MPT Meet July 2016
It’s that time of year again, the annual Mattress Poker Tournament (MPT) in Las Vegas. I’m not sure how many years I’ve been a participant in these (perhaps six or seven) and am looking forward to attending after missing last year’s meet. The East Coast Las Vegas Advisor (ECLVA) group meets up with us on the West Coast for a poker game in a hotel suite using mattresses for poker tables; however, it’s become so popular it’s too big for the beds now. We’ve all become good friends over the years. This year’s game will be on Sunday, July 31. I’ve come to spend the week here, so I’m going share some thoughts and pics with you.
Monday
I left San Diego at 3:30 AM (I like to avoid as much traffic as possible) and arrived in Las Vegas at 8:30. I’m staying at Sam’s Town for the first three nights. Though it was too early to check in, I enjoyed a breakfast at the sportsbook deli (two eggs, sausage, toast, and potatoes for $3.99). I signed up for the 10AM daily poker tournament ($23). There were only 30 participants this morning and I managed to only last an hour not getting any decent cards. It is one of the cheapest poker tournaments in Vegas and always a fun way to spend the morning. As I was leaving the poker area, I was stopped by a gentleman who asked I was JMan. He recognized me from these reports. His name was Bill, who was also playing the tournament. It was nice meeting him and flattering to be recognized.
Bill and I, who I met at the Sam’s Town morning poker tournament. He made final three and they chopped the money.
Sam’s Town has movie theaters, so I say “Central Intelligence,” which was a fun popcorn movie, not much more.
I requested a room away from the atrium and was happy with 535 on the back building. I took a nap and then went down to dinner and played some video poker, but not too much. I made it a short night as I have a long week ahead.
Sam’s Town in Henderson—about 20 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip
The Atrium inside Sam’s Town
Sam’s Town has some of the very best slot promotions anywhere
Tuesday
I was going to be picking up my friend, Terry, who is flying in from Denver at 12:30 today. He texted saying his flight was going to be delayed, so I took advantage of the extra time and again played the morning poker tournament. Again, nothing good came my way and after an hour or so, was out. I always get a kick out of the occasional tourist millennial who plays in this tournament with all the accessories he’s seen on TV…the hoodies, the sunglasses, raises every time he bets…a little too serious for a little $23 tournament. It’s fun to watch the many locals as the roll their eyes and chuckle at these guys.
The poker room at Sam’s Town
I picked up Terry and we headed downtown to the Main Street Station (MMS), where he’ll be staying for the next couple of days. We took a seat at the Boar’s Bar, had a cold beer and began playing 9/6 Jacks for the next couple hours. We were met with Dave (timberwolf) and then east coasters Paul, Catherine, and Harv. We all had dinner at the Triple 7s and enjoyed sharing the many happy hour priced foods. Between 3 and 6 Mon thru Fri, there are many dishes at $3, $5, & $7 and all very good. This is an excellent food choice.
From left: Terry, David, Paul, Catherine, and Harv at the Triple 7s brewery
There was a balloon convention where Catherine was staying and someone made her an Elsa balloon complete with white ponytail.
After dinner, everyone wanted to hit the machines; however, I have 7X points at Sam’s Town today and chose to head back to my hotel to play. I agreed to pick up Dave and Terry tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM as we’re going to spend every morning playing Pickleball. At Sam’s Town, I played a few games, but wasn’t winning at anything and called it an early night.
Wednesday
I was up early and went down to swipe my card. Today is Young at Heart (YAH) day at Sam’s and I was given 10X video poker and 15X slots for the day. There’s also a $15 food credit and a $4 movie ticket along with a drawing…perhaps the best senior’s promotion anywhere. I ran a hundred through some video poker and managed to at least break even before it was time to pick the boys for Pickleball. I pulled up to MSS and Terry was there with no sign of David, who always stays up to the early hours. Text messages and phone calls were to no avail, so Terry and I headed to Summerlin without him.
The temporary Pickleball courts at the YMCA in Summerlin aren’t the best but it’s air conditioned and all the players are friendly and inviting.
