My Farewell Tour - Chapter 1

JMan, thank you for all the wonderful, detailed reports through the years. I fully understand your thought process. You've reached the pinnacle of the comp world, 7 Stars, but now "the thrill is gone." Sounds like the juice isn't worth the squeeze anymore. Good plan, playing the free money only. Who knows, this could be your biggest winning year!

But, remember, you are still 7 Stars for another year, so act like, it! Command respect! Insist on your suites! Until April 1, 2016 at least! LOL.

It will be interesting to follow your "wind down" year.

Thanks for all the effort you have put in over the years.

Thanks for the past reports, and looking forward to your final run!

This will be like saying good-bye to a dear friend, even though we have never met. I have enjoyed reading all of your reports though the years. You have taught us so much.

It will be sad to see your reports disappear...Have you thought of trying to publish a book with all of your reports

I'll miss the TRs, Jon. Maybe you can start a blog about poker tourneys and the people you meet along the way. You always seem to connect with interesting like minded people.

I was in town for CES and made all my usual stops in search of the FPDW machines (with the exception of downtown and N Vegas). I found only a handful left at Station Casinos, which is worrisome. I had no trouble getting a seat. My money didn't last very long. No 4 deuces in four sessions, and the 4OAKs were sparse, even on FP. Tried a little bit of NSUD, then just quit. Even on 3X points day, I earned no real comps for my play, other than my usual room offer (which wasn't even completely free this time at CET or Station, due to CES). I spent a lot of my time gawking at the views and the decor of the nicer places like Cosmo and Aria, just to savor the moments, since I have a feeling my Vegas trips are coming to an end, at least for pleasure. I'll be back a few times for business this year, but most of the thrill is gone for us as well.

We live within an hour's drive of two large Indian casinos now so I expect almost all our gambling money will find a home outside of Vegas. Too bad - I surely miss those glory days of hand pays, comps, great meals at gourmet rooms and a general sense of being welcome in the town.

It was a fantastic run, wasn't it?

Your TR's are a required read in my opinion. SOOO much info and great pix to go along with the descriptions!
It may be an entertaining idea to visit the local guitar store and see what's for sale,Jon.

My Spanish is rusty,so I had to "Bing" this place:
Drunken Ass?
https://laughlinbuzz.blogspot.com/2014/12/signs-of-el-burro-borracho-at-harrahs.html
Thank you,Sir.

I hadn't read anything on the forums for a couple months. Been pretty busy. Decided to go online & see if sionow had anything posted. There are only a few people that I read. Jon, I really appreciate the time you've taken to entertain us all these years. I certainly can't blame you for ending this. Glad you warned us. I'm thinking, hoping, you'll occasionally run across something interesting to share with us. Pictures are always nice. Thanks.

Hi Jon, sorry to see your adventures coming to an end, but totally understand where you're coming from. Joe and I have pulled away from Vegas as comps dwindled, flying became a pain, and prices increased on everything. I will be happy (and honored) to work on this last book with you, but because I only visit this board periodically, it would help if you could notify me when you post so I won't miss any of your blogs. You have my email, so let me know if this will be possible. Who knows, maybe you'll find a new interest that will appeal to this audience and you can start a new series of adventures. All the best. k

Jon,

Of course I echo the warm sentiments being shared by all that have responded to you on this page. I guess all good things must come to an end.

For me, Vegas became less of a destination when they tightened the rules for BJ. I could play poker, count cards, and wagered on baseball games. Yep, I was a true 3=headed monster that had tools to make some money in those pre-Internet days of yore. Now of course, the thrill has been gone for some time. I never learned the slot strategies but listening to this board that has mostly evaporated as well. I will usually go to Vegas for a WSOP event in the summer. And maybe go with a good friend to handicap football games during the 1st or 2nd week of the NFL season. But with the advent of online sportsbetting, poker(though to a much lesser degree) there really is nothing in Vegas for me to go out of my way for. My friend will give me a free Southwest Airline pass to travel with him because he knows I really don't want to go, but I make his bets for him and its part of the fun more so for him than me.

It is truly interesting how we obsess over a goal we want to reach, putting in the blood, sweat, and tears to reach that goal only to be left somewhat with an empty feeling once making it. Maybe you see Vegas for what it has become and some of the romance has gone with this realization. I really truly envy those who are new to Vegas and get a charge out of going. Or those who can still keep it from going stale even though they have been many times. I used to take MLT Vacations packages to Vegas 5 or 6 times a year with $99 round trip airfare. If gamble anything at all your rooms were usually comped. The greatest vacation bargain on the planet was Las Vegas as far as I was concerned. The scary thing is sometimes finding a new hobby or outlet to explore. Though some of the members above made some very good suggestions. I was also wondering how you deal with the loneliness that comes with doing these trips that could last for weeks. After a little while I would get homesick and be glad to be back home. I once stayed 11 days by myself and promised that I would never stay that long again. It must take some practice and patience! The good thing is the nice folks from this site that you have met had to be personally very rewarding for you!

As will all, I will savor even more these final reports and enjoy the journey with you!

Fred