I got into Vegas early Tuesday morning, a day earlier than anyone else on the trip. I went out specifically to play in the Caesars 80+50 noon tourney. Let me reitterate everything that has been said about this tourney. Absolutely, the best value in Vegas...40 minute blinds, great rebuy/add on, low starting blinds, etc. We had 121 people with the top 10 getting paid. I made a few all-ins early with what I assumed was the best hand each time...I never found out, all folds. Few people did the add-on at the start of the tourney but everyone took it at the break. I really never had a lot of chips at any point, but enough to scare away any loose calls from bigger stacks. 2nd best hand of the day happened when a semi-pro flopped the A high flush to someone else's straight flush (i folded what whould have been a flopped flush as well)...the guy who lost didn't care...he was glad to have a story. I just kept surviving by picking up small pots where I could. Best hand of the tourney, we get down to three tables when a short asian woman who sounded like an ewok called an all-in with 99...the all-in guy was trying to bluff with 7-5o...trip 7's on the river...she wasn;t the same. I quadruple up (with blinds and antes included) when my A-10 outdraws 7-7 and 10-10...A on the turn...two others at the table said they folded an A as well. Now down to two tables and just 16 people. I have about 16K...with average being arounf 35 or so...blinds were 2K-4K with 400 ante. I move all-in in MP with A8s...get called by AQo...I hit the flush on the turn...nice. I tried to bust the short stack with 5-5 against his K-4...K on the turn and then I was back to low stack after a couple of rounds of blinds and antes ate me up...with 12 people left we discuss a save for 12th and 11th...it turned into a huge arguement that sucked up a bunch of time...the tourney director threatened anyone who said the word chop or deal with a penalty after that. We busted 12th and during a break decided to pay 11th 100 bucks. I somehow manage to last until the final table. We agreed to pay the chip leader 2500 and everyone else chops the rest...about 1250 a piece...I'll take it.

I also played and drank a bunch at the 2-4 tables at Mandalay, Flamingo, Binions, MGM and Monte Carlo. Dealers were great the whole weekend. I saw some guy get kicked out of the MB room for calling a dealer a P#$$*, he was being extremely disruptive. When the floor asked him to drink some coffee to cool down he said "I can't drink coffee, it makes me poop." I got a kick out of that one.

The MC room might be the best low limit room in town...great scenery, jovial dealers (except for one guy who could barely get around and weighed about 400 pounds), plus they practically throw drinks down your throat. They even let me and my buddies (10 of us) have our own 2-4 table on Sat afternoon...easily the highlight of the trip even though I lost a couple of racks playing like an idiot.

I had AA 3 times over the weekend...cracked all three times by my friends...(my dad even cracked my KK with 9-6s...oh well).

I found out from one Bellagio dealer that Chau Giang(sp?) isn't much of a card player and makes most of his money sports betting. Also, I heard the Barry Greenstein has been getting cold decked for about a year and is on a massive losing streak.

Finally, the late night 1-2NL game at MGM might be the softest game IN THE WORLD. I only sat for a quick 2 hour semi-drunken tired session but I won about 70 bucks playing REALLY tight. Some kid who looked like he turned 21 about 3 hands before I got there...raised it up to 10 from early position...4 callers (including me with JJ) to a board of Ac-Kc-10s...IT CHECKS AROUND...the turn is Qs. I check old guy in a powered wheelchair bets 20...I move in and everyone folds...I love when a table full of people lets me check to the nuts...

Also, on two different occasions at 2-4 I saw someone check/call with the stone cold nuts...gotta love 2-4...sorry if I rambled...hopefully my next trip won't be 4 years away.