Al & Helen's LV Adventure

Leaving Las Vegas...

2011-04-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Helen and I are hip-deep in preparing to leave LV on Thursday.

We've been pretty busy lately and I really haven't done a good job of keeping up the blog reports. So here's a brief update on our recent activities.

On Sat. April 16 I played in a huge poker tourney with futile results. The tourney was so big that it required four different sessions with about 800 players per session on Sat. The top 400 advanced to the finals on Sunday. The overall winner got $40K and everyone at the final table was guaranteed $1,000.

We all started with $1,400 in play chips. The first two 12-minutes rounds were Limit Texas Hold 'em, then a round of Omaha (which I had never played before) then five rounds of no-limit. In the first round I had pocket Kings lose to a flush on the river. That sort of set the tone for things to come.

In the Omaha round I made a HUGE blunder. In Omaha you receive four hole cards, instead of two. Otherwise it's like limit holdem. Since I didn't really know the rules, I made up my mind to just fold every hand for the 12-minute session. But after watching a couple of hands, I thought I understood the game. And when I got dealt 3 clubs (with the Ace) I thought I'd play and try to land the flush. Sure enough, the flop contained two clubs and I began betting. One guy called and eventually he hit a straight while I proudly announced "flush" showing my cards. Little did I realize I could only use TWO of my hole cards. I had made a HUGE mistake and I really had nothing! My face was red as other players snickered...

I finally went out in the 1st No Limit session when I had $600 left and I was dealt J-J. I shoved all in and got called by a guy with A-Q. He hit a queen on the flop and my day was done. I collected $75 for qualifying for the tourney, plus a cool hat.

Since then I have not played any poker and done VERY little betting at all. I've been stashing cash to pay for the gas/hotels on the long drive home. As part of that practice, I've been burning up the comps I've earned over the winter. Yesterday Helen and I enjoyed a really nice Easter Dinner at The Suncoast - she had Lamb Chops, while I had a New York Strip Steak with mashed potatoes and two jumbo shrimp filled with crab. I used my players points for the comp!

I still have about $50 in Suncoast comps to use over the next 3 days.

Gambling-wise, the trip started very well and ended on a low note.

December, January and Feb were winning months, March was OK and April was a loser. Highlights were visits by Scott and his family in February when we all went to see "The Lion King."

In March Helen's sister Sharon & husband Larry made their first trip to LV. Larry and I had a great time betting "March Madness" games together and one of the highlights was him hitting a 3-team parlay for $120.

One regret is that we never made a trip to LA to visit Helen's brother Norm and his family. After Sharon & Larry left in March, we tried to arrange a visit, but Norm's work schedule made it impossible. We'll do better next year...

We're packing up our household belongings and getting ready to hit the road. Over the next couple of days, I'll take a few loads to the 10x10 storage unit, which is costing us $84 a month. On Thursday the movers are supposed to be here between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. It'll cost $260 (the minimum for 2 guys at 2 hours) to have them move our furniture and any items I can't take myself. The guy who's always moved us was not available, so we're going with this new company which is about $60 more expensive. That's a tank of gas!!

I hope we can get on the road by noon or 1 on Thursday. If so, we can drive to Gallup NM, about 6 hours away, where we'll stop. Then Friday it's across NM, across the Texas panhandle and into Oklahoma. On Saturday we'll drive through Missouri and into Illinois where we'll spend the night, maybe around Springfield. That's about 7-8 hours from TC and we should get home Sunday afternoon/night...

Hopefully there won't be any weather/travel issues on our trip home...as our LV adventure winds down til next year!!!

Poker Action

2011-04-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today I'm heading over to Texas Station to play in a big poker tournament. It's a free tourney that I qualified for by playing 30-plus hours of poker at Red Rock. Everyone who qualifies gets $75 and if you survive the first day you receive $200. Top prize is $40,000 and everyone who makes the final table gets at least $1,000. Hundreds of players will be there. I need to focus on good thoughts and good cards, especially in the wake of yesterday's rough treatment at the Ballys poker room. I have not played in almost two weeks, but decided to make one last trip to the Strip before we leave town on April 28. So I went to Ballys, arriving about 10:30 and immediately got into a 1-2 no limit game. Within the first 30 minutes or so, I had run my $100 buy-in up to about $160-70. Life was good and I swore that if I hit $200 I'd take a break for lunch. That never happened. A series of bad cards like Q-7, K-4, A-6 melted down my chip stack. Over the next 2-3 hours I hovered around even, but then a couple of pots got me back up to $170 and again I eyed the $200 goal. Then I got dealt K-J of hearts, always worth seeing a flop in my opinion. I was pretty pleased when the flop came 3h, Js, 8h. Top pair and a nice flush draw! I bet $15 and got only 1 caller. Then turn was a 2 of clubs - no apparent help and I bet $25 and the same guy called. The river was the 5 OF HEARTS - whooo hooo, hit the second highest possible flush. I pretended to think about it for a while, then bet $50, hoping the guy would call. I was still pretty happy when he thought about it for a few seconds, then whispered "All In" shoving his stack of over $200 into the pot. Maybe he has two pair, maybe even a small flush, maybe three of a kind. I flopped my K-J, already thinking that this pot would put me up between $350 and $400... He showed the A-9 both of Hearts - besting my K-High flush!!!!! I stood up from the table and left, feeling a little nauseous after losing that hand. I tried to rationalize the loss. I was walking out with $100 less than I started, but really felt I dumped off $170, a pretty substantial setback for me. It was a sad, sad drive home from the Strip. Aaaaargh. When I got home, I made nachos for Helen and I for dinner. She had kept busy emailing some friends and talking on the phone with Anna. She also did laundry and started getting ready for our trip back to TC. I've rented our storage unit, but our regular moving guy may not be able to help us this year. He's taken another job and may have to work that day. We should know for sure next Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm already looking into gettting another mover in case of Plan B. And so, as it dwindles down, our LV adventure continues...

Catchin' Up

2011-04-04T07:53:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a while since I logged on here, so I'm give a quick rundown of our past 10 days or so.

Sharon and Larry were here Mar 22-29 and I've already detailed the early part of their trip. Toward the end of their visit we kept busy visiting the Imperial Palace Car Collection, watching the Bellagio Fountains, hitting the Bellagio Buffet and more.

One day we drove to Boulder City and had breakfast at The Coffee Cup, a local eatery that was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." Helen and Sharon had a California omelet, Larry polished off a HUGE breakfast burrito and I opted for Pigs in a Blanket. All really tasty.

Boulder City is the only town in Nevada that has specifically banned gambling. It was founded to house the workers who built the Hoover Dam, the next stop on our day trip.

As usual, the dam was impressive and we all learned a lot on our visit. Sharon and Larry really seemed to enjoy the day. The weather was in the 70s and windy, as it usually is at the dam.

Sharon and Larry enjoyed their visit and after they left, Helen and I got back into our routine - me playing poker and her chatting on the phone with family and friends.

My poker luck has turned sour. I've had several losing sessions and I'm thinking of shutting down my action since it's time to get ready to head home. I will be playing in a big poker tournament on April 16-17. Top prize is $40,000. Everyone who makes the final table receives at least $1,000 and everyone who qualified (by playing 30 hours of poker in a Station Casino) will receive $75. If you survive the first day, you receive a minimum of $200. So I'll try my best.

On April 2, I made my last rent payment here and now it's time to line up our moving guy and rent a storage unit. We plan on leaving April 28, three weeks from this Thursday. If all goes well, we'll arrive in TC on Saturday the 30th or Sunday. We're both ready to get back to Michigan and see our friends and family.

It's great getting out of the winter weather, but we're looking forward to being home again. Til then, our adventure continues...

Keepin' the Company Busy

2011-03-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Helen's sister Sharon and her husband Larry arrived Tuesday night and we've been keeping them busy seeing the LV sights for the past couple of days.

They're staying at the Luxor and on Wednesday we picked them up at 11:30 and drove down to Bill's where we parked. That gave us easy access to Caesar's Palace where we checked out the action and toured the Forum Shops. One highlight was the HUGE aquarium outside the Cheesecake Factory.

After a while, we crossed the Strip and had lunch at Margaritaville. Larry and I started off with a couple of cooling Landshark Lagers, then we split an enormous Volcano Nachos order. Sharon and Helen both had chicken quesadillas. We were all STUFFED when we waddled out.

We made our way north, past O'Shea's,the IP, Harrah's and into the Venetian, where Larry and I headed to the sports book and the ladies went shopping in the Canal Shoppes. After a couple of hours, we all met up and I drove them back to the Luxor to call it a night.

On Thursday, we picked them up at noon and brought Sharon and Larry back to show them our apartment. Then we drove to the Red Rock casino where Larry and I made a pair of parlay hoops bets (more on them later) and then headed out to the Red Rock Natural Area.

Red Rock is one of our favorite, little-known areas around LV. It's an impressive rocky, mountainous area that is breathtaking in its beauty. You drive a 13-mile loop to see all the sights and there are several stops to take photos and just soak up the view. As a bonus, we get in free since Helen has a lifetime pass to any National Park. It's available to anyone who is disabled. Very cool. Sharon and Larry really liked Red Rock and it's such a change from the glitz and glamor of the Strip.

After a couple of hours at Red Rock, we drove back to the Red Rock Casino to have an early dinner - about 430 - at Yardhouse, a new eatery that claims to have the most draft beers in the world. It's an impressive assortment and Larry and I tried their wares. He opted for Moose Drool, a hearty brown ale, while I went for Alaskan Red, a robust red. Both were excellent, as was the food. Larry, Helen and Sharon went for a hearty mac and cheese dish, while I had a personal pizza. Since we were there during happy hour, all our meals were half price. The tab for the four of us, including three handcrafted beers and soft drinks, was only $60.

While there, we watched the beginnings of our hoops games. Larry and I both went with Florida, Butler and Arizona. And even though FLA had to go overtime, we won all three bets. We each bet $20 and took home $120 profit. SWEET!!!!! It was Larry's first ever sports bet and he's already itching to get something down on tonight's games.

We're picking them up at noon today and some of the things we're considering today are a trip to the Bellagio Conservatory, maybe a meal at Bellagio Buffet, a tour of the car museum at the IP, the Mac King magic show, and perhaps a trip to the Hard Rock Casino, which is off strip a couple of miles. Whatever we do, our adventure continues...

Company Comin'

2011-03-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Helen and I are getting ready for a visit by her sister Sharon and her husband Larry. They'll be flying in tonight, escaping Detroit's nasty winter weather for some Vegas sunshine. Forecasts here are for partly sunny skies and mid-60s temps for most of their weeklong visit.

I haven't been playing much poker or blackjack lately. My latests visits to the poker room were not successful - losing my $100 for two straight days on the 12th and 13th of March. One poker highlight - I've logged 30 hours of play at the Red Rock which qualifies me for a huge tourney on April 16-17. Everyone who qualifies gets $75 and those who make it through the 1st day receive $200. Top prize is $40,000 and all who make the final table will receive at least $1,000. Should be fun.

Lately I've been focusing on March Madness and that's had mixed results. Lost a teaser parlay Sunday when Purdue got knocked off by VCA. We'll make some more hoops bets this week when action resumes on Thursday.

Helen and I went to the show last week to see "Rango." She likes Johnny Depp and he's the voice of the lead character. We thought it was OK, but Helen did say she was a bit disappointed in it.

With Sharon and Larry in town we'll be doing lots of touristy things. They'd like to see Hoover Dam and Red Rock. Plus we'll be eating at Margaritaville, Grand Lux Cafe and Hash House A Go Go, plus other venues. They're staying at the Luxor and will be here til the 29th.

And so our adventure continues...

Suncoast Visit

2011-03-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday started with a flurry of work activity. I'm researching an article about the Michigan prison system and spoke with a PR person who is helping me get some info from a TC consulting firm for the piece. Once I get answers to the questions I sent her, I'll be ready to pull together the article, hopefully by tomorrow or so...

Meanwhile, after working I returned to blackjack action at the Suncoast and was able to grind out a profit of $32 after about 45 minutes of play. Not great, but it's always nice to post a profit. Took a break and enjoyed a comped buffet lunch of grilled chicken, fried rice, pasta with veggies and carrot cake. No interesting hoops games, so I headed home.

Helen was busy emailing her sister Sharon who is coming to visit us in two weeks. Sharon and husband Larry will arrive about 9 .m. on the 22nd and stay til the 29th. Helen's very excited and is working with Sharon to decide what they'd like to do and see and where to eat. Sounds like we'll be visiting Hoover Dam, Boulder City, and the Red Rock Natural Area, plus lots of casinos. Meals will include Hash House Ago Go, Margaritaville and at least one buffet. It'll be fun to have them here.

I headed home by about 2, since I didn't want to overdo it as I recover from this pesty cold. I'm functioning at about 90 percent now with congestion and occasional coughing. I still feel weary, though and can tell I'm not quite 100 percent.

We watched TV last night and I whipped up a dinner of spinach souffle and grilled potatoes. It was the first souffle we've had and I was not that thrilled. Won't go there again...but the spuds were very tasty.

Today's weather is climbing into the mid-70s for the first time. It'll be like that for about a week or so at least, say the predictors. Definitely shorts-and-t-shirt-weather!! And so our adventure continues...

Monday Update

2011-03-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

I've been battling a winter cold for the past five days, so the Vegas activity has been slower than usual recently.

It was Wednesday night when I started feeling feverish and chilled. Then Thursday I launched into full-blown coughing, sneezing nastiness with a fever of 101.5 (sounds like an fm-rock station). Anyway, Helen had me take some meds and by Friday, I was feeling good enough to visit MGM Grand for some poker. My throat was scratchy and I sipped coffee and water during the day, but was able to play.

Key hand came after about an hour of playing. I had won a couple of small pots and was up maybe $25-30 after buying in for $100. Looking down I found a 6-7 of Hearts and decided to call the $2 blind bet. Flop comes 5-8-9 - I flopped a well-disguised straight!!

After three guys checked, I bet $15, hoping that someone might have some over pair like J-J or Q-Q and would raise me. The guy to my immediate left called the $15, but the guy to his left shoved his whole stack of $150 or so into the pot. I WAS THRILLED and knew I had the highest possible hand... I CALLED and pushed in all my chips. The other guy who originally just called, folded.

Since there was no other action, we showed our cards. The guy showed a 5-8 offsuit - he had flopped two pair. I showed my straight and looked forward to taking down this $300 or so pot.
BUUUUUUT, the turn was another 5 - giving the guy an unbeatable FULL HOUSE... The guy had three outs (two fives and 1 eight) and he hit it. Turns out the guy who folded also had flopped two pair 8s and 9s.

I didn't rebuy and left to watch some basketball, feeling sicker than before and it wasnt because of my cold. AAAARGH. But those things happen in poker. The guy had about an 8 percent chance of winning and he did.

Saturday and Sunday were both stay-at-home days, trying to fight off this cold and feel better. The fever is gone, but now I'm just coughing and sneezing. Yesterday Helen spent some time talking with her sister Sharon who is planning to come to LV in a couple of weeks. Sharon and Larry have never been here before and are looking at coming March 22-29 and staying at the Luxor. It'll be fun to have them here and I'm sure I'll be over this cold by then.

We also watched lots of TV, including several episodes of some auction show. That was kind of interesting to see the eclectic mix of auction items. Sort of like Pickers and Pawn Stars combined...

Today I need to do an interview for an article I'm writing about Michigan's prison system. I'll be talking to the head of a consulting firm that specializes in helping prison's and jails solve problems. The firm is based in TC.

Also, today we plan to visit the local Target so Helen can pick up a few things. Not sure if I'll visit any poker rooms or not, but the adventure continues...

