3/29 Flying out of Buffalo, the plane pushed from the gate on time (10 AM) but then we sit on the tarmac for 40 minutes due to conditions where we are flying to (Newark). I am 99% sure they do this so they do not take a gig for a late departure. Not huge, connection wise, for us. We were due out of Newark at 1PM and again, pushed from the gate exactly on time. Then we sat on the tarmack for close to 90 minutes before getting airborn. There was serious fog there that day, apparently limiting ins and outs from there. As soon as we were in the air we were in the clouds. They gave us a sandwich and chips on the flight (lousy), but I enjoyed the in flight individual entertainment system with a screen on the back of each seat. One of the games was an in flight hold'em game, where you can play against your planemates, that nobody else ever logged on to. I talked Laurie into logging on and the interface really sucked badly. A touch screen that didn't always respond and ended up with you timinig out before your action. Maybe everybody else knew that. So I played chess against the 'pute, solotaire and sodoku puzzles.
We had planned on meeting a friend at LAS that was flying from Long Island and giving her a ride to her hotel. They had the same issues where she was flying out and she was later into Vegas than we were. Originally we were all getting there at 3.30PM. I left Laurie to guard the luggage and watch for our friend and I went to get the rental car. Dealt my first bad beat to myself, as I got to the rental place and realized my wallet -- with my ID and credit card -- were in my carry on, back at the airport. I never got off the shuttle, rode it back to McCarran, got my stuff and rode back to the rental building. Took my second bad beat by allowing myself to get upsold a "larger" model, but that was all....none of that insurance BS, or they do the gas for $4 per gallon.
I got back just as Jackie (our Long Island buddie) got there, and we collected the luggage and headed for the Vegas Club. Her and her roomie (Lisa) got the place for $20 per night. I will need to get a review from them on the hotel. As we were driving back to the strip, Laurie said, "Look at that. They have fog here, too."
"Hon....THAT'S NOT FOG!" For the 2nd year in a row, I went to nationals and got into a sand storm, after living the first 51 years of my life just hearing about them.
'Nother bad deal at our hotel, The Flamingo, when we got to stand in a check in line for 40 minutes...goes easier with a drink in your hand. Luckily, there was a bar nearby. LoL ... By the time we got checked in, settled in, and down to the restaurant for a bite, it was 9pm. After chow, I wandered around the casino and tossed a $20 bill into a video poker machine in exchange for a glass of wine (-$20 for the trip [ftt]), but I was pretty tired and packed it in for the day.
3/30 Went to the Silver Nugget casino. Found it regardless of Magellan telling me I had reached my destination when I was next to a cemetery. Luckily, I could SEE the Silver Nugget from there and gave Magellan the rest of that ride off. There, I found the best deal for breakfast. $1 for eggs, toast and homefies. Add a dollar for meat. They do whack you for the coffee ($1.75), but not bad. under $10 for the two of us. I went to the Silver Nugget to pick up a 3 ball roller from the dude operating the BTM (Bowling This Month - it is a magazine) tournament, being held
there. Rick Ramsey. Nice guy. Stop in and say hi if you are out there. The ball bag was a loaner. Us losers that ship bowling balls all over the country need a way to get them to the tournaments after removing them from the shipping boxes. Left about $40 in various slots around this low rent casino (minus 60 [ftt])
Went to the Cashman center to get my shipped bowling balls. My equipment arrived fine this year, as opposed to some previous years. I walked around getting the feel for the place and bought a couple shirts for later use. Took in some of the bowling. The shot looked straight-ish...farther right than I have seen some years.
We went down to Fremont Street, parked at Binions, and got cards from 10 or so casinos down there. Met up with Jackie and Lisa, and Laurie played some slots with them while I put a Benjamin on a craps table. Played pass and place the 6/8 for an hour and cashed back $124 (-36 ftt).
We left downtown and met with some friends from here that just happened to be out there when I was out there and we went to the Rio for dinner at the Great American Bar and Grill. Before going to dinner we hung at the bar out front. The Rio ain't cheap. A round for Laurie and I didn't even leave me tip money from a $20 bill. If you don't mind paying for a good meal, the Great American Bar and Grill is fantastic. I had a 24oz t-bone that was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. Unexpectedly, one of the Rochester party picked up what had to be a substantial check for the 12 of us. Afterward, the other 10 plotted tournament strategy while we finished up our drinks. Back in the casino, the cocktail waitresses are dressed in the sleaziest uniforms I have ever seen. A thong, ligerie bra, and a see through nightie. I am not kidding. I loved it. It must take some moxie to work in and with the public dressed as they were. A nice view, though.
