Leon, I've read most of this thread but I'm sure not all of it so there are things I don't know that I probably should. It's worth mentioning I appreciate the thread, I hope your dad is doing well and I hope your mom is getting some rest/recovery as planned.

Good on you for trying to help out. I don't believe in karma (though I genuinely hope it's real) but you deserve some massive run good.

Yeah leon man, total fish play. Every time I've been there they specifically say you should chew on the bone. That's why they left the extra meat on there!

No chance I dont strip the bone of its very last morsel, I don't care if Martha Washington is sitting across from me!

Appreciate the time it takes to document and post these tr's.
Maybe it helps you slow down a bit when playing.

And i would have nawed on that bone like that cow had been nawing on his cud.

Been to Carnevino twice. First time was meh, I think I ordered poorly and the service sucked. Tried again and the service was so goddam bad it ruined the meal. People keep recommending it, but I think I'll pass. Too many other options where I don't think I'm a favorite to go into a blind screaming rage at the horse**** service.

MM MD

I believe valley was sometime that third day, right before I was dealt a royal, -9k or so? Peak was at some point after when I almost had a 10k ticket, I think I might have been close to +10k.

Thanks for the kind words everyone, this TR I made sure to document every notable event and got most of the meals too. Since I've done so many TRs I've learned that it doesn't matter about taking pics or not- the machine doesn't care, there's no such thing as bad juju, etc. There is only laziness, or not. I elected to not be lazy, and yes, it does slow the game down just a bit It also helps that I was able to go off-strip a lot, so there were more interesting and novel meals to take pics of.

I've also realized that ultimately we all go broke- whether bc of long-term -EV or bc we die. All we'll really be left with are the memories, so might as well make the most of those. I have no expectation that I'm going to be long-term winner at this game, but I think I've found the sweet spot where the life roll isn't affected while I'm still able to have fun and in a sense live for today. The kids should be set and barring a horror show this money won't matter; it's a pretty liberating realization and makes losses sting a BIT less Anyways, since the memories are what I'll have, it makes sense to write these TRs- they're fun to write, beyond the tedium of posting miss after miss after miss...

Lastly, as far as the Riserva bone- don't worry, my mom took it home where presumably it was eventually gnawed on

Leon,

I was starting to doubt your claim of being Asian, but now I believe it again.

Day 5, part I

Well, I made it to Saturday and still have money! No need to change my flight to leave tonight, I'll be able to leave Sunday afternoon as planned. With that thought in mind, I head down for my pre-breakfast session with a spring in my step.



Result-




Result-


Yaah.



Result-




Result-


After that flurry, things went ice cold and I didn't even switch to 10 play! I finish the AM session dead even. Ugh- I just CANNOT hold on to money when things go cold.

I eat a substandard Wynn breakfast (cheese not melted on the omelette, how difficult is it guys?) and finish up Thor Ragnarok. It was entertaining, although I agree with the criticisms that they just put way too much humor/puns in. It's one thing to do it a bit, but the whole movie seemed like an excuse to give Thor a chance to make some funnies and throw one-liners around. Come on Marvel, we're mostly watching for the action anyways.

The plan is I'll meet up with my mom and buy some groceries, then she's going to teach me how to make her curry chicken which is the stone cold nuts. Other than that, we've got dinner at Chada planned. I'll see if she wants to play at the Wynn, otherwise that's all that is on the agenda. I head back downstairs for another quick session.

I start pushing buttons. Keep getting two offsuit hi cards, a single ace, 3 broken flush cards, etc- ie, crap. I ask myself why I'm even playing- it's not really fun. To have been almost 10k ahead (after being 9k down), and now essentially even... agh. But what else am I here for? And then, card, card, card, card, card. I mentally realize what just happened a microsecond later. I had the speed all the way done on this one, and got to see each and every beautiful card slide off the deck-



!!!!! Second dealt 4 figure hand on the trip!

