You may want to investigate NV tenant law. State law trumps the lease, and these giant corporations like to put in BS provisions that are unenforceable. They figure most tenants won't push the issue.

How long did you keep the cats apart? When I volunteered at a shelter I think we told people to keep the new cat in its own room for a week.

Great thread, great writing. Thanks for sharing your stories!

For the cats you could try getting a diffuser (something you plug into the wall) that is supposed to help keep them calm. For me, it seemed to help some cats that started fighting constantly after a move. I'm not sure if they were just adjusting to the new place or if the diffuser made a difference but they did return to normal shortly after getting one (sometimes when cats are moved to a new place or being introduced to each other they can fight until one is considered more dominant -- this can take awhile and be tough to wait out or even know if it will ever end as well, fighting cats can definitely cause several restless nights). I think the diffusers cost around $20 so it might be worth trying.

Or maybe a little cough syrup in their food. It works on babies, right?

you work for tableau?

I'll mention that to the wife, see if she can do some research during a lunch break or something. I've fought against HOA's (successfully) before, so this isn't new territory, but that was back when I owned the home. Now that I'm renting again, I just sort of went with things. I'll give it a look.

Clearly not long enough. I think they were completely separate for 36 hours, but we brought Atticus down outside the door where Sage was being kept, and he didn't hiss or scratch. He sniffed a few times and walked away. When we opened the doors, they remained separate for probably another 24 hours before the incident happened. That was more from Atticus spending more time upstairs and Sage not wanting to climb.

Glad you like the thread!

I saw the diffuser in whatever pet store we went to. I thought about picking one up but felt it was unnecessary. Ooops. We've got a vet appointment tonight, so I should have an update tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 11 -

It's no secret that I'm a fan of TheTrooper's videos. The poker stuff is fine, but I'm mostly just interested in people who live in Vegas and have a completely different daily life than my own. The fact that we both play poker is sort of a bonus. So in watching his videos the past couple of days, he mentioned that Harrah's is running a freeroll for anyone with a mere five hours of play. I've never been a freeroll/promo chaser in the past, but with such a low threshold to get into the freeroll, I decide to take a shot.

I arrive at Harrah's around 10pm, and I instantly understand what "PromoNit" means. Limp/folding to a raise pre. Checking all the way down. One old timer who didn't raise pre with either AA or KK. Another old timer who twice called big river bets thinking he had a flush or a straight (but really only had 9 high). Just a really tight table and I knew making a massive profit probably wasn't in the cards. As the night wore on, I was growing increasingly card dead and started to think about packing it in. The table behind us calls for the floor, and the guy to my right turns to go see what happened. Turns out, it was this:





For some reason, this invigorated me enough to stick around. My $200 buy-in was down around $120 at this time. I hadn't played many hands, but I chased one straight to the river and folded to the brick at the end. I work that back to even when I limp the btn with 44 and catch a 4 on the flop. I have two people in the hand with me, but never really bet big enough to cash in. They were chasing straight and flush draws and missed everything, so I took it down.

I don't know what to think about this hand: I limp with red 66 UTG +1. Guy on my left calls, guy who misreads the board all the time calls, btn and both blinds call. Flop comes Q62ccc. It checks to me and I bet $5 just to see who has a club. Guy on my left calls, old timer calls, everyone else folds. Turn is the Ad. We check to the old timer who bets $45. This is screaming AQ or A6, maybe with the Ac, so I call. River is the 5c. I check, old timer checks and turns over 22. I show him the bigger set and take it down.

Very next hand, I have red AA UTG and make it $10 to go. Old timer from the last hand wasn't paying attention so he tries to make it $12. Dealer pushed his extra $2 back and I explain I already raised the pot. So, he's got a hand. Okay. SB calls. Flop T93ssc. SB checks, I check hoping to induce a bet from the old man, but he checks behind. ****. Turn is the 8c. I really don't like this board but I have to see where I'm at. SB checks, I bet $20. Old timer and SB call. River is the 6c. Are you ****ing kidding me. It checks all the way around. SB shows A6hh. I show my AA, and the old timer mucks.