Danny, the guy who picked up the tab, was play blackjack for $25 per hand when a guy sat next to him and started playing for a black chip. This nut took a hit with 14, and busted, with the dealer showing a stiff, and the dealer hit to 21, creaming the rest of the table. I need to give Danny credit here. He just picked up his chips and went to another table. I MAY have been motivated to say something. (grin) Most of the rest of us didn't want to play for the limits at the Rio and we went back downtown with plans to meet at the Golden Nugget. We weren't crazy about that place either and wandered around, ultimately landing at the 4 Queens. We split up and I wandered around a bit before finding a couple of the buddies at the craps table. I bought in for a C and started playing my normal pass line shtick before realizing that they were dark siding it. I was down 40 before I switched over, and the three of us had a ball killing that table and any pass line players that wandered up. One of my friends bought for 40 and cashed over 200. If I had started out with them I would have done much better, but as it was I cashed out $163 (PLUS 23 ftt!) One of the dealers was being really pricky to us. Why would you be pricky to someone that hasn't had a chance to tip you yet??
Well...her attitude dictated her tip. Not much...even less than not much. Bitch. Rolled up the tent about 1am and headed back to the Flamingo for some much needed sleep.
3/31 With nothing scheduled today, we got a quick coffee and croissant at the Flamingo coffee shop before heading out onto the strip. It was a sunny, but chilly morning. We went into the Paris casino and up the fake Eiffel Tower there. It gives a pretty impressive view of the strip from 550' up. We didn't play there, but wandered about and into a gift shop to buy a few articles. In Planet Hollywood, when you sign up for their card you get a booklet of stuff one of which is a $25 matchplay coupon. Flush with last night's dark side success, I sauntered up to a dice table, dropped a C and asked for quarters. I put the coupon and a green on the don't come. The shooter rolled a 10 then a seven, to tighten me up. Nice hit. (+73 ftt) I should have laid the odds. We wandered into the MGM Grand and saw the lion.
click here for the lion's cage
At Excalibur, we went into Dick's, a rib type joint where the shtick of the wait staff is to verbally abuse the customers. This could be very annoying of course, if the food hadn't been good and the actual service good as well. Interesting way to run a place, but they didn't seem to be hurting for business. We split an order of crab cakes and onion rings. We also went into Mandaly Bay, Tropicana (which we heard has, once again, stopped taking reservations), and the Luxor. When we returned to the hotel, once again I was wiped but Laurie was cool, so she gambled and I napped out before going to the Cashman center to watch my friends bowl (8.30 pm squad). I saw the high team number fall while there. Not by my friends, but a team of pros bowing on the pair next to them. That number has since fallen, and the event runs through the middle of July some time, so the current number will probably be dusted as well, but it isn't winner take all. The prize list is deep. Loads of prestige goes to the winners, though. At the end of this I retired to the hotel to retire.
4/1 BOWLING DAY! Got up late and moseyed over to Bill's Gamblin' Hall next door for some breakfast. Afterwards I found out the dark side don't always work on a dice table. I was a stuborn chump, too...to the tune of a double C. (-127 ftt) Took a bunch of photos through the Flamingo wild life
Pink Flamingoes!!
We didn't do a lot this day, and even though we didn't bowl until 8.30 pm, there are chores to be taken care of that make you get to the center a couple hours early. We did meet up with our two friends - teammates really and a third guy, Dick - from Philadelphia and his wife Isabelle - who doesn't bowl, for a pregame meal at the 4 queens. Before we went to the restaurant I put a c note on that same dice table that my friends and I had killed a couple days ago and quickly doubled up...cashed $213, but these dealers were friendly and got tipped appropriately. (-14 ftt) We had a couple 2 for one coupons for the restaurant, and they offered a cheap prime rib there ($8). This was the one place we ate at in Vegas that the portions were in proportion to what a human should eat. Most other places, a dinner portion could have easily been split by Laurie and I and we both would have been OK.