Value-


Second time this machine has dealt me 4 2s, 3s, 4s w/kicker. Best part- not playing 3 play this time!

As you can imagine, I'm now completely rejuvenated, again. I realize that I'm now dealt 4 AWAK away from the "trifecta" of white whales- sure, it's still a super long shot, but if I'm ever going to do it, it's THIS trip- I already have 2/3 out of the way, including the hardest of all. 4 AWAK should be a SNAP compared to a royal lol.

Fairly shortly after-



SMASH!

And then-



AGGHH come on white whale trifecta!

Result-




Result-


I put 1k in before I realize I'd better stop and get my mom. We still need to buy groceries and make lunch. That was a +13k session!

We grab groceries and then head back to the condo. My mom and I collaborate to make her curry chicken, which we then have for a late lunch. Simply amazing. Sorry no pics, but I was just too hungry and totally forgot. The food tasted that much better coming on the back of a monster session!

After lunch, mom doesn't feel like playing at all, so I'm headed back to the Wynn. I'll pick her up in time for Chada.



Result-




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Result-


This one was especially frustrating, caught the 4th ace but no dice on the kicker.

I'm now down 1k for this session. Thinking about maybe playing some craps! Maybe later, let's keep going.



Result-


AAAHHH. For all the times we miss... sometimes we draw well too.

I'm now +16k for the day.



I probably played at least 1.5, more like 2 hrs. Flush from that double hit, I proceed to stick 4k back in. Literally no draws to speak of. Didn't play 10 play at all. It just went to complete crap. Somewhere towards the end, I decide to hit 3 play UX and grab a nice draw early in...



with the inevitable blank result. Can't believe I'm back down to +12k! Should have played...



I'm in for 2k here. I figure at least I'll lose slower at the dice tables. Before anyone asks, no way I'm taking double odds/playing the line, forget that. I learned craps on 10x odds tables so even 3-4-5 seems like garbage to me. However, 6 and 8 place bets are the same regardless of the table, so that's the plan.

I start off placing 6 and 8 for 120 each. I figure this'll give me about 10 rolls, more than enough time to figure out if we're going to see a good roll today or not. First 5 rolls are basically insta-outs. I think I hit one number in there total. Within that sequence were two total noobs- the female of the bunch literally grabbed all FIVE dice when they were passed to her and threw them all LOL. Of course she gets a pass, it just illustrates how new to the game they were. Anyways, you know that whole "newbies always do well"? What about "women are good luck"? Yeah, I've never seen that at a dice table. Both of the noobs insta-out and I'm stuck over 1k. And then...

Best roll I've seen in years. That sounds like a big deal but keep in mind I basically haven't played in years and I run bad at dice. I think I have the sequence right-
- 6 hits for 120, go to 150
- 6 hits again, go to 180
- 8 hits, go to 150
- 6 hits, go to 240!
- 6, take it to 300
- 6, take it to 420!

On that last jump I belatedly realized, "that's too big. I went from pressing 60 straight to 120. Shoulda pulled more off the table". That's how long it's been for me, my mechanics were all off. I really hope I don't regret this...

- 8, go to 180
- 8, go to 240

Jesus give me another 6 in there one time!

- 6! Take it to 540!
- 6! 600! (I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've built a 6 up to 600).

I'm standing there, hoping against hope that I've caught a sun run. I'm already debating whether if 6 hits again to go to 720, then 900, or take the 8 straight to 300. Unfortunately it's not to be and the shooter 7 outs. Damn. OK, well I'm very unlikely to catch a better roll than that, might as well color and book a winner.



Can't remember the last time I've had more chips on me at the end of a session than the beginning...

This is a good stopping point. To be continued...

leon,

Fantastic trip report yet again. Thanks for all the hard work!

The most direct route is probably Spring Mountain (or Sahara) straight over/under the freeway to Arville, then left a few blocks till you get to Trop. I usually turn in into the back way to the parking garage. If you go to valet you can either continue to Trop, or drive into the complex and find your way there.

