Wednesday Update

It's been a busy few days for us, so I'll wrap up our Christmas activities in just a few paragraphs.

The holiday was a lot of fun for both of us. Helen and I don't exchange gifts any more, so we spent the morning having coffee and relaxing. We've both wanted to see "The King's Speech" so we headed out early to catch a 10:30 a.m. matinee at a theater about 30 minutes away. Surprisingly, despite great reviews and 7 Golden Globe nominations, the movie is not at many theaters yet. So it was not easy to find here in LV - shown at only two or three theaters.

Anyway, we loved the movie which tells the story of Queen Elizabeth's father, George VI, who led Britain during WWII. The film depicts his struggle to overcome a severe stuttering problem.
After the movie, about 1, we drove down the Strip to the Venetian to have our Christmas Dinner at Grand Lux Cafe, one of our favorite restaurants. Strip traffic was SLOW and it took us about an hour to get to Venetian, park and get to the restaurant. I enjoyed "Sunday Night Pasta" - spaghetti smothered in a marinara sauce with beef tips and mushrooms. Helen was frankly disappointed in her Cobb Salad topped with grisly chicken.

After eating we walked through the casino and into the Palazzo to check out the Christmas decorations. I found a rare $10 blackjack table (most were $15 or $25 minimum) and in about 15 minutes won $50. Since dinner cost us $52, the winnings offset most of that and we had Christmas Dinner for $2!!

Then it was off to the Bellagio to check out the Conservatory and its elaborate decorations. Unfortunately the place was so crowded - literally elbow to elbow - that we had trouble negotiating Helen's wheelchair through the masses. So we left there vowing to return when it was less busy and went next door to check out LV's newest casino - The Cosmopolitan. It's sparkly and glittery with HUGE crystal chandeliers. Very modern look. We didn't play anything there, since table limits were pretty high and we were more interested in just checking out the place.

Then it was home and to bed at the end of a long day for both of us.

On Sunday, I headed over to Suncoast early to get in some football bets. Then it was back home to watch the games and munch on some snacks. My bets worked out just fine - winning both of my straight bets (Pats & Ravens) and one of two parlays. Net profit was $154.

Helen's longtime friend Sherry and her husband Al were in town and we got together with them for dinner. They are staying at Vegas' oldest hotel - The Golden Gate - downtown on Fremont Street, so we met them down there at the Four Queens for dinner at 5 p.m. The Four Queens has a Prime Rib Dinner for $7.95 and we all had that. It was pretty tasty and I had to help Helen finish off her slab of beef. Sherry's Al was quick to pick up the tab for all of us and that was nice.

We hung around Fremont street watching a street sculptor make little facial busts of people, listening to a live Christmas show and watching people ride a 750-foot zip line above the Fremont Street crowds. We stopped in the Golden Nugget to check out the world's largest Gold Nugget (16 pounds). I found Helen's favorite 25-cent slot machine "Haywire" and suggested she play. She didn't feel like it, but urged me to try. I shoved a $10 into it and on the very first spin the machine lined up bar-bar-bar and went HAYWIRE!! When the dust settled, I had won $9.50 on my first spin and hit the cash button. I nearly doubled my money in 20 seconds, so that was good enough for me!!

By 8:30 or so we made the 30-minute drive back to our apartment where we watched a little TV and then to bed.

Monday morning I headed to Planet Hollywood to try the poker action there. I was able to snag the last seat on a new table and played with a number of foreign visitors. There were guys from Mexico, Australia, England and Spain all at my table. After a slow start, I hit a couple of really nice hands, including taking down a $200 pot with a straight that beat a smaller straight. Net profit for the four-hour session was $150.

On the way home I stopped at the Middle Eastern Market and picked up hummus, fresh pita bread, tabouli, lebni and kalamata olives for dinner. It was tasty.

Yesterday I tried to do some writing and left emails and phone messages for some stories I'm trying to get done for The Ticker website. It's at www.theticker.tc. So check it out for interesting Traverse City stories.

Then Helen sent me back to the Strip for more poker and I was glad to oblige. I've been trying to do some walking during these Strip visits, so I parked at Bill's and walked across Flamingo to Ballys. After about a 15-minute wait I got a seat at a game that was just beginning.
I was able to win a few hands early and after only 30 minutes or so I was up about $110. It was a little early to quit though, so I kept playing. Unfortunately, I lost about half of that in the next half hour and began questioning my decision to keep playing.

But the cards came my way and I raked in a few $30-40 pots. Then I had the best hand of the day when I looked down at my cards and found both black Aces winking at me. There was $12 (six players) in the pot when I raised it $10, getting two callers. The flop came A-7-2 with two Diamonds. One of the two remaining players bet $30 and the other called. I thought about calling, but was worried that the two diamonds might give one of these guys a flush draw.
So with the Trip Aces, I raised $60 to $90 total. One guy quickly threw his cards in the muck, disgusted. The other thought about it for about a minute before finally folding.

It was a nice $100 pot and I might have gotten more if I had just called, but I was concerned about the flush. I assume the first bettor had the case Ace, because if either of them had flopped three 7s or three 2s they would have called my raise. I left soon after with a profit of $204.

Last night I was keeping a close eye on the Vikings-Eagles game. I was playing for my Fantasy League Championship and had Adrian Peterson going for me, while my opponent had Michael Vick, Leshon McCoy and David Akers going for him. Peterson scored a TD late in the game and I was lucky to sneak out with a 79-76 win, boosted by a STRONG kicking performance by my Raider star Sebastian Janikowski who booted two field goals over 50 yds (59 and 51) and posted 16 points for me. Those 50-plus kick were worth 4 pts each and were vital to my championship!

Today Helen and I are making a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a prescription for her and a few other items. Then I may visit Suncoast or Red Rock, our two local casinos. Either way, our LV adventure will continue...

Thursday Update

After three straight days of losing poker sessions, I've taken a break from the gaming tables and concentrated on catching up on some writing projects.

On Tuesday I interviewed Doug Kosch, who owns the Boathouse restaurant on Old Mission. He's getting ready for his 7th annual Wild Game dinner on Feb. 4. Every year he serves exotic foods at these dinners - last year's theme was African Safari and he served Lion sliders and Black Bear BBQ ribs. This is year's theme is Australian Outback and he'll have a whole kangaroo roasting on a spit, plus a 15-foot mako shark that will be carved for shark steaks. I wrote that story yesterday for The Ticker.

Yesterday was also a day to take care of a few household responsibilities - paid bills, went grocery shopping, put some money in the bank. It's been raining like crazy here in LV and flash flood warnings have been in effect for three days now. Today the rain has ended and the sun is shining brightly with temps near 60. What an improvement.

While I was running those errands, Helen spent a couple of hours on the phone with Pastor Carolyn, the former pastor of the Lakes Lutheran Church. She was let go for financial reasons a month or so ago and we miss her. She and Helen had a great conversation. And in the afternoon Helen got a UPS package from her sister Sharon. It contained fudge and xmas cookies. Tasty!!!

Because it was cold and rainy, I whipped up a batch of corn chowder for dinner. It was perfect. Then we watched some TV and called it a night. But today our adventure will continue...

Super Bowl & World Series Odds

I spent Thursday playing Poker at Ballys where - to my disappointment - some guy hit the $10,800 bonus for hitting a Royal Flush in Clubs.

The big winner hit the hand Wednesday night just before 10 p.m. Everyone playing at his table got $599 also. Now the biggest jackpot is a Royal in hearts - about $7,900, so we'll shoot for that.
While playing Thursday, I won $154 - virtually all on one big hand when my Ace-high flush topped two other guys. One had a K-high flush and the other had two big pair.

So Helen and I celebrated with a takeout dinner from Jason's Deli. She had a grilled panini sandwich and I opted for a hefty Reuben sandwich. Neither of us could finish the meals, so we'll be having those for lunch maybe...

For football fans, here are some of the current Suncoast casino odds for the 2011 Super Bowl:
Patriots 3-1
Steelers 4-1
Packers, Falcons 5-1
Eagles, Saints, Chargers 6-1
Jets 7-1
Ravens 8-1
Giants 9-1
Colts 10-1
Chiefs 15-1
Bears 18-1
Bengals, Panthers, Bills and LIONS are off the board...

For the 2011 World Series, here are the favorites...
Phillies 3-1
Yankees 7-2
Red Sox 6-1
Giants 9-1
Rays, Braves 10-1
Rangers, Twins 12-1
Cardinals 15-1
Reds 18-1
TIGERS, Angels, Dodgers, Padres, White Sox 20-1

Today I need to head out to buy a new coffee pot. Came out early this morning, flipped on the switch and got nothing...looks like Mr. Coffee has passed on...So it's pretty obvious that our adventure continues (with or without caffeine)...

Catching Up

It's been a few days since I last posted on the blog, so it's time to catch up on our weekend activities.

Saturday I played a lot of poker at Ballys and it was a losing session. Few good hands and when I did get a good one it was topped. The highlight - or lowlight - was when my three 10s were beaten by a Straight Flush. Not only did the guy take down a $200 pot, but he also got a $650 bonus for hitting the SF. Loss for the day was $65.

Sunday I bought a couple of football teaser tickets and stayed home with Helen to watch the game. Both of my tickets turned into losers when the Packers lost to the Lions. Ouch! About 8 a.m. Sunday morning I went to the grocery store and stocked up on a bunch of munchies for the game. Cheese, crackers, cookies, chocolate candies, ice cream, pretzels and chips & dip. My favorite, though was some Buffalo Wings. The grocery store, Albertsons, has a Wings Bar with 6 different flavors - very Tasty!!

Helen patiently watched some football with me, then in the evening we switched over to her Lifetime movies which she enjoys.

Monday I went back to Ballys. One of the lures of this poker room is the escalating bonuses for big hands - royal flushes, straight flushes and four-of-a-kind. As of yesterday, one of the Royals - Clubs- will pay a bonus of $10,400 while another (Diamonds I think) is at $7,200. Not only does the player with the big hand get paid, but everyone at his table receives cash. If the bonus is more than $5,000 - then every player receives $599 (to avoid taxes at $600). If the bonus is less than $5,000 everyone receives $200.

So it's a nice attraction to play at Ballys even though the room is nothing special - the chairs are crappy and it's a noisy joint. But the players are usually weak and those bonuses are juicy...

Yesterday was frustrating. I won one hand in the first hours and a half. Very cold cards -- 7-Q, 9-4, K-3. Lots of very bad cards and I when I did play something like Q-10, I hit nothing.
I was losing the whole day until shortly before I left when I was dealt 2-2. I limped into the pot for $2 and the flop cam J-2-J -- a full house! I took down a $100 pot against a guy who had a third Jack. That brought me to about $25 up and I melted that down to a $14 profit before I headed home.

A small profit, but it broke my slump. I've had losing sessions in four of the past six days, but I've been able to minimize my losses. Twice I've lost $65, but nothing worse. In the first 13 days I've had seven winning days and six losing days.