I tried chasing a few hands with suited connectors, but realized I should take my profit and run. I cashed out +$80 with 2.5 hours logged. I think I can do another 2.5 hours to get into the tournament Friday night, then try to add some more hours to get the bonus chips before this thing runs on Saturday.

Sit on the couch with the SO each holding and petting a cat. After awhile, switch cats. IE, make sure both cats smell like you. Feed them the occasional treat during. Do this a couple times.
Make sure they each have clearly defined food, water, litter, bed, etc.

As for dead plants, hoa doesn't require replacement plants do they?

Does the bigger (2/3?) game run at Harrah's? I think that pays double tier credits. Assuming the game is also eligible for freeroll I may have to do some nitting.

Hey Spike based off your post on Halal Guys I decided to try the one in HOuston. Also helps that it's close to an ice cream place I take my kid to once a week.



It wasn't bad. If you like Mediterranean you'll like it. The white sauce is pretty good and I like the concept of it remains me of Korean bibimbap which I love. That being said its nothing amazing. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, or wait more than 5 minutes in a line. When this place first opened I drove by it and the line had to be over an hour. Today I walked right in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Negative. I work for a company that has been thinking about buying Tableau for about three years now. Every time Tableau has a presentation in town, I'm usually there so my boss has more ammo to take back to the higher-ups and say "This is why we need this product". The last of those meetings happened to be at Caesar's and happened to have their CFO or CIO or something.

For now, Atticus seems content to stay upstairs, and Sage is enjoying the downstairs and doesn't like to climb stairs or jump on anything. They're separated by their own choice right now (though we have been quarantining one or the other at any given time just for extra safety).

The HOA not only requires replacement plants, they require the plants to be replaced by the exact same type of plants. Fortunately, the replacement plants are cheap. Unfortunately, doing five or six at a time, multiple times a year adds up.



As of Wednesday night, between 10pm to 12:30am, it was not. There was an interest list but only a name or two up there. I'll be back there Friday night so I can report back then. Harrah's inherited the Linq's 1/1 PLO game, too. It'll be interesting to see how often that runs and if it's as crazy as the Linq.

Good to know. I'm sure the lines are going to be insane when it opens in about 10 hours. I don't plan on going this weekend, but if I do I'll grab some pics. With any luck, the extreme heat will scare enough people off that the lines won't go outside.

We got good news and bad news on the cat front at the vet's today. The bad news is that Atticus' wound is not healing the way the doctor wanted, and if it doesn't heal itself by Monday, they're going to declaw the one digit on the back paw. It sucks, but it sounds like it might be necessary. The good news is that Sage's eye was not damaged, the medicine we've been giving her is doing the job, and she should make a full and complete recovery in a few days. Let the healing begin!

The other good news: My Patriots are back, baby. The season is almost upon us:

At Harrah's. Three tables of 1/2 running. No other games, cash or tournament. No list for either 2/3 or 1/1 PLO. I'm about 8 hands in and I'm +225ish. Let's go.

Back from Harrah's. I was so tired driving in there that I almost didn't go, but I'm glad I did. I finish +200 and +entry into the freeroll, but definitely made some mistakes that more-awake-me wouldn't have made. I'm currently at 5.2 hours, so I have a bit of time to go if I want to hit 7+ hours and start with a full stack. Just a couple of quick hands of note before I go to bed.

I sit down at the table in the big blind. I don't even have my chips yet and there are four limpers to me. I look down at 32ss and check. Flop 654ccs. SB checks, I bet $5. Btn and SB call. Turn is Js. SB checks, I bet $10, both players call. River is an off suit A. SB checks, I bet $10, both players fold. I'm collecting the pot before my chips are brought to the table by the runner. Good way to start.

Very next hand, it limps to me and I decide to limp AKss. BB raises to $10. Two players call, and I call behind. Flop K94hhd. I check, BB bets $15. It folds to me and I call. Turn Jd. I lead for $20, BB calls. River is 2d. I lead for $20 again. BB calls and turns over KT. I show the AK and take it down. It was hard having no reads on anyone at the table, so I wasn't sure if I could have gotten away with a raise there. Or if she was a tricky player slow-playing a set on me. It's possible.

