Sure are a lot of freaks on the internets....

I'll try to learn how to do that tomorrow. They are all tucked in right now. Plus, they have been in a weird mood since Lucky went to pot.

In a little under 6 hours I will be getting on a plane for the first time in 17 years. Time flies, I don't. Neither do chickens, FWIW. At least not very far when their wings are clipped.

Tonight will be booze and bud. Grind starts tomorrow...

For a thread bonus I'm gonna see how bad I wreck my health in 2 weeks.

Today's weight: 223lbs
7 day avg of BP & HR: 113/65 & 55

My buddy, who will be with me for the first half of the trip, set the O/U on weight gained at 12lbs.

I didn't ask him about blood pressure and heart rate, because I know he's got his own problems. He's got to keep his gout in check.

Is he the other guy in that photo I posted?

So I guess you aren't raising gamecocks. I am disappointed.

I didn't even know that Binions had BBQ... How does it stack up against other Vegas BBQ? I'm usually a Rollin' Smoke guy but would love to try another good BBQ place as there isn't much real BBQ where I reside.

Gonna try to do an update.

Let me first say I am using a kindle that could die any day. It's got a huge crack and doesn't hold a charge. Have only been using it to order crap from amazon.

I don't have access to the email/password on this account. Tried to get help changing it but apparently don't have enough info to do so.

Been back on 2+2 looking at cheating scandal. It's very reminiscent of what we went through in Austin in 2012. Not saying it's the same system, just the overall feel of the situation is the same.

This failed trip report started off pretty good.

Got to Vegas in March and hit the ground running.

Tried to set up new account and made a post on day 2 I think. I was snap banned for being a troll, lol.

Wasn't too crazy. Hit a royal on VP and got comatose stoned. Whatever, I guess they didn't believe me and thought I was trolling.

Tried to get help from 2+2 but I guess they hear that story a lot.

Anyway, gave up on trip report. Played 78 hours of 1/2. Up $600 when I left.

Smoked a lot. Ate way too much.

Anyway, I'm back in Vegas. Been here about 6 weeks.

I had previously had a 500 hour challenge. Only made it half way. Dad got sick and I needed to be there with him. He passed away in May and I've been on the road playing as much as possible since then.

Been a little depressed and dad was an old school rounder. Figured this would be a good way to process my grief.

Since May I have been able to play in Lake Charles, Durant, Thackerville, Reno, and Vegas. Have 388 hours this year. Pretty sure i can make it to 500 this time.

Leaving Vegas soon. Will share a few stories from the road and hopefully get motivated to try a few new things before I leave.

CactusJack would love to hear stories from the road.

Really sorry about your Dad, yes it sucks.

So, a few thoughts about Vegas after grinding out a good chunk of hours.

The local regs that I've played with have been enjoyable to be with at the table. A few have been grating at times, but for the most part I've enjoyed talking to them. Have learned a lot as well.

Dealers have been pretty good, too. There's always one of two that just don't have patience or just seem to hate people, drunks in particular. I can appreciate both but I wouldn't work graveyard in Vegas if I hated being around drunks.

I have seen a couple of angles that surprised me. Not so much the angles themselves, but the length of time and amount of effort that went into it. Kind of a long con. In Texas it seems a little more about slight of hand and in the moment type stuff. Out here they seem to work for it.

One guy in particular. Apparently a local who is known as a jerk in this room I was in. Saw him a couple of times. One time he worked this drunk guy over real good.

Both times he got ran out of the room. He never tips, super rude to dealers and waitresses, and a couple of the locals call him on it. He tanks a lot too. Which is way annoying to me.

Anyway, the point is I watch these guys live in a drunks ear for an hour all to set up some whoops I thought those were red chips, not green move.

Lot of work for a guy that's just gonna punt his stack anyway.

I let him get to me one morning. Guess I just decided to be the guy for some reason. He said he knew my type and I'd never say anything to him outside the casino. Honestly, I was just dumbfounded.

First, it's the opposite. Outside the casino I would be pretty tempted to correct his behavior. We just don't like rudeness where I come from. Especially towards women and people in the service industry.

Inside a casino, he has to be a real piece of work to get me to say anything. I'm not necessarily quiet, but I'm always friendly and nonconfrontational.

Anyway, the other thing was just the balls on this guy. He was pretty little and looked a little anemic. I can't believe he pops off to people who look like me. And apparently on a regular basis.

