G2E 2022 Trip Report
November 7th, 2022 at 9:33:37 AM
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I came to Vegas for G2E (Global Gaming Expo) in October. My only review of G2E is that it had many more booths and much better attendance than last year. It came close or may have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, both in exhibitors and attendance. I didn't see anything of significance to discuss. Then again, I may have missed something worthy since I did NOT visit every booth.
The following is my review of the three hotels where I stayed. My casino / gambling reviews / trip report / hooker story are in my next post.
I spent six nights, two nights each in Plaza, Flamingo and Downtown Grand. I got the cheapest / basic rooms and they were all somewhat similar.
All had modern large flat screen TVs. Note: I'm not in Vegas to watch TV, but I like to watch for a few minutes as I get ready for bed or dressed in the morning.
All had showers where there was a floor to ceiling glass wall for half the length. Both Plaza and Flamingo also had a curtain for the full length, which covered the open part and provided some privacy. DTG had neither curtain nor door for the open part.
I kept the 'do not disturb' sign out the entire time, so no review of housekeeping services.
Here's a brief comparison of other hotel differences.
Plaza, Sunday & Monday.
I had a late flight in and didn't get to the Plaza until after midnight. As such, there was no line at check-in and it went fairly quickly and uneventfully. For the record, no kiosk check-in option.
The room had a fridge with two 10 ounce waters.
There was an old style heat/AC unit under the window, with a built in thermostat under a small cover on the unit. It worked fine. A bit noisy, but not terribly so.
For the TV, there was a laminated card indicating the channel numbers and associated networks.
The biggest problem was the shower. While the bathroom was a decent size, the vanity was bigger than necessary. As a result, the shower was much too narrow. When standing with my arms at my side facing the spray, I could not extend my elbows more than an inch without hitting the wall on one side and pushing the curtain into the glass wall on the other. If the vanity was a bit shorter, the shower could easily have been a more reasonable size.
The shower had little bottles of body wash, shampoo & conditioner. The sink had a little bottle of lotion, plus bar soap.
I had planned on using the pools at all three, but because of scheduling and timing issues, I ended up only using the Plaza's pool. It opened at 9am. I got there at 9:15 to see several people waiting for it to be unlocked. One person said they called a few minutes ago and was told that the person in charge had just gotten the key. It was another 5 minutes before the pool opened. The pool wasn't heated, so I spent my time in the hot tub - which was rather small. It had a capacity for 8, tops.
Late Monday evening, I ate at Pop Up Pizza. It was pretty good. I did not have any other meals at any casino where I was staying.
Flamingo, Tuesday & Wednesday.
I took an Uber to Flamingo early in the morning, but merely dropped my bags at the bell desk then went to the G2E. I didn't get back to check in until after 9pm. There was a considerable line to speak to a check in clerk, but there were several self-serve kiosks available, so I used one of those. It took about 10 minutes to check in, with the biggest time suck being the kiosk's refusal to properly read my driver's license. It finally did work, and without requiring assistance.
After dispensing key cards, it printed instructions to get to the room. The instructions were useless, as it had turns indicated, but did not indicate any landmarks. I.E. The first instruction was to proceed to the left. How does it know which way I am standing? A map, with landmarks, would have been far better. And for the record, two days later, on the casino floor, I was still confused on how to get to the elevators closest to my room.
The room had a fridge, but it was empty.
My first trouble was finding the vending machine so I could get bottled water. Yeah, I know I could have gotten small bottles on the casino floor for mere $1 tips. Sometimes those aren't cold. I walked to the elevator (since that's where most normal hotels put the ice & vending), and a sign indicated they were ahead. Except another sign, not 10 feet further, said they were in the direction I came. Confused, I went back, passing my room, going all the way to the end, where there was indeed ice & vending. Except, while the machine said "$3 - cash only", the cash slot was spitting the cash back out.
As I was walking back to the elevator, I realized that the conflicting signs were part of the room number directions. This machine was for people on my side of the building. So I walked all the way to the other machines, which were adjacent to a different elevator bank. Except the vending machine indicated a price of $99.95! While this was obviously the result of an employee's mischief, it left me wondering how many people purchased using a credit card without reading the price.
So I went to the next floor where the price was back to $3, and indicated cash only, but again, refused cash.
Finally, change floors again, where the machine was $3 and DID accept cash. It was, as expected, 20oz and cold.
