So first let me apologize for the late review, my work banned all websites related to poker :(
So it took a lot longer to get this done.

Although it has been a long while since my trip, it is surprising how many hands you remember. Yet since its been so long the descriptions may be a little vague. All hands were played at 1-2NL.

So for this trip a poker buddy (James) from back home came with me. He is solid in our homes games, and has played online, but was kind of new to the cash game. As much as I tried to instruct him on the differences it still took him time to get used to it.
Unfortunately he has a very hard time masking his emotions; I didn’t know this until I played with him in Vegas. He was too excited and nervous and it showed. I can’t tell you how many leaks I saw in his game. Like the time he had the nuts, and was raised on the river, and he just called, LOL. Sad part was the other guy had the nuts too, a two card strait, go figure. He also is like reading a book, if he’s acting like he has a hard decision, well he has a hard decision. Plus he talks too much at the table, this is ok I guess if you like it. I prefer to shut up and take everything in, you can only complain about your suck outs so much before everyone gets annoyed, esp ME. To his credit though, the guy ran as bad as I have seen. I personally saw his KK run into AA 4 times, and apparently 1 other time I didn’t see. Of course he only brings $600, runs bad first day and then plays scared the rest of the trip.

So on with the trip.

Day one we fly in early Monday, get a cab to Luxor and check the bags. Walked by the local poker rooms, saw they were dead, so we decided to walk the strip and see how the Venetian was looking, being that it’s the largest poker room there has to be some action there.

We arrive and find a new table starting 1-2NL. I buy-in for $200 and James buys in for $100 the rest of the table is fully loaded at $300. I notice quickly there are no fish at this table. James is off balance from the start, his stack is so weak but he plays it like he’s milking a cow. He starts a hand with $80 and has KQ( tells me later) On a k high board that he has raised $15 and only has $55 behind. He thinks forever, and I know he has a K. But he folds and the other guy shows a flush draw.
Then he gets it allin very soon after with 99vsAA. So he’s out quickly and stands up.

I decide to play TAG and get down to $120 ish not playing anything memorable, and then I get ks10s to make two pair on the flop vs a talkative fellow who was very aggressive, who pushes me in with Q10. I take the double up and cash out soon after virtually even.

The table was just nothing I saw that I could take advantage of, and James certainly couldn’t. So we walked back to our hotel to check in.

We then went to luxor’s poker room, which only had one 1-2NL table running. We jumped in, Most of the table was fish, but there was one guy who was pretty good. I buy in for $200 I went card dead and couldn’t flop a pair for my life, so then I get QQ after about 3 hrs. I’m already down to $110, so when my raise is re-raised preflop, I shove. He instacalls with AA. And wouldn’t you know it, I flop a Q. Hey everyone deserves to get a suck out some time. Right? LOL
Well if I had a $1 for every time that happened to me I would have more then I won on this pot. LOL
It also is my only HUGE suck out this trip.

We play another hour or so and James has taken his $100 down to $60 and the table breaks down. Luxor isn’t what it used to be. Not that it was ever that popular, but there usually was always a couple NL tables running.

So we go to Excalibur, And wow, the small poker room is popping. At least 4 NL tables Full, and huge stacks, that seem to be moving all over the table.
It was just what I needed. We spend the rest of the trip at this poker room.

We sit at the same table, but by this time James is sitting right next to me. Talking loudly every hand about his suck outs against him, or his hand odds, or anything poker related. It’s annoying the hell out of me, and distracting me. So I ask for a table change and tell him I spotted a heavily loaded table and I was buying in for the full amount. This worked great because he didn’t want to buy in for much or play vs large stacks, so he stayed at the other table.
This was my best decision of the trip. When he’s not in my ear it helps so much.

I buy in for $300 and just start waiting to pick somebody off. But this table is crazy. I get AQ, raise to $15. 7 callers and the button raises to $35, I call, and to my surprise the entire table calls. so right away I know I’m screwed if I don’t hit 2 pair or better. Flop is Q73, I bet $50, The guy directly to my left raises to $100, then the button goes all-in for $350. Of course I fold, and the guy to my left calls with KQvs33. So KQ re-raises me on the flop, and 33 re-raises pre-flop, and the entire table plays. LOL

So on we go, I just wait for my time to come.
I then get AJ on the button, somebody raises to $15 and there’s 4 callers, so I call too. Flop AsJs10, pretty good flop but its not impossible to think somebody may have KQ. All checked to me, and as I grab my chips somebody says “you better wait I have a big hand”, I don’t know how to read into this then to believe he’s on a draw or full of shit. So he checks, I bet $40, he calls. Turn is a blank, he checks, I bet out $50 and he calls. River is a blank, he checks, I bet $50 again and he folds J10 face up. Now I don’t understand how he can fold after calling me down, but he does.

I’m sitting on $400 when my big hand of the day arrives. 5 to the flop on a $12 raise and I have 66. Flop is AA6.
I check hoping for action, as you would think somebody has an ace. But its checked down. The turn is a 2. and I lead out $25 and a guy calls sitting on about $275. River is a 4, I bet $50 and he raises to $100. Now I know it’s possible he could have aces full, but at this table, as crazy as it is, he could very easily had just an ace. So to maximize my possible profit I shove. He thinks and eventually calls with 22. Glad I let a free card come on the flop.

