Married Life

Ok so i havent posted for a little while but I do have a good excuse. Nancy and I got married on Wed 26th March at The Little Chapel of the West. Some might say it was about time we got married but I guess we got there in the end.

I hadnt mentioned anything about us getting married before on the blog as she sometimes reads the blog and the wedding was a suprise. She knew we were getting married im not that brave. We had been engaged for 2 years and with us both moving out to Vegas the sooner we got married the better to help move the visa application along as we both now have the same name. The plan was for us to just go to one of the wedding chapels downtown and do a walkthrough quicky wedding just the 2 of us and then months down the line we could do a 2nd ceromony for family to enjoy.

Now im not one for attention im quite happy for the world to go by without the spotlight being shone too brightly on me. Sometimes though you just need to swallow hard and accept that you will be the centre of attention. So without Nancy knowing i was emailing around both families to get the wedding arranged. Once I knew who was avalible to attend I put the date in concrete and started to confirm the plans. Nancys parents moved home to Ireland from England 2 years ago. I had real trouble getting them flights as it was Easter week and Virgin were fully booked the whole week so in the end they flew on Contenental from Shannon to Newerk then on to Vegas. My parents live in Virginia but my dad was away on business so he flew in from Montreal via Cleveland and my mum and younger sister flew in from Bristol Tennesse. So in the end 7 of us made it to the Chapel on Wed and I have had a house full for over a week now. My younger brother couldnt get leave from the Airforce and my elder sister works for Air NewZealand so she was on flight somewhere. Nancys sister and family couldnt attend either but 7 was a good number for me. The important people were there and not too many in total.

Ok so ive got that sorted next we need a wedding license, well thats no problem as Nancy knows we are getting married. So we go downtown to get our license. The place is a zoo there must of been 20 people outside pushing flyers in your face saying how great there Chapel is and if you get married by us we will do this for you. We just laughed and at least we knew we had the right place. Rings again this wasnt too hard as I knew what size her ring finger was and I knew the style she wanted so I went out and got both rings arranged although I didnt confirm till later when she was with me. The Chapel i had all sorted and booked I even did a god job with the flowers so I have been told.

So everything is sorted apart from her wedding dress. This I dare not touch but she will have a week with her mother and future mother-in-law to get this sorted. Well its now Tuesday and her parents are arriving so how do I get her to the airport to meet them I dont wanna ruin the suprise. I tell her that a poker buddy is flying in and we are going to pick him up from the airport and drive him to his hotel. That works and we get to the airport. Check the screens and see where the baggage reclaim is and we are ready. Im on constant alert waiting for them to come down the escalator. Nancy has no interest in looking at the end of the day she has never met this guy before and therefore there is no point in looking. I spot them walking towards us, so I take Nancy by the hand and we start walking towards them. All of a sudden when we are about 4 steps apart she spots them and the tears arrive. She gives them both hugs in turn and when she is finished she comes back over to me and hits me then gives me a hug.

My family arrive the next day and Nancy is filled in on all the suprises and knows all the timings of what needs doing by when. So with 7 of us in the house and the wedding a few days off we had some entertaining to do. My parents had been to Vegas several times before but Nancys hadnt so we hit the strip and did plenty of walking as we hit all the casinos. Its amazing how much of it all I now take for granted and just walk straight past without giving it a 2nd glance. You need to be with someone seeing it for the first time to really notice it again.

We saw the Blue Man Group at the Venetian loved by all and Ka at the MGM. This is now my fav Cirque Du Soilel. I have seen them all except Zumanity at New York New York. We took them to the Red Rock so they could see where I play at my local casino we had the buffet there and at the Bellagio. We went for a long scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon this place really is amazing if you take the time to get away from the strip and see the real beauty of the place. We went up the Eiffel Tower, Nancy hates heights but she came up for a little while. Its def worth having a look its worth the $7. Plus a million and one other things that you just have to do when your in Vegas.

So wedding day arrive and as my mum will tell you we missed out on a few traditions. Such as I did see my bride to be the night before the wedding but I left the house in the morning before she put on her wedding dress. We also did without the stag and hen doos. So I arrive at the chapel first Nancy is coming down with the 2 fathers. My mum signs as witness and I pay my $50 minister fee/tip which is compulsory. Kim and Christina 2 friends that Nancy has made since being here arrived so the wedding party was now at 9. All the flowers looked great and now we just had the wait for the bride. She arrived bang on 3pm and look beyond stunning in her dress. A few photos later and we were in the chapel with me stood at the front awaiting my bride. The organ music started everybody stood and my bride walked down the aisle with her dad arm in arm. The ceromony passed in a second it felt with the 2 of us smiling and laughing. At one point I was laughing as the minister had said about us giving and loving and sharing and recieving and all i could think about was Joey from Friends we he married Chandler and Monica. I had no trouble with the vows but it was a struggle putting the ring on her finger and she had to help me out a little.

As expected we had none stop photos at the chapel and for the rest of the day on from there. We had pics taken there then at the Las Vegas sign at the Bellagio fountains, the Venetian canal and the waterfall at the Wynn where we were having dinner. Throughout the day we had people coming over to us to wish is well and to congratulate us. We had some people by us drinks when we were in the Bellagio and in the Wynn. We also heard some great comments through the day such as "I give it 6 months" one guy shook me by the hand and told me "how well i had done for myself and that i was batting above my average" but i think my favourite comment was as we walked out of the Wynn we walked past a couple and the guy turned to the girl and said a few more drinks and that could be us.

So a couple days on a life is good being Mr and Mrs Jim Mcshane. Nothing is really any different apart from the fact i have a ring on my finger. I have never worn a ring before so its a strange feeling and im very conscious that its there. I guess ask me again in a couple month what its like being married and ill be able to tell you more then. We did have a running joke in the wedding photos that we are the exception to the rule as my parents have been married 36 years and Nancys 43 years so my only wish is that we last as long as they have.

More later but thats more than enough for now. My sister left this morning and the rest go over the weekend so I can get back to normal and try to make some money on the tables to pay for it all. Oh and sorry to Kev for not turning on the webcam inside the chapel

The Las Vegas Sunshine

Well today the forecast is to hit the 80s for the first time since we have been here. I have been hearing about all the storms back home and I must say I havent missed it one little bit. Im not a fan of the cold and rain and I must say the weather we have had so far has been near perfect for me. Im not sure how comfortable ill be when the weather hits 120 but for now all is good.

We sleep with the blinds open in the bedroom and its so good waking up every morning to natural sunlight. Im up at 8am every morning at time which I used to go to bed at when back in England. I get up feed the cat open the patio doors and have my breakfast outside on the patio.

The Red Rock is holding a $500,000 freeroll in April all you have to do is play 75 hours in any cash game to qualify during the first 3 months of the year. The winner gets $70,000 and you get $100 just for qualifying so this on top of the $150,000 bad beat jackpot it really is a great value room to play in.

I was playing the Red Rock yesterday trying to up my hours. I have logged nearly 40 hours in there now and need to get to 75 by the end of the month. I have been playing short sessions in there so far and need a couple of long ones before the end of the month.