While I was at Ballys, Helen was on the phone with Anna. She also spent some time watching TV and doing laundry. For dinner I whipped up a penne pasta with onion marinara sauce, plus a salad of organic greens, tomatoes and feta cheese.

We've been keeping an eye on the Michigan weather and feel sorry for our TC friends. So great to be out of that ice and cold. Today it'll be about 65 and partly sunny, but then it cools off into the 50s and cloudy for the next few days.

Big LV news this morning is an armed robbery at the Bellagio. Seems like a guy wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet walked into the B about 4 a.m. and held up one of the gaming pits - not the cashier. Don't know how much you get from a pit, since I thought all the cash went into those little metal boxes at the tables. A news update just reported that he also got away with a large amount of chips...I imagine more details will come.

Today I'll probably head back to Ballys to take a shot at those Royal Flush bonuses as our adventure continues.

Movie and Buffet as we Cowboy-Up

On Friday we decided to see a movie and get Helen out for some Vegas fun.

Checking the LV movie listings I saw that "Secretariat" was still showing at the South Point casino, some 15 miles or so from our apt. We had both wanted to see this Disney picture, but didn't get the chance when it came to TC back in October. The only showing of the movie was 11:50 a.m., the first matinee of the day.

So we headed out about 1030, took the scenic route down the Strip and arrived at South Point shortly after 11. The casino/hotel is crawling with cowboys here for the Rodeo. It's one of the hotels that really caters to the cowboys, hosting a western gift show, artwork auction and much more.

Helen noticed that inside the elevators you can really smell the horsey aroma that must drift in on all those thousands of cowboy boots that tread the casino floors.

As soon as we got to the SP, we saw some signs offering 50% off food, movies, gifts, if you use your players card, so we both signed up for cards. Turns out the half-off deals are only if you use your players points to buy the items. Since we just signed up, we didn't have any points.

But we were able to take advantage of a senior (62 and over) discount on the movie tickets, so we paid $3 each to see "Secretariat." An interesting twist - while Helen was using the restroom - I threw $5 into a 25-cent video blackjack machine and in the few minutes she was gone I cashed out at $12. That $7 profit covered the cost of the movie, plus $1 - woohoo!!!

"Secretariat" was a great inspirational movie, even though I knew how all the races would turn out. It was really cool to see how they portrayed the story of my favorite Racehorse, "Big Red."

After the movie (about 2 p.m.), we walked through the Cowboy gift show where a silver & turquoise bracelet caught Helen's eye. It was marked $45, but I was able to negotiate a price of $35 for it. Helen really likes it.

We were both starving so we hit the SP Buffet. For $21 we had a huge selection of seafood, Italian, Mexican, American classics, and Chinese cuisines. An impressive salad bar and dessert selection made it a very nice meal.

Helen opted for Mexican, so I piled her plate with rice, beans, cheese quesadilla, steak taco, chips and guacamole. I really over-ate, starting with peel and eat shrimp, green beans, baby red skin potatoes and salmon. Then I stepped it up with a second carb-heavy plate of spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Dessert for Helen was a chocolate spectacular with three different types of chocolate cake, chocolate cream and chocolate topping. I opted for a chocolate torte and a small cup of chocolate ice cream topped with strawberries and crushed nuts. We were both STUFFED when we left.

On the way home, I took Helen past the hotel that Scott and his family will stay at when they visit in February. We also took a drive past the UNLV campus and the Thomas and Mack Arena where we'll see the Running Rebels play CMU on Dec. 30. Then we headed home about 6 or so to watch some TV before going to bed. It was great to get Helen out and about for some fun and today out LV adventure continues...

Wednesday & Thursday Update

After a good run at the tables, my poker fortunes turned for the worse on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday I played at Harrah's and spent about 5 hours of win-a-few-lose-a-few types of hands. There were no big dramatic pots and the end result was a loss of $46.

So yesterday I returned to my favorite poker room - Ballys - and hoped my poker luck would turn. Unfortunately it did not. But it was a different situation from Wednesday, in that yesterday I was snagging good hands, but they lost to slightly better hands. That gets expensive.

For example, I hit two flushes and lost them both. One a king-high diamond flush lost to an Ace-high diamond flush. Another nice flush lost to a full house. Those were two pots I thought I'd actually won. I did win a couple of nice pots with an A-10 straight and three Kings. But overall it was another losing session. Minus $65. So I've lost 3 of the past 5 days, but have fortunately kept the losses to a minimum. But I'm still ahead for the trip.

One of the most interesting and tense hands took place about an hour before I left Ballys. I wasn't in the hand, but was watching the whole ugly scenario. The two key players in the drama were a Chinese Guy (CG) sitting to my immediate right (I was in the 3 seat) and a Noisy Drunk (ND) in seat 10, to the immediate right of the dealer.

The drunk was pounding down Heinekins at a 5-per-hour rate and it was only 11 a.m.

Before the flop, CG bet $25 and everyone folded except ND who called. The flop came Q-10-4 of mixed suits and CG bet $50. ND raised to $100 and then opened his big mouth. "If you go all-in, I'm calling," he taunted.

CG wasted no time. "All in" he said, shoving huge stacks of red chips ($330) into the pot.

The mouthy ND tried to fold his hand, but the dealer said his boasting was a verbal commitment to call and that he had to match the $330. When the hand was over, CG's K-K won the hand and the nearly $800 pot.

But ND protested, demanding to see the poker room mgr. who backed up the dealer's ruling. That wasn't enough for ND and he made the mgr. call the Casino Gaming Manager, who showed up and again ruled against ND, who eventually left the poker room muttering complaints about Ballys, its management and everyone in the room, it seemed. It was an ugly scene...

I got home about 5 or so and whipped up vegetarian nachos for dinner - refried beans, salsa, cheese and sour cream. It was pretty tasty.

Today Helen and I are planning to hit the Strip together. After two days of losing, I'm taking a break from the poker tables. We'll probably hit the Bellagio conservatory to check out the holiday display and grab dinner somewhere as our LV adventure continues...

Rebels vs Chips - and Poker too!

After coffee and toast, I hit the road to UNLV to buy tickets for the Dec. 30 hoops game between the Runnin' Rebels and CMU. The box office opened at 10 a.m. and I was a few minutes early, so I checked out the handicapped access that Helen and I will need to use to get into the huge arena.

Right now the Thomas and Mack arena is hosting the National Finals Rodeo and the action around there is usually busy, especially at night. But in the morning it was quiet and after a brief wait, I was able to snag a pair of tickets up high at one end of the court. At $13 each, they gotta be one of the best ticket values in town.

Then I drove to Ballys to check out the poker action. One game and a waiting list, so I played video poker (lost $10) for a bit, then headed over to Bellagio to check the line on the MSU-Syracuse game. It was Spartans -3.5 so I decided not to bet on that one. Smart move by me, since MSU looked terrible in losing by 14.

While at the B, I checked out the Conservatory's new Christmas display. It's AMAZING as usual, with penguins, a huge Christmas tree, reindeer, towering nutcrackers and much more.

Then I walked over to Planet Hollywood to check out the poker action and have lunch at the Earl of Sandwich. Grabbed a roast beef and cheese sandwich and took it to the sports book to have lunch and watch ESPN. Really tasty!

Back to Bally's about 12:30 and got a seat in a 1-2 no limit game that was just starting. In fact, I was the first player to get the button and I won the first hand with a full house. It was a sign of things to come.

In the first circuit of the table (10 players so 10 hands) I won three pots - two of them with full houses (one when I held 10-4 suited and the flop came 10-10-4) and I was up $160 in about 15 minutes!!

That set the tone for my whole session. I continued to win pots, no huge ones but several in the $30-40 range. At one point I was up $340 or so and thought about pushing toward $400. But then I lost a couple of hands and found myself up $315. Time to take the money and run...

On the way home I stopped at the middle East market for fresh pita bread and some sandwich rolls. When I got home I whipped up a dinner of cheese-stuffed ravioli with a mushroom and onion sauce, topped with a dusting of grated parmesan.

While I was gone, Helen was on the phone with Anna and Nat. In the mail we received a special gift from Anna and Luis - a 2011 calendar full of family photos. So Helen spent a couple of hours transferring all the important appointments, birthdays, etc. to the new calendar. At night we watched the MSU game and some other TV.

Niece Katie called and it was great to hear from her. She's having some roommate issues and looks like she'll be moving sometime this month. Right now she's finishing up her classes at NMC and studying for finals.

Today I need to do some grocery shopping and we may or may not visit the Strip. Whatever happens, our LV adventure continues...

It Only Takes One

Monday morning began with toast, coffee and the morning TV news.

Then about 9 or so I was over at the Suncoast to cash a ticket on the Packers-49ers over 41. My $25 wager paid $47.70, so that was a nice way to start the gambling day. I hung around the sports book for a while, checking out the day's hoops action, but there was nothing there that caught my eye.

So it was off to Ballys for another day of Poker. I parked at the Ballys-Paris deck and by the time I got to the poker room, it was a little after 10. One game was going and it had one empty seat, so I slid right in.

For the first hour or so I was getting really cold cards, but stayed patient. Then I won a couple of small pots and played even for a while. The table was relatively tight, with little raising and since it was dominated by older players, there was certainly no trash talking.

About 1 p.m. a guy joined the table that I played with on Sunday. He's a Very Aggressive (VA) player who raises almost every time it comes to him. It really gets to be annoying to make a $5 bet and have him raise it to $45 every chance he gets. You know he can't have the best hand every time, but it's frustrating when you don't have a strong enough hand to raise him back.

Anyway, throughout the afternoon I patiently managed to get up about $40 more than my $100 buy-in. I told Helen I'd be home by 5, so about 4 I thought about leaving. Then I looked at my hole cards and found A-A winking back at me. And I was on the button...This might work out really well.

Eight players put in $2 each to see the flop, but when it came to me I raised it to $22. Only three guys called, including VA, an swarthy Italian type who was not only an agressive player, but a mouthy loser too. The flop came 3-8-A of mixed suits, giving me trip Aces.

Both players checked and I bet $30. One guy folded, but our friend VA defiantly shouted "All In" shoving in his stack of about $80. I knew I had the best hand, so I quickly called.

The turn was another 8, giving me a full house. The river was of no importance. He showed his A-K and I flipped over my A-A. He started muttering and reached in his wallet to buy another $300 in chips. I stacked my huge pot and then played a few more hands before heading home with a profit of $160 for the day.

While I was at Ballys, Helen spent the day addressing Christmas cards and talking with her longtime friend Sherry who lives in Arizona. Sherry and her husband Al will be coming to Vegas sometime later this month, so we'll be visiting with them. I was planning to take Helen to the Strip today, but she'd rather relax at the apt. today and do the Strip tomorrow.

I'm trying to get some writing done for The Ticker, but am awaiting call backs from a couple of people I'm trying to interview. Should be easy to write them, once I do the interviews.

Today I'll head back to the Strip. But maybe I'll take a break from Ballys and try another room. I still haven't been to Caesars or Bellagio, so maybe I'll check them out today. Somewhere in my travels I want to get a bet down on the Spartans, who play Syracuse tonight. It will be a tough game for MSU, since The Orange play a tough 2-3 zone defense.

