Holy **** LATB is still around?! Is it still 5/10 tards nutpeddling to get on "tv"?

Fridays in particular are pretty crazy when they run 50/100 NL (and sometimes it's 50/100/200). I'm not even a particular fan of watching other people playing poker, but seeing someone toss in 40K on a stone cold bluff is pretty compelling

Old grando was cool, grando v1.0 doesn’t look like anything to me.

Reserving restaurants in Japan is a real PITA.

Amoeba,

Are you staying at hotel/Airbnb/other?

My wife booked hotels according to proximity to where she wanted to go and she used reward points so they are already prepaid.

Unfortunately, no concierge service.

I am not even trying to get in to the very top apex places or the invitation only places but even restaurants in the #10 to #20 range on Tabelog has rejected my request through a paid reservation service.

Might just eat more casually this time.

amoeba,

I mostly went to pretty casual places (I could easily eat forever in Japan without ever needing to go to a reservation place), but for a couple mid-level res we had a friend make them and that worked out fine. Def v difficult to make a res as a tourist. Also, even without a concierge service, you may be able to get your hotel front desk to help you with reservations once you're there.

1st world problems.

I know that even if we stick to casual izakayas like before, we'll have a good time but really wanted to hit some top places this time.

Its just the reservation system for a lot of these restaurants are very difficult to do. For example, if I wanted to eat sometimes in June, the first day I can start reserving is May 1. What ends up happening is that all the hotel concierges call with the restaurant preference list of their guests on the 1st of the month. Its a very strange way to take reservations.

I just got scammed for $19. It being a perfect day here in D.C., I'm sitting outside at Starbucks editing something. Some dude came up to my table holding out two ten-dollar bills and asked me if I can change them up for a twenty. Being both nice and naive, I said yes. I pulled out a twenty from my wallet and gave it to him, but the tens dropped to the ground in a breeze. He scrambled to get those and handed them to me immediately. But then he said "You gave me a one instead of a twenty" and shows me what appears to be the bill I gave him. I take the one and give him another twenty from my wallet.

It took me thirty seconds to figure out what happened, but by then he is of course gone.

Quelle idiot me. Cue appropriate abuse.

nah the dude deserves it

if I'm ever senile enough to be tricked like that (but not too senile so I can still recognize hustle) I'd just laugh to myself and think "wp"

Who ever wants a 20 for 2 10's, what a dumass. And then you fall for 'that was a 1"? Your Starbucks name should be Mark.

If he were to walk by me right now, I’d say to him “nice one, sir. It took me just a few seconds too long to recognize what was going on.” He’d deny it, of course, or perhaps he’d try to scam me out of my shoes.

Howard,

Why would someone with two $10 bills need a $20 bill?

I don't recall the exact mechanic, but I had someone pull a similar (successful) play on me when I was working retail back in the day. He got caught, and I was able to pick him out of a photo lineup (which also included someone I'd gone to HS with lol) so I'm assuming the owner of the store was reimbursed, but there was no "breeze" distraction in my case, as it all took place on a shop counter. I think in my case, he made the switch as I was closing the register?

I think I asked this in another thread, but when you're walking down The Strip and the guys are running the 3-card on a TV tray, is there anyone at the beginning that isn't in on it? I always wonder how long they have to run the plants before a sucker actually comes up and starts playing?

Fruit Saklad,

It is obviously stupid on my part. My basic instinct is to be helpful and that is exactly what happened here; I should learn to repress this instinct in situations where there is no time to think it through.

Your Friend

Howard

And they say that trickle down doesn't work.

The fools!

Howard: He probably smelled weakness on you because you look like you talk to strangers.

You probably had your shoes off so he felt he could easily outrun you if needed.

My feet were well-clad.

Quoting for both hypocrisy and posterity

Howard,

I've just become accustomed to anything a random off the street asks me to be a scam.

Has had a 100% success rate so far. I recommend it.

Howard,

People are giving you abuse for the wrong thing. It wasn't your willingness to engage or assist that should be mocked here. It was you needing thirty seconds to think this through.

fyp.

Haters,

Howard's got FU money. $19 is a small price to pay for an LC post for the day. Just the other day he spent considerably more than that, just to go to the doctor, so he could tell us about his toenail. Hustler screwed up, he should have asked for a hundo.

Better keep those laces tied tight going forward, just in case.

What would you have said had you caught on during the grift?

That's what Im wondering.
If it had only taken you the normal 2 seconds to catch on and you said "No, I definitely gave you a twenty" what would you have done if scammer denied it?