Well, spurned on by Layup's post and my first transaction to get cash on hand for Vegas, I thought I'd look back on my history in Vegas.
2009 is the 15th anniversary of my first trip to Vegas, and this will be my 11th trip overall. Here is a quick recap of the other 10 trips, which I hope will spur discussions, defenses and (of course) corrections of my fading memories:
Trip 1: Aug 1994 (Palace Station). A grad school friend of mine went with me. I went during the baseball strike, so the only real sports I could gamble on was Preseason NFL and regular season CFL. I planned to play only blackjack until my friend introduced me to craps. First session: layout $30, lost it in 5 minutes. Put out another $30, and won $120. This is easy!
He went to play 7-card stud, and I went to the strip to play - and conquer - craps. Uh, not so fast, my friend. Had losing sessions at the Frontier and (ugh) Circus Circus.
Walked the strip, from the north end all the way down to MGM. God, nothing was down there!
Lost all of my bankroll on that time - my last hour was spent playing the nickel slots. However, I was comped at the Frontier for my 3-4 sessions there, which set me up for....
Trip 2: Dec 1999 (Frontier) . Layup went with me on a weekend trip on my way to Phoenix. This trip started it all in creating the unforgettable Zahn brothers' gambling memories: the ill-fated BJ trip to the Desert Inn; the 4:30 am "wake-up" calls to run downstairs to play craps; creepy gambling sessions at the Stardust. I remember placing sports bets at the Imperial Palace in a back room somewhere. I lost, but no more than expected; a distraught Layup, however, lost his original bankroll and more by the end of the trip.
Trip 3: Mar 2003 (Monte Carlo). My first NCAA trip with Layup and the crew. What, were there 5 of us in that room that year? I remember the Boardwalk run with Laura; winning big the first night (always a bad sign) , and my first poker session in the Monte poker room. My first winning hand was against a Gene Keady look-alike; I won, as my pair of aces with a Q kicker beat his J kicker. This was the year of the "international" incident, where I played craps betting with the dice against two middle-easterners who bet the don't pass. I got killed, but sacrificed myself as I told Layup not to play: "this doesn't concern you". In the sports book, I hugged a 6'5" Hispanic gang member during the Arizona-Gonzaga game, and yelled for Dan Rather to get off the TV as bombs started falling in Baghdad. Oh yeah, Layup said there were two other friends of his (one was Leland, and the other? some friend of Leland's who seemed like a dick) who stayed at the Mirage - we made it up there once. What assholes....what, were they too good for us? Is the Monte Carlo beneath them?
Trip 4: Mar 2004, Conf Champ weekend (Monte Carlo). This was the first of the hockey trips with Steve and Kermit, as Steve's adult hockey team had an annual spring tournament. I think Layup came on these trips in 04-05. Five to a room, with Steve's brother sleeping in a sleeping bag on the bed; Layup on the floor. Smith & Wollensky's was a staple for us. We saw Steve's brother maybe twice the whole trip. Only gambling memories I have are: 1) me making a terrible faux pas, requesting to become the banker at the Pai Gow table with Steve and Kermit, and 2) a classic scene at the craps table where the roller was on fire, winning on every roll - and his hockey team trying desperately to pull him away to catch the bus for the hockey game. Oh yes, and I got depressed at the end of the trip and ended up breaking down emotionally...but that's another story.
Trip 5: Mar 2005, Conf Champ weekend (Monte Carlo). Same cast of characters. I remember leaving the house in Iowa to the Cedar Rapids airport.....and then what? Steve never seemed to be in the Monte at all- he always played black jack at the MGM (in the morning) or- gulp- at the Luxor. Steve, for whatever reason - loved the Luxor. This was Kermit's Blazing 7 infatuation, I think - he won a $1500 jackpot, considered kicking us out of the room for a hooker that night (it was 4 in the morning), and then lost it all away in the SAME FREAKING SLOT MACHINE. I think we made side trips after Steve's games to the Rio and the Palms - and oh yes, got to see the breasts of a wife of a teammate of Steve's at the game.
