Despite what you may read below, I actually do work. This trip report doesn’t contain much information about what went on work-wise, because that would be utterly unreadable. However, if anyone has any questions about the Las Vegas Convention center and how things work for tradeshows there, I’d be happy to give a shot at answering.

Arrival: We flew out after work on Monday from Cedar Rapids, IA on United with a stop in Denver. As usual, United was late in getting us there and we missed our connector and had to catch the last flight out of Denver on Frontier. We didn’t arrive at our hotel, the luxurious Imperial Palace, until about 12:30am. The check in took an unusually long time, but we finally got checked in and got to our rooms.

Now, there have been many questions about the room quality of the IP and I’m here to tell you that the most accurate description I have seen would be “a Motel 6 attached to a casino”. This place is perfectly situation and accommodating for spring breakers from college and cheap guys like me to trying to stretch a marketing budget (rooms were $46/night). However, I couldn’t imagine taking a wife or girlfriend here, unless the goal was to create grounds for divorce. I’ll spare the details in this trip report, but if you’ll note the price, that’s exactly what you can expect for quality as well.

After unpacking, I headed down to the poker room to see for myself what the place was like. I’ve been to Vegas probably 25 or so times but never had so much as been in the IP let alone played the room. It was pretty much as described by others on the site, so there isn’t much need to rehash that stuff. However, I will say this: I have never seen such soft games anywhere, period. It was unbelievable. I will also say that the poker staff there is outstanding. Very friendly and very competent. The room does try everything possible to make players happy and attract new players to the game. About the only thing they don’t do is bring the O’Shea’s leprechaun down to try and convince people to come in the poker room…

So I get sat down at a 1/2 NL game. It was seven handed and I ebbed and flowed chips for about an hour both by winning decent pots with nothing more than top pair and losing pots to strange one card straights and soooooted cards that most wouldn’t call raises with pre-flop. Hey, it’s part of a soft table right? That game got short handed, so we were able to combine tables with the other 1/2 game and were back to 10 handed. That’s when things got a little hairy.

As has been mentioned on this site in the past, this room is a recreational card-drinkers paradise. That usually means fun, laughter and a good time. It can also mean drunken, grouchy surly dudes and slow play. This game was the latter. The prime culprit was a 20-something kid from Canada in full club attire. Let’s call him “5 Cent”. He was a) terrible b) completely and totally hammered and c) had a very high opinion of himself (shared by no one else). Even before the tables combined, I had watched him be warned about acting out of turn, calling out his cards when the flop hit when he wasn’t in a hand, etc. This behavior continued after I got to the table and it was pretty clear everyone had just about had enough. The dealer had continued to politely remind him of the rules, but that was about as effective as politely telling the regulars in the blackjack pits that Member’s Only jackets aren’t the first choice in casual wear for men (I counted three during the trip!). So, while I consider myself to generally be the fun loving and agreeable sort, I had had enough when after the flop hits the board he screams “ALL IN” and throws his chips in the middle – and he was at least four positions away from his turn to act. That’s when I lost my mind:

Me: You dumb son of a bitch, how many times do they have to tell you not to do that?

5 Cent: F-you. Do you have a problem with somethin’?

Me: I don’t have a problem with anything other than you either are the dumbest mf’er I’ve ever seen or you don’t understand English. Should they try to explain it to you in French or perhaps they could get some crayons and draw it out for you.

5 Cent: How about we go outside and I draw it out for you?

Dealer: FLOOR!!!

Me: Careful, even a p*ssy like me could beat your poser a$$. At least it would speed the game up.

5 Cent: (stares blankly)

Me: What, cat got your tongue or have you used all of the words in your vocabulary you dumb *ss?

Floor: (appears out of nowhere and screams in my ear) That’s enough! Don’t say another word!

Me: (begins to protest and explain)

Floor: NOT ANOTHER WORD!

Me: (looks down at my chips and bites tongue).

