20th Trip: Moments of Perfection in the Midst of Chaos

Note: This report will be in two parts, with the second part coming in roughly 24 hours.

Day 1: Wed. 9/5/18 Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!

Well, it's my girlfriend M's birthday again, so we all know what that means. VEGAS!!! This time thanks to some kind help, we were able to receive an offer from Ballys that we couldn't refuse. For the first time in forever, we didn't even change hotels! Just like our first trip together when we were also at Ballys! So this give me even more time to try to cross some things of my VP bucket list, which included these before going on this journey...

1. Handpay
2. Deuces while playing quarter+ Deuces Wild
3. Dealt Aces (hopefully on a good game for it!)
4. A spade Royal
5. A kicker quad while playing TDB or TTB.
6. Two royals in one trip.
7. Really unlikely - Make a mathematically correct Royal holding AT suited.

I hoped to get one of these crossed off, or maybe even more! Hope you follow along to find out!

Starting the day off with a tradition as of late. M getting her nails/toes done right before going to Vegas.



while I go to Ameristar for a bit to warm up. Well, that worked out wonderful this time as I can now cross off #5 off the list even before making it to Vegas! And the best one of those to boot!





Now my wallet was over $800, and I'm a weirdo and decide that's too much to carry at once, so I went to the ATM to deposit money BEFORE going to Vegas?!?!

Flight was pretty uneventful on Frontier. We were a bit delayed. Allowed us to arrive in Vegas right at sunset. Pretty cool time to arrive.





Got a rental car at the last minute. Most of the time they wanted $200+, we were able to do a Priceline express deal for $133 the day of the trip. No we didn't drive all the way from Missouri, thank God!



Driving toward our home for the next six nights.



Check-in as usual hits a bit of a bump. To ensure a king, we actually booked an accessible room as it was the only thing available at the time of booking that was a king. Unbeknownst to us though, apparently EVERY accessible king there has an adjoining door, which we can't stand also faced noisy Flamingo Rd. So we inquire if we can find a king without an adjoining door. Well because they “overbook” kings over weekends, the lady didn't want to give us one. M is getting furious because we could have had two queens at the Linq instead and she was tempted to take it, but I talked her into booking the king here. Eventually the manager gets involved and gets us a king that doesn't face Flamingo, but it also had an adjoining door! So we go down again one more time, and finally room 1442. A quiet, no-view, no adjoining door room! Also a ten dollar food credit that was a pain in the butt to spend for declining housekeeping.





Due to all the switching, it was pushing ten, and we decide it's probably better to do something light and quicker. So we picked Earl of Sandwich.



While we were eating, we watch a lady play Buffalo Grand in the casino. Could hear the “ding ding da ding ding” from ten yards away. She was doing pretty well on it. I kept noting the game throughout the trip. Thought about trying it during the trip. Did I remember to??? Hell no.

View from Ballys 14th Floor hallway



Walk from Planet Hollywood to Cosmo











Checked out the new Alice in Wonderland theme area. M being a Disney freak really enjoyed it.







We don't stick around for long, and make our traditional stroll to the Conservatory.





We were pretty disappointed in this one though. Seemed like a snooze fest. But still busy at 1140p.







Dogs playing pool at the Hermes store



Watches and a random poker hand. Wouldn't you think you would set up like a Spade Royal Flush here to display?



Now it's really pushing midnight. And finally I get to gamble and drink a bit.

First beer in Vegas Hop Nuts “The Golden Knight” (7.5%; 3.75 sips)



And very first hand in Vegas, dealt 5X full house?!?! Yes, please!



Still waiting on that Spade Royal...



I like how Bellagio is still old school. What lights and tickets?

And when M came over, bartender asked her if she wanted something, and she declined as she wasn't gonna play much.

But eventually as she kept playing 1 quarter at a time, he actually gave her a Fiji water! And made a joke that the "Bellagio would like to offer you this to keep you hydrated and gambling all night." Haha

Well, that move worked a bit as I got another beer and began to relinquish my winnings. Dogfish Head 90 min IPA (9%; 3.75 sips).



Had a bad multiplier drought and bricked a 10X too, ouch! Slide away a $5 winner which went into the bartender's tip cup.

