NFL Week 17: ????

Well, here we are at the end of the NFL season. No time right now for a restaurant review or writeups - I will add those later to this post.

Predictions for the games:

Buf 20, NYJ 10
NO 27, Car 13
GB 24, Det 20
KC 23, LAC 20
Min 24, Chi 13
NE 31, Mia 17
TB 30, Atl 27
Bal 16, Pit 13
Dal 31, Was 10
Ten 24, Hou 17
Ind 20, Jax 10
Phi 27, NYG 24
Den 27, Oak 20
LAR 23, Az 20
Sea 24, SF 21

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 9-6-1; overall: 108-109-7
ATS: Last week: 7-1-1; overall: 58-67-6
O/U: Last week: 2-5; overall: 50-42

Buf -1.5
NYJ/Buf under 36.5
Det +12.5
LAC +9
Min -1
Chi/Min under 42.5
Atl/TB over 47.5
Bal +2
Pit/Bal under 37
Dal -10.5
Ten -3.5
Ind -4
Ind/Jax under 42.5
Den -3.5
Den/Oak over 41
Sea +3.5

Supercontest picks: Last week: 5-0. Overall: 36-42-2

Buf -1.5
LAC +9
Min -1
Bal +2
Sea +3.5

NFL Week 16: Golden Bison

We're going way back here in the memory bank to an obscure restaurant in Lodi, OH - the Golden Bison restaurant! It's not a franchise, just a single location restaurant that closed 10, 15 years ago at least. I can't find anything on the internet about the restaurant - so we are going from memory!

The Golden Bison was located at the junction of I-71 and I-76 about 30-35 miles south of Cleveland. It was your typical truck stop/diner kind of restaurant - serving comfort food to truckers and travelers. A perfect stop for ….a division 3 golf team that has a low budget!

Our first tournament every year was played at the College of Wooster on their 9 hole course - yes, an 18 hole college tournament held on a 9 hole course. (The first hole was so intimidating for me - as  fader at the time, it was a 320 yard par 4 with a road about 10 yards right of the fairway - and the driving range left. I think I hit 4 balls out of bounds in my career on that hole).

Anyway, we had to get off at the Lodi exit to get to Wooster - and Coach stopped at the Golden Bison for a team breakfast every year. That's when I got introduced to the magic of sausage gravy and biscuits.

I grew up in the north - I still consider northern Maryland the "North", even though we were 10 miles south of the Mason - Dixon line - so I never had the chance to experience the magic of sausage gravy and biscuits. Why not try it when I'm not paying for it?

(Some of you are saying - um, Lodi is not in the south; why would you expect a restaurant 30 miles south of Cleveland to serve good southern food? Listen, it wasn't logical, and as my teammate (and contributor) Steve would say - anything south of the Ohio Turnpike in considered Kentucky and, by definition, the South. So there. )

I was hooked the moment I had the first bite. Where had this food been hidden from me all my life? It's 38 degrees outside in late March, we're going to play golf - and the gravy and biscuits warmed me up and gave me energy throughout the round. It also may have caused a few bathroom runs during rounds, but no matter.

We stopped there every year for our first tournament and I ordered it each time. it didn't bring me luck or anything - but it was a good filler for a cold March golfing day.

The site of the Golden Bison is now a travel stop with a food court; Freddie's soccer team stopped there one summer on a road trip to northern Ohio and I had to bow my head in a moment of silence for the once proud, grand Golden Bison. 

As for Steve? His favorite breakfast food was hash browns - extra crispy hash browns.
And I mean it - like burnt hash browns. The blacker the better.

On to the games:

TB 27, Hou 24
NE 20, Buf 10

SF 20, LAR 17. The Rams defense is playing better, and I think they have the ability to stop Kittle and the Niners - at least contain them a bit.

Atl 31, Jax 20. Only you can guess the motivation of each of these teams. Very surprised Jacksonville found the fortitude to rally last week at Oakland.

Ind 27, Car 13. New QB for Carolina - and I can't see them throwing McCaffrey out there for 30 carries in a meaningless game. They are ready to pack it in.

Mia 30, Cin 20. I don't think the Bengals can take advantage of Miami's weak defense. And why would they want to win?

NYJ 23, Pit 20.  Just a hunch - Pittsburgh always loses one of these road games near the end of the year. They really have no offense.

