[grando]

Me and my g/f decided to go to Vegas like 4 months ago, so we (read: I) went and researched the best hotels, plane rates, shows, etc. and we decided on Apr. 30 to May 5 (Sun-Fri). We decided on Bally's because of good ratings and cheap prices. TravelAxe was a great tool, and we got our flights right through aircanada.com.

We left at 5:30 our time. On the flight we argue about shuttle vs. cab - I tell her there's no way we're taking a shuttle, but she's bent on saving $ and taking the shuttle. So I tell her I'll pay the cab fare - who cares. I now realize I should have rented a car beforehand, but realize that being 24 will cost me an extra $25/day. Next year....

We get to McCarran at just before midnight, and go directly to the hotel. The length of the ride seems fishy to me - it's only a $12 cab ride, but the meter is over $20. I'm usually quite good with my research, but I chalk it up to being tired and just pay the man $25 when we get to the hotel.

We eat these sandwiches at Nosh in the Bally's hotel after we check in. Awesome sandwiches - I had meatball/onion/green pepper/sauce/cheese, and it was delicious. 13 bucks for that and a drink I think. I also pick up my g/f's 1/2 foot turkey sandwich. It looked [censored]. Total bill $25 with tip. 8/10.

Then we go to bed for sexless sleep. I watch the celebrity impersonator do fran drescher/katherine hepburn/
judge judy/cher/etc. while teaching the viewer how to play certain table games. Yeah ok I'll take insurance always thanks for the tip. Yeah I get it - cher is old.

A little background on my g/f - she read SSHE like 5 months ago, and has played some .25/.50 online and is up probably 600 in bonus and play after the party/2 paradise/expekt bonuses. She is a terrible table coach, and does not put up with sexism/racism/anything. She is also very tight with her money (she will NOT play 3/6 live - only 2/4), and is currently in her 3rd year of university. She is the biggest beyotch I've ever met when she's not happy, and has little to no tact. She's also a solid 7, but thinks she is a 9. Between 1 and 3 drinks she is very nice and happy, but once 4 hits, she turns into superbitch. This is relevant for later stages.

I've played online for my sole income and am at 3/6 6max and 200-400NL 6max and play decently. I'm very non-confrontational, and can put up with a lot of [censored]. I have a lot of common sense, and am quite patient. I'm probably an 8.5 when I'm in shape, but since I'm not right now I'm probably a 7.5. I'm very loose with my money, to the point where I get bored at the poker table and open up my game a ton. I'm a very happy drunk, but once I get past 10-12 I don't put up with my g/f's [censored]. This is usually when we have fights.

Different days will come in different posts in this thread - there will be poker/gambling included - so enjoy. Feel free to bash stuff, cause it'll be funny.

We get up to go exploring - we head south? (towards Luxor/Mandalay Bay/etc.) from Bally's. First stop is the Aladdin mall. We eat at some restaurant inside that had 3 for 1 drinks going on ALL THE TIME OMG! Well I realize that these "3 for 1" drinks are going to be like 15 bucks each, but the g/f wants to go there. Shocker.

So I get 3 margaritas since they have no real drinks on the menu, and she ends up GETTING DIET PEPSI. Yeah this is way better than the crown and coke that I wanted. We get some spinach and artichoke dip and split a chicken pizza. FWIW, these drinks were strong! Well worth the 12 bucks. Pizza was great, dip not so great, but for 4 bucks how can you complain. They did give the g/f my third drink which was nice. Service good to fair. Restaurant was a 6 overall. Total bill $30 with tip. I picked up everything except for 1/2 the spinach dip. Thanks for the 3 bucks hun. I realize that I'll be spending lots of money tipping this trip.

We wander around the mall a little more, then go down the strip to see the other hotels. I start to notice the lack of hot women in general. This makes me sad. We head down to the MGM Grand after buying 2 waters for a buck, then seeing 4 for a buck next door. Only in Vegas.

We get into the MGM and sit down at a blackjack table. Immediately order drinks. I'm starting off playing $5 a hand, and my g/f is just watching for some reason. After being down $10 in 5 minutes I decide that $5 is too boring. I jack it up to $25 a hand. At this point I realize that I should get a player's card, but for some reason I don't. I don't like free stuff and promotions for later I guess.

I then proceed to give my g/f money to bet $5/hand. She proceeds to go on a heater while I donate money to the Grand. The Salt Lake City guy to her right hits on her. I'm too busy gamb00ling to care. Then she loses it all back while I get some back. Total -$300 for wannabe. I'm not coming to Vegas to LOSE money - you watch out MGM - I'll be back!

