Here is Part 4/4 of my write-up of our trip to Vegas, recreated from a combination of (hazy) memories and notes I took each evening.
Day Four: December 19, 2004
With no big plans for the morning, most of the guys decided to sleep in. A couple of us, however, figured that it was high time we used the "Buy One Get One Free Breakfast Buffet" that we got from the hotel when we checked in. So me, Adam and Dave headed downstairs to get our fill. At first we were worried that they wouldn't take the coupon, because it was Sunday and the "Breakfast Buffet" becomes "Champagne Brunch", which is much more expensive. But they took it alright - which was awesome for us, because we got a much nicer breakfast out of the deal. The buffet was amazing, definitely worth the (discounted) price we paid.
By the time we got back, the guys were up and ready to head out. The only real plan for the day was to be sure and visit the Stratosphere, which is a hotel/casino off the strip that is basically shaped like a huge needle (similar to the Space Needle in Seattle). We knew there were a couple of rides there, plus you could get some sweet shots from the observatory at night. Adam was getting together with his grandparents during the day, so we figured we would tool around until he got back, then head to the Stratosphere.
Dave, Daniel and I decided it was about time to play some more poker, so we headed over to a place where we knew we could get tables with low minimums/blinds - The Excalibur. In case I haven't mentioned it yet, Excalibur completely sucks. It's one of the "family-friendly" hotel/casinos, but unless you're there with your kids, there is absolutely no redeeming value to it. The atmosphere sucks, the dealers suck, etc. But we went there anyways because we knew we could play for the cheapest amount. Me and Daniel wanted a no limit table, while Dave ended up playing pot limit. The other guys must have decided that they hadn't lost enough yet at the sports book, because they sat down over there and placed some more bets on some NFL action. Like the rest of Excalibur, the sports book completely sucks, especially compared with Mandalay. Moral of the story: don't go to Excalibur. Oh well, moving on...
While waiting for my table, I looked around to get a feel for the atmosphere. From what I could tell, it was a very inexperienced crowd, which I felt played into my hand. It was going to be my first time on a no limit table. When my seat was ready I cashed in my $100 - I knew there was going to be a problem when I got a small stack of $5 chips, rather than a large stack of $1 chips like everywhere else. When I got to the table, I knew I was in trouble - I looked around and saw that I was essentially the small stack already. Several people had 4 or 5 times what I did, and at least one guy was rolling with over $2000. These people were just tossing money left and right. I knew that I was in the wrong environment with my $100 and it wouldn't last long with these kind of stacks. I played one hand, got the worst hand in poker, and folded. Right after that, Adam called, saying he was back from meeting his grandparents and was wondering where to meet up with us. I used his phonecall as an excuse to get up from the table - I said it was a "family emergency". Had I played, there is a small chance I could have won big money, but more than likely I would have been muscled out very quickly. Dave ended up playing on a limit table for several hours before running dry, and Daniel, in what was becoming his usual routine, was up early yet ended up losing it all.
The bets made at the sports book were off and on. Several guys bet on the Colts, who covered the spread in dramatic fashion (imagine that). Steele lost his bet on the Packers, which I thought was hilarious. The Jacksonville Jaguars, a very warm-weather team, go up to Green Bay to play the home team Packers in below-zero temperatures. Was there ever a more sure bet than to take the Packers covering the spread? Oh no - not only didn't they cover, they lost the game straight-up. You gotta love sports betting.
Adam showed and we eventually caught a cab down to the Stratosphere. The results were mixed. The observatory was definitely cool and we got some good pictures. The rides were of mixed quality. Each cost $5, but only one was really good. It was basically a souped-up version of the Freefall at Six Flags. You get strapped into a chair, and then get shot straight up several stories into the air, and then dropped to the bottom. When it gets to the bottom, it bounces back up into the air (though not as high as the first time), and drops again. It does this a third time, and you're chewing on your stomach by the time it was over. Four of us (me, Adam, Tyler and Steele) did that ride, and it was amazing. There was another ride which basically straps you into a car on a track and gives you the feeling that it's going to drop you off the side of the hotel, but it looks a lot scarier than it really is, and was a letdown. Then there was the coaster Stephen and Dave did, which basically cruised around the top of the hotel a couple times, bringing new meaning to the word lame. Oh well, it was a mostly fun experience.
When we got back, the indefatigable Dave headed for the Poker Room at the Monte Carlo again, while the rest of us poked around the casino. John had a spare $25 chip and decided he was going to play it on the roulette table. He bet black and won, then won again. 5 minutes, $50 profit. Why isn't it always that easy?
