Ups and Downs

That seems to be the name of the game. Poker is full of swings, which, if I didn't before, I definitely understand now. When I was considering going out to Vegas for my poker odyssey, one of the most important factors in my decision was the role of variance in poker. I knew that any given night or week or even month, even the best player can go on a brutal downswing. Skill is a huge part of poker in the long-term, but it is important to recognize the role of luck in the short-term. As I saw many times this trip, the outcome of just one or two important pots can drastically alter the days' results, as well as the overall profit at the end of each week or month. This is why I decided that it was important to be there for a substantial length of time. Even a month, while it sounds like forever, is not quite enough time to determine a player's true hourly rate in a game. But, since I obviously was not going to go to Vegas for a year, I settled on a month to play as much as I could and iron out the variance. I knew that there would be ups and downs, and I wanted to give myself enough time to climb out of any downswings. As you can see in the graph below, I was right.

There were quite a few downswings, but I never gave up. At times, I felt like I should. I always felt like I could have an advantage over anyone who sat down at the table, but there were times in the beginning where I started to doubt myself. A mix of bad plays and bad beats is a recipe for failure. I am not a cash game player by nature, as I have always played tournaments as my bread and butter. In the first week, this definitely showed, as it took time to adjust my game to cash games. Now, I will say that even with those mistakes, I probably should have been about a break-even player in the games I was in, but I was hit with a bad spell of luck during that period as well. And as I told you before, this is just a recipe for disaster. Sure enough, I hit the bottom of my biggest downswing around the morning of June 13th. It was ugly, and I needed to reassess what I was doing. I took the rest of the day off to cool down. It is important to have a clear head when playing, as decisions made on emotion can be the downfall of any poker player. I was down, but I needed to figure out how to come back from it. I analyzed my mistakes and the mistakes of others. I definitely feel like something clicked for me after that 24 hour period. I was beginning to understand the complexity of cash game play, but most of all, I was beginning to understand poker. I realized that I was there for a month for a reason. In the past, when I went on a downswing, I would panic and try to climb out of the hole I dug myself into as quickly as possible. This can lead to reckless play and eventually a bigger hole. I realized I needed to just go back and concentrate on each hand individually without worrying about the bad beats I had taken or the money that was lost before. That money was gone, and all I could do was grind. So I went back to it with a new mindset. Taking a loss still sucked and I still got angry with the game often, but I did not let a loss keep me from eyeing my ultimate goal. I still had plenty of time, and I could make that money back over time. I threw away that sense of fear and urgency that I have so often succumbed to in the past and got back to work.

I slowly climbed back up near even before hitting another downswing. Man poker is a crazy game. But again, I kept at it and before I knew it, I was finally above $0 and in the black for the trip. I continued to take some beats (though I definitely ran much better over the second half of my trip), as any good player will, but I was in control and playing infinitely better than just weeks before. The nuances of cash games can only be learned by putting in many hours at the table. Some things can only be understood through practice, and I believe poker is one of those things. I saw and learned new things at the table everyday. That is what is so great about poker. It is not finitely solvable. Every situation is different in some way, and to play well it takes every ounce of concentration one has. It was draining at times, but also exciting and challenging.

Finally, after June 25th, everything began to fall into place the way I had hoped it would. At times it seemed like I would never see a positive number in my overall profit, but after June 25th that number continued to climb. There were some losses along the way, but that's poker for you. It is what makes the game so difficult yet so exciting. Even the best poker players must deal with losses for their entire career. It is part of the game. Losing money at your job is a sickening feeling that most people in the world do not have to deal with. It is extremely difficult to work many hours with nothing to show for it, or even worse, to work so hard but have less money than when you started! However, as a poker player, one must be content that eventually the profit will show and the losses are just bumps on the way there. On July 5th, I exceeded my target goal. I had made enough to cover all of my expenses plus have a little extra left over for myself. I made enough to cover my month's hotel bills, eat out every meal, and fly round trip to Vegas. I accomplished what I had set out to do, and I came back in one piece. Though at times it looked like I may have had to come back with less money than I had gone out there with, I am happy to report that my trip was a total success. Most importantly, I had a great time and was able to come home feeling good about what I had done. I did not win a life-changing amount of money, but that does not mean that I didn't have a life-changing experience. I will always look back on my time in Vegas with pride. Vegas tested my resolve, my ability to handle adversity, and my will to succeed. The ups and downs that are involved in poker pushed me to my limits, as did the perils of living in Vegas for a month. There are many amazing things about Vegas, but there are just as many depressing things there as well. A month in Vegas really opens your eyes to that. This blog has gotten pretty long, so I won't go into all of that. Maybe another day...

