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Sweet Solo Trip

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by booker, Aug 25, 2012.

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  1. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    Some trips are sweeter than others. With one big exception, this was one of my sweetest. Grab a seat, buckle up (foreshadowing prophecy), put on your poker face, and strap on your bib.

    [Note: For brevity, I have employed a shorthand writing style. Be also forewarned that there is a lot of poker.]

    Flights
    Portland, OR (afternoon) > Las Vegas ~ Return > Portland (afternoon) 6 days later

    Smooth flights and landed a bit early each way ~ Alaska now is in new Terminal 3 ~ No tram ~ Nice!

    Hotel
    Bally’s five nights ~ $33 per night with a $10 upgrade for North Tower ~ Asked for quiet room ~ Clerk asked if I minded walking to the end of the hall ~ I did not ~ Received petite suite … sweet! ~ Refrigerator ~ Murphy bed ~ Sofa/chairs ~ Flat screen TV ~ Tub/shower combo ~ Nice view from 23rd floor overlooking Linq, Harrah’s, Wynn & more

    1st Evening
    2011 Ford Focus from Dollar ~ Drove to Vons for room fruit, snacks & water ~ Walked the strip to set Vegas Vibe ~ Purchased ticket for Absinthe for Day 3

    Dinner
    Lotus of Siam ~ Had something wonderful that I can’t pronounce with chicken and green beans that I would never order without waiter’s help ~ I love this place

    This ‘N That
    Gambling: I play 1-2 No Limit and tournaments and little else ~ If I didn’t play some other games I would have won more, dang it!

    Very short session at Palazzo (Venetian closed for remodel) ~ Didn’t much care for temporary Palazzo poker room ~ Played a short session at Flamingo ~ Sum of poker wins/losses for evening was + $1

    Ellis Island
    Always wired my first night in Las Vegas ~ Walked to room then decided to hike to EI for drink ~ Heard music from Karaoke bar ~ Walked in ~ Some good, some bad ~ Two larger women simply tore it up! They owned their tunes ~ Most of the guys … not so much ~ As the evening progressed, singers got drunker and the singing degenerated ~ Walked back to Bally’s

    Bally’s
    Played vp with poor pay schedule at bar next to poker area for my “free” Tanqueray G&T to unwind with in room ~ Somehow won $2.50 @ vp ~ “On a roll!” he sarcastically thinks ~ A bit tipsy, I head to Sleepy Land

    Day 2

    Breakfast
    Fruit tart & large coffee breakfast in room ~ Swam in Bally’s pool ~ Walked to Caesars poker room ~ Saw some poker degens there ~ Still think this room is sterile ~ Strolled to Harrah’s poker room ~ No seat available ~ Hit Flamingo ~ Turned a $120 win into a $8 loss (Don’t bluff a call station, dummy!)

    Drove to New Balance outlet store to buy wide shoes for my duck-like feet ~ Good buy on tennis shoes ~ Decided to hit Sam’s town for lunch

    A Smashing Time
    Vegas driving shortcut ~ East Reno Ave > Koval Lane > merge onto Tropicana ~ BANG and Holy Shit ~ Rear-ended by pick-up that was also merging ~ 911 ~ Hot ~ Waiting for police ~ Exchange insurance info ~ Waiting for police ~ Fricking Hot ~ Call my insurance company ~ Oh, no! Got to pee ~ Waiting for police ~ Talking to insurance company doing pee dance ~ REALLY got to go ~ Nervous, know I can’t last much longer ~ REALLY-REALLY-REALLY got to go ~ Spot McCarran International Airport Welcomes You sign ~ Penny drops ~ Stroll behind sign to take care of business (while talking to insurance) hoping cops don’t come ~ Scared ~ Rush back to car not noticing that I zipped my aloha shirt in my shorts ~ HOTTER THAN HELL!! ~ Cops arrive on two shiny, new motorcycles ~ Introduce myself to approaching cop ~ “My name is ‘Booker’ from Washington and I just got rear-ended.” ~ Cop smirks, eyes twinkle, “Getting rear-ended in Vegas isn’t high on everyone’s list.” ~ Gonna like this guy

    Officer #2 talks to rear-end-ramming guy ~ Officer #1 says that he wants to find shade & that we should follow him to nearby parking lot ~ Follow motorcycles to a place with signs saying cars parking there will be towed ~ Officer #2 points to sign & asks #1, “Think we’ll be safe?” ~ Okay, these cops can diffuse a situation ~ Rear-end-rammer and I start to chat ~ He seems a decent guy … a guy who is employed & HAS insurance

    One motorcycle has 800 miles on it and the other about 1,000 miles more ~ Officer #1 hands me back license, insurance card, & explains LVMPD report ~ I notice that this guy is handsome ~ Correction, Cop #1 is Adonis ~ Seriously ~ I’m not gay and don’t normally notice guys’ looks ~ I notice that Cop #2 ain’t hard on the eyes, either ~ Does LVMPD recruit cops from shows?

