Thursday January 9
“Oh my God Ed…Wake up we’re late!”
Those were the words I woke to after getting to sleep at 3:45am last night. I roll over and look at the alarm clock.
“Ken, it’s 4:30am. Go back to sleep.” Apparently, someone still had their watch / phone set to Toronto time.
I shut my eyes for a few more hours and we’re up and ready to go at 8:00am.
“Hey Ed, how far is it from here to the Stratosphere? Want to go for a morning jog?”
“About 5km (3 miles or so). Why are you so ambitious? An 6 mile run before breakfast? Screw that. Hang with me for a few days, I’ll set you straight.”
I would be using the resort credit at the MGM Grand for breakfast in their buffet most of the days we were here.
The mostly deserted MGM Grand Buffet
A quick stop at the Tropicana and I was able to convert the $25 in free play into $27.85 on the same “Penguin” machine as yesterday.
We had some time to kill, and I was able to recoup some of my losses with this nice hit at the MGM Grand.
Love this game.
My bankroll was back over $800 which put me in a better mood for golf at the Los Prados Golf Course @5150 Los Prados Circle.
Well, I can strike off golf as one of things I can say I did in Las Vegas. I have NEVER golfed before, but Ken is an avid golfer and wanted to play a couple of courses on this trip. The Groupon deal at Los Prados I bought included a round of golf for 2 people, a cart and 2 beers in the clubhouse afterwards for $50. The club rental was only $15 which I thought was reasonable.
Not a birdie, just another lost ball.
At least I kept the ball on the actual course on this hole.
A Tiger fist pump.
I thought this was a gentleman’s game. Zip it up before we get arrested.
It‘s a good thing we weren’t paired with another group because I was just terrible. Why did they build all those houses around the course? I was hitting balls over fences and off the rooftops of cars and houses all morning. By the 18th hole, I had lost 6 balls, my patience and my dignity. So much for taking up golf as a past-time.
These ladies were playing the ancient Chinese game of Mah-jongg in the club house. I couldn’t believe it.
Afterwards, Ken wanted to check out the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars. They must have been filming that afternoon because the line-up was long and we didn’t get in. We did stop at the Gamblers General Store though where I bought souvenirs for some co-workers and Ken bought a backgammon set.
Too busy to get in.
We checked into the Orleans next where I was able to convert $65 in free slot play into $46 playing “Russian Treasure” and “Aztec Temple”. I also managed to win a $10 matchplay betting on black. Was my luck really turning around?
Next stop was the Luxor where I planned on using the “Take 2 Buffet Passes” earned from myVegas. Thinking this was just like the “Buffet of Buffets” at Harrah’s/Caesars I hoped to eat a late dinner now then an early dinner tomorrow.
Well, that didn’t pan out because the “Take 2” pass is only good from 7:00am until 10:00pm daily. It is not a 24 hour pass. So we ended up eating in the food court and decided to redeem the passes starting Friday morning instead.
With just 35 minutes to go before Carrot Top started, I proceed to lose another $500 at a blackjack table with a mean dealer. It was 8:14pm and just 16 minutes to go before the show started.
With my last $350 I step up to the nearest crap table ($25 minimum) where there’s just a single large man playing. I place a $25 pass line bet. The point becomes 8. I place a $25 come bet. He rolls a 6. I back both bets with full 5X odds ($125 behind each number). I only have $50 left in my wallet.
At 8:31pm, I had $1825 in the rack front of me! I also have a bet on 8 and 9 with full odds. The point is 9. With $225 in “free odds bets”. Knowing Ken was probably searching for me so that we could get to the show, I had to make a decision. What I did next I’m sure goes against every single craps gambling credo ever uttered. I leave in the middle of a hot roll. The dealers look at me in absolute shock.
I had the dealer take my free odds bets down, and prepared to colour up and leave the table before the shooter “sevened out”. As soon as I did, I regretted it. The very next throw, he throws the 8 which made me $25, but had I left the $125 up for 1 throw longer, I would have made an additional $150. Oh well. I had to get going! I left the $25 pass line bet up (couldn’t take it down) for the dealers, tipped the shooter a green $25 chip and started frantically searching for Ken.
Whew! My bankroll was back up to $2100!
I luckily found Ken and we made our way to the showroom. The opening act had already started but he really wasn’t that funny so no big deal.
I really enjoy Carrot Top. That was the third time I’ve seen him, and I still laugh out loud. I know some people can’t stand him, but he has so much material that his show is literally different every time.
After the show we headed downtown to check out Fremont Street. We valet parked at the Golden Nugget and had a look around. I’ve only ever stayed at the Golden Nugget when staying downtown. One of these days I’m going to have to try one of the other places. Any suggestions?
Downtown Las Vegas where night becomes day.
Just when I thought Lady Luck was back with me, I drop $300 in the Golden Nugget slots and another $500 at their crap tables. Well, maybe my luck in blackjack would be better.
