Viva Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- "Throw a bluff on me so the next time I see your son I can tell him, 'Your momma's a bluffer,'" I say to the player in Seat 1 at a $1-2 NL game at the Sahara on Sunday morning.
That's Shirley Williams, the energetic mother of David Williams, they guy who won $3.1 million last year as the runner-up in the World Series of Poker's main event. Her son, unfortunately, busted out- he had 9-4 two-pair in a blind but his opponent made a flush on the river.
That's the funny thing about Las Vegas- you really never know who you'll run into or what interesting person will be seated next to you.
The new crew (Mark, me, Drew, Matt, Empire and Doug) are closing out a long weekend in Vegas. For me, it's been a profitable one, as I'm over +$700 right now and extremely happy that I've made a nice bit of money in two back-to-back weekends.
We've seen a lot of pros around, starting with Daniel Negreanu, Mike Sexton, Scotty Nguyen, Kathy Liebert, Mike Caro and others on Friday night at Doyle Brunson's WSOP party (also sponsored by Atlanta's Bluff magazine). It was like something out of a B-movie, you walk in a ballroom of the Rio pavilion and there are lots of California-chic hotties walking around and to top it off, on two pedestals at the end of the room, a pair of go-go dancers in stillettos and white bikinis.
People were still playing in the WSOP late that evening/Saturday morning- we could see Annie Duke sitting up in her chair, bouncing to music in her chair and a cool and collected Dan Herrington with his green BoSox hat at another table.
The story everyone was talking about was how Jennifer Harman-Traniello busted out of the WSOP on an extremely bad beat- she had the highest full house - Queens full but lost to a straight flush.
I saw Phil Hellmuth signing autographs in the expo hall in the pavilion and a very skinny Clonie Gowen signed one of her Full Tilt pictures. I didn't have the heart to ask her why she didn't call me for my article on Bluff magazine and I thought it would be too creepy to tell her I named one of my poker cats after her. Greg Raymer, who kindly called me for an interview, walked by me. I should have introduced myself but didn't. Amir Vahedi was outside the pavilion posing for pictures with people with his trademark cigar in his mouth.
We've played everywhere this weekend and I was pretty happy at the results. I cashed money at the MGM Grand's $4/8 (very nice, sophisticated poker room), the Bellagio's $4/8, $3/6 at Binion's downtown, and at the Mirage's $6/12 (finally- it's really like the first time I've ever cashed out money there). Of note-- the play at all of these limit tables was way easier than anything online.
At $6/12, the table was passive and one thing I noticed could explain why -- the two older guys to my right were both wearing Rolexes, sugesting this could be their version of $25-a-hand blackjack and they don't have to be very good at it. In fairness, they were decent, just passive like $3/6 or below players.
I made my money breaking two people at the Sahara's $1/2 NL-- lots of inexperienced players. But one of the guys I busted out was experienced -- he's a floor supervisor at the poker room, playing during his break.
Doug's had a nice run at $1-2 NL at the Sahara, cashing out $600 one evening.
It's made me feel better about my play in Las Vegas, the return of my cash bankroll and I look forward to coming back, but not before I go to Tunica.