We met at the center with the rest of our group (12 teams in all) around 6.30, and had to get all our equipment through the scales - yes - they verify every piece brought in is in legal specs before allowing you to take them out to the lanes. Then we got to sit through the announcements of anyone that had made it to their 25th tournament, and any "celebrities" on the squad. That includes any former Eagle winners (three in our group) as well as anyone who had previously tossed an honor score in the event (300, 299, or 298). The previous Eagle winners are also honored by having a red eagle next to their names on the Jigunda scoreboard. This time pre-squad is also when they take the team picture (mandatory - but buying it is optional) and they also shake the loose dollars out of your pocket for the various "gamble on your bowling" things. They have pot games, brackets, senior brackets, reverse brackets, clean 30, and about 10 other things. I dropped 200 into these, although at my current ability that is probably not the right thing to do. The 5th on our team was someone we had never met. He was Bill. He seemed like a nice enough chap from, right around Detroit someplace, a lefty, but we did not hold that against him. They gave a certificate to Mario, the guy from LA that organized our group. I guess they do it for anyone that brings in 10 or more teams.
When it is time to march out, they send you down the large carpeted hallway, usually someplace in the middle of the center. They cycle all the machines at once and play loud music while you are coming out to your lanes and getting situated. I have done this several times but still find it a moving experience. The bowling OTOH - sucked pretty bad. Four of the five of us were all in the same place on the right but we couldn't seem to put a groove into the oil pattern at all. The girls struggled mightily, Bill and I weren't much better. Dick was the only one of the 5 of us to post a number near par. I only recovered 40 in bracket money (-174 ftt) Afterward we went to the Main Street Station for eats and a quick gamble before parting company for the day. I had the Calamari appetizer, easily a meal's worth of chow. In fact I did not finish it. It tasted good, but I had belly rumblings later...maybe the grease? They were deep fried. After chow I laid a C on a 3 card poker table and played mostly pairs plus. When I got down to the last nickle - literally - the dealer threw me 3 queens! Nice, color me up. (-124 ftt)
4/2 Doubles and singles today, but earlier 5.30 pm. Went downtown in the afternoon, and laid a C on the Binion's craps table. Just me and the crew. Don't Pass and 2 Don't Comes and single odds. Once 3 bets were up I would put a buck on the hard ways that I wasn't on for the crew. In an hour and a half I made them $60, and cashed out $317 (+107 ftt). There was one instance where the dice threatened to turn on me but I straightened 'em back out by going pass line for a few bets. Then straight back to the dark side.
For the D/S you are pretty much at the mercy of what went before you. On our doubles pair, there had been a solo team, but they were all in the same place and left a nice usable groove, although the break point was inside 10 on the left lane and out side 10 on the right lane. It reassured me that I could figure something out. Of course, when we changed pairs for singles, all that went out the window. Dreadful. So bad that I just went to the shipping window and sent the bowling balls home, rather that do any more damage to my already shaky ego. Oh yeah...another 200 in bracket money (chasin') of which I again, recovered 40. (-53 ftt) The bracket payout was at Binion's. While there I made a $50 bet on Villinova in the semi's of the NCAAs on the money line. They were +8 at even money, but I got 3-1 odds with the no points ... and I really thought they would give NC a game. Oh, well. (-103 ftt) Other than the pool on the website it was the only bet I made on the tournament.
Friday 4/3 - Laurie and I got up early for the dam trip. Ate some breakfast at the restaurant at the casino and got on the bus that would take us to the bus that would take us to the dam. The tour guide on the bus was Jean-Claude, a french man that had been in Vegas for 25 years and, "check it out this. That is why I have lost all my accent." [NOT] He was personable, and talky and gave us a bunch of facts about Vegas and the dam and Lake Mead. Here is link to the photobucket rendering of the hoover dam trip:
dam trip
There is a TSA checkpoint before the dam where a guy checks the bus for explosives before he lets it approach. There is also an airport style metal detector at the entrance to the walking tour. I needed to take my little pen knife back to the bus. The dam is incredible. I learned a lot about it. They poured concrete 24/7 for 2 years. Some at the bottom is STILL curing. The top of the dam is the main route from Vegas to Phoenix, but it is insufficient for the traffic volume anymore, and they a building an archway bridge to bypass it.
