Last Poker Tourney of 2015

On Wednesday night, Ballys hosted the final Freeroll poker tournament of 2015 and I had qualified to be in it by logging 12 hours of play during the previous week. Action started at 6 p.m. with only 41 participants. Turns out that 93 people posted enough hours to qualify, but only 41 showed up for the tourney, which pays $300 to each of the final 20 players. Just had to trim half the field to get some $$$$.

We each start with 5,000 in chips and the blinds begin at 50-100. Every 20 minutes the blinds increase to 100-200, then 200-400, 400-800, 500-1000, 1000-2000. About 45 minutes into play, I had a huge make-or-break hand. Blinds were 200-400 and I was in a late position. I looked down at Q-8, both diamonds, and decided to try to steal the blinds by going all in. There were only 2 guys to act behind me and I figured they would probably fold, rather than risk all their chips. I had 5,500 and both of them had about the same.

So when the first guy folded, I felt pretty good. But the second guy hesitated, then shoved in his stack. Hmmmm, not great. But I did have a Q and if that paired I might be OK. Also had two diamonds for a shot at a flush.

Flop comes J-10-9...I FLOPPED A STRAIGHT!!

But my excitement was tempered when the guy showed his cards A-5, both hearts. And two of the flop cards were hearts, giving him two shots at a flush, which would end my tournament in heartbreaking fashion. Turn was 4 of Spades, River was a Q of Spades! I had survived and doubled my stack to 11,000 in chips. At the time, the average stack was only 6,200, so I was in GREAT shape.

At that point, I realized I probably would not have to play another hand in order to outlast half the field. I played it VERY conservatively, even throwing away K-K because I didn't want to risk losing my stack to someone who played A-4 and hit an A on the flop. After 80 minutes they have a 10 minute break. At that point the average stack was 8,500 and I had just over 14,000. I coasted along, folding, folding, folding as the field dwindled to 28, 24, 23, then 22.

At this point, the guy on my immediate right was knocked out, leaving us with 21 players. Then the guy at my immediate left was knocked out and the tourney was over! I had survived! Turns out the guy on my left did get a share, because a player at another table went out at the same time. They were each given $150 while the rest of us got our $300, I called Helen and headed home happy!

Earlier in the day, I went to Red Rock to get some bets in for my friend Terry. He lost his fb parlay, but hit a hockey parlay that pays $333. My fb bets died when Texas A&M lost to Louisville. While at Red Rock, I won 120 in blackjack and another 17 on video blackjack.

After lunch, I drove to Mirage to get tickets for the Beatles show LOVE for Feb. when our friends the Edsons and Tunes join us in Vegas. Sad news, the show is dark for most of FEb as they revise some parts of the show. We'll be looking into a plan B. Then I drove down to Ballys where I played a little blackjack before the poker tourney. Was able to notch another $300 in blackjack, then watch some fb  while waiting for the poker to begin.

So for the day, I had a nice $737 win. Today I need to get over to Red Rock to cash T's ticket and get some more fb action. Like Houston, MSU and OK today. Have to check out the nfl action too.

LV is all abuzz about New Year's Eve on the Strip. Helen and I will be having a low-key celebration and it's a longshot bet that we make it to midnight.

Happy New Year to All as our LV adventure continues...

Trifecta of Profits

On Saturday morning I drove to Bally's with a plan to log a few hours of poker and make a football bet.

I wanted to get something down on Washington State, whose coach, Mike Leach used to coach Texas Tech when my grandson Stephen went there. Leach uses a wide open, run and gun offense to rack up points. He was the college coach for Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, both NFL receivers. He also aggressively goes for fourth downs, more than any other ncaa coach except one. Anyway, they were only -1 vs. University of Miami and its gang of thugs.

Got down to Bally's just before 10 and the game began at 11, so I went right down and got the bet in. Then I made my way to the poker room and got a seat. We started the game with 6 of us, then quickly filled out the table to 9. It was up and down for hours until I got a key hand. I looked down and found J-J in my hand.

I hate playing jacks because inevitably a Q-K or A hits the flop, making your jacks shrink in power. Anyway, this time the flop was J-K-6 of different suits, giving me three of a kind. One guy bet $20 and I was the only caller. The turn was a 3. The guy bet $30 and I just called. The river was a 7 and the guy bet another $30. I raised it to $60 and he hemmed and hawed before calling and showing A-A. I took down that healthy pot with my 3 jacks.

But that was the only big pot I won and went into a long dry spell after that. After about 4.5 hours of poker, I walked with a profit of $30. Meanwhile my football bet won $90 when WSU topped Miami, 20-14. After leaving the poker table, I found a blackjack game and in 30 minutes I won $87.

So I hit the gambling trifecta - sports bet, poker and blackjack - for a profit of $207.

