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Not all wins comes in the form of money 9/16 - 9/19

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Dynasty22, Sep 19, 2016.

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  1. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    My Trip Report

    Oh man so where to begin? This is my 1st attempt at a true trip report which I hope it doesn't disappoint. Quick background, if you have seen some of my other posts you'll see that I am a blackjack player with decent play in my opinion. I got ahold of Hunter thanks to this board and he gave me an upfront comp in a 2Q resort room at PH. I was more than happy due to the fact that I've had zero play with CET in a very long time. My home casino in St. Louis, MO is Lumiere Casino which is owned by Tropicana. This was my 1st trip to Vegas in 12 years believe it or not, and just to tell you how different I knew it would be, I turn 30 next month. So the dates of the trip were 9/16 - 9/19.

    Onto the trip....

    Thursday 9/15

    So since I have a host at Lumiere, we decided to go ahead and drive there to stay the night and let the pre-trip activities start a night early since we were flying out of STL the next day anyways. After work I picked up my buddy C who would be accompanying me on this trip. We made the 2 1/2 hour drive to STL and got checked in. They always give me rooms at the Four Seasons thats connected to the casino so it's always a smooth check in and nice rooms. I decided that I would play with 6k in blackjack that night. If I lost it then I would just call it a night and be well rested for Vegas. Well I made 2500 in about 5 mins so I figured oh boy that's not always a good sign cause I knew I needed to give me host a little action for my 1 night stay. Well we all know how these situations tend to go. In one shoe that saw multiple splits and double downs, ended with losing the 6k of my buy-in plus another 6k. So I called it a night and we went and ate and got some sleep.
    -12k and haven't even boarded the plane yet...yikes!

    Friday 9/16

    Our flight was smooth and we got into Vegas around 2:30 local time. Grabbed our bags and took a taxi to PH. Hunter had set me up with diamond check in so of course check in was smooth. The desk worker upgraded us to a jr. suite though I hadn't even thought to ask for an upgrade. Got to the room and it was good enough for the 2 of us although with only 1 king bed, we did get a rollaway for C. After getting settled in, we went downstairs and had Earl of Sandwich for something quick then decided to explore the property and walk the strip. Saw all the typical tourists spots but I was more anxious just to see some of the new properties that weren't there 12 years ago such as Cosmo, Aria, etc. After getting back we got cleaned up and went to dinner. We decided on eating at Gordon Ramsey's Burger place. I just had the bacon cheeseburger with fries and I thought it was delicious. Very juicy and cooked perfectly medium as requested. After dinner I decided to hit the tables. I won't go into too much detail cause a lot of things are blurry at the moment but at one point I was +15k but the Blue Moons were really flowing and had a 30k swing so I finished the day -15k. Called it a night or technically a morning after that. In a nutshell, splits and double downs were not kind to me this trip and any BJ player knows that if you aren't winning half or more of those when you're really pressing, that can be the demise of you.

    Saturday 9/17

    After only a few hours a sleep, C and I got up and grabbed lunch at the Mexican place downstairs...I think it was called yolos..maybe? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. It wasn't too bad. I am not a needy person when it comes to simple quick meals. After that we hit the pleasure pool at PH as we had a cabana reserved. We had a great time. I know PH pool gets a lot of negative reviews but what you see is what you get. DJ was great as well as the service. Many buckets of Blue Moons were consumed that day until we closed the pool down. We even made some friends that were from SoCal. One of which wanted to see the room, although I didn't know why ;) but I obliged
    Following those shenanigans I decided to swing by the Diamond desks to see where I was at in my play. Thats when I got to meet Hunter. He looked at my play and I think my theo at that point was around 3,750 if I remember correctly. He upgraded us to a suite on the 51st floor. I don't remember the names of the suites but it was more than enough space. We now had a bar, dining room, and living room. Having 2 bedrooms was perfect but it was funny having 2 1/2 bathrooms. I tried my best to make sure they all got used. Anyways our room #'s were 5112 & 5116. After we left the pool we grabbed our stuff and switched rooms and proceeded to pass out till about midnight. The time change mixed with waterfalls of Blue Moons took a toll on me more than I realized. I woke up and got showered and ready and went back downstairs around 1am to hit the tables again. I lost around 3k on this night. Nothing big to go into detail there. At one point I was +6k but that was the extent of it. I finally called it a night...well a morning around 8am.

    Sunday 9/18

    We woke up around 11am and got cleaned up and for some reason I am drawing a big blank on where we ate lunch. I still am shocked at how blurry my memory is from this week though I shouldn't be. Anyways, after lunch we decided to walk all the way down to Wynn/Encore and then back up the opposite side. After getting back we decided to hit the pool again. And since it was after 3pm, we didn't feel the need for a cabana and settled on chairs. There we made some more friends but this time from Seattle (I'm beginning to like these West Coast people) lol. Anyways after exchanging #'s we parted ways and agreed to meet up later that night. C and I decided that we needed to have at least 1 good meal and since this was our last night we agreed on Koi. I must say it was absolutely delicious and I am a big sushi person. The Unagi was fresh and I can't remember the exact name of my entree now but it was a Japanese filet mignon with Japanese mashed potatoes. During dinner Hunter stopped by and we got to know each other more and such. Even talked some about the board! :)
    After dinner our Seattle friends came over to PH and the rest of the nights activities took place just at the Heart bar there believe it or not. Sometimes it's not about the environment or location but the company you have and they were a lot of fun. This time it was a Seattle friend that wanted to see the room ;) At this point it was about 5am when we went up there. Her and her other friend left the room about 8:30am.

