I have posted reports here in the past. This was my 35th trip to Las Vegas. I have stayed at the MGM my last 4 trips. I almost play exclusively at the MGM. I believe tis is the most profitable place to play 1-2NL.
Flew in from Ottawa on Sunday, January 20th, at 10:30am. I tired the $20 trick while checking in at the MGM. I asked for an upgrade to the West Wing, since the West Wing is very close to the poker room. Anyone who has ever stayed at the MGM will know how long of a trek it is from the regular elevators to the poker room. I receieved 4 nights in the West Wing for an extra $20. I was also pleased that I was able to check in early. My buddy, who was also staying at the MGM had to wait until 1pm to check-in. We tried to get to ESPN to have a bite to eat and watch the Patriots-Chargers, but there were probably 100 people in-line. We went to the Monte Carlo, the Cafe, and then watched the game in their sports book. I took a nap afterwards, and then played a few hours of poker at the MGM. Sunday evening, there were at least 8 tables at the 1-2NL.
My buddy doesn't play much poker. It was his first trip in almost 15 years. A few things have changed! He wanted to play a tournament. I don't care much for tournaments, I play mostly cash games. When my wife and I were here in November, we played in the 10am tournament at the Mandalay Bay every day. We cashed out 3 times. My best result was 3rd. I was hoping to top this result. The entry fee was only $40, and it is limited to 30 players. My buddy was out in 27th or 28th position. I finished second. I was pleased. I received $225. First place was $450. The tournament pays the top 5. This is a "fun" tournament. There are many new players, and the atmosphere is relaxed. I recomment this tournament for anyone looking for a "casual" tournament. Dealers are very friendly also.
I caught up with my buddy, who was making money at Roulette. Retuned to the MGM and played poker later that evening.
Tuesday morning, my buddy wanted to play in the 11am tournament at the MGM. The buy-in is $65. There were 86 players, and he finished fourth. He was quite pleased. The top 7 got paid, and he was severely low on chips when the final table began. He later told me he was happy just to make the final table. He received over $450 for his result.
During the weekdays, there are 2 to 6 tables on-the-go. The max during the week is probably between 8pm and midnight.
I have a difficult time playing poker throughout the night. The games are most lucrative after midnight, but now that I've turned 40, it's tough to pull all-nighters. :)
I began a session at 11pm on Tuesday, and I played until 1pm Wednesday. I usually try to limit my session to a max of 5 hours. I feel that I am not as sharp after 4 or 5 hours of play. The games were very profitable from 11pm to 5am. From 5am to 9am, there were still 2 games going. I made $800 profit during this session. I was up over $1,000, before my KK went all-in and lost to 99. Great session. I will have to try starting my sessions later on in the evening. During the day, there are more locals. The games are typically tougher during the day.
My buddy is a big hockey fan, so we spent quite a bit of time watching hockey games. My Ottawa Senators went 1-2 while we were there; we still had a great time!
Played a total of 35 hours at the MGM and made over $1,500. Very very pleased with the results. I will probably be returning for a weekend trip in April. I will be returning to the MGM. Surprised?