Hello AVPer's!

Another pure poker week in Vegas has sadly ended, and am now sitting at the computer here in St Louis, listening to ITunes, thinking of how quickly I can get back...

The past several semi-annual trips I have stayed at either Mirage or TI as they are by far my favorite places to both stay--and play. However, this trip, I could not pass up an offer to stay for free at most any Harrahs property (I play a lot in Louisville/New Albany at Horseshoe which quickly builds up points). Although the Rio would be my first choice by far (fantastic rooms, and hotel), my brother was already booked for Flamingo, so we picked that. Also on the trip with me was St Louis player/AVP'er Franker (we both are regulars in the Ameristar poker room here in St Loo). After arriving late Tuesday night and noting a long check in line, I dropped my bags in my brothers room, and headed to the TI room to see some old friends.

As I entered I saw Megan was working the floor. On a trivial/meaningless sidenote, when younger I was with a gal who could be Megan's identical twin. We lived together for a bit when I was in the military in NY, and after four years decided to end it instead of getting hitched. Man, I made a bad choice if my gal aged as well as Megan...(sorry gents, Megan is married---but just like with Danette, Michelle, Kristi,etc--staring/drooling won't get you in *too much* trouble at TI).

The TI room looked the same, with the same old dealers which is a GREAT thing. Time to get to work. But wait...is that Aaron sitting in the 3 seat at table 4? Like Yappy Dave before him, Aaron has become the resident TI poker pro. Why in the world others haven't 'moved in' the TI poker room, I have no idea. While "Yappy" and "the OD" are ---A TAD---aggressive (verbally and playing) while there, Aaron is the exact opposite in every way. He pays his bills by silently cashing in on stupid play by each random Seattle Steve, or Denver Dave that is on vacation playing there. They don't ever hear how bad they were in a hand, or that he knew their cards better than they did...he just is plain business. Meanwhile, I have to go back vs. the same talented 800 or so regulars in St Loo while you pick off each Mystere goer who passes by the room and decides to play. Sick. Buying me a great Social House dinner with your $84 trillion in TI comps won't make up for the crazy envy I have for your gig amigo...

After a ton of catching up with some of the staff/dealers, and some decent action at the tables, I got back to the Flamingo at about 6am. While checking in, I learned my room WAS BOOKED TO ANOTHER GUEST!! Before I could say a word, the desk guy said, "We are sorry for the inconvenience sir, perhaps we could offer a mini-suite to make up for our mistake. Of course it will be comped for as long as you stay".

YES!

That was the good news. The bad is the mini-suite, along with the entire hotel is really getting old and run down. The Flamingo had been one of the few properties I had never stayed at on the strip in the many years I have made it to Vegas. I will not be back. Please note that the hotel staff was great--it was just the building/room that was not really my style. On a positive note, the only time in 7 days I left a poker room, I was drug --kicking and screaming by "Franker"--to the Flamingo/Vinny Favorito show. Man the dude is good. For those over 40 like me, think Don Rickles style comedy. Vinny just tore everyone in the crowd to shreds. Super fast/quick witted, and people were almost on the floor laughing. Well worth the $45...Thanks to Franker for that one...

**Finally to poker**

During the week I played insane hours at TI 1/3NL.... some at both the Venetian 2/5NL.... and Orleans 1/3NL.... and a little at Harrahs 1/3NL.

TI: I have written enough about the TI cash game on AVP since '06 to fill an encyclopedia set, so I'll skip it. It is the exact same as always--and the reason it will be my home base--especially since Troy Horning got promoted into Chris Coffin's position. Replacing "excellence" with "unlimited potential" was the best move Mr. Ruffin and/or his management has made so far at TI. Again, well deserved Troy--and this is just the first of many rooms you will have in your bright poker management future.

HARRAHS: I played Harrahs early morning twice between 3am and 8am (having nothing to do but poker each day is SO FRIGGIN BEAUTIFUL--WHO NEEDS SLEEP). Both times the table was half tourists and half locals. The game was soft on both nights. The room setup is a clone of the Harrahs room here in St Louis. A true 'room' with closed off walls, and several TV's. The staff was very friendly both nights, and dealers were great. Good room, and one I would play in if and when I move to town if still playing lower no limit stakes.

