5 Dutch guys with an "excellent vacation-mentality". TR+PIC
06-20-2018
, 08:23 AM
Hello again.
Back in 2014 I wrote a report about our trip to San Francisco, Reno and 2 weeks Vegas.
We’ve been to Vegas several times but because of the trip report we all remember this vacation as if it were yesterday.
You can find this trip report and who we are right here:
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1...vegas-1489194/
We’ve been back in 2015 and 2016 but I didn't have the time nor energy to write a trip report. It's a lot of work but I always enjoy those of others so I thought it was time for another one.
First of all, this year we went with 5 guys instead of 4. Meet Rob, aka Ropski. Ropski is one of the 3 OG’s (together with Ouwkes and Roald) who started these visits to Sin City back in 2008. In 2010 he found love. She had a daughter, so suddenly Ropski had to be a fulltime dad which meant that Vegas had to wait. Unfortunately, this relationship stranded last year so he couldn’t wait to join us.
Ropski works for the biggest producer of semiconductor equipment, is a Corona aficionado, NFL style (no ****ing lime), is great at winning small tournaments and his favorite hand is a bit boring, AA. He is also very good at losing at table games or with craps.
This story starts in July 2017.
Back in 2014 we didn’t stay in a hotel, but in a house. We liked this very much, the only negative part was that it was too far from the Strip to walk. After some research we found the Wyndham grand desert. This facility on E Harmon is only a 15-minute walk to Planet Hollywood and has no resort or parking fees. So, in October 2016 we stayed in a nice fully equipped 3-bedroom apartment which we all liked very much.
When it became clear that we wouldn’t go in 2017 we started making plans for 2018. Normally we visit Vegas in October but we all thought that a 2-year drought was too much. So, the best alternative was May.
Ouwkes is our research guy and he immediately contacted Wyndham. Since it’s only possible to book 10 months in advance he had to wait till July. Now, since 2015, Ouwkes is the proud father of a lovely daughter who we all love to death, so he made some inquiries about a vacation of max 12 days. Roald also wanted to go for that long, but Ropski, Fedor and myself wanted to go a bit longer (to compensate for the fact that we didn’t go last year, or in Ropski’s case, the last 8 years).
We settled on 3.5 weeks, so from 10th of May till the 4th of June. Ouwkes and Roald would join us on the 23rd. We paid around $50 p.p./p.d, so compared to the hotels with the ever increasing resort-fee this was a bargain.
So, no live or semi-live trip report and some things are already outdated (e.g. the games of the Vegas Knights) but I still hope you will enjoy it. It’s gonna be a long one.
The title of this thread is derived from a statement from a woman who said the we have an excellent vacation-mentality when we mentioned that we have approximately 30 vacation days per year and that we spent a big chunk of that in Vegas.
No trip report without a bankroll and shoe picture, so here it is.
Dutch bankroll
Small selection of what we brought and bought
Back in 2014 I wrote a report about our trip to San Francisco, Reno and 2 weeks Vegas.
We’ve been to Vegas several times but because of the trip report we all remember this vacation as if it were yesterday.
You can find this trip report and who we are right here:
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1...vegas-1489194/
We’ve been back in 2015 and 2016 but I didn't have the time nor energy to write a trip report. It's a lot of work but I always enjoy those of others so I thought it was time for another one.
First of all, this year we went with 5 guys instead of 4. Meet Rob, aka Ropski. Ropski is one of the 3 OG’s (together with Ouwkes and Roald) who started these visits to Sin City back in 2008. In 2010 he found love. She had a daughter, so suddenly Ropski had to be a fulltime dad which meant that Vegas had to wait. Unfortunately, this relationship stranded last year so he couldn’t wait to join us.
Ropski works for the biggest producer of semiconductor equipment, is a Corona aficionado, NFL style (no ****ing lime), is great at winning small tournaments and his favorite hand is a bit boring, AA. He is also very good at losing at table games or with craps.
This story starts in July 2017.
