Rocked, Roofied and Rolled ----- Dec. 2016 Vegas Trip

PROLOGUE:
This trip was primarily business related as my co-worker and frequent Vegas wing man, MadMan Mike, and myself were attending a professional pharmacy conference at Mandalay Bay for four days. The conference consists of meeting and lectures from early morning (breakfast) to evenings (dinner). We were up at 0500 each day and on the go until after 1700 hrs for the four days of the conference. This did not leave us with a whole lot of time to persue our usual Vegas activities...i.e. gambling, drinking, seeing shows, drinking, high end dining, drinking and...drinking. We did fly in two days before the conference and stayed an extra day afterwards so that we could salvage some of those aforementioned activities with gusto. Timberwolf(David) and his girlfriend, Julie, were going to be in town over the weekend, so we planned on meeting up with them. It's been a few weeks since the trip and a lot has been going on at home since then...and my memory is a little fuzzy about the details so I'll depart from my usual day by day, blow by blow accounts and give a summary of all that went on....more or less.

Flights:
We flew on Sun Country Airlines again this trip...great outfit. We upgraded to first class each way, which I consider worth the extra dough....those comfy seats and multiple free gin and tonics can't be beat. No delays/problems with the flights.

Rental Car: I picked up a week's rental of a full size car from Enterprise for $193 all in. We ended up with a spanking brand new Toyota Camry...nice handling car...less than 5,000 miles on it. I know I pay a little more when I rent from Enterprise, but I never have to wait more a couple of minutes in line, never badgered by the desk clerk about upgrades, gas and extra insurance. It takes me about 60 seconds to drop the car off, receive my receipt and be on my way without any hassles.

Hotels:
Bally's----Two comped nights in an Indigo tower room on the 26th floor facing away from Flamingo road. Clean, comfortable and quiet. The lady at the diamond desk gave us the wrong type of keys to the room. I had to go back down to the reception desk and get another set...minor annoyance.
Luxor-----The line to checkin on Sunday was huge because of the 20,000 or so conference attendees...that's a lot of pharmacists folks. Fortunately I picked up MGM's mastercard earlier this year, so I was upgraded to Pearl status. I also did not have to pay for self parking, which was nice. There was a separate window for pearl and higher status players and there was no line....step right up, please. The $20 sandwich upgraded us from a Pyramid to a tower room...yes!. The tower room was big, comfortable and quiet...all except for the smoke alarm which decided to start "chirping" every 60 seconds on Monday afternoon. A couple of calls to the front desk finally produced a maintenance man to silence it.
Rio-----Diamond checkin went smoothly(more on this later) and our Ipanema tower room was very nice. The safe was locked when we arrived in the room, but the maintenance guy was there to open it after 15 minutes from the time that I called. Room was comped.

Dining:
The conference exhibitors provided us with a light breakfast during our breakfast lectures...nothing special..at least the coffee was good and strong. We ate twice at the Ri Ra for lunch....good food and tasty black and tans. Mike and I ate at the Peppermill on our last day...huge Denver omelets. Timberwolf, Julie, Mike and I walked over to Ellis Island on Sunday afternoon and took advantage of Metro's pizza BOGO offer. Good pizza and I used the LVA drink coupon to good effect. I dined solo on Thursday at the Rio buffet for lunch...always good. We had dinner one night at Taco's and Tequila at the Luxor...so, so Mexican food..good margarittas. The dining highlight of the trip was dinner at the Flamingo's Center Cut steakhouse. I bought a groupon which saved MadMan and I a bunch. I invited my supervisor along and he was impressed with the restaurant and my Vegas knowledge. Marcos was our waiter and he was terrific. Mike and I opted for the prime rib while my supervisor had the ribeye. We shared some sides; grilled asparagus and the mac and cheese. I don't normally order mac and cheese, but Marcos said it was very good, so we decided to give it a go....very, very good...thanks Marcos! The dinner/food was very good, but I like dining at Bally's BLT steak much better. We did have a buffet style dinner one night provided by one of the pharmaceutical companies...what a joke. Make your own street tacos and probably the worst pizza that I have ever tried. A far cry from previous dinner meetings that I have attended. We rounded out the trip with a late lunch at Dupars...always a solid choice.