Leon,

I’m always 100% on your side 0 jealousy on every VP spin.

Gotta say I’m very jealous of this craps run!!!!!! Still want you to win, but also kinda hate you

love me a good craps TR. Hit a fire bet at Bally's once, some young guy rolled and rolled, 6's and 8's for like 20 minutes. Had a fire bet for the dealers, they were happy.

The thing is, it wasn't even that great of a run. Just glad I kept pressing the 6- many times before, I've done the "balance out the 6 and 8" strategy which obv would have had a much lower yield.

I dunno man. Best roll I've seen is about 45 min. I have multiple memories of building 30$ 6 and 8 up to near 600, hitting the "all tall/small/all" feature bets back when they weren't quite so -EV, multiple 4-5k winners betting a fraction of what I do now... it was a good roll to be sure but just yet more confirmation that that monster roll really is a once in a lifetime event.

That's awesome. Never did the fire bet thing but I used to bet the "all" feature back when the Wynn offered a better payback. When that last number actually comes in it's a great feeling. I was playing next to a table that hit once, some younger guy had 100$ on the all and it paid 17.6k. When that last number came in the whole table was screaming at the top of their lungs. It was like standing next to a jet engine. Now THAT'S jealousy El D

I'm no stranger to gambling, and I think at some point I've placed money on literally every game offered in a casino.... except craps. Never played a single roll. Maybe next time I go I'll head down to the craps table at like 3am on a weekday morning to hopefully get a table by myself so that I can get familiar with the game and the dealers can help me out.

go to wizard of odds and practice. When you do get to a live table, place a bet for the dealers next to your bet and they will be your new BFFs.

https://wizardofodds.com/play/craps/v2/

In a nutshell, you are betting on 7 (don't pass) or against 7 (pass) with about a hundred side bets. Bet the pass, with odds, and place the 6 & 8.

If that's true, you need to play craps, complete the collection. You'll pick up the game in no time with a gambling background and understanding of EV and probabilities.

Spoiler alert- one of two possibilities await:
#1- you get kicked in the nuts and hate the game
#2- you have fun, fall in love with the game, then get kicked in the nuts for the next 20 yrs and end up hating the game

I'm sure there are a bunch of 2+2ers who would happily kick you in the nuts for a fraction of what one can lose at the craps tables Just cut out the middle man and get it over with.

seriously, thank you for sharing.

just excellent

Been lurking for a while on your TRs Leon. Great stuff!

Glad to see some craps action, and interesting to see how you up your bets. Usually what I'll do is, like you, go up one unit then up two units, but then when I get to double my initial bet I bring it down by half. So let's say I start, like you, with $120 on the 6 and 8. I'll go to $150 then $210, then $240, then back down to $120 and start again and if somehow I manage to get back up to $240, then I press to $480 and if that hits go down to $360, then if that hits go down to $240, then if that hits go back to $480 and repeat. I feel like that gives me home run potential but I'll have already booked a huge win by the time I'd even get to the $480 level.

The absolute truth in this post is undeniable. So, so accurate.

Day 5 part 2

That craps run put me back up to near +13k for the day. Somehow I STILL have time to kill before Chada, so it's back to VP...



Very first draw...

Result-


Definitely more satisfying that 4 AWAK.



But of course, I'll take 4 AWAK as well...

Result-


I am now officially chasing the dealt white whale trifecta. THAT would be a memory I'll never forget. Of course, the aces dry up but the 2's start rolling in...





Paging a kicker, top right corner pocket!









Damn. That was a really frustrating sequence. I ended up sticking back in 3k from that royal hit, so +14k for the day. I head out to the condo, pick my mom up and we head to Chada...



Ground pork rolls. Not much to look at, decent taste, 7/10.



Chicken wings. Too sweet, not spicy enough. 6/10.