Slide over to Cromwell for full pay VP. End up getting Fat Tire (5.3%; 3.75 sips) as waitress said they only had St. Archer IPA and almost puked that up the first time I had it...

VP was sorta pukey too. And I'm an idiot letting M play TDB on one coin. Both the Royal and AWAK are reduced there. But she was quadless.

I tried Deuces with little avail. Still no Spade Royal!



Changed it up with a game @Gaggles played in Laughlin, Deuces and Joker. Got a quint at least!



But still down $23.25 after $100 total coin-in (2 Tier Credits) *jerk-off motion*.

I still wanted to drink and play a bit, but M guilted me into bedtime. She said, "You can do what you want." But I knew her tone meant otherwise.

On the way back to Ballys, this group of people wanted to photo bomb M. And I said “No, no, no.” Most of the group moved on, but one guy remained. So I relented to him. Lol FYI, the VP machines in the background is the “full pay” bank.





This trip I also decided I would try to take better records to see where my money went gambling.


Day 1:

St. Louis:
Ameristar St. Charles +445


Vegas:
Bellagio +5
Cromwell -23.25

Day 1 Vegas Total: -18.25
Vegas Trip Total: -18.25

They should also rename Ballys, Hard Rock, because that's what the new resort room's bed is.

 

Day 2: Thurs. 9/6/18 Nice and Easy Now...

Wake up at the annoying time of 730am as I'm on a hard as a rock bed, the top of the curtain lets sunlight flood in, and I'm not still drunk. Eventually, M gets up and we decide we would bother to check out the Ballys pool one more time. Since we didn't plan to stay long, we tried some aerosol sunscreen. Damn that shit's cold! We went to the “blu pool” on our very first trip together and weren't impressed. Yeah. Still not impressed.

View from parking garage







Well, I told people on the forum to look for the “Nordiques Hat”, and @casinokid68 spotted me that morning. We talked about meeting up anyway, so this was nice and convenient for us. Great guy with a lot of stories. Had a good time chatting with him. Unfortunately, we talked a bit too long for that aerosol sunscreen. Whoops!

Decide to do Green Valley Buffet for lunch because my lack of beer last night actually made me hungry for a lunch buffet for once. This time they had more dishes that I liked and nearly everything I had was very good. Then we play a bit in the casino and don't do terribly well, but I spot this on the way out, and get a good return from it.



Go to M's favorite store in the world, Kohl's, before heading back to Ballys.



Thought maybe we would go to Cosmo's pool that afternoon, but we sorta were beat from whatever, so we just relaxed in the room for a few hours. Eventually we got moving for dinner at Ellis Island BBQ.

Traditional BBQ Chicken and Ribs with Root Beer



Then gamble there for a little while. We find a nickel bank with some full pay games, so we had a good time playing VP together for cheap.

Because math told me to, 8/5 ACE$ Bonus (99.40%) for me and 9/6 DDB (98.98%) for M because she likes DDB...lol

Best I could muster, meh.



But M got Aces!!!



After EI, we decide to hit up SLS for the first time in years.

Resorts World Progress





This is what the mascot thinks of us...



View of The Strat (LOL) from SLS garage



SLS Pool from the garage



Just got there before Unami Bar closed. It was worth it... Joseph James Citra Rye on tap. Outstanding. One of the beer highlights of the trip (5.4%; 4.5 sips)



Bartop ate my twenty though.

M did better with a rare 5 of a kind at “Texas Tea”.



Before going to the main bar for another beer, I found another Ultimate X game to play. And I hit a quad!



On Deuces Wild!



With my blood boiling a bit, go back to the bar and play the best bartop game available. Can't you tell what it is??? LOL



Get a maltier than expected Union Jack IPA (7%; 3.75 sips) from a bottle.

SLS hit me for a bit. Now move on to here.



Had a few beers here while M played bingo.



Finally a “Citrus Mistress” that wasn't overly malty. I still don't see the appeal @Jpw711 (6.5%; 3.75 sips)



Then a Stone Delicious IPA that's misnamed (7.7%; 3.75 sips)



While at Palace Station, I, Mr. Non-Observant, witnessed my first successful hooker/john transaction at a VP bar. Yes, I've never noticed a success before then. Lol

Eventually get back to the Strip, looking forward to checking out “The Book”, the make over of TAG and the Sports Book area. Oh wait, it's closed already! Doh!