When in town, we play at the YMCA where they have morning indoor Pickleball. We’re not members, so it costs $5, which if fine. Today was a small turnout and for the next couple of hours had a great time playing the locals. In the winter it’s much more crowded as all the snow birds come into town, but with summer days (113 degrees today), it’s mostly locals with the occasional tourists like Terry and I. This is good because we’re in games almost the entire time. We played for about two hours and finally headed back to downtown. We had lunch at the Triple 7s (not only is all the food excellent, I can use my slot points to pay for it). After lunch, I headed back to Sam’s to shower and relax for a bit.
Main Street Station, downtown Las Vegas
At 4:00 PM, it was back to MSS to meet the guys (it’s a 15 minute drive from Sam’s to the downtown area). Terry and I sat at the bar to once again play some 9/6 Jacks or Better. Terry and Dave, who are both staying at MSS get 5X points. I went on a very nice roll catching quads and full houses and eventually finished up $230 almost making me even for the trip at this point. Dave, who apologized for missing Pickleball as he did get up in time, but laid back down “for a second” only to wake up two hours later. It was dinnertime and once again we chose to take advantage of the happy hour dishes choosing two different types of chicken wings, flat bread pizza, pulled pork sliders, quesadillas, and fish tacos. We shared all the foods and Dave was kind enough to pay the tab with his slot points.
Once again, the guys wanted to gamble, but again, it was better for me to play where I had 7X points at Sam’s then 1X at MSS, so I headed back to Sam’s Town to play. As the video poker gods are spiteful creatures, after a good two hours of play, they managed to take back my $200 profit of the day. Not wanting to give them more, I gave up and headed back to my room for some reading and TV.
Thursday
Today is moving day, so I was up early, worked on this report and packed up my things, which I will leave in the car as we play our next session of Pickleball. It’s moving day for all three of us as I will check into the Westgate for the next four nights while Terry goes to the Golden Gate and Dave checks into the 4 Queens. They like staying in the downtown area where they get comps but I get comped with the Boyd properties and excellent discounts at the Westgate.
Pickleball went well, though once again Dave didn’t join us as he stayed out late again. Terry and my skill level seem to fit well with this group and we had a great time. The temperature today reached 117 so it was a good day to stay inside.
Just another summer day in Las Vegas…hot!
Check-in at the Westgate went well and I was happy to find out that my offer included for the dreaded resort fees (normally $25 per day) to be optional. That saved me $100. So, my four nights here including the weekend nights will be a total of $90--$22 per night. The Westgate always have interesting conventions and trade shows and this weekend is the International Women’s Roller Derby—yes, still very popular outside the United States. The place was just crawling with skater-babes in interesting forms of dress and almost all covered in tattoos. It certainly made for some interesting people watching.
The International Women’s Roller Derby kicks off its three day convention
The skaters’ itinerary in the convention area at the Westgate
I took Terry downtown to check into the Golden Gate and returned to unpack and gamble a little in the casino. That turned out to be a terrible mistake as I couldn’t hit anything. So far, it’s been a rough trip. Of course, I stop playing when I reach my stop goal. I picked up both Dave and Terry at 5 PM and we headed to Harrahs as we’re meeting up with friends Judy and Dennis from Cleveland (this year’s MPT hosts) in the diamond lounge.
As many know, after two years as a 7 Star holder with Caesar properties, I stopped playing with that company, so I had to be a guest in the diamond lounge by Dave, who still holds on to his diamond card. We spent a couple of hours in the lounge, which had enchiladas and sliders that were surprisingly good.
We drove back to the downtown area and played blackjack at the Golden Gate before dinner. It started out terrible at one point, the dealer hit a blackjack five straight times she showed an Ace. However, a dealer change and everything turned around. All three of us took a profit before going for our traditional BBQ rib dinner in Binions. I finally headed back to my hotel and to bed.