Ten 24, NO 20.  I've seen this movie before - Brees can sling it indoors, but struggles outside. Tennessee continues to impress me (even though they lost last week).

Was 20, NYG 16. Who cares? Have to go with the team with the better coach - which, shockingly, is Callahan.

Den 27, Det 13. Another team ready to pack it in. 3rd string QB for the Lions, on the road, after a home loss - facing a team that was embarrassed. The Broncos should roll.

Oak 30, LAC 27. I know a lot of the Raiders are sitting, but they can't end their season like they did last week. Should be a shootout.

Phi 28, Dal 27.  I have no idea what Cowboys team will show up. Can they take advantage of the Eagles poor pass D - on the road? No clue.

Sea 30, Arz 20. I think the Cardinals can score enough in garbage time to be close to the back door here.

KC 23, Chi 14. The Chiefs' D is getting better and better - and no one is really noticing. How are the Bears going to score in this game to keep up?

Min 27, GB 20.  Can Cousins do it? Can he win a big game on Monday night? This is a perfect time against an overrated Packers team.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 7-7-1; overall: 99-103-6
ATS: Last week: 3-4-1; overall: 51-66-5
O/U: Last week: 4-3; overall: 46-37

TB +3 (T)
NE -6.5  (not looking good at the moment)
Buf/NE under 37 (ditto)
LAR +6.5
LAR/SF under 44.5
Ten +2.5
NYJ +3
Pit/NYJ over 37
Mia +1
Ind -6.5
Ind/Car under 46.5
Den -7
Dal/Phi over 46
Oak +7.5
Oak/LAC over 45
KC/Chi under 44.5

Supercontest picks: Last week: 2-3; overall: 31-42-2
LAR +6.5
Ind -7
Mia -1
Den -7
Oak +7

NFL Week 15; Bennigan's

Bennigan's! Everyone's favorite Irish pub from the 1980s! The Irish food at my friend's house (Craig)

is so much better - but for a mass-produced, chain Irish pub, Bennigan's wasn't too bad. Like most of these restaurants we talk about, it went bankrupt in the 2000s, but it's trying to make a comeback with a good strategy that might actually work.

Bennigan's was founded in 1976 by Pillsbury - and then went through a various change of corporate ownership over the next 30 years. At its peak, there were over 300 Bennigan's in the US. In 2008, the corporate headquarters decided to pull the plug and go into bankruptcy - closing almost all the stores. Just over 10 remained.

The star of the menu isn't really any irish fare - but the Monte Cristo sandwich. That's French, right? For those that don't know, a Monte Cristo is a ham and turkey sandwich that is then dipped in batter and fried - so the bread is more like a French toast. And it's served with some sort of fruity jam. Of course, we have to put powdered sugar all over it, too - nothing says Ireland than powdered sugar all over your entrée.

The Bennigan's we always went to was the one in Iowa. We lived about 2 miles from the largest mall in Iowa City - and frankly, the largest mall between Des Moines and Moline, a span of about 200 miles. They had a Target in the mall - and next to the Target was a Bennigan's. So - with 2 kids under 3 or 4, you could imagine how many Target runs were made per week.

And - if you already made the trek out during an Iowa winter - by bundling up the kids in their babyseat and getting them to go to the bathroom - might as well stay out and get dinner. So there were many, many outings in 2 years where a Wednesday night in January consisted of:

- leaving the plant in complete darkness at 5 pm; temperature: 2 degrees F
- picking up the kids from day care
- get home, let the dogs out. pack up baby food for a 11 month old Warren - keep the kids bundled up
- get back in the car, head to Target
- get to Bennigan's around 6:30 for dinner
- get home by 7:30, 8 to put the kids to bed

Getting there by 6:30 meant you could catch most of some random Big Ten basketball game that was on TV - Minnesota at Northwestern, let's say.  It was always winter when we went there, it seemed. I don't ever remember going there in shorts.


I have memories of Freddie - who was 3 or 4 at the time - just being a mess at the restaurant. As all toddlers were! Our dinner always consisted of noodles or French fries thrown all around our table on the floor.....we just sheepishly gave our server a look when he came by. and then when Warren started on solid food ----- double the mess....

Oh! Bennigan's was also know for its Death by Chocolate dessert....no, I didn't always order this for myself, but it was split a lot!

The Bennigan's in the Coral Ridge Mall closed in 2014......a Mellow Mushroom is in its place now. Sad.

