Back home again

So I am back home from Vegas and it's time to look back. As always going to Vegas is very nice and being there during WSOP is even nicer. This time it was a special experience as media access allowed to do and see a lot more then the usual visitor. It was also nice to meet some people in person like BJNemeth (@BJNemeth), Joe Seebok (@joesebok) and many others. It was also nice to meet Jessica Welman (@jesswelman) from PocketFives Live again.

But the face of Las Vegas is changing. I'm a child of "Disneyland for adults". When I came to Vegas first the Bellagio, NYNY, Venetian and Excalibur had just opened. It was the time of the "Themed Hotels". I have spoken to people who knew Las Vegas before that times and they told me that they got tears in their eyes when places like the Sands and Dunes were imploded. At this time I couldn't understand why they didn't like the new Las Vegas.

Now I start to understand ... because as always Las Vegas is inventing itself again in very short time. The time of the themed resorts is long over. Old icons like the Stardust have followed the Sands and Dunes. Now it's the time of the glass palaces.

The Wynn & Encore started this trend. The Palazzo was the last place not following this trend (but I assume mainly because it wouldn't have fit to the Venetian otherwise). And now there is city center. A huge monster of several casinos with no real identity. City center doesn't look like Vegas - it could be anywere in any big city of the United States.

And that's the worst part. This wonderful clear line of casinos on the strip that you could see upon landing (or from far away) is now gone. Several condo builings at or near the strip make it even worse. Now I am the one to be sad about the new Las Vegas and I start to understand how the old-timers must have felt. It's like they start to take "my" Vegas away from me. And also it will take a few more years it's just a matter of time and those places that made it "my" Las Vegas will start to vanish...

Not that I don't like Las Vegas anymore. It's still a great place but some of the buzz I always felt during my stays is just gone. But for everyone comes once a day were he becomes the old-timer. And in Las Vegas this will usually happen sooner than later...

As you have read in my last entries I wasn't successfull in tournaments - again! I can't blame it to bad beats in general. The first time I was perfectly outplayed. At least two times it was my own fault ... and yes, I somewhat missed the lucky end on important occasions. On the other hand I was running very good in cash games. I hadn't played cash games for a long time now and it was a great learning experience. I still make mistakes here that I shouldn't do but it seems I found a good mix between my own style of play (action oriented) and the needed patience. I will try to keep up with the cash games but will do so very carefully for now.

Another thing I wished I had done different would have been to take a few days more and use those for resting in between. Especially after this horrible last Venetian tournament I would have loved to have the opportunity for just taking a day off.

Anyway, I am back home and next play will be on Friday at the CCC in Salzburg. No deepstack of course but still an o.k. structure.