The multiplier-specific strategies for UX bonus streak are so complex that you'd prob need a math PhD to actually play anything close to optimal.

On the regular UX game you hold 4 to a flush over 3 to a royal, because the potential for the 11x on the next hand makes it more valuable.

Nice hand, I'd be super pissed to be dealt something like that on Ultimate X and have no working multipliers...

As far as your question, no clue. As Guy said, even optimal UX strategy gets super complex when you factor in future multipliers, etc. I'll be the first to admit I don't know it and I basically pick perfect "normal" strategy and hope for the best. Once you get into UX bonus streak, who the hell knows. In fact I'd assume without a super computer crunching numbers real time for all the possible variations, there's not a person on the planet that has optimal bonus streak play memorized.

No Vegas trips for Leon in the past couple of months?

Confirmed busto or just resting?

It's kind of funny that when I don't go to Vegas for 2 months it's a "long time". I guess I've been very privileged over the last few years. Ironically I'm going very soon- Fall is always a fun but busy family time for us. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Xmas... love this time of year. My MIL is here visiting from France, her first visit since COVID so she's going to be here for a while (which is fine with me, my MIL is cool).

We're actually all going to Vegas for this next trip- my family, my mom, and MIL. Been looking forward to it for a while. Clearly a (somewhat more family oriented) TR will follow.

Otherwise it's been business as usual at the local- trading punches, multiple small and medium wins which only slightly offset the big losers. A typical big session loss for me these days is -10k, so scaling back the frequency of Vegas trips is obv the right move for long term bankroll longevity. I think going every 2-3 months moving forward is perfect for me- I start to get the itch in that time interval, but it's not so frequent that my roll can't handle it.

Dec 2-5 TR

Let's DO this.

Backstory- interestingly, a friend texted me about these dates months ago. I've been with him in some fashion twice before, and both times I lost horribly. I believe I've posted both TRs here, one of them I was up 30k or so after the first night yet STILL found a way to lose that trip. On top of that, he gambles but doesn't come with a lot of the background knowledge that I have and it makes playing a ton with him a bit of a drag. So, suffice to say I didn't really enjoy our two previous outings as much as I should have and have kind of a sour taste in my mouth thinking about those past trips.

On top of that, he literally texted me on a day I was getting killed at the local, so I basically told him "thanks but no thanks". One week later I'm notified by the Wynn of a 5k buy in slot tournament that same weekend. My MIL is visiting from France for the first time in two years thanks to COVID. Kids have wanted to go for some time, I figure a family Vegas trip with my mom, MIL, wife and kids is perfect. My MIL is definitely down and soon enough I've booked the trip! Meanwhile, I completely forgot my buddy wanted to come this same weekend anyways- I texted him when I remembered and let him know our plans, and that it wasn't him I was avoiding, but the slot tournament/family draw was too much to pass up So, with that in mind-

Agenda-

Thurs- get in late (work), dinner at Majordomo again.
Fri- reg for slot tournament, Blue Man Group at Luxor, super late dinner at Casa Playa
Sat- tournament bink, dinner at Matteo's at Venetian
Sun- home

I'm basically absolved of childcare duty this time due to the tournament and the earning period of 50k points (more on that below), both grandmothers and wife being with me. We're going to try and meet up with my buddy but the pressure is off on everyone as he knows this is a family trip for us.

Slot tournament details- 5k buy in, 1.5k rebuy. Should be about 60 runners, 150k for first. Minimum prize is 1k free credit so it's more like a 4k buy in. 1, 2 and 3 in rebuy get something also, 1st is ~ 60k just for that round. PLUS- earn 50k points by Sat and get 5k free credit. Should be doable. PLUS PLUS- 3 people randomly chosen for a free entry in a 5k buy in tourney in April. I figure the EV on this one is really good which is part of the reason I signed up.

Bankroll- I've got 40k, plus mom is in for 4k. She's getting 10% of all wins/losses.