    Drive to Dollar to exchange car ~ Paperwork ~ Guy at Dollar desk says company will charge the car & loss of use charges to my credit card as I didn’t take their insurance ~ Need Depends ~ Currently doing lots more paperwork @ home

    Dinner & Drinks
    Missed lunch and hungry ~ Decide to eat and drink my problems away ~ Motto = Feed a fever, feed a cold, feed stress ~ Mon Ami Gabi ~ St. Germaine cocktail ~ Excellent special of flattened pork with Dijon mustard preparation & nice red wine

    Time Out
    Back to room to shower, rest, lick my wounds, & feel sorry for myself

    Asian Indian Couple in Hall
    Leaving my room I see an older Asian Indian couple giggling outside their room door ~ Male has stooped shoulders, standing strangely & holding an ice bucket ~ Woman tells me in a heavy accent, “We locked our key in our room. Our son and grandchildren have a key, but they are at the Paris pool. Do you know how to get there?” ~ Give directions to the best of my ability, but she clearly has no idea ~ I walk her downstairs and explain where to go ~ She has NO directional sense ~ Nice lady, so I take her to the pool ~ She starts laughing and tells me that her husband is a very modest man and he locked himself in the hall in his underpants! ~ Now I understand the funny posture ~ We get the giggles ~ Eventually find pool ~ She sees no family ~ I spot an Indian looking man in his 30s, and it’s her son ~ She says something in a language I can’t understand and the family erupts with belly laughter ~ One of those “memory making” moments that I’ll keep for a lifetime ~ Saw family checking out next day and I tell Grandpa, “Nice to see you with pants on.” ~ Perhaps you had to be there….

    Porno Shoot
    Nothing like seeing a porno being shot to revive the Vegas spirit ~ Establishing shot ~ Sky bridge between Bally’s & Bill’s just before dusk ~ Yellow shirted security guards abound ~ Spot big man with huge camera ~ See two young women in tiny bikinis ~ Mistake ~ Bikinis not that tiny, boobs that big ~ Writing in blue on one yellow bikini cup: Come & Get It Guys ~ Girl to security, “This is your chance to be in the movies!” ~ Notice more writing on three more bikini cups ~ Hurry onward feeling (surprisingly) awkward ~ Probably approach/avoidance conflict

    Stupid-Stupid-Stupid
    Broke my rule of playing poker when too tired ~ Flamingo poker room ~ Day catches up with me ~ Exhausted ~ Play too long ~ Pocket 10s vs. one other guy with obvious flush draw ~ River completes his flush and I say, “Good catch” and toss my cards to the muck when I realize that the river gave me the NUT full house ~ Lost $80 ~ Told guy to remember me at Christmas ~ Asked table for a gun and left for bed (Feel free to ridicule me as I richly deserve it) ~ Walked to room in daze ~ Slept 9 hours

    Day 3

    Breakfast

    Another in-room fruit tart & coffee

    Morning & Early Afternoon Poker Heater
    Hit with the deck all morning and afternoon ~ I play The Nuts very well, thank you very much (hee hee hee) ~ Needed a card for a set? Got it! ~ Needed a card for the open-ended-straight? Got it! ~ Needed one card for the nut flush? Rivered it! ~ Life is good! ~ I am a poker savant!

    Lunch
    Just a roll, fruit and coffee in my room

    Visit Downtown
    Hadn’t been downtown in 3-4 years ~ Played craps at MSS ~ Lost $117 ~ Played 25¢ vp at MSS for 20 minutes ~ Lost $40 ~ Walking around Freemont St. ~ Priceless

    Burlesque Hall of Fame
    Wanted to visit as me dear old Da introduced me to burlesque ~ BHoF on 6th and Freemont ~ Closed but for Friday and weekends ~ This was Wednesday ~ Drat!

