A post-COVID trip to Sin City for poker, poker and probably more poker - Nov 8th - 26th (SEMI-LIVE)

A man after my own heart. Peace, Friend.

I've found loads of off-Strip places with numerous delicious non-egg offerings. That doesn't help without a car (or a $25 RT Uber), so I usually get something I want, and if they ask how I want my eggs, I say "Mailed to starving kids in Africa". After a confused look, we get a chuckle and I don't get any eggs... Steak and Eggs, hold the eggs, is one of my favorites and Ocean One's steak isn't horrible.

 

Halfway through the trip and at points it feels like time has flown by, yet at other points it feels like I've been here for ages. Long way to go yet!

So after waking up at around 9am and feeling like death, I spent a couple of hours chatting with the better half, composing the previous day's TR, eating cereal and posting on here, and generally lazing around before hitting the tables again. I tried calling in to Caesars to get myself on the list but their phone kept ringing out so I eventually gave up on that and just decided to grab my stuff and leave. Walked directly to Caesars and discovered that the reason for this was that they've pretty much stopped accepting call-ins now for the poker room during the WSOP. Great. There were a couple of call-ins on the list but these players seemed to be diamond or above (although I have no idea how they would know to only accept calls from those players, very weird).

Finally got into a game at 12pm and did not start well. Won a couple of small pots with raises preflop and c-bets on the flop, before a nice one where I raise A-T diamonds to $15 over a limper. 2 players call and we see a flop of A-T-7 rainbow. I bet $20 and get 1 caller. The 8s turn puts two spades on the board and I bet 35, the opponent calls. The river 5s brings in the flush draw and my A-T is good when we both check. A few hands later I check J-9 unsuited in the small blind and flop a straight on Q-T-8, but check first to act and all 3 players check. The 9 turn sees me bet $11 and get one caller. The river 6 sees me bet $20 and get raised to $75. I call with the second nuts and we chop it.

It goes downhill from here, however. I find pocket Aces and raise to $12, the guy to my left calls. I bet $15 on the K-K-8 rainbow flop and he quickly calls, which sets alarm bells ringing, as there's no draws out there so what am I beating? A-8? I block that. I decide to check the Qd turn and he immediately bets $40. Something's not right here so I give it up and he tells me numerous times over the session he had pocket eights. Good fold. I then lose a few more hands when I 4-bet A-K to $55 after a player raises to $8 and another does a minimum 3-bet to $13. This player was new to the game and it was very obvious. He checked down the 7-5-4-3-Q board with me and then proceeds to show K-K! Got away from that one cheaply. My stack was now around the $200 mark so I topped up to $300. I then spent the next couple of hours playing a lot of hands but not winning or losing much at all before cashing out $100 down. I managed to get the floor to put me back on the list as a call in whilst I hit the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and did that before heading back for session number 2. This one was a bit more wild...

First hand in, still taking the chips out of the rack and I see J-J and a raise to $7 in front of me. I 3-bet that to $30 and everyone folds, probably thinking I'm a maniac. I then chop the big blind (always chop, never look until after) with Aces. Three hands later I raise to $12 with A-Q unsuited and get 3-bet to $35 by the young pro on my left. I call and the flop is J-6-5 all clubs. I check-call $15 with the Ace of clubs in my hand. The Ks turn improves my equity and I check-call 60. I miss everything on the 4s river and we both check - he shows me Qs-Js for flopped top pair. I then lose a few more hands early on when I call a few raises and fold to flop or turn bets, and make a few preflop raises but whiff the flop and have to check-fold, and top up my last $200 I have on me and move from Seat 8, which is a hated seat because I always bang my knee on the drop box, to Seat 3.

