Way too early (November), but I can't help myself!

I'm hoping to sneak back over to LV at some point before the end of the year, myself. Just not sure when that'll be. GL and run good!

Might go in November as well. Have considered going around my birthday (11th), but that's just before F1 which is not ideal.

Sounds like you are going to be there during the actual race (which is 20th-22nd), so expect some chaos for sure.

Oh. Wow. I had no idea. No wonder it's packed that weekend. I used to like F1, but they changed it too much. Still might be fun. At least we can walk to Wynncore and don't have to worry about Ubering around.

Edit: Just looked it up and grandstand and general admission tickets go on sale tomorrow. I think we'll pass 😉

My wife and I will be in LV for that week of the 17. Would be happy to meet with you and your husband and any other 2+2ers for a drink.

venice10, that would be fantastic! I will send you a p.m.

Well, let's hope last night is an indication of how my poker continue (forever, preferably). I was binking everything and making a few good bluffs. Playing 1/2 NLHE w/ a PLO DBBP every round followed by two hands of PLO, 9 handed.

It started of average with the usual weak/passive short stackers, but then a few deeper, more aggressive players showed up, including my favorite Maniac. This guy straddles almost every LP hand (LJ on, maybe UTG2 -- does know what position is), raises his straddle 90% of the time, gets it in extremely loose, and loves to bluff. Best of all, he'll get up a few thousand and just donk it all back.

A couple of hands: Maniac is BB, folds to me in HJ and I raise to $15 w/ J8cc, CO (tight, open book), BTN (a bit of a wild cannon -- straddles, can be aggressive) calls, Maniac just calls.

Flop ($55): KcJs8d, lovely. Maniac checks, I ($~400, cover) bet $30, fold, BTN calls, Maniac folds.

Turn ($115): KcJs8d6c, perfect. I bet $50, but now BTN raises to $150 w/ ~$150 back. I'm not sure what he could have, but I like my hand, so I call. River is a Qs, but before it comes out, BTN says he's shoving no matter what, I check and let him. I tank, but eventually start talking to myself about the hand and say, why didn't you raise pre. He, luckily, answers, and says something about expecting Maniac to raise, then keeps talking and it prompts me to call. He has AK. LOL. Phew.

I get him later w/ his "disguised" AK when he flats a Maniac straddle, I call w/ KJs, Maniac raises to $45, he just flats, I flat, and flop is KJX. This time he says, again, that he didn't raise because he was before the Maniac, but Maniac raised and he just flatted AK. Gotta love it.

(Poor guy: a few hands later, he calls straddle, I call w/ AK (planning to raise Maniac's raise), other guy calls, Maniac obliges and makes it $50, he calls, I make it $300, fold, fold, Maniac calls. Flop is KJX and runs out four diamonds. He folded KJ, and the other guy folded AdKx. LOL!!! Other guy was convinced I had AA.)

Biggest hand: PLO. Maniac is on BTN straddle for $25, I limp w/ 4c6sJcAs, a pretty bad player w/ $250 starts to raise and Maniac says he's potting if BTN raises (standard of him). This all happens, and I make the mistake of thinking my stack is ~$500 and I just go for it. Turns out my stack is $760, oops, and Maniac has about the same. Lucky for me, I turn a straight!!! Money was going in on flop regardless, because I also flopped nut spade draw.

Another fun hand: PLO, I have 67JJ and flop quads. Checks around on flop. Turn (two hearts on board w/ straight draw) goes check, I check, guy pots for $150, I flat, everyone folds. River is a blank, I check and he puts his last $150 in w/ KKXX. Thank you very much.

I did give $600 back to Maniac at the end of the night in a PLO hand where I flopped top set (KKK) and he had a wrap and hit turn. Oh, well. (I also missed calling a few bluffs from him, but I never had much to go with my hands.)

In for $300, out for $1, 775. Should have been a lot more, but I'll take it. Just had a little run-bad -- happens when the whole table is out to get you 😉

This was early highest point. There are two green stacks:

Apparently I missed a fantastic game last night. This from the Maniac!

And this is why we weren't there 😀

It's all about priorities! I'd say you made the right choice. (And what a cutie!)

The Maniac is going to be there tonight, so I will be there, too! My husband is going to stay home and work (he occasionally serves s a special witness, which is a very nice side job 😉 ). I hope to have good new tomorrow.

Also, I'm going to start a list of places I want to eat here so I don't forget.

Definitely Stubborn Seed:
Wagyu burger $28 - I am now convinced it’s the best one in Vegas. Go get one, thank me later. 11/10

Spiced barramundi with green curry - 9/10

Citrus yellowtail app - 9.5/10 phenomenal sauce

The Maniac is going to be there tonight, so I will be there, too! My husband is going to stay home and work (he occasionally serves s a special witness, which is a very nice side job 😉 ). I hope to have good new tomorrow.