Late at night we grabbed some dinner at the restaurant inside New York New York. The only really memorable part of this dinner was Adam being completely juvenile - without going into too many details, let me just say that he had a sudden preoccupation with drawing human genitalia in crayon on anything he could find - napkins, plates, etc. He definitely left a aurprise for the cleaning crew - I hope they enjoyed it.
After dinner we headed back to the Monte Carlo again to roam the casino. For awhile now I had decided that getting up from that no limit table without losing the money was a good omen, and that I was going to win big by putting that $100 somewhere else. What I couldn't decide was where to spend it: on another Hold'em table, or on the Craps table. After awhile I decided that craps was where I had the most fun, and I wanted to try it again. Unfortunately, the Monte Carlo had $10 minimums and $100 wasn't going to get me very far. So after watching the guys play some video poker for awhile, I decided to head back to Excalibur (ugh) where I knew I could get $5 minimums. Stephen and John came along, while everyone else headed up to bed.
I started playing at the Exaclibur while Stephen and John watched for awhile. Eventually they went off to roam. I was having decent luck - they came back after probably about an hour, and I was about even. For the first time I actually rolled decently myself, which was an absolute thrill. It's a blast being the "hot shooter" on the table, making yourself and everyone else a bunch of money. Anyways, they decided they were going to head back since they didn't know when I was going to leave. Once I crapped out they started to leave - I considered going back with them (since I was still at even money), but for some reason decided to press on. Thank God I did. The guy who rolled after me was the hottest shooter I've ever seen. This guy probably rolled for about an hour. He made us so much money. We all had huge bets on the table - and since he was winning me money, I felt comfortable taking a chance on some of the higher-paying bets. Once he got on a roll everyone was having fun. Mnoey was flying everywhere, we were throwing in bets for the dealer, everything kept paying off. It was hands-down the most fun I had all weekend. Once he finally crapped out, I counted up the chips and realized I had made a $125 profit. Take it to the bank baby. After four days of losing everything I played, I finally won big in the very last hour. Thrilling.
I headed back to the hotel to find most people were asleep. Dave and Stephen were up packing, so we started talking. We started thinking about the hotel concierge, and all the crazy requests they probably get, and how they're probably used to anything by now. We decided to come up with something ridiculous and see how they handled it. After a few minutes of tossing around ideas, we decided we would ask them if they knew where we could hire a clown stripper. Surely this would raise an eyebrow or two, right? Somehow I got stuck making the call. I took a few minutes to calm myself, because I wanted to sound totally serious on the phone. The conversation went something like this:
Concierge: "Front Desk."
Me: "Yeah, um... hi, this is probably going to sound a little strange, but..."
Concierge (interrupting in a very casual tone): "That's okay."
Me: "Ok, well... me and my buddies were kinda hoping to hire a clown stripper. Do you know anyplace where we might be able to hook that sort of thing up?"
Concierge: "Well, sir, we don't really provide that kind of..."
Me: "Oh no, no, I know you don't, maybe you misunderstood me. We were just wondering if you knew any places who might do that sort of thing."
Concierge: "Well, not really, but if you check in the phone book for 'stripper' you'll find all kinds of services, I'm sure you'll be able to find it there. Would you like me to have a look?"
Me (barely able to contain self anymore): "Nah, that's OK, thanks..."
Needless to say, she wasn't affected by it at all - in fact, I'm starting to doubt it was the first time she'd ever heard such a request. But we definitely proved that you can ask a Vegas hotel concierge for just about anything without fear of them thinking you are crazy.
After we had our good laugh, we crashed, putting an end to four awesome days in Las Vegas...
| My Earnings / Losses | |
|---|---|
| Craps | +125 |
| Day 4 Total | +125 |
| Trip Total | -325 |
Conclusion
As you can see above, it seems that I was just born to lose in Vegas, giving money away in pretty much every game I touched, with the exception of that last craps game. I wasn't the only one who lost a considerable amount though - I believe the Poker Addict Twins, Dave and Daniel, both lost more than I. Frankly, I'm pretty satisfied that I kept my losses around $300. Considering that I had 4 straight days of pretty consistent gambling, to lose less than $100 a day is great - and it's also well under the maximum amount I had set for myself. A few hundred bucks was a small price to pay for a fantastic weekend in Las Vegas...
The End
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