Ongoing video poker "TR", how long will this last?
12-10-2019
, 01:28 AM
12/5-12/8 TR
About time for another one of these!
Preamble
As I said earlier in the thread, since hitting my high point of a 95k ish bankroll, I've experienced a serious downswong. I paid off an 11k debt to my mom, and put about 10k into house expenses (we seriously overspent on a few things which coincided with the lowest paychecks I receive all year), but the vast majority of it was just plain old run bad. I think I lost about 30k in a month and a half. Part of it was just going to the local too much, part of it is that since I've now hit plenty of 5 figure scores, and I've won/lost 2-3k more times than I can remember, 2-3k is no longer a big deal. So instead, my session losses have been more in the 5k range before I call it quits. Play often enough and run bad enough and you can zap a bankroll in no time flat.
Additionally, I learned of a 5k buy in slot tournament during the weekend in question which is perfect for me. Actually, with the rebuy it's 6.5k. My dad of course wanted to play in it as soon as he heard of it, my mom and I are going 50/50 on our buy in, my schedule looks good and my wife wants to come... book it. So I had this trip lined up early October, and I already have a Jan and March 2020 trip arranged. Cue run bad.
So before this trip I'm sitting on a 45k bankroll but scared as hell. If this trip is bad, and we don't do well in the tournament... I could be busto by the March 2020 trip. Whatever, let's do this!
Only hand of note during the run bad.
Result-
Agenda-
- get in late Thurs- gamble
- Fri- gamble, new Cirque show "RUN" at the Luxor late at night
- Sat- tournament
- Sun- head for home
Bankroll- 25k
Day 1
We get in around 9:30pm. Smooth arrival process, and we're soon checking in at our home away from home, the Tower Suites at the Wynn.
In the limo on the way to the Wynn.
Tower Suites entrance, looking really nice for Xmas.
My parents have their usual Salon suite, we've got our usual Parlor suite.
Some comped snacks.
First bit of run good- at the bar right in front of our elevators, they've got something new- a fine and rare whiskey display! They've got a bunch of unique bourbons, scotches and Japanese whiskeys. I've mentioned it earlier in this thread; I've really become a fan of bourbon over the last year and drink it at every opportunity. I'll be the first to admit I know very little about bourbon, but I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and I can tell the difference between swill and good stuff, that's about it. Now here in front of me sits a golden opportunity, given I can drink for "free" with the comps!
As my wife and I are looking at the display, some bro I was in the elevator with says, "dude, go with the Elijah Craig. It's the best. Trust me". I look and it's on the bottom shelf, where it belongs with the rest of this stuff. I've had EC before- good enough, sure. But compared to the chance to try a Pappy Van Winkle? Whatever dude. There will be no EC this trip.
A bartender comes to help. I consider my options, but then realize I'd better look at the price list. My comp isn't unlimited, after all. As he hands me the menu, he says "good idea. There's a scotch in there, for example, that is 35k per bottle". Yeah, no. I have no interest in scotch but I wouldn't be able to rate that comp regardless. I consider the 23yr Pappy, but it's 350 a pour and I know I want a double. Kinda risky- I can see my host not comping 700$ worth of alcohol all in one shot. I settle on a 12 year Pappy which is 80$ a pour, and my wife goes with something else (ends up being much cheaper, and much more forgettable).
Our drinks. Guess which one is mine.
The bourbon is sublime. You can really taste the difference between my wife's and mine, and it's not like hers was supposed to be bad or anything. Drinks in hand, we finally settle in to crush VP!
First hand of note. Notable only bc it's a regular pair into quads, twice. Standard. Better run this good on my premiums.
OK, we're starting pure- once with kicker and once without!
Gah twice, but no kicker.
Bang- from a pair.
Unfortunately, these pictures don't really tell the true story. I got crushed Thurs night. Those were all the hands of note- never made a 4k hand, got stuck early and never got out of the hole, and just kept playing far longer than I should have. My wife went to bed around midnight, and of course I stayed up until 2am like an idiot. I'm going to be super tired tomorrow... and I'm starting tomorrow stuck 9k. 9k!!!!
Day 1 result- -9k
Day 2 coming soon...
About time for another one of these!
Preamble
As I said earlier in the thread, since hitting my high point of a 95k ish bankroll, I've experienced a serious downswong. I paid off an 11k debt to my mom, and put about 10k into house expenses (we seriously overspent on a few things which coincided with the lowest paychecks I receive all year), but the vast majority of it was just plain old run bad. I think I lost about 30k in a month and a half. Part of it was just going to the local too much, part of it is that since I've now hit plenty of 5 figure scores, and I've won/lost 2-3k more times than I can remember, 2-3k is no longer a big deal. So instead, my session losses have been more in the 5k range before I call it quits. Play often enough and run bad enough and you can zap a bankroll in no time flat.
Additionally, I learned of a 5k buy in slot tournament during the weekend in question which is perfect for me. Actually, with the rebuy it's 6.5k. My dad of course wanted to play in it as soon as he heard of it, my mom and I are going 50/50 on our buy in, my schedule looks good and my wife wants to come... book it. So I had this trip lined up early October, and I already have a Jan and March 2020 trip arranged. Cue run bad.
So before this trip I'm sitting on a 45k bankroll but scared as hell. If this trip is bad, and we don't do well in the tournament... I could be busto by the March 2020 trip. Whatever, let's do this!
Only hand of note during the run bad.
Result-
Spoiler:
Agenda-
- get in late Thurs- gamble
- Fri- gamble, new Cirque show "RUN" at the Luxor late at night
- Sat- tournament
- Sun- head for home
Bankroll- 25k
Day 1
We get in around 9:30pm. Smooth arrival process, and we're soon checking in at our home away from home, the Tower Suites at the Wynn.