Back in 2014 we didn’t stay in a hotel, but in a house. We liked this very much, the only negative part was that it was too far from the Strip to walk. After some research we found the Wyndham grand desert. This facility on E Harmon is only a 15-minute walk to Planet Hollywood and has no resort or parking fees. So, in October 2016 we stayed in a nice fully equipped 3-bedroom apartment which we all liked very much.
When it became clear that we wouldn’t go in 2017 we started making plans for 2018. Normally we visit Vegas in October but we all thought that a 2-year drought was too much. So, the best alternative was May.
Ouwkes is our research guy and he immediately contacted Wyndham. Since it’s only possible to book 10 months in advance he had to wait till July. Now, since 2015, Ouwkes is the proud father of a lovely daughter who we all love to death, so he made some inquiries about a vacation of max 12 days. Roald also wanted to go for that long, but Ropski, Fedor and myself wanted to go a bit longer (to compensate for the fact that we didn’t go last year, or in Ropski’s case, the last 8 years).
We settled on 3.5 weeks, so from 10th of May till the 4th of June. Ouwkes and Roald would join us on the 23rd. We paid around $50 p.p./p.d, so compared to the hotels with the ever increasing resort-fee this was a bargain.
So, no live or semi-live trip report and some things are already outdated (e.g. the games of the Vegas Knights) but I still hope you will enjoy it. It’s gonna be a long one.
The title of this thread is derived from a statement from a woman who said the we have an excellent vacation-mentality when we mentioned that we have approximately 30 vacation days per year and that we spent a big chunk of that in Vegas.
No trip report without a bankroll and shoe picture, so here it is.
Dutch bankroll
Small selection of what we brought and bought
06-21-2018
, 03:23 AM
06-21-2018
, 03:39 AM
Day 1, the day that Vegas is still able to surprise me
Some people say their vacation starts the moment they leave the house. These people are wrong.
Some say it starts when they arrive at the airport. They are also wrong.
Vacation starts when you have ordered your first free alcoholic beverage on the plane and you’re watching Rick & Morty on the in-flight entertainment.
After a lousy 300-day countdown we are finally going again. This day starts with some nice rungood. The last few days were nice and sunny, but on the day we leave it is cloudy with a chance of rain. I pick up Ropski and Fedor and without much delay (it’s Ascension Day, a public holiday in the Netherlands) we arrive at the airport. When we get in line for customs they open up a new zone right in front of us, so we don’t have to wait either.
Since we fly with Delta we all get interviewed at the beginning of the Pier. This is a bit of a setback because we thought we were boarding at Gate D1 and timed it accordingly, so we are running late now. The questions are pretty standard. Where we are going, how long are you going, did you pack your own bags etc. When we are through, Fedor mentions he must have a trustworthy face, since they hardly asked him anything.
Now, I don’t know what happened to that trustworthy face between the interview and the 300-yard walk to the actual gate, but when we arrive he gets picked out for a ‘random’ search. This is a proper check and the only thing missing is the snapping sound of a white rubber glove and a full cavity search.
Ropski and I continue our way to the plane but we stop halfway and wait until Fedor is fully processed. In the meantime, a girl comes rushing towards us. We are already pushing it time-wise, but she is really really late. She looks at us and I see her wondering why we are standing there. I say: “we’re too late, the plane already left!” and I see some genuine panic in her eyes. “No, you’re good, we’re just waiting”. Somehow, she cannot laugh about this. Maybe I need to rethink my sense of humor.
The rungood continues. The plane is only 80% full so we can pick separate seats. Service is pretty good, they have a lot of movies to pick from and the 9-hour flight to Minneapolis is over before we know it.
After we have gone through customs we must undergo several checks again. First our tickets, then the usual line for the x-ray machine. The guy who checked our tickets is now assisting his colleagues at the baggage check. I tell him “Hey, I just met your twin-brother a minute ago”. Apparently, my rethinking didn’t help, because I got zero response from him.
You know you’re in the US when you enter a restaurant and you count 12 tv’s hanging on the walls. They all show either sports or commercials.