Also, I'm going to start a list of places I want to eat here so I don't forget.

Definitely Stubborn Seed:
Wagyu burger $28 - I am now convinced it’s the best one in Vegas. Go get one, thank me later. 11/10

Spiced barramundi with green curry - 9/10

Citrus yellowtail app - 9.5/10 phenomenal sauce

The Maniac is going to be there tonight, so I will be there! My husband is going to stay home and work (he occasionally serves as a special witness, which is a very nice side job 😉 ). I hope to have good news tomorrow.

I'm going to start a list of places I want to eat (mainly dinner, but also lunch on Saturday/Sunday) here so I don't forget. My dad and his wife are driving from Arizona, so we will have a car Saturday through Tuesday (we leave Tuesday), so any recommendations are welcome -- we usually stay on strip or eat at the tables. We loved Edo, and Lotus of Siam is one of our favorites.

Definite:
Stubborn Seed Friday or Saturday night (depends if my dad wants to go)
Howlin Ray’s (lunch)
AYCE Sushi (will probably just go to Kimchi again, but might drive somewhere)

Possible:
Esther's Kitchen
Mae Daly's

If you’re into wagyu and sushi, you need to get to Tokyo. I went this summer and while not much of a beef eater, tried wagyu there and had 7 times in 9days. Street vendor on rice, burger and hibachi style. AYCE hibachi Wagyu for only $15 more than that Vegas burger you listed, even with better/fattier cut. $8 for Wagyu on rice. All delicious and reasonable,

Sadly, last night was a bust. The Maniac did not show up, and I could not make any hands. I had AA twice -- one was a $10 straddle that I played blind just for fun. I bet blind on the flop. LOL. I got a call from a very tight player on a very scary board, then we checked it down and I flipped my hand still blind. Good times 😉 The other I got paid and won a good pot to get back to ~$250 (I was leaving soon), but it dwindled down a bit and then I couldn't hit my straight flush draw in PLO and never made it back. Down only $600 (two buy-ins), so not a big deal, but still sucks at a game I should crush. My husband and I will play Saturday night -- let's hope the money shows up.

Forgot to add: the two AA hands were my only pocket pairs for the night!!!

Never too early to get excited about LV! I am going in 4ish weeks and I can hardly think about anything else!

It's what I think about most when I'm not playing poker or doing something fun 😉 LOL. I have a trip to Paris between now and Vegas, and I still think about Vegas more!

Got my rear-end kicked Saturday night :( Played OK. Picked off three bluffs -- actually beautiful calls -- but couldn't get anything else going. Didn't have a pair above 77. (Funny, two of my bluff catchers were calling turn and river bets when I had 33 and 44, my other two pairs for the night. The other bluff was calling a turn and river bet w/ A2 and a 2 on the flop.) Paid off the Maniac in a bomb pot for $600 :( Oh, well. He lost it all back and then some -- most to my husband.

My husband did very well and made up for my losses, but we keep our rolls separate, so still goes down as a big loss for me. We'll see what Thursday brings.

For food, I think we are going to add in a trip to Biwon Korean. I love that place, and it would be fun to go with my dad. He's the reason I have such eclectic tastes. I've been eating rare steak, raw oysters, and sushi since I was little.

Wish me luck tonight! Not sure who's going to be there, but my husband is in California, so less money on the table. Let's hope the Maniac shows up 😉

I am just getting my rear-end kicked lately. Thursday was OK. Lost only $140 after being in for $500. Just dwindled down -- couldn't make a hand.

Saturday was awful -- but still had a blast 😉 The Maniac lost a ton, but not to me.

One player was just running over the table and had my husband's number every time. A few examples:

H raises pre, bets flop on J22, V calls. H bets turn of J222, V calls. H check/calls river of J2225. V has 55; H has JT.

H raises pre in PLO. Bets 3/4 pot on flopped straight on 9QK flop, V calls. H pots blank turn, V calls. River is a K. H check/folds and V shows quad Kings (nothing else, but what else is needed).

H raises pre, V calls. H bets flop w/ stet and flop has two clubs, V calls. H check/folds turn -- V turned a straight flush.

This guy cashed out w/ more than $6, 000 in this "little" game. We played until 5 a.m. I was down $1, 300 -- V got me in a big hand, too, and I couldn't make a comeback. (I potted on button w/ top/bottom, flush draw, and gutshot and he called from SB w/ top two and a gutshot. His top two held. Probably a bad pot from me, but I had raised pre, it was a big pot and had checked to me, so I knew nobody was very strong. I thought I could rep a set (flop was AK9).

Hubby won a bunch back playing three handed (after I sat out at about 4 a.m. and napped in a chair), but was in for too much. Not sure how much, but he said it "wasn't too bad." LOL. Oh, well.

