Low Stakes Luckbox: A June ’25 Trip Report
I just returned from a 9-day trip with my wife, June 6th to 15th. We stayed the first 5 nights at Resorts World (Hilton tower) and then the last 4 nights at Vdara.
This was my 9th trip to Las Vegas. In case anyone’s interested, I wrote up some of my previous trips in this thread:
"1-2-may-take-shot-1-3-if-i-run-good"
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
Flight out from London Heathrow
I picked up something at duty free to avoid having to drink Johnnie Walker Red at the tables.
It was a daytime flight so I kept myself busy with a few films. Any guesses from these pictures? [Answers at the end of the post.]
Day 1 - Friday 6th June
I’ve not stayed at Resorts World before, but from previous visits I liked their poker room and the food court nearby.
We arrived fairly late in the evening. Check-in was fairly quick, which was a relief: I’ve read about some crazy queues at RW, particularly on a Friday night. The only downside was that we checked in at 9:01pm and they told us all the main restaurants closed at 9pm. Is it usual for Vegas casino restaurants to close as early as 9pm on a Friday night? Found that a bit baffling but OK, I’ll grab my tried and tested pulled pork from the food court:
Day 2 - Saturday 7th June
Room was clean, but nothing to get excited about so I didn’t take any pics. Decent view though:
I woke up early - as expected with UK being 8 hours ahead - and spent the morning wondering north up the strip, going into the “new” Fontainebleau as well as the older Sahara, Strat and West Gate. West Gate had a poker room but only 1 person sitting at a table, so I headed back to Fontainebleau to get some pizza from Miami Slice. Some pics from the walk:
“Alternative” view of RW:
In the afternoon I played my first poker session, at Resorts World. My wife was briefly at the same table as me but she changed as soon as another table was available, and thereafter always played at a different casino to me (she much prefers Wynn and Aria).
Personally, I really like the RW poker room. It’s spacious and clean and allowed me to pop upstairs every hour to top up on my scotch! The only downside would be it doesn’t get as many players as the big rooms, but I must have been lucky, because I never had to wait more than 15 minutes to get a seat during my trip.
RW allow you to buy in for up to $400 at $1-$3, but I always bought in for $300 on this trip, no matter which room I played.
The first session was an easy one: I flopped a set of sixes early on (just missing out on their quad sixes bonus) and later got KK in back-to-back hands and got paid all-in by the same player both times!
I played for 5 hours total and cashed out +$505 for a perfect start to the trip. 😀
[Film picture answers: 1. Godzilla Minus One; 2. Nosferatu; 3. Juror #2; 4. A Real Pain.]
Thanks, appreciate the support!
Day 3 - Sunday 8th June
I always like to have a walk before playing poker: this time I went South, through Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island and then past the old Mirage: now closed for reconstruction into Hard Rock.
The temperature was about 40C / 100F, so when I got to Caesar’s Palace, I decided to end my walk and tried to find their poker room.
I went to the old location and found… slot machines. In the nearby sports area, they had some poker tables… but only for tournaments. Someone gave me directions to the cash tables and I did my very best to follow them.
I went around in circles for 15 minutes without seeing anything remotely resembling a poker table. I was about to give up when I found a small, somewhat cramped, poker room surrounded by shops.
Actually, on this trip I noticed a theme of poker rooms moving away from the casino area: later I found Venetian’s in the Palazzo shopping area and Planet Hollywood’s in the level above the casino floor, next to the convention area.
They had a seat open and I played a short session until I got too hungry and went to find lunch.
I lost a medium-sized pot with KK against a rivered straight. The opponent bet out on the river immediately for $50. I forget the exact board but it wasn't a good one and in a vacuum I'm never good there. However, something about the timing and the way they called out their bet struck me as odd and my curiosity got the better of me, so I paid them off. Oh well...
The only other hand of mine that I recall was when someone straddled UTG to $6 and there were a couple of callers.
I found AJcc in the small blind and raised to $30 with two people calling. I missed the flop but both callers kindly checked out of turn (they must have assumed I was button) to remove any doubt I might have had about c-betting $45 to take it down.
There was also a $700 pot that I wasn’t in, when someone proudly shouted “Top Full House!” when called all in on the river, only to be beaten by a very unlikely straight flush with 58hh. Their expression changed from pride, to confusion, to pain and anger, over the course of about 5 seconds. 
-> 
-> 😮
My result was $65 after 1hr30.
I went over to Miracle Mile to grab a Chipotle for lunch (one of the “healthier” options I could find in Vegas).
After that I tried wandered through Planet Hollywood, casually looking out for the poker area, but couldn’t see it anywhere on the casino floor and instead went to have a quick look at the WSOP areas between Paris and Horseshoe:
I considered playing a cash game at WSOP but I figured the games might not be as soft there. Curious what others have experienced about the WSOP cash games?