    Mob Museum
    Gave myself an hour ~ WAY too short ~ Highly recommend visiting and will return with more time ~ Thought $18 entrance fee a little steep, but in retrospect, worth it

    Gordon Ramsay Steak
    Poker winnings from earlier in the day paid for a very, very nice pre-show dinner ~ Heirloom tomatoes with feta & balsamic dressing ~ Perfectly cooked steak (Beef Wellington next time as I was ignorant of signature meal) ~ Amazing red wine ~ Desert of coffee & sticky toffee pudding with a buttery brown sugar sauce ~ Don’t tell my cardiologist ~ Married guys, this is how to cheat on your wife ~ Which reminds me, don’t tell my wife, either

    Absinthe
    Just see it. ~ Would go again & I’m not typically a show person

    Bally’s Bar
    Hit it again for my free” Tanqueray G&T and won $5 ~ I “round” short-pay vp!

    Bed and Next Door Shenanigans
    On phone to my wife before turning in when I hear very loud, happy sounds from room next door ~ My neighbor’s wife must really, REALLY enjoy frolicking while on vacation in Vegas ~ Three minutes later his door slams ~ His wife? Probably not

    Day 4

    Morning ~ Poker Heater Continues
    First try at Bellagio ~ Won $212 in 1 hour ~ 11am poker tournament at Bally’s (see poker post for details) ~ Chopped value-added payout for $416 ~ Continued getting good cards ~ Life is good ~ Won $25-$200 everywhere I played ~ Even hit quad 5s for $100 bonus at Bally's

    Early Lunch
    Relaxed with coffee & snacks in room ~ Returned car to TI Dollar location ~ VERY difficult to find Dollar return place in TI garage ~ May not rent car again with all the hassles I had

    Revenge of the Poker Gods
    Mom preached, “Pride goeth before a fall.” ~ Kept catching good cards ~ Others caught better cards ~ Cash games ~ Flopped two pair and couldn’t bet folks off draws that they invariably caught ~ Harrah’s and Flamingo players had their way with me ~ Lost a few buy-ins ~ Woe is me ~ Window shopped at Forum Shops thinking on how I could have cut losses ~ Don’t believe I made mistakes ~ Variance is a bitch

    Dinner at Bally’s Coffee Shop
    Nice salad ~ Cardiologist and wife can hear about this meal ~ Played my once-a-trip big Keno ticket ~ Well, I’ve won it twice before … nada this time

    Poker Gods Continue to Violate Me
    Suffered more 1-2 pain at Bally’s ~ Good cards, not great cards ~ Young man next to me had recently seen the Bad Beat Jackpot awarded at Flamingo ~ $5,000 to loser, $3,000 to winner, $2,000 for rest of table ~ Young man had just left that table for their tournament

    Harrah’s 8:00pm Bounty Tournament
    Guy seated next to me looks like a friend ~ Show guy a cell phone photo of my friend holding lots of $100 bills after hitting Keno ticket ~ Guy agrees that friend looks like him except for the money ~ Short stacked early when pocket Ace-King saw King-high flop ~ Couldn’t bet off flush draw ~ Few hands later I find pocket Queens in big blind and shove ~ Pocket 9s call ~ 9 hits the river ~ Tootles!

    Hookers ~ Now You See ‘Em … Now You Don’t
    Stopped at Flamingo ~ Long 1-2 waiting list ~ Strolled casino floor ~ Noticed a suit hiding, staring, talking into cell & perhaps taking photos ~ Suit’s looking at 5-7 girls of a certain age/look/demeanor at curved bar ~ All girls seem to be using their cell phones ~ Walk past ~ Return in 3+ minutes later ~ Suit looked angry ~ Girls had vanished ~ Didn’t stick around for seat in game

    Back home at Bally’s
    More poker and few playable cards ~ Lost $90 in an hour ~ Not feeling it ~ Back to bar for my “free” Tanqueray G&T ~ Get drink & up $12.50 ~ Amazing, ghastly pay tables & I win ~ Time for bed and crying towel ~ In bed, I reach for lip balm ~ Lip balm falls behind Murphy bed ~ On hands & knees reaching for it … can almost touch it ~ Arm gets stuck ~ Yank arm out and cut it ~ Blood ~ Press tissues ~ Continues bleeding ~ Looks like Charles Manson visited my room ~ Bandage arm ~ Spend time with cold water on carpet, etc. ~ Looks pretty clean ~ Also received a BIG bruise on arm ~ “Some days are like that. Even in Australia” (From: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst)

