For the first time, I decided to submit a trip report for the record. In the first week of March, my boss said that although he knew I would be "upset and angry" he was "forcing" me to travel to Vegas to sit in on a deposition on Thursday, March 11th. Ha! I already had the trip for AVP X planned and paid for, and this was a nice bonus. Based on a recent unexpected bonus from a successful case and that my flight and two nights of hotel were being paid for, I considered this trip a complete freeroll, and planned to play like it.

I stayed at the Orleans solely because I wanted to play the Friday HORSE tourney at noon. After doing my work on Thursday, I arrived at the Orleans poker at 9 p.m. There was a list for 1-2NL but immediate seating at 4-8 Omaha Hi/Lo so I sat down. I always say Omaha HL to me is like milk to someone that is lactose intolerant. I have no idea why I play because it always ends up so bad. Always. I have a love/hate relationship with Omaha, kind of like my ex-girlfriend of 8 years. What drives me nuts is that no matter where I play, Albuquerque, Arizona, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, or Vegas, everyone is playing for the low, raising with Ace-Deuce, and then get hit with their other two cards on me. I believe in only playing for the high, and that just doesn't work out too well for me. Anyway, I lost $320 at 4-8 Omaha, then another $120 at 4-8 LHE, and went to bed down $440.

Friday morning, got up at 11, hurried to shower, and played the noon HORSE tourney. Loved playing razz, stud and stud 8, as always, but went out on the second go-around when we were playing, you guessed it, Omaha, when someone hit an inside broadway draw to knock me out. Only a king on the river could take the huge pot from me, and it hit, so that was that. Oh well. Down $515.

Planned to going to the New Mexico-San Diego State game at Thomas and Mack and had some time to kill so I sat down at 4-8LHE. Turned into a great session. There were quite a few wild, um, Asian gentlemen that had no respect for money, and paid me off real nice in a few big pots when I was holding the nuts. I was doing so well, I lost track of time and all of a sudden I looked up and the game had started. I started with mu usual $120 and had a little over $600 in front of me when I decided to play the $125 Friday night tourney. Down $160 total after tourney buy-in.

143 runners on the Friday night tourney. Nice $12,500 starting stack, and I lasted 4+ hours, going out with less than 50 players left. I lived a long time on flopped quads 3s where I more than doubled up through some poor sap that hit an ace-high flush on the river. As the tables got broken and play got tighter, I was in a cycle of stealing the blinds and antes once every orbit, not getting a single call, which sucked the two times I had aces and the one time I had kings. As I was getting short-stacked, I went all-in with A-9 offsuit only to get called by K-Q offsuit and knocked out when a Queen hit the turn. I didn't do as well as I liked but was happy with my play, as I made some good moves early.

Then, about 11:30 or so, I headed over to Boulder Station because I keep reading about it on Las Vegas Michael's tweets and posts here, and because Mauihole told me to play their Omaha game, which I told him I would in his honor. Man am I glad I did. Many people warn about the smoking there, but I think I got seated at the no-smoking table in front. (which is dumb if you look around and see the people smoking at the empty tables while waiting for a seat). I smoke, and would not have minded smoking around me, but don't need it myself. Anyway, I love that the game is Omaha high only. (See above) The game was a total pushover for someone of my style of play. Pretty soon, I realized that pretty much the whole table was really the same player. Bet when they had it, checked when they didn't. I actually had a guy complain to me for raising on the come, after I flopped an open-ended straight flush draw. I could not believe how easy this table was. Every time it was checked to me, I bet, regardless of what I had. I played every hand when I had position, and only played premium starting hands out of position. I stole more hands on the river than I could believe. More than once, someone showed me that were laying down two pair, and I was holding zilch. Maybe I just got lucky with the table draw, but thank you to all of them for building pots only to fold meekly in the river. There was one guy in a Brett Favre Vikings jersey that was real good, and I avoided him when I could. I did take a few pots from him, but I think he took more from me. I liked him personally as well. I played until after 3 am, and would have stayed even longer if I didn't mis-read my hand twice in 5 minutes because I was so tired. Although I was up over $500, the mis-read in a kill pot cost me a bundle and I lost in another big pot when I got rivered in a hand that I would have never folded either. Started with $120 and cashed out $553, gave $3 to the guy cashing me out. Total for trip so far: up $270.

