Prairiebreeze’s Vegas Cannonball (Hit and) Run IV – December 7-11, 2025
Welcome to Prairiebreeze’s Vegas Cannonball (Hit and) Run IV.
They never made a Cannonball Run 4 – and the world is a better place for it. But we stick with the bit around these parts and make it happen! Welcome back!
Recap of last year:
• Pre-trip: Had trouble getting cash out of the bank. Then smashed my ribs & forearm on travel day snowblowing the driveway. Have gone to Vegas injured the last two trips.
• Tech Bros (AWS conference) were everywhere. Eff those nits. There were a few good ones (Venetian mostly) but they were generally really nitty.
• Horseshoe games were bad. MGM Grand was worse but we got our first ever HH bonus with quad 4’s.
• Venetian: Double board PLO bomb pots are great.
• Aria: I became a PLO pro.
• Wynn: slots, 1/3 NL, food were all awesome. BUT, I basically blinded out of my first WPT: a limit O8 event
• Ended up winning 15BB/hr on the trip, winning 6 of 9 sessions. ($1.5K profit overall)
This year, we are fading the mostly nitty Amazon Bros by moving this trip a week later. In its place, we get these beauties:
Cowboy Christmas 2025– Official Gift Show of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (Dec 5 – 14), Expected Attendance: 102,000, LVCC
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition (Dec 7 – 11), Expected Attendance: 21,000, Mandalay Bay
So the cowboys are already around when I roll in – NICE! And the pill pushers are at Mandalay? This could get interesting!
Agenda:
December 7 – travel day is a direct flight! Land at about 16:30 unless we’re late like last year, get a decent meal. Buddy who was with me on the trip last year is on the same flight I am this time. Figure out where to jam in a short session. Loosen up with a 1/3 somewhere close by. Texans/Chiefs SNF? Gross.
December 8 – Depending on what my buddy wants to play at Wynn/WPT, maybe we start South (Point?) and work our way north (through Mandalay?) for a day? Eagles/Chargers MNF could be compelling. Maybe.
December 9 – Center strip day? Aria/Bellagio/craps in some order?
December 10 – Wynn/Venetian day. This day is always fun no matter where we are in the trip.
December 11 – we will see, travel home (flight out is at 08:00, but I think we gotta change that)
We DEFINITELY have some schedule flexibility this go round.
Starting Bankroll: $6,000 planned.
Home bases for this trip: Buddy is staying at the Wynn because in his words “I’m getting the poker room rate and I’m gonna play there a bunch anyway and room rates aren’t that different anywhere else for me anyway.” As for your hero: Flamingo has been gracious enough to comp me a Go King Suite for 4 nights, so we’ll actually HAVE a view of something this time around, which is nice, but whatever – we ain’t here for the views.
Main goals:
WPT: This might be a “pass” this year. Looks like the $600 5-card PLO on the 8th is the only real option? This is unlikely to be a thing, but it’s on the radar for the time being. Likely just cash games at WPT which should be plentiful and good.
On tournaments: Will the Hero finally get himself a Hendon Mob entry? Will he even try? Maybe through a daily? Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza IV? Aria Poker Open?
Take vitamin C & D in bunches early and often. All trip long.
Register for cash games online where possible.
Limit sessions to 4 hours. Less if the game is bad.
Craps at Horseshoe – we ALWAYS win there. Always.
Will there be another knock on my door at 3am?
Will we add to the number of strip poker rooms played in? (Currently at 10.)
Many questions. Let’s get after it and find out the answers together!
And if you’re going to be in town when I’m there, let’s grab a beer/bite/table! Message me.
Hopefully the government will be open by then. But if not, don't be surprised by a flight delay. Good work getting direct flights.
In case your buddy doesn't know, Wynn counts a tournament entry as satisfying one day's play requirement. If they're still running dailies, they have them as low as $160. He'll want to verify of course.
Hendon Mob reports a cash on a daily, which surprised me, but I saw it with my own eyes.
I'm going to be headed home the week before you arrive, so I can't buy you a beer. But I'm guessing that's not you in your avatar anyway.
I'm following, and still need to figure out when I can burn some vacay and hit LV. Maybe while you are there...
Yeah, ok, cool.
Been experimenting with playing a lot/playing none / something in between as a run up to the trip the last couple times. And I’m usually just a Saturday player so a LOT is relative. Especially given the 45 minute drive each way to my closest room.
Last year, I played 5 out of 6. Got a bit bored with it towards the end, though the PLO and Limit O8 were nice changes of pace.
Year before, 0 out of 6. Really felt rusty those first couple sessions and ran like ass and never really felt in the groove until we got hot late in the trip.
This year, partly by design, but circumstance too: alternating weeks. Played last weekend, off this weekend for a karate tournament, playing on the 22nd, off the 29th, and not playing on the 6th because we’re flying on the 7th.
So this past weekend: ended up in the first feeder game (the main game here always sucks, first feeder is usually the best game) but the lineup was full of the regulars that I would tag as being the better players in the room. Some straddling, but opens were almost always 20-25 so I played tighter than normal and I’m pretty snug as it is. Just didn’t find too many spots and in a 1/3, 400 max game, you just can’t really take a bunch of flops where you keep missing. I figure I’m third worst at this table (which might be an underestimate but it’s hard to tell sometimes), so we look for spots against the two worst and if we get some premiums, we gird our loins and go to war.
First spot is when the guy I perceive as one of the better players in the room (he always has piles and is in the 5/10 private games locally) opens UTG to 25, the 2 bad players call and I’m on the button with 65hh. The blinds look like they’re folding and this hand can be very fit/fold post so I call.