Then an interesting hand happens, I have AK on the button. 4 people limp, then the guy to my immediate right limps. So I raise to $15, all fold to the guy to my right. He shoves for only $125ish. Now I can’t see him having anything other then a possible small pair or a weak ace, or the same hand as me. So I call, and to my utter disbelief he has AA. So with 4 limpers and only the button and BB behind him he limps with AA. I just can’t understand how that’s the logical move. But it works out for him so I guess GG is in order.

I win a few more hands and end up about $300 for the day.
James comes over and explains how he worked his stack to $200 and then ran KK in to AA. And he ended his day down like $300ish, half his bankroll, LOL.

Tuesday was another long poker day. Most of the day was back and forth until the evening. Luckily James is at the other end of the table so I don’t have and annoyances.
He bought in for $100 ran it up to almost $200 and then ran KK into AA again. LOL
He played the rest the night but ended up down the $100.

I buy in for $300 and run it up to about $400 when I get this hand.
QQ in late pos. guy to my right raises to $15. I raise to $45. he calls. Flop is 752, two hearts, and he instashoves for $190 I declare to the table that he is on “the nut flush draw” as I call him, he looks at me in a way that assures me that it is exactly what he has, but he doesn’t show his cards, turn is a 6 and river is a 8, no hearts. I exhale, and then he goes “5,6,7,8--------9” a9 hearts, runner runner strait :( pffff. Oh well I move on.

I rebuild back to $300ish, when a new guy sits down and the very first hand I have AsJs. Raise pre-flop $12, couple callers including the new guy. Flop is J7s3s. I raise and he shoves for $190ish. I have no clue how he plays, I fully expect to be behind, but I figure if he has anything other then a set I have the right price to call, or I may very well be ahead. So I call hoping hes crazy with kj or qj, or even kk,qq or some crazy 2 pair hand, but unfortunately he has 33. But I turn a spade and the river is a blank so it works out for me. I guess you could call this my only other suck out of the trip.

I end the day up about $300.

Wend I had classes and then went out to eat at the hard rock café, which has nice window views. And then saw the free lions show at the MGM. WE didn’t play much poker and I don’t recall anything good or bad. I think I lost about $100

Thur I had classes and played a little in the evening. I think I broke even or very close to it. I also saw James run his KK into AA again. This time he had $175 and he looked at me before he called, and I knew exactly what he had. And he almost folded. But he said “fellas, this is why you come to Vegas” and shoved. LOL poor guy

The most interesting thing I saw was this old lady who was in a electronic wheel chair. She bought in for $100 and literally only played 2 hands the entire night.
One where she got re-raises pre-flop and she debated and debated and finally called the all-in, with AA, lol. I swear she almost folded.
Then she was in the BB and saw the flop for free. A7s3s. She checks and a guy raises, she flashes her cards to me and the guy to my right as she folds AsKs. No Joke. The guy looked at me and gave me a “WTF” kinda look. I couldn’t believe it; we had a good laugh about it after she left.

Friday comes and I have classes again. But since our flight is Saturday around noon we decide to make it a long poker night.

Glad I did, this was my night, I loosened up and decided to have fun, and kind of be a table bully. Talk a lot, Raise a lot, show a lot of bluffs ect ect, And the table let me do it. By far it was the weakest table and I was hitting the deck like crazy.

So James is down to about $80 and I’m at around $600. so UTG raises to $15, james raises to $30, I call with 3s4s. Kind of to protect James hand and I figured if he wins he could make a little more off me. I felt sorry for him. UTG calls. Flop is 334. LOL
James shoves his last $50 and I call, and say “sorry”. He has QQ.
This was his last $100. So since I felt bad about that I spotted him $100. ecpecting to never see it again.

I then stack somebody with AAvskk and finish up about $700.
Went to bed at 4ish and James plays on. I figure on his SS he wont last to much longer. Next day I find out he played tell about 6:30 and to my astonishment ran the $100 up to $550. He said he started running good after I left, and took advantage of some complete noobs. I was glad for him, but I collected my $100 back. Haha

We decided to play again sat morning before our flight. And once again I was hitting the deck like crazy. I decided to be a little crazy and have some fun. I kept flopping 2 pair and taking down pots. Then I heard somebody mention that they wish we had a “72 rule”, and make it where and everyone pays, like on high stakes poker. Well what do you know if I don’t get 72 the very next hand. I decide no matter what I’m playing this hand, and I’m playing it hard. Utg raises $15, 3 callers. I pop to $50, All call. Flop is Q84, they all check. I bet $120, and they all fold. I of course have to show the 72, and of course half the table goes on tilt, the guy to my right showed AK, one guy actually had a QJ. LOL. So I got action like crazy after that. I ended being up about $300 for the morning.

I think I brought home a little under $1500 profit.
James ended up only down about $200, and he was happy about that.
So it was a fun trip.