Also the Syracuse front line is HUGE, giving the Spartans a challenge on the boards. So Go Sparty, as our adventure continues...

Pigskin and Poker

Sunday was a busy day in Las Vegas as more than 30,000 runners took part in the LV Marathon up and down the Strip. It's a huge fun race and its importance can be measured by the fact that they close traffic on the Strip between 6 a.m. and roughly noon.

Among the runners were a number of Elvises and brides and grooms. About 60 of the runners stopped between the two and three mile mark to take part in a Marathon Wedding ceremony that was set up at the Venetian. Many of the runner-brides were wearing veils as they entered the marathon of matrimony. Then they ran on...

Since the Strip was blocked off, I made a run back to Wal-Mart where Helen had a few items that she wanted. Since I couldn't easily get to the Strip for the 10a.m football games, I headed to the Suncoast to get down a bet or two. Also heard from my friend Terry who had me make an 8-team parlay bet for him that would have paid more than $3000 if it hit. It didn't.

I played a 6-team moneyline parlay that lost when the Raiders stunned SD. But I did have a winner with a Packers-Niners over 41 bet. So I actually made $25 in fb betting. While at the Suncoast, I also played a little blackjack, winning $35.

But I was looking for poker action, so I headed to Ballys, arriving shortly after noon. Early on I won a couple of pots in the 1-2 no limit game and was looking forward to another winning session. But things changed quickly and my good cards started getting beaten by slightly better hands. Having 2nd best hands is a sure recipe for losing in poker.

One of my worst hands came when I got dealt K-K with the button. With 7 other players already in the pot, I raised it $20, hoping to knock out most of the limpers and protect my Kings against an Ace on the flop. My plan worked and I got only two callers. The flop came 10-3-4. I bet $30 hoping to take the pot down right there. To my surprise, one guy went All-In for about $170.

Here's where I made a mistake. I thought he might have A-10 or A-2. So I called, shoving in my last $80 or so. He showed 3-4 for two pair. I needed a third king or the board to pair the 10, but no help on the turn or river. That ended my session - lost my $100 buy in.

So for the day gambling, I lost $40 and was kicking myself for making the bad play. But you can't dwell on that. Today is another day.

On the way home, I stopped by Capriotti's sandwich shop for a couple of 12-inch sub sandwiches. A Cole Turkey (turkey, cole slaw and cheese) for Helen and a Caprastrami (pastrami, slaw and cheese) for me. We each ate half and will finish those tasty beauties up today.

Helen kept busy skyping with Anna, doing some laundry and straigtening up the apartment. Niece Katie called last night and it was great to hear from her. She's finishing up classes at NMC this week with finals coming next week. Helen and I watched "David Copperfield" (The Dickens story, not the magician) on PBS last night, then fell asleep.

Today I was going to take Helen to the Bellagio to check out the Conservatory's Christmas display, but she's planning a mega-phone call with her friend Gail today so the B will have to wait til tomorrow. We've been here almost a week and Helen hasn't been to the Strip yet, so we gotta get her down there soon. I'll probably be back at the poker table today where, I'm sure, the adventure will continue...

Wal-Mart & Ballys

Saturday morning Helen and I made a trek to Wal-Mart. She needed some meds and a whole list of items for the apartment, so off we went about 10 a.m.

The apt. we're in is designed for handicapped residents, so that means there is minimal shelving and drawers for storage at the bathroom sink. So we picked up a chrome 6-shelf etagere stand to store bathroom items. Also snagged a couple of canvas-material boxes to store items on the shelves, plus several other items.

Helen also wanted to update our towels and shower curtain, so we went from a yellow theme to a bluish-turquoise look. I quickly learned that towels are expensive. But Helen does a great job with this type of decorating and the bathroom looks really nice. Bottom line, our walk through Wal-Mart set us back about $200.

We got home about noon and I made us some turkey & cheese sandwiches for lunch. Then it was my duty to hit Ballys and try to recoup the $200 we just spent energizing the LV economy. I got to Ballys about 1 p.m. and waited about 20 minutes before getting a seat in a 1-2 No Limit Game.

It didn't take long to see that this was a pretty tight game - very little raising, very few calls when someone did raise. So I got agressive after about 5-6 hands and began raising, It didn't hurt that I was catching GREAT starting hands. For example, I got dealt K-K twice (winning with both) K-Q suited three times (winning only once) along with A-Q, A-J and A-10 suited twice. This all happened in about an hour!

One big hand happened the second time I caught K-K. I bet $10 and got three callers. When the flop came 10-7-3 all mixed suits, I bet $30. Two guys folded, but one 20-something with sunglasses and a Backwards Ball Cap (BBC) raised to $60. I waited and studied and studied some more - just acting really, because I knew what I was going to do. He had about $90 left in front of him and I raised him another $100.

I could tell he didn't expect that and began nervously clicking his chips and checking and re-checking his cards. Finally, BBC called, shoving his stack into the pot. He showed A-K and I showed my K-K. The turn and river were no help to BBC. I took down the $320 pot.

After winning a couple of other smaller pots, I was up about $260 at one point. Then I started getting cold cards - J-3, 9-2, 7-4, Q-6. I slowly melted my stack down to $225 and decided to leave. I was only there an hour, so I didnt rack up comps, but wanted to leave a winner.

So I went to the Paris sports book and made a couple of football bets. One an 8-team parlay (which died when Florida State lost big to Va Tech) and a 3-team NFL parlay - Bears -4, Saints -6.5 and Ravens -2.5. That one will pay $150 when it hits.

To get in a little exercise - and get Helen a treat -I walked from Ballys to Harrah's where there is a Ghiradelli's chocolate shop. I picked up a 50-count bag of her favorite mint-chocolate squares.

Helen spent the day putting the etagere together, washing her new towels and getting the bathroom organized. When I got home I put up the new shower curtain, then whipped us up a middle eastern dinner of hummus, tabouli, lebni, kalamata olives and pita bread. Dessert was a few of those tasty mint-chocolate squares.

Today I'll head back to the Strip to watch football, probably at Bellagio if I can find a seat. Maybe some more poker at Ballys. Either way, the adventure continues...

A Royal Flush (Almost) at Ballys

Friday morning began with toast, coffee and catching up on the TV news. We like the Vegas NBC morning show - Wake up with the Wagners - which features a husband and wife anchor team and a nerdy traffic/weather guy.

There's lot of activity in Vegas this week with the National Finals Rodeo in town (cowboys everywhere) and the annual Las Vegas Marathon, which attracts almost 30,000 runners.

Helen wanted to clean up my appearance, so she cut my hair, which was getting a little shaggy. After the pruning, she sent me back to the Strip to try and recover the $47 that I had lost on Thursday. I pulled into Bills Gambling Hall parking deck about 11 a.m. and made my way across Flamingo to the Ballys poker room where there were two games going. Two names were ahead of me on the waiting list, so I checked in and took a little walk to kill time. I was called about 20 minutes later.

I bought in for $100 and didn't do much early as the cards were cold. Eventually I won a couple of pots and after about an hour I had built my stack to about $160 when the key hand of the day took place.

Like many poker rooms, Ballys offers bonuses for big hands - royal flushes, straight flushes and four of a kind (quads). The bonuses for royals start at $1000 by suit and grow as no one hits them. For example, the bonus for a spade royal flush is now about $5,900, while the diamond royal is $4600. The straight flush bonuses start at $250 and grow also. In fact yesterday a guy at the table next to mine hit a diamond straight flush for $950.

So whenever I get two suited pocket cards that could possibly become a straight flush, I tend to play if the buy-in isn't too pricy. Ya just never know...

With that in mind, here's the hand that set the tone on Thursday: I had about $170 in front of me when I looked down to see Q-10 of Spades. About 6 of us threw in $2 each to see the flop of
A-K of Spades and a 7 of Hearts.

I had two shots to hit the Spade Royal Flush. All I needed was the elusive Jack to snag $5,900.

Three of us called a guy's $15 bet. I thought about raising, but didn't want to scare people out. I felt even if I missed the jack, any spade would give me the Nut Flush.

Turn card was 3 Spades, giving me the unbeatable flush as long as the river card didn't pair the board and set up a possible full house. The Original Raiser (OR) bet $30 and two guys folded, leaving me heads up against him. I raised him to $120, putting his final $90 at risk.

At this point I had two hopes - that he would call and that the river card didn't pair the board setting up a possible full house.

My hopes were answered when he muttered "All In" and the flop was a 4 of Diamonds. I knew I had this huge pot. I showed my Q-10 Spade flush and he tossed in his A-K. He had flopped two top pair and lost all his chips in the process.

A woman sitting across from me said she had my Jack of Spades...

Thanks to this hand, I was up about $260 and was tempted to leave. But I waited a while, slowly and patiently growing my profit up to $375 before heading off to lunch at 2:30. Three hours of playing netted me $125 per hour - not bad. There was something particularly tasty about my comped chicken salad on rye!!

While I was toiling away in the poker room, Helen relaxed a while, talking on the phone with Anna, Norm's wife Lorraine, and Scott, who told her he and his family have made reservations to come visit LV in Feb. 22-28. They'll be staying just off the Strip in a Marriott Grand Chateau that I'm not real familiar with. It'll be fun to have them here.

I whipped up a dinner of cheese-stuffed tortolini with a mushroom vodka marinara sauce. It was hearty and darned tasty. Then we settled in to watch a little TV and calling it a night.

Today we may head over to Wal-Mart where Helen has a prescription to pick up and some shopping to do. I'm sure our LV adventures will continue...

!st Trip to the Strip

Thursday morning Helen sent me to the Strip for the first time this winter. She wanted to organize the apartment, so by 9 a.m. I was making the 8-mile drive east to Las Vegas Blvd.

I parked at Bally's and checked out the poker room action. One table going and a waiting list of 3, so I opted to keep walking over through Bill's Gambling Hall, the Flamingo, O'Shea's and into the Imperial Palace.

The IP has relocated and revamped its poker room. All new table felts are nice, but the chairs still need upgrading. They are very basic, just a notch up from folding chairs. But one nice comp the IP offers is freshly baked cookies free of charge to players. Every couple of hours they bring out a huge tray of cookies which get munched by many players.

I was able to get into a 1-2 No Limit game immediately, buying in for $100. I settled in and didn't do much playing early on. Lots of bad starting cards K-4, Q-6, 8-3, etc. Finally I got a few good cards and won a couple of pots. There were really only two hands that deserve mentioning.

The first occured when I was dealt 5-5. With this type of hand I usually try to see a flop cheaply. If I hit the trips, I bet, but if I miss the flop, I'm usually out of the hand. This time the flop comes A-2-4 of mixed suits. So I have an inside straight draw and dominate anyone with the 2 or 4. My only concern is the Ace. So I bet $20 and everyone folds, except the player to my immediate left. He calls and we see a J turn card. I again bet $20 and he calls. The river card is my third 5. I bet $30 and the guy to my left goes all-in for his last $50. I call and he shows his Ace, feeling like a winner.

