701 Adventures to the 702: TR 5/26 - 6/1

yeah I get that. I'm referring to later streets. like having T9 on a AK973 board where there hasn't been a lot of aggression.
I'm c-betting flop to deny equity most of the time

I am currently in the MGM parking garage as I managed to trigger the anti-theft deterrent system or something and the car won't start. I've tried everything, now BiL is on his way over. seems like I have a little time.

spent a couple hours this morning working catching up on stuff. after that, spent a couple hours at the pool. it's nice to be in a place where everyone is happy. MGM Grand pool area and lazy river is very nice.

well, that's kinda all I have to say about today so far. wish I had a chance to do something else but I'm sitting in the MGM parking garage contemplating whether borrowing my sister's car was worth it.
wish me luck!

I'm not really giggling, but in the hope that misery loves company:

My daughter and son were recently here at overlapping times. Daughter flew in; son had his car, but flew out to a wedding while she was here so let her borrow his car. She got pulled over for driving through a podunk town with out-of-state plates. She couldn't locate his proof of insurance or contact him on his cell during the stop. She also was gifted a ticket for speeding (in a locale that is not authorized to use radar) just to add to her personal misery.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" -- some guy with his picture on a $100 bill

just a dead battery. I made it to Luxor and guess I'm gonna be hanging out back at MB for the day again until sis/BiL get a new battery.

I had booked a Luxor Tower room. when checking in I asked if Gold entitled me to an upgrade if available, as advertised. agent said no suites were available but he would get me a room with a better view.

the view

other than that the room is actually very nice and big and remodeled. I'll never stay in Pyramid again.

back at Mandalay Bay. several familiar faces from yesterday, but none of the fishy guys.

Run good!!

Incredible view upgrade 😃

Dude screw them.

you got a point.
it's a casino. I did give them $400 yesterday

To the casino, it's a felony.
To the rest of the world, it's nothing.

The answer seems obvious.

Mandalay Bay 1/2

a lot of similar faces but not the same profitable results. MB is always full of visitors on vacation. there are very few regs, most of the aggression comes from a few young people that are predictable and not too scary.

things swung around. pretty card dead in a game with no limped flops which means I wasn't in many hands. I missed a nut flush and my bluff got called, next hand I got kings two pair beat by aces two pair.

I've played at MB for about 15 hours this week and have not seen one high hand hit in the room (quads+).

- I open $11 with AdQc. no less than four calls so we have a decent pot brewing.
flop A65dd. I bet $35, a couple calls.
turn 7d. I check, new guy in a cowboy hat with a trophy wife looking on bets something like $35-40. I confirm the Ad in my hand and shove for over $100. he calls.
I don't mess around and flip over my hand. the river is a beautiful Jack of diamonds confirming the nuts and he does not show. I am finally unstuck.

saw a hand that went all-in all-in all-in: AA v KK v AJ. nitty rec guy scooped it and barely played another hand for an hour.
table got pretty tough. lots of small pots with stuff like: I have AK, goes like $30 pot to the flop of 863 and a guy bets $50.

- orbit later, I call Q9dd $12 in SB.
I check in dark to a flop QJ?r. cowboy c-bets, I call.
turn 2. check, bet, call.
river 7, he shoves $86, I call, he shows 22 for a turned set. that one surprised me a little. no longer unstuck.

- UTG I open with 54cc. shorty calls, SB calls.
flop. K54ss. shorty jams for $35. SB calls. I am not worried about shorty, other guy is a new player, looks very innocent. I block all the sets, there is a flush draw out there, I reshove for $150, feeling a little bad about taking advantage of him and his top pair.
shorty has T4dd, no worries.
SB has K5hh to dominate my two pair. and I am out, $400 poorer in four hours.

I don't feel bad about the move or any of my play, I for sure am not folding and at latest I would have jammed the turn. if I limp it likely goes to flop and I shove there anyway. I don't feel bad about the Q9 hand either, I believed my queen top pair was good. the game didn't seem very lively and nothing was going my way; with so many rec players at the table, do I just book a $200 loss and leave with $200 in my pocket? or wait to hit that one more hand?

I decided to drown my sorrow with a lemon water and shepherds pie at RiRa.

a little small but was still tasty and price was reasonable for the Strip.

I have one buy-in in my pocket and haven't been to Bellagio yet so I'm walking and tramming there and will try to not lose it all.

I called ahead and someone actually answered the phone. I'm checked in and on the list. every table is full, but I expect it to move through reasonably.

my phone battery is low so probably not many hand histories.

Bellagio has a bunch of $15 min BJ tables open and empty at 9:30pm. that seems surprising. I've only ever seen $50+ before.

Can't imagine the view from the pre-upgrade room.

I remembered why I haven't played in Bellagio before despite trying before...

