maxev Live TR NYE Virgin in Vegas -- plus Venetian, Cosmo, Encore, Binion's 12/28-1/11 (now 2/11)

Built up to +130 then lost big allin with flopped straight vs. two pair. Got it in on the turn and then the river fills him up.

Can’t really blame him, just bad luck. Now nursing $70 and I refuse to rebuy until $0.

 

The 52 tier was from Caesars Palace poker.

Long road.

 

I straddled the button, four callers, and I push for $50, expecting to take it and chip back up to even a little at a time. Hadn’t done this move yet, but another guy had done it a couple times when short stacked (with that guy, I called his $40 allin with KQs — I’m a gambler, after all, but his A3o held).

Alas, one caller. Maybe he figured my luck was bad. Figured he had a pair. I have A7o. I need an Ace.

Board gave an Ace and low cards.

I turn over my hand, pretty sure I won unless he got a set.

As soon as he moves to flip his cards, I know I’m done. No set, but A9o and his kicker plays.

Rebuy for another $200!

 

Called a $15 raise with AQ spades from the blinds.

Heads-up and flop is three low spades.

I sometimes will bet into this to try to be unpredictable (traditional move would be to check-call, then check-raise on the turn, but players are onto that pattern as strength… I’ll do this if I don’t have a hand, but since I do, good to mix it up). Also, I’m hoping for a raise.

I bet $25, he raises to $50, I pause and in my best bad acting as if I don’t want to put in another $25, I just call.

Queen is on the turn, I bet $50 thinking that he’s thinking I’m trying to do a stop-and-go thing where I don’t want to call more than $50, so I’m taking control and betting $50. So my hope is that he raises here.

He doesn’t and just calls. His hand must not be that great at all, and I can’t get induce him to bluff. Now I put him on a pair of JJ or smaller with no spades.

Ace is on the river, I pause a bit but I’m still a bad actor and anyway, I don’t want to see Ace and Queen because he’s less likely to have either and they hurt my chances of him calling a bet.

I consider pushing. Maybe he’d think I’m bluffing and call with a pair and my busted Ace spade draw. But if he folds, that could set up future hands for table image.

I consider checking. Could entice him to bet, but then if I check-raise, he’s folding (that sign of strength — generally, a check-raise in low-limit means the person has the nuts).

I could bet small. Maybe he’d call just to see and I’d get a few more chips. But that wouldn’t be great for image.

I bet $100 and he folds. I don’t show.

Got back to even plus a bit more.

 

A guy sat down that I can tell is trouble.

He’s a talker and instigator and challenger and gaslighter. Qualities that work well in a poker tournament or high-limit to get people to call more to go up against him, but we’re just trying to have fun here which is why I prefer low-limit.

He’s tilting me and the table, and he has a comeback to everything that others say to him.

I’ll probably leave soon because of him. Players like these get my blood pressure going. I’m mostly staying silent (unlike earlier at Caesars, when I was trying to create action) and letting him blab on and get into it with others. But this is how arguments and then fights start.

 

@bruxhina is great! The best person to gamble with, and she might love Vegas more than I do.

We’re already planning a mid-February trip… and I hope I’m not still here, because I have to go home sometime.

 

I actually asked my host to get the game back on the Cosmo floor. Could be I’m single-handedly keeping it there. I’ve never seen anyone else play it.

It’s to the direct right when entering from the middle Strip entrance by Starbucks. Behind Munchkinland and James Bond Casino Royale. I know, because I kept hearing the munchkins sing.

But careful — even though it’s a $2.50 max bet, it can bankrupt you really fast.

 

I really don’t mind, and it hurts less against me if I low-play CET. I’ve been in most of the Paris rooms from the suites to petit suites to end of hall, and multiple views. Cosmo’s balcony with fountain view has kind of ruined me anyway because there really isn’t a better view in Vegas.

I’m mainly at Paris because of the fridge and the proximity to Bally’s poker room, Ocean One, and PH Starbucks.

 

Guy next to me at poker (not the annoying guy — everyone is kind of buddying up and ignoring him) said that he’s staying at Venetian comped including resort fees and that it’s hard to get comps at CET plus he has to pay the resort fees.

