THURSDAY:
I tried the Rio buffet for breakfast, using a discount coupon; plenty of variety to choose from and the food was pretty good..the omelet station was a mob scene of activity. I hitched a ride on the shuttle and played some more VP at Sully's Bar at Ballys. Matt, my favorite Vegas bartender was working and the Heinekens came at a steady rate. Played for an hour on my original $20 and cashed out even. Played some 3 card poker with some entertaining tablemates, but bad luck still is shadowing me today...lose another $100. I bought a 24 hr bus pass and caught the SDX in front of the Paris casino and headed downtown for the rest of the day.
I played some slots at the 4 Queens, lost $80; even played my usual Silver Strike machine and struck out in picking up a silver coin. Quenched my thirst with a Downtown Brown microbrew at the Chicago brewery and cashed out with a profit of 20 bucks playing some DW. I wandered over to the remodeled Gold Strike casino; you could hear a pin drop in there. There was a few people hanging around the bar area, none of the table games were open, the casino was pretty devoid of activity. I purchased a dollar chip at the cashier's cage and headed out the door. Next on the agenda was to check out the Mob Museum.
They have done an excellent job in setting this up; three floors of very interesting displays concerning the early days of Vegas; but mostly about organized crime in America. I was really surprised how these guys have managed to stick their greedy fingers in so much of this country. I started out by having one of the guides take my mug shot(front and side profile) with my camera and then wander through the various rooms for the next three hours. There was a film crew from NBC working and filming that afternoon, so I had to work around them in order to get to see all the displays.
After all that walking around my leg needed a rest, so I traveled over to the El Cortez and applied some pain management by having a couple of their premium martinis at the bar during their happy hour. I played some VP, but couldn't hit anything and dropped another $100. I did have quite a lively conversation with a guy who sat down next to me at the bar. Turns out this old guy has been coming to Vegas for over 40 years with his wife..lots of stories about downtown Vegas. The added bonus is that he is from the U.P of Michigan, a Yooper. The martinis flowed freely and I really left with a pretty good buzz.
I stumbled down Fremont and into the Golden Gate for a marathon session of blackjack with those lovely female dealers. My fellow players were four guys from Canada who were in town for a Hockey tournament. By the end of the evening we were best buddies and they wanted me to be their goalie on their team. The guy on 1st base made an interesting play when I first sat down at the table. He split his tens against the dealer's 5. He lost both hands. He then regularly referred to my strategy card that I had on the table in front of me. My favorite dealer, Alex, was dealing at our table tonight; she received a lot of tips from all of us. Next thing I knew it was 0230 and I had reached my Heineken limit. I said goodnight to my Hockey pals and cashed out down $140. I made it halfway to the bus stop before I was greeted by a very attractive young female who was looking for some company. Not tonight, sweetheart; no sale. I must have dozed off after I got onto the bus, as I was jarred awake only to find that I was in front of the Cosmo...let me off the bus! I backtracked to Bill's, things were dead at the craps table so I grabbed a cab back to the Rio and crashed.
FRIDAY:
Ouch, where are my pharmaceuticals, my hair hurts. I shook off the cobwebs with a couple of cups of coffee and packed up my bags. I played some more roulette using my same betting pattern and hit #22 twice in a row. A guy at the table was betting like a madman, huge stacks of chips all over the board. He made several nice hits, but just couldn't pull himself away from the table with his winnings...gave it all back. Hitched a ride on the shuttle to Bally's and then walked(limped) over the Bellagio to check out the Spring display at the conservatory.
Back to the Rio and checked out and then drove over to the Luxor to give them some more play. I have a conference in December at MB and I thought I'd give the Luxor some play to see if I could get a decent or comped room rate for my Dec. trip. More BJ and more losing. Lost another $100 on the WOF slots. I had a late lunch at Ri Ra pub. I ordered their small portion of fish and chips, but they brought me their large order. I am not sure if this fish was caught or harpooned; it was a huge filet. The waiter realized the mistake and made sure that I was billed for the smaller order. This was the first time at this place and I will definitely return.
