Week 16: COVID

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!  Ours was secluded as now I have COVID after surviving Carol and the kids getting it two weeks ago.  While it wasn't that bad, somehow I also got Strep.  I finally feel better today and looking forward to watching some football. 

In March of 2019 we decided to make a return trip to Vegas.  Eric’s battle had a lot of ups and downs in 2018.  Chemo took a toll on him early on, but it was working and got some early signs that he was recovering.  He seemed to be in good enough spirits to join the group at Bandon Dunes and be the only person to play in the tournament in a cart.  The second half of the year things were not going all that well, but he started to feel better towards the end of the year and wanted to return to Vegas.  So everyone returned along with Micah, as he just won the Golf Fantasy Pool the year before and had money to burn.  Before the larger group arrived, Wiz, Eric, and I played a round at a new place in town.  An annual Vegas tradition seems to be Eric’s mad dash before golfing to get the team parlay in at the book.  This is such a hassle for him, especially when the majority of the group is not even in Vegas yet.  Trying to coordinate 7 grown men to text in their pick is pretty comical. And when the book doesn't even know the games we are trying to play it makes it even more frustrating. 

 First golf session of the trip that morning - at Canyon Gate CC, a new course in our rotation But first, I got all the picks for the parlay from the morning travelers.....and one of them included Lamar. I went to the Mirage book to place the parlay - and saw the Lamar game was not listed. I asked about it.

"What conference is that?"

Southland.

"Southwestern?"

No! Southland.

"Is that Division I?"

YES! you idiot!

If you are working in the book on Conference championship week, you better know the Div I conferences. Period. Who are they hiring in the book? So I decided to take a walk across the street to the Venetian where, yes, the Lamar game was listed and I put the parlay in.

And before golf - some quick gambling at, you guessed it - Face up Pai Gow.

The weather all week in Vegas was cold - I bundled up as much I as I could on a blustery Sunday where the temperature never broke 65, I think , in the afternoon. I liked the course - driving the ball relatively well helped - but I got tired and faded over the last 3-4 holes. The highlight of the round was on the 11th hole, where Layup hit a ball off the tee left into the pines. He was next to a bush and about 10-15 feet inside the fence line protecting the course from million dollar mansions.

With an awkward stance, he swung - and I'm still not sure how this is physically possible, but the ball went about 85 degrees left. It hit the fence twice - BING BING - and we heard another BANG as the ball hit some house somewhere. Thank God it was about 2 pm and no one seemed to be at home in those houses.

Also - since we didn't know the course, gooches were prevalent. Drives that seemed to be down the middle started taking sloped we didn't know existed and ended up in the rough or worse, hazards. I remember one horrible moment by Layup on my drive on the 13th where my ball landed on the right edge of the fairway and ended up in the penalty area on the left - after Layup said "great drive". I think our gooch score that day was Layup 4, Eric 3.

All in all, a nice course to add in the rotation; the weather ruined it a bit but can't blame the course for that. Food and bar area was very nice as well. 

It was a pretty non descript trip though.  I do remember lots of grinds in the Salon and lots of UTH as usual. 

Onto the games

SF @ Titans+3:  Loved the Titans here and they came through. 

Browns@ GB-7.5:  Loved Browns in this game as well.  GB always has a let down in a game like this.  I understand the refs were bad, but man so was Baker.  Really rough to watch him, but they covered 😊 

Colts @ Cards-1:  Loved the Colts here mainly on the coaching mismatch and Kyler not looking healthy still. 

Lions @ Falcons -5.5:  This is probably a trap, but bet the Falcons after seeing Goff out. 

Bucs @ Panthers +10:   Bucs banged up and on the road.  Way too many points.

Jags@ Jets PK:  Yikes. Is this too easy to take the Jets at home?  Why isn’t this a bigger line?

Giants @ Eagles -9.5:  Line is going crazy here recently.  I’m staying away.  Both of these teams has just screwed me

Chargers @ Texans +10:  Ekler is out.  Cooks is out.  I’m out.

Bills @ Pats -2.5:   I don’t understand the love here for the Bills.   How do you bet against the Pats at home in a big game like this?

Rams @ Vikings +3:  Like the Rams here.  Vikings missing too much. 

Ravens @ Bengals -2.5:  Well I bet this before Huntley was out.  While its part of the Supercontest and best bets, I’m hedging out.

Bears @ Seahawks -6.5:  Love the Seahawks here with anything under 7. 

Broncos @ Raiders PK:  Lock on the road?  How is this line still so low.   

Steelers @ Chiefs -7.5: Wanted to take the Chiefs here but the COVID news was too scary and now this looks like a steal and the line is now up at 10.5.

Skins @ Cowboys -11: Cowboys don’t look right still and I’ll take the skins with the points in this divisional game

Dolphins @ Saints -3:  Love the Dolphins here. 