This new carpet is gonna look like shit quick, imo.



This is going to go by the way of the dodo soon too.



This place isn't going anywhere though. Lol



Even though it was closed, I was highly disappointed with “The Book” already. With the help of M's good vision, I could read what they offered. The 24-beer “beer wall” was mostly filled with sell-out big beer garbage, or big beer outright.

Well, the night was still young and I was still thirsty. I ran into Dan, my favorite bartender at Catalyst, and fortunately he snagged some of the best of TAG before it closed. So I delved into the “secret stash” and started off with one of @Wanker751's favorites, “Dragon's Milk” (11%; 4.25 sips).



Followed up with a Burton Baton (10%; 4 sips). Felt like it aged well for an oaked IPA and 11 months time. Tasted better than it did in May.



After that no pics...Linq cost me $36+$10 in tips for 14 lousy tier credits. M was a trooper and stayed up with me til about 4 when we both retreated to that hard bed.


Day 2 Results:
Green Valley Ranch +38
Ellis Island -6.92
SLS -29.50
Palace Station -25
Linq -35.96

Day 2 Total: -59.38
Vegas Trip Total: -77.63

 

Day 3: Fri. 9/7/18 M Gets Drunk for Her Birthday!

I woke up again around 9, stupid curtains and bed. Eventually we get moving so I could attend the VMB Group Slot Pull while M spent time at our favorite pool at Cosmo.







M waited a long time for this to appear on the board. She was tempted to get some until she saw it was like $14 a slice!



I had a great time at the slot pull. Many thanks to @crawfordesquire for setting it up! Really enjoyed meeting @macattack, @notfromconcentrate, @crawfordesquire, @UnicornTX and hubby M, and @FordDlr and his mother B. A great group of people, which I have learned what this forum is all about!

I didn't participate in the actual slot pull, as $200 was too rich for my blood. But it didn't go too badly for the others as they got $150 back. Those that weren't quite done with gambling continued on with another $100, and that lasted another good hour! Before you know it, we were there for 2 hours! And they made a last minute stab at WoF with $60, which I tossed $10 into as well...and that went like this...



But we still all had a great time and had some good conversation.

It was late enough that the group that stuck around also got to see M. We were getting hungry though, so we thought we should continue on to our original lunch plan, which was to eat the “Original Chicken Tender” and collect her birthday freeplay at Excalibur ($20) and Luxor ($5-$100 wheel spin...average value $17.40). Yes, we stood in line long enough for me to figure that out.



They couldn't even bother to capitalize that eyesore park mgm



The snooze of a pool area at Park MGM



The Statues of Liberty. The Twizzlers one looks like her tongue is out. haha







Original Chicken Tender...like the Perry the Platypus shirt I was wearing says...”Nom Nom Nom”



M in a happier state before she waited in line 20 minutes before receiving $5 of freeplay...Doh.





Dragon at Gift Shop at Excal, M actually bought the teal “Team Unicorn” shirts behind the dragon for her and her 8-year old cousin.



Freeplay wasn't too bad to M overall. No major wins pictured, but she converted it all to cash.





Decided to sneak into the Tropicana pool. Nothing really to talk about.



Now this leads us to Hooters for a quick coupon run initially. This is where the night begins to change. To get $10 FP she needs to play $10 through. So we belly up to the sportsbook bar. I try a new beer to me, an Estrella Jalisco made by Modelo (4.5%; 3 sips). Was close to a Corona to me.



Then yes, I saw it available, so I had to have it for “free”. I've been wanting to try it all summer even though @Figment76 warned me not to. Bud Light Orange! It reminded me a bit of Triaminic Orange cold medicine, but I liked that one as a kid! Lol (4.2%; 3 sips)



All the while, M had been fed vodka and sprites for the past 90 minutes. At least 5 of them. So she is finally starting to feel something for once. She started to call the place “The Big Titty” bar after awhile thanks to our well-endowed bartender...lol

Eventually we both had to “break the seal” and M found this in the women's bathroom, wtf?



Eventually we finally bid adieu to Hooters and hit up MGM real quick to add to the drinking at Whiskey Down.

The best beer of the trip...I should have got more and I did get two! Big Dog's “Peace, Love, and Hoppiness” (5.3%; 4.5 sips). Thanks to @Jpw711 for pointing it out!



