This past weekend, I got to tag along with a bunch of work people for a Vegas trip.  The trip was originally planned for our funding department but since my wife works in that department, I managed to finagle a reason to tag along.  Why would I NOT find a reason to go to Vegas right?  Destination:  Green Valley Ranch Casino.

Upon arriving at the SLC airport, my first agenda was Cinnabon.  The only time I can eat one of these delicious rolls is when I travel since its the closest location that I know of.  It was the saddest day of my life when they closed the Fashion Place location.  I have to satisfy my sugar craving.

I knew none of my traveling companions were really gamblers or poker players so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to just leave the group and go on about my business right away.  I figured I would have to spend some time doing the social, mingling stuff with the suits but there was no way I wouldn't find the felt.  I want to keep my 9 - 5 to support my habits and spread my funds in the SLCPMG.

After getting the important stuff out of the way, we arrived at the casino noon local time.  As soon as I entered the lobby, the place had an mid/upper scale feel to it (Venetian-isk).  Surprisingly, my lungs weren't filled with the sudden rush of secondhand smoke.  I've been so used to staying at places like Imperial Palace, Binion's, etc that a little "upgrade" was nice.  Our showers actually had water pressure, room comes with free wifi, and it didn't smell like fecal matter either.  Side note:  DO NOT remove things from the mini bar in the room.  My wife and I started playing with all the items like little kids and apparently they are pressure sensitive.  I think we managed to get the total well over $200 before realizing it and having to get it credited all back.  Whoops.  We got unpacked and decided to meet up with everybody.  Leaving the room, my wife says "I should come to Vegas with you more often."  "Sorry, but I don't roll like this when I come to Vegas.  Plus, I don't think you'd fit in between Bruce and I." 

We met everyone at the lobby and the next order of business was lunch.  They agreed on the Elephant Bar at The District, across the street from the casino.  The menu had a huge selection and the food, drinks, company, everything was great!  I highly recommend.  We probably stayed there for 2 hours, talking work crap amongst other things.  The things people say when you get a little Jagermeister in their system...  After lunch the party moved over to the Drop Bar inside the casino.  Come to find out, they don't like to gamble much but they sure do like their liquor! 

During this time, I managed to sneak away and walked over to the poker room.  They had 2/4 4/8 LHE and 1/2 2/5 NLHE.  The list was pretty long and I didn't think I'd be able to put more than 2 hours with our plans for the night so I decided not to sit.  However, I found out there would be a $40 tournament at 10am Sat morning so I put that on the "to do" list.  I walked over to the pit and played blackjack for a while.  I managed to luckbox my way into winning $200 before it was time to go eat dinner with everybody.  In the back of my mind, I wanted to call Rich, Eric L, Jason O, or someone and ask "What do you think, Gary thinks, I'm down right now?"

We wound up at a seafood place called Kings for dinner.  Of course, we ate and drank like royalty.  I had blackened swordfish that was to die for.  I tried to limit my alcohol consumption because I wanted to be somewhat functional on Saturday.  Apparently, I was the only one with that plan. 

After dinner, everybody went their separate ways to do whatever.  We were going to meet back up in a couple hours to go to the Steel Panther show.  Steel Panther performs at Green Valley on Fridays and they are a cover band/disgusting, ridiculous, funny song band.  Some of their songs were just off the wall.  Just my kind of thing!  On top of that, theres no cover charge!  We wound up having a great time.  One of my coworkers didn't get to see the show because of intoxication.  Weird.  I called it a night around 2am because I wanted to play the poker tourney Saturday morning but everybody else stayed up and partied the night away!