The other problem was the A/C. There was a normal wall mounted digital thermostat, which was set at 65! I quickly raised it to 71, and called it a night. The next morning, it was still freezing in the room, so I raised it to 73, showered, dressed, and left. I got back around 3 and was planning on hitting the pool. It was STILL freezing in my room, so I raised it to 75. I then lay down for just a minute, which turned into a 2 hour nap. No time for the pool, and it was still freezing when I woke up. I then noticed there was a 'display' button. Pressing it switched from showing the setting to the room temp. Yep, it said it was 65, and despite being set for 75, it was still blowing cold. So I just turned the damn thing off and left. When I got back for the night, it was 69. Still cool, but acceptable. When I woke up, it was a nice 71. I left it off when I checked out.
There was no card listing the TV channels, but the remote had a guide button which displayed channels, network, current program and a button for episode description, just like normal cable TV.
The shower had wall mounted dispensers for body wash, shampoo & conditioner. The sink had a wall mounted dispenser for lotion, plus bar soap.
The room also had a small coffee maker with the fixings apparently for no charge. I don't drink coffee, so no review of how well it worked.
Downtown Grand, Thursday & Friday.
I arrived around 8pm and there were 2 clerks and 1 person in line ahead of me. No kiosk check-in option but it was a short wait.
There are three separate towers. I was assigned the tower across the street, which involves taking an elevator to the 3rd floor to cross the bridge. Alternatively, there is an escalator, which apparently was listed incorrectly on the original building design specs, because if you take it up, you then have to go down 4 steps (or use the ramp) to get to the correct level. Then cross the bridge to the other building.
Vegas nerds will remember that the DTG used to have a commissary (called Commissary) on the first floor of that building, and you could have crossed the street and taken the elevator directly. I was told that when the commissary closed, the elevator access ended as well. You can't even go all the way down if you're in that elevator. Whatever.
There is no fridge, but there is an ice bucket as well as two 16.9oz bottles of water. So I go to get ice. First, I go to the elevator. There is neither ice nor a sign indicating where the ice machine is. I walk the entire length of the floor. No ice. I finally go to my room and call the front desk to be told that they are only on certain floors, and am told which floor to go to. Sigh. I finally get my ice.
There was a normal wall mounted digital thermostat, which was working as expected. When I raised it 2 degrees, the system automatically switched from AC to heat to do the job. Nice.
The TV worked fine, but there the only channel guide was on screen, and the only info provided was the network associated with the channel.
The shower had little bottles of shampoo & conditioner, plus bar soap. The sink had a little bottle of lotion, plus bar soap.
The next night, there was nobody on line at the front desk, so I stopped to complain about the ice machine situation. I got some sympathy, but was also shown that it's indicated on the fact sheet that's handed out when checking in. I then turned to the other clerk, who was the guy who had checked me in, and said, I didn't get that. He admitted that they were out of them last night. I then turned back to the first clerk (who seemed to be of supervisor status) and said that there should be signs. After all, that fact sheet is the type of thing that gets read after settling in - if at all. Since there is no fridge, getting ice is something often done before or while settling in. She said I had a good point and would take it up with management.
The following is my review of the three hotels where I stayed. My casino / gambling reviews / trip report / hooker story are in my next post.
I spent six nights, two nights each in Plaza, Flamingo and Downtown Grand. I got the cheapest / basic rooms and they were all somewhat similar.
All had modern large flat screen TVs. Note: I'm not in Vegas to watch TV, but I like to watch for a few minutes as I get ready for bed or dressed in the morning.
All had showers where there was a floor to ceiling glass wall for half the length. Both Plaza and Flamingo also had a curtain for the full length, which covered the open part and provided some privacy. DTG had neither curtain nor door for the open part.
I kept the 'do not disturb' sign out the entire time, so no review of housekeeping services.
Here's a brief comparison of other hotel differences.
Plaza, Sunday & Monday.
I had a late flight in and didn't get to the Plaza until after midnight. As such, there was no line at check-in and it went fairly quickly and uneventfully. For the record, no kiosk check-in option.
The room had a fridge with two 10 ounce waters.
There was an old style heat/AC unit under the window, with a built in thermostat under a small cover on the unit. It worked fine. A bit noisy, but not terribly so.
For the TV, there was a laminated card indicating the channel numbers and associated networks.
The biggest problem was the shower. While the bathroom was a decent size, the vanity was bigger than necessary. As a result, the shower was much too narrow. When standing with my arms at my side facing the spray, I could not extend my elbows more than an inch without hitting the wall on one side and pushing the curtain into the glass wall on the other. If the vanity was a bit shorter, the shower could easily have been a more reasonable size.