M got another vodka and sprite and we make a few more sports bets before heading back up the strip.







We go to miracle mile shops because she wants some stuff from the Tervis store.



At this point, she's really feeling it. Very talkative and having numerous balance corrections. It's a funny sight. But I felt a little bad for those Tervis employees...lol

But at this point, she is saying she's hungry and we should eat. And I decide that maybe trying Chipotle again is best in terms of time. I couldn't have been more wrong. It tasted the same as May. Burn your mouth off and not great chips. M had to use a lot of sour cream. And that might have led to how she felt the rest of the night...shitty.

We weren't as drunk as this guy at 11pm though.



But yeah, I think the sour cream, spicy tacos, and alcohol did a number on M. She now didn't feel well and didn't want to go anywhere. I offered to stick around in the room, but she told me to go out and she'd be okay. So I did, hoping to bump into Stan at “The Book” before it closed. Nope Stan not there. Multi unit games both taken even though they would close in 20 minutes...lol Tried to sit at a unit where a guy hit AAAA2 on DDB at first, but wouldn't take my money. So I move a unit over and the VERY FIRST HAND! That's what you get for ruining TAG's beer selection, assholes!!!



Went back to Catalyst and got more of TAG's secret stash.

I gave this Dragon's Milk 4.5 sips this time!



Also, the woman in the background of the beer played next to me for awhile, and was really chatty toward me. At first I sorta thought she was a hooker, and I didn't tend to show tons of interest. But she also was using a player's card and was playing keno at a normal pace, so maybe a tourist looking for fun? If I was single, I may have inquired a bit further about that. haha

A hit to keep me afloat.



Move to Bugsy's for a bit. Chatted with a guy that was there for a cruise voucher that weekend. He hit Aces w/kicker so he did alright for that moment.

Had a Lagunitas IPA (6.3%; 4 sips) as it was the best choice they had.





Played a bit at Cromwell too before going back to Ballys around 4, but nothing big to show for it.


Day 3 Results:
Cosmo -10
Hooters -35
MGM Grand -20
Cromwell +5.50
Linq +24.50
Flamingo +6.25
Ballys -4.50

Day 3 Total: -33.25

Vegas Trip Total: -110.88

Having a blast so far!!! More to come!!!

 

We actually have waterproof pouches for the phones. Later on in the trip we were actually dipping the phones in the water to keep them cooler. Haha

 

Day 4: Sat. 9/8/18 VP Nerds Unite!

After some rest and a stomach adjustment, M felt fine this morning fortunately, and we were going off to our normal morning routines. We had a bit of a debate of where to go eat though. This trip, I kept mentioning Sunset Station at random for no good reason. Well, we finally decide we should go there and check it out while eating some Fatburger.









I was amused at Penn and Teller's antics while it ate M's money



And this is why we play “full pay” deuces wild (100.76%), folks. Quads pay 25 credits.



But Triple Deuces Wild (99.92%) earns points 12X faster and a green background! Hmm...where's the fourth deuce dammit!



I got a DreamCard on the new version of DreamCard. I'm good now.



A scorcher today. But that was with the sun beating on the car. Official high was closer to 108. Our hottest day in Vegas ever. Bit too much for us.



Hit up the South Outlet Mall for M. She found a decent amount of stuff. Then hit up Orleans for an Ultimate X tourney. Only need 10 Tier Points! But these are the shitty new tier points!

Raiders' Stadium Construction



The grind to get one point playing 8/5 Bonus (99.17%). I lost about $13 trying.



Slots treated me like shit too where I earned my other 9 points. This dumb piece of paper cost me $50. Fortunately only cost M $5.



Play in the tourney, and we both do pretty well. No pics though because I barely finished (200 deals in 12 minutes at top speed). But we think the deals were a bit rigged. We both got a 12X quad, and I got a dealt quad. And like my last 5 hands in a row were dealt trips...

Then do another Vegas first. Go to Total Wine for some Vegas/Western US craft beer. Needed to fill the void from TAG somewhere.

We get back to the room a bit before 6 and we saw from the parking garage that the pool area was crowded. So she decided to call the the front desk and see if the pool was open until 7. Front desk says yes. While she goes down there, I decide to have a couple of those newly bought beers. Starting with some TAG classics.

