(Part I)

I just got back from my first solo trip and had a blast. I was curious about whether I’d like being on my own for three days.

A few things lined up to make the experiment a possibility: 1) I scored two free nights at the Wynn. 2) I had Southwest points to burn = free flights. 3) None of my friends could get away during the week. 4) My S.O. hates Las Vegas: “Go without me. All you want to do is play poker anyway.” That’s a hall pass, yes?

Day 1 - Sunday May 15: There’s a certain freedom to just being able to hustle through the crowds and beeline to my destination. Pro tip for exiting the Las Vegas airport if you don’t need baggage claim: Terminal 1, from the gate, stay on the upper level, don’t go down the escalators to baggage claim. Stay just to the right of the escalators and exit out through the TSA hallway. Keep right, follow the signs to ride share pickup, and stay on level 2 the entire time.

I’m in my Uber before the plane is done deboarding. Check-in at Wynn is easy with the kiosk and no need to wait in line.


Bathroom does not suck

Bravo app says there’s a meet-up game with Rampage and Mariano at the MGM Grand. I normally wouldn’t consider playing at MGM, but what the heck, let’s try it! I exit the Wynn and start walking down the strip when I quickly realize my error.

MGM is a fair distance from Wynn. It is also 95F outside and full sun. Oops. I turn around to go back to get a taxi when a bus pulls up, the doors open, and a blast of A/C pushes out. Ah-ha! This is fortuitous. I’m on the wrong side of the street to go to MGM, but now I have a transportation plan.
15 minutes later I’m southbound on a bus for MGM Grand. The strip bus is called the “Deuce” line, comes every 15 minutes 24/7, and there’s a phone app to get a 24-hour pass for $8. Score.

The MGM poker room is packed. There are 150+ poker players in the room. The meet-up tables are $2/5 NL, $300 minimum, and no maximum. I buy in for $600. Tables all have the 8-seat reserved for the vloggers, who jump tables every 30 minutes.

My table is super friendly. The players are above average compared to the low stakes tourists I’m used to seeing in Las Vegas. There is no limping preflop, for example, people are 3-betting preflop with a variety of hands, and not many hands are going to showdown.


Let the rungood begin!

There’s a cute girl across from me and a creep on my left who can’t stop hitting on her. It’s cringey. He’s twice her age and socially awkward. He asks her, “Who’s your favorite magician?” She has no response. I offer, “Harry Potter?” and he shakes his head at me. Then he does a magic trick with a $1 bill turning into a $20 bill. He gets up for a moment, comes back, and hands her a post-it with his phone number and an offer for “Vegas recommendations”. I guess you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, but he’s trying for a field goal from the parking lot. With a whiffle ball.

Ethan/Rampage arrives at our table and chats with us non-stop, very fun. He set up his phone to record his hands and has a tablet on his lap for simultaneous online poker. “Mariano just texted me and say we should be playing every hand,” he announces. And yes, he plays every hand.


Rampage Poker

The table dynamic changes and everyone is getting involved in pots for piles of chips. Flop is Q73 and Ethan puts in chips. Turn is a 9, she goes all-in, and Ethan says, “Sorry, I got lucky,” calls with Q9 and stacks AQ. “I’ll try to punt it back to you,” he says. Losing a stack and getting creeped on – this is not going to be her favorite poker session.

I look down at A8 UTG and fold. At a wild table, I just can’t expect to see a cheap flop and I’ll be out of position for the entire hand. As played, it ends up $20 to go, the world calls, and the flop is K T 7. F*** me with a chip rack. Turn is 9.

Spoiler: Rampage has Q6 and I would have doubled up. “Where’s the Ace or Eight of spades?” he says at showdown. I keep my mouth shut.

Really, I can’t complain. The session is going exceedingly well for me. I never have a difficult decision, flopping and turning sets, KK holds up twice. It’s a good start to the trip.

