woke up for my last full day at 8:30 and went to the pool for opening time. Luxor pool facility is nice, but even at 9am there is no shade from the beating sun. I tried to open an umbrella but those are only for people with wristbands. without an extra reservation MGM leaves you to bake. but regardless, it was a pleasant change from the gym.
I checked out of Luxor at 10:50 and my room at Mandalay Bay was ready at 10:52! MB has really beautiful rooms. by 11:30 I was at the beach for more swimming. not surprisingly, the sand and walkways we're scorching hot. but this time I made sure to slather my pasty body with sunblock, wear my sunglasses and wear my sandals. the wave pool is nice because it is one of the few deep pools in Vegas but it was underwhelming with one medium wave every 2-3 minutes. I was hoping for a body-crushing tempest.
I nitted up and skipped buying a tube for the lazy river, but it was still very enjoyable, and I swam along for about an hour. overall I really likes the pool area. I would like to spend two days there (and bring my own tube) so I can make it really worthwhile. maybe not in July though.
took a short nap in the afternoon, which would have been better without the ambient pulsing drone sound that I couldn't ignore. decided on playing cash at MGM Grand after enjoying a roast beef sandwich at the new Top Round restaurant at the Park.
walked over to the poker room only to discover they were suspending cash games due to the big tournament going on. disaster! I checked Aria and Bellagio and both had lists like 80+ long. after considering my options, I decided on trekking to Venetian for promo hunting. I contemplated taking the Deuce but that looked like I could beat it there on my feet. so I pulled up my big boy pants and headed determined up the Vegas Strip in mid-afternoon. the heat and sun were getting to me so I snuck through casinos as often as possible. but I made it.
at this point my body was really suffering from exhaustion, fatigue, lack of sleep and the oppressive heat but there was work to do with limited time to go. I got on a list for ⅓ but noticed there was a 2/4 NL game with immediate seating so I jumped in for $300.
table looked pretty good. I ended up winning one decent hand to go up a little and then noticed my name was no longer on the list for ⅓. apparently I missed getting called, but they offered me a seat immediately at a table so I switched.
almost immediately I wondered if I made a poor choice as this was an extremely passive table (compared to the more aggressive 2/4 table). but I met very little resistance. my typical raise was to $11, which would get like 4 callers, I would auto-continuation bet for $21 and everyone would fold. if I limped, a $35 turn bluff bet would win me the pot. I bet with AK, hit a king on the flop, and got river called by K5 on a dry board. I was printing money. I did give action when I felt it appropriate, calling all-in for $54 on A high flop with A6 even though I didn't expect to win. won a pretty big pot with T9 on JT4JT.
my sister came to pick me up for a dinner reservation at 6:15 but I cashed out for $575 in only 1.5 hours, $275 profit. Venetian on the last day has been my biggest profit two trips in a row.