I show my fives and the guy gets irate. "What an idiot. How can anyone stay with that hand," he stomps around and mutters under his breath. I'm kind of tickled by his tantrum, knowing that I made a strong play. This guy thinks he's a poker whiz, but he's really not as sharp as he thinks he is. I raked a pot of over $100 on that one.

I played for almost 8 hours, including one very long dry spell. At one point I counted 22 hands in a row that I got crappy starting cards and didn't see a flop. It's not always easy to be patient, but you can't start playing weak hands just to be playing. That gets expensive when you lose $10 here, $15 there trying to make something happen with a Q-8 or J-9. Even if you hit top pair on those hands, you could lose a lot to a bigger pair.

The second memorable hand came when I looked down and saw both red Aces in my hand. It was the only time I had A-A all day. Anyway, I bet $15 when it came to me and got a couple of callers. The flop came J-10-2. Thinking I had the best hand, I bet $25 and all folded except a guy at the far end of the table who called. The turn card was another J. I bet $40 and the guy at the other end called. The river was the final jack - giving me a full house with Jacks full of Aces.
With three jacks showing on the board, I assumed the other guy had a 10 or maybe two 10s. Either way, I had him dominated. I checked, hoping to induce a bet from him and it worked.

He shoved all-in for $130 and I called, putting in my last $60 or so. My heart sank when he showed K-J giving him quad Jacks.....

The only consolation was that the IP has a special deal where if you lose with pocket aces, (they call that Aces Cracked) the IP pays you a bonus of $100. That took out some of the sting and left me with more chips to play with. Overall for the day, I lost $47, not bad considering I was really card dead for so much of the time.

About 5:30 I headed home and stopped by the middle eastern market to pick up dinner - fresh pita bread, hummus, tabouli, lebni, and kalamata olives. Helen and I enjoyed that meal, one of our Vegas favorites. While I was out, Helen was really busy at the apartment - getting things organized in the kitchen and bathroom, washing all the dishes that had been in storage. She also spent some time talking with Anna on Skype and Scott by phone.

Today Helen wants to cut my hair and I may make a return to the IP poker room or maybe Bally's poker room. There's money to be made in both of those rooms, which have a reputation for being the easiest games in town with the least sophisticated players. So our LV adventure will continue...

We're Finally Here!

After living out of suitcases for the past 10 days, we're finally settled into our LV apartment.

We weren't driving all that time, but did spend five days on the road. The other five were spent with Anna and her family in Katy, TX celebrating Thanksgiving. Anna did an amazing job with a huge holiday dinner. She also treated Helen and Jacqueline to a night at the Houston Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker.

We left Anna's on Sunday, driving for about six hours til we spent the night in Sonora, TX, a few hours west of San Antonio. On Monday we hit the road about 6 a.m. and drove another 12 hours, all across New Mexico and finally spending the night in Holbrook, AZ. Tuesday saw us again up and on the road by 6:30 and we rolled into Vegas about 11 a.m. In the final estimate, it's about 24 hours driving from TC to Katy and another 24 hours from Katy to Vegas.

We checked in with the apt. management, got our keys and spent Tuesday night at the local LaQuinta hotel. Our mover showed up at 8 a.m. this morning and had us all moved in by about 10:30. Everything went very smoothly - gas, electricity and cable all flawless. Some of our mail was forwarded, including a huge annuity check that will basically fund our winter here - unless of course I have some more good fortune at the gaming tables.

After the movers left, Helen and I spent a few hours organizing the apartment. It's a bigger chore than you might imagine, unboxing everything and getting it into it's proper place. It was tiring for both of us and Helen decided she didn't want to do anything special for her Birthday today. She was OK with takeout from her favorite LV eatery - the Cheesecake Factory.

While she rested a while, I made my first trip to the nearby Suncoast casino. In about two hours of play, I made $74 in blackjack. So I invested $20 of those winnings in a two-team moneyline parlay ticket - Toronto Raptors and LA Lakers. If both of them just win (no point spread in the moneyline parlays) I will win $21 for my $20. If I lose the parlay, my profit for the day is $54, if I win the parlay my profit for the day will be $95.

After the Suncoast visit, I went to Cheesecake Factory and picked up dinner - Helen's favorite salad a BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and I opted for their big ol' Buffalo Wings. Of course, the Birthday Girl ordered up a big slab of cheesecake for dessert - Turtle Pecan to be exact. I may have to help her with that...

Tomorrow we'll still work on unpacking things and getting the place in order. And soon I have to turn my attention to writing some articles for the TC Biz News and The Ticker Web Site.
But til then, the adventure continues...

Here We Go Again

It's only three days before we head off to Anna's for Thanksgiving, then on to LV for the winter. We're hip-deep in preparations, packing items to go and saying good-bye to friends and family that we won't see for another 6 months or so.

We'll be heading back to the same apt. complex - Wellington Meadows - but to a different apt. unit. The good news there is that our rent will be $165 a month cheaper this year. It's a combination of a slightly less renovated unit and the soft rental rates in LV.

Our journey begins about 6 a.m. on Monday the 22nd. We plan to drive into Missouri and stay overnight in Lebanon, about 2-3 hours west of St. Louis. Then Tuesday we drive all day to get to Anna's - hopefully by 7-8 p.m.

I'll try to keep folks posted of our progress and our LV Adventures for 2010-11.

Back to the Blog

Wow!

It's been more than two weeks since I've sat down to blog so now we'll try to catch up a bit. The past few days have been pretty busy. We're leaving Thursday to spend a few days in LA with Helen's brother Norm and his family. One highlight will be a Friday night Dodgers Game. Norm has scored 6 tickets in the KABC sky box, so that should be pretty cool. We'll be returning to LV on Monday.

We've also been busy getting ready to pack up our belongings and head back to TC. I lined up our moving guy and reserved our storage unit. We'll be leaving on Thursday, the 29th and driving to Anna's, arriving either late Friday or Saturday morning, depending on how early on the 29th we can hit the road.

After reserving our storage unit yesterday, I went down to the Golden Nugget where I was going to meet with TC's Dan Rohn who is managing the Las Vegas 51s, the minor league bb team. Dan wasn't able to get together because one of his players had been called up to the Toronto Blue Jays and he had to take care of some paperwork. Anyway, I watched the Tigers game and cashed a two team parlay (Tigers-Yankees) when the Bengals rallied to top KC, 6-5.
My $20 bet returned $55.

I left the Nugget about 130 and drove to Ballys to play some poker. In about 90 minutes I racked up a $35 profit and left. So far the day I netted $70. Not bad.

Dinner was one of favorite Mexican takeout places, Del Taco where we enjoyed their special tacos. On Tuesdays their tacos are 3 for $1.19. How can you go wrong?

Helen has been busy finishing a sewing project - a nightgown for granddaughter Katherine. Her birthday is May 7, so Helen wanted to get it done before we head to LA. Now it's finished and it looks GREAT. She's a talented seamstress.

I'm a little under the weather today, fighting a cold. It started yesterday with a scratchy throat and I went right to the Zicam. After a pretty sleepless night, I'm facing the day congested, but with no fever or headache. Time to tough it out...

And so our adventure continues...

Baseball Win Totals

For the baseball fans out there, here are the 2010 Baseball win totals from Harrah's casinos, which include Caesars Palace, Imperial Palace, Flamingo, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Harrah's, Ballys, Rio and Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon.

Yankees 95.5
Red Sox 94.5
Phillies 92.5
Rays 89.5
Cardinals 88.5
Braves, Rockies, Angels, Dodgers, 85.5
Chisox, Twins, Mariners, Rangers 84.5
Cubs 83.5
D-Backs, Giants 82.5
Marlins 81.5
TIGERS, Brewers, Mets 80.5
A's, Reds 79.5
Indians, Orioles, Astros 74.5
Royals 73.5
Padres 72.5
Nationals, Blue Jays 71.5
Pirates 69.5

Very few of these bets are even money. For example if you want to bet the Tigers over 80.5 wins at -130 you have to pay $130 to win $100 or $65 to win 50. If you bet them under at -110, you pay $110 to win 100.

More Poker at Ballys

Up and out early Friday morning to play poker with some of the tourists who roll into LV on the weekends.

By 9 a.m. I was at Paris buying a money line hoops parlay on Ohio State, Baylor and Duke. OSU killed that one. But my friend Terry scored $131 when his $25 3-team hockey parlay came through for him. Way to go T!!!

By 930 I was at Ballys, playing video poker and waiting for a seat at the live poker tables. Soon I got called to join a new game, which was fun and I got up early by winning a couple of $20-30 pots. I had bought in for $100 and had a goal of leaving if I could double it. After 3-4 hours I was up about $70 when things went dry. I had over an hour where I played only two hands and didn't win a pot.

I usually play until around 4-4:15 and then head home. But today at 4 I was actually down about $30 so I called Helen and told her I'd be home about 6:30, giving me extra time to rally back.
The difference maker came about 6, just as I was mentally ready to suffer a $30 loss.

I was dealt 4-4 and raised the $2 blind to $7, getting a couple of callers. I'd been getting several small pocket pairs (2s, 5s, 7s twice and 8s) throughout the day never once managed to get trips. So I was really pleased to see a flop of A-8-4. I checked the trips and one guy bet $15. I assumed he had an ace. The only other played folded and I raised it to $30. My lone foe, a local who I've played against 3-4 times recently, went all it for his remaining $40 and I called.

The turn was a J of Diamonds. No help for me and probably little help for him.

The river was another 8, giving me a full house. My foe showed A-K and was visibly upset when I showed my 4-4. The pot put me up $29 in poker for the day. I had won $6 in video poker, but lost $20 on my hoops bet, so for the day my profit was $15. Not huge, but a real fun day and much better than losing.

Winning small is better than losing small...

Got home about 630 and made up some middle eastern food for dinner. Hummus, tabouli, pita bread, kalamata olives and lebne. Ice cream for dessert. While I was playing on the Strip, Helen was on the phone with Anna and her friend Gail.

She also emailed her brother Norm who has scored us 6 Dodgers tickets for when we visit them on April 17. Six seats along the third base line for our first visit to Dodger Stadium. I can almost taste those Dodger Dogs now...mustard only, please!

And so our adventure continues...

Back to Ballys

Yesterday morning Helen and I were both looking forward to getting back into our Vegas routine - for her that meant reading, calling friends and family and generally relaxing at the apt. while I headed out to play poker and make a couple of sports investments.

About 8 a.m. I headed to the Suncoast to make a couple of hoops bets, both losers due to Syracuse losing to Butler. Then I stopped by the post office to mail an ebay package and buy some stamps. I got there right at 9 a.m. when they open and there was NO line at all. That's a first.

Then I headed to Ballys for some poker, arriving about 930. There was one 1-2 no limit game going and I put my name on the short wait list. After about 15 minutes I got called to the game and was seated in the 9 seat, two to the right of the dealer. It's not one of my favorite seats, since it's a L-O-O-N-G way from the flop making it difficult to easily read the cards some times.