Helen spent the day talking with family and relaxing with some HBO movies. When I got home, I picked up a package at the apartment managers office. Natalie and her family had sent us a Christmas gift of chocolates, pistachios, almonds, coffee, tea and a puzzle book. Very fun! Thanks to all of them.

Today is NFL Sunday and I will send some time at Red Rock watching the games and playing either blackjack or poker, perhaps both. And so our adventure continues...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Fun

On Thursday, Christmas Eve, I decided to get a few hours of poker in so I could qualify for Ballys weekly freeroll tourney next Wednesday.

But my first stop was at the Red Rock to get a bet down on Western Michigan. That game started at 9 a.m. here in LV, so I was up and out the door about 8. After buying the teaser ticket of WMU, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Michigan, I played some blackjack and had a nice run, leaving with $250 after about 45 minutes.

The drive to Ballys was uneventful. Several of the Vegas roads and being worked on and it really snarls traffic at times. But, I guess, because of the holidays the roads were quiet. I got down there about 10 a.m. and the poker room was pretty dead. Only 1 table was going and that was the 9 a.m. tournament that had only 9 players start and there were 5 left by the time I got there.

So I found a blackjack table and played for about 45 minutes. Walked away with $295 and went to check on the poker room. There was finally a cash game starting and I grabbed a seat, along with 5 other players. Soon all 9 seats at the table were full and we had a good game going. I got off to a good start on the third hand dealt when I held a 9-9 and a 9 hit the flop. That hand enabled me to scoop a pot of about $50.

Nothing too spectacular for a while and I was quietly staying $25-50 up and logging time toward the tourney. About 2p.m. I was thinking of quitting, since I had about $60 in profits and had logged about 3 hours. Then I got dealt A-5 of Spades. I paid my $2 to see the flop, which included K-10-7 with two spades. One guy bet $20 and everyone folded, except me. The turn card was the 2 of spades, giving me THE FLUSH! I bet $20 and the guy raised me to $50. I re-raised him to $100 and he called. I showed the flush and he showed a Q-high flush...I raked that nice pot and decided to play a bit longer.

Eventually I cashed out with a poker profit of $175, giving me $717 for the Christmas Eve Strip Trip. Happy Holiday for us! I drove home and picked up a pizza on the way for dinner. Then Helen and I watched some holiday TV shows, including "It's a Wonderful Life." It was my first time watching this popular classic film and I was, well, unimpressed. It seemed predictable, cliched and uninspiring to me.

Christmas Day was full of fun for us. After breakfast we watched some holiday TV shows, talked to Anna and then about 11 a.m. we drove to the Bellagio to check out the Conservatory Christmas Display again. On the drive down, we talked to Scott and other family members to wish them a Merry Christmas. Sounds like everyone is having a fun holiday.

Helen and I wanted to see a Picasso exhibit at the B's Gallery of Fine Art. Tickets were $16 for us senior citizens and we spent about an hour browsing through the exhibit of Picasso works, including prints, paintings and lithographs. They gave us little Ipod type devices that provided interesting narrations about the works. It was pretty nice.

Then we drove over to the Venetian to stroll through the Canal Shops and have our Christmas Day Dinner at Grand Lux Café. This has become a holiday tradition for Helen and I. Each year we try to time our visits for late afternoon, so it's not too busy. Still, it was packed when we arrived about 3 p.m. We were fortunate to snag a parking spot on the seventh floor of the parking structure. Our host at the Grand Lux told us it was their busiest day of the year and it looked like it.

We had about a 15 minute wait to get seated. I was really thirsty and started the meal with a 20-ounce ice cold Sam Adams Boston Lager. Helen had Chicken Fettucine Afredo and I enjoyed one of my favorites, Sunday Night Pasta - a thick meaty sauce with mushrooms and tomatoes over a bed of angel hair pasta. Both were huge orders and we agreed to eat about half and take the rest home to enjoy tomorrow. Then we shared dessert, a whopping slab of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake highlighted with two big globs of whipped cream and two decaf coffees. A wonderful meal for $58, plus tip. We were both stuffed when we left, about 4:30 or so. On the drive home we listed to some great traditional Christmas music on the Sirius XM radio...a great day!

And so our LV adventure continues...

Morning Win, Then a Great Show

Started Wednesday morning with a trip to the Red Rock casino where I played some blackjack and won $225. No major hands, just a nice steady series of wins.

Played at the same table with a woman named Olivia who I've seen there before. She manages a local Mexican restaurant, Café Rio, and after meeting her a couple weeks ago, Helen and I got takeout from there and really liked it. Olivia is expecting her second child in early February.

I headed home about 1 p.m. Helen and I were waiting for an important phone call. On Monday, Helen's computer stopped working and she learned she had picked up a virus. I called a local computer repair guy who said he could work on it if we got it there when he opened at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. So we found his place and dropped off the laptop to Armando, a very knowledgeable and friendly guy. He said he'd call when he had it by 2-4 p.m. the next day.