I was like 15th on the list and after walking a ways I saw the Legends Room was open, a dealer on break was the only one in there and he said I could use a chair. after a few minutes I close my eyes to rest for a bit. a floor man then says "sir you cannot sleep in here!" I'm not spread out on the floor or laying on the table. apparently you are not allowed to close your eyes if you are not in a game. that was irritating.
the room is so loud. it's like an auction house with the floor/hosts calling out for players constantly, the casino is right there, and there are a million people talking and riffling chips. I couldn't hear a thing. the chairs are pretty nice though.

after sitting I felt like I should have just gone to 2/5, even if for just 300. I could not handle a nitty game. howeva...

- kinda weird hand though right away. straddle was announced, I looked down in +2 at pocket tens and raise to $25. still like five callers for a $25 open. unfortunately an Ace hit the flop and there were bets and calls followed by an all-in. $20-25 turned out to be a standard open.

the two players to my left were very very aggressive. they never let unraised action pass them.

- with 98dd I opened $15, got several calls.
flop J93dhx. I bet $35 and got a couple calls.
turn was another 3, I checked, aggro next to me bet $75. I called.
river Ah. I'm thinking and hoping he has a jack without an ace. I shoved for $125 and he folded, so I was off to a good start.

very next hand I got red kings and won a decent pot on a K-high board vs KT to put me up a couple stacks.

It took over an hour from my call-in to get a seat and it was already getting late so with a long walk back I wasn't long for the game. it was nice to get up (chips) early because how aggressive the table was I could sit back and fold and not worry. I've realized this trip that I'm a pretty bad shortstacked player. makes me desperate and I play worse. I picked my spots well, made aggressive reads to win and folded when it wasn't worth fighting in the streets. at an hour in I was up $300. after all the work to get there I stuck around, and an hour later I was back to break even and left for a non-loss.

- last hand, I open TTc. flop comes 432ccc. I stayed aggressive, he stayed aggressive, and after K-7 completed board, he had 65dd for a flopped nut straight that held.

I think that's the end of poker for me this trip. another non-winning summer stop in Vegas. but fortunately that does not determine my mood or happiness. it has been good and my last day will be good too.

sorry you haven't been in the positive on the trip, but seems like you've enjoyed yourself which is def the most important thing.

Last full day is Degen Day!

but I started a little honorably by clocking in and working a few hours until checkout time.

I suppose the honor left a little next when I headed back to MGM Grand for one more day at the pool. I stayed at their properties five days this week so I don't feel guilty. there's my room upgrade. spent a couple hours there and my tummy is feeling a bit hot so I guess we have a winner in "Where Did Langdon Miss Sunscreen?" there was a lady I saw everyday this week laying on a chair in the sun. she looked like burnt steak. I mean, doesn't there come a time when getting a tan is completed and you don't have to expose your whole body to the direct Vegas sun for the nth day in a row?

the pool and lazy river were very nice as always, especially on a 104 degree day. only irritant was the trashy rap music blasting from the speakers. I definitely prefer the more relaxing and boring hotel pools than those with a club vibe. it also would have been infinitely better with my wife as it was somewhat lonely on my own while the pools were packed with couples and friends. still, impossible not to be happy.

my next stop was Treasure Island for some silly fun. I got a new player card and played slots for a while. racked up over 100 points, which seems like a decent achievement for my first time playing a slot machine. played a buffalo game that sucked, but I actually did find a game I actually liked. never expected that. only lost like $10 overall playing slots.

I hit the pits, where I dropped $200 in blackjack. I was at a pretty good fun table and had a good start. then the dealer changed and I got bent over the barrel.

wanted to try Ultimate Holdem. I lost my first three hands to burn $200, the dealer changed, then I got it all back. the dealer changed back to the first guy and I did not win another hand. he said, "hey man, why don't you try Pai Gow?"

so at this point I moved one table over (the second dealer there) where I watched another person for a few minutes, then put my chips out and got cards. the dealer was very friendly and helpful and got me going and I figured it out pretty quick. when he left he told the new dealer "he's new, help him out." she (Asian lady) was the most unpleasant person ever.

but yeah, face up Pai Gow is a pretty fun game. it's really slow and there isn't a lot of cash moving, but I find it more interesting and enjoyable than blackjack. I'm not sure how long I played, but I think I won 15%, lost 10%, and pushed/tied 75%. I could play that all day. eventually I was up $75 and it was time to go.

I got my players card at 2pm and finished play at 7pm so 5 hours playing at Treasure Island. I lost a bunch but I expected to anyway and I had fun. that's really my first time playing any game other than poker and blackjack. I hope that was enough to get their attention for some decent new player teaser offers.

Pai gow is a great, low variance casino game. House edge isn’t crazy (as long as you don’t play the side bets), and you push almost 40% of the time.

If you want to just chill, people-watch in the casino, drink, and not win or lose a ton really fast, there’s nothing better.

at this point it was 7pm and I hadn't eaten anything all day other than granola bars and casino drinks. for my last meal I decided to follow another TRer and go to Cheesecake Factory.

seems like I inhaled a lot of cigar and cigarette smoke at TI that really bothered my lungs. I got a cough midway through, stuck with me into dinner.