Rampages leaves and the creep follows him to his next table. We ask the woman what she’s going to do with his phone number. “Oh, this is a keeper,” she rolls her eyes.

Mariano never plays at our table and from across the room I can see he is scooping up chips. I cash out +$533 for the session. Next stop, dinner at Cosmopolitan.

… to be continued!

I'm in.

(Part II)

The Chandelier bar at the Cosmopolitan is known for this specialty drink called the “Verbena”. It’s like a margarita with a little edible flower in it. You’re supposed to take a sip, then chew the flower. It buzzes in your mouth and the feeling is a bit intense, like a Szechuan pepper.

I order the drink. It’s – disappointing. When I sit at the bar in a high-end establishment, part of the enjoyment for me is watching the bartender mix the drink and show off his craft. They serve so many Verbenas here that they are all pre-mixed. He takes a glass, scoops ice, pours from a plastic jug, and drops in the flower. There’s no presentation and took under five seconds to prepare. It’s an ok margarita, I guess. The buzzy flower thing doesn’t do it for me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.


This is $20?

I need a real drink now. I ask for an Old Fashioned. It does not disappoint, and the bartender prepares it skillfully. The crystal-clear round ice cube makes it that much better.


Bourbon, sugar, bitters, and a hint of citrus = perfection

The Chandelier bar is right next to a burger restaurant, Holsteins. I order their “Forager” burger, which is prime beef mixed with mushrooms and served with a fried egg on top. I ask for it rare and over-easy, and it is a delicious, juicy mess. (Sorry, no photo. I was a bit drunk at this point and forgot.)

My after-dinner session is at Caesar’s Palace. It’s 1/3 NL and a $300 buy-in for some no-stress, late night low-stakes.

It’s immediately a completely different game from MGM 2/5. There are at least two clueless players here. I stack a shorty in a hand where I’m sure I’m beat, but the pot odds are stupid mandatory: two limpers and I go to $15 in the SB with AT. BB short stack calls, MP calls. Flop $45 A77. I lead $20. BB shoves for $48 total. Folds to me. I’m not beating much, but it doesn’t matter for $28 more. The river is the case 7. “Oh, do we chop now?” I ask and table my hand. He shows JJ, is stacked, leaves, and says he doesn’t know why I would think it was a chop. Um, you’re the one who didn’t 3b shove preflop short-stacked with JJ in the BB, sir.

There’s a drunk guy at the end of the table scooping up chips with wild plays. He’s making it $50 preflop with KJ, calling $100 short-stack all-in preflop with 86 and beating 66 (runout is AJA7 … J, so the 8 plays, lol), and I’m getting none of it.

A French guy from Marseilles is chatting with me and the dealer. The Dealer mentions this off-strip French restaurant called “Partage” that is excellent. I’ve been there on a previous trip, and it is indeed a memorable meal. If you’re an adventurous eater, the tasting menu is worth every big blind.


Chilled soup with strawberry – Partage restaurant from a previous trip

The drunk guy is soon too inebriated to play more than a couple of hands in a row before getting up to pee. I’m getting tired and decide to call it a night. I cash out +$170 for the session and walk back to the Wynn for some sleep.

Next up, day 2!

Off to a good start keep it coming.

What would they give you if you were playing in the casino and ordered their Verbena? Assuming it's free, would it be a watered down smaller version, or would they just say they can't bring you that?

I'm guessing the latter. It's a speciality drink unique to this one bar in Cosmo. In the casino, for a free drink, I'd guess they'd just bring you a margarita and not be able to provide the fizzy flower.

Replying to sub-great TR so far!

(Part III)

Day 2 – Monday, May 16

I’m up early and take the bus down to New York New York to go to their Swatch store. Why? Because Swatch has introduced a collaboration with Omega call the “MoonSwatch”, a plastic homage to the $5k+ Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch, and a bargain at only $260. We douchebag watch collectors of the world have lost our collective mind. These Swatches are sold out everywhere and only carried in a handful of select Swatch stores. I can’t help myself and must go and see if any are in stock. They are not.