I had to leave Saturday night so I wanted to get in some NL before I left. Thought about MGM Grand, a usual spot for every trip, or Mirage, because of Chris' presence here and because I always have loved Mirage poker and their sports book. Since there were some juicy NCAA games on, I decided to play Mirage. Never actually bet on any games because the only ones I liked were on later and I would be gone by then, which was stupid of me since I was coming back in less than 2 weeks anyway. So, about 1:30 or so I sat down at a 1-2NL that I was told just started up. Bought in for my usual $200 and sat down. Played until 6:00. Rather than give you all of the details, there were three hands that made my day:

Hand #1 - On the button, raise to $12 and call in front of me. I have 4d6d. I usually fold that but since I was in position and the initial raiser from what I saw always raised with an ace and a 10 or better, or any two face cards, I figured I would see a flop and dump if there was nothing on it for me. The flop came 5d7d8d. Holy frijoles! In all my years of playing, I have never flopped a straight flush. Never, not once. Check from player that originally limped and called, and bet of $20 from original raiser. I was actually looking at the board to see how much I was going to get on the flopped straight flush when the dealer got my attention and said it was to me. I was actually looking at the 3rd player in the pot and he was actually staring back at me with a smile. I commented, "I'm not worried about him, I am worried about you" which fell right in line with my table rep, as I had said more than once before "I'd call if there weren't people behind me." I flat called the $20. Next guy went all-in, initial raiser then went over the top all-in. I insta-called. One guy had Kd2d, and the other guy had Jd10d. He had one out, the 9d. I said to myself, imagine if that came and I was here in a room with no bad beat jackpot. Nice pot of over $300 plus the $200 bonus for the flopped straight flush, and I told the manager to tell Chris I said hello. I was quite happy over my first flopped straight flush ever.

Hand #2 - On the button, A-3 of hearts in a limped pot, 4 or 5 people, I cannot recall. Flop comes A-3-3, two diamonds. Checks to guy to my right, who bets $20 or $25, I cannot recall. I "think" about it for a few seconds, and just call. Guy raises to $50, couple of folds, and original better calls. Here is where I made a huge mistake. I didn't think it through. All I was worried about was the guy who flat called, who had $600 in front of him, and that I wanted him out of the hand because he could hurt me. I am a total idiot. I actually thought that I was worried another ace would hit. Again, what an idiot I am. If another ace hits, so what, I improve to Aces full. But, I was worried that the guy that just called would get a better full house. Had I thought it through, I would have realized that the only plausible scenario was that one of them had a 3 and the other had an ace, and that the check-raiser had the 3 and the caller had an ace. I stupidly moved all-in, got called by the check-raiser who had only had another $100 or so, and the guy with the $600 folded. Had I just called, I would have made an extra $100+ minimum. I am an idiot, but can't complain because I won over $200 on that pot.

Hand #3 - Pocket threes on the button in a 3-way pot, raised to $12 pre-flop. Flop is A-3-Q. I am thinking, "I'm getting paid." Bet, call, and I just smooth call, planning to strike on the turn. Another queen comes. All-in for $106, call by the guy with slightly less, and I call, and as I hoped they both had queens. One had K-Q. the other J-Q. I fade the K and J on the river, and another sweet pot. The best part was I cleaned out a guy who only a little while earlier bluffed me out of a huge pot when there was a 2-6 straight on the board. I decided against calling for the chop in case he had the 7. He was smirking at me, all proud of himself that he bluffed me. I got the last laugh, as I told him I would. Nice when you say that and it actually works out.

I cashed out at 6:00 for $1170, up $970 for the session. More so than the money, the way I played reminded my of why I love playing poker. Haven't really had any good feelings lately, so that session was sorely needed.

Total for the trip: +$1240.

That is a nice chunk of change that I will give back to the AVP community next week at AVP X, and then some. See many of you there.