I have played poker for 8 years, and for 8 years it has been my burning ambition to go to Las Vegas.

I suppose its time for a quick bio......im 26 years old and i live in the UK. I have a part time job, no relationship or kids to speak off. I have a mortgage, but even still my total outgoings are only around £500 each month. Oh, and i also have £1200 set aside to grind up to reaching Las Vegas.

My earliest poker playing memory was on Betfair, grinding the DoN's with shocking BRM i recall. From there i took a break after they moved networks, visiting a few other euro sites and of course pokerstars at times also. Recently however i have lost interest in the robotic grind of online poker, so im chasing my dreams in the brick and mortar world. £0.50/£1 NLH will be my game (more or less equivalent to $1/$2) and the typical level of opponent will be the stepping stones. There is something about playing poker live for me that is so much more enjoyable than online, i feel its more real to feel the emotions of raking in those chips and struggling to stack them before being dealt the next hand. The casino i will be playing at is 10-15 minutes away by car......or should i say taxi. I dont drive, mainly because i would have nowhere to go if i did. So, i will be walking there and back at least 3 times a week making sure not to eat into my bankroll unless completely warranted. I recall reading an interview by Mr. Laak about his early days of having to walk to play backgammon games, and how he was able to slowly upgrade to getting a bike etc. Now, i cant see myself flying through the traffic on a BMX but you get the idea......protect and grow the bankroll.

OK im rambling now, it comes from passion though i swear. One week from today i will begin my quest. I will be armed with 15 initial buy-ins, poker income app so i can log every session and a desire to come back from Vegas and give the LVL forum a trip report to stand the test of time.

P.S Im sure there is at least one person reading this who is not even registered on these forums and who shares my dream, who has lived their Vegas dream through the eyes and words of various trip reports in the past. This blog/thread whatever will be for you. Together, we will make it.

The lights of Las Vegas will guide us home.

I want to believe.

I want to be leaf

Am I Dreaming?

First night, as planned i make my way down there on foot trusty umbrella in hand fighting the wind and rain.......no taxi.......protect the bankroll.

I arrive and im seated fairly quickly, table looks decent with fairly competent players all round initially. Quickly a seat becomes available to the left of the two main aggro's so i take the switch and blame it on not catching any cards where i was.

Did i catch any cards in my new seat? You could say so....

About an hour later im on the button with 8c9c and call a open from UTG on the button hoping to flop good. Flop comes JcQc3x - BINGO. Were heads up and he leads for half, i min raise (mistake?) and he calls. Turn comes...10c - MEGA BINGO. He leads again for around half, i call. River is the 10s pairing the board. He counts chips and bets about £30 less than i have remaining so i obv shipp and he immediately says "straight flush".

That moment, that half second was incredible. Seeing his AKc turned over was magical for me, reason being of the BBJ. I get £5500, i could say more but.....





Its still surreal. So many times i have joked with dealers that i would hit the jackpot, there was even an email i received 30 mins before i left the house today reminding me that the jackpot was growing and that "maybe its your time to get lucky". Who knows, maybe its.......

Just.A.Dream

That's an incredible story. Simply amazing. Thanks for posting.

I want to believe.

Just arrived at the casino hoping to jump straight into a cash game. however everyone is playing a donkament....so i have put my name on the list and passing a little time browsing twoplustwo.

Its not all bad...being first on the cash game list means i pay no rake all night. PlusEV.

Just.a.dream

FIRST NAME ON A CASH LIST DOESNT PAY RAKE???

IS THIS REAL LIFE?

Where is this magical land?

The first 4 people who are on the list dont pay any rake until midnight. Considering the games will normally start around 5-6pm (7pm latest) thats at least 5 hours rake free. Sometimes if one of the better room managers is working the shift they allow it to run until 1am.

Im heading down there now, very unlikely i will be rake free but its raining and the fish love the water.

Just.A.Dream

"Idiot back-raised me"

There are not a lot of poker terms which are new to me, however tonight i got moaned at for "back raising" the same guy three hands in a row. Normally this would be the part where i go through the hands for all to see but i dont really remember much about the details because every brain cell was working overtime making sure i did not burst out laughing.

The only hand which stands out was being dealt 89s on the button, flopping a pair and GSSFD (ahhh memories), however i managed to only improve to a rivered two pair, which the fish to my left beat with a higher two pair after calling on the flop with middle pair and no draw.

I asked. He said it was the best hand he had seen all night. He sat down with me half hour ago. Down a buy-in......reload.

From there i went on a heater so hot it could thaw out the USA. Again though, no one big pot, i was never all in again all night. A series of continuation bets and absolutely basic value betting, its always amusing to me how much the fish knows he is beaten, announces he is beaten but wants to see anyway. Makes the pay off wizard Mr.Negreanu look like a rock.

I rack up five hours later with a profit of £460. I as i sat there in the taxi on the way home i cant help but think to myself what a crazy last two weeks it has been. I started this topic with the dream shared by many a live poker player and a set bankroll to achieve said dream. Im now up £6000 from live poker within no more than ten days. Im not sure when i will go to Vegas, but my recent run good and optimal play has assured that going to Sin City is for me no longer......

Just.A.Dream