day 15 Sunday June 21

I'm up at 10AM to make some calls to let people back home and know I am still alive; PPN is here for 3 more days, and 2 other friends arrive Tuesday.

I head to Trasure Island and get sat at the 1-3 NL game. I am in a much better frame of mind after yesterday's 4800$ royal flush.

I am sat in seat 5, with "Cro-Magnon drunk annoying fish" (CMM) in the 10 seat, and "Too old for that outfit Milf wannabe" (TOM) in seat 9.

Apparently, CMM had already spewed about 400$ before I sat down, and was in the midst of an 1100$ spew. He was in just about every hand, and kept repeating the same phrases in an annoying way, saying things like "I like to party," and " You wouldn't........would you?" when someone was about to bet. TOM won a few pots from him and added "I like it when you party......." Thought the knuckle dragger might whack her......he sucked down 3 healthy sized bourbon shots (probably about 6-8 ounces total) in the 2 hours I was there, and when he left so did I. After being up about 200, I lost when I put a guy all in on a board of Q5k5 when he rivered a boat with Q5 to beat my nut flush.

poker +25

I headed off for a bad VP session (--1400) at the Royale, and headed to the Orleans, the loudest poker room in existance. Man does this place really need the Bravo system.....25 dealers constantly yelling about empty seats, players checks, calling the floor, set ups, etc.

I do not believe card-rooms should give new set ups just because a player requests them. This is just superstitious BS, and wastes everyones time. I grew on this trip to making snide comments when new setups were requested to let both other players and dealers/floorpeople know that this practice should cease. At Mohegan Sun in CT, setup requests are flatly denied unless the deck is faulty.

Anyhow, I lost 300$ in the most grasshopper filled table I have ever seen.....people were changing seats, and then another person would take their seat, etc. It was like musical chairs. Then this Asian girl would play 2 hands, leave, come back 15 mins later, play half an orbit, leave....they had to institute the '3rd man walking' rule, which meant some lady that had ordered a burger couldn't go pick it up, etc. Just chaos. This room needs a major revamp.

Quote of the day (possibly the trip) 2 guys, 1 at my table and one at the adjoining table are discussing some female they casually know "She's a real party girl....she likes to drink, she likes to gamble, and she's not afraid to give up the cootchie for 50$ if she is broke...." I had tears in my eyes....

Rant over, and I go lose 400 at VP, but make 100 back on a baseball bet. End day 15

Monday day 16

i AM MOVING FROM DOWNTOWN TO rED rOCK TODAY; i OPEN THE SAFE IN MY cAL room for the 1st time since I have been there, and find......a 10$ "Year of the Cock" Silver strike token, and 2 1$ slot tokens...I'm +12, and I haven't left the room!

My morning coffee at the MSS Boar's head Bar costs me 600$ in VP losses, and I pick up Poker Playing Nephew (PPN) and head to Red Rock. We check in and get a very cool room way up with a view of the strip in the distance....Absolutely fantastic view....we can see the Whole valley, and from downtown, to M Resort. Wow. Inspired, we head down to the poker room. I've got some free-play coming, so I cruise by the SPortsbook bar and see that the progressive royal for the 1$ machines is over *10* thousand. This is now a big +EV play, and PPN heads to play 2-5, I sit and play VP.

I give up after 8 hours and head to bed, down about 1500 for my efforts.

Day 16. I force myself out of bed after 5 hours sleep...I HAVE to hit that Royal. I shower and run down to the bar to find.....It's STILL THERE! $11,200 for the royal!

I play for about 4 hours, chatting it up with the bartender. The previous evening, I mused with PPN what I would say if I won 11 grand all at once....since it's not my style to scream and yell. At 2 PM, I found out...."It's over" were the only words out of my mouth after I drew the 2 needed clubs for an 11,540$ Royal Flush. PPN showed up 20 seconds after I hit it......he said..."Nice" (We're a bit on the soft-spoken side), and I'm up 11220 for the day!

We celebrate with an Italian meal up past the Fiesta. PPN rated their lasagna a 7.5. My carbonara was really 'paisano, and was bland....a 6.

We head back to the IP for a swim, and to drop PPN off. He gets us to the pool, and I'm about to break my 20 year run of never having been in a vegas pool. Just as we grab a towel and sit down in a lounge chair, like a tv comedy, the loudpeaker announces "The pool is now closed" PPN does a cannonball, but I don't want the streak to end on such a downnote, so I refrain.