Saturday
I woke up around 8:30, refreshed and ready to go.  I had a hunch that that the rest of group wouldn't wake up feeling the same way and I probably wouldn't see them anytime soon.  I got ready, then headed downstairs to get the breakfast of champions, large caramel frappuccino and an apple fritter.  Headed to the poker room and signed up for their NLHE tournament.  $40 entry, with a $40 re-entry first hour, 3500 starting stack, 30 min levels.  They wound up with about 40 entrants.  I sat down with your typical assortment of players and was able to identify them accordingly.  I had little action early.  I took down blinds a few times and some small pots but no big confrontation.  There was a guy that couldn't miss in the first hour. He tripled up and took the table hostage.  I could tell they were getting frustrated but continued to feed this guy chips.  They would call his raise and then fold to his c-bet.  I took a stand, played back at him, and also made him show down a hand when he had air.  The table started calling him down which started to frustrate him.  He slowly bled his stack back, which also made no sense to me.  I went to the first break with about 4500, meh.  After the break, I went DEAD.  Best hand I saw, JJ.  I open raise in late position, old dude in the small blind reraises (probably hand #3 he's elected to play in 2 hrs)  BB shoves (with 99...wtf), I say FML and fold, old Bruce, I mean dude, instacalls and obviously has AA.  I stay alive for a few orbits and get it all in with KJs vs Q10.  Flop comes 10 high but I have a flush draw, turn and river brick out.  GG TK. 

Its early afternoon now and there's no cash game going yet.  What poker player gets up this early?  I truck over to the food court to get some lunch and meet up with the wifey.  She wanted to go play the shopping game so I gave her a "buy in" and sent her on her way.  After chowing down, I wandered back over to the pit and sat at the blackjack table.  After about an hour, my session can be summed up in one hand sequence.  $50 hand I am dealt 77 against a dealer's 6.  Auto split.  First card is a 4.  Double down.  Next card; 7.  Split again.   I pull a 10 on one (stay) and 7 on the other.  Split again and capped.  Pull an 8 (stay).  Last card; 3.  Double down.  So, in summary, I have an 11, doubled, 17, 15, and 10, doubled.  Dealer flips over a deuce and proceeds to make some 5 or 6 card 21 to sweep my ass.  FML...  Sat in shock for a moment before I stood up to remove the broomstick crammed up my backside and wandered back to the poker room.

They had a 2/4 LHE going and a 1/2 NLHE so I put my name on the 1/2 list, which they called shortly.  I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and wound up in the geriatrics ward because these dudes make Bob look like a F'ing teenager.  There couldn't have been anybody younger than 60 at this table.  Hell, I turned 55 just for sitting down.  Imagine playing online with 9 other players who play 2% of hands and everybody is on a dial up connection.  PLEASE someone just stab me in the balls now...  Thankfully, the table slowly diversified and I was at a regular poker game soon enough. 

I was able to establish a tight image early on and being card dead helped facilitate that.  The only hands I shown down were AA, KK, and a nut straight.  This was great because I was able to open up my game as the session went on and take down pots fairly uncontested.  The original players at the table perceived me as tight and the new players would call me down light.  I built my stack to a little over $900 from $300.  In fact, there were 4 of us who had stacks in the 800 - 1500 range towards the tail end of my session.  Over the course of time, the table dynamics changed drastically at this table.  We went from a standard raise of $8 - $12 to $25 - $30.  The new players that sat down would just have a baffled look on their face.  They either went broke or requested a table change.  A funny thing happened when a guy got moved from the 2/4 limit game into our game.  He has a rack of $1 and buys an additional $100.  He's sat under the gun and says "lets get the party started" and throws out a straddle.  UTG+1 pumps it to $25 and a player behind makes it $100.  It gets back to him and he has that WTF did I walk into look on his face.  I said to him "Dude, you don't need to straddle, trust me."  He went busto fairly early when he shoved all in with duckies and surprisingly they didn't hold. 

I stayed out of the big stack's parties for the most part.  I didn't get involved in marginal situations and picked my spots carefully.  I didn't plan it that way but it just kinda happened.  Well, that is until this hand.  Big stack #1 raises to $25, big stack #2 calls, and I call on the button with 66.  Flop comes Ks 10s 6h.  #1 leads out for $40, #2 raises to $175.  Obviously, I feel I have the best hand here.  #2 already wants to play a big pot so I shove for $800ish.  #1 folds and #2 calls.  He says theres no way he can fold here and tables QsJs for the open ended royal draw.  So now I have to dodge a trunk full of land mines and managed to do so on the turn.  But the river was a spade and I had to ship him my entire stack...Suck me sideways!  I got up and paced the casino just to calm down a bit.  There was really nothing I could have done because the money was going in regardless as played.  Only if that pot went my way... 

I spend the rest of the trip hanging out with the wifey and the work folks that I won't bore you with.  Sorry to disappoint but I have no luckbox story of millions this time but hopefully in the future.  Its back to grinding the Meetup Group for Taco Bell money!

TK