Since I took ZERO notes, unlike many of the black mini-notebook holding bloggers, I'm recapping the recent excursion to the land that 99 cent buffets and Bugsy Sigel build... by memory.
But Drizz didn't you drink while there and might not remember every detail? Duly noted.
Arriving in the land of sin after a three hour flight with a drunk old hag who constantly kicked my wife awake. Thanks for pissing her off bitch (this will come back to almost ruin the night later...).
We disembarked the plane to see... slots.
Me love the slots, so easy to play, so easy to piss away hardly earned big bets from hours at the poker tables. But, this is a new day and a new Drizz. No Mo' slots, only table games for this degenerate gambler. As we went down to the shuttle area and settle into the waiting row for the downtown express, my wife turned to me and says "that's the drunk who kept kicking me during the flight". And now we were taking the same shuttle downtown too. For the next 30 minutes we listened to her constantly badger the nice rotund middle-european driver who offered to dance with anyone on the promise to split the Megabucks jackpot should you hit it.
Yeah, my weekend didn't start on the best of notes.
After the shuttle ride in which I should have kept my ear plugs in. We were standing in front of our home for the next 4 days. Plaza Las Vegas. With a big, shitty grin on my face I quickly scoped out the scenery.
Chicks wearing too little and boobs bouncing in every direction? Check.
Cowboy in a ten-gallon hat holding an oversized Coors Light? Check.
Freemont Street filled with people looking for the perfect 99 cent Margarita? Check.
Drizz about to explode if he doesn't get K4o and a Cap'n Coke in his hands pronto? Check.
But, I promised the wife we would spend the first few hours together before I headed over the MGM Grand for the blogger mixed game get-together. Set up by the lovely and always charming Felicia. Okay maybe not charming but definitely fun to talk to!
So, we hopped from casino to casino starting at the Main Street Casino. Very classy looks to this place and wouldn't mind staying here should the bloggers ever return to invade the land of sin. I won my first bet here (pass line + odds) thanks to a hot roller on the craps tables. Plus $11. First time I've been winning in Vegas. Maybe I can catch a quick flight home now and finally brag that I returned from Vegas a winner! Seeing that my winnings were too meager for the $150 cancelation fee on the tickets, I decided to press on.
We hit up the Lady Luck for a bite to eat (fried chicken was a little on the over done side, the wife's patty melt got good reviews). I dropped down my $5 free play on a craps table field bet where someone was rolling with $5,000 on the numbers and $10K behind. He rolled a YO! I walked away $15 richer ($10+ the free bet). He gave me the "stupid-tourist-idiot" look as I walked away with my three red chips. I didn't care.
Then went to a depressing California Club casino. Bleh. How anyone could consider this place to drop your hard earned gambling stash here is beyond me. This place reminded me of my job as a kitchen worker at a nursing home. Cramped spaces, air filled with a mix of ben-gay and hopelessness, and 60s decor (not in a neo-retro way). Not to mention when I collected my coin from the craps table it was nothing but a clay chip with no lettering on it. Can you say counterfeit easily? If you ever wanted to pull a Nick Cage "Leaving Las Vegas" style bender and didn't want anyone to notice. Do it there.
Seeing it was almost 11pm we hit up the 301 bus to head to the strip. After a much more pleasant ride on public transportation we arrived at the MGM Grand! And wow what a poker room! Because I don't hear very well (I'm sure you all figured that out trying to talk to me :P ), I didn't catch everyone's name so PLEASE let me know if I got anyone's name/blog incorrect or didn't mention it. We went upstairs to meet the bloggers. In the private room AlCantHang and Felicia were the only two I recongized immediately. -EV came up and intro'd himself. And I felt like I was home. Even though we all only know each other though our daily postings of online/live poker recalls and daily adventures its the sense of friendship that made meeting everyone that was only an avatar too easy. The wife was visibly still cranky from the plane ride so I walked her down as she gave me the third degree about this and that. Sigh. I could go and tell you about how she's very introverted and how it takes her a long time to open up to people she doesn't know, because of an prior abusive relationship. But, since there was only three days I just had to hope for the best. The best didn't happen, but she at least recognized how much I wanted to stay and she took off to go back to the Plaza.
