Pre Christmas Trip

Hey everyone! This is my first trip report as well as my first post.

This was my annual pre Christmas trip. I typically travel to Las Vegas about 3-4 times a year from the east coast with family or friends but personal commitments made scheduling difficult so my time was spent mostly solo. Even so, I’ve been to Vegas enough times to find my own fun. I won’t give a day by day breakdown but here are some of the tamer highlights….

Flight:
I planned to leave from Logan airport and instantly had a sinking feeling when I saw the long line at the check in. I quickly realized that the line was for international travelers and luckily I was able to bypass it. Good, first obstacle avoided. The flights were uneventful but I had to smirk when I realized that the 60 something year old woman and the 20 something pretty boy were traveling together as a couple. Oh yeah!

Hotel:
I stayed at Mandalay Bay. My room had a great view of the strip not that I spent too much time in the room but it was a nice surprise. Now, with every LV trip there is always something that prevents me from having a good night sleep. This time it wasn’t because of my actions. Around 3AM a couple next door was having an argument and the woman would not stop screaming. I woke up freaking out because at first I thought the woman was being attacked but then realized she was just drunk. At that point I became annoyed especially since I couldn’t tell why they were arguing. At least I needed a good story to be woken up so early. Security was called and tried to calm them down but it took a while to move them into their room. I never did figure out what the argument was about. I wish I could say that was the only event but another night I woke up to a late night fire alarm. Who needs sleep anyway?

Gambling:
The days before Christmas are always quieter. I prefer it since table limits are lower and there are always places to sit. Most of my gambling time was spent playing blackjack. I don’t like the slots much. Most of my winnings come from nickel slots but I’m pathetic because I get excited about a huge win only to find out its only $5. I met a lot of nice people but of course I enjoy talking about the more interesting table buddies. Here are a few of the memorable ones….

One night I ended up at a $10 table with three guys from DC and two cheerleader type girls. These women annoyed the hell out of me because they kept reciting lines from some cheerleader movie. Plus they were drunk and winning and I was sober and losing. Hmmm, something isn’t right with this picture. Ok, I know guys like having these girls around as gambling perks but hey I was still feeling jet lagged and, more importantly, I was losing. During the night, everyone is feeling good and I’m happily getting buzzed. At some point, the conversation turned to movies and one DC guy said his favorite movie was Clerks. I agreed and we started to discuss further but then one of the cheerleader girls has to interrupt saying that Mall Rats was better. Now I’m a huge Kevin Smith fan but Mall Rats was a really bad movie. At that point the Cheerleaders and I begin a dumb little flirting competition with the DC guys. Guess who won?

At another table I met a NJ man in town for a conference. He seemed friendly except that he kept reciting advice his mother gave him. I found that to be a little strange so I started to talk to a man sitting on my other side. He seemed normal enough until I asked him where he was from and he replied he was a LV local (yeah right) and to him that meant he lived in hell. Anyway, I knew it was time to leave when mamma’s boy tried to give me bizarre stock tips. When I got up to leave, the second guy told me he would “see me in hellâ€. Great.

Another day I sat at a table with a guy from upstate NY. He kept losing hand after hand and I felt really bad for him. Kind of reminded me of William Macy’s character in The Cooler. At times he would deviate from basic strategy but nothing helped. Despite his crazy plays, I was winning so I decided to stay awhile. The dealer was getting more and more agitated and I thought it had something to do with the NY guy’s play but come to find out that she ate something for dinner that didn’t agree with her and now she had to find a bathroom fast. She was insisting to the pit boss that a replacement needed to be found asap. I have never seen a dealer get sick at the table but for everyone’s sake I was hoping they found a replacement. Luckily, she was able to leave soon afterwards. During this time, NY guy decided to bet everything he had left to see if he could reduce his losses. He bets around $700 in chips and gets a 17. Not too good. I end up with a 12 and saw the dealer upcard was a 2. Now I know there are some basic strategy books that say you should stand and others that say you should hit. I always hit a 12 vs 2 or 3 but sometimes I get major sh** from other players. Since I only had a $20 bet I ask NY guy if he had a preference on whether I should hit or stand. He told me to do what I wanted so I hit. I hoped I didn’t take the dealer’s bust card. Luckily the dealer busted anyway so NY guy and I were both winners. Yeah! NY guy perked up afterwards but soon began to lose again. Oh well.

I loved seeing the dealer get annoyed at the guy who tried to bet with $40 in Excal chips. The pit boss was hesitant to trade them but decided to anyway. The guy then bets one $10 hand, wins, takes his MB chips and leaves.

I also sat next to a 20 something weekender who lost a fairly large bet because the dealer stood on a soft 17. This guy loudly complains how that is a stupid rule and disadvantageous to players. Yeah, says who? Considering the rest of the table won, I’d say not.