I hope everyone enjoyed following me on my journey. The blog was a great outlet for me to stay connected with all of you and with the world outside of Vegas. Even if most did not read it, it was an important part of the trip for me, and I hope it filled you in on my thoughts and experiences. With the exception of leaving out financial numbers (don't want them out in a public forum), I tried to be as honest as possible with you. I shared both my highest and lowest moments with you, and I hope you enjoyed the ride. It was a roller coaster of emotions, and luckily for me it ended as well as I had hoped. Thanks for being there with me.

Danny

Home

I'm back in Florida! Landed tonight at 1:15 am. I'll post a final wrap-up of my month in Vegas sometime in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that! Time to adjust to normal everyday life. See some of you soon...

Happy 4th of July and Snow in Vegas

Ok, so its not exactly snowing in Vegas. But...as I was walking over to Caesar's Palace yesterday, I came across something strange...people were snowboarding and skiing off a ramp on the Strip! It was pretty cool to watch. The guys were amateurs but some of them were still pretty good. Saw a couple of backflips and tricks that have funny names, dude...

Anyways, Happy 4th of July everyone. Hope you all have a fun and safe night. I'm pretty sure there are going to be some awesome fireworks on the strip. I am planning on watching them at Caesar's, but well see what hotel seems to have the best ones. Before that I am going to dinner with a friend from WashU (Lahey) and his buddies who are in town. Were going to Carnevino, which looks amazing and I'm really excited. It's Mario Batali's steakhouse in the Palazzo Hotel and is one of the top rated steakhouses in Vegas. Mmm.

Since my last blog, a couple things have happened. Poker has been up and down, but I have basically broken even over the last few days. So I'm still up for the trip, which is really nice to say. Hopefully the last few days will treat me well. No matter what, I am going to come home very happy with how the trip went. I'll do a final summary when I get home for those of you who still care. After I wrote the last blog I went over to Caesars and put all my raffle tickets that I had gathered up into the drawing. In all, I had 240 tickets and a pretty good chance to win at least one of the five $1,000 prizes. Alas, it was not meant to be and I whiffed all 240 tickets. O well, I guess I'll have to earn my money at the tables.

Last night I went over to Casino Royale to meet up with Lahey and two of his friends. I hadn't seen him in a while so it was really good to catch up. I watched them play craps but I've never played and am trying to keep it that way. Then we went over to the Mirage and guess who we saw...

Thats right, Flavor Flav himself, clock included. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me and my camera phone sucks so I couldn't get a good picture for the blog. But, it was quite entertaining and I can't say I was all that surprised to see him there waving hundred dollars bills around. We played blackjack at Mirage and I am happy to say I broke exactly even. Alright, ladies and gents, I have to wrap this up now to go get ready for dinner. Have a happy 4th of July and I'll see some of you in a few days back in Florida!

Danny

One more week and Happy Birthday Scott

Hey everyone,

Just a quick update while I have internet. Things are going well here. As I told you, Amy was here last week for my birthday, so I had taken a break from playing. At that point I was down money for the trip in poker, but I have since turned that around. I have had a few good winning sessions since Amy came and now I'm up for the trip! Hopefully I can continue this run for the remainder of my trip. Speaking of, I can't believe I only have one week left in Vegas. Crazy. Time really flies. I am still enjoying playing (definitely more now that I have been winning!), and I am having a good time out here. Even so, I am excited to get home and see everyone and take a break from this poker craziness. I will definitely miss playing everyday, but luckily Florida poker will be up and kicking when I get back! I am also excited to start studying for the GRE, as weird as it sounds. I'm sure I wont feel the same way a week into it, but itll be nice to be working towards my future. Anyways, I guess theres not much more to report. I'll include one crazy hand I played the other night at the end of the blog if you are interested in anything poker related. Also, happy birthday to my little bro, Worm. We'll have to have a double bday celebration next week when I'm home. Here are some pictures from the last week or so in Vegas...

View from our table at Mon Ami Gabi for my birthday dinner with Amy:

Views from the top of the Eiffel Tower:

Golden Nugget pool with water slide through the shark tank:

Fremont Street:

Poker hand: Imperial Palace, 1/2NL

Background: I was down a good amount at this point and had just bought back in and won a few small pots. This hand couldn't have come at a better time.

