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Thread: February 2020 Vegas trip

  1. #11
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    and ate
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    and ate
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    and ate
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    and ate
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    and ate
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  2. #12
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    and ate
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    and then finished with the interior fillings only of a crepe and a spoon of their banana mousse. (Not big on dessert)
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    My wife was at the spa, and a friend I texted couldn't join me because he was gambling, so I ate alone, but I really didn't mind. I was just there to eat.

    Afterwards I walked all around the resort to walk off some of the food and my post-win energy. It is quite exhilarating to go from over minus -20K to even. I checked out a perpetual calendar Patek that I might buy soon (I collect fine timepieces, and change my watch to change my luck when gambling), and picked up a tee shirt for the wife (she already has everything).

    Afterwards on the way back to the Tower Suites, I stopped back to chew the fat with a few of the pit bosses and dealers in the high limit pit, since I knew my wife wouldn't quite be back from the spa yet. The consensus was that Baccarat is the "most regal" of games and the one that they see people win at the most often. (Sadly, in my opinion and observation, I believe that most players just give back all they win before the end of the trip.) One dealer that I talked to agreed that playing just 500 per hand, the chances of winning back over 20000 consistently over a number of BJ shoes would have been slim. The times that I have won big at BJ, which I used to really kill them at double deck BJ until some of the casinos started banning me from that game, was through huge bet variance, between practically table min and table max. Flat betting pretty much gets you nowhere at any casino game, but most especially at BJ. In Baccarat the good shoes and runs may continue for very long periods, and sometimes it becomes only a matter of "how much do you want to Wynn?"

    Anyway, all's well that ends well.

    Last night they limo'ed us to the hockey game and we were in the Wynn suite at the stadium.
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    I managed to make it to the gym before the game, but did not play yesterday.

    We have a late checkout today so I plan to play some this morning.
    Last edited by MDawg; 03-13-2020 at 06:29 PM.

  3. #13
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    The Wynn suite was pretty cool, full hosted bar and fully catered, including next door in the lounge that was open to all suites, and we sat right on the edge of the ice.
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    Our team (Vegas Knights) won, 5 to 3 against the Florida Panthers. Vegas has now won 5 out of the last 6 games.
    Last edited by MDawg; 02-23-2020 at 01:53 PM.

  4. #14
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    I won another 1550 today, tipped out a couple hunny along the way. Played just a couple shoes.
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    Had a player run at the end and declared that I would leave when it did, and when it ended...I left! bringing my winner's envelope to about 7K.
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    During pretty much the same period that I played and won, a guy came up with three grand and declared that he had twenty minutes to play until he caught the plane. He took that 3 to about 9 at one point but kept playing. In my mind, I was thinking...how much does this guy want? He got back to even and none ahead twice, but rallied each time. He kept playing. What was the goal? Did he even know?

    In any case he walked with only one purple chip...down -2500.

    Money management!

    Packing now, onwards to the next resort later today. Cheerio!
    Last edited by MDawg; 02-23-2020 at 02:17 PM.

  5. #15
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    At casinos if you win, even consistently, at what they view as a game of chance, no one molests you. Win, especially consistently, at what is viewed as a game of skill, and you will be handicapped or banned (been there). Baccarat is viewed as a game of chance. Blackjack as a game of skill.

    Checked into the second resort. This is a different style suite haven't stayed in before. Great layout. Very modern.
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  6. #16
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    Will start playing tomorrow. I almost never play on check in and check out days, although I did play some today, at the prior resort.
    Last edited by MDawg; 02-24-2020 at 09:13 PM.

  7. #17
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    Won barely a hundred dollars today, after being down -8K more than once. Call bets were key to the path back up! I won all of these fortunately, or at points I would have slipped to more than 8K down.

    I was playing a $300. min (instead of the usual $100. min) shoe today, and I wasn't working the low-high bet spread properly. Still, it ended fine. I am very good at quitting once I reach even after being down.

    I probably tipped out triple what I won.