Friday
I picked up Terry and David at Binions, downtown, and we were off to another morning of Pickleball in Summerlin. This morning, there were more players (it was already over 100 degrees at 9AM, so some of the outside players opted to play indoors. Three courts were set up and we had a great time playing matches for the next two hours. Each morning, locals have been telling us about new courts being made or tennis courts being converted into Pickleball courts all over the Las Vegas valley. The sport is really taking hold. Terry is trying to find a place to rent in the winter, so we went to a place called Sun City in Summerlin to check out some new courts that recently made. We found them and took a little walk around. It’s a private area for residents but we’re told the folks tend to be okay with the occasional interloper.
We headed back downtown after filling up the tank at Costco’s on Martin Luther King drive ($2.25 per gallon) and I dropped the boys off and headed back to the Westgate to shower. I stopped for some take out and was up in my nice air conditioned room relaxing and watching some TV for the next few hours.
The once proud Riviera Hotel and Casino as it falls prey to the wrecking ball
At about 4PM, I headed back downtown to meet the guys at the 4 Queens, which is where Terry checked to stay for the next couple of nights. We sat down and played 9/6 JOB for the next couple hours. Dave joined us. I had a nice little rush of quads and cashed out a small profit. Dave and Terry each took a hit. We went up to the Chicago Pizza Company, located in a upstairs corner of the 4 Queens—a traditional stop every trip for one of their excellent pizzas (at the top of my favorite pizzas anywhere). We were going to take a stab at the progressive machines at their bar, but they were all occupied.
After dinner, it was back to the Golden Gate for some more blackjack. Like yesterday’s session, things started out poorly; however, after an hour or so, things turned around and for the second night in a row, I walked away with a $50 profit. I play the basic of basic games: I only bet $5 at a time, use basic strategy, and only take advantage of double down situations to make a small profit. Terry and David, on the other hand, bet larger amounts depending on how the table streak is going (or on a whim), so their profits and losses have large swings. I rarely play blackjack (only when I’m with this group), but as long as I continue to make these small profits by playing this very conservative style, perhaps, I need to start playing a little more. Because it’s a Friday night, after more than an hour of playing, we were told the minimum bet would be raised to $10 after the current shoe ran out (we play at an eight-deck, 3/2 game). So, with my small profit in hand, I chose to call it a night leaving Terry and David at the table and headed back to the Westgate enjoying the lightning show in the skies all around me as I drove.
Just one of the many bands that play each night at the Fremont Experience
Yes, people DO occasionally wait for the green light to cross the street at the Fremont Experience.
Saturday
Though I went to sleep at 10:30 last night, I was awakened twice by texts from the boys. The first at 11:15 informing me that Terry had just got a cup (the 4 Queens has a promotion that if you catch a quad of 4 Queens, you get a nice ceramic cup with their logo—Dave had scored one earlier that afternoon. Then an hour later, another text from Terry with a picture of quad aces with the kicker he had just hit on DDB for a sweet $500 win. Terry had been losing every day of this trip so far and now things had taken a dramatic positive change.
I woke up this morning to find another text sent at 2:36AM from David explaining that there was no need for me to pick them up at our pre-decided time of 9AM for a cooking class we were scheduled to take this morning, but that 9:25 would give up ample time to make it to the class.
I went to take my morning shower only to find that the water pressure is completely gone in my room. At least there was a slow trickle of water to let me brush my teeth and shave, but the shower was going to have to wait until they fix this. I picked up Terry, Dave, and Julie (Dave’s girlfriend who drove in this morning) downtown and we headed to Segundo Taqueria and Margarita Restaurant, which is located on the Strip across the street from the Wynn Hotel in the Fashion Mall. This is a cooking/tasting class that is held on the last Saturday of each month. The Executive Chef demonstrates making a three course meal and different exotic margaritas. The price is $32 (tip is included) per person. Neither Terry nor I had ever done anything like this and were looking forward to the experience.