I'm still restacking my chips when I get dealt pocket Aces in the new seat whilst in the small blind. UTG player raises to $12 and 2 players call before I 3-bet to $60. The raiser folds but another player calls. The flop is T-8-8 with two diamonds (and I have a diamond), I bet $50 and he calls. The 3h turn is enough for me to move all-in for my last $160 and he calls with slightly less behind. The river is the 6c and my hand is good when I show. Boom. Now I'm up on the session and nearly back to even for the day. I win/lose a few pots to maintain my stack before I find pocket jacks in the big blind and see it raised to $12 and 3-bet to $35 before me. I call the 3-bet and the raiser folds. The flop is 6-4-3 rainbow and both of us check. The 4c turn brings in two clubs and I bet $40, he calls. The river is the 6d and again we both check, my hand is good. This puts me over $600 on the table and more importantly, back in profit overall for the day.

I maintain my stack before calling a raise to $15 on the button with A-Q unsuited and heads up we see an A-2-4 flop with two spades. He bets 40 and I call. The turn is the Jc and he moves all in for 63, I call. The river is the Kh but it doesnt matter as I was behind all the way against his A-K and he scoops the pot. Oops. Down to $550 again. I manage to get most of it back when I 3-bet A-K unsuited to $50 over a $15 raise from the young pro on the button (same one as referenced earlier) and he calls. I bet $40 on the K-8-8 rainbow flop and he calls again. We both check the Qc turn and I bet $70 on the 2d river, which is enough to get him to fold. This puts me at around $630 and after a couple more rounds of the table, I cash out for $615 giving me a session profit of $115 and a daily profit of $15. A long day's work for a small amount of money but it was worth it!

Head back to the room via Cheesecake Factory for takeout cheesecake and decide on $20 in the progressive suited royal VP machine at Bally's. Original plan was Strict Rules of Parlay but I realised late that this machine only had 25c programmed, so planned on just getting over $40 and finding a new machine. Ended up hitting a quad which put me at $55 and deciding to finish my smoke before moving. Glad I did as I then hit a straight flush <20 hands later! Sadly no pics as I was too busy smoking and playing but cashed out for $110 overall for a nice $90 profit!

Headed back to the room and chilled out online before killing the lights at midnight.

 

Nice read, thank you for sharing.

 

ha, you and I had the same late night order at the Victorian Room and the old cafe at Harrahs!

 

At Bellagio for the morning session. Decided on $20 Strict Rules of Parlay whilst having a smoke.



So as per rules, stepped up to 50c and 3 hands in...



Played a bit at $1 afterwards and when I finished my smoke, cashed out $150. That'll do!

 

At the Westgate this evening as a few old friends are in town and they wanted to get in on the Troopers game.

He doesn't play many hands, does he? Too busy walking round chatting to people.

 

Back in the room. Will do a full report on Trooper's game tomorrow but I was pleasantly surprised by the man himself. Wasn't what I was expecting at all!

Donated $100 of my VP winnings from earlier back on the stupid 6/5 Bonus suited royals progressive by the poker room as both Diamonds and Spades were over $1300 for the Royal. Barely hit a quad and had one hold 4 to the royal for diamonds, but the bloody machine gave me the 2d rather than the Ad!

 

So after posting in here yesterday morning I eventually dragged myself out of the room and hit Bellagio for the morning session, and ran into some very old friends from back home that I hadn't seen for a number of years! Got on their table and was quickly down $100, standard, my notes say I only played three hands but I can't remember what they were. Ah well. The table was a laugh but I clearly wasn't running well because I sent a message to my better half saying "not gonna rebuy here" after an hour.

I then decided for a smoke break and stuck the obligatory $20 into the VP machine, as I have been doing over the last few days, and, well, the results are just above me. Makes up for the poker losses! That goes back into my fun money pile and I head back to the tables. Because I'd caught up with the lads from back home and we were just having a good time at the tables, I didn't take any notes of sessions today so I apologise if this seems a little poker-lite, I just can't remember any of the session. I eventually ended up leaving at around 12.30pm for a small loss of -$25, so I must have got some of it back somehow, but no idea how!

