Makin' Bucks at Bally's

It's always nice to start the week out with a profitable day of poker.

That's what happened today after I drove to Bally's looking for a $1-2 no limit game. I arrived around 9:30 a.m. and was unable to park at the Bally's parking deck because two large Clark County firetrucks had the entrance to the deck blocked off. A security officer was directing traffic around the ramp, so I made a quick right turn to get back to the Strip, then another right onto Flamingo and a left into the parking deck at Bill's Gambling Hall.

I walked across Flamingo and asked a couple of Bally's workers about the parking situation, but no one seemed to have any details. The poker room was just getting going at 10 a.m., so I took the #6 seat in the game. For the next couple of hours, there were really no highlights. The best hand I had was three 8s, which won me a pot of about $30. Other than that, my winning hands were two pair and less. Shortly after noon, I was up $65 and decided to take my profits and have lunch.

I needed to go to the Planet Hollywood sports book to cash a winning $48 hoops ticket that I bought yesterday, so I made my way through Paris and down the Strip to PH. The sports book is right inside the casino's southern-most entrance and easy to find. Feeling hungry, instead of immediately cashing the ticket, I ventured into the Earl of Sandwich shop for a tasty roast beef sandwich, along with chips and a drink.

Then I went to the sportsbook and cashed my winner. Things there were pretty quiet, but one big screen did have an interesting game going. It was "The Sandberg Game" from June 23, 1984 when the young Hall of Famer gained fame by slugging three homers in a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Cardinals. I watched for over an hour, hoping to catch a glimpse of Traverse City's own Dan Rohn, who was a member of the Cubs that year. It was great watching that 25-year-old baseball, but never saw Rohnie, though. Leaving the PH, I made my way back to the car at Bill's and drove back to the apartment, arriving just before 4 p.m.

While I was on the Strip, Helen was on the phone with our grandson Alan, who turns 16 today. She also talked with Anna and our friend Lois Edson. A pretty chatty day for her.
When I got home, we called Alan again and I got to wish my namesake a happy birthday. Dinner was nothing too special - grilled cheeseburgers and corn chips.

After dinner I finished reading "Crazy '08,' an outstanding baseball book about the exciting 1908 season. I really learned a lot about deadball baseball and some of the personalities involved in the game. It's a great read for a baseball lover.

Helen's just finishing up the dinner dishes and we'll watch a little TV before calling it a night. Tomorrow we're thinking of hitting the Strip together to have dinner there and watch the Bellagio fountains as our adventure continues...

Scored Some Great Concert Tickets

Helen and I began our Sunday by attending the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church.

I'm not sure if there's any direct correlation, but ever since I started regular church attendance, some seven weeks ago, my efforts at the casinos have been steadily profitable. Just a coincidence? Who knows.

After church, we came back to the apartment about 9:15 and I made Helen some breakfast - apples, blueberries and banana covered with vanilla yogurt. It's tasty, filling and low in calories - one of Helen's favorite breakfasts.

Then she sent me down to the Strip to see if there was any money to be made. Surprisingly, there was. I parked at Bally's and checked out the poker room. One table going and a list of 4 names. I didn't wait. I played a little blackjack there, winning about $20, before strolling to the Paris sportsbook where I put down $30 on MSU -8 against Wisconsin. It didn't look good early as the Spartans trailed most of the game. But they rallied in the final minutes to get the win and the cover.

Before the MSU game, I walked over to Planet Hollywood where I played some more blackjack, winning $76, and bought a 4-team $20 moneyline parlay ticket - MSU, Minnesota, Lakers and Cavaliers (over the Pistons). Right now the first 3 have won and the Cavs lead Detroit by 33 at the half. It looks like I'll be cashing this one for $48.85.

So by 4 o'clock, I was up about $120 and drove over to the Orleans to get tickets for the Kenny Wayne Shepherd concert next weekend. Shepherd will be in Vegas next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I scored us two SWEET seats, four rows back, center aisle. We went to his concert here last year and really enjoyed it. Anyone who likes the blues, especially blues guitar, would enjoy KWS. He's young, but very highly regarded in the blues field.

Then I drove home and made us some dinner - grilled mushroom burgers with sauteed onions - not very healthy, but really tasty.

While I was on the Strip, Helen was on the phone. She had a long talk with her sister Sharon, who has been battling cold symptoms and crud for about a month. Yesterday was Sharon's brithday and Helen wanted to send our congratulations. She also cleaned up the apartment and relaxed for awhile. Tonight we're just watching some TV and relaxing, but tomorrow, I'm pretty sure, the adventure continues...