    Day 5 ~ Last Full Day

    Breakfast
    Bagels and cream cheese with coffee from Paris bakery in my room

    Poker
    Return to Flamingo scene of the crime ~ Play an hour and grind out $22 win ~ Hey! It’s on the positive side of the ledger ~ Harrah’s is next and play over an hour and lose $100 in the last few hands, but this was after winning $157 ~ Decide to quit winners

    Bally’s
    Hit the pool for an hour or two ~ Sun ~ Swim ~ Repeated as needed

    Lunch
    Bought a “special” of 2 big slices of pizza of pizza for $9-something in Paris walkway ~ They were big … They were greasy … They were so-so tasting gut-bombs that were not finished

    A Busted Poker Run
    Walked to Palazzo and saw many old nits ~ Not a good vibe ~ Back to Harrah’s ~ No seat was open ~ Walked to TI ~ Don’t like their poker room ~ “To heck with it,” I think

    Free Touristy Stuff
    Fashion Show Mall ~ Rode the curved escalators (Country boy and easily amused) ~ Walked around for 15 minutes and wondered, “What the hell am I doing here? I hate malls.” ~ So I left ~ Or tried to ~ I got lost ~ Men don’t ask directions ~ Became more lost ~ Asked security guard under assumed alias to point out where one might find the strip if one were so inclined ~ Intuitive guard virtually walked me to the exit ~ Whew!

    Wandering flow chart: TI > Tram > Mirage > Caesars Palace > Bellagio > Overpasses to Bill’s > Bally’s ~ Showered

    Dinner
    Tums as the pizza I had for lunch was doing a number on the old tummy

    Poker
    Flamingo & lost $115 in 2 hours ~ No hands of note ~ Bally’s ~ got down early, never to regain stack ~ Lost $228 in 2+ hours

    Bally’s Bar for G&T to Drown Sorrows
    Stuck $20 into crap-pay deuces wild to get “free” drink ~ Give order ~ Hit 5-of-a-kind, a couple 4-of-a-kinds, and a straight flush before the drink arrives ~ Play a few more hands and cash out $60 ~ I don’t “get it,” but I’ll take it and the free G&Ts

    Walk to elevators ~ Hear excellent Salsa music from bar ~ Notice group watching dancers outside of bar ~ Decide to check it out ~ One couple is totally amazing ~ What moves! ~ Notice that they are not a day younger than 75

    Getaway Day

    Breakfast

    Paris buffet ~ Used LVA $10 off coupon ~ Wonderful berry crepes and fancy cheeses that I love that are certainly not on my heart-healthy diet at home

    Poker Finalé
    Short-handed (between 5 & 8 players) 1-2 game at Bally’s ~ Two players are casino employees playing after night shift and they are good ~ Other players seem solid ~ The BIG stack is drinking beer and obviously has done well all night long ~ Everybody at the table is doing a button straddle

    An Orbit to Dream About

    Hand #1
    I have somewhere around $300 in my stack ~ On the button ~ All have been doing $5 straddles! “This is my last orbit as I have a plane to catch,” I say ~ SB calls, BB calls, Under the Gun [a.k.a. UTG] (big stack) calls, two others call ~ AA are my hole cards ~ Butt takes nip out of my chair ~ I make it $30 hoping someone thinks I’m trying to steal the limps ~ SB calls, BB folds, Big Stack goes All-In ~ Folds to me ~ I double check (Yep, two red Aces) and firmly look at dealer and clearly state, “I call.” ~ SB looks shocked and tables A-K ~ Big Stack sobers up and asks, “You got Aces, don’cha?” ~ I flip them up and he looks sick ~ He shows two black Kings ~ Aces hold ~ He leaves to bathroom

    Hand #2
    The very next hand I have Ace-Jack of hearts ~ Three limpers to me and I bet $15 and get two callers ~ Ragged flop that’s checked to me ~ I bet $20 and all fold

    Hand #3 ~ Last hand Under the Gun
    SB & BB call the button straddle ~ I have 8-6 of hearts and call ~ middle position calls as does the cut-off (next to button) ~ Button raises to $15 ~ SB & BB call ~ I call thinking “What the heck” and hoping all others call (they do!) so I have good odds for a miracle flop ~ Flop is 5-7clubs and 2 of diamonds ~ SB & BB check and I bet $20 with open ended straight draw ~ Middle and under the gun calls ~ Button goes All In for $21 more ~ Everybody calls ~ Turn is Jack of hearts ~ All Check ~ River is 8 of diamonds ~ All check ~ My pair of 8s win! ~ I rack up and bid adieu until my next trip ~ I skip to the Cashier, so pleasantly rattled that I forgot to cash my chips in at the poker room!