 

 

Best Bets

Titans

Browns

Colts

Falcons

Panthers

Pats

Raiders

Ravens – but hedged out

Chiefs

Chiefs Under

Dolphins

 

Supercontest

Colts

Browns

Falcons

Dolphins

Ravens

Week 15: Supercontest

 2018 started out as an amazing year.   I quit my job with AIG on December 15^th, 2017 and put in a one months notice to basically help them close down the fiscal year and wrap up any loose ends in January.  I was going to start with a new startup company called PURE Insurance in mid January.  After my initial conversation with my boss at AIG, he asked me for a couple of things and then stated that he couldn’t have me work anymore since I was going to a competitor.  So I basically had a 3 week paid vacation which was amazing.   This coincided with Eric’s hot run in the Supercontest.  Eric was already coming out with the family for the week after Christmas for us to spend sometime in San Diego and Los Angeles.  But he started to carefully mention that if….IF he continues his hot streak, would I be willing to go out to Vegas with him for the last NFL Sunday to potentially hedge his wagers.  Well of course I would.  I’m being paid not to work, plus in California you can roll over 100% of your unused PTO time and when you leave they have to cash you out.  So I had about 45 days of paid PTO that was coming my way and it was burning a hole in my pocket.  

So Eric and the family comes out and we have a great time.  We are up in Los Angeles taking the kids to all the museums and attractions.   I started to notice that Eric was struggling to eat.  He was burping a lot and looking so uncomfortable.  I remember that we were at this sandwich shack on the beach in Santa Monica where he said he thinks he has an ulcer and needs to get it scoped but there is such a backlog that he can’t get it done until mid January, despite talking to the doctors in November about it.  He did seem somewhat concerned, but in the typical Eric style he powered on and didn’t complain or let any of this ruin the trip.  

The Sunday that he gets there, he goes 3-2 in the Supercontest, putting him in 8^th place overall well within the money. And not just a small prize but close to $100k.  But the bigger concern is that the standings are bunching up.  If Eric goes 2-3 the next week there is a chance that he doesn’t finish in the money.  If he goes 1-4 he definitely will be out of the money.  So we plan to head out to Vegas to hedge his wagers, meaning that we are going to try and lock in some level of profit, in case he bombs his picks.   So we get to Vegas. Eric wires $25k into the Mirage cage.  $5k hedge on each game, plus additional action with our bookie who Eric had to explain what he was doing so that he would increase his per game limit.  Trying to discuss with the Mirage cage worker on what we wanted to do was comical.  I need to move that money into the sportsbook to place 5 wagers.  This took about 15 minutes to figure out and in the end the cashier gave us five $5k chips to take over.  Eric looked at me and said to take them because he’s too nervous and doesn’t want to lose them.  So I grab them and walk maybe 100 feet over to the sportsbook where Eric places the wagers.  The manager comes out and they have a nice conversation and he asks why he was betting so much since they don’t show him as a big gambler in the sportsbook.  He explains the Supercontest with the manager saying he’s never heard of it before. What?   Outrageous.  That’s like a poker pit boss saying that they never heard of the World Series of Poker before.  Anyway, they give Eric 5 drink tickets…5!   I couldn’t stop laughing.  Eric says something snarky about it and the manager apologizes and offers us a couch to sit at during the games on Sunday which we take him up on.  

Sunday arrives, Eric is a mess. I send Carol and Janice away for the morning (just trying to keep these two away from Eric).   Usually Eric is very animated during games. For the first half he is silent.  The games started to turn his way and he started to get more and more animated.  By the 4^th quarter he was back to himself. Screaming at the TV’s, doing his ref impersinations (Holding Defense number 23, 5 yard penalty 1^st down), and drinking up a storm.  It all ends with him going 4-1 and finishing in 6^th place for $142k.  We connect back with Janice and Carol and have a nice dinner with everyone.  We celebrate with a group Baccarrat session where we all drink way too much.  Eric is on cloud 9.    

On Monday evening Eric and I go over to the Westgate to collect.  This was just a comical experience.  First we basically had a grandmother helping us, who didn’t know what to do.  The management team didn’t know what to do either.   To complicate things a little more, Eric’s entry was under my name.  So I have to fill out all of the tax forms and basically I’m the winner (I take credit for cashing in Supercontest). So finally we get the sportsbook to give us a ticket that we have to get cashed at the main cage.   We get to the cage and we get invited to a backroom to decide how we want the money.  Fascinating.  The general manager meets us and congratulates us. Asks us if we want rooms there..Ha! I wouldn’t stay at that dump.   Eric wanted $50k in cash and the rest in a check (check is in my name though).  So Eric and I run out of the casino and into a cab with $50k in cash stuffed in our pants hoping nothing happens until we can get to the Mirage and put it in our safe.   We gamble a little, and then we all head back to LA so they can fly home. 

Two weeks later Eric gets his scope and tests results back and he has stage 4 stomach cancer.  I don’t have any thing profound to say on that.  It was devastating. Still devastating to this day.  I knew something more serious was wrong than just an ulcer. I kept on yelling at him over this time to eat better and slow down. Boy I was completely wrong.  The chemo quickly took a toll on him and we cancelled our March trip.  More to come on some of the trips while he was sick to close out the week.

 Games:  What a messed up week.  So many COVID injuries making this impossible to handicap.  Other than the Supercontest picks, I went in on the Steelers and Atlanta.  

 

Supercontest:

Chargers

Colts

Ravens

Bengals

Saints

Week 14: Japonais

 

Sorry for the delay in the posting.  Carol flew out to Cleveland to catch a show with Janice, so I had the kids at the beginning of the week, then Carol got the flu, knocking her out, which then resulted in Morgan getting the flu.  So Wyatt and I have been trying to avoid everyone and everything. At to top it off, its Morgan’s birthday today.   I planned on waking up early to do the post, but was a little hungover and ended up watching the F-1 race from bed.  What an ending.  I’m sure if I gambled on F-1, I would have had Hamilton to win the championship resulting in me burning down my house after that ending. 

