For the past six years I have been meeting my Gambling Peops in AC the week between Christmas and the New Year. This time it didn't start out very well, but it got better as time went by.
SUNDAY - DECEMBER 26
I have a Holiday Open House the day after Christmas. It's a casual thing but I cook up a storm and it's a good time. The house was cleaned and decorated before I left for LV at the beginning of December. I thought this was going to be the year that I'd be on top of things -- NOT! I came back from LV with a raging cold that I haven't yet completely shaken and then I worked around the clock leading up to the first parties of the season. So, I'm grocery shopping and cooking, every spare minute I can get (which isn't much), and they forecast snow for the 26th! So, I'm cooking and getting ready for the party anyway, up until my one brother and sister arrive an hour early because they wanted to stop in before the snow started really accumulating. I should have just canceled the party, but things were already in motion. It was a good time and good food for the few that could make it and everyone got home safely. The last guest left at 8pm and I cleaned up for a couple of hours before calling it a night.
MONDAY - DECEMBER 27
I woke up early to finish cleaning up and finish cooking (there were things that I had started that I couldn't complete in the quantity I would have needed if a lot of people were able to attend the Open House).
I managed to get onto the AC Expressway just as it was getting dark. The Expressway was clear but the side streets in AC were snow covered and it was bitter cold. I checked into the SB and went up to my room. The DL was closed but no matter because I had brought a bottle of red wine for the MPT, which I opened for myself. I called my peops who were in town, said I wouldn't be going out and then drank red wine and ate snack mix for dinner and went to sleep after Willie Wonka with Johnnie Depp was over (very interesting change in plot and portrayal of Wonka by Depp). I was exhausted, feeling sorry for myself and spiraling into negativity. I am getting to a point where I don't always feel like gambling. I could have gone down on the floor to play a twenty, but why? I managed to eek out a small profit for the year (which I was damn well, not going to lose in the last week of the year), but it had been a rough road, with some winning, but a lot of beat downs. Even though I have cut way back, I still spend a lot of my free time playing VP. Is it worth it? I don't know. The comps and the game selection go down, down, down and I still don't get weekends comped.
TUESDAY - DECEMBER 28
Oh happy day! Sleep! Beautiful, wonderful rest! My attitude had improved substantially, but I was still in no mood to gamble, although there was no reason to. I was comped until Thursday, there were no promos and my theos are bad. This could be a few days of rest, relaxation and hanging with my friends. And, that's what it was. I didn't even keep a gambling log because there was to be no grinding and I was not going to play enough to get a beat down. So, of course, I won on every short game I played!
But, even if I wanted to play VP, I could be distracted from it by the Main Event of the Mattress Poker Tour this day! I woke to find that I wasn't meeting for breakfast at 10am, but lunch at the Borgata at 1pm with the whole gang. Yeeha! That meant lollygagging in the room. Ahhhhh. More relaxation. Long shower. Plenty of time to get dressed. I think I might have even made a phone call or two.
Then, $15 free play at Harrah's. Of course the GD three 25c 9/6 JOB machines are occupied. And $ JOB in the high limit room is also occupied. So, there's only Jade Elephant to play. I prefer Jade Monkey but I couldn't find one. After two nice bonus rounds and one lame one, my $15 became $25. Yeah! Just as I was cashing in my ticket, I got a call from Judy and Dennis and as I was calling them back, I saw them in the junket check in line! We went up to their room to test their key and then over to the Borgata for lunch. Mmmm, Borgata Buffet. They didn't have as much selection as usual but what I had, I liked.
I then went to SINGLE LINE JOB (NOT MULTI-STRIKE) and turned my $30 free play into $45. Yeah! And then, I went over to Bally's for the MPT.
I came in second, which I was really happy with. This ended my best season ever -- two wins and four seconds, out of seven events. Yeah! And for this I got Player of the Year and the now retired Rising Star awards. Double Yeah! I played my best game at every tournament and got lucky in good spots. I'm going to try to focus and play even better next year. And I'm going to beat Todd, at least once! (Skill can't ALWAYS win over luck!)
