Went on 8 day trip to Vegas alongside with a buddy of mine. Stayed at Aria for 4 days and then went to the Venetian for 4 days.

Got the corner suite at Aria at the pokerrate which is a decent deal. The service at the Aria is one of the best in Vegas I believe where the staff was very friendly and accomodative. Asked for a converter for a battery charger and got it for free within minutes. It's not about the money but the thought and service.

Anyways, we both started to play the 1-3NL game. I'll try to make a room review later but I like the place. It plays 9-handed at the Aria so it's quite spacious at the table. What I don't like is the max 300 rebuy in this game which makes it 100BB. It's ok when the table gets started but you'd like to be able to get 200BB at the table when there are a few big stacks. What I don't like neither is the rule that it's not allowed to have hand-related table talk in the cash games. I don't mind the rule itself (although I believe it's part of the poker game itself) but the fact that it was enforced pretty randomly. Either have the rule and consistently enforce it or abondon the rule.

I was afraid I would be rusty since the last time I played at the casino was at least a year ago with an odd home game in between. First 2 sessions I managed to grind >300 in the green.

2nd day I decided to play 2-5 as the max buy-in is 200BB. Went very well thanks to a massive deep-pocketed fish. I was lucky that the table was quite passive which allowed me to make my 3-bet range incredibly wide to isolate that guy who came in almost any hand for $25. Ended that day well over 2k in the green thanks to the nice gentleman. Broke even in the next two days depsite losing 2k in total in very similar hands: in both hands I managed to get it all-in on the flop with AA vs QQ and both an A and Q on the flop. One time i see the Q at the turn and second time I see the Q on the river...... Variance can be such a bitch! I'm getting very confident with my play though, being able to process information quicly and narrowing opponents hands to very narrow ranges which helps tremendously. Playing a bit spewy on day 3 though because of the rhytm I got used to playing that fish on day 2: entering the pots with too wide range from basically any position. Luckily I spotted the fish on day 4 again who helped me to offset the losses I made at the above 2 hands.

The food at the Aria is awesome, especially the Thai (Lemongrass). Visited the steakhoude there too which was more than decent to say the least.

We moved to the Venetian late at day 4 because we thought it would be more convenient to be located more centrally on the Strip. Little did we knew that we would hardly come out of the hotel. I did manage to go to the pool twice at the Venetian which was ok. The rooms at the hotel and the hotel itself is starting to look dated. They are clearly targetting the Chinese clientele there. The pokerroom is H U G E with a separate tournament area. I would have thought that it would be more crowded at the table since it plays 10-handed but somehow it wasn't that bad. Maybe the tables are slightly larger. There's more space between the tables compared to the Aria.