That hasn’t been my case at all. If you play the same level at Venetian to get waived resort fees, you’d be comparable to CET Diamond, which then gets free resort fees anyway. Maybe the new Venetian owners are being more generous.

I’m still surprised that my cousin was able to get three nights comped at Caesars (yep, three — he extended Friday night because that was also comped) with no play.

 

Out for:




Slowly but surely. Some poker players make Diamond just by grinding poker.

Most locals will play at Caesars because they get $2 comps an hour and more tier than other CET poker rooms, which at this point is now just Bally’s.

 

Unless you have a dog at home, I vote for you staying.

 

I agree, at this point, the most practical move for all of us would be for max to just stay.

@maxev - I'll be in Vegas in 2 weeks, looking forward to inviting myself over unprompted to see you winning at the machines/tables!

 

Speaking of dogs, this popped up in my Memories from 3 years ago today at the Bellagio Conservatory and thought I’d share.

It was Year of the Dog, and one person brought her two dogs.


They jumped up into the exhibit and I was able to snap a quick photo of her dogs among the 18 artificial dogs.

 

7 Stars get one free movie per day on pay per view (used to be unlimited). I usually start a movie as soon as I checkin, then watch when I can. Oftentimes I never finish or I keep “buying” it.

Scrolling through, there’s a lot of Bruce Willis movies where he has top or almost top billing.

I’ve actually seen these, just something to have in the background while watching TikTok.

His roles here are not his best work. Basically they’re paying for his name, and he does as little work as possible, slurring his words and smirking haphazardly, that results in a phone-in cameo where he probably gets $1m for a day’s work.

And even his movie poster phones it in, since it looks like this is the same photo!

 

Not Vegas related…

I grew up in DC, living near Signature Theatre and seeing all of their shows since inception.

They’re big on Sondheim, usually doing a show or cabaret every season.

Before they founded Signature, I remember the same creative team did Into the Woods at a community theater, and they made a big deal about getting the actual prop cow from the Broadway production.

Signature is streaming a tribute concert to Sondheim with many of the same actors who were in their shows over the years. If you like Sondheim as much as I do, check it out starting in 5 minutes and streaming through Monday.

It’s free:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQG_spXdaebPIrUErPusj9Q

 

Steam cleaning a shirt for pre-game cocktails and then omakase tonight with my cousin.

Last went with his brother and he said it was the best uni he’d ever had. Me, I had a bad experience with uni at NOBU and haven’t had it since.

 

One nice thing about the renovated Paris showers is that they removed the tub and didn’t know what to do with the space so just made it an extra long shower with a block to sit down.

Which means you can set up a mini sauna by running hot water. And also gets out the wrinkles!

I once rented an Airbnb that had a sauna inside. The rest of the place wasn’t that great but loved the sauna. Don’t know of any Vegas hotels that have one.

 

The sun sets so fast. Here are a couple east/mountain side pictures from my window, including one with the moon or UFO.

 

It occurs to me that the cousin I've been hanging with the past couple days is the one who introduced me to Vegas. The whole family was here for a wedding and I remember we had the reception at the Excalibur buffet. Can't remember who got married, but I remember Vegas.

It's where I first saw the flamingo exhibit (Gilda!), it's where I first had the Rio seafood buffet (unlimited lobster tail!), and where I first played keno (won $250 as a handpay!). I played nickel slots (The Munsters), blackjack, and all before I played poker or video poker.

I sometimes wonder where I would be if I hadn't started gambling.

There was always the inclination -- playing Uno and Scrabble for money with my sister, being the house for blackjack (and offering 2:1 for blackjacks) for my younger cousins over Christmas (they eventually lost everything to me), learning pai-gow with my older cousin who would sell souvenirs and tchotchkes in front of the bingo parlor at The Plaza, where he was known as Mr. Lucky.

Certainly monetarily, I'm a big loser in gambling. But otherwise, would I be better off? Worse off?

What we do is an expensive hobby, but many of the things we've done and seen we wouldn't have access to without gambling.

It's nice that now I get to re-introduce my cousin to the new things in Vegas.

 

Great and engaging TR! Can’t wait to read what happens next.

Question about the Venetian tournament as I am signed up for April. How much of a time commitment is it per day? How long are the sessions?