Love the report so far. Keep it up.

How's the speed of drink service at the Palazzo/Venetian pool(s)?

It's good. Plenty of hot waitresses and easy to flag down. But it's stupid expensive. I always get one Miami Vice on my first trip to the pool and then no more the rest of the trip. For a fairly small frozen drink it is $16 and I have trouble justifying that and I don't mind spending money in Vegas on stupid overpriced stuff. Today for my lunch/snack I had the same pretzel/pina colada combo pictured above and that is $15. That's overpriced but the pool drink which is even smaller costs a dollar more (without tip) and no pretzel.

Thanks for the pool pics by the way. Looks good.

I feel the same way about City Centre as you do. That whole area is a waste of space imo and I also don't like the Aria Casino at all. The poker room is good but that is about it.

Enjoying the report.

Thumbs up for this TR. I love Aria's dailies, and while I don't HATE City Center per se, I can see why one would. I also think the casino setup is bad, and the poker room needs to expand, but no money in the pokerz, so casinos don't care about us.

More run good please!

So yesterday after a relaxing pool stint I just wandered around killing time and getting some walking in. I have a dinner reservation as this is "fancy eatin night". Killing time before dinner I try out my fool proof baccarat system again. It starts poorly but eventually my bank streak hits and I wind up $60. After the ominous start I take the winnings and run! I should add playing this approach is mind numbingly boring but effective timewaster.

So I get ready for dinner and for the first time this trip I discard my T shirt and cargo shorts for long pants and a nice shirt and non-sneakers. I arrive at:



I am not a fine dining guy at all except when it comes to steak. I do love me a good steak. I love Delmonico's. Cut gets all the raves on this forum and I almost tried it instead but I just don't see anyone could do steak better than Delmonico. I like familiarity and I have been here plenty of times. Had the bone in ribeye and double baked potato. Steak was outstanding as always. I tried the fried apple pies with vanilla custard for desert and it was only so so.

After dinner it was back to the poker room for more abuse. I was doing good until I got another major suckout against me. But likely my fault. Flopped a set of 7's with 4 players in. I bet pot and only had one caller. Bet about half pot on the turn and probably should have pushed as both flush and straights were looking possible with a bad river card. Straight card hit the river and I knew I was beat. I floundered around for a while and cashed out down about $50. This trip has produced the coldest cards I have ever seen! Since the late 90's I have made about 40 LV poker trips and so far pokerwise this is the worst. I still have 3 full days though for a major comeback. And I have been having a fun and relaxing time anyway.

This morning I get up early and take a nice 5 mile strip hike. My home this week.



Looks like these guys had a rough night.



I end up back at the Venetian and hit the Grand Lux for a nice healthy breakfast.



Heuvos Rancheros! One of my favorites. I hope I don't eat myself to death this trip.

I have a question. Anyone ever eat one of these? They look awesome.



I can't help but think that those are the same ones that were there on my last trip. I just wonder how old those apples are?

Todays plan derailed. Was gonna be tourist day doing downtown, the High Roller, Stratosphere etc. But it cloudy again and I want sunshine for the views so I think I will do that tomorrow instead. Clouds making me pass on pool today too. Trying to decide what to do right now. Maybe take another shot a the Aria tourney this afternoon.

Nice tr. solo trip I take it?

Since the weather screwed up my plan I wandered back down the strip and entered the 1pm Aria tourney again. But I went early and had a couple hours to kill. I decided to check out Planet Hollywood. There was a 1-2 seat open so I took it. This game was nuts! 7 people seeing every flop no matter if raised or not. Lots of straddles. People drinking shots (this is 11:30 am mind you). Middle pair shoving and getting called by bottom pair was commonplace. This was nothing like playing with those dead eyed, water sipping zombies at the Venetian. I folded almost everything as my dead card routine was in full swing. But eventually I caught a hand or two and was paid off handsomely and after an hour an a half I cashed out +192.

