las vegas trip report

short version:

jan 2-7, five nights planet hollywood. mostly limit at bellagio. 2 k winner. again, bellagio best limit he room anywhere i've played, which includes many west coast rooms. always a good game somewhere in the room. played some 4-8 ( +$50 ), some 8-16 (-$100 ), lots of 15-30 (+690 ), some 30-60 ( +1400 ).

dealers competent, though many need a backbone infusion, and a strong coffee. i was being cheated quite obviously at one table, ( one player would hint at the cards he'd just folded while i was head's up w his confederate ) and the dealer ignored the talking. i asked for a table change and got it within a few minutes.

also played at the venetian, 4 -8, the wynn, 15-30, and ph, no-limit and 2-4. dealer staff at the ph were quite unprofessional. talking throughout hands, telling stories about themselves, dragging out the action, looking and acting bored. venetian was better, wynn was best. only played a few hours at the wynn over the five days - before a dinner date - and two of the best dealers i encountered on the trip both dealt that game.

in my opinion a good dealer,

a) controls the action at the table ( bellagio dealers were weakest in this respect - most allowed all kinds of crap at the tables, angling, the collusion i alluded to, slow-play, slow-rolling, swearing...stuff a good dealer refuses to allow at his/her table).

b) handles the cards briskly. i remember only one dealer at the bellagio who seemed to feel that one of her jobs is to help promote a brisk pace of play ( wish i could remember her name...olive skin, dyed spiky hair, easy friendly manner. been there a few years. i remember her because she stands out as the best in that room. surprised she hasn't been hired away ) the cards were out of her hands quickly, she prompted slow players to make quicker decisions ( a limit table ), she always quickly mucked the folded hands, pushed the pot without ceremony, and then took the winners hand. simple stuff.

i think the standard has fallen over the last few years at the bellagio and i'm not sure why. perhaps it has to do with the emergence of so much no-limit and the slower pace of play.

the floor staff at the bellagio was also not as strong as in years past. perhaps there are management issues affecting the overall mood there. no one seemed particularly happy to see players come into the room. i frequently spent long periods standing and waiting to be added to a game list. even when the room was mostly empty ( i started play most mornings around 4- 4:30 am. )

one incident stands out. i was in a crappy 8-16 in the tight area, the room was crowded, there was no space between the chairs. predictably, i get run by someone charging between tables. the guy hits me so hard i slam into the empty chair next to me. i look up, and it is one of the floor staff. he keeps going. no ' excuse me, no oops, no sorry, sir.' i tracked him across the room, and demanded an apology. had to speak to the room manager about his reply to me. very weird. they also had the very annoying habit of opening new tables with an inadequate list, which would leave the tables short, rather than strong games with a short list. also weird.

at the opposite end, the floor staff at the ph were very friendly, always knew exactly what was going on in their room ( which often times was not so much...give it time and some better dealing staff ) and made me feel valued. nice. venetian staff also on the ball and friendly. wynn the best ( brief time played there. still. ) the guys were dealing with a crowded room, an angry player who was clearly in the wrong, several open seats, several people queuing for listing, etc, and still managed to keep track of me ...placed at a failed attempt to start an 8-16, then successfully moved to an open seat in a 15-30.

ultimately however, the bellagio is still the place i go to play. and that likely won't change unless i learn how to play no-limit, or another room successfully steals away their mid-limit business.

trip report, long version;

arrive 9 pm, wed, jan 2.

trip started poorly, taxi took the long way in. he got an insulting tip. no non-smoking rooms available. i booked non-smoking. sorry. room was gross. my partner - her first trip to vegas ( she paid for everything...my birthday present ), didn't complain, but was clearly upset. i'd planned to get up early anyway to play, but i presented a compelling figure, i think, when i stood, bleary eyed and pre-caffeinated at check-in, 4:22 a.m. asking please, please, please, change me to a non-smoking room. i haven't been able to sleep cause of the stench. boo hoo. right away sir. ( right away!? how can you have a room available at 4:f-ing 30 in the morning that wasn't available at 10 pm last night????? ) whatever. we changed rooms after my partner roused herself around 8.

i'd planned to approach this trip as a means to introduce myself to no-limit play. i've been playing limit for several years. i feel comfortable in those games. i win. however, the trip was paid for, i was under no pressure to make any money. i was going to just sit down in some small 1-2 and try and figure this no-limit out. that plan lasted about 2 hours. i'll work on my no-limit game some other time. perhaps on-line. i love limit, and vegas always seems to have more than it's fair share of terrible limit players.

thursday a.m., my partner has never been to vegas. doesn't gamble. doesn't shop. has played poker once in her life. she loves to walk around and look at things. likes to eat at great restaurants. likes to watch me play cards. we managed very well. toured the east side casinos north of us. venetian her fav. visited their art galary. walked down to circus circus. went in, felt ill, left. had lunch at the sushi place in the fashion building. excellent food. stopped in at ceasers poker room, made dinner reservations at the mex grill across from the sports book (mich one star ). nothing worth playing at caesar's. played some 15-30 at the bellagio.

