Solo Vegas trip. My trip in April was so dissapointing (poker anyways that I didn't finish my trip report. Fail. This trip was much better. My strategy was to hit and run and play short sessions. I find I lose focus after 4+ hours at one table. I also decided to play up the tourist angle ;)

I left Toronto at 845am on May 28th. Almost missed the flight due to the 75 minute line at customs. Landed in Vegas at 1030am at terminal 2. Terminal 2 is balls. And my shuttle picked up at Terminal 1. So I lead a bunch of my fellow passengers across a couple parking lots and streets to Terminal 1 and the shuttles.

Got to the Monte Carlo about 45 minutes later. Monte Carlo is good, not great or anything. Good food court and a couple good restaurants and shops. The casino smells like old lady perfume, anyone else notice that? Now, I think the Monte Carlo location is excellent. You walk out the doors and you're minutes from MGM, Mandalay, Luxor, and all them. You take the mono rail and you're minutes from Bellagio. It was really convenient. Not to mention you can walk through the shops and connect to Aria.

I grab some pasta at Sbarro in MC and head to Aria for the 1pm $125 tourney

Aria Tournament - My table has a couple really soft seats and a really annoying french guy that hits every other flop. For some reason people keep paying the guy off and he has a monster chip lead. There is also a really old nearly deaf man that looks confused every time the action is on him. He never check raises, never reraises (even with the nuts) but some how he keeps winning pots. People keep bluffing into him and he never folds if he;s got a piece of the flop. I grind for the first three levels and have about 14k when I wake up with 33 in the bb. Blinds are 100-200 and mid position makes it 600. Button calls, I call. Flop is 33K. Nailed it!! I pause for 5 seconds and check, mid checks, lady on button bets 1000 into 1900 pot. I tank for 20 seconds and call. I don't act at all, just let the know I'm thinking. Mid calls. Turn is 8d, so 3s3dKh8d. Pot is 4900. I check, mid checks, lady moves all in. I tank and move all in, mid tanks and calls. I have them both covered, river is a king, I show my hand, the both muck, I have 33k in chips! Well above the average. After break the ante kicks in and I start trying to steal pots preflop. Old guy and I get into a hand where I have AK and flop a King and bet every street aggressively. He calls all the way to the river card which completes a runner runner flush and runner runner straight. I'm sure he has one of them meaning my top two are no good. I've got 12k in the pot and he bets 5K. I know he's got it so I fold. I tell him he's allowed to show and he does, he made his runner runner straight. I get switched to a new table and rally don't pick up any hands. I last until level 8 and still have about 18k in chips. Blinds are 600-1200-100ante. I shove into a pot that had been bet once with 77. Guy tanks and calls with A5 off and flops his ace. I finished 33 of 104. Oh well.

I cross the street and play at MGM. Played about 2 hours. Flopped nuts straight with 78 suited and won a $135 pot. Guy was chasing a flush that never came and I made him pay. Cashed out a while later up $110.

Have dinner at the buffet at Excalibur. It's actually fairly decent. Good prime rib and it was fairly empty.

Play at Mandalay Bay. They had a special high hand promo where you get extra bonus $$ depending on where you hit your high hand. 500 if you flop it, 250 turn, 125 river. I saw a guy declare last hand, flop a set of kings, and turn quads. He waon $200 from the pot, $250 for the turn bonus, and $50 for having quads, Pretty sweet. Nice guy too. Only real hand of mention was when I limped with QJ and flopped an open ended and top pair. Got paid off on that hand and cashed out up $125

I'm fairly tired but decide to stop by the poker room at Monte Carlo. It's about 11pm and I've been up for 20 hours on 4 hours sleep. hmmm...Thats not too bad I say to myself. I buy in for 200. I won a couple preflop hands and one pot where I C-bet. I'm up $45 and considering going to bed.
I get 2h4h and check the big blind. Flop come 3h7h10h giving me a baby flush. There is $15 in the pot and I bet $20. Guy raises to $50. I move all in for $220 ish. He tanks for a minute and then starts talking. Asks if I flopped it, I tell him yes. He says he flopped it. I say Ok! which gets a laugh. He thinks for a while longer and then calls with Jh5h. I'm drawing dead and he takes it down.

So -125 tournament
+35 cash.

Had breakfast at Aria buffet. No line up. It was good, but didn't have much fruit or cereal options. There were a few lunch dishes and a lot of desserts available, and 3 kinds of pizza.