 

Anyway onto the Vegas trip in 2017.  Nothing major happened here…pretty quiet trip other than Wiz getting into it with a guy who was watching us play BJ.   Wiz was already on tilt and then this guy wouldn’t stop hovering and commenting on our hands.  So after asking him several times to leave, Wiz got up and confronted him and backed him down out of the Salon.   Pit Bosses didn’t really react and just let it go on.  

 

Lots of UTH and Baccarrat sprinkled in with some great golf.  Southern Highlands and Shadow Creek.  This was my only time playing Shadow Creek. Was pretty impressive. I remember being hungover and not being able to hit the ball. On the 3^rd hole I said I needed a drink and a cigarette.  Our caddy asked what did I want. Minutes later I saw a guy running down to the green with a pack of Marlboro lights and a vodka tonic.  Amazing

 

This year we had a lot of action on the parlays.  I got lucky and was the only winner in our group parlay which means that I got a free dinner.  Unfortunately this was on one of the nights were we didn’t have a planned dinner.  Everyone except for Wiz and maybe Lee decided on going the sushi restaurant, which I was good with. 

 

Dinner that night was at Japonais in the Mirage; Layup earned a free dinner as he was the "1" from the 1-6 parlay yesterday - we treated him to dinner at Japonais, but I think he was expecting something else. This - and a parlay ruling we will talk about tomorrow - requires some more details on how the parlay works. Where can the winner "cash" his dinner?

 

Ok, Eric leaves out a couple of things.  First, we couldn’t get a table so we had to sit in the lounge section, where we were all on stools.  Our table was even a stool.   We order a couple of rolls since we couldn’t really eat and that was it.  My free dinner was basically 3 pieces of rice.   I was hot about it.  I’m still pissed because of something that happened to me in a future trip.  The dinner should have been continued to the next night when everyone was present and we had a table to sit down at.  But no, the rule was that it had to be cashed in that day.  Whatever.  Keep this in mind when we do the November 2019 recap. 

 

Ravens @ Browns:  So torn here.  This should be a layup for the Browns, but I don’t trust them.

Raiders @ Chiefs:  Love this game. Why are the Chiefs favored by so many

Cowboys @ Redskins:  Line movement is in favor of the Cowboys.  Loved the Redskins at 4.5 now I’m super scared.

Falcons @ Panthers: Who cares. 

Saints @ jets: Who cares #2

Jags @ Titans: Love the Titans.  Meyer will be fired shortly

Seahawks @ Texans:  Love the Texans.  Wilson is still injured.

Lions @ Broncos:  Can the Lions even field a team.  Broncos should roll

Giants @ Chargers:  Chargers aren’t that great.  Giants are still giving full effort. Love the Giants

49ers@ Bengals:  Can’t trust either team.  Like the 49ers, but won’t bet it.

Bills @ Bucs: Must win for the Bills. TB loves playing at home. Getting some value here with the .5 point.

Bears @ Packers:  Revenge game.  Taking the Bears again

Rams @ Cards:  Like the Rams on the road here

 

 

Best Bets

Giants

Titans

Texans

Bears

Rams

Raiders

Broncos

Redskins

 

SuperContest

Giants

Bears

Raiders

Texans

Bills

Week 13: Wheel of Fortune

 After mailing it in last week during Thanksgiving, I’m going to interrupt the historical recap with a more recent summary of a Vegas Trip.   On Wednesday Wiz and I met up in Vegas.  We were itching to go out and I was out in Scottsdale earlier in the week and he had 3 days free in his busy golf schedule to come on out.  Since MGM announced that they were going to sell the Mirage, we decided to try out a new casino. Thinking back on it, we should of stayed at the Mirage one last time as a tribute.  But we decided on the Aria.  And I don’t think I will be going back.   Not a huge fan of the layout and the service was spotty. And the mask

 Reverse Reverse Gooch:  What’s worse than having a dealer congratulate you on winning the hand after the flop and then losing the hand?  Having the dealer miscall your losing hand as a winning hand after he flops over a monster.  This guy Paul did this several times.  I have a straight, no problem because you have a flush.  I have a flush?  Yes.  You sure, I don’t think I do.  Flips over my cards, Oh guess you don’t.   And to top it off, the pit boss was making comments on why I was going in on Q-10 and lower pocket pairs. And to double top it off, there was a guy betting $200 per hand, plus $500 on the trips, and with a $100 on this 6 card bonus thing.  He didn’t know how to play, but he was killing it.  Hit every fucking trips and 6 card bet out there.  He had stacks of yellows.  And he was a loudmouth yelling for cards each hand. I lost it. The only consoling factor was that he was bragging to us that he just put in a $10k wager on the Saints.  Let’s go Cowboys!!! 

 Masks:  So while I was going through the above ordeal, Wiz was getting yelled at by the pit boss for not putting on his mask.  The one time that finally made Wiz lose it was when he took a sip of his cocktail and before he could put down his glass the pit boss yelled at him to put on his mask.  There was a testy exchange between the two with Wiz calling him a libtard.  I quickly bought a pack of cigarettes and chain smoked so I didn’t have to put my mask up. 

Aria's Salon: Very nice. Dealers and the pit bosses were great.   But the limits jump up a bit which makes things a little more serious. I went on a nice little run on BJ, and Wiz was able to get out breaking even which was a huge accomplishment.  

