I arrived in Vegas on Feb 21. My goal was to play 4 days of various tournaments and some cash games then meet up with a good friend and hit the town.

I arrived around 9:30pm. I was staying the first couple of nights downtown at the Vegas Club. My first time staying there. I read some reviews and they said to stay in the north town. For $20 a night I thought I would atleast try it. It was ok but the vegas club casino itself is going down. It just never had the action the other casino's had. I felt like it was on its last leg of survival. Room was ok but I never really gambled there except for some video poker..

Sunday I took off for the sahara tournament. I played in the 7pm tournament. 95 players and I do not remember how many rebuys. I surely wasn't getting cards all night but I was able to limp into several pots with mediocure hands such as K10os and J10os and hit the flop. I survived down to 2 tables and was playing fairly well until the 2nd break. I was still a low stack and well I started getting some decent hands but the cards just didn't hit the felt. I ended the night as "Bubble Boy". Within 10 min of bubblin the final 7 split the pot for $559 ea. Tourney paid top 10....

One key note for the tournament. I could not believe the slow playing on big pocket pair. Guy next to me for 2 hours was getting big hands the entire time. He would only call. Then someone would raise big and he would call.. After the flop he checks, raiser either bets big or all in and slow playing guy calls. Flips over either pocket AA or KK. He did this for 2 plus hours and made the final table. I just couldn't believe he never got them busted playing that way.

I ended up playing in 6 tournaments over the next couple of days. 5 were at sahara and 1 at the plaza (a sit n Go). The sahara tournaments are a decent structure. The first hour the blinds do not increase to much. But the second hour you need to get some chips or you will find yourself on the rail. I was surprised of the action you would get when you raised. Lots of raises with 2 to 4 callers. Sometimes things would get intense with re-raises and the chips started flying. Lots of action and certainly some bad beats.

Speaking of bad beats here is my last hand I played. I played in the 7pm Wed tournament. About 104 players. I was doing ok through the first break. I had 8400 in chips and the 2nd hand after the break. I am the big blind and I get dealed AA. I am saying to my self "Finally". Well, one guy goes all in for $1200. Blinds are 200-400. One guy calls who just moved to the table. I decide to go all in trying to get just myself and the all in heads up. The other guy quickly calls. All in guy as As6c. Other jerk caller has QJos... Flop come 4sJs7s. 4th street was Jh. 5th street was 10s. So all in guy gets his flush and jerk caller gets 3 jacks. I had raised all in to $8400 which now puts this guys tournament life with QJos. Amazing!! But that is poker. I sat there for 4 days watching people just destroy people by slow playing their big pockets. I finally get them and they end up the worst hand... OUCH!!

I did play one $50 sit n go at the plaza. Interesting play here as well. I did finish 3rd which won $60. However 2nd place was in my pocket until one of the big stacks got lucky and hit a straigt on the river to beat the big big stacks flop of 2 pairs... lol... I was the low stack most of the tournament but again the cards even when I wasn't in the hand killed me to keep other players in it...

Overall the sahara tournament is still pretty decent. Staff was decent. Some players were pretty friendly and some not so friendly. One old man and a younger kid got into it. Almost came to blows. Needless to say younger kid gets moved to my table. He seemed pretty nice actually... However he had a lot of chips. I was BB and was a bit low on chips. He calls and one other person calls. I go all in preflop with AK. He says to me. Yeah, I kinda knew you were going to do that. He calls with J3d. And kicks my azz... I think I should of quit there but kept coming back for more all week... It was surely fun playing cards but surely not fun losing.. Oh well.. Until next year.....