I arrived in Las Vegas at 9:30 PM from Tampa. I burned some frequent flyer miles and flew first class on American Airlines. Well worth the extra miles for a long trip. I expected to get my checked bag soon as they had put a priority access tag on it when I checked in. Unfortunately, I still waited till almost half the plane had gotten their bags.

Off to the rental car center to pick up the car I had reserved 2 months ago on Hotwire for ~ $169 total for 8 days. The clerk says they have no cars except a Ford F150 Super Cab pickup truck or a 15 passenger van. I prefer smaller cars as mileage is better and parking is much easier especially in tight Vegas parking garages. I try to negotiate for something else and they tell me they have nothing else available. Eventually I end up with a nice Hyundai Elantra that just got returned.

Off to the Excal to check in. I cruise the strip first to see the new sites. Wow, City Center is huge and blocks the view of Bellagio. I make it back to Excal and they tell me they only have smoking rooms available even though I had reserved a non-smoking newly renovated wide-screen room over 3 months ago. I try to get upgraded to a suite but they have no other rooms available due to a busy President's Day weekend.

I go down to the Excal poker room and buy-in to 1/2 NL for $200. Played for a few hours and cashed out even. No exciting hands. I think I was too tired to play. Went back to the room for some much needed sleep.

I make it through the night and change rooms the next day to a much better room with a nice view. Later that day I realized I had left my leather jacket in the previous room. I called the front desk and security went to the room with me and, luckily, my jacket was still there.

I get a call the next day from the rental car company. It seems they rented me a car they were not authorized to rent and I needed to return this car for something else. I negotiated an upgrade to a Toyota Camry - nice.

Off to Mandalay Bay to check in for the Western Veterinary Conference. Had breakfast/lunch at the Bayside Buffet arriving late to pay breakfast prices for breakfast and lunch items. Always very good food at this buffet.

Decide to play some 1/2 NL at Mandalay Bay buying in for $200. Order a Newcastle and observe the table for a few orbits. I have been playing for about an hour when I pick up JQ in the BB and check my option with 4 other limpers. Flop comes JJ2 and I check. UTG bets $10, others fold, and I call. Turn is an A and I lead out for $20. UTG min raises to $40 and I reraise all in for my remaining $150. UTG snap calls and has me covered. He shows AA for the turned boat and I fail to get quads on the river. Didn't expect to see AA there. Off to the conference for a few hours of CE.

Off to MGM to play some more 1/2 NL. Bought in for $200 and played for a few hours. Didn't play any hands that reached showdown. Had a few Fat Tire's and cashed out $170. I was expecting more donkish action at MGM but it was a pretty boring session.

Back to Excal to visit my room for a few minutes. Played a few more hours of 1/2 NL with a $200 buy-in. Had several Sam Adam's and don't recall how I lost the money. Resolved to drink less at the poker table as I was already down $430 for the day.

Went downtown to the Flame Steakhouse at El Cortez for dinner. I had a 50% off coupon from the LVA book. Had crab cakes for an appetizer, an 8 oz. filet, baked potato, and salad for $25. Overall a very good deal. These were easily the best crab cakes I have ever had, and being from Florida, I have had a lot of crab cakes. The steak was pretty good too.

Decided to check out Aria on the way home and bought in for $200 at the 1/3 NL table. Very attractive and busy poker room, and as it turned out, great action too. This would end up being my poker home for the rest of my trip. This first night at Aria I ran my buy-in up to $1600. Two big donators at the table, a husband and wife, that way overplayed inferior cards. I raised almost any pot they were in to try to isolate them, but the sharks could definitely smell blood in the water and reraised liberally. I still got my share and they each lost over $2000 after multiple rebuys before leaving. No real big hands but I hit a lot of flops in limped pots and always seemed to get the card I needed on the river. I only lost one hand at showdown and that was a king high flush to an ace high flush. I really didn't want to leave, but it was already 3:00 AM (6:00 AM east coast time) and I had to get to the conference in the morning. I cashed out up $1200 for a daily total of + $770. I also harvested a few chips for my collection. I realized a major key to winning, I only had one Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and one Bailey's on the rocks the entire time I was there.

