Day 3

I sleep in a bit more than normal. Wake up around 6am and head downstairs.

I play slowly but hit nothing. I think I'm down about 5k which is pretty much the limit I set for myself this AM. Although I was up 11k total, I'm quite aware I can donk that off in a few hrs. We've got the cabana and a show today, and I can totally limit the gambling if that's what it takes to lock in a small win or small loss.

I've built up about 1k in points, and I was planning on leaving them until the end of the trip. However, I still want to play and I don't want to use any more "real money", so I redeem the points. One totally subjective but completely reproducible thing I've noticed is that when I run bad, using up whatever free play or points I have remaining for some reason seems to turn the doom switch off. Obv I know this is BS and I'm not remembering all the times I've used up free play/points and continued to get my ass kicked, but it sure seems like things turn often enough. Case in point, I start making hands and get to play for quite a while. I get dealt two aces and don't even really think much of it until I hear the sweet, sweet sound of a made hand, and then realize it's on a 12x...



OMFG YES. Exactly what I needed!

It is just incredible how much a trip can change in a microsecond. I've gone from playing scared and trying to lock in a win to KNOWING I'm going home with a lot of cash. There's simply no way, at this stage in the trip, with the control I've acquired from many a previous tilt session, that I give back too much at this stage. I bask in the glory until they unlock the machine, then I get back at it, totally rejuvenated and with the freedom to play as I choose.



Result-


I move to hi limit and play big.



30+ lines was too big and I give back 5k super fast. I step it down to 27 lines- big enough that if I get dealt 4AWAK or a royal I'll still break my record, but not quite as big as before.



Soon enough, 4th dealt quads of the trip! Now's the time!



F YES PREMIUM!!!

After getting skunked on those quad aces before, and all the action I've given this multiline machine, it's about time I get dealt premiums with a ton of draws at the kicker! There's not a doubt in my mind I'm going to hit kickers, only question is how many...

Result-


Slightly below avg, but obv I'll take it.

I start playing legit huge.



I end up giving back more than I wanted, but not as much as I would have in the past. I'm up 60k for the day and 71k for the trip!

I give the family the good news and check us into the cabana. Everyone else is slow to wake up; I'm starving so I order myself some food poolside.




At some point, the rest of the family comes down. We hang out, swim etc, and I give the machines another try. They're ice cold and I give back 5k. Back to cabana. More hanging out, more gambling.


Result-




Result-



I lose another 7k, and have given back 12k for the afternoon.




Wife and I close out the cabana in the late afternoon and do some joint gambling. We try craps and get pummeled for 3k in about 5 min. Spoiler alert- we're done with craps this trip. I've only played a couple of sessions but both have been unfun and unprofitable. We head back to VP.


Result-



Result-




Result-


Wife heads up to change for the show, I switch over to spin poker and get a little back...



It's just been an amazing day, but I've hit my first extended cold patch as well- everything after the AM. I've given back at least 15k from the AM.

Day 3 so far- +45k
Overall- +56k

wowee.

what a day!

Amazing result.

Awesome - about damn time!

Awesomeness!

Will your stepping up your play after the big hit affect (hopefully positively) your comps?

I highly doubt it. For one, I didn't play that much at bigger stakes. My patterns are pretty well-established and I'd really have to do things completely differently to offset years of established play. Plus, they already cut my comp in summer of 2022 despite zero decreased play on my end- I'm assuming the Wynn isn't going to be turning up comp anytime soon without a damn good reason.

God, I love Ultimate X. Nice hit!!!

I wonder if they factor in an individual's tendency to continue playing or increasing bet sizes instead of locking up a win. I'm assuming it's already factored into your comp if they do.

I am no expert on comps, but I'm pretty sure it's a simple formula based on expected loss, and your host, if you rate one, has a little discretionary leeway.

Edit: Thanks for the TRs leon, even without high volume responses I think you're reaching a good sized enthusiastic audience.

A great payoff for all of those missed draws!

Sick hits! Congrats!

I used to love Ultimate X. Until I discovered Ultimate X Bonus Streak. Truly the crack cocaine of Video Poker.

I wonder if Leon has discovered Bonus Streak, yet..

I'm sure all of this is factored in. They have data on everything, and yeah, as far as I can tell my host does have some leeway, and I've about reached the limits of it

I'm happy to do the TRs as I've said. I tend to spread out the typing for slow points at work/days of the week, so that's why they come piecemeal.

I've played it... I don't like it. In my limited experience the fact that multipliers are only generated with trips or better makes it less likely there'll be a multiplier around when lightning strikes (obv offset by the fact that it's easier to generate bigger multipliers). When you couple that with the necessary strategy changes which I certainly don't know, but I know they must exist, I just don't feel right playing the game. To what degree should I be trying to generate multipliers, and how does that change my holds?

Plus, you can't "use up" multipliers that you've paid for which irritates me as well. I hate getting up from a machine knowing there are working multipliers, but that's basically always going to be the case.

Rest of Day 3

We walk over to TI to see Mystere. I've seen this show probably about 10 times in total but it's been years. I always thought my kids have been as well- they've seen basically every Cirque show, so we have seen Mystere, right? Plus, I have a memory of all of us seeing the show. However, both boys and my wife swear they haven't seen it. Who knows, either way it's been long enough that it might as well be the first time for them!



Nothing new to see here, but it's definitely an oldy and goody.




Walking back to the Wynn.

Dinner is at SW; I'm already changed for dinner so I give a couple k back to the Wynn, hitting nothing while family gets changed.



