Helen and I spent a GREAT evening hearing Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty performing at the Venetian on Wednesday. The 70-year-old rocked the house for more than 90 minutes as he played all of CCR's great hits. His band was tight and his voice was still strong. One of the highlights was when he teamed up with his son Shane on a couple of tunes. Fogerty is a mult-talented musician and he showed it by playing not only guitar, but piano and harmonica too. The crowd was full of AARP-age folks and it was more than a little disconcerting seeing grannies rocking their tight leather pants. But it was a fun night!
Before the concert, we stopped by Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile Shops - one of Helen's favorite shopping venues. At a Skecher store she found a pair of shoes that she liked and they were on sale, so....done deal. At an ABC store she bought a pair of small leather purses and I found a couple of new Las Vegas t-shirts. Strolling through the shops, we also stopped for dinner at a Mexican place where we shared some appetizers. It was a perfect sized tasty meal, just enough but not too much.
After dinner, we drove to the Venetian, where the concert was set for 8 p.m. We got down there about 6 and killed some time visiting the Canal Shoppes and checking out the sports book. I also played a 25-cent Wheel of Fortune machine where I won $10. Earlier in the day, I had visited Red Rock casino and played a little blackjack. Over an hour or so, I eked out a $110 win.
And so our LV adventure continues...
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Great Day on Anna's Birthday
Tuesday was Anna's Birthday, so we called down to Houston to wish her the best. She and Helen were still chatting when I decided to go make some money.
I drove over to Red Rock about 10 a.m. for a little blackjack action before heading down to the Strip. Walking into Red Rock, I pulled a ticket from my wallet, that I knew to be a loser. For the Monday night college football championship game, I bet a $20 parlay involving Clemson, total fg made and most points scored in the second half. I believed it was a loser because I thought I needed more than 3 fgs to win and Bama and Clemson kicked 3 between them.
But checking the ticket, I had a winner! Turns out I needed 3 fgs, not OVER 3 fg. Senior moment, I guess. Always double check your tickets! So I cashed for $120 and headed for the bj pit. I had a nice run and in about an hour I racked up $320 and decided to head to the Strip.
I parked on the roof of Bellagio, then walked over to Caesar's Palace where I headed straight to the box office where I bought two tickets for the Rod Stewart concert on March 23. They
were $117 each. Then I found a bj table and in about 30 minutes I was up $180 and decided to buy more tickets.
I had learned about a reasonably-priced Motown show at Planet Hollywood called "Hitzville" so I decided to get tickets for that. "Hitzville" features music by the Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops and more. Should be a good one. And the girl at the ticket counter recommended it highly, saying she's seen it three times. I joked that she HAS to say that, right? But no, she admitted some of the shows are not her favs. She gave me $25 off each ticket for a locals discount. So for both stubs, it was only $92, including taxes and fees.
I've been getting a good deal of walking along the Strip and the hike from CP to PH was taking its toll in the form of a blister on my right heel. I had a previous blister on my left foot, so today I switched from my sneakers to my sandals. I knew the right heel was sore, but I was surprised to see that it was bleeding. So after buying the tickets, I looked for a bj table to sit and rest a bit.
Played one-on-one with an Asian woman named Ral. It was a 6-deck game dealt from a shoe and I was betting $10-15 per hand and doing really well when I encountered the biggest hand of the day - or several days. I was up about $170 and was playing one or two hands, depending on how the cards were running. At this time, I played two hands of $20 each. On the first hand I was dealt 7-4 and on the second it was 3-3. Ral showed a 6, so I doubled down on the first hand and split the 3s. I got a 7 on the first 3 and had to double down on that. Then on the second 3, I got another 3, splitting them again. Then I got another 3, again splitting.
On two of the 3s I got face cards, but on one of them I got an 8, triggering another double down. By the time the splitting and doubling was over, I had 8 bets out there of $20 each. Ral flipped her hole card, showing an 8 for a total of 14, then she hit - an 8 and BUST! That $160 win propelled me to a $410 profit for the session and I left, planning to walk gingerly back to Bellagio and the car.