Pizza Port Kook Double IPA (8.5%; 4 sips)



Joseph James Hop Box Imperial IPA (8.2%; 4.25 sips)



About 615p, M comes back, quite annoyed. Apparently the front desk was wrong. The pool closed at 6...

But this accidentally cheered up M a bit. Last night, she made two sports bets last night at MGM Grand. She meant them to be separate, but the idiot at the Sportsbook thought she wanted to parlay. Both bets won. Thanks Sportsbook idiot!



I also won my five buck bet on my alma mater Mizzou. and I watched a bit of the game in the room.

Then we decide we wanted to go to Mirage for a drink cup slash to cash-in/regamble the bets. I message @DeadManHand to see if he was nearby since he was staying at TI. He got back to me right when we were about to go, so we go back to Mirage and have a nice chat. We also discuss about maybe grabbing a bite to eat on Sunday or Monday. Now it was getting later, and now our original plan of Giordano's was looking questionable as I had a meeting with some “VP Nerds” at Cosmo at 10p. So I audible to Popeye's and she got Earl again. Seemed to work pretty well.

Get to Cosmo shortly before ten. I was denied on getting a Mr. Miyagi on my first $20 at Cosmo, and settled on a raspberry lemon drop. While working on my first drink ticket, @ted_nancy showed up first and we found two units at Chandelier while waiting for the others. I played 6/5 Super DDB (97.69%) for the night and got a couple of quads to make up for the rest of the hands. Where were the kickers though???





Unfortunately, M had a bad, bad evening. Well, first she thought I was only planning to briefly meet these guys. Apparently, I didn't make that clear. Well she found a nickel VP machine where she planned to camp out for awhile, so for the first time in her life, she gave the waitress $5 to show that she meant business. Well, that waitress forgot about her after that for a full 45 minutes!!! She was majorly pissed. She came to us eventually after watching the end of the football game after that, thinking we would be there, but we audibled to Chandelier. Eventually she texted me about 1130 saying she was going to leave and I told her to come over. She was mad as hell, and I worked on calming her down. Offered her a drink too since now tickets were flowing, but she said no. I also offered to go back to the room with her, but she said no. I thought I calmed her down enough, but I would learn tomorrow I was wrong.

She took nice pics of the Bellagio fountain and was trying to make a video for Gabby, but this drunk bitch loudly sang next to her during the video, so yeah she was “done” for the night.











All the while, I'm selfishly enjoying the company of @ted_nancy, @jyen, @AnonVPnerdsDude. Playing, drinking away and talking about the in-and-outs of the game. They were also helping me get tons of Mr. Miyagis comped. Damn they are so good.



Unfortunately, I don't think any of us ended ahead at the bar, but we all had a fun time. Eventually we all went our separate ways, but it was pushing 5am when I stopped talking @ted_nancy's ear off about stuff. Then I decided to play off some point play and donk around a bit. It was a bit costly.

Multiplied “pity” flush



Quick Quad fail



Doing a “reverse @niteshade” near 6am. Whoops!



Day 4 Results:
Sunset Station +5
Orleans -50
Cromwell -10
Cosmo -20 (after $30 of point play)
MGM Grand +4.55

Day 4 Total: -70.45
Vegas Trip Total: -181.33

 

Day 5: Sun. 9/9/18 Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Well, M wasn't too happy. I was supposed to check-in on her last night at some point. But I hate doing that because I don't want to wake her. See my dilemma? So, I pretty much tossed out most of my half-assed future plans out the window, unless she agreed to them. Sorry to all those I suggested to possibly meet up with this trip but didn't. I know I was trying to spread myself out too thin with meeting people this trip. M doesn't mind me meeting people, but she still obviously wants a good chunk of the vacation to be “us”.

So we get off to another slow start and decide to do another fast food split while on the way to Cosmo pool. Bump into @UnicornTX on the way to the restaurant and had a brief chat. Like she mentioned in her TR, always fun to bump into others at random.

Then get to Cosmo pool, both of our happy places. So that helped quite a bit. Unfortunately the sun was still pretty powerful, so laying out for too long was out of picture.

Cosmo pool is a decent place to watch the Sunday NFL games. Watched the Browns stumble into a tie.



Go back to Ballys for awhile and eventually move along to do the one thing we really planned to do that day.

