Hello All,

This is a long report....i hope you enjoy. I don’t remember when I played in the rooms, I just remember what happened and where it happened.

I just got back from my week in vegas from 03/18 - 03/26. I was on business from monday till wednesday and then vacation till 03/26. So I got alot of poker in between work and doing the tourist things.

I got in on a sunday afternoon, and was staying at the hard rock for business till thursday. Very nice place, it's a young crowd, but there is no poker room, and it's quite the walk to the strip. About 20-30 min walk to the strip. They do have a shuttle to ceasar's but not very reliable. Move to Circus Circus for two nights and the remaining nights stayed at Ceasars. Didn't play at Circus, cause it's a crap hole. Stayed their for cheap hotel.

Anyways, I got to the hard rock hotel and decided to eat and then head down to the strip for a short night session. Eventaully I decided to check out MGM. Sat down at 1-2NL with $200. and played for 2-3 hours. Not much to remember except for one guy on tilt. I kept on going after him, cause I know I will get paid off. Walked out up $100 bucks. I did suck out on one guy, when I rivered two pair, and he had me outkicked all the way. I played this hand really poorly, and just got lucky. I was betting small bets the whole way with top pair and weak kicker. I knew I was probably out kicked, when he kept calling, and I still made a small bet on the turn. When my kicker paired on the river, I made a big bet, thinking I just rivered him and he would pay me off, which he did. Oh well...sometimes this happens.
The "room" is large, with alot of games. It gets EXTREMELY loud at night cause it's in the middle of the casino and they blast the music.

The next night I headed over to the bellagio (had to check it out). Saw Patrick Antonious, kicking around in the high rollers room. I just went there to play a little, just to say I played there, so I sat at a 4-8 limit table with $100 and was playing loose pre-flop and jamming at pots when I had something. My strategy, was to see as many cheap flops and bet hard if I hit something. That’s pretty much how it should be with no fold’em hold’em. I hit some early flops and doubled up early. Didn’t stay very long, there was one guy that I bought some pots of. He would call all the raises pre-flop and some post-flop, but if he didn’t have a strong hand on the turn, he fold to any bet. So that was nice to steal some pots of him. Walked away after 1-2 hours up $100 bucks. Nice room, I think the tables are too tight to each other. A lady behind my kept backing her chair into mine, when she got up. The service is ok. Nothing special. On an another night, I heard the big game was playing so I headed back to the bellagio at 5 am to check it out. Saw Eli Elezra, David Benyamin, and Antonious playing. I heard Johnny Chan was there, but I guess I missed him. They all had pretty big stakes like on high stakes poker. I Wanted to walk-in and ask how much the buy-in was and if i could sit...lol

Next day, played at Ceasar’s noon tourney. You have to have a player’s card to play in them. I got there at 11:30 am, and it took about 30 mins to get a card, cause there machine broke. So in the end, I unfortunately ended up on the alternates list cause their tourney started just before I got my card to buy into the tourney. I finally sat down at the end of the first level, and took the re-buy immediately. Play was pretty tight till the first break, and then it’s an all-in fest. The blinds just get too high compared to the chip stack. I was able to double up in the second level, with KK. I raised 3x the blind UTG, a late player re-raised. He was playing really tight, so I put him on a big hand, possibly on AA. His raise was pretty big, and I had two options, either go all-in or fold. Calling was not really an option, cause I would have had 2/3 of my chips already commited. I pushed all-in for two reasons. I could have won the pot out-right, and I was already below the average cause I missed a level of play. So if I doubled up, it would still give me a good chance to play some more after the break. He called and showed AK, and my KK held up. The blinds were eating away at my average stack after the break, and I pushed with 88 and lost a coin flip to AK, and that was it for me. Busted out in the middle. They need to add one more level of play, cause it jumps pretty quick after the break. But still a decent tourney for the cost.

After the tourney, walked along the stip to Paris, to see what games were going. One of the worst poker rooms. All they had going was a tourney for $100 bucks with 15 min levels. Didn’t play at all there, so I headed next door to Bally’s and sat a 1-2NL and gave away 300 bucks. The play was average, but the room isn’t the greatest. It is a little nook in the casino, that is roped off. I was calling a lot of loose pre-flop raises and wasn’t patient with my starting hand selections. I wouldn’t play here again. Played for about 2 hours.

