TR—6/25-7/3 Mirage, Cromwell & poker

I fell over a coffee table once at Monte Carlo and not a peep from any of the workers who saw lol you got 5 star treatment! Good luck on the VP today!!

 

I really enjoy playing night time poker tournaments whilst intoxicated. Have a great rest of the trip and take down some big pots.

 

Nice Start on this TR.. btw I use iPad mostly rather than my laptop or even MacBook you just gotta get used to it and once you do ...it’s bye bye to anything else lol.
Good luck on all your poker games!!!! Following along.

 

What's the irony? The drunken wheelchair shenanigans?“
Accessible room...

 

Glad you're okay! They had to do that probably to cover their ass. At Gold Strike Tunica (an MLife property) earlier this month, a dude at the bar misjudged his chair and fell on the floor. It was clear he was fine within seconds, but staff still needed to check him out and document it.

Have fun the rest of the way, and watch your step!

 

Omg that's hilarious. Glad you weren't hurt, but that response...

 

Sorry for the delay...lots of fun, lots of poker, not much sleep...DH is DONE tonight...have tucked him in bed & ready to hear Phoenix at Mandalay Bay. Vegas is amped up tonight!!
Some thoughts...(promise a comprehensive report later..)
Mesa Grill is still amazing...
Roxy Gun is too!!!
Cromwell happy hour band—SOOO much fun!
Foundation Room views are a lot more melancholic these days..
Orleans is fantastic for video poker & poker
Orleans ladies tourney showed me I am a solid player; good affirmation
Charlie Palmer is a new MUST DO
DH must remember —THIS IS A MARATHON, not a sprint...

 

VP bar at Rhythms & Riffs was QUITE interesting last night...
LOVED Phoenix
Lots of hookers...
Propositioned first by a 40 YO guy...
Then the WEIRDEST thing that has EVER happened to me...propositioned by a young EMO couple for a 3 some—HUH??!! Wild...

 

Well CLEARLY I am not good at live TRs...too much of a pain without my laptop & frankly I am WAY too distracted in Vegas...
Back last night, getting unpacked & laundry done, let's see if I can do this properly!

 

OK...I've given you some teasers & tidbits. I will try to be more thorough now!!
Tuesday AM DH & I had 2 free Mirage buffets via MyVegas--always solid. Great for free.
DH used his MyVegas Konami $25 freeplay. A bust.
Walked over to Cromwell to check in. Too early to check in; asks if we want 5th or 8th floor--I say 5th to avoid nightclub noise.
Played Ballys noon tourney...busted out bubble to the bubble on a bad beat. Ugh. Bad beats were the story of my ENTIRE week.
Needed a nap with a 10PM show...as soon as that room was ready, we headed.

Cromwell--we REALLY liked it here. Hector took us to the room, telling us all the amenities along the way. Cromwell has free coffee machines on 2 floors--pretty good coffee too. We were put on 8th floor (they were selling us on the view). Room is nice--useable fridge is VERY welcome. Not crazy about the 2 way mirror to the shower...but honestly it wasn't as see through as I thought. COMFY bed--mine seemed like CRAP last night!

What about the nightclub noise, you ask? Well, when sitting in the commode, it seemed very loud, but it is much quieter in the room. I wear earplugs as DH snores so not a big issue for me. DH had no issues either. More annoying were the neighbors at 7:30 AM having loud conversations in the hall. Not just walking by, but, I dunno, hanging out at their friends' door? Seriously, people, have some courtesy. Sunday night Akon was at Drais, and that was the one night when I awoke I noticed it was a bit louder. (it didn't wake me, I just wake often). If you are a light sleeper, I don't recommend 8th floor, but it was a non-issue for us.

 

That night we had our diamond dinner at MeSa followed by Stripped (comedy) at Balllys. (10PM)
Stripped show started a little slow, but got much better as he went. Only about 40 people there, but a lively crowd. It was a Tuesday...

Dinner at MeSa--we chose the restaurant week menu. FABULOUS as always.
Pear cactus margaritas to start--My FAV! Sweet & tangy all in one.
Appys--shrimp tamales (a fav) & Shisito peppers--YUM! The waiter said maybe ONE pepper would be hot & if you ate it, it would be good luck, Well, DH & I each found a hot one (others nutty & mild), but there was NO luck that night!)
Main courses--DH had 16 spice chicken (2 LARGE pieces of chicken with yummy pesto mashed potatoes) & I had the short ribs with polenta for $10 upcharge. My short ribs were AMAZING--tender & flavorful. The polenta was bland on its own, but a bit of rib & a bit of polenta really worked. We were SO full after this course; DH took the chicken for leftovers--we try to find a homeless person to give it to.
Dessert--(to go)--coconut key lime pie. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Ate this for breakfast on Wednesday & the coconut macadamia crisp on top wasn't crispy anymore & it was STILL AMAZING. DH agreed.
Seriously, I have eaten here 4 times in the last 3 years & it is a MUST do EVERY trip. It NEVER disappoints! We have tried other prix fixe menus or done 4 appetizers. Seriously, for under $150 with a couple drinks, it is a great meal for the price.

