Seeing how this last trip was for the WSOP, we found ourselves at the Rio quite a bit.  So naturally we went to the World Carnival Buffet once during our stay.  We had been to this buffet years ago, and the new look renovation is nice considering how the place looked before.

This is a pretty large buffet with just a ton of stuff to choose from.  The quality is fairly good, although there is no truly great or exotic item like you will find at say the Bellagio’s buffet.  Everything is what you know and is tasty.

I have seen other people’s review of the place and they are right about the “cafeteria” feel.  The plastic cups take me back to middle school, but it is a buffet so I really don’t think that it matters all too much.

The service was fine and we didn’t wait long to get seated because we had come a little before 11 am.  I would actually recommend this because you will get the best of breakfast and the first choice of the lunch items, all cooked fresh.  They have a nice salad bar, cooked-to-order stir-fries, a Mexican taco station, some Chinese and a Japanese sushi bar.  They also have a Brazilian mixed grill, an Italian station and even a station for hot dogs, burgers, fries, and milkshakes.  Then you throw in the usual fare of most Las Vegas buffets and you have a ton of choice.

And then came the dessert.  There are like 50 kinds of pies, cakes, and pastries to choose from along with ice cream.  Yummy.

The buffet at Planet Hollywood was voted the best in Vegas (when it was the Aladdin), but their food quality was not as good as the RIO.  The Bellagio buffet still ranks highest in our book, although the price is a bit steep.  So for the best value of price and quality, I would say that the World Carnival Buffet at the Rio is a nice choice.  

I have often talked about the “Vegas Effect” as being basically sleep deprived as you party too long and are not able to get good consistent rest.  But this also applies to food and hunger as well.  Here is a great sandwich that can hold you over between those magical Blackjack runs.

The Italian sandwich @ JJ Boulangerie in Paris is just amazing.  It’s a hard French baguette roll with some tasty Italian meats, artichokes, red onion, some provolone, tomatoes and a light pesto spread.  Yummy.

You get a little potato salad with the sandwich which really sets off the meal.  I personally am not a huge artichoke fan, but somehow it all works well together.  These pictures do not do it justice, but believe me @ about $9.50 it’s a bargain!

When we want to make a light meal of it, Lori and I will get this and a chef salad that they have already made and go to town.  Something that is nice with the Caesar’s properties is that if you give them your player’s card they will swipe it and see if you have any “quick rewards”.  So if you have done any playing before hand you will have accumulated some points that translate into dollars.  This means an instant discount and anything that the casino gives you need to take.

So if you are looking for a good bite to eat that won’t kill your bankroll, then head over to Paris and get yourself one of these bad boys.

After the Danny Gans fiasco, I was more than happy to see an actual good show.  So we relied upon our mantra of, “when in doubt, Cirque it out.”

That’s where Love comes in.  It’s Cirque’s newest show on the strip and it’s phenomenal.  There is your normal nutty cast of characters that you will find in all Cirque shows, but this one seems more contemporary.  What I mean to say is that because you know all of the music, the transitions between the incredible acts are flawless.  There are no gaps and everything seems to build on the next element.   Aside from “O”, this is the best Cirque show by far.

And the music was just extraordinary.  Even someone who knows very little about the Beatles can appreciate and enjoy this show.  Enter Lori. 

Lori grew up in rural central Florida on 10 beautiful acres of pristine farm land.  Unfortunately there was only country music and a sprinkling of pop music in the 90’s, so you can understand when I say that she has no connection with the greatness that is the Beatles. 

Remarkably this fact did not matter as many times during the performance I would look over and she was transfixed with what was going on.  We had great seats in the lower level (section 103 , Row G) and was practically on the stage, but I don’t think it would have matter where we were since this was a theater in the round.  There is as much going on in the air as there was on the ground, so even if you were up and in the back of the house you had a great view.  We went on a Saturday and the place was packed.  It’s definitely worth the nearly $170 per ticket, so go see this show!

Lori and I went deep in three of the tournaments during this last trip, which is amazing considering how little we actually play.  Each day we were playing 10+ hours and ever so close to cashing in all of these events.  I would have to say that a lot of the reason why is because we have a good mental approach to the game.

Your Worst Poker Enemy: Master the Mental Game (Amazon) by Dr. Alan Schoonmaker is a great book for helping you “quiet” your mental game.  Poker is not a difficult game to learn, but it’s getting past the basics that separate good players from great ones.

One of the things that I love about this book is that it assumes that you are already an intermediate to advance player.  That you understand the nuances of the game, but maybe not recognize the calling signs that bring them on is also key to appreciating and understanding this book.  It’s incredibly well documented, which is nice since so many poker books are just first hand accounts of how some poker pro plays, but not necessarily how the average person may think or play in certain situations.

The book is easy to read and is an excellent get for anyone looking to discover something about their own play that they might not even realize.

I have read a ton of poker books over the years and I have to say that Barry Greenstein’s Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide (Amazon) is one of my favorites. Barry is a top pro and is respected the world over. He has a very inviting and easy style about his writing that I really enjoy.

The photography throughout the book is vivid, appropriate and engaging; which I find refreshing as compared to the norm for this type of book. I think that I enjoy it more than most because it assumes that you understand the basic premise of no limit and it truly gives you some insight to a higher level of play. He uses real hands that he has played and tournament scenarios that help visualize the points that he makes.

There is a small amount of poker theory, but again it’s well illustrated and thought provoking. There is also a forward by Doyle Brunson that is very good, but that’s just icing on this already great cake.

This won’t be the first book in your collection, but it’s one that you most certainly should have if you are serious about playing at the next level. It’s also nice enough to be on your coffee table and your folks won’t even know the difference.