Saturday on the LV Strip

Helen sent me down to the Strip to play some poker, but my plans got changed along the way.

I parked at Bill's Gambling Hall about 9 a.m. and went to the casino's sports book to get a bet down on an early hoops game. I took Butler +5 over Davidson for $25, which turned out to be a winner. While at Bill's I played a little blackjack and walked with a profit of $80.

Then I crossed Flamingo Blvd to Bally's where I wanted to play a little poker. But the poker room was busy today with three tables going and a waiting list of about 6 names. I didn't feel like waiting, so I strolled over to the Paris sports book to get another bet down. I liked Louisville -5 against Cincinnati for $25, which was also a winner. After making the bet, I wanted a comfortable place to watch the game, so I headed to Bellagio's sports book - for my money, the finest sports book on the Strip. With their leather chairs and huge screens, Bellagio does it right.

After watching the games finish, I walked back to Paris to cash the Louisville ticket and stopped at Bally's to check the poker situation. Still no vacancies there, so I played a little blackjack and won $30. I was hungry, so I got a chicken salad sandwich at the Nosh snack bar, but it was busy and there were few seats, so I toted my lunch to the Paris sports book and ate there while watching more hoops. While there, I checked my phone and saw that my friend Terry called. I called him back and he wanted me to get him a 7-team hockey parlay. If it hits, his $25 bet will pay $3,350....but right now he's losing the first game. I also bought a $20 3-team hockey ticket that will pay $81 if it wins, but right now I'm losing the Devils game 2-0 and the Wings game 1-0. Not looking good.

With lunch over, I walked back to Bill's to cash my Butler ticket and play a little blackjack. I won $30 there and decided to drive home. My total profit for the day was $148, including the $25 that T owes me for his hockey bet. Not a bad day...a lot of hoops fun and some profit.

While I was on the Strip, Helen was relaxing at home, doing some laundry and talking with our niece Brandi, whose birthday is next week. We sent her a gift - some dollhouse furniture for her new dollhouse, and she called to thank us. Helen talked with her for about an hour. Glad we have unlimited long distance on both phones.

I don't feel like cooking, so we'll be having Middle Eastern fare again tonight - pita bread, hummus, feta cheese, tabouli, lebne and kalamata olives. Tasty stuff.

Helen's watching some Lifetime Channel show about a prison warden's wife being kidnapped by a killer who she later falls for. I'm getting ready to whip up dinner, but tomorrow the adventure continues...

Futures Bets on NCAA Hoops & Baseball

For our sports fans, here's a glimpse of some of the future bets available now in LV.

At the Suncoast the odds to win the NCAA Hoops Championship at Ford Field in Detroit:
N. Carolina 7-5
Connecticut 9-2
Pittsburgh 5-1
Wake Forest 5-1
Duke 6-1
UCLA 7-1
Louisville 8-1
Michigan State 18-1

No line on Michigan, CMU or EMU...all of them would be in the "field" category at 30-1.

Suncoast World Series odd:
Yankees 2-1
Red Sox 5-1
Cubs 6-1
Angels 8-1
Rays 8-1
Mets 8-1
Tigers 18-1
Nationals 90-1 (longest shot on the board)

AL Pennant Odds:
Yankees Even Money
Red Sox 3-1
Angels 4-1
Rays 9-2
Tigers 7-1
Indians 7-1

NL Pennant Odds
Cubs 5-2
Mets 4-1
Dodgers 9-2
Phillies 11-2
DBacks 6-1
Cardinals 7-1

My Best Poker Hand to Date

Our life has returned to a normal routine now that our friend Gail has flown back to the snow and wind of Traverse City.

This morning I did a little grocery shopping. Six bags of groceries set us back $75, so I figured I'd better hit the poker tables and let someone else cough up the cash for these victuals. After unloading the groceries, I headed down to the Strip. I parked at Bill's, bought a hockey parlay for my friend Terry (sorry T, 2 out of 3 were winners) and walked over to Bally's.

At 10 a.m., the Bally's poker room was pretty quiet, so I put my name in for a $1-2 No Limit game and within about 10 minutes there were 6 of us to begin play. I've been very lucky in the #1 seat lately, so I grabbed that spot and bought in for $100. About the 3rd or 4th hand, I won a nice pot and was immediately up $40 or so. But that was the end of my good fortune for, literally, hours.

I had a real run of cold cards...J-3, 8-2, 9-4. When I did get a good starting hand (I had A-K twice) the flop was no help and I couldn't call the $30 or $40 bets that came along after the flop.
I stayed patient, but eventually my stack was dwindling. Eventually, I bought in for another $100. My plan was to head home about 3:30 or 4.

