Day 4- Saturday, June 12th, 2010: Woke up at 11am sore and tired from not managing my time very well the previous night. But I had to get going because AVP XI was in two hours at the Mirage. D. and I get ready quickly and walk over to the Mirage for some food. On the way, we see LasVegasMichael and Clem playing in the poker room. We wander over to Carnegie Deli for breakfast. It was crowded and the service was only so-so, but the food was decent so I can’t complain. We get done, D. goes to explore the property and I go to the poker room to play AVP XI. For $125 we got t10,000 chips and a good structure. I flopped two early sets but got no real value. Bled off some chips by running into two pair in the blinds after I made second pair. Last hand before break, I double up QQ>TT to get to just over starting stack. Coming back, we were at t400/800, and on the second hand I look at KK OTB, make it 2100, MelloAceCV in the SB calls, as does Isaac in the BB. Flop comes T-9-2r, Mello checks, Isaac bets t2500, I shove for ~t10,000, and both Mello and Isaac call all-in. Mello shows 99 for a set, Isaac QJ for an OESD. An Ace on the turn means I can’t win outright. The river is a brick so Mello triples up and I won the tiny side pot to be left with only t2800. I blind down to t1600. Ken raises to t2300, and I happily call all-in with KJo. He shows 7c7s, and we see a flop of J-J-8 with 2 clubs. Turn is the Ten of clubs, so of course I have a sweat. River is the ugly Ac. I’m busted in sick fashion. I go to find D. who has discovered to big cat and dolphin habitat on the property. It was a fun diversion, but the night before was beginning to catch up with me so I headed back to the room for an afternoon nap.
Waking up, we had plans with Cashewz for dinner at Hash House. He had a stuffed burger and downed it all, but D. and I had a stuffed and layered meatloaf plate and couldn’t finish it. I really tried because it was absolutely delicious. Cashewz and I then headed to the IP for some cash action. The first hand I played, a V in MP goes runner-runner flush to beat my top pair. Thankfully, it was a small pot but I am in an immediate hole. Stole the blinds twice, but then lost ~$40 when a V OOP beat my 44 with A6o. Pocket 22 loses also. I make the nut straight with T6 but a lady V makes the nut flush. I add on another $100. Recoup my loses somewhat with AcJc on a 7c-5c-3x, 7x, Qc board against a V who pushed his short stack all-in after the flop with Ax7x. But that was about it. Cashed out down over $100 after a little over an hour. Decided to go to TI for their 10pm tournament. Had to settle for the alternate list, but got in within the first 15 minutes. According to my notes, I didn’t win any pots before the first break, having only t2100 by then. So I went into push or fold mode. V in the C/O min-raises, I shove from the BB with, well, my notes don’t say. What they do say is that the C/O has KK and I don’t even flop a sweat, busting that quickly. Wander over to the Mirage to check out the goings-on. A mix game has broken out, apparently started by AVPers but none were there when I arrived, leaving what looks like a bunch of fish. The mix was 2-7TD, Double Board Omaha, O8b, Razz, and Stud8. A complete newbie lady in seat 8 is running like God, drawing and catching 7’s and 8’s in 2-7. My 8’s keep getting run over and I have to break 10’s. It’s so fishy I decided to stick around, but it didn’t get any better. My last hand was in Razz, and I lose on the 5th card, 75432<7543A. I storm out of the poker room, Hellmuth style, and walk off the tilt by circling the pit a few times. It was just not my day.
Day 4: Mirage (AVP XI), 2hrs 15min, -$125(t). IP, 1hr 45min, -$129(c). TI, 1hr, -$50(t). Mirage, 1hr 55min, -$178(m)
[b]Total: 6hrs 55min, -$482. Running total: 29hrs 10min, -$404[/b]

Day 5- Sunday, June 13th, 2010: Knowing that D. was coming up, I decided to book an extra night at somewhere nicer than the IP. So today was moving day. We got up at 10 and got out of the room by 11. I used the express check-out- just drop your keys and go! We got Dee’s car out of valet and I drove us across the street to the Mirage so we could use my $15 food comp at Carnegie Deli- thanks Chris! The service was much better this time which made for a much better experience. Afterwards, I drive D. up the strip to show it to her, going up the Blvd. to Sahara over to Paradise and down to Flamingo to our hotel for the night- Bill’s. Although we were a couple hours early we got checked in right away. It was a quick trip up to our room, with which I was duly impressed. It had a flat screen TV and was only $39 for the night. The bed looked comfy so I took a nap on it. Got up a couple hours later and headed over to the Hard Rock in search of drunk d-bags from Rehab playing poker. Sadly, I didn’t find any. The game that was there was friendly but filled with tougher, knowledgeable players. My first hand was AdKd in the BB. I called an $11 pre-flop raise and saw a flop of Qx-Xx-Jx with 3 others. We check around. The turn is an Ax. My $15 lead-out takes it down. I beat KK with ATs when two aces show up on the board. KTs turns two pair but the river gives V a straight to beat me. About an hour in, I call an AIPF for $38. My 99 is way ahead of his 88 for about 5 seconds until an 8 flops. No resuck for me. I leave about a half hour later down -$144.
D. and I leave for Le Burger Brasserie in Paris. Highly recommended by Grange95 and I quickly found out why- good atmosphere, nice décor (and, ahem, “scenery”) and out-of-this-word delicious food. I had a lamb burger topped with prosciutto, provolone and caramelized onions and it was the best thing I had eaten all year. We finish our meal with dessert and take off for Bill’s. D. heads for the room while I go to the IP for the Sunday night mixer. It was full so I got on the list and decided to go to Bally’s for some $1/2 while waiting. I sat in a new game but couldn’t make any money- cashing out 45 minutes later exactly even. I drove over to the Rio to check up on Cashewz who was playing in a $1K bracelet event. By the time I found him I saw him bag up for day 2. Well done sir! He has a slightly above average stack, with 511 coming back and 350 or so of those getting paid. By now I’m sure my name has been called for the mixer so I drive back to Bill’s and walk to the IP and sit right down at midnight. Two tables are mixed games tonight, and I’m on the second one. TBC happens to be on the first one. In 2-7, I pat a rough 9 against a drawing V who pats the third draw, so I break it to make an 8-7. He shows 8-6. Ugh. I won a couple of double board Omaha pots to get close to even, but totally brick a Stud8 hand to go down a rack. Stud8 is unkind to me again when my three Queens loses to a flush. Switching to 4 card ocean Crazy Pineapple, however, nets me a win when my bottom set beats top two pair. Win another pot by flopping a set of Aces to beat a missed draw. I then get a text from D. saying “Don’t stay out all night ;)”. Well, I know what that means, so I rack up after two hours down only -$75. TBC sees me leave and follows me out of the IP asking for a stake so I can, and I quote, “write an awesome trip report.” Uh, no thanks dude! I have significantly better things to do right now, so I decline his offer, go up to the room, and, uh, well, I’ll let you guess the rest ;)
Day 5: Hard Rock, 1hr 30min, -$144(c). Bally’s, 45min, $0(c). IP, 2hrs, -$75(m)
[b]Total: 4hrs 15min, -$219. Running total: 33hrs 25min, -$623[/b]

Day 6 (and 7)- Monday (and Tuesday) June 14th (and 15th) 2010: Since my flight is at 7am the next morning, and there’s no way I’d wake up if I tried to nap before it, I have what I call “The Bender”- I check out of my hotel room the day before and go play poker for 18 hours. This time, Cashewz and I had planned our own Excellant Adventure™ for the day, but seeing as he’s going very deep in his WSOP event it’ll be a solo run this year. Right off the bat I nearly ruin it by oversleeping to the point where D> and I had to rush to get out. I leave my bags with the bell desk and see her off- she has to get back to Tucson. I start the day with the nits at Bally’s for Aces Cracked. It’s a $3/6 Limit game, one of my least favorite forms of poker, but I’m here to play. In my first orbit, I get AA in MP, check/call the whole way and get them cracked by 9’s full. I believe I lost only $30 in the pot but gained a $100 bonus for a net +$70. The Aces Cracked period ends at Noon, and I start to open up my range and aggression. Ts9s in the C/O flops top two and wins a nice pot, and QQ takes one down. I get AA again, but now I raise and re-raise with them, making Aces full and stacking a guy. Bally’s also has Royal Flush jackpots, but I never got any two suited broadway cards to try for one. I leave after a little more than an hour having more than doubled up.
Next up is Planet Hollywood, first for some Earl of Sandwich, which, despite Five Hundy By Midnight’s fawning, I don’t find to be that special. It wasn’t awful but I don’t see any special allure. In the P-Ho poker room, I open a new table with 6 others. Not much happens for the first few orbits. I do eventually get AKo, flop TPTK, and hold against an aggressive V for a ~$250 pot. Pocket deuces flop a set and turn a boat for another good pot. I 5-bet with AA to take it down pre-flop. After an hour I leave up more than double again and move on to the next one. I walk the strip to MGM- let’s just say the sights were interesting. This room has previously been kryptonite for me and I’m looking for some redemption. It’s a pretty active room, with several games going. I get into the one that has lots of deep stacks and aggression. Juicy! Twenty minutes into my session, AdTx OTB against the SB, 3 diamond flop. V leads out, I raise, V calls. Turn is a brick. V now checks, and sensing weakness, I bet out $60, getting him to fold. Later, I 4-bet AIPF with AcKc and get a guy to fold, claiming he had JJ. I win one with QJo, flop A-T-x, turn K, river x against a young lady who I just beat for most of her chips. And then it happened- the hand of the day. V is a smart, aggressive player who just hero-called another guy’s 3-barrel bluff to take one down. I’m UTG+1 with AhKh, raise to $15 pre, and V calls OTB. Flop is Kc-Ks-9s. I bet $30 quickly, V calls just as quick. Turn is the interesting Ts. I bet $90 quickly again, trying to represent naked, reckless aggression, and V calls. River is the awesome Kd. I bet $150, again quickly, and this time V tanks. I turtle up trying to look fearful, V plays with his chips and cards, and after about 5 minutes makes the call. I roll over my quads and V looks disgusted. He mucks without showing, and I collect a ~$600 pot. The postmortem led me to believe he had AA. I cash out not too much later, now unstuck both for the trip and at the MGM poker room. I wander around the MGM casino, looking for the Lion’s Share slot machine so heavily discussed on Five Hundy. It’s the last machine of its kind, having to remain until the $2million+ jackpot pays out. I put in $100, somehow get it to double my money to $200 and cash out. My first slot machine win! It’s also one of the only hand-pay machines left, so I get a very nice lady to hand me two Benjamins. (After I get home I give Five Hundy $10 as their share of my winnings for pointing it out). On to the next poker room.
I elect not to play at Excalibur, Luxor, or Mandalay Bay, instead I want to try out the then-new Aria poker room. From the MGM, I take the bridge over to NYNY, get lost inside, but finally find an exit. Walk next door to the Monte Carlo. The tram to CityCenter is at the rear of the property, through, what else, a shopping promenade. However, the tram drops you off at the Crystals, the shopping mall at CityCenter (gee, I wonder why they did that?). I now know that taking the connected walkway from Monte Carlo to Aria instead of the tram drops you off right next to the poker room, but as I trammed it I had to walk basically the entire length of the property to get there. I am glad I did so, tho, as the Aria poker room is gorgeous. Being new, all the equipment is in tip top shape. The table I get has apparently been going for a bit as there are a couple of big stacks along with some friendly banter. The biggest hand of my session is when I river two pair holding Q8 against a lady V who I judge to be very competent. No other pots of note, so I leave after about 1 and a half hours up $37. Needing food, I go back to the MC food court. After eating, I decide to try the Bellagio. This time, the tram is a smart option. It does drop you off on the south side with the poker room on the north, but that’s ok, I’m used to it by now. The Bellagio is an opulent property. Even at 8:30 pm on a Monday, the poker room is packed, both with players and in table spacing. I bump my way to my seat and find a table with no big stacks and plenty of bad play. One player gets all his chips in with AK unimproved and is shocked it isn’t good. It’s too bad I didn’t have any hands or I would have cleaned up. Actually, the day was starting to catch up with me as I felt myself falling asleep at the table. I decide I need to leave before something terrible happens, so I cash out after an hour down $65.
I hear Cashewz is still in his WSOP event so I walk to the Rio. I find a Starbucks kiosk, desperate for caffeine, but not being a coffee drinker I ask for something that doesn’t taste like coffee. I got an excellent chocolate latte something or other that hits the spot. I’m now fully awake and find Cashewz still playing. He’s short so he’s playing push or fold poker, stealing several pots. The day ends and he makes the top 54! Well done, sir. With nothing else to see here, I start to walk back to the strip but am luckily intercepted in the parking lot by PokerMuffin who generously gives me a ride to the Mirage. I play one last session of the trip here, but have to fold JJ on the first hand after two overs show up. I later make a horrible call holding 99 on a Tx-Tx-A flop when V to my right happens to have ATo. I leave after just over an hour down almost $100, which mars the day but not the trip. I eat my traditional last meal in the Victorian room at Bill’s. I try to retrieve my bags from the bell desk but the bellman has gone home, so they have to call the head of security to unlock to room. I get a cab to the airport and can only smile about how well this trip has gone. Thank you, Vegas.
Day 6: Bally’s, 1hr 15min, +$121(c). Planet Hollywood, 1hr, +$251(c). MGM, 1hr 20min, +$643(c), and slot machine, +$100. Aria, 1hr 35min, +$37(c). Bellagio, 1hr, -$65(c). Mirage, 1 hr 15min, -$98(c).
[b]Total: 7hrs 25min, +$989. Trip total: 40hrs 50min, +$366[/b]

Restaurant ratings:
Hash House a Go-Go- 4/5
Le Burger Brasserie- 5/5
Earl of Sandwich- 3/5
Grand Luxe- 4.5/5
California Pizza Kitchen- 4/5
Carnegie Deli- 2.5/5
Victorian Room- 3.5/5

Thanks for reading!