In the limo on the way to the Wynn.
Tower Suites entrance, looking really nice for Xmas.
My parents have their usual Salon suite, we've got our usual Parlor suite.
Some comped snacks.
First bit of run good- at the bar right in front of our elevators, they've got something new- a fine and rare whiskey display! They've got a bunch of unique bourbons, scotches and Japanese whiskeys. I've mentioned it earlier in this thread; I've really become a fan of bourbon over the last year and drink it at every opportunity. I'll be the first to admit I know very little about bourbon, but I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and I can tell the difference between swill and good stuff, that's about it. Now here in front of me sits a golden opportunity, given I can drink for "free" with the comps!
As my wife and I are looking at the display, some bro I was in the elevator with says, "dude, go with the Elijah Craig. It's the best. Trust me". I look and it's on the bottom shelf, where it belongs with the rest of this stuff. I've had EC before- good enough, sure. But compared to the chance to try a Pappy Van Winkle? Whatever dude. There will be no EC this trip.
A bartender comes to help. I consider my options, but then realize I'd better look at the price list. My comp isn't unlimited, after all. As he hands me the menu, he says "good idea. There's a scotch in there, for example, that is 35k per bottle". Yeah, no. I have no interest in scotch but I wouldn't be able to rate that comp regardless. I consider the 23yr Pappy, but it's 350 a pour and I know I want a double. Kinda risky- I can see my host not comping 700$ worth of alcohol all in one shot. I settle on a 12 year Pappy which is 80$ a pour, and my wife goes with something else (ends up being much cheaper, and much more forgettable).
Our drinks. Guess which one is mine.
The bourbon is sublime. You can really taste the difference between my wife's and mine, and it's not like hers was supposed to be bad or anything. Drinks in hand, we finally settle in to crush VP!
First hand of note. Notable only bc it's a regular pair into quads, twice. Standard. Better run this good on my premiums.
OK, we're starting pure- once with kicker and once without!
Gah twice, but no kicker.
Bang- from a pair.
Unfortunately, these pictures don't really tell the true story. I got crushed Thurs night. Those were all the hands of note- never made a 4k hand, got stuck early and never got out of the hole, and just kept playing far longer than I should have. My wife went to bed around midnight, and of course I stayed up until 2am like an idiot. I'm going to be super tired tomorrow... and I'm starting tomorrow stuck 9k. 9k!!!!
Day 1 result- -9k
Day 2 coming soon...
12-10-2019
, 02:55 PM
Day 2
Woke up just before 7, which wouldn't be bad if it didn't represent less than 5 hrs of sleep. Head downstairs for my usual routine of coffee, catching up on video games/email then VP.
The machines remain cold, I hit no jackpots whatsoever and am now stuck 12k for the trip, about half my trip bankroll!
We've got room service with my parents. Standard Wynn breakfast is standard, I forgot to take pics. After breakfast, I've got a 1k shopping gift card to pick up which my mom and wife are planning on splitting 50/50. My dad and I are planning on playing. I'm unsure about lunch- these days if I'm not working out, I tend to skip lunch and try and dial back the calories. On the other hand, we don't have anything on the agenda until tournament registration at 5pm, and if things remain cold I'll be broke by then!
I head back to my new "my machine"- the one that dealt me 4 aces twice in Sept. I played on it a bit last night, and it was just as cold as all the rest. If I remember from Sept I started cold too, but then this machine came to the rescue around this time last trip and from that point on I was never down. I need similar love this time around.
OK, we need these lightning strikes to stay alive.
First 4k hit of the trip!
That ended up being a profitable session, but only to the tune of 2k or so. Other than those two hits the machine is icy. I've got 2k in free credit to use up, but I don't feel like donking it into this machine. The other bank I might play on is across from a guy who is playing 5$ credits, and he's hitting a jackpot every two seconds. Nah, can't play near him either. That'll tilt me for sure. Maybe I'll head to hi limit and see how my dad is doing...
Seems like a lot. It's actually only 40 pushes at 50$ coin in.
I pull up next to my dad and decide to give spin poker a try. Haven't hit a good jackpot on spin in forever.
In for-
Out for-
I elected to use only 1k free credit on that machine since things were so abysmal. As you can see, I only got 50% payback from it. Decide to keep playing, but not use the free credit. I pick up 3 4's and a kicker- my first real draw at spin.
Result-
Thank god. I really needed that.
I keep playing and make a few hands easily (eg, straight flush x 3, regular quads x 3). I also get dealt premium trips several times, including aces, but blank all of those of course. Pretty soon I've given back 2k and decide to leave the hi limit room. At least I'm up 6k post breakfast, down only 6k for the trip.
I head back out to the floor and hit "my" machine again. And once again "my" machine is telling me it's not really mine. It kicks me in the ass. Move to another machine.
That machine giveth, then that machine taketh away too. Just cannot get anything going. I decide to use my other 1k free credit.
In for-
Out for-
OK, much better than the first 1k. Near 90% payback with no decent hands.
Thought this one was interesting, in a FU sort of way. Hold an ace, pull a straight flush. How about the other end, will ya? Same odds!
I just can't get anything going and lose another 2k, so I'm stuck 8k for the trip. My wife wants to eat lunch, and I agree, mostly to stop the bleeding. We decide on Tableau which is right next to the whiskey display. I'd been texting with a friend back home who is a fellow whiskey enthusiast, and realize there's no reason I can't bring some home for him as well. I get another double of Pappy and pour it into a bottle for him, might as well share the comp love.
Table set up at Tableau, another whiskey who's name escapes me sitting to my right. I remember it being great but not as good as the Pappy.