Sold out? They’re right there!

For my fellow watch douchebags: she told me they get restock of about 30 MoonSwatches once or twice a week, and they sell out in less than an hour. There’s no wait list, just have to get lucky.

It’s still early and Bravo says there aren’t many games running, so I walk back towards Caesars, stopping for breakfast at Sadelle’s inside Bellagio. The eggs benedict with smoked salmon is perfect:


Sadelle’s Eggs Benedict

I walk off the food coma on the way to Caesar’s and buy in $300. The table is a mix of locals and tourists. I’m still unracking my chips and look down at A2 for my first hand. I glance around the table and there’s two limpers ahead of me and I’m in late position. Normally, I don’t come across as a particularly loose/aggressive player, but the opportunity has presented itself. I pop it to $15 and get one caller. The flop does not suck: AA2. The hand goes to showdown and I’m up $100. The OMC on my right says, “You raised to $15 with A2?!” like I’m crazy. I love it.

Very next hand, Mr. Judgmental OMC raises to $8. He’s wearing a gold Rolex Datejust II, total boomer watch. I look down at AA. No way anyone will believe me, I decide to pop it bigger than usual and make it $35. Folds around and OMC snap shoves. I say, “I call,” and I table my hand immediately. I always show AA preflop when I’m all in, just so I can at least cause some momentary grief for the villain if I’m eventually cracked by the river. The board runs out 45678. “I have a straight,” he says, and tables 88. We chop. I needed that river card – yikes!

It's a long session and I’m enjoying the table talk and poker with my fellow degenerates. I flop top two vs middle set vs a passive player who suddenly shows aggression, raises me on the turn, and I still stupidly pay off his river bet.

I top off my stack and move seats to get position on the only player at the table who seems competently aggressive. He’s sitting on $600+ and selectively punishing limpers and attacking weakness, and not getting out of line. He’s wearing an Apple Watch. We are staying out of each other’s way.

Everyone else at this table, they aren’t good at poker. I’m certainly only an intermediate player, and there are some obvious opportunities here. I see tourists from states that must not have much live poker because players are making procedural errors like they’re in a home game. Straddle is on, I open $20 with 88, two callers, and the clueless big blind counts out two stacks of $20, throws the first one in, then throws the second one in. He gets called on the string bet, is held to the $20 call, but does not understand what has happened. The flop is 38K. We get it all in on the turn. Bonus K on the river and I crack his AA.

I think I witness a significant dealer error: three players, one all in, about $150 in a main pot with another $50 in a side pot. On the turn, the player to my right announces, “all-in” and she slides her remaining chips of about ~$70 forward in two uneven stacks.

The player in the one seat doesn’t understand that there’s a side pot. I think she thinks that since she already called the original all-in, she just has to wait for the river. The dealer asks if she calls or folds and the player finally verbalizes “call”, but I don’t think she understands she called a new side bet and she doesn’t push any chips forward. The dealer does not count out the bet, either.

Simultaneously, the next dealer arrives and whispers, “last hand”. It's a distraction. The current dealer lays out the river and asks the side players to show first. The player on my right wins. The main pot goes to the original shover, and the clueless one seat loses. Only the dealer never collects the $70 side pot from player one! I’m about to say something but the dealer has already co-mingled the pots and bets, pushed the chips into a messy pile, and there’s no way now to reconstruct the turn bet.

I start questioning myself to see if I remembered the situation correctly, it happened so fast, and I’m 80% sure the dealer screwed up. He sort of pauses, like he realizes what he just did, too, then collects the cards and stands up and quickly leaves.The next dealer sits down. With the chips and stacks and the new dealer arriving and the inexperienced players, no one, including the side-pot winner on my right, says anything or notices the error. I decide to keep my mouth shut, no good will come of this, and if the one seat has some extra chips remaining, all the better for me. Yeah, I know, it’s every players responsibility to speak up if an error occurs, but I’m not 100% sure and I don’t want to be involved. Typing up the story now, I still feel weird about it. Lesson: pay attention to your side pots.