 

Wednesday played 2 tourneys at Mirage with no cash(DH got 2nd in one) Mirage poker room is my fav but NO cashes in the last 2 trips.

I then played the PH Ladies Survivor tourney at 6PM. $130 & for every 10 entries they pay a $1K prize. Almost 120 entries. So top 11 got $1K each, and the 12th got almost $1K.
This is the MOST fun I have ever had at a poker tourney. Just a FUN FUN group of ladies. We politely ordered diet Pepsi & tea...waitress shows up FORTY-FIVE minutes later with a tray of water--HUH? Some lame excuse from her, well we decided it was time to DRINK. That plus April from Utah (this girl made sure our table was a PARTY) and Natalie from Norway (gorgeous girl who had just gotten in...no sleep in 35 hours & starts drinking Corona!) who was HILARIOUS!! We laughed, gave the dealers & each other crap, truly bonded--calling each other sisters. When we broke, my new table was nice but not nearly as fun!
I went out 28th when my 10s got cracked by A10. Ugh. Respectable finish. (bad beats took me out of nearly every tournament)

Well, DH & I decided to head to Cabaret bar, belly up for some video poker & great music. Well, we were on the outside of the bar where many people come up & order drinks. That's fine. But apparently a young guy & his girl wanted to dance, deposited their half full drinks at the counter (apparently informed one of the bartenders...who then rotated to another bar...), and proceeded to dance for quite a while. Some time later a bartender inquires about the drinks & I say they have been sitting there quite a while, so he clears them. So about 10 min later the young man & his girl show up (so, maybe 30 min since he set them there...) & proceeds to berate the bartender that someone cleared his drinks. The bartender says, yes they were there quite a while, so I cleared them. This young man was a drunk JERK & I couldn't tolerate someone being berated for DOING THEIR JOB, so I said to the young man, hey, I told him they had been there for quite a while when he asked & that he was just doing his job--you really cannot leave drinks unattended for a long time & expect them to be there. Well, he proceeds to berate me (shocking, I know...) & DH is saying to just ignore the kid (and I say I have a hard time not saying something in such a situation...) and the kid says to DH "Oh, this is your wife. Well, I don't want to say what she is...I'd hate to have to kick your a**"--WTF??!! So I just called the bartender over (there is this big burly bartender there sometimes & luckily he was working) & I said "Hey, this guy just threatened to beat DH up" The kid then backpedals & claims, no, that's not what I said...(yes, kid, words matter..) Well, the bartender went straight to the phone, looks at the kid & says "You better go, I've got THEIR backs." So the kid slinks off...

Yep, just another of many BIZARRE firsts in Vegas....

 

Hey, we are off to Fourth of July festivities...more tomorrow!

 

Mesa pics...

 

Lol your hubby should have said “I’m not too old to kick a kids ass!” LOL

 

Right??!!

 

Thursday we started with a fav:
La Salsa (PH mall) $4.79 breakfast & .99 bloody Mary...GREAT value.
Played Harrahs noon tourney...had GREAT conversations with the gentlemen around me...a 30ish father from England, late 70s guy from Michigan (I think!) who loves to cruise...if my mother were single I'd give him her number!, and a 30ish computer engineer from California. Luckily the conversations were good...the poker was NOT.

Then STUPIDLY tried Flamingo 4PM tourney...I KNOW it's 15 min. blinds but 20K chips, right? I shoulda looked at the blind structure...you still end up with 20BB at break if you don't chip up. The play was the WORST I have seen on the Strip...and the room was SO SO SO crowded, honestly, I can't believe they aren't breaking fire code. NEVER AGAIN.

So mosey over to Cromwell for $1 Ciroc/Ketel happy hour at Interlude & SUCH a fun band is playing. WIDE variety of music. Music, cheap drinks & a then a bit of video poker help heal the poker wounds...And we started a new game...just for fun..."yes" I would sleep with that person, "no" I would not. Really an unfair game--there are MANY MANY more attractive women in the world than men. But a cheap way to fill some time. (obviously one must be VERY comfortable in their marriage to play such a game...after 24 years, we realize it is entirely for entertainment value...)