My mom and wife have found some items they like, but my mom is only interested in some really expensive stuff. She decides to be reasonable and not get anything, and thus is planning on giving the whole 1k gift card to my wife. Meanwhile between this conversation and being stuck I forgot to take pics of the food- it was all ok, nothing special. I think I've mentioned that other than the corned beef hash here, I've never been a fan of Tableau. After lunch my dad and I play on- I've got to get something going here.
Couple of pics from the tournament area.
So... I didn't put these pics out of order. That's right folks, between after lunch and this tournament registration, I hit precisely zero hands. So frickin' sick how cold things were. I know I donked off a lot of money before I finally called it quits and went up to take a nap. I believe I went from being stuck 8k to stuck 13k.
Some details about the tournament-
- 60 runners, 5k buy in and 1.5k rebuy with a separate prize pool
- main tourney- 150k for first, 35k? for second, 20k for third, something like that. Top 10 get at least their money back, top 1/2 gets 2.5k free credit, bottom 1/2 1k free credit.
- rebuy round- they're actually paying 3 spots this time. 1st gets 75%, second 15%, 3rd 10%. Everyone figures to at least get their money back, and if I remember correctly 1st for the rebuy ended up being 42k.
- my mom and I are in on one entry 50/50, and my dad is also entered. Additionally, we have a 50/50 swap between both entries.
After we register, we've got a little time to kill before dinner at SW steakhouse. Let's make a comeback!
I try "my" machine again. And again, it screws me. Nothing. Switch machines and FINALLY pick up dealt quads!
Jacks. It's just not enough.
Just. Not. Enough.
I think I might have finished that pre-dinner session 500$ up. Still basically stuck 13k.
Dinner at SW
I go with 4 oz of the Ohmi New York Strip, and of course we get a bunch of sides and what not for the table.
3 lbs of stone crab claws to start. Easily 9/10. I'm a huge fan of stone crab.
Broccolini (7/10) and sauteed mushrooms (7/10).
Au gratin potatoes. 8/10
Mom's crab cakes. 6/10, a little dry.
My NY strip, 9/10.
Some run good(?) whiskey for dessert.
My wife and I hit the machines for a bit after dinner. We are seeing RUN at Luxor at 9:30pm with my mom, and the limo doesn't leave for another hr.
Second time this trip, once with kicker, once without. I'd trade all of this for some more 4 thousand $ hits!
I'd better hit 2 out of 10 when I get a royal draw. If that ever happens.
Up 2k post dinner. Stuck 11k for the trip.
RUN
I have no idea what to expect from this show. It's Cirque, but supposedly unique and unlike anything they've done before. "Live action", whatever that means.
Hope these seats are good.
Some decor outside the theater.
We're about 10 rows from the stage. Should be a good time!
The show itself... meh. That's probably about right. Without spoiling things, let's say it was weird. Part movie, part live action. The acrobatics and good parts were solid, but the boring parts were WAY too long. In addition, sitting near the stage wasn't the best experience because a lot of the live action took place all dispersed amongst the audience, so if you were near the front you actually needed to turn around quite a bit to see a lot of it. And the worst part- the music. Just way too loud for way too long. It was really bothering me at points, I can only imagine what my 70+ year old mom thought. I'd give it a 4/10 and won't be back. I imagine my wife would give it a 2/10. Anyways, at least we got to try something new.
It's about 11:30 by the time we get back. My wife heads to bed, I try and make a comeback. Quickly give back the 2k we hit before the show. I'm starting to approach tilt.
Just a perfect example of how crazy and tilting this game can be. Followers of this thread will remember I hate 8s. For whatever reason, 8s seem to be the FU value in my VP poker career. They are the ultimate blocker card, the value that when I'm losing my ass, I will somehow find a way to be dealt quads... 8s. And it won't be enough. FOUR, count 'em, FOUR quads out of trips in 10 hands. Only with 8s could this happen.
Intellectually I know I should be happy with that result, but I also know a 1k hit is nothing. Might not even last 5 min. I'm even more tilted now.
Oh thank god. Finally got another 4k. It's been a LONG time.
NOT ENOUGH!
Final hand of the night-
FU. Just FU. I've already been "dealt" jacks once this trip. Given I've generally run like crap, this is just another slap in the face. I think I gave back 3k of that 4k hit before I went upstairs. Another long day, another bad result.
Day 2 result- -3k
Overall- -12k
Day 3 coming soon...
Woke up just before 7, which wouldn't be bad if it didn't represent less than 5 hrs of sleep. Head downstairs for my usual routine of coffee, catching up on video games/email then VP.
The machines remain cold, I hit no jackpots whatsoever and am now stuck 12k for the trip, about half my trip bankroll!
We've got room service with my parents. Standard Wynn breakfast is standard, I forgot to take pics. After breakfast, I've got a 1k shopping gift card to pick up which my mom and wife are planning on splitting 50/50. My dad and I are planning on playing. I'm unsure about lunch- these days if I'm not working out, I tend to skip lunch and try and dial back the calories. On the other hand, we don't have anything on the agenda until tournament registration at 5pm, and if things remain cold I'll be broke by then!
I head back to my new "my machine"- the one that dealt me 4 aces twice in Sept. I played on it a bit last night, and it was just as cold as all the rest. If I remember from Sept I started cold too, but then this machine came to the rescue around this time last trip and from that point on I was never down. I need similar love this time around.
OK, we need these lightning strikes to stay alive.
First 4k hit of the trip!
That ended up being a profitable session, but only to the tune of 2k or so. Other than those two hits the machine is icy. I've got 2k in free credit to use up, but I don't feel like donking it into this machine. The other bank I might play on is across from a guy who is playing 5$ credits, and he's hitting a jackpot every two seconds. Nah, can't play near him either. That'll tilt me for sure. Maybe I'll head to hi limit and see how my dad is doing...