Gambling:
Not good, not good at all....one of the biggest losing trips that I have had in a long time.....for both MadMan and I. I quickly dropped $300 playing triple play VP at Paris on Saturday night, followed up with a $400 loss at the Golden Gate playing blackjack...toss in another $80 loss playing VP at the Gate and later at Binions....not a good start....ouch. We played VP at Ellis Island on Sunday...I did make a little money while munching on pizza. Monday and Tuesday was non gambling days...too busy at the conference. Wednesday night Mike and I got hammered at the black jack tables at the Gate again...down $300+. Mike got pounded even worse. Thursday I played solo all day (explanation forthcoming) and did okay...for a while. I played for a couple of hours at the Gold Coast...9/6 JOB at the bar...cashed out with my original buyin. I later played triple play VP at Bally's and went on a Quad run, cashing out $160 to the good after a couple of hours. The winning "streak" came to an abrupt halt at the Rio's craps table late that night. I rolled twice, hit two points each time, several inside numbers, the other shooters at the table were having a tough night; but it was a fun bunch and a good crew working the table. A guy and his wife walked up next to me and watched the action for a while and then he finally threw in a couple of twenties and joined in. This guy looked like straight out of a Russian romantic novel. He had one of those straight black beards, piercing dark eyes...a Cassock if I ever saw one. All he needed was one of those Russian hats and a saber strapped to his side. He asked me, in broken English, about how to bet so I gave him some quick pointers, and he was in the hunt. He did well for a short time, but a couple of quick 7 outs depleted his meager buy-in. When it was his turn to shoot he threw a craps and then I realized that he only had one red chip left..not enough to make another pass line bet ($10 minimum table). He was going to leave, but I grabbed his arm and gave him one of my chips. I told him, that he had to shoot again....it's Vegas baby!. This brought the biggest grin on his face....made my whole night. He rolled four or five more times before 7'ing out. We shook hands, his wife thanked me....hey, now he can say to his buddies back home, wherever that is, that he shot craps in Las Vegas. Everyone should be able to say that. I lost another $400 before calling it quits...geesh.

After we ate at the Peppermill on Friday morning, Mike and I checked out the new Lucky Dragon casino. The place was empty...everything looked so spotless and brand new. I picked up a players card which came with $8 in free play which I turned into $10 cash money playing bonus poker at the bar. The bartenders were very talkative and friendly. The dragon that is suspended from the ceiling above the bar area is quite impressive, but creates at reflection off of the video poker screens at the bar which is pretty annoying. I'll have to go back here next trip and check out their restaurants. Mike wanted to get some gifts for his kids and wanted to go to the M & M store to pick up some items. We parked at the Cosmo as I told him on the drive down the Strip, that no way in hell i was going with him. I've accompanied him to the M & M store on previous trips and it has always been a nightmare of kids running around and parents with strollers that seem always to attack me. I told him that I would settle in at the sportsbook bar at the Cosmo and let him forage on his own. I played bonus poker at the $1 level and didn't do too badly. I hit a quad about 10 minutes in, which was nice. I initially ordered a ginger ale when I first sat down and then used my first drink coupon that the machine spit out for a gin and tonic. The bartender didn't fool around; that drink was potent. Mike arrived empty handed after about 45 minutes and I cashed out with a small profit of $60....I'll take it. I ended up with two drink coupons which I gave to to a couple sitting a few seats down from me at the bar. The coupons seemed to come at regular intervals during my play; I would have been pretty "stewed" if I ordered a drink every time one came out of the machine. We ended the trip by getting waxed at the tables at the Gate again...wow, just wow.

Miscellaneous musings:
I had a great time hanging out with Timberwolf and Julie...they are such great people. We went over to the great gift wrap on Sunday afternoon, the last day of the event....never again....at least going on the last day...what a zoo!. The place was jammed with people....so many so that it overloaded the computer system and it went down several times....long lines of unhappy gamblers waiting to check out. MadMan and I checked out the Harrahs diamond lounge a couple of times....Orhan makes a terrific side car cocktail.

You probably are wondering about this trip's title...so I'll fill you in on the details. If you have followed my trip reports over the years you may know that my buddy Mike can go "wild in the streets" at times during our Vegas trips. I don't call him MadMan for no good reason. Wednesday night we had a rather long session at the Gate's blackjack tables. We got there around 20:00hrs and I finally decided to call it quits at 0100 because I wanted to make one last meeting at 0900 later that morning. Mike wanted to stay and continue to play; said he would cab it back to the hotel later...he only wanted to play another hour.....okay then.

I woke up a little before 0800 and MadMan was not back yet....not all that unusual. I went to my lecture and returned to the room around 10:30 and found Mike a total mess. His speech was very slurred and he could hardly stand up without swaying. He didn't look right. I helped him pack his things and we checked out of the Luxor and drove over to the Rio....this guy is in bad, bad shape. On the way to the Rio he told be about going to the Sapphire strip club, hooking up with a stripper....and things got foggy after that. He sort of remembers buying several lapdances, ordering champagne...the whole nine yards. He stumbled out of the club and a cabbie took him to an ATM and then to a massage parlor and then dumped him back at the Luxor...or so he thinks....he's not sure how he got back to the room.
I parked at the Rio, helped him through the casino and deposited him on a chair in the diamond check in area. The desk clerk asked me if he was all right, if I wanted to have the resident EMT's check him out. I declined and said that what he needed was bedrest...lots of it. Well Mike slept the entire day. The next morning he was feeling normal again. The best guess is that someone put something into his drink that night....he acts very differently when he has been drinking heavily. He had a slight headache, but his stomach felt fine...he polished off that omelet at the Peppermill with no problem. His wallet was empty of cash, he had a total of 75 cents on him. Fortunately, his credit cards, ID were intact and several phone calls determined that there had not been any unauthorized charges on his cards. In the future, solo trips to the strip clubs is a no no.