But as I walked by Paris, I decided to visit Ballys and hobbled under the Eiffel Tower, along the cobblestone walkway and into Ballys. This place has been my comfort zone for decades. I clearly remember coming here in 1984, during my first trip to Vegas, and winning $600 in one session. There have been plenty of other winning - and losing - bj sessions here over the years. So I settled into a bj table, planning to rest my foot, get a bottled water and play for 30 minutes or so. Got the water and began to play. I started slow, losing one, winning one, losing two, winning one, etc. I was dwindling my $100 buy-in when I hit a streak. I won 5 hands in a row, slowly bumping my bet. When the shoe ended, I was up $120 and decided to leave. I limped back across the bridge to Bellagio and made my way to the car.
It was the most profitable day of the year - over the 4 sessions, I netted $1,030. My first THOUSAND DOLLAR DAY of 2016. On the way home, I stopped for some takeout at Jason's Deli, one of our favorite eateries. I had a pastrami on rye and got Helen a California Club sandwich. Tasty stuff! Helen had spent the day making some custom birthday cards online and talking with relatives.
On Monday, she had fun skyping with her sisters Nat and Susan in TC. It was Susan's birthday and Helen was able to "attend" a little party for Sue via the internet.
Tonight we have tickets to see John Fogerty at the Venetian. Should be fun hearing lots of those old Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. Dinner will probably be somewhere on the Strip. And so our LV adventure continues...
I drove over to Red Rock about 10 a.m. for a little blackjack action before heading down to the Strip. Walking into Red Rock, I pulled a ticket from my wallet, that I knew to be a loser. For the Monday night college football championship game, I bet a $20 parlay involving Clemson, total fg made and most points scored in the second half. I believed it was a loser because I thought I needed more than 3 fgs to win and Bama and Clemson kicked 3 between them.
But checking the ticket, I had a winner! Turns out I needed 3 fgs, not OVER 3 fg. Senior moment, I guess. Always double check your tickets! So I cashed for $120 and headed for the bj pit. I had a nice run and in about an hour I racked up $320 and decided to head to the Strip.
I parked on the roof of Bellagio, then walked over to Caesar's Palace where I headed straight to the box office where I bought two tickets for the Rod Stewart concert on March 23. They
were $117 each. Then I found a bj table and in about 30 minutes I was up $180 and decided to buy more tickets.
I had learned about a reasonably-priced Motown show at Planet Hollywood called "Hitzville" so I decided to get tickets for that. "Hitzville" features music by the Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops and more. Should be a good one. And the girl at the ticket counter recommended it highly, saying she's seen it three times. I joked that she HAS to say that, right? But no, she admitted some of the shows are not her favs. She gave me $25 off each ticket for a locals discount. So for both stubs, it was only $92, including taxes and fees.
I've been getting a good deal of walking along the Strip and the hike from CP to PH was taking its toll in the form of a blister on my right heel. I had a previous blister on my left foot, so today I switched from my sneakers to my sandals. I knew the right heel was sore, but I was surprised to see that it was bleeding. So after buying the tickets, I looked for a bj table to sit and rest a bit.
Played one-on-one with an Asian woman named Ral. It was a 6-deck game dealt from a shoe and I was betting $10-15 per hand and doing really well when I encountered the biggest hand of the day - or several days. I was up about $170 and was playing one or two hands, depending on how the cards were running. At this time, I played two hands of $20 each. On the first hand I was dealt 7-4 and on the second it was 3-3. Ral showed a 6, so I doubled down on the first hand and split the 3s. I got a 7 on the first 3 and had to double down on that. Then on the second 3, I got another 3, splitting them again. Then I got another 3, again splitting.
On two of the 3s I got face cards, but on one of them I got an 8, triggering another double down. By the time the splitting and doubling was over, I had 8 bets out there of $20 each. Ral flipped her hole card, showing an 8 for a total of 14, then she hit - an 8 and BUST! That $160 win propelled me to a $410 profit for the session and I left, planning to walk gingerly back to Bellagio and the car.
But as I walked by Paris, I decided to visit Ballys and hobbled under the Eiffel Tower, along the cobblestone walkway and into Ballys. This place has been my comfort zone for decades. I clearly remember coming here in 1984, during my first trip to Vegas, and winning $600 in one session. There have been plenty of other winning - and losing - bj sessions here over the years. So I settled into a bj table, planning to rest my foot, get a bottled water and play for 30 minutes or so. Got the water and began to play. I started slow, losing one, winning one, losing two, winning one, etc. I was dwindling my $100 buy-in when I hit a streak. I won 5 hands in a row, slowly bumping my bet. When the shoe ended, I was up $120 and decided to leave. I limped back across the bridge to Bellagio and made my way to the car.