The timing was important, because we were going to a 5:30 show at Harrah's - The Million Dollar Quartet. It worked out perfectly, we picked up the computer and got to Harrah's about 5, in time to get settled into the show. It's an aging, but small theater. The audience was small too, but it is a Wednesday night right before Christmas.

The Million Dollar Quartet is a GREAT, but under rated show. It's about the day in 1955 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips had four legends - Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley - perform at the Sun studio. The show is FULL of great music and the performers are dead-on, especially the guys who play Cash and Lewis. We  had a great time and the 90-minute show went fast. I'd see it again in a second.

After the show we stopped by the Harrah's food court for a bite. Helen had an avocado wrap and I enjoyed a turkey wrap. Two sandwiches and a drink came to $23, which I was able to comp on my Total Rewards card. Thanks, TR!

I had a couple of football teaser bets I made, but they were crushed when Bowling Green lost its game. This morning WMU plays, but I may not get over to the casino in time to bet that one.

And so our LV adventure continues...

Tragedy on The Strip

Sunday night local media was all over the tragedy on the Strip when a woman deliberately drove into a crowd of pedestrians in front of Planet Hollywood and The Paris hotel/casinos.

I spent Sunday at the Red Rock watching football and playing blackjack, but on Saturday I was right at the spot where the tragedy occurred. I walked from Ballys, through Paris down the sidewalk and into PH where I ate lunch. So sad to see innocent folks injured, and even killed, because of this woman's senseless act. That part of the Strip, near Flamingo, was blocked until about 5 a.m. today, but is now open and traffic is flowing as usual.

I plan to go to the Strip today to play, perhaps at some different spots - Wynn or Venetian.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, I suffered my first real loss at blackjack and poker. I decided to play poker, but a seat was not available. So I played bj and lost $20 for a few minutes, before joining the poker game. But I was not getting any type of cards and eventually lost my $100 buy-in. I had a whole string of 9-2, K-4, J-3 type of hands. A couple of times I had pocket pairs, 7-7, J-J, but never turned them into big hands. Eventually went out when my K-Q didn't connect against a guy who had a 4-4.

I did recoup a bit of cash when a 3-team teaser of Carolina, AZ and KC connected. After watching the early games at Red Rock, I went home about 2 p.m. and watched the late games with Helen, who spent much of the day talking with Anna. Those two sure can log some phone time!

Today our adventure continues...

Friday at Red Rock, Saturday on the Strip

Spent much of Friday close to home at the Red Rock Casino where  I played some blackjack, winning $220 and video blackjack, winning another $31. No major hands, no interesting characters encountered, just a couple of fun sessions stacking chips. So it was another profitable day of $251.

I'd been wanting to get some UNLV t-shirts or a cap, and finally found a place that sells the stuff in Summerlin, near the Red Rock. Sports Town is devoted to selling all types of uniforms, t-shirts, caps and jackets of both college and pro sports teams. I found a corner devoted to UNLV and selected four t-shirts and a cap. They were having a huge holiday sale, so the great shirts were two for $23 and the fitted cap was marked down from $25 to $15. Total cost for four t-shirts and a cap was only $63, including Nevada's 8% state sales tax.

For dinner, I stopped at Panda Express and got a take out order of orange chicken, fried rice and steamed veggies. Chinese food is not Helen's favorite, but we both enjoyed this.

On Saturday, I decided to make a trip to the Strip. I parked at Bally's about 9:30 and made the trek from the parking deck down to the casino. Found a $10 blackjack table that was empty and began playing heads up against the dealer. After about an hour, I was up about $100 and decided to take a break. I walked over the The Cromwell and sat down at another blackjack table where I played for about 45 minutes and won another $250.

Decided to just walk the Strip and see the sights, so I headed north, past the Flamingo, The Linq and Harrahs. When I got to the Venetian, I decided to turn around and head back toward Planet Hollywood where I planned to grab lunch at The Earl of Sandwich. They make a great roast beef and cheddar sandwich, which I got and took over to the PH sports book where I ate lunch and watched part of the Las Vegas Bowl, Utah vs. BYU. I have Utah in one of my fb teaser bets. The Utes built a 35-0 lead, then held on for a 35-28 win.

After lunch I headed back to Ballys and played some more blackjack, notching another $250 win over two hours. Another session of grinding out small bets and winning. I hit more than my share of double downs, including one big hand where I bet $20 and got a hand of 9-9 against the dealer's 6. Split the nines and got a 2 on the first and had to double down. Got a King for 21 and on the second hand I got an Ace for 20. Dealer flipped a 5, then hit an 8 for 19. I won both hands - a $60 profit. That was the best hand that I recall.

