Vegas Trip Report

[mglenn]

Arrived at the airport at about 2pm EST to catch a 4:35 flight on America West Airlines to Phoenix, only to find out that the flight had been canceled due to mechanical problems. The agent gets us on a 5:30 Continental flight to Houston. Hour layover in Houston and on to Las Vegas.

Vegas Airport 10:20 pm MST (1:20 am EST): Met a friend who had flown out with his family. We were to have arrived 2 hours ahead of him but due to out flight mishaps he arrives 5 minutes ahead of us and we find him waiting at the gate. We register for our room at the New York New York Hotel at the Satellite desk at the airport. And then go to catch our shuttle ride to the airport, only to fine a line that, I swear to you, was 200 yards long at least. We decide to try and find alternate transportation. As we approach the Taxi and Limo area a sky cab asks us if we want to avoid the 40+ minute wait for a cab…. Like that’s even a question!

A $20 tip and we are at the front of the line and have a cab in less than two minutes. Avoiding heavy traffic on the strip from two accidents make it a $16 cab ride we give the guy a twenty, but it only took 10 minutes and the guy gave us some free passes to a couple of places.

Room 3323 of Century Tower in the NY NY. The view at night is great we can see the strip and most of northern Vegas from our window. Settle in and head back down to the casino floor. Grab a quick bite at the pizza place and then play some Blackjack for about 2 and a half hours, I call it quits at 3 am pretty much even. At about 5 Mike Farina (also known as Fa) crashes for the night. Discover that Fa snores like a 2 cycle chainsaw sawing through a forest. 2 hours, and several square acres of old growth forest later, my cousin Chad finally throws in the towel at blackjack

I’m back up and showering at 9 am. Informed by Fa that I’m an asshole because the shower is so loud, I tell that we’re even after his imitation of a lumberjack competition.
Head for the Excalibur Casino next door and get seated at a $2 to $6 Texas Hold’em table right away. Play poker till around 2 pm when my friends stop in. Cash out of the game up $92. We grab a bite to eat. (Chin Chin’s Chinese at the NY NY is pretty bad!) Take a nap and I’m back at the Hold’em table by 6 pm… Around 8 pm with my friends standing near by watching I draw to a Royal Flush to beat a Full House Aces over Queens. Win the admiration of the entire poker room as well as a spin on the money wheel and a hat. All toll with the money wheel spin I walk away with $130 from the hand. Take a break for a bit and look up the odds of a royal flush. 649,740 to 1. Hands are shaking at this point. Decide to have one beer then back to the table… 3 more hours not making any cards so I call it quits and head back to the NY NY. Play some blackjack and win $30 dollars over several hands. Call it a night at around 2 am.

Back up at 8 and head over to the Excalibur. Only a 7-card stud game going, put my name in for Hold’em and then grab a bite to eat. Get seated around 10 am and play for 12 hours straight. At 10 pm with only 6 dollars of my initial $100 I sat down with I call it quits. That’s then end of my poker playing for the weekend. Learned a lot and had a blast. But also was shown how much I have yet to learn before I would ever try to go to the higher limit tables.

Back to the NY NY Meet up with the boys and we buy a book on playing Craps. Stop back to the room and order some room service. Eat and read up on how to play craps. We’re back on the casino floor at the NY NY at midnight. Watch the craps tables for about an hour before Fa and Justin (Other friend we met at the airport) start playing, I continue to watch for another hour then decided to jump in with $100 dollars.

Here is where I offer to teach you all how to play Craps, its really simple, roll the dice and give me one hundred dollars… Lesson Over! I only played craps for about 20 minutes. 3 am and I figure that’s enough.

Monday morning we check out and cash out. Head to the airport. Find out that we were not booked on our flight cause we were bumped off our inbound flight. After standing at the America West counter for AN HOUR AND A HALF we’re set to fly Continental again through Houston to Pittsburgh. The America west agent tries to pawn off some $50 vouchers on us and tells us “Thanks for flying America West!” We inform her that we have never flown America West and at this point never plan to (It was also mentioned that we believe that a group of "inept four graders" could run an airline better. We keep the vouchers so we can send them back with a letter letting America West know where they can stick their vouchers. (I hope that it’s clear that it’s my opinion that YOU SHOULD NEVER FLY WITH AMERICA WEST AIRLINES!!! )

So over all it was a good trip, had fun and only ended up spending $300 while we were there between gambling and food.

[K-man]

Mike, you had a ROYAL FLUSH and you only won $130.00?????????? What a travesty. That's kinda like draining a hole-in-one when nobody's looking. Sounds like you had fun.

[Nostradamus]

Here is where I offer to teach you all how to play Craps, its really simple, roll the dice and give me one hundred dollars… Lesson Over!

I didn't know Vegas had Ro-Sham-Bo! I suppose the dealer goes first?

[GaryEA]

Holy smokes, this has to be the funniest account of a Vegas trip I've ever read. It read like a sequel to "Swingers".

First, he plays blackjack after telling me he wouldn't. Cheeky devil.

He plays poker, blows $94, goes back to his room and learns how to play craps. The man will not be denied his opportunity for Lady Luck to kiss him on the cheek, ladies and gents.

I just had this image of you with a room service tray next to you, transfixed by the book. And in true Vegas style, Lady Luck is out for the evening, but he's got a chainsaw competition to look forward to.

I can understand if it wasn't funny, losing the money you did, but your story was too much of a hoot. I am sorry to hear about your perpetual travel woes (Jeez, can Am West do anything right?).

Welcome home!

Gary

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with, luck be a lady tonight!

(any excuse to bust out the show tunes!)

[mglenn]

Mike, you had a ROYAL FLUSH and you only won $130.00??????????

Well it was a $2-$6 limit table and I only started the hand with $40 so by the second to the last round of betting I all in, otherwise I woulda ran him a bit higher. Also I didn't make the cards until the River, which is the last card dealt in Hold'em. I can't imagine that I didn't have a huge tell on my face when that card fell, but I think the guy thought I only had the Flush or a straight and didn't realize I was packing the Ace King in my hole cards.

[K-man]

Just seems like it's too bad you had the highest possible hand ever and you only had $130 on the line. What are the odds that a guy will ever draw that hand twice in a lifetime??????

[mglenn]

They say that you are lucky if you see that hand once in a lifetime... kinda sad that I saw in during my second sitting at a real poker table.

[K-man]

They say that you are lucky if you see that hand once in a lifetime...

I don't play cards but I thought that was the case. Did the dealer drop a chunk when you turned your cards over? Did they kick you out of the casino thinking you were some kind of 'Rain-Man'?

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Definitely K-mart

[K-man]

K-mart sucks....and the maple syrup is definitely supposed to be on the table first.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I love that there is a collective pop culture brain here so that when I throw out Breakin' or "so that's how it is in their family" someone will respond! One of the worst feelings is when you say something like that and start laughing and then everyone looks at you like you're demented because they have no idea what you're talking about.

Ten minutes to Wapner

[K-man]

How many toothpicks came out of that box Candygirl?

[Natasha (candygirl)]

82, 82, 82

[K-man]

246 246
Pretty close Ray.
There's 4 left in the box.