Here's the toughest spot of the trip: I open $12 K9 in middle position seven-handed. Three callers, including the competent player in the big blind I mentioned before, and a loose/weak player on the button that always bets when checked to and has a short stack of ~$100. The flop ($48) is good: 69J. The BB checks and I check with a plan to raise the button. The plan goes awry when the hijack bets $15, the button calls, and the BB pops it to $50! I love the play from the BB, he’s been selectively aggressive like that, thinks I’m out of the hand, and is punishing the small bets from the other players. Or he has a set of sixes, which will suck for me.

I’m not sure what to do. We’re $300+ effective (he has me covered), and there are players behind me. On the one hand, there is easier money at the table. On the other, I think he’s making a move here 75% percent of the time. He doesn’t have top set because preflop he’s a player who would 3b TT+ 100%. I block middle set, and if he has 666, well, happy birthday and I still have outs. I think his most likely hand (he has to have something) are straight and flush draws or maybe a combo draw like 67, 78, T8, QT with or without diamond(s). Pocket eights with a diamond, maybe? A5?

In the heat of the moment, I don’t want to shove over the top because we’re still 100BB deep and I’m just not good enough to semi-bluff shove here. Typing it up now, however, shoving seems like the best play that screams “I HAVE JJJ”, and would get the BB to fold because he’s capped his range, cannot have the hand I’m representing, and is good enough to put me on the nuts if I c/r 3b shove this flop, especially if he happens to be holding the A to block my bluffs and nut diamond draws. And if the short stack(s) call me, that’s fine, I still have a great draw and maybe even the best hand. Oh, well, like I said, I’m just an intermediate player.

As played, I flat the $50 in position and plan to shove just about any turn if he checks to me. If he shoves the turn first to act, I’ll have to decide based on texture and pot odds. Me check-calling $50 on the flop must raise some alarm bells for the BB. We’ve had a silent agreement to stay out of each other’s way so far, and I think about the hands I’m representing: mainly draws, including exactly the hand I have, and I’m now regretting not shoving. Oh, well. The other players fold.

The turn (~$175) is 8. Not the worst, but not the best card. He picks up three green chips and bets $75, a little less than half pot. For him, this is on the small side because he likes to make pot-size bets, and I consider it could be a blocking bet. I count to five slowly and announce “all-in” and push my stack. It’s $175 to call and he goes into the tank for a long time. I’m expecting a fold.

What hands tank here for a long time? I’m still not sure. He eventually calls. Oh, s***. I need a 9, a K, or a diamond. The river is a 3. Double s***.
I table my hand. He taps the table and mucks. My pair of nines is good! I bluffed with the best hand!

I’m up $500+ and still not sure what he had. A combo draw like me? A8? Q7?

He goes on tilt, which is surprising, and loses the rest of his stack in less than two orbits. I flop a set and stack the woman who might not have paid her side pot. I’m now up $600 and she leaves. I win a few more, up $700.

I have 67 and see a flop of 58J. Villain is $500 deep and I end up losing $150 on the hand and have to fold to his river shove. He shows JJ for top set. My stack drops a bit and I’m now up $295 for the session, order an Old Fashioned for my last lap, cash out, and decide to grab some dinner and head back to Wynn.


I’m a sucker for Taco Bell Cantina. Required on every LV trip at least once.

To be continued …

Nice TR so far, Fishy! I'm in!

Tbell, watches and poker--you're living my next Vegas trip before I even get there! Sending you rungood, keep up the great TR

(Part IV)

I wait a bit for a seat at the Wynn for my evening session and eventually sit down at 1/3. I knew the game has a higher buy-in but mistakenly buy in for $400 instead of the max $500, which I’d prefer to do had I recalled correctly.