Dropped off the rental car without incident and couldn't get an upgrade to first class at the checkin counter at the airport. I slept off and on during the flight and then drove to Gail's house just outside of Mankato. I saw two accidents on the interstate during my drive; one which involved three semi trucks. Pulled into Gail's around 0230 and slept like the dead. We got up Saturday morning and then drove 3 hours to a casino in northwest Iowa, Grand Falls Casino. Gary Puckett was performing that night in the lounge, so we reserved a room at the casino hotel and took in his show. He sang all his old hits; Gail and I had a great time. That night I had severe leg pain and chills with a fever.
PROLOGUE:
This was definitely a losing trip, monetarily. I came back down about $1200 (ouch). Sometimes you just can't get decent cards to save yourself...but that's why they call it gambling. I really enjoyed the shows; thought Carrot Top was very good. I didn't eat high end this trip, but will do some fancy dining when Gail and I are in Vegas in September. Booked a week at the Rio, airline tickets already purchased. I hope the workers at the Heineken brewery appreciate my loyalty to their product.
When I finally got home I was really having some pain in my left leg; could hardly walk on it. I spent 8 hours in the emergency room to find out that I had an infection. The problem was this: Nine years ago I broke my leg and had to have two plates and 13 titanium screws put in to put things back together. After nine years I had developed an infection. Checked into the hospital the next morning and started on IV antibiotics. I had several scans involving being injected with various radio-isotopes to determine if I had cellulitis or if the infection involved the hardware. One more scan and I think I would have started to glow in the dark. The scans came back positive that one of the plates was infected....headed for surgery. They removed all of the hardware; surgeon was worried that the bone might be infected. I had a cast on for three weeks and have been getting daily IV antibiotics until the end of the month...what fun. Started walking last week...making great progress...should be back doing the cha cha in no time. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas...it bites you in the ass(or in this case, your leg) and follows you home.
Well, that wraps it up. Thanks for reading...can't wait to head back to Vegas in September and take those blackjack tables by storm.
I tried the Rio buffet for breakfast, using a discount coupon; plenty of variety to choose from and the food was pretty good..the omelet station was a mob scene of activity. I hitched a ride on the shuttle and played some more VP at Sully's Bar at Ballys. Matt, my favorite Vegas bartender was working and the Heinekens came at a steady rate. Played for an hour on my original $20 and cashed out even. Played some 3 card poker with some entertaining tablemates, but bad luck still is shadowing me today...lose another $100. I bought a 24 hr bus pass and caught the SDX in front of the Paris casino and headed downtown for the rest of the day.
I played some slots at the 4 Queens, lost $80; even played my usual Silver Strike machine and struck out in picking up a silver coin. Quenched my thirst with a Downtown Brown microbrew at the Chicago brewery and cashed out with a profit of 20 bucks playing some DW. I wandered over to the remodeled Gold Strike casino; you could hear a pin drop in there. There was a few people hanging around the bar area, none of the table games were open, the casino was pretty devoid of activity. I purchased a dollar chip at the cashier's cage and headed out the door. Next on the agenda was to check out the Mob Museum.
They have done an excellent job in setting this up; three floors of very interesting displays concerning the early days of Vegas; but mostly about organized crime in America. I was really surprised how these guys have managed to stick their greedy fingers in so much of this country. I started out by having one of the guides take my mug shot(front and side profile) with my camera and then wander through the various rooms for the next three hours. There was a film crew from NBC working and filming that afternoon, so I had to work around them in order to get to see all the displays.
After all that walking around my leg needed a rest, so I traveled over to the El Cortez and applied some pain management by having a couple of their premium martinis at the bar during their happy hour. I played some VP, but couldn't hit anything and dropped another $100. I did have quite a lively conversation with a guy who sat down next to me at the bar. Turns out this old guy has been coming to Vegas for over 40 years with his wife..lots of stories about downtown Vegas. The added bonus is that he is from the U.P of Michigan, a Yooper. The martinis flowed freely and I really left with a pretty good buzz.
