Vegas report

First the WPT super sat: my table was pretty weak, and very tight, no pros. The only person I recognized at my table was Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, who was in the ten seat. Dude's watch costs more than my house....

Didn't see many other pros, but I really didn't stick around after busting out. Recognized Eskimo Clark and Young Phan.

I didn't even make it until the end of the second (40 min.) level .
To make a long story short, AA vs AA, we get it in preflop, kid hits runner runner hearts to make his flush. I am now crippled; raise when I find KK, get rerasied, have to call (?), run into AA.

Nothing like paying $1k/hour to play a tournament. Oh well, I do have a nice $1,500 WPT tee-shirt that they gave everyone at registration.

Too bad, too, as I played some excellent poker the rest of the trip.

Binion's Friday and Saturday tournaments are excellent: $150 for $T3000, with one $50 re-buy (which you can take immediately if you want) for $T2000. That's only $200 bucks for $5K in chips and 30 min. (!) levels. Awesome structure with lots of play.

I final tabled Friday's tournament, no money but I really felt sharp and in control and playing well.

I bought my wife in to one of the Binion's tournaments as well, perhaps a bit out of her league in retrospect. She is just learning the game, and I financed her education in $2/$4 and $4/$8 limit throughout the trip as well. A short term -EV play that I hope will pay long term dividends...

Played well in the cash games throughout the trip, enough to cover Mrs. losses and to feed us (buy one get one meal coupons = never paying more than about five bucks each to eat).

Our scuffle went ok, however.

To scuffle: to gamble with the edge using hit and run methods via use of matchplay coupons and other casino promotions. You are pretty much going around to each casino, playing one hand of blackjack/craps and leaving.

We use two sources of match plays: Las Vegas Advisor 's "Pocket Book of Values" and the "American Casino Guide".

For those not familiar with a match play, it is simply a coupon that you place with your bet that states the casino will "match" what ever you win. They are usually capped at $5 or $10 dollars, but I have seen them as high as $25 (Hardrock, Rampart).

In other words, if you lose you lose $10, but if you win, you win $20.

Basically the expected value of the bet is half of what ever you are allowed to bet. So, if you have a ten dollar matchplay you can expect to make five dollars in the long run.

Essentially you are betting a close to 50/50 proposition, less the house edge on what ever game you are playing. So, 1 x you will lose -$10, and 1 x you will win +20 dollars, for and average of +$15 (or +$5 = half of the original ten dollar bet).

The best game to chose is craps, but sometime the coupons are relegated to blackjack only.

Total: +$370 between the two of us. I hit a blackjack on an inordinate number of mine, which was very nice (they pay you the 3:2, plus one extra bet for the coupon).

Not bad for "free" money, and you get to see a lot of the casinos so it's a nice way to tour the city.

Got back this morning on the red eye, slept all afternoon so now I am awake, oops.

I just want to add the Binion's kicks azz with regard to poker.

Friendly dealers,
you earn $2/hour in comps,
no bad beat jackpot lottery,
no high hand money coming out of your pots,
just pure cash game poker (just rake coming out of the pots, with generous lowering when tables got as short as six handed in some cases).

Also, the deli is fantastic, half pound sandwiches, you can use a buy one get one coupon, and pay for it with your $2/hr in comp money. Sweet.

Well, anytime you come back, had fun, still have your shirt, you're ahead.

And if you have +cash, all the better.


Nasty card run though. Were you wearing your CC thong for luck?

Lol @ NineL Well alieng sounds like you and your wife had a great time overall on this trip and in the process you got some experience. to bad the cards ran badly for you. You'll get em next time

Very Cool..

Bad luck at the WPT super sat

Thanks for the scuffling explanation..

I been to Vegas 3 times

Had to use Western Union everytime to get home

even lost my gas $$

Yeah, I have about $1100 of BR left, ($3600 start -$1580 WPT, -$735 in other tournaments for both of us, minus nominal expenses).

Back to rigged cyber world!

Glad you had a good time and welcome back.

Welcome back, AG. Nice thread.

Nice trip report sir~

Congrats AG, glad you & the wife had a good time. Live poker is rigged! Who woulda thunk it. Very nice post.

Bad luck on the cards - but think how lucky not having Celine Dion railing lol

Nice report as well - heres to the next visit

Glad you & the wife had a good time,,, sounds exiting,,, your back in time for the WSOOF today,lol,, better luck next time,, buck

Sounds like it was nice trip and you had fun. Too bad you got screwed in the tournament but that's part of the game.

Nice report. Think ill have to go there myself sometime, so this stuff is very nice for second hand experience.

Too bad you where slapped in the tournament. But seem your overall Vegas plan worked nicely

Think ill have to have an extra fall back / get home safe / Use in Case of Emergency credit card when i go. Cant really see myself trying to catch a free ride across the atlantic after donking away my cash in a drunken vegas frenzy.