Anyway, I bought in for $100 and was up and down early. I was catching some good cards, several pairs and A-K twice. One nice pot came my way when I had pocket 6s and the flop came 5-6-A. After the dust settled I raked in the chips, much to the chagrine of the guy in the 10 seat who had three 5s to my three 6s!

But the key hand of the day came about 1 o'clock when I looked down to see A-J of spades. The flop came J-J-4 of different suits. I checked and one guy bet $20. I hoped he had a A-K or a pair of Qs and was the only one to call his bet. The turn was a 7 of hearts - no apparent help. He suddenly went all in for $105 and I spent about a full minute trying to figure out what he might have. I hoped he had two pair and not 4-4. Finally I called...

The river card was a 10 of clubs - no apparent help. And my opponent showed his hand - J-Q of hearts. I showed him my A-J and sat back as the dealer shoved more than $250 in chips my way!!

Soon after that I racked up my chips and cashed in for $291. Subtract the $40 in hoops bets and my profit for the day was $251. I enjoyed a hefty chicken salad sandwich (comped with my club points) and drove home. Along the way I made a stop at the middle eastern market and picked up some hummus, tabouli, pita bread, lebne and olives. That was Helen's dinner, while I enjoyed some leftover alfredo pasta and chicken. Dessert was Butter pecan and chocolate fudge ice cream.

Tonight we'll be watching MSU and I may make an investment in the Spartans. So our adventure continues...

Back to Bloggin'

Helen and I arrived back in LV yesterday about 2:30 p.m. after 9.5 hours of driving.

Dad's funeral service went smoothly and after a couple of days of visiting with friends and family, we headed west on Monday morning about 7 a.m. The first day we drove south into Illinois where we had a tire mishap that slowed us for an hour. We were about 40 miles north of Springfield when a message appeared on the speedometer "Check Right Rear Tire Pressure."

I pulled over and checked the tire, which looked OK but I did see a 1/2 inch chunk of metal in the treads. We limped about 7 miles into the nearest town - Lincoln -and found a repair shop where the owners Kevin and his Dad Ivan pulled out the metal - a 3-inch chunk - and plugged the hole. They said we were lucky that the metal didnt damage the tire's steel belt. Could have had a blowout or at least need a new tire, they said. A $30 payment and we were back on the road.

We spent the first night in Lebanon, Mo. where dinner was a couple of Quizno's subs. Then we were on the road Tuesday about 630 a.m. and drove all day through Mo., OK, Texas until we reached Moriarty, NM, about a half hour east of Albuerqueque. Dinner was a couple of chicken quesadillas delivered to our room by a local restaurant.

Yesterday's drive from NM to LV was uneventful and we were glad to be back in the apartment. I had 10 days of mail and emails to catch up on, along with paying some bills. I mustered the energy to make dinner - bowtie pasta al fredo with ice cream for dessert. A hot shower, a few rerun episodes of "The Office" and we called it a night.

Today I need to hit the post office (never fun here in LV) and hope to play a little poker and maybe make a hoops bet on the NCAA tourney. I have real concerns about MSU's chances without Lucas. Northern Iowa is a tough little squad that I've been keeping an eye on all season. Don't be surprised if the Spartans come up short tomorrow.

And so our adventure continues...

Poker at Ballys

On Thursday it was time to get back to the poker tables at Ballys, one of my favorite places to play because they offer decent comps ($1 for each hour played) and the low quality of the players.

I have about $50 in comps racked up at Bally's good for several free lunches in the future.

Poker tables at Ballys usually have 1 or 2 players who are VERY new at the game of live poker, often not understanding the blinds or how to physically place their bets. If you can spot the weak players, it's not too hard to take advantage of them when the situation arises. Anyway, I arrived at Bally's around 9 a.m. and after about 20 minutes got seated at a game that was just getting started.

Usually when I play, I like to have $200-300 with me. I buy in for $100 and like to have another 100 or so in reserve in case I need to rebuy. But after hosting Katie and having a recent run of losses, my poker budget was down to about $170. So I was determined to play conservatively, waiting for premium starting hands and being somewhat cautious in my play, though not timid.

Early on my strategy worked perfectly. I took down several pots with three 9s, a straight and two pair. But due to my conservative play, the pots were relatively small - $20-30 each max. But still after 7 hours of play, I had almost doubled my buy-in with a stack of about $100. It was just before 4 p.m. when I decided to leave and picked up a rack to carry my chips to the cashier.

But first I decided to play one final hand. I looked down and saw Q-9 of clubs. I usually like to play such suited cards if one of them is Q or higher, hoping to hit a nice flush. Besides when no one raised, it only cost me $2 to see the flop, which came J-10-8 with two diamonds.

I had flopped a Queen-high straight and was hoping to cash in big, especially when one guy bet $20 and was called by one other player. Everyone else folded and when it was my turn I slowly thought about it and raised to $60, hoping that one guy would call and the other would fold. But even if both folded, I would still be happy to take down the pot that was already over $50.

One guy did fold, but the other - a 300-pound loudmouth type with about $400 in his stack - grunted "All In." That was a PLEASANT surprise to me, since I had the VERY BEST hand anyone could have at this point. There's no better feeling than having an opponent go all in when you have The Nuts...I quickly called and shoved all my stack into the pot.

Loudmouth showed A-K of diamonds. He had gone all in with A-high, a straight draw (he needed one of 3 remaining Queens for a higher straight) and a diamond flush draw and he looked sick when I showed my Q-high straight. There was about $500 in the pot and I was anticipating winning it if I could avoid another diamond hitting the board.

The turn was a 4 of Spades.

The river was 2 OF DIAMONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt physically nauseous as the dealer shoved the huge stack of chips toward Loudmouth. "Nice hand" I mumbled as I rose from the table and walked away stunned. Fiscally, I had lost my $100 buy-in, plus the $100 I had ground out over 7 hours of quality play. But losing that huge pot on the river was VERY depressing. I had gotten in all my money with the best possible hand on the flop, yet walked away a loser...

Why did I have to play that last hand, I thought over and over. Why didn't I leave up $100?

I spent about 10 minutes waiting before driving home. I wanted to be able to focus on the crazy Vegas traffic and not dwell on my crushing loss, but it was not easy. When I got home I explained it all to Helen and she advises me to get right back to the tables.

She's been laying low for a few days, recovering from our hectic schedule during Katie's visit. Somehow Helen strained her left rib-shoulder area and it's been painful for her. As a result, she's happy to log some quiet couch time while I run errands or play poker.

But on Friday, I was still gun shy and had a non-gambling day. I went to Wal-Mart and picked up some prescriptions for both of us. Made us turkey sandwiches for lunch, paid some bills online and relaxed watching TV the rest of the day. Dinner was leftover chili that was really tasty.

Maybe today I'll try poker again as our adventure continues...

A Busy Week

This has been one of the busiest weeks of the winter., highlighted by Katie's departure on Tuesday.

She had a 6 a.m. flight out of McCarran and was advised to arrive at the airport at 4:30, so I was up at 3 to get her moving. Katie said her goodbyes to Helen and we were off to the airport by about 4. Everything went smoothly for her and I stood at the security checkpoint watching to make sure she got through that hurdle safely. One last wave from her and I headed home, a bit sad to see her leave us.

Her visit was really fun, though I got the sense that she was really ready to go home. Twelve days was a few too long for her and she was overwhelmed by the noise and sensory bombardment that can be The Strip. It's just not her favorite thing, though she did really enjoy some of the other aspects of LV, such as Red Rock and the balmy weather.

Later on Tuesday, I headed to Bally's to play poker and had a great session. I won $82 at the table and coupled with a $55 hoops parlay ticket, my profit for the day was $137. Helen and I celebrated with a dinner of Middle Eastern food - hummus, tabouli, kalamata olives, lebne and pita bread. Desserts were slabs of Cheesecake Factory chocolate cheesecake. Rich and goooood.

Also Tuesday, for the first time in months, I listed an item on ebay. All around the Strip, there were magazines featuring Danica Patrick on the cover in connection with last Saturday's NASCAR race in LV. I saw that someone had listed a mag on ebay and that the bid was up to $31...sooooo. I grabbed about 20 of these mags and listed one for an opening bid of $4.99. We'll see how well I do...

Yesterday, while Helen was at her Bible Study Class, I headed to the Suncoast to cash my hoops parlay ticket (been hitting these pretty steadily in recent days). While there I played some video blackjack and won $7 and bought a $15 moneyline parlay ticket on Florida State, BYU and Texas
A&M. They all won for us last night and today I'll be cashing $36 for a $21 profit. So yesterday's profit was $28.

I also hit the local grocery store yesterday and whipped up a batch of chili for dinner. Opted for ground turkey instead of ground beef and it was pretty tasty. Plenty left for another meal.

Katie called last night to let us know her flights went smoothly. She had a real grind on Tuesday, arriving home at 3:30 or so TC time. Then she headed off to her NMC classes from 5 to 10 p.m. and collapsed in bed shortly after arriving home. What a long day for her! She's in the process of getting a new cell phone and service, so we're looking forward to talking to her on it. Her reception in Interlochen has been poor and hopefully this will improve.

Today may be another poker playing day as our LV adventure continues...

It Was a Buffet Day

Thursday's Vegas highlight was a visit to the sumptuous buffet at Planet Hollywood.

Helen, Katie and I arrived about 2 p.m. The PH buffet is one of our favs because it has an impressive Middle Eastern section that includes chicken kabobs, grilled zuchini, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, tabouli, lebne, pita bread, couscous and some tasty rice mixtures. Helen opted for a Middle East assortment, which I piled high on a plate for her.

Then Katie and I separately browsed the buffet. She ate sensibly and really enjoyed it.

I overdid it, as I started with a pile of chilled peeled shrimp with cocktail sauce, plus 3 chicken wings and some steamed green beans (gotta have a few veggies, right?). My second course consisted of a slab of stuffed pork loin, mashed potatoes, some BBQ chicken and fried rice. Dessert was vanilla custard topped with both chocolate and caramel sauces and a dollop of whipped cream. Oh yeah, there was also a slab of chocolate cream pie and a couple of cups of coffee.

We were all pretty full when we left. Helen and Katie decided to go shopping for a couple of hours at the PH Miracle Mile stores, while I headed to the poker room. We split up at 3 p.m., planning to rendezvous at 5.

I started my poker adventure slowly and patiently. During my first 15 minutes, I was dealt 2-4, 5-6 and J-8, all of which I chose not to play. Trying to be patient and play only strong starting hands, right? Well, turns out all of those starting hands would have taken down pots - the 2-4 would have been two pair, the 5-6 flop came 4-6-6 and the J-8 would have turned into another two pair. Aaargh...

Anyway, being patient was rewarded after 25 minutes when I looked down and saw both red A-A winking back at me. I bet $12 into a pot of $10 and the guy to my left suddenly spouts out, "All-In." I was feeling pretty good at that. I had bought in for $60 and was willing to shove my remaining $50 or so into the pot with the highest hand possible.

