Just got knocked out of the 11 am $65 Treasure Island donkament. 19 runners first 3 paid and I went out 5th. I think I was a slight chip leader went to one table. The blinds start escalating real quickly 500/1000 to 1000/2000 to 2000/4000 etc. It was 2000/4000 and I had about 35K and I pushed with 2 black 8's. A guy tanks for a good 3 minutes when he finally calls. He had QQ and won but I couldn't understand what he was thinking about? My chips would have been in in a nano second. I had him covered by 2K which I lost on the next hand.

None of these players had a clue about things like position of fold equity and I am pretty sure it was 100% tourists. But it gets to push or fold territory rather quickly.

I am pretty gimpy right now. I had a minor pull to my calf about 2 months ago. Then I laid off of it for a week when it seemed fine but a couple weeks later I tweaked it again. Then after a week off it was fine but I tweaked it again 2 days before I came out here. It has been sore since I have been here but not too bad and I have been able to walk 10+ miles a day. But on my way to the TI it shifted from sore to painful and every step hurts right now. needless to say I will be staying close to home until I leave tomorrow morning.

Gonna head down for some cash and then I think I might do some fancy (ie expensive) eating tonight. I just hope my calf doesn't get any worse.

I though it was just me.

Probably because the hotel gift shops are such a huge rip-off. One trip I forgot my comb and bought one at the hotel gift shop. 7 bucks for a poorly made piece of crap worth maybe 40 cents. Drug stores can jack up their margins halfway to the stratosphere and still be the cheapest in the vicinity. And they don't take up much real estate because they Strip ones don't have parking lots iirc.

Don't they pay out over 90%? I wouldn't say that's "massively" -ev, especially compared to state lotteries.

You can do that yourself at home. An Eggo in the toaster and 20 seconds in the microwave pre-cooked bacon.

cool tr!

So I went down to play some cash for a few hours after the donkament and it was completely uneventful and I ended up leaving +$17. Then I went to get ready for one last Las Vegas meal and one of my absolute favorites. I know all the cool kids on LVLS love Cut but being an old oldchooler I go across the hall.



After a disappointing meal last night at Noodles Asia I decided to go with a sure thing. Bone in ribeye at Delmonicos. This place is awesome. I'm not about fine dining at all but I do love a good steak and this is my goto high priced steak in LV. It was great. This is the first time I have tried the steak fries and they were unbelievably good. best fries I have ever had. In the past I have had the baked potato, double baked potato and fingerling potatoes but every future trip will have the fries.



Since I hadn't had a dessert since day one I decided to splurge on that too since I leave tomorrow. Vanilla strawberry cheesecake which was awesome as well.



Then it was down for one last shot at poker. Pretty crazy table with lots of very big stacks. I only played a couple of hours as I have to get up early for my flight and I am really tired. The most noteworthy hand was pretty unbelievable. I had J7 off in the big blind and it limped around so I saw the flop free. KQT on the flop for the open ender. Turn a blank and river an A to complete the straight. It is rainbow with no flush possible. Lady bets 5 on the river. I raise to 15 and she reraises to 30 and I shove 100 stack in to reraise and she goes all-in. I say call and that we obviously both have a jack and she flips up AA to the amazement of the whole table.

Once again lame chip porn by LVLS standards and I probably had 100 more at the peak as this was right before cashing out a $235 winner.



I had a good time. This was a vacation and not a poker degen trip. The poker was profitable (about +500 cash and -215 tourney) and that 130 slot win. But I got to spend a lot of relaxing time by the pool, eating good food, and playing the game I enjoy. And of course the sights and sounds of fabulous Las Vegas. Right now I am looking down on the Mirage Volcano erupting which I have a terrific view of from my room. I tried to take some pictures but they didn't really turn out.

Anyway I'm outta here tomorrow morning and I am actually looking forward to getting back home.

Very nice trip report, thanks for sharing.

Very respectable TR. Well played. Go to Vegas again soon so that I may indulge in the simpler, probably more enjoyable life there through you.

Great TR. I was kinda bummed that it ended for you. Your trip is very similar to the way I enjoy Vegas that it felt like I was leaving. Safe travels!

Calf strains are a B. You reminded me of mine I had a few months ago. Every time I thought it was gone it would come back around a day or two later. It finally went away...I think...

I think your trip report is pretty close to how I would to it nowadays the next time I get back out there...although I'll mix in a regrettable session of Blackjack or something stupid...well done, thanks for sharing.

Luckily (I think?) the calf went back to simply sore instead of painful. Now that I am back home I have been icing it and will try and stay away from too much walking for a while as I may have overdone it in LV. I can use my elliptical trainer which doesn't put any stress on it at all.

Final Thoughts

It was a very satisfying vacation. The food was good, the sun and pool were relaxing and I didn't get killed at poker. Can't ask for much more than that.

I'm really glad to not be there for this fight weekend! You could really see things changing Thursday night with a lot of thuggish types pretty much everywhere. Then as I got in my taxi for the airport at 5:30 am my cab dirver tells me I just missed it. Missed what? A big fight right behind the taxi area.

Like I said I love the Venetian/Palazzo pool complex but this is the first time I have actually stayed at the Venetian in about 5 years and typically stay at the Palazzo. I much prefer the Palazzo. I really hate navigating the Venetian Casino. You have to from either to get to the poker room but even though it is farther I find it less tilting from the Palazzo.

I really like the Venetian poker room. I find it more comfortable than any of the others. Other than the TI tourney I didn't even play anywhere else this trip. I find the Bellagio and Aria too tight and cramped. I always liked the action at Planet Hollywood but found it also uncomfortable and too dark.

The games were soft. Although the daytime games seemed very tight and nitty but by late afternoon things usually started to loosen up. Once my rust started to lift I was feeling pretty confident in these games and lots of players were totally transparent.

I haven't decided if I will make a fall trip this year. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't? Fall trips are typically less vacation and more poker. After summer I'm not as excited about pool time as I am after winter. I am actually considering a driving trip to see the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion etc. and if I do I'm sure there will be some sort of LV detour

Great TR, makes me anxious to get back.

Solid TR.

I completely agree about the walk in front of casino royale. At least glad to hear they're moving the hydrants. Have seen plenty of people get messed up running into them.

How hard do you think it would be to get into the pool area at the Venetian without a room key?

Excellent trip report. The steak looked great !!

Great TR! Enjoyed it a lot. Will you make it out for the series?

thanks for the tr, i really enjoyed your pics. What are your future plans? Will you go to macau?