On the flight to Vegas I sit next to a woman who keeps talking to herself and opens and closes the shutter every 3 minutes. At least I win the elbow fight for the armrest. When we approach Vegas, I ask her if she could leave it open, so we can see the Strip when we land. I now notice that she is afraid of flying because she won’t look out of the window during the descent and when we have a bumpy landing she grabs my arm.
Yesssss, back in Vegas for the 8th time.
We pick up our luggage, take a cab to the Wyndham and check in without a sweat. The first 2 weeks we will stay in a 2-bedroom apartment and when the others arrive we will move to a 3-bedroom apartment.
It’s now 6.00 PM local time and we are not sure what to do. We already know where we are going to eat, namely Musashi, the best sushi place in town imho but it’s still a bit early. Fedor comes up with the best idea and that’s taking a dive in the pool first.
15 minutes later we float in the pool and that tired feeling you get from travelling disappears almost immediately.
At around 9.00 we head towards Musashi. According to Waze it’s only 1.2km so we decide to walk. We are not fully acclimatized to the heat yet, so after 20 minutes we realize that walking wasn’t the best idea. Also, it’s not 1.2km, but 1.2 mile. Fedor says “on the map it didn’t look that far”. Jeee, that’s something that has never been said before in Vegas….. The rest of the vacation this will be the running joke. Everything will only be 1.2 mile away.
Musashi is great as always. We order mostly from the specialty menu. If you go there, order ‘the godfather’. You can thank me later. The waiter recognizes us and he serves us a few extra dishes.
Noice!!
Ropski is starting to feel tired, so we take a lyft to Bally’s for a coffee at “Troopers-Favorite” Starbucks. After the coffee we walk to the Bellagio to check the fountains.
Remember that final scene of Ocean’s Eleven where they watch the fountains and they think about how they pulled off the heist? I sort of get that same feeling when I stand there. And as I am daydreaming about the fact that I am back once again a guy comes up to us and asks us if we want to go to a stripclub. Ok, nothing new here, we get that question a lot during the vacation. The next line is something I never heard before and what truly baffles me. He says: “we have a special club, we have over 100 naked women and 10 midgets. Their torsos may be small but they got big asses!!”
Oh mannn…. I love Vegas! I’m too blown away by this and I can’t even respond but this is hilarious.
After this it’s time for some proper cocktails so we enter the Bellagio. We sit down at the Crazy4Poker table game. Ropski is not familiar with the rules and normally only plays poker so he just sits down to watch. For some reason I’m in the mood for a caipirinha. I order one and the cocktail waitress happily tells me she is originally from Brazil so she is over the moon I ordered one.
Ropski also wants to play so he buys in for 120$. He is now getting my cards. 3 hands later the 120$ are gone and he quits. The next hand I make a straight so I thank him for saving me some money.
The first dealer is nice and very talkative, but when she goes on a break we get a grumpy one who wants to deal as quickly as possible and is not in the mood for some small talk. Fedor starts to annoy her on purpose by slowly looking at his cards and taking his time with his decisions.
A few cocktails later I am up 400, Fedor is down 400 and after a visit to the conservatory we decide to go across the street to the Heart Bar in the Planet.
Unfortunately, there are no dancing girls in the pleasure pit and the cocktail bar is almost empty but we order some drinks anyway.
Slightly intoxicated and starting to feel tired from the long day I make the bad decision to play some poker.
I lose $300 like it’s nothing. I get up, play some more table games and lose another 300. It’s around 05.00 AM when I leave the boys and walk back home. At 5.30 it’s lights out for me. Day 1 has come to an end.
Some people say their vacation starts the moment they leave the house. These people are wrong.
Some say it starts when they arrive at the airport. They are also wrong.
Vacation starts when you have ordered your first free alcoholic beverage on the plane and you’re watching Rick & Morty on the in-flight entertainment.
