Although I don't expect the vegas in Las Vegas to be greener than in Central Europe, in the end I was unable to resist the call of Sin City. This magical place, where many dreams have come true and many more dreams have been shattered...

Oh, screw it - let's get to the facts. I'm a Dutch guy in my 30s currently living in Poland. I have played quite a bit of poker in my life, mostly online cash games. In recent years, I didn't play much poker at all, until I picked it up again last summer. I will have to get used to playing live again, although I do play live cash in Prague occasionally.

This will be my second trip to Vegas (and to the US). I booked a direct flight from Frankfurt, Germany to LV. I'll be staying at Airbnbs like a true nit. The plan is to play tons of 1/2 and 1/3. Additionally, I will play one WSOP tournament: Gladiators of Poker. Even though I consider myself to be the next Phil Ivey, I am aware of the luck factor. So instead of setting the bar too high and expecting to win the tournament, my modest goal is to reach the top three.



Shoe and (partial) roll pic will be posted next week. I don't expect to be updating this TR as regularly as Muck or with HHs as detailed as Whale's, but I'll do my best to make it worth reading.

Really looking forward to this trip.

I'm still annoyed about your April Fools prank post.

but I'll try to get over it. maybe I'll see you at a final table or in a cash game

Best of luck hope!

Hope I run into you in the Gladiators

I'm in. Safe travels and good luck!

In.

Looking forward to reading about you achieving your "modest" top-3 goal.

IN

I´m in :-)

Let's GO! Baaaaaaaaa!

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

Thanks y'all. Let's get this over with:



I don't have the rest of my roll yet (in the proper form and currency, that is). So this will have to do. I'll be traveling on land this Friday and Saturday, before hopping on that plane on the 26th.

Am I seriously going to be back in Vegas in just a few days from now? I guess I am! It feels almost surreal.

Looks good!

Tree fiddy + shoes = ROBUSTO

I can sell you some more of those nifty half dollars, at a minimal markup

Know that feeling! Are you flying in to Frankfurt from Poland, or can you take a train maybe?

Bus and train. It is a bit time-consuming this way, but I didn't want to be on more planes than necessary.

What a wimp! Those Boeings don't always crash. Stuff just falls off of them.

let's go

I played a bit of 10/30 in Prague and won just over 600.

IN - LETS GOOOOO

Wake up! You're in Vegas!

While I'm waiting until the other guests are done in the kitchen, which is shared (did I mention already that I'm a nit?), I'll post an update here. The departure was a bit delayed, but the flight itself was fine. It took about 11 hours and didn't even feel that long. Immigration was a breeze.



Look, a sign where the name of the airport is actually updated!

This morning I woke up at like 2 AM, tried to fall asleep again for a bit, and eventually decided to just get up. Had breakfast at the Airbnb, then took a bus to the Strip around sunrise. Enjoyed the sights for a couple of minutes before jumping into a 1/3 graveyard shift game at the Bellagio. Very nice and soft game; I ran well, and racked up after three hours with a profit of bout tree fiddy.



Conservatory at the B.

Cash Total: +$366
Tournament Total: n/a
Overall: +$366

Off to a fast start!

A few random thoughts:

• Walking along the Strip in front of the Bellagio at 10 PM is the nut low.
• Dealers are generally very good at what they do.
• Cabs are crazy expensive. Long live the bus!
• Americans are super open and friendly. This includes dealers, other guests at my Airbnb, and even random people on the street. As Tom T. Hall once wrote (for Alan Jackson):
  
  Might as well share, might as well smile
  Life goes on for a little bitty while

I realize I haven't shared any HHs yet, so here is one from last night at the Mandalay Bay. Sadly, I didn't take notes, so this isn't super detailed.

The game is 1/2, and UTG has straddled. I find JJ in the SB and raise it up to $35 after a couple of limpers. The BB thinks about it for a bit before making the call. The straddler and one limper come along as well, so we have a 4-way pot.

The flop comes 984 rainbow. I bet $60 into approximately $145. I believe I've got about $300 behind here. BB jams for about $200-250, straddler calls all-in, the other player folds. Results:



After a decent start, I go card dead the last hour and finish the session up 48 bucks.

Cash Total: +$414
Tournament Total: n/a
Overall: +$414

Sign up on Uber and check their app for prices if you want to go somewhere. Unless it's a super busy time of the day, they are usually a bit cheaper than taxis (in my limited experience).

It sounds like you are staying in a random AirBnB with random people far away from The Strip? What's the reason for not staying in a (luxurious) Strip-hotel? Although I guess you can always move after the 1st bracelet is around your wrist.