It was the most profitable day of the year - over the 4 sessions, I netted $1,030. My first THOUSAND DOLLAR DAY of 2016. On the way home, I stopped for some takeout at Jason's Deli, one of our favorite eateries. I had a pastrami on rye and got Helen a California Club sandwich. Tasty stuff! Helen had spent the day making some custom birthday cards online and talking with relatives.
On Monday, she had fun skyping with her sisters Nat and Susan in TC. It was Susan's birthday and Helen was able to "attend" a little party for Sue via the internet.
Tonight we have tickets to see John Fogerty at the Venetian. Should be fun hearing lots of those old Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. Dinner will probably be somewhere on the Strip. And so our LV adventure continues...
Friday, January 8, 2016
NFL Wild Card Weekend SuperBowl Odds
Red Rock Casino is offering these NFL odds.
Superbowl winner
Panthers and Cardinals 5-2
Patriots 3-1
Seahawks and Broncos 4-1
Steelers 7-1
Chiefs 14-1
Bengals 17-1
Packers 20-1
Vikings 25-1
Redskins 35-1
Texans 55-1
You can also bet on the NFC team -2.5 with a total of 51.5.
Superbowl winner
Panthers and Cardinals 5-2
Patriots 3-1
Seahawks and Broncos 4-1
Steelers 7-1
Chiefs 14-1
Bengals 17-1
Packers 20-1
Vikings 25-1
Redskins 35-1
Texans 55-1
You can also bet on the NFC team -2.5 with a total of 51.5.
Computer Virus Attacks, But We're Back Now
My trusty laptop had been giving me problems and last Monday it finally froze up and wouldn't let me access my emails, so on Tuesday I took it to our local computer guru, a friendly knowledgeable guy named Armando, LV Computer Doctor.
He took it apart, cleaned it up, installed Windows 10 and a few security programs and we're back online. I picked it up this morning and it's faster than ever. We met Armando last month when we had Helen's laptop undergo the same cleaning and updating process.
Beginning Jan. 1, I have been faithfully tracking our wins and losses. Through eight days, I have had six winning days and only two losing days. My good fortune has continued in both blackjack and poker. Before going to Armando's, I visited Red Rock casino and had a nice blackjack run that netted me $270 in about an hour. Then it was time for the 30-minute drive to the computer shop.
After leaving Armando's shop - he has a place about three miles northwest of the Strip - I drove to Wynn to play. The place was surprisingly busy, but it reminded me that the Consumer Electronics Show is in town. There used to be a standing joke that the pocket-protector-sporting CES participants would come to town with a fresh white shirt and a $20 bill and never change either one.
Not big spenders.
Anyway, I made my way from the rooftop parking deck, past the Ferrari store (yes you can buy a car there, but act fast because it's supposed to close soon) and to the casino. Found a blackjack table and won $130 in about 30 minutes. Then I took a break and checked out the elegance of Wynn and its sister casino, Encore. Both are beautiful, upscale locations that rival the elegance of Bellagio. While strolling into Encore, I played bj for about 15 minutes and posted a $70 win. Then it was a hike back to Wynn and up to the car.
I drove south on the Strip, finally stopping at Excalibur. Haven't been there for a couple of years, but I thought I'd check it out. Excalibur is a bit shabby compared to Wynn or Encore. Compared to other joints on the Strip, it's a family-oriented, low-roller sort of place. It's one of the MGM properties where they accept the MCard, which I turned in when I sat down for some blackjack. I looked for a two-deck pitch game, but all they have are 6-deck shoe games. I settled in and in about 15 minutes, I was up $120 and decided to walk.
So far my hit-and-run technique was working perfectly - four stops, four wins. I still had about two hours before I would head home, so I drove to MGM to play. I decided to mix things up and play some poker there. I checked in at the poker room and they were about ready to start a new game in 10 minutes. So I took a walk, visited the restroom and by the time I got back the game was beginning.
I sat four seats to the left of the dealer, one of my favorite spots. It's easy to see the flop from this point.
