Summer 2012 – Day 24
Even though I stayed up late last night until after midnight watching the Olympics, my still woke up at 5 AM and try as might, I couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I gave up and made a pot of coffee and began writing my trip report from yesterday. I looked down on the atrium from my room and was surprised that no one was walking around and I can only see light coming from one of windows. I suppose everyone was up late watching the opening ceremonies.
I was out of the room by 9 AM and headed for the M Resort where Terry and Louise checked in last night after returning from Hawaii. Thinking they went to bed early because of the long flight, I text Terry and unfortunately woke him up. He said to come on over and I later learned he and Louise didn’t go to bed until 4 AM playing in the casino. Again, sorry buddy! We agreed to meet in the lobby and as I walked in from the parking garage, I saw a Spartacus machine that I had talked about in previous reports and a couple of readers ask that I take a pic of one, so here it is:
The penny (50-cent minimum) Spartacus machine
I’m NOT recommending this machine. It’s extremely stingy on giving bonuses and when you do, more often than not, they’re just for a couple of bucks. However, for some reason, I like it. I met up with Terry and neither of us felt like the buffet so we went into the Hash House, which serves as the M’s coffee shop (albeit expensive one). I had scrambled eggs with onions, avocado and bacon bits, and Terry had their basic breakfast. My scrambled eggs with avocado was outstanding, and I will likely come back and have this again sometime (3 forks).
After breakfast (Louise was still sleeping), Terry and I headed over to the Quick Quads. We played for a good while, but I eventually lost my hundred. Terry was dealt Quick Quads (5-play) and was holding his own. We eventually moved over to the full pay Bonus Aces machines and we both went on a quad drought (I did manage one set of quad 5s), and we both lost there as well. I’m now past my daily loss limit by a hundred dollars. Terry went up to check on Louise and I put in $20 into the new penny Michael Jackson machine. It hit a nice bonus for $24 and Terry came back. Louise would be a little longer as she is packing up (they fly back to Denver tonight). We walked over to a nickel suited progressive machine. The spade royal was over $800, which is double (it’s a 10-coin machine) what a regular royal was and all the other suits were over $600, so we played. I put in my ticket from the Michael Jackson machine and Terry put in a fresh hundred. We chose Super Aces (it’s only a 6/5 game, but I’m at the point I need to go for a bigger jackpot). After a good while, I held two Aces and picked up the other two for a $200 win. Just like that, I’m back to even for the day. Terry, unfortunately, had a rough day at the games. I’m afraid I’m a cooler as he seems to lose whenever I’m around.
Louise came down and began to play. It was now 3 PM, and they were going to have to leave in an hour. Hoping Terry could win some of his losses back, I left wishing them a safe trip home. I’ll be flying up to Denver to stay with them for a couple of days in a couple of weeks, so it’s not a long goodbye.
I drove back to Sam’s Town to rest up before heading over to South Point where the Mattress Poker Tournament will be held this year. I called Dave and Julie to see if they survived last night. Not only did they survive, but they were in the Diamond Lounge having a drink when I called them. Julie had hit a royal last night as they both stayed up to after 3AM. They ended the night with a sweet profit. Damn—24 days and I still haven’t hit a quarter royal. What is going on here?
No more gambling for me today. I decided to just “hang” in my room for the next couple of hours before I make the drive to South Point where this year’s MPT (mattress poker tournament) will be taking place. For those of you who are new to these reports, there is a group of people who follow the Las Vegas Advisor but live on the East Coast. Their little group is known as the ECLVA (East Coast Las Vegas Advisor). For the past many years, they have two poker tournaments per year: one on the East Coast and one in Las Vegas. I have been invited to the Las Vegas tournament the past three or four years. I always make it a point to be sure my trip centers around the dates of the MPT. The Mattress Poker Tournament got its name because the game was played in a room or suite on whichever hotel it’s being held on the mattresses. If there are more people than can fit around the one or two mattresses, they are sat around a table, a bar, or whatever is available.