Baseball Season Win Totals Are Out

2011-03-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Suncoast released their BB Season Win Totals on March 1. Here are some of the most interesting...

Phillies - 97
Red Sox - 95
Yankees - 92
Braves and Giants - 88
Rockies and Rangers - 86.5
Twins -86
Reds and Brewers - 85.5
White Sox - 85
TIGERS, Dodgers, A's, Rays - 84
Cardinals -83
Cubs - 82

The two lowest totals are the Royals at 69 and the Pirates at 67.
All of these totals are set at -115, meaning you have to bet $115 to win $100. A $100 bet will net you something like $92 or so. I'll be looking at other casinos to see if win totals are different at other place. Typically there's a game or half-game difference at some places. That can mean a lot. In fact, Nick and I lost our $100 bet last year by a half-game. The Tigers had to win over 81.5 and they finished 81-81. Aaaargh...

Scott and Lisa's Visit and More

2011-03-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 22, Scott and Lisa, along with grandkids Katherine, Mason and Noah arrived in town for a week-long visit.

Helen and I had long been looking forward to their trip and we were not disappointed. It was a whirlwind week of fun. We did some typical tourist things on the Strip and enjoyed it even though it was a bit tiring. After arriving on the 22nd, we walked through the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood and ate dinner at the PH Buffet. Then kids were really impressed by the food variety and "all ya can eat" aspect of the buffet. We ate and ate til we were stuffed...
At the kids' request, Helen spent the night at their hotel - the Marriott, just off the Strip near PH.

On the 23rd (while I played poker), Helen took the group to visit the Bellagio lobby, conservatory and fountain show, then led them through the Caesar's Palace Forum shops on a shopping trip. They had a tasty lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in the Forum shops. On the 24th, Scott and Lisa visited with friends in Henderson, while Helen and I just relaxed a bit.

On the 25th, all of us had a nice lunch with Bruce and Sandi who arrived in town for a Garth Brooks concert. Lunch was at Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian and, once again, I overate on a beef tips and pasta dish.

On the 26th we got together to attend a matinee (4 p.m.)The Lion King at Mandalay Bay. It was a great show, even though I'm not a big fan of musicals. The kids really enjoyed it and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in a family-friendly Vegas show. After the show we all hit the MB Buffet and, again, ate til we were stuffed. I'm noticing a theme here... The 26th was also my 63rd birthday and I got a nice phone call from niece Katie. Always good to hear from her.

One poker highlight took place during the week. I was playing at Ballys when a guy sitting next to me hit a Royal Flush in Clubs. He held a Q-J of Clubs and the Flop had the A-K. The river card was the 10 of Clubs and the guy scooped up a $500 pot, plus a bonus of $6850. And all of us at the table were given $200 because of a promotion that Ballys calls "Roundtable Royals." So even though I lost $100 of my buy-in, the $200 made it a profitable day.

Scott and Lisa left on the 28th and returned to Grand Rapids via Denver. Their trip home went well and Helen and I are now returning to our regular routine - me playing poker, her keeping things organized in our apt and staying in touch with friends and family on the phone. And our LV adventure continues...

Poker Update

2011-02-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since I detailed my poker action, so it's time to catch up.

On Monday, the 21st, I had my most profitable day of the winter at Bally's. I got there about 10 a.m. and in three hours built a huge pile of chips. I got off to a great start, getting up over $150 early with some nice hands. The biggest pot I won - about $450, came when I looked down and found a measly pair of threes. Five of us put in $2 each to see the flop, which was A-4-3, all different suits, but giving me three of a kind.

I bet $15 and two guys folded, but one of the others raised it to $40 and the other guy called. I also called. The turn card was a King. I checked (thinking that when if either of the others raised, I would go All In with my $200 or so) and the original raiser went all in for $120. The other guy went all in for his last $112. I felt pretty confident that my three 3s were good. I put the original raiser on A-K and the other on Ace-something.

The other guys showed their cards and, as I expected, the original raiser had A-K for two pair. The other guy A-J and my threes took down the pile of chips. I didn't want to give this back, so I played very tight after that, but still took down a couple of pots. I eventually walked with a profit of $840 - my best day of the winter.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I played at Red Rock, trying to log enough hours to qualify for a big tourney set for April 16 and 17. Top prize is $40,000 and they pay the top 200 finishers $200 each. Heck, everyone who qualifies by playing 30 hours by the end of March will receive $75.
So I've been playing there when I can and have about 15 hours so far.

Tuesday was a very pleasant day and in about two hours, I won $70 with no big hands or big pots. Just a steady day against good solid players. Scott and Lisa and the kids arrived Tuesday
afternoon and we met up with them for dinner at the Planet Hollywood buffet. It was great to see them and they'll be here for a week.

Helen spent the night with Scott's family at the Marriott hotel, so I was up early Wednesday morning and over at the Red Rock. The poker didn't go so well, I got down early and rallied back to post a loss of only $23. But one of the highlights came in the casino's daily tournament. Former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser (and his wife) played in the tourney. Apparently he lives nearby and is a common sight at the Red Rock poker room. Anyway, he finished second at the table right next to mine. Another guy who deals at Ballys was also in the tourney and he finished fifth. Too bad they only paid the top four places! So, Jason played for four hours and just missed cashing, aaaaargh.

While I was playing on Wednesday, Helen spent the day shopping and sightseeing with Scott and his family. They had a great time, enjoying lunch at Planet Hollywood at Caesar's Palace, seeing the Bellagio fountains, the Mirage volcano and much more. Glad they were able to soak up some of Vegas' iconic sights.

And today our adventure continues...

Valentine's Day Adventure and More

2011-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day Helen and I made another attempt to locate some of the wild ponies and burros near the Red Rock Canyon Natural Area.

We headed out in the early afternoon in search of the animals, some 10-15 miles west of our apartment. The area is beautiful and the road climbs steadily in altitude as we meander up into the mountains. The temp dropped steadily from 62, 59, 54 as we climbed. But after about an hour of driving, we didn't see any wild animals at all.

So we headed down to the Strip to have an early dinner and ended up at BB King's BBQ place at the Mirage. I had eaten breakfast there once last year, but Helen had never been there so she really was excited to check it out. We had a great meal - Helen had a pulled pork dinner with baked beans and slaw, while I opted for a big combo platter of BBQ chicken and ribs along with beans and slaw. Both meals also came with a tasty cornbread muffin and we had beverages. The bill came to $59 including tip. Good Eatin' and we're already talking about going back there.

We also exchanged Valentine's cards and I bought us a bag of Ghiradelli chocolate squares that we've been munching on for the past couple of days.

Yesterday I headed to MGM to play poker, while Helen did laundry and talked with friends on the phone. My poker went OK, but had great potential that didn't pan out.

After about two hours of playing, I looked down at two Red Aces. It's pretty uncommon to get Aces - a 1-220 longshot. Anyway, I bet 5 guys put in their $2 blinds, but when I raised to $6 they all folded. A big hand, but no big pot.

I was a bit disappointed when I looked at my VERY NEXT HAND and found TWO BLACK ACES. Aces back-to-back!! Here's my chance to make up for the last hand, I thought.
Again, five guys paid $2 for their blinds and this time, instead of raising, I just called.
The flop came K-Q-6 and I hoped someone hit a king. So I bet $5 and EVERYONE FOLDED again!! AAAAARGH!!!!!

That was the highlight of my poker session, which saw me take home a profit of $22. Better a small win than a small loss...

On the way home, I stopped at the Middle East Market for fresh pita bread, hummus and Kalamata Olives. We'll have that for dinner tonight. Last night's dinner was scrambled eggs with onions and red peppers. With some of those chocolate squares for dessert.

This morning Helen plans to go to her Bible Study group, while I get some bills paid. Maybe this afternoon I'll head to Red Rock for some hoops bets or blackjack. And so our adventure continues...

Poker & Celebrities, sort of

2011-02-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I wanted to try a new poker venue - the Monte Carlo.

I hadn't played there since last year and wanted to check it out. So I drove down to the Strip, arriving about 10 or so. The poker action was dead with only a $2-4 limit game going on. I left my name and the mgr. said the no limit games usually start by 11 so I killed time playing video blackjack and buying a hockey parlay for my friend Terry.

About 1045 I was back again checking at the poker room...still no game. So I went over to McDonalds and had a quarter pounder. About 1130 I was back at the poker room - still no game, but they took my cell number and promised to call when the game began. I played a little more video blackjack - winning $20 - before deciding to cross the street to the MGM's poker room.

I got a seat right away and played for about an hour when I got my best hand. My three aces beat a woman's three kings to win a $100 pot. That was the highlight.

But about 2 p.m. or so I got a call from the Monte Carlo poker room that my seat was available. Sorry, I'm already playing. Soon after I heard a booming deep voice and immediately recognized it as Brad Garrett - Robert Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond." He was playing at the next table behind me and stood up away from his table to make a phone call. He was about 5 feet away from me talking about setting up a meeting. Apparently he lives in LA, but comes to Vegas 2 or 3 times a month where he runs a comedy club at the Tropicana. And he likes poker, playing in a lot of celeb tournies, etc.

So at my table, just two seats to my left, was a 30-ish looking woman who said she was from Calgary Canada. She was chatting with the guy between us and said she was a HUGE Red Wings fan. I asked her how does a woman from Calgary become a Wings Fan?

"Chris Osgood is my brother-in-law," she says.

Lots of lies get told at poker tables, so I was skeptical until Melody whipped out her phone and showed me pics of Ozzie and his little girl eating cereal out of the Stanley Cup. Also a great pic of Melody kissing Lord Stanley's Cup. Very cool. So we talked about the Wings - she's liked Ciccarelli, Shanny and, of course, Stevie Y. Outside of Ozzie, none of the current Wings light her fire, she said. I told her I like Darren Helm, Datysuk and Lidstrom...

As for the poker, I lost $25 and another $20 on a hoops parlay (UConn killed that).

Today I wrote an article for the TC Business News about a robotics club that is working on building driverless trucks for the military. We're heading to Wal-Mart for a bit of shopping and I need to buy a hoops ticket for Terry who likes over the total for the Miami-Pistons game.

And so our adventure continues...

Super Bowl Poker

2011-02-07T06:57:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday began with services at the Lakes Lutheran Church.

Then it was off to the Strip where I played poker at the Mirage, which was hosting a special Super Bowl promotion. They were giving out bonuses for every score or turnover in the game. For example, for a TD they would randomly pick a number from 1 to 10 corresponding to the 10 seats at the table and whoever was in that seat would get cash, from $25 to $100. I was in seat #2 and snagged $25 when the Pack tacked on their last FG. One guy - in the 9 seat - had his number called 4 times and collected over $200 in bonuses.

Thinking back, I think there were 12 bonuses collected and every seat at our table except #5 and #1 got some cash. The Mirage has to be happy with the promotion, since the poker room was jammed from about an hour before the game until it was over. That's about 4 hours of hectic poker action.
Despite the bonus, I still dropped $55 playing poker for about 8 hours.

I got about half of that back when my lone SB bet - $30 on over 44.5 - connected. After studying a lot of prop bets, I decided to keep it simple and it paid off. My good friend Nick also had a winning ticket on the over and congratulations to my buddy Gary, who bet the Pack to win the SB about 3 weeks ago and got them at 4-1 odds.

The only thing missing was traditional SB food. Love me some chicken wings and stuff. But our table was a pretty friendly bunch and when two of the guys went for takeout pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen, they shared a slice with me and a couple of others. It was a really fun day and one I'll long remember, despite the cash lost.

And today our adventure will continue...

Friday update

2011-02-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning finished up an article I wrote for the Ticker web site. It's about the expansion plans for the Grand Traverse Health Dept.'s dental clinic.

I got it done, then headed down to the Imperial Palace to play some poker. I parked at Bill's then made the walk down to the IP where there was a game with four other players underway. I sat right down, bought in for $100 and played tight for the first 30 minutes or so. Then I lost a couple of hands and had a stack of about $60 in front of me when I looked down at A-J of diamonds. I called the $2 blind and saw a flop of Q-8-2 ALL DIAMONDS.

I had flopped the Nut Flush and waited patiently as one of the other players bet $10. Two of us called the $10. The turn was Ace of clubs. I hoped that gave someone a pair of aces. One of the other guys bet his last $30, the other guy folded and I called. The river was no help, maybe a 3 of clubs or something. I showed my flush and the other guy mucked his hand as the dealer shoved the pot my way.

I won another nice pot when my K-Q of Hearts resulted in two pair - kings and queens. Shortly after that hand I left - up $102 - and walked to Ballys where I had a comped turkey, swiss and bacon sandwich. Then I headed home.

For dinner I whipped up some submarine sandwiches - turkey, cheese and sliced avocado. We watched the NBC comedy shows and I crashed early, about 9:30 or so.

Today I went over to Red Rock in the morning and played some blackjack, losing $45. Then about noon I came home and made us turkey sandwiches for lunch.

Helen wanted to get her hair done, so about 1 or so I drove her to the hair salon and came home. While she was at the salon, I paid some bills and checked my emails. Then about 1.5 hours later, Helen called and I drove over to pick her up.

Tonight for dinner, I made sweet and sour chicken over rice. It was tasty and filling.

Tomorrow I hope to play some more poker on the Strip, which is filling up as folks rush into town for the Super Bowl. Hopefully there will be some sleep-deprived, alcohol-imbibing, yahoos that I can separate from their poker chips. As you can see, our adventure continues...

Hot Hand at Harrah's

2011-02-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

On Monday I spent a few hours playing poker at the Imperial Palace.

It was one of the strangest sessions of the winter. I was seated in the #1 seat, right at the dealer's left and next to one of the biggest @#*&%$ jerks I've encountered at a poker table. He was a 20-something uber-dude who thought he was the greatest poker player since Phil Ivey. He constantly complained about his hands and how he should have won each hand.

The jerk claimed to have been playing for 17 hours straight, living on Red Bull and Vodka. He shouted loudly at other players, sparking near fights. Tensions were running higher than usual and twice the poker room mgr. came over and warned he and others about their language and behavior. Eventually this guy, who was from Bloomfield Hills, cashed out and the game settled down.

I took all the money from some Asian kid from Houston and that enabled me to walk with a slight profit of $26. That covered the cost of dinner - a $10 Papa John's pizza!!

Tuesday I drove down to the Strip, parked at Bill's Gambling Hall and walked down to Harrah's to play. It's been weeks since I played there and at 10 a.m. there was no $1-2 game going. But I was the fifth player to show up and a game got started. Within 30 minutes there were 10 of us at the table.

I had one big hand. Looking down at my cards I saw A-J of Hearts and raised the $2 blind to $7, getting 3 callers. The flop came Q-7-2- ALL HEARTS. I flopped the highest possible (or Nut) flush. I bet $10 and got only one caller. The turn was Ace of spades. I bet $20 and my lone opponent raised to $40. I just called, not wanting to scare him away. The river was a J of clubs.

There was no way he had a full house and now I just needed to decide how much I could bet to have him call. He had about $60 left, so I bet $40 and he didn't hesitate much when he said "ALL-In" shoving his chips into the pot. I quickly called and flopped my A-J flush. He showed his A-Q of diamonds. He had two pair and went to his wallet to rebuy as the dealer pushed the pot my way.

Largely because of that pot, I was able to post a profit of $130 for the day. I left the table about 1:30 and walked to Bally's - partly for exercise and partly to have a chicken salad sandwich (comped of course) for lunch.