I had planned to have a long session there yesterday but it was going so well that I decided to bank a good win a leave early. Bankroll management v Hours played kinda battle. So I sat down with $1k and I was up to $2800 I had sent Nancy a text to come pick me up when this hand occurd. Im utg and i find KK. I decide to limp as we had a lively table i was expecting a raise from round the back I could reraise and take it down there and then. Of course the raise doesnt come and we have 7 people seeing the flop. The flop comes down KhQcJc now what do I do. The sb leads out for $30 the bb calls. I make it $100. They pass around to the button who makes it $400 to play with $300 behind. The sb now moves all for $1022 total, bb mucks and action is on me. I have $922 to call and assuming that the button is going to call there is a pot of about $1800. Im about 2-1 against to house up so im getting my odds to make the call. Im a bit worried that not all of my outs are there though. Then Nancy walks in, ok well im leaving just swallow the $100 in the pot if it pairs so be it oh well. Im stood up and the 3 guys to my left all see my cards so they are stood up away from the table discussing what I should do. Then as im about to fold I here the button and the small blind say well we have the same hand then. Ok so my outs are good and i guess i can claim backdoor clubs for an extra 4%. If I call an miss its still an $800 profit if I hit then im at the cashdesk cashing out nearly $5000. Ok I call. Of course I miss but its the right call knowing my outs are good. I ran it on a poker calculator when I got home and it turns out im 41% to win the pot. With hindsight I wish I had mucked forget the fact that I missed. I was $1800 in front and about to leave in an unraised pot I shouldnt of gone broke in this hand but anyway we live and learn. The suprising thing about the hand is I assumed hey both had A10 it turns out they both had 9 10. Its shocking really that the sb moves in for $1022 with 910 considering all the action that went on but thats the standard im up against. So its back to the Red Rock today to book more hours.

Ill be watching the Liverpool - Inter Milan game first and then go to the casino after Lunch. Ill play all afternoon, Nancy will pick me up sometime in the evening I think we are out for dinner tonight and then home watch some tv see whats been happening in the internet world and then bed before midnight. I thought this was supposed to be sin city the city that never sleeps, well why am i in bed before midnight every night.

Not that im complaining, getting a full nights sleep everynight is doing wonders for me, im sleeping the same times every night I eat at the right times of the day and im in the warmth and sunshine of Las Vegas. I def feel more healthy since being out here. Ok im not running marathons but I have shed a couple of pounds and feel better than when back home.

Talking of health I guess I should give an update on my sister. In a way I have forgotten all about her health scare. To see or speak to her you wouldnt know anything had happened. She is back to 100% and she is prob in better shape than she was before. The docs have given her a clean bill of health and touch wood we can put it all behind us.

I got an email from my removals company just over a week ago informing me that my container was to be returned to the UK upon arrival this Friday at customs in the states. The first thing I spoke to my removal company about before taking them on was what paperwork did I require to get all our belongings over to the states. I filled in all the paperwork they told me I needed and the container was on its way. So why the email, whats going on? why will it be returned? I choose to ignore my people in the UK and decide to get in contact with my people in the US. After a lot of phone calls and emails all my paperwork is now in order and my container arrives in the states on Friday. Im told it should go through, but im not counting my chickens. Its 90% plus to go through so fingers crossed. The next problem will be when it all arrives. The container will be unloaded, most of it will stay wrapped and in the garage and we will just move it on again when we buy our new house.

Thanks for all the feedback I have been getting I have a counter at the bottom of the blog and it just hit 1000 hits. I only put the counter on the blog when I got to Vegas so 1000 hits in 3 weeks sounds pretty good to me. If anyone has any tips to help the techno parts of the blog let me know.

Another Week on

So another week down and another hire car returned to Avis at the airport. We will be leasing a car soon but just have to wait another couple weeks as we don't have a credit rating yet. I have been driving more and more but it still seems really strange driving on the wrong side of the road. I have to concentrate really hard when i arrive at a junction not not turn onto oncoming traffic.

The poker this week has been tough and I have suffered a few loses 1/2 due to getting my big pairs cracked and 1/2 due to me calling raises and reraises preflop when I know im behind. The standard is so low on the most part that I try to win every pot I enter. I have to remember that they will be another pot along in a minute and to be more patient. Over the last couple of days I have recouped my loses by tightening up and controlling the pots i'm in. The other thing I have been doing is leaving the table at the right time. Not staying to long in order to lose my winnings back.

I have also mixed up my venues a bit by playing the Venetian, Red Rock, Wynn and Bellagio. Im not a fan of the Bellagio poker room or of the people that work there. The staff all seem arrogant an the atmosphere in the room just isnt the same as other cardrooms on the strip. It seems like the staff are more important rather than the players. So I played my first session in the Bellagio since the move as I was meeting up with Simon Galloway who was over and staying in the Bellagio. While I was playing in the cash game Simon was playing in the $500 daily tournament. He has won a sat into the tourney in the morning and went on to win the comp and picking up nearly $6k from his $130 spent. Well played Simon.

I played the Red Rock this afternoon and collected a nice little win and I was out the door in less than 2 hrs. I have really started to work out how to play in this room. It is quite amazing the difference between each of the different poker rooms in Vegas. Already I had a reputation as an action player and as being loose and that I bluff a lot. Now though I have my timing a lot better and have picked my spots a lot better.

I have been only playing cash so far since I have been here but as im spending more time around the rooms im listening to comments made around the table regarding which of the tournys around town are the best value and the softest.

I took Simon up to the Red Rock one night to show him around. Its about a $30 cab ride from the strip and id advise anyone to visit if they get a chance. Along with Nancy we had a great meal at the expensive but high quality night out in T Bones. Im sure there will be plenty of other visitors from the UK that will enjoy a night out at T Bones, Jeff Buffenbarger and Julian Thew come to mind. It will take Julian an hour just look through the wine list.

So the weekend is now upon is and im watching Chelsea getting beat by Barnsley in the FA cup. So after Liverpool(my team) winning and Man Utd getting beat its already been a great start to the day. As soon as the football is finished ill be off down to the strip to meet all the tourists and to spend a full day playing. Ill prob start in the Venetian but as Simon is going home after the weekend ill prob go meet him in the Bellagio at some point. I havent played the MGM yet or Ceasers on this trip so I might have a look in there too.

Mountain Views

Some pictures for you of the view from the top of our road. The Red Rock Nature Reserve is less than a mile from our house and the scenery is amazing. Its not like driving around Romford in Feb or March.

Wynn Poker Classic

So we all move on to the next casino. For the last 3 weeks the Venetian had been by far the busiest cardroom on the strip, but now the room is quiet and the action is a lot slower. The bandwagon has moved onto the equally beautiful and grand Wynn. The poker room at the Wynn is quite small considering how popular is room is. Im not sure how many tables they have so ill have to count next time im in.

So on Thursday i decided to go along to the Wynn and see what the action was like. I have never been a great fan of the Wynn in the past and it was maybe 18 months since I last played there. The reason why I hadnt been there for such a long time is that on my last visit I sat in the $2/$5 game and sat with $5oo and a guy comes to the table and sits down with $50,000. How crazy is that there is no cap in any of the games in the Wynn and sometimes you see some over the top stacks and often more than one. I heard the other day there was over $200k on one $2/$5 table with 3 guys each having over $50k each.