Two hands later, I see two black fives. There's a raise to $6, so I call, along with three other players. Flop Q94hhd. It checks all the way around. Turn is the beautiful 5d. BB bets $10, UTG calls, I raise to $35. BB calls, UTG folds. River is 4d, completing the flush draw but giving me the boat. BB bets $90 with about $150 behind. I don't even think and snap-call. He shows Q4 and I realize I ****ed up. I HAVE to shove that river. He's calling with any flush, maybe a good Q, and of course he's calling with a boat. I'm only beat by QQ, 99, and 44. While it's possible that I'm coolered there, I can't just flat that hand.

I build my stack from my $200 buy-in up to about $515 at its peak. I lose a chunk with AQ v 42 on AQ35J run-out, but my opponent didn't have much behind and didn't even go all-in. I lost the minimum there and I'm grateful for it.

I'm at around $340 when this hand comes up. European guy gets QQ two hands in a row, flops a set both times, and loses both times (flush and straight, respectively). Both times, he open-raised to $11. So on this hand, he's UTG and raises to $11. OMC calls (side note: I just learned what OMC meant earlier today, and since I play a lot of donakments, expect that to start being liberally peppered into the thread). I look down at AA and flat call. Flop comes KT3r. Euro guy bets $15, OMC calls, I make it $100 to go. Both players fold.

That was really the last hand of note that I played. But there was this guy in seat 9... wow. He was kinda drunk and from Fresno. He's got dairy cows and 500 acres, been farming his whole life. I told him I'm from Boston (didn't tell him I live here now) and we start chatting about the east coast a little bit. He's drinking Wild Turkey on ice all night and is starting to get hammered. He's flirting with these ugly-ass women, and throwing $5 chips at some pretty young working girls who walked by in skin-tight dresses. You're not fooling anyone, dears.

He gets involved in a hand with this solid Asian guy in seat 2. Asian is trying to put on the face of a hard-ass, but starts to smile too quick before anyone really falls for it. I forget the action exactly, but Fresno pulls the "Will you show if I fold?"
Asian guy says "Of course!"
Fresno: "Do you lie?"
Asian: "My mother taught me to never lie. I will show if you fold."
Fresno: "Okay, I fold" and mucks his cards.
Asian guy mucks his cards and says "Okay, I show" and starts to pull down his shirt to show his nipple. Fresno is mad, but starts to laugh. "That's not a boob! I've got boobs!" So he pulled up his shirt and proved it. He's grabbing one manboob and flailing it around like it's a party favor. He's shaking it and pointing it in the air and at the dealer. If he were lactating Yosemite Sam, the dealer and entire table would have been drenched. I'm laughing my balls off from the absurdity (and being over-tired), but I feel like no one else at the table thought it was that funny. Or they were pissed at me for encouraging him. I'm not sure.

And I get to go back in about 13 hours to get into the freeroll. Let's hope Fresno is still there. Should be a hoot.

This weekend was relatively uneventful. Started Saturday with a typical breakfast at Biscuits Cafe since my wife and I are creatures of habit. She had to work to prep for a big deposition this coming week, so I expected I wouldn't see much of her this weekend at all.

I called Harrah's and got my name on the list for 1-2. I had the five hours necessary to get into the freeroll at 5pm, but needed two more hours by 4pm to get double the starting stack. I show up at 12:45 and there's only one game going. I'm waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and then I notice a Diamond-level player is now ahead of me in line. At this point, it's about 1:45 and it's getting close to the cut-off - if I can't get in a table by 2, I can't get the hours I need to get the bigger stack for the freeroll. Fortunately, at the stroke of 1:54, they have enough players waiting around to start a second table.

Fresno, now sober, has decided to join us, but quickly leaves when he realizes the game is half OMCs grinding out hours, and half super-aggros trying to steal OMCs' blinds. I'm just in the middle trying to carve out a little piece, but ultimately get nothing going with no big hands and cash out +$18.

