Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Three mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one...
The other two escaped with minor injuries
Hickory, Dickory, Doc
PROLOGUE:
Mike and I work 3rd shift at a large hospital together, so we have the same days off from our work schedule. Mike, who I refer to as "Madman" sometimes, has been a regular Vegas buddy for the last several years. This past year, however, Mikey's wife has derailed any of his potential Vegas travel plans; leaving to fend for myself for the past several trips. His wife finally took pity on him, or just got tired of his whining, and gave the okay for a spring trip. Mark, one of our Vegas regulars has also been chomping at the bit to head back out to Vegas with us.
Mike and I were able to score some pretty decent airfares thru Sun Country; an airlline that I have used for my past several trips in lieu of Delta( "D" stands for delayed). I really enjoy flying with Sun Country; they run a nice little airline. Car rental prices were ridiculous at first, but after checking several times I was able to get an intermediate sized car via Thrifty for $133. I checked back on a regular basis and this seemed to be the best price that I was going to get...until three days prior to departure...breakthrough...Enterprise...full sized car for $117(including all taxes and fees)..sweet. Using our combined TR might, Mike and I were able to get four free nights at the Rio. Game, Set and match. Mark, however, dithered and delayed his plans and had to book a Delta flight; but was scheduled to land within minutes of our flight. Let the games begin.
MONDAY
After working our ten hour shift, Mike and I left work as giddy as a couple of kids who had just finished their last day of school and were anticipating summer vacation. Finished pakcing , two hour power nap and after picking up Mike it was a quick 90 minute drive to MSP. I purposely wanted to get there early to see about getting an upgrade to 1st class for $100...score. While we were waiting to board, Mike received a call from Mark...his Delta flight was delayed by about an hour or so..."D" for delayed. Take a cab when you get in, Dude, and meet us at the Rio.
The weather was overcast and windy, so the takeoff jostled us around a bit until we reached cruising altitude. Ahhh...usual Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back...life is good. Our meal was great: cheese and cracker plate, salad, chicken breast, couscous and a warm cookie...along with several glasses of chardonnay. Listened to some tunes, drifted in and out of sleep and we are in Vegas. We de-plane and make a beeline for the baggage claim area. Enroute I see several reasons why I like this town so much...tall women with legs that just won't quit. Car rental was quick and easy...Chevy Malibu...decent ride..no complaints. It's a little after 7 PM..let's drive down the strip to take in all of the Neon. Mikey hasn't seen the completed C.C. or the Cosmo.
Our checkin was short and sweet...4th floor room in the Ipanema tower. Room was spacious, view of the pool..it will do. The only problem with the room was that both of the sinks drained very, very, slowly. I left a note for the maid, along with a nice tip, next day and the problem was solved...money speaks volumes in this town. While we were unpacking, Mark called and was on his way from the airport. Fingers Freddie also gave us a call.
Freddie was a co-worker of ours who enlisted in the Navy as a pharmacist. The deal is that upon completion of his 3 year hitch, they will take care of a large portion of his student loan debt. He has spent the last 6 months in Kuwait and just recently got back to San Diego. He was in Las Vegas, helping out his Dad, who has been hospitalized with a liver tumor. Mark arrived and announced that he seemed to have misplaced his driver's license....no way, dude. He looked through his bag, coat, pockets and wallet at least three times....no luck. We had planned on hitting the Rhino for our 1st night in Vegas, but..no license or other photo ID..no entry into a strip club, period. He would also have a hassle at the airport, trying to get back home. Mark called home and instructed his wife to FedEx his passort to the hotel the next day(cost = $100).
Freddie picked us up and we had a late bite to eat at the Cathay House on Spring Mtn Rd. Nice restaurant and great Chinese food. We spent over an hour sampling various dishes and catching up on Freddie's Naval escapades. Afterward we headed back to the hotel..Freddie wanted to catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to San Diego, so we let him crash in our hotel room...nothing too good for the boys in uniform. "Unlicensed" Mark also called it a night, so Mike and I headed to the Rhino to brush up on our female anatomy.
The girls were a lot more pushy about trying to sell the VIP room deal...no thanks, ladies. It cost $9 for a bottle of Heineken, ouch. We arrived around 0300 and left about 0530...I've had two hours of sleep since Sunday afternoon. Bedtime, nah...let's get breakfast. We get Mark out of bed and head for the Peppermill. The place is empty, but the food is good as well as the service...they serve great vaniila shakes...for breakfast?....whatever. It's back to the Rio and bed at 0900.