So I walk through the Wynn arrive at the cardroom and ask for a $2/$5 game, there were 5 games in progress and 9 players on the list. I discover an open seat in the $1/$3 game so I join this game while im waiting. Sitting in this game can be so confusing. They play with $3 chips. If someone raises some of the dealers will annonce 6 chips to play instead of saying $18 to play. Also when players are either betting raising or calling they confuse themselves and it can through off a lot of your tells into what they are thinking.

So after a couple of circuits of the table my seat becomes avalible in the game i was looking for. I exchange my $3 chips at the cage for the $5 chips i need for my new game. The avalible seat is seat 5 my fav, i always prefer seats 5 or 6 so im in the middle of the table and in the middle of all the action as it goes on. As im taking my seat and studying the players around me and checking out each of the chip stacks I discover that I seem to have quite a sensible bunch of players with the biggest stack being about $1200.

I manage to murder my $1k stack in less than an hour and get my reputation as loose crazy and willing to bluff into any pot. To be honest I played pretty bad in losing most of my stack by trying to move a guy off a pot that he was never going to laydown to me. Anyway I pull up another thousand and I nearly get out of it on the first hand. I call a raise and flop top pair with a flush draw. I call the flop bet and turn a straight draw. He bets again and again he smooth calls. The river brings me the straight and when he bets the river I put him allin and he calls confidently with his AA and is dismaid to see my straight. I tighten up and play a lot more solid and contine to build my stack until its time to phone Nancy to come and pick me up and take me home for dinner. I have turned a $1k loss into a $400 profit and im ready to get out of the room. As im cashing out the floor man announces that a player in the room has tickets to see " The Reve" the big show currently on at the Wynn. The tickets were worth $140 each and he was offering them at $100 for a pair. I took 2 of them arranged to meet Nancy at The Grand Lux in the Venetian. I get the meal compt from the credit I have on my players card and we settle down for a huge plate of food no matter what it is we order. We have eaten in there a few times together now and never gotten near to finishing.

We leave the Venetian and walk down the strip towards the Wynn. For those people who havent been to Vegas in the last 6 months, this part of the strip has changed so much recently. The Wynn used to be isolated on the strip but now that The Palazzo is open its a much more enjoyable part of the strip to walk along.

We arrive at the Wynn and I show Nancy the poker room and I see that some of the people I had been playing with earlier. We move through to the theatre and purchase a drink each and some popcorn. All of the big shows on the strip are in such amazing arenas and this one was as special as any other id seen. The show itself I didnt especially enjoy compared to the other shows but Nancy really enjoyed it so I guess thats what counts and a night out with dinner and a show got me plenty of brownie points.

Im really starting to get into a good routine over here. Back home I used to saty up all night and sleep all day. Since being here my body clock sends me to bed most nights at around 11pm and im up by 7am. As for the poker the weekends are all about the strip. The cardrooms are full and buzzing over the weekends and without doubt the place to be. Playing through the week at the Red Rock is good for me as its just around the corner and so convieniant to play there. I still make the odd visit through the week to the strip.

A poker buddy of mine Simon Galloway has flown out here this week and is staying at the Bellagio. Ill be going down to the strip after I watch the Champions League games in the morning. Ill meet up with him in the Bellagio and we might stay there for a while and then see what the action is like over at the Wynn with there festival going on. Simon has never played the RedRock before so he is going to come up to the house and try out the RedRock. When in Vegas Simon likes to sample all the great restaurants that Vegas has to offer so we are going to try out T-Bones the steakhouse in the RedRock. I have been asking around and discovered a couple other places he hasnt heard of before so ill suprise him with them through the week.

I was supposed to play the RedRock last night but never made it. In the $2/$4 limit game a straight flush beat 4 queens so they paid out the $160k bad beat jackpot. The 2 players in the pot received $45k and $30k with the remainder of the jackpot paid equally amongst all the players playing at that time in all of the Station casinos. Im not sure how much each player got but it was paid out at 10pm on Sunday night so im sure there werent that many players who got a share of the $85k. Another bad beat for me.

The Red Rock

Well thats the end of the 2nd week of this adventure. The cards havent been so kind to me this week as last but im still having a great time. The Venetian festival has now finished and that room has turned back to normal. I have no idea where all the dealers go. Last week there were 60 full tables for 15+ hrs a day. I went in there this week and there were about 10-15 tables in use. I know some must of being doing overtime during the festival but who knows what the rest are doing now. There were still 3 tables of 2/5 going and as I now phone in when im on my way i was top of a short list when i arrived. I managed to get my aces cracked the very first hand and from there stuck for $2k. I got out of it by the time Nancy came to collect me by busting someone elses aces.





We stopped off at the Lodge on the way home a bar at the end of my road. I had the best Burger i have ever had before in my life there and trust me i have had a lot of burgers in my time. We played some pool and had a couple of drinks. Nancy is a bit of a pool shark due to us having a pub before we left. Nancy broke her wrist snowboarding a couple of years ago in Austria. She was working behind the bar with the cast still on but had her top covering most of it. There were 5 guys in the top bar playing pool and the guy getting the drinks in was bragging that he had beaten all of his mates. So Nancy challenged him and of course beat him 3-0. The guy took such stick for not only losing to a girl but losing to a girl in a cast with a broken wrist. Anyway more about the Lodge later.


Most of my time this week I have been playing at the Red Rock. Its a bit of a way off if you have a hotel on the strip but i would strongly recommend you pay it a visit. Its a really nicely done out casino. It always amazes me how much money the spend out to make such everything is top quality. Its not over the top like the strip casinos but you can see the level of attention to detail and you know they havent cut any corners anywhere.



So that me say a few things about the pokerroom itself. Like most of Vegas they have a plasma screen and a computer that controls the waiting list and lets everyone see what is going on. The Red Rock have gone one better. They have an atm size machine just as you walk into the room which you swipe your players card and you can choose which table list you want to go on. Its no big deal but a little extra step they have taken to save you queues and waiting for a member of staff to do it. Next difference no phone ins to get on the list. If your not in the building tough. 1st come 1st served. In most strip casinos you are allowed to buy the button if you have missed your blinds. Not here you can post between the blinds or come back in behind the button and post there. When you sit at the table the dealer asks you for your players card. They swipe you in on a system the same as in the MGM. They have a little terminal in front of them which tells them the names of each player and what seat they are sitting in. So as i get my players card back im greeted by Thank You James good luck. Only a little thing again but for me it counts. When thr dealer changes the new dealer also knows your name and can refer to you by name if he needs to. It also lets all the players on the table know each other by name and makes a more relaxed and friendly place to play.