It's 4:15 and I start to wander around the casino. I figure I'll grab something from the food court, forgetting that the Strip is a tourist trap and prices are insane. And then I realize - I've been living in Vegas ten years, and I haven't used ANY comps ANY where (except at the Rampart, which I'll get to in a minute). I go to the Total Rewards desk, and ask them to check my comps. I'm elated to find I have over $50 I can use! But, embarrassment sets in and I have to ask the super-tourist-newbie question: "How do I use them?" Ugh, I'm the worst local ever. I'm told it's just like cash, and to use the TR card like a debit card. Tell the people at the counter you want to pay with your points, etc... I'm sure you guys know all this, but I honestly had no idea. The line for the noodle place was a bit long, so I opted for over-priced pizza. It was decent, definitely worth the price of "free", but I wouldn't pay cash for it again.

At 5pm, I take my seat for the freeroll. It's exactly the type of thing you would imagine. Nitty crowd, terrible structure, 15 minute levels, whiners, dealers who haven't been properly trained on starting stack sizes or anything. It should be a 2k starting stack (blinds start at 100/100), +2k if you have the extra hours, +3k with a $10 dealer add-on, for a total of 7k chips. It took our dealer a long time to figure it all out - four minutes into our first level, and we've played one hand. I'm getting frustrated at being card dead when our table breaks.

I'm at 3600 at 200/400 and manage to get on a little heater. I take down a couple of small pots and double with 77 v AK to bring my stack over 15k. And then, the hand that tilted me and ultimately cost me a spot in the cash. Keep in mind, this isn't a typical tiered pay-out tournament. This is a top-10 all get paid the same ($200). So finishing first or tenth is irrelevant.

We're four away from the money. This Asian guy in seat 10 has been playing super super tight all day. Blinds are at 800/1600. Asian guy is in the SB with 1200 TOTAL. I'm on the BB still sitting on around 13k. It folds to the BTN who... raises? To 4400? With 4000 behind? I'm stupefied. I can understand if this is early on in the tournament, or if it's a tiered structure. But to try to isolate and raise me out of the pot? I'm just in shock. I honestly think about shoving here just to punish the BTN, but eventually I toss away my 85o and say "Hope you can beat him". BTN shows A9, SB shows A4. Flop 854, turn K river Q. SB takes the pot and I'm rolling my eyes. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but isn't the BTN better off either a) calling and checking it down all the way to try and knock out the other guy, or b) just folding every hand to get to the money? Isn't raising to isolate there about the dumbest possible move? I don't know.

About an orbit later, I'm still letting this hand get to me. I'm on the BTN and it folds to me. I go ahead and shove without looking, just trying to steal the blinds. SB calls for less and rolls over AK. I don't like my 75o, especially when a K hits the turn. I'm down to 3500 with 12 players left. I've got less than 2bb at this point, and decide to shove QJhh. Both blinds call and check it down. There's an A on the flop but a Q on the river so I think I might be good. Unfortunately for me, the BB had KK and I'm out two from the money. Bah.

I wasn't thinking clearly and still steaming from that other hand, so I decide to call it a night, rather than hit the cash tables.

On Sunday, I start my day as any good husband would do while the wife is working overtime - did laundry, cleaned the kitty litter, vacuumed (although I love this Roomba thing we got), did the grocery shopping, etc. All of this was done by about 1, so I figure I'll head out for some food and more poker. I call the Flamingo and get my name on the list for the three cash games they have running. On my way, I finally get to try:



I see tents set up and portable AC units outside, but zero line. When I get to the door, I figure out why - the interior AC is busted. Who wants to wait in the 105 degree heat only to "cool off" inside a 90 degree building? Yuck. Fortunately, a short line means I don't have to wait long. I finally know what the hype is about. It's tasty, and the white sauce is great. Definitely recommended, as long as there's no line (or the AC is fixed).

I get to the Flamingo, and my name isn't on the list. I ask the woman behind the counter what the deal is, but she doesn't know and just adds me as the first name on the list. Again, I get cut my a Diamond-level player and start to get annoyed. Ten minutes later, the Diamond player is called. Ten more minutes go by, and I'm waiting, waiting, waiting. Suddenly I hear "Last call for Spike for 1/2". I stand up from my chair DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE PODIUM and say "How can that be last call when there was never a first call?" The person who called stammers and stutters "Uuh well, I was playing around...?" Sure you were. Sure.

