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...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday Moanin'
Starting this week with a renewed effort in keeping the blog up to date.
Over the weekend we've been concerned about my Dad's health. He's still in Oakwood Hospital near Detroit fighting off pneumonia and other issues. Brother Bruce reported in a positive note Sunday that Dad was moved from ICU into a regular room. Seems like it will just take time for him to recover. He may still face surgery to reduce fluid pressure on his brain. Docs say that may reduce his dementia symptoms, but we won't know until it's done.
Helen and I spent a quiet Valentine's Day. After church I zipped over to the Suncoast casino to cash a $25 hoops ticket. While there I bought a $25 ticket on Illinois over OSU. That was a loser, making Sunday a losing day, the fourth in a row. Seems like I've hit a dry spell after 7 straight winning days...
Then we watched some TV, including the classic "African Queen." We talked with Katie last night and she's really getting excited about her trip here. If all goes well and the airlines cooperates, she'll arrive Thursday around 1 p.m. The plan is to bring her back to the apt. to get settled in, then we'll all go back to the Strip for dinner at Margaritaville. I'd really like Katie's first view of the famous LV Strip to be a nighttime visit when the lights are most impressive.
Helen and I had lunch at Margaritaville on Friday and it was really great. Portions are HUUUUUGE and you don't go away hungry! Helen had a taco salad, while I enjoyed a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with onion rings. Helen's salad was so big she had it for dinner on Saturday. For all you foodies, yesterday's dinner was Middle Eastern fare of hummus, tabouli, Kalamata olives, and fresh pita bread.
This morning I wrote my March casino entertainment column and sent it to the Booth editor. It's a slow month for casino shows. Usually there are 18, 20 or more, but in March only a dozen acts are performing, including none at Leelanau Sands or Odawa. Wonder if it's the economy...
Helen has plans to dust and clean the apt. in preparation for Katie's visit. That means she's sending me to the Strip to get out of her way. The plan is for me to vacuum tomorrow, as our LV adventure continues...
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...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day started with Helen and I going to the 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church.
Then we came home where I made Helen's breakfast of a chopped apple, topped with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon before I headed over to the Suncoast. I had a ticket to cash on MSU that paid $22 and I wanted to get a bet down on Illinois +1.5 over Ohio State. Right now OSU is up 14 with 10 minutes to play so that looks like a loser.
Today we're just relaxing at the apt. and enjoying out traditional big box of chocolates that we always share on Feb. 14.
We're still concerned about my Dad's condition. He remains in the hospital fighting off pneumonia and it's not going as well as we first hoped. Initially he seems like he had the infection under control, but recent days have shown little, if any, progress. Sister Bev is keeping us posted via emails, but it's hard being so far from the situation. All we can do is keep her and Dad in our thoughts and prayers.
Helen and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of niece Katie who flies into LV on Thursday. We have SO MANY things we want to show her and share with her. We miss her very much and can't wait til she gets here.
We're just watching some TV today and dinner today will be Middle Eastern fare - hummus, tabouli, lebne, olives and fresh pita bread.
Tomorrow our LV adventure continues...
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...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Catching Up
Yikes!
It's been almost a week since I last posted an update here. Not doing a very good job of keeping friends and family updated, but there is a good reason.
Last weekend my 83-year-old Dad was hospitalized with pneumonia and other health issues, including a buildup of fluids on the brain. After several tense days, it appears he's doing much better and will soon undergo surgery for the fluid buildup. Still he remains in Oakwood Hospital near Detroit and is in our thoughts and prayers.
My sister Bev has been a stalwart in this tense situation. There's not much Gordon in Fla. and us in LV can do except give moral support and await updates.
I've kept busy hitting the gaming floors. I keep a running total of my wins and losses and Feb has been a great month so far. Out of 8 days of gaming, I've shown a profit in 7 of them - ranging from $33 to $151. My only loss was a $100 setback on Feb. 1.
We're getting ready to host niece Katie who arrives on the 18th. She has a whole list of fun events and attractions that we're going to share together, including a cirque de soleil show, Ka, on the 19th. We also plan on visiting Hoover Dam, Red Rock Natural Conservation Area and other fun stuff. Helen and Katie will spend some great times shopping and lunching too.