While I’m unracking my chips, the 5 seat stands up and is steaming. “I’m done. If I’m making mistakes like that, I can’t play anymore!!” He leaves. Seat 6 is taking a while to stack up piles of chips, grabs some racks, and cashes out, too. I ask my neighbor what happened, but he demurs and gives a vague reply.

The two seats are filled by two friendly guys still wearing their trade show badges. They say this is the first time they’ve had to relax and play. They’re making procedural errors and keep treating the betting line as a barrier. The dealer reminds them both multiple times to push their bets across the line.

I witness a wild hand. Huge turn action with bets, raises, and one player all-in, board QJ49 There's $1200 in the pot, with a small side pot and money behind. The tourist on my left is so excited he can hardly sit still and lifts his cards so I can see what I already know: KT

The river is 5. The rest of the money goes in on the side. The original all-in player tables KT, formerly the nuts on the turn. Seat 1 had Q2 and called off his stack drawing dead, bless his heart. My neighbor hit his free-roll and scoops the entire load.

OMC open limps on my right. I raise to $15 with 55. I get two callers. Flop ($45) is pretty good: 57T. The OMC on my right checks. I bet $30. Folds back to OMC who check-raises me to $65.

Huh. We’re both $400 deep and I’m not committed. He doesn’t have an overpair because preflop. Set-over-set would suck but would he limp/call TT? Maybe 77 makes sense. Nut spades, especially AT makes sense, as does 89 or 86. Folding is out the question, I don’t want to commit myself for $400, so I make the call in position.

The turn $175 is 9. He bets $70 and has about $150 left behind. I don’t feel great about the hand. After thinking about it some more, I think I should find a fold here vs OMC check-raising the flop and barreling a super connected turn card. He’s not worried at all about my hand and looks committed. If he has 77, I have one out. If he has a flush or straight, I’m still behind. I can’t help myself and make the call.

The river is a red Q and he goes all in. There is nothing I’m beating other than a well-played bluff with a naked A, and I know I’m beat. I’ve put $70 too much into the pot already but finally find my fold button.

My stack is now $225. The dealer is already on the next hand but I’m planning to top off after this one and reach for my wallet when I look down at 55. Déjà vu. I make it $15 and trade-show boy calls me. Flop is 58T. Back-to-back sets of fives! I’m immediately sad that I didn’t buy in for the full $500 or top off sooner. I bet the flop and villain calls. The turn is J. I bet again and he min-raises me. I quickly announce, “All-in” and slide my measly remaining stack across the line. He calls and proudly tables QJ. The river is safe. I double up. I’m sitting on $450. Had I bought in for $500 originally or topped off immediately, I’d have a lot more. Lesson learned. I tell the OMC next to me, “This is the same hand I just had against you, bottom set of fives!” He’s surprised. “You folded a set? Good fold, I didn’t have the flush, just a straight.” He’s suddenly very talkative and friendly, we chat for the rest of the session, and I believe him.

There is a Wynn dealer that goes by the nickname “Cowboy”. It’s on his name tag. Older gentleman and an absolute gem of a dealer. He runs a tight ship and provides constant entertainment. Five stars!

I play a few more hands, nothing memorable, and cash out +$55 for the evening session.

Next up: Day 3

This was a nice finish to a long week. Thanks for the updates!

Nice TR! I am also one of those watch douchebags and was interested in a Moonswatch. I'll never pay over retail so I'm fine waiting it out, but so disappointing they aren't available online. The Sun would make a great summer watch.

What is your horoligical choice to wear at the poker table?

Nomos Club Campus most of the time. And you?

I admit to sporting the Apple Watch, sometimes, too. Related story: had a friend in a home game sitting with his hand up on his chin. The flop comes, and his watch, in full view, spits out a "high heart rate alert". We all fold, hah!

Great report.
I love the solo trips - going for a couple of days tomorrow in MS..

The Nomos is very nice. I've had a Panerai for about a year now. PAM 797.

