Vegas Trip Report, Part 1

3 and a half days in Vegas really flies by. We arrived Friday evening and headed to the food court at O’Sheas for a quick bit of pizza. After a few slices, we went across the street to the poker room at Caesar’s Palace. We were too late for the 7PM tournament so we sat down to the cash tables. “Birthday boy” Mike joined Chris at the 3/6 limit and I jumped in the 1/3 no limit. This was new to me and I just sat back and watched for a little while. I didn’t get involved in too many pots but picked up a little with some big hands. I did make a big mistake when I decided to try and take away a pot even after my outs didn’t hit. With A,10 diamonds, I had the nut flush draw along with a straight draw on the flop. I’m sure it was obvious that I was chasing since I only called the flop and the turn. He then checks the river to me and I decide to do my patented all-in bluff on the river. He considers a fold, but then calls with his pocket Aces. Fortunately he bought in for less than me and I still had $35 left. After a few fortunate hands and one good call, I was able to run this up to about $360 over the next hour and a half. I bled it back down to below my original $200 buy-in for a loss of about 20 bucks on the night before heading to bed around 2 local time.

Around the ass crack of noon on Saturday, we headed across the street to Bill’s Gambling Hall for a great breakfast. After I ate, Chad came over and picked me up so we could spend the afternoon lounging around his pool. I floated around for a couple of hours and then borrowed a car to head back to the strip.

"Main Event" Mike and I entered the 7PM $160 tournament at Caesars. I did nothing but fold and give away my button and blinds for the first 2 levels. I got to rake my first pot or at least half a pot when I chopped with AK from the small blind early in level 3. I folded for one more orbit and picked up KK on the button. Of course it folds around to me so I can’t repop anyone. With blinds at 100/200, I raise it to 600. The small blind folds and the big blind thinks for a minute and raises it 800 more. He had only been at our table for less than an orbit and was on a great rush with probably over 15K in chips. We started the tournament with 5K and I had about 4200 at the beginning of the hand. With 2100 in the pot and 800 to call, that would leave me with just a pot sized stack after the flop so I went ahead and pushed in the rest hoping to double up through the big stack. He takes a little time and then decides to call. I said “at least you don’t have aces” as he turns over pocket 10s. He hits a 10 on the flop, another on the river and I go home after playing 2 effin’ hands. He said my push looked weak and I told him I wished he had been at my table the entire time and he would have seen I had only played 1 other hand. Of course I would have gone broke on the 10 high flop anyway if I had just called but I didn’t see a smaller reraise pushing him off his hand at that point with his stack so eh, that sucked.

Birthday Mike and Chris had spent the evening drinking at O’Sheas, so I joined them after my bustout. We played beer pong with a bunch of college kids until the $45 midnight pushfest started. I can’t believe I flew all the way to Vegas to play beer pong, but we had a blast. Before the midnight tournament started, Mike had joined us after busting out of the 7PM. I played a total of 2 hands in this one as well, but you had to start pushing early to double up or go home. Main Event Mike made it to the money and won enough to almost cover his night’s worth of tournament buy-ins. We were all beat by this time and headed back to the room to recharge for the next day.

*Update* I forgot that "Ricky Zilem" was sitting 2 to my right in the Caesar's tournament. What a nutjob! He didn't last long enough to get the food he ordered. His real name is Chris something and he was only 20 when he played in the WSOP circuit event when Kido Pham knocked him out when his flush draw hit. When he was legal, he had a big score at the Bellagio a year or 2 later for over 130K after the final 3 made a deal.