Final Report Las Vegas

Back from Sin City with most of the money I left with.  No more luck in tournaments, and frankly some pretty weak play.  My final tournament at Aria was very bad.  I was two to the left of a local gal who was aggressive and really catching some cards.  With about average chip stack of 17,000 I was in o.k. shape when she raised (again) from the button.  I had K/10 suited, and decided to call.  The flop was awesome for my hand K/J/9, giving me top pair and the gutshot straight draw.  I check raised her continuation bet, and she called me.  When the turn failed to improve me, I bet and she reraise enough to put me all in.  I decided to fold rather than take a stand with at least 8,000 in chips remaining.  Moving to another table I tried to play very tight with a couple of the big stacks working every hand.  Finding K/5 suited in the small blind with folds around to me, and the big blind shorter than me, I raised, and he reraised all in.  Deciding that I may have live cards and/or suite, I called to see a suited AQ.  Now short stacked at the table I pushed all in a couple of times and got back to around 7,000. 

My last hand, the player to my right raised fairly big and decided to gamble with A/10 suited on an all-in reraise.  He called with AA and I was done.  In retrospect, the reraise from the BB could have been a fold for me, and the shove over the raise was exceptionally dumb.

Playing later in the 1/3 NL I crushed the table early on, flopping a set of 9's against a flush draw, getting all in and winning 150.  Later hit a full house on the river for another big win, and was up about 250.  After going a little card dead and missing every small pair, I lost a good chunk against the button when I was BB.  He was an aggressive young player who raised nearly every hand and when I found AK played back hard at him.  His 10 raise was met with a 40 reraise, which he called after enquiring about how many chips I had.  The flop had 9/J/J and I checked out of position, he checked back.  The turn was a brick, and we both checked.  The river also a brick, and I checked, he bet 20, and I called figuring a bluff here from him was in order.  He had paired his 9's and took down the 120 pot.  I quit shortly after that.

All in all a good trip, almost a break even with miscellaneous expenses like buffets, cabs, tips, etc.  My friend Bob did better than I in the tournaments, making several final tables, but bubbled on all of them.  His worst one was KK getting beaten by 5/6 suited with a pair on the flop and trips on the river.  We saw the Elvis show by Cirque de Soleil, it was excellent.  More pros spotted in the Ivey room:  Doyle & Todd Brunson, Shawn Sheikan, and others.

Here is an interesting hand from Full Tilt's Rush poker....more on that later.  Found myself against not one but two sets.  Note that I won the hand, and a king of clubs on the river would have given me the Royal flush!!!