guest post by @dave_has_aces since i havent posted anything in about 3 weeks.

 Hello and thank you TBC for this opportunity to be a guest writer. This is Dave as in dave_has_aces coming off the heels of a Vegas trip.

I’ve been a guest writer before and if you’ve followed me for any amount of time you know. If everyone likes it maybe this could become a regular thing.

This Vegas trip I flew in from Seattle on a Wednesday landing at 1pm. I chose that for two reasons. First I’m meeting up with a group of guys for March Madness. Hoops on the strip at Caesars. But reason number 2…O/E tournament at Orleans! This is only a $200 buy in and has a 10k guarantee. My flight via Alaska Airlines was a tic early and I drop my bag in my room at Bally’s and head to Orleans with a friend who is also playing it and lives down there so off we go. On time when I thought I may late reg. Seat 8 is our draw. Immediately seat 5 is our target. This guy is mouthing off to the dealer in level 1 and wearing sunglasses in a limit tournament as well as wearing a T-shirt with the King of hearts on it. In the Omaha8 variant we have AhKh3s5d. Flop is 2 6 Q rainbow. Our sunglasses wearing friend leads out. He has been doing this a lot already and we flat. Turn pairs the 6. Same action. River pairs the Q. Double paired board and I don’t think villain has anything. He bets it, and we…call? Yes. We go with the read that AK is actually good. And…it is!!! Normally I would never do this but white magic.

134 runners. Fun well run tournament. Love the Orleans. Made a deep run just not deep enough. Went cold at the wrong time. Out in about 40th.

Thursday I’m up at 6am and walking the strip by 6:30. Beautiful morning and no one absolutely no one out. Grab a coffee and end up in Miracle Mile shops for breakfast at La Salsa Cantina. They do a breakfast for $4.99! Not bad either. Nothing special but for $5 on the strip. Do not get a drink here. They are tiny and also $5. Pass. We sneak a peek at the convention area inside Paris the new home of the WSOP. Head over for the March Madness party and had a blast. All food and drink provided and made some money on basketball bets.

Friday again up at 6 and out the door. We opt to not wait till 8 for breakfast and hit Paris. Americano Cafe. An omelette was $27. Should have waited. Ouch. Today we hit Resort World for 8/16 mixed game. I play and love mix but this was an odd mix. Stuff I call carnival games. Should have played WSOP circuit event at Bally’s. And it was zero fun. Players weren’t as fun as I remember last time. Should’ve found another game. This game broke early to boot. They knew I’m in town from Seattle. Felt dirty. When I played this previously if you join the game you get to pick a game but now it’s a fixed rotation and only benefits regular players in the game.

A friend reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in her tickets for the Golden Knights game on Saturday. I fly home Saturday at 9:15pm and the game is scheduled for 1. Absolutely yes! Took my friend I played O/E tournament with as he was running me around everywhere and knew he would enjoy it. I’ve been to one Knights game a few years back. Had an amazing time and headed to Juan’s Flaming Fajitas after for dinner pre flight. This place is down Tropicana at about Fort Apache and was fabulous. Great food, service and prices.

Before heading to the airport we have time for one more stop. South Point. First time for me. I like it. Will definitely go again. I like it more than the Orleans.

The return flight home we are flying first class! Nice!

This was a bit of a different trip for me as there wasn’t much poker. And a bit of an eye opener for me or an awakening really.

More on me another time. If you don’t know, I’m a regular guy with a day job, 3 dogs and responsibilities. I play as much as I can as a recreational player. Or rec. or bad reg. I’m trying to get back to Vegas on June 2nd for part of the WSOP. So if Tony will have me, stay tuned. I’ve got a lot to learn but the two main things I enjoy about poker are learning and meeting new friends. See ya in Vegas friends…

Ballys/Paris

the new home of the WSOP.

back in san antonio

 after i left Waco, (where the Hot social club on poker atlas is, which i discussed playing at in the previous blog) i got off to a bad start in Austin when the extended stay america wouldnt let me store my luggage while i waited til checkin and most locations across the country have no problem with this. and they couldnt check me in early even if i paid the $70 fee i paid in Waco to check in early. the manager in there at 9am said nothing til in the afternoon and she had a nasty attitude, i guess its because of all the homeless people theyre used to dealing with. i told her id just came up in an uber from waco and i doubt she believed me, and claimed to try the hotel next door. (as usual i hadnt prebooked). so i did, and the laquinta next door charged me $139 a nite which was over $50 more a night. 

at first that lady wasnt going to check me in either, but finally did because she didnt want to hold the bags. she told me they never let anyone check in til after 10, but did it anyway. so already austin was leaving a bad taste in my mouth. 

i slept after checking in and later went to 52 social, and the lodge, and never did get to visit the other 4 rooms in a different part of austin much further away. the lodge has a weird policy of u paying for the time after u play instead of upfront. and they wont give u a free bottle of water. 52 will. also the time is cheaper at 52. both rooms were offering 1-1 plo although i was winning much easier at 52. 

plus the host at 52 named dean got my number and invited me to the hilo game which i joined the next day and was still sending invites once i left town. 

the nice thing about waco was it was an easy walk across the street in a safe area to my hotel but the games there are mostly dead and only go at night. i tried to find a place in austin longer term, but too many places i wanted to stay at by the week or month were sold out that weekend, something was going on in town. so i rode with Jordan to san antonio

paid way too much for a week here in the wrong part of town too far out, but its the safest area of town. as soon as my room ends sunday ive set something up for about $1800 a month in a much closer area to rounders. thats about half the price im paying now. 

Bart thinks he can get me into the livestream when rounders does it next and its a far smaller game here where the $1000 stake would be 2 buyins. or maybe even 3. 

ive never seen it but i play way too late when the big 0 hilo has already broken up or way too early. i dont like playing the busy period because i dont like panhandlers in the restroom setting up tons of candy and mints and bothering u while u are trying to wash at the sink even when u dont want them handing u towels and want to be left alone. get a real job that doesnt involve pestering others for money. bothers me as much as cleaning women in the bathroom. 

the best time to come and play big0 instead of NL is to be there about noon to 5pm. then u can play it for many hours without worrying the game will break up. thats the game thats way too high for my roll with a min buy of 300 and it forces me to hit and run a lot when i get up to 700-900 which i wouldnt have to do when my 100 is up to 300 in a NL game. but i won a lot of the money i won in san antonio last year playing that game. 

i played enough VBJ at coushatta to now have offers of $155 a week but thats not enough to make the trip worth it especially since its sold out a lot of the time id need rooms. i actually thought id played enough for much higher offers. 

i'm really worried about nuclear war, so maybe i should play a little higher. this money wont do me any good if im dead. maybe i should stay in worse motels if im about to die anyway. maybe i should go stay in my moms basement if i didnt hate online poker so much.