Took an early flight on Spirit Airlines (cheap airfare) from Baltimore directly to Vegas. Arrived Friday around noon and checked in at Ballys. I was meeting up with a couple friends from a Skype SNG chat group.

Mark (mcpyr0saur) arrived shortly after with his girlfriend. While waiting for him I decided to sit down at the 1/2 cash game at Ballys.

Karma was good as the first song I heard in the casino was 311 (my favorite band). I sat down at the cash game and folded a few hands. The button reached me, with 6 players limping, I raised to $20 without looking at my cards. I got one caller from earlier position. Flop comes down 10-7-5 two spades. He bets $30 into the $50 pot. I look at my cards and am quite happy to notice I have a 10 and a 5. I raise him and take down the pot (10-5 is just like having an overpair anyways). I flip over the 10-5 and tell everyone, " it's my favorite hand.". I'm just waiting for Mark to arrive anyways so it doesn't matter what my image is.

Mark arrives and we head off to Treasure Island to play in the $55 2pm shovefest and meet up with Troy, who used to deal there. I've followed Troy's blog since he started it so it was nice to finally meet him in person. One of the many good guys in Vegas. First time I had ever played at TI, but alas no beginner's luck for me...

Blinds move fast so you have to pick spots. I raised over a couple limpers on the button with A2 only to have the SB short stack wake up with a hand. He shoved all in and when it got back to me I was facing 2K more in an already 7K pot and was mathematically forced to make the crying call. His AK beat my A2 and I was left with about 7 BBs or so.

A couple hands later, I was dealt A7 and facing one limper from early position (I correctly figured the limper had a weak Ace or a couple suited paint cards) so I shoved my remaining chips in. Alas, my A7 can't hold up against KJ and I'm busto in about 15th place or so. Tourney had about 25 runners. Both Troy and Mark made the final table but unfortunately Troy busted out before the money. Not so for my buddy, Mark, as he went on to win the tourney (1st was about $500). He had two key hands that helped including having his all in button shove with A7 called by two shorter stacks who had KJ and KQ. His biggest hand was three handed as the chip leader when he shoved on the button with A2 and hit a 2 to beat out AQ. That last hand gave him a monster chip lead heads up. He won the tourney on the next hand after his opponent shoved with junk and Mark called with AX. his opponent flopped trips but Mark hit a runner runner flush to win it (for the record I was behind him yelling "runner runner flush". True story!))

Can't remember exactly what we did after the TI tourney, but we eventually ended up late regging the Friday 7pm Aria tourney. This tourney pretty much sucked for me. I was card dead and lost even more chips by running a couple failed bluffs. In fact, the only hand I won during this deep structure event was when I shoved in the SB and the BB folded. I did fold my A8 upright after two players got all in before the action hit me. They both flipped over AQ which would have been a three way chop if I called. Even though I only had about 6BBs I figured I was never ahead of either range. The guy on my right who had one of the AQs kept telling me over and over for the rest of the tourney that I made a terrible fold. Fortunately, I only lasted 10 more minutes ;) I ended up shoving my 66 UTG and getting called by TTs and losing. Oh well, at least that left me with plenty of time to play the cash game.

I played the Aria cash game for about 6 hours. I started poorly by bluffing about $100 off on what I thought was a good spot (it sux when your opponent has the hand you are representing). I then proceeded to drink one, two, three tequilla shots.

Meanwhile, Mark was still alive in the tourney. At one point he had less than one big blind (I think) and fought his way back. He eventually busted out in 11th just short of the final table and the money. Meanwhile, back at my table, tequilla shots 4, 5, 6 and 7. I don't have any notes about any of my hands during my 6 hours of cash play. All I know is I was very drunk, very loud, and I was playing about 110% of my hands.

Earlier in the evening I ran into my buddy, Scott Davies (AVP blogger miamicane and current WSOP single season tourney cash record holder). He was sitting at the table next to mine. He said our table was crazy loud, then everything got real quiet. Coincidentally he noticed the quietness began right after I left.

Anyways, I had a blast, got very drunk, and my notes say I only lost $84 during the session (it is quite possible I lied to myself when I put that in my phone). Eventually I pulled myself off the table and went home. About an hour before I left, Mark said I swung by his table to say "Hi!" and that I was completely slurring all my words and was obviously wasted. Geez, what a shocker! i only had about 7-8 tequilla shots (shot = glass = 3 shots each prob).

All in all I had a blast Friday night but took some punishment in the pocketbook area.

Day 1 totals
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+35 Bally's cash game (30 mins)
-55 Treasure Island tourney (1 hour)
-125 Aria tourney (2 hours)
-85 Aria cash game (6 hours)

Total for Day 1 = -$230 (rough start, but this was supposed to be a drinking trip anyways)

Day 2
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Not really sure what time I got in Friday night, but didn't feel too bad in the morning. A couple other SNG Skype buddies were meeting up with us for the rest of the weekend, Andrew (collegefund4), and Jon (boldbets). We all decided to meet at Planet Hollywood for the 1pm $70 semi-shovefest. The PHo structure is not too bad for a $70 tourney. Jon and I got there an hour or so early so we played some 1/2 before the tourney started.
Honestly, now that I'm writing this weeks later I can't remember any interesting hands,etc. Just a note that I won $89. Jon sat at a different table on purpose and won a little also. I'm sure I played amazing to win the $89...but I can't recall.