After the dam, we were taken to the marina at Lake Mead. There we boarded a paddle wheel boat that toured the dam end of the lake and they fed us lunch while a canned recording gave facts about the river and the lake. There are 7 days of rain in Vegas a year...we managed to beat the odds and be there for one of them. The wind was gusting a gale while we were on the lake, also. Check some of the photos. that white line around the shore line is how much the lake is down (since 1984). It does not look like much in the pictures, but it amounts to 125 feet!
Lake Mead
On the ride back to Vegas, they stopped at the Ethel M chocolate factory. Mildly interesting, but I was more interested in the cactus arboretum outside the chocolate place.
cactii
After the day, I was shagged out. Laurie went to donate more to the slots at the Flamingo and I went up to the room for a nap (old man syndrome). I slept for an hour, awoke refreshed and went down to the poker room. In town since Sunday and I finally sit at a poker table. It was only 2/4 limit at the Flamingo, but it was too good to leave. The room had several tables going, mostly 1-2, of course, but a couple 2-4 limit and a 3-6 limit. Bought a rack of whites (blues, really) at 6pm and sat through 3 complete changes of players. Got up at eleven and cashed out $379. (+176 ftt)
Highlights...
This table was ridiculously tight when I sat. It would have been ridiculous at a higher limit level but at 2/4 it was stupid. Then, right after I sat, a pair of loud, drunk, fun loving buddies sat across from me. Crazy raising and joking and laughing followed that loosened it up nicely. Once the table was suitable for play, this nice guy name Marty from New Hampshire sat. He started by asking if the table was friendly or aggressive? I looked at the buddies, and the woman to my left and shrugged and said, "Both, really..." LoL ...Then he was saying how he doesn't believe in check raising or betting heads up...OK...Just as long as you keep pulling those 20s out of your pocket. I did manage to get him involved heads up when he was sure he had me with his 2nd boat and kept re-raising my reraises. It finally dawned on him he didn't have the nuts. He didn't have 2nd nuts either. Nice pot though. He got a little of it back a bit later when he popped my KK with a set of 3s. He was felted before the turn, thankfully or it would have been uglier. Luckily, I got someone else into the side pot and got some of it back.
Saw quads 3 times in 30 minutes at this table, including me flopping 3 fives to go with my raggy A5, and not being able to coax another bet out of anyone. The woman to my left that hit quad Ks to bust my full house, left all the money from that pot and the $88 high hand "jackpot" right there on the table. The bad beat jackpot qualifies with quads busted...nertz. If this was the only table I ever sat at, AJ would be my favorite hand LoL. I got whacked in the face with the deck quite a bit here.
After poker, I checked up on Laurie, but she was already asleep, so I went to the restaurant for some late chow. The host asked if I wanted to sit at the counter and I said, "Sure." I sat next to this slightly toasted young guy...raggedy shirt, scruffy beard and long-ish hair, looking for all the world like a poet or musician. I ordered a salad and a glass of wine and started filling out a keno card while striking up a conversation with the poet. He seem personable, but just a bit blank ... maybe toasted ..."Hey, where is the keno runner?"
"She left at 10."
Damn. "Be right back," to the poet. "I need to go make a bet," and I went over to the keno bar, where there are three people sitting the gallery, but nobody behind the desk. I asked, "What's goin' on?"
One of the gallery told me that keno is done after 10pm. Hrrrumph. I crumpled the bet card, toss it on the floor and stomp on it, making a big show of it all, coaxing a laugh out of the gallery. I return to the restaurant and the poet, the counter, the floor, and the stool I had been sitting on are all covered in ketchup. I rarely turn an eff-bomb loose in public amongst strangers but it just came out. "What the FUCK happened?"
The guy one over from the poet says, "It is pretty bad when you loose a food fight with yourself!" The poet is just calmly munching his french fries. He shrugs.
"I just shook the bottle and the top wasn't on tight." I changed seats and dragged my silverware and napkin over. I looked at my glass of wine.