It was an up and down session. I won a couple of early pots with two pairs. On one hand I looked down at A-A and anticipated raking a nice pot. But when I bet $7, everyone folded and all I won was $7 from the blinds and two other players. Never got up too much or down too little. But as I was getting ready to go, I realized I was down $18. I really wanted to post another win, so I was happy when I looked down and, once again, saw A-A winking back at me.
This time, I bet $7 and got two callers. The flop came 4-7-J of different suits. The two callers checked and I again bet $7. One guy called, the other folded. Turn card was a 2. I bet $15 and the guy folded. So I took down a pot of $35, showing the Aces. Two hands later, I racked up my chips and left with a $16 profit. For the six sessions, I won $606. A nice day's work and the second highest total of the year, so far.
While I was out, Helen did some healthcare paperwork that she needs to do annually for her MS medicine. I need to mail that tomorrow. She also did some texting with Anna, who is back in Houston after visiting Michael in LA for awhile.
Traffic was heavy leaving the Strip and it took almost an hour to get home, where I made us two fresh, healthy salads for dinner. We enjoyed some Ghiradelli chocolates for dessert while we watched TV. Then it was time for me to get caught up on the blog as our LV adventure continues...
He took it apart, cleaned it up, installed Windows 10 and a few security programs and we're back online. I picked it up this morning and it's faster than ever. We met Armando last month when we had Helen's laptop undergo the same cleaning and updating process.
Beginning Jan. 1, I have been faithfully tracking our wins and losses. Through eight days, I have had six winning days and only two losing days. My good fortune has continued in both blackjack and poker. Before going to Armando's, I visited Red Rock casino and had a nice blackjack run that netted me $270 in about an hour. Then it was time for the 30-minute drive to the computer shop.
After leaving Armando's shop - he has a place about three miles northwest of the Strip - I drove to Wynn to play. The place was surprisingly busy, but it reminded me that the Consumer Electronics Show is in town. There used to be a standing joke that the pocket-protector-sporting CES participants would come to town with a fresh white shirt and a $20 bill and never change either one.
Not big spenders.
Anyway, I made my way from the rooftop parking deck, past the Ferrari store (yes you can buy a car there, but act fast because it's supposed to close soon) and to the casino. Found a blackjack table and won $130 in about 30 minutes. Then I took a break and checked out the elegance of Wynn and its sister casino, Encore. Both are beautiful, upscale locations that rival the elegance of Bellagio. While strolling into Encore, I played bj for about 15 minutes and posted a $70 win. Then it was a hike back to Wynn and up to the car.
I drove south on the Strip, finally stopping at Excalibur. Haven't been there for a couple of years, but I thought I'd check it out. Excalibur is a bit shabby compared to Wynn or Encore. Compared to other joints on the Strip, it's a family-oriented, low-roller sort of place. It's one of the MGM properties where they accept the MCard, which I turned in when I sat down for some blackjack. I looked for a two-deck pitch game, but all they have are 6-deck shoe games. I settled in and in about 15 minutes, I was up $120 and decided to walk.
So far my hit-and-run technique was working perfectly - four stops, four wins. I still had about two hours before I would head home, so I drove to MGM to play. I decided to mix things up and play some poker there. I checked in at the poker room and they were about ready to start a new game in 10 minutes. So I took a walk, visited the restroom and by the time I got back the game was beginning.
I sat four seats to the left of the dealer, one of my favorite spots. It's easy to see the flop from this point.
It was an up and down session. I won a couple of early pots with two pairs. On one hand I looked down at A-A and anticipated raking a nice pot. But when I bet $7, everyone folded and all I won was $7 from the blinds and two other players. Never got up too much or down too little. But as I was getting ready to go, I realized I was down $18. I really wanted to post another win, so I was happy when I looked down and, once again, saw A-A winking back at me.
This time, I bet $7 and got two callers. The flop came 4-7-J of different suits. The two callers checked and I again bet $7. One guy called, the other folded. Turn card was a 2. I bet $15 and the guy folded. So I took down a pot of $35, showing the Aces. Two hands later, I racked up my chips and left with a $16 profit. For the six sessions, I won $606. A nice day's work and the second highest total of the year, so far.