I stumbled down Fremont and into the Golden Gate for a marathon session of blackjack with those lovely female dealers. My fellow players were four guys from Canada who were in town for a Hockey tournament. By the end of the evening we were best buddies and they wanted me to be their goalie on their team. The guy on 1st base made an interesting play when I first sat down at the table. He split his tens against the dealer's 5. He lost both hands. He then regularly referred to my strategy card that I had on the table in front of me. My favorite dealer, Alex, was dealing at our table tonight; she received a lot of tips from all of us. Next thing I knew it was 0230 and I had reached my Heineken limit. I said goodnight to my Hockey pals and cashed out down $140. I made it halfway to the bus stop before I was greeted by a very attractive young female who was looking for some company. Not tonight, sweetheart; no sale. I must have dozed off after I got onto the bus, as I was jarred awake only to find that I was in front of the Cosmo...let me off the bus! I backtracked to Bill's, things were dead at the craps table so I grabbed a cab back to the Rio and crashed.
FRIDAY:
Ouch, where are my pharmaceuticals, my hair hurts. I shook off the cobwebs with a couple of cups of coffee and packed up my bags. I played some more roulette using my same betting pattern and hit #22 twice in a row. A guy at the table was betting like a madman, huge stacks of chips all over the board. He made several nice hits, but just couldn't pull himself away from the table with his winnings...gave it all back. Hitched a ride on the shuttle to Bally's and then walked(limped) over the Bellagio to check out the Spring display at the conservatory.
Back to the Rio and checked out and then drove over to the Luxor to give them some more play. I have a conference in December at MB and I thought I'd give the Luxor some play to see if I could get a decent or comped room rate for my Dec. trip. More BJ and more losing. Lost another $100 on the WOF slots. I had a late lunch at Ri Ra pub. I ordered their small portion of fish and chips, but they brought me their large order. I am not sure if this fish was caught or harpooned; it was a huge filet. The waiter realized the mistake and made sure that I was billed for the smaller order. This was the first time at this place and I will definitely return.
Dropped off the rental car without incident and couldn't get an upgrade to first class at the checkin counter at the airport. I slept off and on during the flight and then drove to Gail's house just outside of Mankato. I saw two accidents on the interstate during my drive; one which involved three semi trucks. Pulled into Gail's around 0230 and slept like the dead. We got up Saturday morning and then drove 3 hours to a casino in northwest Iowa, Grand Falls Casino. Gary Puckett was performing that night in the lounge, so we reserved a room at the casino hotel and took in his show. He sang all his old hits; Gail and I had a great time. That night I had severe leg pain and chills with a fever.
PROLOGUE:
This was definitely a losing trip, monetarily. I came back down about $1200 (ouch). Sometimes you just can't get decent cards to save yourself...but that's why they call it gambling. I really enjoyed the shows; thought Carrot Top was very good. I didn't eat high end this trip, but will do some fancy dining when Gail and I are in Vegas in September. Booked a week at the Rio, airline tickets already purchased. I hope the workers at the Heineken brewery appreciate my loyalty to their product.
When I finally got home I was really having some pain in my left leg; could hardly walk on it. I spent 8 hours in the emergency room to find out that I had an infection. The problem was this: Nine years ago I broke my leg and had to have two plates and 13 titanium screws put in to put things back together. After nine years I had developed an infection. Checked into the hospital the next morning and started on IV antibiotics. I had several scans involving being injected with various radio-isotopes to determine if I had cellulitis or if the infection involved the hardware. One more scan and I think I would have started to glow in the dark. The scans came back positive that one of the plates was infected....headed for surgery. They removed all of the hardware; surgeon was worried that the bone might be infected. I had a cast on for three weeks and have been getting daily IV antibiotics until the end of the month...what fun. Started walking last week...making great progress...should be back doing the cha cha in no time. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas...it bites you in the ass(or in this case, your leg) and follows you home.
Well, that wraps it up. Thanks for reading...can't wait to head back to Vegas in September and take those blackjack tables by storm.
