Vegas, July 26 (Day 1)

Woke up at 5:45 like a kid on Christmas morning despite drinking with everyone for my birthday the night before. Thanks again everyone for coming, hope you all had a great time. Headed to the airport at 6:45 for my 8:45 flight, and everything was on time. The flight to Vegas was pretty smooth, just a little turbulance over Chicago. I met a few guys from Windsor who were going to watch the WSOP too, so I chatted with them for a bit. Otherwise just tried to refresh my NL cash game skills with Sklansky's book, but only got about 1/3 of the way through it.

MGM Grand:
Flight landed at 9:45 am PT and I was at the MGM buying into 1/2 NL at 11. I actually hate the place, as I got smoked for $160 in about an hour playing 3/6 1/2 kill over Spring Break. I was pretty card dead for the two hours I was there. Won my third hand for $10 when I limped 97o in CO and won with a 9 high flush.

My first big hand came when I limped 44 in late position and guy to my left raises, I call. I flop a set on a 467 three heart board, I bet the pot, and original raiser calls. I figure him for a big heart, but not necessarily a flush already. Turn is a 9 of hearts, and I know I'm drawing to a paired board. He lets me draw with odds by betting 20 into a 120 board, so I know he's got a flush now. Praying the board pairs, the 10 of diamonds rivers, and I have to fold to his 60 bet. I lost a lot on that hand.

Then I turn into a luckbox, I call superLAG's EP limp with Ah8h in LP with about $65 left behind me of my original $200. Flop comes K high with two yearts, and EP bets $15 into a $30 pot. One caller, and it's to me with $60 in the middle. I think my A could be good, plus I have nine outs to a flush, so I push my last $65. EP calls, and sandwiched caller folds. Qh on the turn and I take the pot to get me about back to my original $200. He looks disgusted, but fuck him, that's what happens when you're a superLAG. I leave at 1 PM down just a bit.

Session Total: - $7
Trip Total: -$7

Paris:
I take a walk to Paris, which isn't as far as it sounds, and this is the kind of table I was looking for. Buy in for $200 into a $300 max 1/2 NL table, sit to the left of a guy who says he's playing in the WSOP ME. He wasn't too good I thought. I win the first two of three hands I'm dealt with top pair weak kicker and I'm up about $100 in five hands. Over the next 45 min or so I lose some calling with connectors and small pocket pairs that don't flop big, and I'm down to about $240 (up $40).

The super lag to my right (WSOP guy) raises to 15, and I call with 33 knowing a set will bust him. Flop comes AAJ and he bets $20 into a $40 pot, I flat call planning to take it away on the turn (stupid move #1). Turn is 7c, he checks to me, I bet $40, he raises me all in for my last $160, of course I dump it making two stupid plays in one hand. He shows me JJ. No shit, you didn't have to show me. So I'm down about $40 for the session now.

A few players bust and we play 7 handed for a while, WSOP guy raises to 10 in the CO, I reraise to 25 with red AA on the button, and he calls. Flop is QsTs7d, he leads for 5 (wtf?) and I pot it to $55. He calls. I'm a little worried, but that could've been a poor blocking bet or other random shit to get weakness out of me. Turn is the 6d, and he puts me all in. I've got about $70 left and the pot is about $280 with his push. I call and hate it, but he tables T9d. I've gotta sweat now. Luckily 6c falls on the river and I scoop a $350 pot.

Later on I get TT in MP. UTG raises to 7, UTG+1 raises to 15, I flat call the 15 hoping UTG was weak. But he wasn't and pushed for about $70 more. UTG+1 calls so I easily muck it. UTG shows KsQs!!! WHAT??? and UTG+1 shows AA (no shit, once again). Unfortunately he gets fucked on a KQQ flop. I leave after that hand as I'm kinda hungry and the table's gotten a little tougher.

Session Total: +$147
Trip Total: +$140

Excalibur:
I go check in at the hotel, set up internet, fuck around for a bit, and then go play 1/3 NL $200 max downstairs. Allvegaspoker.com said it was one of the softest rooms in Vegas, and they were right for the most part. It's a really fun table with about 4 guys who all knew each other and were lagging it up, but not playing too much postflop. I sat back for a while trying to get some reads and apparently my brain shuts down.

I get red AA on my third hand in EP and pop it up to 10. MP calls, and everyone else folds. Flop comes Q86r, I pot it, and MP calls. I think he's got top pair, maybe QK, AQ, something like that. Turn: J and I put him in for $65 more. He instacalls and tables QJ (nice call preflop). No help on the river. BUT THERE'S HOPE! If you get AA cracked at the Excalibur you get to spin the money wheel with a top prize of $900 I think. Anyways I lost $85 on the hand so I gotta hit pretty big. And I hit...$20. Whee. So my stack's at $145, still manueverable.

Then comes the worst hand I've played, possibly ever. I'm in the BB with AJo, six limpers in the pot, and I pot it to about $25. Guy who I swear has never played before (didn't know a lot of basic stuff) pushes. I think WTF could this be, it's $50 more to me in a $125 pot. I call after tanking for about two minutes. The board shows KQ but no T comes to save me from his AA (which he limped after three limpers ahead of him...mental note on him now) and I'm down to $65.

I get Td9h in LP and limp with almost everyone else at the table. Flop comes KJ8 two spades, one bet (QJ guy who cracked my AA) and call (AA guy who never played before) and I push my last $65 into about a $40 pot. BOTH CALL. I'm pissing myself. I nearly walk away from the table when a J turns figuring I'm drawing dead and the other two go all in here. Then the river comes Q OF MOTHERFUCKIN CLUBS. Guy who cracked my AA had a flush draw and newbie had K8 for flopped two pair. I scoop the $210 pot and walk away from the table for 10 min knowing I got away with one.

By now the table is super lag with six to seven live straddles per round, and I'm happy to take down pots preflop with JJ and AA that net me about another $80. I also made a pretty sweet bluff off a better top pair when a third heart came on a K high board, I used my tight image to project a flush draw and he mucked his K (I had K7d). Peaked at about $310 before starting to join in the straddle fun and making stupid bets. Cashed out at $253 and headed back to my room, ehxausted.

Session Total: +$53
Trip Total: +$193

I take a nap planning on hitting the tables later that night, but am too exhausted when I wake up at 11:30. I go back to bed and that's the end of the night. Hoping to make some good cash on Thursday during my first full day (and night) of cards.