I arrived in Vegas a little after 12:30 on Tuesday April 14 for my annual Vegas excursion with my friend. We stayed at the Flamingo for three nights and four days thanks to a little compage from Harrah’s.
I grabbed a hotdog at the deli by the MGM Poker room and then sat for a little 3/6. It was probably a little too soon to sit down after the nearly five hour plane ride, after about 90 minutes, I got up with my beautiful $3 profit.
We messed around the south strip for a while before heading to the Flamingo to check in. The first day was already a long one when we decided to play 3/6 at Bally’s. I buy in for 100 and I win a couple of hands before losing a few at a really loose, donk-a-riffic table. I get down close to the felt and rebuy for $50. I then go on a mini heater, building my roll back up to about $110. I decide I’m satisfied with a $40 loss and decide to finish out the orbit. On my last hand, I’m UTG with Ad 3d. I call the three and watch the flop come 4d 5d, blank. I bet out and get called. The turn is a beautiful, sparkly diamond — the Freakin’ 2 of diamonds to be exact. I’ve turned a straight flush. I bet, get raised and I re-raise and get called. The river is a blank and we bet it the same way. At this point, the pot is huge for a 3/6 game and when I able my straight flush, I get the great news — I just won the high hand jackpot for over 700. I tip the dealer $50 and cash out well over 800.
With no financial worries to speak of, the rest of the trip was a breeze. I didn’t even mind going out first the next afternoon in the Stratosphere 4 p.m. tourney. After my QQ lost to a rivered set of jacks (I lost half my stack), I decided to really raise my AA three hands later to $800. I got called by Q-2 suited and lost when the donkey flopped two pair on a board of Q24….Oh well, it wouldn’t be my worst bad beat of the trip.
Later that night I won $275 at Imperial Palace, including several healthy pots to a guy in an Amped racing jacket who claimed to be a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit crew. The fact that this donk was a NASCAR donk made it more satisfying. My favorite hand of the night was being dealt KJ off in the small blind with about six limpers. I limp as well and the player to my left, raises to $12. It folds around to me and I just have a read that this loose, very aggressive player is just trying to pick up the dead money so I make the call. Flop comes A, rag, rag. And I bet out $12. He goes into the tank and mumbles something about me playing my weak Ace for a $12 raise. He shows me 2-3 off-suit and I much and happily take down the pot. This night would be the end of my 1-2 NL winning streak.
The next day, I lost my $200 buy in at the Venetian, mostly because I suck. I was up about 150 when I get j-10 off in late position. I call, the button calls and the blinds call and check respectively. The flop is 10-j-Q rainbow. I bet out 12, button calls, everyone else folds. I don’t put the guy on AK, because he just called pre-flop. But long story short, AK is exactly what he has and I get down to below $150 and instead of getting up, I steam that off in the next hour or so. While on that hand I had no one to blame, next one was an absolute cooler.
Later that night after a spectacular winning craps session, I buy in for 150 at the IP, get up to 225-250 before getting dealt Queens. I raise to 15 and get a call. The flop is low with two hearts. I bet out 35 and get raised to around 75. I mixed up my words and instead of saying I guess I’m going all in, I said, I guess I have to call. It didn’t matter, however, because this donkey was calling. The turn was black and I go all in for my last 100 or so…He thinks for just a minute and says, I know you have me now, but I have to call you….Well, you know what Donk-a-pottamus, you don’t have to call me and you shouldn’t have called. He flips over AK hearts with one card to come and the 8 of hearts hits the river…I was so pissed, but managed to keep my cool, re-bought for $100 and won a couple bucks back before leaving to play more craps — $250 profit. The rest of the night and the next day before my flight left was spent drinking and playing craps before winging my way back to Pittsburgh with a new appreciation for craps and casinos with high hand jackpots.