Wednesday May 27th, 2009

Dear god, what a horrible night's sleep. I had a wake up call scheduled for 9:30 am, so at best we could get about 4 to 5 hours of down time before having to get moving. I swear I averaged getting up every half hour thinking I'm late and missed the scheduled poker tournament for that day. I jumped awake more often than not, frantically looking at the clock and then realized what a tool I was for not being able to figure out I still have 3 hours left to sleep. This happened all morning. What the hell?

In any regard, when the wake up call finally did come, I asked Cory how the tournament went last night. "Hold out your hand" he said, as he laid out six $100 chips in a neat row. Turns out the bastard went on a card tear and ended up taking the entire tournament down for a nice pay day.

A few quick showers and we're out the door to look for some sustenance. We settle on the Grille at the Nugget. The breakfast burrito sounded decent. For a morning drink I go with an over priced orange juice while Cory starts in with a coffee. The orders come up soon enough, and we settle in for the awesomely unhealthy feast before us.

The burritos were great. At first they don't look very large, but once you finish half you realize it's just the right size. And not a bad price at all.

Just as we're about half way completed in our morning breakfast, another patron sits on my left. He's a friendly fellow who has a look that reminded me of Santa Claus with a white long scruffy beard and a head of hair that could use a decent trim. In any regard, he and the server behind the counter start talking about the traces of cocaine found in Red Bull over in Europe, how it's banned in a lot of places over there, blah blah blah. They then start talking about the differences between the "old" Coke and today's "new" Coke. My god, I really couldn't care less, but they seemed very interested in sharing their various knowledge on the topic. Since I didn't have ear plugs or ice picks to shove in my ears we quickly finished our meal and made our way out to the taxi stand.

One quick cab ride and we're walking in to the wonderful Excalibur casino. Today was the scheduled poker tournament / meet. The winner of this fine and well known event would secure bragging rights for at least the next year concerning his (or her) poker greatness, and world fame. The players included myself, B7's, HawaiianMark, MelWood, Historian, Kiddo, Mr. Big Pants, and Cory.

The table was kinda cool, but took some getting used to. After the first few hands, everyone had the hang of the inner workings. There's a confirmation button that must be pressed before your action is finalized. That way there aren't any mistakes in betting, or folding your hand incorrectly.

The first action (that I recall) is when Mark and I got into a pissing contest while each of us was holding AK off suit. Both of us were betting until the turn when we decided to slow it down. We chopped the pot, which I was more than happy with.

A strong win for me came when I flopped a set of 7's. The money all went into the middle on the turn when Kiddo turned up a pair of pocket 10's. At the moment I was ahead in the hand, but she had a flush draw in addition to her two outter. The river proved to more than seal the deal giving me four of a kind for a double up. Whew.

The levels were 10 minutes each, so the tournament went rather quickly. Before too long we were three handed between myself, Historian and Mr. Big Pants. Each one of us took our turn passing around the chip lead. I started my own little bluffing fest and would steal the blinds anytime I could. It worked nearly every time, and I continued the pressure when Historian and myself were the only two with chips. He gave up his big blind a few times which I was grateful for.

Then the final hand came around. I was dealt an unimpressive 8♠ 5♠. The flop brought out a scare card and displayed A♦ 7♥ 3♠. Both of us checked, and I hit a nice 8♦ on the turn giving me a comfortable middle pair. I figured since there was no pre-flop raise or a bet on the flop, Historian was missing that needed ace in his hand. He decided to make a stand and pushed all in. It was a large bet to me, but I would have done the same thing in his position. He had the J♦ 4♦ looking for either a jack or a diamond on the river. The A♠ failed to meet either of those criteria and the match was over. My heart could begin to return to a normal pace.

The final hand wasn't one that novels are written about, but it was a good match and a fun time. I didn't win a chocolate penis for busting early like some people, but I guess I could always try for next year... On second thought, maybe I'll just take the cash again and keep the trophy in Omaha where it belongs. Time will tell I suppose.

As things concluded, a few of us decided to wander over to MGM to try our luck at some bar top video poker. Tess, B7's, Cory and myself wander across the way and find ourselves seated at a bar top across from most of the table games. None of us had any luck at all. I fed the machine an easy $60 with no significant wins. Cory had similar results. I will say however the drink service was great. I at first was betting max credits and received a rum and coke for my efforts. As I finished that one, the bartender had another waiting for me without asking or being prompted. THAT'S the kind of service I'm looking for in Vegas. Each time he was tipped a dollar for his efforts, and after my sixth I had to throw in the towel. So it's only as if the drinks cost me $10 (well, $11 with tip) each. I did manage to get a few freebies while only betting one credit at a time, so I think it all depends on the bartender on duty. I'll take it.

Once all our wounds had been mended, we decided to try out Wolfgang Puck's for a quick bite to eat. I still had about $150 in MGM / Mirage certificates to be used, and I've been curious about their food for a while. I offered to treat since I mainly wanted the certificates to be utilized for something better than a cushion in my back pocket.

Cory and I ordered a pineapple mojito, Tess went with a sangria, and B7's settled for water for starters.

We each picked out an appetizer (or as they call it a "small eats" item) since no one really had a raging hunger brewing in their stomach. Tess and B7's went with the crab cakes, Cory opted for the beef skewers, and I landed on the tartare. I also ordered a plate of Puck's bleu cheese chips with truffle oil.

Everything was good, but truth be told, I was the most curious about the chips and truffle oil. I've heard good things about them for a while, and finally had the chance to try it out first hand. While delicious, I thought the chips were coated in a little too much oil. They were still great, and I'd order them again, but hope they'd use less the next time around.

The final tally before tip came out to be $124. Perfect for someone using gift certificates $25 at a time.

