Friday, April 27th

Packed and ready to head to Vegas to play 2 days of golf in a work-related annual golf outing. As with my March trip to Vegas, my Allegiant flight is delayed. This time for an hour and 40 minutes. I end up in my room at the Bellagio at 12:30 a.m. I may have to break down and stop taking the direct flight from Des Moines to Vegas on Allegiant. At check-in, I was offered a room in the spa tower or the west wing (?). It turns out I should have taken the spa tower as my view from my room was less than stellar. Fortunately, I don’t spend much time looking out my hotel room window and, heck, I’m at the Bellagio so it was time to move on. I was too tired to play poker so I spent a little time playing video poker and video blackjack, finishing up $25.

Results for the Day: Up $25
Results for the Trip: Up $25

Saturday, April 28th

Slept in and then worked out. The weather was perfect so I took my Kindle and iPod to the pool and just relaxed. Early in the evening I headed to the Encore and the bar at Sinatra where I had the Lobster Risotto which is always excellent. Barry Alvarez, Athletic Director from the University of Wisconsin (and former head coach of the football team after being an assistant for my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes) also came in and sat at the bar. He was with an older gentleman who seemed like he might have been a Wisconsin donor and perhaps former football player. The older guy ordered a glass of some type of red wine. It was served to him in a very nice (and large) wine glass designed for the type of wine. The old guy was ticked because Vin, the bartender, didn’t fill his glass to the rim. Vin had to explain wine glasses, types of wine, and pours. The old guy just wanted more wine so Vin finally gave him a little more just to keep the peace. Following dinner I headed to the Wynn poker room but the waiting list for $1/$3 NLHE was too long so I ventured back to the Bellagio where I played for 2 hours, finishing up $70.

Results for the Day: Up $70
Results for the Trip: Up $95

Sunday, April 29th

I skipped the golf outing practice round (playing golf 3 consecutive days isn’t what Vegas is all about for me), slept in and went down to Palio and picked up a banana and coffee for breakfast. Following a workout in my room I headed back to the pool for rest and relaxation with my Kindle and iPod. After that I went to Café Bellagio for a late lunch where I had a Bellagio Classic omelet (my favorite). During late afternoon I spent 2 hours playing $1/$2 NLHE at the Bellagio poker room, finishing up $20. In the evening I attended the welcome reception for the golf outing where pairings were announced and everyone made pari-mutuel bets on the various teams.

Results for the Day: Up $20
Results for the Trip: Up $115

Monday, April 30th

Finally time for the first day of the golf outing with a large number of key players from within my industry. Both days were best shot events with teams made up of an A, B, C, and D player based on handicaps. On day 1, my 18.9 USGA handicap landed me a D player spot at TPC Summerlin, home of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open (PGA Tour event). We played the course at a little over 6,900 yards which is a bit too long for my game. But we did use several of my shots and my team finished at 8 under par for 5th place and $300/per person on my team. I did not win anything on my $60 in pari-mutuel bets.

In the evening, I took a co-worker and 3 customers to dinner. I let the customers select the restaurant (and they knew we could go to any restaurant in Vegas) and much to my surprise they decided we should go to The Steakhouse at Circus Circus. I hadn’t heard of the restaurant and had never set foot in Circus Circus. They insisted that the cabbies had told them this was a great steakhouse. Much to my surprise, they were correct. It is a very old school steakhouse and I had an excellent filet mignon.

Following dinner and my return to the Bellagio I was ready to hit the sack. I walked by the poker room and saw Las Vegas Michael on one of his Excellent Adventures so I stopped in to say hello. He was sitting there all dressed up in a nice shirt and tie, playing a mixed game, and raking in a pot. I said my hello and it was off to bed as I had to catch the bus to the golf course again at 7 a.m. the next morning. Always good to see LVM and I appreciate what he does for AVP.

Results for the Day: Up $240
Results for the Trip: Up $355

Tuesday, May 1st

Caught the charter bus at 7 a.m. and we headed to Dragon’s Ridge for the second and last day of the golf outing. My team was made up of different members on this day and my 18.9 handicap landed me as a C player. I played quite well (for me) and we shot 8 under par but that left us one shot out of the money. I also failed to win anything in return for my $30 in pari-mutuel bets.

Following our return to the Bellagio and time to shower, we boarded another charter bus and headed to Lawry’s Steakhouse for dinner and closing ceremonies. I had an excellent prime rib and it is a nice restaurant but I don’t know that I would go out of my way to have dinner there. No complaints. There are just many better options right on the strip.

Results for the Day: Down $30
Results for the Trip: Up $325

Wednesday, May 2nd

I got up in the morning and put in 4 hours of work via my laptop and cellphone. I then put in a 60 minute workout in the room (P90X Ab RipperX and CardioX). I then headed to Café Bellagio where I had another Bellagio Classic Omelet for lunch. After lunch I put in a 2 hour session of $1/$2 NLHE and finished up $136. From there, I cabbed it to the Encore to go to the Sinatra bar and eat dinner. The bar was packed and I didn’t have a restaurant reservation so I went to a video poker machine for a spell and lost $10 but did grab a Dewars on the rocks with a twist. Kind of a break even deal, right? At that point, I went back to Sinatra and grabbed a seat at the bar. Had a very funny conversation with a couple and their friend while eating my spaghetti and clams and drinking a Pinot Noir. The conversation revolved primarily around the friend’s (a guy) claim that the guy’s holiday, in return for giving women Valentine’s Day, is called Steak & Knobber Day. It is on March 20th of every year. I’ll just let you google it. Steve Wynn was also at Sinatra, eating dinner with his wife. Based on their comments, staff at Sinatra really like Mr. Wynn. Apparently he is very good to his employees. (Don’t kill the messenger if you are someone who doesn’t care for Steve Wynn. I understand he has his detractors. I just know I like his casinos.)

After dinner I began my walk back to the Bellagio from the Encore. I stopped at the Palazzo and watched the Peter Monroy Band at the Zebra Lounge. They are the classic rock band that used to play at the La Scena Lounge at the Venetian before it started undergoing renovations. I’ve always enjoyed them and would recommend them if people want to see a good free show. After that I stopped in at Toby Keith’s Bar and the Dueling Piano Bar at Harrah’s briefly. The patrons of those two establishments are always fun to watch. I then walked through the Flamingo and Bill’s. Before taking the escalator over to the Bellagio, I stopped and watched two guys playing Stairway to Heaven on electric cellos. They had a big crowd, made lots of tips, and were very, very good. I then went into the Bellagio and checked out Lilly’s and the poker room before calling it a night. I was disappointed that they hadn’t done turn down service as I like the little chocolates. Oh well!

Results for the Day: Up $126
Results for the Trip: Up $451

Thursday, May 3rd

I got up and went downstairs for my coffee and banana at Palio. I then went back to my room and did the P90X Cardio X workout. After that I showered and packed. I then spent some time doing work email before grabbing a cab, heading to the airport, and flying home with visions of my scheduled June 14th trip to Vegas dancing in my head……

Results for the Day: Up $0
Results for the Trip: Up $451 (+$226 for poker)

Summary:
Once again, I didn’t play nearly as much poker as I had hoped. I played in this golf event last year and played golf on 3 consecutive days. I was glad that this year I decided to skip the practice round and play only 2 days. There is far too much to do in Vegas to play golf all day on 3 consecutive days. There are many other places I can go and do that. Finally, it is always nice to log a winning trip with respect to poker!