We get a bunch of food and share the steaks; we're trying to conserve comp and there's plenty of food in any case. The broccolini were exactly what I needed in a weekend essentially devoid of vegetables. The crab tater tots aren't worth getting IMO- I don't know what I was expecting, maybe more "tater tot", but they were basically fried crab balls. Decent but I wanted potatoes. Everything else basically 7-8/10. Unfortunately the atmosphere was WAY TOO LOUD. Everything was loud- the music, the show, and then unfortunately all the people who were mostly there to be seen. I actually filled out one of their surveys afterwards, I got a reply but we'll see if anything is actually done.

After dinner, it's past 11pm and I'm really tired, but it's my last night in Vegas, and I'm well up. Zero chance I don't play a bit more. To recap, the entire day after my amazing pre-breakfast has been really cold- I've given back almost 20k.



I bounce around a bit and am down a few k. I get a ton of draws at spin, and am lamenting missing all the premium draws that would give me a 5 digit hit, when I actually make one!



I can't believe how well I'm running this trip. Even this day, which had a demonstrable, extended cold patch, got bailed out at the end. I give just a touch more back then head up to bed.

Day 3 result- +50k
Overall- +61k

Day 4

I wake up exhausted, hit the bathroom and really feel like I can fall back asleep. I try, and think to myself "this is the best way to lock in a win". However, immediately after that thought comes "I'm already booking a huge win no matter what, how many AMs do I really get where I'm not playing scared?". And after that thought, I can't fall asleep... meh F it get up. I'll sleep on the plane or later at home.




Result-



I think this was a break even session for me. In terms of locking in a win, this is a huge result. Got to play a ton, financially neutral.

I head up to the room to figure out the food situation with the family. We decide we'll eat an early brunch at Red 8. I'm already hungry but suppose I can power thru. The thought of sea bass and a heaping bowl of rice sounds fantastic...



All the tickets I've got on me... almost 100k!


Result-





Result-




Result-





Result-




It's 11:30am... time for Red 8. I think I'm up 1k for the day!



They had some salt and pepper ribs on the menu, solid 8/10 there. Nanny got some egg/shrimp dish- not much to look at but also a solid 8/10. The egg went amazingly well with the rice, which when paired with the 9/10 sea bass... Mwah chef's kiss.

I charge that meal to the room, knowing we've exceeded our comp, hoping host will pick it up, but prepared to pay otherwise. I actually don't have that much time- I still have to pack and redeem my tickets, etc. I head over to hi limit and play on turbo- not huge, but not small either. I'm not playing to stretch this out anymore- I'm trying to see if I can get dealt premiums one last time!



I can't tell you how many hundreds of hands I played during this stretch. All I can say is that it was warm. I was hitting jackpots and unlocking the machine as fast as possible, and in general the trendline was overall up... I wish this session never ended. Just turbo mode, hitting more than I gave back... I'll never turn a session like that down.

Alas, I never did get another dealt quad and eventually I ran out of time. Rushed back upstairs to get all my tickets, rushed back downstairs to redeem the tickets... when all was said and done, here's where things stood-



Up 64k. This would be a lot sexier if I didn't know 50k was mine to start...

So that's that. We got delayed almost an hr leaving Vegas, but if I could get the heat I had this trip with a small delay, I'd take that every time...

Day 4 result- +3k
Overall- +64k

Final thoughts- not much to say. Just an amazing trip overall. I was never in danger and didn't have a single negative day. After opening with those dealt quad aces where I didn't hit one kicker, I'm just glad that that did not end up being a portent of doom. I did a pretty good job of money management (easy when you're on fire) and did plenty of non-gambling things with the family. I'm already looking forward to the next trip. Thanks for reading!

Thanks leon, I stopped to look at the vouchers pic and in my head drooled over the >100k then I saw your "almost 100k" comment so I had to check the math. Comfortably over 100k, but maybe you were subtracting something. Thanks for letting me live the dream vicariously.

It looks like they at least replaced the male performers lifting each other with female ones. They occasionally add the male act to Absinthe (it was there last year, but not in late June this year).

Thanks for the report and the pic of the cash is sexy regardless how much you brought with you!

Very entertaining as always

LOL that's funny. When I took the pic I knew it was over 100k. When I double-checked this AM before writing the caption I thought, "that's weird, I thought I was North of 100k. Huh whatever". Looks like I added wrong this AM.

I like the women better, and quite honestly it's even more impressive seeing the females perform feats of strength that are likely relatively harder compared to the males. That said, when I first saw the show decades ago they had the dudes. I saw the show with a gay friend of mine. I asked him what his favorite part was and he basically said, "Ummm, duh?". And I said, "as you know, I'm straight, but even so that act could turn anyone gay". So I didn't have a problem with the male performers either

Fantastic trip Leon - thank you and we’ll done!

Seeing the piles of cash made me think of another question I’m not sure has been asked. Assuming you’re flying with the cash (are you?) what kind of shenanigans are you enduring to register it with TSA at the airport?

No shenanigans necessary. One can legally fly domestically with more than one shitton of cash without hassle or registration. Theoretically. Safety and security is another issue.

I can't find the clip, but I'm imaging the scene from Let It Ride where Richard Dreyfuss hires the security officer.

BTW, it's a pretty bad, but fun, movie that all degens should see at least once. Plus a very young Jennifer Tilly.

Thanks for another great report leon!

It's been quite awhile since I've been to that one, but the only act I really remember is the lifting dudes, mostly because the redneck beside me moaned and groaned about how he didn't want to see that to his wife the whole time.

I think it was also shown in the movie Knocked Up.

It's an incredible act either way, but I am curious how the woman do it.

i've discovered you don't even have to think about safety and security when you leave your money there.

LOL

I've long thought that criminals should rob people entering the casino rather than when they're leaving it.