Fun With Tricia and Kevin

Helen and I have spent the last two days having fun showing off Las Vegas to our visitors, Tricia and Kevin.

On Thursday morning we drove to the Mirage and met up with them about 10 a.m. They had enjoyed a breakfast at Denny's, right across Las Vegas Blvd from their room. We decided to check out some of the casinos, so a walk down the Strip soon began. Our first stop was The Venetian and a tour of the Canal Shoppes. They were really impressed by the beauty and luxury of The V. Helen and Tricia spent about an hour browsing in a special Las Vegas gift shop where they looked a lot and bought little.

Then we headed south on the Strip, stopping at Harrah's and The Linq, before checking out the High Roller. We didn't ride the giant ferris wheel, but walked right up to it and it's pretty impressive. Along the way, we stopped at the Ghiradelli chocolate shop where I stocked up on treats for Helen and me.

Continuing south, we walked past Cromwell and Ballys, stopping at Paris to check it out. Kevin and Tricia were seeing all the sights and taking pics along the way. After Paris, we visited Planet Hollywood, where Tricia and Helen spent two hours shopping in the Miracle Mile shops. Meanwhile Kevin and I were getting thirsty, so I sat at a blackjack table and we enjoyed a couple of $1 beers while I played and Kevin watched. He's not quite confident enough to play live bj yet, but that's OK. We all have to learn at some point.

The session started well and I was playing one-on-one with the dealer, Chun. Then a woman who didn't know the game very well came and changed all the cards. I immediately lost all my profit and some. I had to rebuy for $100 and eventually the woman left and two couples joined us. Things went well and after about an hour, I left with a profit of $185.

Kevin and I still had time to kill before we had to meet with the girls, so we visited the Planet Hollywood sports book. Kevin wanted to bet on the Super Bowl and bought a $20 ticket on Under 45 points. I put $25 on Carolina -5 and then we left to meet up with Helen and Tricia. By this time it was almost 4 p.m. and we were getting hungry. Kevin and Tricia wanted to try a Vegas buffet and the PH has one of the best for the money, so we went down there. As we checked it, the lady at the register asked if I was a Total Rewards member and I showed her my platinum card. She checked my points and we were able to comp the $120 meal. WINNER!!

We all enjoyed the buffet, eating too much and still saving room for dessert. Then it was time to waddle back to Mirage where Kevin and Tricia had tickets for a 7 p.m. performance of "LOVE," the great Beatles tribute. Helen and I said goodnight and made the drive back to our apartment. It was a full day!

On Friday, we drove back to Mirage, meeting up with Kevin and Tricia at 9:30 to start our adventures. They both loved "LOVE" and talked about it a lot as we drove. Our first stop was south to see the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. We took several photos at the site, which was pretty busy with visitors. Then we drove north on the Strip and I took them to see the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, made famous from Pawn Stars. It's in a shabby area of the Strip, surrounded by cheap hotels and several infamous Wedding Chapels where you can get married by an Elvis imitator or even while sitting in your car at a drive-through window.

Then we rolled west on Charleston Avenue, our destination: Red Rock Canyon National Area.

We've taken several visitors to Red Rock and they are always impressed by the mountainous terrain and colorful rock formations. Our first stop was the visitors center where Helen and Tricia explored the gift shop, while Kevin and I looked at the informative displayed. Then we spent over an hour driving and parking along the 13-mile road that takes you through the park. We saw some adventurous knuckleheads climbing up the shear rock faces and swore we'd never do that!

Kevin and I had built up a powerful thirst and we decided to visit Yard House, an eatery at the Red Rock Casino. It was a late lunch for us and we enjoyed it. Helen, Tricia and I opted for tasty burgers, while Kevin devoured a platter of four sliders. Some tasty craft beers washed down the good food.
I gave them a quick tour of the Casino, which has become my go-to place when I don't visit the Strip for gaming.

After a while, we drove back to Mirage and hung out for a while. We walked to Harrah's where I played blackjack, winning $89 while Helen, Tricia and Kevin watched me play. I thought they might be bored, but they said they enjoyed watching me stack the chips! Even though they have a Volcano-View room, Kevin and Tricia had not yet seen the volcano show. So we planned to see the 8 p.m. show and about 7:45 headed out to get a good viewing spot. It was an impressive 10-minute display and the volcano throws off a good amount of heat!

Then it was time for us to say our goodbyes, ending a fun-filled trip for Tricia and Kevin. Helen and I drove home, tired but happy. Kevin and Tricia fly back to Detroit today. They'll take a shuttle bus to McCarron Airport at 11:45 in preparation for their 2 p.m. flight. They should arrive in Detroit about 10:30, if all goes well. There's already talk of them coming back to celebrate Christmas with us in December. I hope that works out, it would be GREAT fun.

