1-2 NL at the Flamingo and Venetian
At the Venetian there were periods where the game got pretty dull, everyone playing conservatively, rarely much action. Then Friday morning around 3am I land at a table with a bunch of Dutch guys, and one guys is doing the lunatic act perfectly, about 3/4 of the time raising his hand by anywhere from 22 to 32 (always an odd number of course!). He's won a lot and he's the table commander. I waited and hoped but got next to nothing to play against him; I really wanted a chuck out of his stacks!
The next day at the Flamingo a game was starting to trend towards the dull, so I decided to try to take on that persona a bit, and the cards cooperated. I found a combination of opportunities to push it repetitively, not always with a lot but with "enough", such as raising a 9-7s from one off the button ("27!"), or complete trash in the BB, mixed in with moderate to strong hands in other positions. Quickly I was getting groans and "not again" 's from the others, and I loved it! Now _I_ was the table commander! I quickly went from $300 to $450 on the table, with only occasional small action, but I kept soaking in
Later at a different table I wanted to try the same thing...but this times the cards didn't let me (at least the way I wanted to do it, which was by frequently pushing drawing hands more aggressively than usual, mixing in good hands, etc; I was just getting garbage constantly).
One of my buddies on this trip has insisted that the MGM was the place to play, but this was his first time in the Venetian, and he concluded that it's a much nicer room. He got drunk as a skunk and according to my other buddy, shut down a table there around 2am by being so insulting to everyone...glad I wasn't there for that! The two of them then hit a crap table, my slightly more sober friend had a roll that lasted 45 minutes, and skunk-drunk proceeds to win $3000...go figure!
Early on I made a classic boo-boo, I looked at my cards, looked up and thought "okay, I just need a five on the flop to hit my trips and I'll take someone's stack". Sure enough a five hits, I get all of a competitors stack out there, he shows his two pair, and I proudly throw over my...two fours!! WHAT??? So embarrassing, everyone thinks I'm an idiot, AND I AM, but not quite for the same reason they think so. I sheepishly say "I thought they were fives...". From there on out for the next 12 hours of play, EVERY SINGLE TIME I would re-look at my cards as the flop was coming down. I figured if I did it every single time, it's can't be a tell that I don't have a pair...
I wanted to play some BJ and was really disappointed to find the Barbary Coast no longer deals a $10 minimum double deck game, now it's $25 minimum, and they've put in a bunch of "single deck blackjack". No where I know of in the mid-south strip now that has a reasonable game (for a $25 game to count and bet vary I think an $8000 bankroll is minimum, and I'm not up at that level of gambling yet in my life! And I don't like BJ unless I can play what I think should be a profitable game...)
Last thing: make sure your plane is delayed as you are heading into Vegas. Mine was delayed an hour and half (at SFO), and I met four interesting women in airport bars, two going to vegas (but the first on an earlier, also delayed flight), and the last one I end up giving a ride to her hotel, meeting her during the trip, etc (she like me was married but visiting Vegas stag w/a friend coming from Georgia). Everyone's in such a good mood headed to vegas, it's easy to hook up if there's some down time for conversations to get started...
-zinc
Great trip report! This might be my favorite part...
Those "interesting women" are probably the working girls that come to Vegas each weekend. My friends frequently tell me stories about the hookers on the Southwest flights from LAX that come in on Friday afternoon/evening. Fun times in Vegas!
First of all great post...
I like the style you chose. In my experience I have been at tables where everybody is playing so tight and all you have to do is raise and everybody folds. But you have to know when to lay down the hand when somebody calls you out. Makes for a fun time and you the reactions you get from the table are the best...
Sounds like you might have had more than just "luck" in the cards. Always remember, if she looks to good to be talking to you then there is probably a reason!!!!!!!!!
As far as that blackjack goes, I don't think you'll find a better game than the double deck at Terribles. $5 on the weekdays and $10 on the weekends. I know it's off strip, but you can walk over to Hard Rock after you hit up Terribles. Try it--it's worth the trip.
...or know who "zinc" is. That would be an interesting way to get snagged cheating.
Cute comments guys.
No, none of the four were hookers, although the african american gal I didn't mention who chatted me up as I was exiting the plane definitely was...she was in town to work.
My wife knows i talk to women all the time, it's a "feature"...
Great tip about Terribles! (But is it shut down now...?) I've never been over there, I'll check it out next trip.
I didn't mention the counter-balance to the "4's, not 5's" play. At the Flamingo I suddenly found I had a $100 Ceaser's chip in my stack! Apparently someone had mixed it up with a $5 Flamingo chip. Amazing. A few minutes later I found a $5 chip behind me on the floor (and I'm certain it wasn't from my stack). So I recovered most of the $120 I lost being an idiot, by being...well, just by being! Some karmic thing I guess or hope.
-zinc
Nice and entertaining report. Thanks for posting.