The Hand: I have K-10 of hearts. One guy raises to 7, a few people call before it gets to me

so I call on the button. Both blinds call and we see a flop. The flop is J-Q-A with two diamonds! I flopped the nut straight, but I was definitely wary of the diamond draw and of the board pairing. It gets checked to the original raiser and he bets out 30, the next guy min-raises to 60, the next guy folds, and its on me. I decided to smooth-call the 60, as the original raiser only had 58 more after his bet of 30. I was pretty sure he would move all in, raiser would call, and then I would raise to eliminate any diamond draws. So I called and, to my surprise, the guy behind me called the 60 out of the small blind also! So now it gets back around to the first guy and he raises all in for 28 more like I expected. The guy who made it 60 calls, and they tell me that I can't raise because the guys all in was not the size of a full raise! (In most places, the all-in players raise has to be at least half of what the last raise to count as a raise...this was 28 more onto a raise of 30, so that rule should allow me to raise, but they said the rule is different there! My plan backfired and now I could only call.) So I called the 28 more, as did the small blind. The turn was the 9 of clubs. Phew. Still have the best possible hand. They check around to me, and I settle on betting 110, about half my stack. Both call immediately! On the river I am praying for the 2 of spades or some card that isnt a diamond or a card that pairs the board. Unfortunately, the river is the King of diamonds, which filled the flush draw and kills my action because now there is a four card straight. Final board: AKQJ9 with 3 diamonds. They check to me and I check. The hands: Mr. All-in has AQ for top two pair on the AQJ flop. The minraiser had JJ for bottom set, and the cold-caller from the small blind had QQ for middle set!!! What a flop. And amazing than nobody had diamonds and my hand was safe! I dragged in the 700 dollar pot with my straight, which erased my earlier losses and gave me a profit on the session!

Hope you guys enjoyed the blog. Talk soon!

Danny

Been a long time

...Well, relatively. I haven't updated in a little less than a week, so I figured it was time to catch back up with it. Thanks to those of you who still check the blog. This week was pretty awesome/busy, thus the lack of blog entries. Let's start with Monday...

On Monday, I went over to the Caesar's with the plan to be there most of the day playing poker. It started out rocky, losing with straight to a rivered four card flush all in on the turn (he called all in thinking his pair of nines was good but the river saved him with a fourth club). I was rebuilding and was almost even when I got a strange text from Amy asking me to walk out of the poker room. As it turns out, Amy had found a way to come out to Vegas for cheap and stay with me for my birthday! I was shocked to see her standing there in the Caesar's poker room. So, from that point Monday until Friday morning when she left, I spent time celebrating my birthday(week) with Amy. It was nice to spend some time away from poker and get to do the Vegas tourist thing. We saw the strip, the new City Center, went down to Fremont Street to see old Vegas, had a great birthday dinner at Mon Ami Gabi (French Steakhouse in the Paris hotel), and rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower! We also went to see Mystere, Treasure Island's Cirque du Soleil show. It was the first cirque show to have a permanent venue, which admittedly left it lacking the same flare that some of the newer shows have. It was still awesome to be able to do that with Amy here, and it was nice to spend my birthday with her. I know she's probably embarrassed that I am writing about her, so sorry Ame! Amy left yesterday, leaving me to get back on track with this silly poker thing I came all the way out here to do.

I played yesterday morning at the Caesar's, but decided to cut the session short because of a bad beat I took in a pot over $750. I think it is important to walk away from the table and sort things out when you get too emotional, and man was I angry. I took most of the day off and watched movies/tv in my hotel room. If you play when you are not emotionally stable, it is a recipe for disaster. I needed that time, and I am glad that I took it. However, it was very frustrating as I had planned to put in alot of hours yesterday since it was my first day back. Around 11 pm, I felt like playing again, so I went down to the poker room in IP(my hotel) and found them opening a new table. Perfect. I sat down and immediately bluffed off some money on the first hand. Whoops. I tightened up after that, attempting to take advantage of my assuredly loose image. A few rounds went by when I picked up A3 of diamonds in late position. I called the $2 and the girl next to me raised to 10. Before it got back to me, 5 people had already called the 10 so I put in the extra 8 bucks and went to the flop. The flop was a pretty one for my hand, with the 2 and 4 of diamonds and the 10 of spades. Straight Flush draw, time to make a big pot. It checked around to me and I bet 25. Two people called and the crazy guy at my table made it 100. I thought for a minute and moved all in for about 265 total, one guy called all in for around 85, and the crazy guy called after contemplating folding with bottom two pair, the 24 of spades. The turn was an uneventful 8 of clubs, but the beautiful Jack of diamonds showed up on the river, completing my hand and giving me the pot! Finally I won one of the big pots! Even though I was on a draw, I was the favorite with three people in because I had so many cards that could win for me, and my hand came through on the river! From there I just coasted and left about two hours later with a win that erased my loss from earlier. Day's profit: $12! Looks sad, but I'll take it. Any win is awesome when you start the day with a big loss. I went over to Harrah's today after lunch to try out their poker room. I won a few nice pots (both my big hands, a set and a straight, held up on the river when we were all in on the turn!) Maybe my luck is changing. Too early to tell. So I had another decent win this morning and now I'm ready to play again tonight.