Bennigan's is trying to make a comeback now by expanding into small towns/small cities. Three Bennigan's were opened this year, in these locations:
- Steubenville, OH ( 30  miles north of Wheeling)
- Mandan, North Dakota (just outside Bismark)
- Monahans, Texas (um....50 miles from Odessa?)

They are trying to dominate small markets instead of moving into suburbia. As the CEO says, "if we go into Manhattan, no one cares. If we go into these markets, it's the biggest event in a decade". You know - he's got a point. I hope it works for their sake! I want another Monte Cristo sandwich!

On to the games:

TB 31, Det 27. Still can't trust Winston to win a game by double digits or so. Detroit has no running game - and Tampa has a great run D - so both teams will pass pass pass.

KC 24, Den 21. OK, I'll jump on the Lock bandwagon. The Chiefs just look a little off the last few weeks, and I think Denver's run game and D will keep it close.

Ten 31, Hou 27. Have to figure out who to root for in order to boost the faint Browns' WC chances. I do believe Tannehill can keep this good run going.

Mia 30, NYG 27. Miami still has no D - so Eli will move the ball. But it's so tempting to take Miami and the points....feel like this is a trap.

GB 20, Chi 13. I rarely think that a second division game will be like the first (remember week 1, 10-3) but I can't see either team breaking 20 here.

Sea 27, Car 13. Yes, the Panthers look like a team that is giving up - and the worst matchup for a team like that is a physical, running team - like the Seahawks. Seattle will run and get out.

NE 24, Cin 13. I am now 0-3 this year betting on the Patriots. I give up.

Phi 23, Was 13. The only semi-good thing about the Eagles is the run D - and that's the only thing the Skins can do. What, Haskins will beat this team? I don't think so.

Oak 30, Jax 20. Last game in Oakland. All sorts of emotions here - with a dejected Jacksonville on the other side. Could be a blowout, but Oakland has no D.

LAC 27, Min 24. Complete look ahead for the Vikes - Green Bay is next week. I expect them to come out flat and not be able to make it all the way back.

SF 26, Atl 17. How can the Niners repeat what they did last week? A letdown has to happen. And the Niners D will limit the Falcons' offense.

Dal 24, LAR 20. Just a hunch. I just can't trust Goff on the road - and I have to in my fantasy semi-final. Ugh.

Pit 20, Buf 16. All the numbers say Buffalo, but this is in Pittsburgh and I've seen too many weird things happen in favor of the toothless inbreeds in Pittsburgh.

NO 27, Ind 17. Again, another semi-letdown game for the Saints after the game of the year last week. The Saints have enough D to stop Brissett.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-2; overall: 92-96-5
ATS: last week: 2-4-2; overall: 48-62-4
Over/under: last week: 6-1; overall: 44-34

TB/Det over 46
Den +10
Hou/Ten over 51.5
Mia +3
Mia/NYG over 46.5
GB -4
Chi/GB under 40.5
Sea -6
Sea/Car under 49.5
Phi -6
Oak -6.5
LAC +1
LAC/Min over 45.5
Atl/SF under 48.5
Dal +1.5

Supercontest picks: Last week: 1-2-2; overall: 29-39-2

Den +9
GB -4
Sea -6.5
Phi -4.5
LAC +2.5

NFL Week 14: K-mart Cafeteria

The K-Mart cafeteria! C'mon, you can admit it. You ate there once or twice...even though it was

probably gross. What a place in the 70s - where else can you buy tires, a refrigerator, thank you notes and Veal Parmesan all under one roof??

I don't want to make this a K-Mart the store post, but it's hard to describe how prevalent K-Mart's were in the 1970s. They were like Wal Mart and Target - combined. It was the only nationwide store I can think of - maybe besides Ames - that sold the goods they did. So everyone went there - and everyone understood what a "blue light special" was.

So - you spent a few hours at K-Mart - there was no way you were getting in an out of there in 30 minutes - and then you get hungry. Well, why go anywhere else? I can't find any stats on how many K-Marts had cafeterias, but from an informal survey here at home, the Perring Parkway K-Mart had one and the Marysville K-Mart did not. So, 50%?

Actually, as I did more research, many K-Marts had two eating places - a full cafeteria in the back that served hot food, and a delicatessen up front that served lunchmeat and subs in the front. I think I had these subs once or twice - an easy grab and go lunch for the kids for under a dollar! Loaded with bologna and lots of ham.

