Day 3 Con't
D and I grab a limo back to Wynn. We make it back with plenty of time. The event is a hot pot dinner following by this drawing. I wish we'd know about this earlier, bc it would have been cool to eat this instead of Bar Zazu, and in retrospect we definitely could have gotten our friends in. As it is, we were so full from dinner we couldn't justify wasting food (and eating more calories). They asked us many times if we wanted food so finally I just got a dessert to try it (8/10, pretty tasty).
OK, time for the drawing. Only 8 people get called, D and I have a 1/50 chance at each spot in theory. First place, 25k- blank.
Second place, 8k... ME!!! Ya don't say?! I never win these things!
Well that's super cool. Unfortunately D doesn't get anything, but between us we have 8k of found money to gamble with! We were strategizing before, but now that's it's real we go into overdrive. So we can either take 8k in true free play chips (plays like real money, bet until you lose), or 8k free credit. The craps degens in us want the free play chips- we're figuring out how we're going to bet big and press hard. I think I ultimately settle on a 800$ outlay per roll- give myself 5 shots at converting these free play chips to something nice. I collect my prize, and they ask us to wait about 1/2 hr before we go to the cage. We hit the hi limit room and book a small winner.
That being done, we head to the cage. And... they give me 8 x 1000$ chips?! That is not going to work. I ask for smaller denoms and they won't do it. I tell them I know they have smaller denoms in the back, I've seen them, and they say "not for this promo". F. That's not going to work. I'll happily degen with 4k promo but I want some play for my money. Ugh. D and I decide to get the 8k free credit and wash it through instead. This whole process takes another 1/2 hr and involves a call to the promo manager. So annoying. Finally, we get the free credit.
End, about 7/8 payback. Not great but not unexpected.
We cash that ticket out and try to find a craps table. The problem is, now the money is "real". It's obv stupid bc those freeplay chips were basically real money as well, but now that I have to pull money out of my pocket I can't degen like I was going to. This is supremely unfun. This whole incident is a small example of the emotional roller coaster I was on the whole weekend- assuming I won't win anything, winning something, D and I planning our attack like kids in a candy store, waiting for the chips, finding out it'll be free play after all, more waiting, ultimately no craps... Ugh. What a comedown. I head to the VP machines and D tries to find the others to meet up.
Only hit of an hours-long session. I lost about 10k here.
I head upstairs really tired, and really annoyed. I'm break even, AGAIN!
Day 3 result- +10k
Overall- even
Dealt quads- 6, 2 premiums, screwed on aces
5 digit hits- 4
Day 4
Since I went to bed exhausted, I didn't think I'd need a melatonin. Turns out I was wrong- slept like crap and got the shortest and worst night of sleep this whole trip. I head downstairs with one thought- survive.
One more prayer...
As I sit at UX, I think about my approach. Intellectually, I know a 10k loss would be just fine at this point. So many ups and downs to get here, but 10k I can live with. I also know that can evaporate really fast and I've got an even longer day than normal now that I pushed my flight back. So that 10k is a "suggestion", but I'll go to 20-25k if I'm forced to.
I play REALLY slow. 5 line UX, and I play everything on the slowest speed. I watch pair draws. Silly but I gotta make it out of this AM period. At least I got to watch this one come in.
OK at this stage this is really important.
I move up to 10 lines and get dealt quads number 7!
Come on be premiums!
I'll admit, I lost a little control here. After these hits, I started thinking, "maybe I'm finally going to catch that god last day". So, I played 10 lines longer than I should have. I'm still up 3-4k for the day. Move back down to 5 lines...
Where I get extremely "unlucky" to make these hands. I say that bc of the nature. 1 ace into 4? check. Multiplier? Check. Something massive that will guarantee a win? Nope. All this does is make me think of the quad aces I got blanked on and it puts me on mini tilt.
I keep going and am suddenly down 5k for the day. D and the other guy A are finally awake. We decide we're going to hit the buffet just to change it up and so we don't have to wait in a line. I lose ANOTHER 5k waiting for them and now I'm at my "first stopping point", which is obv no stopping point at all bc I've still got hrs to go. Looks like I'm going to lose at least -20-25k this trip.
The Thai spicy beef was by far the best (hence I got seconds). 9/10, grab this if you hit the Wynn buffet. Everything else a standard 6/10 buffet food.