Prior to hitting the snack bar, I went to Ballys poker room to pick up a magazine to read. One of the dealer's spotted me and shouted out "Al, sit down we've got a game starting." No thanks, I'm just getting some reading material to have lunch at Nosh. He asked me to stop by after lunch and I said maybe, knowing full well that I was heading home with my profit for the day...

While I was on the Strip, Helen was on the phone with grandson Michael, doing some sewing and just resting. I made us a dinner of Sante Fe chicken (thanks Weight watchers). It's pretty cool here in Vegas today with a low in the mid 20s and a high today in the mid 40s. But by the weekend it'll be back into the 60s. No matter what the temp, the sun seems to always shine.

And today our adventure continues...

Hunting Wild Ponies and Burros

2011-01-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

Helen didn't feel like going to church Sunday, so we had a leisurely morning. I went over to the Suncoast for a couple of hours to check out the hoops games for the day and play a little blackjack. I won $35 and on the way home, just before noon, I filled up the gas tank for $45. That's where my profits often go - into the tank where the cheapest gas is $3.07 a gallon here in LV.

While I was gone, Helen got online and emailed our friend Diane Johnston who is dealing with some serious health issues. She's in our thoughts and prayers.

For lunch I made us turkey sandwiches and we just watched a little TV before hitting the road about 1 or so. We were in search of the herds of wild horses and burros that live out near the Red Rock Natural Area, some 10 miles from our apartment.

When we started it was a sunny day, but as we drove the sky got cloudier and began spitting rain. We made our way up the mountains and even ran into some hail before we turned around and backtracked in search of the herds. We logged about 50 miles on our drive, stopping a few times along the way, but sadly, no wild animals were seen on this day. Maybe the blustery weather had them taking shelter away from the roadways. We'll try again.

So we drove over to the Suncoast to enjoy the two-for-one fajita special at the Mexican restaurant Miquel's. In the morning I had secured a $36 comp from one of the pit bosses I know, Gordon Smith, and we played video blackjack (winning $1) before we headed into Miguel's. The meal started with the usual chips and salsa dips, but this place offers up a VERY tasty bean dip and tasty picante sauce. Then came our fajitas - one of steak and one of chicken. We shared them both and they were DELICIOUS!

They came with plenty of toppings, refried beans and rice. Both of us ate til we were stuffed. With our two diet Pepsis, the bill came to $30 and I left a $5 tip. But with the comp, the only cost was the tip.

After eating, we played a little more video blackjack - winning $5 to cover the cost of our tip. So the entire meal was FREE. Ya gotta love that...

Sunday night we just relaxed and watched some TV. But today our adventure continues...

Red Rock Road Trips

2011-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Helen and I set off on a road trip to the Red Rock Natural Area.

It's not really much of a road trip, since Red Rock Canyon is only about 10-12 miles away from our apartment. But it's like another world from the glitter of the strip. Here it's a stunningly beautiful rocky mountainous area that draws millions of hikers, rock climbers and just plain visitors each year.

We spent over an hour driving through the 13-mile scenic tour, stopping a few times to watch hikers and climbers do their thing along the red rocky cliffs.

Saturday was a poker day for me. I went down to Ballys where I spent about 5 hours trying to wrest a profit from the hands of half-drunk tourists and a few local players. Unfortunately it was a futile effort as my good hands were beaten by better hands. After an up and down, down, down day, I ended up dropping $50. Not that bad, considering I had very few playable hands.

While I was at the tables, Helen did some vacuuming from her walker and talked with Anna on the phone.

Today Helen decided to forego church. We're heading back to the Red Rock region to see if we can see some of the wild ponies and burros that make the area their home. Then we're heading to the Suncoast for an early dinner of fajitas at Miguel's - the casino's mexican eatery. They're offering a special that ends today - two fajita dinners for the price of one! Cha-ching!!

And so our LV gastronomic adventure continues...

IP Poker - Best Hand Ever!

2011-01-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning I headed down to the Strip to play poker at the Imperial Palace where they recently installed some new bonuses for high hands.

Prior to Monday, the IP only paid $200 for Royal Flushes - nothing for straight flushes or four-of-a-kind. Now they offer $250 for Royals, $100 for straight flushes and $50 for quads. That's money that comes from the casino, in addition to any cash won in the pot.

I got there about 10:30 and within the first 45 minutes got the best hand I ever had - ever!
I looked down at my hole cards and found 8-8. Five of us matched the $2 blind and saw the flop of 8-J-8. I FLOPPED QUAD 8S... I played it cool, hoping that someone would make a straight or flush and just called when a guy bet $10.

The other three hands folded, so I was head up against a German tourist, who bet $15 when an Ace hit the turn. Again, I merely called, not wanting to scare him away and hoping he had something like A-J for two big pair. The River was a 4, not much help either way. But my opponent again bet $25, and I immediately put him All in with a raise to $50. He hemmed and hawed, but finally called and I flopped over my 8s.

With the $50 bonus, I won over $120 in this pot. Not my biggest pot ever, but the highest hand I've ever had. I've had quads two other times - deuces and treys.

Unfortunately, that was the highlight. In fact, when the dust settled, I gave back all my profits and actually lost $40. Some bad luck on the river, combined with not walking when I was up about $80 was a big mistake. Though I only lost $40, I felt like I lost a lot more since I was up almost $100 at one point. AAAAArgh!!

On the way home I picked up Capriotti's sub sandwiches - a pastrami for me and a turkey sub for Helen, who spent the day on the phone with friends, online, sewing and watching some TV.

Today I need to do some grocery shopping, banking and gas up the car. Maybe I'll try some local poker at Red Rock (where I've never played) or Suncoast. And so our LV adventure continues...

A Day at the Apartment

2011-01-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

Monday was a quiet day at the apartment.

All morning I worked on an article I'm writing for The Ticker web site about how Grand Traverse County is getting ready to dump its youth baseball program, which last year offered baseball games for 551 youngsters on 41 teams. Not sure who might pick up the program, but the American Legion may step up so the kids can play this year. They ran it for 61 years, til last year. I was waiting for some call backs, so I decided to just not visit a casino.

Then I fixed us a lunch of ham and turkey sandwiches while we watched some TV and relaxed. I went online, played some Tetris, caught up on some reading. Pretty boring day, huh? Dinner was orange chicken over rice.

On Sunday, Helen and I started the day with the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church. Then by 10 o'clock I was at the Suncoast to pick up a parlay ticket on the playoff games. Then went home to watch the games with Helen after losing $30 in video blackjack. Went with my friend Terry on a $60 ($40 for him, $20 for me) parlay of both games over the total. It would have paid $210, but died when the GB-Chicago game fell short of the 43.5 total. The second game was a winner, over 38.5. So for the day, I lost $50.

Helen and I watched the games together and she's getting to finally understand how football works. She says the yellow first down line makes it much easier for her to get the game. Anyway, it was fun watching with her.

For dinner we had bowtie pasta with marinara sauce and a side salad of mixed baby green, tomatoes and red onions. Then it was TV til lights out...but today our adventure continues...

Suncoast Visit

2011-01-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning I did some grocery shopping at the local Albertson's, mailed some bills, gassed up the car and got it washed.

Then it was off to the Suncoast, where I wanted to check out the basketball menu. Saw a few interesting games, so I played a $20 4-team moneyline parlay that would pay $140 if Wright State, Portland, Maryland and New Mexico State could just win. Three favorites and a -2 underdog. Seems reasonable, right? Nope. Only Wright State posted a win, after trailing for most of the game. Ya never know...

While at the Suncoast I jumped into a blackjack game and played for about an hour, walking away with $130. I also got a lunch comp from one of the pit bosses, so I enjoyed some almond chicken, fried rice, steamed broccoli, green peppers and beef and a slab of carrot cake for dessert. I finished off my visit with a little video blackjack and was lucky to post a $30 profit. So for the day I was up $140.

I got home about 1:30 or so and Helen was on the phone with her lifelong friend, Sandy Graves who lives in the state of Washington. They literally talked for hours! Prior to the call, Helen was overseeing a repair of our front-loading washer. The latch on the door broke, but it looks like the company sent the wrong part to fix it, so that's something we're still dealing with. Not a crisis, but an inconvenience.

For dinner, we recycled some leftover BBQ from Famous Dave's. Helen had brisket and I chowed down on chicken and ribs. I made a tasty side salad for us with organic greens and mandarin orange slices, topped by a honey mustard dressing.

Then we watched TV and relaxed for the evening. But today our adventure continues...

Bellagio Visit and Poker Update

2011-01-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful sunny morning here in LV with a high temp expected near 60 - a good time to sit down and detail a few recent happenings.

Monday was a Return-to-Poker day for me. I played at the Imperial Palace and won some nice cash, all in a three-in-a-row hand hot streak. First, I was dealt Q-Q and they held up for a $40 pot. Very next hand I looked down and saw A-A. I bet $7 and got a couple of callers. The flop came A-K-3. We all checked and when the turn came a Q, I checked to see who might bet and was thrilled when one guy bet $30. The other called with his last $20

I went into full-blown acting mode. I pretended to try to decide whether to call or not, but eventually I raised him another $60. He hesitated a bit, then shoved in the rest of his stack - another $40 or so. The river was a 4 and didn't help at all. The guy showed his K-Q for two pair, while the other guy mucked his hand. I showed my Trip Aces and the dealer shoved the hefty pot my way!

The very next hand, I had A-K and took down another pot worth $40 or so... Three great hands, three sweet wins. I played 4-5 more hands, then left. A $170 winner.

On Tuesday, Helen and I drove down to the Bellagio to check out the new Conservatory display, which honors the Chinese New Year. 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit and the displays feature many amazing topiary bunnies. There's also a unique chariot pulled by four horses, lots of bamboo, burning incense and more great floral displays. As usual, all of the features are made of floral items, crushed nuts, seeds and other natural items. It's always cool to see how creative the designers are.

While at Bellagio, we visited the sports book and I put $20 on MSU+4.5 vs. Illinois. That was a loser as the Spartans couldn't shoot to save their lives. Despite holding the Illini to one field goal in the last 10 minutes, the Spartans lost by 9.

Helen hadn't been to Caesars Palace yet, so we wandered over there to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We were seated out in the patio area so we could do some people watching and see the huge fish-filled aquarium only a few feet away. Our meal was great - tasty and huge!
Helen opted for a blue cheese burger and sweet potato fries, while I went for a hefty slab of meatloaf topped with grilled onions & mushrooms, mashed potatoes and gravy and a veggie succotash. This great meal was $31, but lucky us, we received a survey request on our receipt and should be getting a $10 Cheesecake gift card for answering the survey.

We played some video poker and Wheel of Fortune at CP, but didn't do too well. Including our hoops bet, we lost $32.

After running a few errands, Wednesday was another poker day for me. I drove down to Bill's Gambling Hall and walked over to the IP where I learned that a guy committed suicide on Monday afternoon. Seems he jumped from one of the higher floors and landed between Harrah's and the IP. Sad that someone had to feel life was too difficult to deal with.

It was quiet at the poker room, but I waited there a while talking with the poker mgr. Jake and a couple of dealers. Then one other player showed and Jake gave each of us a special "2008 World Series of Poker" card protector for staying around and helping to start a game. In about 15 minutes three more guys showed and we got the cards in the air.

I won a few pots early and was up about $70 when my three 5s lost to a straight - back to even. Then I had a little hot streak, highlighted by one BIG hand. I was dealt a pair of 9s and bet $7. Two guys called. The flop came 10-8-6 - giving me a possible inside straight. One guy bet $15 and I called, hoping to hit either a 7 for the straight or a third 9.

My hopes were answered when a 9 fell on the turn. The other guy checked (telling me he didn't hit the straight either) and I bet $25. The guy called and I felt he had an over pair, maybe Q-Q or J-J.
The river was a 3 - no apparent help for either of us. My opponent shoved in $60 and I thought about it and called. He showed a pair of eights, giving him 3 8s to my 3 9s!!

That was my big pot of the day and I walked away a short time later, a $215 winner.

Helen and I celebrated with a takeout dinner from Famous Dave's BBQ - a "Cue for Two" special with BBQ ribs, chicken, brisket, slaw, grilled potatoes and cornbread muffins. Lots of food for $19.95. Probably be finishing that off tonight for dinner. MMMMM...

And today our adventure continues...

Friday Update

2011-01-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last posted, so I'll give a quick rundown of the last week or so...

On Tuesday, Helen and I went to see "True Grit" at the nearby Suncoast theater. Every Tuesday is Senior Day and we were able to see this great movie for only $4 each. Both of us liked this version better than the John Wayne orignal, which netted "The Duke" his only Academy Award. The cinematography is vivid and everything seems genuine to the Old West. Great acting by the young actress who plays Mattie and, of course, by Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn.

After getting out of the matinee, about 3 or so, we hit the casino's Grand Cafe for a bite. We both had the daily special - chicken marsala with two large chicken breasts atop a pile of mashed potatoes, corn and salad. For $7.99 each, it was a bargain. But even better I was able to pay with my players card points, so it was comped!

Wednesday was Anna's birthday, so we called her to wish her a Happy Birthday. Always great to talk with my girl. Then I drove to the Strip, parked at Ballys, played poker at Planet Hollywood and won $62. Took $22 of that and bet it on San Diego State vs. UNLV. It was a winner, so for the day I netted $82.

Yesterday I ran some errands early, including a stop at Target for mouthwash, etc. then drove to Mandalay Bay to check into buying tickets for The Lion King. Helen wants to take Scott and his family to the show when they visit Feb. 22-28. I had heard that the MB offered special deals for locals, so I thought I'd look into it.

When I got there I got into a line with about 10 people ahead of me. After about a 10 minute wait, I was at the counter where I explained that even though I lacked a Nevada ID, I had a gas bill and cable bill to show I lived on West Sahara. That was no problem and she quickly started the process of choosing the date and 7 seats for us. The end result was I scored the tickets, which go for $115 each, for less than half price!

I called Helen to let her know I had the tickets in my sweaty little fist and she was thrilled. She's been wanting to take the Grandkids to this show and I racked up a few "spousal points" by snagging the tickets.

Then I drove to Ballys, lost $15 in video blackjack and used my comp points there to enjoy a chicken salad on rye, chips and a diet coke - an $11.50 value - FREE! Love those points...

Then I took a walk, through Bill's, past the Flamingo, right by O'Sheas and into the Imperial Palace where they always have a huge stack of "Vegas Live" magazines. I grabbed a few that have Sinatra on the cover, in honor of some Sinatra show on the Strip. These will eventually go on ebay. Last year I sold several for $2-10 that had celebs on the cover. It's like free money!
On the way back, I stopped at Bill's and bought a $25 money line parlay ticket on Purdue (vs. Minnesota) and North Carolina (vs. Va Tech). Purdue lost by 3, so I lost the bet. Net loss for the day was $40.

Returned home about 3 p.m. and watched some TV before making cheese omelets and grilled potatoes for dinner.

Today I plan a return to the Strip for poker and finalize my football bets for the playoffs tomorrow and Sunday. And our adventure continues...

Super Bowl Odds

2011-01-08T06:44:00.001-08:00

Stopped by the Suncoast yesterday and here are current odds for the SB prior to the start of the playoffs:
Patriots 1-1
Steelers 7/2
Falcons 4-1
Saints 5-1
Eagles and Packers 8-1
Bears 9-1
Colts and Ravens 12-1
Jets and Chiefs 20-1
Seahawks 65-1

For hoops fans, here's a few NCAA Title odds:
Duke 14-5
MSU 7-1
Ohio State 8-1
Kansas 8-1
Kentucky 10-1
Purdue 15-1
UConn 20-1
UNLV 30-1
Michigan 60-1
ND 75-1

The Tourist

2011-01-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Helen and I took in a matinee of "The Tourist" with Angelina Jolie and Johny Depp, one of Helen's favs.

