5/20 - 5/22,downtown craps and poker at Aria

Trip started out as a solo trip to play poker at Aria in between my sons two baseball seasons. He played on the 9th grade school team and just started with his summer traveling team. I sent out a few emails concerning my plans and ended up with two that wanted to join me.

I run a garage poker league (two tables) that play two seasons from Sept - April. I had finished 2nd in each league and had a decent poker bank roll.
$103 round-trip on Spirit leaving Wed 5/20 at 10:00pm, returning on the Red Eye Friday night. Staying downtown at MSS on a 3 night plus food comp.

Left from my sons baseball scrimmage to get to the airport for the flight. Flight was on time, packed to the gills but on-time. I had tracked the incoming flight starting at noon and could see the plane had been on-time all day.

Quick cab downtown, quick check-in and we were at Boars Head by 11:45. Couple of beers to get started and we were off to find a good craps game. We were the cooler at each of the tables at MSS. As soon as we walked up, 7-out, pay the don't, take the line. Up the esclator and over the skyway to the Cal. Found a decent game but ended up at my stop/loss of $60 after buying in for $100.

This should have been when I found something to eat as I hadn't eaten since noon at work. The next stop was at the Golden Gate where we found a pretty choppy table with players making lots of noise. I made about $100 playing low and slow, pressing at the right times. I did get one hard eight parlay home. $1 gets you $90. I don't play the hard ways that often but when I do it's hard 6 or 8, two-way, parlay with my best Hawaiian accent. Cocktail service started slow but then could have slowed down(to many Bud Lights I'm sure). Our buddy playing at the other end of the table chatted up a player there by himself who then joined us for the next couple of stops.

The next stop was Freemont, not much happened here as I don't remember being up or down. I know we played here and I cashed out something??? Next stop was The D. Our guest player was buying in for $2K and playing Green and Black chips at this point (chasing). I remember him covering the hard-ways with Green and going to Black when they hit. He never hit with the Black chip. Drink service was non-existent, the Green chip player was getting pissed so I let the boxman know he was about to lose him and he's been buy-ing in for $2k and donking it off. I should have kept my mouth shut, getting a drink wasn't a problem going forward (to many Bud Lights I'm sure). After two $2k buy-ins our guest wanted to take a cab to NYNY. He talked my two friends into joining him who then talked me into going. Big mistake. I knew I should have headed back to MSS when we pulled away from the hotel and I could see it was getting light out.

 

Once at NYNY the others quickly bought into the craps game, I decided I would wait to see how it went. It didn't start out to well and my feet hurt so I went for a walk. NYNY was dead except for the hooker crew hanging around the center bar. I was immediately approached twice before even getting to the bar to order a drink. I've never been on the strip this late and approached this aggressively. Must have stuck out as a easy drunk mark. I stopped at a keno machine to kill time and dozed off before getting any $$$ into the machine. Next thing I know security is waking me up, telling me I can't sleep at the machines and asking me if I was a guest at the hotel. My next stop was a bubble craps machine thinking this would keep my attention, nope.. Next thing I know a slot attendant or cleaning crew is waking me up telling me they won't let me sleep at the machines, security is watching and will kick me out soon. Back to the craps tables, my buddies are gone, the $2K buy-in guy is still there but not the two guys I came with. At this point, I'm heading back to MSS. I walk across the bridge to MGM and start walking North looking for a bus stop. Why not a cab?? Who knows??

Long story short, it was a long walk and a couple of hooker offers before I was on the bus heading back downtown. 7AM and I'm finally back to my room safe and sound. No more security, no more hookers. Lots of joggers out on the strip at that time of the morning.

Can't sleep, can't do much of anything at this point and emails start pinging my phone. I rest for a while, get cleaned up, eat finally and check to see who else made it back to MSS. One guy is staying in my room, he's not back and the other isn't responding to his cell phone or the hotel phone??? My plan is to go to Aria for some poker, that was the purpose for the trip. So it's off to the bus stop as I had purchased a 24 hr pass earlier. The other two are adults and there's not much I can do for them at this point.

I end up buying into the $125 daily tournament which includes a $565 seat to a $2 mil WPT event in July. Breakfast doesn't want to stay down, I'm getting heart burn and my head won't stop banging right at my right temple. But I'm prepared with Excedrin, heart burn meds, Tums, Halls cough drops and two packets of powdered Pedialyte.......

 

10,000 in chips, 30 minutes blinds and lots of play.

