LV TR June 3 - 11 2024
Back in the good old days, there were some folks around here who preached the 10,000 hour rule. That is the idea that investing 10k hours in a subject will make you an expert. I wonder how many badges I would have if online and live casinos handed them out for 10k hours played? They should do that ... or not.
Anyway, I'm working to collect poker SME badges. Heading to Vegas for my second time. This will be a solo trip with the intent to relax and play as much as I want. Last year I stayed at the Excalibur, which is what it is. I've stepped it up a notch this time and booked a room at the Luxor. Hopefully it will be slightly better. I'm a bit concerned with the elevator tech in the pyramid and rooms from what I've read ... :fingerscrossed: It can't be too bad for the price. I'm in for resort fees only basically; I think like $400.
I mapped out some potential tournaments that will allow me to play as many places as possible and be the highest ROI for my skillset:
6/4 11am - Golden Nugget $340 PLO
6/5 11am - MGM Grand PLO8 $500
6/6 11am - Venetian $1100 PLO mystery bounty
6/7 10am - WSOP $300 Gladiator
6/8 10am - MGM Grand $500 PLO mystery bounty
6/9 10am - Orleans $200 NLH
6/10 11am - Aria $800 NLH
Unsure how often I'll update this, but I'll take pictures and hopefully some chip prons.
I'm landing in LV sometime around 8PM, so just going to settle in tonight.
Currently, I'm getting over a sinus infection so I may skip 6/4 tourney downtown and chill instead.
LFG!
Best of luck. Safe travels
Sub’d
I'm in! Best of luck, safe travels.
Good luck, let’s gooooo!
6/3 - Trip In
Hi. Thanks for the luck. We made it.
I flew with Spirit airlines for my first time. It was fine, but the seats are kind of unpadded and it seemed more cramped compared to other planes. The guy behind me described the seats as "like a park bench". My main criteria were not Boeing and non stop.
The flight was on time and we landed in Las Vegas around 8pm. I got to my room and checked in at the Luxor around 9. Bed is solid and A/C is COLD.
I'm pleased with the room and the resort itself is kinda enchanting. Not like anything I've experienced prior. When you step out of a pyramid room, you look down over the inside of the resort.
hall outside room:
The inclinators are visibly falling apart, don't feel mechanically sound, and are VERY slow. The hype is real there.
I'm typing this now as I drink some coffee about to head down to the fitness center. The sinus infection has cleared and I'll be playing the PLO tournament this morning at Golden Nugget. This should be fun!
Good luck. Subbed.
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Looks like a fun schedule. Enjoy. Run hot.
There's some charm in those older MGM resorts like Excalibur and Luxor.
Looking forward to as many details as you can manage from the PLO and PLO8 events.
Good luck.
6/3 - Trip In
Hi. Thanks for the luck. We made it.
I flew with Spirit airlines for my first time. It was fine, but the seats are kind of unpadded and it seemed more cramped compared to other planes. The guy behind me described the seats as "like a park bench". My main criteria were not Boeing and non stop.
It's not Boeing? What is it?
6/4 - Punts
I'm not sure if all Spirit planes are Airbus, but this one was. It's probably unreasonable to avoid Boeing, but I never claimed to be.
Yesterday I made it downtown a couple hours before the 11am PLO. Wandered around a bit and found some reasonably priced breakfast at 4 Queens.
After food, I still had time so I dorked around at $10 BJ in the Nugget. They pay 6:5 but make up for it with a jackpot spin when you get BJ. This seemed close to break even, but I have no idea.
-$100 there but it was a fun way to waste an hour.
PLO tournament was brief. Only played like 20 hands. I couldn't really think straight. The main hand was pretty standard and I punted like crazy.
Hand History:
Old tourist dude potted PF for the first time (it's AAxx duh). I completed in BB with double suited bad jacks.
Flop: AAJ, we both check.
Turn: 2, I have 2 blocking the boat, so I XR his bet, he called
River: 8, I DB like 2/3 and I think he called but he minraised. I table my hand. Dealer tells me he raised, I instantly put chips in for some unknown reason. Just kinda spazzed. He flopped quads. I could cope and all it a cooler, but it's a punt.