In short order the bill was paid and we wandered towards the monorail so we could utilize that instead of walking over to Ballys for the final meet. B7's picked up the $5 ticket for everyone and a few minutes later we were off the tram walking in. Most everyone was already there ahead of us, and we pull up a seat. Before too long there were buckets of beer on the tables, and I thought I'd try out their $7 margarita. It wasn't bad for that price, and a better deal than their other cocktails.

Drinks and laughs were shared, and again it was a comfortable and easy going time. After my margarita B7's offered me a Corona from the bucket in front of him and I gladly accepted.

The entire reason Cory and I were able to arrange a Vegas trip was due to a friend's bachelor party. The bachelor's name is Duster and he was now in town working his way over towards us in Ballys. While saying our good byes I put a $5 bill next to B7's beer he was working on to thank him for the Corona. I don't think he noticed, and left well enough alone. B7's handed Cory a tall Bud Light for the walk out, but I had the last laugh by clanking the top of the aluminum bottle (lightly I might add). Cory's weak ass grip couldn't handle my sudden douche-baggery ninja like reflexes, and dropped the damn thing right on the floor. Duster was cool enough to get a towel from the bar to attempt to clean up some of the mess, and we made our way out.

Duster, Cory and I wander through Paris and pile into a taxi for the drive back to the Nugget. As we were leaving we heard a craps table erupt and one guy jumping up and down shouting "I won $10,000! I won $10,000!" By the time we got into the taxi, I bet he lost it all back.

After the cab ride, we bring Duster up to the room so he can check it out. I re-load on some spending cash, grab a few complimentary drink coupons and we're back out the door. We settle at the bar across from the poker room and cash in our 4 free drinks. All of us settled on rum and cokes and the boys each took advantage of a smoke break. There really wasn't a plan, so we all make our way into the Gold Spike. I guess this place has been cleaned up recently, so we settle in for some cheap roulette.

The dealers in our section were all female, and well....gifted in at least one particular area or another. I first buy in and get the orange chips for my bets. I lost those quickly enough, and then opted to try out the yellows. I asked the pit boss if it were okay to use pictures, and received an unequivocal "yes." They had no issue with me snapping pictures of the table, dealers, chips, or anything. That was a nice welcomed change. Typically I have to try to be sneaky about it, but they all but encouraged it.

During one spin Duster had a nice hit on the single / double zero. However, since he had a dollar on there it seems the dealer mis-paid him. He was given $35 even for his bet even though he had money on both numbers. I called him on it, but didn't let the dealer in on our conversation. Pretty soon we all were covering the zeros and again they came up. We all made a nice little comeback from that hit. And yes, at one point I did have all the yellow chips on the table in my possession, so I had to snap a few pictures of that. The drink service was very adequate, but I'm sure it helped our cause that we were the only table in action at the time, and she was making at least $3 a visit. In short enough order we all cashed out ahead (albeit slightly) and made our way outside.

We opted to take Duster over to the El Cortez and see if our new found luck continues. There was more roulette there, and the boys also tossed some dice for a while. Duster determined that Rockstar and vodka is his new favorite binge drinking item (since the El Co doesn't have redbull). After a few rounds of dice, and I lost at mini baccarat, we ventured over to the Downtown Cocktail Lounge.

Now it's approximately 11:00 pm, and the place is very quiet. We mosey on in, and seat ourselves up at the bar. I peruse the cocktail menu and order the boys each an Obsello absinthe drink. Our bartender was named George and he knew quite a bit about Absinthe, it's history, and the various brands. We were talking to him for a good half an hour while nursing our drinks.

The absinthe tastes slightly like a black licorice flavor. It's not something you'd want to drink aggressively, but you don't need to quite take your time either. It's sort of a hard thing to describe if you've never smelled or tasted the flavor. We continued to talk to George, and I inquired about the other types of absinthe in addition to their differences and flavor profiles. He recommended I try out the LeTourment Vent. I can only describe it as tasting like a combination of mint, licorice and white pepper. Marilyn Manson also has his own brand of absinthe but George didn't sound too impressed wit it. I took a picture of the bottle in case anyone ever wants to try it the next time they walk past it in the store. (highly doubtful) I take my new drink and leave the other two boys at the bar while I find a table to sit at. There's only one other group in the bar at the moment, so we consist of approximately 50% of the paying customers. I was a little disappointed in the overall feel of the bar. I thought it might have been more populated at that hour. The website makes it look "cooler" with their uses of reds, pillows, and candles. It's a decent place, but not somewhere I'd hang out at all night.

I couldn't finish my new cocktail even after nursing it for some time. It was one of those things where you feel "if I finish this drink, it's going to put me over the edge" and I couldn't have that. I unfortunately had to dump about half of the drink out before we decided to head back to Fremont street.

We wander outside just in time to see the opening of the Fremont Street Experience. I was hoping to get a picture with the "God loves me, but hates everyone else" people, but I didn't see them this time around. I snap a few pics the best I can, and we continue our journey.

The first stop we hit is the Golden Gate. Duster treats us to a round of shrimp cocktails. They're $3.99 unless you have a players card. I don't, but at that moment, I really didn't care since I was starving. Cory opted to sit this one out, so Duster had two and I inhaled one. I decided that wasn't going to suffice, and went up and bought myself another shrimp cocktail in addition to an imitation crab meat selection as well. They were all devoured in record time.

The Plaza for some reason is where we ventured into next. The place was pretty dead. Absolutely no action going on in the poker room, and minimum attention at the table games. Duster and Cory sat at a few slot machines for a short while before we decided to turn in. We put Duster in a cab and sent him on his way. It was another late night and we both went back to the Nugget to crash, and crash hard.