I'm sure that there is plenty more to talk about, as alot has gone on since I last posted, but I don't want to bore you/embarrass Amy with anymore details about my birthday week (thanks for the Mrs. Fields cake!) I have some pictures that I'll post the next time I update, but I forgot to charge my camera so it'll have to wait. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Talk to you soon.

Danny

Steady Climbing

Yo,

Just havin dinner at the Venetian again, so I figured I'd stop in and say hey. Since my last post, not too much of interest has happened. I went to Bally's last night to check out their game, but I only stayed about 2 hrs because it was boring and really noisy. Luckily, I was able to get a win there before I left, so I called it an early night. Back at the hotel, I decided to try my luck at getting a fridge again. I asked the lady at the front desk what it would cost me to get one, and she said "Is it for medicine?" As I was saying no, she told me to just say yes, so I did. "Oh, then its free!" she said. Saaaaweeet. Other than that, not much is goin on. I had a couple of small-medium wins, and I'm closing in on that breaking-even point. It will be really nice to show a profit again, no matter if its two dollars or a thousand. I'm happy that I have been able to stick to grinding and haven't gone on crazy tilt and lost money stupidly. I really do feel like I have a good understanding of variance's role in poker. There are so many ups and downs, but I really do feel like I will come out ahead in the end. Poker is such a long-term game, and you really have to be able to check your emotions at the door. It is not so easy to do. The best one can do, really, is to control your emotions and know yourself well enough to know when to walk away and when to keep playing. You also really need to assess your play everyday and plug any leaks you might have in your game. I think I have learned alot about my game everyday and I am really starting to get a good control on the ins and outs of cash games. Despite the sometimes cruel nature of the game, I am still enjoying my time here and my opportunity to play the game I love everyday. So ya, thats about it for now. Just some random thoughts. Hope those of you still reading are enjoying the blog. I definitely appreciate you being interested and rooting for me.

Danny

Another Crazy Day

Today started with me checking out and back into my new room. They held a room for me directly across the hall from my previous room so that I wouldn't have to move my stuff too far. Unfortunately, I was unable to keep my Luv Tub room. I asked the lady but she said it would cost 20 per night to keep that room since it was an upgrade. I knew better than to pay that much, so I decided to just roll the dice and see what my deluxe room looked like. I also forgot to ask about a fridge when I checked in, so I called down once I got to my room. I failed in my attempt to swing the complimentary fridge over the phone, but I might try again at the front desk on my way back in. The new room is basically the same as my first room, but it seems a little bit better kept. In addition, it is not located in a noisy area, so in that way its 10x better than room 1. I would take pics, but it really looks exactly like the first one, except I am not looking over the strip. I'll trade the view for the peace and quiet any day though.

After checking into my new room, I went over the Mirage for what turned out to be a long session. I started at 12:45pm and, besides a 1 hour break for dinner, didnt leave the casino until midnight. It was another crazy day in which I ran pretty bad, losing a few key allin hands in which I was way ahead. The highlight came when I flopped a straight and got all in vs. a guy who had flopped three of a kind. His fourth ten hit the river, sending a huuuge pot his way. And so it went. Danny loses a big pot, rebuilds, only to lose another big pot. Going into my dinner break, I felt proud to only be down a moderate amount for the day. I came back from dinner and slowly worked my way back up, finally crossing back over the starting line and into profit. I booked another moderate win and decided to call it a day. Just like last night, poker proved how volatile it could be, but I was still able to come away with the W. Tomorrow is a new day, and I am confident that I am ready to crush the game. Hopefully I'll have some more good news for you tomorrow or the next day!