I played 2-5 almost exclusively but ran into quite a few very decent players. I managed to win a few hundred by hitting the hands I needed and an occasional bluff. Day 6 was a very interesting day poker wise. I was sitting at a table with at least 2 pro's (both directly to my right, jay!) and a few local grinders. As said, I was very comfortable with my play and the table flow allowed me to float successfully a few times against the grinders and show them some bluffs. Then an interesting hand happened. I pick up TT in middle and make it 25 to go. V1 calls UTG (local grinder) and V2 (a pro) calls. Flop comes K - J - 9 rainbow. Not a great flop but not too shabby. Checked to me and I lead with 65 (or something) to see V1 reraise to 200. V2 folds. In the vast majority of the cases I would mostly fold here as I'm most probably behind without any real outs. I could hit a Q or T but 6 outs is not many if I have to pay 135 into a 340-ish pot. A T is very likely to shut down action as I could easily be playing AQ, giving me too little implied odds. V1 has 600 behind after his raise and I have him covered. I don't like to call here. Most turn cards will leave me in the dark and I therefore can't call a likely turn card. So it's either raise or fold. V1 has been running very bad, losing a flopped straight to a FD, hitting TPTK to drawn 2 pairs. He's been playing fairly ABC and not out of line. That helps me to narrow his range. He's most probably not playing QT from the UTG as he was the first one to call my raise PF. I discount AA/KK/QQ as that would have lead to a 3-bet given him being an ABC player and his position. AK and AQ are very possible. AK is a little bit less likely because I think he would have lead out against my probable 99/TT/AQ/AJ type of hands. I start to discount the AQ as well as he seems to be quite strong: He put out his 200 neatly in 4 stacks of 50 before the betting line and gently pushes it over the line. I really have to give him credit for JJ/99 for a set (again, KK would have most likely 3-betted). I typically wouldn't give him that much credit for a set on the flop since he played it so fast on a rainbow flow but since he was outdrawn quite a few times (at least 2x rebuys), maybe he didn't want me to continue with AQ or QJ type of hands (which I played). Again, I would fold in 99% of the cases here but this was the 1% I'd suppose. I started to talk to him: "You're not playing QT here, I don't see you playing KK here as you would have raised. I don't care about AA/QQ because I have that beat. I can bet a set of 9's (really implying I have a set of J's). I can't call you here so I either fold or shove it." I play with my chips and he puts his hand in front of his mouth. Damn, that's another sign of strenght as he's trying to hide his stenght subcontiously. Still, I announce all-in...?!?! He tanks. Jay! Tanking! he's playing 9's! I was really convinced he would lay down a set of 9's here. After 2 mins, he calls and shows me JJ..."*gulp*. I had his range absolutely right but made a stupid donkey move. Needless to say I hit the Q for a straight on the river. He took it really well though, not cursing on me or anything. Just quietly handing the dealer his chips and did a rebuy. Respect!

That made the pro's on my right lick there lips as this hand combined with the shown (semi)bluffs earlier put "MANIACAL DONKEY" on my forehead. Few hands later, I raise to $25 on the button with nothing but callers in front of me with 65c. I get 3 callers, including the 2 pro's. Flop comes gin (now, please read the word "gin" with sarcasm): J - 4 - 2 with 2 clubs, giving me a baby FD and a gutter. Check to me and I bet 65. 1 of the pro's raises to 150, 2nd pro folds and I elect to call here.

Turn is the Tc, giving me the flush and V bets 200 into the pot. A flush could be very well in his range and in that case I'm beat. He could also put me on an overpair, AK/AQ type of hand that I didn't want to release on the flop. I really can't narrow his range here though I should be ahead against the majority of his range. I wasn't ready to give up my flush here as that would be quite spewy on the long run without a very solid read on V. I can call here to see the river but if it's a big club, I give V the chance to move in on me with complete air that I can't call. So I don't want to fold or call here and that's leave 1 option: raise. Given my image, I elect to completely overbet and go all in with him playing 700 behind after his bet. I did the overbet before with a weak hand and I'm trying to sell that I have a big club (either A or K) in my hand. V almost instacalls his remaining 700 but we don't show the hands. At that point I think I'm pretty f**ed. River is a complete blank ace and I show my babyflush. V is immensly upset and shows me JT for a turned 2 pair......! I was so lucky that I hit AND that my image worked in my favor. I'm quite convinced he wouldn't have instacalled if I was labeled amn ABC player. Later, he comes to me when I'm having a smoke and he said that I played the hand to perfection in this very specific case. I really appreciated such a gesture from a poker player who are more often than not sour losers.

Anyway, you can say I got lucky as V could have easily be holding a flush here but with the information at hand, I think I did the right thing. I lose more than 1k along the road that day as variance is catching up on me. I simply don't hit much or people hitting their draws against me but end the day well in the plus. Last day I play 1-2NL with my buddy but only 2 short sessions as I'm pretty exhausted from the 60+ hours played. My buddy ended the trip down a bit but it wasn't much. He couldn't hit much this trip as he's a decent player.

It was a great trip with good food and great fun! I played very well, to my standards, and ha a great time doing so. Looking forward to the next time!