Hit Earl of Sandwich for lunch, and had a change this time, deciding on Holiday Turkey instead of my usual Earl's Club. It was just as good and filling, and I headed back to the room as I didn't want to start another session before my pre-planned trip to the Westgate at 4pm as the lads wanted to get in on Trooper's game. Unfortunately I spent the next 3hrs dealing with an issue back home over phone to the better half, and I was just sorting out the end of that when I took the Monorail down to the Westgate for the 4pm game. Got there to catch up with everyone and get on the list. Took over an hour for the Westgate to find some dealers and open up more games, but eventually got in a 1/2 game and was quickly up $100 after winning a decent pot with K-K. I then get a swap and end up in the Trooper's game.

Again, I didnt take many notes, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Trooper. I was expecting him to be this loudmouthed, hard-ass guy like he portrays in his vlogs. He's not like that. I mean, yeah, when the camera's on he's as you expect him to be, but when it's not he seemed to be a nice guy, engaging with the players, out to have a good time and enjoy himself. He doesn't get to play many hands because he's always walking around chatting to people as I noted above, but I realised later on that was because people were coming to the game and engaging him, and he didn't want to be an ass and say "I'm trying to play here, can you wait?" I'd play in the game again, for sure. It was a good experience. There were two tables and he was moving between the two every couple of dealer downs so everybody got to play poker with him for a bit as well.

I ended up $205 at Westgate after 4hrs of play and decided at 9pm to cash out and head back to the Strip as my table had gotten bad and I just wasn't feeling the atmosphere in the Westgate room to be honest. Grabbed a Monorail back to Bally's and hit the food court for chicken tenders and fries, which I took back to the room to snack on and browse online. This gave me a burst of energy and I decided to head downstairs for a smoke and play some VP. 2 cigs later, after an hour and a half, I was down $100 on that stupid 6/5 Bonus suited royals progressive by the poker room as per above. Went back to the room and hit the sack.

 

I'm really enjoying this TR.

 

Thank you, its nice to read this. Hopefully I can keep it going for the next week before I head back to ol' Blighty in the AM next Friday.

 

The Thursday Westgate Trooper Vlog is up.



Will make an effort to play the one Thursday I'm in town during my January-February trip.

 

Hahahahaha, I am in that vlog!

I am the guy who raised Trooper 1 cow pie when he bet 1 cheese curd!!

 

Yesterday was the usual routine, wake up, morning ablutions, chat to the better half as she is heading home from work, post on here, have breakfast in the room, leave for a poker session. It's a routine I'm getting used to and enjoying. It's simple, sets me up for the day and hopefully keeps me in good touch with her whilst she is at home.

I decided on Caesars for the morning session and that was a good choice. Waited about 5-10 minutes for a new game, just enough to have a smoke but no VP this time, and quickly got seated. Lose the first small pot of the day when I raise to $8 with pocket threes, get 4 callers. Bet $17 on 8-K-5 with two hearts and two players call. This is enough for me to shut down and I fold on the Ah turn to a $20 bet. It was quite obvious from the off that this was going to be an "interesting table". Within the first few hands the guy to my left found himself facing a bet on a 4-4-K-5-8 board with 4 diamonds. He folded his hand face up, commenting that he "knew the other guy had diamonds". His hand? 5-5.

Yep, he just folded a full house because he was scared of a flush.

After about an hour, and lots of little pots, I was officially -$1 for the day. I then win a decent pot when I raise A-A to $17 after 2 players limp and one of the limpers calls. I bet $15 on the J-7-5 rainbow flop and he calls, and then I bet $40 on the 9h turn which he calls again. We both check the Ts river and my hand is good vs 9-6 of spades. After this I win a lot of pots by raising preflop, then betting on the flop and getting players to fold. Easy game when you can do it that way. I then raise A-Q unsuited to $12 and a little old lady in seat 8 calls. The flop is Q-6-2 with two hearts, and she calls my $20 bet. She calls my $45 bet on the 8s turn but folds to my $50 bet on the 2d river. I'm gonna guess she had a flush draw as she was notorious for calling down with any made hand. I then win my biggest pot of the session in a cooler. There's a raise to $12, I 3-bet to $38 with two black aces, the original raise moves all-in for approx. $75 and I call. She has two black kings and my hand holds up. Win a few more smaller pots and get to around $600 before I lose a couple of pots preflop when I raise and fold to 3-bets with medium pairs, and both times am shown either Kings or Aces. This is enough for me to decide enough is enough and head out, for a session profit of $260.