It was an entertaining movie with a fine performance by Depp and beautiful photography of Venice. The movie started just before noon, so after leaving the Red Rock casino theater, we stopped for lunch at the casino's Grand Cafe.

It was about 2:15 or so and a perfect quiet time for a nice meal. Helen opted for a Cobb salad, while I chose one of their specials - an appetizer, entree and dessert for $12.99. I went with a shrimp cocktail, club sandwich and huge slab of chocolate cake (which we shared). We'll probably go for this again. We still want to see "True Grit" before it leaves the local theaters.

Earlier in the morning, I had some errands to run - buy fresh pita bread at the Middle East Market, get stamps at the post office and make a stop at the Suncoast to get a basketball bet. It was a two-team money line parlay on Purdue and BYU - both double-digit winners. BYU is an underrated squad. They came into UNLV's Thomas and Mack Arena and silenced the crazy crowd. Led by sharpshooting guard Jimmer Fredette (mark down that name if you don't know it) who had 39 points, the Cougars are ranked #15 in the nation. Fredette hit 7 3-pointers, a couple that came from near the parking lot, LOL!!

My $20 wager paid $72 and I'll go cash that today.

The past few days have been losing poker sessions. I played at Ballys and MGM with little success on both Monday and Tuesday this week. Lot of second-best hands which can get expensive. I think my best hand over both days was a flush that failed to generate a big pot.
It was good to take yesterday off from poker and I may not play today either, just to shake off the stink of losing, LOL!

And so our LV adventure continues...

Get Ready 2011, Here We Come

2011-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

Helen and I have been busy over the past few days, so I'll try to give you an overview of our activities.

Thursday was a big day for us. We went to the Thomas and Mack arena to see CMU take on the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV. I bet $25 on CMU +22.5, but that was wasted money as the Rebels embarassed the Chips, 73-47. It was worse than the final score indicated. Here are some lowlights by CMU.

Right from the opening minutes, CMU could not cope with the aggressive pressing defense of UNLV. They committed turnover after turnover - twice being unable to inbound the ball within 5 seconds and twice stepping on the sideline after being swarmed by the Rebels.

After 12 minutes of play, CMU had 6 points - only 2 baskets and 2 free throws. Fortunately, UNLV had a cold first half and led only by 12 at halftime. So I had real hope when the Chips cut the lead to 4 pts early in the second half, but then the roof fell in and UNLV rolled to the 26-point win.

We had a lot of fun, though. We had seats in the handicapped section, a special area at one end of the court. Unable to see the scoreboard, we had TVs right in front of us. Of course, UNLV has to add a little zest to their pregame show. What other team darkens the arena, then shoots off fireworks from the backboards during the pregame lineup announcements? Another great touch is the UNLV dance team - four members do standing backflips in unison for every basket the Rebels make!!

It was a really fun night and Helen enjoyed it very much.

Friday I played a little blackjack, losing $22 at the Suncoast. But I offset that by winning a 3-team football parlay with Florida State, Notre Dame and Central Florida - all underdogs - winning outright. It paid $140.

Dinner was a Papa John's pizza - a large with everything for only $10.

Today I was up early and made us a breakfast of fried potatoes and scrambled eggs with sauteed onions & mushrooms. Lunch was turkey sandwiches as we watched football. I lost all my fb bets when MSU and U-M got crushed. That killed my 3 teaser/parlay bets and left me with a year-opening loss of $60.

With December in the books, I totalled up my gaming numbers. For the month, I won $2,422 in 19 winning days and lost $518 in 9 losing days. That gave me a profit of $1,904 over the 19 winning days - $100 a day.

Today Helen is taking down the Luther Tree and doing laundry. I'll be making dinner later, either salads or lasagna (thank you Stouffers). And tomorrow our adventure will continue...

Wednesday Update

2010-12-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-04-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-26T05:45:00.001-07:00

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'

2010-03-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-26T08:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-02-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

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'

2010-02-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-01-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-24T06:08:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

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...

Back on the Strip

2010-01-14T17:50:00.001-08:00

Today was an interesting day that began with toast and coffee with Tony Soprano and his associates.

Then I headed over to the Suncoast to cash a $20 hoops ticket on MSU -6.5 over Minnesota. The Spartans got me a half-point win by topping the Gophers 60-53. Wheeeew...After getting the cash, I drove to the Strip and parked at Bill's Gambling Hall.

After checking the college hoops schedule and the NBA schedule, I decided there were no games worth investing in, so I headed to a blackjack table. It was pretty quiet there and it wasn't hard to find a $5 table. So I played for about an hour and cashed out up $35. A good start to the day!

I strolled next door to the Flamingo and checked out the poker room. No seats available at the $1-2 no limit game, so I found a bj table and played for a while. Up and down, down and up, breaking exactly even after 45 minutes. I got bored and hit the Subway inside O'sheas for lunch before strolling north on the Strip to Harrah's. I've never had a BIG win at Harrahs, but I do like the atmosphere there.

I found a blackjack game, bought in for $100 and immediately lost the first four hands. Then I won a couple, but eventually saw my buy-in evaporate. That was annoying and I just decided to call it a day about 3 p.m. I walked back to Bill's and got into the Vue.

The radio news was telling about a suspicious package incident on Flamingo that had the road blocked off about a mile west of the Strip. So I drove north on the Strip to Spring Mountain Road where the Fashion Show Mall is and then headed west on SPR. Spring Mountain Road takes you right through the heart of Las Vegas' Korea Town and it's interesting to see business names and billboards in Korean.

I stopped at the Middle East Market to buy some fresh pita bread, but they didn't have the kind I usually get, so I grabbed a couple bags of mini pitas and we'll enjoy those. While I was Stripping, Helen was on the phone with Anna and watched a little TV at the apartment. I made a hefty dinner of grilled Italian sausage, grilled red peppers, tomatoes, onions and rice. It was a huge dinner and we'll have some leftovers for tomorrow or Saturday.

Tonight we're enjoying the NBC comedy shows, especially "The Office." A quiet night at the apartment, but tomorrow our adventure will continue...

Catching Up

2010-01-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

At the request of some of our avid blog readers (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) I'll get back on the blog bus and give an update of happenings over the past few days.

After a series of losing casino visits ( 3 losses in 5 days) I took a couple of days off from wagering and Helen and I spent time around the apt. One of the highlight hands of those losing sessions took place at Bally's where I spent a lot of time playing poker.

I had bought in for $100 and had about $85 of it in front of me when I was dealt A-8 of Clubs. Normally A-8 is not that great of a starting hand, but I was able to see a flop for only $2 and the flop hit me nicely - A-8-4 with no more clubs. I bet $12 and got only one caller, a guy with a huge stack of chips at the other end of the table. I saw this as a chance to double up my stack, especially when the turn card was another A, giving me a full house. I bet $25 and the guy at the other end stared at me, then announced "ALL IN."

I quickly called and he flopped over A-K, giving him three Aces against my full house. Then the river card came - A KING....his full house was bigger than mine and I was digging in my money clip for another buy-in.

Anyway, that was the most memorable, and costly, hand of the past few losing sessions. And I include it for the blog readers who crave the details of my pasteboard misery. Not all sessions are winners.

Helen and I did go see "Sherlock Holmes" and liked it well enough, even though it veers wildly from the traditional Holmesian tales.

Yesterday I made my first trip to the Strip in a few days. I parked at Ballys and sauntered down to the poker room, where some of the staff are starting to recognize me on sight. I was placed on a waiting list and had some time to kill, so I sat at a blackjack table and racked up $45 in profits in 20 minutes before I got called for a seat at the $1-2 game underway.

I played for about 3 hours, grinding out a profit of $82. No HUGE hands, but a couple of $30-40 pots taken down with two pair. Nothing better than a straight all day, but played really well. I stayed out of big "all in" showdowns and didn't chase inside straights or flushes.

Between the blackjack and the poker, my profit for the day was $127 - $2 better than the $125 loss I suffered on Jan. 9.

While I was playing poker, Helen spent some time talking with Anna and her friend Gail. Last night we talked with Katie, who began taking classes at NMC yesterday. She'll be going Monday through Thursday evenings. It's only 36 days before she comes to visit us in LV. We're all looking forward to that.

This morning Helen will be going to her Bible Study class at Lakes Lutheran Church and I'll run over to the Suncoast for an hour or so. I think I'll put $20 on MSU's basketball team vs. Minnesota. The Spartans are home and they rarely lose in the Breslin Center.

So, as you can see, our LV adventure continues...

Back on Line with New Laptop

2010-01-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a stressful two weeks after our old laptop died and we were left in cyber-darkness.

There's been plenty of winning and losing going on and I won't give all the details during the past two weeks, but we had a quiet Christmas that included a Dec. 25 dinner with Helen's good friend Sherri and her husband Al. Also a quiet New Year's that saw us celebrate Michigan's New Year at 9 p.m. here in LV.

Last night we got our computer and started playing with it. Also watched CMU's thrilling Bowl victory over Troy. I had a small wager on the game and got a push out of it. Today we're planning on seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie at a matinee. And I'll be hitting the local Albertson's grocery store to stock up the pantry. Not too exciting, but we'll keep everyone posted as our LV adventure continues...

Monday at MGM

2009-12-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of days since I posted an entry, so there are a few things to catch up on.

Saturday night Helen and I went to see "The Nutcracker," a production by the Las Vegas Ballet. It was performed at Paris Hotel and Casino and I enjoyed the show quite a bit. I'd give it a solid B, but I think I liked it more than Helen did. She's a real Nutcracker fan and noted that this performance varied from the more traditional version in a few ways. I didn't really notice the difference, but she did.

One interesting note, the performance was sponsored by poker pro Phil Ivey and his wife. We looked through the audience to see if Phil was there, but didn't spot him anywhere.

Also, on the way out of the theater, as we were getting Helen into her wheelchair, I managed to gouge a chunk of flesh out of my right-hand pinkie finger. I jammed it on some metal on the wheelchair and it was bleeding pretty good, so we stopped at a restroom as we left. I drove home with my right hand swathed in a couple of tissues. At the apt. we wrapped a bandaid on it and it was sore, but usable.

Also Saturday, I talked with Gordon about our Dad's situation. He'll be moving into an adult care center called Forest View, about 10 minutes from Bev's house in Lincoln Park. Seems like a smooth transition from Gordon's place in Fla to the new facility and Dad seems fine with the move. That's a big worry off my mind. Putting Dad in a facility was one of those decisions we just had to deal with.

On Sunday, we went to church early, then I headed over to the Suncoast to watch football and play bj. It was the second losing day of the trip. Between bj and fb bets, I went down $120. Got home about 5 and made us a couple of hefty salads for dinner.

This morning, Helen and I had coffee and watched the morning news before I headed to MGM to play poker. Between 10 and 3 p.m., I ground out a profit of $86, a nice turnaround from Sunday's setback. I got home about 4, picked up our mail and checked my emails. Just finished putting together a big pot of chili on the stove where it'll cook for an hour or so. Tonight we'll be relaxing and watching some TV, but tomorrow our adventure continues...

Profitable Strip Stroll

2009-12-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

Friday morning began with coffee, a bagel and an hour-long visit with our Italian friends, Tony Soprano and his family.

About 9 a.m. I hit the road to the Strip. I parked at Bill's Gambling Hall and made a football bet for my friend Terry. He likes the Cardinals -12 vs. Detroit tomorrow. I played a little blackjack at Bills, cashing out with a modest profit of $26.

Then I strolled next door to the Flamingo where I sat down at a $10 bj table and played for about an hour, racking up a profit of $50. So far in two stops, I'm up $76.

Over dozens of Las Vegas visits, I've always tried to do a few of these "hit and run" strolls down the Strip. My theory is that during any single bj session there is a point where a player is usually up, even if it's only $20 or so. If you stay longer, you often give back that minor profit. But if you take that profit, then hit the next joint, you can rack up $100 or more during several stops.

With that in mind, I wandered into Harrah's and played at a bj table for about an hour or so with two farmers from Kansas. They were still there when I cashed out with a profit of $57. That's $133 in three stops and I decided to take my profit and have lunch - an eight-piece order of wings and a diet Pepsi at WingStop inside O'Shea's.

From there it was back to Bill's where I parked the car. Now it was about 2 p.m. and I fully intended to head home with my $133. But I saw a $5 bj table beckoning me and I bought in for $40. A young couple was playing there and it was obvious they didn't know what the heck they were doing. I cringed inside and bet minimum bets of $5-$8, fearing the impact their goofy decisions would have on my cards. After about 15 minutes, I was up $23 and decided to walk.

So during the four sessions, I profited $156 - nice!

When I got home, there was an email from my brother Gordon, explaining that this weekend they will be bringing my Dad back to Michigan from Florida. Dad will be going into an adult care facility in a Detroit suburb, near my sister Bev. Dad's been falling repeatedly and needs more care than Gordon and his wife Chris are able to provide. I'm feeling sad about this, but hopefully Dad will get quality, compassionate care in this new home.

For dinner I slapped together some tasty chicken salad sandwiches, with a crunchy dill pickle and corn chips. Not fancy, but delicious.

Tonight Helen and I will be going to the Las Vegas Ballet performance of The Nutcracker at Paris Hotel and Casino. Really looking forward to this holiday masterpiece as our LV adventure continues...

Wagerless Wednesday & Profitable Thursday

2009-12-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was devoted to running some errands and just relaxing.

The morning began with hot coffee and the morning news. At 945 I took Helen to her weekly Bible study group at the Lakes Lutheran church, then returned home to check emails and read some online news web sites. After picking her up at 11:30 and returning to the apt., I made us lunch of turkey and cheese sandwiches.

Then it was off to the grocery store to pick up a few things, which turned into a major shopping trip. Got back to the apt. about 2:30 and just relaxed a while, watching TV, getting the mail and kicking back. Dinner was some hefty salads with organic greens, cucumbers, roma tomatoes, cheddar cheese and kidney beans. In the evening we watched some TV and our niece Katie called.

This morning I headed off to the Strip for some poker. I parked at Bill's Gambling Hall, then walked across to Bally's where I got in a $1-2 no-limit game. I bought in for $100 and played even for about an hour. Then I hit a real dry spell and even though I was patient, my stack dwindled down to about $45. But, as poker sometimes goes, I won a pot with Aces and 10s
and then another with three 7s. Not huge pots, but enough to get me ahead about $25.

Eventually I checked my stack and I was $10 up and decided to walk. I returned to Bill's where the car was parked and since I hadn't had lunch, opted for one of their $2 hotdogs. But first I sat at a blackjack table where I won the first 6 hands before the dealer had to shuffle. A quick count showed I was up $75, so I cashed out and went for that hotdog.

While at Bill's I got a $50 bet on the Colts for Terry and a $20 fb teaser for myself that will pay $140 if it hits - Colts over 38, Pats -1, Saints -1, Packers +8, Chargers -1 and Cardinals -6.

Total profit for the day was a hard-fought $65, pending the outcome of the fb bet.

Got home about 4p.m. and whipped up a tasty dinner of beef nachos with guacamole and sour cream. Now we're just relaxing with the Thursday night comedy shows on NBC - always a chuckle or two there. But tomorrow our adventure continues...

Bellagio Visit

2009-12-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning I started the day by writing my January casino entertainment column for the Booth newspapers. It takes about two hours to compile the concert lineup and write it.

Then I had to make a quick trip to the Suncoast to cash a fb ticket for my friend Terry, who just missed a $1,000 winner when the Az-SF game failed to total more than 44 points. Anyway he backed it up with a $150 under bet, so I needed to go get his cash.

