I was in Vegas from the 23rd through the 27th, playing cash games at Venetian, Aria, and MGM. There for work. I read all the trip reports here, and enjoy them, so I thought I'd add one of my own.

Monday, 24th...Venetian.

Spent almost all day at the Venetian. First 8 hours, I lost about $700, mainly getting nailed on second best hands, and calling too much. Realized I needed to adjust my game from playing primarily online ($0.50/$1.00 full ring cash on Pokerstars), as the $1/$2 live was completely different, and players made so many mistakes (like betting the river with a pair out of position), that I had to adjust accordingly.

After 8 hours of losing poker, I finally catch a heater...and basically breakeven in 2 hands. First hand, I'm sitting with about $250 behind, and in the cutoff. UTG raises to $15, and MP re-raises to $30. Loved the basic min-3 betting here, so when I see KK, I re-pop it to $100 straight. UTG calls (which I don't like), and that puts the other player all in (with some left over. UTG has about $150 behind so we are roughly even. Flop comes Q-8-8, no flush draws, and I bet $50 to see where I'm at. He flats me, and now I nearly puke in my mouth thinking he might have QQ. Turn is a brick, goes check check. River another brick, and he pushes about $100 into the pot. After a minute or so, I make the crying call in disgust, and he peels off JJ. Not quite sure if he thought he could bluff QQ there, but he tried, and it very nearly worked, but I had so much invested, couldn't fold. All-in MP turns over AQ, and a $650 pot ships my way. That helps.

A few hands later, I'm in the BB with A7cc, and it folds around to the cutoff, who flats, and the SB completes. I check. The flop comes all clubs, so I flop the nuts. SB checks, I obviously check, cutoff bets $10. SB raises to $40. Since I had the Ac, I put him on a low set (cards were all fairly low), and I re-raise to $100 straight. Cutoff folds, SB insta-pushes about $350 more into the pot. I have him covered, and I make the incredulous call, and he tables J5cc for a lower flopped flush. Turn provides some drama, as it puts a str8 flush posibility on the table for him, but the brick on the river ends the hand, and I get a roughly $400 win. Guy was a nice guy, who I played with later in the trip, and he admitted to overplaying the flop a bit. If he calls my re-raise, he gets away from the hand on the turn with 4 clubs on board, but so it goes. I lose a few bigger hands later (it was nearing 4AM), and walk away with about $500. After a disastrous hour of blackjack the night before, I'm down about a grand for the trip so far.

Tuesday...25th. Aria

Played at the Aria at a newly opened table. Great room, and the action was horrific. I notice the guy next to me raising every hand, and he's not looking at his cards, so I re-raise with any two, and eventually felt him. On his bust-out hand, I had A6cc, and he had raised preflop, and I immediately raise enough (about $70 at this point) to put him all in. SB calls, however, which really mucks my plans up. Flop comes Q high, one club. I bet $25, SB check calls, and now I'm ready to shut it down. Turn is another club. Goes check check. River is the third club, and he checks, and I bet $50. He calls, and tables KK for a horribly misplayed hand preflop and on the flop, but so it goes. I got "lucky."

I played for 4 hours or so, and just steadily chipped up...making only one bad river call, even calling the guy's hand before making the call, but paying him off anyhow. So it goes. I eventually get up to about $800 ($300 buy-in) without any truly remarkable hands (just had a ton of loose passive folks playing, which was highly profitable), until I was about to leave, and I get dealt QTss near the button. UTG, a guy who has been playing extremely tightly, but also seemed card dead, raised to $10. I called, another called, and we took a AJs6s flop. UTG checks, I bet $25, other player folds, UTG min-raises to $50. I make an easy call. Turn is the 8c. Now I have a double gutterball, the flush draw, and about 14 outs assuming he has AK-AJ, and 12 outs if he has a set somewhere. This is where it gets tough. He bets the turn out...$100 flat...about $130 in the pot. He's got another $130 behind or so. I tank...figure I"m getting 2.2 to 1 to call, and probably more like 3.3 to 1 with implied odds. I put him on AK now, and I think he's vastly overplaying it. With the K making a straight for me, I figured I'd get his stack if that were to hit, and my hand would be nicely disguised as well. So after some thought I make the call. Probably should have just put him all in at that point, but so it goes. The beautiful Ks hits the river, and he insta-pushes all in. I call, he tables AK, and I rake a nice $350 pot for myself. That was the best hand of the trip...the adrenaline was pumping, and it's fun to actually hit the hands occasionally.

With the $800 win, I'm now down about $200 for the trip. Play some inconsequential poker at the P-Ho later in the evening...and the play was just incredibly awful. Played with the famous Marco(?)...who was dressed in a pinstripe suit. Nice guy, but also a nice donator.

Wednesday/Thursday MGM.

Didn't get much going beyond one hand early Wednesday night. Playing at a typically loose passive table, and I get KQ. After watching 4 limpers ahead of me preflop, I bump it to $10. SB calls, and one other limper (a nice girl who played nearly every pot) called as well. Flop came K86, two spades. Checks to me, and I bet $25. SB calls, girl calls. Ruh-roh. Turn card is another K. Goes check check again, and I ask, "am I betting into a slaughter here?" and bet $50. SB min-raises to $100, and worse still, the girl flat calls. I'm basically done with the hand at this point, but given the pot odds and my trips, I make a call fully intending to check or fold the river to any aggression. River comes like the 2s, meaning a flush just got there. However, the action again checks around to me, and at this point, even though I think I probably have the best hand, there isn't a chance I'm betting that river given that I've seen $1/$2 check raises with the best hand on the river. SB keeps his cards concealed (he probably had like TT, as I think about the hand), and the girl turns over K9. I table my KQ, and win an nearly $300 pot.

That was really the extent of the 4 day trip...literally probably 4-5 key hands. I came home down only $60 total. Not bad.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for all your posts. Have enjoyed reading, and now I'm happy to contribute.

Raven