TUESDAY:
Interesting note: Mike talks in his sleep....no mumbles...clear complete sentences...what happens in Vegas.... We're up at 3 PM, refreshed. Played my favorite cash time slot at the Rio and did nothing but stick twenties into that stupid machine. We fire up the Malibu and head over to the Planet Ho to pick up our tickets for Peepshow later that night. I used a promo code to get $40 off for some VIP seats for the show. I made the mistake of using the Planet Ho parking...what a mess..and a long hike to get to the casino. Pick up the tickets and then I give the boys a tour of the Cosmo. Their pool area is really sweet; will have to stay here one of these days.
Dinner is at Lawry's Prime Rib...heaven, if you love beef. This is my 3rd time here and they didn't disappoint. Spinning salad, prime rib with all the fixings: mashed potatoes, peas, mushrooms, bread pudding...stick a fork in me...I'm done. Nice dining experience..my buddies are impressed. Mark wanted separate checks...no problem. While he is retreiving his credit card from his wallet...guess what...he finds his driver's license, dooh!. Learning from my prior parking experience I take the back way and park in the Paris ramp and walk over to the Ho.
Holly Madison had taken the week off, so her friend Angel was subbing.....no matter. Our seats were at a table right up front...very close...might be two close...first couple of row seats in section 102 might have done just as well. This is an adult show...lots of bare breasts and sexual references, but I think women would enjoy the show, also. The show was a pleasant surprise, I had low expectations. Great singing and dancing with a lot of energy. They had a free "meet and greet" after the show to see Angel Perrino, but we passed on that....long line....better things to do with my Vegas time. Back at the Rio, Mark picks up his passport at the front desk, then it's roulette time. Play for 30 minutes and drop a hundy. I want to see Mary Ann at the Rio Wine Cellar that evening, but they are closed....some kind of private function going on. They are closed on Wed and Thursdays now, so looks like I'll have to wait until next trip.
Mikey has arranged for a limo to pick us up and take us to the Rhino for round two. Girls are pretty aggressive tonight. Two blondes descend on me and try to get me to come back to the VIP room with them; their offer is politely declined, but they persist...one grabs my arm and tries to pull me out of my chair... hey, no means No!...they leave in a huff...whatever. Mark vanishes with "Jessica" for two hours, comes back and says he's going back to the room...he's broke. He has an early morning flight back to Msp....see ya bud. Mike and I cab back to the Palm's to see about playing BJ.
Palms is like the Night of the Living Dead....dealers and patrons are a bunch of stiffs....like a morgue in there. We walk over to the Gold Coast and decide to play some roulette and then some BJ before heading for bed....okay, so we gamble until noon. There was a young woman playing roulette at our table who must have had some compulsive type disorder....chips had to be placed just so...same pattern...never uttered a word. A couple of guys walked over and bought in and sat down. Only thing, there was no chair behind one of the guys and he went down in a heap, flat on his back. His buddy looks and him, and places his bet...no help in getting his friend up....too funny. We had a BJ dealer named Denis, who was an older gentleman. Mike and I like to have a lively banter with our dealers...Denis was pretty much deadpan at first, then a chuckle from time to time, then he really turned out to be a swell guy. He is retired, and only deals a couple of days a week..he had some great Vegas stories to tell. Shortly before noon we called it quits..asked the Pit Boss for a meal comp.....she makes a phone call and told us to go see someone at customer services...sigh. Mikey had used his player's card. but I had forgot mine. I gave them my driver's license...no problem the pit boss said...we'll rate your play. Lady at customer services says she'll give Mikey at $15 credit, but I get zip.....WTF? I've matched Mike bet for bet for the past 8-9 hours and I get squat? Lady says she can't do anything for me.....damn bean counters. Last time Mike and I played here the pit boss gave us a meal comp, no problem for a lot less play, without having to go see some tightass corporate pencil pusher. We must have played BJ of at least 8 hours at $10/hand...tipping the dealers on a regular basis...we were the only players at the BJ table that tipped. Oh, and I dropped $300 to boot. So I got hosed. So we stumble back to the Rio and crashed at 12:30...Mark had left a couple of hours before.
