Maybe you've just got a large stomach and a liver that can process a ton of alcohol, and a brain that requires more alcohol to get an effect? Oh wait...

Gashdarnit, leon, you of all people should know you can't post ITT when you have something to add to the "trip" report without actually contributing to the report.

ETA: don't quote posts with lots of pics people.

sounds like I've got a big brain and that's what I'm going to conclude there

Day 4

I wake up around 7am; perfect. We've got nothing on the agenda today except making a comeback/maybe booking a win! I sit at the old school machine and B joins soon after.



These two jackpots, then the resulting coldness, allow us to book a 2k win for that session.

The ladies are up and I've been trying to get a 4 way craps session going all trip. We have them order room service for us- wait time, 70 min! So they come downstairs and we find a mostly empty table.

Alas, we get no magic and it's just not fun. I have to twist wife's arm to roll, and unfortunately when she does it's bad. R is not much better, but since she's a total noob she asks innocent questions, the answers to which are not fun to give (eg, "that was a decent roll right?" Actually you only hit one number so no, that was not decent). We actually lose pretty quickly and I'm down 2k really fast. We're not having fun and in the interests of bankroll preservation decide to head up to the room, pack, and wait for our food.







All the chips I've got on me and a 10k ticket. I assumed at this point the stack wasn't going to get any bigger...

After breakfast, the ladies decide to just chill in the room. B and I plan our attack. Ultimately, I'd be ok with a 10k total loss. I feel like we've shortchanged ourselves a bit, getting draws when we've stepped down in lines. Also, the aces have basically been quiet this whole trip- not that that means anything, but if we're due, it's now or never. So I say, let's go to 20 lines, we'll fire 5k and hard stop if we lose that. So we head to hi limit, feed in the big ticket, and we're losing fast, before the overdue second dealt quads of the trip!



Meh. MEHMEHMEHMEH



We give back money pretty much as fast as we get it. At some point we step down to 18 lines, and at some point we get up down 2k for the session and the day. We've killed a lot of time. I'm no longer ok with a 10k loss. It looks like it's not happening this trip. We finish off with some old school.



Two good results, way overdue!

We milk our play down to the last possible second. Finally, I have to stop to redeem my chips and this big ticket. Final result- only stuck 3k for the trip. Won 2k today.



I'm in the front for the ride to the airport.

Thankfully, we run into zero issues with the return flight. Given the amount of fun we had this trip, I'm calling this a win. A 3k loss total and multiple satisfying recoveries? I'll take it.

Day 4 result- +2k
Overall- -3k

Post-thoughts

I did pretty darn well from a bankroll management standpoint. Obv not perfect bc I had that big Sat AM implosion. 50k seems to be the optimal bankroll number for me from a mental standpoint. I'd rather bring 50k, run cold and stop with 10k left than bring 40k and have to stop with zero. Completely the same loss, but the mental feeling is so different. Hell, just having that extra 10k is a huge mental cushion, even if I'd never let myself crack into it.

E! was awesome of course, as was all the non-gambling stuff we did. I've obv tried to arrange non-gambling stuff for years now, but I think I'll do even more of it in future trips- it can only help stop the bleeding from a neg EV game, and there's a bunch of touristy stuff that I haven't done in years or decades that I can redo. I'm actually really looking forward to the next trip I can take with the kids- the last couple of times I will admit I kind of ignored them bc I was too busy gambling/running hot/bored with NYNY, Circus Circus, the pool, etc.

Thanks for reading! Next TR sooner rather than later I hope...

great that you had a fun trip Leon...I was worried you'd be all 'Vegas'd out' after all your trips.

When's the next trip?

I'm arranging it as we speak. There are a bunch of moving parts that I'm trying to coordinate and it's going to be whenever I can combine the most offers/get some friends and family to go.

I was definitely Vegas'd out after the horrible Apr trip, but trips like this last one get me all amped up again. If I can roll in and only lose a few K each time I can sustain that indefinitely. Unfortunately, we know those huge losers are out there- but aren't I due for a big winner here as well?! I swear to god, if that UX machine ever wakes up again...

More non-gambling events can only be good. It saves you from disaster when running bad. And it increases the chances of taking home $$ when you're up. Win win!

a $3k loss trip is basically even, and maybe ahead if you factor in the comps. Nice trip in the end. Always looking forward to the next one leon. We say it often, but don't take it for granted.... thanks for taking all the pics and giving the details to us.

at the risk of being a debbie downer, i can't help but feel slightly concerned

during the peak run you were always acknowledging that it was a -ev game but that you played because you enjoyed it, you played it optimally to make it as close to neutral ev as possible, and acknowledged that you've definitely hit the top of your range for outcomes

this awareness now seems to be missing, you make notes of how others have it so lucky running so hot and I generally get an idea that you feel like the games should be profitable, like you even seem to get annoyed at having losses in craps despite that should be the expectation

lot's of love for you leon and yes, I'm aware that you have a very good grasp on the situation, i'm not trying to imply otherwise, but it does kinda feel like you're beginning to get impacted by tilt, especially with the constant references to finding ways to avoid losing it all

after playing so big for so long, is it possible for you to ever go down in stakes?

Hey Debbie Downer. Also Ian Inaccurate imo

Ian Accurate, hurricane predictor

Well, I appreciate the concern, but I'm mostly pointing out the run bad from a semi-tongue in cheek POV. Of course I aware of how well I've run. And, I can still lament when I run bad at key moments. I ran bad basically all of 2022 and have never run good in a major slot tournament when it counts. I think it's human nature to note when one runs badly, EVEN if you've run good in the past. Find me a person who says "well, I'm running bad now but it's all good, I ran well before" and I'd be shocked,

I am acutely aware of how tilting losing is for me which is precisely why I try more and more to avoid those situations. Lastly, I've addressed this before, but I don't think I can play less than 50$/push now. It's just not fun. I haven't played less than 50$/push in any format for years now.

In other news, here is some run good from the local a few days ago. Dealt premium quads!



Need a good kicker draw here...

Result-


Just an amazing draw.

With that, I play bigger and run pretty well on another quality draw...



Ended up booking a 20k win that day, definitely take that.

Boom

well, I'm running bad now but it's all good, I ran well before.

Yeah what I meant was someone who can run bad for a long time, but dispassionately rationalize, "well I ran good before so it's ok". Obv we all want to run pure, all day every day. I don't think lamenting running bad is a particularly odd reaction for anyone, regardless of what has happened before.

Hey leon, I have asked for suggestions on what to do in the mod forum, but just wanted to let you know in the meantime, your thread is causing some of us to get blocked from 2p2 as the site thinks we're DOS attacking, I think. I actually unsubscribed a while back for that reason and now others are having the same issue. I think maybe if I go through and spoil a lot of the pics it will help, but I'm not sure if that's true. May turn out that the only solution is to start a Part II thread. I'll let you know as soon as I find something out.

leon has been kind enough to start a new thread so that all of us having issues with his old thread can rejoin the journey. Here is the new thread:
leon's vp Part II

You would get along well with my husband and me.