Anyway, got to call him with Q high and be right. And then got to get 3 streets and his stack with aces. Good times.

CJ if you ever make it to Houston look me up. I’d love to shoot the crap and sip some bourbon with you.

in for more stories

After spending June sober I needed to get away and just say F it for a while.

Started with a quick trip to Lake Charles. Played the Nugget and Laberge. Small loss at Nugget and +375 at Laberge. Guess I preferred Laberge but realize I'm spoiled. I love the Winstar room and the dealers there.

Picked a 40 lbs of boudin for my uncle. He loves it and sells some of it out of his bar and grill. I used it as currency on the way back. Left a few pounds with anyone who let me sleep on their couch.

After LC, I went to the Willie Nelson picnic to "pour one out" for dad. He hadn't missed a picnic in quite some time. I used to go but kinda got fed up with the crowds, the rules, the prices, etc. Not to mention the heat. That's a regret, now.

Anyway, very surreal (maybe not the right word) being in a haze of bud, beer, and music and seeing these old timers on stage. Dad and I bonded over their music long ago. After having years and miles between us as I went out on my own trying to prove to myself I knew everything. I am thankful that I realized what a hero he was as early as I did.

The old man made it to 72. 25 years after a quadruple bypass and 20 years longer than both his parents.

The ages of some of the picnic attendees?

Willie 86
Ray Wylie Hubbard 72
Billy Joe Shaver 80
Johnny Bush 84
David Allan Coe 80

The performer who had the most to say at the picnic? I mean, literally would not shut up and play? Luke Combs. At the ripe old age of 29.

Talk about self awareness. He spent a good 20 minutes of his set sharing life wisdom. Guess he couldn't see all of our gray hair, canes, and walkers from the stage.

I'm sure he's a good kid. But by that point in the day, we really just want to hear whisky river and wrap this sucker up.

Good little trip. Headed back home to pack for Reno.

I'll get to Reno later.

I guess the craziest session so far in Vegas was with this guy I'm calling Iceman. Dude looked just like Val Kilmer from Top Gun. He was decked out in this high dollar suit. I mean, even if it was some kind of knock off it had to cost a lot. Gold cufflinks, rings, watch, chain. I mean the dude was on display. I guess he had just come from a club.

Anyway, he's playing every hand. Stack up and down. He had a stack when I say down and had to rebuy at least twice with me there. Apparently he had been in the day before and had done the same thing. I pick this up from table talk when he's up from the game.

Anyway, he gets his stack back up. Starts beating some really tight players out of their stacks by out flopping them or just showing up with hands against the top of their ranges, and then gambles with and out runs the loose players.

It's quite a show. I'm just spinning my wheels. Can't get a hand to play, can't hit a flop good enough to play with him when I do. I start noticing that he is 3! me every time I open and limping behind when I limp.

I end up in 3 hands with the Iceman that lead to my biggest loss of the trip.

Hand one. I open AQ to $10 in ep with $280 behind. He 3! to $35 with a gazillion behind. Two short stacks call. I make it $135 to go. He calls. Short stacks call for $75 and $80. Flop is 9 high and I put $145 in. He calls with QJ and it goes runner runner flush.

Re load for $300. Hand two. Several limpers and I limp on button with Q8ss. Iceman completes in sb. Flop is 89Ts. Checks to me and I bet $15. Iceman is only caller. Turn is Js giving me straight and redraw to flush. Checks to me and I make it $35. He calls. Red king on river. He leads for $75. I call. He rolls over AQ.

Hand three. I open KK utg to $10. Iceman makes it $30. One caller who has $215 behind. I raise to $95. Iceman makes it $200. Folds to me and I go all in for $315 total.

Gets weird here. He asks dealer how much more. Counts out the $315 from his stack, not touching the $200 he already put out. Eventually says he calls.

I roll over the kings. Board runs out with a QJ and I assume I'm beat. He waits about 5 seconds after river and flips over aces. Nitroll and slowroll?

I'm down $700. Probably should stay but don't really want to risk a $1k loss for the day.

He ends up losing most of his stack to a kid that took my seat. Probably wouldn't have come my way. I heard later that the kid had some gamble and that was how he took down the Iceman. Not my game...

Least surprising news ever is Cactus Jack going to a concert with David Allan Coe.