Day 1

First bad beat is during booking- we're flying Frontier for the first time. Southwest has way reduced availability, and I can't find a flight that leaves late enough that I know I can make with my work schedule. The price for Frontier is good, obv, but I'm mildly concerned SOMETHING is going to go wrong based on what I hear from everyone else...

Thankfully, no issues with the flight in, and soon enough we're headed to the Wynn!













Check in is smooth, and we've got an hour or so to play before dinner.



Lounge at the VIP check in.



Starting points and 2k free credit already loaded.



Hit this 12 hands in. It's not going to be enough on its own, but I'll take the start!

Alas, I hit nothing else. I was playing slowly before dinner, but still lost several k. Gotta make this last in case it's super cold, but at the same time I have to earn 50k points in 1.5 days...





Majordomo Meat and Fish

Some of you may remember I came here in Sept with my mom and wife. That's part of the reason we're here again- my mom liked it so much she specifically wanted to get "double of that rice" this time. Looks like we're ordering short rib again...



WH Taylor (I think)? They didn't have any barrel strength, this was 50%. Decent, nothing memorable.



Cauliflower shwarma. Surprisingly good, 7/10. Crispy and flavorful.



Flat bread.

Alas, multiple pics of the stuffed peppers and seabass came out blurry, sorry folks.



Short rib, pre carving.



Brussel sprouts- meh. 4/10.



Mushrooms- way better. 7/10.



Short rib, 8/10.



Fried rice w/ short rib, 9/10.



Random shot of the restaurant.

Overall, a great experience like last time. Mostly it was nice just to be able to eat out with the family and see my kids eat things "a lot" of other kids don't care for like spicy food, vegetables and seafood. We head on back to the Wynn and it's almost 10:30. I'm pretty tired after a long day at work, but I've got to play SOME before I go upstairs...



Everyone else heads upstairs. Wife has to work in the AM tomorrow and the kids have some homework. I head back to Ultimate X. It's cold, and I'm now down ALMOST 10k. I'm just about the throw the towel in when I finally hit.



It's not enough, but I'll take it. Where's the kicker?!

That doesn't last very long, and once again I find myself using my free credit way earlier than I want. I'm down 10k and am out of cash. I want to play a bit more, but don't want to do the walk of shame back to the room for more money.



Start.



End. Over 100% payback, guess I can't complain.



AGAIN where is the kicker?!



This is one of those "kissing your sister" hands. At first I was like, "great, dealt full house! Maybe next hand I can hit the unicorn of dealt 4 AWAK or a royal! Oh wait... this might be a jackpot itself. Oh sht, I think it is a jackpot. OK, draw, come on hopefully it's not YEP it's a jackpot. Arrgh slow the game down".

I'm almost busto again, when I pick up my first dealt quads of the trip, less than 1k hands in!



HOLY F!!!!

Finally got dealt premiums with a kicker on UX, multipliers everywhere. They weren't the biggest but still. SO F'ING PRETTY. Dare I say... if I don't run super cold, I might have just locked in a win? Actually we know from experience at my current level of play I need at least 3 5 digit hit to be "sure" I'm going to win. 1/3 of the way there! I take a check for the majority of this one, the rest in voucher.

Now I'm wide awake, obv. Play on, get dealt quads number 2 soon after!



Quite a comedown after the last one...

Honestly I played too long after this. Got really tired and actually felt kind of ill, but after getting two dealt quads in about 1/2 hr you just feel like another one HAS to be coming. I think I put back about 10k before I finally got up. Went to bed exhausted, but up 27k for day 1!

Day 1 result- +27k

Day 2 coming soon...

oh hell yeah new Leon tr just dropped

LET'S GO LEON!

glad you got a good start to the trip

MORE!!!

j/k We know it's coming. Hoping to see a great outcome!

Do you know how many people have to run bad for you to run this good?

Amazing how you can just waltz in and immediately hit a bigger jackpot than I've ever gotten on anything, lifetime.

Hell yea!!! I love these TRs

Day 2

Gonna try and get this whole day up, but if I can't in one go I'll break it up.

Despite going to bed after 1am with a bad headache, I wake at my usual 5am... and still have a headache. HATE not being able to sleep in Vegas. I pop some motrin and head downstairs.



