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Venetian / Big Game / Degenerates

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by KnotGillty, Feb 10, 2017.

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  1. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    Another Big Game trip is in the books for my brother and I. We did a few years in Tahoe back in the late 90's,, then we skipped a few superbowls, and now we have 14 consecutive superbowl trips to Vegas. The cast of characters this time are myself, my brother M who is a doctor, J who is a lawyer, and S who is also a doctor. I'm in real estate. We all love to party and gamble and this is the one time of the year we can forget about the stresses of life and let our hair down.

    The day before this adventure began, I started coming down with a sinus infection. So I had to break out the hot water & salt combo and flush the sinuses. Thankfully, it helped and I was feeling good on arrival in Vegas.

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    I've also been having lower back problems lately. I think I'm prepared in case of a flare-up.

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    We arrived in Vegas Saturday at 11am and came back home on Tuesday. We flew in style as M treated us to a private jet he rented. M & S boarded the jet in Southern California, and flew to Northern California, to pick up J & myself. J & I were not even asked for ID at the Nor Cal airfield. Nor was our baggage scanned. All we had to do was give the tail number of the plane and we were allowed to board. We just walked straight out to the runway and jumped on the jet. Of course, they had our names on the passenger manifest. When we offered ID, the gal said, "Not needed, we know who you are!!!". Alrighty then, lets get this party started.

    Did you know that Larry Flint's private jet has a tail # of N269HM (In to 69 Hustler Magazine). True story…

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    Once up in the air we drank beers and enjoyed the high life.

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    The Northern California mountains are covered in snow. Matter of fact, we are almost 200% of normal for this time of year. The drought we've been in can suck it, literally, as the lakes and streams will be healthy come summer time because of the runoff from snow melt. (update: After returning home from this trip, the local news says drought water regulations for Northern California will remain in effect for another 9 months. We are allowed only 2 water days per week. Another summer of brown lawns).

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    We would soon be in Sin City. To be continued...
     
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  2. worldtraveler

    worldtraveler Tourist

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    Following along :)
     
  3. Its Only Money

    Its Only Money VIP Whale

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    That is ballin' can't wait to keep reading.
     
  4. the nuts

    the nuts VIP Whale

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    Curious about the company M used to charter the flight. Ive been thinking about doing something like this.
     
  5. RedChip

    RedChip VIP Guppy

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    Awesome start!
     
    One night at the Gambling Hall...
    ...followed by two nights downtown
  6. Drewm1972

    Drewm1972 VIP Whale

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    Awesome brotherhood.... and Only way to travel!!! Following along. Go get em!!!
     
  7. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    I'm not sure, but I'll see what I can find out.
     
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  8. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Not the normal flush :poker: I see pictured on VMB! :D
    Great start! You guys definitely travel in style!

    I can't wait to see the next installment of your adventure!

    RICHARD
     
  9. Miller12pack

    Miller12pack High-Roller

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  10. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    Upon touchdown in Vegas, the limo was parked next to the jet on the runway. We jumped out of the jet, jumped into the limo, and made our way to the Venetian. Our host fucked up M's reservation and when we arrived, they didn't have a room for him. A quick phone call made it right and we were all set. M & I have the same host. She's very personable, and all email & face to face interactions go very well. But she seems to fuck up at least one thing on every trip. This has happened the last 4 or 5 trips. This trip it was M's room, and the limo back to the airport on departure day was non-existent. As Arnold would say, 'Your terminated'.

    The first thing we did after checking in was visit the sports book and make some wagers on the Big Game. I am primarily a BJ player. 95% of my bankroll goes towards BJ. However, this trip, my only real wins came from slots, video poker, and my bets on the game. I only had 1 decent run at BJ the entire trip, and it was short lived. Totally sad. It wasn't enough to offset the losses unfortunately.

