In anticipation of my upcoming annual trip to Vegas with my college friends that’s been an annual mini-college reunion for the past 5 years or so, I thought I’d post a trip report from my last trip in January 2012. (Apologies for not posting sooner).

DAY 1 (Jan. 2)
Me and two of my college buddies leave Los Angeles at 7 AM for an exceptionally easy and fast drive to Vegas and are able to check into our rooms at Ballys at 10:45. After dropping off our gear, we head over to Planet Hollywood and grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich (IMO probably one of the best sandwiches on the strip). From there, we start wandering up and down the strip drinking (as we do to start every trip) and eventually land at the Bellagio’s Sportsbook to watch the Rose Bowl to watch Wisconsin play Oregon (I’m a UW Grad Student).

As Wisconsin continues to struggle against the Ducks, I keep looking over at the poker room longingly, wishing this game to end quickly so I can jump into a game. By the end of the first quarter, I can’t take it anymore and I slide over into the poker room and immediately get seated in a 4/8 LHE game. With one eye one the game and the other on the table, I put in a long session (4-5 hours) while my buddies continue to wander and check out the CityCenter properties (neither play poker). I’ve always found the competition at the Bellagio to be relatively soft at 4/8, with a lot of older casual players who want to play the lowest limit game available and don’t mind blowing through a few hundred in the process. I play relatively straightforward - try to minimize my losses when lower-quality players inevitably draw out on me, and pump the action on my monster hands – and eventually cash out +$150 around 7 PM.

I meet up with my buddies for dinner in Mandalay Bay at Ri Ra (an excellent Irish restaurant) and watch the second half of the Fiesta Bowl. After wandering around drunkenly for a few hours, my buddies turn in and I return to the Bellagio for another marathon session (Midnight-6:30 AM). My recollection was admittedly hazy after working through a number of Amstel Lights and Sierra Nevadas, but thankfully the part of my brain that counts outs and pot odds continues to function. Eventually, exhaustion finally catches up with me and I cash out as the sun rises +$250 and head to bed.

DAY 2 (Jan. 3)
I wake up a little worse for the wear around Noon and head to Canter’s at TI for a hungover lunch which helps tremendously. I meet up with my buddies and we spend a lot of time checking out Aria and the Cosmopolitan. It’s a shame Cosmo doesn’t have a poker room because the layout of the casino is great and a lot of fun. We head over to Lagasse’s Stadium in the Palazzo to watch the first half of the Sugar Bowl. This was by far the nicest place I’ve watched sports on the Strip. You’re not going to get any free drinks and the guys around you can be obnoxious, but the setup is top-notch IMO. We grab dinner at BLT Burger in the Mirage (very good, on par with Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay) and watch the second half there.

My buddies head back to Cosmo to check out the scene and I return to the Bellagio. While waiting for a seat at 4/8 LHE, I am seated at a 1/2 NL game and buy in for $200. In the first hand in the big blind, I’m dealt AA. MP raises to $8 (~$200), 2 players call. Older gentlemen on the button (~$250), raises to $35. SB folds and I reraise to $105. MP folds. Button contemplates for 30 seconds or so and eventually calls. Flop comes J 8 3 rainbow. I contemplate for 15 seconds before pushing all-in. He quickly folds and I nearly double up after my first hand.

5 hands later, I’m dealt J 10 of hearts and limp in late position. 5 see a flop of 7 8 9 rainbow (Yahtzee!). EP bets $10, gets two callers, I raise to $30. EP calls, as done one of the other callers. Turn is a 2. Checked to me and I bet $45 and only EP calls. River is a K. EP checks and I bet $60, but EP folds. As I take down the pot, my name’s called for 4/8. I play a couple more hands but quickly jump into the limit game. Sadly, my luck stalled at this table as I treaded water mostly and struggled to put anything together. My friends call me urging me to join them at Cosmo so I cash out +$200.

I meet up with them at the Bond Bar in Cosmo, which was awesome. Very cool setting and with an upbeat but not overbearing vibe. It didn’t hurt that they had gorgeous go-go dancers (including Marilyn Monroe, Rosie the Riveter, and a sexy Sea Captain) dancing 20 ft. above the bar. We hang out there for a couple hours before heading back to Bally’s. I decide to put in one more session for the night and play 1/2 NL for 90 minutes or so. I can’t get anything going again and lose a number of small pots before cashing out around 3 AM -$130.

Day 3 (Jan. 4)

We grab breakfast at the Peppermill Lounge by the Riviera (great breakfast and I love the old-school décor and vibe in the place). We walk back down the Strip and wander through Encore and Wynn before getting back to Bally’s. We catch a cab to the Orleans for some afternoon drinking and bowling (another trip tradition). It’s a bit of a pain to get over to the Orleans but the cheap beer and bowling more than makes up for it. It’s always a great way to spend an afternoon if you’re looking for a break from the tables. After a few games with an endless amount of trash-talking (and an equally endless amount of beer), we head back to the Strip, where I decide to fit in one last session at the Bellagio before our third friend from college Jon arrives for our last night in town.

After cashing in some of my comps for a sandwich from Snacks in Bellagio, I opt to play 1/2 NL this time and buy in for $200. (In hindsight, I really should’ve stuck to playing LHE the whole trip. For me, it’s really hard to switch gears between the games and I’ve had much better success lately playing LHE than NL). I play for 90 minutes or so and am largely stuck in neutral, losing a few small pots and one decent sized one where my set of 10s loses to a rivered baby flush. I cash out -$100 and head back to meet up with the guys for our final night out.

Jon flies in from LA for one night and we get him up to speed (which means lots of drinking and general foolishness). Somehow he meets three girls who are staying across the hall from us, turns on his charm, and before you know it, we’re all in a limo headed to Encore to have bottle service at XS (my buddy is a bit of a high roller and paid for the whole thing – thanks Jon!). The night got increasingly hazy after that (free Grey Goose will do that to you) but it was certainly a great way to relive our college years.

Day 4 (Jan. 5)

We all wake up VERY hungover (as expected), check out of Ballys, and grab a quick lunch at In n Out before I take a very painful and long flight back to Minnesota. Despite the massive headache, it was an excellent mini-college reunion (~$350 in profit for the trip) and I can’t wait for the next one this January.

Thanks for reading!