Well, this trip marked my fourth trip to Vegas in two years and it was my first where I was going solo. I was pretty excited as I had a trip booked for 6 nights at Aria. I arrived on 5/23 after an uneventful plane flight and cab to the hotel. The check-in in where the bad beats began. I had to wait forever to get to the check-in counter at Aria. I was expecting this based on reviews, but the frustrating thing was that the lines were not long, it is just the hotel check-in process was seemingly longer than any other hotel I have stayed at.

As far as the property itself, before staying at Aria, I thought that Citycenter was improperly planned and that Aria itself was just oddly proportioned in terms of casino space. After staying at the property for a week, I began to see the method to the way the property was designed. I think it still could have been played better, but I think the property just takes some getting used to. However, in the casino business, first impressions are what is most important, and at first, something feels a bit off about the place.

In regards to the room at Aria, well, it left me pretty speechless. I have stayed at all the high end properties on the strip sans the Venetian, and Aria’s room was far and above the best. The fully automated controls were amazing and have left me wanting a master remote to control everything in my own home.

Anyway, on to the poker. My trip was filled with beats, some really bad and some that were just standard. Suffice to say, beats are frustrating, but I have learned to play through them. However, the regularity which they occurred with on this trip definitely brought down my play at times and left me in the trenches of this game which we love.

On my first night I played at the 2/5 game at the Aria. I was up around $300 early in the game until I overplayed my Q-Q against a V’s K-K on a ragged uncoordinated flop. I was unhappy with my play throughout the hand as I called a third bet pre-flop and failed to release to a push on the flop. My real beat in the game however came when a woman who I had spoke with the entire time and I got involved in a hand. From speaking with her and watching her play, I knew her range was limited to top 15 premium hands and she played them fairly straightforward. Therefore, when the following hand came up, I knew I could get away from a blanked flop.

I got dealt 9-10 diamonds in the cutoff with the V on the button. UTG+2 made it $15, which picked up another caller and myself. The button made it $40, the two others folded and I call knowing that I can get paid off if I hit well. The woman has about $900 before the hand and I have about $750. The flop comes Q-5-7 with two diamonds. I check and she bets $100. I smooth call and the 2 of diamonds peels off on the turn. I check again and V makes it another $125. I decide to check raise here because I figure she will think I am making a move and in case she has a larger diamond, I want her to pay considerably. Additionally, I absolutely believed she had A-Q and would have trouble releasing it. Therefore, I push my remaining stack in and she tanks for a long time. I hear her talking aloud that she has the A diamonds and a Q and she doesn’t think I have the flush. She eventually calls and immediately the 3 of diamonds peels off. I puke a little as the $1500 pot gets shipped to my left. I buy-in again as the table is still going good and I get dealt A-A. I 3-bet raise to $140 and get called by the wild man in the game. The flop comes 5-3-10 rainbow. I decide to check on this non-scary flop and wild-man insta-ships for $260. I snap call only for him to flip over 5-7 with the river coming a 7 of clubs. So disgusting. I call it a night.

I leave the game and take off from poker completely the next day. I do eat at Todd English P.U.B at Citycenter. I was thoroughly impressed with the atmosphere and the food there. I was also impressed with the challenge they have where if you can drink a pint in under 7 seconds, it is on the house. After considering it and after getting hustled by the bartender to do it, I decide to take the plunge. Just under 7 seconds later, I am greeted with a belly full of beer that cost me $0.

Late Monday night I decide that spending a full day off from poker is just not going to happen, so I go over to the Bellagio where I have had great success in the past playing 2/5. I go card dead during the entire session and have very little hands to report. I get back door flushed on two different hands and decide just to call in a night down a half a buy-in.

Tuesday becomes an interesting day. I relax by the pool and have a great dinner at the Aria Buffet. The Aria buffet is interesting as it does not have a grandiose selection of choices, but all the food that is out is done with the highest quality. I would still rate it second as far as Vegas buffets behind the Wynn. Feeling good, I decide to make another trip over to the Bellagio for some 2/5. I once again get into the beats by running my turned straight into another rivered flush. One buy in down. I then get my second buy-in down to about $200 before flopping top set on a scary straight and flush board. I end up getting it all in on the flop with 3 others. I take down a nice $800 pot when I river a boat while the other 3 make straights. I play a few other boring hands and end up going to bed down about $300.

Wednesday was by far by biggest day in terms of poker hours played and fluctuation. I played 2/5 at the Bellagio once again hoping to overcome some of my terrible variance there. I end up playing pretty poorly in the beginning of the session and end up stuck two buy-ins. On my third buy-in, I finally hit some cards and get paid off based on the poor play image I had built up. My A-K holds up against another’s A-Q on an A high board for a $700 pot. A second hand where I flop a higher straight while one guy turns the bottom end gets me just about back to even. My table becomes then becomes very nitty and I decide to make a table change. An interesting note about the table was that Praz Banzi was playing at it (he is a London poker pro), and I recognized him from watching WSOP Europe London coverage. He played pretty straightforward sticking to premium hands and made a modest profit. Nice guy and talked a lot about being in for the WSOP with his London friends. The only reason I note playing with him is because he recently won a $1500 event at this year’s WSOP for $515,000! Sick Life.

After my table change, I get involved at a deep stack table that has some wild ranges. The table has a mad man pushing with pretty much any two cards. I am never able to really catch him and only see my stack dissipate after not being able to hit a flop hard enough to put my whole stack in the middle. The most disgusting part is he goes through 10 buy-ins in the hour I am sitting at the table before he leaves into the dark. (this is why I love playing in Vegas). I end up taking a beat when I have to fold my TPTK after the river puts a straight and flush out there in a pot I already had $350 invested in. The other two opponents get it all in where one had a flush and another had a straight. $1800 pot when it is all said and done. Pretty sick. I knew I just needed to fade the river, but I was unable to and missed out on a pretty nice payday. I then turn two pair in another hand get a V to commit $350 on a flush draw with one card to go and sure enough the flush peels off. I am tired of Rivers.

Thursday I decide to devoid myself of poker, but after passing the Caesar’s poker room after a great dinner at the Palm, I have to stop. I see two 2/5 tables playing and I get on the list and sit at some 1/2. I sit at a wild 1/2 game, but forget the cardinal rule that 1/2 players are not so willing to lay down middle pair. I pay this price on a few rivered two pair. I leave before I even get a 2/5 seat down $500. I am running very very very bad at this point. I go to O’Sheas and down my rivered card sorrows in some Guinness.

Friday I wake up and decide no more poker for me this trip although I know the tables would be their juiciest. It was hard to resist, but the bankroll was pretty much shattered, so I was out of variance and out of cash. Saturday I catch a flight back and Sunday I wake up at home wanting to instantly hit the tables again. I love/hate this game.

A few last thoughts. The state of 2/5 poker in Vegas has become increasingly more difficult. There are more and more grinders and the juicy games have seemed to really dry up. This is my observation over playing at a variety of rooms over the past two years. This impression is confirmed by some comments I noticed on various forums here on AVP, 2+2, and most notably the comments Socal made recently. I am in the middle of a 10 BI downswing and playing at the more difficult tables did not make it any easier. Luckily, I made good table selection with multiple table changes, but just took beat after beat.

So, now it is time to scrounge together a new bankroll and prepare for the implementation of casino poker in my state. It should be very juicy.