Las Vegas Trip Report: December 8-12, 2025 - Part II

 Wednesday, December 10

I got myself in the shower early (for me - in Las Vegas) and began the familiar trip to Caesars Palace to meet Twitter/X follower @oldmaninvegas. We had messaged each other several times over the past year or so, but never had a chance to meet. Today would be the day.

I gave myself 45 minutes to get to Caesars: Through Excalibur, through NYNY, into Park MGM to catch the tram, exiting the tram at Bellagio, then heading outdoor to enter the main entrance to Caesars Palace and the Cafe Americano. I made it with a few minutes to spare. My new friend was waiting for me.

As I expected, @oldmaninvegas is a great guy. His wife used to work in the poker industry in several capacities, including dealer. Therefore I knew that there would be at least one person that I know that his wife would know. 😁For me, meeting Twitter/X/poker people for the first time is always a thrill. It is amazing how small the poker world really is. Fortunately, the great majority of people I have met have been quality people.

@oldmaninvegas had invited me to breakfast and said that he would treat me using his comps. Sweet, as free food ALWAYS tastes the best! However, at the end of our breakfast, he found out that Cafe Americano would not accept his Caesars Rewards comps. Although I offered to pay for my breakfast (about $31 for an omelet and coffee!), he grabbed the bill. These kind of friends I like! Anyway, we soon parted company, and I was off to play my first session of poker in the reopened Caesars poker room.

The room was just where it had been previously - next to the sportsbook. The one big difference that I noted was that the chairs were new and very  comfortable. I got seated at a new table. After getting involved in some hands and having little success, I was doubled up by an aggro player who raised most hands. I was in the big blind and he was on the button. He raised to $25, and I jammed my remaining $90. I never found out what he had. Later, his girlfriend showed up and he proclaimed that he always does well when she is with him. True to form, he started building  up his stack. I didn't particularly like my table, so I cashed out a bit later with a small profit. Next stop: Venetian.

This afternoon session at Venetian was once again successful. NormInVegas was again able to join me and got seated at my table. I felted one guy when I had J-J. I'm not sure what he had or what he was thinking. He said that he had made a mistake in the hand, which I think my calling my big post-flop bet. I did okay on a few bomb pot hands and overall played solid poker.

I took a break for dinner, and afterward, decided to go back to Venetian since I had been doing well there and having fun. Unfortunately, the magic wasn't there this session. I cashed out after more than two hours, but fortunately, lost less than $100.

I wasn't ready to call it a night, so I headed to Horseshoe, getting there about 11:30pm. I was quickly seated and only stayed for a half hour, erasing the loss I had just had at Venetian. I was getting tired and decided to return to Excalibur, play some slots, and get to bed. Things seemed to be moving in the right direction -- much different than my first day of the trip. I was looking forward to a big day on Thursday.

Thursday, December 11

After a leisurely morning, I headed for my first session at Bellagio. Earlier in the year, I was dominating play almost every session I played there. During my last trip last August, I won a whole $11 in almost three hours of play in the only Bellagio session that trip.

I didn't like my table. I wasn't getting anything in the way of starting hands, so I looked like an OMC at the table. When I did get cards and bet, everyone folded. It was time to take my small loss and head out. Next stop: where else but Venetian!

There were big tournaments going on at Venetian and Wynn, and the wait lists were very long. At Venetian, there were eight tables of $1/3 and 50+ people on the wait list. I got on the list via PokerAtlas and headed north.

My name got on the wait list just after 3:00pm. I was seated and playing less than two hours later, which didn't seem too bad, considering the crowds everywhere. 

The atmosphere in the Venetian poker room was absolutely electric. Tables full of people playing cash games. Tables full of people playing a deep stack event. People standing all around, carefully watching the electronic wait lists, hoping that their name would, at some point, be visible as they came closer to the top of the list. Chris Abramski was at a different table, having been playing since noon. He had a nice stack of chips in front of him. It was time for me to do the same.