While I was out, Helen did some healthcare paperwork that she needs to do annually for her MS medicine. I need to mail that tomorrow. She also did some texting with Anna, who is back in Houston after visiting Michael in LA for awhile.
Traffic was heavy leaving the Strip and it took almost an hour to get home, where I made us two fresh, healthy salads for dinner. We enjoyed some Ghiradelli chocolates for dessert while we watched TV. Then it was time for me to get caught up on the blog as our LV adventure continues...
Monday, January 4, 2016
2016 Off To a Nice Start
Four days into the New Year and I'm just getting around to catching up on the blog.
It's been a blur of blackjack, poker and football games for the first few days of January. New Year's Eve was a low-key celebration for Helen and I. At 9 p.m. we popped the cork on some champagne and welcomed 2016.
After all, it was already midnight in Michigan were so many of our friends and family were already celebrating. Earlier that day I visited the Albertsons market and loaded up on chicken wings, potato salad, edamame salad, chips, dips, summer sausage, cheeses, olives and more. That gave us plenty of snackables to last for a few days.
On New Year;s Day I went to Red Rock to watch football and play some blackjack. I dropped $35 at the bj table. A rare losing session. The following day, Saturday, I went to Bally's to log hours toward the freeroll tourney. I rebounded with a vengeance, posting a sweet $500 win in poker and $335 in blackjack. Had several nice poker hands, but one of the most memorable was one that wasn't a winner.
I got dealt the K-10 of clubs and the flop was two more clubs A-J. I needed the Queen of clubs for my first ever Royal Flush. But, sorry, it didn't come. Any Queen would give me a straight, or a King would have given me high pair, but in fact, none of them and no clubs hit the turn or the river and I ended up with only a King high...no pairs, no straight. Still, it was a GREAT profitable day.
On Sunday, I was back at Red Rock by 9 a.m. to get in some football action and play poker. I hit a couple of nice hands and posted a profit of $140, factoring in my losing fb bets. One nice hand occurred when I was dealt A-6 of Hearts and the flop came A-6-10. A guy at the end bet $10 and I raised it to $20. Everyone else folded, but the original better sat and thought about it. He'd been shoving All-In on almost every hand he played, so I expected him to do it again.
I was not disappointed. He made a dramatic show of stacking all his chips - about $115 - and slowly shoving them into the center of the table and announcing "All In." I immediately called. The turn and river were non-factors and I showed my two pair. He muttered and tossed his cards face down into the muck. That was a nice pot!
This morning I drove down to Mandalay Bay to get tickets for the Michael Jackson show, "One." Our friends the Edsons and Tunes are coming to visit in Feb. and we decided to see the show together. We're all set for 6 tickets for the Feb. 19 show. They didn't offer a "locals discount" but they did offer a MCard discount if I had a players club card, which I did. So that knocked about $25 off each ticket. All six cost $601 - not bad for a major Vegas show on a Friday night. We were lucky to get six seats close to each other, especially since one is handicapped access for Helen.
After buying the tickets, I drove to Ballys and played some poker. I wanted to log a few hours toward the freeroll. I played for about 3 hours, posting a profit of $160. I have 8 hours so far, and need to get 4 more in for the tourney. About 2:30 I took a break from poker and walked to the Ghiradelli shop to buy some chocolates. En route to the chocolate store, I ate an apple I had brought from home. Somehow having that solitary fruit for lunch seemed to offset the decision to buy a big bag of chocolates.
Then it was a hike back to Ballys. The poker room was pretty full and there was a wait, so I found a blackjack table and played for an hour, stacking a profit of $200. Then it was time to head home. For the day, I won $360, got the tickets and some chocolates. A pretty nice day!
When I got home I made dinner - wild rice and vegetables. And Helen and I sampled the chocolates, limiting ourselves to 3 each. She was a little under the weather today, so she logged some couch time and addressed birthday cards to go out tomorrow.
And tomorrow our adventure continues...
It's been a blur of blackjack, poker and football games for the first few days of January. New Year's Eve was a low-key celebration for Helen and I. At 9 p.m. we popped the cork on some champagne and welcomed 2016.
After all, it was already midnight in Michigan were so many of our friends and family were already celebrating. Earlier that day I visited the Albertsons market and loaded up on chicken wings, potato salad, edamame salad, chips, dips, summer sausage, cheeses, olives and more. That gave us plenty of snackables to last for a few days.