The shower had little bottles of body wash, shampoo & conditioner. The sink had a little bottle of lotion, plus bar soap.
I had planned on using the pools at all three, but because of scheduling and timing issues, I ended up only using the Plaza's pool. It opened at 9am. I got there at 9:15 to see several people waiting for it to be unlocked. One person said they called a few minutes ago and was told that the person in charge had just gotten the key. It was another 5 minutes before the pool opened. The pool wasn't heated, so I spent my time in the hot tub - which was rather small. It had a capacity for 8, tops.
Late Monday evening, I ate at Pop Up Pizza. It was pretty good. I did not have any other meals at any casino where I was staying.
Flamingo, Tuesday & Wednesday.
I took an Uber to Flamingo early in the morning, but merely dropped my bags at the bell desk then went to the G2E. I didn't get back to check in until after 9pm. There was a considerable line to speak to a check in clerk, but there were several self-serve kiosks available, so I used one of those. It took about 10 minutes to check in, with the biggest time suck being the kiosk's refusal to properly read my driver's license. It finally did work, and without requiring assistance.
After dispensing key cards, it printed instructions to get to the room. The instructions were useless, as it had turns indicated, but did not indicate any landmarks. I.E. The first instruction was to proceed to the left. How does it know which way I am standing? A map, with landmarks, would have been far better. And for the record, two days later, on the casino floor, I was still confused on how to get to the elevators closest to my room.
The room had a fridge, but it was empty.
My first trouble was finding the vending machine so I could get bottled water. Yeah, I know I could have gotten small bottles on the casino floor for mere $1 tips. Sometimes those aren't cold. I walked to the elevator (since that's where most normal hotels put the ice & vending), and a sign indicated they were ahead. Except another sign, not 10 feet further, said they were in the direction I came. Confused, I went back, passing my room, going all the way to the end, where there was indeed ice & vending. Except, while the machine said "$3 - cash only", the cash slot was spitting the cash back out.
As I was walking back to the elevator, I realized that the conflicting signs were part of the room number directions. This machine was for people on my side of the building. So I walked all the way to the other machines, which were adjacent to a different elevator bank. Except the vending machine indicated a price of $99.95! While this was obviously the result of an employee's mischief, it left me wondering how many people purchased using a credit card without reading the price.
So I went to the next floor where the price was back to $3, and indicated cash only, but again, refused cash.
Finally, change floors again, where the machine was $3 and DID accept cash. It was, as expected, 20oz and cold.
The other problem was the A/C. There was a normal wall mounted digital thermostat, which was set at 65! I quickly raised it to 71, and called it a night. The next morning, it was still freezing in the room, so I raised it to 73, showered, dressed, and left. I got back around 3 and was planning on hitting the pool. It was STILL freezing in my room, so I raised it to 75. I then lay down for just a minute, which turned into a 2 hour nap. No time for the pool, and it was still freezing when I woke up. I then noticed there was a 'display' button. Pressing it switched from showing the setting to the room temp. Yep, it said it was 65, and despite being set for 75, it was still blowing cold. So I just turned the damn thing off and left. When I got back for the night, it was 69. Still cool, but acceptable. When I woke up, it was a nice 71. I left it off when I checked out.
There was no card listing the TV channels, but the remote had a guide button which displayed channels, network, current program and a button for episode description, just like normal cable TV.
The shower had wall mounted dispensers for body wash, shampoo & conditioner. The sink had a wall mounted dispenser for lotion, plus bar soap.
The room also had a small coffee maker with the fixings apparently for no charge. I don't drink coffee, so no review of how well it worked.
Downtown Grand, Thursday & Friday.
I arrived around 8pm and there were 2 clerks and 1 person in line ahead of me. No kiosk check-in option but it was a short wait.
There are three separate towers. I was assigned the tower across the street, which involves taking an elevator to the 3rd floor to cross the bridge. Alternatively, there is an escalator, which apparently was listed incorrectly on the original building design specs, because if you take it up, you then have to go down 4 steps (or use the ramp) to get to the correct level. Then cross the bridge to the other building.
Vegas nerds will remember that the DTG used to have a commissary (called Commissary) on the first floor of that building, and you could have crossed the street and taken the elevator directly. I was told that when the commissary closed, the elevator access ended as well. You can't even go all the way down if you're in that elevator. Whatever.
