It's all fun and games until.....

Well, here we are, writing a wrapup to another unforgettable trip to Vegas...Vegas 09, the diary.

Let me first say that I didn't quite fell myself until about Saturday. I could not get relaxed or loose no matter what I did on Thursday or Friday. (Maybe it was because I did not have a single winning session at a table until Saturday morning). Janice didn't think this was surprising - it takes her about 2 days to destress on a vacation. Well, that certainly was the case here. Two things to change for next year:

- Get more sleep before the trip (and this means no play in game Tue night), and
- For God's sake, don't go into work on Wednesday. I was rushing to get out the door by 2 pm so Mike and I could leave for the airport. Wednesday should be spent at home, checking email for 30 minutes, and then leisurely packing.

(It also should not involve a 20 minute conversation to your father-in-law, giving him your NCAA picks for his wife's office pool - except he doesn't have a bracket and is not a sports fan. Mike almost drove off I-75 3 times in laughter. "Gonzaga....yes....G-O-N....yes, like Gonzo....somewhere in Washington State....no, I didn't know Aunt Rhoda is going to Washington this summer......"

Wednesday night was a quiet night, losing some in Pai Gow poker and a little in craps. Went to bed 250 down.

Thursday was spent with the requisite hour of making picks and then - off into the Pai Gow Tiles pool! What a site to behold... Don and I (later joined by Mike) at the table, with a white male dealer, who is trying to teach us the game and the order of the tiles but is making some minor mistakes himself. The Asian pit boss kept a watchful eye on this game. Thanks to this experience (and Don's coaching), I now feel semi-comfortable on my own at the tiles.

A trip to the Black jack tables ended up with another loss, as Laura and I watch our 3rd baseman split 20's. Can't anyone here play this game? We then took our first (of 19) trips to the Mirage - and I forgot how much I love Ultimate Texas Hold em. We had a terribel dealer, however, in Gary - what an ass. He's criticizing my play of the game because, well, "I've been a dealer 16 years".

So I ask him point blank: "And this game has been around for, what, 3 years?"

He then asks: "What are the rules for splitting pairs in blackjack?"

Me: "Well, let's see, you never split 10's, always split aces and 8's, with 2's you..."

Gary (interrupting) then goes into a 20 second spiel that he has obviously memorized to show off to people.

Me: "OK, what's the optimal strategy for this game?"

Gary: "Well, only bet the max if you have a high pair"

Me: "That's not what Wizard of Odds says"

We didn't have any more chats the rest of the session. And the asshole dealt Wiz a straight flush!

After watching the end of the Maryland game in Wiz's room, Layup texted and said he was going downtown with Dick. I persuaded Mike to join us....and after three different texts with three different locations from Layup, we finally found him in the 4 Queens. Downtown in daylight is not a pretty sight.

We got pulled into this game called "Triple Exposure Blackjack" - which we will go into in a later post, but is fascinating. A loss there at craps (again) set us off to the Sahara, where we were told that the Fire bet existed.

Laura and Jay met us there, and, well, it didn't go so well for the 5 of us. I think Laura was fairly unscathed, I lost $200 and the other 3 - well, the joke is that Layup is now part owner of the Sahara. Some bad losses in sports - including the damn gooch by the black guy behind me in the Palazzo book about a Gonzaga cover - and the night did not end well.

Dinner that night at Del Toro was surprisingly good -loved that wine room we were in. Teh 4 pounds of Lasagna I had was delicious!

Friday - I had to awake and do my "homework" for basketball; nothing is more eerie than sitting in the lobby at 4:30 in the morning, using a calculator, calling your son, and seeing one after another of the young drunks pull in for the night. Yes, I am old.

I've never felt better for a round of golf in Vegas, and while my 79 was not spectacular, it could have been better and I beat Kermit and Don. Woo hoo!

And - yes, I will say it - In N Out Burgers are overrated.

More losses that day in BJ, Craps, and $15 Ultimate (AVOID AVOID AVOID) put me in a crappy mood before dinner; I had Florida State in the late game and a parlay that hinged on the Siena/Ohio St under. Both fell through at the last minute. F you all.

Dinner that night at Morel's was bad. The steak was unimpressive. The sides were good, the appetizer was good too, but the service sucked. Oh well, can't bat 1.000......

After dinner, Kermit, Laura, Amanda and I were determined to find cheap craps; yes, we went into the Casino Royale on a Friday night - and finally stumbled upon Imperial Palace. My God:

extra long craps tables + insufficient lighting + dice with a logo in the middle = you have no idea what was rolled until the dealer (who was half paying attention) called it. And there was a 30% chance you couldn't hear the call.

Just an awful casino. In the 20 minutes we played, he made at least 3 mistakes in paying me out and I think he shorted Kermit out of $5. And- the image of a Freddy Mercury-lookalike having sex with poles on a center stage surrounded by black jack tables is something that is burned in my retinas.

Saturday morning arrived - oh shit! We all love Va Tech! I've got to get that bet in! I run downstairs, get orders from Wiz and Layup on this game - we all love it as well - and finally get the bet in at the last minute because the person in front of me was nice enough to let me go ahead.

I should sue him.

I love the cabana day. Lay out in the sun, drink fruity/chocolately drinks, relax, watch basketball outside - it's great to get away from the casino.

More coming tomorrow......