Another Quick Update

So I just got done playing a quick session at the Mirage. I took most of the day off from poker yesterday to get my head straight and came back today ready to grind. I went to the Mirage today, picked up some plain chicken and pasta (like anyone is surprised...), and headed over to their poker room. After signing up for a players card, I was ready to go. It was a really smooth few hours, and before I knew it I had booked a pretty decent win and decided to call it for dinner. I picked up from Carnegie Deli in the Mirage and took it back to my room. Man is it expensive, $15 dollars for a turkey sandwich. But at least they put enough on it that I'll be able to have half for lunch tomorrow. I went back to the Mirage after dinner, and things started back where I left off. I was steadily winning when all of the sudden lightening struck and I lost two big hands in a row, one with KK to J10 all in preflop and one with a flush to a higher flush. Suddenly, I had lost half my stack, but I was able to recover soon after when I doubled up with QQ to some guy who didnt show his hand when we got all in on a 9 high flop. Some more grinding and I was able to leave with a moderate win. Poker can be so crazy. I decided I had enough poker insanity for a night and was happy to get two winning sessions in today. I'll be heading back to the Mirage tomorrow, hoping to take another step towards getting back on the winning track. Hope everyone is doing well at home or wherever you may be. I appreciate the support from everyone after my last post. So thanks and goodnight.

Danny

P.S. I move out of my luv tub room tomorrow and switch to my next luxurious Imperial Palace guest room. I'll be interested to see what I get.

Poker Sucks and WSOP

Yoo,

Whats going on everyone. First of all, I appreciate everyone's texts, facebook messages, and comments on here. Thanks for following. Unfortunately, I have to report that my poker results have hit a major speedbump in the last day or so. Had some really unfavorable situations happen that I won't dwell on too much. I have made it a goal of mine not to tell bad beat stories while I am out here. It is a bad habit that I have fallen into at times (thanks for listening Cliff!), so I am trying to get rid of it. Its too bad because I have alot of those stories to tell! But thats alright. I knew what I was getting into when I came out here. I knew if I hit a bad run, positive results could turn negative really quickly. I just need to hope the streak will end soon and my numbers will begin to climb again. Poker really is a brutal game. But don't worry about me, I'll rebound. Win or lose, I'm still the man so I can't really complain. On to the next one...

WSOP

So, like I said in last night's post, I went over to check out the World Series of Poker the other day. I had been meaning to get over there, and Winnett being in town gave me a decent excuse. For those of you who don't know him, he is a friend from highschool who nearly gave my mom a heart attack everytime he came over for poker. He can get a little loud(okay, very loud), but hey, thats what makes him "the mouth." In fact, since I had seen him last, he moved out to California and was given a different nickname: "Squeeky." Squeeky was in town because his roomate Domenico was still in a World Series event with about 20 people left. By the time I got to the Rio, they were down to just 8 people from the original 384 who entered. First prize was around $230,000, so this was really something to get excited about. Two people got knocked out in one hand and suddenly we were down to the final table of 6. We moved over to the final table cheering section and watched for hours as the six remaining players fought to stay alive. Finally, one succumbed and we were left with five. While watching got very boring at times, it was still very exciting because of what was at stake. One kid continuously won his all-ins, and finally beat Domenico in a big pot that nearly knocked him out. Unfortunately, Domenico was knocked out a short while later, but $43,000 is nothing to be upset about. So congrats Domenico, I'm glad I got to be there for it.

Final Table

WSOP

Poker Hands

For those of you interested or who will even understand what I am about to talk about, here are some interesting hands of poker I kept note of since I have been here:

Planet Hollywood, 1/2NL

I raise under the gun with 36 of spades ;) 3 people call, including the small blind(SB from here on out). Flop is J45, so I flop open ended. SB bets 12, I call, Army guy next to me makes it 30, SB calls, and I call 18 more. Turn is the 2, making no flushes and completing my nut straight. Board= J452. SB checks, I check, Army bets all in for ~$80, sb calls, I move all in for the SB's last 200, he calls with A3, Army has JJ, and the river is a 9, giving me the whole pot. Major cooler.

