This was my most successful trip to Vegas that I have ever had. It was also the one that I kept the worst records on. There are numerous hours that I have little recollection of, which means it was a very fun trip as well. I am a serious poker player, but not so much when in Vegas.

4/20 - Arrive in Vegas around 9:30, check in at the Imperial Palace. I am given room 109 and it literally takes my 40 minutes to find my room. The directions to find it begin as follows. Take the elevator up to level two, then go to another level and go back down to level 1. HUH? WTF is that? Any residents in their rooms at the time got an earful as I wandered around aimlessly cursing the IP and their idiotic architect. After stopping to ask two different housekeepers, I had almost given up. As I end up back at the main elevators for the 3rd time, I see the first housekeeper and she recognizes me, and had a really good laugh. Then she took me to the service elevator and (insert penthouse letter here) took me to my room. She said it happens all the time.

Anyway, get in the room, get organized, go to the IP poker room and sit at a 1/2NL table. Play numerous hours and break about even. Move along to table games, where I spend the next X hours, getting in the bed at 8:30am Vegas time.
Somehow finish the night slightly ahead, mostly on some hot craps rolling.

4/21 - My friends arrive at the airport around 10:30 and call me at 11. UGH need more sleep. We meet and greet, then head to the Wynn for some lunch and some 4/8. Win some here, can't really remember how much.

Try to contact Schuster.

Head to Sahara to play tourney. Get there a little early and lose $100 at 1/2 NL.
Last about 45 minutes in the tourney and WALK back to the IP. Wow that is a long, long way. My plan is to get back, blow the last $100 bucks on table games and get to bed early. At 2am I finally go up to the room to find both my wimpy friends already occupying the beds. I made a real attempt to figure out how to blow up the air mattress we brought along. Its not happening. I pass out fully clothed on the floor.

4/22 - Wake up excited to find I still have money in my pocket and am actually right about even for the trip. Roommates call and get me up around 11. Headed for California Pizza Kitchen, which is a tradition of ours.

Try to contact Schuster.

We leave their and head to the Venetian. Play about 45 minutes of 8/16, no cards and it is a rock garden, I move to the 4/8. Win back my losses and another $50 here. At this point the three of us decide to play a $90 SNG. We finish 1st, 3rd, and 4th. I took it down for a $400 winner. $285 positive after tip.

From there we head to Morton's for dinner. $90 later we leave with full stomachs. Walk from their to the Hard Rock, only to find out they do not have a poker room. Take a cab to Mandalay Bay. Play the 4/8 with 1/2kill and 1/2 blinds. I really like this game. Book a small win here and head back the IP around 1am.

Again planning on going to bed a bit early. Again it does not work out. Play some table games, lose a bit at craps, but get hot at Pai Gow. Take my winnings to a 1/2 NL game and lose $100. Back to table games and another heater at Pai Gow. Hit the sack around 7:30. Wake up with $450 in chips in my pocket, plus some cash. Good times, good times.

4/23 - First step is to play in the IP's noon tourney. Its an absolute joke. I thought it was a rebuy, and commit half my stack on the first hand, then make a very questionable fold when I find out I cannot rebuy. Two of us get knocked out early and head to the Bellagio. I sit in a 4/8 game and get a flopped set of tens cracked on my thrid hand at the table. The reason I mention this hand is because it demonstrates how horrendous the 4/8 game is played at Bellagio.

Quick rundown. I am in the cutoff with two limpers to me, I raise with 1010, button cold calls, big blind calls, both limpers call. Flop comes 10J6. I bet and get two callers. Turn is a K. BB leads out, I call, button 2 bets, bb 3 bets, I call, button calls. I almost lay down here, but put them both on the straight and decided to call for my 10 outs. Now pay attention, because this is where it gets even more fun. River is a total blank. BB checks, I check, button checks. HUH???
I begin to think I might have the winner. BB turns up K9 thinking she has a straight. Misread her hand. Okay that cost me two bets because of ignorance. I turn up my set. Then the button turns up AQ for the stong cold nuts. Well, that saved my two bets, because he did not 4 bet the turn, nor did he put in a single dollar on the river, on the button, with the nuts. WOW.

Hear the floor call a open seat in a 4/8 1/2kill omaha 8 game. WOW, couldnt get over there fast enough. Good mix of good players and calling stations. I go on a pretty sick heater and in 3-4 hours win about $275. Included in that was getting a flop of 844 with my 88 beaten by flopped quads. As well as playing my last 4-5 hands REALLY badly. So I decide to leave and find my other buddy who has stopped at O'Sheas. Yes, O'Sheas! He has been here for 5 hours, at the table right by the street, playing 1-5 spread limit holdem. The wait list is about 15 deep, so I just watch for awhile. An hour later we leave and he has won $150 at this game. Hilarious. It really was a lot of fun though. We went and ate at Mandalay buffet then played some1/2 NL there. Table was not good, I lost $50 and went to the 4/8 game. Joined shortly afterward by my friend.

This game was really good, but very odd. It was like they had gathered every weird/odd/eccentric poker player in Vegas and planted them at that table.

1 seat - 60ish yellow teeth, hippie type.

2seat- My buddy

3seat - 70ish guy that literally played zero hands in 2 hours. His clothes are probably 30 years old. Shirt is red and white check, that looks just like a picnic table cover. Pants are 30 year old faded red color. Not sure he ever said a word in 2 hours

4 seat/10seat - Husband and wife tandem. Both locals, both horrible players. Her much worse than him. She is blatantly hitting on every male dealer that sits down. Literally rubbing their legs under the table. Obviously a bit drunk. He is absolutely loving it. She is early 40's, he is late 50's. Both on the wrong side of average in looks.

5. Me

6. Typical loose calling station.

7. 40 year old idiot that really thinks he has a handle on the game. My buddy raises for the 4th time in 5hands and he starts talking to him. You big bully. Why are you being such a bully. Everyone folds to my friend and he flashes AK. And I hear the guy say, under his breath this time, You big bully, you are in the wrong neighborhood now. ROFLMAO. He was dead serious, and I could not stop laughing. We were already giggling like school girls at the table.

8. Some foreign guy, actually played okay, but could not understand english very well. He was reading a magazing and a dealer asked him to put it down 3 times, then called the floor. He never even knew the dealer was talking to him.

9. Another foreign guy, this one from Brazil, I think. First hand I sit at the table, he is holding up the game a bit. The dealer looks at him and says your turn sir. Apparently not for the first time. The guy says in broken English, "Don't you look me in the eye." Dealer says, "I was not looking you in the eye". Guy says, "You fooking liar,you are looking in my gd eye." The dealer thought about calling the floor, said I give you one more chance. The guy never said another word, and the dealer took every opportunity to embarass him the rest of his shift.

Hard for me to say how much fun I had not catching a single hand at this table.

Head back to IP

Try to contack Schuster.

Go to bed.

Get up next morning and fly home.

Synopsis: As mentioned, did not keep any real accurate statistics. I got home with $50 more than I left with. I know I spent at least $600 on stuff while I was there. My one friend has always done better than me and been very generous (ie extra cab fares, buying me into tourneys, etc.) so it was my turn to repay that favor.

1/2 NL - -$200
SNg - +$285
2/4 - +$20
4/8 - even
4/8 half kill - + $100
4/8 omaha - +250
MTT's -$117

Table games probably another $300 winner.

Sorry so long, hope you enjoyed.

Did I mention I tried to contact Schuster. Long story short we had planned to meet up while I was out there and we played phone tag for the entire four days. My phone was wacky and I would not receive his messages for 6-10 hours.