After breakfast, D and I finally manage to convince A to play some craps. All the others have left. We collectively come in for 5k and I think A was in for 200$ total. He follows the game for a bit, won't roll and won't drive the chips but otherwise seems like he's somewhat enjoying himself. The session wasn't bad but we didn't win. Small loss for all of us. After that, D and A go to hit the spa. I sit VP- no way I waste these last few hrs. Plus... I could make a comeback?
I dump another couple K into UX before I say no mas for this trip. I know it's just variance but I've been on the wrong side of it more recently with UX and it's bringing back memories of prior trips where I lost 40-50k, all to UX. I move over to spin and play slowly. I think I'm down almost 20k when the machine comes alive.
5 digit hit number 5!!!!
I play past lunch time off of that hit. Never had anything else and ultimately ended up down 8k for the day? but still way better than 20k. I'm exhausted and head up for a nap. I can definitely keep this loss small if I don't gamble.
Take a great nap and feel much better now that I'm less stuck. So stupid- I'm down for the day, but the comeback makes me feel better than when I had MORE money. Back to the spin machine.
It's letting me play... and then, dealt quads number 8!
NEED. FRICKIN. PREMIUMS!!!!
Forgot to get the total here, 4k basically.
This being spin at 2$ credits, the money is going fast but I'm collecting it faster than I can put it back. The guys are done with the spa and we're going to grab a late lunch at Red8. They've actually gotten us a table but I can't get up yet- I'm only down 5k now and the machine is just downright decent. And then... 5 digit hit number 6!
OK we are back in the black folks!
I cannot believe how swingy this trip has been. I run over to Red 8 and I'll be honest, just threw my food down. The boys know I'm going back to the spin machine ASAP. When it's hot, it's hot.
Here we go. Last mini session before I settle all my tickets and pack for the airport.
OMG I wish I could just live at this machine.
Clock is ticking down... and the buzzer sounds. I somehow, someway, made a COMEBACK!
I grab all my tickets and head to hi limit. After I pay D his share (almost 4k)... the final tally is- I'm UP 11k for the trip. D is now up too, he was stuck about 1k before (the free play we didn't spend on craps, and his 2k free credit he converted really helped him), and now he's up 3k. I'm almost happier for him than me. Almost.
It only took 8 dealt quads and 6 5 digit hits to end on a winner folks. In retrospect, it was OBV a good decision to stay a few more hrs...
We head off to the airport. It's not crowded at all and D and A save me a middle seat near the front, NOT that I needed it bc I ended up taking the open window seat one row in front of them?? So weird- how is there an empty window that close during the C group boarding? Guess too many people need overhead bin space. Whatever- some last minute rungood, I'll take it!
Day 4 result- +11k
Overall- +11k
Dealt quads- 8
5 digit hits- 6
Postscript- when we got back to SD, I grab my bag from baggage claim. D reminds me half-jokingly, "make sure it's yours man". I laugh, but as I pick up the bag it feels heavier than mine... check the tags, NOT MINE! I put it back and think to myself, "geez, I never see another pink bag like this and now I see two in one trip". Which then immediately leads to the thought, "it's probably that same woman!". I keep my eye out for her and sure enough, she's walking out with it 2 sec later. So I figure I'll send her a joke text-
"Hey, almost grabbed your bag again LOL but checked the tags this time
Figured you'd be really pissed if I took your bag again".
I grab my bag and we wait for A's wife at the curb. I see this lady loading into another car, avoid eye contact etc. However, she sees me and SCREAMS out my name- she's all smiles and jokes now. Says "I'm watching you!" in a joking way. We bid her farewall. She then texts me 2 more times on the way home. Uh, yeah, that's going to be a non-response from me. We had our little random interaction, now we can get back to not knowing each other in peace. Kind of weird that on Thurs she was fairly bitchy and now she's being almost uncomfortably friendly.
Other thoughts- hopefully it's obvious why I was wiped after this trip. There were just way too many random ups and downs. Thank god it ended well and I didn't get punished for staying longer. I also think I'm going to go back to minimizing UX like I was doing before. I can still take shots at it but it can't be my main game. It's just too swingy and the pain points are too intolerable. Hopefully that spin machine stays hot...
I also figure at this level I need 4 5 digits hits per trip to break even. 5 or more and it's probably going to be a winner.
Thanks for reading!