    Saturday night we had reservations at Carnevino's. We got lamb chops, the dry aged bone-in ribeye, and a bunch of sides. Dinner was fantastic as usual. The martini's flowed and we all had a fantastic buzz by the end of the meal. Wish I had some food pics, but I forgot. I blame the martini's. I did get half of the menu, lol…

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    After dinner we took a limo over to Cosmo to get some Verbeenas. S & J had never tried the drink. It was fun watching their reaction after chewing the flower bud. After some drinks, M played some roulette in the high limit room and broke even after about 30 minutes. We then went back to the Venetian to gamble & drink some more. I literally couldn't get anything going at blackjack. The continuing losses, combined with an aching back, and I was the first one to hit the sack. M ended up at the high limit roulette table with a good group of guys. They were doing tequila shots and had them bring a specific bottle from the bar, to the table, to do lots of shots. Some minor chip porn from M.

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    Sunday morning we ate at Grand Lux. Does anybody know what the heck they put in their pancakes? Among the best I've ever eaten. After eating and telling tall tales, we went to play Ultimate Texas Holdem for the first time. No big hands to speak of, and no big losses. I think I lost a couple hundred in about 30 minutes. We then played some blackjack until the early afternoon. Again, I just could not get any kind of streak together. I'm a progressive win player and increase bets as I string wins together. The tables all weekend were very choppy, win, lose, win, win, lose, lose, etc.. I could never seem to string more than 3 wins in a row which is kills my betting style.

    J & I went to get in line for the big game party around 1:30. As I was standing there my host walks by. We chat for a few minutes and she pulls me out of line & says, 'follow me'. She takes us around the corner and lets us in through an employee side door. We got to pick our table of choice, and it was a great gesture on her behalf, to let us in before the rest of the people in line. Still doesn't make up for forgetting M's room & the limo on departure day.

    One of our crew (S) quit drinking many years ago. He fell off the wagon during the game (I'm sure the peer pressure didn't help). We all got pretty toasted as the vodka and tequila was flowing all game long. My brother and I both placed bets on overtime as well as a 2 point conversion. Both paid well. I didn't take any pics of our bets on the big game, but the OT bet paid 7 to 1 and the 2 point conversion paid 4 to 1. I've been making that overtime bet for 14 straight years. Good to see it come through for a change.

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    Things got a little hazy after the game. We all kind of went different directions. S continued to binge drink all night after years of sobriety, and paid for it all day Monday, as he stayed in bed and prayed to the porcelain gods most of the next day. J went on a tequila & Makers bender all night and texted me at one point to come back him up at the bar as he was going to fight some guy over stupid shit that he had started (putting down the guys NFL team, and then getting overly offended when the guy spoke back). J & I go back 30 years, and in our younger days, we did a lot of dumb shit while inebriated. Lets just say it's a good thing facebook & instant video recording didn't exist back then. Rumor has it that J ended up with two chicks in his room in the early morning hours, but I can't verify. M did his usual thing Sunday night and played BJ & roulette in the high limit room, took out markers, and made enough at the tables to pay them all back. The gambling was simply a blood bath for me most of the weekend. I was very close Sunday night to breaking into the last days bankroll, but I did the right thing and stopped gambling around 11pm. There is nothing worse than blowing through your bankroll early. Another down day for me. But Monday was a new day, and finally, the tide would turn.

    To be continued...
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2017
  11. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    I believe M used STA jets to charter the flight. http://stajets.com/
     
  12. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Good stuff so far!
     
  13. the nuts

    the nuts VIP Whale

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    Thanks for that. Enjoying the report so far!
     
  14. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    Monday was another day to try to right the ship. 'S' spent most of the day in the room on Monday as he partied too hard the day prior. 'J' flew home on Monday as he had work commitments. I played some blackjack in the morning (lost) and decided I was going to play a few slots to change things up. No luck on buffalo, no luck on WOZ, and then I stumbled upon a Bejeweled 3d machine that I had never played. My wife plays that stupid damn game on her phone all the time and I thought maybe it would be good luck to try it out. It was a good call. A few minutes in, and I get into some bonus round where you pick symbols on the screen, and I ended up with this.