WEDNESDAY:
Wake up at 6 PM...what's for dinner? How about the Flame at the El Co? Call and make reservations for 8PM. Clean up, play some slots (lose) and then head for downtown via Valley View. We get to Valley View and Sahara...I've got the green light....big SUV coming up to intersection on my right ...making a right turn onto Valley View...right in front of me. Had to yank the wheel hard into the other lane to JUST miss this clown...I think Mike soiled his pants....close one. Beware of Las Vegas drivers. Valet park at the Golden Gate and walk the FSE to the El Cortez.
We are seated right away, place is not even half full. Waitress is right there to take our orders. Little Asian lady at the next table is having a fit about the slow service...starts shouting about getting the check...husband is trying to crawl under the table. Mike had the filet and I had the lamb chops, delicious. Our waitress came over to our table several times to see if we were done, then did a Houdini...disappeared. Waited, waited, waited for check...flagged down another waiter...our server had did an Elvis...left the building. The food has always been good here, and with the LVA coupon, a great value; but the wait service has been inconsistent. Sometimes the service is great and other times it has been...well, lacking.
FSE is really rocking tonight with live bands playing; lots of people milling around. We head over to Golden Gate and buy in to a craps session. Cold table; nobody making a point. I get the dice, decent roll, make two points, hit a hardway, but seven out. Let's go play some blackjack. The tables are full, but we find two seats at a $5 table. Betting $10/hand and both of us are getting great cards, especially Mike. We are doing well when the Moron Twins sit down and ruin the Karma with their bonehead plays. Hit with a twelve when the dealer show a five...stand on 14 when the dealer has a facecard. Our luck changes,,,lose,lose...the Twins leave and Mike and I start winning again...until the Cheeseheads arrive. Two guys with Green Bay Packer shirts sit down...one guy was so drunk he could hardly stay in his seat; kept sliding down. One 24 ounce PBR can in his hand and another one tucked in his pants pocket...friggin idiots. They are clueless concerning basis strategy, but they are self proclaimed experts...our luck tanks...time to change tables. Our dealers wants us to stay, she's getting regular tips from us...something I think they don't get a lot of here. Move on to a $10 table.
Our luck changes with the new table, Mike is really on a heater, bumping his bets to $25/hand and hitting double down after double down. After a couple of hours the Pit Boss, Michelle comes over and strikes up a conversation with us; for the rest of the night, she refers to us as "Her boys". Mike continues to get great cards and is up $1200; I'm up and down....can't get a streak going...but we are have a great time...dealers are happy with the regular tips, and we are not hitting on them...cocktail service is excellent. The dealers are super hot and after they get to know us a little bit, they are really friendly. Finally 03:30 rolls around and the hot female dealers/dancers are done. Michelle gives us a $25 food voucher...we didn't even ask for one. We had breakfast at the cafe, Dupars, which was excellent. Mike had the pancakes, I had the French toast....yummy. What to do next? Early Bird special at the Rhino? Nah, let's hit the Strip.
We drive down the Strip and park at Harrah's. Play crazy 4 poker, lose $100 in 15 minutes. Let's check out the IP. Okay, I have a lady take care of my cat when I take my Vegas trips and she always gives me $20 to run thru a slot machine for her. I have won small amounts for her in the past...usually busting out. I walked past a bank of slot machines and decide this would be a good time to give Carol's money a try. A couple of pulls later I'm up $120...cash out...my biggest win of the trip, and it wasn't my money. Nothing going on at the IP, except they have several guys and lots of equipment cleaning the carpets in the front of the casino. We take ten steps into the place and are greeted by a hooker, but she has to shout to be heard over the carpet cleaning activity...what?...what? she gives up and walks away. Onward to O'Sheas, then the Flaming O. Played BJ for a while and I actually won $100...my only winning session of the trip, before getting smoked out by the guy at 3rd base. Back to the Rio and bed at 06:30.