ORLEANS: "Franker" got us some free rooms my last couple of nights at the Orleans (thank you sir), so while there, I played some early morning 1/3NL. Holy cow it was nuts. By 5am, people were leading out $18 pre-flop and we were getting family pot after family pot. Some really stupid drunk players, but they are, as we all know, dangerous and unreadable (read-lucky). I took some hits popping some really bad pre-flop players to get out the limpers, but 6 outers do occasionally hit I learned. Ouch. The money was later made back, but it was a sick grind there. I wonder if the day action is like that there??? The room itself was much bigger than expected, and the hotel was way nicer than expected. I had never been there before, and I thought it was going to be similar to a downtown property like Binions or Plaza. I was very pleasantly wrong. Pretty nice place!!!

VENETIAN: If you all think I gush about TI, the Venetian is still in my opinion what a poker room should be: Massive....elegant....superior dealers....superior management....the best game selection in town....!!!!!!FIJI water!!!!!!....and on and on and on.

The only downer is the 2/5 game plays exactly like our regular games here in St Louis. In other words, it makes you work for your money. I have played several times there, and each time I saw many of the same faces. The game plays very deep, and thankfully cash plays there. Adjusting from limping and then completely running over tourists post flop at TI most of my time in Vegas to having to play at a much higher level both pre and post flop is tougher than you would think. Beatable? Yes. But why bother other than to experience the room when there is a much easier room across the street--albeit for a bit lower $$$ level? FYI---I have never played the 1/3NL at the V, so I have no idea how it plays...

While at the V, I decided to play a Deep Stack event. For those of you who like tournaments, I rate this the #1 tourney I have ever played in. I have played the WSOP, and several mid and lower buy ins in my time with some pretty good success. But the structure of the Deep Stack blows away anything I have ever seen & and you are playing at the V which is even better.

Unfortunately, if there was a 'lowlight' of my trip, this tourney result was it. 691 people entered. 9 of us started at table 61 in the corner, and just 2 of us 'originals' were left at the same table several hours later. I later learned the villian was a regular 5/10 player at the V, in his late fifties, and was just solid as hell. His reads were ABSOLUTELY PERFECT the entire day on everyone, and he was the only person who ever picked me off as an endless group of players busted and moved in/out of our table. One more thing, my tourney style is very tight aggressive. In other words, the exact opposite of my loose aggressive cash game style in most venues. I also love to mix in trapping, and have patterned by tourney style after Mr. Hellmuth in that respect. It works...whether you like Phil or not, it works well in tourney play if you have the right image and any reading ability at all. But it didn't matter against this guy. I was his donk to ride off into the money.

Here is the 'the hand': I was sitting on maybe $33K, him about $44K, and everyone else at the table between life support and $18K. I don't remember the blind levels, but we were on hour nine by then. I look down at Ad/Kh. First to act goes all in for maybe $8K. It folds around to the villian. He smooth calls. I'm on the big blind. What do you do there? I smooth called. No question I was going to call the all-in, but why possibly get in a coin flip pre-flop with the only person who had me covered within about 7 tables in the tourney??

Again, I have Ad/Kh. The flop is Js/Qs/10s. WTF???????????? Are you serious? I snap go all-in in first position. Again, using my image, I want to make him think about spades and the idea I hit broadway. Villian snap calls. He rolls over Ac/Ks.

Whew...2d on the turn...3 of spades on the river. GONE. 110 out of 690. Paying top 70. Playing out of my mind well. GONE. Have fun destroying me on the decision to push on the flop if for some reason you are still reading this post. GONE.

I am stunned. I screwed up. I have been playing poker way too long to make that mistake. I walk out in a daze. $44K for 1st, and go down $$$ wise from there on the payouts. Still in a daze. Mentally/physically peaking even after 9 hours in this tourney and all night cash the night before--but who cares--I'm GONE.

Somehow I make it across to TI without getting hit by a bus or slapped by a Mexican with a porn card as I staggered blindly across the street. I'm not kidding, I don't think I heard or saw a thing for 20 minutes after that 3 of spades hit. It was like someone erased my memory because I don't know how I left the V or how I got to TI. For reasons I will never understand, I throw down $65 for the (most of the time) donkfest TI small buy-in tourney within minutes of busting. A few hours later (after felting both Mrs OD and The OD himself at the final table---whoooo hoooo--sorry man), I win the thing. That paid for the Deep Stack buy-in, but man I am still in shock. The next night at TI I took first place in the TI headhunter, and collected 8 bounties on top. In tourneys I look to cash each time, no matter what level or casino/city. I just took 1st in two smaller ones in a row, but guess what? Who cares. I still cannot shake my idiotic decision to push with 'broadway' (but no spades) vs. someone I should not have been in the hand with to start with in the Deep Stack.

God, I love poker.