Seems like a lot. It's actually only 40 pushes at 50$ coin in.
I pull up next to my dad and decide to give spin poker a try. Haven't hit a good jackpot on spin in forever.
In for-
Out for-
Spoiler:
I elected to use only 1k free credit on that machine since things were so abysmal. As you can see, I only got 50% payback from it. Decide to keep playing, but not use the free credit. I pick up 3 4's and a kicker- my first real draw at spin.
Result-
Spoiler:
Thank god. I really needed that.
I keep playing and make a few hands easily (eg, straight flush x 3, regular quads x 3). I also get dealt premium trips several times, including aces, but blank all of those of course. Pretty soon I've given back 2k and decide to leave the hi limit room. At least I'm up 6k post breakfast, down only 6k for the trip.
I head back out to the floor and hit "my" machine again. And once again "my" machine is telling me it's not really mine. It kicks me in the ass. Move to another machine.
That machine giveth, then that machine taketh away too. Just cannot get anything going. I decide to use my other 1k free credit.
In for-
Out for-
Spoiler:
OK, much better than the first 1k. Near 90% payback with no decent hands.
Thought this one was interesting, in a FU sort of way. Hold an ace, pull a straight flush. How about the other end, will ya? Same odds!
I just can't get anything going and lose another 2k, so I'm stuck 8k for the trip. My wife wants to eat lunch, and I agree, mostly to stop the bleeding. We decide on Tableau which is right next to the whiskey display. I'd been texting with a friend back home who is a fellow whiskey enthusiast, and realize there's no reason I can't bring some home for him as well. I get another double of Pappy and pour it into a bottle for him, might as well share the comp love.
Table set up at Tableau, another whiskey who's name escapes me sitting to my right. I remember it being great but not as good as the Pappy.
My mom and wife have found some items they like, but my mom is only interested in some really expensive stuff. She decides to be reasonable and not get anything, and thus is planning on giving the whole 1k gift card to my wife. Meanwhile between this conversation and being stuck I forgot to take pics of the food- it was all ok, nothing special. I think I've mentioned that other than the corned beef hash here, I've never been a fan of Tableau. After lunch my dad and I play on- I've got to get something going here.
Couple of pics from the tournament area.
So... I didn't put these pics out of order. That's right folks, between after lunch and this tournament registration, I hit precisely zero hands. So frickin' sick how cold things were. I know I donked off a lot of money before I finally called it quits and went up to take a nap. I believe I went from being stuck 8k to stuck 13k.
Some details about the tournament-
- 60 runners, 5k buy in and 1.5k rebuy with a separate prize pool
- main tourney- 150k for first, 35k? for second, 20k for third, something like that. Top 10 get at least their money back, top 1/2 gets 2.5k free credit, bottom 1/2 1k free credit.
- rebuy round- they're actually paying 3 spots this time. 1st gets 75%, second 15%, 3rd 10%. Everyone figures to at least get their money back, and if I remember correctly 1st for the rebuy ended up being 42k.
- my mom and I are in on one entry 50/50, and my dad is also entered. Additionally, we have a 50/50 swap between both entries.
After we register, we've got a little time to kill before dinner at SW steakhouse. Let's make a comeback!
I try "my" machine again. And again, it screws me. Nothing. Switch machines and FINALLY pick up dealt quads!
Spoiler:
Jacks. It's just not enough.
Just. Not. Enough.
I think I might have finished that pre-dinner session 500$ up. Still basically stuck 13k.
Dinner at SW
I go with 4 oz of the Ohmi New York Strip, and of course we get a bunch of sides and what not for the table.
3 lbs of stone crab claws to start. Easily 9/10. I'm a huge fan of stone crab.
Broccolini (7/10) and sauteed mushrooms (7/10).
Au gratin potatoes. 8/10
Mom's crab cakes. 6/10, a little dry.
My NY strip, 9/10.
Some run good(?) whiskey for dessert.
My wife and I hit the machines for a bit after dinner. We are seeing RUN at Luxor at 9:30pm with my mom, and the limo doesn't leave for another hr.
Second time this trip, once with kicker, once without. I'd trade all of this for some more 4 thousand $ hits!
I'd better hit 2 out of 10 when I get a royal draw. If that ever happens.
Up 2k post dinner. Stuck 11k for the trip.
RUN
I have no idea what to expect from this show. It's Cirque, but supposedly unique and unlike anything they've done before. "Live action", whatever that means.
Hope these seats are good.
Some decor outside the theater.
We're about 10 rows from the stage. Should be a good time!
The show itself... meh. That's probably about right. Without spoiling things, let's say it was weird. Part movie, part live action. The acrobatics and good parts were solid, but the boring parts were WAY too long. In addition, sitting near the stage wasn't the best experience because a lot of the live action took place all dispersed amongst the audience, so if you were near the front you actually needed to turn around quite a bit to see a lot of it. And the worst part- the music. Just way too loud for way too long. It was really bothering me at points, I can only imagine what my 70+ year old mom thought. I'd give it a 4/10 and won't be back. I imagine my wife would give it a 2/10. Anyways, at least we got to try something new.
It's about 11:30 by the time we get back. My wife heads to bed, I try and make a comeback. Quickly give back the 2k we hit before the show. I'm starting to approach tilt.
Just a perfect example of how crazy and tilting this game can be. Followers of this thread will remember I hate 8s. For whatever reason, 8s seem to be the FU value in my VP poker career. They are the ultimate blocker card, the value that when I'm losing my ass, I will somehow find a way to be dealt quads... 8s. And it won't be enough. FOUR, count 'em, FOUR quads out of trips in 10 hands. Only with 8s could this happen.