The guy had over $200 in front of him and I was the only caller. He showed a 5-5 and I was feeling pretty strong with my A-A. Only two cards could beat me - the remaining two fives.
The flop came J-4-5, giving him THREE FIVES. No help for me on the turn and river, so I left the poker room after 25 minutes and playing only one hand!

It was the second straight trip to the PH poker room that I busted out with a strong hand. The last time I flopped 3 sixes and lost my whole stack to a guy who flopped 3 tens.

I walked to the sports book to watch some basketball games until it was time to meet up with Katie and Helen. I was feeling pretty down, playing well and still losing. Unfortunately we've hit a real negative streak over the past 7 days, posting losses in five days and barely winning on Wednesday when Purdue hung on for a 1-pt. win over Minnesota.

Driving home from the Strip, the girls wanted to stop at Wal-Mart, so they shopped while I waited in the car and watched people. What an interesting mix of humanity strolling in and oout of that store...

Back at the apartment we watched some TV and Katie gave both of us massages to relax us. She heads home early on Tuesday and we'll miss her very much. She's a great shopping companion for Helen and makes my life easer by helping out around the apartment. A perfect guest! But she has to get back to her NMC classes and keep on track there. She's really staying on course with her classes and I'm proud of her accomplishments in the NMC program.

Today is my birthday and we're planning to have dinner at my favorite LV eatery - Hash House Ago Go. If the weather is nice, we'll also take a drive out to Red Rock Nature Area to show Katie some of the natural beauty that LV offers only 30 minutes or so from the glitter of the Strip.

So our adventure continues...

Titanic Tuesday

Tuesday was another busy day for us, starting with FREE pancakes at the nearby IHOP, which is so close by our apt. that we were able to walk over there for our short stacks. While the pancakes were free, we did make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network.

Then we headed down to the Luxor to see the Titanic Exhibit. While Helen and Katie checked out Luxor, I hiked about a half-mile north on the Strip to the 1/2 price Tix outlet. I was able to get 3 Titanic tickets (reg. price $30 each) for only $16.20 each, plus a $15 service charge. So by taking a walk (and getting a little exercise) I saved almost $40.

The exhibit was pretty impressive, filled with artifacts that they recovered from the stricken ship. One very cool item was a HUUUGE section of the ship itself, aptly dubbed "The Big One," that weighs some 16 tons. I'd recommend this exhibit to anyone even remotely interested in Titanic and its tragic tale.

Lunch was a Little Caesars pizza that we shared.

Then Helen and Katie decided to do a little shopping at the Fashion Show Mall, right on the Strip across from the Venetian. I dropped them off and walked across the street to the TI - Treasure Island, where I dropped $60 in blackjack. It was a really frustrating session, since early I was up about $25 and should have walked to the sports book to watch hoops...but no... I stayed a frittered away my profit, plus another $60. I'm a better player than that and really regretted the way I played.

When we got home Helen and Katie had leftover shepards pie for dinner, while I finished off our lunch pizza. Chocolate fudge ice cream made a nice dessert.

This morning I ran some errands and stopped by the Suncoast to check out the hoops action. I bought a $20 money line parlay ticket, so if Ohio State, Temple, Purdue and BYU are victorious, I'll cash the ticket for $82.

And so our adventure continues...

KA! - shopping and more!

With Katie here our adventures have been in high-speed whirlwind mode. Here's a brief recap of the past three days..

Friday's highlight was the Cirque du Soleil show KA! at the MGM Grand. It was a spectacular presentation with an amazing stage that is really the star of the show. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in a Cirque performance. After the show we went for dessert at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian. Katie opted for an apple cobbler, I had a strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream and Helen chose a tasty cheesecake. All the portions were HUUUUGE and we were pretty well satisfied after a GREAT evening.

On Saturday we spent the day at Hoover Dam and touring the nearby Boulder City, which was founded in 1931 to house the 5,000 workers who built the nearby Dam. The drive from LV to the Dam takes about 30-40 minutes, depending on traffic. It's an impressive structure and we spent a good two hours walking around the Dam, strolling though the visitors center and, of course, checking out the "Best Dam Gift Shop."

About 2 p.m. we left the Dam and went to Boulder City for lunch, settling on Mel's Diner. We got there about 2:20 - just in time because the cozy little eatery closes at 3 p.m. We all opted for burgers - Helen and Katie got western burgers with slabs of bacon atop, while I chose a basic cheeseburger. They were tasty and hefty, very satsifying end to our dam visit! Then we headed home and relaxed for awhile before enjoyin some leftover sausage, peppers and rice for dinner.

Sunday began with the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church, followed by a visit to the local IHOP for breakfast. Helen enjoyed her mushroom-spinach omelet, I opted for all you can eat pancakes and Katie chose toast and a fruit cup. Then it was off to the Miracle Mile shopping center at Planet Hollywood. Helen and Katie spent the next 4.5 hours shoppping, while I headed for the poker room.

My poker session was unusual. I bought in for $100 and after about 15 minutes played a very interesting hand. I was dealt 6-6 and limped into the pot for the $2 blind. Four of us saw the flop which came 10-6-4 of mixed suits. I had flopped 3 6s and felt pretty good. I checked my hand and the guy to my left bet $20. One guy called and another folded. I stalled a bit, all the time knowing I was gonna put in a hefty raise. So I raised the guy to my left another $40 and he responded by virtually shouting "ALL IN!" The 3rd guy folded and I called.

The turn was another 4, giving me a full house. The river was a 3, no help. I turned over my 6-6 full house and the other guy showed his 10-10, giving him a BIGGER full house!

I was so deflated I left the poker room and just walked to the sports book to calm down. After 20 minutes or so, I bounced back by winning $70 at a blackjack table.

Then I went back to the sports book where I bought a $20 4-team money line parlay (meaning there's no point spread involved, the teams just have to win their game). I picked the Hornets, Suns, Thunder and Hawks. The first three were winners, but the Hawks let me down bigtime. Their game was tied 104-104 with 34 seconds remaining. But the Warriors hit a 3-ball and a free throw to win 108-104. It would have paid $85. AAAARGH!

For dinner we were looking for someplace quick and convenient - How 'bout McDonalds! Then we drove down the Strip checking out the lights as we headed home.

This morning, while the girls were getting up and moving, I ran a couple of errands and stopped by the Suncoast where I won $45 playing blackjack. At one point I was up $65, then lost 4 $5 bets in a row and decided to take my profits and leave. I was home by 10:30.

Later today we're making a trip to "The World's Largest Gift Shop" at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. (The Strip) and Sahara. While the girls shop, I'll stroll across the street to the Sahara hotel-casino and soak in a little Old Vegas vibe. Then we'll head home for dinner - I'll be making one of Katie's favorite meals, Shepherd's Pie. Oh yeah and chocolate fudge ice cream for dessert (another of the niece's favs.) She claims were spoiling her, but I call it just being a good host, LOL!

And so our adventure continues...

Las Vegas, Meet Katie!

Thursday was one of the highlight days of our trip so far as Katie finally arrived.

Her trip had been planned since July when Helen and I decided to give her a very special birthday present for her 21st birthday - an all expenses paid trip to LV. So for many months she's been thinking about her visit and what fun things we'll be doing together during her 12 days here in Nevada.

Helen and I met her as she arrived about 1:30 yesterday. She left TC about 7:15 a.m. with a 3 hr layover in Minneapolis before landing safely at McCarran. We drove back to the apartment and just relaxed and talked for a while. I made a lunch of turkey sandwiches for us and we planned our fun for the evening.

We decided on Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffet's restaurant at the Flamingo, for dinner and planned to hit the Strip around 6 so that Katie's first view of it would be with its lights ablaze. It didn't disappoint. I drove us east on Sahara and then south along the entire length of the Strip. That took us past such impressive landmarks as Wynn, The Venetian, Fashion Show Mall, Caesar's Palace, Harrah's, The Flamingo, Bally's, Paris, Planet Hollywood, The Bellagio, City Center, MGM, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay.

Katie was thrilled with the lights and color of the Strip and it was really fun to see the excitement in her eyes as she took in the sights. After passing the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign at the south end of the Strip, we turned around and headed back north, parking at Bills Gamblin' Hall. Luckily for us, we got to watch a few minutes of the Big Elvis show - he's a 300-plus Elvis impersonator who does a free gig every weekday at Bill's. After viewing that "hunka, hunk of burning love," we headed to Margarita to eat.

On our way there we made a brief stop at the Flamingo to show Katie the live Flamingos in the hotel's garden area. It was dark though and after a quick look at the live lawn ornaments, we continued our trek to Margaritaville.

We got there about 7 and there was a 40-45 minute wait before we got seated. It went quickly though and we enjoyed a great dinner. Helen and Katie opted for HUUUUUUGE salads, while I had a Cuban Sandwich. I also helped them finish off their salads. The food here is always good and the bill was reasonable - less than $50 for the three of us.

Then, using the elevators and overhead walkways, we went over to Caesars Palace. The girls wanted to check out the Forum Shops and I headed to play blackjack. Our plan was to meet about 1.5 hours later at 10:30.

I quickly lost $50 in bj, going 7 hands without winning a single hand (5 losses and 2 pushes, both on 20s, aaaargh). Then I sat down and played some 25-cent poker - breaking even after about 15 minutes. By then it was almost time to meet the shoppers, so I headed to the Forum Shops where they were waiting for me. We made our way back to the car and drove back to the apartment. At the end of the day, we were all pretty tired.

Today will be another big day. Our plan is for me to make a hefty afternoon meal of grilled Italian sausage, red peppers, beans and rice. Then about 4 we'll head to the Strip, parking at MGM where we'll visit the Lions. Katie and Helen want to go to the nearby M&M and Coke stores, so I'll play poker while they shop. Then at 6 or so, we'll meet up and walk to the Ka theater where we have tickets for the 7 p.m. performance. After the show, we'll head to the Venetian's Grand Lux Cafe for dessert.

The girls want to see the Canal Shoppes, while I'm SURE I can find something to do as our adventure continues...

Are Ya Ready For Some Football?

For those already missing their NFL action, here are the odds for the 2011 Super Bowl Game to be played Feb. 6 at Cowboy Stadium. These numbers are from the Suncoast sports book and will undoubtedly vary at other casinos.
Colts, Chargers 6-1
Saints 7-1
Patriots, Cowboys, Vikings, Steelers 8-1
Packers 10-1
Eagles 12-1
Jets, Ravens 15-1
Giants 20-1
Cardinals, Falcons, Bengals, Titans, Texans, Dolphins, 49ers 25-1
Panthers 35-1
Bears, Seahawks 40-1
Jaguars 50-1
Broncos, Redskins 60-1
Bills, Browns 75-1
Rams, Chiefs, Raiders, Buccaneers and LIONS 100-1

As a Raiders fan, I really don't understand these long odds. Last year the Raider showed glimmers of respectability with FIVE victories, including wins over the Steelers (in Pittsburgh), the Bengals, the Broncos and the Eagles. Cmon, ya gotta say they're better than the Lions, right?

Losing Streak Broken

Monday morning we started the day with toast and coffee, plus the morning news on TV.