They also have a bad beat jackpot. Red Rock is a part of the Station Casino chain as is the Green Valley Ranch. All the Station casinos are linked in and they take a $1 rake in addition to the normal rake. This goes into a different pot. The bad beat jackpot starts at $150,000 and is added to everyday that they dont pay it out. To win the jackpot you need to lose with quad tens or better both players must use both hole cards. Each Tuesday the this drops by one level, they havent paid out for 2 weeks for currently you need quad 8s or better. If the jackpot hits the player with the badbeat gets $45k the winner $30k the rest of the table also get a share and then whatever is left gets split between anyone playing at that exact time at all of the station casinos. Also if you get quads at anytime you get $50, straight flush pays $100 and a royal flush $250.

The buy in is from $200-$1000 and i have been buying in for the max of $1000. If i was to do this on the strip they would give it to me all in $5 chips. When the game has been running a few hours the table can be full of $5 chips. The Red Rock gives me $500 in $5 chips and $500 in $25 chips. I know this doesnt sound like much but it really does make a difference and is just that little bit of common sense.


As the Red Rock is off the strip they need to keep the locals happy. The quality of the food and restaurant is excellent. They have restaurants they rival any hotel on the strip.


Your players card gets you $1 per hour played but unlike the strip casino you can use your players card anywhere in the hotel. You can use it in the spa, to go to the cinema or bowling even towards a hotel room.



So with the Red Rock only 2 mins away from the house its a good job that i like it there i guess. Ill still be using the strip but knowing they have 2-3 games running most of the day even midweek is good for me.



Two weeks in and it doesnt really feel like we live in Vegas. Ok the weather is great and we are driving on the wrong side of the road, but really we could be anywhere in the states. We have settled so well our only regret is that we didnt move out here sooner. In the next few weeks people will be coming out to Vegas and ill have a chance to catch up with them and show them around.

I played with a guy in the Venetian the other day who says to me do you rememeber me. I said i do but not sure why. He says to me AA v KK v QQ. I remember straight away. I had played against him in the Mirage some 2 years earlier and we managed to get it all in preflop he had KK i had AA and some idiot was last to call and made a bad call knowing he was behind. Of course the queen arrived on the turn. Why do poker players have this sick memory why cant i just forget about hands that i have played and players i have played against.

Settling in

We have been here a week now and its amazing how quickly we have settled. In a lot of ways it doesnt even feel like its Vegas. I went to the strip on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but apart from that and going to the airport it doesnt feel like Vegas at all. The weather apart from the day we landed has been glourious. I watched sky sports news last night and games were being postponed due to frozen pitches. Its supposed to be 50/50 to rain here today but who cares its warm with it.

We have done plenty of driving round to get used to our surroundings. Life is so easy on a grid plan city the only problem is the traffic lights every 1/2 mile. I must go through 20 sets on my way to the strip. With what we brought with us on the plane and a few bits and pieces we have bought since we got here including my new laptop we have pretty much all that we need. I have the cable set up so that we get every channel going and i can keep up with all my sports. I cant find Heinz beans anywhere. Amazing with a company the size of Heinz they dont do beans over here. A couple of companies do beans but they are very dark and bbq beans i think ill be staying away from them.

So Friday arrives and Nancy drives me down to the strip drops me off and i make for the Venetian. This is my fav cardroom and i know they have a festival on right now so the traffic and action will be high. I dont know why but i do so well in this room maybe i just have a strong feel for the type of player that plays here or as im comfortable in my surroundings i play better.

I walk in and the place is rammed they must have 60 tables in the place and everyone is full. The comp is a $330 f/o and they have 530 players in it after accepting about 100 alternates. The place is buzzing. I move through the tournament section and get to the cash podium. I ask about the $2/$5 game which is my regular game. Im told there are 6 tables going and im 25th on the list. Im told not to worry though as with 6 tables they will get me in as soon as they can and when they break another table in the comp they will open a 7th game.

I get my seat in the game. Its a game i had been watching so i already had a read on a couple of players on the table and i had seen a couple of the others before. I take my seat while the runner goes to the cashier to get me my $500 in chips. I always start with $500 even though i can sit with $1000. My seat is two to the left of the big stack and he is making all the action. He isnt a player but is acting very cocky as he is winning big, he prob has nearly $3k in front of him. I know this is the player to target on the table but he makes me wait until my 2nd hand before he doubles me up. I flop bottom 2 pair on him he bets i call turn brings me the house he bets again i raise him he calls river comes a blank he checks i move in he calls in a heartbeat and shows me AJ for top pair top kicker. I scoop the pot and just steadily build my stack. I sit in the game for about 3 hrs and leave with $1950. Not a bad first day im thinking im ready to go home. I phone Nancy to come pick me up but she cant get me yet so i decide to go over to the Mirage and see what there game is like.

I walk in and they have 2 games a must move and a main game. Im given a seat in the must move its 6 handed with me. I pass my first 8 hands then with the 9th i call a raise from the short stack with KQ the flop comes KQ6 he moves in for $70 i beat him into the pot. He doesnt show and i send him on his way. The next hand i have 77 make a small raise and i see a small flop heads up which comes out 7 high. I put out a small bet looking for the raise he feels strong so i bet out $25 he insta makes it $75 he has me covered and im sure that if i raise again he will push so i make it $200 straight. He looks at me and says have you got A7 or a monster pair. The floor person comes over and says i need 3 people to move to the main game. So he says well im about to move so i might as well let you steal it i dont wanna lose my chips before i move. He shows me JJ and passes. I show him a 7 and he goes damn i knew you were overplaying top pair. I show him the other 7 and he tells me the floor saved him cos he was gonna push. Marv

So i nicked about $250 out of the game in 10 hands sounds like a result for me and not a bad way to finish day1.

Day 2 was back to the Venetian. I did my first stack playing a hand badly running my JJ into his QQ he played it cute but i should of seen it coming. I lost my 2nd stack when i flopped a flush against top 2 pair and the guy wouldnt believe me so we got it all in on the flop only for the house to come on the turn. So im now in for $1500 which is the limit i have set myself for any game for the time being if i lose this i just walk away no matter how good the action is or how much money is on the table. Im down to $200 in front of me and the 4 big winning stacks of the day get up and leave. We get replacements straight away and all of a sudden im hot The deck is finally hitting me and holding. Within the hour my $200 has become $1528 and im in profit for the first time in 8 hours. I decide to get up there and then happy to have gotten unstuck and walking away with a profit. The book may say if im hot and playing well against the table i should stay and maxamise my form but im happy to take my $1500 off the table and pocket my profit.

Sunday and i cam out of the blocks flying getting my $500 into $1200 in no time at all. I then doubled up a guy when i called a raise with AcKc we see a flop of Ah7c2c all the money is in on the turn and his set of 7s hold and i have sent $500 back across the table. I win abit more and then lose a $1k pot when my 9c8c doesnt improve on a 9h7c6c flop against a flopped 2 pair this time all the money was in on the turn and again no club or 2nd pair or straight. Id like to play that one again he had 56. So we ended up the session losing $200. My first lose nothing major and i feel i played pretty well i just needed to win 1 of those 2 big pots and it would of been another nice profit.

I had intended to go over to the Red Rock last night and see what the games were like in there for myself i have heard a lot of mixed reviews so far. However a friend came over and the 3 of us went out for drinks at a local bar. Im not really a drinker but it was a fun relaxing night and it was good to see Nancy enjoying herself in this new environment. A few shots of Jager does the trick.