At 3 p.m., I looked down at a pair of red K-K, bet $10 and got called by 3 other players. My stack at this time was about $65. The flop came A-K-4, all Clubs. I was concerned about a flush and figured I'd better try to win the pot right there, so I went All-In for my $65 and got one guy to call. The turn was a 7 of Diamonds. Then the river card - the beautiful KING OF SPADES. I'd made 4 KINGS - taking down a nearly $200 pot and getting a bonus from the casino of $100 that they pay for any quads. The other player had made his Club Flush. I tipped the dealer $10. So by winning almost $300, I went from roughly $140 down to $160 up! I saw 3-4 more hands, but didn't play any before racking up my chips and leaving with a profit of $139.

While I was grinding out some poker winnings, Helen was on the phone. She talked with her sister Nat and her sister Susan who is feeling better after suffering numbness on her left side and loss of balance. The numbness is gone and she only has occasional dizziness now. It's believed the cause was a Reclast Infusion, a drug for treating osteoporosis. Helen also talked with our sister-in-law Lorraine who lives in So Cal and is hoping to come to Vegas for a visit. Lorraine would also like Helen to spend a week or so with her and Norm and their kids. We still have to work out the details of that trip.

On my way home from the Strip, I stopped at our Middle Eastern Market and picked up dinner - fresh pita bread, hummus, tabouli, Greek feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and lebne. It was delicious and easy to plate up. Not much cooking for me tonight, LOL!

Now we're just relaxing, reading and watching some TV, but tomorrow the adventure continues...

"Jubilee" and More

Wednesday began with bagels and coffee for breakfast and then a quick trip to the Strip where Helen and Gail wanted to visit the M&M store.

We parked the Vue at MGM and I led the ladies through the casino and onto the Strip. It's a short walk from the MGM to the M&M store. While they were shopping, I went back to the casino and found a $5 blackjack table that looked beatable. I was right. Within a half hour, I had piled up $100 in profit and would have stayed longer, but a guy joined the table who had absolutely no clue about playing the game. When he stayed on 12 against the dealer's facecard, I decided to leave immediately with my profit.

So I wandered to the sports book, then over to the poker room. Then I saw Gail and Helen and we met near the Lions habitat where they have live lions laying around getting their pictures taken. A month or so ago, one of the MGM lions made media news when it turned on a trainer and munched his leg a bit. No such antics yesterday, though.

We decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Victorian Room at Bill's Gambling Hall, so we drove from MGM north on the Strip to Bill's. Gail had a mushroom burger, Helen had a chicken wrap and I opted for a philly cheese steak. All came with fries. We were all hungry and the food was tasty. The Victorian Room has long been one of my favorite Vegas eateries, especially for breakfast when their skillet breakfasts are hard to beat.

After eating, we drove home to rest a bit and change clothes for our evening adventure - the 7:30 p.m. "Jubilee" show at Ballys. We returned to the Strip and got to Bally's around 6:45 p.m. Seating for the show was already beginning, so we got in line to be seated. Because of Helen's wheelchair, an usher guided us through a side entrance to our table - right up front!

It was great being that close to the stage, but I think we were all surprised a bit when the curtain rose on the opening number and the lavishly costumed dancers were - well, missing a little of their costumes! Yep, it was a topless number - one of several during the nearly-two-hour performance. Gail had insisted it was supposed to be non-topless, but when she checked her entertainment magazine later she realized that Jubilee's SATURDAY performances are non-topless. The rest are sans tops...

Anyway, we all really enjoyed the outstanding performances. Between dancing numbers, there were some amazing acrobats, gymnasts and a really talented juggler. There were two amazing production numbers - Samson and Delilah - and the sinking of the Titanic! I highly recommend anyone see "Jubilee" as an old-school Las Vegas production show that features nearly 100 dancers with tons of sequins, feathers and rhinestones.

After the show, we drove home, arriving about 10 p.m. The girls stayed up laughing and drinking wine til 1 a.m., but I crashed early.

This morning we just sat around talking and drinking coffee. Gail had a 2:40 p.m. flight back to Detroit, then on to Traverse City. Around noon we left for the airport, which is about 30-40 minutes away. It was almost 1 after we finally got parked and walked her into the ticketing area. It was a little sad to see her go, but we know she had a really good time during the two full days she was here. If all goes well and Northworst Airlines doesn't screw up, she'll arrive back in TC around midnight.

Helen and I drove home and just relaxed for a bit. I made us a lasagna and salad dinner and now we're just relaxing and waiting for the Thursday night comedy shows on NBC. But tomorrow, our Vegas adventure continues...