This year is a smaller than usual group, so it was decided for everyone’s convenience we could use the large dining table in the suite which was furnished to us by LVA member Judy (Ohio), who would be staying in the suite for a week. The game didn’t get started until 8:30. It went slow at first with everyone coveting their chips, but it didn’t take long for some to begin to be all in and gone from the game. Last year’s winner, Catherine (Bigfus) was the first to go when her full house was beaten by a bigger full house. We did have one straight flush in the game (see the pic), and yours truly had four queens (both hands won $5 for “big hands”). Bob and Harv, the organizers kept the table in stitches. A drink was spilled on the table by Amazon—twice!
One by one, people were lost their chips and were gone. I, contrary to last year when I was the bubble boy—the one out just before the money—managed to come in third place. The bubble boy this year was this year’s East Coast winner, Harv. My third place finish earned me $40 (it was a $30 buy-in) and add to that my $5 big hand, I left with a $15 profit and more importantly bragging rights of winning the Bronze this year. It was almost 11:30 (way past my bed time) so I didn’t stay around long enough to see who won, but we’re meeting again tomorrow for lunch and I’ll put the results in that daily report.
Missed terribly were some of our East Coast regulars, Todd and wife, and our LVA Queen, Jeanne Marie (noahcat) who is recovering from earlier surgery and is reportedly coming along great. It simply wasn’t the same without them.
Thanks to Dave (timberwolf) for taking these pics for me for the second year in a row.
Spectators at the rail enjoying the action
Today's line up
There I am wondering why I was dealt 7/2 off-suit for the fourth time
The game is on
That's Harv with the beard...a fierce competitor but turned out to be this year's bubble boy
This straight flush came up within the first five hands of the game
Our host, Judy, talking with John (the other one with the "h")
No game is complete without Catherine's good luck charms
For the second night I didn’t get to sleep until after midnight—blashphemy!
More tomorrow.
Even though I stayed up late last night until after midnight watching the Olympics, my still woke up at 5 AM and try as might, I couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I gave up and made a pot of coffee and began writing my trip report from yesterday. I looked down on the atrium from my room and was surprised that no one was walking around and I can only see light coming from one of windows. I suppose everyone was up late watching the opening ceremonies.
I was out of the room by 9 AM and headed for the M Resort where Terry and Louise checked in last night after returning from Hawaii. Thinking they went to bed early because of the long flight, I text Terry and unfortunately woke him up. He said to come on over and I later learned he and Louise didn’t go to bed until 4 AM playing in the casino. Again, sorry buddy! We agreed to meet in the lobby and as I walked in from the parking garage, I saw a Spartacus machine that I had talked about in previous reports and a couple of readers ask that I take a pic of one, so here it is:
The penny (50-cent minimum) Spartacus machine
I’m NOT recommending this machine. It’s extremely stingy on giving bonuses and when you do, more often than not, they’re just for a couple of bucks. However, for some reason, I like it. I met up with Terry and neither of us felt like the buffet so we went into the Hash House, which serves as the M’s coffee shop (albeit expensive one). I had scrambled eggs with onions, avocado and bacon bits, and Terry had their basic breakfast. My scrambled eggs with avocado was outstanding, and I will likely come back and have this again sometime (3 forks).
After breakfast (Louise was still sleeping), Terry and I headed over to the Quick Quads. We played for a good while, but I eventually lost my hundred. Terry was dealt Quick Quads (5-play) and was holding his own. We eventually moved over to the full pay Bonus Aces machines and we both went on a quad drought (I did manage one set of quad 5s), and we both lost there as well. I’m now past my daily loss limit by a hundred dollars. Terry went up to check on Louise and I put in $20 into the new penny Michael Jackson machine. It hit a nice bonus for $24 and Terry came back. Louise would be a little longer as she is packing up (they fly back to Denver tonight). We walked over to a nickel suited progressive machine. The spade royal was over $800, which is double (it’s a 10-coin machine) what a regular royal was and all the other suits were over $600, so we played. I put in my ticket from the Michael Jackson machine and Terry put in a fresh hundred. We chose Super Aces (it’s only a 6/5 game, but I’m at the point I need to go for a bigger jackpot). After a good while, I held two Aces and picked up the other two for a $200 win. Just like that, I’m back to even for the day. Terry, unfortunately, had a rough day at the games. I’m afraid I’m a cooler as he seems to lose whenever I’m around.