In reality, we never ate at the cafeteria - no Salisbury steak specials at K-Mart that I miss. However, there were two things they sold that we (Layup and I) got and that I fondly recall:

1. The big bag of popcorn! Ah yes, I vaguely - very vaguely - remember sitting in a cart in the 70s at KMart with my hand halfway down a 2-foot long bag of popcorn. Remember those bags? They were made of flimsy paper and after 10 minutes, the paper was all grease-laden and just a mess to handle, forcing Mom to buy some wet wipes. But the popcorn was great!

2. As we got older - the ICEE! Yes, it seemed K-Mart had the monopoly on Icee's in the 70s and 80s. Could you get them anywhere else? There were only two flavors back then - everyone was aware of this - Cherry and Cola. There was no rainbow or blue raspberry or foo foo crap like that. Pure artificial cherry flavor or the fine, natural taste of Coca-Cola. The Icee was a rare treat for only spcial occasions in our family.

In the 90s, K Mart went into a deal with Little Caesars to sell their pizza in stores; over 400 Little Caesars stations were opened in the early 90s and another 1000 stores had K cafeteria that sold Little Caesars pizza. Well, this was not a good business deal for Little Caesars as K-Marts started to close around the country with the growth of Wal Mart and Target....to where it is now. There are 70 stores still remaining in the US -  I don't think any of them have a K Mart cafeteria in them......

What's more stable? The current state of the K-Mart brand or the state of Freddie Kitchens' job? I'll leave that up to the reader. On to the games:

Atl 23, Car 20. Normally, I would go against the team that fired their head coach during the week - but this departure is odd. Hugs, kisses everywhere between the Panthers and Rivera. I'll stay away.

Bal 24, Buf 23. I continue to believe that the Ravens are vulnerable to a good running team - and the Bills are that, with the added plus of Allen. How many good games can the Ravens play in a row?

GB 24, Was 17. The Packers are not that good defensively - and Washington can dominate them with the run. I don't expect the Pack to lose in Lambeau, but this will be closer than some expect.

Hou 31, Den 20. I like the Denver run game matchup vs. a Houston team reading their press clippings. But the Texans have too much firepower to lose this game.

Min 34, Det 14. A get right game for the Vikings. We have tape on Blough now, and Cousins is desperate for a win - better to get it at home!

NO 26, SF 23. Can't get a read on this game. Good matchup on both sides - I think this is more of a test for the Saints given their recent performance.

NYJ 31, Mia 20. OK, everyone can stop kissing the Dolphins' ass. They still have no defense. 41 given up to the Browns, 33 to the Eagles....that's the issue here.

Ind 24, TB 20. I'm getting off the Winston bandwagon. The Colts did not play bad last week, and their defense is still strong.

Jax 27, LAC 24. Who knows? How many games can the Chargers give away? I think Minshew gives the Jags much more of a chance to win than Foles.

Pit 20, Arz 16. Very impressed with the Steelers defense. Their offense is just Duck heaving the ball downfield...and trying to get a PI. No, I'm still not bitter from last week.

NE 26, KC 17. I know, I have too much belief in Belicheck. They can't lose two in a row to AFC contenders, can they? Don't answer that.

Ten 30, Oak 24. Tannehill can manage a game vs. one of the worst defenses in the NFL; Carr will have to carry the Raiders O because of the Titans run D. I don't believe he can do it.

LAR 23, Sea 21. A lower scoring game for this divisional rematch. Should be another close game, with the Rams run D stopping Carson and Russell's ability to escape the pocket.

Phi 30, NYG 20. Eli's swan song! Who knows if the Eagles will be ready to play for this game. I'll stay away.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 4-8; overall: 84-91-3
ATS; last week: 3-5; overall: 46-58-2
O/U: last week: 1-3; overall: 38-33-1

Buf +6
Was +12
Den/Hou over 42.5
Min -12.5
SF/NO over 44.5
NYJ -5.5
Mia/NYJ over 45.5
Ind +3
Jax +3
Pit/Az under 43.5
NE -3
KC/NE under 47
Ten -3
Ten/Oak over 47.5
Sea/:AR under 47

Supercontest picks: last week: 2-3; overall: 28-37

Was +12.5
Min -13
NYJ -5.5
Ind +3
NE -3

Vegas Diary: November 2019

Before we get to the week 14 NFL picks - which are pretty much worthless this year (or, if you fade me, it's been profitable) - let's go ahead and write the diary from the 3-day Vegas trip this fall! Thanks to Layup for organizing this; we decided to have a football/basketball weekend in Vegas this fall just because....well, because we needed it. What a fun trip - from the meals, gambling, football and of course the various cast of characters that came our way.

