Arrived at Planet Hollywood at 10:30am, too early to check-in. Decided to try my luck at the 10am tourney. I wanted to try a super aggressive style that I read about in a book I picked up a couple weeks ago. The strategy seemed to work unbelievably well. I was stealing pots left and right and had no problem getting to the final table. I was BB and had two limpers in front of me, the blinds were high enough I decided to go for another steal with the all-in bet. Limper 1 calls, limper 2 folds. Unfortunately Limper 1 has me covered. He shows Cowboys and I’m way behind. When the third king comes out on the flop, I’m out the door.
I head over to Aria for the 1:00pm tourney, since I’ve read so many good things about the Aria poker room. 109 runners, final 12 get paid. I don’t remember too many details from this tourney except for making it to the bubble and thinking I hope I can hang on for the money, even though I’m short stacked. Somehow I do, #13 goes out, then 12, 11, 10, etc. and we’re down to the final four. I raise a hand with KQ and flop a King on a rainbow board. I raise, villain shoves, of course I call. So disappointing to see villain is holding AA and I’m behind. Turn is a Q, river blanks I’m in the final 3. The stacks are fairly even, with each of us having 300-400k. After a quick break we get going and again I’ve got K-Q, the flop pairs my Q, I bet, villain raises, and I shove. I’m behind when he shows his pocket 7s, which became a set on the flop. I can still win with a Q, but he turns the case 7 and that was that. Third place paid $1427, I tipped $100 back to the dealers. This was one of my biggest cashes but of course 2nd or 1st would have been much better. I did enjoy the poker room, and have no complaints at all.
I’m dead tired and hungry so I head back to Planet Hollywood to grab a bite to eat and hit the sack. To my surprise the buffet is open until 11pm, so I buy the 24 hour pass and have a late dinner. I get checked in to my room and crash.
Day 2 - My wife calls me at 4:00am, which is 7:00am back home as she’s on her way to work. I shower up, get dressed and hit the P.Ho poker room. This is usually a good time for me to play because I’m wide awake playing against tired and/or drunks that have been playing all night. Unfortunately there were also a couple very good players that I couldn’t beat. I lost about a hundred bucks over several hours. Of course winning is preferred but I did genuinely have a good time. P.Ho is one of my favorite poker rooms. I enjoy the location in the middle of the casino. The scenery is great with non-poker players walking by. Drink service is quick, and the dealers are fun. I know the rake is on the higher side and some players don’t like the jackpot fund. I, however, like jackpots. I know the odds are against hitting the jackpot, but I also like playing the lottery just for the potential of the great payout. I grab breakfast at the buffet shortly after they open. All the food is fresh and very good. I play some more cash poker until 10am and try the tourney again. I get off to a good start again, but can’t keep it up and get knocked out after making the final two tables. It’s about 11:30am so I decide to head over to the Venetian, stopping at Harrah’s on the way for the lunch buffet.
There were 80+ runners, top 9 get paid. I got knocked out around 19th after losing most of my stack when my AK lost to A9, then the rest with AQ losing to AK. I didn’t notice much difference in the new Sands Poker room except for the obvious space addition towards the sports book. I always thought the room was nice, and it still is.
So it’s around 6pm and I decide to try the new buffet at Caesars on the way back to P.Ho. The line was long as expected. I had to pay an extra 15 bucks to eat there with my 24 hour pass, but I think it was worth it. So I got 4 buffet meals for $60, avg of $15 per meal. I got my money’s worth. The food at Caesars was all very fresh and most was well prepared. The only complaint I had was the beef slider appeared to be well done on the outside but after the first bite, I could see the inside was completely raw. I don’t mind medium rare steaks, but ground beef needs to be cooked. The sushi was very good, desserts were great. I finish up and get to P.Ho around 7:30pm. The 7pm tourney is going on so I give it a try again. I couldn’t get anything going this time, so there goes another $75. I decide to take a two hour nap and pack for my 6am flight the next morning. I wake up at midnight and hit the poker room again. I’m now ahead only $600 bucks for the trip. I buy-in for $300 and sit down at a super aggressive table. I get in a hand and flop top pair, Ace kicker. I bet and get and get called. I decide to be aggressive with my marginal hand and end up losing my whole stack when villain’s 6-4 turns two pair and rivers the boat. I never saw it coming. I buy-in another $300 and decide to play conservative. I’m up and down over the next couple hours and realize it’s almost time to check-out. I get AQ suited and decide it’s all or nothing. I raised $40 preflop and get called by one guy. Flop is all blanks, I go all-in, villain thinks for a minute and calls with his JJ. He wins the race and I’m done for the trip, basically breaking even. I could kick myself for losing what I won the first day, but at least I won the first day. I had a great time and will be back again.

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