We signed up for the tourney and to make things exciting all four of us were seated at the same table. Made for a lot of fun as we chatted, laughed, etc. IT was a typical Vegas low buyin tourney. Lots of tight/passive or loose/passive play. I ended up taking third (maybe 30-40 runners?) and everybody else busted out. There was one guy who pretty much knocked out half the field. He busted me as well. I was semi-happy to get third as I stayed alive by shoving junk over and over without getting called. Finally I got looked up and lost. After I busted the one guy had about 80% of the chips. When we met up with him at the Mirage the next day and he said he somehow ended up coming in 2nd (wow).

We all played some 1/2 cash after the tourney ended as we had plans to go to the Saturday night Mirage 7pm tourney (Mirage was sponsoring an informal AVP wear green meetup). Cash game was fun. I had a stack of about $350 when the following interesting hand occurred...

4 players limped to me in the SB so I popped it up to $15 with the scintillating A7 offsuit (obv not a good hand but everyone had limped weakly, I had an Ace blocker and maybe I could trim the field and win with aggression on the flop... at least that was the original plan). BB folded, UTG folded, but the 3 remaining limpers all called. Not good, at this point I'm probably done with the hand barring a good flop.

So pot is about $60 now and the flop comes T-7-4 rainbow. I change my mind, and decide this is actually a pretty safe flop so I decide to bet out $30 into the $60 pot (yes, just a half pot bet. Im not expecting my pair of 7s to be best. My plan is to barrel if called so I'm trying to setup stacks for later). My buddy, Mark, thinks a long time and decides to fold (I find out later he had nothing, but after seeing me play during the trip he suspected I was full of it). the next limp/caller also folds. One player left ,the button. He thinks for a while and hesitantly puts in $30.

This is a mixed blessing. I feel like the hesitation is genuine, however, he also was clearly one of the looser fish at the table so it might be hard to get him off his hand and i still don't think I have the best hand. I have him covered as he seems to have about $200 left in his stack. I'm guessing at this point he has some kind of mid pair. Maybe 88s, 99s, or he caught the ten with a J,Q, or K.

Turn is a K. I can't remember what suit or if it mattered. Board now reads T-7-4-K and the pot is $120. I decide this is a pretty good card for me. I raised preflop so this board hits my range really hard. I could easily already have a high pocket pair or hit the King. I decide to bet $50 into the $120 pot for two reasons. First, if I've misread him and he actually has a monster I'm risking less chips if he comes over the top. Second, this still sets up a good sized river bluff shove if he reluctantly calls again.

He takes a little longer to act this time. I think it's genuine. While he is thinking, Adam walks up and asks me how I'm doing. "we'll see after this hand!", I reply. Villain takes a little more time to think and finally calls. At this point I'm now thinking he has something closer to JT, QT. I rule out KT as I figure he would not have been tormented with calling.

River is a 5. Board now reads T-7-4-K-5 no flush possibilities. pot is now $220. Villain has about $150 left in his stack. I pause for a little bit and shove my whole stack in. He seems to be a beginner-like player so my concern is that if i bet smaller he will call wider. At this point, I feel like there is a better than 50% chance he'll fold. However, I'm still kinda surprised he called the turn as he seemed about to fold. Screw it, I stick with the plan and shove.

He takes a super long time. He stares me down. He chats a ton. He says, " I think I'm actually good here". I sit there relaxed, looking around the table, but mostly casually looking at him and don't say a word.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity (prob just two minutes), he open folds a pair of 88s (wow). I ask him if he wants to see and he says "yes". so I show my pair of 7s. Mark says (I think), "you sicko!"

Obv I had to show so my friends could see the hand (plus he asked). It was a crazy hand. Looking back it might have been ambitious as obviously he was prob playing pure level 1 poker, but my read at the time was I could get him to lay it down. Might have been a little lucky, but it was quite enjoyable.

We rack up not to long after and head over to the Mirage for the 7pm tourney. (ended up making $130 for the tourney and another $232 in the two hours of cash after at PHo).

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It took me about 5 weeks to write this much (busy as hell at real work and grinding... gonna post this now and finish the rest later if I feel like it.)

Future stories from the trip...
- Informal AVP "wear green" meetup at the Mirage
- the mixed game afterwards (I was easily the worst player at the table AND very drunk)
- drinks into the wee morning hours at Voodoo Lounge
- I take down the Bally's shovefest and get yelled at in process for raising 6-7 straight hands near the bubble (oops!)
- Mark and I visit Tony (TBC)

Until then here are some pics from the trip...

Mcpyrosaur, Vookenmeister, Boldbets, Collegefund4 (and his fiancee) at Planet Hollywood. I'm the one sweating (typical).

http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz171/vookenmeister/photo1-1_zpsfcfeb8e7.jpg

Mcpyro and his girlfriend), me, Collegefund4 and his fiancee, Boldbets, miamicane and his wife having a blast at Voodoo Lounge

http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz171/vookenmeister/photo-2_zps74e05023.jpg