Next night is where I discovered the Venetian. The absolute best poker room on the strip. Filled with tourists, itching to try their luck with hold’em. Beautiful room, and drink service was the best, with smoking hot waitresses. Sat at 1-2 NL table and found the play of some tourists absolutely terrible. I am a tourist myself, but there are so many newbies that just don’t understand the fundamentals and will chase a lot of draws. I played here for another session another night, and both nights walked out up $400. There is so much money on the 1-2NL tables to be won.

There are a couple of interesting hands that I played.
Early position raises to $15. I just smooth call with QQ, I put the raiser on a good hand, so I wanted to see what he did on the flop, cause I had position. BB calls.
Three players in the pot, and the flop is Q 8 5 rainbow. BB checks, Better puts out $50. A large bet into a pot of around 45. I smooth call, and big blind calls. I have about 120 left behind. Turn is a blank, I think a 2. BB checks, and the better pushes all-in for $105 more. I have the nuts and just smooth call again (I should of pushed all-in for 15 bucks more). And the BB hems and haws and calls this massive bet. And the river is a 4. I throw in the last 15 bucks, and BB calls and shows 67 for the straight and the orginal better mucks his AQ. I am in just stunned at this gutsy call that the BB made with an open ended draw. And I buy in for another 200. This guy was calling massive bets with open ended draws all night, I stuck around to wait and get this guy.

Hours later, I play another big pot with this donkey. Insane how this hand goes down. I am UTG, raise 15 with JJ. And the BB (same moron) calls. It’s just me and him heads up and before any cards comes out, he comments, “I think we are going to play for a big pot this hand”….I laugh and agree. Flop comes J 10 5 rainbow. I flop another top set, but as you can see there is another open ended draw for him. He checks, I purposely overbet the pot with $45 straight. He comments again, why so such a big bet and says he has KQ. I believed him, but he still made the call. Turn was an A, and he bets out $50 bucks. I call, cause there’s just so much money in the pot, and hoping to pair the board. The river is 10, and I fill my boat. He checks and I bet out $155. I figured this was the right value bet, and sure enough he eventually makes a crying call and flips over KQ for broadway and take down the pot with jacks full. That was some redemption for the bad beat he put on me earlier that night.

Those were the two big hands of the session at the Venetian.

One of the nights I also stopped by the MGM again, and had a bad session, dropping about $300.

I stopped by the TI for some games, but they had a 1-3NL game that was deepstacked. About 1 grand a piece for most of the players. So I stuck around to play one their daily tourneys. Cheap to get in, but the blinds go up pretty fast. I knew this going in, and just wanted to play and try to get lucky. I eventually busted out middle again with my A 10 running into A K. Not much to note at this tourney, but if you want to try your luck, then this tourney is for you. It’s a small room, but it’s still nice. I prefer the bigger rooms, because the players are worse. Seems like a lot of locals in the room.

I also played a session at 1-3 NL at Ceasars. The room is nice, and level of play was a little stiffer than Venetian. I was on a table with a couple of dealers in Vegas, so they knew what they were doing. Not great players, but above average. I am not a great player, I am about average, so I thought it was a little stiffer. I was looking for loosey goosey tourists. I sucked out on guy again, who was pretty aggressive and he flop two pair with k 10. I flop top pair with a J kicker and a gut shot straight. I pushed all-in on the flop and then turned a J to take down a nice pot. I was UTG and raised 15 straight and he called in the BB. Oh well, once again, these things happen. I had about 250 behind in the start of the hand. He bet out $15 on flop, and re-raised him to $30 straight, just to see where I was. He came over the top to $65 straight, so it was only 30 to call. I decided to push all-in, thinking I could get him off his hand, and still have outs if he called. He was pretty aggressive all night. It was a bad all-in raise by me. I should of just called the 30 more and see what develops on the turn. I would have turned two pair, and probably all the money would have gone in on the turn.
Saw Negraneau at Venetian. he was filming some stuff for cardplayer.
Also had some of their roast beef, that they serve in the poker room on one of the days. not bad, considering it was free. And had lots of fiji water, but you have to ask for it.

For my whole trip I was up a couple of hundred, so not bad. But the Venetian will be my home base from now on.