???? I am no wine expert but it tastes fine to me. I'm sure it's just cheap crap, they say it is Burgundy. I like cheap wine though so for me it's fine.

heh, it was kinda a joke.. i was curious if it was somewhat drinkable or just some awful alcoholic vinegar tasting type stuff...

great TR Mr baseball. It seems that all of the 2+2 ers lately have been having some run bad during their TR's lately.. OMC's must be having a field day

good luck on your last day.

That's not gonna happen

I thought it might but those hopes were quickly dashed. I get in a game and fold a couple of hands until it's my big blind. There are 4 or 5 limpers and I check with 8h5h. Damn! 679 flop for a flopped straight! I play it well and collect my first monster pot of the trip. Things are turning around! Very next hand in my small blind I look down at KK. A couple limpers and I raise. I get 3 callers. Bet about pot on a ragged flop and only one guy stays. Turn another small card and I be about half pot. River scary enough for straight possibilities and I check. Villian goes all in It's only about $50 though so I have to call. He hit a gutshot. Why was he even still in there with nothing but a gutshot? I learn he plays every hand and always stays to the end if he has any piece or any draw.

From there the cards go ultra dead again as I hope for something to play against this lunatic as the rest of the table is very tight. As time gets on knowing this is my last shot I start to grow frustrated. Eventually I catch a flop with one of those open ended straight plus flush draws. Villian makes a healthy flop bet and I push it in and I have him covered. He snap called. The flush came but he had top pair and a better flush draw Why couldn't it have hit the straight instead!

Anyway that was the story of the poker this trip. Run bad all week long. I took the remnants of my buyin (about $80) and cashed out. I decided that was it for the gambling this trip. I was actually up a little in non-poker gambles and I really had no desire to play any more. Casino gambling doesn't really excite me much anymore. When I was young, dumb and broke it was my passion but nowadays I can take it or leave it.

Worst poker results I have ever had but even with that not so bad at all since I play small. I thought it was turning around with those couple of small wins mid week but the cash games were one step forward 2 steps back and the tourneys a bust. But I still like to play and just ran into some bad cards and some bad beats. I made my share of mistakes but also made some good plays that were unrewarded. In all the poker trips I have made since I stated playing in the late 90's this is only the third one where I lost money on poker.

All in all it was a great vacation! I had fun and ate way too much fattening food. I fought of the food with probably an average of 8-10 miles a day of walking and a couple of gym visits. I had plenty of relaxing pool time and got to play with my new camera. Despite the poker results the trip was a success. I am looking forward to getting back home though.

This morning I took my final morning strip walk. It's nice out the in the morning when nobody else is around. Just a few joggers, other walkers, sidewalk cleaners and the random hooker. Walking the strip during the day is an absolute nightmare with the gaggle of clueless tourists clogging any attempts to move at a reasonable pace.

Need to finish packing up and then off to the airport. I will leave you with the various views from my room on this sunny Las Vegas morning. I'll probably be back in the fall!

nicely done TR.

great stuff, thanks for sharing.

Good trip report and nice to meet you !!

Nice TR. LVL is the only place on the interwebz where photos of food are not only allowed, but encouraged.

really enjoyed, thanks for the report

This is great. I love all the food pictures!

So I finish packing and head down to check out. It's been a great week but it's time to go. As I get through the boarding check there is one Las Vegas food tradition of mine yet to complete. This is something I have been doing as long as I can remember on every LV trip. I guess it's my way of saying goodbye.



The airport Cinnabon!



These things are so damn good! I have a Cinnabon in the mall about a mile from my house but I won't go near the place! These things will kill you The only time I ever eat one is when leaving Las Vegas. Sort of a punctuation point on the overeating that preceded it.

Got home just in time for the puck drop and Hawks win in OT. From that dismal 0-2 start there are back at 3-2 It also felt good to sleep in my own bed last night.

Final thoughts
I have done trip reports before, but always after the fact and never with pictures. It was actually a lot of fun to do semi-live updates. And since I like TR's with pictures the most I wanted to make sure I had plenty to share. I know we all vicariously live through each other with these things.

Poker
I played in 4 rooms. Even though the poker wasn't great it wasn't horrible.

The Venetian is easily the most comfortable room for my tastes. Lots of room between tables and the ever important cup holders. But the games are hit or miss and the games would often break soon after the action player(s) would leave.

Planet Hollywood had the craziest/wildest game I played in. That room is also like playing in a cave. Dark table tops and dim lighting make it hard to see the cards.

The Mirage is where I have probably played more poker than anywhere since I started in the late 90's. Now it is a shell of it's former self. I have seen it before, during and after the keno lounge. Maybe it's time to bring the keno lounge back I also walked through the Bellagio but didn't play. I haven't played there in 7 or 8 years although I did play it a lot back in the limit days. I always hated it though. After being ignored by the brush I was usually already on tilt before I even got in a game.

The Aria runs a great tournament and gets a good turnout. I didn't play any cash there though this trip. The room is too cramped and crowded for my tastes and tends to be a bit uncomfortable. And no cup holders

I don't like the current trend over the past couple of years of people eating at the tables. I'm sure many LVLers do it and consider it a great perk but I find it sort of disgusting. Nothing worse than some douchebag sitting next to you loudly slurping his soup or getting his greasy hamburger hands all over the cards and chips.

The Hotel
I love staying at the Venetian/Palazzo. I prefer the Palazzo to the V but have stayed in both. The Palazzo forces me into even more walking The rooms are terrific but I enjoy the resort overall. The pool right, I love the pool! I'd stay in a motel 6 room for that pool complex. I also really like the food options there. And none of them ever seem to be crowded so getting a seat is real simple with no lines, waiting or hassles. The free gym is nice too. I do like to try new places though so maybe next time I will try a different place. Especially if it is a shorter more poker centric and less vacation centric type of trip. I have probably stayed in 25 different LV hotels over the years, most of them torn down now

I will probably do it all over again in October but that will likely be a 4 or 5 day trip instead of a full week.

Thanks so much for the fun TR...well done. I laughed and I cried. It was better than 'Cats.' I'd read it again and again!

Great TR. I too am living through these trip reports til Oct, when my next trip is scheduled.

Thanks for sharing, I think you're continued reporting and great pics despite the run bad will bring you good karma for the next trip.

Very nice TR. I hope you have better run good in Oct.

+1. Totally agree. Great TR and enjoyed the write-ups and summary. Thanks for posting!