Helen was on the phone with Anna when I left the apt around 9:30. After getting T's money, I found a blackjack table and played for about 45 minutes. It was a really nice run with several nice double downs and splits. Playing $10-20 per hand, I walked away up $240. But I wasn't the biggest winner at the table. A guy sitting at third base was playing $50 to $200 per hand and had a HUGE stack of black ($100) and green ($25) chips when I left. Hope he walked with a nice profit and didn't give it back!

I was home by 11 or so and made Helen and I a lunch of turkey, cheese and lettuce sandwiches in pita bread.

It was such a nice day - 60 and sunny - that we decided to take a ride down to the Strip. It was Helen's first visit to the Strip since we arrived in LV. She's been relaxing at home for most of the time.

We decided to check out Bellagio and its Christmas decorations. We parked in the B's parking deck and took an elevator that delivered us right outside the Conservatory, which was BEAUTIFULLY decorated with all types of floral plants. Huge reindeer were made of brown nuts (someone said pecans), while polar bears were made of white flowers (maybe carnations) and hundreds of poinsettias were stunning. Oversized Xmas packages and candy were on display, along with towering Nutcrackers. Like everything at the B, it's really impressive!!

We stayed at the B for about an hour or so, checking out the casino decorations. After walking a while, we took a break at a 25-cent blackjack machine. I put in $20 and cashed out with $20.50 - a profit of 50 Cents! That's a 2.5 percent return on my money...not outstanding, but about the same as a bank CD, I think!

After returning home, we watched a little TV and thought about dinner. We decided on lasagna (Thank You Stouffers) along with a side salad. The evening was spent with our TV friends from "The Office" - a two-hour chucklefest from 8-10 on TBS. A quiet night, but today I'm sure our adventure will continue...

Sunday at Red Rock, Monday at Suncoast

2009-12-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning began with Helen and I attending the 8 a.m. service at The Lakes Lutheran Church. Never hurts to start the day in an inspirational way.

After church, I headed over to the Red Rock to watch the NFL games, which begin at 10 a.m. out here in the Pacific Time Zone. I had 4 parlay, teaser cards and they all went down. Closest I got was a $20 parlay that would have paid $500 if I hit all 5 games. Hit four of five, losing on the Raiders +1 against the Redskins.

Meanwhile, my friend Terry has a VERY LIVE 6-team parlay ticket that will pay $1,000 if Az-SF combine for more than 44 points tonight. And it's a "Ties Win" parlay, meaning that if the total hits right on 44 (24-20, 27-17) T will collect the grand. As a backup, he had me put $150 on the under for him. But interestingly, since he got the first ticket, the total rose to 45...which means he could actually hit BOTH tickets if it falls right on that magic number of 44!!!!

This morning I went to Suncoast to get his under ticket and played some blackjack while there. I had a really nice session - cashing up $195. So I put $50 on the Cardinals -4 tonight. That means for today I'll either profit $145 or $245 -- Go Cards!!

While I was grinding out a profit at the green felt tables, Helen was on the phone with Anna and later her sister Natalie. Still cold and snowy in TC. Not at all like here where it's 58 and bright sunshine. What a great place LV is in winter!!

That's all for today, but tomorrow our adventure will surely continue...

Friday and Saturday - A Push

2009-12-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Didn't mean to fall behind in the blogging, but I need to catch up Friday and Saturday in this one entry.

Friday saw me park at Bally's then head to Planet Hollywood for some poker. I arrived around 11 a.m. and got seated at a shiny new $1-2 no limit game that was just opening. Things did not go well. I got very few good starting hands and when I did, they seemed to fall short on the turn or river. My best hand, a flush, got beaten by a higher flush. My pair of Qs got edged on the river by an Ace. Things like that. But that's poker. Anyway, I left down $140 for the day.

For those watching our diet, dinner was a Middle Eastern feast with hummus, fresh pita bread, kalamati olives, tabouli and lebne. Dessert was a fist full of Ghiradelli chocolate squares - Man, those babies are addictive!

Niece Katie called last night and it was great to catch up with her. She'll be coming out here on Feb. 18 for an open end visit. Can't wait to show her the sites.

This morning I had to stop by Wal-Mart to pick up a few items and Helen's prescription, before going down to the Monte Carlo poker room. I parked at the MC and walked to Planet Hollywood to cash a hoops ticket. The walk was made MUCH longer by the construction of City Center along the west side of the Strip. They have the sidewalk blocked, so what used to be a straight walk down the Strip is now a meandering hike up steps, across walkways, and back down steps - all outside the City Center. Man what a hassle!!!

After cashing the ticket, I returned to the MC and got a seat at a $1-2 no limit game. It was up and down from the get go. Aggressive play with only average cards enabled me to get up $60-70 early, but then a L-O-O-O-N-G dry spell saw my pile melt back to about even.

Things looked better when I glanced at my hand and found A-A looking back at me. I bet $15 and got one caller. The flop was 3-9-J of mixed suits and I tossed out $25. The guy called. The turn was a Q and I bet another $25, hoping he had something like K-Q. Anyway, he went all in for $25. He showed his Q-Q, giving him a set and my only hope was to snag one of the two remaining Aces. No luck...

I had told Helen I would be home about 5, but when the time to leave came I was down about $60, so I called and pushed back my departure by an hour. I was hoping I could hit a hand or two to at least get back to even. My plan worked perfectly when I looked down and again saw A-A looking back at me.

This time, I was REALLY aggressive. I was in late position and an early raiser bet $15 and got four callers. I had about $75 left and went ALL IN. Two guys called, one had K-K and the other had 10-10. My Aces held up and the pot was over $200. When the dust settled, I had posted a hard-earned profit of $142 - two dollars more than I had lost on Friday, LOL!

I called Helen and we decided to celebrate with a take-out dinner of sandwiches from Jason's Deli, a national chain with a store only a mile or so from our apartment. I went for the "New York Yankees" pastrami on rye, while Helen opted for the "California Club." Both are hefty sandwiches in true deli tradition.

Now we're just relaxing after dinner with a little TV, but tomorrow our adventure continues.
..

Free Show Tickets, Sort of...

2009-12-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

Thursday's adventure began on the Strip when I parked at Bally's and went to Paris to cash a sports bet (Go, Red Raiders).

While at Paris I planned to buy a couple of tickets to The Nutcracker, one of Helen's favorite Christmas traditions, which is being performed by the Las Vegas Ballet at the Paris theater. I arrived about 9:15 a.m. and the ticket booth was closed til 9:30, so I killed time at a blackjack table waiting for the booth to open.

It worked out well, since I racked up $150 in chips in about 20 minutes. I needed $130 for the tickets, so I took the money, walked and made the purchase. Free tickets, plus $20 - a good start to the day.

While there I made a $50 hoops totals bet (Syracuse & Florida over 145 - easy winner!!!) and a $100 bet for Terry on the Pistons (over 198.5 total - winner!!!)

I haven't been to Bellagio or Caesars Palace yet this trip, so I walked thru both of them to get a little exercise and to see what had changed. The B is in full-blown holiday mode with oversized presents and candies decorating the place. It's beautiful as usual.

CP looked the same, though a bit too quiet. I walked through the Forum Shops and exited near the Mirage, where I went in to check out a new eatery, BB Kings BBQ. It looks bluesy and since it was almost 11 a.m. I had some brunch there - three pancakes and bacon, plus coffee for $18, including tip. A bit pricey for flapjacks.

Then I crossed the street to Harrah's where I sat in at a bj table and quickly lost $100. Tried another table and things went better - I won $205. That was all the cards for the day. Walking back to the car, I stopped at Ghiradelli's to buy Helen some chocolates and at Bill's Gambling Hall where I made a $25 parlay bet on the Steelers-Browns game. They have a promotion going where you get a Free t-shirt if you make a $25 fb bet, so I did get a shirt, though the bet lost when the teams couldn't score over 33 points.

So far the day I won $125 in blackjack, plus $25 on the sports bets. Not bad.

When I got home, Helen was really surprised by the chocolates and show tickets. Dinner was a couple of hefty salads that I crafted out of organic baby greens, roma tomatoes, black beans, salsa and grated cheddar, We're looking forward to seeing the Nutcracker on Saturday, Dec. 19. Hitting the Vegas Strip on a Saturday night will be BIG fun as our adventure continues...

Wagerless Wednesday

2009-12-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was devoted to running some errands with Helen and just taking a break from my winning streak.

After breakfast I took Helen to her Wednesday morning bible study group that meets from 10-1130 am each week. I dropped her off, then returned to the apartment to catch up on emails and relax. About 11 I went to our storage unit to let the manager know we are turning over our unit. They're friendly people there and we'll probably use them again when we pack up in late April.

Then I picked Helen up, returned to the apartment and fixed us a lunch of turkey, cheese and lettuce sandwiches on pita bread. A crunchy dill pickle served as a tasty garnish.

Then it was off to Wal-Mart where Helen had a long list of things she wanted to pick up, including a prescription. The pharmacy was such a huge frustrating hassle. We dropped off the prescription as soon as we arrived and the clerk said it would take 45 minutes to fill. Fine, we were shopping anyway.

While we were at the pharmacy, I got a phone call from my friend Terry who was interested in getting a bet down on the Red Wings game to go over the total of 5 goals. Lucky for him I wasn't heading to a casino, since it was a 1-0 game.

After 45 minutes we had picked up all our items and returned to the pharmacy where we were told there was a problem with the insurance. After 15 minutes of waiting there, we were told the insurance was fine, but now they didn't have a large enough supply of the drug to fill the prescription. What kind of pharmacy doesn't keep enough meds to fill a routine prescription?

I don't know what's more inefficient, the Wal-Mart pharmacy or the LV Post Offices. Both are TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, the pharmacy gave Helen a partial fill to last 3 days and asked us to come back late today or Friday to pick up the rest. I'll wait til Friday, maybe even Saturday, to get the remainder. We headed home and watched some TV, then I whipped up a dinner of spaghetti and a hefty side salad.

Today I plan to head to the Strip and see if my streak (7 straight winning days) will continue...

Poker Turns Ugly

2009-12-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning found me heading out to mail a package full of shoes to Katie in Traverse City.

The post offices in LV are easily the worst operated facilities I have ever had the displeasure to use. EVERY single time I've been there it's been long lines, literally out the door. They manage to achieve this ineptitude by opening only 1 or 2 windows when there are 6 other windows that remain unstaffed. When I arrived, about 930, I counted the folks ahead of me and I was 26th in line. Some 35 minutes later I finally got to the window, mailed the package and bought Christmas stamps.

Then I was off to the Excalibur to try their poker room. Since I was last there in May, the Excalibur converted their poker tables from all electronic to having live dealers. I read on one poker website that the players there were typically beginners, so I was eager to fish in that pond.

Unfortunately, I had nothing but bad fortune this trip. My best hand, an A-high Flush, was beaten on the river by a guy who hit a king to give him a full house, one of only two outs he had to win the hefty pot. When I did get a good hand, A-A, no one would play so I won a tiny pot. What a waste of good cards. When the smoke settled, I was down $170 and took a walk after about two hours of getting bruised hand after hand.

I consoled myself at a blackjack table and squeeked out a $30 win, leaving me still down $140. It was about 1:30 and I decided to go to Bally's and check out the poker scene there. It was busy and there were three names ahead of me on the $1-2 list, so I signed up and waddled over to a bj table to kill time.

It turned out to be a good move. I won 4 of the first 5 hands and was quickly up $50 or so. Eventually I built that up to $270 and decided to walk after recovering all I lost at Excalibur and leaving with a profit of $130.

Texas Tech was playing TCU in hoops, so I walked to the Paris sports book and put $20 on the Red Raiders -2.5. They won 80-70, leaving me with a hard-earned profit of $150 for the day.

When I got home about 4 p.m., Helen was watching TV. I got some spaghetti sauce going on the stove with roma tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was a tasty, filling dinner to top off my comeback. Later we watched reruns of "The Office" (still funny) and wound down with a cheese and crackers snack. Pretty exciting LV lifestyle, huh? But today our adventure continues...

Monte Carlo Monday

2009-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

On Monday I visited the poker room at the Monte Carlo, one of the nicest rooms on the Strip. It's done in tones of brown and beige, with comfortable chairs and nice tables that seat 9 players. Some poker tables seat 10, which is a little too crowded for my taste.

Anyway, I waited about 20 minutes, killing time on a 100-play 1-cent poker machine that my friend Terry and I played last year (cashed out 12 cents up), until they got a $1-2 no limit game going with 6 players. Soon the table filled up. I was lucky enough to win a couple of small pots early, getting up about $50 after 15 minutes. It was a portent of things to come.

This turned out to be one of the best (luckiest) poker runs I have ever had. Over the next four hours, I had A-K six times, K-K twice, Q-Q once and several other pairs. After about 90 minutes, I was up about $325 when the BIG hand of the day developed.

I was dealt Q-J of hearts and called the $2 blind. There were 6 of us who saw the flop of A-K-10 of mixed suits. I had flopped an A-10 straight, called Broadway!! The first player, a 60-ish local wearing an Orleans jacket and a Mandalay Bay ball cap, bet $25, causing four others to fold around to me. I called his $25, thinking that a raise might scare him away. The turn card was a 7 and the first guy bet $50. Again I called. The river was a 4.

There were no flush possibilities and I knew I had the highest straight, so it was just a matter of trying to get the most cash out of my opponent. He aggressively shoved out $100 and I (fake) thought about it, all the while giggling inside. I hemmed and hawed and raised him to $200. He didn't have the other $100, but went all in for about $70. I showed the straight and he flung his pocket 10s into the middle of the table.

He had flopped a set and was behind from the start!!

He didn't rebuy and stormed away muttering.

That hand put me up about $650 and I was rolling. The whole table was very reluctant to get into big hands with me. I lost a few small hands, then cashed out at 3 p.m. with a profit of $625 - my best poker day of the trip and one of the best in the past two years.

Before heading home I had a slice of pizza and a drink at Sbarro's in the MC food court. I called Helen to share the good news. Leaving the Strip was tedious. Rain and heavy traffic slowed my trip home and along the way I stopped at the Middle Eastern Market for fresh pita bread, hummus, tabouli and lebne. It's one of Helen's favorite dinners and one we have at least once a week.

The evening was relaxing, just watching TV and catching up on emails. Today I have a couple of errands to take care of - a trip to the dreaded LV post office to mail shoes to Katie and gassing/washing the car. Probably play somewhere today too as our LV adventure continues...

Suncoast Pays The Most

2009-12-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning began with Helen and I attending the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran church, just three miles or so from our apartment. It was great to see several of our friends there and they warmly welcomed us back.

By 9:15 we were back home where I whipped up a breakfast of scrambled eggs with sauteed onions and mushrooms, topped with melted cheddar. It was pretty tasty and a nice way to start our Sunday.

About 10:15, Helen got a call from her longtime friend Pat who lives in Italy. I could tell they had a lot of catching up to do and I was interested in watching football, so I slipped over to the Suncoast to catch the games. I had a live $10 teaser ticket that would pay $100 if it hit. I had no real interest in the early games and really hoped to get a seat at a $1-2 no limit game in the Suncoast poker room. But there was a tourney underway, so I headed to the blackjack pit and grabbed a seat there.

The game was double-deck pitch and it began slowly, with a win-lose-lose sort of stuttering start. Then things picked up and I was suddenly up $50 or so. One big hand happened when I bet $20 and caught a pair of 8s vs. the dealer's 5. Had to split the pair and snagged another 8. So I shoved another $20 out there for a total of $60. After the dust settled on my side, I had two 19s and a 14. Dealer had 10 in the hole and slapped a 7 on top for a 22- BUST.