Paris on the way back.



Go to Orleans to claim our likely freeplay. We had to valet because we found ZERO spots in the front lot unless you were disabled or Titanium (2 of 8 spots occupied there). Why the fuck would you be Titanium at Boyd when you could be 7 Star at CET??? We both got $20 FP each from the tourney. Also ate TGI Friday's. Was good, but nothing mind blowing. $6 apps all day on Sunday sold us. Also caught the end of the Sunday Night Football game at the Sportsbook.

Now we move to my new second home, as I convince M to go to “her” resort again, even though she doesn't like it much.

First beer Crafthaus Brewery “Comrade”. Very roasty Russian Imperial Stout (10.2%; 3.75 sips)



The bartender in the background who vaguely remembered me, but still IDed me anyway had an interesting side this trip. The Royal progressive was really high (pushing $1600) and a guy playing deuces asked if it had ever been hit playing deuces. I thought that was a dumb question as it almost certainly has. But that got him into a big VP discussion because he said that someone high up at IGT used to play there and told him that deuces is the game where a natural royal is most likely to hit. I wish I could take that person's job because I would bet every dollar I have that person is generally wrong. But he was on a discussion roll, so I didn't go out of my way to correct the barkeep. It eventually led to him admitting he used to play VP at high enough stakes to get about $500k in W2G one year. That's pretty “Wow!” for a bartender.

My “encore” beers

More “Dragon's Milk” because they claimed it was on “cask”. I didn't notice a difference (11%; 4.25 sips)



And finally a “New England” IPA from California “Samba Haze”. Heavy grapefruit (6%; 3.75 sips)



Decent slot hit for M. I struck out on VP.



Regroup in the room and get another beer for the road. Probably too old at two months sadly for a NE IPA “Orderville” (7.2%; 3.5 sips)



Swing by “The Book” about 1130p and hope Stan is there. Nope.

I decide I want to go to Palazzo to check out the renovations, and the new Bar Luca. M just hung behind at the Linq.







I stick around for a beer that's “new to me” Hop Nuts “Papa's Red Ale” (6.3%; 3.75 sips)



Play one credit of 9/5 dollar DDB (~96.64%) because there is no quarter VP there. Chat up a guy from London named Dell and talked about his vacation and where all he's gone. They also hit up St. Louis on their cross-country trip. I definitely like going to Vegas because most (not all) people are pretty friendly!

After my beer was done, I figured I should get back to Linq. But not before getting more from the “secret stash”. This one was new to me. Chimay White (8%; 3.75 sips) Pretty standard. Not too overpowering.



M got on a tear at the Linq before I caught back up with her.

Quad!



Multiplied straight to get coins flying.



Straight flush drawing three!



A redraw quad!


When I eventually join her. Her luck cooled off. Eventually she calls it a night. I play on longer of course. I hit this quad at 338am, which I totally forgot about.



Soon after, got a tease here...



But no dice.



Those pics were two minutes apart...hahahaha

Small chance at a handpay...



This helped a bit, but where is the other 2!!!



Around 5am...”A Song for The Little Kids”...I didn't hear it though. I lost $5 in this dumb thing.



More Cromwell “full pay” play. At least it wasn't 4 Aces the hard way!



Just couldn't get much traction at all...worst day of the trip so far!

Day 5 Results:
Cosmo -13
Orleans +7.5 (after $20 FP)
M Resort -40
Palazzo -10
Mirage +2
Linq -10
Flamingo -7
Cromwell -22.5

Day 5 Total: -93
Vegas Trip Total: -274.33

 

Day 6: Mon. 9/10/18 Last Full Day in Vegas, You Know What That Means???

The trip has been a bit rough on the gambling in Nevada, and I'm doing a bit worse than I'd hoped for my amount of play (which is tiny compared to most). We decide to make an afternoon visit to Circus Circus before a Lunch buffet at Mirage.

I had to try the Aces and Eights (100.25% + prog.). This hand wasn't mine.



But I still escaped $5 ahead and a Budweiser before M wanted to watch a circus show. Been a few years since I watched, so I joined too.









We then go to the Mirage buffet and forget to take food pics. But I take a pic of this Sierra Nevada Sidecar IPA (6.8%; 3.75 sips). Heavy on the orange and doesn't taste like 6.8%.