After blackjack, I walked over to the Paris sports book and watched as Ohio State took down Kentucky in hoops and the end of the Las Vegas Bowl. All the strip walking has raised a blister on my right foot, so I decided it was time to head home. En route in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I called my niece Katie, who had sent me a text asking to call. Haven't talked to her since we got to Vegas and it was great to catch up.

While I was on the Strip, Helen spent the day watching some Lifetime movies, relaxing and talking with relatives. Dinner was another meal of orange chicken, fried rice and veggies. Just as good as leftovers!

Today I plan to visit Red Rock for the early football games, which begin at 10 a.m. here. I already have some teasers - Chiefs-3, Cardinals+2 and Panthers Pick in one, Patriots-7, Bowling Green Pick and MSU +18 in another, After they end, about 1 or so, I'll head home to spend the afternoon with Helen.

And so our adventure continues...

Time to Get Tickets!

Thursday morning found me on the road to the Strip by 8:30.

On my way, I had to re-mail a Christmas card that was sent to Helen's sister Natalie on Monday, but for some unknown reason was returned to us on Wednesday. Postal Service failed us on that one, so we just re-addressed another envelope, slapped on another stamp and tried again.

Got down to Bally's about 9:15 and played a little blackjack. My plan for today was to walk the Strip, hitting several places and hopefully winning at several. Frankly, I lost precise track of the finances, but I played five different sessions and WON AT ALL OF THEM.

Ballys was my first victim for something over $100, then I crossed the street to The Cromwell. Hard to believe this formerly Barbary Coast is now this upscale, boutique hotel. Very nice joint and I took them for $125 before strolling north through The Flamingo. En route, I made a mental note to hit the Margaritaville gift shop on the way back to check out the T-shirts.

Headed into Harrah's where I went to the box office and scored two tickets for "The Million Dollar Quartet," a show about a rockabilly musical session that featured Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis. The girl behind the ticket counter was kind enough to give me a "locals discount" even though I didn't have a local ID or even a utility bill to show our residency. The $95 tickets were only $75 each with the $20 locals discount. The 5:30 p.m. show is next Wednesday, Dec. 23.

I continued walking north to The Venetian where I again visited the box office and got two tickets for John Fogerty on Jan. 13.  These were $90 each.  So basically my BJ profit for the morning covered most of the cost of the four tickets. 

Then I retraced my steps and headed back toward Bally's. Along the way I stopped in at The Linq, which used to be the Imperial Palace. Now it's a shiny new joint and I found a blackjack table. Played for about 30 minutes and won $175. Then it was on to the Margaritaville gift shop were I bought two T-shirts for $49. And I stopped by the Ghiradelli chocolate shop and picked up a bag of chocolates that Helen and I enjoy.

Arriving back at Bally's, I took the shirts and chocolate up to the car, then headed back downstairs to find a bj table. Played alone against the dealer for about 45 minutes and left up somewhere over $80. Asked a pit boss where I could score some UNLV gear, hats or t-shirts. He whipped out his smart phone and sent me less than 2 miles east of Bally's on Maryland Parkway. So I drove over to the place in a shabby old strip mall...and it was closed up. Empty. Vacant. So much for the internet...

So I headed down Tropicana to the MGM for a final quick blackjack session. I only had about an hour before I was going to head home, but I found a table and racked up $125 or so before cashing in. So for the five stops, I won somewhere between $500 and $600. My phenomenal luck is continuing.

As a frustrating aside (and a sign of old age, perhaps) at MGM I bought 3 football teaser tickets, using the Thursday NFL game. I had the Rams on one, the over the total on the other, both winners. I teamed them up with a few nfl games and the Spartans bowl game. Anyway, for the life of me, I cannot find the tickets!!! I had them in my shirt pocket and now they seem to have disappeared. I checked all my pockets, my wallet, even in the car twice! I guess they may have fallen out somewhere, but soooo frustrating!

On the way home, I stopped by Albertson's and bought a few groceries. Whipped up a dinner of wild rice and vegetables, one of our diet favorites. Of course, we had to sample those Ghiradelli chocolates for dessert. And so our adventure continues...

Won,Won,Wonderful Wednesday

Yesterday was one of the most interesting - and profitable - of our LV adventure so far.

It started with a morning visit to the Red Rock Casino where I played blackjack for about two hours and posted a win of $210 before returning to the apartment for lunch with Helen. Broccoli cheddar soup and hefty salad was the fare and it was tasty.

We watched some TV together, then at 2:30 p.m. I drove down to Bally's to play in their Wednesday freeroll tourney. Got there about 3:15 and  spent some time just walking around Ballys. Made the long walk down to the sports book, one of the most out-of-date and shabby joints on the strip.