So today we have to go to the post office to pick up the keys to our mail box and then take the hire car back to the hire place at the airport. Ill prob spend a few hours on the strip trying to make a few more bucks and then i think we are out for dinner tonight.

Life is good no complaints

And So It Begins

Well this is prob the craziest week of my life. It has been full of stress. Things going wrong all over the show and even though you have paid a lot of money for people to do a job for you or to receive a service things still dont work out quite as planned.

So Monday had arrived and at this point i thought i had covered all bases. The removals men arrived at 8am and set to work on the house. Due to insure we werent allowed to pack ourselves and they had to do it all themselves. Its a very strange feeling to have other people going through your things and putting it into boxes. They cracked on through the morning and were finished by early afternoon.

I went into town and seeing Romford in all its glory convinced me even more that moving stateside was the way to go. I went into the bank to inform them of my change of address, to cancel my direct debits and to arrange a money transfer for when the house sale goes through. I had assumed that i would be able to transfer money between my english and american bank accounts while i was in Vegas. As it turns out i need to be in England to be able to send the money. The bank wangle is for me to post date the transfer to friday as i wont be receiving the house money until Thursday.

Monday night I drive the 50 miles to a friends house how has done me a big favour by buying my car off of me. He paid me for it 2 weeks ago but let me keep the car until the last minute. I pick him up and we stop off at another friends house. I have my sky+ box and a number of other electronic items in the back of the car that im giving to him as they are no good to my in america as they use 110v apposed to our 240v. In poker you meant a lot of self-centered, selfish people who are solely in this world for themselves and are quit happy to nip and con there way to anything. On the other side every now and again you come across so really good people who become more than just people that you know across the felt but actually become real mates. Leaving these people behind is one of my few regrets about leaving England. You get a different banter on the tables in America.

Tuesday and the removals men were back at the house at 8am again and the container was due at 9am. They had a few last things to wrap but were pretty much there. 10am comes and still no container. The boss makes a phone call and discovers that there was fog at Tilbury (named from the plague) and he was running late. So they hang around for another 90 mins and still no container. More phne calls are made and it turns out the trailer has broken down as it has lost air pressure. 3pm and the guys are finally packing the container. As its locked shut i sign the paperwork and take the copies. 6 weeks time and I should see it all in Vegas. Fingers crossed.

Its a very strange feeling to be stood in the house where you have lived for the past 4 1/2 years with no furniture surrounding you. On the living room floor we had 3 suitcases and 2 rucksacks. As it turns out the 2 rucksacks are a million times more valuable then all the items in the container. We left a double bed so we had a comfortable nights sleep. Well half a nights sleep we got picked up at 5am.

5am and its dark as can be as im loading the bags into my friends car who is taking is to Gatwick. There is a thick frost on the ground and fog in the air. Im sure when its 120 degrees in Vegas in the summer ill be pleading for a bit of rain but this weather im not going to miss in the slightest. The drive to Gatwick goes quickly enough. My last drive around the M25 for a while. The cat ( Sheridan) is in the back with Nancy in her box. Sheridan thinks she is on her way to the vets and doesnt know why its taking so long to get there. We arrive at Gatwick and after 10 mins find the Continental cargo shed where we were to drop Sheridan off 3 hours before her flight. I walk in speak to the guy at the desk and give him my paperwork and tell him what flight she is on. He looks at me as his 2 brain cells try to communicated with each other. He tells me he has no cat booked to fly on that plane, he has no paperwork for it, no kennel for them to go in and if he did the flight is delayed anyway. I make a phonecall to the company that I booked with to arrange her transfer and i get the boss of the company. He assures me all is booked and in order give him 5 mins on the phone and it will be fine. 5 mins later and the goon comes back to the desk telling me that he has the paperwork has the kennel and that her flight will be leaving on time. It takes an hour still to get everything sorted Sheridan got weighed in her kennel and she was off with her passport in hand.

So its back in the car and the short trip to the south terminal to drop off our bags. I had already checked us in online. we flew premium economy so upstairs on the plane for us. I hadnt told nncy about paying for the upgrade as she would only tell me its a waste of money. I knew this would be a very stressful day for her and she doesnt normally sleep on the flight but i hoped she might this time. As we get our boarding passes we are told that our flight is running late about 1hr so we had plenty of time to wonder around the terminal. We went and got breakfast, made phonecalls to say goodbye to a few people and soon enough we were on the plane and getting greeted with champagne.

The flight passed as quickly as a 10hr flight can do. I slept, Nancy didnt dispite my efforts. Arriving at Las Vegas we were expecting a grilling coming through customs as we dont have our residents visas yet so we have flights book for 90 days time back to England. We got a few questions but nothing to cause a problem and we were through to pick up our bags. The bags were on the belt already waiting for us. We were out the doors and into the Vegas sunshine. Nancy lit up a cig straight away and we made our way to the car rental centre. We had booked a rental car for the first week. Nancy has been doing all the driving i need to do some soon to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road like the rest of these crazy yanks.

So apart from a little detour when i sent us the wrong way we were straight up Tropicana and on our way to the estate agents. We paid the remander of the security deposit and 1st months rent signed the rental contracts and got the keys. It was so good to get into the house and drop the bags. We had a few hours before we had to go back to the airport and pick up Sheridan so we decided to go out to the shops and pick up some supplies. We also need to buy new cat bowls food and a litter tray as we cant let her out for 3 weeks.

Sheridans connecting flight out of Newerk was delayed so she was now landing at midnight. We got there a little early as again we had to find where we were picking her up from it was a couple of miles away from the airport entrance. I went in a saw the guy and he told me to come back at 12.30 and she will be ready waiting for me. I took my ID then to save time later on. I went out and sat in the car with Nancy she didnt want to come in as seeing her in the kennel earlier at Gatwick had upset her. I go back in the half hour later and through the glass door i can see her sitting some 10 feet from me. She saw me straight away and was calling out to me. Next came the bad news. It turns out that she was supposed to go through customs when she landed in Newerk and she shouldnt of been allowed on her connecting flight until she had done so. They were now telling me that as she hadnt cleard customs we would have to come back at 8am when a cusoms officer would be in to clear here. The guy in Vegas didnt want to be responsible for her over night so he kept on to Newerk to get her cleared. He faxed her documents back over and after about 2 hours on the phone they finally cleared her.

We had a 20 minute drive up to the house. We had Sheridans bowl ready for her and she came straight out of the kennel and scoffed it all down. She had a wonder around the house, explored in every room and gave it her approval. We sat up with her for about an hour and then it was time to go to bed and put a finish to our first day in Vegas.

Clock is Ticking

Life at the moment feels like a cross between Christmas Eve and your final school exam. Time is fast running out and there is still so much to do before we move but we are getting closer. This week has been the most expensive of my life. After paying the international removals, estate agents, housing lawyer, solicitor for pub sale, ticket to send cat to America, Flights to America and deposit on the rental house. Obviously next week will mean money coming in from the house and business sales will be nice when they appear in the bank account.