Up bright and early Monday morning for the conference. Although I learned a lot, it seems I learn more at the poker table. Had lunch over at Ellis Island for the $6.95 special - a 10 oz. sirloin steak, french fries, sauteed green beans, salad, and a 24 oz. microbrew. The amber ale was very good. I wasn't expecting much from the meal but was pleasantly surprised. The sirloin steak was better than than the filet I had the night before. I will definitely return here on future trips.

Decided to give the Venetian a try. I have had good success here on previous trips, especially in tournaments. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to dedicate to a tournament this trip. I bought in for $200 at 1/2 NL and ended up losing it all when I check raised all in with my open ended straight flush draw and was called by TPTK. I failed to improve and walked out with my $196 bottle of Fiji water. I did collect a couple of the new Venetian and Palazzo chips for my collection.

I decided to try 1/2 NL at the Stratosphere buying in for $200. I only planned on playing here for a little while to once again collect a couple chips. I raised with Q-10 suited on the button in a limped pot and thinned the field to 1 caller. Flop comes KQJ rainbow and caller checks to me. I bet $15 and he calls. Turn is a 10 and we both check. River is an A completing the straight on the board with no flush possible. He checks and I check behind. I say that I have Q-10 but I am playing the board and he mucks !! The dealer looks surprised as he had already started stacking the chips for the split pot, but pushes the pot to me instead. The rest of the table points out the error to the player and he shrugs it off. I cash out with a small profit of $25 and head back to my new poker home.

I buy in for $200 at 1/3 NL at the Aria. Played for 5 hours and cashed out up $700. I love this room. I even like the parking garage - lots of room between spaces. Big hand of the night I raise to $17 with JJ in late position and get 1 caller. I have $400 behind and I thought I had the caller covered. I did not realize she had a black chip too. Flops comes AJ7. She checks and I lead out for $30 and she calls. Turn is a K and she checks again. I bet $75 and she check raises all in. I think for a while but can't put her on Q-10 and say good hand if you have the straight and call. She shows a flopped set of 777 and I stack her with my flopped JJJ for a roughly $900 pot when the river is a blank. She rebuys for $300 and on the very next hand she runs a flopped set of 888 into someone elses flopped JJJ again. To add insult to injury the turn is the case J for quads. She calls it quits at that point. I play for a few more orbits and call it a night with a daily total of + $525 and a trip total of + $1295. Once again I stayed focused with only one Sierra Nevada and one Bailey's over 5 hours.

Off to the conference on Tuesday morning, not too bright and not very early. I check out the exhibit halls and buy a few new gadgets for my practice. I grab a quick lunch at In-N-Out - double meat animal style and fries well done - mmmmm.

After lunch I buy in to 1/2 NL at Mandalay Bay for $100. I played for 1 hour, had a couple Newcastle's and cashed out up $352. I hesitate to leave but I have a scheduled interview for which I am to be paid $125. I decide to take the sure money and get to the interview on time - easy money.

I had tennis out at Red Rock Country Club scheduled for the evening. I played doubles with a group of 4.5 rated guys. Good competitive tennis and nice people, although I initially had trouble adjusting to the altitude, hard courts, and dry air. I much prefer the clay, courts, heat, and humidity in Florida. We played for a few hours and I won some and lost some and had a good time. The exercise definitely was good after so much time sitting at the poker table.