I sat alone at a $25 double deck game with a break-in dealer. She seemed pleasant enough but couldn’t really do the math when it came to blackjacks. I was flat betting $80 a hand and must’ve gotten 4 blackjacks. She really had to stop and think each time before sliding over the $120 in chips.
I press a bet to $90 after getting an $80 blackjack and get dealt another blackjack! She literally couldn’t figure out how much to pay me. She breaks down my bet into 2 stacks of 3 X $25 green chips and 3 X $5 red chips. Then, she prepares 4 greens, 2 reds, 2 whites and a 50 cent piece in 1 stack ($112.50)and 4 reds, 2 whites and a 50 cent piece in another stack ($22.50) and proceeds to push the entire unholy mess over to me! I must’ve told her 5 times to just pay me $135. She just did not believe me though and called the pit boss over. He set her straight.
I had increased to betting on 2 spots when the following hand came up. With $90 on 2 separate spots she deals herself an ace and asks me if I want insurance. I look at my first hand. It’s a 20, and I won’t be buying insurance or taking a hit so I tuck my cards under the $90 in chips. I pick up the second hand and it’s a putrid 16. I continue to hold my cards and say no insurance. She checks…no blackjack… then flips over her hole card to expose an 8 for 19.
“Hold on a second here, I said 'no' to the insurance. I was still going to take a card!” I exclaimed.
She calls the same pit boss over who seemed to be very patient with the dealer and the situation. He looks at her hand and mine and asks for my explanation.
“Well, if you were going to take a card, go ahead.” He instructs the dealer to give me a card. It’s a 2. I now have 18.
“I suggest you take another card.” The pit boss says.
“In all honesty, I would have stopped on 18.” I say.
“True, but it was our mistake. Go ahead and hit again.” I motion to hit again and the dealer plops a 3 onto my hand for 21! Sweet!
It wasn’t too long after that Ken came around looking for me. I gave the break-in dealer a nice tip for bringing me back to even, and left the Golden Nugget actually up $150 or so.
1:30am? So what? Off to Pho Kim Long finally for a late night / early morning snack. Even at this time the place was packed.
Great restaurant.
We head back to the MGM Grand and play a bit at the Centrifuge Bar. I try a Hennessey Cognac because that’s what Ken is drinking (and because they comp it while gambling). Blah! Seems pretty steep at $13 for about as much liquor as there is ink in a ball point pen. We finally hit the sack at about 3:30am.
It was a good day overall, and my bankroll was back up to $2400 and close to the original amount. Was my good luck going to continue?
“Oh my God Ed…Wake up we’re late!”
Those were the words I woke to after getting to sleep at 3:45am last night. I roll over and look at the alarm clock.
“Ken, it’s 4:30am. Go back to sleep.” Apparently, someone still had their watch / phone set to Toronto time.
I shut my eyes for a few more hours and we’re up and ready to go at 8:00am.
“Hey Ed, how far is it from here to the Stratosphere? Want to go for a morning jog?”
“About 5km (3 miles or so). Why are you so ambitious? An 6 mile run before breakfast? Screw that. Hang with me for a few days, I’ll set you straight.”
I would be using the resort credit at the MGM Grand for breakfast in their buffet most of the days we were here.
The mostly deserted MGM Grand Buffet
A quick stop at the Tropicana and I was able to convert the $25 in free play into $27.85 on the same “Penguin” machine as yesterday.
We had some time to kill, and I was able to recoup some of my losses with this nice hit at the MGM Grand.
Love this game.
My bankroll was back over $800 which put me in a better mood for golf at the Los Prados Golf Course @5150 Los Prados Circle.
Well, I can strike off golf as one of things I can say I did in Las Vegas. I have NEVER golfed before, but Ken is an avid golfer and wanted to play a couple of courses on this trip. The Groupon deal at Los Prados I bought included a round of golf for 2 people, a cart and 2 beers in the clubhouse afterwards for $50. The club rental was only $15 which I thought was reasonable.
Not a birdie, just another lost ball.
At least I kept the ball on the actual course on this hole.
A Tiger fist pump.
I thought this was a gentleman’s game. Zip it up before we get arrested.
It‘s a good thing we weren’t paired with another group because I was just terrible. Why did they build all those houses around the course? I was hitting balls over fences and off the rooftops of cars and houses all morning. By the 18th hole, I had lost 6 balls, my patience and my dignity. So much for taking up golf as a past-time.
These ladies were playing the ancient Chinese game of Mah-jongg in the club house. I couldn’t believe it.
Afterwards, Ken wanted to check out the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars. They must have been filming that afternoon because the line-up was long and we didn’t get in. We did stop at the Gamblers General Store though where I bought souvenirs for some co-workers and Ken bought a backgammon set.
Too busy to get in.
We checked into the Orleans next where I was able to convert $65 in free slot play into $46 playing “Russian Treasure” and “Aztec Temple”. I also managed to win a $10 matchplay betting on black. Was my luck really turning around?