hand 1. qq utg, raise. called by one mid and the big blind. flop qjj, check to me, i bet, mid calls. he is tight and winning. i put him on ak or better. t on turn. bingo. i bet, he raises, bb folds, i re-raise...wait...ooops, that is not enough chips. shit, dealer announces call. i'm such a dork. bet the river, get called. flip the 2nd nuts, lots of puzzled looks around the table.

hand 2. 9ts sb, three limpers, lag button ( older lady, perma-frown, been raising and re-raising me quite a bit, i have lots of her chips ) raises, i call, all call. 78j two-suit flop. i bet, two callers, lag raises, i three-bet, limpers fold, she four-bets, i complete. turn, 7. gag. i bet, she calls. ok. 7 river. i check and fold.

cash out shortly after up around $50. dinner is great. early to bed, plan another very early a.m.

fri 4 am

try no-limit again. 1-2 at ph. fail. the game is weak. i'm weaker.

partner rescues me around 8, we plan to see the body exhibit at the trop. visit their breakfast buffet. the worst. omg. worse than reno. avoid.

we do a little shopping. i buy a black aussie outback hat. she says i look good in it. i believe her. wear it the rest of the trip. ( if you saw a guy wearing a big black aussie cowboy hat, and a black canvas sport jacket last weekend at the bellagio, that was me. my partner was often sitting with me sweating the hands ).

i enter the noon $150 tourny at the venetian. bust out after a few hours in the low twenties. i'm ok at tournies, one big cash on-line, lots and lots and lots of single table cashes and wins. still, i'm in vegas. i want to play for money. no more long tournies. play some 4-8 while waiting for dinner res. this time at the w puck italian place at the back of the venetian. great meal. tuna cooked to texture and visual of tenderloin.

back to the bellagio and some more 15-30. nothing stands out, hand wise. +$330.

started with the idea of sitting down at the 30-60 where roy cooke was playing. actually had the chips stacked in front of me ready to go, seat 5, waiting for the button to go past. guy utg raises, lots of bets pre-flop. q-rags. lots more bets, three-way. j turn. another wild flurry. huge pot. q river. q3s ( utg ) beats jj. chatter chatter. next hand, more of the same. huge pot. again on the next hand, same three guys driving the action. my turn to post. i reach under the table, get the rack, replace my chips. i learned poker at some of the wildest and most agressive 4-8 games anywhere ( west coast city ). be ready for huge swings, yah? we've all been there. actually, i really enjoy the crazy action. at 4-8. or 3-6. i can't afford to swing that much in a 30-60.

sat 4 am

15-30 at the bellagio, lose about $300 really fast. it is short-handed and i'm catching 2nd best. switch to the 30-60 game. two young men were drivng the action there ( i think i heard someone say one of them is a model...) guy had a small stack of yellow. lots of raising. just as i get there, they five-bet pre-flop, one bets the flop, k on the turn, tight player in the bb takes down a big pot. one of the young guys is pissed at the other for not raising the flop. implied that the bb might have got out. they leave. game gets really short for a few orbits, then fills up. game has some regulars, including beautiful, talented, mary. i play about an hour, get lucky, cash out up $500.

hand three; three handed, i'm the button, aa, raise. bb calls. qq7 flop, bb bets, i call. q turn, bb bets, i call. 2 on the river, bb bets, i call. he shrugs, i turn over my aces. he looks at me like i'm from mars.

hand four; couple orbits later, six-handed, 84s in sb, early raise, fold around, i call, bb calls, 8 4 2 flop, rainbow, i check, bb checks, raiser bets, i call, bb calls. 8 turn, i check, bb bets, raiser folds, i call. a on river, i bet, bb calls. my three 8's win. more looks.

i win a couple more pots, cash out. breakfast this morning at ph buffet. $16 each. worth it. one of the best i've ever eaten at. great deal.

my partner feels like playing. we enter the ph $60 2pm tourny. we go back to the room for a half hour briefing on etiquette and some basic strategy. i get a seat below the tv. hawk fan. kk on the second hand, re-raise large early raiser. two of us. aaq flop. yipee. i check and fold the turn. steal the money back later. another steal early in the second hour keeps me alive for a few orbits. completely card dead. bust out w aq vs ak middle of the pack. partner lasts three hours, busts out in the low twenties. she is quite proud of herself. second time ever playing poker.

after the tourny we go back to the bellagio. reservations at some mich one-star behind the gardens off to the right of the check-in. play some 8-16. really really bad players in this one. one guy, very friendly, trying to be serious, but no clue. lots of money, nice suit, watch, etc. gets crushed. doesn't mind. cash out +280. only notable, i'm watching, five-bet pre-flop from uber-tight bb. bets flop and turn, called heads-up by fishy, k on river. bb silently check-calls, turns a redish purple, goes for a smoke. fishy later complains when someone hits a flush against him. bb goes for another smoke.