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    Finally, something I could get excited about. I found a slot attendant, got my tax form, and tipped her. My brother 'M' was doing his own damage on the slots. Soon after my hit, he got these in the high limit slot area.

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    Woohoo, we both got decent wins on slots! That literally never happens. Monday is turning into a pretty good day. As the afternoon wore on, my back was aching, so I went up to the room to stretch out on the bed and get ready for the evening.

    My nephew is in the Air Force, stationed just a few miles outside Vegas. He doesn't have duty Monday night and meets me around 5:30. We are taking a limo at 6 downtown to eat at Hugo's. We have a few minutes to burn and I ask if he wants a beer before we leave the Venetian. We go to the center bar and order a couple beers. Now in 25 years of gambling, I have maybe a grand total of 2 hours playing video poker. It's not something I ordinarily play. I don't even know how to read paytables. Heck, I don't even think I've had 4 of a kind before. With beer in hand, I decide to slip in a hundred and play a few video poker hands to pass the time before we have to jump in the limo. A few minutes in I have 3 to a royal and guess what happens?

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    Boy was that sexy. I'm officially up lifetime playing video poker lol. I think I've maxed out my luck for the day.

    I didn't play any more hands, cashed out the ticket, and we head downtown to eat. I've been to Hugo's Cellar many times, and it never disappoints. We order a seafood tower, beef wellington, several seafood trio plates, king crab, and several sides, and of course the salad cart. Oh yeah, love their martinis too as they leave the shaker on the table in an ice bucket. So you really get two martini's for the price of one. At the end of the meal we did the tableside coffee brew which is a really cool thing to see. They bring this contraption out and set it on the table. After about 5 minutes, the heat at the bottom chamber (see pics) eventually causes the water below, to rise to the upper chamber, where it mixes with the ground coffee beans. About a minute after the heat source is extinguished, the upper chamber begins to cool & all the coffee drains back to the bottom. Science at its finest. It's a pretty cool way to end a meal at Hugo's.

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    After dinner we walked around Freemont, watched the overhead, and played some blackjack at Binions.

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    Eventually, we went back to the Venetian and ended the night at the BJ tables. I got within 2 units of losing my buyin, made it all back, and decided to quit when I was even. I'll take that, as every prior session of the weekend was a loser.

    Tuesday we flew back home. As mentioned earlier, the host forgot to schedule the limo (we booked our own). 15 minutes from the time we left the Venetian, we were sitting inside the jet. I could get used to this lifestyle. The weather over the Sierras in Northern California was nasty and the turbulence was pretty intense. Even the pilot said it was the worst he's seen in awhile. We all made it back home safely. It's taken a few days to recover, but all is well. We all ended up losers on the gambling front, but we'll reload and make it happen next time. Already looking forward to the next superbowl. Hope you enjoyed the report.
     
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  15. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Wow!
    Some nice hits and good times there!
    Will VP become a bigger part of your Degen resume now? :D

    Thanks for sharing! From jet ride to jet ride, you had me hooked on this TR, KnotGillty!

    RICHARD
     
  16. KnotGillty

    KnotGillty High-Roller

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    I'll probably give video poker a little more love from now on. I don't really enjoy staring at a screen for hours on end, but popping my Royal Flush cherry was a rush and something I hope to do again.
     
  17. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    Just reading this sentence made me green with envy.

    Great TR!
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  18. RedChip

    RedChip VIP Guppy

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    Wow, great trip. Love the private jet idea! Maybe one of these days.
     
    One night at the Gambling Hall...
    ...followed by two nights downtown
  19. D in the D

    D in the D Oldest ride, Longest Line

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    Nice report, thanks for sharing. Love the pics. The private jet is ballin' big-time! Very cool.
     
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