I got back at the Aria just in time for the tourney start and it was pretty much the same as last time. No cards just trying to make the best of situations. I could never build a stack ad had to steal every thing I could. I got knocked out about 50th (131 runners). 600/1200 and I am in cutoff. 2 limps to me and I push 12K with 33 and get called by KQo. Q hits turn and I'm done. I love tourneys tough and this is the best one I think. I have had great success in tourneys on past trips but not so far on this one

Very hungry as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I decide to check out Grimaldi's at the Palazzo. Pizza place and it is both very good and very reasonably priced. I get a 12" personal pizza with onion and green pepper (my goto pizza topping).



Since I have established already I like cheesecake I had the Oreo cheesecake for desert. It was good but not of cheesecake factory standards.



I feel like a douchebag taking pictures of food and posting them but I always enjoy that in others TR's so what the hell.

Sun is starting to set and I want to get some night shots on the strip and go up in the Eifel Tower as I have never done that.

Some random shots, I took hundreds and haen't gone through them yet















I get back to the Palazzo and I am exhausted and my feet hurt. I'm guessing I walked close to 15 miles today and I am feeling it. I need to keep up with my extensive calorie intake though I decided to head down for some free gambling drinks while playing more foolproof baccarat. The drink service is horrible and I win $80 by the time my beer gets to me. I quickly cash out and guzzle my beer and now I need a shower and some sleep!

Great TR, please don't stop taking pictures of the food - looks like a delicious trip.

Orleans Friday tourney is the equal of Aria's (or maybe better) but usually has more entries. It's also a re-entry so you can punish yourself again if you get knocked out early.

nice pics.

I'm stealing one of those pics and making it my wallpaper. You know, the one of the Heuvos Rencheros!

Nice Job. Keep it up. FWIW, I just generally feel like a DB, whether I am taking pics of food or not.

Enjoying your TR, great pics, good luck rest of the trip

Took my typical morning walk and ended up back at Grand Lux for breakfast. They have a menu item I have been wanting to try for a couple of years now. Yesterday the guy next me got it and after seeing it I knew I wanted to try. Red Velvet pancakes!



They were delicious and very rich. After eating them I decided to hit the gym Nice perk at V/P is the gym included in resort fee. I don't use it much because I walk so much every day. And it's just the gym (which is nice enough) but no steam, sauna, or whirlpools as you have to pay the $25 fee to get access to all of that stuff. But if you just want a workout it's fine.

Palazzo Stadium Gaming where I have been doing my baccarat damage. It's nice to have live low roller gambling and the place seems to run 24/7 and gets lots of action. They have 2 live baccarat games and a live single zero roulette wheel for $5 minimums.



Nicer weather today although still windy. Heading down to the pool then probably High Roller and downtown.

nice pics.. enjoying this tR

cooll tr. like the food pics.

great tr good luck

Up in the room watching the hockey game gives me chance for an update.

I headed down to the pool and the sky was perfect blue wit pure sunshine but it was a little cool due to the 25+ mph wind. But it was comfortable and I stayed down there for 2.5 hours. On my morning walk today I went through the Wynn/Encore and caught a glimpse of one of the Encore pools and they too have the standard padded chairs like the V/P. Nobody cheap probably has them though.

After getting cleaned up I headed for the high roller.



And we're off!



Speaking of pools you get a nice view of the Flamingos. I haven't stayed there in over 10 years but always enjoyed the pool there.



But even though I love the V/P pools there is probably one that stands above them all.



Some random shots from high roller I took hundreds and won't really go through them until I get home.











I was planning on going downtown but just didn't feel like it. I realized I hadn't really spent any time yet at my former Las Vegas mecca. When I first started making poker trips in the late 90's this was were I spent all of my time and I have probably stayed there 15 or more times. It sucks for poker now and the pool annoys me but I have a lot of memories there including my best tourney score with a first place win of about 3K once. The Mirage!



I get in a game and play for about 2 hours and lose $20 but the game is pretty soft but I can't get much going and am still card dead as well as being a suckout magnet. I even try my first ever greyhound.