Wow, this is taking longer than I thought. Part 2 coming later...
5 comments:
Yes, I do have some corrections. '04 was my Blazin 7's addiction. Was up about $2000 on the machine and gave back about $500 trying to hit the $4000 payout. Ran the machine out of money and I thought it had malfunctioned so I called Steve at 4 in the morning to collect my winnings before the casino took it away. And that was the trip where I was talking to the hooker in the hallway outside our room. We had settled on a price but then I was told I had to wait my turn. That sobered me up quick and said no thanks.
I assume you'll get to the '07 trip. The year of the infamous night at Smith and Wollensky's and you having the piece of coconut hanging out of your mouth while I educated you on playing with the little man in the boat. I think that was also the same day after we got drunk on the golf course in Boulder, then visited the casino in the pass that had the bathtub craps table where I won $600 at $2 craps as we drank more.
Coconut
Were you there when we stayed at Hooters? What a pit. Remember being hungover getting a massage in the morning and praying that I don't throw up on the table. Then after, walking back to the room but don't have the energy so I sit down at a video poker machine and get a royal for $1000.
Those are good memories. Trying to forget the times when I arrive and lose $1000 in the first 6 hours. Or last year, you costing me $100's at 3 card 'cause you couldn't sit for 5 minutes.
Man, I totally forgot about those hockey trips. That's when I used to go out back to back weeks. Kermit's drunk snoring was/is legendary. Sleeping on the floor with my headset on full blast and still being hearing Kermit snore was very tough. I think I used to do those trips for $1K combined. How my budget has changed.
And that Frontier trip, I left Vegas with ZERO dollars in my savings and checking account. ZERO!!! That was after being up $800 at a $5 craps table. What a disaster.
One of my favorite memories was when Drew Nicholas hit that running off balance shot to sink UNC-Wilmington (although they still didn't cover, I wasn't dumb enough to take MD -6.5), but we advanced in the tourney on that shot. We all made a huge pig pile in the casino floor, jumping around and everything. Then Layup's glasses flew off and landed somewhere in Henderson NV I think. Of course they broke. I swear his glasses were made of paper mache - they were ALWAYS breaking!! OK, that was probably due to the fact that we were ALWAYS getting really drunk and then doing huge drunken pig piles, but whatever.
Anyhoo, back to our memory stroll, we caused a nice scene. Then shortly after that moment, Butler Country started with their run to the Sweet 16. And I am still pissed at old Gonzaga PG Blake Stepp for missing a wide open 12 footer which would have won me a boatload on the moneyline against someone (ARZ I think???). Overrated asshole.
I think it should be a rule that if someone directly costs you gambling coin, and you see said person on the street - you can punch them in the face. Just a thought.
I think that I can add a little color around the Layup breaking his glasses thing. Wiz and I were playing golf at Lake Las Vegas' Falls course earlier that day. I did so badly on the front nine that I didn't want to play the back nine. So at the turn, I just went into the clubhouse and got hammered and waited for Wiz to play the back nine. By the time he was done, I was a wreck. Wiz drove us back to the Monte where we got there just in time for the game. The only part of the game I can remember is Nicholas hitting that shot, me throwing my hands up in the air, knocking Layup's glasses off and then us trying to find the pieces. Clearly, one of my finer moments.
Wow....some of you have better memories than I.
Mer: 04 and 05 run together. If all of those things happened in 04, then what happened in 05? And yes, of course, I'll get to the 07 trip.
I thought the hooker was in the lobby downstairs - not in the hallway, 20 feet from us. Wow.
Layup: I think I joined you on the floor for a couple of nights. When it comes to sleeping in a double bed, Mer is like Saddam Hussein - screw the border in the middle of the bed - he will sprawl as he pleases.
Jay - that Md games seems like 10 years ago, doesn't it?
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