No interesting games going on, so I went back up to the casino floor and sat down at a blackjack table. After about an hour, I walked with a profit of $250. No big hands, just steadily piling up $10-20 bets, aided by some timely dealer busts. Then I took a stroll to the Nosh café, a sandwich place next to the poker room. Enjoyed a pastrami sandwich., then about 5:15 I checked in for the 6 p.m. tourney. I was assigned seat 10 at table 13.

Still had time to kill, so I walked through the slot machines and my eyes caught a 25-cent Haywire machine, one of Helen's favorites. So I sat down and shoved a $20 into the machine. Got a few small payoffs and I was up about $5-10 when I hit TRIPLE BAR, TRIPLE BAR, HAYWIRE LOGO!!
That paid 200 quarters, or $50!  I played a few more spins, then cashed out with a $55 profit.

It was almost time for the tournament, so I walked back to the poker room and got settled into my seat. The tourney started promptly at 6 p.m. with 62 players. The top 20 will get $300 each, so I needed to beat out about 2/3 of the field to get the cash. So the dealer dealt out the cards and I was dealt K-Q of spades. Everybody checked around to me and I bet $600, everyone folded and I took down the blinds of $100 and $50. First hand win, a good omen.

A few hands later, I got dealt A-4 of Hearts and won a nice pot when two hearts hit the flop and another landed on the turn giving me a flush. That was a healthy pot that left me as the chip leader at the table. I later won pots with A-A, A-K suited and J-J. After 90 minutes of play we took a 10-minute break and I was able to assess my situation. There were 32 players remaining and they had an average chip stack of $9,500. I was sitting on $12,400, so I was feeling pretty confident.

I called Helen to give her an update and she told me she was doing some drawing and had been on the phone with Norm's wife, Lorraine. They talk a few times a week since we've been here.

As we were preparing to resume play, an elderly Asian guy was screaming at the TV showing the UNLV-Arizona game. "Shoot the ball, draw a foul, shoot the ball, shoot the damn ball!!!" With 18 seconds left in the first half the score was 37-25 with the Rebels in the lead. Turns out the guy had bet $100 on Over the Total of 63.5 in the first half. He was two points short of winning his bet as the clock wound down. Arizona never got off a shot, never drew a foul and the guy came up just short of cashing...

When the tournament resumed, I was determined to play VERY cautiously and just let the blinds whittle down other guys' stacks. That strategy worked well as the blinds rose and the number of players dropped from 32, to 27, to 22, 21, and finally 20. I never played a hand after the break, but CASHED!! We started high fiving each other and sharing stories. It took about 10 minutes to get the $300 and I drove home.

For the day, I won 460 in bj, 300 in the tourney and 55 on Haywire. A great day and tons of fun!!
And so our adventure continues...

Prepping for a Poker Tourney and Victory at Red Rock

Tonight I'll be playing in the Bally's $6,000 Freeroll Poker Tournament, which starts at 6 p.m.

I qualified for the event by logging 12 hours of play over the past week. They pay the final 20 players $300 each, so you only have to outlast others to make that final 20 in order to cash. I played four times last year and cashed once. Usually there are 40 to 60 players.

In order to play tonight, we have to alter our schedule a bit. I always play during the day, making it home by 5 p.m. to get dinner ready. But today, I plan to head to the Strip about 3 p.m. to play a bit before the tourney. So I'll make us a couple of big salads for lunch today, then prepare a sandwich for Helen to have later while I'm hunched over the poker table.

Yesterday I ran a few errands in the morning - vacating our storage unit, dropping off some mail at the post office and topping off the gas tank. Gas prices here are the highest we've seen in a while $2.49 a gallon. Then I rolled over to Red Rock Casino to play a little blackjack. After an hour of up-and-down play, I had a hot streak and made a profit of $240. I was playing at a $10 table and sometimes played two hands. One time I had $15 bets on each of the two hands and GOT A BLACKJACK on both!! That was $22.50 on each hand! That was pretty much the highlight of the blackjack session. Hope that doesn't get me banned from Red Rock!

Helen was talking with relatives and doing some drawing while I was out. Last night we watched the GOP candidate debate from the Venetian. Kind of cool to see the coverage in a place we know so well. Lots of anchor types broadcasting from the front of The Vee!

And so our LV adventure continues...

Another Profitable Strip Trip

Headed down to the Strip this morning, but took care of some errands on the way. Before I left, I wrote an article about northern Michigan fans of MSU and UM and the bowl game buzz. I've done the interviews over the past week and sat down about 6 a.m. this morning to do the actual writing, which took about two hours.

Helen has been busy getting Christmas Cards ready to mail and I took a handful of them to the post office. This particular post office has three drive-in boxes to stash mail in. And when I got there just minutes before 9 a.m., all three were JAMMED full of mail. Must have been a busy weekend for getting cards and bills in the mail. I managed to shove ours in there and as I was pulling away a postal worker was rolling a cart toward the boxes to empty them at 9 a.m.