That is hilarious about the apple watch.

That is a gorgeous watch, I've always loved the Luminor. I'm about to post the last part of the trip. By pure coincidence, and it was already written before you mentioned Panerai, your watch makes an appearance (well, maybe a slightly different ref).

(Part V)

Day 3 - Tuesday, May 17

I check out of my room and have a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. I’m travelling light and just have a backpack. I can’t help myself and bus back to NYNY and the Swatch store to check on any restocks. They don’t have any MoonSwatches, and I try on a few alternatives.


Swatch Irony Chronometer

I really like the one on the right. I decide that an impulse-buy souvenir of my first solo trip, paid by poker winnings, is absolutely in order. “I’ll take it,” I say. She looks on her tablet and alas, they are out of stock on that one, too. I don’t want to buy the floor model. I’m watch-blocked.

I walk to Bellagio to play a short session. There’s only one 2/5 table going in the morning, no seats open. There’s a new 1/3 opening. I get the last seat.

The table is instantly entertaining. There’s an OLC in the nine seat, I can’t remember her name, but let’s call her “Marcia”. She’s a local, wearing a denim WPT jacket, talking smack to everyone, and sounds like there’s a cigarette permanently lodged in her trachea.

Seat one is a younger guy splashing pots for $25 preflop like it ain’t no big deal, and the two of them are trash-talking each other. It’s 50% friendly teasing and 50% mutual annoyance.

“Marcia, can I buy you lunch?”

“I don’t want you to buy me lunch.”

“C’mon, I’ll buy you Chinese Food. Strictly platonic.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, kid.”

The two of them are funny. There’s a guy in the seven seat who is scooping up chips with a mix of bluffs and monsters. He’s wearing a ratty ballcap, has a mullet, and a Bill Clinton accent.

Marcia teases him: “Hey, Hillbilly, where are you from?”

He looks uncomfortable. She says, “You sound like my friend from South Carolina. He’s a hillbilly, too.”

He looks even more sheepish. Turns out, he’s indeed from South Carolina. She needles him relentlessly, says it’s all in good fun, but she’s clearly trying to get to him.

Hillbilly bluffs me off top pair and shows it. He’s on a heater and stacks Mr. Platonic, who rebuys $100 with a mix of twenties and tens. I get the impression that he’s on the tail end of an expensive Las Vegas trip.

I pick up QQ, 3b preflop, and flop top set on a monotone board. I c-bet, get called. Turn is safe, I bet again and take it down.

Marcia won’t stop with the smack talk. She’s in a lot of pots, aggressive preflop, and fit-or-fold post flop. Straddle is on, I open $16 with 77. One caller, and Marcia pops it to $53. Folds to me. We’re $400 deep. She’s done this before and she could have any pocket pair 88+, AK, maybe AQs. I think ~JJ is right in there. Normally, I’d fold a middling pair in this spot, but she’s gotten under my skin, I’m in position, and I make an -EV play and call.

Flop is A68. Marcia bets too small, $25. I absolutely know she’s afraid of the Ace and she must have JJ-KK. I raise to $65 and she folds KK face-up. “I know what you have,” she says. “You have AQ.”

I pretend to be impressed. “Yeah, how did you know?!”

“Obvious.” She looks smug. In hindsight, I could have shown the bluff.

A few laps later, I have QQ again and raise. Marcia calls and the flop is AQ8. Yes, I am running well above average this trip! I tend to pump middle set when an Ace is on board because they either have an Ace or they don’t, might as well go for it. She calls my flop bet but folds to my half pot turn bet.

“I know what you have,” says Marcia. I don’t say anything and really wish I had shown my bluff earlier. I look at her and raise my eyebrows, but she doesn’t elaborate, thus indicating that she has no idea what I have.

She and Platonic boy both leave the table and are replaced by two young guys. The one across from me is sporting a gorgeous Panerai Luminor with a black silicone band and I’m mesmerized. I didn’t want to take a creep photo, so here’s a stock image:


It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

It’s soon time to rack up with $178 profit and head to the airport.