THRUSDAY:
Hey, we are up at the crack of noon....pack our bags, and then decide to give the Rio a little play, dumb. Both of us ran over $100 in less than an hour and did nothing but lose. We had the room until Friday, but we checked out and headed back to the Golden Gate for more BJ. The dealers are happy to see us, as well as Michelle, one of the pit bosses. We played from 5 Pm until a little after 9 PM...luck was not our Lady tonight. We both could not get any cards tonight. We each lost about $400 each...ouch. Michelle told us that we should come and stay at the GG next tiime..."We'll treat you like kings", she says. We'll see if I get any offers. I do like playing BJ there, can't beat the eyecandy dealers
Drop the car off at the rental center with no problems...takes me about 60 seconds to check the car out and head for the shuttle. Since we are taking the redeye flight we don't take the 1st class option. After takeoff I slip into the arms of Morpheus until we land at MSP...raining and 37 degrees, welcome back to Minnesota. Drop Mike off and am home at 07:30. Nikker, my cat curls up with me as I collapse on the couch. Another one in the books.
EPILOGUE:
This was a different Vegas trip from my usual ones. Gambling all night and sleeping most of the day. the weather was great...sunny and in the 80's, but we were not awake to take advantage of it. It was also the biggest losing trip, gambling wise, that I have ever had.....really had my ass kicked. It was a trip of a lot of "Didn't Do's"------
Didn't Do:
Play LionShare slot at MGM
Play Star Trek slot at Venetian
Suck down those lovely Landshark drafts at Margaritaville
No Cosmo buffet
Visit M resort or Redrock
Didn't have my Side Car cocktail at the I-Bar
Didn't get to have a glass of Right Hand Man syrah at the Wine Cellar
Play craps at Bill's
Visit the Sahara for the last time
Play VP at Sully's Bar at Bally's and chat with my favorite bartender, Matt
Win money
Mike went alcochol free this trip....long story, so I found myself drinking a lot less alcohol, which worked okay, as I didn't need my usual pharmaceuticals to combat the usual effects of drinking copious quantites of Heinekens. Friday I spent most of the day sleeping. Saturday morning my fishing buddy, Boots, called and wanted if I wanted to go "Up North" to go fishing.....hell yes!. So Thursday I am in Vegas enjoying the 80 sunny temps and Sunday morning I am standing in a boat with the snow coming down sideways, temp is 25 degrees, ice floating in the river and I am dreaming of Vegas. Looking at another 12 day trip in September...hopefully. Thanks for reading this rather lengthy T.R.
Three mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one...
The other two escaped with minor injuries
Hickory, Dickory, Doc
PROLOGUE:
Mike and I work 3rd shift at a large hospital together, so we have the same days off from our work schedule. Mike, who I refer to as "Madman" sometimes, has been a regular Vegas buddy for the last several years. This past year, however, Mikey's wife has derailed any of his potential Vegas travel plans; leaving to fend for myself for the past several trips. His wife finally took pity on him, or just got tired of his whining, and gave the okay for a spring trip. Mark, one of our Vegas regulars has also been chomping at the bit to head back out to Vegas with us.
Mike and I were able to score some pretty decent airfares thru Sun Country; an airlline that I have used for my past several trips in lieu of Delta( "D" stands for delayed). I really enjoy flying with Sun Country; they run a nice little airline. Car rental prices were ridiculous at first, but after checking several times I was able to get an intermediate sized car via Thrifty for $133. I checked back on a regular basis and this seemed to be the best price that I was going to get...until three days prior to departure...breakthrough...Enterprise...full sized car for $117(including all taxes and fees)..sweet. Using our combined TR might, Mike and I were able to get four free nights at the Rio. Game, Set and match. Mark, however, dithered and delayed his plans and had to book a Delta flight; but was scheduled to land within minutes of our flight. Let the games begin.
MONDAY
After working our ten hour shift, Mike and I left work as giddy as a couple of kids who had just finished their last day of school and were anticipating summer vacation. Finished pakcing , two hour power nap and after picking up Mike it was a quick 90 minute drive to MSP. I purposely wanted to get there early to see about getting an upgrade to 1st class for $100...score. While we were waiting to board, Mike received a call from Mark...his Delta flight was delayed by about an hour or so..."D" for delayed. Take a cab when you get in, Dude, and meet us at the Rio.
The weather was overcast and windy, so the takeoff jostled us around a bit until we reached cruising altitude. Ahhh...usual Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back...life is good. Our meal was great: cheese and cracker plate, salad, chicken breast, couscous and a warm cookie...along with several glasses of chardonnay. Listened to some tunes, drifted in and out of sleep and we are in Vegas. We de-plane and make a beeline for the baggage claim area. Enroute I see several reasons why I like this town so much...tall women with legs that just won't quit. Car rental was quick and easy...Chevy Malibu...decent ride..no complaints. It's a little after 7 PM..let's drive down the strip to take in all of the Neon. Mikey hasn't seen the completed C.C. or the Cosmo.