Intellectually I know I should be happy with that result, but I also know a 1k hit is nothing. Might not even last 5 min. I'm even more tilted now.
Oh thank god. Finally got another 4k. It's been a LONG time.
NOT ENOUGH!
Final hand of the night-
Spoiler:
FU. Just FU. I've already been "dealt" jacks once this trip. Given I've generally run like crap, this is just another slap in the face. I think I gave back 3k of that 4k hit before I went upstairs. Another long day, another bad result.
Day 2 result- -3k
Overall- -12k
Day 3 coming soon...
12-11-2019
, 01:39 AM
4 in Chinese sort of sounds like the Chinese word for "death", so that's the reasoning there. Personally, I'll take all the 4s the machine will give me
It's interesting you bring this up. My wife, parents and I literally had this conversation over Sat night dinner (which cultures consider what numbers lucky and unlucky and why). My dad at some point goes, "4s are so unlucky. I hate when they give me a scooter with a 4 in the serial number". To which I respond, "so you'd throw away quad 4s if you were dealt them? Or a 4 if dealt 3 aces and a 4?". Silence LOL
12-11-2019
, 01:58 AM
Quote:
In theory. 8s are supposed to be lucky. However, as I've proven with myself many times over, 8s hate me. And I hate them. Except when I play craps. Then I love them
4 in Chinese sort of sounds like the Chinese word for "death", so that's the reasoning there. Personally, I'll take all the 4s the machine will give me
It's interesting you bring this up. My wife, parents and I literally had this conversation over Sat night dinner (which cultures consider what numbers lucky and unlucky and why). My dad at some point goes, "4s are so unlucky. I hate when they give me a scooter with a 4 in the serial number". To which I respond, "so you'd throw away quad 4s if you were dealt them? Or a 4 if dealt 3 aces and a 4?". Silence LOL
4 in Chinese sort of sounds like the Chinese word for "death", so that's the reasoning there. Personally, I'll take all the 4s the machine will give me
It's interesting you bring this up. My wife, parents and I literally had this conversation over Sat night dinner (which cultures consider what numbers lucky and unlucky and why). My dad at some point goes, "4s are so unlucky. I hate when they give me a scooter with a 4 in the serial number". To which I respond, "so you'd throw away quad 4s if you were dealt them? Or a 4 if dealt 3 aces and a 4?". Silence LOL
That’s legit funny and also true af
12-11-2019
, 10:10 PM
Part of Day 3
As Billy Bob Thornton says in Armageddon... "we got kind of a big day".
Part of me wants to sleep in. I'm supposed to check and see if we can get a table at Tableau for breakfast, otherwise we're doing room service. Either way, I need to get up and establish this early enough for my parents. It's time to make a comeback.
It's not enough!
Regular quads twice, of course.
I headed down intending to lose a max of 2k. A heavy dose of continued run bad and tilt and I end up dumping 5k before breakfast. I think I was dealt trip aces 4 times and whiffed all of them. SO BAD. I'm now stuck 17k.
Tableau gets us in at 9am. I'm exhausted and stuck badly. I get the eggs benedict and in my current state forget to take pics. We've got about 30 min before the tournament which is in the closest ballroom to the Tower Suites. My dad wants to play, but we all discourage him since with his condition (and the fact that once he sits he's surgically bonded to the chair) there's not enough time. There is, however, enough time for me to grab a cigarette and try and make a score...
500$ in. That's all.
ZAP. F. I think it took longer to put the bills in than I got to play. 500$ more.
ZAP.
ZAP.
ZAP.
I cannot believe I just donked off 2k in the time it took me to smoke. Are you Frickin' serious. As cold as this trip has been, that was ridiculous. 2k in 5 min, counting the time to feed the bills in!
Jesus. I am on some serious tilt. We head to the ballroom and I tell my family to shame myself and get my head right.
My mom's up first- we've got three rounds and then the rebuy round at 2pm. My mom chooses to play her first round and posts a decent score of 40k. We're really looking for 2 scores of 50k to win, but 40 we're still alive. My wife goes next and gets... 20k. Ugh. I'm up, and have a solidly weak score of 36k. My mom is pretty hopeful (she's always so cheery) but I know better- short of a god bonus round we ain't gettin' crap.
Should have gotten breakfast here, it looked better.
My dad's rounds are next at 11am. I head back to the machines. And dump another 1k. I'm now stuck 20k and almost down to the felt.
My dad posts two rounds of 40k, which has to be good for at least top half, but again without a god bonus round we're not looking at serious money. Ugh.
Lunch
Coincidentally, a good friend of ours texted me Thurs- "hey man, headed to Vegas Friday. Any chance you'll be around?". I text back, "you know you're better than even money to be correct if you ask me that question. Headed there tonight!". He's actually staying at the Wynn as well with his old college roommate, so we plan to meet up at Wazuzu for lunch.
When we meet up, I find out his roommate has a) been in Vegas for the entire week for work, and b) hasn't gambled until last night when my friend got in. My friend got stuck 400$ last night and was really upset, but "made a huge comeback" and is now up 100$. I'm happy for him of course, but say nothing. I really don't want my friend knowing I'm down 20k, AND no hope of a comeback. He knows I gamble hard, but not the exact amounts.
In any case, we have a good lunch and I'm able to calm down a bit and look at the bigger picture. I'm still alive. I'm still in action. We part ways, with my friend asking my wife and I to show him craps later. If I have a bankroll at that point, my friend...
We head back for the bonus round. My mom wants me to play, since I'm the only one of us who's ever had a good bonus round. I tee it up- it's now or never.