I can tell my table is going to be a little insane. Every pot is raised pre by one of three guys to at least $12. This is not what I'm used to for a Sunday afternoon game. A couple of orbits in, and I'm on the SB. There are two limpers in MP, BTN limps, and I go ahead and complete with 63o thinking I'll get to see a cheap flop. The BB has other ideas and pops it up to $14. Both MPs and the BTN call, so I figure **** it and throw my chips in the middle. I figure if they're all playing high cards and the flop is garbage, I can try to steal. The flop is 854r. Interesting. I check. BB bets $10. One MP bets $24 and is all in. Other MP and BTN fold. I call, BB calls. Turn is a 7 giving me the second nut straight. I bet $50, BB calls for $49 and is all in, and triumphantly rolls over 77 for the turned set. River is a T, I show the straight, and MP mucks. I take down a good pot and figure I should probably pack it up since not being on the list/that "Last call" thing aggravated me. I play like **** when I'm annoyed. I seem to be immune to good advice, and I stay. The $315 I had in front of my slowly dwindles away, as I have two pair counterfeited twice, and beat with J-high flush over T-high flush. I cash out down $50 and head back home.

Like I said, uneventful weekend, even with nearly eight hours of poker thrown in there.

Oh, I almost forgot about the Rampart comps. When I moved here, pretty much all of us lived in or near Summerlin. Brad was in Summerlin proper, me and Erin were at Buffalo and Vegas, just a ballhair away from being in Summerlin, Steve was at Smoke Ranch and Rainbow, Ryan was at Flamingo and Durago, and the Penn State brothers were furthest away at Oakey and Decatur. Our closest casinos were the Suncoast and Rampart. Rampart is significantly smaller, but nicer, and we could almost always get a food comp whenever we asked for one.

Two things to note about Pai Gow that will make this story easier to understand: First, Pai Gow tables are set up backwards from blackjack tables (seat 1 is to the dealer's right at Pai Gow; to the left at blackjack). Second, there's a bonus where, if you bet $5 or more, you're eligible for the "envy" bonus; meaning if someone at your table gets a high hand (quads or better), you get paid. It's not much, maybe $5 for quads, $25 for a straight flush, $50 for a royal, etc, but it's something. When you bet the envy bonus, you're supposed to get a button that reminds the dealer you had bet enough to trigger the envy. So even if you've lost and your bet has been scooped away, the dealer knows to pay you on a high hand.

One night, all of us were at the Rampart playing Pai Gow. I'm in the 1 seat, Ryan is in the 6 seat, and everyone else is between us. On one hand, I throw a $5 onto the envy bonus. The dealer deals out the hand, and I end up with jack ****. Oh well. Ryan, on the other end of the table, screams "Straight flush! Oh crap I forgot to bet the bonus!" Good job. So the dealer looks at my hand first, I lose, she scoops the money. She does every other hand, and gets to Ryan's straight flush. And that's when I notice I don't have the envy button in front of me. I ask the dealer, she calls the floor, and the floor calls security. They won't pay until security confirms.

This is a floor guy that we've seen for months and he's always been super nice to us. But today, I think he thought we were trying to get one over on him. So he calls security, and comes back and says "Security said the one seat didn't have any bonus money out there. Don't pay them." He gives us a scowl like we just said his wife was fat, and walks away. Between me getting screwed out of $25 and his attitude, every one of us color up our chips, put our players cards on the table, and wish them the best of luck as we walk out the door.

Four days later, I get a call from the Rampart casino manager. He explains they made a mistake - when the floor called security to review the tape, security thought they were looking at a blackjack table. So for them, they saw that seat one, in fact, had no bonus bet out there. But since it's Pai Gow, they would have seen that I did bet. And sure enough, our little mini-protest was enough for them to review the tape, realize the mistake, and they offered up the cash plus a free dinner for all of us at any restaurant we chose.

We never did claim that prize, and I've only been back to the Rampart a handful of times. They had a poker room for about two months that got exactly one game going ever that I saw - 2-4 Limit Omaha. I also went back the day I had my interview for my current job. Won about $800 shooting dice that day, since some old man just could not stop hitting a 5. I could have said "Roll a 7!" and he'd hit a 5. "If you roll a 5 right now, I'll spit in your eye" and he'd hit a 5. It was unbelievable.