Luton cardroom threw a bit of a party for me on Wednesday. Im not one for attention so the low key night was just perfect for me. Plenty of familar faces had turned up and the casino even put on a breakfast buffet and a few free drinks at the bar. I even managed to turn a tidy profit on the night so all went well. Nina has been running Luton and ill def miss her when i go. I bet there isnt a more caring cardroom manager in the country than Nina right now. The efforts she puts in to make her customs happy are astounding. If only her bosses could give her the support she deserves.

The flights are all booked for Wed morning. I have upgraded us on Virgin and although im not sure its worth the additional money it will be a good way to start our new lives. My other reason for this is I hope Nancy sleeps on the flight. She doesnt normally sleep on the flight but as she will be more stressed than usual getting away from coach class will be a big help. The reason for the additional stress is that we are flying our cat over with us and Nancy is extremely worried about her health during the long flight. Virgin refused to allow us to fly her so she will be flying via Newark on Continental and arriving 8 hours behind us even though we drop her off an hour before we fly.

Tomorrow is our final day of normallity. We have been sorting through the house ready for the move we cant actually pack anything. Due to the insurance from the international removal company they have to come in and do it all. Its amazing the things that we have thrown away or given away. The amount of cluter that you pick up over the years is amazing. Ill be playing at Luton Sunday night before the removals start Monday morning at 8am. Monday they will be packing and Tuesday they will be clearing. I hvae closed down most of my accounts such as Sky, BT and the Gas and Electric. I have a couple more to do such as house insurance but im 90% ready for the move. Sleep in an empty house on Tuesday night and then off to Gatwick bright and early to start off an new lives. The weather forcast is 68 degrees and sunny in Vegas for Wednesday. Not a bad way to start. Our first day in Vegas is Valentines day so im sure we will be out somewhere nice for dinner to celebrate.

Its going to be strange leaving the UK. Im sure there will be lots of little things that I will miss. Im sure in the heart of the summer ill be crying out for just one day of rain. Without question ill be missing my favoured IRN BRU but i guess ill have Mountain Dew to compensate. I will proberly see as much football over there if not more but ill struggle to find the same banter about the game as i get at home. Its gonna take me a while to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road and im sure ill be converting everything i buy back into pounds but again with time this will fade.

I have a whole list of people who will be coming over to visit some poker players some friends. Im sure there will be plenty of people around in the summer during the WSOP and ill be back in a couple months to catch up with people. As of Monday i will be computerless and ill buy a new one out there so this will be my last blog entry for at least a week. I wasnt sure when i first started writing it if people would take an interest or if i would continue writing it after the first couple of entrees. Im glad I began this and my next post will be from Vegas in the new house.

Recon Mission part 5

So in just 10 days I think i had managed to achieve all that I had set out to do. We had found a house and signed a lease all ready to move in when we turn up in the mid of Feb. Bank accs all ready amazes me how vital it is to have the bank acc so many things can become out of having an account. To show Nancy more of Vegas and to make her feel more comfortable about the move. Although 100% with me as you would expect she had huge worries about moving to America. In opening her eyes to the live that we would be leading over there she is now a lot more comfortable with the whole move. I have always made a profit in the trips I have made to Vegas but I had never been out during Jan before. Im now happy that there will be a year round market for me and im happy than i can make a profit every month of the year.

It always amazes me how quickly time in Vegas goes no matter how long you are there for. So with anything sorted out im at my 2nd weekend. This weekend is now the conference final for the NFL and again there is an amazing atmosphere in the cardrooms, plenty of drinking going on and as far as im concerned money to be made. All the tables are full and there are waiting lists all over the place. I started off in the Venetian which most of had 50 cash games running including a $50/$100 game out the back with some of the big boys with huge amounts of cash on the table. I nicked a bit in the game and decided to move on.

Next i tried the MGM what a mistake that was. There was a Hannah Montana concert on whatever the hell that is. The place was full of preteen girls and there parents. My rusiian taxi driver wasnt happy to say the least it took 5 mins to get from the entrance to the hotel lot to the casino front door. I think the MGM has the biggest casino floor on the strip and i had to weave my way through the masses to the cardroom. Every table in the room was in use but there was a seat avalible straight away and i had a good view of the game. My MGM form continued and I had another losing session at the MGM. Still not sure why I cant win in there but the game is def soft enough im sure it will come with time. Another good reason to play the MGM is that they have a food stand between the cardroom and the sportsbook which has the best hotdogs that I have found in Vegas so far.

I walked back from the MGM to Treasure Island. This is not a good idea at 7pm as the strip is full of people and the pavements are full. I hate walking with tourists as they amble along or just stop in there tracks for no particular reason. It took me about 30 mins to get back which wasnt too bad. At certain times of the day its just quicker to walk than it is to walk into a hotel find the taxi rank and que up. The strip can been equally slow for traffic as it is for walkers so I nevermind walking the strip. If im off strip then its a different matter and its taxis only.

We went out to dinner in the Grand Lux which is in the Venetian our meal was compt. from the money that i had earnt playing in the cardroom. During dinner i tried to convince Nancy that part of living in Vegas we have to adapt to the lifestyle and take the things that are on offer for free or at least appear to be free. A bottle of Heinekein is free at the poker table but $9 at the bar. I managed to nick in another small session after dinner and it was time for another early night.

I wake up at 6am on Monday morning and im up out of bed and before i know it im walking down the strip for my last session of the trip. There is no $2/$5 game going in the Venetian just 2 $1/$2 games and a $5/$10 game all 3 had been running all night. I had made a consience decision to aviod the 5/10 game all trip but i decided to sit down with $1000 and give it a spin. I knew 4 of the players and when i joined we were 8 handed and i decided to play tight until i got a feel for the table then loosen up as they had a read on me as a tight scared player.

As i say the game has been going all night and there is plenty of banter flying around the table. In the $5/$10 game there is no rake they have what they call time pots. Every 30 mins when they change dealer whoever wins the last pot the leaving dealer pays for the drop. As the game had been going all night the floor man let us go dropfree while i was there.

I saw a few flops and missed so released on the flop. The action was fast and the stacks were deep. 1 guy was sitting with $28k. He was 8k up on the session but how crazy is that $28k in a $5/$10 game. I have lost about $80 in limps so far and i call a raise with pocket 4s. Flop comes down and i flopped a set. The raiser bets out and finds a caller. The board is flushing and straightening so I put in a big raise and manage to take it down there and then. Im now back in front and feeling good about taking down my first pot.

A few hands later im in the BB and there has been a straddle of $20. 1 limper and a guy i know from the $2/$5 game makes it $200 to play. I had seen him makes plays like this before and then check it all the way down if he didnt like the board. I had seen him turn hands over like KQ AJ and 99 these types of hands. It folds around to me and i find KK in the BB. I have a little dwell while i consider my options. Im out of position after the flop and there is also the limper. I check the raisers stack and we both have about $900 back after his $200. I decided to smooth call see a flop and see how the land lies afterwards. The limper passes and we see a flop. Over it comes Q J 6. Its a rainbow flop and i look down to recheck my cards. As i do this he moves allin. Dealer says action isnt on you but the play stands. With nearly $500 in the middle and $900 to call i run through the hands that he could have and which of them i can beat. This isnt a great flop for me as a lot of hands now beat me. AA, QQ JJ are all winning as is QJ is discount 66. Im hoping he has KQ or maybe AQ. KT is also a hand that i can put him on from what i had seen of him before. I take nearly a minute but make the call. Turn is a 2 as is the river. He confindently turns his hand over declaring 2 pair. He has AQ and i table my KK to take the pot. He starts moaning about how unlucky he has been all night and how i slowplayed my KK against him. The dealer ships me the pot and i send him a nice tip. I pick up a few more pots continuing to play tight just nicking a few bits here and there.