Rule #1 for Vegas: Never leave Wiz and I alone.  NEVER.  Well with us two left to our own devices we found a dangerous new game.   So the last time I was in Vegas with Carol in September,  Carol turned $100 into $14k on slots.  She started playing the $1 Wheel of Fortune and after winning $400, I told her we should go check out the high limit slot area.  So we go back there and she plays the $25 wheel of fortune machine.  She hit a spin on her last pull and won $2,500.  I was so excited and thought we were going to leave, but she printed out the ticket and put it in a $100 Wheel of Fortune machine.  Now on a $100 Wheel of Fortune machine, when you spin the payouts range from $2,500-$40,000.  And over the next 30 minutes she must of hit the spin 4 times.   It was magical.  Never felt so alive.

 

So I tell Wiz this and we find these machines at the Aria.   And we start pumping money in.  And not a single spin.  It got so bad that we actually took out a marker….in the slot area.  You call for a marker and they give you a single ticket to put into the machine.  Ugh.   So after both of us working separately on the machine, we joined forces and decided to pool our money and split the profits.  There was a point where I put our money in and he had to take a conference call so he walked into this room right behind the machine and watched me play and was getting so angry when we would just miss out on a spin.  And things only got worse...way worse.  Markers were flying around that afternoon. But finally we got a spin.  The video is below.  I cut the video as Wiz was devastated on landing between $40,000 and $12,000 and we got $2,500 and went into a tirade.  Plus we were so loud while playing it with the only other people in there being older Asian men and Grandma's.   We continued and got another spin a little later and hit for something larger but nothing to get us out of the hole we dug for ourselves. 

So on the last morning before Wiz's flight we did one last session of UTH.  We both did well and thought it was a great way to end the short trip.  But as usual, we couldn't help ourselves and we decided to pool some money and do one last Wheel of Fortune session.   And it was so disappointing. 

Onto the games

 Chargers @ Bengals -3: No clue on this game.  Bengals will probably blow this, but I can't back the Chargers right now. 

Vikings @ Lions +7:  Despite the Vikings being a poor team, this is still the Lions.  And why is this only 7?  

Giants @ Dolphins -4:  I was excited to take the Giants here expecting a regression from Tua against a solid D.  But now Jones is out, and while I know that there isn’t a big drop off between him and Glennon, I just can’t back Glennon on the road.

TB @ Falcons +11:  Want to go with the Falcons here.  TB on the road isn’t the same as they are at home. 

Colts @ Texans -9:   Divisional game which concerns me, but I do like the Colts here. They are playing really well. 

Cardinals @ Bears +7:  I like the bears at home here.  If Kyle plays he will be rusty.

Eagles @ Jets +6.5:  I can’t trust the Eagles.  They let me down so much last week.  I’ll take the points with the Jets

Jaguars @ Rams -13:  I don’t care about this team.  Hate the Rams long term, but this is a game where I can see OBJ going off for 3 touchdowns and people going bonkers and then he will disappear for the next 6 weeks.

Skins @ Vegas -2.5:  This seems like such a trap. Everyone I hear loves the Skins.  Professionals love the Skins. Public love the Skins. But the line has remained steady. 

49ers @ Seahawks +3.5:  49ers are without their two best players.  But the Seahawks have given up.  If this moves down under 3, I’ll take the 49ers.

Ravens @ Steelers +4.5:  Love the Steelers.  Weird stat in this match up.  The favorite of 3.5 or more points is 1-12 in their match ups. 

Broncos @ Chiefs -9.5:  I would jump on the Broncos if it wasn’t for the uncertainty of Bridgewater.  I know the Chiefs are unstoppable after a bye, but they have been flat all year.

Pats @ Bills -3:  I got in on the Bills -2.5.  Love the Bills here.  Think the Pats are a force and might make it to the Superbowl, but I don’t like them in primetime in Buffalo. 

 

Best Bets: Will do the overall count tomorrow, but Bob my bookie is loving that I’m doing this best bet thing.  Went super cold and then average over the last couple of weeks. 

Vikings

Dolphins

Colts

Falcons

Bears

Jets

Vegas

Steelers

Bills

 

SuperContest

Bills

Steelers

Jets

Vikings

Falcons

Week 12- Thanksgiving Week

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Didn't have time to put together the normal Vegas Recap this week.  Work has been crazy, and our house renovations are almost done, and we have family in town.  Eric loved this week.  He loved all of the college basketball tournaments that delivered weekday afternoon basketball leading up to Thanksgiving.   I remember all of the texting at 7am PST on Monday-Wednesday to get all of our wagers set for the early afternoon.   We would have money on 75% of the games. It was a degenerates dream.  

For the first time ever, I didn't bet on a single basketball game this week. Nor did I bet on a single game on Thanksgiving.  I watched only a little bit of the Raiders-Cowboys game and was disgusted by the refs once again. It really is becoming hard to gamble and watch these games anymore.  

Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and will have a full write up next week.  I'll be with Wiz in Vegas on Wednesday, so that should be fun. 

Best Bets and Supercontest:

Texans

Redskins

Broncos

Eagles

Steelers

Week 11: Downs Kid

 Going into Vegas for 2016, we had a larger crew with Leland making his return and Mike A joining the team.  Love gambling with Mike A.  He might be the luckiest UTH player, always nailing the river and he just sits there and smiles.  Love his attitude, no matter if he is winning or losing.   Anyway, while reading Eric’s recap of the this trip I totally forgot about one of the funniest craps sessions that I’ve had.  I know that we’ve had amazing craps sessions with so many stories, but I will never forget these sessions from this trip.  The intro to the infamous session starts on Thursday while the boys were playing golf.  