I don’t know it, but I’m about to hit the nut low of the trip. My maps app says it’s a mere 30-minute ride by bus to the airport. I already have a bus pass, and the bus stop is right outside the poker room on the corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvd. I click “Go” in the app and follow the directions to the bus stop. The bus arrives two minutes later. I’m very pleased with myself for getting a cheap ride to the airport and screwing over the stupid taxicab lobby that makes it so frustratingly tedious and pricey to get from the airport to the strip.

A couple minutes later my app beeps and tells me to get off at the next stop and switch to the #108 line. I hadn’t noticed there’s a mandatory transfer on every bus route between the strip and the airport. No direct route? WTF?

I exit the bus, walk 50ft around the corner on Flamingo and Paradise, and there’s a poorly marked “temporary” bus stop there because of construction. It’s 100F, full sun, no shade, sketchy people all around, and I’m melting.


bus stop is a little sus

It’s a five-minute wait according to the app. In the blistering heat it feels a lot longer. If there had been a real, covered bus stop, it would have been fine, I guess. Five minutes pass. No bus. Ten minutes go by, and I start questioning my sanity at having no problem dropping $100 on dinner or $175 on a bluff, and then deciding to cheap out on an extra $25 to take an air-conditioned, non-stop Uber ride to the airport. What the f*** is wrong with me?

At the 15-minute mark, the bus finally arrives and delivers me to the airport a few minutes later. As played, door-to-door from the Bellagio poker room to Terminal 1 is about an hour.

I get a nice perk from work: an Amex Platinum card that gives me airport priority via Clear and TSA Pre, followed by access to the Centurion Lounge. I breeze through security and have about an hour and a half for free food and drinks.


poached salmon goes great with mac ‘n cheese and an old fashioned, right?


Remy Martin, neat


On the way to my gate, I pass by a Swatch kiosk. The salesperson is just closing shop. “Wait, I have a question!”

“No! No MoonSwatch!” He’s exasperated. He must field this question all day long.

“I’m looking for this Swatch Irony Chronograph with the yellow hands and blue silicone strap!” I show him the photo from the NYNY store.

“Oh! Bless you and your question!” He’s genuinely ecstatic to have someone interested in something other than the MoonSwatch. “No, sorry, I don’t have that, either.”

That’s ok. I’ll just have to plan another Las Vegas trip! For the Swatch!

I ended up $1237 in poker over 18 hours of play. Never had a down session. That’s 15-20BB/hr, well above my average, so certainly some positive variance.

If I had to do it all over again, the only thing I’d change is I really wish I had shown Marcia my bluff with pocket sevens!

Thanks for reading!

Ha! Very close indeed. Mine has a dark brown face and brown silicone strap. 8 days as well.



Please tell me you went to all the boutiques in the Ceasars Forum Shops. Most are very welcoming but I got a few dirty looks trying to get into Blancpain. And for good reason.

Great report though!

Why, what was wrong with Blancpain?

Oh nothing. I love the Fifty Fathoms. But they have a security guard out front who gave me the stink eye and he knew that I knew that I would just be wasting everyone's time.

Lovely watch. Panerai is so distinctive. It's big watch and somehow subtle at the same time. This is turning into a watch thread! I feel obligated to share my daily driver, too:



I did peruse the Forum shops! I like their Tourneau shop a lot. I could spend an hour in there just browsing.

Nice! The California dial is growing on me lately. Definitely a great looking and versatile watch.

Ha - only thing missing would be you there sweating in the heat waiting for the bus wearing one of your $5k watches.

I loved this TR, lots of poker with great story-telling, good food and honest reviews, trip on the bus, and success at the tables, (apologies to some) without craps and pot. I'm also a solo tripper who centers their LV time on poker and food.
Anyway, I love your writing and glad you had a good time.