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Get your 'mojo' back after a bad trip?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by FountainFiend, Aug 5, 2013.

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  1. FountainFiend

    FountainFiend Low-Roller

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    Hi all,

    I had a bad trip to Las Vegas a few weeks back. Perhaps 'bad' isn't the best word, but with the exception of Absinthe, nothing quite seemed right and some things went spectacularly badly.

    Since then, I've been kind of sad. Vegas used to be my favorite thing, and I loved reading TRs/blogs on my breaks in work, etc, but now they just kind of bum me out, thinking about all of the things that went wrong last time.

    Anyone else experienced this? Any ideas on how to get excited again?
     
  2. gerry53

    gerry53 VIP Whale

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    wow, sounds like you had a crappy trip.

    give us some details
     
  3. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    Yeah, having more details would help, but until then …

    I suspect anyone who has made more than a few trips to a casino has experienced the kind of "less than wonderful" you alluded to; I know I have. Some things are beyond our control; such as delayed or cancelled flights, screwed up reservations, lousy meals, and so on. Other things, such as overdoing the booze, chasing losses by betting beyond what sanity might dictate, playing games we're not familiar with, a poor choice of hotels, traveling companion, etc. (it's a very long list) are another story.

    After every trip, particularly the bad ones, I try to analyze what went wrong and what I might do differently the next time. It's a bit philosophical, but that applies to everything in life, not just gambling. Coming up some answers and developing a "plan" for next time is what can renew the excitement.
     
  4. Smo

    Smo Mr. Las Vegas

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    Feel the exact same way after my disastrous trip there a week ago.
    My luggage got soaked at our local airport, so half of my clothes were soaking wet. Got black-out drunk my first night (probably caused by wet luggage incident) and don't remember what I did, where I went, or how I got back to my room (I travel solo). Got alcohol poisoning from this and had the shakes and general feeling like shit for the next 2 days. The shuttle out to McCarren was an hour and a half late, even after several phone calls to them (screw you Bell Trans). Luckily my flight was late (almost always with Allegiant).
    Our local airport lost my luggage upon returning. It was found on the tarmac. Apparently my bag was on top of the pile on the cart. It fell off and no one noticed it laying out there! Then my Super Shuttle ride home was 45 minutes late.

    That sums up my trip. Since I got back, I haven't read a single trip report. I had planned to write one, but after all that and 5 days of DDB VP and not even a single 4OAK to save my BR. No big wins to report. So why should I do a TR? Who wants to read about my misadventures anyways!

    So yeah, I too am bummed. Just not feeling all uppity and stuff. Hope my next trip is uneventful. To keep from having problems at the airport, I'll be driving this next time!

    What happened to all that 'good karma' I'm supposed to be receiving soon?!?!?! :grrr:
     
  5. Drambler

    Drambler High-Roller

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    I've rarely have a winning trip and have had some brutal losses combined with brutal hangovers from trying to hit it way too hard. There's been a few of them where I come back and vow to never see LV again. I find the thing that got me back in the LV was just to give it some time. I took a break from this board and after a month or so I started reading again and before you know it you'll be thinking of going back. At least that is my experience.
     
  6. Fafa2e

    Fafa2e High-Roller

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    I think that most of us on this board have had that feeling after a bad visit. As the saying goes "time heals all wounds".
     
    My Longest Trip Ever
  7. lvmb

    lvmb Low-Roller

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    If you were at all dis-obedient as a child, or reluctant to do as you're told now, try getting someone to tell you that you CANNOT go back.
    As the red mist of "I'll show them who's Boss" descends you'll be checking flight prices and hotel deals before you know it.

    Alternatively, go somewhere else on vacation. If you find yourself gazing wistfully at the Vegas departures on the board, or catch yourself listening to Vegas boarding calls instead of your own you will know it's time to go back.

    Visit Niagara Falls and find yourself dismissing them with "M'eh, the Bellagio Fountains they ain't"
    Paris, France? "The Eiffel Tower looks so much better with a big balloon next to it"
    The Great Pyramids? "Pah! It looks better in smoked glass"
    Taj Mahal? "Hmm, surprised they never built one of these in the 90's. And I wouldn't have spent all week in the bathroom"
    NYC? "Why the heck did they put her all the way out there on the island? She'd be better at the end of that bridge"
    Venice? "Jeepers, that stinks. Shouldn't they up the chlorine a bit?"

    Sorry you had a bad trip, but the worst Vegas trip is still better than no Vegas trip at all. As others have said, a little time to lick your wounds and you'll probably be back in the mood.
     
  8. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    So true, so true... I got pretty beat-up financially and physically (hangover) last week in Vegas and came home on Saturday pretty down. I'm still singing the blues today, but have been here before and will bounce back by the end of the week I hope.
     
  9. fadetheseven

    fadetheseven High-Roller

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    I follow bad trips with less bad trips. Unfortunately, sometimes they are more worse trips. Usually the things beyond our control don't happen every trip.

    Bad gambling trips happen all the time. I had one of my worst losers ever in April. It only took me a month to get back on the horse. Too bad the saddle was unsecured. I got dragged in the mud again. And again another month later.

    I just got back from a conference in New Orleans. I stayed 2 blocks from the Harrah's but I only gambled twice. I played much lower than I usually do and still lost! I've thought about quitting many times after a losing trip, but I still go back. I think you just have to set a comfortable loss limit and enjoy the ride. If you stomach the losses, gambling probably a good fit.
     