My whole tilapia. 6-7/10. It was decent but actually kind of flavorless without the sauce. Needed some salt and it would have been much better.



Mom's crispy duck Kra Pow. The highlight for me, the duck was really tasty. Sauce a bit sweet. 7-8/10.



Dessert- sticky rice pudding with mangos. Pretty good- 7/10.

Overall I was underwhelmed, but I'll definitely be back. I was afraid to order anything over a "one pepper" spiciness rating bc I was worried it was going to be "authentic hot" which would have been too hot. They only had zero, one and three pepper ratings on the menu- no two pepper, which in turn scared me off the three. In retrospect, their one pepper is super mild so I'll go back again and try different stuff. Most dishes had some element that was unnecessarily sweet- maybe it's me, maybe they're catering to the white folk but I just don't get the need for all that sugar. Decent place; best Thai ever, doubt it.

On a more positive note though, the service and price point are outstanding- I'm not sure how this place makes money but I can see how Gobbo would eat here a lot- it's certainly not going to break anyone's wallet.

After dinner, my mom has no desire to play so I take her back to the condo. Last night in Vegas- the hunt for the white whale trifecta continues!

Dealt trifecta???

I start off with a couple of "almost" deals...





Results-


Somehow, I amazingly manage to only stick 1k back in despite no hit. I decide to coast in to the finish line tonight with some small ball "fun" games. I vow to only lose 3k tomorrow at most- I'm locking in a win, and I refuse to give back ~10k which seems to have become almost a habit for me on the last day of my trips.

I sit 25c multistrike, super times pay TDB. Paytable is LOL, but at least I can play small and have some fun. I've always thought the concept of multistrike was interesting, but in practice it just seems SO HARD to get a good hand to line up on a high paying line. Somewhere in there, I actually get a nice draw...



10x multiplier would be 20,000 quarters, or 5k if this comes in. Nothing to sneeze at.

result-


Damn!

After that, I walk around for a bit and check out "super triple play jackpot". Intriguing. Basically, it's three lines. Make quads, and you get to spin a wheel where the top prize is 20k credits. Paytable is... odd. Hard for me to figure on the fly- for TDB notable differences are
- both 4 awak and 4 2,3,4 wak pay 4000!
- 4 aces pays 1600, 4 premiums pay 800
- regular quads pay 500
- full house pays 50 instead of 45
- flush pays 30 instead of 35
- straight pays 25 instead of 20

You need to bet 2 extra credits per line to activate the feature, so 7 instead of 5. Late night, rough total guessimate figures I can't be taking that much the worst of it, at least not within the context of betting quarters, having some fun and trying out a new game...

I stuff my ticket in and mentally give myself 300 to donate here. I'm lucky to hit quad 6s early on and get to spin the wheel. VERY LOUD, probably attracted the attention of people around me, and... ultimately anti-climatic. Most of the prizes on the wheel are 200-500 extra credits, and clearly the chance of 20k credits is LOL low.

Anyways, that was mildly amusing, so I keep going. Get lucky to be dealt my second quads of the trip, on a machine where quads really matter! The white whale trifecta??!!



Nope. 6s. Again. What you see is the result of each hand, plus the wheel spin. Didn't hit 20k x 3 obv.

That was a fun little side venture and actually somewhat profitable as well. I head back to my usual machines for one final attempt at nailing the trifecta tonight.



Result-


This is the closest I came. Packed it in soon after and went to bed.

Day 5 result- +12k
Overall- + 12.5k

Final day coming soon...

Great reading this as always. My wife loves MultiStrike, she plays nickels and Deuces Wild and has hit a royal on the bottom line ($200), third line ($800) and top line ($1600) all in the past five years while I have been without any royals of course.

You have marital variance - she gets the (deserved) run good, and you take one for the team. Overall finding the appropriately balanced EV :grin:

leon I'm sorry but you are bad at ordering. Go back to Chada and ask for what Jimmy gets.