On New Year;s Day I went to Red Rock to watch football and play some blackjack. I dropped $35 at the bj table. A rare losing session. The following day, Saturday, I went to Bally's to log hours toward the freeroll tourney. I rebounded with a vengeance, posting a sweet $500 win in poker and $335 in blackjack. Had several nice poker hands, but one of the most memorable was one that wasn't a winner.
I got dealt the K-10 of clubs and the flop was two more clubs A-J. I needed the Queen of clubs for my first ever Royal Flush. But, sorry, it didn't come. Any Queen would give me a straight, or a King would have given me high pair, but in fact, none of them and no clubs hit the turn or the river and I ended up with only a King high...no pairs, no straight. Still, it was a GREAT profitable day.
On Sunday, I was back at Red Rock by 9 a.m. to get in some football action and play poker. I hit a couple of nice hands and posted a profit of $140, factoring in my losing fb bets. One nice hand occurred when I was dealt A-6 of Hearts and the flop came A-6-10. A guy at the end bet $10 and I raised it to $20. Everyone else folded, but the original better sat and thought about it. He'd been shoving All-In on almost every hand he played, so I expected him to do it again.
I was not disappointed. He made a dramatic show of stacking all his chips - about $115 - and slowly shoving them into the center of the table and announcing "All In." I immediately called. The turn and river were non-factors and I showed my two pair. He muttered and tossed his cards face down into the muck. That was a nice pot!
This morning I drove down to Mandalay Bay to get tickets for the Michael Jackson show, "One." Our friends the Edsons and Tunes are coming to visit in Feb. and we decided to see the show together. We're all set for 6 tickets for the Feb. 19 show. They didn't offer a "locals discount" but they did offer a MCard discount if I had a players club card, which I did. So that knocked about $25 off each ticket. All six cost $601 - not bad for a major Vegas show on a Friday night. We were lucky to get six seats close to each other, especially since one is handicapped access for Helen.
After buying the tickets, I drove to Ballys and played some poker. I wanted to log a few hours toward the freeroll. I played for about 3 hours, posting a profit of $160. I have 8 hours so far, and need to get 4 more in for the tourney. About 2:30 I took a break from poker and walked to the Ghiradelli shop to buy some chocolates. En route to the chocolate store, I ate an apple I had brought from home. Somehow having that solitary fruit for lunch seemed to offset the decision to buy a big bag of chocolates.
Then it was a hike back to Ballys. The poker room was pretty full and there was a wait, so I found a blackjack table and played for an hour, stacking a profit of $200. Then it was time to head home. For the day, I won $360, got the tickets and some chocolates. A pretty nice day!
When I got home I made dinner - wild rice and vegetables. And Helen and I sampled the chocolates, limiting ourselves to 3 each. She was a little under the weather today, so she logged some couch time and addressed birthday cards to go out tomorrow.
And tomorrow our adventure continues...
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Last Poker Tourney of 2015
On Wednesday night, Ballys hosted the final Freeroll poker tournament of 2015 and I had qualified to be in it by logging 12 hours of play during the previous week. Action started at 6 p.m. with only 41 participants. Turns out that 93 people posted enough hours to qualify, but only 41 showed up for the tourney, which pays $300 to each of the final 20 players. Just had to trim half the field to get some $$$$.
We each start with 5,000 in chips and the blinds begin at 50-100. Every 20 minutes the blinds increase to 100-200, then 200-400, 400-800, 500-1000, 1000-2000. About 45 minutes into play, I had a huge make-or-break hand. Blinds were 200-400 and I was in a late position. I looked down at Q-8, both diamonds, and decided to try to steal the blinds by going all in. There were only 2 guys to act behind me and I figured they would probably fold, rather than risk all their chips. I had 5,500 and both of them had about the same.
So when the first guy folded, I felt pretty good. But the second guy hesitated, then shoved in his stack. Hmmmm, not great. But I did have a Q and if that paired I might be OK. Also had two diamonds for a shot at a flush.
Flop comes J-10-9...I FLOPPED A STRAIGHT!!