Off to Red Rock Casino for some more 1/2 NL. I buy in for $100 and quickly forget to avoid alcohol at the table because they have one of my favorites, Gordon Biersch Marzen, on draft. Oh well, sometimes beer is more important than poker. I donk off my buy in but enjoy several good beers. I do recover $22 when my $3 in free slot play hits a jackpot of 2278 credits on a penny slot machine. God if I could only stay off the machines ;-)

I return to the Aria for another try at 1/3 NL. I buy in for my standard $200. I was not getting any big starting hands so I selectively opened my range in position. I call a preflop raise to $15 with 78 in mid position from the guy on my right. Everyone else folds. We each have around $250 behind. Flop comes 789 rainbow. He bets $25 and I call. Turn is a 7. He leads out for $50 and I go all in. He snap calls and shows 10-J for the flopped straight which loses to my turned boat. Life is good. He rebuys for $200 and a few hands later he raises to $15 again. I look down at 78 again and think it would be funny to stack him again with the same hand and call his raise. The flop come 568 and he bets $20. I like my top pair and open ended straight draw and I reraise to $50. He tanks for a while and pushes all in. I tank for a while and call. The turn and river brick out but my flopped pair of 88 holds up against his pocket 77. I am running good. I celebrate with a few Mount Gay rum & cokes.

Big hand of the night I play A4 in the BB. UTG raises $15 preflop and I decide to call as long as at least 3 others call. Three others call so I complete the action and five players see a flop of 257. I check my gutshot and initial raiser bets $35. This time I decide I am priced in if I get at least two other callers and they do. Turn is a 3 - bingo !! I check, initial raiser bets $45 and gets two callers again. I raise to $245. Original raiser tanks and folds. He later told me he folded a set 777. Slow playing top set backfired. I get one caller. River is a 6 and I push all in. Other player does not call off remaining $100 and folds 2 pair. I rake another monster pot and muck my hand. I cash out a few orbits later up + $525. Have I said I really love Aria ??

I decide to go by the Flamingo on the way home to harvest a few chips from their new rack of $1 chips. I buy in for $100 and target a young hoodie sunglass ipod opponent. He raises to $10 preflop from mid position and I reraise with 8-10d on the button. He calls. Flops comes A37 with 2 diamonds. He checks to me and I bet $25 which he calls. Turn is the Ad. I push all in and he tanks, asks what my kicker is and mucks. He says he folded a weak ace. I doubt that, but show him my flush anyway as I am ready to rack up and leave. I play a few more hands and donk some off and cash out up $25. Daily total + $945. Trip total + $2240.

Wednesday is more CE at the conference. I drank lunch at the 1/2 NL table at Mandalay Bay with a $200 buy in. I know better but still lose my buy in. There is a direct correlation between alcohol, impatience, and poor results. I played another short session at Hooter's and lost my $100 buy in.

My wife arrived in town early evening and my poker playing will be somewhat curtailed. I picked her up at the airport and we headed back to the hotel for a while. She bets, I raise, she reraises, and I push all in - then we go to dinner. I think it was a split pot. We had dinner at Lola's Louisiana Kitchen. I highly recommend it if you like that type of food. We had oven roasted oysters for an appetizer, crawfish etoufee, jambalaya, and banana pudding for dessert. I even found 17 pearls in one of the oyster appetizers. Probably not worth anything but pretty cool nonetheless. I also saw a stainless steel Delorean parked in the parking lot with the license - BCKTTFTR - very cool.

My wife was tired after dinner so she went to bed and I went to the Aria. Unfortunately, she must have sapped my mojo and I dropped my $200 buy in rather quickly. It's possible several Mount Gay Rum and cokes were involved too. I left down - $500 for the day. Trip total +1740.

Thursday was the last day of the conference and I attended CE sessions for most of the day. My wife and I had breakfast at South Point buffet - not too bad. We had lunch at Le Burger Brasserie between Paris and Bally's - great burgers and onion rings. I donked off $100 at Bally's while she waited. I don't see how anyone can concentrate on poker if they know someone is waiting for them. After lunch we returned to the hotel and then walked the strip from Excal to the Venetian and back. We saw the lions at MGM, had some 99 cent Newcastle's at Bill's, saw the Sirens at TI, saw the volcano at Mirage, and saw the fountains at Bellagio. Overall, a very nice but long walk.

I played a late 1/2 NL session at Mandalay Bay after my wife went to bed. I bought in for $200 and cashed out up $100 to be even for the day. Trip total still + $1740.