Checking in with Layup, we heard various reports. Back at the Mirage, when he was supposedly working, Layup was:

1. playing roulette (always a bad sign)
2. playing blackjack on the main floor (which is a sign of insanity for him)
3. Playing craps with a down's syndrome kid.

Wait, what?

As we got back and gambled before dinner, Layup tried to explain to us that there is a Down's syndrome savant in the Mirage playing craps. He is a fierce,concentrated roller and is intense in yelling at the dice as they are rolled, He has a partner that assists in the actual placing of the bets across the table. Layup said that this kid was "hot", hit 3 or 4 points while Layup was there and made all sorts of money for the table. We weren't sure whether to believe him or not, but we had our eyes peeled.

 Yes.  I was at a table where a Downs kid joined and it was great.  He was so serious. It wasn’t a cute little thing, but rather everyone at the table knew that they should reload and get ready.  When the kid had a handler with money and took care of all his bets, everyone passed the dice to him so we could see what the hell this was all about.  And he crushed it for me.  Will never forget.  This is easily a top 5 craps event for me, ranked just below the time I rode Jay like a horse around the craps table after he hit a hard 4.  But that wasn’t the best part of the trip. 

Dinner that night was at Wiz's Italian place at Paris; apart from the fact that it was pitch black in there, the food was actually kind of good. (Jim Larranaga let me down in side bets with Layup, Wiz and Leland). We headed back to the Mirage, all headed our separate ways for a bit to get ready for the night session. I came downstairs first and....there he was! At the craps table! The Down's kid!

I alerted everyone in the group. "He is here! Repeat....He is here!"

Soon, the table was filled; Mike D and I were together at one end of the table with the Down's kid at the other end; Wiz and Layup were on the other end on the rail. Soon, other characters joined the action, even though it was a cold table.

A couple joined Wiz and Layup - can't remember the guy; the lady was about 25, wearing all black and weighed no more than 95 pounds and was about 4'11". The first word that came to my mind about her was "malnourished". He tried to teach her the basics of the game, but she just looked so utterly lost.

One explanation - believed by some in our group- was that she was one of those girls that escaped from the basement in that Cleveland house and is experiencing outside life for the first time. This is the first time she may have seen natural lighting in years! Does she need help? Should we call the police? " If you need help, roll a hard 6" was the text of the night.

 

Now this couple was so odd.  That text from Wiz set all of us into a tailspin of laughter and additional jokes. “Hit a point and you get one bit of a hot dog” and “Blink twice for 30 minutes out at the pool” were some of the things yelled at the table.   After she crapped out, Wiz yelled “Back to the basement for you” which I think Eric spit out his drink on the table from laughing so hard.  So we had this couple next to Wiz and I, a hippie couple next to Eric and Mike D, and the Downs Kid and his handler, with the 4 of us texting back and forth, yelling such inappropriate things to the two couples and losing our asses. But none of us could leave because we were having so much fun.  Guess this is how it is rolling at a circus. 

Pats @ Falcons +6.5: Boy I got this game so wrong. Had the Falcons.  Thought that this would be a let down for the Pats. I got in at 7 points. 

Ravens @ Bears +5:  I like the Ravens here.  But won’t bet it. After the NFL came out and said that they blew that Steelers game, I think the Ravens will get screwed here.  I’m staying away.  

Texans @ Titans  +10:  Love the Texans.  Taylor will be better.  Divisional game.  Titans are so overvalued. 

Saints @ Eagles -2:  This is such a trap.  Eagles beat up on a bad Broncos team.  Saints D is so good. I’ll take the Saints

Dolphins @ Jets +3.5: I’ve lost so much money on both of these teams.  Was going to take the Jets until Flaco was named a starter. Now will be taking the Dolphins.  You are pulling White after one game to start Flacco?   Tanking might have already started.

Colts @ Bills -7:  Colts aren’t that bad.  Don’t get the big line. 

Lions @ Browns +11.5:  This was down to 10 earlier this week.  I like the Browns this week as a get right game, but now I’m just going to stay away

Packers @ Vikings +2:  Packers are covering every week. Vikings play well at home.  This is such a trap but I’ll take the Vikings here.

Skins @ Panthers -3.5:  Cam is NOT good.  He scores a couple of goal line touchedowns and now they are favored by more than a FG?

49ers @ Jaguars +6: I can’t figure out either of these two teams. Loved the 49ers last week because of the spot, but not so much this week.

Bengals @ Raiders +1:  This line makes no sense.  Bengals coming off of a bye, but only favored by 1 over a reeling Raiders team. Seems like a trap

Cardinals @ Seahawks +2.5:  Like the Seahawks here in a must win game.  I know Wilson looked bad last week but they never play well in GB. 

Cowboys @ Chiefs -2.5:  This makes no sense to me.  Chiefs win one game and they are now favored.  Fine I’ll take the points.

Steelers @ Chargers -5.5: Big ben is playing.  Who cares.  TJ Watt is out.  I’ll take the Chargers on the road.

Giants@ Bucs -11:  I like the Bucs here at home.  They always play well at home and horribly on the road. And its Brady in primetime.

 

Best Bets- Nice rebound last week. I'll update the stats later.  