Result-
Just so soul crushing. We watch my dad's bonus round, which is garbage too. It appears there officially will be no rescue this trip.
I know I want to play craps with my wife later, so I mentally set aside 2500. That leaves me with 2.5k for VP- way too short. I borrow 5k from my mom and I'm now in for a 30k trip bankroll. At least I have blood.
My wife and I hit the VP machines. CANNOT get anything going. She heads back upstairs to get some work done, and implores me to come up and take a nap. I stupidly decline, thinking, "this HAS to turn at some point!". So I keep going and lose...
Result-
I head up dejected. Stuck 25k. I still had time for a nap before dinner, and I wake up from said nap wishing I had more time to sleep. SHOULD HAVE JUST GONE UPSTAIRS! J FING CHRIST!
My wife and I get in a craps session, and it starts off cold but actually turns decent. I end up winning a few hundo and my wife wins 100$. We then head to VP and lose another 2k. I'm down 27k.
I think at this point I officially abandoned the TR. We're eating at Costa di Mare and leaving in less than 24hrs. What a horrible, awful, no fun trip this has been. We arrive at dinner and are seated upstairs. I regret not taking pics of the food, bc the upstairs lighting is actually much better for pics- all the food looked amazing to the naked eye and I'm sure would have photographed better. In any case, since I had abandoned the report at this point I didn't bother.
We got a bunch of different pastas and a whole fish with truffle sauce. Everything was an 8 or 9 out of 10 and probably would have been better had I been in a better mood.
After dinner, I've got one more shot. I know I want to play craps with my friend tomorrow, so I've got to save the same 2.5k for that. That leaves me with about 500 left for VP. I've also played enough that I've got another 1k free credit from my host. Whatever.
Day 3 result so far- -15k
Overall- -27k
Final installment coming soon...
As Billy Bob Thornton says in Armageddon... "we got kind of a big day".
Part of me wants to sleep in. I'm supposed to check and see if we can get a table at Tableau for breakfast, otherwise we're doing room service. Either way, I need to get up and establish this early enough for my parents. It's time to make a comeback.
It's not enough!
Regular quads twice, of course.
I headed down intending to lose a max of 2k. A heavy dose of continued run bad and tilt and I end up dumping 5k before breakfast. I think I was dealt trip aces 4 times and whiffed all of them. SO BAD. I'm now stuck 17k.
Tableau gets us in at 9am. I'm exhausted and stuck badly. I get the eggs benedict and in my current state forget to take pics. We've got about 30 min before the tournament which is in the closest ballroom to the Tower Suites. My dad wants to play, but we all discourage him since with his condition (and the fact that once he sits he's surgically bonded to the chair) there's not enough time. There is, however, enough time for me to grab a cigarette and try and make a score...
500$ in. That's all.
ZAP. F. I think it took longer to put the bills in than I got to play. 500$ more.
ZAP.
ZAP.
ZAP.
I cannot believe I just donked off 2k in the time it took me to smoke. Are you Frickin' serious. As cold as this trip has been, that was ridiculous. 2k in 5 min, counting the time to feed the bills in!
Jesus. I am on some serious tilt. We head to the ballroom and I tell my family to shame myself and get my head right.
My mom's up first- we've got three rounds and then the rebuy round at 2pm. My mom chooses to play her first round and posts a decent score of 40k. We're really looking for 2 scores of 50k to win, but 40 we're still alive. My wife goes next and gets... 20k. Ugh. I'm up, and have a solidly weak score of 36k. My mom is pretty hopeful (she's always so cheery) but I know better- short of a god bonus round we ain't gettin' crap.
Should have gotten breakfast here, it looked better.
My dad's rounds are next at 11am. I head back to the machines. And dump another 1k. I'm now stuck 20k and almost down to the felt.
My dad posts two rounds of 40k, which has to be good for at least top half, but again without a god bonus round we're not looking at serious money. Ugh.
Lunch
Coincidentally, a good friend of ours texted me Thurs- "hey man, headed to Vegas Friday. Any chance you'll be around?". I text back, "you know you're better than even money to be correct if you ask me that question. Headed there tonight!". He's actually staying at the Wynn as well with his old college roommate, so we plan to meet up at Wazuzu for lunch.
When we meet up, I find out his roommate has a) been in Vegas for the entire week for work, and b) hasn't gambled until last night when my friend got in. My friend got stuck 400$ last night and was really upset, but "made a huge comeback" and is now up 100$. I'm happy for him of course, but say nothing. I really don't want my friend knowing I'm down 20k, AND no hope of a comeback. He knows I gamble hard, but not the exact amounts.
In any case, we have a good lunch and I'm able to calm down a bit and look at the bigger picture. I'm still alive. I'm still in action. We part ways, with my friend asking my wife and I to show him craps later. If I have a bankroll at that point, my friend...
We head back for the bonus round. My mom wants me to play, since I'm the only one of us who's ever had a good bonus round. I tee it up- it's now or never.
Result-
Spoiler:
Just so soul crushing. We watch my dad's bonus round, which is garbage too. It appears there officially will be no rescue this trip.
I know I want to play craps with my wife later, so I mentally set aside 2500. That leaves me with 2.5k for VP- way too short. I borrow 5k from my mom and I'm now in for a 30k trip bankroll. At least I have blood.
My wife and I hit the VP machines. CANNOT get anything going. She heads back upstairs to get some work done, and implores me to come up and take a nap. I stupidly decline, thinking, "this HAS to turn at some point!". So I keep going and lose...
Result-
Spoiler:
I head up dejected. Stuck 25k. I still had time for a nap before dinner, and I wake up from said nap wishing I had more time to sleep. SHOULD HAVE JUST GONE UPSTAIRS! J FING CHRIST!