I made it to Bally's about 9:45 and the poker room was dead so I went play some blackjack. After about 30 minutes, I was up $100 so I walked away to check the poker room. Luckily a game was just starting, so I grabbed a seat along with five other players. We played six-handed for 15 or 20 minutes, then the table filled up with three more players.

Bally's hosts a free-roll tournament every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Anyone who plays 12 hours from Wednesday at 5p.m. to the following Wednesday at 5 p.m. can play for free in the tournament. I played four times last year and cashed once. They pay $300 to the final 20 players, so all you have to do is outlast the others to snag 300. Usually there are roughly 40-60 players, so if you can finish in the top third, you earn the cash.

So I needed just under 3 hours today to post my 12 hours to qualify. In addition to winning some cash, that was one of my goals today. I sat down just after 10 a.m. and played until after 1 p.m. That gave me enough time to play Wednesday night for free.

I ended up winning $225 during the three hours of poker. Much of it came on one big hand when I held a 9-9 and the flop came A-K-9, giving me three of a kind. One guy bet 20, I called along with one other guy. The turn card was a 7, not much help. Same guy bet $30 I called again and the other guy folded, leaving us heads up. River card was another 7, giving me a full house. Guy checked and I bet $50. He hemmed and hawed, thinking about his hand, then eventually called. I showed the full house and he mucked his cards, saying he had A-K. That was a healthy pot that kept me ahead for much of the session.

I won a few other hands, but mostly with two pair or a big pair. That was the best hand and it paid off the best.  So for the day, it was a profit of $325.

Got home about 4:30 and made us some chili for dinner. Helen spent the day talking with relatives and finishing up the Christmas cards. Tomorrow I think I'll visit Red Rock where I have a ticket to cash from yesterday's football action. Hit a 3-team teaser of Steelers, Chiefs and Jets that'll pay me $64 profit.

And so our adventure continues...

Visit to Bellagio's Conservatory and Dinner at Cheesecake Factory

On Wednesday, Helen and I drove down to the Strip to check out the new Christmas Display at the Bellagio Conservatory.

It was Helen's first Strip Trip since we arrived in LV. We got down there about 1 p.m. and parked on the roof, which gave us a great panoramic view of the Strip, including Paris and Planet Hollywood. I took a couple of photos of Helen with that background.

We rode the elevator down to the main casino floor and it delivered us right near the Conservatory, which features some 34,000 poinsettias, plus thousands of other plants and a dozen moving displays. It's a pretty cool place and we make an annual trip there, especially for the Christmas Display, which stays up until early January when they swap it out for a Chinese New Year's theme.

After spending some time at the Conservatory, we walked through The Bellagio, crossed the bridge to Caesar's Palace and strolled through CP to visit the Forum Shops. We walked through the shops, checking out a few, but buying nothing. It was about 4:30 when we decided to stop for an early dinner at one of Helen's favorite eateries - The Cheesecake Factory.

We had about a 10 minute wait before getting seated. Helen ordered Orange Chicken, an ample helping along with a side of white rice. I had spaghetti and meatballs, one of my favorites. We both enjoyed our entrees, but were too full for dessert. But Helen decided we HAD to have dessert TO GO. After all, I burned a ton of calories as we walked along on our Strip Trip. So she ordered a slab of Turtle Cheesecake and I got carrot cake, both came with a side dollop of whipped cream. We took it home and enjoyed it later that night.

A fun day as our Vegas adventure continues...

One Week You're a Comped Guest, the Next Week You're Banned!!

So today I got banned from playing blackjack at the Suncoast Casino.

I was playing there this morning, betting my usual $10-15 per hand and was up about $225 or so after a couple of hours of playing alone at the table. The dealer was shuffling up, so I took a bathroom break and returned to the table where I lost a hand or two. Then all of a sudden, a pit boss that I had never seen before rushes to the table, throws his hand across the dealers front and says "No More Play."

Whaaaaat?

"Did I do something wrong," I asked.

"Sir, you're welcome to play any other game, to visit the restaurants or any other amenities, but you can not play blackjack any more at the Suncoast," said this very businesslike suit.

"Is there a problem?"

"It's nothing personal, sir. It's a business decision."

"Really?"

"Yes sir, it's a business decision."

Later I thought, it might be a business decision, but it's a damn bad one. After all, I got their money and they'll NEVER EVER get any of it back now. Hahahahaha, Suncoast. Joke's on you!

Of course, if they thought I was cheating, they would have banned from the whole property and had me hauled off to some dank dungeon in the bowels of the building where they could put my head in a vise til I spilled the details of my gambling success. But no, they JUST DON'T LIKE like guys who win consistently.