Mirage buffet took longer than expected too. So we got to MGM Grand pool a bit late. Yep lazy river closes at 5. So she's disinterested. Also Signature pool was another bust and a long ass walk (we got a key from her co-worker). I suggest Cosmo since it was apparently open til 7. And she agreed. But due to various snafus, we kept falling behind. By the time we got back to Ballys around 6, she questioned, “What's the point?” She then wanted to nap, and I saw downtown slipping away, sorry @Joe.

MGM Fail



Signature (which required an ACTIVE key) but we sneaked in





So she naps, and I work on the rest of my bought beer.

First, Hoplady “HopAtomic” Double IPA. Decent at 3 months old but a little malty at that point. (8.2%; 3.75 sips)



And while the Raider game is on, have to have a Joseph James's “Hop Raider” (6.4%; 4 sips). Then wrapped it up with a Tenaya Creek “Gypsy Fade” (6%; 3.75 sips).

So now we audible and decide to go to Five50 Pizza at Aria instead. I also text @DeadManHand because he planned to play a good amount of poker at Aria that night. He says he will meet us there. Get to Aria and M liked the patisserie display.



On the way to Five50, I see @BeeeJay Memorial Row 802 open, so I figure, why not take a quick stab. I stick $100 in because I was void of $20s.

First I take a pic of this as proof I was at Row 802 as it was a multiplier hit...as I planned to hit and run the fucker.



About a minute later, I get dealt three to a Royal in spades, AKQ, with another spade. The way this trip had been going, I really thought nothing of it. M was playing on her phone two units down from me and didn't even point out to her I had 3 to a Royal. But since no ace and ten suited existed for the draw for 8/6 Boner Deluxe, I had to go for it. Didn't get my hopes up or anything. When I hit the draw button, this is what appeared.



HOLY SHIT!!! I immediately clapped my hands and yelled, “Yes!!!” My first Spade Royal!!! Cross #4 off the list too!!! @BeeeJay Memorial Row 802 strikes again!!! And worth $1000, flipping my trip around!!! And over 20 trips, my last full day in Vegas is uncannily my best day of the trip a decent amount of the time!



So with a slight delay, we do meet up with @DeadManHand for some Five50 Pizza. And he was gracious enough to treat us to dinner on his food credit. Thank you so much!!! Pizza was great overall, but the sauce was a bit spicier than we recalled and the crust a little floppier than in the past. We also split this pitcher of great beer. Crafthaus “Resinate” IPA (6.5%; 4 sips).



After we parted ways...I double checked to see if my Royal was still there after about 2 hours. Not a single person played the game. Could you imagine if it was dollars instead?!?!



Other random pics of Aria.









Now on the “celebration tour” we work our way to MGM Grand





Slot fans who like “Hundred or Nothing” Level Up at MGM has you covered. We lost $2...lol



Whiskey Down closes by midnight on weekdays?!?! NO!!!



We default to Sigma Derby.



M gets a vodka and sprite with a fancy stirrer.



We played with a good group of people and stayed for about an hour and got a few drinks. M won. Me? I have no idea, I was trying to fish out quarters to avoid having them at McCarran. Maybe I lost 5 bucks?



Aria saluting America on 9/11.



Hit up Cosmo. Go to Bond Bar first because I figured it was open. Nah took me at least 10 minutes to realize it was closed. Dammit.

Go to the only bar left and get a Raspberry Lemon Drop from the same guy that took care of us on Saturday.



Chat with a guy who used to live in Atlanta for awhile (we did too). He also trolled a hooker a bit. He was definitely your standard “drunk” guy in Vegas. I'm sadly a more subdued drunk. Or you have to pound me with a bunch of drinks. Doh!

After a couple of Raspberry Lemon Drops and losing more than retail (ugh), we move onto Bellagio to see the Conservatory progress.

Paris Eiffel Tower unlit in honor of 9/11.









Stop by the Sportsbook bar and get another Dogfish Head 90 Min. Once again, great service. This is definitely on the short list for bartop spots now!

On the way back to Ballys



Now M is exhausted as it is past 3. But shit I hit a Royal, so I still have energy!!! Being the tolerant g/f that she is, she lets me go. But not before I give her $900 for “safekeeping”. Soon after an aggressive hooker was on the prowl on the way toward Cromwell. She asked me if I have ever done this before, wanted a massage, etc. And after my repeated rebuffs, she finally relented and wished me a good night, and I did the same.