We sat down and it began with homemade tortilla chips and three types of salsa. For each meal and drink, the chef would invite an audience member to souse chef. First was a cucumber/mint margarita (it was delicious). Next was a shrimp quesadilla followed by another margarita (prickly pear Gazadores tequila), a bit sweet for my taste. Then came the flank steak tacos with Serrano Chile and garlic salsa; and all followed up with a delicious Bunuellos with Berries and hibiscus syrup. All I can say is this was one of my favorite times I’ve had in Las Vegas. The food (as you can see in the attached photos) was delicious.
Terry, Dave, and Julie when seated you’re greeted with fresh homemade tortilla chips and three types of salsas.
After the cucumber margarita, we’re served shrimp and sweet corn quesadillas
Dave was called up assist the chef prepare a prickly pear margarita
Next was the Grilled Steak tacos with serrano chili and garlic salsa
Finally, the bunuellos with berries and hibiscus syrup—even tasted better than it looks!
Along with the farewell goodie bag with a small bottle of tequila and churros, we went home with today’s menu which included all the recopies inside
The chef went out of his way to include the audience in the demonstrations and answered all questions. Finally, every person (it seats about 50 people) was given a gift bag of churros and a small bottle of Gazaores Tequilla. For $32 total, this was an amazing bargain. I can’t recommend more highly. I intend to go every time I happen to be in Las Vegas on the final Saturday of the month. Here’s the site:
https://m.leye.com/el-segundo-sol-cooking-fiesta-10-event
After the meal, we all headed back downtown. Julie and David went to meet a friend at the Diamond Lounge. Terry and I went to the Golden Gate for some more blackjack. Once again, I stayed with my minimum $5 bet with the occasional double up when appropriate and after about an hour and a half, we left and I was up $73. This is the third straight day that I’ve made a modest profit playing blackjack, and about the only thing that I am winning. We then made our way to the 4 Queens for some more 9/6 JOB. Terry managed to double his stake, and I again lost my hundred and stopped there (the machines have not been good to me this trip).
I was pretty tired and said my goodbyes and headed back to the Westgate and my room. Fortunately, the water was back at full pressure, took and shower, watched some TV and called it an early night.
Sunday
I got up early and played a little nickel Spin Poker down in the casino. My luck was a little better this session as I caught three sets of deuces (playing deuces wild) for a quick $150 win. The place is still full of roller skate conventioneers—it seems tattoos must be a requirement because every skater seems to be covered with them. These are some tough looking girls, and they are here to skate and party. The casino was jumping!
The plan is to meet Terry, David, and Julie at 7AM for some Pickleball. The indoor courts are closed on the weekends, so we have to play outside early. It’s already 90 degrees, so we’re hoping to get in at least a couple hours before melting away. When we arrived, only one of courts was in use, so we had that whole morning to play changing partners after each game. Though it was hot, we managed to get in an hour and a half. We had a great time.
I dropped them off downtown and came back to the Westgate to shower. I still had a couple of stops to make before heading over to the MPT meet. It’s taking place at South Point Hotel where Judy and Dennis have a suite. This game brings together current and previous members of the Las Vegas Advisor from the East Coast and the West Coast. There are two tournaments per year, one in Atlantic City and one here in Las Vegas. It’s something we look forward to every year.
This year’s winning trophy and first and second place money
Jeanne Marie, Lydia, and Terry as the game gets underway.
Catherine, Terry, and I. I went out in sixth place having winning only one small pot.
If you’re interested, the Mattress Poker Tournament has its own Facebook page that includes many more pics and videos of this and previous meets:
https://www.facebook.com/Mattress-Poker-Tour-MPT-62904459827/
The game went well and everyone had a great time. This year’s winner was Norman. After the game, David, Julie, Terry and I had some dinner at the Alehouse at the Town Square. It was time to say our goodbyes as I am heading home early Monday morning.
Overall, the trip was a terrific success. Though I lost about $250 for the entire trip (not bad for a week’s vacation in air condoning), I had a great time with friends. Each year seems to by faster and faster and seeing our friends from the East Coast (we all met through the Las Vegas Advisor) is very special—such fun and great people.