The semester is fast approaching and I'm not sure how much poker I'll get in between now and then. I think I'll have to scrap this sucker when classes start, as one of my classes is going to be a true nightmare. I'm really not looking forward to it at all. But between now and then, I'll see what other **** I can figure out.

Another solid report as usual..don't change a thing.

Regarding freerolls, 1st-10th is an even chop, etc..I have found a lot of people just don't understand how to play them, since many have no experience in that setting.

I played a similar one recently where I won a few huge pots early and cruised to a big chip lead. (Had nearly half the chips in play, when it got down to 13)

Then with 12 players left, everyone folded to me, and I open-folded AA in the SB. We were only two away from the bubble and the BB had the second biggest chipstack. Since I knew it was impossible for me not to chop/cash, it was an easy laydown for me, and open-folded just to see how others would react. I had half the table get angry and call the floor over saying I should be DQ'd for not playing to win..WTF? One player actually said that me folding AA was "not in the spirit" of the game.

The idiot floorman actually considered giving me a penalty (lol Cali Indian casinos) when I finally convinced him I did nothing against the rules, he just gave me a "warning"..again..WTF?

You can play this game for 30 years, and still see something new every day..

I can understand having no experience in those settings. I'm basically new to them myself (never done one live, did maybe a handful online back in the day). But a millisecond of thought should have told this guy that it was the wrong play.

As for your AA hand - that's pretty hilarious they tried to penalize you. I love how rooms are always "We play by TDA rules ALWAYS!!!" and then incompetent floors just make **** up as they go. I would have thrown a massive ****storm if they tried to penalize me for something like that.

Love the story on old guy rolling 5s at the Rampart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

don't open fold and then you have nothing to worry about

Prolly the only time in my life I'm ever folding rockets pre-flop..damn straight I'm showing..

Right up my alley. Good recommendation. Read it in 3 days, enjoyed it.

Hey Spike, love the thread. I may be bias due to the fact that we used to call the same state home and have fond memories. I was raised just 5 miles from the Razor, but when people ask I say I am from Providence.

For a smart guy, you have some Tilt in you. Troop not giving you respect, the non optimal Button play. Work on that LOL.

All the best if you fade away, but I do hope you keep up the posts. Well done.

Cool glad you liked it. Yeah if you enjoy old stories of golf, pool hustling, poker, gambling and old time gangsters and all of it real it's a great book.

Pretty much anyone that spends time in LVL on 2+2 would likely enjoy it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I only remember it too because of how much money I won. I picked up my wife (then-girlfriend) afterwards for lunch, and I spilled BBQ sauce on a tie she bought me in Tokyo. Put a slight damper on the day, but really nothing to complain about overall.

Exactly. If I'm ever in a spot to fold AA pre, I'm showing. The only time I've ever folded QQ pre, I had to show. That wasn't as crazy though, since a guy who hadn't played a hand in about four hours insta-4bet shoved over the top of my raise. He showed the aces after I folded.

South shore holla. I'm born and raised in North Reading so Merrimack Valley represent.

I do have some tilt, for sure. I wouldn't say that it was a lack of "respect" from Troop. It wasn't a personal thing. It was all about how you treat strangers who come up to say a kind word. Maybe that's splitting hairs. I can see the difference even if I can't articulate it. But yeah, I let **** get to me.

If that btn play had happened during a cash game, I could have walked away and calmed down. Maybe cashed out if I was too angry. But given the situation, I just couldn't leave and had to stew in my own **** for far too long.

I got completely ****ing sandbagged at work for a meeting tomorrow. I had no idea I was going to be presenting. With less than 24 hours notice, I find out that not only am I presenting, I'm the star speaker presenting on data I know nothing about. I'm going to embarrass myself in front of everyone who controls the future of my career. Maybe I should crash my car on the way to work tomorrow.

Titanic Thompson was a Grade A cradle robber. His hustles were fantastic. Another book in this vein that I'd recommend is The Mysterious Montague by Leigh Montville. Love Montville's writing (his books on Babe Ruth and Ted Williams are top notch).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hope the meeting went better than expected (or that the wreck wasn't too bad!)

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation, just, put it in my queue on Amazon.

Spikey sorry the derail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk