Vegas day 2-3

Late night Saturday night/Sunday morning: Mandalay Bay $1/$2

Luxor poker room was kind of dingy looking (don't like the black/gray look to the room), so we wandered to Mandalay Bay. Nice place, pretty (and easy to access) poker room. Very short wait (2am and 4 $1/$2 tables and 2 $2/$5 tables going). One guy at my table has $1400 in front of him; a number of $600 stacks; large, $15-20 preflop opening raises seemed standard.

Plusses: pretty room; easy to find; $300 buy-in; loose, seemingly rich crowd.

Minusses: high-hand jackpot = additional $0.50-$1 rake; the first two tables are close enough to the entrance that anyone standing just at the edge smoking will fill the area with cigarette smoke; no chopping blinds (?!!?!)

I flopped a set and turned a boat at one point and somehow couldn't get the guy who couldn't ever let go of top pair to call me. Still not sure what he called my large flop raise and turn bets with that he couldn't pay off the value-bet on the river (it was 3am, I had been up for 21 hours and don't recall the board).

I had a fairly standard session here. The table was SO so loose - most every hand, raised or limped, was multi-way. I was involved in a couple 5-way hands after raising in EP to $12. No hands stand out, no players seemed exceptionally good/bad. Liked it, but didn't like the rake or the no-chop deal.

Ended this session down $30.

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Sunday afternoon: $1/$2 MGM

Nice room, though also the slowest dealers so far - they seemed more interested in recounting stories with the 2 regulars at the table than dealing the game. Mix of experienced and new players; very loose action. $200 buy-in, which is fine, but I appreciate the $300 deeper games.

2 hands of note:

1. I call a $12 preflop raise OTB with 7d 8d. 3-way action. FLOP: 8s 5d 6d. 2 checks to me, I bet $35, 1 call. Original raiser check-raises all-in for another $115. I'm obviously behind now, but I like the fact that I have 20 outs to a flush, straight, trips, or two pair, so I call. Somehow I miss half the deck on the turn and river, and QQ wins the hand unimproved.

2. Tight, tight player open raises to $20 from CO-1; I raise to $40 OTB with AA; sb insta-calls. Original raiser raises an additional $100 (leaving only $100 behind). I figured he's committed, and don't know what insta-caller would smooth with from SB, so I push. SB folds. After SB folds, I have a brain-fart and think the original raiser was already all-in, and I table my hand. He shows me KK and tosses them into the muck. I drag a $180 pot w/o seeing a
flop, but probably lost out on another $100 due to lack-of-sleep killing my attention span and me brain-farting. SB had QQ, btw (he folded but dealer let him keep his cards near him to show after the hand).

End the session +$45

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Monday afternoon: $1/$2 Mandalay bay

We checked out at 10:30, gave our bags to the Luxor folks, and went about our day. Becca wanted to do some shopping in the area between Luxor and Mandalay, so I was going to play at Luxor but they only had 1 table and 2 names on the list, floor guy said they wouldn't get a new game going in all likelihood for another hour or 2 = Mandalay Bay again.

About 15 minute wait for a seat at one of the tables. Number of $5-600 stacks, lots of action. LOTs of loose action. Both tables going look juicy. They actually start to sit me at a new table they were opening, but then move me to one already going (which makes me wonder if this was the same day Pauly wrote this; I didn't look at anyone over there though).

2 hands of note:

1. I join 3 limpers and limp OTB with 8d9d. SB raises to $10, only 1 other call, I call.
FLOP: 7J7 rainbow.
SB bets $20, folds to me. I sensed weakness, and thought I could take it away, as he likely won't have a 7 here - I raised to $65. He takes a lot of time, and just calls.

TURN: (7J7) Q
SB checks. I still have the straight draw, so I used position and took a free card.

RIVER: (7J7Q) 2
SB checks. I think I can take it away with a big bet - say $125. But I wimp out, all the sudden afraid he may have flopped a boat with JJ, and give up. I say nice hand, I check, and he shows KK. I know a big bet would have taken it down.

2. UTG raises to $10, 1 call; I reraise to $45 OTB with AA. UTG calls, other folds.
FLOP: 5J5.
UTG checks, I lead out $75, UTG check-raises all-in to $200ish. I instacall and table KK. He shows J4 clubs. Turn and river blank out.

I wish I were more awake, because that guy bought in twice already, and is rebuying again. Calling $45 preflop with only $250 holding J4 soooted? JUICY! As it stands, I was near the 2 hour mark, and struggling to keep my focus. I decided to play two more rounds or so, and get outta there before my decision making totally deteriorated.

End the session: +$350