Some of us went to 6ix for a loooooong dinner afterwards! It took forever to get our food because I assume they were short staffed because of the snow. I went back to Harrah's w/ Cathy and we had a little PJ party, talking and laughing. An especially memorable quote came from Cathy this night when she was talking about remaining positive, no matter what the circumstances. “I might be down but then I find myself humming, or whistling or singing. That’s just who I am.” We both giggled.
WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 29
Breakfast at the SB changed from 10 to noon when everyone was running late, which meant another leisurely morning. I was in the bathroom getting ready when I heard Cathy humming. I hollered out, “Are you breaking out into song again?” She said, “It’s from Couple’s Retreat, something by Billy Squire that they were playing on Guitar Hero.”
So, I waltzed out of the bathroom and said, “What is this? Lonely is the night. When you find yourself alooooooown. Lonely, lonely, lonely…” I really belted it out and we both cracked up.
Judy/Dennis, Lydia and Cathy and I had a nice relaxing breakfast at the Mansion Café and then went down to the floor to play.
I started out with a little Count Money and then Jade Monkey but I think I lost my $20. Then I went over to nickel STP and got a machine next to Cathy. And I got a 5oak on KBJW. Not multiplied but I got a 5oak! Yeah! And, I got a quad at 10x for 1000 coins too! I think I made $60 at the SB.
We then went over to meet the rest of the gang at Bally’s. We’ve come to the conclusion that the only players who are meriting anything these days are new players and inactive players putting in a big day. That’s why I let my Diamond card go – the casinos in AC do not reward loyal players anymore unless you’re loosing a boatload or you’re lucky playing at a very high level and able to recycle. So, we group played on a new card. Cathy and I put in about 2 hours on 50c JOB which was enjoyable since we had no other grinding scheduled for the trip. While we were taking a bit of a beat down (thankfully split between 4 people) Rob called to ask us whether we were going to drink red wine or the champagne that I don’t want to become accustomed to, that evening. The champagne that I don’t want to become accustomed to won!
We went back to Harrah’s and drank the champagne and ate snacks in R/C’s room. It was lovely. I even belted out a little Billy Squire for Rob’s amusement.
Rob would not let me take the jitney back to the SB, even though I was putting him out to drive me back, so Rob, Cathy and I checked in on Judy and Dennis who were still playing at Harrah’s and drove over to the SB.
Harrah’s might as well have been the Borgata with all the dressed up 20 somethings. I haven’t seen so many 20 somethings since I was a 20 something! And the girls wear really short skirts with high heels that they can hardly even teeter in. It seems that dressing like a prostitute is in vogue these days. But, who am I to judge? I had spiked fluorescent blonde hair and wore 40’s thrift store suits and sweaters when I was their age. ?
The plan was to just drop me at the SB, but we ended up gaming for a few more hours. When we got to Resorts, Rob told Cathy and I to “Run off and play” so he could play craps! I got a decent bonus on Invaders from the Planet Moolah but Cathy tanked at some Fairy game so we moved to nickel STP, where I got ANOTHER 5oak! (Not multiplied but so what? I made more money!)
THURSDAY - DECEMBER 30
The whole gang was to meet for breakfast at Harrah's at 11a. It was mobbed because there was a promo where it was half price for Diamond card members using their comps. I was first to arrive so stood in line to get a table. We were finally seated, got served and ate. Judy asked if they could take the crab and asparagus (from the quiche) and instead put it on Eggs Benedict which they did and it was delicious! Most people had to get going soon so we said our goodbyes and I went over to the Borg with Judy and Dennis about 2pm because I had $50 free play. Again, I played my $50 on single line 50c JOB, like a good girl. It spiked to $100 and then went back down to $50. When it spiked back to $100 I cashed out and took my leave! I had to get home and get ready to play poker at Todd’s that evening. (Another story and the beginning of another TR!)