The guy's name is Chris Cap. He gave me his business card (like I'd ever add him to the Christmas Card list). It appears the Suncoast is unable to endure the hundreds that I took from them since we arrived in LV two weeks ago. Sheesh, it's not like I'm some kinda gambling whale. After all, I'm a semi-retired senior citizen who cares for his disabled wife and enjoys a few hours of blackjack on occasion.

So, Suncoast. It's your loss. I'm sure I would have given some of that cash back over the next 3 months, but now you'll never get a whiff of it.

Now let me see, if only there were other casinos in Las Vegas that allow a guy to win a bit without banning him. Oh yeah, there are dozens of such joints. Adios Suncoast!!!!

Monday Strip Trip, Tuesday Staying Close to Home

Monday morning I headed down to the Strip with a plan to do a hit-and-run tour of some of my favorite joints.

It takes about 35 minutes to make the drive from our apartment in Summerlin to the Strip where I parked at Bally's about 9:30 and walked over to Caesar's Palace. Just inside CP, I spotted a cool looking hat in a gift shop. It's tan with a bold "1966 Caesar's" on the front. I checked it out and decided that if I could win some cash there, I would come back and buy the hat.

So I found a blackjack table, ordered a coffee and began to play. There was one other guy playing at third base. He was a mouthy guy in a crumpled suit and a loosened tie. He was sipping some sort of clear liquor and doing a play-by-play of every hand. And he was losing...

Meanwhile, I had a nice run and began pushing my bets up from 10 to 20 per hand. In about 20 minutes, I was up $375 and decided to take leave from the loudmouth and head back to the gift shop where I bought the new cap.

 

The 1966 is significant to Caesars, because that's when they opened. It's significant to me because that's the year I graduated from high school!

 

So I power walked through the Forum Shops and exited CP right near The Mirage. Went inside and checked out their new layout. Since last year they remodeled the poker room, making it about a third of its previous size. In return they built a larger cashier area which is nicely lit and easier to navigate. I sat down at a BJ table, buying in for $100 and played with a nice Chinese gentleman. The dealer broke several times for us and we both made money. I left up $75 after about 30 minutes.

 

Next stop was to cross the street and visit Harrah's. Blackjack there is not too favorable. They have plenty of $5 tables, but they only pay 6-5 for a blackjack, while is typical for low limit tables on the Strip. Anyway, I saw the poker room and decided to play there.

 

I spent two hours there, winning early, giving it back when my full house lost to four deuces, then winning again with a flush over a guy's straight. I walked with $100 exactly. It was a fun table with plenty of Michigan connections. One guy used to live in Southfield, but now manages a gentleman's club here in LV. Another guy in a Tiger cap is on vacation from Shelby Township. A third guy lives in Oklahoma, but vacations in Petoskey and is a semi-regular at Odawa...and then there was me. So out of 9 seats, four of us had Michigan ties.

 

Leaving Harrah's, I walked through The Flamingo, where I had a hot dog and bottled water for lunch. Continuing south, I entered The Cromwell, which used to be Bill's Gambling Hall, which used to be The Barbary Coast. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this now-upscale place was once a joint that catered to us low-roller types. My friend Terry and I stayed here a few times years ago. And we always enjoyed their coffee house breakfasts. To show the contrast, now the most popular eatery is a pricey joint run by Giada DeLaurentis of TV fame.

 

So I played a little blackjack there and luck smiled on me again. I played with a guy from Chicago and we both were helped by our dealer, Billy, who broke quite often. After about an hour and a half, I walked with a profit of $363.

 

Then it was time to head home. Tallying up the day, I made $913. Plenty of profit for me to pick up a pair of BBQ Chicken salads from Capriotti's a deli sandwich place on the way home. While I was piling up cash, Helen stayed busy talking and texting with friends, relaxing, and doing some laundry.

 

On Tuesday, I decided to stay closer to home and made a trip to the Suncoast about 9 a.m. I had to run some errands, visit Walmart, mail some bills before visiting SC. I played blackjack for about 2 hours and was up about $50 before taking a break for a 6-inch turkey sandwich at Subway. Played a bit after lunch before walking with a profit of $220. No huge hands, just steady profits aided by the dealer's breaking to help out.

 

I was due home at 5 p.m., and had about 2 hours left so I decided to make a quick stop at the Red Rock Casino where I found an empty blackjack table. Played for almost an hour and when I found myself up $115, so I decided to leave. Grabbed a foot-long turkey and coleslaw sandwich for dinner. At home, I made a side salad and Helen and I split the sandwich.

 

We caught up on emails and watched a little of the U-M basketball game - they lost big. More TV, then off to bed. We're planning to make a trip to Bellagio soon to check out the Conservatory's Christmas Display, which opened on Monday. It's always a lavish production and a very popular LV sight. Best of all, it's free and open 24/7. And so our LV adventure continues...

