TR: NL cash Newb pwns $2/$5 NL 1st time in Vegas (kinda long)

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

So I figured I would provide a trip report for my 1st time in Vegas this past weekend... although it won't be as cool some other's like Bones and Yugo's since I am married...

So I had been planning on making the trip to Vegas all year w/ my buddies (who go every year for last 5-6 yrs). I posted My 1st trip to Vegas, where/what should I play post and some people where kind enough to make a few suggestions. But GtrHtr said to play cash and not try and find SnG's. Now I have been practicing cash, unsuccessfully, since Irie posted about Cash being way better than SnG's. But GtrHtr was kind enough to give me a few pointers... so here are my results!

I have concluded that Vegas is the best place on earth! Had a lot of fun, probably b/c $2-$5 NL RULES!!! I was able to apply a lot of what GtrHtr said, but I did have trouble loosening up b/c when I tried it cost me some money. So I basically remained TAG, and being TAG worked out fine. I arrived in Vegas (staying at Palms) just before noon on Friday. I did not want to completely abandon the guys so I stayed at Palms and tried my luck at the $2-5 NL they had there. Max buy-in was $1000... too much for me to risk (so I bought in for $300), since my unrealistic goal was to not lose more than $1000 all week, for all expenses (food, taxi, drinks and gambling)... I now know this is not possible... unless you win! Anyhow, it was slow, and I was tight. The Palms has a lot of regular people at the tables... this was very obvious when the host, dealers, and certain players greeted each other by name. No matter, watch out for them, but do not fear them. Usually there were plenty of draw chasing, less than top pair calling fish (this was the case everywhere I went). Anyhow, I am rambling, but after 9 hours on Friday I was up $940! Then I played craps for 90 minutes and was up another $315 from this -EV game, not bad. I had been up for 26 hours, time for bed! Was up and eating breakfast at the sports book around 9AM and a bunch of the guys wanted to go to the Bellagio to place some NBA bets that the Palms would not take. The Bellagio rules! We spent the Sat and Sun watching the NFL games and we had the entire bar section for our group of guys. So on Sat I had about 2 1/2 hours before the Baltimore game started (11-1:30) so I checked out the Bellagio's $2-$5 NL (I bought in for $500 max!). F'in awesome! After 2 hours I was up $1075... my TAG image was not even a concern to anyone... like GtrHtr said, just be patient and aggressive, people will call... this is so true. OK watched the NFL games, lost my Baltimore bet, won my Eagles bet... down $29 on sports book for day and down $200 on craps when I wondered off at some point. Back to the Palms around 8:30 that night... lets try the poker room again. Son of a b!tch... almost everyone at my table appears to be a regular, very loose and just pushing money to each other and laughing about it. In no time they label me as a rock, and say so to my face as they fold to all of my bets. At one point early one regular gave me action and my pocket JJ were good. After 2 hours up $400, but this was not fun, off to the craps table where I lost $200 over next 2 hours... entertaining, but time for bed. The next morning everyone went back to the Bellagio. I was not going to watch the Bears game, and chose to go to MGM instead of watch the Bears game. OK, bad luck or bad play, I am not sure, but I ended up down $600 over 3 hours. While I was TAG, I was occasionally raising it up w/ SC in unraised pots. My big loss came when I raised 87s to $30 behind 2 limpers from MP, big stack calls, limper fold. Flop JT9. I bet the pot, big stack calls. Turn comes (forget card) I bet $100, villain raises to $300. This guy was good as he had $2500 in chips and had been playing all night, but he was very loose. He also slow played a set earlier, (but in hind sight the board may have been suited... should've paid more attention). So I figured my hand was good as many good players raised me w/ hands worse than mine and he did not bet his made hand earlier... not this time, he had KQ... damn! OK, re-buy for max $500. I manage to take $300+ off a fish w/ my Aces full, but could not get his entire stack... I played to aggressively, should have slow played, won't make that mistake again. Next big hand 5 limpers I have 99 in blind, I check (probably a mistake). Flop Q,9,x. I bet pot, everyone folds, but sleeping beauty calls (this guy was relatively new to table and literally fell asleep at table, not paying attention to me or anyone else). Turn is J. I bet $100, villain thinks a long time and raises... puke! Does this Mother F'ker have KT??? Well I like my hand, possibly he does, but not likely... wrong he had it and took about $400 from me. Anyway Bears game is over, down $600 back to Bellagio to watch Pats (I took Pats money-line!) So I lost my Bears bet and won my Pat money line up $150 from sports bets. Everyone went back to Palms, but I liked the play at Bellagio so I was going to play for 2 hours before I had to checkout and head for airport. After 2 hours I was up $600 and recouped the $600 I had lost that morning at MGM... nice! I basically took $300 from one woman who chased her flush draw. The other $300 came from a guy where I had bet pf w/ AQs, flopped flush and I bet flop. He had pockets TT, which I think were an over-pair to flop and he needed one more spade for his flush (LOL). So he raised me on flop... yes! I start acting it up, look at my cards, look at board, grab my hair, stare at him (he gives me a violent look like you can't read me buddy and chuckles) so I call (not going be too aggressive here, I learned my leason at the MGM that morning, I'll let this guy bet into me!) He goes all-in on turn and I happily call. One other great hand was when I raised from EP w/ TT, and BB make a PSR then bets out on a 6 high, coordinated flop. He was relatively new to table, but had been tight. I folded to his flop bet and I asked what he had when I left, he said JJ... nice lay-down, and one that I have had trouble making in past. Bellagio, what a great game they have. Anyway I won $2400 for the weekend and after all expenses, I should be up around $1250-$1500 (waiting to hear if our room got comped or what.) But that is my long trip report. I don't think I could have done this well without GtrHtr's advice... and I wonder if I was also on a heater... or was this kind of result possible at SSNL?