What would a post be on this site without a Yappy Dave reference? Pretty boring I should think. Mr. Irish and I have been trading $500 airballs in the TI cash game since the day they opened. Even with his endless chatter, I believe Yappy to be a good person, and a talented player on many levels. So, when I saw I was seated to his left to open the HH tourney I later won, I was pretty happy. Mostly just to hear how his life/game was going, but also to remind him constantly I was on his left... Four levels later...AceTenGuy: "Floor! Bounty please Troy". Yappy: "Fuck".

God, I love poker.

I will say though that he was running into monsters the whole time I saw him during the week. Set after set was flopped against him, and it was getting old-- even to me-- watching. Statistically, things will come around my friend!

I also played the Grand Nugget Series while in town. Again, a great structure, and I highly recommend playing this. They put us in a large conference room as opposed to their poker room, and it was very well done. I busted on A/J vs. a guy who limped in with Q/Q. J/4/2 rainbow flop, and things got ugly from there. No cash in that one. The only negative (aside from being outplayed on my last hand) was the dealers were maybe the worst I've seen. I later learned most were blackjack dealers who were brought in for the Nugget series as they did not have near enough poker dealers for the event. That explains it, but man they were bad which put a small damper on the experience.

Overall, in tourney's, I played in six in seven days and cashed two (winning both with no chop). BUT---The other sick thing about the Deep Stack event was I had only played one other V tourney before this one and I got through 225 people to take 8th in December in a regular noon tournament. Point being, I am very comfortable in the room, and if I don't make that poor decision, who knows how deep I finish. Sorry to go on about this, but it still truly does get me down even now back home. Yikes. Anybody know a poker shrink?

I would be remiss if I did not thank TI Poker Danette for a myriad of atrocities by her this week. First, she grabs $125 from me one afternoon for chips. Instead she enters me in the Headhunter for that exact amount. I have to break dinner reservations as a result and piss off my brother and Franker, but hey, I won the thing! Thank you D--who cares my brother won't talk to me! Next, she deals ONE hand the entire time I played at TI due to a dealer calling in sick one day and she filled in for a second from the floor. A crazy hyper aggressive guy had just sat down and goes all -in (blind) for 3 straight hands before she arrives and he shows crap each time to folds. She deals me A/K of hearts, I wait for him to push (again blind), he does, and I call. The flop is K/4/5 with two clubs. Turn 9clubs, river Jclubs. Did I just get another rivered flush against me? Lets see. Still waiting... He slow rolls Kc/7d. Danette sends him $300 of my stack, winks at me, and walks off to the desk. Jacknut gets up and runs off to a blackjack tourney after saying, "Tough One". The reason I am oddly thanking her for her cruelty is that I went on a $1200 run the rest of the night at that table. Finally, I was talked into getting in the AVP tourney at Ballys. Guess who walks in and sits to my left to play? Yep. Who decides to play every hand I'm in and forces me to play like crap? Who ultimately gets me out of the tourney within an hour and a half? What a lady. So, thanks for always being there for me Danette. You are the best. You know I love the V, and now Chris is at the Mirage. My TI association ended because of your nonsense. Ok, maybe not.

The AVP tourney was well run and fun. But it sucked for me. It started bad when first entering Ballys. I hit the restroom while Franker waited outside. I come out, scan over a hundred people looking for him, and see him in the distance. Wait, that lady looked familiar and she just waved and I kept walking. What an asshead I am. It turned out to be Cindy (unknown AVP name) who I had seen at TI in the past, and I walked right by as she went in the AVP tourney. Classy/cool lady. Sorry again if you read this!!
Finally put a face to Minton, AVP, and a few others I had never seen. Thank you very much to Alaska Gal who organized a lot, and took down info for the card protectors that night. Congrats to my boy "Franker" who ended up chopping some decent money for a small tourney and outlasting me, and a lot of others!! He also felted Danette. Dude, steak and lobster on me! Nice! Good/fun group of people on this site were there.

Overall a very profitable trip in cash and a positive $ result in tourneys as well. A GREAT time. I would trade it all to re-do one really bad play at the V Deep Stack though.

**Thanks to the Venetian poker room for being superb in every way.
**Thanks to Social House for insanely good food AND service AND atmosphere.
**Thanks to Aaron ***for the insight*** and food! You need anything, I am there.
** Thanks to the management at TI(Troy/Danette/Michelle/Dave/Megan/and others) for being the best in the business.
**Thanks to Chris Coffin for being a great person.
**Thanks to Franker for being around here in St Loo as a friend/poker player and going on the trip. Yes, I can play some serious/crazy/insane/degenerate level hours. Now you have seen it firsthand. I love poker.
**Finally--thanks for this service you all provide and please keep posting out there!!

AceTenGuy