Ever since the poker boom on 2003, I have been a "regular" of AVP and have made 6-7 trips to Vegas to benchmark my game. This was my first time going to Vegas while the WSOP was running.

WSOP - I went by the Rio on 7/9-7/11. If you either play poker on-line or just watch it on TV, you gotta check out the WSOP! I met Daniel Negraneau, Annie Duke, Howard Leterer, and Doyle Brunson! Doyle was in his website's lounge signing autographs, so it wasn't bugging him to chat & get a signed picture! Also, every major on-line poker site had a room full of free stuff for the asking. I am stocked on shirts and hats for the coming year.

As for the action, I don't have the bankroll to buy-in directly into any WSOP event, but I did try my hand at 3-4 single table satellites for buy-in chips. The play at these $125-$225 STTs is no different than a $22 turbo on-line. I simply didn't win any of the coin flips as we got late except for 1. Just play fairly tight out of position early and very aggressive as the blinds increase in position. Get reads on the table while folding your marginal hands and pay close attention to the players who over-value top pair. So, I was down about $300 for these events. Once you do chop for a $500 chip, all you do is go over to the next event's buy-in line and trade it for $500 with anyone waiting to enter the next event. You should expect to get face value, so don't discount your chip!

Monday found me at my favorite daily tourney - the noon $80 + $50 at Caesars. I really enjoy the ~100 person fields, the 4,500 starting chips (with re-buy) and the 45 minute levels. You have the opportunity to play poker through the first break. As soon as the antes kick in, you gotta step up the aggression to stay even with the field. I was very card dead until I caught AKs and got 'em all in pre-flop against the big stack who also held AKs. He flopped a flush, so I'm done, but I played the hand well, so no regrets (he took the full amount of time in calling my re-raise AI, so I made him make the hard decision. Oh, well, that's poker).

Monday evening I went to the MGM to play some mid-level limit, but could only find a 4/8 game. I played 1 hour before the table broke. I ended up about $85, all from 1 hand where my flopped Queens full was unsuccessfully chased by Tens full on the turn. For those of you keeping score at home, Hero is now down about $350 in poker.

On Tuesday, I tried my luck at Bally's 1/2 NL which is always a soft game. Typically 4-6 to the flop raised or not. I continued my streak of cold cards. In the 2 hours I played, I caught K4o in my BB and flopped a Kings full boat. 5 players check the flop. I bet $10 (the pot) and am rewarded with 4 folds on the turn. Who hoo! I win the minimum with the nuts. Maybe I shoulda checked again, but I doubt anyone was betting. 20 minutes later, I look down at AA on the button. Everyone folds (dammit!) to the cut-off who raises to $12 (the standard pf raise for this table). I re-raise to $35. He calls. Flop is K high rainbow. He checks, I bet $25, he calls. Turn is a brick, he checks, I bet $50, he calls. River is a 7 with no straight or flush possible, but now villian wakes up and bets $40. From my observation, he likes to play broadway or suited Ax, Kx. I put him squarely on Kx here as he has been calling with his K. On the very real chance that he has me 2 paired, I call to see K-J & win a decent pot. He later said that he would not have called a raise, so I'm 51% sure I played that one correctly as only a hand that beats my overpair would have called, but it was a close decision. I finish up $150 for the NL session or now down only $200 with one day to go.

We stayed at the Sahara 'cuz they had $40 rooms and on Wednesday I decided to play their 11:00 AM $42 plus $20 single re-buy tournament.

There were 65 runners in the Wed. 11:00 AM tourney. I played for ~3 hours completely card dead. How dead? The only hand I caught was QQ in the BB and it folded to the SB who completed & folded to my min-raise. I played mostly position against weaker players and stayed alive by raising pf & c-betting AI to win without show-down.
With about 30 left at 3 tables, I finally fixed my luck-box. Push A-7 sooooted on the button when folded to me & get called by AJ. Flop a 7. Push KQ next hand when folded to me & get called by A-T. Flop a Q. Push J-9 sooooted one orbit later (expecting a small modicum of respect now that I have a few chips) get called by 44 & turn a straight. Now, my table image could not be better! I go into very tight mode as we get to 2 tables. In 2 orbits, we are down to 11 players at the Final Table, but I'm now 8/11 in chips. 2nd FT hand, I catch KK and come over the top of a Middle Position 3XBB raise to take down a pot that is 50% of my stack. Next hand, catch AQs & open-push AI only to be called by AJ to double up. Fold next hand. Next, its QQ where my 3XBB raise takes the blinds. Next hand, AKo where a short stack pushes in front of me with AT. Seriously, this is as hard as I've ever been smacked by a deck at the FT. I'm the new Chip Leader with 7 left & 7 pay, so everyone relaxes a bit allowing for liberal blind stealing on my part.

We get to 3 left & I'm still the CL by a small margin. Old local pleads for a chop, but the other 2 of us want to play. He's gone on the next hand. I'm now playing HU for the $500 difference between 1st & 2nd. Other guy is a fish out of water with little FT or HU experience, so I switch gears and go aggro on him by pushing AI the first 3 hands with Qx, 33, & T2. Once we are even in chips (I started HU at a 2:1 disadvantage), we dance around the ring a few hands until I have K3o in the BB. Villian flat calls & I check. Flop is K Q 4 rainbow. I bet the pot (20K) & villian insta-pushes. I call & beat him in the pot. He flips TT (?!?) and MHIG!

So, a $60 buy-in (with the single re-buy) and 3K in chips ended 4 hours later with 215,000 chips and an $1,100 payday. WOOT! I get up from the table, take the wife to Emril's Fish House for dinner & to see Carrot Top at the Luxor (he's a lot funnier than on those old ATT commercials). Next morning, its a 7:00 AM flight back home, so I don't have the opportunity to give any of my winnings back. My first live event win & I left Vegas up $1K with ~$800 in poker and actually over $200 in BJ! GL at the tables and don't be afraid to keep stepping up to the plate. 3 days of being pretty card dead ended in a most spectacular fashion!