[J-P]

Excellent trip report, always enjoy reading these.

[GtrHtr]

tl;dr

haha, just kidding, I actually enjoyed reading this the second time, glad you posted it and glad to help. Nice job! Live NL rules!

[kevstreet]

Nice trip report and good going at the tables.

I basically had the same experience w/ NL cash there.
By the fourth day I had plans of quitting my job and
moving to Vegas. Until I realized I spent every single penny I won on fine dining and top shelf drinks. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[wiggs73]

Nice trip report.

I'm heading back there this March and hoping for similar things to occur. I went last September and was dead even on the trip heading into the last night... basically had paid for food, drinks, shows, craps, etc. with poker. I was having dinner our last night there and said "you know I shoudl just play some 2/4 limit and get hammered tonight and leave even". Instead I played 2/4 NO limit, got hammered, decided I should straddle every orbit and make prop bets with guys on my end of the table on every hand... I ended up blowing about 1k my last night. Good times.

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice trip report and good going at the tables.

I basically had the same experience w/ NL cash there.
By the fourth day I had plans of quitting my job and
moving to Vegas. Until I realized I spent every single penny I won on fine dining and top shelf drinks. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, one round of drinks during the football game cost $140 [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[kevstreet]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Nice trip report and good going at the tables.

I basically had the same experience w/ NL cash there.
By the fourth day I had plans of quitting my job and
moving to Vegas. Until I realized I spent every single penny I won on fine dining and top shelf drinks. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, one round of drinks during the football game cost $140 [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL, the prices are really unbelievable. I'm pretty sure 2 Belvedre & Red Bulls came to $40 at Tryst. Although we had pedestrian VIP passes, the cover charge was $30 if you had to pay.

[mmorpg]

great read

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

ouch... down $1k your last night, that sucks.

some guys straddled, I did not, was not sure what purpose it served other than put you in position pf, oop post flop if anyone remained in hand... just seemed expensive since it seemed to never take the hand down preflop, but it did pay off for guys who actually had a hand when they straddled.

[wiggs73]

Straddling is pretty dumb. But my table was ridic that night... 1 end was just a bunch of nits that looked like they were scared to death to be playing for real money. The other end (my end) was drunk, raising blind, making prop bets on litterally every hand, stradding, etc. I just got caught in the moment... and by caught in the moment I mean drunk. But it was pretty fun and I don't really regret it since 1k wasn't much of my roll at the time (all I did was cash out of Stars to go to Vegas).

The plan for the next visit out is to stay relatively sober while playing 2/5 or higher. We'll see how that works out, it probably won't.


I guess we can go ahead and start the countdown to my busto post.


By the way, what did you think of the MGM Grand in general? I've been in it before but never stayed or gambled there. I'm 99% sure that's where we're gonna get rooms in March.