TI poker room. Unfortunately, they don’t have a cash game going and they are prepping for the 7PM tourney. I elect to bolt to the Wynn.

Session #4 Wynn $1/$3 NL
I’m seated in a $1/$3 game after about a 30 minute wait. The table is pretty nitty and the average stack is only a couple of hundred. The guy to immediate right is a “chatty Kathy” and is an expert on everything on the planet. I tend not to engage those types. Worse, he insists on “hollywooding” every hand. Dude, It’s $3…..how hard can the decision be? We play for a couple of hours to this guy’s incessant jabbering and expertise in every aspect of life. He states that I play poker like a cop. I ask how cops play poker. He offers no insight. I state that I am not in law enforcement and leave it at that. Finally, he decides he’s had enough and calls it a night. He played a total of two hands when not in the BB. He never stayed with a hand until showdown. I’m fairly active and stealing often but haven’t been able to catch much of a hand. I’m down about $80 after I flop Top Pair and blast away on all streets to be beaten by the SB who has a slightly better kicker. The big stack is the worst player at the table and he gets up to cash out with about $800.:-(
Shortly thereafter, this hand comes up. A player raises UTG to $15. I’m two spots over and make the call with 7,7. Everyone else folds. Flop is 9h,8s,2c. Villain bets out $20 (A little light for the Pot. My feel is this Flop missed him and he simply has high cards.) I raise to $50. He calls the $30 after a bit of thought. Turn is 5h. He bets $50. I smooth call with the feel that I am still ahead.
River is the 2s. He thinks for a bit and goes all-in for $75. I tank. After I replay the hand in my head, I make the call. He immediately shows Qh,Th for a busted flush draw. I scoop a nice Pot. Many at the table including my opponent congratulate me the hero call.
I play for about another hour and it’s midnight. I’m up exactly $200. I elect to call it a night and head back to the Trump.

The next morning I awake at 10AM. I shower up and head downstairs to eat breakfast @ Trump. Marcus, the bartender, takes great care of me with an excellent breakfast and a couple of Bloody Marys. I check out of the Trump and head to the Encore. After checking in, I decide that I don’t have enough time to get in a short session so I walk over to the Wynn sports book and grab a seat to await the wife. She arrives with no problems. We proceed to walk around Vegas and shop. It’s been nearly decade since she’s been to Vegas. She also wanted to see many of the poker rooms where I play.

We visit AquaKnox for a nice dinner. It was below average especially considering the price. We also visit Blush with the VIP passes I obtained (No cover and No waiting). Blush was pretty cool but my wife and I stayed only a short time as she was exhausted with a day of travel. She encouraged me to play another session of poker. No argument here! I walk her up to the room and then head to the Wynn for another session.

Session #5--Wynn $1/$3
I am immediately seated at a $1/$3 game. It’s midnight. Weak Tight! That should be the name of this table. The “don’t go broke with one pair” mantra reigns supreme! I begin my odyssey of Earl Campbell poker. An early hand, I call a raise with 5,4os. Flop is Ah, Qc, Jh. A lady in the SB leads out for $10 into the $40 Pot. It folds the initial raiser. Obviously she’s on a heart draw. I raise to $35 hoping to knock her off it and take it right there. The button thinks and makes a reluctant call. (Weak Ace I think) The SB thinks and also makes the call. Uh oh Shaggy! The Turn is a 3d. The SB checks. I bet $100 immediately. They both fold like a cheap card table. I continue to run over the table for the next hour.
I call a $10 raise from a player to my immediate right with 7s,5s. (He maintains that he normally plays $2/$5 but is rebuilding his bankroll due to his recent wedding. He is probably the worst $2/$5 player have ever seen. He can’t even hang at the $1/$3 game. He’s been steadily losing since my time at the table.) Five others call the raise. Flop is 9s,8s,Qd. SB leads out for $20. It folds to me and I call. Turn is the 6s. Yahtzee! SB checks and I check. River is the Kc. SB bets $40. I raise all-in. SB folds. I flip over my 7s,5s revealing my straight flush. My first one ever in a casino! Unfortunately, the Wynn doesn’t even give you a tee shirt. Shortly after a 1.5 hour session, I cash out up $164.

This was my final session for this trip. All in all I played 15 hours and stuck to my $42/hour average. I was quite disappointed I didn’t do better….especially that first session.

BTW….my wife visited the Encore Spa Saturday morning. She gave it an 11 out of 10. This from a woman whose been to many, many high end spas. Highly recommended for those looking to score points with the Mrs!