sun 4 am

goofy 4-8 waiting for seat in 30-60. another case of crap dealers. two players calling back and forth, clearly helping each other out. whip-sawing two tourists trapped between them. no subtlety. i make $50 raising w 57o on the button and betting it all the way. two 5's win the showdown...move to the 30-60, hi to mary ( sigh ), hi to the guy who was also in the 4-8, catch a run, make $900 in less than a half hour. straight forward betting, hitting, raising for value. cash out, another ph breakfast buffet.

nice morning, we walk to town, show her binion's and freemont. she wants to go back to the strip. fast.

back to the bellagio for afternoon session. first hand 15-30 ( the worst dealer anywhere, mary, short, older lady, terrible attitude, picks fights w players, nit-picks about unimportant things, misses the real trouble. the worst i've ever sat down across. and been there forever. ), kqs bb, call late raise, atx, rainbow flop. call. j on turn. check-raise. t river, lose to at. complete the orbit and leave the table for an 8-16 just starting. lose $380, played like a donkey. check-raised into quads. raised again into the nut flush. table contained the very worst players i encountered the entire trip. eg, utg, i raise w ak hearts. five-way to 7jq heart flop. i bet. three callers. 2 hearts on the turn. i bet, get raised. i call, then bet the river.

before dinner at the wynn, at sw, a couple hours of 15-30. interesting table. steve, the elderly spanish guy who plays lots and lots of hands, a young woman who plays excellent poker ( little pink hat ), an older woman in huge bug-eye sun glasses and other conspicuously expensive wear, a young guy in a suit, drinking scotch, and playing very aggressively and well, another guy in a pony tail, and facial warts, also playing tight, and winning. i think. guy next to me who played like a shill ( bet his hand, never check-raised, bored out of his mind ), another young woman, apparently a very popular dealer, aggressive and a good hand-reader, a grossly over-weight guy in a mobile from chicago, and an incredibly rude, rich woman, forties? blond. ish. really dumb. terrible player. the game is good. really good. lots of stick-handling, trying to take advantage of the dead money. young woman in the pink hat quite lithe with the raises and check-raises. wins steadily.

hand five. my first, i post, folded around, i raise kto, sb ( pink-hat ) and bb ( pony-tail ) call. a-rags, i bet, sb calls, bb raises, i fold, sb folds.

hand six. chicago limps ( again ), folded to steve in sb (!? a first), he completes, i check k2o. flop comes 2, 4, 6. steve checks, i bet, chicago folds, steve calls. 9 turn, check, i bet, call. k river, steve bets, i raise, steve folds.

hand seven. young man, lag, replaces chicago in one seat, i get kk utg, raise, pink hat calls, lag calls, sb calls, steve calls. a-rag flop. check to me, i bet, three calls. blank on turn, i bet, pink hat folds, lag calls, steve folds. j on river, i check and call. lag mucks.

cash +$330, dinner is great, tenderloin and tuna. good staff.

mon 4 am. roll over and go back to sleep. ph buffet. again.

bellagio again. flight out at 9 pm. play 15-30 all day. stuck $700 at dubious table (see above ), change tables, win just under $1100. second table is perfect. i'm in the eight. seven is a rich tourist who is trying to play well. six is a young aggressive player, drinking a highball, playing most of his hands, raising lots, pre-and post fop, w trash, trying to take all the chips from an older man in the four seat who really should be playing 2-4. he has no idea. bets at most flops, calls to the river, and mucks. frankthetank is in the two seat. older woman, the lag from two days ago, is in the one. she plays all the time, and is playing much tighter today than earlier.

woman from the wynn, the dumb blond-ish one, arrives, talking loudly, wants into a game. seems a bit drunk. they build a game around her. pretty comical, though it does short our table two players.

hand eight, my bb, folded to cutoff who calls, button calls, sb calls, i call w kto. flop kq9, rainbow. sb bets, i call, cut-off calls, button calls. 6 on turn, sb bets, i raise, cut-off raises, button folds, sb calls. 8 river, sb checks, i check, cut-off bets, sb calls, i call and win, beating j6o and q3.

hand nine, i raise utg limper, from 2nd utg w aks, one seat calls, two seat calls, blinds call. 722 flop, i bet, all call. 9 turn, all check, a river, sb bets, bb folds, utg calls, i call, rest fold. i beat a6 and utg's aq.

hand ten, i raise crowd in cut-off w aa. aax flop. checked to me. i bet. one caller. check turn, bet river, get to show. my first flopped quad aces.

really would like to see another room challenge the bellagio for best limit poker room on the strip. the action is always great there, but the staff need a shake-up. quite fortunate this trip that i found my way into the low-limit games while my cards ran cold, and into the 30-60 while they ran hot. plan a return trip in june/july. thinking three or four weeks this time. ideas welcome on where to stay for less $ but still walk to the strip.

cheers,

spitball