|
I arrived in Las Vegas Sunday, March 5. This was a vacation for me and my wife. We usually make one trip to Vegas per year and mostly in March time frame. For gambling I had targeted poker as my main venue. I had never played in a true brick and mortar casino until this week. During this time, we stayed in the Aladdin which is being transformed into a Planet Hollywood property.
I had prepared for my trip by playing internet poker (all free paysites) and reading tons of books. I really didn't know what to expect and was rather nervous because I didn't know all the nuances used in the Vegas poker rooms.
On Monday and Tuesday, I decided to try some 2/4 Limit poker. I played at the Flamingo, Riviera, Fiesta Henderson (off strip). I was down about $20 after playing in the first two but won $60 at the Fiesta. I soon learned that playing limit is very tough to make much money on. The limited raises etc. make it tough to push anybody around and, like most say it is turned into a bingo game. The Flamingo and Fiesta were nice and loaded with tourists. The Riviera was tough and loaded with local sharks.
On Wednesday, I decided to try my hand at No-Limit Tournament play. I chose the Stardust as my first tourney to try. They have a nice $45 no-rebuy,no addon, which I liked. They only have it on M,T and Wednesday. With a playing field of 70 players (7 tables) the play went on for over 2 hours. I played well but busted out in 10th position, with payouts for only the top 4 positions. In spite of not being in the money, I was very pleased with my play.
On Thursday, I chose to play in the Aladdin 10:00A Tournament. The buyin was $50 with no addon and a rebuy option for the first 30 minutes. I did not see anybody rebuy. The field this time was 69 players on 7 tables. The competition was tough with a mix of seasoned tourists and locals. This is the unbelievable part. After 2 hours, I was on the top table as chip leader and ended up winning the tournament in sole first place with a purse of $820 for my effort. This tournament is a very professional and well run tourney and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to give it a try. What a rush!!!
Friday was our last day in town. I wanted to try the same tourney again but had to check out of the hotel and prepare to leave.
I had such a great time and will proabably have to wait another year to get back.
This site helped me so much in getting some ideas on what to expect and which rooms to go I thank all for the great info and hope this helps someone.
|