Decided to hit Hash House again for lunch and that was a bit of a mistake. I ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich with fries and it just wasn't good. The coating fell off the chicken, which was overcooked and stringy, and there was barely any sauce on it. At least the fries were decent and it filled a hole. Plus, it was HHAGG, and I finished most of it so that filled me up for most of the day! Headed back to the room to drop off the profits from earlier and had $20 in a VP machine whilst having a smoke. No good. I sorted out the bookkeeping and managed to figure out how to get my notes from the morning session onto the laptop, before heading out for session 2. This time, a new poker room for me on this trip. Yep, we're headed to Mandalay Bay. Call ahead to get on the list and off we go.

Hit the Bay at 5.15pm and just miss out on the first drawing (they have random seat drawings every half hour, on the :15 and :45 mark between 5pm-8pm). Get into the game for $300 and within the first orbit am up, when I find A-Q of clubs and raise to $11 over a limper. 2 players call and the three of us see an A-T-8 flop with two diamonds. I bet $20 and one guy calls. The 6h turn sees me bet $35 and he calls. We both check the Th river and my hand is good. I think I'm missing value on some of these rivers but that's something for the study afterwards! I then have my biggest hand of the trip so far. Three players limp and I look down at pocket jacks in the cutoff, and raise to $20. The button calls, and two more players call! The flop is a rather favorable one - J-9-3 with two clubs. It checks to me and I bet $55. The button goes deep into his thought processes and eventually decides on a raise, to $155. It folds back to me and I think for about 10 seconds before moving all in for $343. He snap-calls, so he either has a monster draw like Q-Tcc or he has a lower set. It's the latter - he has 9-9. I hold on the Ah turn and 4d river and drag a $750 pot.

Unfortunately from then on I barely win a hand. I fold, fold, fold and get more origami practice. I lose one hand to a shortstack when I call a $5 straddle from the big blind (Mandalay Bay has some weird rule whereby if there is a button straddle preflop, the blinds act first) with A-3 of spades, and the button moves in for a total of $30. I call and lose to A-Q unsuited when he makes a straight and I don't improve. In fact, looking at my notes, I win one more hand all night, when I raise with 7-6 of clubs and get 1 caller, who folds to my flop bet on A-Q-4 with two hearts. After the final drawing is completed, I cash out $675 to add to the morning profit and head out to the Strip, deciding that I actually hadn't had enough of playing, and it was only 8pm, so let's go to MGM Grand!

It doesn't take me long to realise this was a good decision. The third hand in I find J-J again and win a small pot. Two hands later I raise K-Q of spades to $8 and get 1 caller. The flop is Q-T-T rainbow and I check-call $15. The 4s turn then gives me a flush draw, and I check-call $20. I hit the 9s river for the flush and check-raise a $30 bet to $75. He quickly calls and I drag the pot after sucking out on his A-Q (which he really should have 3-bet preflop). This puts me at +$125 within 10 minutes and I keep the momentum going when about 20 mins later I find Q-Q first to act and raise to $9, which isn't enough as 4 players call. We all see the 5-2-2 rainbow flop and one player calls my $20 bet. He proceeds to then call my $35 bet on the 8h turn and my $50 bet on the 9s river...and my hand is good. I then win a few more pots with preflop raises and flop bets, but also lose a few pots when calling raises - it averages out. I cash out after a short session of around 2hrs for $535, giving me a $235 profit on the session and a monster profit day of +$870.