The floor then goes over to 5 Cent and tells him it’s time to go. Security comes and escorts him out, as he protests and invites me along with him as he leaves. I somehow manage to keep my mouth shut and the episode ends. I get the usual “don’t let the guy get to you” and “just be the bigger man, etc”. The game immediately improves, becomes fun and we play until I have to leave at 8:15am to go to breakfast and head to the tradeshow. I was really impressed with how the floor handled what could have been a real mess, because at least two other guys at the table wanted to take 5 Cent outside themselves and kill the guy. The floor (Rick) correctly shut me up first (the loudest participant) then immediately ejected the other guy citing all the times he’d been warned. Nicely handled, even if I was pretty embarrassed at my own behavior. Rick and I had a great conversation about it at the end of the session.

After the trade show, we headed back to the IP and I got a nap in before dinner. We ate at PF Chang’s at Planet Hollywood hoping to catch a low stakes game for my buddy afterward, but there wasn’t one. We walked down to Flamingo and it was packed, mostly with concrete guys. We attempted to get a 2/4 table together but I ended up getting a seat and my buddy took off after waiting. So, after 30 rousing minutes of that, I decided to go elsewhere. There weren’t any NL games at IP so I thought I would try TI as I’ve played sessions here and there in the past and liked the room.

I got to the TI and waited for a little bit, then got a seat at what was clearly the tougher of the two games going. I bought in for $300 because there were five stacks north of $900 and the other three were between 200 and 500. I figured (and rightly so) that this would be big-bet-then-push game so I didn't want to blow 500 at a shot on that. There were only two players at the table who I was clearly better than and the rest ranged from right around my level to probably slightly better than me. As luck would have it, the following hand with one of the bad guys played out like this:

I get Jd10d OTB and raise four limpers to $15. Normally I don't make this play, but I hadn't played a hand in 30 minutes so there's less chance of them thinking it's a button raise. REALLY LAG Russian guy to my left in BB calls as does one other. Flop comes J 8 3 rainbow unconnected. Checks to me and I bet $30. He check raises to $75 and the other player folds. The guy got in the game at almost the same time I did. He's been making really large bets and pushing the rocks around somewhat. He ran a stack from $400 to $800, then lost it all in two hands (one a complete bluff) and rebought for $500. It seems to me that he's clearly got me pegged as the weakest guy at the table because of my short buy in, tight play and accountant like attire (the rest of the table was usual hoodies, hats, etc). So, I decide that he's got complete air and that even with a pair I can let him make one more bet before putting him to the test. I flat call the raise and the turn comes 9. Now I've got a OESD and top pair. He checks which tells me that either a) he wants to make a play again if I bet, probably a much larger one, or b) he's really weak and surprised I called his check raise. So, I decide to let the river fall and see if a J, Q or 7 hits and decide what to do if it doesn't as I'm pretty sure he'll lead at it putting me on AK or AQ. River is a 2. He bets $50. That is one strange bet into a $200 pot they way it has played out, but I decide that it really supports my thinking. He's put me on over cards and I've now missed, so he can make a small bet that I can't call and he wins. If I've got a raising hand, he can cheaply get away from it knowing he's beat. I think for a moment, then min-raise him to $100. He rolls his eyes and I know that my read was pretty much right on, with an unexpected bonus - he doesn't have air. He thinks for a long time and does the usual mickey mouse almost call, then almost fold deal and then shrugs and says "Great bet, I'm beat but I can't lay it down for $50 more" and shows pocket 5's. I didn’t get much action after that. Maybe one caller on my pre-flop raise and nothing on continuation bets. One guy even sniffed out my turned straight when I had Q10 in the bb and limped. I made a $10 bet into a $30 pot and he laid down 2 pair with no flush board!!!! That's when I racked up and decided there had to be softer games elsewhere.

I headed back down to the IP to see if they had any NL games going, but still nothing. I decided I wanted a couple of drinks before bed and sat down in the 2/4 game. I played for about 30 minutes, had some drinks and hit the sack around 2am.

