Its something about Vegas that I can never get a full night's rest.  I got to the room around 3am and was up at 8.  Throw in the tossing and turning, I probably got 2 -3 hrs max.  Especially after a night like last night, all the hand simulations are just constantly running my mind.  I hate losing and with the table I was at last night, there was no excuse. 

I wanted to get a fresh start to the day so the fellas and I went pool side.  I think my shoes melted to the concrete on our walk to the pool.  Holy mother of all that is good and pure it was hot!!  and it was 9am!  All I could think was "If I could take a taxi to the pool, I would and I know for a fact Bruce would split that fare."  We just relaxed for a while, soaking up the rays.  I did witness a guy put on goggles, feet flippers, hand flippers, and proceeded to do laps in the pool.  We're not talking about some Olympic pool here.  It couldn't have been more than 30 ft across.  Justin decided to be funny and jumped in the kiddie pool and started doing laps in there but I don't think the guy noticed. 

We went back to the room, got ready, and went in search of some lunch.  We needed some wifi and heard that McDonald's right down the road had it for free some so sausage egg mcmuffin meal it was.  When we got there, their network was down though.  Uh oh, are we already running bad?

I was originally going to play cash today but decided on the Venetian deepstack instead.  Justin and Jason were going to hit up the links at TPC so no poker for them.  Honestly, I don't know why I play the Venetian because I run so bad there.  The last time I played there, I ran a set into runner runner straight all in on the flop and got knocked out in enough time to make the Binion's tourney at 2.  I then proceeded to bubble that Binion's tourney which then led to red bull vodkas in footballs culminating in the worst night of my life in Vegas.  If you do a search of my previous trip reports, you'll find the story.  I think its personal between the Venetian and I.  I've never taken any money out of that place and somehow, that place owes me.  I'm sick of drinking their $500 Redbulls and Fiji water.  Free drinks my ass....

I felt really good about my table draw.  There were a couple of guys that had no clue what they were doing and I fully expected them to go busto fairly early.  It was just a matter of me getting some of their chips before others do.  The final tally was 850 entrants, top 80ish paid, with first place paying over 50K.  I picked my spots well in the first segment and was able to climb to 21K from a starting stack of 12K at 1st break.  I never played any big pots besides one where I opened with AdQd and the flop came Jack high with 2 diamonds and I flushed out.  Other than that, it was fairly quiet.  I picked up a little bit of steam in the next segment, climbing well over 40K at the break(ave was 20K) with little confrontation.  The 3rd segment, I was moved to another table and cards went a little dead.  It seems like I didn't play a pot voluntarily for over 1 1/2 hrs!  Luckily, I was able to use my image to steal uncontested pots and maintain a 55K going into break #3.  Coming back from break, I lost my first big hand of the tournament.  I raised in the SB with pocket tens and the BB called.  Flop came A 9 rag.  I bet the flop and was called.  The way my opponent had been playing, I felt pretty confident in my read that he had a bad ace.  At this point, I can give up on the hand and move on.  Instead, I elected to find a way to win this pot.  I represented a value bet on the turn and river, however, both bets were very reluctantly called.  He tabled A5o and a part of me knew he wouldn't be able to get away...  I went into dinner break with 30K. 

Back from dinner, blinds would be 800/1600 and I don't recall the ante.  I made it through a couple of orbits but then I pushed my last 20K with 77 only to run into 1010.  Board didn't help any and I was out 170ish/850.  It was my deepest run at the V to date but I'm always dissappointed unless I take first.  I felt like I played pretty well with the exception of 2 or 3 hands.  By this time it was around 10pm, Justin and Jason were done golfing the TPC, so they scooped me up we headed back to Hooters. 

We headed back to the room and these guys were ready to crash.  They had spent all day in the sun and were completely drained.  I, of course, couldn't even think about going to sleep.  I went back downstairs and put my name on the 1/2 NLHE list.  Took abour an hour or so but I finally sat down.  Very FIRST hand.  Couple limpers in front, guy to my right opens to 12, I call on the button with deuces as does the limpers and we take a flop of A 2 4, 2 flush cards.  I raised a bet on the flop on lose nobody.  Turns a 4 and its checked to me, I bet, and get 2 callers.  River completes the flush and I get paid off by the flush and someone holding an ace.  Now thats how we should always get started.  This was a very fun table to play at.  We had a Lakers fan as well as a Celtics fan at the table so everybody was drinking, taking shots, talking trash, and having a grand ol time.  I watch a guy build his stack to over $500 and piss it all away.  Whenever someone would bust out, there was a drunk getting off the elevator from his night out waiting to sit down.  One hand sequence went like this:  guy opens to 10, 2 callers, I reraise to $35 with KK.  A guy behind me calls, original raiser calls, first limper calls, 2nd limper goes all in.  WTF?  So I go all in!  Guy behind calls as does the original raiser.  Hands:  J9, 24, and A8.  I somehow manage to dodge all those landmines with my KK.  There were only 2 guys making money at this game, myself, and this younger guy sitting 2 to my left.  When the game finally died around 5am, I cashed out for over $600 profit and he had well over $700 in front of him.  Not a bad way to call it a night!

TK