"Hey. None of that went in there did it?" pointing to the wine. The poet looks at the ...trajectory... of the ketchup, looks at me, and says, "It doesn't look like it." Still covered. Still calmly munching. I just cannot resist this type of opportunity, ya know. So I said, "It is a good thing your friends aren't here, pal. Otherwise you would be called 'ketchup' for the rest of your life." The girl to my right says, "Yeah, or Heinz."
I return, "And years later it would have morphed to just 57, and when they are out and somebody calls him 57 he would have to tell the story all over again!" To the poet, "Look friend, I have 2 suggestions for ya. One, change condiments. Alternatively, just turn the bottle over next time and take what you get. DON'T shake it!"
The waitress came over, looked at the guy and observes, "You need a bath." No kiddin'. Seems to be a consensus here.
I am glad I went to make the keno bet, or I would have been wearing it too.
4/4 No plans today...ate breakfast at Bill's and drove downtown. We walked into Binion's and the 10am was already running. I asked the brush if I could still get in, and he said "Sure." I bought in for 60, got my 3K in chips and sat. I splashed around a bit but I was gone in the 3rd round when, on the BB with Q2 and no preflop raises I flopped a Q. Made a pot sized bet and got 1 taker. The turn was a blank and I made the pot sized bet again, and again the other one comes along. He rivered his J to go with his pockets. It was obvious - the guy was an entire book of tells - but I had already put too much in, and there is too much to do in this town to sit short stacked so I called his raise and was gone.
We wandered around downtown, but I wanted to go to the Statosphere and go up the tower and ride at least one of the rides. I couldn't talk Laurie into even riding the elevator up. I did as I planned and rode the Bigshot, which shoots you 150some feet straight up before giving you a free fall and several bounces. The initial blast up and first free fall are a blast. Highly recommended for thrill ride seekers. the other 2 rides didn't excite me, but I can see how they would some people. One is a giant teeter totter that hangs you off the side of the building. If you are in the front of the car you are looking at the street 100 some stories below. The other is a swing that pivots out over the street before it starts rotating and elevating, facing you to the street.
After returning to Earth, I found Laurie and asked if she wanted a bite. We went to Roxie's, a restaurant set up to look like a 50's style diner, with a DJ booth and waiters and waitresses that sing karaoke. Our waitress, Terry, did an Aretha Frankin tune to perfection. Her voice was great. I tipped her for the service at the table and extra for the song.
After chow, the poker room is right outside the diner. There is one 1/2 table and a 2 table tournament running, so again I ask can I still play?
The answer this time is pay now and if someone busts out before the first break, you're in. It is 33 minutes into the tournament so I pay the buy in and wait. With 10 minutes to go I get my seat. I putzed around a bunch here and ultimately kicked off the bottom 3 times before becoming the chip leader with 5 left. They were only paying 2 so I floated a chop, and one of the shorter stacks (shorter, but we were all near each other - one bad hand at the blind level we were at could get you knocked out broke) asks if I mean by chip stack but I said no. Even chop 5 ways. 211 each. Or take a chance on nada (sorry Pat and the other non-chop-a-potomuses!). I didn't need to talk much. Chop-chop. (+327 ftt)
Back to the hotel and we packed for the early flight home. Then we took a walk out onto the strip the other direction, wandered into the Imperial Palace, Harrah's, and Casino Royale. In Harrah's I coaxed Laurie into sitting at a quarter machine on one of my $20's. I sat next to her and 3 spins later I hit for over 100. (+427 ftt). I had her move over to my machine after I cashed it out but it was too late. She had a rough trip on the slots. All my overs went to keep her going, so I came home a touch short of even. I did toss a couple more 20s into machines before we headed back to the room. At the Casino Royale, they were selling $1 Michelobs and $1 frozen Margaritas. For a shitty economy, this place was rockin' and rollin' pretty good.
4/5 The Voyage Home.
Magellan got us to the rental return building ok and I had the regulation shake down at the TSA station. The metal hip always gets me personal service. The trip home was uneventful until we got to Newark, where they kept delaying our flight to Buffalo until I was sure it wouldn't go at all. We were supposed to take off at 4.30 and never got in the air until after 7pm. At one point, our flight and one to Pittsburgh were both scheduled out of the same gate at the same time. Laurie says if I ever book a vacation on Continental again, I am going on my ownsome.
That's it...thanks to any still with me through here.
