I knew it was going to be a memorable trip when I was going down the escalator and saw this 20 something girl walk across this huge open space at the airport only to projectile vomit repeatedly into the trash can located at the bottom of the escalator. Should have known not to gamble that first night when right after that I got stuck in a full airport tram for 20 minutes because some idiot was standing in fornt of the doors and they wouldn't close, and then I got tunneled by the cabby. Although it was pretty cool to see some drunk kid chasing his car which was rolling backwards the wrong way down the exit ramp... I LOVE VEGAS!!

Dropped off my suitcase at the room and headed straight for my first bad decision of the trip, Planet Hollywood. Three or four players are button straddling for $10 every round which usually went limp, limp, raise to 40 and everyone would fold. I think my highest hand was a pair of sixes followed by AQ. I couldn't get any thing going. I even had my favorite type of player at the table; young, drunk, and big stacked but I couldn't catch a hand against him. He dropped just short of 900 in about 3 hours. Suited connectors, AJ, AQ,KQ, nothing was hitting the flop and "Grandpa" was the most aggressive poker player over the age of 65 that I have ever met. He called my $12 preflop raise with K2 suited and called me all the way to the river with the 2 he hit on the flop! Yeah, I had KJ and a busted flush draw but I'm just saying!
Finally got felted when my KJ lost to AK.
-200
Up by noon Friday and off to Bally's for a very long session that ended in disaster. Another Grandpa with a big stack is playing nearly every hand and either catching the winner or pushing people out with big turn bets. I lose my first buy in rather quickly and rebuy for another 200.
Grandpa is still bullying and I decide I am going to trap him with a big hand. Sure enough, I evenually get dealt AA under the gun and limp, hoping he with raise it from the button and I can reraise him, acting like its a steal, no luck. I still slow play and just check call myself into the river and lose to his 4 7 hitting two pair.
-600.

Head out with buddys to Ellis Island for the 7.99 steak special which cost me $100 in Blackjack while we waited for a table.
-700.

Saturday I decide to go a different route, so I head to Harrah's, my personal favorite poker room. My buddy joins my at the same table and we joke about taking each other's money. The mood is light, I win a few small pots early, up 50 bucks. I get pocket aces for my second time this trip and there is a raise of $12 in front of me. Not wanting to ever slow play aces again in my life, I make it 35 to go and Grandpa #3 calls with KK!! YAY I will double up and be on track again!! Oops, wait ... huh? King on the river you say?! nice hand...
-900

Down to my last buy in what to do, what to do? I decide to try a limit game at the Flamingo; I might as well have played slots. Calls to the river with every oddball draw imaginable. before I know it my AK suited is allin and I lose to 10 7.
-1000

Down to my last 100, I wander the streets for a while until I remember Bill's has a .50/1 game. I throw down the last bit I have, knowing if I don't win I will have to spend Sunday and Monday morning watching TV in the hotel room and drinking water from the bathroom sink. I proceed to get more of the same for the next torturous 3 hours. Eventually, I look down and my stack has dwindled to a pitiful 24 dollars, when the drunken jokester from Oklahoma says "You don't look like you're havin any fun! This is VEGAS have a drink!" I decide that if I am going to spend the next day and a half wallowing in self pity when I lose the rest of this money, why not add a hangover to the mix...
So we both start downing Captain and diets, well he continued, I started. Funny thing was, I got a couple of decent hands and no one gave me any credit. I got a little cocky and aggressive and hit a big pot with 3 6 off. Every thing was looking up but I tried to slow down on the drinks as I was getting a little silly. Some Vegas pro sits down on my right and tries telling me he has never played before in one sentence followed by, "I won 32000 at Bellagio last night" Hard to believe but what ever. He goes on to tell me how this other local at the table sucks and gives me advice about playing in between hands. After a while, he doubles me up when his KQ runs into my AA and he hit his K with a flush draw on the flop. He tells me good call, like I was ever going to throw away the overpair. I drag myself away from the table and head to IP.
-700

Three hands in my AK hits an King high flop and I check raise all in only to see my oppenent flip over AA. Nightie Night!!
-900

After sleep, shower, and breakfast I look at my watch and see that I only have 24 hours left before my flight leaves. There is no way I can make back what I have lost but I have to try, right? So I put on my lucky shirt, listen to a little music to get me fired up and head to Harrah's for one last time. I am pissed! I am focused! I HAVE to make this money back. So I sit down with every intention of playing tight agressive poker. After an hour I find two suckers at the table who will check call with every draw or second and even third pair and never believe you have anything when you bet the river. They are trading chips back and forth, getting lucky some times but I see quickly that I will get chips from them soon enough. Then I get 33 on the button. UTG +1 makes it 10 to go and gets two callers in front of me plus the small blind after I call. Flop is A K 3 with two clubs.
Small blind checks, original raiser bets 20, folds around to me and I make it 60. Small blind is all in, raiser is all in, and so am I. I ask who is on the flush draw and they both shake their heads. Club comes on the river and raiser shows AK for two pair, I flip over my set and SB folds showing just an A!! nice 500+ pot to me. Now it is time to attack the donkeys. I pick my spots show my winning hands to build up my image and bluff just enough to not get caught. My buddy come over after winning a huge sports bet thanks to the Packers and says Lets Eat. I want a break but I don't want to pick up my chips because my big stack is preventing people from bullying me. After talking with the floorman, he explains how I can bring my chips back to the table after I eat if I store them behind the counter although I might lose my seat. Off to Ellis Island again but no Blackjack this time.

When I come back, I have to wait a bit but I trade in 5 stacks of red for a stack of green. When the floor seats me, the green stack has the desired effect of impressing a couple players and gets me a little respect. It is a pretty tough table so I ask for a new table as soon as I see a new table being started. Turns out to be a great idea. After an hour or so a youngish lawyer type sits down and starts running over the table but has the goods when he gets called. He runs his stack up to about the same as mine pretty fast and I notice that he and I together have more than half the chips on the table. I continue to run well and make good plays until my 55 hits a set on the flop and I lose to a set of queens. This shakes my confidence a bit but I a couple hands later I win it back. I picked up something from the aggressive lawyer and catch him several times when he made big bets with nothing or second pair. I count my stack and see that I only need to win $17 more to break even. I win the next hand for a 200+ pot and rack up wth a trip total of +100 bug bucks, only 8 hours before my flight leaves!

As I walk back to my hotel, I stare longingly at the Bellagio and think, "Maybe next time."

Thanks for reading!