Hard 8 :: ::: Trip Report (v. long)

[Hard 8 :: ::]

Three day trip, all weekdays, played in 11 different casinos. Hit a couple of them twice (on different shifts) to see if conditions varied, for a total of 26 hours of actual play. I was interested to see whether a massive convention (Broadcasters) would change things significantly by pumping 120k people into the town. (Usually I try to avoid big conventions.) Interestingly, I detected very little impact. Perhaps they are mostly slot players (grins).

Typically played between 1:00 am and 4:00 pm, but with some minor exceptions, due to flight getting in evening of my first day. At 1:00 am tables were still crowded, but the places I went to typically emptied out by about 2:00 am. The ghost town feel of Vegas graveyard. Quiet. Peaceful. Played a mix of south Strip and Downtown; never did get to the north Strip as intended.

Typically played 1.0 hours on 1D and DD, 3.0 hours on 6D. If I caught a shift change, I usually extended my stay.

Planned the trip using CBJN (which was, unfortunately, over a month old), first excising all of the 6:5, fake21, Spanish 21, and csm games, then likewise $100 minimums and up (born again low-roller). Although a couple of $25 min games made the first cut of my screening, I ended up not playing any, due to lower Scores at my bankroll level. Screened the games by Pen, retaining games that met the following criteria: 1D = 0.5 or less; DD = 0.8 or less; 6D =1.5 or less. (Penetration numbers are as reported in CBJN, namely number of decks remaining unused at time of shuffle.) Then sorted these games by Score, and finally made up a short list based on what might be called "local conditions" and personal preferences, avoiding some particular places for various reasons. The resultant short list ended up with a lot more potential targets than I could hit in just three days.

Total expenses were between $136 and $137, as follows: air fare was covered by freq flyer miles on a company credit card (but with a $10, 9-11 fee), hotel was comped for two nights. Then had to change hotels, went to the LL, $39/night for two "nights" (actually afternoons for me) via Travelaxe. Enjoyed the LL, where I have often stayed in the past ? very quiet compared to other downtown hotels, squeaky clean, pleasant. No car; Bus: $1.20 each way for the 36-minute 109 CAT ride from the airport to downtown plus multiple $2 bus rides up and down the Strip. $4 for donuts and coffee at various times, $4.38 for a slug of Butterfinger bars (iron rations), $6 for a sandwich at the airport, and $4 for tips. $20 airport parking in my hometown. Got comped for three different buffets, which I unashamedly admit I "front-loaded" so I only had to eat once a day.

$8,000 trip bankroll, stuffed into secret pockets sewn onto the insides of my shirt tails. Typically betting dimes, occasionally nickels.

The damages:

GN 2D $10, h17, das; 1.25 hour, Pen. 0.8 decks remaining below cut card; 1-4 players at different times, coming and going during the hour; spread 1-8. -$270

FITZ 2D $10, h17; 1.25 hr, Pen 0.8; 3-4 players, spread 1-8. During a couple of low counts, dropped back to $5, and thus ended up spreading 1:16; -$115 They have a wierd way of inserting the cut card and then burning about ten cards.

LV CLUB 1D $5, h17; 0.9 hr, Pen 0.4; 3 players, departed when two more dropped in, and the dealer started dealing only one round per shuffle; A $30 bet merited a "Checques play" but no heat; spread 1-6; +$90

4Q 1D $10, h17; 1.0 hr, Pen 0.4; 2-3 players, but departed when a 4th joined; spread 1-6; -$150

LL 1D $5, h17; 0 hr: The only 1D open in the dark of the night was sf21, and the one 2D table was packed with 6 players; Don't these people ever sleep?

GN 1D $10, h17; 0.2 hr, Pen 0.5, 3-4 players, spread 1-6; +$12 Extremely slow play; 4th player joined table at the same time I saw a 2D table empty out, so waltzed across the room to the:

GN 2D $10, Pen 0.8, 1.25 hr, heads up the whole time, spread 1-8; -$132.

So by now, all my cells are vibrating, lights seem to be scintillating, eyes bleary; headed back to the hotel in the cool mid-morning air to get a couple hours sleep. Woke at noon to squeeze in a couple more games before 4pm bedtime.

MAIN ST 2D $10, h17, no das, Pen 0.7 to 1.1, 2.0 hr, 4 players; spread 1-10; +$227 Comped for their excellent buffet steak dinner. The steak the cook tried to give me was so big, it wouldn't fit on even the MSS's oversize plate without significantly overlapping my hand, so he ended up putting it on two plates overlapping end-to end. Topped that off with some fried shrimp, two pounds of broccoli, a caesar salad, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, collard greens, a piece of blueberry pie and a couple of small eclairs. Getting up from the table, had the same feeling you get when you bend over to hoist your bowling ball off of the ball return. Didn't have to eat again for 16 hours, which was good, 'cause I couldn't.

LVC 1D $5, h17; Pen 0.3 to 0.4; 1.0 hr, 1-3 players, when a 4th joined after about fifteen minutes, I asked the passing PC whether the adjacent table was also 1D, and she said, "No, that's a 6:5 game, but that other table over there is real blackjack." Moved to the appointed table and played heads up for the rest of the hour, spread 1-10; +$20

Took the bowling ball for a walk around downtown, then drifted back to the hotel by 4pm, lights out, not even any dreams, woke up a few minutes before the alarm clock at 1:00 am to catch the 301 bus down to the south Strip. Learned from the yup kids who got on at Fremont St. that the best gum is cinnamon, " ?'cuz the flavor goes with so many drinks." Eeek. Maybe I am having a nightmare after all. The 301 CAT grinding through the depths of the night full of bleary young people and casino workers does seem like what bad dreams are made of, with the automated voice mechanically announcing the litany of passing shattered dreams and cheap imitations of happiness.