That $60 win really got things going and after about two hours I was up almost $200. Then things turned bad again and I dropped about $40. But in true BJ fashion, the next shoe (or fist, since the dealer was dealing two decks from her hand) was profitable and when it was over I was up $220. It's my 5th straight winning day and the LARGEST of the trip, so far!

I decided to quit there, look for some lunch and check the fb scores.

Over in the sports book they had a mini buffet of $1 hot dogs and $1 pulled pork sandwiches. I opted for the pulled pork and it was huge and tasty! The best $1 lunch I've had in a LONG time!! The sports book was buzzing. Anyone who's been in a Vegas book during NFL Sunday will know how electric the atmosphere can be with cheering erupting on every play. I was lucky to snag a seat and watch the late games, including the Dallas-Giants game. I had Dallas +2 in my teaser and felt good when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Then they fell apart and lost to the New Yawkers, who had lost their last 5 games...aaaargh!

Headed home after that debacle where Helen was online when I arrived. For dinner I made her a hefty salad and I opted for some of the leftover BBQ we enjoyed the night before. Ribs and chicken filled me up and there are still a couple of ribs left for munching on tonight. We'll definitely be hitting Famous Dave's BBQ when Katie arrives in February. She loves BBQ and I'm pretty sure she'll love this place.

We watched some TV, Lord of the Rings, then went to bed tired but happy. That chip cashing can really wear ya out!

Early morning weather reports warn that SNOW IS POSSIBLE today! Maybe an inch or so in the LV Valley. One noted that the last snow in LV fell a year ago yesterday. We remember it well - the locals went sort of whacky with lots of fender benders and kids making snow angels in a half-inch of white stuff. Out here they think 40 degrees is C-O-O-O-O-L-D!!!

Today I'm thinking of hitting the strip for some more poker. Maybe Planet Hollywood again or the Monte Carlo or Venetian. Each has its good/bad points. PH has newbie players, but is usually busy with tourneys. The Monte Carlo is quiet and comfortable, but often filled with tight-playing old geezer locals. The Venetian has plenty of games and comfortable tables/chairs, but also has some of the toughest players in town. Where to go, where to go?

Tune in later to see what happens in our LV adventure...

Planet Pokerwood

2009-12-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's poker session took place at Planet Hollywood, which was buzzing with cowboys in town for the National Finals Rodeo.

I drove to Bally's and parked, then hiked through Paris to the PH where I had not played poker in a few years since they relocated the poker room. A few years back the PH management moved the poker room from its own private area to the center of the casino where it's not really a room, but a roped off area with passersby all around.

Anyway, after about a 15-minute wait I got a seat at a $1-2 no limit table. It was kind of interesting because MOST of the players were VERY inexperienced.

In fact, while I was waiting a guy approached the room manager and asked about games. The manager said they had a $1-2 no limit game going and the guy asked what the 1-2 meant. The manager explained that was the size of the blinds and I was SHOCKED that this guy didn't understand what 1-2 meant and yet he was willing to play in a Vegas poker room. Unfortunately this guy didn't get a seat at my table...

After playing for about 15 minutes I could tell who the good players at my table were. There were only 3 of us who seemed to be experienced players. Within an hour I was up about $75 with no huge hands, just collecting several $15-30 pots. One BIG hand pushed me way up. Here's how it unfolded:

I was dealt J-9 of Hearts and called the $2 ante. The flop came 10h-As-8h, giving me a STRAIGHT FLUSH draw, plus a straight draw. One guy bet $15, another called and I called, leaving 3 of us in the hand. The turn card was a 7c, giving me the J-7 straight.

The first bettor, who I figured had an Ace, tossed in $25, the 2nd guy called and I quickly raised it to $75. The first guy called and the 2nd guy folded. I showed the straight and the first guy showed his A-10, a losing two pair. That healthy pot put me up about $175.

My friend Terry called and wanted some six team parlays - in fb, hockey and hoops. They both went down. As of this morning, he still has a 6-team nfl ticket that would pay $1,000 if it hits. I have a $10 fb teaser ticket from two days ago that will pay me $100. I need Titans +13, Minn ovr 43 and Cowboys +2.

Terry and Gary are thinking of coming out next month. That's always fun when they hit town!

No other big poker highlights and I was never able to get up over $200, eventually walking with a profit of $144.

To celebrate our win, I stopped at a Famous Dave's BBQ place and got a sampler platter that Helen and I really enjoyed. It was loaded with ribs, chicken, pulled pork, beans, slaw, potatoes and muffins. Will be munching on the leftovers today while watching some football as our LV adventure continues...

Poker at MGM Grand

2009-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

The morning began with hot coffee, toast and a look at the Record-Eagle web site to see the snow hitting the Traverse City area. Here the Las Vegas locals are complaining how cold it is - highs only in the 50s, brrrrrr.

But I was determined to spend much of the day indoors at the MGM Grand poker room. I arrived about 9:30 a.m. and quickly got a seat at a $1-2 No Limit table. It was a pretty tight table with few raises and fewer big pots. I won the third hand I played and was up about $30 early. Then I lost a few hands, leaking chips when I'd miss the flop.

But one big hand helped. I was dealt A-5 offsuit and called the $2 blind. The flop came K-2-3 in mixed suits. A Cowboy in a black hat bet $10 and got three callers, including me. The National Finals Rodeo is in town and the place is crawling with ol' boys in Stetsons and sporting belt buckles the size of hubcaps. The turn card was a 4, giving me a straight A-5, called a Wheel.

The Cowboy bet $25 and the other two players folded. I raised him to $75, hoping he had a pair of Kings or maybe two pair. I knew by his early raise that it was unlikely he was holding 5-6 which would have given him a bigger straight. He called my raise and the river card came - a 10 which didn't seem to help him.

He bet $50 and I went all in - about $80 worth. He called and nearly spewed his Coors when I showed him the Wheel. He mucked his cards without showing, so I guessed he had Kings or maybe two pair. It was a sweet pot and the highlight of my day. I played a while longer, then had a chicken salad sandwich for lunch and left about 3 p.m. up $125.

On the way home I picked up our mail and it was ALL for Helen. She got a beautiful birthday card from Anna and a couple of books from our niece Katie. Helen was really touched by both Anna's card and Katie's thoughtful gift.

Tonight we celebrated my poker success with takeout from the Cheesecake Factory - Helen's favorite BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and I opted for a 10-piece order of their hot wings.

Now we're watching CMU play Ohio U for the MAC Championship - go Chips!!! I have CMU in a $10 7-team teaser bet that will pay me $100 when it wins. While I'm monitoring the game, Helen is on the phone thanking Katie for the books she got today. All is right with our world!

Sports Future Bets

2009-12-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested in long-term sports wagers, here's some info I picked up from Bill's Gambling Hall yesterday. Bill's is a Harrah's property and offers the same lines as found at Caesar's Palace, Bally's, Paris, Flamingo and Harrah's.

SuperBowl
Colts 5-2, Saints and Vikings 3-1, Patriots 7-2, Chargers 8-1, Bengals 12-1, last year's SB participants Steelers and Cardinals 15-1. LIONS, Browns, Bucs and Rams are already off the board - eliminated. Longest current odds are Bears, Redskins, Chiefs, Raiders, Bills and Seahawaks at 999-1. Biggest drop from preseason - Carolina 10-1 early is now at 500-1.

NBA Championship
Lakers 6-5, Celtics and Cavs 3-1, Magic 6-1, Suns and Trailblazers 10-1, PISTONS 70-1.

NHL Stanley Cup
Penguins 7-2, Sharks and Blackhawks 4-1, RED WINGS and Capitals 6-1, Bruins, Flyers and Avalanche 12-1.

March Madness
Kansas 9-5, Kentucky 6-1, Texas 8-1, North Carolina 10-1, MSU and Syracuse 12-1, Duke and Villanova 15-1. Some perennial powerhouse hoops teams are getting big numbers - Georgetown 20-1, UConn 25-1, Wake Forest 35-1, UCLA and Memphis 50-1, MICHIGAN, Gonzaga and UNLV 75-1. Longest shots in the list are BYU and Nevada 200-1.

Strippin' Day

2009-12-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today I made my first trip to the Strip and while it was not magical, it was slightly profitable.

I parked the Vue at Bally's about 9:30 am and checked out the poker room and blackjack action. There was slow, with only one $1-2 No Limit poker game in action, but there were 3 names ahead of me on the waiting list, so I didn't hang around.

I wandered across Flamingo Ave. through Bills Gambling Hall, where I bought two $20 football tickets. One is a 3-team parlay of Bills +3.5, Florida -5.5 and Vikings -2.5. That will pay $120 when it hits. The other is a 6-team Super Teaser with Bills +9, Buff-Jets under 41, Texas -8, Saints -4, Vikings +4 and Patriots Pick Em. That one will pay $140.

After getting the ticket, I continues past the Flamingo and down to the Imperial Palace. There I got a seat at a $1-2 No Limit game and about even played for two hours or so. No big hands, just taking down small pots and waiting for good cards that never came.

Then I got a call from Helen who was having trouble ordering something online. Seems like a web site was rejecting our credit card and she wondered what the problem was. I knew there was no problem with the card and that a payment wasn't even due for another week or more. Anyway, she was upset and I was baffled about why our credit card was an issue, so I left the game and decided to head home.

But as I reached the car, I checked my phone and there was a message from Helen saying that she ordered the item by phone and that there was REALLY nothing wrong with the credit card. After getting that message, I returned to Bally's poker room where I grabbed a seat in a $3-6 limit game. I don' t really like limit poker as much as no limit, but I took the seat and in the next hour or so I won $45 before leaving.

So far I'm up $181 in two days of poker and blackjack.

On the way home I stopped at the post office and picked up a package. Niece Katie ordered some shoes about a month ago using our address and they finally arrived here in Las Vegas. Now we'll have to ship them back to her. We called her tonight to tell her about the shoes. She's getting her house cleaning business going and will be working on a client's house tomorrow morning. Katie is a hard worker and we're doing what we can to help her get this business launched.

Dinner tonight was another Middle Eastern food feast with hummus, tabouli, lebne, black olives and pita bread. Tasty and no cooking for me, since I was worn out from a long day of poker. But tonight we'll get a good night's rest and continue our adventures tomorrow...

How Do They Stay in Business?

2009-12-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today I made my first gaming foray into the green felt jungle that is Las Vegas. About 9 a.m. I rolled into the Red Rock Casino to cash a sports bet that Nick Edson and I teamed up on last spring. We bet $50 each that the Detroit Tigers would win more than 80.5 games in 2009. The $100 ticket paid $174 for $87 each. That's our $50 back + $37 profit.

After getting the cash, I sat down at a $10 blackjack table and stayed for about 4 hours, eventually walking away $60 up. I also visited the poker room and picked up a couple of poker magazines to read when I had a pastrami and swiss sandwich at the food court.

Then I rolled over to visit the Suncoast, the other casino near our apt. This was a nice session, since I won the first three or four hands and was up all the way. At one time I was up just over $100, but settled for a $76 profit when it was time to head home at 5 p.m.

While I was sweating out the card games, Helen was working hard at the apt. emptying suitcases and getting the place in order. It's always surprising how much it takes to get the place organized. For dinner I built us a couple of hefty chicken salad sandwiches, with a side order of feta-olive salad and a crunchy dill pickle. Now we're just kicking back watching some TV, catching up on emails and relaxing. But tomorrow our adventure continues...

Early Morning Update

2009-12-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

Just to add a few notes after yesterday's entry:
Our road trip had a few interesting aspects to it. On the drive from Katy to LV, we spent most of the first day driving through rain - sometimes a pounding, splashing deluge - across much of Texas and New Mexico. The second day, from NM to NEV was beautiful, sunny and 60s. The clear weather and light traffic made it easy to roll into town about 3 hours before I had planned, but that was great.

Yesterday's move-in was tiring but had some fun aspects. The moving guy, Mike Lynch, is a friendly, talkative guy and we have a few things in common - Mike's an avid Raiders fan - and we spent 30 minutes or more trying to analyze the Silver & Black problems. In April, just after the NFL draft (and another Raiders bad pick) Mike and his team will move our stuff from the apt. to the storage unit.

Today I'll be making my first trip to the Strip to see if the casinos there are still implementing their policy of giving FREE MONEY away to visitors. Otherwise I'll be forced to sit at a poker table and take the cash from strangers. Oh well...Check back tonight for an update on my gaming fortunes.

A Long Trip, But We Made It

2009-12-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

This year's journey to Las Vegas included a stop at Anna's in Katy, a suburb of Houston, for Thanksgiving. Helen and I arrived on Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday when we hit the road to LV about 5:30 a.m.

Our route took us across Texas (a 10-hour trip) and into New Mexico where we spent the night in Lordsburg at a Comfort Inn. We usually have been staying at Holiday Inn Express in our journeys, but this Comfort Inn was MUCH nicer and cost about $30 a night less than the HIEs that we've been at. We were up and on the road by about 5:30 on Monday. We drove into Arizona, through Phoenix and north toward Nevada. Along the way we passed about a dozen horse trailers heading north. I wondered where they were all headed, then Helen noted they were probably going to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Sure enough, we rolled right across Hoover Dam just ahead of the horses and arrived in LV about 2 p.m. We got our keys and I unloaded our luggage, then headed to our storage unit where I picked up our futon mattress, the TV and a few other items so we could comfortably crash in our apt.

At 7 a.m. today, I met our moving guy at the storage unit and by 10 a.m. they had moved all our belongings into our place. We began unpacking and storing things, then I headed to the grocery store to stock up to the tune of $210. I still forgot a few things and will run out in a little while to get dishwasher soap and who-knows-what.

Today is Helen's birthday, but she says she doesn't feel like going to dinner tonight. We're both tired, but we'll do that later. We'll relax at home tonight, but you can be sure that our Vegas Adventure continues...

Catching Up After a Busy Week

2009-04-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since I sat down to blog and feel there's been a lot to catch up on.

As our time winds down here in Las Vegas, we've had to get busy getting the taxes done and preparing to store our furniture and get packed for the long road trip back to Traverse City. But there's still been time for some fun.

Yesterday morning I went to the Suncoast Casino for the first time in a few days. I immediately ground out a $47 profit at blackjack and took a little break. I found a "Wizard of Oz" slot machine that had been recommended by Helen's hair stylist and I shoved a $20 into the slot. It's a penny machine, so I had 2000 credits. But playing "the max" cost $1.25 so in about 10 minutes my $20 was gone.

So I headed back to the blackjack pit and found a table with only one other player. It didn't take long to rack up a profit of $81 so I took the money and ran. A profit of $108 for the day.

Then I headed to a storage facility and reserved a 10x10 unit to store our furniture, bathroom items, kitchen stuff and more. After checking out 3 or 4 facilities, it looks like the standard cost for this size unit is about $100. This place offers one for $99, with a $10 discount for the first three months. It's a month-to-month lease and we'll be getting billed at the TC address.

After securing the unit, I called a mover to help move our items on Monday, April 27. He made us his first customers of the day and said he'd have his two-man crew here at 7:30 a.m. There's really not too much furniture, so I hope we can get everything out of here in two hours, especially since they charge $85 an hour.

For dinner last night we met up with Meghan and Eric Daigh, two of our Traverse City friends who arrived in town Monday. Meghan surprised Eric with the trip for his birthday, which was last weekend. They are staying at the Flamingo and Helen and I met them for drinks and dinner at 6:30 p.m. at Margaritaville. We had a great time talking and eating. Meghan and Eric had turkey burgers, while Helen enjoyed a taco salad and I had a delicious caribbean chicken salad.