Hit up Cromwell and go for another Lagunitas IPA (6.3%; 4 sips) as it is the best choice!



A few units down from me, I overhear a newly acquainted man and woman. The woman had a Russian accent and played a bit hard to get. Because the first time the man hinted to go back to the room, she brushed it off and they bullshitted for at least another 20 minutes while I lost my ass at VP. Eventually, they left for a room, and I was definitely in the hole. I got two beers though before moving to the “full pay” machines and losing more!

Need to pee at Flamingo. Why, yes, I did have a Fabulous Day!!!



Now its about 5am, and I get the bright idea to step into O'Shea's. I have heard SO MUCH about these frozen Bailey's I had to try some. The overnight bartender, Matt, was outstanding. He's from Australia, so we chatted a bit about the AFL, and he verified my favorite team lost this weekend. Whoops!!!

Any free moment he had, he was willing to chat up with me. That definitely got him extra bucks. And got me an extra frozen Bailey's, which sounded like a good idea at the time...



Now it's 622am, and I'm a shit boyfriend again. And did you notice no VP pics after that royal? Yeah I played $200 of that back afterward...dammit!!!




Day 6 Results:
Circus Circus +5
Mirage -5
Aria +970
MGM Grand -5
Cosmo -70
Bellagio -20
Cromwell -70
O' Sheas -40

Day 6 Total: +765
Vegas Trip Total: +490.67

 

Day 7: Tue. 9/11/18 Do We Really Have to Go??

Wake up a bit before 10. Yeah, I feel like shit. Thinking frozen Bailey's plus a bunch of other alcohol was the cause. Yeah. Hate to say it. I “reversed gears”. Frozen Bailey's in reverse wasn't horrible, but was a lot better going down. All while M was in earshot. That was NOT on the bucket list!!! She didn't give me too much grief considering. And I was much better after that and go on with the rest of the day.

The day began with another visit to Cosmo pool, and once again, we bumped into @UnicornTX and her hubby M. haha I think three meetings with a forum member during one trip might be a first!!! haha

“One Vegas Does Not Fit All” Agree!





Bellagio at half-staff





Squeeze through Bellagio to see the progress and one last gamble for me.







Give me a quad instead of a full house with drawing trips! Doh!



Made one last sports bet on the suggestion of @DeadManHand. Put $5 on the Blues to win the Stanley Cup at 12 to 1. If they win, we will definitely come back for M's birthday to cash it!

Make a last ditch effort to text Stan. He unfortunately didn't work til 430p. Yeah that was too late. Pretty bummed not to run into him. The new hours plus the new beer lineup didn't jive with me well.

Have a last lunch at Famous Dave's. Chainy BBQ Place, but we like it. Failed food porn.

Also decide to wrap up the trip to the ATM and deposit $800 of M's safekeeping money!!! Going to an ATM in Vegas for a deposit is so much fun!!!!

One last gamble at South Point before turning in the car. That was uneventful.

Found this on the way to the car return. No one was there, so I guess it was on the honor system?



Our flight was delayed and we got to McCarran a bit early, so I gave one last shot on gambling at the airport since 8/5 DDB existed. I got dealt Aces full. I didn't write it on my “bucket list”, but I would also like to convert a broken Aces full. Obviously since I didn't write it on the list, I missed, and called it a trip.



Plane pics going home.









Day 7 Results:
Bellagio -9.75
South Point -14
McCarran -5

Day 7 Total: -28.75
Vegas Trip Total: +461.92

Overall it was a fun trip for me since I won of course. But it was clear that we mostly enjoyed our trip less because we really flew by the seat of our pants. M is a planner at heart, but expects me to take care of Vegas planning. In the end, I think we still accomplished a good amount, but we could have obviously got more done with better planning.

Big positive sign. Even though she was majorly annoyed with me at times, M has already thought about the next time she could go to Vegas! And she lost too, but only about 40% of her planned bankroll! That was $200...yes, we're fleas. lol The freeplay and the sports bet snafu really helped her cause!

Hopefully, we'll be back sooner than later!!!

Thanks for following along!!!