So instead I went back to RW and later sat down at their poker room.
My seat didn’t seem that great. In particular, a good player was sitting with $1500 two places to my left, and 4 places to my left was another big stack waiting for the $2/$3 table to open. (In RW, they run a $1/$3 with a $400 cap and a $2/$3 with $800 cap.) They were also straddling and doing bomb pots every dealer change, but I couldn’t flop anything.
The “2/3 player” seemed to have anger management issues. He called the clock on someone when they had been thinking for less than a minute and then 5 minutes later called the dealer "terrible" for not dealing him into a bomb pot, only backing down when the floor was called.
I won a small pot with KK and another small pot with 55 against a guy bluffing with AJ on a 2348T board.
But otherwise it wasn’t a great session. Some notes:
+ I tried bluffing the wrong guy who called with 2nd pair.
+ A woman in her eighties kept 3-betting me!
+ Lost a medium pot with top pair when someone turned two pair.
+ Had QQ I gave up on a AK7 flop.
+ Then I had two pair, someone rivered a flush…
On the plus side, I was making good progress on the whisky I bought at duty free. And a fellow Englishman turned up around 11pm and I had fun joking around with him to the confusion of others at the table.
After 6.5 hours I cashed out. In for $500, out for $275 for a $225 loss.
Day 4 - Monday 9th June
Nursing a slight hangover, I took it easy on day 4. I played a bit of video poker (broke exactly even) and then went to Fashion Show mall to grab some lunch, before coming back to RW to play some poker.
The table had only just opened and it was a quiet/passive game with generally older players, relatively short stacks and limping.
I didn’t have the best start, when I lost KK vs. AA all-in pre-flop. Fortunately they only had around $200 so it could have been worse.
I topped back up to $300 and got into another pot with the same player. I opened for $12 with AQ in late position and got 3 callers. It was an ace high flop (A75 rainbow) and the villain donked for $30. I found that lead strange and decided just to call, with the other two players folding. Turn is a pretty blank T and he leads again for $50. River is a J and he checks it to me. I’m happy to check it back and relieved to see him turn over a weak ace (A3).
A younger player joined the table and I got into an interesting hand with him. I was button and he was BB. There was a limp, I opened to $13 with 77 and the younger player called and the limped called.
Flop is “pretty favourable”: 5♣7♣9♦. Checked to me, I bet $21 and only the younger player called.
Turn is not the best: T♣. He checks to me so I continue for $45 and he calls.
River is Q♥, so board is 579TQ with 3 clubs. He checks to me again and I decide it’s too weak not to value bet my set and go for something a bit on the small side of $65.
He pretty quickly raises all-in for $250 total…
I’m very confident he has me beat, either with a flush or straight so I fold without too much thought.
But he smiles and shows 94 without any clubs, for top pair turned into a check-raise river bluff. Fair play I guess! :S
Down about $300 now, I top up and am in for $600.
Fortunately, a bit later, I doubled up with AA. 🍰
I was all-in pre flop for a pot of $800 against someone’s JJ. I’ve no idea why my opponent wanted to commit 130 big blinds with JJ but I’m very grateful he did. Particularly as there was another player in the hand who folded to the opponent's 4-bet and later claimed he would have flopped quads if the opponent had just called my 3-bet. 😊
If true, it’s the kind of luck that can really make the difference.
After the AA hand, I was on the button with A♦T♦; two players limp and the player directly to my right raises to $25. The bet seemed a bit on the high side for that table, but in position I decide to call and all others fold.
Flop is Q♦J♠5♦ to give me the nut flush draw and a gutshot. Villain c-bets for $30 and I raise to $100. He goes all in for about $250 total so I call.
Turn is blank but we get a ♦diamond on the river and he shows pocket kings.
I’ll take it!
I gave a bit of the profit back before ending the session after 3.5 hours, recovering from being $300 down to finish $273 up.
I then met up with my wife (who had been playing at the Wynn) to go for one of our favourite restaurants in Vegas: Canonita at the Venetian. You get a nice view of the canal/gondolas and the food is excellent. I can also recommend their Mojitos.
Gambling results at the end of day 4:
+$618 from 16.5 hours
+$0 from video poker
The “2/3 player” seemed to have anger management issues. He called the clock on someone when they had been thinking for less than a minute and then 5 minutes later called the dealer "terrible" for not dealing him into a bomb pot, only backing down when the floor was called.
This guy sounds like a dick. I am not sure if I have ever seen anyone call the clock in a cash game during any of my Vegas-trips (and there have been a few).
I topped back up to $300 and got into another pot with the same player. I opened for $12 with AQ in late position and got 3 callers. It was an ace high flop (A75 rainbow) and the villain donked for $30. I found that lead strange and decided just to call, with the other two players folding. Turn is a pretty blank T and he leads again for $50. River is a J and he checks it to me.
