Rocks off to Vegas Jan 11th to 15th (or thereabouts)
compuease
Admin
Ok, it's official, we're heading to Vegas for just a little poker... At the moment it's just Bob and I but hopefully more will decide to join us shortly. Booked via Southwest (thanks for the tip Wes) for $208. total, direct flights out of Buffalo. When I booked a few days ago the dates that worked (and had the cheap fares available we're the 11th to 15th but I now see that Southwest has open up direct flights on the days immediately preceeding the 11th as well. We may, especially if it would help someone else, fly out a day or two earlier.. Nice thing about Southwest they allow you to make changes for free. at least for these flights.
Now I'm posting this both for a place to add trip reports and to see if anyone else on here is interested in joining us. If you can swing the time, the price can't be beat, especially for non stop. Let me know if you are interested.
Now I'm posting this both for a place to add trip reports and to see if anyone else on here is interested in joining us. If you can swing the time, the price can't be beat, especially for non stop. Let me know if you are interested.
Comments
The Las Vegas Skill Level 6 tournaments keeps calling out my name in my dreams,
IP is a much better location than Excalibur as it's right in the middle of the strip..a short walk from the best poker rooms -- bellagio, caesars, venetian...and a bit farther from the mirage. Excalibur is way at the south end.
http://www.pokertournamentformula.com/las_vegas_poker_tournaments.htm
Thanks
Cool, well check out the MGM then...you might not get more than 1/2 at this time of year though.
Since when did the rocks get off anywhere?
You and Bob should fit right in. Good luck, bring lots of money back with you.
Na na na na na.. takes one to know one... Your mother wears army boots...
lol. Well we'll try to bring some back.... Actually since I started only playing poker and stopped the other table games I have never failed to... Good times ahead.....
I am now sticking my tongue out at you. Sucks to be you.
Just noticed some discounted rooms advertised for MGM and Monte Carlo on redflagdeals.com if anybody was interested.
Link plz. Im always interested in cheap vegas.
No car necessary since we're staying mid strip.
Is the "$20 trick" giving a registration clerk $20 to upgrade your room or car for free? Did you get a cheaper airfare from Air Canada than flying out of Buffalo for ~$208. I am looking for the best deals for a 7-night stay with departure ~January 19, and may book by Wednesday.
What's up with that!
Milton Slimming "again"
Thursday, Jan 10th, 11AM: Direct flight Buffalo to Vegas on Southwest. ($208. all taxes in), 4hrs 40 min uneventful flight, very clear sky, had a beautiful view of the Hoover dam coming in. Quick cab to the IP, about $15.
Accommodations:
Imperial Plaza: Check in with $20. trick and get upgrade to “deluxe” room. Now keep in mind that this is the IP so a deluxe room here may be somewhat less luxurious than a standard room at the Wynn.
Sunday moved to the Excalibur: Took the standard room for $61. per night which is fine for our purposes especially since Bob doesn’t use it much other than to store his clothes.
Food:
Well not much to report on here since Bob rarely eats, but we did have a really nice breakfast buffet on Saturday at Bally’s for $10. (with a $5. coupon). Sunday night we took advantage of the $7. steak special at Sir Galahad’s in the Excalibur, nothing to write home about but the deal is good. Tuesday we had lunch at the Harley Davidson Café, nothing special here, food only average, kinda pricey, 15% gratuity added to the bill, wouldn’t bother going back. Everything else was pretty well eat on the run…
Poker:
Ok this is the only thing most of you care about anyways. We played a number of 1 / 2 cash sessions at many locations, Venetian, IP, Bally’s, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Flamingo, MGM, Excalibur and Orleans, think Bob was up a couple of hundred but I was down maybe 400. including a $200. buyin at the Venetian just 3 hands in on the first day, my KK on the button vs AA limped in early position, allin preflop, don’t think I could get away from it. I raised to $15. against 3 limpers, AA raises to $50, I think and go allin, he calls, I get no help. Maybe I raise to $100. then when he re-raises me I can fold? Naw, don’t think so. In spite of many opinions that the IP poker room is no good we found it quite active with some very loose play. One drunk guy with a cowboy dumped at least $1500. into the table in 2 nights. As for tournaments we didn’t play as many as we planned but our favorites we’re the $80. O8 tournament at Orleans Thursday evening, I finished 23rd out of 90 runners, and the myriad of Caesars tournaments. I also played a $70. Pot Limit Omaha tournament on Monday evening at Caesars. While it only had 36 players and I finished a poor 14th it was a great structure with 30 min blinds. Several local “pros” and a couple of European pros as well participated. I was told that they regularly play this to keep in the groove as it is the only Pot Limit Omaha tourney around. Hand I went out on.. Blinds 100-200, I have 4800, early position limper followed by a fairly experienced guy who pots to 1400, I have KQ spades, J9 hearts, what do I do? I chose to repot, effectively putting me allin. My thoughts here were that most of the players left were much more experienced than myself so that I needed to accumulate chips at least a couple of times by winning a race. I thought that if the the 1st potter didn’t have AA double suited he may fold and even if he didn’t I wasn’t that much of a dog. Turns out he had AA rag rag but one of the A’s was suited. Neither of us hit and IGHN. Still not sure what I should have done here, called and folded on blanked flop? That would leave me with 3400 at 100-200 and approx 10 min left at that blind level… I ran this through poker calculator and I was only about a 56-43 dog so still think the push was right in this situation. Opinions? My other favorite tournament was the 9AM NL at Caesars, $70., 2500 chips, 3500 blinds. Down to 13 players, blinds 400-800, I have about 3500 after posting my BB, folded to the SB who completes. I look down at J,4 off and check. Flop is 3,5,6 rainbow. SB bets 800, I think and decide to push. He calls showing a slo played 10,10. No help on turn and river. My thinking is here is if he hit the board and has a pair I have 11 outs times 2 so I’m only a small dog if he calls. Still think this one was right. Again comments solicited.
Tournaments in general:
Orleans and Caesars seem to have the best structures in the $100. and under range. Would have like to play the noon Venetian at $150. but just didn’t fit it in. Orleans has a $105. tournament on Fri-Sat evening that apparently gets over 200 players in the Friday. Would have liked to have played that one but wasn’t feeling too well that day and passed. For the Omaha players there are 3 O8 limit tournaments, Monday at noon, Thursday at 7pm at Orleans and Wednesday evening at Caesars. Monday afternoon at 5PM is the Omaha PL at Caesars. All are pretty good structures although the Orleans gets more players, I think because of their large local following for O8. You can get a game there most all day and evening.
Trip home, Tues, 5:10PM: Direct flight back to Buffalo, slight delay on takeoff due to an incoming Philippines flight that got lost on the taxiway… Smooth flight landing in Buffalo at 12:40AM, approx 20 min late. These direct flights, especially when they are not red eyes are sure the way to go.
Hit Timmies at the duty free on the way back to Canada, back into Milton shortly before 3AM.
On the flop, you are getting 3-to-1 pot odds to call. With 8-11 outs, your semi-bluff all-in raise is better than calling. Villain is getting only 2-to-1 pot odds to call, but unfortunately for you, he has an overpair & calls. You are a 42% underdog & don't improve. To summarize, you both played the hand fine IMHO.