That picnic seems pretty cool, maybe one day I'll get to that before all those guys die.

Back in Texas. I survived 6 weeks in Vegas. My non-poker playing friends absolutely don't know how I could survive and/or not go broke. They don't understand how anyone can go to Vegas and not put a single dollar in action anywhere other than at a poker table.

My poker playing friends think I'm an entertainment nit and think the boredom should have killed me.

Anyway, my primary goal was to get in a lot of hours. Mission accomplished. My secondary goal was to live a healthy lifestyle and not over spend on food and weed. Mission failed.

September was pretty good. +$3100 in ~165 hours. October +$41 in 79 hours. I definitely hit a wall. Focus and aggression all but disappeared in October. I think poor eating habits, irregular sleep, and being too lazy to game select hurt. But, I also made a couple of really bad plays and calls that could have been avoided regardless of how I was living at the time.

Yearly totals are 421 hours and a profit of $4118. I imagine I'm done for the year. Zero desire to play right now...

For the past 3 years I have hovered around the $10 an hour mark in 1/2. Been telling myself if I can ever have a decent stretch, ~500 hours or so, of 10bbs an hour I would try to move up. Just can't get over the hump.

Currently thinking that the next Vegas trip will be March. I may give March thru June a try. Really need to have mind, body, and spirit right to make 4 months. Could possibly use April to hike some of the PCT.

Trip really demonstrated to me the challenge of moving to Vegas to grind low stakes. I think it could be done, but you really have to be willing to move around and find good games and also be super disciplined when it comes to lifestyle choices.

I know everyone talks about volume at low stakes. I'm starting to think that stoner was right, tho. "It's quality, not quantity."

Reno and Lake Tahoe were pretty f'ing awesome. Stayed 2 nights at Peppermill but only played about 4 hours and lost $60. I did see that vlogger, Ben Deach. Considered getting in the 3/5 game with him but they were short handed and it just seemed like a bad spot.

Was there to hang with some college friends. All pretty successful and most somewhat envious of my lifestyle. Doctor, athletic director, teacher, radiologist, banker, office manager (his wife is a doctor with her own practice), and a bum that is slowly breaking away from the grid. Can you find the piece that doesn't fit?

Anyway, the athletic director got hammered and lost a grand the first night in the casino. He and the banker stayed downtown so I missed all of the fun. Security apparently put him in a wheelchair and delivered him to the room around 7am. He crapped his pants at some point.

Doc and I went to get him and the banker at 9am. The banker was ticked off and wanted to leave him. He was already on his second bloody Mary and back at the blackjack table trying to get unstuck.

Well we get the other three from the airport and head to Tahoe. Absolutely beautiful. Really dug it.

We get off to a rough start, tho. The AD starts taking a leak off the balcony of our rental. Doc, who is our host and ultimately responsible, delivers a pretty nice hook to the ADs kidney and we all sit down to talk about the rules.

Ironically, the bum is probably the only one the doc trusts to behave. We go way back tho. Started playing sports together in 2nd grade.

It calms down considerably after that. One trip to Harvey's and then mostly fishing.

They don't smoke weed but everyone but the AD sampled some.

The banker is an ultra right wing red neck from the Texas hillcountry. His first experience with weed was with me. Cowboys had just won a playoff game, so this was the early 90s, and I got him to "celebrate" with me. Afterwards we went outside to throw a football in the snow. He bobbled a pass, just a linebacker in high school so what do you expect, and ended up face planting in to the hood of his truck. Broke a tooth and has been leary ever since.

But, he even went to a dispensary and bought pre-rolls just for the experience. Just watching him interact with those kids in the shop was worth the cost of the trip.

We mostly fished for kokanee salmon. Very tasty little fish.

I got stoned and hiked around some. I even went for a morning run the second day. Cut it short when I saw a bear rummaging though a trash can and a small pack of coyotes eyeing me like I had some mutton in my pocket. Do people jog at Lake Tahoe?

Pretty much decided I need to drive on these trips. Being 1000 miles away from my guns is somewhat disconcerting. I do understand that bears and coyotes are generally not that aggressive and are just scavaging. But, man, it definitely made me more alert.

Good trip. Consensus seems to be we are going back next year. We talked about doing something in Texas, but the weather in July is a huge factor. Just can't beat Tahoe when it comes to summer weather.

Fun read, thanks for sharing!