After a lousy 300-day countdown we are finally going again. This day starts with some nice rungood. The last few days were nice and sunny, but on the day we leave it is cloudy with a chance of rain. I pick up Ropski and Fedor and without much delay (it’s Ascension Day, a public holiday in the Netherlands) we arrive at the airport. When we get in line for customs they open up a new zone right in front of us, so we don’t have to wait either.
Since we fly with Delta we all get interviewed at the beginning of the Pier. This is a bit of a setback because we thought we were boarding at Gate D1 and timed it accordingly, so we are running late now. The questions are pretty standard. Where we are going, how long are you going, did you pack your own bags etc. When we are through, Fedor mentions he must have a trustworthy face, since they hardly asked him anything.
Now, I don’t know what happened to that trustworthy face between the interview and the 300-yard walk to the actual gate, but when we arrive he gets picked out for a ‘random’ search. This is a proper check and the only thing missing is the snapping sound of a white rubber glove and a full cavity search.
Ropski and I continue our way to the plane but we stop halfway and wait until Fedor is fully processed. In the meantime, a girl comes rushing towards us. We are already pushing it time-wise, but she is really really late. She looks at us and I see her wondering why we are standing there. I say: “we’re too late, the plane already left!” and I see some genuine panic in her eyes. “No, you’re good, we’re just waiting”. Somehow, she cannot laugh about this. Maybe I need to rethink my sense of humor.
The rungood continues. The plane is only 80% full so we can pick separate seats. Service is pretty good, they have a lot of movies to pick from and the 9-hour flight to Minneapolis is over before we know it.
After we have gone through customs we must undergo several checks again. First our tickets, then the usual line for the x-ray machine. The guy who checked our tickets is now assisting his colleagues at the baggage check. I tell him “Hey, I just met your twin-brother a minute ago”. Apparently, my rethinking didn’t help, because I got zero response from him.
You know you’re in the US when you enter a restaurant and you count 12 tv’s hanging on the walls. They all show either sports or commercials.
On the flight to Vegas I sit next to a woman who keeps talking to herself and opens and closes the shutter every 3 minutes. At least I win the elbow fight for the armrest. When we approach Vegas, I ask her if she could leave it open, so we can see the Strip when we land. I now notice that she is afraid of flying because she won’t look out of the window during the descent and when we have a bumpy landing she grabs my arm.
Yesssss, back in Vegas for the 8th time.
We pick up our luggage, take a cab to the Wyndham and check in without a sweat. The first 2 weeks we will stay in a 2-bedroom apartment and when the others arrive we will move to a 3-bedroom apartment.
It’s now 6.00 PM local time and we are not sure what to do. We already know where we are going to eat, namely Musashi, the best sushi place in town imho but it’s still a bit early. Fedor comes up with the best idea and that’s taking a dive in the pool first.
15 minutes later we float in the pool and that tired feeling you get from travelling disappears almost immediately.
At around 9.00 we head towards Musashi. According to Waze it’s only 1.2km so we decide to walk. We are not fully acclimatized to the heat yet, so after 20 minutes we realize that walking wasn’t the best idea. Also, it’s not 1.2km, but 1.2 mile. Fedor says “on the map it didn’t look that far”. Jeee, that’s something that has never been said before in Vegas….. The rest of the vacation this will be the running joke. Everything will only be 1.2 mile away.
Musashi is great as always. We order mostly from the specialty menu. If you go there, order ‘the godfather’. You can thank me later. The waiter recognizes us and he serves us a few extra dishes.
Noice!!
Ropski is starting to feel tired, so we take a lyft to Bally’s for a coffee at “Troopers-Favorite” Starbucks. After the coffee we walk to the Bellagio to check the fountains.
Remember that final scene of Ocean’s Eleven where they watch the fountains and they think about how they pulled off the heist? I sort of get that same feeling when I stand there. And as I am daydreaming about the fact that I am back once again a guy comes up to us and asks us if we want to go to a stripclub. Ok, nothing new here, we get that question a lot during the vacation. The next line is something I never heard before and what truly baffles me. He says: “we have a special club, we have over 100 naked women and 10 midgets. Their torsos may be small but they got big asses!!”