Some of the goodies from the Wynn, kids will eat these obv.

Grab my coffee and get to work.







If memory serves this is actually my first 4000 of the trip. I played the whole first day and overall did well with the 2000s, but we're gonna need to see a lot of 4000s mixed in to ensure this is a great trip.

I've given back at least 5k and it's not even 6:30am. I step down to 5 play, and of course hit dealt quads number 3 for the trip!



Just not enough.

I'm picking up tons of premium trips and can't hit any, which makes this pic even more infuriating.



FIVE out of 10 spots. I think this might be a new record. Non-premium, obv.





LOL twice in 10 spots. Both without kicker. Both with, this is a 16k hand.

It's time for breakfast. I think I'm stuck almost 10k for the day at this point. Sucks but it's part of the game. We hit Tableau and I manage to not get my usual steak and eggs.



Biscuits and gravy, I get a side of bacon to up the protein since I know I basically won't be eating most of the carbs. 6/10.



After breakfast, I head back to the machines. My mom is going to take MIL to the mall while my wife works and kids get homework done. Then, mom is taking kids to NYNY. I just need to hit my 50k points at some point, reg for tourney at 5pm, then we've got a ride to the Luxor at 6, show at 7 and late dinner at 9:45. Full day but plenty of time to win (or lose) a ton.

I sit 10 play again.



HOLY F finally twice with a premium!

This was almost as satisfying as the dealt 3s w/ kicker. When I smashed that first one early, I of course was rooting for more, more, more, and to actually have it come in again... obv the 12x would have been the pure nuts but this is still F'ing amazing. I take the majority check again. Quick math says I'm up over 40k now.



LOL wut still confused how this is a hand pay.



BOINK!



Another sister kissing hand.

It's just about noon. Wife is done with work so we get a craps session in. Unfortunately, it's no good- the first two rolls are nice, which allows me to play out the rest of the session which was just point-out point-out without too much damage. Super un-fun, I think I lost 2k at that table. Wife and I head to VP- it's ice cold and we lose 7k.

I'm exhausted and the kids are back from NYNY. I head up for a nap. I'm not sure exactly where I'm at for the day but up over 20k for sure.

Post-nap, I head to the hi limit room and try the multiline machine for a bit. Get dealt quads number 4...



Sort of. Not really. Ugh just put it on the bottom.





Twice without kicker, once with.





One and one here.





That was just a solid afternoon session, I believe I was up 7k for the session, erasing wife and my earlier loss and I'm up almost 30k for the day.

I spend the next hr or so running around like crazy. Head to VIP to grab the tickets. Realize I need to give my host his Xmas present which is in the room. Run up to room, grab present, head back down. Tell wife to bring tix with her, tell MIL to bring a purse so I can put the tourney credentials in there so I don't have to go up to the room AGAIN. Walk to encore to reg tourney, give host gift, realize they've given us free gifts which I don't want to carry, so head BACK to room, drop everything off, downstairs again, head to limo...






Best shot of the Luxor I could get from the car.





Even though it's a little ghetto, I always like being in here just bc it's unique.





Seats are amazing, three rows back.









The show is awesome as usual. My youngest has been playing drums for a year now and he basically drummed and headbanged along with the entire show. MIL has never seen it before and loved it. We head back to the Wynn for dinner.







Orange spicy sauce 10/10.



Cauliflower quesadilla, 5/10. Too much cheese.



Octopus, 6/10.



Truffle tostada, 6/10.



Carnitas. 7/10. Flavor amazing, enough pork to feed 10 people (seriously), but it gets dry SO fast.

We also got lobster/carne asada and ceviche but I guess I missed those pics. Carne asada was 7/10, lobster was 9/10- very tender and tasty. Ceviche 7/10. Overall, a solid meal and downright inexpensive for the Wynn, but nothing amazing. Elio was better.

It's after 11pm when we're done. Everyone is exhausted, I know I have to play a bit before bed.



Jacks, again, 3/10 spots.