The guy with the $28k stack decides that he has had enough and he is up and out of the game. 2 other players agree they have had enough and i splutter an agreement. I get my chips off the table straight to the cashier to collect my $1700 profit. Not bad for just over an hours work.

So that was my final session of the trip. Its back to the room to pack and check out and before I know it im asleep on the flight home.

Recon Mission part 4

So we spent the next 2 days being driven around Summerlin the area of Vegas that we had decided upon. Kim took us to lunch picked up the tab for two days and must of shown us 30+ houses. The level of service was just amazing there is no way any estate agent in the UK could of been as good to us as what Kim was. At the start of the day we found a near perfect house for us to rent in what we were looking for.(pictured) 12 miles from the strip in a beautiful part of time. The house is fully furnished 4 bed 2100 sq feet. Its costing me $2100 p/m inc utilities. I find this to be an amazing price and i should have no problem making this per month in the cash games. So the next problem was to get the lease signed in time before we left we only had a few days left to get approved and pay the deposit before we had to get on the flight back. Being from the UK they couldnt do a credit check on us so it was a bit of a struggle to prove funds, but after a bit of running around and going back and forth we got it all down by the Saturday morning. Only 48 hours before we flew home. It was a great relief to have the house sorted we start renting from Feb 4th even though we dont arrive back out in Vegas until 13th Feb. We pick the keys up in the afternoon of the 13th our flights due to land at about 2pm. So a quick trip to the supermarket that night and we will be good to go for the next few months.

That night quite excited by all that we had done through the day we went out to see the Blue Man Group at the Venetian. We had seen it before on a previous tripand Nancy and I are big fans. This is a show that I highly recommend to anyone if they are planning to see a show while in Vegas.

Also in the last few days of the trip we got bank accounts set up at Bank of America so when my house sale goes through ill be able to wire money over and i can establish a credit history.
Ill be using them for a mortgage when we have found something to buy. My parents have a accounts with them as well so if i need to get my dad to cosign my mortgage as i havent got a credit history in the states it will be easier as we are with the same bank.

Coming though the end of the week i managed to play a few hours here and a few hours there. I played Ceasers and found the game to be very soft. I havent played in this cardroom very often in the past im not sure why but i decided to try it out one morning. There is no cap in the game and there were a few players sitting in the game with around $10k. There was some pretty sick action and 2 guys on the table decided to go off and play each other heads up. The banter went back and forth until they got there own game they had $20k on the table between the 2 of them somehow they keep the blinds at $2-$5. 30 mins into the HU battle and a $6k swing to the younger of the 2 guys, chairs went flying back jackets were flung to the floor and the banter had become threats. Security were on the scene in an instance both players were removed from the room. The table with chairs on the floor and $20k in chips and $100 bills sat empty for about 20 mins before a floor man came over counted both stacks had it checked by a manager and then took all the money away to the cage. Im not sure how much ill play in Ceasers in the future, the action is good and there is plenty of money on offer but it comes at a risk. I think there is equally easy money to obtain in other rooms in Vegas than here. I would be playing here until I have full access to my bankroll. The swings in this room could be huge.

I also played the MGM over the weekend. I hear stories from all over about how good this cardroom is and how bad the players are. I have now logged 5 or 6 sessions in the MGM and havent come out winning once. Im sure this is just a blip and things will be good there in the long run. The room is between the sportsbook and a club/bar. It can get very loud in the room and a lot of the players drink a lot while playing. The tables there very tight and have a marble ring in the table which doesnt leave much space. On the plus side i think they have the best chips in town. I think this will be a room that I will play in over the weekends from time to time a bit of a reserve room for me.

My house is out by the Red Rock Casino I hear that a lot of rich local folk play the room so i plan to make that 1 of my 2 primary rooms to play in. Obviously as time goes on and my knowledge of as a local and a regular in these games. My other primary venue will be the Venetian i love this room and i had 14/15 winning session in this room for the trip. My secondary sites will be the MGM, Ceasers (in time) the Mirage (when they have a game), Palms. The more time i have the more i will venture out to other rooms to check out the action.

Recon Mission part 3

So as we were driving along Fort Apache Rd i spotted a sign for a ReMax Realtors. This is the company that sold my parents house in New York and my mum had always spoken highly of the service they provided and the way they conducted business. Realtors are the american equivolent of estate agents but thats as close as the similarities go.



We walk into the reception and we tell the receptionist what it is that we are looking to do. He takes us through to the conference room and gets us both drinks while he arranges for an agent to come and see us. We really fell on our feet walking into this place. A lovely lady called Christina came in to see us a former commercial pilot from San Francisco. This lady knows everything about Vegas and the housing market, every area like the back of her hand. We talk for about 30 mins about what we are looking for then she starts showing us houses on the giant plasma screen on the wall. She searches through the database putting in every criteria that we are looking for then printing out the details of any possibles that we might want to go and see. Her business partner comes in and joins us and as its getting late we agree to leave it for today but we will be back the following day at 10am to start looking.

We go out to dinner and discuss the day, having seen a few areas of vegas and look over the houses on the database we had a much clearer idea of what we were looking for. Im in bed by 10pm again still amazes me never had a vegas trip quite like this before so much for the ciy that never sleeps.

Tuesday morning and im up at 6am again. People who have only ever been to Vegas during the summer will be shocked by just how cold it was when I walked out of the casino and down the strip. There was a sharp wind and a temp of 1 degree. I regretted my decision to use the bridge to cross the road rather than walking down to the traffic lights. So Tuesday morning at 6am and there is no 2-5 nlh game for me in the Venetian so i move onto the Mirage again no game. I move on again next door to CeasersPalace no game so i decide to try the Bellagio. I have never been a fan of the place but there is always a game running there its just a matter of gettigna sit in a game.

I enter the Bellagio cardroom and i have never seen it so empty there were only 2 games running in the whole room. The place is always full and was quite a shock to the system to see so many empty tables. I walk over to the brush ( a cardroom member of staff who controls the seating in cash games). Both games were full a 2-5 nlh game and a 15-30 limit game. Im not a fan of limit but without much choice i put my name on both lists. The seat in the 15-30 game comes up first so i take it. I sit down with $500 this was prob an average stack for the table I look around the table a couple of old timers a couple of locals ok stay away from them then I notice the 2 players on my right. As i say im not a limit player but these guys were clueless on how to bet. The amount of times the dealer had to tell them both how much they could bet had gone beyond funny for the dealer. I decided to target the two of them play tight against the other players on the table just try to learn as much as possible in my first time in a limit game and hit and run as soon as I could. After about 30 mins im $640 up and i have cashed in and im out the door. I zip up my jacket and commence my walk back to the TI.