Headed to the MX place in Ballys as craving nachos--GEES they are HUGE. But yummy.

Then we headed to Indigo Lounge at Ballys to hear a fav band--Roxy Gunn. They are GREAT. Sadly there was never much of a crowd but we stayed until they shut the place down about 1AM. These were NOT cheap drinks ($12 each), but we would have more than likely tossed more than $100 into those VP machines at Paris to listen & get "free" drinks, so, not much difference!

THEN THE SCARIEST THING TO HAPPEN IN VEGAS (to us anyway) ...
Heading over to Cromwell from Ballys, walking along Flamingo to the light; a guy is walking in front of us, another couple coming toward us...sidewalk not very wide...guy in front of us SHOVES the man INTO THE STREET--WTF??!! LUCKILY no cars were coming at that time. Guy looked agitated, don't know if he was on drugs or what. Pushed man wanted to go after him but DH convinced him no harm no foul. Scary stuff.

 

Friday we head to Orleans so I could play in the LIPS (ladies international Poker Series) "National Championship"
We had originally planned this trip so I could play in the WSOP ladies event. But $1K for 5K starting stack--ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! ("well, they are 60 min. blinds...") GIVE ME A BREAK. NO THANK YOU.
So stumbled upon the LIPS event--$250 for 25K chips & 40 min. blinds.--YES, a structure that plays to my strengths!

So headed to Orleans early as had never been & was registered in minutes.
Used our LVA coupon for $10 free play (after playing $10)
Sat down a bit of .05 STP VP & racked up points FAST. 269 in about 45 min....well then I notice that 300 points gets you a bottle of Barefoot pineapple champagne. Now, I've never tried this obviously top of the line offering, so figure I will snag those extra points & snag that bottle! I think I invested $30 total--but I wasn't going for the booze, just killing time. The booze is a nice perk--sitting on my bar right now!

I did not play my best...looking back I made a few decisions that cost me too many chips. My table play was SOLID. Seriously--women's chips are TOUGH to get. They play ROCK CHOCK poker. Raising when they should (appropriate raising amounts), bluffing some, protecting big blinds, playing pot odds, controlling pot size, protecting their stacks. I noticed this the ENTIRE tournament. (sorry, but I don't see this as much on the Strip, from too many men--they raise too much, don't control pot size or their chip stack, and call when they shouldn't; too often women raise too little & fold too much) LOVED this tournament! Needless to say I busted out 4 hours in. The GOOD news was that I could try again on Saturday (as could anyone who busted out OR didn't care for the amount of chips they bag at the end of the day).

Met DH at Cromwell & he looked like a zombie (he did all day; hadn't slept well--sent him back early). He had yet to take a nap...thought the maid was about to go in when he went up...then we discover we left the occupied sign on, so he could have slept. I DID take a siesta--poor guy STILL didn't sleep! I offered other options for the evening, but he insisted we go with our original plan--Charlie Palmer at the 4 Seasons and the band Phoenix at Mandalay Bay.

So we dress up & Lyft to MBay...we are offered 2 free passes to go up to the Foundation Room. I have ALWAYS wanted to see this place ( recall 2 girlfriends & I BEGGING the doorman to let us up when it was exclusive--and we were much younger--he seemed to really want to but I'm guessing we were too stupid to tip him...), and we have a few to kill so we head up. Cool place--could totally see having a cocktail with friends here. Walked out onto the balcony & realized we look right out onto where the shootings occurred. That was tough. Realized there were certainly people out on this balcony when the shooting began. Surreal.

4 Seasons is past the check in desk, down a quiet hall & elaborate staircase. Charlie Palmer was WONDERFUL. We came to take advantage of their Cut of the Week deal which was a TOP NOTCH deal for restaurant week--only $50, not the usual $58 (still a steal). The Cut of the Week menu involves a starter (wedge salad this time), a steak cut (8 oz. filet plus small lobster tail), 2 sides (gingered carrots & truffled mac & cheese), dessert (peanut butter mousse bar) & UNLIMITED wine--red and/or white--and this is GOOD wine. FANTASTIC food & service. This is now a MUST do for every trip! They say they cut off wine after the main course (for those who think they can drink free all night, I suppose...) but they did top me off after it was cleared (DH wasn't having wine, so that likely helped; and I tried red, but stuck with white).

Needless to say...DH was DONE. Stick a fork in him... I knew he was too exhausted (5 days going pretty hard in Vegas...), so tucked him in a Lyft & bellied up to the video poker bar at Riffs & Rhythms bar to wait for Phoenix to start (which was 10:45-11)

THEN THINGS GOT PRETTY WEIRD....