More next time—whenever that is!
It’s that time of year again, the annual Mattress Poker Tournament (MPT) in Las Vegas. I’m not sure how many years I’ve been a participant in these (perhaps six or seven) and am looking forward to attending after missing last year’s meet. The East Coast Las Vegas Advisor (ECLVA) group meets up with us on the West Coast for a poker game in a hotel suite using mattresses for poker tables; however, it’s become so popular it’s too big for the beds now. We’ve all become good friends over the years. This year’s game will be on Sunday, July 31. I’ve come to spend the week here, so I’m going share some thoughts and pics with you.
Monday
I left San Diego at 3:30 AM (I like to avoid as much traffic as possible) and arrived in Las Vegas at 8:30. I’m staying at Sam’s Town for the first three nights. Though it was too early to check in, I enjoyed a breakfast at the sportsbook deli (two eggs, sausage, toast, and potatoes for $3.99). I signed up for the 10AM daily poker tournament ($23). There were only 30 participants this morning and I managed to only last an hour not getting any decent cards. It is one of the cheapest poker tournaments in Vegas and always a fun way to spend the morning. As I was leaving the poker area, I was stopped by a gentleman who asked I was JMan. He recognized me from these reports. His name was Bill, who was also playing the tournament. It was nice meeting him and flattering to be recognized.
Bill and I, who I met at the Sam’s Town morning poker tournament. He made final three and they chopped the money.
Sam’s Town has movie theaters, so I say “Central Intelligence,” which was a fun popcorn movie, not much more.
I requested a room away from the atrium and was happy with 535 on the back building. I took a nap and then went down to dinner and played some video poker, but not too much. I made it a short night as I have a long week ahead.
Sam’s Town in Henderson—about 20 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip
The Atrium inside Sam’s Town
Sam’s Town has some of the very best slot promotions anywhere
Tuesday
I was going to be picking up my friend, Terry, who is flying in from Denver at 12:30 today. He texted saying his flight was going to be delayed, so I took advantage of the extra time and again played the morning poker tournament. Again, nothing good came my way and after an hour or so, was out. I always get a kick out of the occasional tourist millennial who plays in this tournament with all the accessories he’s seen on TV…the hoodies, the sunglasses, raises every time he bets…a little too serious for a little $23 tournament. It’s fun to watch the many locals as the roll their eyes and chuckle at these guys.
The poker room at Sam’s Town
I picked up Terry and we headed downtown to the Main Street Station (MMS), where he’ll be staying for the next couple of days. We took a seat at the Boar’s Bar, had a cold beer and began playing 9/6 Jacks for the next couple hours. We were met with Dave (timberwolf) and then east coasters Paul, Catherine, and Harv. We all had dinner at the Triple 7s and enjoyed sharing the many happy hour priced foods. Between 3 and 6 Mon thru Fri, there are many dishes at $3, $5, & $7 and all very good. This is an excellent food choice.
From left: Terry, David, Paul, Catherine, and Harv at the Triple 7s brewery
There was a balloon convention where Catherine was staying and someone made her an Elsa balloon complete with white ponytail.
After dinner, everyone wanted to hit the machines; however, I have 7X points at Sam’s Town today and chose to head back to my hotel to play. I agreed to pick up Dave and Terry tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM as we’re going to spend every morning playing Pickleball. At Sam’s Town, I played a few games, but wasn’t winning at anything and called it an early night.
Wednesday
I was up early and went down to swipe my card. Today is Young at Heart (YAH) day at Sam’s and I was given 10X video poker and 15X slots for the day. There’s also a $15 food credit and a $4 movie ticket along with a drawing…perhaps the best senior’s promotion anywhere. I ran a hundred through some video poker and managed to at least break even before it was time to pick the boys for Pickleball. I pulled up to MSS and Terry was there with no sign of David, who always stays up to the early hours. Text messages and phone calls were to no avail, so Terry and I headed to Summerlin without him.
The temporary Pickleball courts at the YMCA in Summerlin aren’t the best but it’s air conditioned and all the players are friendly and inviting.