We sold our condo, so that felt good. We had bought it for my MIL and then my stepson and his fiancé were living in it, but they broke up :( Extra money to put into our house, which needs a ton of work outside. One problem with having a farm, but I love having the land and the privacy. Can't wait to retire in ~10 years and travel the country in a motorhome playing cards, paddleboarding, snowboarding, visiting national parks, etc.

I'll be back Thursday. I hope the run-good is with me.

Here's an interesting 1/2 NLHE hand from Saturday night, ~$600 effective:

Couple limps to me on BTN. I raise QJo to $20, V above in SB and another tight older player in UTG call.

Flop is QcJc3s. Checks to me, I bet $50, they both call. Turn is QcJc3s 3c. Gross. V checks, UTG bets $150. I sigh-fold and V tank calls. River is a blank. V shows QTc and UTG has KcQ. Sick!!! I should have raised the turn, but I put them on clubs. That one haunted me.

Last night went well. I had to top up from my original $300, so in for $500, but out for $1, 260. Most of it was from picking off bluffs from one player 😉

Won $210 last night, but unfortunately most was from my husband. He got absolutely crushed last night. Poor guy. I actually felt sorry for him it was so bad.

Didn't play this past week because of the cute blonde below, but I'll play this week. Sad, because a fellow player made a special meal for me on Thursday -- chicken gizzards. He makes the best I've ever had, except the fried gizzards at Sake Bar Hagi in NYC -- our favorite NYC restaurant, although I preferred the original location.

I didn't play Thursday because I was feeling a little under the weather. Last night went well, though. I raised my good hands and value bet, value bet, value bet. Hit a couple of good rivers because they let me get there. Ended up $540 in three hours -- started to fade around 11.

Lost ~$250 in one hand, unfortunately. A guy who had 3bet me previously w/ AJ (he won w/ a straight vs AK (4bet) all-in pre -- I folded pre) 3bet me again when I had JJ. Flop was low cards and we gii -- of course he had AA that time.

I might actually go play today since Hubby is in Texas for his second job as an expert witness -- he was gone last week, too, so I miss him. He'll be back Wednesday, and only 10 days until we head to Paris, so we have that to look forward to!

Adding Jipata to my list of restaurants to hit while we are in Vegas. I haven't started looking for spots in Paris -- we usually play that by ear. For my work dinner in Paris on Friday night we got to choose from a meat, fish, and veggie dish. I chose the tournedos Rossini and he went with the sea bass. We will share, as always, but he's not much of a foie gras fan -- it's one of my favorite things -- I'm really looking forward to it. They always serve amazing wines at the dinner, too.

Sunday lunch at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is always incredible -- can't wait to see what's on that menu! They also serve lovely wines.

For my notes:

Definite:
Stubborn Seed Friday or Saturday night (depends if my dad wants to go)
Howlin Ray’s (lunch)
AYCE Sushi (will probably just go to Kimchi again, but might drive somewhere)

Possible:
Esther's Kitchen
Mae Daly's
Jipata

Played at one of the other rooms yesterday since Hubby was out of town and I was bored. Somehow I lost my first $300, bought in for another $200 and was down to like $85. Insane vs. these guys. They will limp/call w/ almost any two cards and chase any draw, which is great except when they are getting there!

So, I have 99 in the SB and I sense the UTG (who has me barely covered) wants to raise. He's one of those limp/shove guys, but very tight / scared money otherwise. A few other limpers, and I just limp. Flop is 9TQdd. Not bad, but not great. I just shove knowing most of these guys can't fold a draw, two pair, etc. UTG hems and haws and folds, but I get one caller. Caller has KQ and I hold. UTG had TT!!!! Amazing. He was convinced I had the straight, and he berated me for not raising pre because he was waiting to limp/raise. Perfect timing for me, because he's the only player at the table who folds there.

Somehow I work my stack back up to almost even. My last hand is PLO (NLHE w/ dealer's choice bomb pot then two rounds of PLO), which I have announced ahead of time. So, I straddle for $15. A few callers and I look down at AdAhJdKh. Unbelievable. I pot for $90 and get one caller who is all-in. My hand holds and I cash out $565 😀

Played Saturday night and got stomped by my husband. LOL. Of course, he gives most of it away :( I made a really bad play w/ KK. Raise pre, get a few callers. Flop is 589cc. I bet and get min-raised by a tight old guy. I should have just folded. He bets blank turn and blank river and I pay off his set of 5s. So stupid. There was no doubt what he had. Definitely tilt call after my two other big pairs lost to flushes and my one straight lost to a FH on the river.

Unless we decide to play poker in Paris, I'm off for a couple of weeks. (We might actually play Saturday night.) We leave for Paris Wednesday evening. I'll try to post a few pics for you guys. Next week while we are on vacation in Deauville we'll be surrounded by casinos, but they don't have poker rooms, sadly.

Good news for Vegas: venice10 and urbanwaste want to meet up. I hope we can get together at the same time. Would be a blast!