Play the 1pm at Aria. I never really get anything going. My first table is really aggressive and I didn't pick up many hands. Doubled up with Kings but couldn't catch anything after that. End up busting somewhere in the middle.

Aria has free wifi throughout the entire casino just FYI.

I head over to MGM and lose $100. I had some pretty cards preflop but never flopped a pair. Played about 2 hours and cashed out.

Went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio. Tickets were $59. Show was excellent. I highly recomend it. Walked around Rio for a while and checked out the WSOP set up. Cool beans.

Play at Planet Hollywood. Really drunk fun table. I was playing super tight and was able to get paid on a couple hands with top pair. I'm up about 100. One guy says, "I like you, if I have to lose, I want it to be to you cause you're a nice guy." I was happy to oblige to him and seperated him from $150 of his money. As soon as he was out of sight I cashed out up 250.

It's about 1am at this point and I'm heading back to MC. As I'm passing by the Aria poker room I get an urge to play. Buy in for $200. There is a couple dudes from Portugal that were staying there for 29 days. A couple local players including one really serious chick. There's a tough/sexy looking Russian lady to my left that has a chip protector that says kill. I flop a set of 4s on a 4JK board. Russian lady bets $25, I make it $60, she moves all in and I call. I show my set and she nods. Turn is 10 river is 3. She tells me I'm good and I double up! She immediately leaves, says she's still up 100. There is a lot of money on this table. Even though I have 375 ish I am the short stack. Sexy. I win a couple pots here and there and lose a couple where my C-Bet bluffs are reraised. After about an hour and fifteen minutes I decide to cash out up exactly $200. One of the players tells me I'm hitting and running and it's bad etiquette. He's only half joking but I just laugh and tell them I'm tired.

-250 tournaments.
+ 385 Cash.
+135 for the trip.

Now my goal for the trip was to make $2000. I figured if I could hit and several times a day I could make $400 ish a day for the five days. I really tightened up my starting hand selection but gave off a loose stupid tourist vibe. For the next three days I carried my bag and was picking up pens and random crap from casinos. I try really hard to be very nice and fun at a poker table. I like to get people laughing and talking, I find it loosens up the game a lot. It also encourages people to show their hands. I don't get why some players act all serious, it's not fun and makes me want to play better against you.

Wednesday morning I head out to the south outlet mall and bomb around there. Didn't buy anything. I chill by the pool for 25 minutes (long for me) at Monte Carlo and then head to the Flamingo to see Nathan Burton. It's a rally cheap very entertaining show. Tickets were $15.

I played 2-4 limit at Flamingo. Played about half the hands and bet aggressively. Lost about $30 in the first 15 minutes so they pegged me as a moron. I had told the table I only had 1 hour to play cause of the show. From that point on every hand I hit I got paid off on. I lost a couple pots here and there but ended up up $60. A couple seniors at the table were shooting me dirty looks do to my aggressive play...Sorry.

After the show I took my ticket to Planet Hollywood in Caesars forum and paid $29 to see Jeff Civilico and get dinner. Great value, real good performer! He does action comedy.

Played at Caesars for 90 minutes. right after I sat down a really really drunk dude joined the table. 530pm. He sat in a seat that had $700 ish in chips and asked if this was his. We had a laugh telling the chips' owner when he returned. Drunk guy was betting everything and playing most hands and losing that I almost didn't go watch the show. He dropped $150 in 15 minutes and then rebought for $120. I won a couple $30 ish pots off him and a couple other small pots here and there. Cashed out up $95.

Show was great. Dinner at PH was good.

Hiked down to TI. Played 2 hours. Was up and down for a bit and was about even, 200, when I picked up AhJh. I bet $16 preflop and get one caller, the dude to my left.
Pot is $36.
Flop is 10h9h5c.
I bet $30. He calls.
Pot is $96
Turn is 4s. I still have ace high and the nut flush draw. I've got about $160 behind.
I check. He bets $50. I move all in. He tanks for a minute and talks a bit. I couldn't really understand what he was saying because he mumbled a lot. He finally calls.
Last card is Ac. He asks if I have an ace and I say yeah. He deflates and mucks when I show the ace. whew! Big double up! I play a couple hands and then walk around for 15 minutes. Come back, pay the blinds, play the button and leave up $220

Crossed the street to Wynn and buy in for $200. More of a serious table. A little chit chat but mostly about poker. I flopped a set and got paid off. Missed a couple flush draws but got paid off with QQ vs JJ. End up cashing out up $164