Then we walk back down to the Bellagio to see what all the fuss is about. Entrance is nice, with the flowers and water and stuff. We proceed to the poker room, as I want to play an hour there just to say that I did. So I get on the 8/16 list (didn't feel like playing 15/30), and am seated about 3 minutes later. Good ol' seat 7. First hand I get 96s in the BB. UTG raise, 2 coldcallers, I call 1 more. Check-fold an AQx flop. 3 memorable hands:

I open AT in the cutoff, semi-loose button coldcalls, blinds fold (this wasn't a very good table - if I'd have been there for more than 4 orbits I'd have changed). Flop comes 993r. I bet, button raises, I 3-bet, hoping to fold his obvious low/middle pocket pair. He calls. Turn comes the lovely K and I bet. He folds 44 face up and congratulates me on my nice snag. "Sorry man - that's a tough turn".

(as an aside, I noticed his driver's license, and he's from the same town as me - I thought this was pretty amazing. After thinking about it for 5 minutes, it was less amazing)

2nd hand: super weak-tight player on my right limps on the CO, I isolate him with 97 (time to gamb00000l by isolating with suited gappers). Of course the blinds fold. Flop comes KT4 and he checks. I bet of course, he calls. Turn comes 2, he checks again, of course I bet, he hesitates for like a minute and calls. The river is the A and I don't know whether I love this card or hate it. He checks the river, and since I'm getting about 5:1 on this bet I bet the river. He immediately folds. BANG!

3rd hand: Get QQ in the SB, it's raised to me with 3 coldcallers - I 3jack it and everyone calls. Nice pot.

Flop comes QT4 rainbow. I bet and everyone calls.

Turn comes an ace, putting a flush draw out there. This is a good card for me, and it clearly hit the guy UTG+1, so I check, planning to face the field with 1 and 1. Unfortunately he checks, but the next player bets, 1 call, I raise, UTG+1 calls, and bettor calls. There's a ton of chips in this pot.

River is a beautiful T, putting the flush out there. I yell "Yahtzee" out loud and bet. Call, call, then button raises. "didn't you hear me say Yahtzee?" and I 3bet. 1 fold 1 call and the button just calls. He was mad immediately after he raised the river (but before I gave my speech), which was nice. He flips over A10, other guy mucks, and I show queens full. Thanks for coming out - it was especially nice after he pwned me with AK vs KQ on AKx flop turn Q. Can you cap this river though with tens full please? Take that idiot. Leave UTG on next orbit and am up around $280.

Then my g/f proceeds to tell me all about my live tells while we walked back to Bally's. This exchange was golden:

Her: you know you've got a bunch of tells....
Me: yeah? (not caring at all cause anyone under 20/40 doesn't give a [censored])
Her: yeah - you always bob your head and sniff when you play a hand
Me: alright....
Her: you should probably stop that - they always know when you're in a hand
Me: okay I'll work on it - do I do it when I have a good hand or when I'm bluffing?
Her: both
Me: ok - so you're saying that my tell is the same whether I have a good hand or a bad one?
Her: yeah, what'd you think I meant? seriously? (pretty rudely actually)
Me: well - I don't think a tell that exists 100 percent of the time I'm playing is really a tell
Her: well it is - you have to work on it to succeed at live play
Me: ok, thanks

Then we eat at some buffet - I think it was at the Flamingo. Yeah it was. Very meh. Nothing good on the menu - I could eat the same food at home for like 5.95. About 18 bucks each after tip. I decide that I will have to take charge and decide where to eat myself. 5/10. View was nice though. We then go back to Bally's to play some pokah.

When we got there at 9:00 they had 5 tables going (3 1/2 NL and 2 2/4 limit tables). I've never played live NL before (I play 200 and 400NL online), so I wanted to spend a few hours seeing if it was any good. It definitely wasn't - the players were decent (not good, just decent), and the amount of time between playable hands was just too long. But I wasn't one to judge it in 1 session. I was happy to be done though.

Hand of note: Weak-tight UTG+1 raised to 12, one caller, and I called on the button with 86 with 200 behind. Flop comes down A92 and UTG+1 is visibly disappointed. He bets out 20 into the pot of about 40, caller folds, and I float. Turn comes some rag, he checks, I bet 45, he folds. Yay....(yeah it's a boring hand but pretty much the only one I played in 4 hours).

Then my g/f wanted to play 2/4 (ugh), so I joined her for a few hours there. No noteworthy hands/moments in the 3 hours of hell I had to endure, but watched one of my g/f's hands.

She called A8 after a billion limpers on the button. Flop comes AQ4. Early position bets, she peels one off after 4 callers. Turn is the 7 and the same action occurs. River is 8 and it's checked to her. She checks behind and, of course, drags the pot.

She asks me how she played the hand, and although I wanted to tell her about her $20 river mistake, I told her "nice hand". You might want to reread SSHE though babe. End result +$12 in poker (she was up $30). She then brags about how good she is at poker. Yeah poker is tough when you flop straights and sets.

Then we went to bed, again sexless (I don't like this much) - and watched another channel about all the Harrah's properties. I conclude that everywhere but Caesar's Palace blows.

Next up - Tuesday and Wednesday