Finally. Finally after 2 weeks I'm back in profit for the trip. At my lowest point I was down over $1000, now I'm up $310. The swings of poker. I walk back to the room, lose another $60 on VP (I have a different pot of money for this, but I've wiped out all my VP winnings so I might have to slow down here...) and hit the sack at around 1am.

 

Congratulations on a very good poker day! Hope your winning continues and that VP turns around for you. Thanks for writing.

 

Another day in Vegas started off the same as most of them so far...except for when it didn't. Woke up, did the usual, posted here, chatted to the better half...then had to deal with some personal issues back home which wiped out most of the day. So instead of my day starting with a session at around 11am...it was 3pm before I left the room. Unfortunately by this point the lists are huge and after a quick smoke and a losing $20 in the VP machines, it's half past 3 and I am kinda lost. Which is ridiculous when you are in Vegas living the dream. I end up just walking north, waiting for something to take my fancy, and end up at Resorts World 40 minutes later with a ridiculous need for food.







Decided to get food here and ended up in the Street Food area, getting an old favourite, Hainanese Chicken Rice. This time I went for the roasted chicken option which was hot, unlike the traditional cold poached serving that was also offered. It looked pretty good! The chicken and rice were nice but the side sauces were sadly inedible, so I doubt I will be back at this particular stall but some of the others also looked very interesting.



My experience was sadly tarnished soon after though, as I tried to go get a players card in order to play poker. Sadly, this casino won't issue cards without passports for foreigners despite the fact I have a valid drivers licence with more information on it than what is in my passport which is locked away in a safe where it is staying, as if I lose my DL it's an easy replacement. If I lose my passport then it's game over. Everywhere else accepts a drivers licence (I have signed up at the Sahara and the Westgate this trip with my DL), so why is Resorts World so special and insistent on a passport? Yeah, I won't be back this trip, or any future trips most likely.

I decide to head over to the Encore where, surprise surprise, it's easy to get a replacement card with my DL and I am quickly seated into a 1/3 game. It doesn't take long for me to get involved and I soon find myself 3-betting A-K unsuited to $38 over a $12 raise. Surprisingly I get two callers, but hit the A-3-8 flop hard and bet $55. Both of my opponents fold. 4 hands later in the small blind I find pocket jacks. Let me tell you, nobody knows the right way to play pocket jacks, and I showed it here. The chap first to act raises to $18 and it folds to me, I elect to just call. The 9-3-4 rainbow flop is good for my hand but I check to the raiser and he checks behind. The turn is the 3c, putting backdoor club flush draw out there, and I bet $20. He raises to $60? OK. I'll call. The river is the Th and we both check, he shows up with A-T of clubs and my hand is good.

Unfortunately I then spend the next 90 minutes practicing my origami skills, with other players at the table wondering if I actually play any hands. The answer to that is yes, I do, but not 9-3 unsuited, 7-4 unsuited, K-2 unsuited...you get the jist. I finally get a semi decent hand when I find K-T hearts on the button and 3 limpers. I elect to just call and 6 of us see a T-8-2 flop with two diamonds and one heart. It checks to me and I bet $10 to thin the field with top pair. The small blind calls. The 5h turn gives me more equity with my flush draw and I bet $25. He check-calls this bet. The river is the 3h, giving me the flush, and he checks to me again. I look for value and bet $55. He quickly calls, meaning I should have bet more, and my hand is good again.

I lose a couple of hands when I have to fold to 3 bets, and at this point its now 8pm and the table dynamics have changed, so I rack up for another small profit of $155 and decide that it's only 8pm, and the night is not over. Venetian is on my way back so sod it, let's go there. Call in to get on the list and am very quickly in a game when I arrive, and in the thick of the action from the start. Win a couple of small pots in the first orbits and am quickly up $50 just from raise and takes, and c-bets on the flop. I then have an interesting hand when I raise A-Q unsuited in the hijack and think everybody folds, showing my hand. However, the small blind had called, but somehow wasn't paying attention and did not see my hand! I quickly turn my cards back over and the hand plays out. I flop A-6-7 with two spades and bet $15, he calls. He also calls my $20 bet on the 3c turn but folds to my $25 bet on the 9h river. I show him the hand also - everyone else saw it!