    Hey, but at least the cocktail waitress was nice, and beautiful, and she kept the hot teas coming. She's as much a regular in the high limit pit as I am, and we know each other well.

    Today's win:
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    (I left the fifty cent piece with the cashier as a tip.)

    Today's marker paid:
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    Last edited by MDawg; 02-24-2020 at 09:17 PM.

  8. #18
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    Today was a repeat of yesterday, almost to the letter. Ended with just a couple dollars more than yesterday!
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    and wearing platinum today versus gold yesterday didn't seem to make a difference.

    I was down as much as, I believe it was, -23 at one point, but gradually rallied to even.

    This is how it went: I pulled an 8, lost it, did a couple of call bets, won one or two, lost one or two. Pulled a ten, lost that too - not immediately, but eventually. Then pulled a twenty. At one point (when I was down -23 I believe it was) I slammed $15K on one hand and won with a 6. Later on I won an $8000. nine over eight player. That was pretty fun. Commission - that was killing me, I must have paid out five grand maybe a lot more, of commission along the way to a final victory. I rarely if ever keep playing after coming back from in the hole to even.
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    Some might ask why would I even get down, reading the cards and varying my bet. I am not actually playing this $300. minimum table correctly. I need to vary my bet more and press into the runs better. Once I was on a roll, the dealers kept commenting that I wasn't betting enough and could have emptied their tray if I had been playing harder. But, I was gun shy after being down so much, and just wanted back to even.

    Sad isn't it, how "easy" it is sometimes to win twenty or thirty grand when you have to (are down), but not so much when you don't have to (are ahead).

    Towards the beginning I had this really cool cocktail waitress. I recall her from last trip although I don't know her as well as the one from yesterday. Towards the end this Russian blonde took over and although hot she had a masked but visible (at least to me) attitude, and if anyone did not deserve a tip, it was she, but she did deliver my teas, and so, she got the same fiver per hot tea as any other waitress who serves me. The Russian girl spent most of her time in the back bar behind the tables surrounded by about five guys, a combination of customers and employees. I was in such a good mood as I inched in on my goal, that I felt like leaping back there and saying, wow, you sure have it nice surrounded by male minions, now how about bringing me a tea mine has gotten cold again. But, so what, it's the Palms and hot cocktail waitresses at least at high limit are the norm. Let them enjoy the attention. I was busy winning back my money.

    All markers paid, waiting for wife to come back from the spa, then probably a long dinner at Bobby Flay's. I have too much energy to dine in the room tonight. That was pretty intense today. I may be getting tired. I misplaced something valuable in the room and when I didn't find it in the safe I started panicking. I was about to login on my laptop to GPS search for it, when I discovered that my wife had hidden it for me. I must have left it out on the bed. Careless. Maybe time for a break.

    In any case I play one session per day only so tomorrow I will go to the gym and get grounded before resuming play.

  9. #19
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    One thing that is annoying me a tad. They told me that they tagged my average today at "only" $900. I was slamming yellow chips regularly, and did that $15K hand and that $8K hand and a few $5K hands too. True, I played a lot of table minimum hands too, but still.

    I could tell that some of the pit bosses I encountered today could have cared less whether I won or lost, and in fact were rooting for me, and then one or two might have been hoping I lost.

    As far as big wins, most pit bosses don't care if you even empty the tray but would prefer that you not do it on their watch.

  10. #20
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    I found another marker in my wallet. This one was was from one of the call bets that I won, where the pit boss printed the marker so fast that I had to go through paying it versus having the chips simply disappear from the tray against the win.
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    In the "old" days (meaning over a decade ago), casinos used to allow the chips in the tray for call bets to accumulate even past one hand, but nowadays, especially at the Palms, they seem quick to print that marker versus holding it in the tray.

    Another thing that has changed - no more call bets where players would toss a stack of bills on the table and declare how much it is, and get paid that amount if they won without the casino's even counting the money. No more cash bets at all, in fact.

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