Trip Report Vegas 2/1-2/6 Long, multiple parts

[twoblacknines]

I've got an upcoming trip in march with a reduced stay at the hilton GVC in exchange for attendinga time share presentation. I have no intentions of buying but did it for the hotel room. Anyone have any experiances with them?

[B840]

Once you tell them that you don't want it, it can get pretty nasty.

[zman31]

Caution: POKER CONTENT

We ride the roller coaster and make our reservations at Craftsteak for Sunday at 8pm, just enough time to enjoy the Super Bowl and get over to the MGM. We head back to Monte Carlo and the wife wants a nap and I wan to play poker. Come get me when you’re hungry baby, I’ll be in the poker room.

I get an immediate seat in the 1-2nl game. Buy in for $200 order a Fat Tire and hunker down. 6-2 off suit seems to be the hand of the day. So I’m folding and drinking, folding and drinking. I hit a big blind special with 10-2, 5 people to the flop for $2, flop Q-10-2 three suited. I check raise the dude in the cutoff to $30, all fold and he calls. $40 on the turn 7 and he calls another $50 on the river with his QJ. I turn over the bad news and rake a nice pot. I fold a few more, lose a bit on a couple of combo draws that don’t get there and then head to dinner around 7.

Grand Wok at MGM, so I can have Sushi and the wife can get some kind of Asian stir fry. Excellent all around. Her tenderloin and asparagus was delicious. The Philly roll with salmon, avocado and cream cheese was tastey and something I had never had before. Recommended.

Back to the poker room, the wife heads to the slots. I have to wait this time. It is Saturday night though, no complaints and my name comes up in about 20 minutes. I play a few hands, fold a few others. Get a few beers, working on a nice buzz. I bleed off a couple hundred and rebuy back up $200. I win a small pot with JJ with a nice sized preflop raise to put me at about $250 when I get 9-7s in the cutoff. It’s $15 to me with 2 other callers. I call and pick up the open ender on a Q-8-6 rainbow flop. Original raiser bets a scared $20 gets 1 other caller and I call as well. I hit the 5 on the turn. I put the raiser on a week Q or maybe JJ or 1010. He checks, other guy checks and I bet $50. Raiser calls other guy folds. River is a J, I no longer have the nutz, but if my read is right I’m a winner. He shoves for about $60 more. I call; he flips over his QJ for 2 pair and MHIG.

There is a bit of a buzz around the room. It’s right next to the sports book, SportsCenter is on all the plasma TVs in the room. It’s Saturday night, the drinks are flowing and the Super Bowl is tommorow…but there’s something else. It appears that World Series bracelet winner Brett Jungblut has just sat down at my table. He buys in for the max and proceeds to chat it up with the kid from West Virginia in the 2 seat to his right. I’m in the 7. I can’t say that I recognized him but got the feeling that he was a pro and overheard some of the conversation. He runs a poker school website, is mostly a tourney player and was here for the Super Bowl, drinking and gambling.

Brett raises in the cutoff to $15. Gets 2 callers. The flop comes Q-7-2. Brett leads for $40. Gets one caller. Turn is a 9. Brett shoves his remaining chips and I think it was the BB that called. Turn is a blank, Brett shows 7-2 for two pair and the BB shows Q-9 for the better two pair. Chips on 1!

Brett’s friends show up and make a lot of noise. They all agree to go out and get drunk then come back for some drunken poker. Brett sticks around for a little while longer after his friends leave, doubles up several times after creating a nice image for himself with the 7-2 hand. I manage to avoid him and still am sitting on about $400 when he leaves around 11pm. I’m getting a nice buzz going getting a new Fat Tire about every other trip from the cocktail lady.

Brett’s friends show back up around 1am hammered. One of them sits to my left in seat 8. He’s a tall skinny guy, maybe about 24 with glasses. I find out he is PearlJam+some number on Pokerstars and he’s a pro. His drunken friend, kinda tubby with bleached blonde hair with major roots showing and a Fat Tuesday yard of margarita glass hanging nearly empty around his neck claims he has a million in his poker roll. Okay, I have no idea whether this is true or not but here we go.

PearlJam buys in full and makes a few muscle moves. He’s asking for “flips” with people, making a lot of noise. His 2 other friends, including tubby, are at another table doing similar things. PearlJam straddles, and reraises a $20 raise all in without taking a look. Guy with 88 calls. PJ flips over J-7, hits his jack and stacks Mr. 88. He picks up a few more chips with really aggressive plays when this hand comes up:

I’m dealt KK on the button. 4 limpers to me and I raise to $20. PJ calls in the SB and 2 other callers. Flop comes 6-3-2 with 2 spades. PJ shoves for $500 into a roughly $80 pot. It folds around to me. My read is that he could have almost anything here. A-6 spades, any pocket pair, all 3 sets, 2 spades, heck even 2 pair or air. I may not be getting the right odds but with this play to this point he could just be bullying. I call. Ouch, wrong read. He has the 22 for the set. The river brings the blessed K though and I double through. Ship the $1100 pot, my biggest ever.

Oh, PJ is mad. He tells me that he wouldn’t make that move against me with anything but a set as I was the only other deepstacked player at the table. I say, yep, I made a bad read, couldn’t get away from it, sorry dude, yadda yadda. He invites me to play in their private game at the other table where they are going to start playing 3 handed dealers choice. I politely decline and sit for another couple of orbits with over a grand in front of me. At 3am they’re at the other table yelling at each other. Tubby is upset because the dealer button wants to play O8h/l and he doesn’t understand it and will leave if it’s called. I smirk, rack up and leave.

[DayTripping]

[ QUOTE ]
I’m not sure how much he helped but we got a non-smoking floor, king-size bed, decent view though I don’t think we got room upgrade as we had a prepaid package.

[/ QUOTE ]

Basically he pocketed your $20 and gave you nothing you wouldn't have gotten for free. I've heard bad things about trying the $20 trick at Monte Carlo.

[ QUOTE ]
I convince the wife that morning sex is a must since we’ve been too tired the past 2 nights. The promise of Starbucks in bed delivered by her loving husband is enough to do the trick and I start my day in the best way possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

TMI. Unless you include a hot naked picture of her or something.

[WayAbvPar]

Enjoying the TR so far. I may be in the minority, but I am a fan of non-poker content as well; it really gives the flavor of a trip to Vegas. Keep it coming!

[zman31]

[ QUOTE ]
Enjoying the TR so far. I may be in the minority, but I am a fan of non-poker content as well; it really gives the flavor of a trip to Vegas. Keep it coming!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I'm running out of steam today, I might get a little more up as it's taking a long time to write. The rest tommorow: I've got Superbowl poker, Craftsteak, Stratosphere ride, and Casino AZ regulars at my table still to come.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I'm running out of steam today, I might get a little more up as it's taking a long time to write. The rest tommorow: I've got Superbowl poker, Craftsteak, Stratosphere ride, and Casino AZ regulars at my table still to come.

[/ QUOTE ]

All good stuff, looking forward to it.

[DrNo888]

Yup, non-poker stuff is more interesting. More details on food would be great, especially dinner at Craft.

[droopy0021]

[ QUOTE ]
Basically he pocketed your $20 and gave you nothing you wouldn't have gotten for free. I've heard bad things about trying the $20 trick at Monte Carlo.


[/ QUOTE ]


I tried the $20 trick in December at the Monte Carlo. The woman had a funny look on her face, then came back with this book showing the room upgrades available. I'm thinking OK, might be onto something. Then she runs through the rooms and their costs.

Luckily I kept my $20. But a balla I ain't.

[Dominic]

your wife is 6'2"??? How tall are you? Pics?