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  



 

 



Superbowl & World Series Odds

Suncoast is posting these odds as of Nov. 25 for Superbowl 50 on Feb. 7
Patriots 3-2
Panthers 4-1
Cardinals 5-1
Packers 6-1
Bengals 8-1
Vikings 10-1
Broncos and Steelers 12-1
Lions 75-1

2016 World Series Odds
Cubs 5-1
Dodgers 7-1
Blue Jays 8-1
Pirates, Mets, Nationals, Royals & Cardinals 10-1
Rangers & Astros 12-1.
Tigers 20-1.

Cubbies are 5-2 to win the NL Pennant, while the Blue Jays are 7-2 to win the AL. Tigers are 10-1 to take the flag.

We're Settled In and Doing Just Fine

Finally getting a chance to sit down and get this blog cranked up.

To update, we arrived last Sunday at the Suncoast hotel casino about 3 p.m. It was the WORST driving situation we have encountered in all our years of visiting LV. We encountered a nasty ice/rain storm in Oklahoma City that left the Trusty Terrain coated in a 1/2 inch of ice that I had to chip away just to get into the vehicle. Anyway, we made it here safely and checked into a nice room at the Suncoast. We stayed there two nights, comped, and I had four blackjack sessions that were all winners - ranging from a profit of $120 to $680. For the two days, we were up over $1,000.

We moved to the apartment on Tuesday and that went smoothly. We also bought a new 32-inch Samsung TV on Tuesday. Best Buy had them for only $199, a nice deal. On Wednesday the Cox Cable guy came out and got it hooked up, along with our internet. Later that night, Helen and I went to Red Rock and watched the UM hoops game, followed by the Wings victory over Buffalo. We also stopped by Target and bought a cabinet for our new TV. Mustering up all my patience, I put it together Thursday morning and it looks pretty nice.

Thursday I bought some football parlays and teasers and we watched the Lions/Packers at home. I have a parlay of Packers -2.5, Clemson -5 and MSU -3.5  a teaser of Lions +8, Lions/Packers under 52 and Bowling Green -7 (This one's already a winner) and a teaser of Packers +5, Lions/Packers over 39, Bowling Green -4, MSU +5, Bengals -2 and Panthers +1.

I've done some grocery shopping and made a trip to our favorite middle eastern market to score some fresh breads, lebne, tabbouli, hummus and kalamata olives. We're trying to eat healthy, having a couple of tasty salads from Capriotti's a deli sandwich joint at the Red Rock casino.

I've been playing blackjack at Red Rock and notching wins each day. In fact, since we arrived in LV I have not had a losing session, though I came close yesterday when I made my first Strip Trip to play poker. Made the 35-minute drive from our apartment to Bally's and made a beeline to the poker room where it was DEAD... Four dealers standing around waiting for players. So I walked through Paris and into Planet Hollywood where a game was going on. I bought in for $100 and sat down. My first hand I get dealt J-J and won a pot of about $30. Nice start.

But then there was a long dry spell where I couldn't even play. My hole cards were 9-3, Q-2, 8-2, etc...Poker takes patience and you can't play though junky hands and expect to win. I played about and hour before this dramatic hand happened. Every hour at PH they have a "splash the pot" promotion going on where the house adds somewhere from $25 to $250 to the pot before the cards are dealt.

In this example, they added $100 to the pot and I got dealt one of my favorite hands A-7. With the blinds, there was $103 in the pot and I had $95 in front of me and was second to act. When the first guy checked, I immediately went all in and everyone folded, except one guy who shoved his $95 without too much thought. Since there were only two of us and I was all-in, we showed our cards. He called with a 10-4 off suit!! I was way in front.  This is the kind of goofy play that happens all the time in LV. Anyway, the flop comes K-9-3 of different suits. The turn is a Q. The river is a 4. He takes down the pot with a pair of 4s.

I left the table and walked back to Ballys where they finally had a game going. I bought in for another $100 and played steadily for about an hour, winning a couple of $25 pots to keep me about even. Then I got dealt K-K and bet $12, getting two callers. The flop came A-K-4, giving me three kings. A guy bet $20, the other guy folded and I just called. Turn showed another 4, giving me a FULL HOUSE. The guy bet $30 and I hemmed and hawed, before I went all in with my last $60. He called. The river was a 7. I showed my full house and he mucked his cards, but I heard him say he had A-Q.
For the day, I ended up with a profit of $60 and had fun.

Helen has been busy getting the apartment organized, putting up our little Christmas tree and talking on the phone with friends and family. She's feeling pretty good, though her energy sometime fades later in the day. When she feels up to it, we plan to visit the Strip and see the Bellagio Conservatory's Christmas display. And so our LV adventure continues...