But my excitement was tempered when the guy showed his cards A-5, both hearts. And two of the flop cards were hearts, giving him two shots at a flush, which would end my tournament in heartbreaking fashion. Turn was 4 of Spades, River was a Q of Spades! I had survived and doubled my stack to 11,000 in chips. At the time, the average stack was only 6,200, so I was in GREAT shape.
At that point, I realized I probably would not have to play another hand in order to outlast half the field. I played it VERY conservatively, even throwing away K-K because I didn't want to risk losing my stack to someone who played A-4 and hit an A on the flop. After 80 minutes they have a 10 minute break. At that point the average stack was 8,500 and I had just over 14,000. I coasted along, folding, folding, folding as the field dwindled to 28, 24, 23, then 22.
At this point, the guy on my immediate right was knocked out, leaving us with 21 players. Then the guy at my immediate left was knocked out and the tourney was over! I had survived! Turns out the guy on my left did get a share, because a player at another table went out at the same time. They were each given $150 while the rest of us got our $300, I called Helen and headed home happy!
Earlier in the day, I went to Red Rock to get some bets in for my friend Terry. He lost his fb parlay, but hit a hockey parlay that pays $333. My fb bets died when Texas A&M lost to Louisville. While at Red Rock, I won 120 in blackjack and another 17 on video blackjack.
After lunch, I drove to Mirage to get tickets for the Beatles show LOVE for Feb. when our friends the Edsons and Tunes join us in Vegas. Sad news, the show is dark for most of FEb as they revise some parts of the show. We'll be looking into a plan B. Then I drove down to Ballys where I played a little blackjack before the poker tourney. Was able to notch another $300 in blackjack, then watch some fb while waiting for the poker to begin.
So for the day, I had a nice $737 win. Today I need to get over to Red Rock to cash T's ticket and get some more fb action. Like Houston, MSU and OK today. Have to check out the nfl action too.
LV is all abuzz about New Year's Eve on the Strip. Helen and I will be having a low-key celebration and it's a longshot bet that we make it to midnight.
Happy New Year to All as our LV adventure continues...
We each start with 5,000 in chips and the blinds begin at 50-100. Every 20 minutes the blinds increase to 100-200, then 200-400, 400-800, 500-1000, 1000-2000. About 45 minutes into play, I had a huge make-or-break hand. Blinds were 200-400 and I was in a late position. I looked down at Q-8, both diamonds, and decided to try to steal the blinds by going all in. There were only 2 guys to act behind me and I figured they would probably fold, rather than risk all their chips. I had 5,500 and both of them had about the same.
So when the first guy folded, I felt pretty good. But the second guy hesitated, then shoved in his stack. Hmmmm, not great. But I did have a Q and if that paired I might be OK. Also had two diamonds for a shot at a flush.
Flop comes J-10-9...I FLOPPED A STRAIGHT!!
But my excitement was tempered when the guy showed his cards A-5, both hearts. And two of the flop cards were hearts, giving him two shots at a flush, which would end my tournament in heartbreaking fashion. Turn was 4 of Spades, River was a Q of Spades! I had survived and doubled my stack to 11,000 in chips. At the time, the average stack was only 6,200, so I was in GREAT shape.
At that point, I realized I probably would not have to play another hand in order to outlast half the field. I played it VERY conservatively, even throwing away K-K because I didn't want to risk losing my stack to someone who played A-4 and hit an A on the flop. After 80 minutes they have a 10 minute break. At that point the average stack was 8,500 and I had just over 14,000. I coasted along, folding, folding, folding as the field dwindled to 28, 24, 23, then 22.
At this point, the guy on my immediate right was knocked out, leaving us with 21 players. Then the guy at my immediate left was knocked out and the tourney was over! I had survived! Turns out the guy on my left did get a share, because a player at another table went out at the same time. They were each given $150 while the rest of us got our $300, I called Helen and headed home happy!
Earlier in the day, I went to Red Rock to get some bets in for my friend Terry. He lost his fb parlay, but hit a hockey parlay that pays $333. My fb bets died when Texas A&M lost to Louisville. While at Red Rock, I won 120 in blackjack and another 17 on video blackjack.
After lunch, I drove to Mirage to get tickets for the Beatles show LOVE for Feb. when our friends the Edsons and Tunes join us in Vegas. Sad news, the show is dark for most of FEb as they revise some parts of the show. We'll be looking into a plan B. Then I drove down to Ballys where I played a little blackjack before the poker tourney. Was able to notch another $300 in blackjack, then watch some fb while waiting for the poker to begin.