On to my diary and my notes:

Friday, November 22
The trip was going to be 7 of the regulars - me, Layup, Wiz, Mike A, Mike D, Don, and Jay! I was looking forward to playing craps with Jay since it's ben a long while and we tend to get a little silly when we gamble together. (Jay was with me at the Pai Gow table when I did a real-life demonstration of what a topless Pai Gow hand is).

The Cincinnati crew got in around 1:30; I took a quick rest and headed down around 3. Wiz came in about 4 - Jay was coming in way later - so the 6 of us filled up a UTH table that afternoon. And soon after, the controversy started.

Layup was playing quarters - on the trips on this hand, too - and got dealt Ace-9. Automatic 4x hand for him. The flop, miraculously, comes A-A-A. Layup flopped quad aces! Everyone got excited and the rest of us played our hand.....

Now, the procedure at the Mirage is to keep the 2 dealer cards in the tray until everyone makes a bet. So the dealer's cards were not on the table yet. The dealer got all excited with Layup's quad aces - took the dealers cards out of the tray and put them in the burn pile. Then he went to my cards ( I was in seat 1) and turned my cards over to see if I won, comparing my cards to ….what?

The dealer has no cards. Uh oh.

The pit boss was called over, and the "misdeal" word was bandied around. Layup started to get agitated, and then infuriated. The dealer could guess where his cards were in the burn pile - but I don't think the pit boss was 100% convinced. The game was stopped as we got the security camera involved, and a separate security guy came down to understand the situation.

Now, there was a lot of confusion. Layup had the best hand possible - but the pit boss probably wasn't going to pay the "play" circle because of the burned cards. Everone who bet trips would win, since there was trips on the flop (Layup would get quads, and someone else had a full house). Then there was a question on the blind bet - what to do with that?

Eventually, the decision was made......
1. All players' trips would be paid
2. All players' ante and play markers were a push.
3. All players' blind bet would be paid as a quad.

Point 3 made no sense whatsoever; I didn't have a quad, but somehow $250 was slid my way and to everyone on the table. Layup lost about $200 possible profit with the ante and play pushes. It was clear the pit boss and the security guy didn't know the inner workings of the game and just tried to make an equitable decision without regard to the game rules. Wiz and I (and others) just had a wry smile on our faces as we got an extra $250 while Layup tried to argue he had the nuts and there was no way his play action would have lost....but to no avail.

The dealer was promptly removed from the table.

After that, we went to dinner at the Italian Costa restaurant - good meal, I think; I'd go back there again. Then there was a craps session - the six of us split up on each side of the table; Mike A was the only one of the six to make a point. There was a woman (?) who sidled up to Layup and started
betting the don't pass; Layup named her Jabba the Hut and she was an instant killer to the mojo of the table. Wiz actually intentionally threw the dice at her - and got Layup blamed for it! That was the highlight of the session - we left, all of us losers.

I played a little baccarat with Layup - nothing special, another loss - and played Pai Gow with

John for a bit and, predictably, got killed. 0-for-4 in gambling sessions on Friday. Jay came in later that night and as soon as he got in, I think I went to bed. I was happy I lasted until about 10:30pm that night!

Wiz, classy as always

After I was in bed, Layup and Wiz went to play UTH - and saw something they never has seen before. The dealer - not a player- getting sick at the table! Apparently, while dealing, the dealer started to wretch a bit - and then 15-30 seconds later, grabbed a tissue and threw up into the tissue while dealing. Gross. Glad I wasn't there for that.

Saturday, November 23

A free, pure gambling day with football and basketball games going off all day! We decided to put two parlays in for the group - one for the morning games and one for the afternoon. I got all the picks in before breakfast and there's the morning ticket on the right. Let's see if we can win one.

Had an uneventful UTH session before breakfast - another losing session - and then the breakfast buffet with everyone. We had a great discussion about the baseball hall of fame ballot this year and some of the crazy names on it - Travis Hafner! Ted Lilly! Placido Polanco! What are these names doing on there?

