Emotional hedge: Carolina. Happy either way. Unless Carolina wins less than the spread in which case you are pissed both ways....good luck

Let's go!! In for $300

Out with....wait for it....

[SPOIL][SPOIL]

profit mania!

Need a / before the s in spoil to close it.

Thanks Pope. Missed that small, but very important detail. Let's try it again.

Big Game wagers made:



Now....off to find a poker game.

Oof!! Just got pummeled in the game at Planet Hollywood. My aces went down in flames, when I didn't have the discipline to lay them down when a 'straight forward' player shoved my river bet. He had flopped quad 5's. Then lost an all in (pre-flop) when my queens were second best to a rivered ace.

I need to get back to my comfort zone. Time to head to the Monte Carlo to regain my mojo.

Loving the updates, good luck!

Decent session at Monte Carlo. In for $220. Out with $438.

Back at the Cosmo for some 'pit degeneracy'. First stop. Pai Gow. In for $400.

Hey really love your thread! I'll be making my first trip in April. Where do you recommend to stay on the strip that is pretty cheap?

Grinded my way up to $530. Had a few beers, and now it's time for a couple of slices of pizza. What better way to end the night?

Thanks Penguin.

Kind of a tough question to answer as it's going to depend on a few different factors. What price range are you looking to stay within? What types of amenities are you looking for? What activities do you have planned, or are considering? Are you going solo....with a girlfriend/wife....with friends?

When doing research, I would start with the following properties;

Monte Carlo - Centrally located with easy access to Aria, Bellagio, City Center
Harrahs - Also a good location (on the other side of the strip) with easy access to Venetian, Caesars, Mirage

Their price points are not too painful and they both have decent things to offer as far as food choices, lower table limits, shopping, etc.

If you want to go "a step up", check out the Mirage, MGM or Planet Hollywood.

If you are looking for a lower price, take a look at the Linq, TI or Bally's.

If you want something lower than these three....there's Excalibur, Circus Circus, or Luxor.

Just my two cents. I'm sure others will have different perspectives.

Have Fun and Good Luck!

Thanks a ton for your help! I'll be doing some more research tonight

Yet another great trip. I'm thinking of staying somewhere that I've not stayed at in the past. Caesars, Planet Hollywood, Bellagio and Venetian come to mind. Perhaps I'll 'ask the audience' and let the community help me with that decision.

In the meantime, here are a few random pics to wrap up this installment.

Being a Leo - I've always liked the lion at the MGM.



The highlight of my friend's trip.



The view from my room at night.



The Chandelier Bar. (There is some serious talent there in the evening)



And finally....the circle of dogs on the second floor.



Until next time - Viva....!

ayyyy snoop thanks for updating this most excellent trip report!

IMO getting boozed up at the end of the night, eating pizza and crashing is one of life's most underestimated pleasures

F me in the A I would kill for a decent slice right now lol

I'm late to the game in following this thread, but I need to chime in to let you know how much I appreciate your writing. You provide enough detail without being over the top. Proper use of periods, paragraphs and appropriate punctuation. It all makes the read much more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing and best of luck!

Seymore

Sent using 2 cans tied together by string

Thanks Seymore. I appreciate the feedback.

The wings have been eaten.
The bottles are all empty.
The bracket has long been "busted".

The first two days of March Madness have delivered a slew of body blows and a couple of direct hits to the nether region. Still I stand, asking, check that, begging for more. Now that I've caught my breath from the roller coaster that was Miami v Wichita State, I'm gearing up for my first real sweat of the day (Duke -6). I also have decent sized wagers on Kentucky, Kansas and Virginia. Given all that's happened so far....you'd think I'd know better than to lay this much on the favorites. What can I say? I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Thursday, yesterday, and today will serve as wonderful appetizers for the main course - to be consumed tomorrow when I arrive in Vegas. I considered staying at a place that I haven't stayed at in the past. As I will spend the majority of Sunday wagering on NCAA & NBA games, and my need to play poker and consume cocktails while doing so, staying at my home base seems to make the most sense. Monte Carlo here I come!! While the rooms certainly leave a lot to be desired, the logistical set up is just what I'm looking for. It also helps that I was able to secure a pretty good room rate.

T - minus 23 hours.....

Arrived right on time, and decided to give UBER a try. I downloaded the app a few weeks ago and there was an offer for 'first ride free'. The tool is pretty intuitive. The entire process went well. I will definitely use it again. The check in line was long, but it moved quickly. Directly to the sportsbook to get a wager down on Notre Dame. Go Irish!!

Something I never thought I'd see here at the MC.....

There are two guys playing 25-50 NL in the back of the room.

The new arena iooking good.



Session number one is underway.

It was probably level 1 of the 2pm tourney. 2 entries sounds about right

That's funny.

It was apparently quite the battle. They even had food catered in. Silverware and Linens.

So far, so good. I've managed to pick more winners than losers in today's games. The poker game broke, so I took that opportunity to grab my bag from the bell desk and take my stuff up to the room. The room is just what I expected. Clean....but worn. I can hear my neighbor's conversation as clear as if they were in the room with me. Oh well. It'll do for the next couple of days. The view.



I needed to cash in my Superbowl tickets, so I took a stroll up to the Cosmo. It's a much nicer walk now that the walkway construction is complete.



The new sports book is pretty cool. It has pool tables, shuffleboard, foodball and a variety of table games. I played a bit of black jack, but the only luck I had was 'bad'. Not the best quality....but here are a few pics.







There is certainly a good vibe there. It didn't hurt that Wisconsin pulled out the win. I'll definitely spend some time there in the future.

A quick stop at 550 on the way back, for a couple of slices, and it's back to the grind.

Not a bad ending to last night. Played at a fun, active table and cashed out with a profit of $380. Wandered over to put in some 'pit time'. An up and down craps session saw me finally walk away after losing 60 dollars. I believe I more than made up for it in cocktails. I managed to get a bit of it back from a very friendly black jack dealer. At that point, fatigue was definitely setting in.

Up early this morning as the lady next door was having a very heated conversation with someone I'm guessing she works with. I'm generally an early riser so going back to sleep was not going to happen. Picked up a meal comp from the poker room and headed to the pub for breakfast. Looked like a nice morning, so I decided to take a walk up the strip. I'd yet to stop by Caesar's since they moved the poker room. Let's go check it out.

Some random pics from the Aria on my way out.







This guy had a big crowd gathered around. The youngsters were really tripping out.



It is pretty amazing. Some of you may know how this illusion/trick is pulled off. I dropped a finski in his tip jar after snapping the pic.

The Tower



Entering the Palace



And we're here....



I won't bore you with you with the details. A combination of 'card deadness', 'coolers' (my queens full losing to a rivered aces full) and frustrated play by me led to me dropping a full buy in. Screw this - my favorite masseuse is working just up the street at the Mirage. Let's see if I can get things turned around.

Where is this?

I'm at the Monte Carlo for this trip.

The Mirage was great. I managed to book a solid win, at poker....and NBA bets. Thanks Cavs! I hated to leave as the game really picked up when a few active participants joined. It was a good combination of TAG, LAG and 'fishy' players. It was certainly a table I could have sat at all night. The massage was as expected - excellent. My batteries were re-charged for the walk back to the home base.

Speaking of that walk....It's been awhile since I've walked the strip at night. It was an absolute mob scene. Literally grid locked in between the Mirage and Caesars. No one was moving, so I made my way to the other side where it was a little better. Quite surprising to see that many people.

Back for my last session. Gonna be a quick one as the walk and fresh air was enough to do me in.