So for the day, I had a nice $737 win. Today I need to get over to Red Rock to cash T's ticket and get some more fb action. Like Houston, MSU and OK today. Have to check out the nfl action too.
LV is all abuzz about New Year's Eve on the Strip. Helen and I will be having a low-key celebration and it's a longshot bet that we make it to midnight.
Happy New Year to All as our LV adventure continues...
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Trifecta of Profits
On Saturday morning I drove to Bally's with a plan to log a few hours of poker and make a football bet.
I wanted to get something down on Washington State, whose coach, Mike Leach used to coach Texas Tech when my grandson Stephen went there. Leach uses a wide open, run and gun offense to rack up points. He was the college coach for Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, both NFL receivers. He also aggressively goes for fourth downs, more than any other ncaa coach except one. Anyway, they were only -1 vs. University of Miami and its gang of thugs.
Got down to Bally's just before 10 and the game began at 11, so I went right down and got the bet in. Then I made my way to the poker room and got a seat. We started the game with 6 of us, then quickly filled out the table to 9. It was up and down for hours until I got a key hand. I looked down and found J-J in my hand.
I hate playing jacks because inevitably a Q-K or A hits the flop, making your jacks shrink in power. Anyway, this time the flop was J-K-6 of different suits, giving me three of a kind. One guy bet $20 and I was the only caller. The turn was a 3. The guy bet $30 and I just called. The river was a 7 and the guy bet another $30. I raised it to $60 and he hemmed and hawed before calling and showing A-A. I took down that healthy pot with my 3 jacks.
But that was the only big pot I won and went into a long dry spell after that. After about 4.5 hours of poker, I walked with a profit of $30. Meanwhile my football bet won $90 when WSU topped Miami, 20-14. After leaving the poker table, I found a blackjack game and in 30 minutes I won $87.
So I hit the gambling trifecta - sports bet, poker and blackjack - for a profit of $207.
Helen spent the day talking with family and relaxing with some HBO movies. When I got home, I picked up a package at the apartment managers office. Natalie and her family had sent us a Christmas gift of chocolates, pistachios, almonds, coffee, tea and a puzzle book. Very fun! Thanks to all of them.
Today is NFL Sunday and I will send some time at Red Rock watching the games and playing either blackjack or poker, perhaps both. And so our adventure continues...
I wanted to get something down on Washington State, whose coach, Mike Leach used to coach Texas Tech when my grandson Stephen went there. Leach uses a wide open, run and gun offense to rack up points. He was the college coach for Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola, both NFL receivers. He also aggressively goes for fourth downs, more than any other ncaa coach except one. Anyway, they were only -1 vs. University of Miami and its gang of thugs.
Got down to Bally's just before 10 and the game began at 11, so I went right down and got the bet in. Then I made my way to the poker room and got a seat. We started the game with 6 of us, then quickly filled out the table to 9. It was up and down for hours until I got a key hand. I looked down and found J-J in my hand.
I hate playing jacks because inevitably a Q-K or A hits the flop, making your jacks shrink in power. Anyway, this time the flop was J-K-6 of different suits, giving me three of a kind. One guy bet $20 and I was the only caller. The turn was a 3. The guy bet $30 and I just called. The river was a 7 and the guy bet another $30. I raised it to $60 and he hemmed and hawed before calling and showing A-A. I took down that healthy pot with my 3 jacks.
But that was the only big pot I won and went into a long dry spell after that. After about 4.5 hours of poker, I walked with a profit of $30. Meanwhile my football bet won $90 when WSU topped Miami, 20-14. After leaving the poker table, I found a blackjack game and in 30 minutes I won $87.
So I hit the gambling trifecta - sports bet, poker and blackjack - for a profit of $207.
Helen spent the day talking with family and relaxing with some HBO movies. When I got home, I picked up a package at the apartment managers office. Natalie and her family had sent us a Christmas gift of chocolates, pistachios, almonds, coffee, tea and a puzzle book. Very fun! Thanks to all of them.
Today is NFL Sunday and I will send some time at Red Rock watching the games and playing either blackjack or poker, perhaps both. And so our adventure continues...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)