Helen planned on cleaning the apt in preparation for Thursday's arrival of Katie, so I was told to get down to the Strip and make money playing poker. So I headed off to Ballys, arriving about 10 a.m. and I was immediately seated in a newly-started $1-2 no limit game.

I won the third hand with a straight, scooping up a pot of about $15. After that I played quite conservatively, patiently waiting for good starting hands. After about an hour, I played the most interesting hand of the day. I was dealt Q-10 of clubs and decided to see a flop, calling the $2 big blind. The flop came K, 9 and 3 of clubs! SWEEEEET. I flopped a flush and needed only the J of clubs for a straight flush, which woould pay a bonus of $384.

The turn was yet another club - the 7. I bet $25 and all folded except 1 guy who called the bet. The river was a 3 of diamonds and I bet another $25. He didn't hesitate, but folded his cards and showed a 6-8 of clubs. We both had shots at straight flushes - I needed the Jack and he needed the 5 of clubs. I scooped the pot of about $100, my biggest win of the day.

I played for about 3 hours before cashing out $82 ahead and going to the Nosh snack bar where I enjoyed a comped chicken salad sandwich for lunch. When you play poker at Ballys you earn $1 in comps for each hour you play. I've built up enough comp $ to have free lunches there for quite a while, I think. For example, yesterday I earned $3 in comps and lunch cost me $9 in comps. Sometimes I play 4-5 hours and don't eat lunch, so I just bank the comps. Poker profits and a free lunch - pretty good day!

While I was grinding out poker profits, Helen dusted and wiped down the apt. Then for dinner I ran out to Del Taco and we enjoyed some Mexican takeout - soft tacos for Helen and a burrito for me. Then it was a quiet night watching TV and talking with Katie about her upcoming trip.

Today I head off to the grocery store to stock up for Katie's visit and then do some vacuuming around the apt. Always an adventure here in LV...

Monday Moanin'

Starting this week with a renewed effort in keeping the blog up to date.

Over the weekend we've been concerned about my Dad's health. He's still in Oakwood Hospital near Detroit fighting off pneumonia and other issues. Brother Bruce reported in a positive note Sunday that Dad was moved from ICU into a regular room. Seems like it will just take time for him to recover. He may still face surgery to reduce fluid pressure on his brain. Docs say that may reduce his dementia symptoms, but we won't know until it's done.

Helen and I spent a quiet Valentine's Day. After church I zipped over to the Suncoast casino to cash a $25 hoops ticket. While there I bought a $25 ticket on Illinois over OSU. That was a loser, making Sunday a losing day, the fourth in a row. Seems like I've hit a dry spell after 7 straight winning days...

Then we watched some TV, including the classic "African Queen." We talked with Katie last night and she's really getting excited about her trip here. If all goes well and the airlines cooperates, she'll arrive Thursday around 1 p.m. The plan is to bring her back to the apt. to get settled in, then we'll all go back to the Strip for dinner at Margaritaville. I'd really like Katie's first view of the famous LV Strip to be a nighttime visit when the lights are most impressive.

Helen and I had lunch at Margaritaville on Friday and it was really great. Portions are HUUUUUGE and you don't go away hungry! Helen had a taco salad, while I enjoyed a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with onion rings. Helen's salad was so big she had it for dinner on Saturday. For all you foodies, yesterday's dinner was Middle Eastern fare of hummus, tabouli, Kalamata olives, and fresh pita bread.

This morning I wrote my March casino entertainment column and sent it to the Booth editor. It's a slow month for casino shows. Usually there are 18, 20 or more, but in March only a dozen acts are performing, including none at Leelanau Sands or Odawa. Wonder if it's the economy...

Helen has plans to dust and clean the apt. in preparation for Katie's visit. That means she's sending me to the Strip to get out of her way. The plan is for me to vacuum tomorrow, as our LV adventure continues...

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day started with Helen and I going to the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church.

Then we came home where I made Helen's breakfast of a chopped apple, topped with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon before I headed over to the Suncoast. I had a ticket to cash on MSU that paid $22 and I wanted to get a bet down on Illinois +1.5 over Ohio State. Right now OSU is up 14 with 10 minutes to play so that looks like a loser.

Today we're just relaxing at the apt. and enjoying out traditional big box of chocolates that we always share on Feb. 14.

We're still concerned about my Dad's condition. He remains in the hospital fighting off pneumonia and it's not going as well as we first hoped. Initially he seems like he had the infection under control, but recent days have shown little, if any, progress. Sister Bev is keeping us posted via emails, but it's hard being so far from the situation. All we can do is keep her and Dad in our thoughts and prayers.

Helen and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of niece Katie who flies into LV on Thursday. We have SO MANY things we want to show her and share with her. We miss her very much and can't wait til she gets here.

We're just watching some TV today and dinner today will be Middle Eastern fare - hummus, tabouli, lebne, olives and fresh pita bread.

Tomorrow our LV adventure continues...

Catching Up

Yikes!

It's been almost a week since I last posted an update here. Not doing a very good job of keeping friends and family updated, but there is a good reason.

Last weekend my 83-year-old Dad was hospitalized with pneumonia and other health issues, including a buildup of fluids on the brain. After several tense days, it appears he's doing much better and will soon undergo surgery for the fluid buildup. Still he remains in Oakwood Hospital near Detroit and is in our thoughts and prayers.

My sister Bev has been a stalwart in this tense situation. There's not much Gordon in Fla. and us in LV can do except give moral support and await updates.

I've kept busy hitting the gaming floors. I keep a running total of my wins and losses and Feb has been a great month so far. Out of 8 days of gaming, I've shown a profit in 7 of them - ranging from $33 to $151. My only loss was a $100 setback on Feb. 1.

We're getting ready to host niece Katie who arrives on the 18th. She has a whole list of fun events and attractions that we're going to share together, including a cirque de soleil show, Ka, on the 19th. We also plan on visiting Hoover Dam, Red Rock Natural Conservation Area and other fun stuff. Helen and Katie will spend some great times shopping and lunching too.

Helen's doing well and appreciating the warmer weather we're expecting in the next few days. It's supposed to be in the upper 60s, a welcome change from the 55-ish and rain we've had in recent days. Helen just started Janet Evanovich's "Finger Lickin' 15" and she's enjoying it.

I just finished writing a couple of Vegas-related articles for the Booth newspapers - "Vegas on the Cheap" and a feature on "The Pinball Hall of Fame." I'll also be working on my monthly casino entertainment column for the Boothies. It's due the 15th...

So our LV adventure continues...

Talking With a Pinball Wizard

Thursday morning began with some coffee, toast and a phone call from Helen who is still visiting her brother Norm's family in So Cal. She's having lots of fun and enjoying her time there, especially spending some dog-time with Norm's two pups - Tony and Buddy.

About 10:30, I headed toward the Strip to interview Tim Arnold, owner-operator of the Pinball Hall of Fame, located on Tropicana about 2-3 miles east of the Strip. I had visited the HOF on Wednesday, but Tim wasn't there so I played pinball for about 30 minutes and had a GREAT time. This place houses 225 pinball games from the 50s vintage games to current ultra-flashy digital games.

I spent about an hour talking with Tim, who left Lansing in 1990 to move to LV. I'll be writing a 500-word feature article about him and the HOF for the Booth papers. Plan to get that project written over the weekend.

For lunch, I decided to hit the Suncoast and score a buffet comp. Played blackjack for about 30 minutes, winning $55 before getting my free lunch comp. I was pretty hungry, but took care of that with a plate full of fried rice and orange chicken, 3 chicken wings, steamed broccoli and a slab of banana cream pie. I knew right away dinner would be soup at the apt.

Checked out the sports book and thought about betting on the CMU hoops team. Should have made the wager, which would have been a winner.

Before leaving, I tried blackjack again and quickly racked up another profit of $75 and decided to head to the apt. So I was up $130 and enjoyed a free buffet - pretty sweet day.

At night I heated up a can of Chicken & Rice soup and relaxed with some TV. Talked with Katie who is getting excited about coming to visit us. She arrives on Feb. 18 for a 10 day visit. We'll be seeing Ka, visiting the Titanic exhibit and doing a whole list of fun things.

So our adventure continues...

Downtown Photo Run

This morning I headed downtown to take photos of some of the attractions I am including in an article on "10 Vegas Attractions That Are Cheap or Even Free."

So by about 9:30 I was strolling through the lobby of Main Street Station in search of a very special men's room that houses a large section of the Berlin Wall. Luckily the first men's room I found contained the wall, which runs along the five urinals in the facility. I waited til a couple of guys left the room, then clicked off 4 or 5 pics while the washroom attendant wiped down the counters. It was all over in less than a minute and I was outa there.

My next stop was the Golden Nugget, about a two block walk from MSS. My goal at the GN was to find a 16-pound Golden Nugget that they have on display. A quick check with security sent me right to the big rock, which is encased in glass and called The World's Largest Gold Nugget.
I took a few pics and headed across Fremont Street to my final stop on the downtown run - Binion's Horseshoe where they have a cool $1 million on display.

The cash turned out to be not that impressive. It's stacked inside a plexiglass pyramid in the middle of a poker table. But after taking a few pics, I stopped at a nearby snack bar and enjoyed a cheeseburger and coffee. Then it was off to see the legendary Binion's Poker Room, where the World Series of Poker originated. It's a cozy room whose walls are lined with large photos of some of the poker greats who have played there, including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss and Stu Unger.

They were just getting a $1-2 no limit game going, so I grabbed a seat. I played for about an hour before losing my $100 buy-in on a tough hand. My three kings lost to a full house and I was heading home, about a 30 minute drive.

I got home about 2:30 and just spent some time relaxing, paying bills and watching TV. Helen called and we talked for about 15 minutes. She's having a great time visiting her brother Norman and his family. For dinner, I fired up a can of New England Clam Chowder and built a turkey sandwich.

Tomorrow our adventure continues...

Weekend Update

Helen is enjoying time in Thousand Oaks, Ca. while I'm in LV working on a couple of stories for the Booth papers.

Saturday I played in a Free Roll Poker Tournament at the Monte Carlo and finished 50th in a field of 104. Unfortunately they only paid the top 25 spots, so I was out of the money. It was a lot of fun and showed me that I am certainly capable of playing in this level of tournament. Here's how my final hand unfolded...

I started the tourney with 4600 in chips, somewhat below the average starting stack of 5500. But I was able to win a few early pots. The blinds started at 25-50, but rose every 25 minutes and were at 300-600, plus 100 antes when I made my last stand. At the time, I had 2700 in chips and realized at 1700 per round, I was only gonna see about 10 hands and the blinds & antes would take all my chips.

So when I looked down and saw J-J in late position, I was determined to go All In and either raise my stack or go out. I was not excited when two other guys - one was the table Short Stack and the other was Chip Leader - both went all in ahead of me! Still, I went All In. The dealer told us to show our hands and I was pretty pleased to see the other hands - Mr. Short Stack had A-10, while Mr. Chip Leader had A-Q.

