Wednesday morning I wake up early and head to the airport for a solo trip to vegas and a little alone time before the end of the school year. Yes, I'm a teacher and I don't get enough time to play poker. The wife agrees to let me go and I find a nice trip for two nights at Hooters for under $300. Wed. 4/4 to Fri. 4/6. I get to the airport to find my flight delayed because of maintance. I think to myself, "this better not be a sign of things to come." Plane leaves and arrive in Vegas 2 hours later than scheduled.

No matter I'm in vegas and can't wait to hit the tables. I check in an head over to MGM to play a little 2-4 limit to loosen up a bit. The table wasn't anything special and I didn't see any great hands. Up-down-up-down and left up $4 after 5 hours of play. I head to the Deli to grab something to eat with my comp. After that I head up the strip to find a tournment. I end up at the Imperial Palace to find a small tournment full of a bunch of guys from England who looked like they didn't have a clue. More on that later. $80 tournment with a $10 bounty and about 30 players including the 10 guys from England. Structure was fast and moves had to be made early. We get down to the final where I fine myself being the only one not amongst friends. 9 of the English guys made it to the final table and three had pretty good stacks. I picked my spots and made a few moves to increase my stack. We get down to 4 players and one of the English guys has knocked out about 4 players with junk. I know I'll be alright if I can get some decent cards and double up through him. Well, one guys offers choppin' and the English guy wasn't having any of that. Top 3 paid. I knew he wouldn't and I couldn't blame. However, a couple bad hands and double ups and his story started to change. Same guy offers to chop again and everyone agrees to split $240 plus our bounty chips. I head back to Hooters and get a good nights rest.

Day 1 results: up $200.

I get up early, 8am, the next day and head over to the Excalibur for the buffet. Fill up and head to the Mirage for some 1-2 action. Get there just in time for a new table to be opened and sit down with $100. 2nd hand I get 66 in mid-position. 2 call and i bump it to 10 total and get 4 callers. Flop is 4,5,6 rainbow. Great, I hit the set but have to worry about the straight. BB checks, Early Position checks and I bet $25, half the pot. BB calls quickly. I'm curious about the call. Turn comes a Jd. No danger but still thinking if BB is on a draw or has the straight. He checks and I bet $40 and again he calls quick. The river is a 3h and I get the boat. He puts me all-in and I call to find out he had the straight from the beginning and never raised trying to set a trip. I glad that 3 hit on the river. Two hands later I'm the BB and fine AA. Mid-position player raises to $25, folds to me and I re-raise to $50, folds back to him and he moves all-in quickly. I insta-call to find MPP with AK. Bullets hold and I'm up $250 in 5 hands. Play TAG for 4 hours and move up about $300 total when I leave for lunch. The table was fun with everyone chatting and have a good time for morning poker. I enjoy playing at the Mirage. I head out for some lunch and than enter the 2pm tournment at TI. Only 27 players and cards weren't coming my way. I manage to make it to the top six and get knock out when my KQ get crushed by KK. Missed the money by one. I enjoy playing at TI but didn't find the room as appealing this trip. My only time playing at TI this trip. On my way back to Hooters for a nip, I bump into a friend from college who was spending the week in Vegas for Spring Break. He is also a teacher. I'm the third wheel and hang with him the rest of the night.

Day 2 results: up $403, trip total: up $603

I wake for my last day in Vegas and I want to do nothing but play poker until my plane leaves at 10pm. I head over to Mandalay Bay for their 10am tournment. The structure was horrible and the about of starting chips was only 1000. Blinds increased every 15 min. It was an all-in feast and I was the 4th one out. As i'm leaving I remind myself not to return unless playing cash games. I head back to MGM for some 1-2 nl when I find their 11am tournment about to start. I didn't want to play another tournment so quickly but what the hell. I buy-in to fine myself the 7th alternate and ask how quickly the alts. get in. Management said on Fridays they open one or two more tables in there's a lot of alternates. Well there were 51 alternates this morning. I get seated before the tournments starts and fine below average cards for the first 3 levels. Go to break just above the starting amount of chips. After break I get some cards and manage to stay alive for another round when I get 1010 against a short stack all-in. SS has A9o and catchs an Ace on the turn. I'm hurting and can only make one more orbit before I'm blinded out. At this point there was 40 players left. BB to my right and I go all-in without looking and lady luck shows up and I triple up catching a straight on the river. I get enough chips and luck to make it to the final two tables out of 113 players. I'm just below the average chip stack. I steal a couple blinds and manage to make the final table 7th in chips. Managements discusses chop options because top 9 paid and everyone agrees to give 10th their money back. I win a battle or two and we get down to 6 players. One gentlemen discusses chopping again and the two chip leaders want nothing to do with it. Splitting here would pay $680 a player. I decide to get aggressive and start raising every hand pre-flop trying to get a piece of the big stacks. Instead I knock out two guys and get up in chips a little but still behind the two big stacks. Chopping is mentioned again by same guy and this time it was just over $1000 a player for 4. Two stacks disagree and we play on. Next hand, poker charma strikes and I'm dealt KK and double up through one of the big stacks. I'm even with him and have 80K in chips 20K behind the leader. I don't mention the chop and the hand is dealt. This time I look down at AK of hearts and the two big stacks are SB and BB. I raise three times the plot and get called by BB which is the guy I just doubled up on. Flop is 2h,7h,Jd and BB checks. I go all-in and he tanks for about three minutes and folds. I'm how tied with the big stack and I mention the chop again because I don't want bad poker charma. The other big stack agrees as long as we get $200 extra from the other two because we were the big stacks. We agree and I leave up $1300 and I win the coin flip for the champion medal the MGM gives their daily tournment champions. Not bad for a $65 buy-in. I'm so excited to be up big I decide to walk around and leave Vegas without giving any of it back.

Total profit for trip: up $1500 after food, airport parking, and cost of flight and hotel.

P.S. Wife was extremely happy because normally I only win about $300 or $400. Can't wait for June when we go back.