There is no fridge, but there is an ice bucket as well as two 16.9oz bottles of water. So I go to get ice. First, I go to the elevator. There is neither ice nor a sign indicating where the ice machine is. I walk the entire length of the floor. No ice. I finally go to my room and call the front desk to be told that they are only on certain floors, and am told which floor to go to. Sigh. I finally get my ice.
There was a normal wall mounted digital thermostat, which was working as expected. When I raised it 2 degrees, the system automatically switched from AC to heat to do the job. Nice.
The TV worked fine, but there the only channel guide was on screen, and the only info provided was the network associated with the channel.
The shower had little bottles of shampoo & conditioner, plus bar soap. The sink had a little bottle of lotion, plus bar soap.
The next night, there was nobody on line at the front desk, so I stopped to complain about the ice machine situation. I got some sympathy, but was also shown that it's indicated on the fact sheet that's handed out when checking in. I then turned to the other clerk, who was the guy who had checked me in, and said, I didn't get that. He admitted that they were out of them last night. I then turned back to the first clerk (who seemed to be of supervisor status) and said that there should be signs. After all, that fact sheet is the type of thing that gets read after settling in - if at all. Since there is no fridge, getting ice is something often done before or while settling in. She said I had a good point and would take it up with management.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
November 7th, 2022 at 9:33:54 AM
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My gambling was limited to poker and craps, and just a little blackjack. I didn't see any craps for less than $15 on the strip. Downtown was a mix of $10 and $15 although Downtown Grand had $5 craps most of the day.
I have a friend, Joan, who lived in NJ and played in my poker league. She moved to Vegas towards the end of March 2020. Yep. In the middle of the 3 week lock-down, she moves cross country. As has become my tradition, we spend a lot of time together on my visits.
My most memporable gambling incedents were three poker hands, where Joan was the significant other player in the hand each time.
Monday morning I wake up way too early. Despite having lunch plans at noon with Joan, I head over to Main Street Buffet at 9:30. I think it's better than when I went there on my last trip, but I also think the price has gone up. Again. I may cross this off my "must do" list.
Joan met me at Plaza and we walk over to Golden Nugget Monday for lunch at Salt Grass. Excellent food and service. This was followed by poker. We both were seated at the same table, 8 handed. Me in seat 1, Joan in seat 8. After a while, the person in seat 5 (center of the table) got up. Joan loves middle seats and changes seats, even though she was going to be big blind, and would have to post after moving. So I became the big blind and got the hand she would have gotten. Pocket Jacks. Everyone folds except Joan (since she already posted), and the small blind came in for the discount. I raised it to $7. They both called. The flop was 8d, Js, Jd. Quads. Nice. Possible flush draw for one of them. Small blind checks, I check, Joan checks. Turn is 5d. OK. Maybe one of them hit the flush. I bet $5 and they both folded. $21 pot, less $2 rake, $2 promo rake, and my original $7 bet, nets a $10 profit. Yippie. Fortunately, I know the Nugget has bonuses for quads and straight flushes. I checked the board and I'm getting a $163 bonus. Then the dealer tells me there's a flop it from 2pm to midnight special. I'm getting $599. Nice! On the hand that Joan would have had if she stayed in her seat. For whatever reason, she doesn't complain that I got her hand.
We continue playing for a while until it's time for us to leave to make it to her Poker League game that night. If any Vegas locals are interested, it www.MisfitsPokerLeague.com
The Monday game is at PKWY Tavern Flamingo, which is at the interaection of Flamingo and I-215. Sure, it's near her home, but a $29 Uber ride back for me. Whatever. Good food, fun players, and I won the first of two games I played. No prize, just points. So it's something that only locals would be attracted to.
Tuesday morning I again woke up early. Played some craps at the Plaza, had breakfast at McD, then head to GN for poker. On the way there, there's almost nobody on Fremont. But I do see a gal that might be a hooker leaning against a post, looking at her phone. As I pass, she looks up and says, "Hi. How ya doing? Where you going?" Yep. She's a hooker.
After a short time at GN poker, I hop an Uber to Flamingo, drop my bags, then spent most of the day at G2E. While there, I stopped at a booth run by a guy I've met at various G2E and Cutting Edge shows in the past. I beleive he posts here. He invited me to a private VIP event he's hosting at a lounge off the casino floor after the show ends for the day. I'd mention his name and game but I think he wants to keep quiet about hosting the party.