Louise came down and began to play. It was now 3 PM, and they were going to have to leave in an hour. Hoping Terry could win some of his losses back, I left wishing them a safe trip home. I’ll be flying up to Denver to stay with them for a couple of days in a couple of weeks, so it’s not a long goodbye.
I drove back to Sam’s Town to rest up before heading over to South Point where the Mattress Poker Tournament will be held this year. I called Dave and Julie to see if they survived last night. Not only did they survive, but they were in the Diamond Lounge having a drink when I called them. Julie had hit a royal last night as they both stayed up to after 3AM. They ended the night with a sweet profit. Damn—24 days and I still haven’t hit a quarter royal. What is going on here?
No more gambling for me today. I decided to just “hang” in my room for the next couple of hours before I make the drive to South Point where this year’s MPT (mattress poker tournament) will be taking place. For those of you who are new to these reports, there is a group of people who follow the Las Vegas Advisor but live on the East Coast. Their little group is known as the ECLVA (East Coast Las Vegas Advisor). For the past many years, they have two poker tournaments per year: one on the East Coast and one in Las Vegas. I have been invited to the Las Vegas tournament the past three or four years. I always make it a point to be sure my trip centers around the dates of the MPT. The Mattress Poker Tournament got its name because the game was played in a room or suite on whichever hotel it’s being held on the mattresses. If there are more people than can fit around the one or two mattresses, they are sat around a table, a bar, or whatever is available.
This year is a smaller than usual group, so it was decided for everyone’s convenience we could use the large dining table in the suite which was furnished to us by LVA member Judy (Ohio), who would be staying in the suite for a week. The game didn’t get started until 8:30. It went slow at first with everyone coveting their chips, but it didn’t take long for some to begin to be all in and gone from the game. Last year’s winner, Catherine (Bigfus) was the first to go when her full house was beaten by a bigger full house. We did have one straight flush in the game (see the pic), and yours truly had four queens (both hands won $5 for “big hands”). Bob and Harv, the organizers kept the table in stitches. A drink was spilled on the table by Amazon—twice!
One by one, people were lost their chips and were gone. I, contrary to last year when I was the bubble boy—the one out just before the money—managed to come in third place. The bubble boy this year was this year’s East Coast winner, Harv. My third place finish earned me $40 (it was a $30 buy-in) and add to that my $5 big hand, I left with a $15 profit and more importantly bragging rights of winning the Bronze this year. It was almost 11:30 (way past my bed time) so I didn’t stay around long enough to see who won, but we’re meeting again tomorrow for lunch and I’ll put the results in that daily report.
Missed terribly were some of our East Coast regulars, Todd and wife, and our LVA Queen, Jeanne Marie (noahcat) who is recovering from earlier surgery and is reportedly coming along great. It simply wasn’t the same without them.
Thanks to Dave (timberwolf) for taking these pics for me for the second year in a row.
Spectators at the rail enjoying the action
Today's line up
There I am wondering why I was dealt 7/2 off-suit for the fourth time
The game is on
That's Harv with the beard...a fierce competitor but turned out to be this year's bubble boy
This straight flush came up within the first five hands of the game
Our host, Judy, talking with John (the other one with the "h")
No game is complete without Catherine's good luck charms
For the second night I didn’t get to sleep until after midnight—blashphemy!
More tomorrow.
