My First Vegas Trip Report
My first trip to vegas was a memorable one, for good reasons and bad. My gf and I were suppose to arrive in LV around 3 pm local time wed afternoon. Until we get 50 miles out of the city and it's too windy to land so they decide to shutdown the airport. Getting re-routed to Ontario, California isn't very exciting. Not off to a good start here. Finally arrive in vegas around 6:30pm, I'm already getting excited and I'm not even out of the airport yet.
Check into Harrah's about 8pm, get settled in, and grab a bite to eat lets go gamble! I end up registering for $150 deepstack tournament the first night.
10,000 in chips 20 min blinds. You figure deepstack, people will be very tight to start off and gradually become more aggressive. Two allins first hand, guy to my left is massive chip leader after 2 hands and winning them both. Sitting around I got 8500 of my stack left, 40 min in I pick up AJ os on the button. I make it 3x BB, UTG+1 calls. Flop j73 rainbow, UTG checks, I bet 2/3 pot and I get a call. Turn 2 clubs, now theres 2 clubs on board. UTG checks again, I put out another 2/3 pot bet. UTG ponders and decides to call. River 6 diamonds, UTG comes out firing....maybe even too fast and bets half the pot. I think about for a split second and call. UTG shows me A7 hearts. Good pot to me. After that, the cards weren't going my way. A couple minutes before the 2nd break at 2 hr mark. I pick up AA in BB. folds around to dealer who calls, SB folds and i raise 3.5x BB, dealer calls. flop 668 2 spades, I dont have a spade. He makes a measley bet 1/4 pot. I come in for a huge raise, he calls. Turn 7 diamonds, he makes another measley bet, I raise him again. He calls. River 5 clubs, I check, dealer makes it 3/4 pot. I call. He flips over pocket 5s. Man was I livid and I let him know. That put me on the extreme short stack.
Now I'm sitting around waiting for something legit to go AI with. Pick up AQ off, good enough I push with M less than 8 and UTG. folds around to another shortstack who pushes as well with AQ suited. C/l donkey who calls me down with pocket 5s decides to get in on it as well since he can knock both of us out. Calls with k4 offsuit. K comes on the flop and we're both out. Not the best start to my poker playing career in Vegas.
After a couple nights of site seeing and night clubs, I decide to go and play some cash at the Bellagio. What a beautiful hotel, I thought the poker room was very nice as well. Decide to play some 1/2 NL, buy in for $200. Very first hand I pick up AK off suit. Comes around to me I raise it to $12. I get 1 caller. Some older looking fellow, I'm not too worried about. Monster flop AAK. I check, he bets, I call. Turn 9, I check he bets more, I think and call. River is a brick 2, I check he bets, I raise him 2.5x, he puts me all-in. Obviously I call. Older man rolls over A9. I double up first hand.
I only hand an hour to play so I had to make my time worth it. Won a few small pots here and there. Doubled my initial buy-in, I'm happy with that.
Friday afternoon, I decide to go and check out WSOP action at the Rio. Walk into Rio Pavillion and it's like crickets, players playing with chips and the room is only half full. So I walk over to a big crowd of people watching a table. Biggest brat in poker, Phil Hellmuth is playing. So I'm watching Phil Hellmuth, and Patrick Antonius to my left, and Erik Seidel, and Mario Traniello to my right. Some great action and as usual, Phil was running his mouth bitching and complaining. Also walked past Greg Raymer figured I'd say something introduced myself saying I was a big fan and I watch alot of you playing. He was definately flattered. Few other notables saw Clonie Gowin, John Juanda as well. Very cool to see people you watch on tv up close and personal like that.
A few blemishes on the trip, last night I was there some homeless man was stabbed in the abdominal area bleeding all over the side of the strip and was pronounced dead. I walked past this guy 30 min before sitting there asking for change, I threw him whatever I had in my pocket 75 cents or something. Sad to see especially with some many people walking by.
Overall, was a good first experience in Vegas and I learned alot of things that will help me along the way.
Check into Harrah's about 8pm, get settled in, and grab a bite to eat lets go gamble! I end up registering for $150 deepstack tournament the first night.
10,000 in chips 20 min blinds. You figure deepstack, people will be very tight to start off and gradually become more aggressive. Two allins first hand, guy to my left is massive chip leader after 2 hands and winning them both. Sitting around I got 8500 of my stack left, 40 min in I pick up AJ os on the button. I make it 3x BB, UTG+1 calls. Flop j73 rainbow, UTG checks, I bet 2/3 pot and I get a call. Turn 2 clubs, now theres 2 clubs on board. UTG checks again, I put out another 2/3 pot bet. UTG ponders and decides to call. River 6 diamonds, UTG comes out firing....maybe even too fast and bets half the pot. I think about for a split second and call. UTG shows me A7 hearts. Good pot to me. After that, the cards weren't going my way. A couple minutes before the 2nd break at 2 hr mark. I pick up AA in BB. folds around to dealer who calls, SB folds and i raise 3.5x BB, dealer calls. flop 668 2 spades, I dont have a spade. He makes a measley bet 1/4 pot. I come in for a huge raise, he calls. Turn 7 diamonds, he makes another measley bet, I raise him again. He calls. River 5 clubs, I check, dealer makes it 3/4 pot. I call. He flips over pocket 5s. Man was I livid and I let him know. That put me on the extreme short stack.
Now I'm sitting around waiting for something legit to go AI with. Pick up AQ off, good enough I push with M less than 8 and UTG. folds around to another shortstack who pushes as well with AQ suited. C/l donkey who calls me down with pocket 5s decides to get in on it as well since he can knock both of us out. Calls with k4 offsuit. K comes on the flop and we're both out. Not the best start to my poker playing career in Vegas.
After a couple nights of site seeing and night clubs, I decide to go and play some cash at the Bellagio. What a beautiful hotel, I thought the poker room was very nice as well. Decide to play some 1/2 NL, buy in for $200. Very first hand I pick up AK off suit. Comes around to me I raise it to $12. I get 1 caller. Some older looking fellow, I'm not too worried about. Monster flop AAK. I check, he bets, I call. Turn 9, I check he bets more, I think and call. River is a brick 2, I check he bets, I raise him 2.5x, he puts me all-in. Obviously I call. Older man rolls over A9. I double up first hand.
I only hand an hour to play so I had to make my time worth it. Won a few small pots here and there. Doubled my initial buy-in, I'm happy with that.
Friday afternoon, I decide to go and check out WSOP action at the Rio. Walk into Rio Pavillion and it's like crickets, players playing with chips and the room is only half full. So I walk over to a big crowd of people watching a table. Biggest brat in poker, Phil Hellmuth is playing. So I'm watching Phil Hellmuth, and Patrick Antonius to my left, and Erik Seidel, and Mario Traniello to my right. Some great action and as usual, Phil was running his mouth bitching and complaining. Also walked past Greg Raymer figured I'd say something introduced myself saying I was a big fan and I watch alot of you playing. He was definately flattered. Few other notables saw Clonie Gowin, John Juanda as well. Very cool to see people you watch on tv up close and personal like that.
A few blemishes on the trip, last night I was there some homeless man was stabbed in the abdominal area bleeding all over the side of the strip and was pronounced dead. I walked past this guy 30 min before sitting there asking for change, I threw him whatever I had in my pocket 75 cents or something. Sad to see especially with some many people walking by.
Overall, was a good first experience in Vegas and I learned alot of things that will help me along the way.
Comments
nice
I owe the forum a report from my own memorable trip a few weeks back, I just can't seem to find the time.
I'm going to head down for the next Venetian Deep stack in November, just to put it out there, in case any other members were thinking the same.