I decided to go to Vegas on a solo trip for the very first time. every time i've gone before i had gone with freinds which usually ment poker games during the day and club hopping at nights. this time I wanted to be on my own and play for as long as I wanted without the need of being distracted for any reason.

I flew into vegas on wed 4/11 and stayed at the rio on a 2 nights free 49 dollar the other two night offer. Hotel was great with a wondeful view of the strip.

I took with me $1000 for my trip though i knew a few stops to the ATM would probrably happen. After checking in and gettign something to eat I took the advice of many AVP players and decided that my first stop should be the Venetian 8pm tournament but since it was only 4 i figured id play a little 1-2 to warm me up.

the venetian poker room got me seated real quick. Played for abotu 4 hours and made about 75 bucks. I used the time to try my new technique of "small pot" poker. I had always been a really conservative player but had recently changed approaches by reading a little more about daniel negranues and iveys system. I had tried it on-line but this would be my first time using it in person. I felt comfortable using it for against really loose players but the conservative ones were trickier than i thought. But for the most i thought i played well and felt ready to into the tournament

We started at 8 sharp. the setup is great with 4500 starting chips and long levels where u can play for a while without having to rush. teh tournament started with 78 players. i used the first two rounds to continue my new found technique with continued to work well, and i was starting to chip collect rather quickly. at level 6 we were down to 3 tables and i was chip leading my table. Thats where i think i made my mistake. now seeing that i was ahead and wanted so badly to get into the money that i didnt even notice i was abandoning my system and was playign way to conservativly. i ended up busting out in 15th when my pocket JJ fell to pocket tens when some guy caught a 10 on the flop. Oh well I left feeling like i ad a good start Total profit - 105

Thursday was pretty uneventful as i only played a few cash games but continued to feel more comfortable with my small pot poker game and realized all the hours practicing on the net were paying off. the venetian 1 2 game this tme brought a profit of 200. Total profit $95

Friday- now comes the big day after nursing a bad hangover all morning and spending some well needed time just lounging around i decided at about 4 to go down to the bellagio and check out the room which with over ten trips to vegas i had never played in i took 400 dollars to jump into a 2/5 game. I got there and saw the line for the 2/5 was well over 30 people. I put my name but decided to go eat something while i waited what looked to be about an hour wait as i walked to the Noodle restaurant i walked b ythe fountain bar and learned that they were hosting all their games there. I found out that they were having a $1000 + 80 tournament at 715. As i ate my sesame chicken i thought abotu whether i should play in it or not i only had 400 on me but i hadnt taken my "expected' trip to the ATM yet. so why not. As i walked to the machine I snapped into reality. I sayed Mike this is crazy the biggest tournament u have ever plyed in was a 330 circut event at showboat in atlantic city a year ago and u placed 127 of course that was out of 650 but coem on theres no way u can keep up with these people. Let me take this opportuity to explain my poker background i have been playing for about 4 years online and in atlantic city about once every other month and overall id say my game has gotten better to the point that i feel comfortabel playing in a 100 to 200 buy in with the knowledge that if i lose it i can probrably mae all of it back in a cash game. But i was still feeling a little shell shocked about playing at the bellagio which I figured would have mostly semi to pro players. the way i see it is why would u put up a 1080 unless u were good enough to keep up. I decided not to put the 1080 but rather take my 400 and try to win at bj the money needed for the tournamet i analyzed that if i hit the tables hard play fast and catch the highs of the table quickly i might be able. I would go and play about 6 or seven hands between 50 and 100 dollars a hand and the moment i reached + 200 using the matingale system i would get off and go find a fresh shoe.
I did it I did it was my first reaction as the dealer busted and gave me a total of 1250 dollars and enough for my entry sure 150 was my own money but 150 for a chance at a lot more was great odds. :)

As i sat at the table with my ipodi made a decision cntinue with your small pot system and see if it will continue to work for u. I knew i could last longer if i played conservative but i knew i could have a better chance to place high if i was more aggressive. Total player 128 which ment a prize pool of 128,000 with first getting just over 47,000 They would pay the final 2 tables.