EPIOLOGUE:
It was an informative trip, pharmacy wise....picked up lots of new information and talked to a lot of pharmacists from around the country. Gambling was a bust. One of our other co-workers gave us 6 large to put down on an upcoming UFC fight.....that's six thousand dollars folks. Mike and I walked to the counter at the Mirage to place the bet...the place was empty. We asked about the odds of the fight and told him that we would like to place a bet. I laid my MGM players card down on the desk and the clerk snidely told me that they didn't take the cards for bets. He then asked us how much we wanted to bet and then Mike plunked down a large stack of hundreds on the counter and said six thousands dollars. The clerk got wide-eyed and his attitude totally changed. " Of course we will take your card, sir" as he called over his supervisor. They counted out the cash in the back room and handed us our ticket....the look on that clerk's face.....priceless. Mike and I got a good laugh out of it.

Next trip is in 29 more days, last week in January....a good time to escape the Minnesota winter for a while. Harrahs gave me 5 comped nights and I grabbed a $205 RT airfare from Sun Country....game on. Hopefully, my daughter can join me for part of the trip; we always enjoy being in Vegas together. Oh, I did sneak away to the Rio wine cellar one night and enjoyed a couple of glasses of good wine. Lita was very talkative...she's looking very good now a days. Well, that wraps up another trip. I'll take'em down at the tables for sure next time.

Good Report and very informative, sorry about the gambling our last 5 trips to Vegas gambling has been bad. Wife & I going in February for my 77th, staying at Golden Gate Suite 4 nights comped 4 nights $60 per. Keep your reports coming.
VIVA LAS VEGAS

GREAT report as usual my Friend, Sorry about your Losses and your Friend Madman. As a Pharmacist you shouls have recognized the Roofie Symptoms. Glad he only Lost Ca$H but Learned a Very Valuable Lesson. . Have they Never Shown the Movie "Hangover in Minn" Just Joking glad he is Fine. Sadly I will Miss you this Trip will be in Las Vegas Jan 8-12 , Have Fun , Stay Safe , Bang em out at the Tables
Swann

Thanks Larry for the report and sorry to read about your gaming losses and MadMan's misadventures!

I wish you a much better trip next month!

Scary stuff RE Madman - a good reminder to never leave your drink unattended - especially in a questionable place. Sounds like fun otherwise except, of course, the losing part : (

OMG, that is one hilarious/scary story about Madman Mike. Glad you had his back. Wow.

Sun Country doesn't operate commercially from our city (Little Rock), but they pick us up for charters via MLife to Beau Rivage in Biloxi (and Laughlin, and elsewhere). Unfortunately, the trip to Biloxi is barely an hour, just enough for them to make one drink pass. I get gin and tonic, and was shocked to learn they don't stock lime wedges on these flights! What's a gin and tonic without a lime wedge? Well, better than nothing, but I've learned to slice and carry my own lime wedges. Folks (and the flight attendant) look at me funny when I bring out my little plastic container of lime wedges. So, my burning question for you...do you get lime wedges on your commercial Sun Country flights? LOL

Very entertaining TR. I once went with one of our doctors to a medical conference held at Mandalay Bay. Actually, we did a poster presentation, which was the only justification for my institution to pay my freight. I got us two free nights at Caesars prior to the meeting (separate rooms, mind you), then we moved to MB where I sprung for the extra amount beyond my per diem to stay 2 nights in a Four Seasons room (the top several stories of MB, separate entrance, great rooms/ treatment, etc.). The doc stayed in an MB room, another funny story because he has a phobia about high floor hotel rooms (worried about a fire). Anyway, he had never been to Vegas, not a gambler but curious after hearing my many post trip tales. I was sure he would inhale the smoky air in the casino and be on the next flight back home, but he loved it. We attended maybe two sessions each morning, then off to explore Vegas...a wild trip in a different way. He hated leaving, wished we had booked extra nights. We did manage to get all the continuing ed hours recorded despite playing partial hooky each day, mainly because he was friends with the conference organizer.

Anyway, sorry you lost money. That seems to be the way it is these days. I remember trips of yore, rare when I didn't get at least one 4K Royal Flush or other bonus hits. Certainly not the routine these days. Don't know why I keep going back.

Thanks for a great TR!

Thanks for the trip report. So what happened on that UFC $6,000 bet?

The bet was on the favorite, and she got pummeled, so my co-worker is out 6 grand...glad it was not my money...but the look on the clerk's face when we plunked down the stack of hundys was priceless.