For now, our LV adventure continues...

Visitors!!

Scott rolled into LV on Monday about 5p.m. and by 8 we were at Harrah's enjoying the "Million Dollar Quartet" show.

It's 90 minutes of rock-a-billy music and fun as the play details a day in 1955 at Sun Records when owner Sam Phillips got his four stars - Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis - together for some great music. Helen and I had seen it a couple weeks ago and thought Scott would enjoy it. We were right.

It was great to see Scott, who had been in Phoenix to accept an award Sunday. He drove up to see us on Monday, then Tuesday morning had to fly back to Grand Rapids. He got back to Michigan about 1030 on Tuesday, then had to drive to Detroit for a Wednesday morning surgery that he attends to aid the physicians using his company's cardiac devices. He travels A LOT!

Then yesterday our niece Tricia and her husband Kevin arrived for their first LV visit about 2:30 p.m. or so. Helen and I picked them up from the airport and gave them a brief tour of the Strip before taking them to the Mirage where they are staying. During the check-in, Tricia asked about the possibility of a free upgrade. The four of us went up to their room on the 19th floor and they have a GREAT view overlooking the famous Mirage Volcano and the Strip.

After checking out their room, we visited the Beatles Gift Shop at the Mirage. Kevin is a big Beatles fan and they are going to see "Love" tonight. At the gift shop, Helen bought a Sgt. Pepper t-shirt and a notepad that features a photo of a ticket for the Beatles 1964 show at Olympia Stadium that Helen attended as a 15-year old!

After a while, we were all getting hungry, so decided to try the Samba Steakhouse for dinner.

For years I've wanted to try Samba. It has a unique system where you pay $39 per person and they bring you all the skewered meats you want. Each meal starts with a basic salad and some round baked dough balls that you dip in oil. Then come the skewered beef, chicken, turkey wrapped in bacon, sausage, pork and lamb. They give you a small card that is green on one side, red on the other. If you leave the green side showing, they bring you more meat. Show the red side and it means "no meat for now." The meal also includes side dishes of black beans, rice, sugared plantains, veggies and garlic bread. Kevin and I pounded down as much meat as we could possibly hold. All of it was tasty, except the pork was a bit dry. Tricia and Helen showed much more restraint. But we all enjoyed the meal!

We decided a little walk would be nice, so we headed south on the Strip to Caesar's Palace. We entered at the Forum Shops and Tricia and Kevin were impressed by all the amazing architecture of the shops. We stopped at a shop that sells framed, autographed items of pop culture and history. Always cool to browse the exhibits that include Teddy Roosevelt, The Beatles, John Dillinger, Al Capone, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo and so many more. Helen and Kevin each bought a great matted photo display of the Beatles for only $25.

Then we continued walking south into Bellagio where we showed our guests the great lobby area that features the blown glass flowers of Dale Chihuly. We visited the conservatory that has a display honoring the Chinese New Year - the Year of the Monkey. We headed outside and to watch a Bellagio Fountain Show. The first one was a classical tune that we enjoyed so much that we decided to stay for another show. They run every 15 minutes after dark, so it wasn't long before we were listening to "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis and the water cannons shot high into the air. What a great way to end our evening as he made the walk back to Mirage where we said goodnight to Kevin and Tricia. Then Helen and I made the 40-minute drive back to our apartment.

And today our adventure continues...


















  

Tigers Are Better With Upton? Vegas Says No.

While at Planet Hollywood yesterday, I picked up a Baseball Futures sheet and checked out the odds for the AL pennant and World Series.

The Tigers are currently 14-1 to win the AL Pennant and 30-1 to win the World Series. Surprisingly, the opening lines had the Detroiters at 12-1 and 25-1. So after making all the moves of adding Upton and others, the Vegas oddsmakers think the team has a worse chance to win both the AL and the WS. They've actually taken a step back after the roster moves!

The Red Sox and Royals are current AL favorites at 5-1. In the Central, the Indians at 8-1, the White Sox at 12-1 and the Twins are 20-1. So the Tigers are the 4th worst odds in their division, let alone the whole AL.

Could be another long season for us Tiger fans.

In college hoops futures, the current favorites are Kansas and North Carolina, both 6-1. The Spartans and Duke are right behind at 7-1. Oklahoma is 8-1. A couple of interesting longshots might be Iowa at 20-1 or West Virginia at 22-1. Michigan is a whopping 65-1 for you Wolverine backers.

Big Day in Blackjack, Football Not So Much

I decided to spend Sunday on The Strip watching the NFL playoff games at Planet Hollywood.

 It took about 35 minutes to get to Ballys where I parked about 10 a.m. The Pats-Broncos game kicked off at noon here in LV, so I had some time to kill before I settled into the PH sports book. I like their book because the chairs are comfortable and the TV screens are large and clear. Ballys and Paris have two of the WORST sports books on the strip. Their screens are blurry and seating is not very comfortable at all.