My wife and I get in a craps session, and it starts off cold but actually turns decent. I end up winning a few hundo and my wife wins 100$. We then head to VP and lose another 2k. I'm down 27k.
I think at this point I officially abandoned the TR. We're eating at Costa di Mare and leaving in less than 24hrs. What a horrible, awful, no fun trip this has been. We arrive at dinner and are seated upstairs. I regret not taking pics of the food, bc the upstairs lighting is actually much better for pics- all the food looked amazing to the naked eye and I'm sure would have photographed better. In any case, since I had abandoned the report at this point I didn't bother.
We got a bunch of different pastas and a whole fish with truffle sauce. Everything was an 8 or 9 out of 10 and probably would have been better had I been in a better mood.
After dinner, I've got one more shot. I know I want to play craps with my friend tomorrow, so I've got to save the same 2.5k for that. That leaves me with about 500 left for VP. I've also played enough that I've got another 1k free credit from my host. Whatever.
Day 3 result so far- -15k
Overall- -27k
Final installment coming soon...
12-12-2019
, 01:40 AM
12-12-2019
, 03:06 PM
Rest of day 3 to end
My wife and I head to the VP machine. I've abandoned what was "my machine" at some point over the trip, bc it probably was the coldest of all. I don't believe in any of that crap, but at a minimum if any machine is "mine", it's not that one.
We redeem the 1k free credit with a pretty poor payback %, and play down to 500 before we hit a jackpot for 2k. Play on, again down to 500, and hit another 2k. My wife decides to go upstairs and "let me go on my sun run". Yeah, I wish. I love you and that's positive thinking and all, but the fact is I've busto'd myself many times after she's left as well. There is no "run hot after wife goes to bed", although she thinks there is.
So I've got 2.5k in the machine. I give back 1k before I say screw it, might as well play spin poker. If I hit something it'll be a hit x 3. I move to one of the old "All star poker" machines that feature colorful displays.
Spin is actually decent- I make quads x 3, straight flush x 3 and of course aces but no kicker x 1. Of course, all that money goes quickly and pretty soon I'm at 1.5k again.
I elect to play to 1k and "lock in" a 500$ session win. Whoop de do.
Hit 1k. **** it. I started with 500$, I'll finish with 500$. Just before I hit my stopping point, I pick up second dealt quads of the trip.
Non premium, of course.
I'm not quite sure what motivated me to take a pic. Maybe it was the bitter irony of being dealt quads YET still getting my ass kicked. Either way, there you go.
At least I've got some blood to play. I mentally tell myself to lock up 2k. I've got this image of being dealt quads on turbo mode- it's happened a few times to me in the past and honestly is even more fun than seeing the cards come out one by one. PUSHBANG you're staring at a god hand. So I crank the machine to turbo. Nothing. Nothing. N... dealt quads for the third time, and twice in five minutes!
PREMIUM! Need a good draw here.
Result-
From here on out, I will let the pics do the talking. This is me, turbo mode, playing as fast as humanly possible. Time- 11:30pm or so.
4th dealt quads!
First royal of the trip.
FIFTH dealt quads!
TWO out of 10 spots!
Royal ball!
For all the times I've been skunked with trip aces this trip... TWO OUT OF TEN SPOTS!
SIXTH dealt quads!
And for good measure, just your standard "pair of 8s into quads twice" action.
When the smoke cleared, it's 1:30am. I've tipped off over 200$ from my jackpot payouts. I've turned 500$ into-
Such an epic run. Easily the most epic I've ever been a part of. To run so badly the whole trip, and then have all my positive variance crammed into a couple of hours... picture me mashing buttons as fast as possible for two hours, chain smoking and the machine literally going off every 5 min or so.
I've hit bigger single jackpots. I've had bigger scores. But to erase a 27k deficit and turn it into a 13k trip winner... in such a short time, with just these "little hits" over and over... I was ecstatic as you can imagine. SO GLAD I took that pic of the dealt quads that started it all. Like I said, I don't know quite why I did it but I'm glad I did. There you have it, folks. The epic run in all it's glory.
Day 3 result- +25k
Run result- +39.5k
Overall- +13k
Final Day
I wake up, still on cloud 9. Head down for my usual morning routine- except, I don't play. I kinda wanted to, but I wanted to tell my wife about the glory of the run, and show her the 40k intact ticket more. So I grab her a coffee and head back upstairs- good decision number one!
We meet with my parents for room service breakfast, and I tell them about the run. I don't even remember eating- I remember it was good, but mostly I was just spitting out words and gesturing excitedly, probably with food flying out of my mouth. Clearly didn't stop to take pics of the food.
After breakfast, my wife wants to finish up shopping, then we'll meet my friend for craps. I'm well up for the trip now, in such a different mood... this might as well be a different Vegas. I head down for some play and I turn the speed way down to make sure I don't give too much back.
It's really interesting how the meta-state of things can affect your outlook. I pumped in 2k before hitting
and in my current state, I'm happy. Hey, the machine made good and I'm even for this AM session! In my earlier state, it's "I got screwed and basically just broke even". Either way, my wife is back and my friend is ready for craps. It's sign. Final VP session of the trip- EVEN!
I teach my friend the basics and we all plan on placing 6 and 8. The only problem is, it's a 25$min table and I really don't want to shoot with that min, and only being able to take 3-4-5x odds. I even less want my wife and friend to have to fade the increased exposure, but... it's what we got.
Luckily the table is generally warm. My friend puts together a decent roll (virgin shooter LDO), and my wife has two good rolls. Meanwhile, the other side of the table is also ok. I make my usual 150$ 6/8 bets and increase accordingly. When we're done, my friend is up a few hundred, wife is up 700$+ (hit a bunch of line bets when she rolled), and I've turned 2k into-
Nothing amazing. Just your totally decent, warm craps table.