Texans

Saints

Dolphins Under

Colts

Vikings

Skins

Skins Under

Colts Under

Seahawks

Cowboys

Chargers

Bucs

 

SuperContest

Chargers

Vikings

Seahwaks

Cowboys

Texans

Week 10: Are you ready to rumble

 Ahhh  the 2015 trip.  This was an amazing trip. Small group of 5, with no golf and a ton of gambling where Wiz and I killed it.  One of the largest winning trips that I’ve had.  We had a great bowling contest and outstanding dinners.   This was also a trip where we almost had two fights in the casino.  

First fight:

Got up from my nap/sleep - maybe slept a good 2 hours or so - and found Wiz and Layup at their usual position, the UTH table. Not sure where Don/Mike were (nap? Spa?).

As soon as I arrived at the table, Wiz starts laughing and trying to tell a story about Layup. Our pal Dan, the pit boss, soon joined in.

"You won't believe what happened! Layup got into a fight!"

What? I looked a Layup...he rolled his eyes.

Dan started talking. "Yes! He stared down this Texas guy and made him back down!"

I will get this all wrong, but apparently what happened while I was napping is that Wiz, Layup and this texas guy were playing UTH; Layup folded and was out of the hand...but still was trying to force Wiz into losing. Wiz had a flush with 4 on the board; the Texas guy congratulated him on the winner....until the dealer turned a higher card over and beat him.

Wiz is pissed, but then I think Layup started to mouth off ("that's why you don't celebrate") and the Texas guys said something about the trips; Layup may have said "why don't you leave" and then the Texas guy stood up and went around Wiz to confront Layup.

I guess those two stood eye-to-eye for a few seconds before Dan came over; I'm not sure what exactly happened after that and how the Texas guy backed down....but he did pick up and head over to the other UTH table to play.

I was surprised and a bit in shock. When did this happen?

"20 minutes ago. Cmon, you going to join us?"

Sure. Should I sit here? Is this the Texas guy's seat?

"Yeah - that's where he sit. Sit down!"

I did, and the seat was cursed. A bad session.

Dan made up this "prize" for Layup for winning the Saturday afternoon Prize fight.

                                                                                                          

Later that evening Wiz got into the action

 We had one final run to the craps table. We all fit on one side, and I think the order was Layup, Don, Mike, me and Wiz. Things were going ok for a while at the table...lot of strange people on the other side, but nothing stood out until we saw $100 hard ways coming up in the middle of the table.

We all noticed about the same time - there was an old white guy - about 6'1", 250 pounds, about 60 years old in a white buttoned down shirt and jeans with a John Deere hat on. He was obviously drunk. Next to him was a black guy - about 30 or so years old - and it wasn't clear if he was with him or not, but he was giving the John Deere guy some advice. The $100 bets were coming from John Deere. Most did not win.....but every once in a while he did win - and when he did, he said nothing.

The bets started increasing - $200, $300 on the hard ways, $1000 on the field. The field seem to be winning for him. The dice passed to Layup - and he did not vary from his usual results: maybe 4 rolls and out. Thanks a lot. John Deere was not happy.

The dice passed to Don. John Deere now had $1000 consistently on the field. Don started rolling well - made a point and was hitting some numbers. Everyone on our side * was making some money. Then we were all rendered speechless....

"$500 on boxcars" came the bet from the other side.

Don rolled a 9. "Dammit".

"Do it again - $500 on 12". The purple chip was tossed.

Don rolls........a 12. I can't believe it. No one can. A $15,000 winner.

John Deere said nothing. The dealers - who seemed to know him and were pissed off - quickly paid him in 3 orange $5000 chips.

Two rolls later, the same bet returns. "$500 on 12". Don rolls a 4.

"God dammit, you suck!" And he was serious!

All of us were winning money, but we couldn't take our eyes off the car crash of John Deere throwing $500 chips around. He started putting $5000 on the field, and hit the double a few times, making all the workers pissed off. We picked up shortly after and headed to a new table.

(* - Don did not make any money on his roll; not sure why not. He was not betting big and did not change his betting style as he was rolling better and better. Thanks for taking one for the team, Don!)

 OK, one last UTH session for the night. We head out there, sit down and join Don and Mike, and play for a while. After about 20-30 minutes, Wiz starts looking over at the craps table.

"He's still there! What an asshole!" He's talking about John Deere, of course. "I gotta do something about this".

Wiz gets up, and heads over to the craps table. I'm not sure what he said or did, but then we look - and John Deere has picked up and moved to another craps table, away from Wiz ----- and there goes Wiz, picking up and following him. This went on for about 10 minutes - with John Deere finally arriving at an empty craps table and the limit going to $100.

Wiz returned, defeat. "he's a dick. Afraid of me". "He's like the white rabbit - we're all chasing him but we can't catch him".

We went to bed that night - saw the John Deere white rabbit playing $10 blackjack at the CSM table.

And here are some additional comments on John Deere man;

Eric, you forgot about a couple of things. Wiz yelling at John Deere right after Don's roll. "He just made you $17k, so shut the fuck up for Christ sake." And since it was my roll right after Don, I received a polite request from Wiz to hit John Deere with the dice. After my incident with the TX man earlier in the trip, I was sober and did not want to particpate in causing another scene as well as I was on "Rolling time out" so I declined. That's when Wiz made it his mission to hit John Deere with the dice. But little did we all know, John Deere liked to jump tables after each roll, so we watched John Deere move tables and then Wiz jump from table to table to catch up to him. Very funny to watch from the UTH table.