Shopping, Poker and the PH Buffet

The past 36 hours have been a whirlwhind of activity as our friend Gail arrived late Monday night.

Flying in from Florida, Gail was supposed to arrive on a Northwest flight at 9 p.m. In typical "Northworst" fashion, the flight was shoved back two hours, so she didn't hit McCarran International Airport until 11. In another "Northworst" anomaly, she was routed from Orlando, Fla to Detroit to Las Vegas. It was a 12 hour travel day for her, with more than 8 hours of actual flying time. After snagging her bags, we got out of the airport about midnight and drove down the Strip to give her a first-time-in-LV-visitors view of the lights of Sin City.

We stopped at Harrah's to grab a bite at Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar." But by the time we got there, the bar's kitchen was closed. We were all tired and disappointed so we decided to continue driving the Strip, looking for food. Gail was so hungry, we opted for a Big Mac combo at a McDonald's drive through...it took forever. This joint served the slowest fast-food in the West. It was so bad that the driver behind us in line didn't wait for his order and just drove away.

Finally we got back to the apt. where I crashed and the girls stayed up talking and laughing.

Tuesday morning I headed out to the post office and mailed a birthday gift to one of Natalie's girl - Brandi - whose birthday in Feb. 25. Helen and Gail were up and moving by the time I got back and we headed down to the Strip around 11:30. We parked at Bill's and I guided the shoppers over to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Then I walked back to Bally's to find a seat at a $1-2 No-Limit poker game.

I was lucky to get there just as they were starting a new game. I have a theory that you're better off getting into a new game than taking a seat in a game that is already under way. My feeling is that if the game is under way and the seat is open, it most likely is empty because the previous player wasn't getting cards and walked away a loser. Who wants to sit in that seat, right?

Anyway, in the first hand I played, I had 2-7 of Spades. I was on the big blind, so I had already put $2 in the pot. When the flop fell 7-7-A I was in pretty good shape. Eventually the hand came down to me and another guy. The turn card was (drumroll here) a 7. I had four 7s and eventually won the $60-70 pot. The loser was grumbling about "how could I play 2-7" but I just told him "I really don't know how to play" grinning as I raked the pot...

But, despite the good start, I ended up losing my $100 buy-in when I went all-in and my A-high flush was beaten by a full house on the river.

But despite that bad beat, I came back with some aggressive play. I took down a $100 plus pot when my 3 Jacks beat As and 8s. Eventually after about 2 hours of play, I found myself up $215 and decided to walk away with the profit. It was about 3:15 p.m. and I remembered that MSU was playing Purdue at 4 p.m. So I headed down to the Bally's sportbook and put $20 on the Spartans +2. What a mistake! The Spartans got spanked...

Just after I made the bet - about 3:45 p.m. - Helen called to say they were done looting the Forum Shops and wanted to pillage the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. So I walked from Bally's over to CP and met them in the CP check-in area. We all made a chilly walk from CP to PH and entered the Miracle Mile near the Hawaiian Tropic restaurant. It was 4:30 and we agreed to meet back at that spot at 7:30.

I headed right into the PH sportsbook and watched the Spartans lose to Purdue. It was depressing and I was glad I only had $20 on the game. Eventually I drifted out into the casino and played some video poker ($2.50 profit) and video blackjack ($3 profit). About 6:45, I ran into the girls who were done shopping early.

We had originally planned to have dinner at Margaritaville, but since it was quite a hike in the cold we opted to eat at the PH instead. Our choice was the buffet, one of the best in LV, in my humble opinion. There was about a 15-minute wait and it was pricey. The dinner price is $27.95 each - $90 with taxes.

I had a mound of chilled shrimp with tangy sauce, plus some cajun rice for an appetizer. Then I went for Middle Eastern fare with tabouli, hummus, grilled veggies and chicken kabob. Dessert was chocolate cream pie and a fudge chocolate cake. Gail opted for prime rib, chicken, veggies and more. Helen had a Middle East plate that I prepped for her with hummus, tabouli, pita bread, stuffed grape leaves, and grilled vegetables. Helen, like her fairy tale counterpart Mary, also had a little lamb. Her dessert was chocolate cream pie.

We were all stuffed and walked off dinner by hiking back to Bill's and the car. Tired, but happy, we drove north on the Strip until we hit Sahara. Gail was snapping photos of the casino lights like a freelance papparazzi. By the time we got home, it was after 9 .m. and I headed directly to bed to read a bit and let the girls stay up, guzzle wine and talk.

Today we started with a bagel-and-coffee breakfast. We'll be relaxing today, because tonight we're heading to Bally's for the 7:30 show of Jubilee as our adventure continues...