*More focus on restaurants / attractions than on poker*

My wife and I had gone to Vegas in the summer with some friends. It was her first time, and she enjoyed it, but we were there only 2 nights, and she'd wanted to see more of what there was.

We were able to make plans over the long weekend, and booked far enough in advance that the Pacquiao fight didn't throw a wrench into things.

We stayed at the Vdara. I really like this place - nice architecture, and very nice rooms. They all have a mini-fridge and cooktop and microwave - good for late-night snacking. We had gotten our reservation online at Orbitz, and booked a "premium view" room. Apparently, that means a room on the 14th floor with a view of the parking garage. Hmmm. The lady at the front desk told us there was nothing else available and they were 100% booked.

We were there on a special occasion, so I called the front desk from the room. I've found that being polite and respectful goes a lot farther than "grargh why am I in this room with no view." I got a manager and explained we were there to celebrate, and while our room was perfectly fine, did they possibly have anything else available? We'd be willing to pay, if necessary. Kendall was the guy who took the call, and he was great. He found a room on the 39th floor with a FANTASTIC view of the strip and the Bellagio fountains. Same floor plan, and no extra charge. I was very impressed by the quality of service and attention. I have no doubt that if I'd been a whiny SOB, we would have been free to enjoy the 14th floor.

Again, the view was just amazing. We got some champagne and snacks from the little store in the lobby and watched the strip lights come on.

We had dinner at Lemongrass in the Aria. I was really surprised by the high quality of this place. We'd picked it because it seemed like a good casual spot for dinner. But the food was tremendous. They have a Satay grill, and you can get almost anything nicely charred and served with peanut sauce.

After that, we had tickets for Ka, at MGM. I thought this show was terrific. It has more of an actual plot than many Cirque shows, but because of that, it sacrifices some of the set pieces one might expect. But I didn't mind that - I thought the plot was great, and there were some truly beautiful moments. There's also a stunning chase/fight scene on a mountaintop.

The next day, we had dim sum at the Dragon Noodle Palace in Monte Carlo. Pretty reasonable prices, and good food. Not amazing, but more than adequate. My wife then went shopping (-EV) and I hit the Monte Carlo poker room. Nothing really of note - I got crap starting cards, so I had some really easy decisions. After about 3 hours, my wife was done, and I had lost a whopping $11. I saw several big all-ins, and the table was lively, but I never had a chance to be in the middle of anything. I guess it's better than losing a pile.

Dinner that night was at 9 Fine Irishmen in NYNY. Good Irish pub food, their Shepard's Pie was very tasty. But for some reason, they didn't have any Killian's on tap, or even bottled. They didn't have a single red ale at all. An Irish pub without Killians or a red ale?!

We wandered around NYNY and won a little bit on the cheap blackjack tables. Neither the wife nor I really like blackjack, but if we do play table games, it's what we choose. At least you have some control over your fate. The roulette table next to us hit 22 three times in a row. I think that's some sort of record.

We went back to Monte Carlo since the wife wanted to play some poker. We had our names on the list and I got called (she was next in line). But all of a sudden, she started feeling very ill, and even though she said I should stay and play, I went back with her to the room. I had time to play 2 hands. I won $1. Even though she said to keep playing, I think I made the hero call by going back with her.

Sunday, we went to Gold and Silver Pawn (the one from Pawn Stars). Her parents are huge fans, and it was neat to see the place. None of the guys from the show were there, though. They have some interesting things there - a Rembrandt sketch for $10K, some first-edition comic books, and of course, a ton of antique weapons. The prices were all really high, even on the standard pawn shop fare (jewelry, etc), but I guess with the TV deals and all, they don't need to worry about the profit margin as much.

Then we bummed around the Venetian, and I got roped into buying some shirts and ties for myself - she says my work wardrobe is too subdued. I tell her that I have to be in court, and I can't get away with a lot, but she said she'd find stuff that worked.

We walked back from the Venetian and ducked into Bill's. We watched some football while waiting for poker. The .50/$1 game is weird. Our table was really tight - a raise to $3 often led to everyone folding pre-flop. The stacks were all really short, too - no more than $50. I bought in for $100. My very first hand, I had AsJs under the gun, and raised to $6. Short stack raised to $18. He had about $12 behind. It folded around to me, so I figured "why not?" and called. Flop came jack-high with 2 spades. He went all-in, I called. He showed KK. Turn brought another spade, and that was all. The guy went ballistic. He started yelling, called me a "douchebag" (which was probably one of the funnier moments on the trip) and told me how bad a player I was. I tend to live and let live, but when someone gets at me, I lip back. So I smiled a big ****-eating grin and thanked him several times for the chips. He turned red and walked away.

That aside, was my play that bad? I was playing with fun money and not expecting to make bank on this game. So that had something to do with it. Oh well.

We played there a while, and I wound up +$50, and she wound up -$20. The table remained really tight. I flopped a set of kings on a dry board at one point, and UTG led out $2 into about a $22 pot. Everyone folded around to me (I'd raised on the button). I just called, so as not to scare him out. He bet $10 on a blank turn, and I called. He bet $15 (leaving himself with $25 left) on a blank river. I min-raised to $30, and he snap-mucked. Sigh.

Dinner this night was our big fancy one - we did the tasting menu at Bartolotta in the Wynn. The seafood is amazing - apparently it's flown in fresh daily. One of the courses is a whole fish, deboned and filleted tableside. Very swanky. The wine list is extensive, though there are only a few double-digit bottles, which made selection a tad rough. There was one wine on there for $10,400. Chateau Latour.

After that, she wanted to take a bath, and gave me a poker pass. I went to Bellagio. The room was really hot and stuffy, with not much room between tables. It's nice and all, but some of the shine seems to have worn off the property. With a few exceptions, the dealers were slow, didn't control the game, and would sometime lose track of the action.

Once again, I could get nothing started. I donked away some chips with ill-timed moves (e.g. firing with 77 on a 6-high board, only to get called by JJ). Or I'd get decent starting hands, and whiff the flop. The table was pretty solid, so that had something to do with it as well.

I was pretty far down, when I finally got a decent hand. UTG raised to $12, with a couple callers. I called from the cutoff with Ad10d (bad move?) Flop came out all diamonds. UTG bet $20, all folded to me, and I called. Turn brought another diamond - ugh. Nice action-killer. UTG bet $25, and I just called. River was a blank. UTG bet $40, and I raised to $100. He flashed the 5d before mucking. As played, I don't think I could have gotten more. Maybe a raise on the flop, but I think he then would have check-folded the turn when the 4th diamond hit. That pot got me to +$4, so with that huge profit, I called it a night.

It was a great trip - great food, and an absolutely fantastic, romantic room. Looking forward to heading back!

Thanks for reading.