Helen's doing well and appreciating the warmer weather we're expecting in the next few days. It's supposed to be in the upper 60s, a welcome change from the 55-ish and rain we've had in recent days. Helen just started Janet Evanovich's "Finger Lickin' 15" and she's enjoying it.
I just finished writing a couple of Vegas-related articles for the Booth newspapers - "Vegas on the Cheap" and a feature on "The Pinball Hall of Fame." I'll also be working on my monthly casino entertainment column for the Boothies. It's due the 15th...
So our LV adventure continues...
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...
Friday, February 5, 2010
Talking With a Pinball Wizard
Thursday morning began with some coffee, toast and a phone call from Helen who is still visiting her brother Norm's family in So Cal. She's having lots of fun and enjoying her time there, especially spending some dog-time with Norm's two pups - Tony and Buddy.
About 10:30, I headed toward the Strip to interview Tim Arnold, owner-operator of the Pinball Hall of Fame, located on Tropicana about 2-3 miles east of the Strip. I had visited the HOF on Wednesday, but Tim wasn't there so I played pinball for about 30 minutes and had a GREAT time. This place houses 225 pinball games from the 50s vintage games to current ultra-flashy digital games.
I spent about an hour talking with Tim, who left Lansing in 1990 to move to LV. I'll be writing a 500-word feature article about him and the HOF for the Booth papers. Plan to get that project written over the weekend.
For lunch, I decided to hit the Suncoast and score a buffet comp. Played blackjack for about 30 minutes, winning $55 before getting my free lunch comp. I was pretty hungry, but took care of that with a plate full of fried rice and orange chicken, 3 chicken wings, steamed broccoli and a slab of banana cream pie. I knew right away dinner would be soup at the apt.
Checked out the sports book and thought about betting on the CMU hoops team. Should have made the wager, which would have been a winner.
Before leaving, I tried blackjack again and quickly racked up another profit of $75 and decided to head to the apt. So I was up $130 and enjoyed a free buffet - pretty sweet day.
At night I heated up a can of Chicken & Rice soup and relaxed with some TV. Talked with Katie who is getting excited about coming to visit us. She arrives on Feb. 18 for a 10 day visit. We'll be seeing Ka, visiting the Titanic exhibit and doing a whole list of fun things.
So our adventure continues...
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...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Downtown Photo Run
This morning I headed downtown to take photos of some of the attractions I am including in an article on "10 Vegas Attractions That Are Cheap or Even Free."
So by about 9:30 I was strolling through the lobby of Main Street Station in search of a very special men's room that houses a large section of the Berlin Wall. Luckily the first men's room I found contained the wall, which runs along the five urinals in the facility. I waited til a couple of guys left the room, then clicked off 4 or 5 pics while the washroom attendant wiped down the counters. It was all over in less than a minute and I was outa there.
My next stop was the Golden Nugget, about a two block walk from MSS. My goal at the GN was to find a 16-pound Golden Nugget that they have on display. A quick check with security sent me right to the big rock, which is encased in glass and called The World's Largest Gold Nugget.
I took a few pics and headed across Fremont Street to my final stop on the downtown run - Binion's Horseshoe where they have a cool $1 million on display.
The cash turned out to be not that impressive. It's stacked inside a plexiglass pyramid in the middle of a poker table. But after taking a few pics, I stopped at a nearby snack bar and enjoyed a cheeseburger and coffee. Then it was off to see the legendary Binion's Poker Room, where the World Series of Poker originated. It's a cozy room whose walls are lined with large photos of some of the poker greats who have played there, including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss and Stu Unger.
They were just getting a $1-2 no limit game going, so I grabbed a seat. I played for about an hour before losing my $100 buy-in on a tough hand. My three kings lost to a full house and I was heading home, about a 30 minute drive.
I got home about 2:30 and just spent some time relaxing, paying bills and watching TV. Helen called and we talked for about 15 minutes. She's having a great time visiting her brother Norman and his family. For dinner, I fired up a can of New England Clam Chowder and built a turkey sandwich.
Tomorrow our adventure continues...
So by about 9:30 I was strolling through the lobby of Main Street Station in search of a very special men's room that houses a large section of the Berlin Wall. Luckily the first men's room I found contained the wall, which runs along the five urinals in the facility. I waited til a couple of guys left the room, then clicked off 4 or 5 pics while the washroom attendant wiped down the counters. It was all over in less than a minute and I was outa there.