I was playing at a $5 min table mostly with newbies and an older gentleman stops at the table and decides to pull everything he has in cash out of pockets and places it as a money bet. I think it was around $300. Surprisingly he gets a blackjack and lets his winnings ride. He wins a second time and again lets it ride. You think third time is a charm? Nope. He lost and walked away looking dejected.

My last night in Vegas was on Christmas Eve. I was playing BJ with a really good group, the drinks were flowing, the dealer was awesome, and I was even. Most of the players (including myself) had been at the same table for hours. I almost changed my flight so I could hang out with this group longer. At some point, some people left and three guys sat at the table. I could tell that one of the guys didn’t like me. He reminded me of a younger version of that movie critic Ebert. Finally he tells me that I sound exactly like his sister in law. So???? I ask him if that’s a bad thing. He hesitates before saying it was ok for me to talk. What???? Ok, apparently my voice is like nails on a blackboard to him. Well then, there’s only one thing for me to do…..I make sure I talk to him every chance I get.

Lastly, I took notice of a guy who was losing big at the table. Dejected he walks off to another table. For whatever reason, his leaving changes the flow and starts a winning streak for everyone else who hasn’t left. A short time later, he ends up returning to the table complaining the other tables aren’t any better. By this time the winning streak has ended and he continued his losing streak. I’d feel bad except that I end up ahead.

Habanaman, if you read this did you spend any time at the MB Blackjack tables? I remember seeing someone with the Hawaiian shirt that you described to Absolutdrinker in his trip report.

Overall I left down but not by much.

Other:
I spent some time checking out the new Forum shops at Ceasars which I found to be nice but mostly high end retailers. I get a kick out of the high end stores that have lots of space but only 3 pairs of shoes on display. What’s up with that??

I spent a good amount of time at the Mandalay Spa where I used the gym, got a few massages, and lounged by the sauna and whirlpool. I have to say that Mandalay’s spa is one of the nicer that I’ve been to. The massage therapist was very attentive and able to relax the tension in my neck and shoulders. My only peeve is that I could only have a female massage therapist. I would have preferred a choice but otherwise I highly recommend it.

I mostly grabbed quick meals at Kona Café, the deli at NYNY (I can’t remember the name) and La Bolongerie at Paris so I don’t have any memorable meals to share.

Lastly, I was surprised at the number of kids running around at all hours. I know many families choose to spend Christmas in LV but I’m not a fan of LV turning into a Disneyworld. Not to mention my legs were slammed by little kids running at full force, my foot was run over by a baby carriage, and a little girl insisted I was her “memyâ€. What is a “memyâ€? The closer it got to Christmas, the more insane it became to walk through certain hotels like Excalibur which I avoided as much as possible.

Flight Home:
Took the midnight flight home but it was delayed so I didn’t leave McCarran until after 2AM. I had been awake since 6AM the prior morning (thanks to some nut banging on my door thinking she was waking up her parents) so I was exhausted. Everything at the airport was closed and the only entertainment was someone on the PA singing happy birthday to a passenger and an elderly man screaming at the Wheel of Fortune slot machine because he wasn’t winning. Luckily the flight was fairly empty so I got a row to myself. My luggage was put on another flight so I got it late but it didn’t matter. I got home in time to spend Christmas with my family.

Next trip is planned for early April and I can’t wait! Thanks for reading.

 

Good table game stories, fran.

 

Good first report!

Sounds like lots of good Black Jack action. Were you able to rack up some comps at any casinos?

As for the voice guy, that is totally rude of this selfish, pretentious, superficial, ignorant, insensitive....... A$$-hole!!! I hope you did not let his stupidity bother you, he should be taken out back and given a new A-hole...
Sorry for the ranting, I cannot stand people like that!

Whats with no sleep in Vegas, I think they have a consiracy going there. We got absolutely none our last trip too! We are T-16 again and I plan on lots more sleep this time!

 

Great report Fran! Glad you had a good time and I feel you on the no sleep issue.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with the sleep issue. I always thought it was just me.

Neon, No freebies but my room rate was reduced. As for the annoying guy, by the time I left the table he was losing. All that negativity was bad karma for him.

Have fun with your trip. Today I got six inches of snow which is now changing over to freezing rain. I'll be thinking of sunny Vegas as I chisle the two inch layer of ice off of my car!

 

Great trip report. You shared some great stories. I agree with Neon on his comments about the guy who thought your voice was annoying. What a jerk.

Sounds like you had a great time though.

Welcome to the Board.

 

Good read...Nicely flowing, refreshing and crisp.. hmmm...why do I feel like having a nice glass of chardonay ?.