“Twas a very fun trip to Vegas, as I mentioned. It has been a while since I have been (7 or 8 months), and it is good to be back.

I am 22 years old and play poker quite frequently online and in Nevada. Overall, I am losing about 50k online and up about 30k in casino play. So down overall, but I play in some big games, and I am constantly improving my game. I will show a profit soon I hope.

We (my girlfriend and I) stayed at the MGM, which was very nice. We had a room special that we found online, AND I got $40 off each night for the “poker room rate,” AND I have a card which they give me $1/hr for playing (which is how I know I played for at least 34 hours lol).

We arrive Thursday night at 2am, so I hit the sack. I woke up at 7am (I am planning a 24 hour session at this point), ate breakfast, and started my 2/5 NL game at the MGM. My table has people all of whom have been up all night. Very tough players, about 3 Asians, one of whom was CRAZY, and the rest fairly good players. My $500 buy-in just never seems to go anywhere, varying between $200-$400 most of the time.

So the crazy Asian kid (about my age) raises just like he does every hand. I pick up 99 and reraise to $30 preflop (he made it $15). It was a bad reraise preflop. So flop is 447 with two spades, and of course, our Asian friend has Q4 and takes every chip in front of me. Sweet. There were so many draws he could have had there, and I WAS worried about that flop cuz those are the cards he plays. In retrospect, I had to pick a spot against this kid, and this was a bad one—although in my defense, his Q4 was calling ANY reraise preflop, so I was going broke regardless.

So I take a break, and went shopping with the girlfriend. I come back to the MGM for some more 2/5 NL, and I played for about 3 hours with nothing memorable at all. I couldn’t get any big hands, and it seems like every top pair I had was never any good by the fifth card. So I lost another $400.

So I decide, fine, I’ll play some 1,2 NL which I always win at. I made back about $200 playing fairly tight. In my opinion, the best way to play here is to just wait until you get aa or kk preflop and go all in, or if you flop or make a straight, flush, or set to just push all in. That way, noone will can suckout for free, and you almost always get called. One memorable hand was when I had KK, and I raised to about $20 preflop and got a few callers (this is common). The flop is AdKdQd! So I had KKK set, thought about it for a sec, then I just went all in. Anyway, this guy who played fairly well (for a 1,2 NL game, anyway) folded AK, but anyone else at the table would have called so I was fairly confident it was a good play.

The next day (Saturday) I am very determined to win my $ back. I play exclusively 1,2 NL that day at the MGM, and I ended +$400 that day. I was having trouble early, having to fold hands that were probably the best hands. I know that I can make easy money by trapping people and taking money when they have an exactly 0% chance of winning, so why gamble?

Later on Saturday evening, I was at a pretty fun and crazy table with a bunch of 20-somethings and myself all drinking and having fun playing cards. One kid sitting beside me was playing crazy and getting lucky, so we all went “OOOOHHHH” everytime he sucked out on someone. We were so crazy and having so much fun that the floorperson came over and asked us to be quiet, then retracted what he said and said “nevermind, have fun guys!” I was very surprised at his class for letting us continue to party on, as we were being loud but not too obnoxious.

The kid sitting next to me eventually went broke, turning $200 into $1000, then losing it all plus reaching into his pocket for another $400. I told him to stop drinking, but I was obviously not insistent. He donked off $200 to me when I had JT on a JT9 flop, he had KJ. I played the hand very cautiously though, as I decided in my mind to give up on the hand if he reraised me after any 7,8,Q, or K came. Thankfully, the turn and river were blanks. I’ve had enough, and I go to bed at about 7am. I am still down about $300.