We've got to meet my parents for lunch, then pack and check out. Final gaming session of the trip is also a winner!
Didn't bother taking a pic when we first got it, but might as well now that the TR's back on- free gift from the slot tournament.
We eat a satisfying meal at Red8, head off to the airport, and actually share a flight back to SD with our friend!
Day 4 result- +2k
Overall- +15k
That's all I got for you folks. SO. F'ING. SICK. I want more!
My wife and I head to the VP machine. I've abandoned what was "my machine" at some point over the trip, bc it probably was the coldest of all. I don't believe in any of that crap, but at a minimum if any machine is "mine", it's not that one.
We redeem the 1k free credit with a pretty poor payback %, and play down to 500 before we hit a jackpot for 2k. Play on, again down to 500, and hit another 2k. My wife decides to go upstairs and "let me go on my sun run". Yeah, I wish. I love you and that's positive thinking and all, but the fact is I've busto'd myself many times after she's left as well. There is no "run hot after wife goes to bed", although she thinks there is.
So I've got 2.5k in the machine. I give back 1k before I say screw it, might as well play spin poker. If I hit something it'll be a hit x 3. I move to one of the old "All star poker" machines that feature colorful displays.
Spin is actually decent- I make quads x 3, straight flush x 3 and of course aces but no kicker x 1. Of course, all that money goes quickly and pretty soon I'm at 1.5k again.
I elect to play to 1k and "lock in" a 500$ session win. Whoop de do.
Hit 1k. **** it. I started with 500$, I'll finish with 500$. Just before I hit my stopping point, I pick up second dealt quads of the trip.
Spoiler:
Non premium, of course.
I'm not quite sure what motivated me to take a pic. Maybe it was the bitter irony of being dealt quads YET still getting my ass kicked. Either way, there you go.
At least I've got some blood to play. I mentally tell myself to lock up 2k. I've got this image of being dealt quads on turbo mode- it's happened a few times to me in the past and honestly is even more fun than seeing the cards come out one by one. PUSHBANG you're staring at a god hand. So I crank the machine to turbo. Nothing. Nothing. N... dealt quads for the third time, and twice in five minutes!
PREMIUM! Need a good draw here.
Result-
Spoiler:
From here on out, I will let the pics do the talking. This is me, turbo mode, playing as fast as humanly possible. Time- 11:30pm or so.
4th dealt quads!
Spoiler:
First royal of the trip.
FIFTH dealt quads!
Spoiler:
TWO out of 10 spots!
Royal ball!
For all the times I've been skunked with trip aces this trip... TWO OUT OF TEN SPOTS!
SIXTH dealt quads!
Spoiler:
And for good measure, just your standard "pair of 8s into quads twice" action.
When the smoke cleared, it's 1:30am. I've tipped off over 200$ from my jackpot payouts. I've turned 500$ into-
Such an epic run. Easily the most epic I've ever been a part of. To run so badly the whole trip, and then have all my positive variance crammed into a couple of hours... picture me mashing buttons as fast as possible for two hours, chain smoking and the machine literally going off every 5 min or so.
I've hit bigger single jackpots. I've had bigger scores. But to erase a 27k deficit and turn it into a 13k trip winner... in such a short time, with just these "little hits" over and over... I was ecstatic as you can imagine. SO GLAD I took that pic of the dealt quads that started it all. Like I said, I don't know quite why I did it but I'm glad I did. There you have it, folks. The epic run in all it's glory.
Day 3 result- +25k
Run result- +39.5k
Overall- +13k
Final Day
I wake up, still on cloud 9. Head down for my usual morning routine- except, I don't play. I kinda wanted to, but I wanted to tell my wife about the glory of the run, and show her the 40k intact ticket more. So I grab her a coffee and head back upstairs- good decision number one!
We meet with my parents for room service breakfast, and I tell them about the run. I don't even remember eating- I remember it was good, but mostly I was just spitting out words and gesturing excitedly, probably with food flying out of my mouth. Clearly didn't stop to take pics of the food.
After breakfast, my wife wants to finish up shopping, then we'll meet my friend for craps. I'm well up for the trip now, in such a different mood... this might as well be a different Vegas. I head down for some play and I turn the speed way down to make sure I don't give too much back.
It's really interesting how the meta-state of things can affect your outlook. I pumped in 2k before hitting
and in my current state, I'm happy. Hey, the machine made good and I'm even for this AM session! In my earlier state, it's "I got screwed and basically just broke even". Either way, my wife is back and my friend is ready for craps. It's sign. Final VP session of the trip- EVEN!
I teach my friend the basics and we all plan on placing 6 and 8. The only problem is, it's a 25$min table and I really don't want to shoot with that min, and only being able to take 3-4-5x odds. I even less want my wife and friend to have to fade the increased exposure, but... it's what we got.
Luckily the table is generally warm. My friend puts together a decent roll (virgin shooter LDO), and my wife has two good rolls. Meanwhile, the other side of the table is also ok. I make my usual 150$ 6/8 bets and increase accordingly. When we're done, my friend is up a few hundred, wife is up 700$+ (hit a bunch of line bets when she rolled), and I've turned 2k into-
Nothing amazing. Just your totally decent, warm craps table.
We've got to meet my parents for lunch, then pack and check out. Final gaming session of the trip is also a winner!
Didn't bother taking a pic when we first got it, but might as well now that the TR's back on- free gift from the slot tournament.
We eat a satisfying meal at Red8, head off to the airport, and actually share a flight back to SD with our friend!
Day 4 result- +2k
Overall- +15k
That's all I got for you folks. SO. F'ING. SICK. I want more!