When in town, we play at the YMCA where they have morning indoor Pickleball. We’re not members, so it costs $5, which if fine. Today was a small turnout and for the next couple of hours had a great time playing the locals. In the winter it’s much more crowded as all the snow birds come into town, but with summer days (113 degrees today), it’s mostly locals with the occasional tourists like Terry and I. This is good because we’re in games almost the entire time. We played for about two hours and finally headed back to downtown. We had lunch at the Triple 7s (not only is all the food excellent, I can use my slot points to pay for it). After lunch, I headed back to Sam’s to shower and relax for a bit.
Main Street Station, downtown Las Vegas
At 4:00 PM, it was back to MSS to meet the guys (it’s a 15 minute drive from Sam’s to the downtown area). Terry and I sat at the bar to once again play some 9/6 Jacks or Better. Terry and Dave, who are both staying at MSS get 5X points. I went on a very nice roll catching quads and full houses and eventually finished up $230 almost making me even for the trip at this point. Dave, who apologized for missing Pickleball as he did get up in time, but laid back down “for a second” only to wake up two hours later. It was dinnertime and once again we chose to take advantage of the happy hour dishes choosing two different types of chicken wings, flat bread pizza, pulled pork sliders, quesadillas, and fish tacos. We shared all the foods and Dave was kind enough to pay the tab with his slot points.
Once again, the guys wanted to gamble, but again, it was better for me to play where I had 7X points at Sam’s then 1X at MSS, so I headed back to Sam’s Town to play. As the video poker gods are spiteful creatures, after a good two hours of play, they managed to take back my $200 profit of the day. Not wanting to give them more, I gave up and headed back to my room for some reading and TV.
Thursday
Today is moving day, so I was up early, worked on this report and packed up my things, which I will leave in the car as we play our next session of Pickleball. It’s moving day for all three of us as I will check into the Westgate for the next four nights while Terry goes to the Golden Gate and Dave checks into the 4 Queens. They like staying in the downtown area where they get comps but I get comped with the Boyd properties and excellent discounts at the Westgate.
Pickleball went well, though once again Dave didn’t join us as he stayed out late again. Terry and my skill level seem to fit well with this group and we had a great time. The temperature today reached 117 so it was a good day to stay inside.
Just another summer day in Las Vegas…hot!
Check-in at the Westgate went well and I was happy to find out that my offer included for the dreaded resort fees (normally $25 per day) to be optional. That saved me $100. So, my four nights here including the weekend nights will be a total of $90--$22 per night. The Westgate always have interesting conventions and trade shows and this weekend is the International Women’s Roller Derby—yes, still very popular outside the United States. The place was just crawling with skater-babes in interesting forms of dress and almost all covered in tattoos. It certainly made for some interesting people watching.
The International Women’s Roller Derby kicks off its three day convention
The skaters’ itinerary in the convention area at the Westgate
I took Terry downtown to check into the Golden Gate and returned to unpack and gamble a little in the casino. That turned out to be a terrible mistake as I couldn’t hit anything. So far, it’s been a rough trip. Of course, I stop playing when I reach my stop goal. I picked up both Dave and Terry at 5 PM and we headed to Harrahs as we’re meeting up with friends Judy and Dennis from Cleveland (this year’s MPT hosts) in the diamond lounge.
As many know, after two years as a 7 Star holder with Caesar properties, I stopped playing with that company, so I had to be a guest in the diamond lounge by Dave, who still holds on to his diamond card. We spent a couple of hours in the lounge, which had enchiladas and sliders that were surprisingly good.
We drove back to the downtown area and played blackjack at the Golden Gate before dinner. It started out terrible at one point, the dealer hit a blackjack five straight times she showed an Ace. However, a dealer change and everything turned around. All three of us took a profit before going for our traditional BBQ rib dinner in Binions. I finally headed back to my hotel and to bed.