Caesar's Palace, 1/3 NL

Hand 1: I have 10s 3s on the button. There is a raise and 4 callers ahead of me, and we are all deepstacked. I call on the button. Flop 679 with 2 spades, a huge flop for my hand. First 2 people check, Hip(poker player who I've been hanging out with some) bets 25. I raise to 65. Out of nowhere, both the small blind and the next lady cold call the 65. Hip folds after some though. The turn is the Qd, giving me another gutshot but otherwise not improving my hand. SB and crazy lady check, I check behind. The river is the beautiful 8 of clubs. Both players check, I bet 125. SB folds immediately (pretty sure I didnt want to make my flush, as I think he was on a higher draw, which is why I checked back the turn). Crazy Lady thinks and then tries to raise 100 more, but can't as she must raise at least 125. So I call, resigned to the fact that I am splitting this pot like 95% of the time and losing to a terribly played J10 like 5%. I am shocked when she flips over 95 offsuit for the low end of the straight and top pair/bad kicker that called 65 cold on the flop. Thank you Ill take that.

Hand 2: I have A10 in the big blind. a bunch of limpers and I check. Flop is 10 10 A with 2 diamonds (hello! very nice to see you.) I check, everyone checks to the button, who I'll call Oakland, who bets $10. I call, old guy calls. Turn is the 8 of diamonds, putting the flush on board (sweet). I check, old guy bets 25, Oakland calls, I call. River 3c (perfect), I see oldy glance at his chips so I'm pretty sure he wants to be his flush, so I oblige and check. He bets 25, Oakland calls, I shove for their remaining stacks (around 130 more each), oldy quickly calls with k7dd and the other guy folds what he later says was 10j.

Hand 3: I limp J9 of club, checks around. Flop is 983 with the 8 and 3 of clubs. The SB bets $12, BB calls, I raise to 36, SB calls, BB makes it 136, I move all in for his last $250 more. He calls with A3 of clubs after the SB folds. Terrible play by him I think, but I'll take the money please. Turn is a blank, but the river throws out the disgusting Ad and he takes the 700 dollar pot and leaves a few minutes later.

Hand 4: a bunch of limpers, I limp on the button with 10c 6c, SB (good online player) makes is 20 and is called in 4 spots before it gets to me, so I call. Flop is 789 with two hearts. Gin. SB bets 45, and the next guy moves all in for 550 (wtf)! So I call all in for 475 obviously, and the SB folds. I am shocked to see the shover flip over 10j, but I guess if he wants to overshove the pot with the nuts good for him. I wont have the 2nd nuts everytime.

Hand 4 at Caesars was this morning, and it capped of a terrible run that began last night. So here I am, pockets much lighter than yesterday. (Paul Walker: pockets ain't empty cuz, Tyrese: We ain't hungry no more either.) I'm gonna keep my head up and keep grinding, though I am thinking of switching to tournaments. Wish I had more of a bankroll to take the variance of tournies though. But we'll see. But don't worry, my friends. I'll be feeling much better once I finish typing this and go find a delicious cannoli somewhere at the Venetian. Wish me luck!

Danny

Quick Hello

Hey everyone who still reads this.

Sorry its been a few since I updated. I'm doin great, poker is goin much better. I have alot to update on, but only a minute to write. I will have a full update soon, I promise. I went to the Rio yesterday to meet up with an old poker buddy (Winnett, for those of you who know the mouth). It was actually really cool, because as it turned out, his roommate was about to make the final table of the World Series of Poker $2,500 limit holdem event. Unfortunately, he went out in 5th and missed out on his first WSOP bracelet, but I'm sure the $43,000 he made will ease the pain. I gotta go eat now, then "work," but look for another update in the next day or two.

Danny

Room #2

Hey everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates. Its hard to find good internet around here. I tried to use the internet in Caesar's last night but it wouldn't let me connect.

First things first, I switched rooms this morning. When I booked my trip, I had to book 5 separate reservations(3 five day reservations, a 7 day reservation, and an 8 day reservation) in order to get the best prices. Its a little inconvenient, but it saved me alot of money. So this morning, I had to check out of my room(goodbye techno music at 4 am, we had a good run) and check back into the hotel. This time, I chatted up my main man Jack at the front desk, slipped him a 20, and he was able to upgrade my room to what they call a "Luv Tub Room." The room is definitely nicer and looks out over the pool instead of a bar that plays music for the entire front tower(how nice of them). The room is bigger, the furniture is noticeably better, but best of all(in case you couldn't guess from the name of the room) there is a jacuzzi tub next to the bed!

