Mirage 3/8 - 3/13

All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
Got a flight at 6 in the morn
I hate to sit through a layover
But the flight will board
And then we’re gone
Vegas is waiting
The Mirage is home
Already I can’t wait
To play some cards

(With apologies to John Denver)

It's that time again! Time for my annual Vegas trip (admittedly, the last couple of years have been twice a year, but who’s counting?)

First, some intros:

The Players (not our real names)

Basil- your humble (well, maybe not) narrator. By day, a product manager and senior leadership for the online division of a major investment firm. By night, well… pretty boring actually. But on the weekends a poker playing, gambling machine with dreams of premium quads and great food

Ford- The reason I have an annual Vegas trip- after college, he lived West Coast while I stayed East, and the annual Vegas trip was an excuse for us to get together and play cards in Vegas. He’s since moved back East, but that didn’t stop the annual trip. Ford basically retired in his 30s, and travels around playing poker, or really whatever else he wants to do. You may remember him from my other two trip reports

Levon (after Levon Helm, the greatest drummer/singer combo of all time)- I work with Levon, another gambling fan. It’s coincidental that he is traveling out: he is going with some of his friends, but I expect we’ll meet up at some point

Rob- Levon’s friend he’s traveling with. Also the brother of someone I went to high school with. What does that make us?




My liver- a poor, unsuspecting little organ. Happily trudging along, processing all kinds of chemicals to keep me going. Poor bastard has no idea what’s in store

BAC Tracker- a portable breathalyzer, to be used for high score purposes

I hope to keep this as a live trip report, but we’ll see how this goes. The plan is the Mirage (comped, but we need to change rooms since we each get 3 nights. We overlap a night to let us move whenever we want), great food, poker, degen gambling, drinking, and tons of fun. We'll hit some poker tourneys at the Venetian, some 3 card or high car flush at Harrah's/Linq, and possibly a strip crawl or two. Will likely hit Carnevino and the Bacchanal at some point as well.

Hope everyone enjoys!

 

Looking forward to following along!

 

Love the Venetian poker tourneys and cash games, good luck degens

 

Have fun & Good luck !

 

Our timing is the same.... Enjoy

 

Bellagio has been my home base since '14. Considering going back to Mirage for a change of pace; I have the same 3 night offer from both. Will be following to help make up my mind. Mirage used to have $10 3/2 bj but I guess that's gone. I prefer the food and location of the B, but like the shows and have always gotten a penthouse suite for $79 at Mirage, that is probably gone too.

Good luck and have a blast!

 

Can anyone sleep the night before Vegas? Not me. Finally dozed off at 2am, but wide awake when the alarm went off at 4am.

BTW: the reason I love flying out of Providence? A 6am flight, boards at 5:30. What time do I get to the airport?

5:20

No checked bag + pre-check means I'm still at the gate before boarding starts.

Now sitting in first class with a glass of water waiting for all the rabble to board . Hopefully I nap for this leg. Then a 3 hour layover (boo) in CLT before the flight to the main event.

About the layover: since I paid for this with miles (the one redeeming part of traveling so much for work) my choice was a 30 minute layover or a 3 hour layover. If it was work, I might have gone with 30, but I'm not risking my vacation time.

 

In the air now, enjoying the first class digs and my favorite airline snack


Should be landing early.

Funny, I've been thinking the opposite recently. Other than my first trip at Excalibur (we all make mistakes) it's been only Mirage, but I've been thinking of the B. But I prefer the mirage location with access to the Venetian for poker and Harrahs/Linq for lower limits.

But recently, I've been tempted but the fruit of another. The way she shows off her Chihuly makes her such a tease.

 

Nope can't sleep either - hell I'm flying out 8pm EST and I was up at 3am + have to work....Lol. Good luck on your trip

 

You too! Last day of work is always a rough one.

 

In case you were wondering what would be a good time to start powering down your larger electronic devices, apparently that time would be now.

Cool looking clouds coming into CLT. My picture doesn't do it justice (I'll apologize now, I went to school for writing not photography).

 

Nope! I'm as excited as a kid going to Disney...

 

Breakfast time at the 1897 Market. Not sure why it took them almost 30 minutes to make them, but at least they're good.

 

Thanks for reminding me what I have to look forward to tonight. I plan to get to the gym and wear my ass out after work tonight.....which will probably just make me an even more miserable insomniac. Oh, well, first world problems!

Congrats on being on the way!

 

Sweet! Nothing like following a live Mirage trip report to get me pumped for my own Mirage trip in May! Good luck and post often!

Also, enjoy those high temps in the 80s this week. I grew up in CT and lived there and in Boston until four years ago, so I know how great a Spring trip to Vegas is coming out of a New England winter.

 

On the plane. Window on the right side. Love to see the strip while we land.

 

Ditto! Booked my flight with window on the right hoping we'll get that view coming in!

 

Always the best!

 

Best of luck! Looking forward to your report!