Okay no more black cloud of martial issues. Lets play some poker! One problem... there's 20 bloggers and only one private table. Solution? Yell at the card room manager from the balcony and demand a table!
Let the weekend of poker and drinking (not in any certain order) commence! Before I even sat down a lovely waitress came over to ask what I'd like to drink. Cap'n Coke and keep em' coming as I showed off my high-rolling ways by tipping her $2. Mixed game were the games. Omaha 8 or better, Razz, Stud 8 or better, and Hold Em' (or other wise known as Kick Drizz in the nuts on the river during a coin flip). I shouldn't complain too much about losing though, AlCantBeatABlindStraddle got flOOOOOOshed by a blind straddle once by World Famous Poker Pro and Minnesota resident Chris Halverson when Al's top pair was good against one club as Chris flipped over a Jack of Clubs..... but not two clubs (and I lost $2 on a prop bet with -EV grrrrr). Then he lost to another straddle by -EV.
I'm terribly sorry sir you wanted a Captain Morgan and Coke correct? Yes... Well, I got a Hennessy (sp?) and Coke, not knowing nor caring what Hennessy was as long as it was alcohol I accepted the drink and waitress assured she'd get the right drink next time. Chris said it was a rather pricy drink, my taste buds accepted it.
AlCantWinAHand and -EV left and was replaced by... Bob and BG! And if BG ever writes about being shy again, ignore the statements. I didn't see one iota of wallflowerness. As for Bob and his "I Heart My Penis" card protector, he was everything you read about :)
I downed my first ever shot of SoCo (not bad with a Cap'n Coke chaser). And I remember only two more hands that I was involved with...
CJ (WPBT Aladdin host and similarly height-induced as myself) raised UTG while I looked down at the most costly hand in Hold Em'. AQs. Respecting his UTG raise I flat called or maybe it was because I was 6 drinks in and forgot to re-raise (this would come back to haunt me). Flop hit an ace and CJ led out. Like a fish, I called. Turn blank, he bets, I call. River a Six, suddenly the "you-just-got-sucked-out" radar went off. While initially I put him on AK, now I felt he hit the small pocket pair on the turn or river. Sure enough he flips over 66 for the set. I think if I'd re-raised pre-flop and then led out/raised the flop, he would have folded. CJ if you're reading let me know :)
Next hand was during Razz and I found myself with a rocking starting hand of 2 5 3. But three to a low in Razz is like that unattainable hot cheerleader in high school. Sure she looks good in her Guess? tight hip-hugging jeans and halter top that displays her natural DD rack, but you know that if you get the courage to go up to her some jerk is just waiting to kick you in the junk. I put on my cup and completed the bet.
The Fat Guy drawled about not liking Razz but called anyway along with 3 others. Fourth street I caught a 6 and TFG with an Ace 2 showing. I led out, he called. Next card a deuce. Commence brick laying! I tried to represent the strong board I had by continuing to fire out. But TFG wasn't having any of that as he re-raised when he hit an 8, dropping all the other players except us two. Here's where I think I played wrong... I gave control to him after the raise when I was showing a stronger board. After two paint bricks on fifth and sixth and calling his bets I started praying for an Ace or four. I caught the four and just called his river bet to my surprise he flipped up an 8 or 9.
Finishing down $60 wasn't horrible considering I pissed away $20 on a blind JackHammer vs. BGs broadway straight :P Lay down the nuts man!
Wandering by the table every so often was a man who was a little too well dressed and someone with a WSOP media pass. Pauly and JoeSpeaker were everything I thought they'd be. I couldn't get over how much both of them smiled so much. Then again smiles came easy this weekend and it wasn't from having too much to drink... well mostly it wasn't :P
Thanks for dropping by now go read all of the blogs to the right. I'm sure someone welding a black notebook can remember more about the weekend then me. But I'll try again tomorrow as the adventure continues at the WSOP and Stormin the Castle!
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