"Alas, poor person, where art thou now? Thy day is night.
Good person, be not cast down, thou yet art right.
The way to heaven lies by the gates of hell,
Cheer up, hold out, with thee it shall go well."

Fake rocks everywhere. What is it with Vegas and fake rocks? Why bother? It only makes the place feel like a stage set for a tragic Wagnerian opera in the scene where the heroine throws herself off the cliff while the hero chokes on poison while singing a bombastic and ill-timed aria. The perfect setting in which to get off the bus in the dark and wonder if you're going to get mugged entering the:

MAND 6D $10, s17, das, surr, Pen 1.3, 3.0 hr, played heads up most of the time, but 1 to 2 other players drifted in and out for short times; spread 1-12; +$40 Fortunately, the loud bluesy rock band shut down partway through the session (although they were actually pretty good), and peace descended. It was interesting to watch rafts and rafts of twenty-two year olds peeling away from the tables in clusters (beddy-bye time, kiddies), zombied from lack of sleep, and looking sour from too much to drink and losing too much money. A couple of these kids stopped at my table on their way past, would exit after losing three in a row, SLAM their last chip down on the table, then storm off. Their way of having fun, I guess. Made the dealer very cranky.

LUX 6D $5 h17, das, surr, Pen 1.4, 3.0 hr, 1-3 players, spread 1-24; -$920. Straight in the tank, but then came back a couple hundred in the last hour. Watched a pair of newlyweds play for a while; he kept forcefully giving her bad advice, even after he lost all his own money and she was actually playing almost decent BS. In between gulping down beers, she finally told him to scram, which he did.

MONTE C 2D $10, h17, das, Pen 0.5 to 0.7, 1.5 hr, 1-2 players (over half of the time heads up); spread 1-12; +$322. Got comped for a fine buffet, ham & scram & excellent croissants, a big fruit salad, and a whole carafe of coffee.

Rode the bus back downtown to change hotels.

LL 2D $10 h17, das except AA; Pen 0.5 to 0.7; 2.0 hr, 3 players, spread 1-8; +$247 Stayed two hours because I can never get a seat at this casino, so thought I'd play while I had the chance.

Whew! That day just blew by? Time for some sleep in the late afternoon, alarm set for 1:00am but awoke at midnight. Leisurely morning, take time waking up. Rode the 1:30 bus back out to the south Strip to endure yet more embarrassingly overblown "sculpture" and classic architecture to enter:

MONTE C 2D $10, h17, das; Pen 0.5-0.7, 1.5 hr, started session with four players but one drifted off a few minutes after I arrived, spread 1-8; +$325 High rollers betting multiple blacks elsewhere in the pit mostly kept the PC's attention.

M GEE EM 6D $10, s17, das, surr; Pen 1.5 (notch on side of shoe), 3.0 hr, 3 players, spread 1-12, sat out TC <-4; +$712 Went to my max bet three times in the three hours, hit 'em all and a bunch more. A fellow player for at least part of the session seemed to be a gambling addict who somehow thought this should be a break-even game; highly P.O.'d at not winning every hand. Came blowing up to the table all hyper, having come out of the jazzy nightclub (which I never can remember the name of - Gomboo? Toodle-Ooo?). Sniffling, nose running, the whole program, and absolutely bouncing off the walls. (As Ray Stevens said, "Like somebody teed off a new golf ball in a tile bathroom?")

After leaving the table, had the funny experience of losing track of how many chips I had rat-holed in various pockets, cashed out $512, but before I hit the door, found another $200 in another pocket. That was pleasant, but I'm obviously getting tired. Comped for their so-so breakfast buffet by cheerful PC dressed in a suit that cost more than my car.

Long grinding bus ride back downtown. LOL upon seeing the advert billboards for the partly completed "Wynne", and how they're going to bring real honest to god "art" to Vegas! Honest! Real Rembrants, and Monays, and maybe even a sculpture by, um, what was his name? You know, the Italian guy. Yeah, Jacuzzi. Or somebody like that. Whoo. Pathetic. Rampant weenie-ism. They'll probably charge admission. Found out the hard way that laughing out loud to yourself on the bus can cause quite a stir among the silver-haired, shorts-wearing, golf-shirted Strip set heading downtown to go slumming on Fremont Street. Cleared my whole end of the bus, except for a guy in a leather coat and Spanish Conquistador-type hat who was shouting explosive greetings and obscenities into an obviously dead and derelict cell phone. He didn't seem to mind (or even notice) my maniacal cackle.

FRE 2D $5, Pen 0.8, 1.0 hr, 1-2 players, spread 1-8; +$55

HAR/BIN HS 2D $10, h17, Pen 1.0; 0 hr: Didn't bother due to poor pen and not enough elbow room. Only two DD tables open at this time of day, both with 4-5 players. Vast, empty spaces in the casino. Doesn't look any less grubby and dingy than it ever did.

MSS 2D $10, Pen. 0.9, 2-4 players 1.0 hr, spread 1-8; +$225

So, ended up, through no fault of my own, up $688 ($550 after expenses). Had some fun dealers & even some funny PC's, quite a few friendly players. Went back to the LL for about six hours sleep, before catching the bus back out to the airport. Got three hours sleep on the plane, home shortly after sunrise. Plants & grass & herbs incredibly green, flowering trees scenting the soft morning air, the neighborhood still asleep...

[Ouchez]