After that punt, I was down to like 3k chips or 20bb. I can spin that up ...
An orbit or so later I get double suited black kings in BB. There's like 5 limps, I pot, only SB calls. He flops a straight, I get an early exit.
Wasn't really feeling poker after this or tournaments in general. I have a love hate relationship with them ... don't we all?
-$440 so far for the day.
So, I made it back to Luxor and went to the pool to burn the jetlag away with sun and liquor. One $33 cocktail and an hour definitely got me pumped up. I decided to head north and try to find some cash action.
It wasn't easy to find an open seat, but I managed to find my way into a new $1/3 table opening at Caesar's. People here aren't kidding about the Vegas pros; they give no action and are absolutely miserable. Fortunately, there were some folks there to give action. After a few hours I managed to spin it up a bit, the table dynamics changed, so I racked it up:
+$520
At this point it was about 7pm and not too unbearably hot out anymore. I walked over to see the Mirage for the first time since it's closing and then slowly wandered back down to Luxor. From the posts here I thought this journey would be like an impossible marathon. I don't know what to say .... people here are pussies. I slowly meandered and took everything in including the Mirage and Bellagio fountain show in about 45 minutes. It's a nice stroll, I recommend it.
Eh tough to fold any boat, even in PLO. If they have quads, they have quads.
Nice session at Caesar’s!
You're right about people's aversion to walking. I don't get it either.
GL. Subbing.
Airport, Vegas, NYC, everywhere in America -- walk slow, three or four abreast, stop whenever you feel like it. Drives me nuts!
Another TR where we get all the losing hands and then a casual "+$520 at Caesar's" with no details :p
Love the old school vibe of this TR, keep the pics coming - some serious nostalgia from some of my first trips in the 2002-2005 range......
Luxor is not my favorite but it is a decent home base and I stay there regularly since it's cheap. the tower rooms are pretty nice, way better than Pyramid and not much more $.
RIP Luxor poker room, it was fun at times.
I thought 2+2 was gone as the site hadn't resolved for a few days. Looks like MGM wifi now blocks 2+2 so I can't really TR without super extra effort.
Had to hotspot for this.
I don't want to say too much, but I will never play at MGM Grand or Mandalay Bay again. Sticking to WSOP for now. Way less shady.
I think they might have moved servers yesterday. A WHOIS search of 2+2 shows the DNS was modified yesterday.
Here was my experience playing at MGM Grand $500 PLO8.
I played in the tournament for about 6 hours. During this time there were 3 people who remained at my table the entire time: a guy from Ohio, the man to his left, and me. During the 6 hours we played the tournament, the man from Ohio requested new setups 3 times because the cards were marked. Each time it was a lo card: 2, 3, 5. The man to his left had a lot of chips and bent the **** out of his cards every hand. You could see the finger nail marks as the dealer passed the cards. The house said we should stop requesting new setups and the cards would all be marked.
Later that day I played cash at Mandalay. This environment felt way worse than MGM Grand's situation. There was obvious team play, the cards were marked, and it seemed like the dealers were also colluding because you weren't allowed to protect your hand. The dealer insisted the obviously marked cards remain visible.
I've never thought I was cheated live before ... probably naively. MGM Grand, there was cheating but probably not house involvement. Mandalay Bay ... they need to be audited by regulators.
I have only my experience to lean on, but based on it there's no reason to touch these properties again.
There was obvious team play, the cards were marked, and it seemed like the dealers were also colluding because you weren't allowed to protect your hand. The dealer insisted the obviously marked cards remain visible.
I don't doubt your story at all, but I also don't see how dealers can prevent you from protecting your hand. Would be a good spot to call the floor.
I don't see how "don't protect your hand" would be at all enforceable.
I don't doubt your story at all, but I also don't see how dealers can prevent you from protecting your hand. Would be a good spot to call the floor.
I don't see how "don't protect your hand" would be at all enforceable.
Go ahead and play in a casino and call the floor when the dealer tells you to take your hands off the marked cards. I'll take my money and go to the other 15 places within a half mile.