Tournament- And so began a long jounrney first two hours i began my accumulation of chips. I felt great i was readin people well folding when i had to and raising when i felt i should. and after round two and an hour and 20 minutes after the beginning i had yet to show one of my hands but had jumped up to just under 10000 chips. I got moved to a new table. And continued to build more. after level three i was at just over 21000 chips after two great bluffs after the flop continuing to use the small pot theory. From there went card dead for about an hour and a half but with 40 minute rounds my stack only dwindled to about 16000 by just picking up a couple of blinds here and there.at level 5 with 5 tables left i jumped into a hand with 46 off suit on the button for a very small raise of just over a double of the blind which were at 200/400. small and big blind call as well as another limper. flop comes 3 5 j checked around to me i bet 2000 tryign to take the pot there big blind calls. turn hits for a seven. he makes a speech about how hes been watching me play and that he has me figured out i sit there pretending to listen to my ipod which was off as he tells his "friend" watch this watch him fold. bets 6000 i stare at it and him for about 2 minutes knowing im goign to raise. after 2 minutes he tells his freind watch him stall as he folds. i raise all in. He jumps up from his seat and says "there it is i got u i call. I flip my cards to see his face turn white as he turns over 10 J. and he sees hes out o the tournament. form theer i cruised to the final three table and know that im close to the money. at this table i was chip leader and able to knock out 3 players as my stack continued to rise. i started to fold my big bling and small blind any time someone raised me to give the impression that i would fold on anything and was trying to preserve my big stack. And while i did this i kept the faith that my hnd would come and it did as one player in 5th position went all in with about 15000 and was imediatly called by small blind wiht another 20000 thinking "i kno hes folding" I look down and see JJ. I analyze it perfectly and call to know an AK and a pair of 9s. Im at 90000 and change and cruise into the money as small stacks that were just hanging on get beat little by little the final table arrives with me :) as the chip leader with just over 120000 chips. thsi was it my big chance. We start 9 handed and before u know it we're down to 7 and we are on level 8. I startign to feel the pressure as 5 of the players are all lokal pros who know each other and the dealers but i just keep listening to my music and trying to stay calm. when the hand happens that still i dont know if i made the right play in the big blind guy to my left raises second guy raises him fold to me i look down JJ. i think and count their chips they have 50000 each im at 110000. I think long. I go all in. Small guy calls with AK big blind folds. Hits a K on the tun and im down to 60000. two others get knocked out as i go back to small pot poker tryign t regain the chips I lost. its know 245 when we are finally down to 5 players. After looking at the table it shows that three of us are at just over 85000 and two thers at 150000 or so we decide that maybe we should start talking abotu a chop but on person believs we should wait longer. at least another level thats 40 more minutes. know its 3 something in the morning and i get AQ clubs. im first to act i think to myself i could raise. but everyone has been raising with a offsuit and showing if i raise they may call then u have a big decision to make. I figure i have to go for it cant wait any longer to see if we chop i o all in for 65000 everyone fold to the big blind who thinks for about 3 minutes with his 150000 in front of him and calls with A6 off suit. I have him dominated until a magical 6 lands on the river to knock me out. i place 5th for 6250. I never thought id feel so bad winning that much. I was almost in tears. as the manager of the belagio came over to have me fill otu some paperwork and th eplayers all congratlated me on a great tournament. they all aksed if i would be playing again later in the week but i told them no as i was heading back to ny. My one true memory that i will remember is the manager telling me how well i played and that he had picked me to win since we were down to 4 tables. Oh well from theer i was so wired i couldnt sleep. i read and ate breakfast as friday became saturday. and i relived the whole thing especialy the part where i found out they chopped it moments after i was kicked out.
at 10 still not able to sleep i walked to cesars to find their 12 pm tournament and figured i would play in that to try and kill some time. well killing time was never more apparant as i using the same system went all the way to place 4th yet again making th efinal table as the chip leader ( i guess my short game needs work) paced 4th to a cool 1160.
Well hope u guys enjoyed my story im back in ny trying to figure out where to go from here in my poker tournament life. wether to go for more big ones or stick to the 100 200 buy ins that i feel even more confident about. :)