After dinner we all walked over to Bellagio to check out the Chihully blown glass in the lobby area. It was a cold, windy walk from the Flamingo to the Bellagio. This was Eric and Meghan's first visit to the Bellagio and they really seemed impressed by the place. The Chihully glass features hundreds of colorful glass flowers hanging on the ceiling of the lobby check-in area. It's really impressive! In addition to viewing the lobby area, we walked to the hotel's conservancy area where they have hundreds and hundreds of fragrant spring flowers and flowing fountains. It was really beautiful and we enjoyed our time there.

Then we headed back toward the Flamingo. Helen and I headed to the car, which was parked at Bill's Gambling Hall, while Eric and Meghan went on to enjoy the evening. Like a lot of Vegas visitors, they had a lot they wanted to see and do, including visits to the Stratosphere, the Venetian, Palazzo, Hoover Dam and maybe Red Rock Canyon. I hope they continue to enjoy their visit.

This morning I wrote my May casino entertainment column for the Booth newspapers and sent it to them. It's one of the few writing assignments I've been working on this winter. When we get back to TC I need to crank up the freelance work and start stashing money away for next winter's trip.

Tomorrow night I'll be playing in a free blackjack tournament at the Suncoast. I heard from one pit boss that they may have up to 500 people playing in this event that features a top prize of $3,500. I'm not sure how many other prizes they offer, but it'll be fun to participate and the price is right.

On Friday, Helen is heading to California to spend a week with her brother Norm, his wife Lorraine and their children. I'll drive Helen to Baker, CA and Lorraine will meet us there for lunch and take Helen back to their home in Thousand Oaks. Then I'll head back to LV and get ready for some time with my buddy Terry who arrives from Detroit early on Sunday. We'll have plenty of fun playing cards, betting sports and just hanging out. He'll be here until Thursday.

So as you can see, it's been a busy week for us. But I'm sure our adventures will continue...

Tax Time Again?

2009-04-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

Our time is winding down here in Las Vegas and Helen attended one of her last Bible Study classes this morning.

The day began with coffee, morning TV news and a brief visit with those New Jersey entrepreneurs of Soprano Incorporated. By 9:30 or so it was time to take Helen to the church. I hurried back to our apartment where I undertook that most irritating annual chore - doing our taxes. Since we always end up writing a check to the IRS, I never file our taxes early.

It took me about an hour to do the taxes and by then it was time to pick Helen up. She wanted to pick up a few things at Wal-Mart, so we headed there for some birthday cards and other items. She also had a prescription filled. Then it was back to the apartment where I whipped up some chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.

I made a quick trip to the library to return some books that were due today. It's our last visit to the library for this trip, since we'll be leaving in about 3 weeks and won't have much time for reading during that time.

No visit to a casino today. Yesterday's 4-team baseball parlay didn't turn out too well. Out of the 4 teams, three of them were losers (nice pickin' huh?). Maybe tomorrow I'll get back into the action.

I'm getting ready to prepare dinner - feta cheese omelettes along with hashbrowns with onions and peppers. Then we'll watch some TV and catch up on emails and facebook. But tomorrow our adventure will continue...

Go Tigers--and Giants, Cubs, D-Backs & Dodgers!!

2009-04-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

We're trying to recover from Monday's grim evening when the Tigers and Michigan State both embarrassed themselves.

Helen and I went down to the Venetian sports book about 3 p.m. yesterday to get a bet in on the Tigers, who started playing at 4:15 p.m. Vegas time. I decided to bet $20 on "over 7.5 runs" instead of picking a side and that turned out to be a winner. Unfortunately we also took MSU for $20 and that was a loser, so it was pretty much a wash on the sports bets.

We had a great time at the Venetian. It was Helen's first long-term (about 4.5 hours) exposure to the sports book atmosphere. Late in the MSU game, we gave it up and went to find something to eat. We settled on an Italian place in the Venetian's very nice (and pricey) food court - Italian sub sandwich for me and a grilled chicken wrap for Helen, along with two diet Pepsis for $25.

Then we strolled out the front side of the Venetian just in time for the 9 p.m. Volcano eruption across Las Vegas Blvd. at the Mirage. It was fiery and drew a big crowd along the sidewalk. We stayed near the Venetian and had a good, though distant, view of the spectacle. About 9:15 the show was over and we made our way back to the car and drove the 8 miles back to our apartment.

This morning began with coffee and an hour of visiting with Tony Soprano and his associates. At 10 a.m. I left to check out a storage unit that we'll be using for our furniture. It's about 4 miles from the apartment and we'll need a 10x10 foot unit to stash our items. Turns out to be $99 a month, with the second month free. I took an application and will return it to them in the next week or 10 days.

Then I went over to the Suncoast to try and win the first month's rent for the storage unit....no such luck. After about two hours, I was up $50 and decided to take the profit and invest it in two baseball bets - $30 on the Tigers to win and a $20 four-team parlay on the Giants, Cubs, D-Backs and Dodgers. If the parlay hits, it will pay $191 - or about two month's rent!

While I was gone, Helen finished the second nightgown for our granddaughter Katherine. One is for her birthday and the other is just because... Anyway, Helen's been working on them for weeks and is really glad to be finished. She does great work with that sewing machine of hers!
She also talked with Norman's wife Lorraine about spending time with them in Thousand Oaks. It looks like Helen will be going there sometime next week - either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday - for about a week.

Now, I'm getting ready to whip up a no-fuss, no-muss dinner - chicken salad sandwiches. Helen is going to do some searching online and we'll be watching some TV tonight. But tomorrow, our adventure continues...

Strollin' The Strip

2009-04-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Friday morning began with a few cups of hot coffee and the TV news.

Then about 9:30 a.m. I headed over to the apartment management office to pay the April rent. It's a little sad because it's the last monthly check I'll write for these folks until December when we return. I asked if they had any suggestions about having someone move our furniture and to locate a storage unit and they helped with both our needs. I'll be checking out their recommendations in the next week or so.

After taking care of that errand, I headed to the Strip to see if anyone was giving away money. Luckily they were. I parked at Bill's Gambling Hall and played at a $5 blackjack table, grinding out a $50 profit in about 30-40 minutes. Then I walked north, through the Flamingo and into O'Shea's where I again played at a $5 table. This time I was able to pile up a $55 profit in about an hour.

I was up just over $100 and it wasn't even noon yet! So I checked out the Imperial Palace and played there for about 20 minutes, dropping $60. Not good. Leaving the IP, I walked all the way to Bally's to have lunch - a chicken salad on rye - a favorite. I didn't like losing the money at the IP and tried to get it back at Bally's with no luck. I dropped another $25, leaving me only $20 up.

The day had started so promising and now it was slipping away. But I was determined to give Bill's another try. So I headed back there and found a $5 table. It was up and down for about 30 minutes and I netted $40. I switched tables, bought in for $50 and again hit a hot streak that enabled me to double my buy-in. I decided to quit and tally up my profits. When the dust settled, I had $110 more than I started the day with, including lunch...

While I was strolling along the Strip, Helen did some online work and made some phone calls to Bay Home Medical to ask about her wheelchair and static electricity. She also watched some TV and just relaxed a bit.

Dinner was another huge helping of the Italian sausage, grilled red peppers and rice. It was filling and tasty! Now we're just relaxing, watching TV and catching up on some emailing and Facebook. But tomorrow is another day and I'm sure our adventure will continue...

If It's Thursday, We're at Margaritaville

2009-04-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

There's a newly-opened casino in Las Vegas, M, and today we set out to visit it.

So after a few cups of coffee and spending an hour with those zany Italian friends of Tony Soprano, Helen and I hit the road at 11 in search of this new resort. While we could have hopped on a freeway and gotten there sooner, I took the scenic route - Flamingo to the Strip, then south several miles to the M.

We scored the last handicapped parking spot and soon I was rolling Helen into the entrance marked "Casino." Her wheelchair has a problem of generating static electricity and transferring that energy to anyone doing the pushing through a series of nasty little sparks and shocks. Usually they are intermittent shocks and not too bad, but for some reason the M floor left me jolted every three or four steps! Owwww!!!

Anyway, after walking quite a ways through the resort, we found a series of escalators that take you to the 2nd floor casino. No good. No elevator. So we continued through the resort and finally found an elevator to take us to the 2nd floor - but it was shut for maintenance! The place has been open less than a month and already the elevator needs maintenance???

We decided to leave and headed out an exit, hoping to avoid the "shocking" process of retracing our steps through the resort. It was a circuitous route that took us by the pool and finally out to a street area which was blocked by two large concrete blocks. Rather than turn around and try to find our way through the maze of a resort, Helen got out of her chair and stood against one of the concrete blocks. I lifted the chair around the block, then Helen got re-seated and soon we were back in our car heading toward the Strip.

After that frustrating trip, we decided to have lunch at Margaritaville to cool off and fuel up. I parked the Vue at Bill's Gambling Hall and we rolled through the 78-degree fresh air over to the Flamingo where Margaritaville is located. We were both hungry and shared a HUGE portion of Volcano Chicken Nachos....ooooh tasty!!!

Then we drove home and relaxed for a while. We're both still pretty full from our lunch and dinner will probably be some salads...if we get hungry at all. Now we're watching some TV and catching up on some emails and Facebook. A quiet night in Las Vegas, but tomorrow our adventure will continue...

April Fools - On the Casinos, not me!

2009-04-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Our morning began with a few cups of coffee, the TV news and catching up on some emails and Facebook.

Wednesdays in Las Vegas have a certain rhythm to them. Helen has Bible Study at 10 a.m., so we relax until around 9:30, then head over to the church, arriving around 9:45. She goes to her class and I head over to the Suncoast for an hour or so until I return to the church to pick her up about 11:30. Today followed that familiar pattern.

When I got to the Suncoast, it was quiet with only a few blackjack tables going. I sat down at a $5 table and began to play. I made only $5 bets until I saw how things were going. It was up and down for the first 20-30 minutes. There were four of us at the table and NONE of us hit a blackjack during that time! We all commented on how rough it was, but as I checked my stack I was up $20, so not too bad despite the lack of Aces & Faces. Eventually I ground out a profit of $35 before I had to leave to pick up Helen.

Then we headed home where I fixed her a lunch of Middle Eastern fare - pita bread, hummus, Kalamata olives and Greek feta cheese. I went for a turkey on pita bread. Then Helen settled in to watch "Desperate Housewives" and sent me off to the Red Rock to see if they were giving away any money there. They were.

I played a little blackjack and a little video poker, eventually walking out with a profit of $53.

In addition, I bought a $100 ticket that my friend Nick and I will cash for $174 if the Tigers win more than 80.5 games this season. If they can just be a .500 club at 81-81 we'll be winners! Go Tigers!!!!! The only drawback is that we won't know if we've won til probably mid to late September...

It was a beautiful day today...70s and sunny with a beautiful blue sky....hard to imagine heading home to cold and snow. PLEASE get rid of that white stuff sometime during the next four weeks.

For dinner tonight I whipped up one of my new favorites - grilled Italian sausage and sauteed mushrooms and grilled red peppers over rice. Really flavorful and filling. I made a HUGE amount, so we'll probably hit it again tomorrow...

Now Helen is reading and I'm just catching up on some online bills and checking Facebook. A quiet night in the city of Neon and Free Drinks, but tomorrow our adventure continues...

A Little Here, A Little There - It's All Good

2009-03-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

This morning began with a quick trip to the local grocery store, Albertson's, for fresh fruit, flavored waters, salad fixings, napkins, paper towels and a bunch of other stuff. By 9:30 I was back home and visiting with the Original Jersey Boys, Tony Soprano and his associates.

At 10 a.m., Helen encouraged me to hit the Strip and rebound from yesterday's losing session. I really was reluctant, since I didn't want to lose again. But Helen's confidence in me made the difference. I made the 8-mile drive to the Strip and parked at Bill's Gambling Hall. My plan was to play very conservatively - $5 bets until I felt a winning streak under way. That worked immediately. I played at Bill's for about 30 minutes and walked away $76 up. A great way to start the trip!

I considered not playing any more, but it was not even noon yet and Helen didn't expect me home until 5 p.m. So I walked down to the Imperial Palace where I immediately lost $40.

My next stop was O'Shea's where I bought in for $60 and played for about 3 hours at a $5 table and went up and down, up and down. Players came and went and I hung in there. One group of players was a group of students from the University of Delaware - Blue Hens - on Spring Break.
Another guy in a cowboy hat and boots was a rancher from Calgary, Alberta. He said people saw his hat and immediately thought he was from Texas. He set 'em straight.

Eventually, I cashed out for $104 - a profit of $44 - and it was time to head home. So for the day, my profit was $76-40+44 = $80. A nice rebound from yesterday.

On the way home, I stopped by the Middle Eastern Market and picked up fresh pita bread, hummus, Greek feta cheese and Kalamata Olives. That made a tasty, no-muss-no-fuss dinner.
While I was gone, Helen did some emailing, watched TV and continued reading her mystery book.

She's still reading now, while I get this blog posted. Tomorrow is another day in Vegas, Baby, and I'm sure our adventure will continue...

A Temporary Setback

2009-03-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes when I started out today. After all, I had two winning hoops tickets to cash (totalling $107.70) and thought it might be a good day to win at either poker or blackjack.

My first stop was the Suncoast where I had a 6-team teaser ticket worth $60. I cashed the ticket, then drove to Bally's where I parked and walked down to the Paris sports book to cash in a $47.70 ticket from MSU's win over Kansas. Then I headed into Bally's to check out the poker action. Things there were dead, so I played a little blackjack - losing $50.

So I walked over the Bill's Gambling Hall, but didn't play there. I walked down the Strip, checking the poker action at both Flamingo and Imperial Palace. Nothing looked good, so I settled in at Harrah's for some blackjack. I played at 2 different tables, losing $60 in the process. Then I realized I had left my cellphone in the car, so I hiked all the way back to Bally's to grab the phone, in case Helen had called. But she hadn't, so I pocketed the phone and went to the Nosh snack bar to grab a chicken salad on rye for lunch.

I was not happy with the way the day was going, so I decided to head to the Suncoast for some blackjack there. I'd often had some good luck there, but not today. That trip cost me another $50 and after that I headed home. The $160 setback was one of the worst of the trip and pretty disheartening. I'm still way ahead for the trip, but it still bothers me to lose that much on one day.

Tonight for dinner, I whipped up some hefty salads with organic baby greens, mushrooms, roma
tomatoes, feta cheese, corn and black beans. A quick, light meal.

While I was gone, Helen did some laundry, watched TV, did some emailing and read. Tonight we're just watching TV and relaxing...but tomorrow our adventure will continue...

Sparty On!

2009-03-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Since I lost some money to a bunch of poker-playing touristas yesterday, I was determined to hit the Strip and recover my lost cash.

So by 9 a.m. I was pulling into the fifth floor of the parking deck at Bally's and making my way toward the poker room. It was pretty quiet and I was able to grab a seat at the only $1-2 No Limit game that was under way. I bought in for $100 and for the first 20-30 minutes I patiently waited for decent starting cards. Then I picked up a couple of small ($20-ish) pots and was able to keep my stack in the profit range.

There were really no big hands for me for the next couple of hours. I would win some small pots with a pair of Kings and a pair of Aces. Eventually, I was up $62 when I took a break to eat around 1:30 p.m. Lunch was a comped chicken salad on rye, along with a diet Pepsi. I was glad to leave the game because there were three mouthy 20-something guys who were trying to intimidate other players and even the dealers - complaining loudly when they lost, berating others for playing decent starting hands. Just being jerks. So I had no trouble taking my profit and leaving.