    Monday 9/19

    So after realizing what time it was I knew that trying to sleep would be an awful decision seeing as Hunter had setup the limo for 12:30pm to take us to the airport. So C and I both got cleaned up, packed, and went down to the Spice Market Buffet. It did its job by getting us food in our stomachs. Afterwards we walked the Miracle Mile and did some light shopping. When it was time to go, we grabbed our bags from the room, stopped by the Diamond desk one last time and all charges were comped off, only had a few tips to settle up. Got to the airport and had a smooth flight home and now here I am back at home trying to get my bearings straight.

    So my apologies if it seems like my report is all over the place or not detailed enough. Ill add my stats from the trip as soon as I receive them. I just know I end down the trip a little over -18k for the trip. -30k if you count the STL the night before we left. I had a blast and loved my time in Vegas. I wish i could get there more often but unfortunately my job does not allow that type of flexibility. But on a good note, its looking like I'll be coming back out sometime in March, just not sure which dates yet. Hunter has taken me on as one of his players now and I have nothing but great things to say about him. He took very good care of me and even my friend C who isn't much of a gambler. I very much look forward to building a great friendship and relationship with Hunter. If anyone has any questions about my trip or need me to fill in any blanks feel free to ask me. Hope this was somewhat bearable.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2016
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  2. JoastTheMost

    JoastTheMost Low-Roller

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    Great TR man! Fun to read. I grimaced at some of those losses (my BR is much less), but I can relate to a losing trip still being extremely fun.

    Thanks for sharing! I'll be heading back in March as well
     
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  3. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    Enjoyed the trip report. You do realize you could have taken a month-long cruise around the world for the amount of money you lost? Well, lose it now before you start a family...then it's kids and college funds. :)
     
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  4. Miller12pack

    Miller12pack High-Roller

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    Sounds like a great trip. If you go in March, try for March Madness weekend. You will have even more fun with that kind of money.
     
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  5. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Thanks for reading! Yeah the losses definitely were not fun but I still had a blast. Already looking forward to planning my next trip in March!
     
  6. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Haha yes there's definitely a lot of other things I could've done with the money lost but I do keep my bankroll completely seperate from everything else. Worst case if my bankroll gets wiped clean, I just take some time to save and build it back up before I hit the tables again.
     
  7. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    It was a blast indeed. Yeah I think we are going to shoot for sometime in March, just not sure yet. Still ironing out dates
     
  8. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    I gotta add that sometimes PH doesn't get enough credit. I know we all seek Vegas for different reasons. But I loved the atmosphere to the clientele. Very young hip crowd but definitely all ages. Loved the music selection and live DJ's at different spots. Also loved the Miracle Mile shopping. I liked the layout and flow to it which made walking around easy and not confusing at all as some places can be that way
     
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  9. LB9

    LB9 PH Blackjack Degen

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    Really good TR! Love reading fellow blackjack TRs since it's pretty much the sole game that I play haha
     
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  10. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Thanks Landry! So you can definitely feel for me when it comes to the negative swings of blackjack on splits and double downs. I believe Friday I had an overall average bet of $600 but I never got what Saturday's was. Still waiting on my final stats. I believe my overall theo was right around 5k ish which is in line with everything I got comped. Also got a little loss rebate lol
     
  11. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Bravo on being able to do the Miracle Mile after the buffet. The last time we were there I wasn't in very good shape after Spice Market--well, I was a shape (round)..
    Great TR, Dynasty22! Thank you!

    RICHARD
     
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  12. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Thanks Richard! I figure with all the alcohol consumer over the trip, I owed it to myself to get some minor cardio in with shopping being the reward. Thanks for reading!
     
  13. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    Really enjoyed reading your report! Glad you can handle such a big loss with good spirits.

    I had a long hiatus from Vegas too, and when I returned, it was amazing to see the changes including Cosmopolitan, Aria, etc.

    Thanks again for sharing!

    Vegasworm
     
  14. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Thanks worm..appreciate the read! The loss certainly does suck don't get me wrong but I've had a very good year gambling wise so it's a loss from a seperate bankroll. I'm very excited to get back..I officially have the bug
     
  15. vegasdev

    vegasdev VIP Whale

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    its a great trip report, no need to apologize for anything! I seldom play BJ anymore. I got sick and tired of the crap. you get a good hand and you still cant win. if you get 20 the dealer gets 20 or 21. if you get 21 the dealer gets 21. if the dealer shows a bust card they draw out and still win. and of course the double-downs and splits, supposed to be your money-makers, it seems like they fu#& you up more often than not. sorry to sound so negative. I guess that IS why I don't play anymore, I really don't want to sound like that. I hope to be in Vegas the last weekend of March (my birthday). :jester:
     
  16. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Haha no no I totally get what you're saying. Part of the swings and roller coaster ride of blackjack. I must be sick in the head cause I love it! When it's great though it's great and when it's bad it's bad. When I'm on the downslope of blackjack I try my best to discipline myself and minimize losses. Which is easier said than done sometimes. I'm hoping to be out there sometime in March as well. Might see ya out there!
     
  17. pleasemum

    pleasemum High-Roller

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    Glad you had a good time - Vegas must have been a new place for you considering it was 12 years - lots of changes. Sounds like you will be making trips more often!!!
     
  18. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Oh yes it was definitely eye opening but in a good way. Now that I'm setup with a good host and such, I will definitely be making a couple trips a year at least!
     
  19. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Vegas would have been a completely different city after a 12-year absence and being only 18 on your previous visit! You made new friends and had fun to ease the sting of the losses.
     
  20. Dynasty22

    Dynasty22 Blackjack Connoisseur

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    Absolutely! It was a blast and can't wait to be back out there soon
     
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