I've hit 50k points and decide to use up my additional 1k free credit.





End (think I had 100 in the machine). Over 100% payback.

I grow frustrated with UX and head to hi limit.





First royal of the trip.



Clearly I'm giving money back almost as fast as I'm hitting. I head up just after midnight, I think up a whole 1k for that last session. I know I won almost as much today as I did the previous day but I'll be honest, I was starting to lose track (having two checks, owing mom 8% cash, chips etc made it surprisingly hard). Either way, I'm having a ridiculously good trip, and am on track to break my Vegas record which I think is 60k...

Day 2- +28k?
Overall- +55k

Day 3 coming soon...

Nice!

Glad you and the kids enjoyed Blue Man. I think that was the first Vegas show I'd ever seen, many years ago. Very entertaining.

Dang that first huge hit - so many multipliers, but all 2x. You can't complain....or can you?

I think I found the secret to your success Leon - always come when there's a slot tourney and just get demolished there in exchange for making a mint on the machines.

(in before he binks the tourney this time....)

Leon is definitely due to bink a slot tournament. Is this the time? One time!

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

I proposed to my wife after seeing Blue Man Group.

Leon hits a royal after seeing BMG.

Leon wins again

WH Talylor 100 proof was I assume EHT Taylor Small or Single Barrel bourbon. Could be a number of things they do ass there all 100 proof except the barrel proof. They’re a Buffalo Trace product and have become hard to find. Good but yeah nothing like some of that stuff you normally drink on these reports.

Niiice!!!

Friend of mine hit this at Cosmo 2 days ago:





Also, sick hits Leon, makes me want to go to Vegas even more haha.

Jesus Christ. Your friend a hi-roller or just taking a shot?

Playing SpinPoker always made me think "what if?" even though I know better.

IF the Kd had fallen in the middle spot, your friend would have hit for $500k instead of $200k.

If he isn't already aware of that, don't tell him

Day 3

Sleep a little better this time. I head down just before 6am and get to see the guys who man the coffee bar at the Tower Suites (my usual go to, but they don't open before 6am so if I get up before then I need to trudge to the cafe).

I sit UX, and start off strong-



When I hit those 4AWAK x 2 for 33k yesterday, I actually took a "before" pic for the draw. Not superstitious or anything- most of my draws were so shitty before that that I figured it couldn't hurt, and then maybe I'd have a nice before/after pic situation for 2+2. When I actually made the post I realized that posting a "before" when I hadn't earlier in the TR would basically give it away so I didn't bother. Now, that said, I decided to take a few before/afters any time the draws were big. Why not. Here's the next one that came up-



Result-


Damn. Get another opportunity a few min later. Closed my eyes for this one.



Result-


YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!

As I said, I closed my eyes and knew immediately when I heard that sweet sound of bink that I smashed it. Opened my eyes, yep. 20 grand. I've now hit my 3 5 digit hits to ensure a trip win. Realistically, I'm up over 70k now, will get at least 6k in free credit AND still could do well in the tournament. There's no question I'm booking a win here- I'm actually on track to make this my biggest Vegas trip ever.







F 40 grand would have been amazing.



Of course, I'm giving money back quickly as well, but I lock in a 25k win for that morning session. I'm up basically 80k for the trip!

I head back upstairs and we do room service for breakfast. Forgot to grab pics, sorry.



The free gift from the Wynn- candles and a candle holder.



After breakfast, wife is going to take kids to walk around the strip. Mom and MIL are going to play some slots, then meet up with me at the tourney at noon. I, of course, head back down to UX.





LOL Wut.

OK, so I give back a decent amount this session. I'm thinking, I've already been dealt quads 4 times. I'm so far over expectation. BUT, it sure would be nice to get dealt quads again. Premiums? With a kicker maybe? Soon enough- number 5 for the trip.



PREMIUM!

Need a good draw here!

Result-


Meh. I actually video'd this one and deleted it soon after. Sure, I got dealt premiums, and it's 5 digit hit. But realistically, this is a poor result. We have to capitalize on these- we know averaged out there's going to be lots of times with poor or no multipliers. And, these hands really don't come up that often. This was a miss in the end-analysis.