I headed to the Outlets north of the Strip where I discovered that paying for parking is required. I've been to Vegas 10 times and (other than maybe a Downtown meter once) this was the first time I ever had to pay for parking. the ironic thing is that after I paid my $5, I found the exit gate up and open and I drove right through without having to stop. they got me.

ordered the spicy cashew chicken and a slice of cheesecake.

both were great, and despite it being my only meal of the day it was a lot of food, more than I could eat. or should have eaten because I finished but left the most uncomfortably full of my week.

Cheesecake Factory was my last Vegas meal for the second time in a row and it was great so let's make it a tradition.

made it to my sister's house around 9 where I spent my last night here. I was kinda hoping she would drive me to the airport so I could spend a few more minutes with her but her twin babies cried all night so she got no sleep. and I didn't either. so I took an Uber.

this concludes my time in the 702 as I am bound back for 701

Some great food, and back in action, looks like a great trip!

Sorry the poker and tables didn’t put you in the black, but it looks like you had a great time!

Thanks for bringing us along

I enjoyed wish. Obviously wish you ran a little better in the tournies.

Safe travels, Langdon! Thanks very much for the TR!

I enjoyed the TR and followed along the whole time. Run better next time.

I'm a pai gow fan myself.

That's the worst thing about table games and slots - smoke. Especially when you're used to poker.

ordered the spicy cashew chicken and a slice of cheesecake.

That is some ornate looking cheesecake.

Too much food is sort of a trademark of theirs.

Conclusion, Summary

This trip had a bunch of setbacks. I nearly missed my flight, I went 0-3 in tourneys, got stuck in a parking garage traffic jam, and I had car trouble.

I kinda quit keeping track of my budget. still, I did not need to hit the ATM and I still have cash. luckily this trip was not only about poker tournaments. played cash game sessions at Aria, Mandalay Bay x3, Resorts World, and Bellagio. pretty sure I came out on the plus side side overall in those due to a couple early nice sessions despite some unfortunate missteps later. I actually did change my style a little to play more aggressively per some of your comments, with mixed results. I made 3 costly plays: called an all-in jam with top two pair vs a hidden straight, lost a big pot with pocket tens vs a flopped low straight, and shoved flopped bottom two pair vs a better two pair.

I kinda did everything I wanted to do. quite a few firsts: rode the NYNY coaster (used a myvegas reward for free) and that was a surprisingly awesome ride, played poker at Bellagio, Pai Gow, tried my biggest tourney buy-in, ordered table side food, and got a massage at the poker table.

I took advantage of the card tier matching opportunities. I went from MGM Pearl to Gold without doing any gambling. this saved me about $250 on resorts fees this trip alone. my Gold status will only last 90 days, but we have another trip coming in July that I can use it. got $100 dining credit at Fontainebleu that I will use on a date with my wife, and my poker comps for MB are at $40 that should help us have another decent meal.

staying at MGM Grand was fine. over 3 nights/4 days I ate zero meals on site, because it all seemed overpriced, I only spent a couple hours of a tournament in their poker room, and did no other gambling there. but their pool area is an attractive attraction, and I was there everyday. the room rate was pretty low and I used a myvegas 3-night-stay freeplay to win back the cost of one of those nights. I don't know if KA will be ending soon but I got to see it again just in case and I liked it.

I really like the pool at Aria. it is big and much more chill and relaxing. didn't spend much time in the hotel room, but it was noisy and I didn't sleep very well. it was also a free room via myvegas. also didn't spend much time at Luxor but the Tower room is a nice base at a cheap rate.

only played one session of blackjack and lost $200. (howeva, one interesting note: at one point I felt good about a side bet, and immediately got pocket kings for a 8x win. I literally played Kings Bounty side bet one time and won it. the dealer was impressed.) Ultimate Holdem would be more fun at a lower minimum but at $15, that means I was losing between $30-90 a hand if I hit a bad beat. I dropped $300 there way too quick. face up Pai Gow is probably my new favorite pit game as it takes a little bit of thinking but there is no strategy, there are no bad beats, and your play goes a lot longer.

I did not eat any fancy or amazing meals this time but I was happy enough with what I had.

so I guess that's it. I had a nice relaxing getaway that scratched my poker itch. really got tired of the traffic and parking garages and walking through casinos and crowds, but there's a logical reason for the traffic and crowds: Vegas is a great place to visit. I will actually be returning to Vegas on July 3rd with the wife and kids. the young ones will likely spend most nights at their cousin's house (please not me) so there might be a lot of driving back and forth but I think it can still be a wonderful trip I'm looking forward to. I still have my MGMG room card so I might sneak into their pool again. the only poker will likely be at night where we are staying and a short session at Red Rock. I will likely piggyback that trip onto this TR below.

thanks for following along and for your nice comments.