I head to Bills. The only reason I went there was to meet AlaskaGal. She's great! Real nice and really good dealer. Bills was a 50 cent one dollar game. It was a donk fest. I got caught up due to my winning streak that day and started playing like a donkey too. Before I knew it I was down to $35... Crap, I had bought in for $200. I added $50 and ended up grinding my way back to $245. Cash out -55

Once again on my way back to MC the Aria poker room calls to me. Wish I had of ignored it. Bought in for $300. Flopped top pair with AQ on Qs6h5h board. Bet it all the way to the turn verry agressively. Guy ends up hitting runner runner for a spade flush and I'm down to $50. I add $100 and 3 hands later flop top two pair with 97 on a 9h7h2h board. I can't get away from it and stack off to some clown that had flopped a flush.
-400 damnit.

So end of day three and I'm up $219. I guess it could be worse.

Play at MGM the next day at noon. No real hands but managed to grind up a $205. Most of it was off a really drunk man that said he was in town for WSOP but wasn't playing serious until tomorrow. I like it.

Had lunch at the CheeseCake Factory. Everything pizza is SO good! HAd some crazy fudge, mousse, truffle cake thing for dessert.

Bought in at a new table at Caesars. 10th hand in I flop top pair nuts flush draw with Ad7d. Reraise the flop and move all in on the turn. Dude calls with A9 off and my flush doesn't come. -300

I swing by Imperial Palace but there's no game running.

Walk to Harrahs and play for an hour. Oldest waitress I've ever seen. She looked like the crypt keepers mother. She was damn fast though! The room was a bit smokey which bothered me. The players were all fairly bad. I made $120 and bounce.

Head back down to TI. Play about 90 minutes when I pick up 55.
4 players. I'm in 2nd position.
1- bets 16
I call
3 - all in for 57
4- calls
1- calls
Pot is $188 I think.
I call the extra 41
Pot is $229
Flop is A 10 5!! Oh hell yeah! I needed this set!
1- goes all in.
I go all in.
4- folds.
My set of fives holds up and I rake a $400 pot!
I end up cashing out 20 minutes later +110

I walk to Mirage and take a cab. I have an inner discussion as to where to play and end up at MGM. GOOD DECISION!!

I run so well at this table it's not even funny! I had AA three times. Flopped 2 sets. Flopped a straight. Hit a gut shot on the river. I lost a big hand when I flopped top two with AJ against a royal flush draw. His flush hit on the turn. I cash out after 4 hours +420

I'm up $774 on the trip.

Friday is my last day. I'd never played at Bellagio so I wanted to try it. There was a really fun guy who had had a couple drinks. I flopped top pair with AQ and bet him down to the river. Made $100 on that hand. He tells me I should have let him bluff at it and I would have gotten more money. About 15 minutes later I pick up KK and follow his advice. I check call him all the way to the river where he moves all in. I call and win another $100 off him. I've only shown AQ and AA at this table and they discuss tight I play. Works for me! I bluff at the next three pots and take down $75. I fold for 20 minutes and walk around a bit, score some sweet Bellagio pens! I end up cashing out +255

Cross the street to PH. New table just opened. Very friendly table with a couple terrible players. I manage to pick up a couple hands against one of them and take all his chips. I bluff all in on the turn and hit a miracle 3 outer where I bluffed with king high. Thanks! I cash out +180

Head to MGM to play my last poker before my trip ends. Flopped the nuts flush early on with Ac5c and doubled up early. Then twice within 15 minutes the guy to my left hits heart flushes with the ace of hearts in his hand. Dickhead. I should have left when I was up $200. Now I'm down 100 but manage to win a big pot off a guy that says he's being staked in a few WSOP events. Whatever. I cash out +$115 after 2 and half hours.

I head back to MC and have dinner. My flight leaves at 1130 pm so I should leave at 9. It's 745.... hmmmm.... Monte Carlo poker room it is! Mistake. I play really poorly and chase a few hands that don't come. I end up casing out - 110

Final total. +$1214!! I am so happy!! That's enough for another trip!! (October)

I had a great time. Can't wait to be back. I've booked Vdara in october to watch a UFC event.

To anybody checking out Vegas to play poker. Play your game, however you play it. But be friendly! So many people showed me their hands when I folded. People were shaking my hand and saying nice to play with you. A couple people even did that after I busted them. People don't play as well against you if they think you're just there for fun.

Hope you enjoyed the TR. I can give more specific hand or restaurant info if anyone wants, just didn;t want to make it even longer! haha!

Check my signature for my twitter :)