In the meantime, my feet are killing me, so I go to the Venetian poker room so I can sit for a few hours. While there, I hit a high hand and get a $300 bonus.
Finally, I leave and head to the VIP event. A bunch of people I know are there including Mike. FYI: This was the 'prior commitment' he mentioned in the WoV meetup thread.
Amoung the guests are a couple somewhat provocatively dressed ladies. I assume that since they were also invited, that they are probably expo booth eye-candy type gals, with an emphasis on eye-candy.
One of them, a very pretty black girl in a tight, short, cream white dress, stikes up a conversation, asking me a variety of industry type questions, as well as asking about my games. I ended up giving her my card, and pointed out that the phone number rings right into the cell phone I was holding.
About a half hour later, I get a text from her. Here's the first part of the conversation:
Honest to god, I though she and some other people had broken off to have dinner, and I was being invited. That is, until I read that last part. Finally, the alarm bells start ringing in my head.
Of course, I'm still holding on to the possibility that she's a booth eye-candy girl and this is a legitimate conversation. And, frankly, while I've always been a hooker magnet in Vegas, I've also always been a good boy and turned down the offers. But at the same time, a simple extended conversation about their chosen profession would be nice. So...
I had seen her talking to Mike earlier, so I found him and asked what he knew about her. I also showed him the texts. Mike says he thinks she's a hooker, but that I should 'go for it.' Thanks Mike.
Yeah, we met. I still went in with the hope that she wasn't a hooker. Except her second sentence was "You know I'm working, right?" So much for my hopes. I respond, "Oh, I wasn't sure. But just so you know, I'd love a conversation, but there won't be anything else. When it comes to it, I'm going to decline."
She did tell me a lot of personal stuff, like how her mother and uncle both know and approve of what she does. I don't know who said it first, but we eventually did use the word 'hooker' rather than 'escort', so if there was any remaining lingering doubt, it was gone. I never got around to asking any of the real questions I wanted to ask. After about 20 minutes she starts hinting that time is money, so I slipped $20 into the bartop machine she was sitting at. I may be somewhat clueless, but I do know that procedure. She played a couple hands, then cashed out for $18.
After another 10 minutes she starts getting serious about her offers and how good she is and what she'll do for me, etc. All with me reminding her that I told her at the beginning that it's a no, I'm married, etc. Eventually, a girlfriend of hers shows up, and now I'm offered a variety of 3 way options. After all she argued, how could sitting on the side, just watching some girl/girl action, be cheating? She was damn persuasive, but it was still a no.
We finally split up, but not before she complained that I had wasted her time. Really? I had warned her right at the beginning.
About 15 minutes later, I got one final text:
I didn't reply. I eventually left and had dinner at about 9:30 at Outback in Casino Royale. Then played a little and finally check in at the Flamingo.
On Wednesday, Joan was driving, and we ventured out to a few places so I could get my souvenir chips.
I love the Ellis Island breakfast special, and would have walked there if Joan wasn't with me. Craps was open when we got there at 9am. $5? $10? Can't remember. The most memorable part of that stop was the breakfast special. Steak & eggs. I think $8.95. Damn good too. Word to the wise: They brew their own beer there. But for non-drinkers like me, they also brew root beer. Damn tasty when it's fresh like that.
Next we drive over to Oyo where the craps weren't open. They had $5 BJ, but it was a full table, so I played some $10 BJ. It paid 6:5, but I never got BJ, so that didn't matter. Walk over to Tropicana where craps was $15 and had several players. I played and made a small donation.
We drove over to Virgin / Mohegan Sun. The pit was empty, and craps was $15. I asked the floorman if he'd consider making it $10. For whatever reason, instead of lowering it, he said I could play at $10 but told the dealers that if anybody came up, that I was grandfathered in and new players were $15. In the next half hour or so, I was up $300, put about $25 in the toke bucket, and saw one other player venture over, only to leave when he saw it was $15.
It was around 2pm and Joan wanted to call it a day. That was fine by me since I was a bit tired too, and wanted to jump into the pool. Plus the WoV meetup was at 5:30. I get to my room, and sit on the bed for a minute. Next thing I know, it's 4:45. Yikes! I clean up and head over to the meet-up, getting there just in time.
The meetup was at a pizza restuarant at Pallazo. I forget the name, but it was a sit-down restuarant, not a mere 'pizza joint'. They made brick-oven pizza - and made them well!
