USA Day 1

Arrived in the early evening & picked up my car (Toyota Yaris), then after picking up some supplies & checking into the hotel it was off to the Bicycle Casino!
Arrived around 10.30pm & after a short wait, found a seat at a $4/8 Kill Limit Holdem table. The Kill part involved the stakes being doubled if a player wins two consecutive pots (they are then forced to post an $8 blind & the hand is played as an $8/16 game). Played fairly tight & managed to win a big pot when I decided to join the limping train when I had K3 suited on the button. Flop came down K73, and after a bet from the SB & almost all the table calling, I raised from the button, and was then re-raised by the UTG played. I called hiim down to the river & he had successfully botched playing AA, much to my benefit & I scooped a healthy pot. After a little over an hour, and just before the Midnight Madness tourney began, I racked up my chips & left with a tidy $65 profit.
The Midnight Madness tournament had 40 runners (which seemed to be a little down from the last time I was here when they usually had around 50-50 runners). This time they played the tourney in the Events area at the bike, which is a large room with 54 poker tables ready for tournament play. I picked up a few chips early by playing position & doubled up when my AA held against the QQ of the table big stack. Didn't really pick up many hands & continued to try to use position to pick up pots to stay afloat. Made the final table with about average chips, though there were 2 players who had very big stacks at the final table, and without opportunities to pick up blinds & antes I found myself as one of the short stacks fairly early on. Of course a tourney would not be complete without a bit of drama, and this was provided when two players got into a verbal slanging match, which resulted in the TD having stern words to both players, before having one of the offenders removed from the premises when they were eliminated. Although initially paying only 5 places, the TD suggested taking some money off 1st place to add a 6th place prize. As one of the two short stacks I was not going to object to this, and when I found my A9 & shoved, I figured that the $75 would be mine when I was called in 2 spots ... one with 88 & the other with AA. Of course the one reminaing ace hit the flop, and my unlikely chance to triple up was killed by a J pairing on the turn, locking up the hand for the AA.
End result: 6th place for $75 ($25 profit).
Given my lack of tournament cashes on my previous trip to the USA, this cash, even if it was a min-cash, certainly puts me in a positive mood for the remainder of the trip.
Tomorrow: Commerce & Event 1 of the California State Championships!