Next stop was the Luxor where I planned on using the “Take 2 Buffet Passes” earned from myVegas. Thinking this was just like the “Buffet of Buffets” at Harrah’s/Caesars I hoped to eat a late dinner now then an early dinner tomorrow.
Well, that didn’t pan out because the “Take 2” pass is only good from 7:00am until 10:00pm daily. It is not a 24 hour pass. So we ended up eating in the food court and decided to redeem the passes starting Friday morning instead.
With just 35 minutes to go before Carrot Top started, I proceed to lose another $500 at a blackjack table with a mean dealer. It was 8:14pm and just 16 minutes to go before the show started.
With my last $350 I step up to the nearest crap table ($25 minimum) where there’s just a single large man playing. I place a $25 pass line bet. The point becomes 8. I place a $25 come bet. He rolls a 6. I back both bets with full 5X odds ($125 behind each number). I only have $50 left in my wallet.
At 8:31pm, I had $1825 in the rack front of me! I also have a bet on 8 and 9 with full odds. The point is 9. With $225 in “free odds bets”. Knowing Ken was probably searching for me so that we could get to the show, I had to make a decision. What I did next I’m sure goes against every single craps gambling credo ever uttered. I leave in the middle of a hot roll. The dealers look at me in absolute shock.
I had the dealer take my free odds bets down, and prepared to colour up and leave the table before the shooter “sevened out”. As soon as I did, I regretted it. The very next throw, he throws the 8 which made me $25, but had I left the $125 up for 1 throw longer, I would have made an additional $150. Oh well. I had to get going! I left the $25 pass line bet up (couldn’t take it down) for the dealers, tipped the shooter a green $25 chip and started frantically searching for Ken.
Whew! My bankroll was back up to $2100!
I luckily found Ken and we made our way to the showroom. The opening act had already started but he really wasn’t that funny so no big deal.
I really enjoy Carrot Top. That was the third time I’ve seen him, and I still laugh out loud. I know some people can’t stand him, but he has so much material that his show is literally different every time.
After the show we headed downtown to check out Fremont Street. We valet parked at the Golden Nugget and had a look around. I’ve only ever stayed at the Golden Nugget when staying downtown. One of these days I’m going to have to try one of the other places. Any suggestions?
Downtown Las Vegas where night becomes day.
Just when I thought Lady Luck was back with me, I drop $300 in the Golden Nugget slots and another $500 at their crap tables. Well, maybe my luck in blackjack would be better.
I sat alone at a $25 double deck game with a break-in dealer. She seemed pleasant enough but couldn’t really do the math when it came to blackjacks. I was flat betting $80 a hand and must’ve gotten 4 blackjacks. She really had to stop and think each time before sliding over the $120 in chips.
I press a bet to $90 after getting an $80 blackjack and get dealt another blackjack! She literally couldn’t figure out how much to pay me. She breaks down my bet into 2 stacks of 3 X $25 green chips and 3 X $5 red chips. Then, she prepares 4 greens, 2 reds, 2 whites and a 50 cent piece in 1 stack ($112.50)and 4 reds, 2 whites and a 50 cent piece in another stack ($22.50) and proceeds to push the entire unholy mess over to me! I must’ve told her 5 times to just pay me $135. She just did not believe me though and called the pit boss over. He set her straight.
I had increased to betting on 2 spots when the following hand came up. With $90 on 2 separate spots she deals herself an ace and asks me if I want insurance. I look at my first hand. It’s a 20, and I won’t be buying insurance or taking a hit so I tuck my cards under the $90 in chips. I pick up the second hand and it’s a putrid 16. I continue to hold my cards and say no insurance. She checks…no blackjack… then flips over her hole card to expose an 8 for 19.
“Hold on a second here, I said 'no' to the insurance. I was still going to take a card!” I exclaimed.
She calls the same pit boss over who seemed to be very patient with the dealer and the situation. He looks at her hand and mine and asks for my explanation.
“Well, if you were going to take a card, go ahead.” He instructs the dealer to give me a card. It’s a 2. I now have 18.
“I suggest you take another card.” The pit boss says.
“In all honesty, I would have stopped on 18.” I say.
“True, but it was our mistake. Go ahead and hit again.” I motion to hit again and the dealer plops a 3 onto my hand for 21! Sweet!
It wasn’t too long after that Ken came around looking for me. I gave the break-in dealer a nice tip for bringing me back to even, and left the Golden Nugget actually up $150 or so.
1:30am? So what? Off to Pho Kim Long finally for a late night / early morning snack. Even at this time the place was packed.
Great restaurant.
We head back to the MGM Grand and play a bit at the Centrifuge Bar. I try a Hennessey Cognac because that’s what Ken is drinking (and because they comp it while gambling). Blah! Seems pretty steep at $13 for about as much liquor as there is ink in a ball point pen. We finally hit the sack at about 3:30am.
It was a good day overall, and my bankroll was back up to $2400 and close to the original amount. Was my good luck going to continue?