Oh mannn…. I love Vegas! I’m too blown away by this and I can’t even respond but this is hilarious.
After this it’s time for some proper cocktails so we enter the Bellagio. We sit down at the Crazy4Poker table game. Ropski is not familiar with the rules and normally only plays poker so he just sits down to watch. For some reason I’m in the mood for a caipirinha. I order one and the cocktail waitress happily tells me she is originally from Brazil so she is over the moon I ordered one.
Ropski also wants to play so he buys in for 120$. He is now getting my cards. 3 hands later the 120$ are gone and he quits. The next hand I make a straight so I thank him for saving me some money.
The first dealer is nice and very talkative, but when she goes on a break we get a grumpy one who wants to deal as quickly as possible and is not in the mood for some small talk. Fedor starts to annoy her on purpose by slowly looking at his cards and taking his time with his decisions.
A few cocktails later I am up 400, Fedor is down 400 and after a visit to the conservatory we decide to go across the street to the Heart Bar in the Planet.
Unfortunately, there are no dancing girls in the pleasure pit and the cocktail bar is almost empty but we order some drinks anyway.
Slightly intoxicated and starting to feel tired from the long day I make the bad decision to play some poker.
I lose $300 like it’s nothing. I get up, play some more table games and lose another 300. It’s around 05.00 AM when I leave the boys and walk back home. At 5.30 it’s lights out for me. Day 1 has come to an end.
06-24-2018
, 11:13 AM
Day 2, the day where we are on top of Top of the World
1 hour later, at 6.30 I hear Fedor and Ropski enter the apartment. At 7.30 I hear Fedor leave the apartment again.
Next time I check the alarm I see that it is 13.30. Nice! But then I realize it’s not a 13 I see, but an 8. So basically 3 x 1 hour of sleep the first night. Sounds about right. Fedor is at the pool and I join him.
At 11.00 the pool bar opens and we order a Bloody Mary. It’s way too spicy, but it does the trick and my slight hangover and fatigue disappears.
We are avid followers of all the Vegas vloggers so we have picked up quite a few nice tips. Not only restaurants and bars, but also tourneys and good deals.
It’s Friday and we decide to play the 7.00 pm tournament in the Strat.
Before the tourney we want to visit the 107 Skylounge, since it’s happy hour from 4 till 7 and they also have a late happy hour from 10.30 onwards.
The ride up takes a minute or 2 and the elevator attendant tries to start a conversation with everyone. She starts with asking how are day was. This is a setup for the first corny elevator joke because she can’t wait to tell that her day has had its ups and downs…. <insert cricket chirping sound effect>.
She asks where we are from and when we say we are from North Brabant (province in the Netherlands) there is no funny comeback, just a blank stare.
The skylounge is nice. Not a great ambiance, but the cocktails (2 for 1) and appetizers (half price) are pretty decent. We have a nice view of the Strip and below we can see the Top of the World restaurant.
Before we go down again we head over to the observation deck, but the wind has picked up quite a bit and we can hardly stand up straight so we cut this visit short and we make our way to the poker room.
This tournament has a nice structure and free pizza during the break. Unfortunately, Pokerkraut is not able to attend this week because his daughter graduated.
Ropski is not in the mood for a tournament and sits down at the only 1-2 cash game.
Long story short, I am out in 7th place and Fedor chops it heads up for $560 apiece. Normally he doesn't chop but we were railing him for quite some time after he said it would only take 15 minutes. Also, he basically played the tourney sleeping.
Whenever we are in a tournament, we split the winnings equally so I happily hold out my hand to collect my share.
In the meantime, Ropski is working his magic at the cash game. Within 2 orbits he makes 5 full houses. He is stacking a player who sits down with $300 within a few hands. He asks where Ropski is coming from and when he tells him he is from The Netherlands he grumpy tells him to go back asap. After this remark the table rewards him with the nickname ‘the Dutch destroyer’. 3 hours later he leaves with almost 1k profit.