Hands of note:

Two early limpers at 25/50, I raise to 200 with QJh to see how they play after their limp. One of the blinds and the limpers call, 4 to the flop. Flop is KJX, two spades. checked to me, I bet 350. One caller, flop is Qs and checked to me again. River is a beautiful J and a full boat. Checked to me,I bet 1,8K and get called. 2nd best shows the A spades, table is convinced he turned a A high flush.

Q, 10 from the BB and it's limped to me at 50/100. 4 or 5 handed. I flop the nut Str8, rainbow flop. Check call the turn, 7 and the 4th suite. It's bet and raised in front of me, I put in a raise and get an all-in. Villan turned a set of 7's. Brick on the river and I have my first take out.

AKc in mid position in the 3rd blind level. Folded to me I make a standard raise and get reraised from the SB. Flop is Ace high with one club. SB bets, I call, Turn is 2nd club. SB bets I raise, he folds QQ. At the first break I'm about double average stack.

1010 on button. Two limpers, I raise and called by one. Flop is Q high rainbow. Checked to me and drop a stack of $1K chips in the middle. $10K bet. Villan thinks I'm all-in, says call and starts to show his hand. I see a Red face card and something like a 8 or a 9. The other end of the table clearly sees his hand. Dealer makes him complete the call and flops an Ace. Villan checks and I move all-in, moving all my chips into the middle, I clearly have him covered. I need him to believe I also saw his hand and have an Ace in my hand. He folds in discuss and never recovers, he's out of the tourney a short while later.

A couple of blind levels go by and I get AA UTG. I raise and get reraised with an additional caller, I move all-in and get called by first villan and then by a somewhat hesitant 2nd villan. AA vs KK vs AKoff. Flop is three hearts, I don't have a heart. The other two do. Brick, brick. 2nd and 3rd take out of the tourney. I'm now the chip leader with 40 or so left from a total of 122 buy-ins.

 

QJd in the BB, SB pushed a little less than 4 BB's. I call, behind with two live cards and turn a pair. The money bubble is burst. 12, 11 and 10 get $192. 1st is $3,560

Playing 8 handed the big stacks get it all in. KK vs AKc. AK sucks out on the river. The next hand I raise from the SB with A10c into the Ex-chip leader who moves all-in with AJoff. I turn a 10. Chip lead is out in 2 hands. We get down to 3 handed and play until the next break. It's me, a local guy about 50 and an older gentleman, 70's who's wife has been watching for about 3 hours. he older guy has wanted a chop since 6 handed. The local want $3,200 and the $565 WPT seat or we play it out. I'm OK with chopping and willing to negotiate. Fortunately the local gets short stacked with me being the chip leader after taking out 4th place. I have $120K but the blinds are 20k/40k with 5K blinds. Basically flipping for 1st - 3rd at 11:30. An even money chop is suggested with the local getting the WPT seat. I won't agree to this and need some value for the chip lead and WPT seat. Local wants the seat, he offers to give me $100 for the chop. I ask for $150 from the other two, local gets the chop and older guy gets to take his wife to bed, Just under $3K win, tip the dealers $150 and go find a beer.

Call me cheap, I walked to the strip to grab a beer at Walgreens and walked North towards downtown. Seems like I just did this earlier this morning. Bought a few more beers and caught the Duece at Harrah's. I'd been texting my friends throughout the tourney, they didn't make it back from NYNY until after 12:30. We meet at 777 Brew pub, I bought dinner and we were off to find a good craps game. Rinse and repeat the night before???? I couldn't make it. After dinner we bought into a game at the Freemont, won about $60 before I couldn't take any more. 1st time I've left a winning table that was still doing well.

Breakfast was at Dupar's, I love their food. Back on the bus for Aria and another shot at the $125 daily. We checked our bags with the Bell Desk planning on going from that end of the strip to the airport for the Red Eye. Nothing really got going in the tourney and I ended up 22 from the money outlasting the other two and winning two $10 last longest bets.

Hit secret pizza for a super large Sicilian and tap beer for $15. Played a little VP back at Aria, grabbed the bags a caught a cab to the airport. Spirit was 45 minutes late going home, not to bad??

Pics to come.

 

Nice poker report and well done with chopping the Aria tournament, I've played this a few times as well but never cashed.

Does Caesars still have decent tournaments, chopped their $150 tournament last year for about $1400 but I believe the poker room has since been downsized.

 

Sounds like an awesome trip for sure!

 

Pic of Sicilian at secret puzza

 

A+ TR! gogogogogo

 

nice trip

 

Nice report!

But even with a "nice structure" you're chip leader with 3 big blinds? That's sick.