Vegas Trip report (The Beginning)

Thursday June 7

I was excited and apprehensive about going to Vegas this time. Prior to June 7, Dr Pauly was the only blogger I had ever met. Managed to get to a good stopping point at work on Thursday, checked Southwest.com and saw that 2 earlier flights still had seats and got clearance from boss to take off early.

A rare work related disclosure: My CEO wants information about company to remain “within the walls” but feel it is okay to disclose my boss has a fascination for poker to a lesser degree than mine and his boss has been kicked out of The Barbary Coast for card-counting at Blackjack. It’s good to have management that is sympathetic to my gambling fascination.

Checked in at Rio and hopped Harrah’s shuttle over to Harrah’s. Was waylaid by Craps table at Casino Royale (site of a beautiful 80 minute roll 2 years ago) on my way to Venetian where I met MiamiDon and Chad, conversation was brief as they were closing in on end of dinner break from Venetian $540.

I then headed to Orleans (no link for this Hotel which I will never visit again) and headed to the bowling alley. After a few minutes hanging around IG determined I must be another poker player and introduced herself, Falstaff, Mattazuma, Zeem, Mattazuma, Alan Penner, Brdweb, MeanHappyGuy and Gnome soon made appearances and the bowling was on. Trying to remember names, blog names and FullTilt ids overloaded my brain for a little while so apologies to Brandon and Astin and others I have missed above.

We adjourned to the casino for PaiGow (god I hate that game) and I cracked and introduced Jason to craps. Apologies for not introducing the important concept of press sooner as I was focusing on getting back to even when table got hot.

Called it an early night and headed to Rio where I saw a gentleman walking by with a “Drinking for Jesus T-Shirt” walking toward the Rio Poker room. Not sure of best way to ask question I placed a drunken 2:30 am cell phone call to STB and was rewarded with the ring of a phone and gentleman looking at phone and saying “707 area code, who the f*ck do I know in” at which point I called out “STB” and hung up. Met Bad Blood and Otis as well and greeted Dr Pauly as well before retiring.
Friday June 8

Woke up at the crack of noon, used up some of my Harrah’s comp points for breakfast and continued my streak of positive results playing –EV games with Let it Ride at Rio, Craps & Blackjack at Gold Coast and Let it Ride at The Palms. Went to Nine at the scheduled time to meet MiamiDon and others for dinner and found that there was no reservation for Don. Left him a message on his cell while sitting at a nearby Video Poker machine that left me a good view of the entrance to N9ne and also a view of apparently the preferred path of every woman leaving the pool. Managed to win another $50 before Don called and was very apologetic that he had cancelled and not notified me, no worries I was in Vegas and on a heater. Since flow of money from video poker seemed to subside I headed back to Rio and then on to MGM.

Met many more bloggers at MGM including Carmen, StatikKling, BrainMc,Blinders, CC, Hoy, Tina , Smokkee and Marshall. Had been looking forward to meeting Waffles in the flesh as well but it seems he truly only exists in the Internet but Marshall was entertaining in a calmer way.

Enjoyed the Horse game that Gadzooks got started, having Columbo to my immediate left was very humorous for the numerous clarifications “there’s a Straddle?”. Having the Poker Room manager come to us to buy up the blue chips as the poker room had run out of dollar chips. I tried to entertain the table by what Columbo referred to as “Bluffing the Un-bluffable Table” during Stud by representing a made straight (T 8 7 6 rainbow board) on 6th street and getting Alan to fold his 5s up on 6th street and getting Gnome to fold his Ace high board on 7th street. To sell the bluff I had not looked at 7th street but after not making the straight could not resist showing the K high hand.

It certainly was a pleasure to put faces and spontaneous personalities with people I’ve gotten glimpses of through blogs, chat and IM.

My wife has now discovered I have a blog and is shocked that I have done something sociable. I have learned an important piece of wisdom that I must pass on to my male, married poker playing brethren. The phrase “I have a 16 year streak of not cheating on my wife intact” which sounds good to a sports fan male does not sound as good to a wife that you have known for 16 years and a few months. Rounding down is bad and better phrasing should be used.