Leadouts are almost always weak and/or someone trying to set their own price. That said, with the runout I can understand why you didn't felt like going for value on the river. Maybe raise the flop, bet turn and then check back river would be the best line here.
A younger player joined the table and I got into an interesting hand with him. I was button and he was BB. There was a limp, I opened to $13 with 77 and the younger player called and the limped called.Flop is “pretty favourable”: 5♣7♣9♦. Checked to me, I bet $21 and only the younger player called.Turn is not the best: T♣. He checks to me so I continue for $45 and he calls.River is
Pretty unlucky to run into one of the few players at this level who will turn a showdown-hand into a bluff. I would for sure have played it the same way as you did, and likely bet-folded river unless I had a clear idea of opponent being very tricky & capable (which does not happen often).
Overall I wouldn't sweat it too much, against 99% of the player pool you are not good here when raised.
This guy sounds like a dick. I am not sure if I have ever seen anyone call the clock in a cash game during any of my Vegas-trips (and there have been a few).Leadouts are almost always weak and/or someone trying to set their own price. That said, with the runout I can understand why you didn't felt like going for value on the river. Maybe raise the flop, bet turn and then check
Yes, he busted out shortly after so I'm not really sure what his thought process was. I was pretty relaxed about it though, because it wasn't a marginal decision - it was a pretty easy fold based on past experience and the runout. And of course, it's much easier to process when you come back later in the same session.
Also, I enjoyed your recent TR - thanks for posting!
There was also a $700 pot that I wasn’t in, when someone proudly shouted “Top Full House!” when called all in on the river, only to be beaten by a very unlikely straight flush with 58hh. Their expression changed from pride, to confusion, to pain and anger, over the course of about 5 seconds. -> -> 😮
I love your use of emojis. 😀 Looking forward to the next installment, Don... I mean, Dick!
Leadouts are almost always weak and/or someone trying to set their own price. That said, with the runout I can understand why you didn't felt like going for value on the river. Maybe raise the flop, bet turn and then check back river would be the best line here.
Definitely don't raise flop; that would be a big polarization mistake. I like the way OP played the hand.
I considered playing a cash game at WSOP but I figured the games might not be as soft there. Curious what others have experienced about the WSOP cash games?
Live, low-stakes cash games at the WSOP are, IMO/Experience, pretty soft. I was there a week later (June 14-17), and only stood up from WSOP cash once down any. Had I been more prepared for the ice-box that is the Paris Ballroom, I could have probably stuck that one out for a win, too.
Thanks for taking the time to do the post trip TR!
I love your use of emojis. 😀 Looking forward to the next installment, Don... I mean, Dick!
Definitely don't raise flop; that would be a big polarization mistake. I like the way OP played the hand.
Thanks - good to see another Mad Men fan. 😀
Live, low-stakes cash games at the WSOP are, IMO/Experience, pretty soft. I was there a week later (June 14-17), and only stood up from WSOP cash once down any. Had I been more prepared for the ice-box that is the Paris Ballroom, I could have probably stuck that one out for a win, too.
Thanks for taking the time to do the post trip TR!
How would you compare the WSOP cash games to just a random poker room on the strip? Better/worse or just impossible to tell with a small sample size?
A pretty short update from me today: it's hard to find enough time on a workday, but day 5 was also fairly uneventful.
Day 5 - Tuesday 10th June
This was our last full day at RW, so I decided to try to offset some of the whisky with a short session at the gym. [Spoiler: it was also the only time I went during the trip. I don't have much willpower.]
The gym was fine, maybe a bit on the small side for such a big property.
Other than that, I had a pretty lazy day. I wasted a few hours in the room watching the Counter Strike Major. (Yes, OK, I’m a geek.) 😊
I then wasted $100 on video poker, playing one of the progressive/multiplier/multi-hand versions. (From my grasp of the lingo, you can tell I knew what I was doing!) 😵
I must have been playing GTO at the start because I doubled up to $200, thinking "at least I'll cash out if I drop back down to $100"… but it turns out $7.50 a hand goes quite quickly and my balance went to zero before I remembered to cash out! Lesson learned: don’t be a putz.
I also played a fairly short session of poker at RW in the afternoon.
For most of the time, I had a German to my direct left who told me he had just finished 18th out of 16,000 players in WSOP’s $500 Collossus, cashing for $23k.
(I did check WSOP’s website afterwards and indeed he wasn’t bluffing when he told me that!)
Perhaps not the most ideal seat, but fortunately I didn’t get into any big pots with him.
Sadly, I didn’t take any notes from this session, other than the final tally, which was +$298 after 2.5 hours: putting me up just over $900 from poker for the trip at the halfway point.
I guess it must have been smooth sailing. And it’s so much easier to play well when you're winning: no need to overthink any of the hands.