The next day we worked the show again and got back to the IP at about 4pm. We had some time before dinner and there was now a 1/2 NL game going at the IP, so I got a seat. As I’m unracking my chips I notice a guy to my left that was sitting in the same position (at the same table) the night before when I was playing 2/4. He had about $1200 in front of him and said he’d been there non-stop since 10pm the night before. He was drunk and was bullying the table with open raises of $25-$50 and was showing down complete trash, but catching cards. I picked up some small pots here and there and that’s when I noticed the guy sitting to the left of the all-night drunk guy. He also was sitting in the 2/4 game the night before, but indicated he did go take nap at least. This guy was clearly a good player and I knew what would eventually happen, let’s call him Poor Man’s Gus Hansen, and has about $800 in front of him.

Drunk guy’s girlfriend has been sweating us just over my right shoulder this entire time, occasionally whispering to drunk guy that they should go eat dinner. He has none of it and tosses in another ridiculous open raise of $30 into a $7 pot. That’s when Poor Man’s Gus Hansen calls and those two are heads up. Flop comes Kc10h8h. Drunk guy bets $75 and PMGH smooth calls. Turn is 2h. Drunk guy bets $200. PMGH looks him over, then min raises to $400. Drunk guy doesn’t like this at all and starts yammering away while PMGH sips his beer and says nothing. Drunk guy calls and the river is Jh putting four hearts on the board. Drunk guy checks, PMGH thinks for a little while, then goes all in for his last $300. All the while, I’m keeping one eye on Drunk guy’s girlfriend, who is silently, but visibly freaking out. Drunk guy thinks for the longest time then shrugs and calls, flipping over the Kh (along with a 9s?). PMGH flips over big slick with the Ah to take down a monster and leave drunk guy with $400. He manages to give away $200 of it in the next two hands before racking up and walking away…I love the IP.

After dinner at NYNY, we met up with some college buddies I hadn’t seen for awhile who want to try their hand at poker. So we walk over to Excalibur and get them to open up a new game 6 handed so we can sit down (kudos to a friendly staff over there). Typical 2/4 game and my friend and I are wagering more on the over/under each time someone spins the wheel for cracked AA/KK. Speaking of which, I’m down to my last $35 when I get AA and bet it/raise it all the way down against a nice woman who flips over a naked 5 for a straight and now I get to spin the wheel. The fates align and I win $50 for a $15 profit! Woo Hoo. I promptly grind that back to my original $100 and decide that 50 rum and cokes is plenty, so we leave.

My buddy heads up to sleep and I try to get in a 1/2 NL game back at IP but it’s full. I head over to Harrah’s and sit in the tightest game ever for about an hour before racking up my whopping $50 profit and head back to IP. Nothing really of note there other than an interesting player/dealer confrontation at an adjoining table. Yelling ensues and the floor is called over.

Floor: What’s going on over here??
Player (50-ish year old guy): This dealer is treating me like a child.
Floor: What did he say to you?
Player: He told me it’s my responsibility to protect my cards and is trying to make me hold my cards a certain way.
Floor: (looks at dealer)
Dealer: Ask him to hold his cards his way.
Player: Here is how I have always held my cards, and I’ve been playing a long time!

He proceeds to hold his cards up about shoulder height and about a foot way from his body.

Player: See, what’s the problem with that?
Dealer: (to the guys sitting on either side of the player) Guys, what cards is he holding?

Other players (in unison and without prompting while looking straight ahead): “3 of clubs, 4 of diamonds”.

Dealer looks at the floor and shrugs his shoulders.

Floor: Well sir, I’ll leave it up to you how you want to hold your cards, but there may be a financial impact associated with your technique…(and walks off).

Back at the IP, there is now a seat for me (about 1am) and I play out the last 7 hours before we have to head to the airport. Table was loose as hell and profitable. One poor guy kept buying in for $200 at a crack and losing it the next hand with decent cards. He probably dropped $1200 in 15 minutes (not that I’m complaining as I managed to get some of it pushing with KK).

This was a good primer for the big March trip. Hopefully I’ll have caught up on my sleep by then.