Recom Mission Part 2

This trip was put together so we could find a house to rent and to give us an insight into the future lives we will both be living. This trip became completely different to any other trip I had made to Vegas before. I am a total night person, I play in the casino till 6am most nights get home for 7am and get to bet by 8am or 9am. The nights I dont play I still keep the same hours. On this trip I was out playing poker at 6am every morning for a couple of hours before breakfast and I was in bed by 10pm everynight bar 1 night. That 1 night we went to see Love the Beatles version of Cirque Du Soliel. I managed to watch the first 30 mins but slept through the rest. I enjoyed what I saw but it wasnt enough to keep me awake.

Other insights that I discovered about the poker scene while is was there are that ill be able to get good action at the tables all year around. I was expecting certain times of the year to be busier than others and that maybe during the Jan/Feb part of the year the tables would be quiet and id have to balance my profits from other parts of the year. So its the first Saturday of the trip and the cardrooms are heaving. The porn convention is on at the Sands Expo and the electronics convention is in town the 2nd biggest connvention of the year so im told. On top of this its the Divisional playoffs in the NFL. People had come from all parts of the country to be in Vegas to bet and watch the game. During the first game I have 4 guys wearing club shirts drinking and watching the game. They dont have there eye on the game at all they play they own cards and have no idea whats happening in the game. (note to self next year play as much as poss during the NLF and MLB postseason).

After nicking a couple hundred I decide to venture of to the Mirage to play my first session in what used to be my fav cardroom. Without a doubt in my mind the Mirage has the best staff and dealers in Vegas. There ability to deal andpersonalities on the table meant that the Mirage had always been my cardroom of choice. The room that used to be the heartbeat of poker in Vegas when was opened by Steve Wynn is now less than a shadow of its former self. If your lucky you can still find 1 2-5nlh game. If there is a list to get into the game you can be in for a long wait with only 1 table. I play for a couple of hours and dont get much action while I watch the 2nd game between Green Bay and Seattle in some of the worst snow conditions you have ever seen a ball game played in.

For Sunday see Saturday the cardrooms are again full and we have 2 more American Football games to watch. I played in the Venetian only on Sunday. Im really optomistic about just how much traffic the cardrooms have been getting over the weekends and it will be interesting to see how it continues through the weekdays.

Monday morning and we get up early have breakfast in Treasure Island and make our plans for the day. We have a hire car linedup for the day. We have looked up some local Realtors (estate agents) in the yellow pages but we decide to just go out driving to get to know a few areas first and then if we come across an area that we like then find an agent to help us find a house there. We pick up the car and decide that Nancy can drive as she hadnt driven in the States before. Im not sure what the reason for them driving on the wrong side of the road is but it does make it exciting at times. They have some great laws like the you can turn right on a red light if there is a space in the traffic. So after some fun dodgying the traffic we are out and driving its a scorching hot day and once you get away from the strip you really get to see how beautiful last Vegas is. Nancy fell in love with the mountains. The views of them are stunning and the differing colours that came through the hills as the sun lowered was amazing.

Recon Mission part 1

So we set of to Vegas for a 10 day recon mission. The plan was to get out and about in Vegas and to see a lot more of the place than just the strip itself. So many people just dont realise the size of the city or just how many people do live there. As i said in previous posts Vegas like most of America has a troublesome housing market, but that said they are still building brand new homes at an amzing rate. Ahouse build before 2000 is considered old. We even went to see a house that had been build in 1985 and the estate agent described it as ancient.

With the collapse of Maxjet it was back to Gatwick to fly once again with Virgin. I so prefer flying from Stanstead but this is no longer an option and as it goes to the trip to Gatwick went without a hitch and soon enough we were in the air (during the wsop we flew direct on Maxjet, for some reason we had a stopoff in iceland). The flight went pretty quick well as quick as a 11hr flight can go.

We stayed in Treasure Island a hotel i had stayed in before and quite like. I consider it in the 2nd tier of hotels on the strip but is the best price of those hotels with a great location. I managed to get out and into the poker room at the Venetian and i played for a couple of hours before I decided enough was enough for my first night and it was time to get my head down. A loss of $167 wasnt the best way to start the trip but it felt good to be playing poker in Vegas again and it has been a long time since i have played any nlh cash.

We had landed at McCarren about on Friday afternoon so the play was to get out and about on the strip and play some poker over the weekend and then hire a car on Monday and get out and start seeing some houses. After my early night on the Friday im up and out of the hotel room for 6am and Im walking down a cold and windy Las Vegas Blvd anxious to see how the cash games were looking at this time of the morning.

On previous trips i was a regular in this game at this time. 1/2 the time cos i would be stuck the other time cos im sick. I walk into the Venetian (my hotel of choice) and discover 1 2-5 nlh game in progress. I get my players card swiped (they pay you $1.50 p/h to play in there games which you can use to buy food). So totally refreshed and ready to play i sit down with my $500 in chips and get ready to win back the loses from the night before with hopefully some more on top.

There is a hand going on while I stack my chips and i find myself stuck between 2 young americans who are argueing over who has drunk the most and about the fish that have taken there chips and hit and run through the night. Straight away im making mental notes on the players at the table working out what i can get away with and against which players. The 2 drunks have about 2k and 1k in front of them and i know this will be a good chance to make so money.

I get myself into a pot with the louder of the 2 americans after about 45 mins, my stack has already increased from 500 to about 800. He raises from mid postion and i smooth call with AhQc round the back. The flop comes down queen jack four with 2 hearts, he puts out a continuation bet of $75 my read was that he had missed the flop but his cockyness has meant he was betting out no matter what I decide to flat call allowing him to hang himself later on. The turn comes the 10h and he bets out again this time $150. So I now have top pair top kicker with nut flush draw and nut straight drawand I decide there is enough in the pot to snap it off and take it down. I considered the fact that he could of had AK and had hit his gutshot on the turn but I thought the flush might even cause him concerns. I move all in and in an instance he turns his hand over and puts a chip on top of his cards. This is not a rule im in favour of but in vegas you are allowed to reveal your hole cards to get a reaction from the other player. He show 1010 for the turned set and starts talking to me to get a reaction asking me what i think of his hand. He has to call just over $500 he has been getting beaten up all night and i had found out he was in for $4000 total for the night. Confidentally i put my 2 cards side by side an i offer him the choice to look at 1 of them. Ideally he will turn over the Ace of Hearts which means i could have the made straight or a flush but istead he picks the Queen. Straight away i get a speech Oh what a mistake it is showing me a card my mate does that move all the time you have a set of queens this is an easy pass for me now im drawing to 1 card if you had the straight of the flush i would of called to get lucky with the house up but now i have the under set against you i fold. He mucks and tells me triumphantly to show the rest of the players at the table my other queen. I turn over my ace, the dealer rabbit hunts the river which is the remaining 10. As you can imagine he went on ultratilt did the rest of his money in the next 30 mins and the game broke as soon as he left. So back to the room by 8am and time for breakfast.