I then win a couple more pots before losing the biggest pot of the night. I raise A-K unsuited from middle position to $12 and the button 3-bets to $37. We hadn't seen a 3-bet in this game yet so I just called. The flop was Q-J-4 with two hearts and I check. He fires $50 and I just call. We both check the 8h turn and 7h river, I show A-K and he shows me 6-5 of spades for the rivered straight. I knew I should have 4-bet preflop and was a little bit annoyed at myself for not doing so. I then miss a royal flush draw and play another hand stupidly badly when I limp with A-J behind two limpers, bet out $5 on a 7-3-2 flop with no draws, get raised to $16 and somehow call, then meekly check behind when he checks turn and river, I don't improve from ace-high and he wins with a pair of threes. Decide to take a quick smoke break to recentre myself and get back into the game, and this works. I return and post $4 behind the button, and check my option when I see K-T of hearts. 7 of us see a flop of J-9-3 rainbow and I call a $6 bet from the small blind. I then call a $10 bet on the Kd turn, and a $20 bet on the Ks river. My hand is good against his flopped two pair, which was surprisingly stronger than I had estimated with the small bet on the flop. I win a few more small pots to give me a small profit of $40 and cash out at around 11pm.

Head back to Bally's for my usual $20 in my favourite 25c royal progressive machines but they are all taken so I find myself playing a 100 play penny Bonus Poker machine. Tire of playing one hand at a time for nickels and decide to play 50 hands for pennies. Shove $25 in and after some up and down play hit this:



Wrap it up and go to bed at around 1am, and wake up at 8am with the plan to hit the South Point today.

 

Playing at Caesars currently after spending most of the day at South Point. Sadly there are reports of Flamingo not reopening their poker room after WSOP is finished, and even more sadly the Flamingo staff who are currently working Caesars finish here tonight apparently and have no idea if they will be employed tomorrow. Absolute crap show by Eldorado if that is the case.

 

Yesterday was South Point day and it didn't take me long after I posted here to get myself down there via Lyft. I called in before I left and was seated pretty much as soon as I got into a game.

I'd chosen the South Point for yesterday because of their promotions. They have three listed football games on a Sunday (if the Raiders are playing one of the games then that one is always chosen) and there are random seat drawings based on things that happen in the game. If a FG is scored - it's $100. If a TD is scored - $200. If a Safety is scored - $500. There's also a $200 drawing at the end of every quarter, unless there are no scoring plays during that quarter, then it's $400.

Unfortunately it didn't take me long to realise that this was not where I should have been. The old me loved chasing promos because, well, I was skint and promo money was always a handy bonus. This me, with a proper bankroll and a want to actually play poker? I was in the wrong place and it showed. I was losing hand after hand after hand because I was trying to force the action. It then got annoying when nobody could leave the table to take a break during the half-time period of the first game because two old regulars were out of their seats the second that whistle was blown and that draw had started, and naturally they both took exactly the length of the half-time period. Third man walking rules suck at times.

I don't have many details of the hands I played at SP, so I won't bore you with that, but eventually I got my head back in the game and dragged myself up to only being down $100, before having a day saver when I was picked for a TD drawing in the 4th quarter of the Raiders game. I decided instantly that I was done but stayed until the end of the game before going for the infamous South Point hot dogs and playing some full pay Bonus Poker before heading back to the Strip with $100 more in my pocket when I left than when I started playing.