 Eric, didn't we roll with John Deere late night, where now he had almost an entire row of $10k chips. He had a younger black guy next to him now who was skimming money off of him. At one point, he had $5k on the field and then walked over to the handicap BJ table and trip to play a $5k hand there as well. He was the craziest player I've ever seen.

I remember this so clearly, since I was sober apparently.   This guy was insane and these recaps don’t do him justice.  Every craps dealer hated him.  Everytime I think I have a gambling problem, I think of John Deere and realize that I’m still pretty safe.  Onto the games.

 

TB @ Redskins +9.5:  Love the skins here.  TB on the road is just not the same.

Lions @ Steelers +6.5:  The Steelers needed every call to win against the lowly Bears.   Wish it was 7, but will be taking the Lions here

Browns @ Pats -2.5:  Been losing money betting against the Pats. Like the Browns here, but will just stay away

Jags @ Colts -10.5:  I have no clue.  Think the Colts will blow them out, but also expected the Bills to do the same last week. 

Falcons @ Cowboys -8:  Cowboys bounce back. Everyone and their mothers love the Falcons here. 

Saints @ Titans -3:  Love the Saints as an underdog here.

Bills @ Jets +13.5:  Love White at home almost getting 2 touchdowns.  Think this will be close.

Vikings @ Chargers -3.5:  Hate both of the these teams.  I guess the Vikings, but come on…I’m done losing money on Zimmer.

Panthers @ Cardinals -10:  Why am I going back to the well again with the Panthers.   Think there is a letdown with the Cardinals.

Eagles @ Broncos -2.5:  I don’t know what to do here.  Hate both of these teams

Seahawks @ Packers -3:  Must win for the Seahawks.  Wilson is back.  Will take them on the road in a tight one

Chiefs @ Raiders +2.5:  Fine, I’ll take the home dog in a divisional game. When will Vegas realize how bad the Chiefs are?

Rams @ 49ers +4:  Another home dog in a divisional game and I will take it. 

 

Best Bets

Redskins

Lions

Cowboys

Saints

Jets

Panthers

Seahawks

Raiders

49ers

Cowboys Over

Jets Over

Panthers Under

 

SuperContest

Saints

Panthers

Jets

Raiders

Seahawks

Week 9: Dinners

 

2014 we really started to get into a great rhythm of gambling, golf, and great dinners.  One thing that tends to get overlooked in these trips are the great dinners.  These really started when Don and Mike joined us.  The nicest dinner I went to before they joined was at Smith and Wilensky’s with Mer and Eric where we ordered seafood tower since one of us won.  But Don and Mike pushed us to move away from chain restaurants and try the wonderful array of places that Vegas had to offer.  They introduced us to Mesa Grill and Craft in the beginning which pushed the rest of us to look for higher end places in future trips.  Don and Mike were our wine experts as well.   They always ordered amazing wine.  Mike knew what we could handle and always delivered.  I enjoyed the wide array of pallets at the table with Lee and Don trying different and unusual items with Eric and Wiz sticking to the kids menu.  And then the conversations were never dull.  It always started with critiquing Eric’s outfit.  It always involved pleated pants, penny loafers, and some outrageous neon colored shirt.   After that was out of the way we just ragged on each other and talked about all of our bad bets. And if the conversation was in a lull, Eric would find ways to discuss a new topic or bring others into the conversation.  One of his best qualities was trying to make the most out of every moment.  That’s what makes him so much fun to gamble with and what makes him a great dinner guest.   I remember one time at Lavo, where we were all tired from day drinking and we got seated outside and it didn’t seem to be a good setting.  So Eric started going at Ira on his knowledge of college basketball, which then turned into a contest on who could name more college basketball team’s mascot. We went through all of them. Not just 20, or 50, or 100, but ALL 350 of them.  Now I will never forget that dinner, and I won’t forget that  Eastern Tennessee State is a Buccaneer and not a Pirate.  These dinners will never be the same without Eric there l

 

In 2014, we branched out and tried a super trendy restaurant in the Aria.  This was a place where the lighting was purple, music was blaring, and the servers were pretentious. 

 

We got back just in time to get ready for dinner, at Sage at the Aria. Hoo boy, what an adventure this was. Our reservation was at 7 - we got there in time, seated fine - and then it seemed that it took forever for the server to come over. And then the sommelier did not appear for a while. Our appetizers took a while to arrive. The poor sommelier came over after the appetizers and Layup said very loudly and dryly "Well, thanks for showing up" or some such sarcastic remark. Ah, I see the alcohol was kicking in!

My choice for the entrée came down to the pork chops - which I do not get at ALL in China - or the flank steak. I asked the waitress - she recommended the pork. Wiz went with the pork also. Layup, Don and Mike all chose the steak.

The food came - well, let's just say there were orgasmic sounds coming from Layup, Don and Mike. "This is the best steak I have ever eaten!" "It just melts in your mouth - I'm not exaggerating!!" "Oh My God, I'm going to cum" were the quotes from the three of them. The pork? It was good, yes, but it's hard to enjoy a meal when the entrée you declined to order is causing those sorts of reactions. Yes, I was jealous. dammit. The portions were not large for any of us - which would come into play later.

We all ordered dessert - great - and then we all ordered Absinthe, an after dinner drink. That may have been a mistake.  I still don't know what goes in that - but they lit it on fire at the table. It was about 8 ounces in a goblet - and, of course, there were dares on the other side of the table to chug the drink.