I went upstairs to take a nap, and just about as I was dozing off, an image appeared in my room - Leland! A complete surprise! Thanks for coming, Leland - I know it was painful for you (physically) to make the trip due to your back....great to see you!

After the nap, it was to the craps table with Jay and others....I've been trying to be more disciplined with my side / center bets.....you all know I love the horn high Ace-deuce, and the all small. Well, I wasn't going to give up on the all small - but I wanted to stop playing the horn high.

Unofficial mascot of Vegas Fall '19

With Jay around, well, that wasn't going to be possible. He was like an enabler and encouraging me to bet the horn high (and the dealers were at it too). We compared it to a smoke break at work - time to leave the office for 10 minutes, Jay, for a horn high? I decided to wean myself off of it - not cold turkey, but SLOW turkey - like those stupid Chantix commercials. So Jay and I started to talk about Chantix for the whole session.

Oh - and he rolled an all small for me (with the 5 being the final number). Thanks!

Had some lunch at the stall - $20 for 3 sliders - and then went to UTH. Got dealt K-10 of hearts; the flop contained the Q-J of hearts. Cmon! Two chances for my first royal!

It didn't come on the river; I didn't match the board. To add insult to injury, the dealer turned over the Ace of hearts to beat me. Argh.

Sat morning parlay. Thanks Layup!

While all this was going on, we started keeping track of the parlay. 7 plays in the parlay - and winners were coming in.  We were about 4-5 winners in when Layup's team - Liberty football - went down. Two more games later, the parlay card went 6-1 and that means a free dinner on Layup! Second time that had happened on the trip (I was the first to pay out a dinner for the group back in 2014 or so). I don't think Layup took this very well...….


Before dinner that night, another session at craps with the large group; Don rolled an all small for me (that was #3 on the trip). I was playing next to Leland and a couple of times, I got distracted and forgot to put odds down on my pass line bet. Leland reminded me each time to get my odds down. I got a little pissed the second time and yelled at him to stop reminding me! I got it!

You know what comes next -- about 10 minutes later, I forget my odds again, and Leland says nothing. The point hits - and I am flabbergasted! Where are my winnings on my odds? Leland just looks at me and smiles....you told me not to remind you, he says...…. and he was right. Me and my big mouth.

Before our free dinner, had a winning baccarat session where we were trying to get the banker run to "wrap" around - get 6 in a row so the table showing the banker wins makes a 90 degree turn and wraps around - so Layup and I were yelling at the cards to "wrap it up".  It didn't work, however.

Dinner was good - I didn't each much, sharing a steak with Don and not even finishing the half steak; the creamed spinach and the caramel ice cream at the end did not sit well with me and had to run to the restroom at the end.....

What a ladies' man!

One last craps session with the group after dinner; I was joined by some lovely ladies on my side of the table; however, they didn't bring us luck and the day ended with a losing craps session. All in all, a great day of gambling, but it was missing the cast of characters that truly makes a day memorable.….

Sunday, November 24

NFL Sunday! I want to thank Layup for reserving 2 couches for the eight of us in the sportsbook. What a fantastic setup. Seats to watch the 10 games going on at once with unlimited drinks (and great service) - and a CPK waiter coming over to serve food. Just great service and a great setup. Thanks!

Got a UTH session in before breakfast - a losing one - and made it downstairs to the book around 10:05 - just after kickoff of the 10 games. The Browns beat Miami handily - so I was able to cheer loudly for the win; I was able to hand out $10 winning tickets to the group on the Browns; first time I was able to do that! I had the Redskins over the Lions in the Supercontest - and there were 4-5 Dallas fans in front of us rooting for the Lions and Jeff Driskell. They were frequently chanting Driskell's name when the Lions did something right; I would sing Hail to the Redskins when Driskell made a mistake. The Redskins did end up winning, shutting up the Cowboys fans.

Hours in the book on Sunday

Again, I can't express how much fun that was - 4-5 hours there in the book with food and unlimited liquor. We inhaled pizza and lettuce wraps - well, I ate all the lettuce wraps; no one else wanted them for some reason. At about 2:30 - halftime of the afternoon games - it was time to get up and gamble again.

First was a UTH session with Layup and Wiz - and with Dan, one of our favorite pit bosses. The memorable hand at the table was when I got dealt 4-4 and I went in 4x; the board ended up being quad 2s, completely canceling out my pair of 4s. Only Layup was playing the trips.