It’s around midnight and we debate if we are going back to the Skylounge, but since Fedor hasn’t slept at all and Ropski and myself only a few hours we decide to go back to the apartment. Also, since we are here for more than 3 weeks there is no need to go full throttle constantly.
1 hour later, at 6.30 I hear Fedor and Ropski enter the apartment. At 7.30 I hear Fedor leave the apartment again.
Next time I check the alarm I see that it is 13.30. Nice! But then I realize it’s not a 13 I see, but an 8. So basically 3 x 1 hour of sleep the first night. Sounds about right. Fedor is at the pool and I join him.
At 11.00 the pool bar opens and we order a Bloody Mary. It’s way too spicy, but it does the trick and my slight hangover and fatigue disappears.
We are avid followers of all the Vegas vloggers so we have picked up quite a few nice tips. Not only restaurants and bars, but also tourneys and good deals.
It’s Friday and we decide to play the 7.00 pm tournament in the Strat.
Before the tourney we want to visit the 107 Skylounge, since it’s happy hour from 4 till 7 and they also have a late happy hour from 10.30 onwards.
The ride up takes a minute or 2 and the elevator attendant tries to start a conversation with everyone. She starts with asking how are day was. This is a setup for the first corny elevator joke because she can’t wait to tell that her day has had its ups and downs…. <insert cricket chirping sound effect>.
She asks where we are from and when we say we are from North Brabant (province in the Netherlands) there is no funny comeback, just a blank stare.
The skylounge is nice. Not a great ambiance, but the cocktails (2 for 1) and appetizers (half price) are pretty decent. We have a nice view of the Strip and below we can see the Top of the World restaurant.
Before we go down again we head over to the observation deck, but the wind has picked up quite a bit and we can hardly stand up straight so we cut this visit short and we make our way to the poker room.
This tournament has a nice structure and free pizza during the break. Unfortunately, Pokerkraut is not able to attend this week because his daughter graduated.
Ropski is not in the mood for a tournament and sits down at the only 1-2 cash game.
Long story short, I am out in 7th place and Fedor chops it heads up for $560 apiece. Normally he doesn't chop but we were railing him for quite some time after he said it would only take 15 minutes. Also, he basically played the tourney sleeping.
Whenever we are in a tournament, we split the winnings equally so I happily hold out my hand to collect my share.
In the meantime, Ropski is working his magic at the cash game. Within 2 orbits he makes 5 full houses. He is stacking a player who sits down with $300 within a few hands. He asks where Ropski is coming from and when he tells him he is from The Netherlands he grumpy tells him to go back asap. After this remark the table rewards him with the nickname ‘the Dutch destroyer’. 3 hours later he leaves with almost 1k profit.
It’s around midnight and we debate if we are going back to the Skylounge, but since Fedor hasn’t slept at all and Ropski and myself only a few hours we decide to go back to the apartment. Also, since we are here for more than 3 weeks there is no need to go full throttle constantly.
06-27-2018
, 02:56 AM
Day 3, the day we experience hockey madness and my mouth goes numb
At 6.00 both Fedor and I are awake. Ropski is still asleep and we decide to do some shopping. I ask when the supermarket is open for business but Fedor wearily tells me they are open 24/7. Ah yes, of course… I still have to get used to this 24-hour economy.
We walk to the Vons via the UNLV (only 1.2 miles). Today are the UNLV's Spring 2018 Commencement Ceremonies so there is already some activity at the campus.
We buy all the stuff we need and with approximately 20 plastic bags and some gallons of water we order a Lyft. Since it’s too much to carry everything at once to the apartment I call Ropski and ask him to help us out. It’s clear I wake him up but he agrees to meet us at the entrance.
Even though he is only awake for less than 30 seconds his brain is fully functioning, because he is smart enough to bring down his empty suitcase. Clever boy!!
After breakfast it’s time for the pool.
As said earlier, the pool bar opens at 11.00, so before noon we have our first cocktails, a Bahama mama and 2 frozen pina colada’s.