I ended up taking 10k profit from that session. I'm up 90k for the trip and 35k on the day. Definitely on cloud 9 at this point.

Meet mom and MIL at slot tourney. MIL is interested in pushing buttons but is a little anxious she won't know what she's doing/will somehow screw me up. I explain everything, and offer to go first so she can see there's nothing to it. I also offer rounds to my mom, but in her typical fashion she declines.



My first round is just garbage. So standard. MIL's 1st round is decent- 38k. It's not going to give us a win, but it's solid. I can tell she's up for more, my first rd was crap... sure let's let her play. I just want the result, and when is she going to get another opportunity to play in a slot tourney?

Unfortunately her 3rd rd is mediocre, and once again we're looking at needing a miracle rebuy rd to win or do really well in this. I always see other people do well in these. Other than my 4th place a few yrs ago, I feel like it's not me. Ugh whatever- run hot at the machines, cold at the tourney, I'll take that for sure.

I might up with wife- she's ditched the kids for a bit, so we hit craps. It's garbage and I lose 3k. We head to UX and proceed to dump 10k in a couple hrs- christ.



Disgusted, we head to hi limit, and fare a little better.





I manage to erase the craps portion of that loss, but still stuck 10k for that session. Up 80k trip, 25k for the day.

We meet MIL for the bonus rd- wife is going to play. AND- it's terrible. Meanwhile, some random old guy is literally destroying his machine, he's hitting symbol after symbol and ends with a 53k which as far as I saw should win him the rebuy rd of 60k. Plus, he's probably doing well in the main with that score. Just so frustrating.

Back to UX.



And... it turns cold. Back to hi limit.





And... that turns cold. Back to UX.



It's crazy looking back on these pics and seeing the amounts, but knowing the result. That was actually a serious cold patch. I think I only played a few hrs, but a few hrs of cold VP can just crush you. Lost another 10k, now up 70k trip/15k day.

It's time for dinner at Matteo's in the Venetian. I made this reservation bc a) we've never been there and b) we've been really impressed with Venetian's restaurants as of late.







Flat bread "pizza". 8/10- softer and chewier than a regular pizza, but otherwise all of the same goodness. A different take.



Beef tartare. 6/10. Decent but nothing special.



Wife's hand rolled "pillow" pasta. Not much to look at, but 9/10 flavor. Definitely the best flavor of all our dishes, and the pasta was so pillowy soft without being mushy.



Kids' seabass. 7/10.



My ravioli. 7/10.

Overall, a decent but not-great meal. I really started to fade at the end which had something to do with it.

Walking back, I can feel the days of sleep deprivation, drinking, smoking and hard core gambling catching up with me. I'm ass tired and feel like garbage. Kids go to my mom's room to hang out, I decide to play a bit bc, how many late night, last night runs have I had? I know I'm going to feel like sht if that happens, but it'll be worth it. It's not even 9pm on a Sat night for god's sakes. So, I sit, visions of a hot run in my head...

and proceed to lose 7k in 1/2 hr. Ugh. So dumb. I've given back almost all of my AM run good, which basically was as good as all my other big hits this trip. We of course come in at the bottom on the slot tourney, so I've got 6k free credit I can play... F it save it. That's maybe the one good decision I made in the back half of the day. I head upstairs and am in bed before 10pm, before my kids, on a Sat night, my last night in Vegas. Gesus I'm old.

Day 3 result- +8k
Overall- +63k

Last day coming soon...

Yes, he brought $600k for a 1 week trip haha. But he also streams live from Cosmo.

Yup, sure enough Leon tanks the slot tourney. Like I said above, I'm convinced that's the recipe for sun runs on the VP machines.

Oh, and somehow kids' sea bass made me lol. I can tell that you do a nice job keeping your kids grounded in reality despite the red carpet being rolled out at every turn, but it's still pretty funny seeing a picture of sea bass, which is something a small percentage of adults could afford to order on even a semi-regular basis, tagged as the kids meal.