So - we were well oiled as we left the beautiful Aria to go back to the Mirage.  (Why don't we stay at the Aria some year???) .

 

I remember this dinner well. First, what made the steak amazing is that we all got the Foie Gras on top of the steak which was out of this world.  Also,  Wiz and I bet who could get closer to the total bill and the loser would have to pay the winner the dollar amount they were off.  I was so lit at that point, I think I was off by $500 (too low by the way).   That should have been a sign that I should of just gone to bed afterwards.  But instead, all of our drunk asses decided to play Baccarat.

 

I found the group at the baccarat table, where all 7 of us where going to "own" the table for the night. It started with the staff trying to open the table and the glass lid on the chips; their key would not work. We had to move to the corner table when the fun finally began.

First, the display went out. "Dongle not present" or some such error was on the baccarat display screen. With all of us buzzed (at least) or drunk, that message was the basis of a few bad puns.  After a while, a technician came over a fixed it; I offered to tip him a $5 chip for his effort. He was not allowed to take it. I offered again, again, and one more time. He was ready to pull the wrench out of his bag and whack me. After another half hour, I look over at Layup. Uh oh. I see red splotches on his face and he is getting a bit bloated. He's having an allergic reaction. He says he feels fine, but will go and get some Benadryl from the store when the time is right.

Being the concerned brother I am, I stand up and go talk to the pit boss. I'm not drunk, but I'm not sober either.

"Yes, sir?"

yeah - my brother over there? He may be having an allergic reaction.

"What? Do you want me to call a doctor or the ambulance???"

No, no, no, God no. I just want to ask - do you have an Epi-Pen in case we need it?

"An Epi-Pen? Let me call a doctor now, sir!"

No, please, no, don't do that right now. Please lower your voice.

Too late. Layup found out what I was doing.

"What the F? I'm fine. Did you just ask her for an Epi-Pen?"

Well, yes, just to be sure.

"I'm fine....Jesus....ok, I'll go get some Benadryl"

Layup comes back with Benadryl - and peanuts and Beef Jerky!

"I'm still hungry from that meal!". He proceeds to open up the package at the table. "Anybody want some?"

Well, I guess, since it's here...sure.....

Layup passes it around, takes some more jerky - oh look, the cards are in front of him! He picks them up.

"Sir! No food at the table, please."

Layup moves his chair 5 feet back, stuffs the jerky in his mouth - and then leans far forward (with the chair away from the table) to check the cards. He mumbles something unintelligently as he lays down his natural 9......

The next 30 minutes was a battle between Layup, the beef jerky, and the pit boss trying to catch Layup in the act of eating.

We all ended the day around 2am - but I was starving after the pork and the alcohol. Time to go get a 3/4 lb burger at the Carnegie deli. Nothing better at 2 in the morning! Shared a few bites with Layup in the room (see Jim Gaffigan - "oh, I'll only have a bite.......MFBDBFDSHGFUISGIUSDG") and tried to sleep with all that in the stomach.

 

I still don't know why the pit boss put up with us.  She should of kicked me out immediately.  Onto the games.  

 

Atl 10 @ NO 24 (-6):  Saints D is elite.  Panthers last week shut down Pitts and with Ridley out, Ryan couldn’t move the ball.  Saints should be able to cover this line.

LV @ Giants +3:  I’m staying away from this game.  Too many distractions for the Raiders.

Pats 17 @ Panthers 22 +3.5: Panthers D can stop the Pats run game.  Pats have been successful when they can run the ball.   I don’t care who is the starting QB for the Panthers. 

Vikings 28 @ Ravens 33 -6:  Hate Kirk Cousins so much after they let me down last week. Ravens will come out focused.  Think both teams will move the ball.

Browns 14 @ Bengals 17 -2.5: I don’t think the lose of OBJ is material.  But Baker is playing like crap.  Bengals just got embarrassed. Like a bounce back from the Bengals, but also think that this could be a Baker statement game.

Bills 33 @ Jaguars 10 +14.5: How is this line not larger?  

Texans 21 @ Dolphins 17 -6.5: They have the same record…Taylor is starting. Love the Texans here.

Broncos 13 @ Cowboys 32-9.5:  Don’t know how the Broncos will score here.

Chargers 24 @ Eagles 28 +1.5:  Herbert is dinged up.  Chargers run D is being exposed.  Eagles can run the ball effectively.   Like the Eagles here.

Packers @ Chiefs -7:  What a crap performance by the Chiefs on Monday night.  Packers are in turmoil. Wiz loves the Chiefs here, where I like the Packers here.   

Cardinals 21 @ 49ers 24 +1.5:  Even if Murray plays, he is definitely injured.  He’s a different QB when he is dinged.  I’ll take the home dog in this divisional matchup  

Titans 35 @ Rams 42 -7.5:  Track meet here.  Rams will roll over the Titans secondary.  Titans will just chuck it, which will result in turnovers or Titans scoring.

Bears 16 @ Steelers 14 -6:  I don’t like this Steelers team on offense.  They will score between 14-20 points.  So I don’t need that much offense from the Bears to cover. 

 

Best Bets  50-57-1

Ravens Over

Chargers Over

Titans Over

Panthers

Ravens

Eagles

49ers

Bears

Texans

Bills

Saints

 

 

Supercontest: 15-23-2

Ravens

Chiefs

Panthers

Bears

49ers