Fedor and I want to play in the MGM and Ropski wants to catch some Z’s, so at around 3.00 we sit down for a game of poker. The first few visits to Vegas we always stayed in the MGM and in my memory the action was always juicy. Nowadays the majority are OMC’s and there is hardly any action. We both are bored and decide it’s better to watch game 1 of the Vegas Knights against Winnipeg in the sports bar where the Lion Den used to be.
The Vegas Golden Knights……. What can I say. This team undeniably is the talk of the town. The Statue of Liberty wears a Knights Jersey, a statue in front of the Caesars holds a hockey stick, the lion at the MGM also has the logo on its chest and everybody is ecstatic about their performance. Also, after the shooting in October this team has lifted the spirit of this fantastic town.
Game 1 is a disappointment and they lose 4-1. There are also quite a few Jets fans, because when they score we hear a lot of cheering.
To kill some time we play some European roulette (you know, the normal one with only 1 zero instead of 2 or even worse, the new game in town, the one with 3!!! We even saw people playing at these new tables. WHHHYYYYYY???????) Minimum here per spin is $100, so we each lay down $200 and combine this money. No luck unfortunately.
We buy some mini donuts at The Dapper Doughnut and walk back into the MGM trough ‘the district’ to see what is left of all the places and restaurants. Craftsteak is still there, but Shibuya is now called Morimoto.
Ropski is also in the land of the living and joins us. We take a cab to the Goldcoast because we are in the mood for some Chinese food and we hear Ping Pang Pong is the place to be for that. With this sort of name, we don’t expect a high-end place, more of a takeaway, but we are definitely wrong. We order some appetizers and for the main course we have hog belly, kung pao chicken and the seabass. Good food.
Fedor is tired and wants to take a powernap so he is fresh and ready for later this evening.
Ropski and I head over to Caesars for some power-poker. We both end up at the same table. This is a nice and friendly table with some good table talk. The guy in seat 9 has a big stack in front of him and with the way he plays we both know that he will lose that stack. Ropski and I do what we can and we are right about the fact that he loses all his money, but unfortunately not to us.
When he leaves the table breaks and we are in need of some cocktails. We walk to the Cosmo and sit down at the Chandelier. Like I said, we watch the vlogs so for me there is one drink that I need to try and that’s the Verbana. Even though it’s not on the list it still is the most ordered cocktail. The waitress explains how to drink this and indeed, after eating the flower my whole mouth feels weird and tingly. A strange experience, but fun nonetheless.
Fedor texts that he is at the Bellagio playing 2-5, but we are not in the mood for the Bellagio.
At around 1.00AM we go to the Planet. On the way over we got asked if we want to go to a strip club. I ask if they have midgets and all of a sudden, they look at me like I am the crazy one!!
This time the pleasure pit is open for business, but we have seen better dancers in the past.
My table is ok, but I am really card-dead. Ropski is sitting at a different table and after asking for a table change at least 3 times he got seated at another (boring) table.
At 3.00 we decide to call it a night. While Ropski is off to the restroom (I tell you, this guy has the bladder of a young puppy. After each Corona he has to pee) a shabby guy walks up to me. After asking him twice what he is saying I finally understand him. He asks if I am interested in investing in a new business opportunity. Too bad I just lost $200, otherwise I would have immediately given him the money. I don’t want to miss out again, like I did with the cryptocurrency…
After a small detour in the Miracle Mile (did you know it’s actually the Miracle 1.2 Mile?) we arrive back home. No one is home, so apparently Fedor is still at the Bellagio.
At 6.00 both Fedor and I are awake. Ropski is still asleep and we decide to do some shopping. I ask when the supermarket is open for business but Fedor wearily tells me they are open 24/7. Ah yes, of course… I still have to get used to this 24-hour economy.
We walk to the Vons via the UNLV (only 1.2 miles). Today are the UNLV's Spring 2018 Commencement Ceremonies so there is already some activity at the campus.
We buy all the stuff we need and with approximately 20 plastic bags and some gallons of water we order a Lyft. Since it’s too much to carry everything at once to the apartment I call Ropski and ask him to help us out. It’s clear I wake him up but he agrees to meet us at the entrance.