Before walking to PH, I cashed two $25 tickets on hoops games from Saturday, for a profit of $45. Then I headed to PH, walking through Paris. I sat down at a bj table in Paris and played for about 20 minutes, notching a profit of $125. So, I figured, I was up $170 if I didn't make another bet.

I got to the PH sportsbook about 11 and grabbed a seat. As I watched the Iowa-Purdue basketball game, the place soon filled up. The betting line was 40-50 people long and I was glad I already had 5 parlays going. All of them had the Pats, though and they were all losers. By halftime of the game, I was getting bored and decided to walk back to Ballys where I sat down at a bj table and began one of the hottest runs of the whole trip.

There was one other guy at the table when I sat down. "I only have one chip left," he joked as I joined the game. He showed me a $100 chip and played it. On the first hand we both won.

My streak began slowly, with me betting $10-15 a hand. After getting up $200 or so, I began to press bets to $20-30 a hand and I kept winning. At one point, I won or pushed 11 straight hands before the dealer hit a blackjack that snapped the streak. One key hand happened when I had $25 bet and I got 8-8 against the dealer's 5. Following Basic Strategy, I split the 8s and got a 3 on the first one. I doubled down and got a king for 21. On the other 8, I got a 2 and again doubled down, landing an ACE for another 21. So I had $100 out there and won when the dealer flipped a 2 and caught a 10 for 17. 

When I didn't make a good hand, the dealer busted for us.

Another highlight happened when I had a 16 and caught a 5 for 21. The very next hand I got dealt another 16 and HIT ANOTHER 5 for another winner! I was making hands like crazy. Hit 13, get an 8, hit 14, get a 6. It was unreal and my chip stack kept climbing. 

Finally, I decided to leave. I counted up my chips and showed a profit of $1250. And the other guy at the table had run his $100 up to $1000. It was a fun magical run for both of us!

I headed home, calling Helen en route to tell her about our fun and profits. When I got home, we watched some of the other NFL game and had a tasty salad for dinner. Then it was time to enjoy some chocolates for dessert and settle down to watch Downton Abbey.

Today, I have a few errands to run and may play a bit at Red Rock. Scott is coming to LV tonight, arriving about 5 or so. He's driving up from Phoenix where he was honored yesterday with a National Salesman of the Year Award for his company. It's the 2nd year in a row that he's taken that honor. He's the Miguel Cabrera of Medical Device Salesmen!! We have tickets tonight for "Million Dollar Quartet," at Harrah's. That will be fun!

And so our adventure continues...

BBQ Lunch and a Movie

Helen and I had an full day on Friday.

We left the apartment at 9 a.m. and our first stop was a Target store to pick up a few items she wanted. Then I dropped her off for a 10 a.m. hair appointment that was going to take about 90 minutes. Since the hair salon was only a mile or so from the Rampart Casino, I drove over there to kill time while she had her hair done.

I played some blackjack against a dealer named Chuck, who grew up in San Diego and was a die-hard Chargers fan. I told him I was a Raiders fan and we had a good time talking AFC West football over the past 30 years. Even though he's loved the Bolts, he says if they move to LA, he's done with them. I won $140 and cashed in before going back to pick up Helen about 11:30.

We decided to go to the Red Rock casino for lunch and see if there was a matinee movie worth watching. We bypassed the casino food court and opted for Lucille's BBQ for lunch. I had BBQ ribs with a side order of pulled pork and BBQ beans. Washed it down with a tasty strawberry lemonade. Helen had a BBQ chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries, along with a club soda. Total bill was $33.

Then it was off to check out the movie choices. We opted for "The Revenent," over "Joy" because of the timing. It was showing at 2:20, while Joy didn't begin until 3:15. So we settled in for the movie, which was compelling, but a little too violent for Helen. She had to avert her eyes more than once due to blood and gore. We both thought it was historically accurate and beautiful cinematography, but also grisly.

Got home about 530 and watched some TV and relaxed with a few Ghiradelli chocolates. And so our adventure continues...

Curse You, Ace-Queen!

Wednesday night I was playing in the weekly freeroll poker tourney at Bally's, hoping to be one of the final 20 players to cash for $300.

The event started promptly at 6 p.m. with 59 players, a larger than usual field for recent tourneys. I got off to a good start, taking down a few pots and building my stack from $5,000 to almost 12,000 when the 10-minute break came 100 minutes into play. By then the field had been whittled to 36 and I was in pretty good shape. I had the 3rd largest stack at the table and decided I would only play solid starting hands and try to steal the blinds when possible.