Ok, after reading this over, I realize that this TR is long and boring. But, it’s complete so I’m posting!
Happy New Year!
SUNDAY - DECEMBER 26
I have a Holiday Open House the day after Christmas. It's a casual thing but I cook up a storm and it's a good time. The house was cleaned and decorated before I left for LV at the beginning of December. I thought this was going to be the year that I'd be on top of things -- NOT! I came back from LV with a raging cold that I haven't yet completely shaken and then I worked around the clock leading up to the first parties of the season. So, I'm grocery shopping and cooking, every spare minute I can get (which isn't much), and they forecast snow for the 26th! So, I'm cooking and getting ready for the party anyway, up until my one brother and sister arrive an hour early because they wanted to stop in before the snow started really accumulating. I should have just canceled the party, but things were already in motion. It was a good time and good food for the few that could make it and everyone got home safely. The last guest left at 8pm and I cleaned up for a couple of hours before calling it a night.
MONDAY - DECEMBER 27
I woke up early to finish cleaning up and finish cooking (there were things that I had started that I couldn't complete in the quantity I would have needed if a lot of people were able to attend the Open House).
I managed to get onto the AC Expressway just as it was getting dark. The Expressway was clear but the side streets in AC were snow covered and it was bitter cold. I checked into the SB and went up to my room. The DL was closed but no matter because I had brought a bottle of red wine for the MPT, which I opened for myself. I called my peops who were in town, said I wouldn't be going out and then drank red wine and ate snack mix for dinner and went to sleep after Willie Wonka with Johnnie Depp was over (very interesting change in plot and portrayal of Wonka by Depp). I was exhausted, feeling sorry for myself and spiraling into negativity. I am getting to a point where I don't always feel like gambling. I could have gone down on the floor to play a twenty, but why? I managed to eek out a small profit for the year (which I was damn well, not going to lose in the last week of the year), but it had been a rough road, with some winning, but a lot of beat downs. Even though I have cut way back, I still spend a lot of my free time playing VP. Is it worth it? I don't know. The comps and the game selection go down, down, down and I still don't get weekends comped.
TUESDAY - DECEMBER 28
Oh happy day! Sleep! Beautiful, wonderful rest! My attitude had improved substantially, but I was still in no mood to gamble, although there was no reason to. I was comped until Thursday, there were no promos and my theos are bad. This could be a few days of rest, relaxation and hanging with my friends. And, that's what it was. I didn't even keep a gambling log because there was to be no grinding and I was not going to play enough to get a beat down. So, of course, I won on every short game I played!
But, even if I wanted to play VP, I could be distracted from it by the Main Event of the Mattress Poker Tour this day! I woke to find that I wasn't meeting for breakfast at 10am, but lunch at the Borgata at 1pm with the whole gang. Yeeha! That meant lollygagging in the room. Ahhhhh. More relaxation. Long shower. Plenty of time to get dressed. I think I might have even made a phone call or two.
Then, $15 free play at Harrah's. Of course the GD three 25c 9/6 JOB machines are occupied. And $ JOB in the high limit room is also occupied. So, there's only Jade Elephant to play. I prefer Jade Monkey but I couldn't find one. After two nice bonus rounds and one lame one, my $15 became $25. Yeah! Just as I was cashing in my ticket, I got a call from Judy and Dennis and as I was calling them back, I saw them in the junket check in line! We went up to their room to test their key and then over to the Borgata for lunch. Mmmm, Borgata Buffet. They didn't have as much selection as usual but what I had, I liked.
I then went to SINGLE LINE JOB (NOT MULTI-STRIKE) and turned my $30 free play into $45. Yeah! And then, I went over to Bally's for the MPT.
I came in second, which I was really happy with. This ended my best season ever -- two wins and four seconds, out of seven events. Yeah! And for this I got Player of the Year and the now retired Rising Star awards. Double Yeah! I played my best game at every tournament and got lucky in good spots. I'm going to try to focus and play even better next year. And I'm going to beat Todd, at least once! (Skill can't ALWAYS win over luck!)