I started chipping up, and then got into a hand that solidified the direction I was moving. A guy who claimed to regularly play $5/10 NL had been making regular to high raises all session. In the crucial hand, he only raised to $7. I looked down to see Qs9s. I was in the big blind and already had $3 in the pot. I decided to call. The flop was rag-Q-rag. I checked. He bet. I called. The turn was a rag. I checked. He made a sizable bet. I called. The river was another rag. I checked. He bet $175. I had a feeling the entire time that he had nothing. And since he only raised to $7 initially, I wasn't willing to give him credit for having anything decent. What would he have only bet $7 on initially that would beat top pair, middle kicker? It felt like a bluff to me, so I called. He tabled pocket 4s. Ding!

I stayed at that table for more than five hours. I started to feel my attention slipping and some new players were getting seated, changing the table dynamics. I was getting hungry and decided to book my nice win and give up my seat to one of the many waiting players. Chalk up another good session at Venetian, which, based on many factors, is my favorite Las Vegas poker room.

I got dinner and thought that I might head toward Planet Hollywood to see if the poker vlogger/dealer El Diesel/Rice was there. However, I checked on Bravo to find there was only one table (maybe two) going, so I instead decided to play at Horseshoe. It was almost 10:30pm, and I knew this would likely be my last poker session of the night.

I was seated at a table with unique players. The aggro guy to my immediate right started winning, then spewing. The woman at the table who joined shortly after I did was making big raises with crap hands. After winning and losing some hands, I was feeling the need to make a move. A new player joined the table, and he put a terrible beat on the woman, hitting a four outer. He started making $25 blind raises. I looked down at 10-10. Since I know that the guy wanted to bet $25, I beat him to it. He called. The flop was not coordinated and was 9 high. I decided to jam all in. The opponent called. I thought that I was a goner when two overcards came on the turn and river, but my 10s held. He didn't show his cards.

A bit later, my table broke. My new table had a couple of players with big stacks. I had a streak when I was dealt great hole cards or crushed the flop. I felted two players, then got into a huge hand. I called a small raise in the big blind with Jd9d. The flop had a 9 and two diamonds. I checked. the initial raiser made a pot sized bet. I called. The turn was a beautiful diamond -- as long as he didn't have a bigg flush. I checked. He mad a big bet. I called. The river was a blank. I again checked. My opponent bet all in. I called, hoping that he was trying to get me to fold. He turned his cards over, one on top of the other. The top card was the Ace of diamonds. Underneath? The deuce of hearts! He bluffed off his whole stack!

One guy at the table (a reg, I assumed) was drunk or acted like he was drunk. He appeared sober enough to felt one player when he had the nuts. I took a bunch of money off him, including when he tried a big bluff when I had a good hand. I finally decided to call it quits after 3 1/2hours of play. It was an exceptional cash session.

I cashed out and headed to Planet Hollywood in search of El Diesel/Rice as I had something I wanted to tell him. He was still there and was getting ready to leave. We had a brief discussion, and I caught an Uber/Lyft back to the dirty castle. Time for bed.

Friday, December 12

I had thoughts of sneaking in a final poker session at MGM, but instead I hit the slots. A machine I won at the night before hit again. In fact, after a rough beginning at slots, I was winning on them almost everywhere between poker sessions. I grabbed lunch at Buca di Beppo in Excalibur (picture below), then headed to the airport.

My flight home was unremarkable except that it took off and landed late due to a delay in the plane's previous flight.

How did I do overall? It was the most profitable trip to Las Vegas that I have had in a long time -- maybe the most profitable ever. Most things seemed to go right after a disastrous first day. A Las Vegas trip where I got to play poker with friends, won at slots, and had several excellent poker sessions? Pure gold -- and a welcome distraction from playing the same old poker rooms around Phoenix. The poker gods were actually rooting for me this trip. Imagine that!

Thanks for reading. Comments on the blog are encouraged and welcomed.