    Until next time, I wish you as wonderful a finish as I had
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2012
  2. Reed

    Reed High-Roller

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    Sounds like it was a great trip with some nice wins too!
     
  3. tcocona

    tcocona Low-Roller

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    Trip Report

    A sweet and on the point trip report !!!!!!! Bravo Zulu (Well done).
     
  4. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    Reed & tcocona ~ Thanks for the nice comments.

    It so nice to come home with enough to pay for the trip and a wee bit more. It's happened before, but not that often. Of course, the lucky horse shoe I discovered just before I left made this possible.
     
  5. Dpin300

    Dpin300 Low-Roller

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    Good report, luckily you didn't get hurt with your car crash. Thanks for sharing!
     
  6. nitc

    nitc Tourist

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    Nice read...thanks for posting!
     
  7. Tbone3336

    Tbone3336 VIP Whale

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    Love Happy Endings! Nice Report, thanks for taking the time to provide the details!
     
  8. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Nice and concise.
    Let us know just how the car issues resolve themselves. Does it end up costing you anything out of pocket.

    Great poker bits. Seems you had a good bit of drama and fun.
     
  9. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the report and reminding me why I don't drive in Vegas. Good luck with a favorable outcome.
     
  10. basicearth

    basicearth Tourist

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    Nice

    Awweee ... loved your report. Sorry to hear about the car accident though, but having to pee in a bad bad way sounds like something that would happen to me (but a female) and not able to just pee behind a sign!!!! Definitely let us know how that plays out. I think if you booked the rental with a visa or mastercard, that they cover the loss charges from Dollar. Not sure myself, but I would be interested to see how this turns out.

    Also loved the fact that you showed the lady all the way to the Paris pool! Years ago I locked myself out of my apartment with just a somewhat long t-shirt on. Had to call maintenance at midnight to come rescue me.
     
  11. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    Booker (and his alter ego) certainly enjoy the comments! A couple of shout-outs:

    Dewey ~ A little too much drama!

    Car Wreck Update ~ Nothing to update, yet. Just hoops to jump through. This is the THIRD accident I've had with a rental car, all have been in Las Vegas, all have not been my fault. The last one was 1991 with my mother on her 80th birthday trip. So far I haven't paid a dime. And I certainly hope that basicearth is correct., and she seems to be. MasterCard, at least the one I have, should pay for daily loss charges … eventually … if all the Is are doted and the Ts crossed.

    After decades of renting cars, I do believe cabs may be more expensive, but less emotional than dealing with Vegas drivers.
     
  12. vegas!!!!!

    vegas!!!!! Low-Roller

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    I don't know if I just missed the dates in your post, but I just got back from vegas and played poker at the same rooms, wonder if we played together.
     
  13. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    August 5-10 was when I was there. My TR is somewhat tardy due to the unforeseen circumstance of my wife remembering what tasks I said that I would accomplish before my trip. I presumed that the statute of limitations had expired.

    Truth be told, the true story is 10% unfinished household tasks, 10% catching up on sleep and recovering from trip, and 80% procrastination.

    So, vegas!!!!! ~ how did you do and are you also a 1/2 player?
     
  14. vegas!!!!!

    vegas!!!!! Low-Roller

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    Well, I still have to go through my notes but I think I ended up slightly down playing 1-2. I did not play as many sessions as I wanted due to long waiting lists at flamingo and ballys some days and ridiculous amounts of rain the one day I planned on walking all around the strip. The losing though was mostly due to my liking of free drinks and not being at the table long enough to know how everyone played.
     
  15. lucky13

    lucky13 Low-Roller

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    i like how you walk the strip to set the vegas vibe .....i am gonna try that next time , just walk and take it all in before i go wild ..
     
  16. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    Nice report, booker, enjoyed it. Sorry about your rear-end though.
     
  17. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    booker, did the Venetian say when the regular poker room will reopen?
     
  18. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    Sorry. No, I didn't. But the room was completely walled off. I'm betting it will be a while.
     
  19. Sam in Ut

    Sam in Ut High-Roller

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    Great read Booker! Sorry to hear about the rear ender and the Manson scene, both were very ugly I'm sure.
     
  20. matthpd195

    matthpd195 Tourist

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    Great read, thanks for the report!
     
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