Friday morning we slept in then had a quick breakfast at Krispy Kreme in the Excal. Mmmmm - warm doughnuts. We drive around some more to see the sights. I go by Spinetti's to ogle the chip collection and pick up a few for myself. My daughter and son-in-law are driving in from San Diego to stay with us for the weekend. We end up walking the strip again to show them around then drive to the M for the friday night seafood buffet. I eat way too much but definitely get my money's worth. I played a quick session of 1/2 NL at the M with a $100 buy in. It was a very aggressive table and I found myself folding pretty good hands OOP. This turned out to be a good decision on the flops I was able to see. Finally I picked up JJ UTG and limped with the plan to push when the expected raise came. Mid position raises to $15 and gets 2 callers and I push for $88. I get one caller with AQo. I get a seemingly safe flop, but runner runner suited gives villain the four flush and I am out. Daily total - $100. Trip total + $1640.

Later that night we headed downtown to check out the light show at the Fremont Street Experience. I do some free slot play at the El Cortez and lose, I win $20 in match play blackjack at Binion's, I win $5 in Win Card play in craps at the 4 Queens, and I get my picture taken with the $1,000,000 at Binion's. We even tried the fried Oreo's at Mermaids. I think I will stick to regular Oreo's and a cold glass of milk. I also harvested several more $1 chips for my collection.

Saturday morning we all have breakfast at the Orleans buffet - pretty good. We ride the roller coaster at NYNY. This is a rough coaster - I am used to the smooth coasters at Busch Gardens. We see defending the Caveman at the Excal on half price tickets purchased through Goldstar. Funny show. After the show we decide to get some drinks by playing penny slots. Good value, I thought, as we got 3 drinks and only played $1 in the machine.

Some time later I realized I had lost my wallet with ID, credit cards, and $300. Thank god the rest of my roll was in my sock. I checked at security to see if it had been turned in but no luck. The worst part was I needed my ID to fly home tomorrow, and I needed my credit card to verify my prepaid tickets to Blue Man Group that night. Losing the money was a minor inconvenience in comparison. We retraced our steps to the penny slots and started looking around. A lady noticed this and asked if I was from Florida. I said yes and she said she had found my wallet and turned it in to security. I recovered my wallet with everything, including the cash. I went back to find the lady again to offer her a reward but she politely declined. Genuine human honesty and compassion makes my day !!

I decide to invest my regained money at the poker table. My son-in-law wants to play too and I stake him with $100 at the 2/4 limit table. His main goal was to drink for cheap. He succeeds at that plus doubles the buy in. I get half the winnings and am feeling pretty good. At the same time I buy in to 1/2 NL for $200 figuring I had already lost the money once and destiny was on my side. I relate the wallet story to the table and nobody can believe I got the cash back. I picked up my favorite hand of the trip 78, limped UTG, and called a preflop raise to $17. Flop comes 458. I check, preflop raiser fires out $20, and I push for $150. He calls and shows KK - oops. Turn is a A - river 6 - bingo !! I love that hand (this trip). I cash out a short time later up $100.

We were going to go to Dick's Last Resort for dinner but it was packed with a long wait. Instead we head to the Grand Lux at the Venetian - good choice. The chicken quesadillas were great and the portions were huge.

I had scored discount front row seats in the "poncho zone" for Blue Man Group. On the screen before the show my name randomly appears and I am introduced as a famous person in attendance. The audience is asked to thank me for discovering the secrets of the human genome. The show was great and the ponchos definitely came in handy. At one point of the show we all got squirted with mashed bananas - gross. Later in the show a strand of DNA coils across the screen and someone in the audience yells "Thanks Mark" - good timing.

No more poker for the trip. I flew back to Florida sunday morning and I am still a little tired. After tallying meal expenses and poker winnings, I came home with $1200 more than I left with. The only regret I had was not playing any tournaments this trip. Recovering my wallet restored my faith in human nature. Your welcome for discovering the secrets of the human genome.