Our checkin was short and sweet...4th floor room in the Ipanema tower. Room was spacious, view of the pool..it will do. The only problem with the room was that both of the sinks drained very, very, slowly. I left a note for the maid, along with a nice tip, next day and the problem was solved...money speaks volumes in this town. While we were unpacking, Mark called and was on his way from the airport. Fingers Freddie also gave us a call.
Freddie was a co-worker of ours who enlisted in the Navy as a pharmacist. The deal is that upon completion of his 3 year hitch, they will take care of a large portion of his student loan debt. He has spent the last 6 months in Kuwait and just recently got back to San Diego. He was in Las Vegas, helping out his Dad, who has been hospitalized with a liver tumor. Mark arrived and announced that he seemed to have misplaced his driver's license....no way, dude. He looked through his bag, coat, pockets and wallet at least three times....no luck. We had planned on hitting the Rhino for our 1st night in Vegas, but..no license or other photo ID..no entry into a strip club, period. He would also have a hassle at the airport, trying to get back home. Mark called home and instructed his wife to FedEx his passort to the hotel the next day(cost = $100).
Freddie picked us up and we had a late bite to eat at the Cathay House on Spring Mtn Rd. Nice restaurant and great Chinese food. We spent over an hour sampling various dishes and catching up on Freddie's Naval escapades. Afterward we headed back to the hotel..Freddie wanted to catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to San Diego, so we let him crash in our hotel room...nothing too good for the boys in uniform. "Unlicensed" Mark also called it a night, so Mike and I headed to the Rhino to brush up on our female anatomy.
The girls were a lot more pushy about trying to sell the VIP room deal...no thanks, ladies. It cost $9 for a bottle of Heineken, ouch. We arrived around 0300 and left about 0530...I've had two hours of sleep since Sunday afternoon. Bedtime, nah...let's get breakfast. We get Mark out of bed and head for the Peppermill. The place is empty, but the food is good as well as the service...they serve great vaniila shakes...for breakfast?....whatever. It's back to the Rio and bed at 0900.
TUESDAY:
Interesting note: Mike talks in his sleep....no mumbles...clear complete sentences...what happens in Vegas.... We're up at 3 PM, refreshed. Played my favorite cash time slot at the Rio and did nothing but stick twenties into that stupid machine. We fire up the Malibu and head over to the Planet Ho to pick up our tickets for Peepshow later that night. I used a promo code to get $40 off for some VIP seats for the show. I made the mistake of using the Planet Ho parking...what a mess..and a long hike to get to the casino. Pick up the tickets and then I give the boys a tour of the Cosmo. Their pool area is really sweet; will have to stay here one of these days.
Dinner is at Lawry's Prime Rib...heaven, if you love beef. This is my 3rd time here and they didn't disappoint. Spinning salad, prime rib with all the fixings: mashed potatoes, peas, mushrooms, bread pudding...stick a fork in me...I'm done. Nice dining experience..my buddies are impressed. Mark wanted separate checks...no problem. While he is retreiving his credit card from his wallet...guess what...he finds his driver's license, dooh!. Learning from my prior parking experience I take the back way and park in the Paris ramp and walk over to the Ho.
Holly Madison had taken the week off, so her friend Angel was subbing.....no matter. Our seats were at a table right up front...very close...might be two close...first couple of row seats in section 102 might have done just as well. This is an adult show...lots of bare breasts and sexual references, but I think women would enjoy the show, also. The show was a pleasant surprise, I had low expectations. Great singing and dancing with a lot of energy. They had a free "meet and greet" after the show to see Angel Perrino, but we passed on that....long line....better things to do with my Vegas time. Back at the Rio, Mark picks up his passport at the front desk, then it's roulette time. Play for 30 minutes and drop a hundy. I want to see Mary Ann at the Rio Wine Cellar that evening, but they are closed....some kind of private function going on. They are closed on Wed and Thursdays now, so looks like I'll have to wait until next trip.