So, that explains half of the origin of the name "Luv Tub." But where'es the love? Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but closer observation would lead me to believe that the Luv in the room comes not from the tub, not from the bed, and not from the view, but instead from what is above the bed:

A mirror! How fancy. This room is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in Vegas, and that's really saying something. But I'd pay 20 dollars to sleep well for the next 5 nights(or more, if i can get them to let me keep the room) and for a Luv Tub any day. Its just adding to the experience my friends. Anyways, I am enjoying myself, playing lots of poker, and making friends with just about everyone at my tables. There is a downside to this, as I may have picked up another Stuart situation. Less creepy, but just as forward. We'll see how it plays out. I think thats about it for now. Cliff and anyone else interested, I promise there will be a poker update soon. I've played plenty of interesting hands, and I've been keeping track of everything, so I'll fill you in soon. Talk to everyone soon.

Danny

Quick Picture Update

Hey,

I am sitting in Caesars Palace and found a spot with WiFi, so I figured I'd make a quick post while I'm here. Poker has been up and down, but thats the nature of this profession. I'm having alot of fun though and I definitely think the games are profitable. I played a bunch at Caesar's today, and its probably been my favorite room so far. Had a bunch of nice people at my tables, including one guy from somewhere in Eastern Europe who loved me. We were having alot of fun, and he had 4 friends watching him from behind the table who I was chatting with too. Caesar's has a promotion where they put these buttons into certain pots, and you can exchange the buttons for tickets to a raffle in wich they give away $1,000 to 5 people at 6pm everyday. So the Easter European guys were asking me what they were, but they weren't going to be in town anymore tomorrow so they were gonna miss the drawing. So anyway, as I'm leaving, one of the guys chased me down and gave me all of their raffle buttons. Nice guys. Vegas can be a lonely place for alot of people, so I'm glad I've been able to encounter interesting people at the tables so far. Anyways, here are some pictures. P.S. the picture at the top is a delicious drink (non-alc, obv) that I had at the Caesars tonight. The "Strawberry Julius" was an incredible discovery, though it falls slightly behind the Bette Midler poker chip as the greatest thing at the Caesar's Palace.

Lagasse's Stadium in the Palazzo/Venetian....Went here last night to watch the Celtics/Lakers game. It was crazy, peoplel musta had alot of money on the game the way they were screaming. These pictures are from after the game, but this place was packed to capacity for the game.

Strip Views from my small balcony:

The Room:

The room is very basic, but its super cheap and clean enough. THe only major problem is there is a bar outside my window that blasts music until 4 am. Man do I hate that song "Shots." The bass alone is enough to bring back my Vertigo. Luckily, I booked my stay in 5 installments, so I can switch to a quiter room on the 12th hopefully. Anyways, I only have a few minutes, so this is gonna be it for now. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for reading.

Danny

Intro...Danny touches down in LV

Yooo friends and family.

I figured it was time to update everyone on whats going on in my life. I am currently sitting in the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, using their food court's free WiFi to fill you in. Some of you are already aware, but many are not, that I arrived in Vegas yesterday. Those of you who didn't know probably aren't shocked to find out I'm in Vegas. You may, however, be surprised to know that I am staying in Vegas for a month, from June 7th to July 7th. About a month ago, I decided that I would quit my job at RSR Custom Renovations and Additions---thanks Uncle Rob!---and head out to Vegas with nothing but a dream and some hundred dollar bills.

Luckily, everyone around me has been really cool about this decision, including my parents, family, Amy, and friends. Basically, everyone understood why I am doing this. I am going to start studying for the GRE in July, hoping to go on to get a Masters in Social Work starting in Fall '11. So I figured now was the time to take control of my life and do something I'll never forget. So here I am, writing you guys from the Las Vegas Strip 24 hrs after I left Florida for what I would call the boldest move I've ever made in my life. Over the next 30 days, I will be treating poker as my job. I plan to play between 8 and 10 hours a day, hoping to make a steady profit while not losing my shirt trying.

So wish me luck, and be sure to check back every few days for a new update (not promising anything, being that I have to come sit in the food court of the Venetian (I'm staying at Imperial Palace)to access the world wide web. Alright this is getting long, so I'm going to end it here--but I will be posting again soon with a synopsis of my first 24 hrs in Vegas, hopefully with some pictures if I can figure it out. For now, I'm off the the poker tables. Hope you enjoy what is to come of this awsome (yes I spelled it that way on purpose...and yes, that is my brother, worm) blog in the next 29 days or so.

Danny