Flop: 74h3 rainbow. Magical! UTG bets 45, worst player calls, worst player calls, 2nd worst jams for 225, I have just 275 so I just stuff it, fold, fold and we hold against K7 suited.
About an hour later, a guy raises to ONLY 15 and I have T9cc in the hijack and call to see a flop 6 ways. 862 rainbow and it checks through. I think I could bet here to thin the field and get rid of a bunch of ace high and king high hands but… whatever. We absolutely drill the turn 7 and a decent player who just lost a big pot jams his last hundred in there, we call and hold against 86.
Last hand the better player above opens to 25, I raise to 75 (500 effective) on the button with black aces and he calls. Flop is J84 and he check calls my 70 flop bet. Turn is a red 2 and he check folds to my 150 turn bet.
Won 480, but didn’t play many hands won most of the ones I played. Saw some small pocket pairs but didn’t see flops with them, and I think they all would have missed anyway.
I’ve been consciously limiting local sessions to 4 hours lately. Been looking at my notes and results and have noticed that my play really drops off at the 4 hour mark. So once I hit 4 hours and am UTG, that’s it. 2 of the 3 losing sessions I had in Vegas last year were the only 2 sessions I had that were 4+ hours.
Aria Poker Open Tournament Options:
Sun 7 Dec 7pm $ 300 No Limit Hold'em - 7pm $15K Guaranteed
Mon 8 Dec 1pm $ 600 No Limit Hold'em - 1pm $50K Guaranteed
Mon 8 Dec 7pm $ 300 No Limit Hold'em - 7pm $15K Guaranteed
Tue 9 Dec 1 pm $ 600 No Limit Hold'em - 1pm $50K Guaranteed
Tue 9 Dec 7pm $ 300 No Limit Hold'em - 7pm $15K Guaranteed
Wed 10 Dec 11am $ 600 Limit Omaha 8/Stud 8 $30K Guaranteed
Wed 10 Dec 1pm $ 600 Pot Limit Omaha $50K Guaranteed
Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza IV Options:
Sun 7 Dec 6.10 pm $ 150 + 50 No Limit Hold'em - Bounty (Event #25) - $10K Guaranteed, $50 bounties
Mon 8 Dec 11.10 am $ 600 No Limit Hold'em - MonsterStack (Event #26) - $50K Guaranteed
Mon 8 Dec 6.10 pm $ 150 + 50 No Limit Hold'em - Bounty (Event #28) - $10K Guaranteed, $50 bounties
Tue 9 Dec 11.10 am $ 400 + 200 No Limit Hold'em - Monster Bounty (Event #29) - $50K Guaranteed, $200 bounties to start, $500 bounties in the money
Wed 10 Dec 12.10 pm $ 600 Pot Limit Omaha - Double Board Bomb Pot (Event #33) - $30K Guaranteed
I think these Venetian 150+50's are definitely in play. The Aria 300's might be too. All the Omaha on the Wednesday is a little disappointing. I like Omaha.
Is that "+50" the juice? Holy crap!
So after being sick pretty much all last week, played on Saturday, thinking it'll be the last session before Vegas.
Won just over a buy in, but had I not gone 15 minutes past 4 hours, it would have been 2 buy in win. Had I held in that hand (AA against a flush draw, no pair, all in on the flop), it would have been a 3 buy in win.
After winning in only 2 of 15 sessions between mid-April and mid-September, we've rattled off 6 wins in 7 sessions, winning almost 10 buy ins.
We had drama last week at the bank. The last couple years they keep telling me I can only withdraw up to $2500 CAD at a time which converts to $1750ish, and can only do it once a week. Nah we ain't playing that game. Make an appointment with someone senior locally, they tell me that "yeah we can do that because you have a record of doing this"... I ask "can you flag my profile to allow this the one time a year I do this?" Yup, now I can get 10K without too much hassle - just give them 3 business days.
13 days to Vegas... and it's been snowing here off and on for 4 days... is it December 7 yet? 😀
So after being sick pretty much all last week, played on Saturday, thinking it'll be the last session before Vegas.Won just over a buy in, but had I not gone 15 minutes past 4 hours, it would have been 2 buy in win. Had I held in that hand (AA against a flush draw, no pair, all in on the flop), it would have been a 3 buy in win. After winning in only 2 of 15 sessions between mi
I can almost understand a 2500 limit, but not only once a week. I think I'd tell them "You're motivating me not to put any more money into this bank". I guess it's not a problem since you made that arrangement. Unless you start playing a lot bigger.
Looking at a couple shows right now... one on Sunday, one on Wednesday.
Is Vegas.com the best place to get the best ticket prices?
Got in a small session on Saturday after an obligation got done early. Seated in the third game as it opened at 7pm. Not a good game for me as the 4 players to my left are 4 of the better/bigger players in my player pool.
Managed to win a decent pot when I flopped a flush with KJhh in the SB. Flop checked through but he turned a straight without a heart and I called his turn bet and donk led the river and got called. Other than that I was super card dead. Most of those good players got the chance to move to the second game and bolted. The third game is generally a much easier game, albeit usually a smaller game, but you can do well there, as the majority of players in the 3rd and 4th game are the lesser players in the pool. IF you get some cards. I did not.
Won $85.
Stayed very disciplined, hit my 4 hour time limit, got out. Happy even though we didn't get to play much at all.
5 days to Vegas... LFG!!
Sitting on the plane waiting for a de-icing procedure before we take off.
Standard photos to come but today is the day if we can get this bird in the air!