My next stop was the Golden Nugget, about a two block walk from MSS. My goal at the GN was to find a 16-pound Golden Nugget that they have on display. A quick check with security sent me right to the big rock, which is encased in glass and called The World's Largest Gold Nugget.
I took a few pics and headed across Fremont Street to my final stop on the downtown run - Binion's Horseshoe where they have a cool $1 million on display.
The cash turned out to be not that impressive. It's stacked inside a plexiglass pyramid in the middle of a poker table. But after taking a few pics, I stopped at a nearby snack bar and enjoyed a cheeseburger and coffee. Then it was off to see the legendary Binion's Poker Room, where the World Series of Poker originated. It's a cozy room whose walls are lined with large photos of some of the poker greats who have played there, including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss and Stu Unger.
They were just getting a $1-2 no limit game going, so I grabbed a seat. I played for about an hour before losing my $100 buy-in on a tough hand. My three kings lost to a full house and I was heading home, about a 30 minute drive.
I got home about 2:30 and just spent some time relaxing, paying bills and watching TV. Helen called and we talked for about 15 minutes. She's having a great time visiting her brother Norman and his family. For dinner, I fired up a can of New England Clam Chowder and built a turkey sandwich.
Tomorrow our adventure continues...
Weekend Update
Helen is enjoying time in Thousand Oaks, Ca. while I'm in LV working on a couple of stories for the Booth papers.
Saturday I played in a Free Roll Poker Tournament at the Monte Carlo and finished 50th in a field of 104. Unfortunately they only paid the top 25 spots, so I was out of the money. It was a lot of fun and showed me that I am certainly capable of playing in this level of tournament. Here's how my final hand unfolded...
I started the tourney with 4600 in chips, somewhat below the average starting stack of 5500. But I was able to win a few early pots. The blinds started at 25-50, but rose every 25 minutes and were at 300-600, plus 100 antes when I made my last stand. At the time, I had 2700 in chips and realized at 1700 per round, I was only gonna see about 10 hands and the blinds & antes would take all my chips.
So when I looked down and saw J-J in late position, I was determined to go All In and either raise my stack or go out. I was not excited when two other guys - one was the table Short Stack and the other was Chip Leader - both went all in ahead of me! Still, I went All In. The dealer told us to show our hands and I was pretty pleased to see the other hands - Mr. Short Stack had A-10, while Mr. Chip Leader had A-Q.
I was actually ahead and feeling good, because there were only 2 Aces and 3 Queens that could beat me! Unfortunately, one of the two Aces fell on the River, giving Mr. Chip Leader the pot and sending me and Mr. Short Stack to the rail. I headed home, calling Helen and niece Katie to give them the news that I was not a poker tourney winner...
Earlier in the day, I took an autographed Joe Montana football helmet to a sports shop to try to sell it. I won the helmet last year in a contest at the Suncoast and we had it in storage over the summer. I was determined to get some cash out of the thing and after some negotiating, ended up selling it for $230.
I devoted Sunday to doing some research on the two stories I'm working on for Booth - one on cheap/free Vegas attractions and the other a feature on the Pinball Hall of Fame. I spent a few hours visiting the Bellagio Conservatory and Chilully art glass display and taking photos for the article. The Conservatory changes its floral theme every couple of months and now is honoring the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger.
After watching some basketball in the B's sports book, I rolled down to MGM where I wanted to get some pics of the Lion Exhibit. Unfortunately the Big Cats were pretty lazy and content to lay on their sides like big stuffed animals tossed on the floor. I waited patiently for about 30 minutes for the cats to move, before giving up and having a comped pastrami sandwich for lunch. Then I went back to the Lion Exhibit and one of the cats was finally looking somewhat Lion-ly. I snapped three pics that I thought were pretty good, but after loading them on the computer they are blurry and have some glass reflections that make them unusable.
Today I plan to head downtown to scope out 3 free attractions - a chunk of the Berlin Wall that's inside a men's room at the Main Street Station, a display of $1 million at Binion's and a HUUUUGE gold nugget at, where else, the Gold Nugget. Hope to get usable pics of all of them. May play a little bj while I'm downtown.
The adventure continues...
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...
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