Wiz was in seat 5 and a lady came over to sit in seat 6 - the end - and she immediately started to generate conversation with Wiz. She was a regular, and actually critiqued our play at some critical times (like me not playing the trips on the hand above). Dan whispered to Layup and I at the other end of the table: "She's crazy. Do not engage". It made for a horrible session for Wiz and some good laughter for Layup and I.

What was next? OK, I was ready for some salon blackjack action. Wiz, Layup and I found a table and they forced me to cut the first shoe. It was an OK shoe, I was up a bit but Layup and Wiz got hurt. For the second shoe, no one wanted to cut so I cut again.

Thinks were going ok until about the middle of the shoe-  and then I got hot. A real nice run. Getting 5's on 16; winning double downs and getting a lot of 19s and 20s. I think my streak hit 9 or 10 hands in a row. Layup and Wiz were aware of what was going on - and to their credit, said nothing as their cards were miserable. At the end of the shoe, I got berated for a bad cut while I just sat there smiling. We got into a small debate about how much you should press when on a winning streak like that - I'm not one to keep doubling bets after every win, but just implement a gradual increase in the stake....

I called it quits after that run and went to baccarat, where I played by myself (well, Mike A was there watching) and made some bad jokes about the "player" side being the cops breaking up the banker party. We never got on a banker run - the cops were always there.

Dinner that night was at the sushi restaurant with a great conversation about autonomous driving and if/when/how it will be accepted widespread in the US. With Layup's experience with accident rates and insurance, and my experience in dealing with coding contractors that can't code out of paper bag, it was a fun discussion. Of course, I was right..... :)

After dinner, a lot of us went to the UTH table where there was one other person playing - a drunk Mexican-American that was yelling at the dealers. The pit boss was constantly watching the table telling him to use 1 hand when handling the cards, don't throw the cards at the dealer when folding, etc. He was yelling "PAY ME" when he won and dropped F-bombs all over the place when he lost. He had a pocket full of $100 chips, so he wasn't going anywhere soon. It was fun to watch and play with him - for about 30 minutes - and then it became old. I'm shocked the pit boss didn't ban him from the table.....

During this fiasco, the dealer made a mistake on the hand and paid us when she shouldn't have. I think only Layup and I were playing at the time. 10 minutes later, the pit boss came over to us and alerted us of the mistake, and we would have to hand in money - I thought the amount was way too much. I had her check the tape again; at that point, Layup disappeared from the scene...… the issue was resolved when the pit boss came back, confirmed the amounts and then asked if we were staying at the Mirage. I said "yes", and the pit boss decided to forgive the error.

That was a good enough sign as any to leave the UTH table. Over to craps we all went! I think all of us were there at the table to start. The table wasn't going too well but it was getting more and more crowded. A very young looking guy - who looked 18, wearing an Edmonton Oilers jacket - got between Mike A and Wiz on their side of the table and put money down. About at the same time, an old man appeared on my side and asked "Is this a $15 table" ? I curtly responded "why don't you check the sign out" and promptly ignored him.....

The dice flew around the table - Wiz had one of his patented 8, 7 rolls - and the dice came to the Edmonton boy. The old man on my side in the hook near the dealer leans over - his head was literally over my chips - and yells "cmon Nathan, show em how its done"! He explained that he was the shooter's grandfather, taking him to Vegas for the Edmonton-Vegas hockey and, more importantly, showing him the craps tables. This was his first time in Vegas - and second time rolling - Nathan had a 20 minute roll earlier in the day.

Nathan - the 21 year old roller (he turned 21 in August) - was something else. Not a smile on his face. All business. He took the dice, did a fake throwing motion 4 times (yes, each time was a 4-fake, not 3, not 5...) and rolled. Firm, confident rolls. 9 seemed to be his favorite number; whenever he rolled 9 as a point, another 9 came within the next 2 or 3 rolls.

Nathan rolled for a good twenty minutes, rolling all sorts of points, numbers and hardways. The point was 4 one time - and Jay said "if he rolls a hard 4 here, I'm jumping on Layup's back and he's carrying me around." Soon after, he rolls.....one die was  2 and the other die was spinning...….Jay didn't even wait for the die to stabilize; it was going to come up "2" as well and he immediately jumped on Layup's back.

I talked to the grandfather a bit - telling him it was great to teach his grandson craps - and I asked about his father. Does his father gamble? Does hi father teach him any casino games?

"His father is a piece of shit" was the answer. OK then!