Initially I think it tastes like ass but the taste grows on me as I keep drinking it. It has little effect on my game

I get hungry and go to BLT Burger which is someplace I usually go each trip. Great burgers, fries and shakes. I get the Shafts Blue (blue cheese cheeseburger with carmelized onions, curly fries and a Twinkie Boy Milkshake (vanilla with caramel and twinkies blended in)



After dinner I go back to Venetian poker to play until hockey game starts and break even. I can't get anything going at the pokerz this trip at all.

Waiting for 3rd period to start, score 2-2 as Hawks give up 2 late in the second. They just can't lose at home or they are screwed!

Bet on the hockey.

Get up early and go for an extra long walk trying to fight off the caloric intake! During the walk I discover I need to take a dump most urgently. Close by is the Cromwell. Since it just opened this week I figure it is not only the closest but likely the least foul option to do the deed. After that I notice the craps game is active at the lowball morning $5 limit. Since it is my last full day I always like to throw the dice once or twice. The table is okay but not great. I see 5 shooters including myself last. People are throwing decent amounts of numbers but no one is hitting any points. So while it wasn't a point/7 point/7 point/7 table it was frustrating in the fact that just as you would get pressed up to the point of having a chance to do some damage the seven would come. I lost $4 I may have stayed longer but there were 2 majorly obnoxious drunks at the table (around 7 am) and they were sorta tilt inducing. I will play again sometime today for sure.


I took breakfast easy today and just went with some oatmeal. Probably eat one more decent (read high caloric!) dinner tonight and end my LV eating adventure. I am actually looking forward to eating healthy again

Currently waiting for the pool to open. Looks like another beautiful day! Probably gonna take one more tourney shot with the noon $150 at the V. Then who knows?

Very nice TR!

How was the bathroom at Cromwell?

Awesome TR! Thank you so much!
-Subbed

So after a couple of hours at the pool I say farewell to it until next time. It was absolutely perfect out there today! I grab my typical mid day snack of a pretzel and a pina colada and get in the Venetian noon 150. Deepstacks just ended yesterday and only 43 sign up. I get crippled early with trips vs. trips as my A9 loses to his J9 when a Jack hits. I fight my way back a little but am still card dead and steal what and when I can. It's 300/600 going to 400/800 next hand and I have about 8K left. In big blind I get a typical hand this trip of 10/2. 4 limpers and I check But the flop comes 10 high! I push. Big stack to my left calls. Bigger sack across the table pushes. Big stack tanks and folds. I figure I'm a up against a big draw and I am! Open ended straight flush. He doesn't get a straight or a flush though. I am elated to be tripling up until I realize he turned one pair and rivered 2 pair This is the story of my poker so far this trip. Beaten by the unlikeliest of draws.

Very hungry I decide it time for the last supper! I decide on one of my all-time favorite Las Vegas dining experiences. It's not fine dining but it sure is damn good! Many will disagree This place is OLD SCHOOL. I have been coming here off and on since I first started visiting LV in the late 70's. This place hasn't changed at all since then. I have probably been here 40+ times and I have ordered the exact same thing every time. The place is :





This place is all inclusive. You order your entrée and you get soup or salad, all the bread you want, all the house wine you can drink (red or white), your entrée with pasta side and a delicious capucino. The menu is on the wall.



The salad, wine and bread



The main dish. Veal Parmigian!



The capucino



The funny thing (to me anyway) is that this is the cheapest dinner I have had this trip. $34 and change, drop down 2 20's for the tip and it's less than a strip gourmet burger with drinks and sides. Back in the late 70's when I was a young dice degen this place would be my "expensive" meal for the trip.

Time to give those heartless bastards down in the poker room a shot at one more buyin and then I'll take a last shot at craps before I arise tomorrow to pack and head for home.

Nice and clean! Not sure I would have risked the Barbary Coast or Bill's

great TR. can i get tasting notes on the all you can drink house red please.

still enjoying this TR; hoping for a nice run-good story to finish it out