  10. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Usually I am up/down on a given trip and can find one or two machines that treat me well.
    The trip in Feb was the worst ever. Ate through my complete bankroll.
    It wasn't an up/down trip but rather a spiral from the time the first bill was placed in the machine.
    It felt like a kick in the groin.
    Have a trip planned for Aug and I can't wait.
    Really looking forward to hitting the machines again.
    I guess time heals many wounds. :thumbsup:
     
  11. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    time. sometimes after a bad trip or a bad couple of trips that just weren't fun for whatever reason I'll take a couple of months and just forget about it. sometimes it's even longer than a couple of months. just depends on how bad and what happened. but there always comes a point when I'm ready to go back. just give it some time and you'll feel different.
     
  12. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Guess the thing to remember is that we'll all have far more losing than winning trips. Now I know there are times when people come away thinking the gods were particularly harsh, but the numbers are the numbers are the numbers. For those who love Vegas it's probably a good thing we're wired to overestimate our winning days and underestimate our losers.

    Now toss in too much booze, bad food, bad companions, bad flight (or bad drive), being stuck on the Deuce with a stinky blob ...

    Remember, vacay is supposed to be fun. Losing is not fun but if Vegas isn't fun in the face of the preponderance of sure loses then I'd say we're all ready for a visit to GA. lol
     
  13. Gino

    Gino "The King of Inappropriate."

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    The best way I've learned to deal with it, is to finally being strong enough to control and adhere to my loss limits/envelope amounts for the day. And it's hard as hell and has taken me years to do - especially if you drink and drug like I do. Hell, one trip I had to borrow money from my brother for an inflight meal on the way back to Tampa I was so broke (maxed out my Visa, and had $4 total cash - not enough for the "gourmet" turkey sandwich on American Airlines lol I had lost over $9k that trip:vomit:)I'm firmly of the opinion also, that taking a break from gambling is an absolute necessity to avoid the misery of a bad trip. Shows, food, museums, Grand Canyon, nightclubs, a spa treatment, pools - ad infinitum, there really is a shit ton of stuff to do in Vegas besides gambling. Find it and take a day or a half day away from the tables and the machines. It seems that we have at least a full day not gambling - sometimes two on the longer trips - and it helps immensely. One thing I also never ever do is gamble locally. Avoid your local casino at all costs and keep your gambling in Las Vegas. By making it a rarer occasion for you, that can ease the pain as well. Of course, that's not too hard for me considering that the local casino is quite possibly the worst one comps and gaming wise I have ever set foot in. Keep your chin up, I'm feeling for ya, because I've been there.

    :beer:
     
  14. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

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    Even if my trip sucks I still want to go back as soon as I start getting those e-mails from the hotels haha. I guess I'm lucky being in LA, that I can go frequently though. I'd be bummed if I had a large expensive trip and didn't enjoy it.

    I try to plan more of my trip itinerary ahead now, and make sure I'm doing it right, with the right people at the right hotels. That makes all the difference. My 2 big trips I've had this year were much more fun because I had things planned, and show tickets in advance. It was less to think about when I was there, and more time having fun planning in advance!
     
  15. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    Well, the fact that you wrote about your bad trip shows that there is hope. Time really does heal wounds, so don't despair. As you can see, a lot of us VMBers had some pretty bad trips too, and sometimes reading about other people's "less than stellar" trips can put things into perspective.

    I recently came back from a solo trip this past July 16th thru the 21st. Was hell bent on writing a trip report on my craps adventures to share with all of you. Instead, I decided to forego a TR since the trip wasn't something anyone would like to read about. Constant losses. Buy-ins lasting less than 10 minutes. Unexciting, unfriendly, indifferent, incompetent, uncaring dealers, pit personnel, CW's, and waitresses. Total turn-off.

    So don't lose hope. Take a break for a while. I'm sure the excitement will come back. And a better, more productive trip is just around the corner.:beer:
     
  16. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    Watch the Discovery Channel, it's Shark Week right now. After watching a bunch of shows about shark attacks you'll be amped to make a trip to the desert far away from any oceans. Just stay away from Mandalay Bay.
     
  17. agirl

    agirl Low-Roller

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    Sometimes after a bad trip I will write myself notes as to what to do or not to do the next time.
    And sometimes, I even manage to take my own advice the next time! (but not always.....) :wink2:
     
  18. Jade88

    Jade88 High-Roller

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    What great advice! My last trip was also more of an EH, it was ok sort. Although i did cheat a little on this next one because i LOVE fall and Halloween and will find something great this time around. I think my problem last year was that we had very limited funds and i was leaving my dog behind for the first time. Now the dog has been on overnights with no problems and i will have more funds available. If i were to actually think about it i would say that the other trips we ate at Mc'Donalds after getting in and that didn't happen on the last trip....sooo a diet buster will also be called for.
     
  19. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Ha! It took me 4 and half days to put the "funk" behind me and book my next trip in a few weeks!!! I knew I'd get "it" back... and this is a trip I didn't have to make. I could've easily sent someone else, but I'm "back in the saddle" and ready to go!!!
     
  20. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    still zero desire to go back to Vegas after my 5/30-6/2 trip. So its been about 10 weeks I guess. Ive never not had a return trip planned by this point.

    Had a blast on the trip, ended up winning back my losses via last day comeback and a couple good trips to local casino.

    Not sure what happened, I think just all the 6/5 has gotten to me. I guess a switch just went off inside me and I've lost the Vegas itch.

    Still 100% committed to my 2 year hiatus plan.
     
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