1--HOOKER CENTRAL. Guy to my left admired my apple martini blink, then buy one for the VERY young girl to his left. Then he left & a very attractive young gal sat down & chatted up EVERY guy who stopped between us to buy drinks. I thought, oh, a hooker, but THREE HOURS later, I thought, wait, she is pretty hot & working awfully hard but has been here the whole time...then I realized she is likely the pimp? I didn't see any girls coming & going, but that was the vibe I got.

2--Guy to my right sits down & starts chatting me up. I'm fine with that. But when I am sitting alone (whether traveling alone or not), I make it a point to mention my fabulous husband & how very much in love & happy we are after nearly 25 years of marriage. Eventually the guy says, "Well, obviously we aren't having sex tonight, but you are enjoyable conversation!" Can't say I recall a guy putting it quite so openly before...needless to say he began to chat up the lady to his right; she was quite nice. Don't know what happened there...

3--And the WEIRDEST THING OF ALL...I see a young EMO (those who dress all in black, black hair...) couple at the bar. At one point the man who all but propositioned me says "Meet my friend..." And the young guy starts chatting...I mention he looks very young & he says, "Yeah, when me & my girlfriend are looking for a 3some, I get that sometimes"----WOAH, WHAT??!! And he KEEPS chatting me up, not really ending the conversation. Wait--ME? WHY? I'm friendly & good looking enough, close to plus-model size--and 52 YEARS OLD (tho have been told I look at least 10 years younger)--BUT STILL WHAT??!! Finally I say "Nice talking to you...and go back to my machine). I suspect they get a few takers...then steal their stuff while they are naked on the bed...

YEP WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD--even by Vegas standards.

1:30 & they had only done 2 sets...TIME TO GO HOME!

 

So I head back to Orleans Saturday...and find that a bottle of UV vodka is the 300 point prize. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! 30 min. & .80 (yes, 80 CENTS), I got may 300 points. Too bad I didn't bring DH's card along...

I played EXCELLENT poker today. No bad decisions. Only one small bad beat for 10% of my stack. I sat next to a poker pro--interesting conversations. But the BEST part of my day--I took a BIG chunk of JJ Liu's stack!! If you don't know who she is--well, she is the BEST Asian female poker player in the WORLD. (#7 best female poker player overall!!!!!!) I wasn't a 100% it was her until she went out & I asked her name. WHAT A PRIVILEGE!!!!!

I bagged 118K--about 25BB going into Day 2. I would have liked more but I felt REALLY GOOD about my play. Needed that.

That evening was more relaxed...watched Caesars fireworks...grabbed a bite at Eat Well at Cromwell...played a little video poker at Cromwell...wasn't up past midnight.

 

Sunday--Day 2, FINAL day of the LIPS tourney. Over 500 (record!) entries--compare that to 600some for WSOP ladies tourney & that says something. 112 made it to day 2. I played good...I think I missed a couple opportunities, nothing major, not sure it would have made much difference (you had to get top 9 to pay over $1500). The chip leader (550K) was at our table & that was brutal...but she tried to push my BB around & I was able to push back both times, which helped. I went out 37th; covered my 2 entries. Of course 36th was $60 more...argh! But I noticed that 4 of the top 6 finishers were at my table, so our table had a seriously TOUGH draw...

I REALLY enjoyed this tourney & I WILL be back next year. Looking at their other events throughout the week before in Vegas as well.

The 300 point promo was PIE. YES PIE. WTH ARE WE GONNA DO WITH PIE??!! DH came with so he easily racked up 300 points while waiting & we bellied up to the VP bar after I went out so I got one too. LOVE VP here--pretty dang good paytables, TONS of choices & our money LASTED.

Gave one pie to our Lyft driver & the other to a homeless man on the Strip.

Play TI 6PM tourney...I played well & 2 crummy bad beats (yep AGAIN) took me out on the bubble of the bubble (yep AGAIN) KKs v. A9...he sucked out a gutshot straight on the river...and AK v. A9...pulled that 3 outer (9).

DH headed to bed & I was gonna play 10PM Mirage but it was the beginning of level 3 & they were JUST opening another table...so I couldn't see playing with so few big blinds. Trucked to Ballys for 11PM...OMG. WHY are people raising to 600 when blinds are 100/100?? And one guy was raising EVERY hand...stack SUPER volatile in the first rounds...and yes, I eventually shoved against this guy w/ AQ...he calls with A9 (YES, AGAIN--ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!)...and AGAIN a 9??!!--there is NO possible way an A9 could beat my KKs, AK & AQ to take me out of 2 tourneys in a row! OMG!