Friday
I picked up Terry and David at Binions, downtown, and we were off to another morning of Pickleball in Summerlin. This morning, there were more players (it was already over 100 degrees at 9AM, so some of the outside players opted to play indoors. Three courts were set up and we had a great time playing matches for the next two hours. Each morning, locals have been telling us about new courts being made or tennis courts being converted into Pickleball courts all over the Las Vegas valley. The sport is really taking hold. Terry is trying to find a place to rent in the winter, so we went to a place called Sun City in Summerlin to check out some new courts that recently made. We found them and took a little walk around. It’s a private area for residents but we’re told the folks tend to be okay with the occasional interloper.
We headed back downtown after filling up the tank at Costco’s on Martin Luther King drive ($2.25 per gallon) and I dropped the boys off and headed back to the Westgate to shower. I stopped for some take out and was up in my nice air conditioned room relaxing and watching some TV for the next few hours.
The once proud Riviera Hotel and Casino as it falls prey to the wrecking ball
At about 4PM, I headed back downtown to meet the guys at the 4 Queens, which is where Terry checked to stay for the next couple of nights. We sat down and played 9/6 JOB for the next couple hours. Dave joined us. I had a nice little rush of quads and cashed out a small profit. Dave and Terry each took a hit. We went up to the Chicago Pizza Company, located in a upstairs corner of the 4 Queens—a traditional stop every trip for one of their excellent pizzas (at the top of my favorite pizzas anywhere). We were going to take a stab at the progressive machines at their bar, but they were all occupied.
After dinner, it was back to the Golden Gate for some more blackjack. Like yesterday’s session, things started out poorly; however, after an hour or so, things turned around and for the second night in a row, I walked away with a $50 profit. I play the basic of basic games: I only bet $5 at a time, use basic strategy, and only take advantage of double down situations to make a small profit. Terry and David, on the other hand, bet larger amounts depending on how the table streak is going (or on a whim), so their profits and losses have large swings. I rarely play blackjack (only when I’m with this group), but as long as I continue to make these small profits by playing this very conservative style, perhaps, I need to start playing a little more. Because it’s a Friday night, after more than an hour of playing, we were told the minimum bet would be raised to $10 after the current shoe ran out (we play at an eight-deck, 3/2 game). So, with my small profit in hand, I chose to call it a night leaving Terry and David at the table and headed back to the Westgate enjoying the lightning show in the skies all around me as I drove.
Just one of the many bands that play each night at the Fremont Experience
Yes, people DO occasionally wait for the green light to cross the street at the Fremont Experience.
Saturday
Though I went to sleep at 10:30 last night, I was awakened twice by texts from the boys. The first at 11:15 informing me that Terry had just got a cup (the 4 Queens has a promotion that if you catch a quad of 4 Queens, you get a nice ceramic cup with their logo—Dave had scored one earlier that afternoon. Then an hour later, another text from Terry with a picture of quad aces with the kicker he had just hit on DDB for a sweet $500 win. Terry had been losing every day of this trip so far and now things had taken a dramatic positive change.
I woke up this morning to find another text sent at 2:36AM from David explaining that there was no need for me to pick them up at our pre-decided time of 9AM for a cooking class we were scheduled to take this morning, but that 9:25 would give up ample time to make it to the class.
I went to take my morning shower only to find that the water pressure is completely gone in my room. At least there was a slow trickle of water to let me brush my teeth and shave, but the shower was going to have to wait until they fix this. I picked up Terry, Dave, and Julie (Dave’s girlfriend who drove in this morning) downtown and we headed to Segundo Taqueria and Margarita Restaurant, which is located on the Strip across the street from the Wynn Hotel in the Fashion Mall. This is a cooking/tasting class that is held on the last Saturday of each month. The Executive Chef demonstrates making a three course meal and different exotic margaritas. The price is $32 (tip is included) per person. Neither Terry nor I had ever done anything like this and were looking forward to the experience.