I was actually ahead and feeling good, because there were only 2 Aces and 3 Queens that could beat me! Unfortunately, one of the two Aces fell on the River, giving Mr. Chip Leader the pot and sending me and Mr. Short Stack to the rail. I headed home, calling Helen and niece Katie to give them the news that I was not a poker tourney winner...

Earlier in the day, I took an autographed Joe Montana football helmet to a sports shop to try to sell it. I won the helmet last year in a contest at the Suncoast and we had it in storage over the summer. I was determined to get some cash out of the thing and after some negotiating, ended up selling it for $230.

I devoted Sunday to doing some research on the two stories I'm working on for Booth - one on cheap/free Vegas attractions and the other a feature on the Pinball Hall of Fame. I spent a few hours visiting the Bellagio Conservatory and Chilully art glass display and taking photos for the article. The Conservatory changes its floral theme every couple of months and now is honoring the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger.

After watching some basketball in the B's sports book, I rolled down to MGM where I wanted to get some pics of the Lion Exhibit. Unfortunately the Big Cats were pretty lazy and content to lay on their sides like big stuffed animals tossed on the floor. I waited patiently for about 30 minutes for the cats to move, before giving up and having a comped pastrami sandwich for lunch. Then I went back to the Lion Exhibit and one of the cats was finally looking somewhat Lion-ly. I snapped three pics that I thought were pretty good, but after loading them on the computer they are blurry and have some glass reflections that make them unusable.

Today I plan to head downtown to scope out 3 free attractions - a chunk of the Berlin Wall that's inside a men's room at the Main Street Station, a display of $1 million at Binion's and a HUUUUGE gold nugget at, where else, the Gold Nugget. Hope to get usable pics of all of them. May play a little bj while I'm downtown.

The adventure continues...

Road Trip to California

This morning Helen and I are hitting the road to Thousand Oaks, a suburb of LA, so she can spend some time with her brother Norman and his family.

It's about 300 miles, according to Mapquest, so I figure it'll take somewhere between 5 and 6 hours, depending on the horrendous LA traffic. We plan to leave about 9-930 am and arrive around 3 or so. Hopefully that'll miss some of the drive time snarl, but we'll see how that goes.

I'll be returning to LV tomorrow to play in a big free roll poker tourney on Saturday. Top prize is $1,000. I'm not a regular tournament player, but am cautiously optimistic.

Yesterday Helen and I went to Target in the morning, then returned to the apt. where I whipped up a couple of turkey on pita sandwiches for lunch. We had planned to see "Lovely Bones" but Helen decided she wasn't up to it. So she rested in the afternoon and got ready for her trip and I rolled over to Suncoast to get a bet on MSU vs. U-M.

I had some early luck at a blackjack table, winning $90. So I put $30 on MSU -4 and should have just burned that money. The Spartans were listless and careless with the ball, but they pulled the game out late by one point. $60 profit for the day. Helen and I watched the game at home, then enjoyed a couple of huge salads I made with organic greens, roma tomatoes, feta cheese, and kalamata olives.

When I return from LA tomorrow, I'll add some more details of our trip as our LV adventure continues...

Monday Mornin' Ya Gave Me No Warning...

The work week started with coffee, toast and a leisurely hour spent with our favorite Jersey Boys, Tony Soprano and his henchmen.

Then about 9 a.m. I headed out to run a couple of errands and head down to play poker at the Monte Carlo. By playing 15 hours at the MC I would qualify for a tourney on Saturday that will pay some nice prizes - $1,000 for first place, $900 for 2-10 and down to $200 for finishing 25th.

So I arrived around 9:45 and there was no 1-2 no limit game going, so I put my name on a waiting list and went to the sports book to check on a fb ticket. It was a 3-bet parlay with the Colts -7, Colts-jets over 3 fgs and the Saints -3. Turns out because the Saints-3 was a tie, the ticket was a loser. It was a "ties lose" parlay, so I didn't cash that one.

I spent some time playing 5-cent video poker and a little $5 blackjack. Between the two, I won $40 in 30 minutes and went back to check on the poker action. My game was just getting going, so I grabbed a seat along with 5 other players. Within about 10 minutes we had a full table of 10.

I started slowly, vowing to only play good starting hands. For almost an hour I didn't get into any big pots or hands. Then I was dealt K-K , but lost to a guy who played A-8 and caught an Ace on the flop. So after an hour or so, I was down about $70 of my $100 buy-in. After another 30-45 minutes of bad starting hands 9-4, 2-6, 3-8, etc. I got a J-10 and won a $30 pot when I hit a straight on the turn.

That's how the day went. No big hands, but no big losses either. My best hand of the day was a straight - and I hit 3 of them, winning two of the three. When the dust settled over the green felt, I lost $5 at poker - leaving me a $35 profit for the day. Not great, but not bad considering my lackluster starting hands. Despite the tiny poker loss, I played well, stayed patient and did not try to force hands that didn't materialize.

While I was out, Helen was on the phone talking with Norman's wife, Lorraine, in California. Helen's planning to go out there for a visit and we're trying to coordinate that trip.

On my way home, I stopped by the Middle East market and picked up some fresh pita bread, hummus, tabouli and kalamata olives for dinner. No cooking for me!

Today's plan is to visit Target for a few things that Helen needs, then take in a matinee of "Lovely Bones" at the Suncoast where it's "Senior Discount" day. Only $3 for any player's club member. Pretty cheap ticket price to see a newly released movie...

And our adventure continues...

Time For An Update

Haven't been very good about keeping the blog current, but we'll do better.

Over recent days poker has been an up and down situation. I dropped $60 on Thursday, won $185 Friday (plus $90 in blackjack) and dropped $25 on Saturday playing at the Monte Carlo. I really like this poker room. It's quiet, comfortable and has a good mix of experienced and rookie players.

I've been keeping an ongoing tally of my wins & losses. While it seems like I've been losing, I've actually had 7 winning days in the past 8 days. Only 1 loss of $60, though on a couple of days my losses at poker were offset by winning bj or sports bets.

I plan to play in a Free-Roll tourney that the MC is hosting next Saturday, Jan. 30. If you log 15 hours of play before then you can play in the tourney for FREE. Top prize is $1,000 and everyone who makes the final table gets $900. According to the poker room mgr and a couple of players I talked with, the tourney usually gets about 75-90 entrants. I haven't played that many tourneys, but I plan to give it a try. In two days of playing at the MC, I have already racked up 9.5 hours of play.

Yesterday's loss was really frustrating because I had several good hands that did not hold up. Twice I had A-A and lost both of them, once when an obnoxious young dude who went All-In for $75 with an 8-5, flopped an 8, then hit a set of 8s on the River. That was a $175 pot that should have been mine.

Another frustrating hand happened when I had K-J suited and the flop came A-10-4. The turn was the Q I needed and I anticipated taking down this pot, which had grown to about $100. It was me and one other player, another young dude, who hit a flush on the River to take the cash. Aaaargh.

So while I lost $25 playing poker, I made up for it with a $100 winning hoops moneyline parlay of MSU, Syracuse and USC. The day's profit was $75.

Another highlight today was purchasing 3 tickets for Ka, the Cirque de Soleil show we're going to see when Katie comes to visit next month. They have a special deal for locals - buy 1 ticket and get another for $25. Unfortunately the 3rd ticket was at the regular price, not $25. But that's OK. This will be a night (Feb. 19) all of us will remember!

Today I'm only playing one $20 fb parlay ticket with Colts -7, more than 3 fgs in the Colts-Jets game and Saints -3. It'll pay $120 if it hits. Before I watch the games today, I need to do some grocery shopping. Got to keep the larder filled.

And our LV adventure continues...

Pawn Stars & Poker Action

Today was one of the most interesting of the winter.

Starting off, I wrote a feature on Folgarelli's Market for the Northern Express. Also I pitched three story ideas to the travel editor of the Booth Newspapers and she wants me to do two of them - a 900-word piece on 10 Fun Things to Do In Vegas That are Free (or Nearly Free). And a 500-word feature on the Pinball Hall of Fame, a cool place that houses hundreds of vintage pinball machines. It's run by a former Lansing guy who donates a big portion of its profits to area charities. Deadline for these two stories is Feb. 15.

I had a few errands to run and Helen asked me to roll by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, where Rick, The Old Man, Chumlee and Big Hoss work on the History Channel show "Pawn Stars." She wanted to know if the shop was handicapped-friendly and if she could roll into it in her wheelchair. The shop is right on Las Vegas Boulevard, about two miles north of the Stratosphere. It's a seedy part of town littered with shabby motels, bail bonds joints and, well, pawn shops.

As I pulled into the parking lot, around 10 a.m., I saw a film crew taping The Old Man who was walking across the parking area toward a VW Dune Buggy-type that was on a trailer. It looked like they were taping for the show and I glanced over as I walked toward the front door. All of a sudden, bald-headed Rick hustled right past me, almost clipping me in the process, toward the VW and the taping session.

Entering the shop, my first impression is that it was smaller than I expected. Most of the inventory - maybe 60 percent or so - seemed to be jewelry. There were some coins and art items. Over in a corner, I saw a guy taking a photo with his phone. Upon closer inspection, he was taking a pic of Chumlee and one of the guys buddies. After the pic, Chumlee hustled out a back door and vanished.

I didn't hang around long because I wanted to play poker at Ballys. So I rolled down the Strip and got a seat at a brand-new $1-2 no limit game around 11 a.m. On the third hand, I looked down to find A-A. That netted me a pot of about $30 and I was on my way.

About 30 minutes later, I had about $150 in front of me ($100 was my buy-in) when I looked down at Q-9 of hearts. I was the big blind and limped into the pot for only $2. The flop came with two small hearts and I anticipated snagging a flush. The turn card was a small club and one guy bet $15. I called and saw the river card - K of hearts. I bet $15 and the only other player raised me to $30. I re-raised to $90 and I thought that would cause him to fold, but HE CALLED and showed a straight. He was not happy to see my heart flush and I was up almost $150 at this point.

But the biggest hand of the day came about 1:30. I was sitting with about $200 in front of me when I was once again dealt Q-9, this time off suit. I limped into the pot for $2 and was pretty pleased when the flop came Q-10-9. My two pair looked strong, so I bet $20 and was frankly surprised with three other guys called. I estimated that at least two of them were looking to hit a straight and the other might have something like A-Q or K-Q.

The turn card was a 7 and I bet $40, hoping to scare off any of those hunting their straight. One guy raised it to $90 and I shoved "All In." I was not happy to see two other guys call my All In play.

One of them showed his cards and my heart sank. He had a 8-6 for a straight. But the river card was THE 9 OF HEARTS - giving me a Full House and meaning that I tripled up my chips with this HUGE pot. There was more than $400 in the pot and I was feeling pretty good. I only stayed for about 6-8 more hands before cashing in with a profit of $426 - my best total of the month and the third highest win total of the entire winter.

For dinner, Helen and I celebrated with some deli sandwiches from Jason's Deli. We're winding down with some TV tonight. "The Office" reruns are on for a 3-hour block from 8-11 , so it'll be a real chucklefest.

Tomorrow our adventure continues...