I hope everyone made money at the table with that roll; we all left shortly after that. Layup and I went to play baccarat. It was going fine until 2 Mexicans (who spoke Spanish at the table) sat next to me and joined us. Usually, this is bad news, but the main player was friendly and played along with us as we "alternated" drivers (instead of the driver being the one who bet the most money).

My baccarat mentor and coach

The highlight of the session was the tie bet. This guy would occasionally bet on the tie and banker/player pairs - and hit sometimes. We were in the middle of the shoe and - I think he placed a tie bet. I went ahead on a lark and joined him - a green chip on the tie. It hit! Nice $200 payout on the $25 bet.

So I press it up another green. I can't remember what the numbers were, but it ended up another tie! $400 payout. So - here we go - press it up again to $75.

I think the player had 7 - so he stood - and banker had 2. Another card was given - to my neighbor - and he folds the cards in quarters.....gives me a smile....slowly raises the quarter card and shows a "5". Another tie! $600 hit! That was exciting.

Layup and I picked up - and decided we weren't done gambling yet. It was getting late - maybe 10, 11 pm? - and went over to craps. Now, one of the goals I had on this trip was to play higher limit craps - just for once in my life. I was surprised to see there weren't any $50 tables (or up) on Friday night - there was just one $25 table and the rest $10, 15. I was prepared - with my bankroll, strategies and discipline (and taking my Chantix) to play higher limit craps.

We went to the same table where Nathan had his roll- there was just one person there rolling. We joined the other side of the table. And then.. something strange was going on and it took Layup and I about 2 minutes to realize what was happening. This roller was betting against himself! He had $25 on the don't pass, and then bet $25 on the don't come on each roll - so in the "lay" area, there were all kinds of chips of his betting against numbers.

This poor guy kept rolling numbers, however. He hit a point - a loser for him - and Layup and I joined in. The guy kept rolling and hit at least 2, 3 more points (with numbers) - making Layup and I some nice profits - but he kept losing money. He left the table shortly afterward.

So it was just Layup and I at the table and we weren't rolling all that well. I finally decided this is it and upped my bets to the higher stakes. First roll was a bit nerve wracking - I may have made a single point before sevening out; Layup didn't do any better.

The dice came back to me and I tried again. I think "5" came up a lot as a point number - and I made it. I started rolling plenty of "8"s. I was getting hot. Numbers galore. I think I rolled an all small for myself. (But not the all tall for Layup - missed it by an 11). I hit like 5, 6 points in a row; Layup's bankroll came back from the dead and I was filling up my rack full of chips. And it was just the two of us there..………...what fun...….

…..until........

the point was 10, and I was rolling 6's and 8's left and right when 3 people came to the other side of the table. They threw down $5000 in cash and asked for a $20K marker. (they were there for a few minutes before throwing the cash own, so they knew I was in the middle of a roll).

Well, of course, the game comes to a schreeching halt. They counted the money and gave them the chips; one lady did the betting and starting betting chips all over the place. 6, then 8, then buy the 4, then a hard 10, oh give me a 5, wait.....do I have a hard 8? There seemed to be no structure to their betting; they were just throwing chips all over the place...…… as I stood there, waiting for the dice to be passed back to me to continue the roll...

It was a good 5 minute delay. Layup and I gave them death stares; the one dealer leans over and tells us "they are one of our best customers here at the Mirage". OK, I understand that, but there are certain customs that MUST be adhered to.

Do I need to tell you what happened next? The dice finally get sent to me, I roll ----- 6-1, 7 out. Holy shit. Layup was apopletic; I even made some out loud snarky comments. They responded back; layup said some more things and then they picked up and moved to another table. The pit boss told us to calm down. I understand that, but still.....What a miserable downer to a great roll. They were completely in the wrong there - you just don't DO that.

What else could Layup and I do after that but to pick up? Layup explained the situation to the pit boss and he was not having any of it. So, about 1:30, it was off to bed.....

And, at the other craps table, our drunk Mexican-American was there, yelling at the dealers and players at the table for their rolls and payouts.....

Monday, November 25

With that baccarat and craps run still in my head, I got up early and got a session of UTH in - which was horrid. Should not have pressed my luck there. Said goodbye to everyone before and after that session and the Cincinnati crew headed to the airport at 7 am...…...

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful trip - especially to Layup for doing most of the logistics, rooms, and organizing. We will see everyone in March!