We sat down and it began with homemade tortilla chips and three types of salsa. For each meal and drink, the chef would invite an audience member to souse chef. First was a cucumber/mint margarita (it was delicious). Next was a shrimp quesadilla followed by another margarita (prickly pear Gazadores tequila), a bit sweet for my taste. Then came the flank steak tacos with Serrano Chile and garlic salsa; and all followed up with a delicious Bunuellos with Berries and hibiscus syrup. All I can say is this was one of my favorite times I’ve had in Las Vegas. The food (as you can see in the attached photos) was delicious.
Terry, Dave, and Julie when seated you’re greeted with fresh homemade tortilla chips and three types of salsas.
After the cucumber margarita, we’re served shrimp and sweet corn quesadillas
Dave was called up assist the chef prepare a prickly pear margarita
Next was the Grilled Steak tacos with serrano chili and garlic salsa
Finally, the bunuellos with berries and hibiscus syrup—even tasted better than it looks!
Along with the farewell goodie bag with a small bottle of tequila and churros, we went home with today’s menu which included all the recopies inside
The chef went out of his way to include the audience in the demonstrations and answered all questions. Finally, every person (it seats about 50 people) was given a gift bag of churros and a small bottle of Gazaores Tequilla. For $32 total, this was an amazing bargain. I can’t recommend more highly. I intend to go every time I happen to be in Las Vegas on the final Saturday of the month. Here’s the site:
https://m.leye.com/el-segundo-sol-cooking-fiesta-10-event
After the meal, we all headed back downtown. Julie and David went to meet a friend at the Diamond Lounge. Terry and I went to the Golden Gate for some more blackjack. Once again, I stayed with my minimum $5 bet with the occasional double up when appropriate and after about an hour and a half, we left and I was up $73. This is the third straight day that I’ve made a modest profit playing blackjack, and about the only thing that I am winning. We then made our way to the 4 Queens for some more 9/6 JOB. Terry managed to double his stake, and I again lost my hundred and stopped there (the machines have not been good to me this trip).
I was pretty tired and said my goodbyes and headed back to the Westgate and my room. Fortunately, the water was back at full pressure, took and shower, watched some TV and called it an early night.
Sunday
I got up early and played a little nickel Spin Poker down in the casino. My luck was a little better this session as I caught three sets of deuces (playing deuces wild) for a quick $150 win. The place is still full of roller skate conventioneers—it seems tattoos must be a requirement because every skater seems to be covered with them. These are some tough looking girls, and they are here to skate and party. The casino was jumping!
The plan is to meet Terry, David, and Julie at 7AM for some Pickleball. The indoor courts are closed on the weekends, so we have to play outside early. It’s already 90 degrees, so we’re hoping to get in at least a couple hours before melting away. When we arrived, only one of courts was in use, so we had that whole morning to play changing partners after each game. Though it was hot, we managed to get in an hour and a half. We had a great time.
I dropped them off downtown and came back to the Westgate to shower. I still had a couple of stops to make before heading over to the MPT meet. It’s taking place at South Point Hotel where Judy and Dennis have a suite. This game brings together current and previous members of the Las Vegas Advisor from the East Coast and the West Coast. There are two tournaments per year, one in Atlantic City and one here in Las Vegas. It’s something we look forward to every year.
This year’s winning trophy and first and second place money
Jeanne Marie, Lydia, and Terry as the game gets underway.
Catherine, Terry, and I. I went out in sixth place having winning only one small pot.
If you’re interested, the Mattress Poker Tournament has its own Facebook page that includes many more pics and videos of this and previous meets:
https://www.facebook.com/Mattress-Poker-Tour-MPT-62904459827/
The game went well and everyone had a great time. This year’s winner was Norman. After the game, David, Julie, Terry and I had some dinner at the Alehouse at the Town Square. It was time to say our goodbyes as I am heading home early Monday morning.
Overall, the trip was a terrific success. Though I lost about $250 for the entire trip (not bad for a week’s vacation in air condoning), I had a great time with friends. Each year seems to by faster and faster and seeing our friends from the East Coast (we all met through the Las Vegas Advisor) is very special—such fun and great people.
More next time—whenever that is!