After the break, some of the short-stacked players began to fall out until there were 32, 30, 29 players left. I lost some valuable chips when I looked down and found A-Q of mixed suits in my hand. The blinds at this time were $1000 and 500. Several players folded, so I bet $3,000 thinking I could take down the blinds. But I barely got my chips in the pot when the guy to my left went all in for $10,000. I just couldn't risk all my chips, so I had to fold. The loss left me with about $9,500 left.

The very next hand I found myself with the very same starting hand, A-Q. Again several guys folded and I went ALL IN, expecting again to take down the $1,500 in blinds. But I got a quick call from a guy who had just a few more chips than I did. He showed K-K. The flop came 4-9-Ace! I had taken the lead on the flop. The turn card was a 2 and I was anticipating a nice stack of almost $20,000 when the flop came A KING!! The guy had two possible winning cards and he hit one on the river to knock me out of the tourney in 28th place. Frustrating...

Earlier in the day I won $125 in blackjack, so it wasn't a losing day, but I came soooo close to winning another 300 in the tourney.

While waiting for the tourney to begin, I enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich at the Nosh eatery and saw a heart-wrenching scene involving a Dad and his two young daughters. Dad was hustling across the casino floor pulling a suitcase behind him. His long legs were moving fast and the two girls, about 4 or 5 were desperately trying to keep up while pulling their own tiny Dora the Explorer suitcases. Dad was 10 feet, then 15 feet ahead of the girls moving quickly across the Ballys casino floor. The girls were crying out "Daddy, Wait" and "Daddy, Daddy." But he didn't seem to hear and was soon some 20 feet ahead of the girls in a busy casino. I wanted to slap the guy. Finally he stopped and looked back. He waited while the girls caught up, but seemed irritated that their little legs couldn't keep up. What a jerk!!

On Tuesday, Helen and I went to see "Hitzville," a Motown music show at Planet Hollywood. It was GREAT. A live 5-piece band and 7 talented singers played dozens of Motown songs from the '60s. It was great fun and brought back a lot of memories. During the show a video montage of the original Motown groups is shown on three screens. The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and others were shown. At $45 a ticket, it's a huge bargain and I recommend it to anyone who loves Motown music.

Next Monday night, Scott comes to visit. It'll be good to see him and we're going to see "Million Dollar Quartet" with him the following day. Then next Wednesday our niece, Tricia and her husband Kevin come for a visit. They're staying at the Mirage and will be seeing "Love" the Beatles show. Should be fun seeing them!

And so our LV adventure continues...

It's Show Time!

The next week will find us seeing a couple of fun-sounding shows. Helen and I are looking forward to seeing "Hitzville," a Motown musical show tomorrow night at Planet Hollywood. Then a week later we're going back to re-see "Million Dollar Quartet" with Scott at Harrah's. Scott has a business trip to Arizona next weekend, then will make the drive to LV on Monday and spend that night and Tuesday night with us before flying back to Michigan on Wednesday. So we're all going to MDQ on Tuesday night. Should be fun.

Over the weekend I had one losing session and two winning sessions on The Strip. On Friday, I lost $70 in poker at Ballys. but bounced back with a nice $550 win on Saturday and another $440 profit yesterday. Both of those were mostly blackjack. I was playing a lot of poker at Ballys where I ran into a guy who grew up in Traverse City. His name was Tony and he played football for Jim Ooley in the 1980s. Now he's a sales rep in the Detroit area, but would like to move back to TC some day.

Also had some football success during the NFL playoffs. I played a teaser of Chiefs +11 and Packers+13.5 that paid $183. Another teaser of Pats +1.5, Cardinals -1 and Broncos -1 paid $109. Lost a parlay with Cardinals -7 on the Packers Hail Mary pass that tied the game, but that's football.

Yesterday I played both poker and blackjack at Ballys, but took some time for a Strip walk. A stop by Cromwell was successful, with a $300 win. But the most important stop was at the Ghiradelli chocolate shop where I snagged a bag of their 80-piece chocolates for $27.95. They offer you $20 off if you buy 3 bags, but I just wasn't up for that yet.

While I was on my Strip Trip, Helen was on the phone with friends and family. She's also enjoying some of the movie channels we have on our Cox Cable subscription. On the way home, I picked up some BBQ chicken salads from Capriottis. The plan was to eat light/healthy to offset our later gorging on chocolate. Well, gorging might be an exaggeration. Helen and I are able to limit our intake to 3 or 4 pieces each and call that good. We enjoyed the treats while watching "Downton Abbey" then it was time for bed.

This morning I need to get over to Red Rock Casino where they are giving away Fleece Jackets to club members starting at 10 a.m.  Because I am one of their higher level club members - I'm a President Level Player - I can pick my new free fleece up starting at 9 a.m. Then I'll head to Ballys where I need less than an hour to qualify for the Wednesday night Free Roll Tournament.

And so our LV adventure continues...