Mikey has arranged for a limo to pick us up and take us to the Rhino for round two. Girls are pretty aggressive tonight. Two blondes descend on me and try to get me to come back to the VIP room with them; their offer is politely declined, but they persist...one grabs my arm and tries to pull me out of my chair... hey, no means No!...they leave in a huff...whatever. Mark vanishes with "Jessica" for two hours, comes back and says he's going back to the room...he's broke. He has an early morning flight back to Msp....see ya bud. Mike and I cab back to the Palm's to see about playing BJ.
Palms is like the Night of the Living Dead....dealers and patrons are a bunch of stiffs....like a morgue in there. We walk over to the Gold Coast and decide to play some roulette and then some BJ before heading for bed....okay, so we gamble until noon. There was a young woman playing roulette at our table who must have had some compulsive type disorder....chips had to be placed just so...same pattern...never uttered a word. A couple of guys walked over and bought in and sat down. Only thing, there was no chair behind one of the guys and he went down in a heap, flat on his back. His buddy looks and him, and places his bet...no help in getting his friend up....too funny. We had a BJ dealer named Denis, who was an older gentleman. Mike and I like to have a lively banter with our dealers...Denis was pretty much deadpan at first, then a chuckle from time to time, then he really turned out to be a swell guy. He is retired, and only deals a couple of days a week..he had some great Vegas stories to tell. Shortly before noon we called it quits..asked the Pit Boss for a meal comp.....she makes a phone call and told us to go see someone at customer services...sigh. Mikey had used his player's card. but I had forgot mine. I gave them my driver's license...no problem the pit boss said...we'll rate your play. Lady at customer services says she'll give Mikey at $15 credit, but I get zip.....WTF? I've matched Mike bet for bet for the past 8-9 hours and I get squat? Lady says she can't do anything for me.....damn bean counters. Last time Mike and I played here the pit boss gave us a meal comp, no problem for a lot less play, without having to go see some tightass corporate pencil pusher. We must have played BJ of at least 8 hours at $10/hand...tipping the dealers on a regular basis...we were the only players at the BJ table that tipped. Oh, and I dropped $300 to boot. So I got hosed. So we stumble back to the Rio and crashed at 12:30...Mark had left a couple of hours before.
WEDNESDAY:
Wake up at 6 PM...what's for dinner? How about the Flame at the El Co? Call and make reservations for 8PM. Clean up, play some slots (lose) and then head for downtown via Valley View. We get to Valley View and Sahara...I've got the green light....big SUV coming up to intersection on my right ...making a right turn onto Valley View...right in front of me. Had to yank the wheel hard into the other lane to JUST miss this clown...I think Mike soiled his pants....close one. Beware of Las Vegas drivers. Valet park at the Golden Gate and walk the FSE to the El Cortez.
We are seated right away, place is not even half full. Waitress is right there to take our orders. Little Asian lady at the next table is having a fit about the slow service...starts shouting about getting the check...husband is trying to crawl under the table. Mike had the filet and I had the lamb chops, delicious. Our waitress came over to our table several times to see if we were done, then did a Houdini...disappeared. Waited, waited, waited for check...flagged down another waiter...our server had did an Elvis...left the building. The food has always been good here, and with the LVA coupon, a great value; but the wait service has been inconsistent. Sometimes the service is great and other times it has been...well, lacking.
FSE is really rocking tonight with live bands playing; lots of people milling around. We head over to Golden Gate and buy in to a craps session. Cold table; nobody making a point. I get the dice, decent roll, make two points, hit a hardway, but seven out. Let's go play some blackjack. The tables are full, but we find two seats at a $5 table. Betting $10/hand and both of us are getting great cards, especially Mike. We are doing well when the Moron Twins sit down and ruin the Karma with their bonehead plays. Hit with a twelve when the dealer show a five...stand on 14 when the dealer has a facecard. Our luck changes,,,lose,lose...the Twins leave and Mike and I start winning again...until the Cheeseheads arrive. Two guys with Green Bay Packer shirts sit down...one guy was so drunk he could hardly stay in his seat; kept sliding down. One 24 ounce PBR can in his hand and another one tucked in his pants pocket...friggin idiots. They are clueless concerning basis strategy, but they are self proclaimed experts...our luck tanks...time to change tables. Our dealers wants us to stay, she's getting regular tips from us...something I think they don't get a lot of here. Move on to a $10 table.