The LLM (from April's trip...The Low Limit Monster) and PB (Pittsburgh Boy) arrive in Vegas, and we rendesvous at the Hard Rock. It's Trash-Talk Tuesday, and although the 2-5 game hasn't kicked off yet, PPN and I start trash-talking each other....but nobody joins in. We have champagne and strawberries from our pleasant waitresses, and a couple people win some of the kooky HR promos. One guy beats me with 6-3 offsuit to win a bottle of Moet, and another makes a winning flush with '69' for a 69$ cash bonus. It was fun, and I won 2 dollars. I head to the HR craps table, and make about 700$ in 15 minutes, and also make a World Cup bet.

I then bring PPN back to the IP and sit in the 1-2 game at about 3AM. I lose about 280, but the best hand doesn't even involve me. A milfish woman in the 6 seat is all in against her husband in the 3 seat. they flip the cards on the turn, and she needs a 4 outer to win. The 6Clubs rivers her a boat to beat her husband's flush and clean him out. He gets up from the table, mumbles 'Nice Hand, BITCH!" and heads off to their room...comedy ensues. She later tells up he just texted her and said that won't be the only suck-out she has that evening....more laughter...and I retire.

day 18 Wed June 23 starts with the PPN, LLM, and PB all watching the US win their match and me cover my under bet for +340 at the Gold Coast, while I am losing 200 at VP. I drag the PPN and his luggage to the M Buffet (awesome....best in City) and meet PB and LLM at the Royale while PPN naps out. I make about 500$ at VP, and then PB wants to have his once-per-trip-craps binge. i am absolutely psychic in this session, betting the 8 right before it rolls, and pulling it down right before a 7, betting the DC before a 3 gets rolled...I don't even lose a bet.....and win 220 in like 7 minutes. As I'm leaving the table (PB lost his 50$ allotment) i have my hand over the table with 2 dollars in it and I say "For the dealers.......before I can pick a number to put it on, the dice from a throw hit my hand, 7 comes on on the come out; the dealers encourage me to drop the 2 dollars; they stack it on the pass line, and then happily PAY THEMSELVES for the POST-roll-win they just had....hilarious!

I drop a grand at VP, take PPN to McCarran, cash my soccer bet at the HR, and head back to Red Rock for sleep.

Day 19. Organizing the rental car and drive to the Fiesta for my VP and coffee....pick up 800$ at VP. Today is the day I visit the "Atomic Lounge" I drive down Fremont and park near the Western. I shoot 2 racks of pool with local "Don" and have 2 1$ Busches....at 10 AM! I bought the bar a round (toatl cost 13$) and made friends in a hurry...You'd think I had handed out 100$ bills.

Popped in the ElCortez for food and some free-play and made 50$, then spent two hours with PB and the LLM at the Nugget 3-6 game. We all turned a small profit (mine was 55$) I actually FELL ASLEEP at the table, and that was my cue to vamoose.

Nap time. At 10PM I won about 430 playing VP and then went to the Nugget for some 1-2 NL, losing 30 bucks in 90 mins. Made about 200 more at VP at MSS and decided to head stripward for some poker...ended up meeting Alaska gal dealing. I sat in a SH game at bills, won 4 out of 7 hands, and then the table broke...talked to AKGAL for a bit, and headed out. 2 good days in a row! I tried the Flamingo's steak and eggs, and it was awful. They screw you by charging 3.50 for coffee! Then I lost 400 bucks on VP,a dn went to bed.

Friday day 20

back to the Orleans...The BBJ is still there...(139k!!) I make 200 in under 3 hours of NL, eat at Al's Oyster bar, and go back downtown, nap out, and pick up the LLM...then play some VP at MSS, winning 300.

Sat day 21

Pick up LLM and PB and head to SouthPoint to check out the Chip Collectors convention, which had free admission on Saturday LLM had a Bahamas Playboy chip to sell...really enjoyed the show...fantastic collection of memoribilia.

While there, I made SouthPoint 700 richer to save Perry's job by losing at VP.

back to MSS where I hit a quarter royal on a 5-play machine to pick up a quick grand or so. I wander around downtown and just relax a bit.

End 3 weeks:

Up 9k for the trip, not too far below 0 at poker.

Next week:

More found money, funny bus drivers, the disputed royal, and tournaments start again!