Had some snacks in the room before heading over to Caesars for the evening session. Was quickly in a game there but unfortunately it was on Table 16, where there is a massive speaker for tournament announcements. Won a couple of small pots early including where I flopped trip queens after limping behind and made around $40 on the hand and when I flopped quad fours after checking in the small blind and won about $50 as nobody else had much of anything. I then got into a hand where I 3-bet pocket queens to $43 over a limper and a $15 raise. The limper then shocks us all by moving all in for $164 total, the raiser folds and I call. I'm not confident on the J-K-4-7-J runout but somehow the other guy shows up with the other two queens in his hand and we chop it!

I then lose a couple of hands to put me down to around $340 before finally losing patience with that speaker and asking for a table change, which comes within 10 minutes. I barely play a hand at the new table for the first couple of orbits before I look down at 5-2 of clubs in late position and decide to have some fun. It's raised to 16 and already a player has called when I call in position. 4 players see a flop of 7-4-4 with two clubs and three of us pay $25 to see the turn. The turn is the 3 of spades, giving me more equity, and we all check. The river is the beautiful Ace of clubs, giving me the baby flush, and it's checked to me. I bet $25 and both players call...and muck when they see my hand.

Nothing much happens after this, I win a few raise and take hands, I fold a few big blinds and raises to 3-bets. I then get into a weird hand with the, how do I say it, interesting dude next to me on my right. He looked like he'd flown in using a DeLorean that goes 88mph, let's put it that way. He raises to $11 and I 3-bet him to $38 with A-K. It folds back to him and he takes out a large die and rolls it. It lands on 6 and that's enough for him to call! Flop is K-8-3 with two clubs, he checks, I bet $45. The die is rolled again, it's a 2 and he...folds. OK. I play two more hands after this, winning $25 with A-K unsuited again, and calling a $15 raise with K-Q unsuited before folding the turn with no improvement. Eventually cash out $540 for a $240 profit.

The interesting part about this table was the chatter. One dealer came into the box, sat down, and knew one of the regulars sat to my left, and they were constantly chatting. This dealer worked at the Flamingo and apparently is getting laid off two days before Thanksgiving, or can be posted to either Bally's or Caesars but have to go through some procedure that costs them their benefits...I didn't really understand that bit as US labour laws are not my strong point, surprisingly! The interesting parts were the other things they said, namely that apparently it is believed by staff that Caesars Palace will close their poker room within the next year, as poker is a loss leader and more shitty slots can go into the space instead. They also said that the main reason for this is because CET wants to abandon tier credits for poker players as too many locals are getting Diamond by playing poker, as this is achievable by playing 440 hours a year (which is easy - I've played nearly 100 on this trip alone and tbh I could have easily done more, especially if I was concentrated at one place). The plan is that Bally's, which will be repackaged as the Horseshoe , will be the poker property for CET and none of the other properties will run it. They also said that Flamingo is either going to be, or has been, sold to Hard Rock. Again, this is just table chatter, but it was interesting to get that viewpoint into the locals world.

From my perspective a lot of it makes sense. If Bally's/Paris is having the WSOP then having their major card room there would be the right thing to do. Given that there's a massive space next to the poker room that is currently taken up by a live Keno lounge, and we all know that they seem to be on the chopping block more than poker rooms these days, then there's an easy expansion there which makes sense. The comments about the Tier points also make sense and it wouldn't surprise me to see all of the poker rooms go to a flat $2 per hour poker comp rate, and it also wouldnt surprise me if in future poker rooms have their own comp system like the South Point does. As a solely poker player though, it sucks to lose more rooms and this is making Vegas a less attractive proposition for me.

Anyway, enough maudlin talk, let's get back to the tables. I have 4 days of play left and need to make the most of it.

 

Interesting developments going on with CET from the sound of it. Enjoying the trip report!

 

Mehaffey just posted on Twitter that CET's plan is to reopen Flamingo and Ballys poker in two days, FYI. I'll stop the derail here - thanks for these updates.

 

That's good to hear, I hope they do reopen for the staff's sake but all of the Flamingo staff that were working Caesars during the WSOP whilst the room was closed were all under the impression they were done.