Our luck changes with the new table, Mike is really on a heater, bumping his bets to $25/hand and hitting double down after double down. After a couple of hours the Pit Boss, Michelle comes over and strikes up a conversation with us; for the rest of the night, she refers to us as "Her boys". Mike continues to get great cards and is up $1200; I'm up and down....can't get a streak going...but we are have a great time...dealers are happy with the regular tips, and we are not hitting on them...cocktail service is excellent. The dealers are super hot and after they get to know us a little bit, they are really friendly. Finally 03:30 rolls around and the hot female dealers/dancers are done. Michelle gives us a $25 food voucher...we didn't even ask for one. We had breakfast at the cafe, Dupars, which was excellent. Mike had the pancakes, I had the French toast....yummy. What to do next? Early Bird special at the Rhino? Nah, let's hit the Strip.
We drive down the Strip and park at Harrah's. Play crazy 4 poker, lose $100 in 15 minutes. Let's check out the IP. Okay, I have a lady take care of my cat when I take my Vegas trips and she always gives me $20 to run thru a slot machine for her. I have won small amounts for her in the past...usually busting out. I walked past a bank of slot machines and decide this would be a good time to give Carol's money a try. A couple of pulls later I'm up $120...cash out...my biggest win of the trip, and it wasn't my money. Nothing going on at the IP, except they have several guys and lots of equipment cleaning the carpets in the front of the casino. We take ten steps into the place and are greeted by a hooker, but she has to shout to be heard over the carpet cleaning activity...what?...what? she gives up and walks away. Onward to O'Sheas, then the Flaming O. Played BJ for a while and I actually won $100...my only winning session of the trip, before getting smoked out by the guy at 3rd base. Back to the Rio and bed at 06:30.
THRUSDAY:
Hey, we are up at the crack of noon....pack our bags, and then decide to give the Rio a little play, dumb. Both of us ran over $100 in less than an hour and did nothing but lose. We had the room until Friday, but we checked out and headed back to the Golden Gate for more BJ. The dealers are happy to see us, as well as Michelle, one of the pit bosses. We played from 5 Pm until a little after 9 PM...luck was not our Lady tonight. We both could not get any cards tonight. We each lost about $400 each...ouch. Michelle told us that we should come and stay at the GG next tiime..."We'll treat you like kings", she says. We'll see if I get any offers. I do like playing BJ there, can't beat the eyecandy dealers
Drop the car off at the rental center with no problems...takes me about 60 seconds to check the car out and head for the shuttle. Since we are taking the redeye flight we don't take the 1st class option. After takeoff I slip into the arms of Morpheus until we land at MSP...raining and 37 degrees, welcome back to Minnesota. Drop Mike off and am home at 07:30. Nikker, my cat curls up with me as I collapse on the couch. Another one in the books.
EPILOGUE:
This was a different Vegas trip from my usual ones. Gambling all night and sleeping most of the day. the weather was great...sunny and in the 80's, but we were not awake to take advantage of it. It was also the biggest losing trip, gambling wise, that I have ever had.....really had my ass kicked. It was a trip of a lot of "Didn't Do's"------
Didn't Do:
Play LionShare slot at MGM
Play Star Trek slot at Venetian
Suck down those lovely Landshark drafts at Margaritaville
No Cosmo buffet
Visit M resort or Redrock
Didn't have my Side Car cocktail at the I-Bar
Didn't get to have a glass of Right Hand Man syrah at the Wine Cellar
Play craps at Bill's
Visit the Sahara for the last time
Play VP at Sully's Bar at Bally's and chat with my favorite bartender, Matt
Win money
Mike went alcochol free this trip....long story, so I found myself drinking a lot less alcohol, which worked okay, as I didn't need my usual pharmaceuticals to combat the usual effects of drinking copious quantites of Heinekens. Friday I spent most of the day sleeping. Saturday morning my fishing buddy, Boots, called and wanted if I wanted to go "Up North" to go fishing.....hell yes!. So Thursday I am in Vegas enjoying the 80 sunny temps and Sunday morning I am standing in a boat with the snow coming down sideways, temp is 25 degrees, ice floating in the river and I am dreaming of Vegas. Looking at another 12 day trip in September...hopefully. Thanks for reading this rather lengthy T.R.