For our last evening at RW, we had dinner at their flagship Chinese restaurant “Genting Palace”. We were both quite disappointed: I found it super bland and my wife (who is Chinese) said the food wasn’t very authentic. YMMV.
Gambling results at the end of day 5:
+$916 from 19 hours of poker
-$100 from video poker
Live, low-stakes cash games at the WSOP are, IMO/Experience, pretty soft. I was there a week later (June 14-17), and only stood up from WSOP cash once down any. Had I been more prepared for the ice-box that is the Paris Ballroom, I could have probably stuck that one out for a win, too.
Thanks for taking the time to do the post trip TR!
Do what everyone else does - spend 75 bucks on a souvenir WSOP hoodie.
Actually, on the last session (day 5), although I didn’t take notes, I do remember one medium-large hand. I had KK, 3-bet pre, c-bet a Queen-high flop and bet quite big on a turned Ace. (I hated the ace but felt slowing down would be too weak/transparent.) Luckily my opponent tank-folded. On another day they could have AK, AQ or even a flopped set and I’d probably have had a losing session rather than a winning one. Not a super-exciting hand, but it’s the sort of thing you almost take for granted when running well.
Anyway, moving on…
Day 6 - Wednesday 11th June
We checked out of RW. This was our first stay there and I’m not sure we’ll be back but I’m glad we tried it.
As I said in my opening post, I like the poker room and nearby food court. Its location isn’t ideal but it’s not terrible either. The room was clean with a good view.
The other part I like about RW is that their shopping area is super quiet: no queue at Starbucks and places to sit down with nice views if you wanted a break.
In fact, I had an hour to kill before going to our next hotel so I explored the upper floors of the shopping area.
It turns out you can take 4 long escalators up to a huge roof terrace, with no one else in sight, and get almost 360-degree views of Las Vegas.
I definitely recommend having a look if you’re in the area: below are some pictures I took.
The only issue was that it was very hot outside, so after a few minutes, I headed back inside and found a a chair with literally no one within within sight (or earshot) and caught up on some reading:
It seemed appropriate to read an American novel.
We taxied over to Vdara. [Side note: it’s really great that the taxis to / from the airport are now fixed fee. The arguments to try to avoid being long-hauled on previous trips were not fun.]
Vdara is my favourite place to stay in Vegas. It’s connected to both Aria & Bellagio, and since I last came here they’ve also connected it directly to Cosmopolitan via an indoor walkway.
Vdara is also way better value than the casino-hotels in my experience. This time I decided to go for an “executive corner suite” and it was really nice to have a bit more space to relax.
It was also useful to have a kitchen and a desk, because sadly I had to do a bit of work on a couple of the days here. Great view from my new “office” though…
After doing a bit of work, I walked over to the MGM Grand poker room.
Surprisingly MGM still has $1/$2 rather than $1/$3, but it seemed to have either no max buy-in or else “match the stack”, because I saw someone with $700 top up with another $300.
I took down a couple of small pots on the flop by raising with a flush draw.
I also took part in the double-board bomb pots ($6 pre-flop) which happened every dealer change, but without any exciting ones (that would change later in the trip…).
Ended the session +$90 after a couple of hours to meet up for a late dinner. Not a particularly memorable session, but it did bring me past the $1000 profit mark. 😃
We went to Lemongrass, the Thai restaurant at Aria. Always pretty good in my experience.
Also, we ran into Jungleman in the lift (elevator) at Vdara and I said a quick hello.
Gambling results at the end of day 6:
+$1,006 from 21 hours of poker
-$100 from video poker
I topped back up to $300 and got into another pot with the same player. I opened for $12 with AQ in late position and got 3 callers. It was an ace high flop (A75 rainbow) and the villain donked for $30. I found that lead strange and decided just to call, with the other two players folding. Turn is a pretty blank T and he leads again for $50. River is a J and he checks it to me.
For this hand, what do you think his range would be to donk flop?
Obviously weak aces, but what else? 7x? 5x? 86? JJ?
For this hand, what do you think his range would be to donk flop
Obviously weak aces, but what else 7x 5x 86 JJ
It's difficult for me to range him, because I would very rarely donk in that situation. I prefer to check-call with a weak ace personally, or maybe try for a check-raise sometimes. But I'd probably prefer to do it with an OESD (ideally with a backdoor flush draw) like 46 or 68.
Day 7 - Thursday 12th June
Now I have a kitchen (and a kettle) I can finally get my morning tea. 😊
Unfortunately I had to do a bit of work to start the day, but after grabbing lunch I decided to walk to the far south of the strip.
In particular, I knew Mandalay Bay still has a poker room, and the last time I was here (back in 2014!), I had one of my better sessions, including flopping a set of aces and having someone go all in against me.
As it happened, this was probably my favourite session of the trip. 
In the first hand I saw (I wasn't in it), someone went all in on the river with 7 high and got called. The board was 5♦8K♦2K and the bluffer had a missed combo draw with 6♦7♦. He was tank-called with AK for a pot of $900.
I profited by about $50 in the first pot I played, when I called someone’s AJ with my AQ on a board of 24682. He raised pre, bet flop, checked turn and bluffed river. But for whatever reason I was pretty confident my hand was good (just!).
My first big pot was as follows:
UTG+1 ($250) opened for $7 (it was only $1/$2 at Mandalay Bay so you sometimes saw small opens).
CO ($400) called and I also called on the button with A♠3♠ ($350) and the blinds both fold. (If it had been a bit later in the session, I’d probably have raised, but I like to start off a bit slow until I’m comfortable at the table.)
Flop is 4♠8♦T♠, giving me the nut flush draw.
UTG+1 continues for $13 and CO calls. I considered raising but again played passive and just called.
Turn is a blank K♣.
UTG+1 and CO both check and I decide to take the free card (again, a raise is probably better in general).
River is a beautiful 5♠ to give me the nuts.
UTG+1 bets $25, CO raises to $80 and I re-check my cards to make sure I’m not imagining this…!😮
I then go all in for $320.
UTG+1 calls and CO says “I can’t be good here, but I have a jack high flush” and mucks his cards.
UTG+1 mucks but said he had a smaller flush, which I’m pretty sure is true. He might even have shown it to his neighbour, but I didn’t see it.
Taking them at their word, I rivered the nut flush against two other flushes, which is just PERFECT. Like the title of this thread says, I was definitely a luckbox this trip.
Stack shortly after this pot:
The next big pot came when UTG+2 opened to $12 and UTG+3 called.
I looked down at QQ in UTG+4. At least 80% of the time I raise here, but for whatever reason I decided to call. I think in position it isn’t terrible to call here sometimes, but I’m happy for people to flame away! 😊
All others fold and we see a flop of JJ6. UTG+2 checks, UTG+3 bets $25 and I call.
UTG+2 folds and we see a blank 5 on the turn.
UTG+3 checks and I check back.
River is another J, so the board reads JJ65J.
UTG+3 bets $50 and I raise to $125. He tank-calls and we are good. He mucks but later claimed TT which would make sense.
Updated stack:
I won a few small/medium pots after this. The only one I noted was when I had TT and opened pre-flop for $12. Opponent donked $20 on an Ace high flop and I raised to $55 and the opponent folded.
But basically I couldn’t lose a pot this session.
Updated chipstack:
I witnessed another noteable hand that I wasn’t in. On the river, the board showed 2T345 and three players were all in for a pot of around $1000. Two players had a 6 for the straight and the third player scooped with 67o. :shocked:
I guess there was another luckbox at the table!
And at the only other $1/$2 table running at Mandalay, I heard screaming as someone took the $2300 promotion when he flopped a full house with pocket fours. (I think you need to flop a full house with a specific pocket pair and they rotate which pair each day.)
I finally cashed out +$764 after just under 4 hours.
Random pic in Luxor on my walk back:
I finished the day with a nice meal at Aria’s Chinese restaurant “Blossom”. Another one of our favourites from previous trips.
Oh, I also won $6 at video poker.
Gambling results at the end of day 7:
+$1,770 from 25 hours of poker
-$94 from video poker
In particular, I knew Mandalay Bay still has a poker room, and the last time I was here (back in 2014!), I had one of my better sessions, including flopping a set of aces and having someone go all in against me.
My previous two Vegas trips (and my only Vegas trips) also had a 11-year gap between them (2013 and 2024). :shocked:
River is a beautiful 5♠ to give me the nuts.
UTG+1 bets $25, CO raises to $80 and I re-check my cards to make sure I’m not imagining this…! 😮
I have the urge to re-check my cards sometimes, but I've been able to resist it in recent years. I remember a hand from a little while ago (not in Vegas) where I knew I had AKo and a flush on a 4-flush run-out but didn't know for certain if I held the A♦ or the K♦. Peeking at my hole cards again might have made the villain more inclined to fold to my bet. I might be wrong, though.
I looked down at QQ in UTG+4. At least 80% of the time I raise here, but for whatever reason I decided to call. I think in position it isn’t terrible to call here sometimes, but I’m happy for people to flame away! ��
That is a 3bet all day!
My previous two Vegas trips (and my only Vegas trips) also had a 11-year gap between them (2013 and 2024). :shocked:
Sorry, my wording was ambiguous: according to my records, it was 11 years since I last played at Mandalay Bay. I’ve been to Vegas a few times since then, although I am going to Vegas less often than I used to.
What keeps you from going back? Do you play poker elswhere?
I have the urge to re-check my cards sometimes, but I've been able to resist it in recent years. I remember a hand from a little while ago (not in Vegas) where I knew I had AKo and a flush on a 4-flush run-out but didn't know for certain if I held the A♦ or the K♦. Peeking at my hole cards again might have made the villain more inclined to fold to my bet. I might be wrong, though
I used to worry about things like re-checking my cards, e.g. when there are three cards of one suit on the board you’re checking to see if you have any. But to be honest, I don’t think it is much of a tell and I don’t worry about that any more. Particularly as you get older, you might need to have another look to remember what the hell you have! 😊
In general, I think/hope I’m harder to read, simply because the outcome of one hand just doesn’t matter to me as much as it did when I was young.
Oh, for sure. But you can’t argue with the results! Haha.
I don’t pretend to be a good player (and happy for people to jump in and tell me where I go wrong), but I do tend to note some of my stranger hands, and often ones that I’ve played a bit different to usual. In this hand, if I 3-bet and they both fold then there’s nothing to report.
Onto the next update…
Day 8 - Friday 13th June
Friday the thirteenth… will this be unlucky for me or my opponents? 😮
Fortunately I didn’t have to do any work, and I also knew that I hadn’t played that much poker over the previous 3 days (less than 9 hours in total).
So I determined to play a bit more on this day, and ended up playing 3 sessions, each in a different casino.
For my first session, I wanted to try out the new room at Planet Hollywood.
This time, I tried a bit harder to find it and saw signs pointing up an escalator to the floor above the casino.
At first glance, it didn’t look that promising. I could see a big lobby and signs to convention centre rooms.
But I found the poker room before long and it looked really nice: big, clean and lots of space between the tables.
The only issue was perhaps related to its new location: there were hardly any players.
I took these pics later on when it was a bit busier:
Main area:
Tournament overflow area:
It was early in the afternoon and I had to wait 30-40 minutes for enough players to turn up to start a cash table. (There were some players for their daily tournament though.)
The players were quite active, with a few button straddles. And even without straddles, people were typically opening to $15 or $20 which is on the high side for $1/$3.
I witnessed an early all in with AA vs. KK vs. TT (aces held) but fortunately I didn’t have a playable hand myself and avoided the carnage.
It was the sort of table that if you could hit some hands you could get plenty of value from them. And the poker gods did not let me down.
My first decent pot was when I had KK and won a medium-sized pot against someone’s AQ.
I then proceeded to flop a set in twice within - literally - three hands. 🍰
In the first of these, my opponent flopped top pair with KQ and all the money was in by the turn: they had zero outs. 😃
In the second, my opponent was all in on the flop and didn’t show their hand but they were fairly short-stacked.
Just crazy luck, particularly on top of the previous session at Mandalay the day before. Poker is super easy if you can keep flopping sets and have them hold. 😊
Chip stack after the two sets:
All of this happened in the first half of the session.
Although I was fairly active in the rest of the session, there weren’t too any big pots: if anything people seemed to want to avoid the player with the big stack who flopped sets at will, so I typically got folds from my c-bets.
Getting hungry, I finally cashed out +$791 after a bit over 3 hours.
This is a pic from towards the end when I’d finished building my “cube of reds”:
I’ll continue "Friday the 13th" in my next post, hopefully tomorrow.
Sorry, my wording was ambiguous: according to my records, it was 11 years since I last played at Mandalay Bay. I’ve been to Vegas a few times since then, although I am going to Vegas less often than I used to.
What keeps you from going back? Do you play poker elswhere?
A combination of things: I'm not that fond of long flights, there are other destinations I haven't been to yet that I want to visit first, Vegas is pretty expensive, and there have been times (months, years even) when I didn't feel like playing poker at all. I've played in Prague and a couple of other European cities, but I have to admit: when it comes to live poker, nothing beats Vegas.
My previous two Vegas trips (and my only Vegas trips) also had a 11-year gap between them (2013 and 2024). :shocked:I have the urge to re-check my cards sometimes, but I've been able to resist it in recent years. I remember a hand from a little while ago (not in Vegas) where I knew I had AKo and a flush on a 4-flush run-out but didn't know for certain if I held the A♦ or the K♦.
I always re-peek when I have Ax suited and the 3rd of the suit hits the board. If the 4th of the suit doesn't come out they usually think you missed.
How much was the Vdara room? I've never stayed there because they won't comp you with no casino.
How much was the Vdara room? I've never stayed there because they won't comp you with no casino.
Disclaimer, not OP.
It's still an MGM property, so as long as you play on MGM properties you will get good offers at Vdara too.
I stayed there in 2023, and thought the room (had a Parlor Suite) was excellent. Some of the funiture is starting to look a little bit dated, but it's super spacious and the bathroom is top notch.
lovely to read through a (so far) seamess winning TR!
I'm also a fan of Vdara. I didn't get a deal as I don't gamble but it's the cheapest of the premium MGM properties and I like it the most given the fridge, kitchen and how quiet it is
A combination of things: I'm not that fond of long flights, there are other destinations I haven't been to yet that I want to visit first, Vegas is pretty expensive, and there have been times (months, years even) when I didn't feel like playing poker at all. I've played in Prague and a couple of other European cities, but I have to admit: when it comes to live poker, nothing be
Yes, I can relate. I used to go to Vegas every year. But I don't go as often now. (I went for my first time in 2010, then 2014 (twice!), 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 and now 2025.)
When I first went, hotel rooms were cheap for what you got. Now I think they are reasonable rather than cheap. And every year they seem to come up with a new hidden fee.
But on the other hand, I've yet to hear a convincing answer on a good alternative poker holiday. We have several poker rooms in London (UK) but I don't go there very often as the atmosphere isn't as fun.
How much was the Vdara room? I've never stayed there because they won't comp you with no casino.
All in (i.e. including the resort fee and taxes), my room was $375 per night. The standard room was probably $100 less than this.
Which doesn't sound cheap, but this was 4 nights, 2 of which were Friday and Saturday. And in general all hotels were pretty expensive over this period.
FWIW, I tend to compare lots of hotels and also try different offers - either ones linked to my MGM account, or often using codes from the SmarterVegas website.
The other thing is to check again after booking and re-book if the prices go down. I saved about $100 a night on Resorts World by re-booking.
lovely to read through a (so far) seamess winning TR!
I'm also a fan of Vdara. I didn't get a deal as I don't gamble but it's the cheapest of the premium MGM properties and I like it the most given the fridge, kitchen and how quiet it is
Nice to hear, thanks!
Yes, even the standard Vdara room has a kitchen and dining table. So I would rate them higher than any other standard room on the strip. My wife prefers Wynn though so YMMV!
Thanks for posting. Glad you are running (ran -- so far) well. I love having a kitchen in my room, and we always stay at a Hilton Grand, so it's always available.
Do you and your wife spend any time together besides dinners? What does she play?
My husband and I go to Vegas together a few times a year, and we tend to stay together almost the whole time -- including at the tables 😉 (We play PLO, and it's hard to find multiple tables sometimes -- or you have a must-move and a main. We play just as hard against each other as against anyone else, and we show our cards so they know we aren't full of it.)
Disclaimer, not OP.
It's still an MGM property, so as long as you play on MGM properties you will get good offers at Vdara too.
I stayed there in 2023, and thought the room (had a Parlor Suite) was excellent. Some of the funiture is starting to look a little bit dated, but it's super spacious and the bathroom is top notch.
Good to know even though I have little MGM play on my card. I was planning on doing a card status match on my final leg of the WSOP this year, but didn't make it.
But on the other hand, I've yet to hear a convincing answer on a good alternative poker holiday. We have several poker rooms in London (UK) but I don't go there very often as the atmosphere isn't as fun.
California cardrooms have action aplenty, but that can be a negative too, when you have to wait multiple hours for a seat. There's not the Vegas-type distractions either, or at least not near the poker rooms. The SoCal are sorta in the ghetto as well.
MGM Signature are condotels so they have kitchens too, just in miniature.
Thanks for posting. Glad you are running (ran -- so far) well. I love having a kitchen in my room, and we always stay at a Hilton Grand, so it's always available.Do you and your wife spend any time together besides dinners What does she play My husband and I go to Vegas together a few times a year, and we tend to stay together almost the whole time -- including at the tables 😉
Thanks! I remember enjoying your trip reports back when i used to come on here more often. In fact, that reminds me to try and catch up on some of them...
To answer your question, we tend to only meet up for dinners and the occasional lunch. But we're also both late-risers (I won't use the word "lazy" 😃), so spend the morning together in the hotel.
We both play poker but she doesn't like to play at the same table as me. I suspect because when she first started she was a beginner and was worried about me judging her - either way, I guess it puts more pressure on.
To be perfectly honest, the luckiest I've ever been in poker is when worked with her and invited her to one of my monthly poker games, and she said "yes". ♥
The other thing is that I've always liked going for a walk and trying out the smaller rooms (I miss Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Linq etc.), whereas she only likes Aria and the Wynn. Partly - I think - because they tend to have more female players in those rooms and also because they are a bit classier.
California cardrooms have action aplenty, but that can be a negative too, when you have to wait multiple hours for a seat. There's not the Vegas-type distractions either, or at least not near the poker rooms. The SoCal are sorta in the ghetto as well.
Yeah, it's not that appealing. I did wonder about Foxwoods once... maybe some nice walks? But only one poker room to choose from.
Onto the report...
Day 8 - Friday 13th June - Part 2
While I was grabbing an early dinner (Chipotle, where else could it be?), my wife sent me a pic of her chipstack at Wynn:
She finished that session +$684 to put her back into profit for the trip. 😃
After food, I walked down to MGM to find a game.