Next day, Sunday, was very intense. I decided I would take another crack at 2/5 NL, and I met the same result (losing money). This time, though, I fought back instead of playing super tight and avoiding these guys. I put in huge reraises with 88 and JJ preflop, and I was doing awesome for the first few hours, up about $200. Then, I pick up AQ, and put in a huge reraise on a AJ9 board. Unfortunately, I ran into a set that time, and it cost me about $250 (I folded and he showed). I kept losing money after that. One hand I played well was A5. On a A23 flop, I called a small bet, and the turn was a 5. This guy bet again, I reraised him all in and he folded the same hand I had, A5. I won a couple hundred there, but I felt like I was fighting just to stay alive! Not getting hands and not picking the right spots, I was down about $200 to be down $500 overall.

I played 1,2 NL after that, and I think I made $75 back. I do remember some guy calling all in against another player who had a full house, and the guy who called didn’t have a pair. Like, ummm, good one! Very classic and typical of 1,2 NL.

So I wake up Monday and play some more 1,2 NL. I am resigned to 1,2 NL for the rest of the trip because, for some inexplicable reason, I am getting my ass handed to me in 2/5 NL. So I make another couple hundred playing all day. There was one kid, though, who had easily $3k in front of him playing 1,2 NL! I mean, wow, that’s a testament to how poorly people play at those levels. I never once lost a session at 1,2 NL.

That night, though, took the cake. While I was playing 1,2 NL, there was a CRAZY 2/5 NL table at the MGM. Unreal action! I decided I couldn’t pass. There was one guy who called every hand. There was 3 or 4 people who bet every hand, and there was one tourist guy who just wanted to lose his money. I bought in for only $300, as most of these guys had stacks from $1k-$4k, and I didn’t feel like losing over $500 on any one hand.

(Oh yea, and quick story, one guy won a $5k pot on one hand with 66 on a JJ6 flop, the two other guys had J9 and AJ. That hand was unbelievable, because these guys ALL played garbage cards, and so none of them believed that the other one had anything (I guess?))

The guys at the table are telling me about how crazy everyone is playing, and how they are all donkeys themselves (they really weren’t far from the truth). So my third hand I get Q9 of spades, and I call a $20 raise from the drunk tourist who wanted to give me his money.

We take the flop heads-up, which is Q82 rainbow. About $50 in the pot, the guy bets $100 without even thinking. I’m sitting there thinking “wtf does this guy have?” I figured that he was trying to just push me off my hand, that he didn’t have a pair. This decision was helped by all the guys at the table actually SAYING that he didn’t have a hand. So I go all in for $200 more. He calls with ace king, and despite my bad feeling about that hand, I win.

I played VERY tight the rest of the night with my $600 stack. These guys were calling with ANYTHING, so I went all in with KK preflop 3 times, and once when I flopped a flush. Noone called me, which was disappointing, but it was expected because I kept making huge overbets with practically unbeatable hands. I played for another 3 or 4 hours, ended up losing $100 to be up $200 from that table.

Tuesday, I decided, was my day to finally show a profit. I am down about $50 at this point overall. I play at Caesar’s Palace, which is very nice and quiet. The sound of chips being ruffled is ever-present and about the ONLY thing I can pick on in this room. Great otherwise! I ordered a prime rib which they brought to my table (very tasty!). So I buy in for $250 at a 2,5 NL table, play for about 3 hours, and I didn’t win A SINGLE HAND. I’m not kidding, 3 hours without winning one chip from the middle. I lost about $200 with QQ when I raised to $25 preflop and got 2 callers. Flop is 10, 7, 2 with two hearts. Some guy out of position bets out $30 or something, so I make it $100, he goes all in for like $40 more so I have to call. Of course, he flips over 107 for two pair. I can still win with any queen or any deuce, but alas 107 got the best of me.

So I left down about $300 overall. But of course I can justify it by saying that I got about $200 comp’d from the MGM in poker room rates and food, and I got a sweet deal on the room. I spent and lost about $1000 on the whole trip, which included a trip on the stratosphere and lots of buffets and food. So I can’t complain. Also, I am going this weekend, so LOOK OUT VEGAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Casey