While killing time, I watched some action at a blackjack table where 3 players were playing. One hand stood out. A guy was routinely betting $50 to $100 and winning more than he lost. On one hand he bet $130 and got 8-8 against a dealer's 7. He split the 8s and received a 3rd 8. So now he had 3 bets of $130 each. On his next card he received ANOTHER 8!!! Four bets of $130 each. On his eights he got an Ace (for a 19) a Ten (for 18) a 5 and 7 (for 20) and a King (for 18). He made four decent hands!!

The dealer flipped over a nine in the hole, for 16. Then slapped on a 7 for a bust! The table erupted and the guy was high-fiving everyone in sight!! It was big fun to see someone win $520 on a single hand...

Then, I went to the sports book to get some hoops bets down. I put $25 on a teaser with North Carolina -3, Arizona +14 and Syracuse +6 - a loser...but I also put $25 on MSU -1 over Kansas and that was a winner.

So my profit for the day was $12 in poker and $47 in hoops bets for a total of $59. Not a bad day!

While I was gone, Helen put a lot of work in on her sewing project. She was also online emailing family. To celebrate our profit today, we ordered pizza and chicken wings from Papa John's. Tasty....

Tomorrow night we're thinking of hitting the Strip in the evening to see the Mirage volcano and the TI Pirate show - both are FREE attractions that we haven't seen yet. So it's pretty certain that our adventure will continue...

Those Tourists Took My Money!!!

2009-03-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

I hadn't played poker in a few days, so early this morning I headed to the Strip to tangle with the tourists at the MGM Grand.

Traffic on Tropicana Blvd. was backed up as I neared the Strip. As I got closer, I could see that the usually fast-moving three lanes on Trop were narrowed down to two because of some roadwork right at the intersection of Trop and Las Vegas Blvd. Finally, I made it through the snarl and pulled into the MGM parking deck.

As I walked toward the poker room, the casino seemed a little quiet for 10 a.m. On the other hand, the poker room was a bit busy - four tables going. I signed up for a new $1-2 No Limit game that they were starting and I was able to get my lucky #1 seat. After buying in for $100, I settled in to play and had some early luck. I won a couple of small pots and was up about $30.

Unfortunately, that was my high point. I didn't get many good hands and when I did, they were second best. I had a Full House of 3 9s and 2 jacks get beaten by a Full House of 3 Jacks and 2 9s. Also, I had a nice King High flush beaten by a full house.

Despite losing my $100 buy-in, I had a good time. All the players were friendly tourist types - 3 buddies from Wisconsin playing together at the same table. One guy from London, England. and a couple of guys from Colorado. Fun, but financially a loss.

While I was gone, Helen was online with relatives and working on her sewing project. When I got home, I warmed up some Chili and that made a hearty dinner. Tonight we'll be watching the NBC Comedy shows and checking on some NCAA Hoops Games. Tomorrow night the Spartans play and we'll be rooting for MSU. Til then , our adventure continues...

A Night With The 'Jersey Boys'

2009-03-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today began with our usual morning ritual of several cups of coffee, rye toast with strawberry preserves and catching up on the TV news.

About 9:30 I took Helen to her Bible Study Class and headed over to the Suncoast for an hour or so. I checked out the sports book and saw no intriguing wagers, so I strolled over to the blackjack pit and sat down at a $5 table. Within a few hands I was up about $30 and after about 30 minutes I was up $50 or so. But then I hit a bad run of cards and eventually walked away with a profit of $27. Not great, but still a profit.

Then I picked up Helen after her class and we returned to the apartment where I made us some turkey & muenster on pita bread sandwiches. Then she worked on her sewing project and I did some reading and facebooking.

I also got a phone call from a high school buddy, Dave Waibel, who is organizing a get together at his winter home in Arizona. His main residence is Seattle. He's invited a half dozen Taylor Center grads to meet at his place April 1-4. I originally was planning to attend, but have decided not to go. Anyway, we had a great talk and promised to stay in touch. Dave expects to retire at end of 2009 and said he may make a trip to Vegas next winter.

Last night was one of the highlights of our winter as Helen and I went to see "Jersey Boys," the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, at the Palazzo. I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but this one was OUTSTANDING!!! Not only did it have great music, but it told the story behind one of the best musical groups ever. Very interesting story and the two-hour show went by very quickly. I highly encourage music lovers to see this show...

Before the show, Helen and I played a 25-cent slot machine at the Palazzo. I put $10 in and cashed out with $15.50!! Woohooo, a winner!

We also strolled through the shopping areas of the Palazzo and over to the Venetian Shops where we watched a show of jugglers, acrobats and an opera singer. Then we enjoyed dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Palazzo. It's a quality eatery run by the Cheesecake Factory and noted for large, tasty portions. Helen opted for a Southwestern Chicken Salad, while I chose a Beef Tips Sloppy Joe (instead of ground beef, they used shredded beef on a hoagie bun) with french fries. Both very good and we were too full for desserts.

Tomorrow I plan to head to the Strip for a day of poker and a couple of NCAA Tourney wagers. It's a sure bet that our adventure will continue...

A Day of Errands

2009-03-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today was devoted to completing those daily tasks that are necessary to keep a household running.

Helen needed several things, so we rolled out to Wal-Mart at 10 a.m., but not until we savored several cups of coffee and spent an enjoyable hour with the noted philosopher/gangster Anthony Soprano.

As we rolled into the Wal-Mart parking lot, I searched in vain for a handicapped parking spot. Finally, Helen spotted one. Seems like all of the handicapped spots get taken early, I mused aloud. Helen noted that Wal-Mart seems to attract older people who often have handicapped plates.

"Older people," I wondered, "then what the heck are we doing here?"

We managed to find everything Helen needed and within an hour or so we were heading back to the apartment. I whipped up a couple of turkey-&-cheddar-on-pita-bread sandwiches and Helen prepared to spend time with those "Desperate Housewives" of Wisteria Lane. That was my cue to head to the bank to deposit a check and to visit Albertson's for some grocery shopping.

One spooky situation happened while I was shopping. I was standing in an aisle looking through the jellies & jams (trying to find one that's somewhat healthy) when suddenly two or three jars of pickles/relish fell from the shelves behind me. No one else was in the aisle, the darn things just toppled off the shelves and shattered on the floor. Glass and Gherkins everywhere! A worker was at the end of the aisle and quickly hurried over to clean it up. I have no idea why those jars fell, but it was sort of strange.

When I got home, I got caught up on some Facebook messages. Found out that there are big changes in the Booth Newspapers, including the imminent closing of the Ann Arbor News and limited publications of other papers. This is TERRIBLE news for several of my friends and former co-workers who write for Booth papers. I really hope they can all keep their jobs, but even then they may face pay cuts of up to 20 percent.

Tonight for dinner I prepared Five-Cheese Lasagna (thank you Stouffers) along with a side salad of organic baby greens, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, Greek feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Hearty and tasty!

Now we're watching some TV and relaxing, but tomorrow our adventure continues because we'll be attending the 6:30 show of "Jersey Boys" at the Palazzo on the Strip!

March Madness Day Three

2009-03-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday is usually a busy day at Las Vegas casinos and March Madness makes it even busier.

For the third straight day, I headed to the Suncoast's March Madness party to take in the hoops action. My $25-Running-Parlay bet on Florida State lost last night, so Helen urged me to start another parlay...my choice today was Washington -2 over Purdue...it was a loser. But I did invest in a 3-team teaser with Michigan +13, Washington +3.5 and Western Ky +16.5. The first two have won and WKU is giving Gonzaga a tight battle in the second half, so our bet is looking good. It'll pay $150 when it hits.

The March Madness party room was abuzz today, but I sat alone and it wasn't as much fun as the first two days. No one sat near me to talk with about the games. It's a great venue, but the food was still below par. I mentioned that to one of the pit bosses and he said he's heard that several times...

Talked with my friend Terry in Detroit and he's made reservations at the Excalibur for April 19-22. He'll arrive around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, the 19th, and flies home at 4 p.m. on Wednesday the 22. Air fare and 3 nights at the Ex for $410. A pretty sweet deal, since the airfare alone out of Detroit was going for almost $300, according to T. It'll be good to see him.

After about 4 hours of watching hoops, I wandered down to the blackjack pit. Should have stayed at the hoops party...no luck at all and I quickly burned through my $100 buy-in. After that I sat at a slot machine near the casino bar to watch the end of the U-M game.

I headed home about 5 p.m. and we decided dinner would be takeout from the Cheesecake Factory - BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad for Helen and Buffalo Wings & fries for me. While I was gone, Helen talked with her sister Natalie in TC. She also worked on her sewing project and watched some "Lifetime" specials on TV.

Now we're watching the Texas-Duke game and relaxing a bit, but tomorrow our adventure will continue...

March Madness Day Two

2009-03-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

NCAA Hoops games kicked off shortly after 9 a.m. today, so I headed over to the Suncoast around 8:45.

Like yesterday, I headed right for the March Madness Party in the casino's second story ballroom. It was already hopping, with guys settling in for a full day of hoops viewing, eating, drinking, beer pong, free throw shooting, Wii basketball and wagering. Big fun for boys of all ages...

Starting with a $25 bet, I've been parlaying One-Bet-A-Day and today we bet $120 on the Florida State Seminoles -2.5 vs. Wisconsin. If they win tonight, the ticket will pay $229 and we'll be looking for a "SURE THING" for tomorrow's games...or we may take a chunk of profit and start over with $25 or $50.

During the early games, even the young guys didn't start drinking beer and I went to the buffet area to grab a coffee. I thought the coffee might be free, but they were charging $2 for a small styrofoam cup of java...way overpriced! The whole food selection and pricing, as I said in yesterday's blog, is too high for what the casino bills as a "March Madness Party." They should be offering 50-cent hotdogs, free soft drinks, free coffee, $1 sliders. Instead its $1 hotdogs (ironically down in the sports book they have a cart that sells them for 75 cents), $2 sliders, $2 coffee, $2 soft drinks and - if you don't have a drink ticket - $6 beers.

Anyway, between early games, I played a little blackjack and won $15 which went toward the hoops bet. After the later games, I played bj for another hour or so, dropping $40. That was my loss total for the day.

While I was at the 'Coast, Helen worked on her sewing project, watched some TV and finished the murder mystery she was reading. When I got home, I pulled together some of last night's spaghetti and a hefty side salad with organic baby greens, mushrooms, Greek feta cheese and roma tomatoes. I think we both ate too much...

Soon we'll be turning on the Florida State-Wisconsin game to track the fate of our live parlay wager....GO 'NOLES!!!!

Even if we lose, tomorrow our Las Vegas adventure continues...

March Madness Day One

2009-03-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas is abuzz with March Madness betting, parties and zaniness.

Since the first hoops games tip off at 9:20 a.m. or so, I headed over to the Suncoast about 8:30. The casino was hosting a March Madness party in one of the ballrooms, complete with several big-screen TVs, a buffet line, cheap beer and mixed drinks and on-site betting stations. It was really a convenient setup and I enjoyed watching the early games there.

The only complaint I had was about the food. You had to purchase food tickets, then cash them in for the food, which was a little pricey for something like this. They had hot dogs, chili dogs, nachos, chicken nuggets, pizza and sliders. I opted for the sliders (two to an order) and the run-of-the-mill nachos, similar to an order you'd get at a ballpark. That was $7.

I'm trying a new way of betting all of these games. Instead of throwing money all over the place, I'm focusing on one game per day and just betting that single game. For example, today's $25 bet was Texas - a winner that will return $47.70. So tomorrow, I'll take that $47.70 and put it all on one game. The plan is to keep parlaying winners until I run up a huge amount or chicken out and take down some profits, LOL!

If we win tomorrow, we'll have roughly $95 to put on a Saturday game, then $190 or so to put on a Sunday game....we'll see how this works out...

It was rough going at the blackjack tables. I went down over $100 before turning it around and finally grinding out a $16 profit. Between bj sessions, I played a little video poker and cashed out $22.50 after buying in for $20. So for the day, we're up $18.50.

I headed home about 4 p.m. and watched some more hoops at the apartment. While I was gone, Helen worked on her sewing project, talked to his sister Natalie, and did some reading. Tonight I whipped up a nice dinner, spaghetti with roasted red peppers. Now Helen is reading and I'm just catching up with some emails, etc. I boldly predict that within the hour, we'll be enjoying some butter pecan ice cream.

Lots more March Madness to come, so I know our adventure will continue...

After spending about two hours in the ballroom, I headed to the blackjack tables.

A Minor Setback

2009-03-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

Every Wednesday means Bible Study Class for Helen and a quick one-hour blackjack session at the Suncoast for me.

My blackjack effort didn't work out very well. Despite all good intentions, I dropped $35 in the hour. I also bought a $25 ticket on Texas -4 vs. Minnesota in tomorrow's NCAA Tourney. Hook 'Em Horns!!

At 11:30 I returned to the church to pick up Helen and we headed home for lunch - chicken salad on pita bread. Then it was time for Helen to see what was happening with those Wild Women of Wisteria Lane - my cue to head to Red Rock Casino and cash my winning hoops ticket from yesterday that pays $72.

On my way, I stopped by the library to return some books.

While at the Red Rock, I played some blackjack and had one of the worst sessions in recent weeks. I lost three $50 buy-ins - $150 gone in about an hour... So I returned to the Suncoast for one last shot at blackjack. I had about 90 minutes to turn a profit and it worked out very well. I ground out a $145 profit, so for the day I ended up minus $40. A pretty minor setback in light of my recent successes.

Tomorrow morning the Hoops Fun starts at 8 a.m. at the Suncoast. They have a huge ballroom with big screen TVs, remote betting stations, free food and cheap drinks. It'll be a great place to watch the games and I'll be over there early. The first game starts about 9:30 a.m. What a great day it could be!

While I was gone, Helen was napping and watching TV. When I got home, we decided dinner would be from Del Taco, a Mexican fast food place that we like. I had their "Macho Burrito" and Helen opted for the "Del Combo Burrito." It was tasty. Dessert was some butter pecan ice cream, topped with an organic jam of passion fruit, bananas and pineapple - Goooood!

Now we're watching "Dog, The Bounty Hunter" and relaxing. But tomorrow our adventure continues...

Rockin' at Red Rock

2009-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Our morning started with several cups of black coffee and watching TV news gab about how "Everybody's Irish" today. Enough of that drivel, let's go do something!

So Helen and I headed out the door about 10 a.m. to visit Jo-Ann Fabrics where she wanted to buy some lace trim, ribbon and other items for the two nightgowns she is making for granddaughter Katherine. It's about 10 miles from the apartment. That trip took about 90 minutes and by the time we got home lunch was high on our agenda. I whipped up chicken salad sandwiches for us. Helen settled in to watch her two-hour block of "Desperate Housewives" from noon to 2 p.m.

That was my clue to head over to the Red Rock casino to check out the sports book and blackjack action. I settled in at a $10 table and went up and down and down and down, then up and up and up. Eventually I walked with a profit of $125. But before I left, I bought a $20 hoops 4-team money line parlay ticket. Here's how it stands now - Oakland a win, Penn State a win, Notre Dame leading by 3 in the second half, Kentucky leading by 17 in the second half. It will pay $72.65 when it hits...

We enjoyed a dinner of Middle Eastern fare - hummus, tabouli, pita bread, lebne and Greek feta cheese. Same as yesterday, but still very tasty.

Right now we're reading and watching some TV, but tomorrow our adventure continues...