Even though he is only awake for less than 30 seconds his brain is fully functioning, because he is smart enough to bring down his empty suitcase. Clever boy!!
After breakfast it’s time for the pool.
As said earlier, the pool bar opens at 11.00, so before noon we have our first cocktails, a Bahama mama and 2 frozen pina colada’s.
Fedor and I want to play in the MGM and Ropski wants to catch some Z’s, so at around 3.00 we sit down for a game of poker. The first few visits to Vegas we always stayed in the MGM and in my memory the action was always juicy. Nowadays the majority are OMC’s and there is hardly any action. We both are bored and decide it’s better to watch game 1 of the Vegas Knights against Winnipeg in the sports bar where the Lion Den used to be.
The Vegas Golden Knights……. What can I say. This team undeniably is the talk of the town. The Statue of Liberty wears a Knights Jersey, a statue in front of the Caesars holds a hockey stick, the lion at the MGM also has the logo on its chest and everybody is ecstatic about their performance. Also, after the shooting in October this team has lifted the spirit of this fantastic town.
Game 1 is a disappointment and they lose 4-1. There are also quite a few Jets fans, because when they score we hear a lot of cheering.
To kill some time we play some European roulette (you know, the normal one with only 1 zero instead of 2 or even worse, the new game in town, the one with 3!!! We even saw people playing at these new tables. WHHHYYYYYY???????) Minimum here per spin is $100, so we each lay down $200 and combine this money. No luck unfortunately.
We buy some mini donuts at The Dapper Doughnut and walk back into the MGM trough ‘the district’ to see what is left of all the places and restaurants. Craftsteak is still there, but Shibuya is now called Morimoto.
Ropski is also in the land of the living and joins us. We take a cab to the Goldcoast because we are in the mood for some Chinese food and we hear Ping Pang Pong is the place to be for that. With this sort of name, we don’t expect a high-end place, more of a takeaway, but we are definitely wrong. We order some appetizers and for the main course we have hog belly, kung pao chicken and the seabass. Good food.
Fedor is tired and wants to take a powernap so he is fresh and ready for later this evening.
Ropski and I head over to Caesars for some power-poker. We both end up at the same table. This is a nice and friendly table with some good table talk. The guy in seat 9 has a big stack in front of him and with the way he plays we both know that he will lose that stack. Ropski and I do what we can and we are right about the fact that he loses all his money, but unfortunately not to us.
When he leaves the table breaks and we are in need of some cocktails. We walk to the Cosmo and sit down at the Chandelier. Like I said, we watch the vlogs so for me there is one drink that I need to try and that’s the Verbana. Even though it’s not on the list it still is the most ordered cocktail. The waitress explains how to drink this and indeed, after eating the flower my whole mouth feels weird and tingly. A strange experience, but fun nonetheless.
Fedor texts that he is at the Bellagio playing 2-5, but we are not in the mood for the Bellagio.
At around 1.00AM we go to the Planet. On the way over we got asked if we want to go to a strip club. I ask if they have midgets and all of a sudden, they look at me like I am the crazy one!!
This time the pleasure pit is open for business, but we have seen better dancers in the past.
My table is ok, but I am really card-dead. Ropski is sitting at a different table and after asking for a table change at least 3 times he got seated at another (boring) table.
At 3.00 we decide to call it a night. While Ropski is off to the restroom (I tell you, this guy has the bladder of a young puppy. After each Corona he has to pee) a shabby guy walks up to me. After asking him twice what he is saying I finally understand him. He asks if I am interested in investing in a new business opportunity. Too bad I just lost $200, otherwise I would have immediately given him the money. I don’t want to miss out again, like I did with the cryptocurrency…
After a small detour in the Miracle Mile (did you know it’s actually the Miracle 1.2 Mile?) we arrive back home. No one is home, so apparently Fedor is still at the Bellagio.
06-28-2018
, 11:17 PM
I sat in this exact seat a few weeks ago and took the same photo for my TR:
