Vegas 07, Damon Goes on a steamer and so do I, plus misfits, making deals, and Missippi Straddles. Part 1

Vegas during the WSOP is a crazy place. A lot of players are walking around with loads of cash. People are plucking down money on tournaments like it is going out of style. As an example one WSOP event at The Rio drew 3100 participants for a $1500 NL tourney. 5000 people started the $10,000 main event on Friday and while all this was going on The Venetian was drawing hundreds of participants for it's $1000 and $500 twice daily tourneys. The byproduct of all this action was that to play any decent tourneys was going to cost a bundle which was more than I felt comfortable with. Tourneys with a good structure had a minimum of $330 buy-in. I did end up playing 3 tourneys, 1 satellite to a $500 tourney at the Venetian and a SNG at The Mirage with no cashes.

2 $62 tourneys at The Sahara which I must say is the most miserable Poker Room in existence. The felt on the tables is made of green canvas, there is 1 waitress for over 150 players. The ceiling is about 8 feet high with bare florescent bulbs. The people there looked like something out of a trailer park nightmare. Missing teeth, bad toupees and broken dreams of making it in Vegas as a poker player. The one thing that I liked about it was the final table railing. While I was getting ready to begin my 11:00PM tourney there was a final table in progress with about 40 people behind the rail watching. If you could call it watching, they were practically participants. I heard people screaming,"Go all in", "Call", "he's bluffing", and then what I still do not understand they started canting "Chop, Chop, Chop". With 1st place paying over $3000 it seemed more like a home game than a Vegas tourney but it was fun. I went deep in one of them when I was all-in with QQ and ran into 77 with a 7 on the flop

$120 11:00PM tourney at Ceasers Palace that had 220 participants with a $6000 first place prize. I went semi deep making it in to the 4th or 5th level with 30 minute blinds. I like the longer blinds than the typical 20 minute blinds in AC, but they gave us only 2500 in chips. I got down to around 90 players when 55 could not beat AK on an all-in. The room is very nice and I was able to use my Showboat card to register for the tourney since they are both part of Harrah's and Ceasers being by far there premiere property.

$115 SNG at The Mirage. The Mirage has a beautiful room second only to the Venetian. It reminded me a lot of The Bellagio. First place in the SNG paid $700 and second place paid $300. I bubbled out in 3rd with the blinds 200/400 and 75 antes. I'm in the BB, Button folds, SB who has me outstacked raises to 1200, I go over the top for about 4000 with 99. He calls with JTs and said "it is a race". Was there any doubt? I do not know what he was thinking, but if my hand held up I would have crippled him and had a good chance of winning 1st place, but that was not to be because a 10 came on the flop. This was the the theme of my tourney play for my visit. I just could not win any races.

I finished in 4th place in a Satellite SNG at The Venetian for their $500 tourney. 2 players get a seat in the $500 tourney and some cash. It was a $130 buy-in. I ended up in 4th. The Venetian is my favorite room in Vegas. It is to Vegas as The Borgata is to AC, a big luxurious room with plenty of action. I spent most of my time there at the 1/2 tables but more about that in part 2.