There was a seat open, but lots of short stacks and one rather annoying drunk guy.
I decided to see how it went for a while (I very rarely table change – only once this whole trip I think.)
And to be fair, I was also drinking, though hopefully not being quite as annoying.
The first notable hand was a double-board bomb pot.
I was dealt pocket deuces and 8 players put $6 each to see the flops.
I flopped a set on one of the boards. (My third flopped set of the day.)
I forget the exact boards, but neither board was paired, with no flush or straight possible (at least not yet!).
First to act checked, second to act - short stacked - put his remaining $50 in.
I was next to act and called.
Then 3 other players also put chips in: two players to my left both went all in for something like $60 and $75 each, and the only other decent stack (first to act) called too.
(Not allowed to raise) I of course put in the $25 more and we see two turns.
On the board on which I had a set, the turn looked pretty blank, and on the other board I turned another set!
So, a set on both boards, which sounds a bit like a magic trick to me.
The other player checked and I put him all in for his remaining $210 or so. I figured there’s no way I’m behind him on both boards so let’s get the rest of the money in now.
-> Curious what more experienced bomb pot players think about this? (Maybe you need the exact boards to know for sure.)
He called so we now had a 5-way all-in pot with two boards.
Both rivers looked “ok” to me and we all flipped over our cards.
This is where it got complicated, and I actually had to help the dealer sort out all the side pots because the poor guy was struggling to remember who was in which and who had won/halved each pot!
...It took about 5 minutes to sort out.
It turned out that I had scooped the $420 side pot, with my opponent having AK for a top pair on one board and a busted gutshot on the other (seems kind of bad for him to call on the turn?)
I also halved the next side pot for another $15 but the rest got split 3 ways, with a rivered flush for the shortest stack player, and two other shortstacks having a turned/rivered straight on one board each.
The other hand of note was when I limped for $2 in late position with 6♦9♦ after a player in MP also limped.
The small blind completed and big blind checked.
The flop was 7♦3♣5♦ to give me flush draw and double-gutted straight draw.
Checked to me, I bet $5 and the other limper called.
Turn brought… 8♦ for the straight flush.
Haha!
The other player was super short-stacked and went all in for his remaining $30 or so and of course I called.
I wasn’t paying too much attention to what he had but I think it was two-pair.
Whilst it would have been lovely if he’d had more chips, I was perfectly happy, particularly as MGM has high hand bonuses and I got an additional $250: $150 for a 9-high straight flush and another $100 for the high hand of that half-hour.
There was another bomb pot later, where I flopped nothing but 3 players got it all in. Seems like a good way to generate action!
No other hands of note for me though, and I stopped after just under 3 hours to join my wife at Aria's Din Tai Fung for a late "second dinner".
This was a pic towards the end of the session: I finished up exactly $500, half of it from the high hand bonuses.
I got to Ding Tai Fung just in time for their last orders at 10pm and got a round of dumplings and a whisky cocktail to keep me going:
My wife hurried to get back to her evening session at Aria (having played in Wynn earlier in the day), and I figured: “F**k it, let’s keep this day rolling” and took the short walk to Bellagio.
I got a seat almost immediately, but in the sportsbook area rather than the main room.
I know this is stretching credulity, but in my very first hand I flopped another set (4th of the day, or 5th if you include the turned set on the second board in the bomb pot).
The big stack on the button opened to $15 after one limper.
I called in the BB with 99 and the limped completed.
Flop was something like Q95 rainbow and it checked to the button who bet $30.
I raised to $125, limper folded and button called.
Turn was a blank (something like a 4) and I go all in for my remaining $160.
Button looked a bit annoyed and folded. I’ll take it!
There was an old dude who was wasted and kept rebuying for $100 and doing things like going all in with jack high on the flop, but his money went to the other players.
After half an hour they moved us to the main room.
The downside to this was it was extremely smoky there. I don’t generally mind the smell of cigarettes/cigars, but it was so strong even I found it annoying.
I won a few small pots with c-bets or outright bluffs and had chipped up a bit more.
But it was past midnight, I’m old, and I decided to call it a day.
...+$215 after not much more than an hour.
That put me $1,500 up for the day and over $3k for the trip.
What can I say? I just ran ridiculously good. 😊 It was surreal.
In fact, it was probably as well as I’d run since late 2005, when I was playing the nightly $16.50 MTTs on Pacific Poker (later renamed 888poker).
The field each night was around 2,000 runners and I finished 3rd one night for $600 and then 1st the very next night for $2,500... the good old days of online poker. 😀
Oh, and when I got back to the hotel room, my wife reported a win from her Aria session to put her about $1k up for the day. 😃
Gambling results at the end of day 8:
+$3,276 from 32 hours of poker
-$94 from video poker
Cripes, who needs a tournament? You're winning at cash games like they were a tournament!