Some of us went to 6ix for a loooooong dinner afterwards! It took forever to get our food because I assume they were short staffed because of the snow. I went back to Harrah's w/ Cathy and we had a little PJ party, talking and laughing. An especially memorable quote came from Cathy this night when she was talking about remaining positive, no matter what the circumstances. “I might be down but then I find myself humming, or whistling or singing. That’s just who I am.” We both giggled.
WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 29
Breakfast at the SB changed from 10 to noon when everyone was running late, which meant another leisurely morning. I was in the bathroom getting ready when I heard Cathy humming. I hollered out, “Are you breaking out into song again?” She said, “It’s from Couple’s Retreat, something by Billy Squire that they were playing on Guitar Hero.”
So, I waltzed out of the bathroom and said, “What is this? Lonely is the night. When you find yourself alooooooown. Lonely, lonely, lonely…” I really belted it out and we both cracked up.
Judy/Dennis, Lydia and Cathy and I had a nice relaxing breakfast at the Mansion Café and then went down to the floor to play.
I started out with a little Count Money and then Jade Monkey but I think I lost my $20. Then I went over to nickel STP and got a machine next to Cathy. And I got a 5oak on KBJW. Not multiplied but I got a 5oak! Yeah! And, I got a quad at 10x for 1000 coins too! I think I made $60 at the SB.
We then went over to meet the rest of the gang at Bally’s. We’ve come to the conclusion that the only players who are meriting anything these days are new players and inactive players putting in a big day. That’s why I let my Diamond card go – the casinos in AC do not reward loyal players anymore unless you’re loosing a boatload or you’re lucky playing at a very high level and able to recycle. So, we group played on a new card. Cathy and I put in about 2 hours on 50c JOB which was enjoyable since we had no other grinding scheduled for the trip. While we were taking a bit of a beat down (thankfully split between 4 people) Rob called to ask us whether we were going to drink red wine or the champagne that I don’t want to become accustomed to, that evening. The champagne that I don’t want to become accustomed to won!
We went back to Harrah’s and drank the champagne and ate snacks in R/C’s room. It was lovely. I even belted out a little Billy Squire for Rob’s amusement.
Rob would not let me take the jitney back to the SB, even though I was putting him out to drive me back, so Rob, Cathy and I checked in on Judy and Dennis who were still playing at Harrah’s and drove over to the SB.
Harrah’s might as well have been the Borgata with all the dressed up 20 somethings. I haven’t seen so many 20 somethings since I was a 20 something! And the girls wear really short skirts with high heels that they can hardly even teeter in. It seems that dressing like a prostitute is in vogue these days. But, who am I to judge? I had spiked fluorescent blonde hair and wore 40’s thrift store suits and sweaters when I was their age. ?
The plan was to just drop me at the SB, but we ended up gaming for a few more hours. When we got to Resorts, Rob told Cathy and I to “Run off and play” so he could play craps! I got a decent bonus on Invaders from the Planet Moolah but Cathy tanked at some Fairy game so we moved to nickel STP, where I got ANOTHER 5oak! (Not multiplied but so what? I made more money!)
THURSDAY - DECEMBER 30
The whole gang was to meet for breakfast at Harrah's at 11a. It was mobbed because there was a promo where it was half price for Diamond card members using their comps. I was first to arrive so stood in line to get a table. We were finally seated, got served and ate. Judy asked if they could take the crab and asparagus (from the quiche) and instead put it on Eggs Benedict which they did and it was delicious! Most people had to get going soon so we said our goodbyes and I went over to the Borg with Judy and Dennis about 2pm because I had $50 free play. Again, I played my $50 on single line 50c JOB, like a good girl. It spiked to $100 and then went back down to $50. When it spiked back to $100 I cashed out and took my leave! I had to get home and get ready to play poker at Todd’s that evening. (Another story and the beginning of another TR!)
Ok, after reading this over, I realize that this TR is long and boring. But, it’s complete so I’m posting!
Happy New Year!