The only thing of note was Mike asking me how it went with the hooker, and asking if I had her phone number - because he sometimes gets inquiries from visiting friends. Um, yeah, sure. Whatever.
There was no after dinner gaming, so I hiked up to Resorts World to play some poker. Hike is the key word. When I was done, I took an Uber back to Flamingo.
When I get back, there's two craps tables open. One was $15 and full. The other was $200 on one side and $500 on the other side! One guy was playing on the $200 side. OK. He's a whale. Whatever. But why not have both sides be $200? Days later I figured out that he is OK with other players - at $200 - but wants to keep the dice landing area clear, which is why that side was $500. In hindsight, I wish I had the balls to pull out $420 just to place the 6 & 8 while he was shooting.
Thursday morning, I wake up early, and go to play some craps. The only table open is that $200 table, with nobody playing. I remarked, I guess that whale is sleeping, and doesn't want anyone touching his table in the meantime. Craps at Cromwell is $25.
Screw it. I check out and go to McD next to Harrah's form breakfast, then Venetian to play poker until G2E opens.
When G2E opened, I went to that booth where Tuesday's VIP party host was, and told him that at least one of his guests, that we ws paying for the booze for, was a hooker. He was all appologetic and shocked. No bid deal, but I wanted him to know so he might consider better 'velvet rope' operations if he does it again next year.
After G2E, I go back to Flamingo, get my bags and hop the monorail to Westgate. My plan was to play some poker until their 7pm Crazy Pineapple tournament started. There's only 4 tables, and two were for a meet up game for some poker bloogger I never heard of. At around 6:30 pizza arrives that all players are invited to take. Before I joined in I found out that it was paid for by the poker manager, but didn't find out if that meant personally or that he did paperwork for the poker room to pay it. I also didn't find out if this was a regular thing or because of the meet up game. Regardless, once everyone else toom some, I went up and there were still like 13 slices left, so free dinner fo me. Woo hoo!
Right at 7pm I got into a big hand where I went all in and lost. After that, and feeling tired, I skipped the tourney, and hopped an Uber to Downtown Grand to check in for the night.
My plan for Friday was to get an all-day bus pass, and hit Spinetti's Gambling Supplies, as well as a few casinos north on LV Blvd. And hit the pool somewhere in there.
I started woth Breakfast at McD at theD, then GN for poker. I totally do not remember what I did for lunch, but on the way back to my room at DTG, I did something stupid. I pulled a cuticle and tore it causing bleeding. Because I get similarly stupid often, I always have a few bandages with me. I patched it up and took the bus to Spinetti's. On the bus, my finger was bleeding thru, so I added my last bandage which I took just in case. On the way back, the bus stop was right in front of the Walgreens on Fremont, so I bought a box of bandages. I got back to my room and rebandaged myself. I DID seem to finally be stopping, but I guess this means no pool for me.
I played some $5 craps at DTG for about an hour, then rebandaged it again even though it did stop, then hopped the bus north to Jerry's Nugget. I played $5 craps for a while, then, based upon the Google reviews, decided to have early dinner in their coffee shop. Monte Cristo for about $10. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. I then headed further north to Silver Nugget. No table games at all, so back to the bus to Poker Palace where they have a $20 tournament at 6:30. I got there around 5:30, and figured I'd play some cash poker first. After all, with a name like Poker Palace they gotta have some poker action, right? Nope. They only have 5 tables, and cash games start after enough people get knocked out of the tourney. So, with no craps table, I played some $3 BJ that actually paid 3:2! The tourney finally started with only 26 players. I knew it was unlimited rebuys, and with a mere $20 buy-in, I expected some crazy all-in action as a result. Nope. At my table, only 1 guy played crazy - and rebought SEVEN times before the rebuy period ended. Two other guys rebought once each. I busted out on the last hand before the break and rebuy period ended. I had the option, but decided it wasn't worth it, besides, Joan warned me that the neighborhood can get rough at night. So I took the bus back, and decided to play craps.
Part of the check in package was a coupon for a match play of any value, $5-$50. Just go to the player's club desk to convert the coupon to the matchplay slip. I got my matchplay for $50. I played it and immediately lost. Sigh. But I stayed at that table, playing minimums, and about an hour later, walked away up almost $200. I then called it a night.
The plan for Saturday was for Joan to pick me up, and head to the South Point where I'd check my bags. We'd eat lunch at their buffet, play some poker, and Joan would leave at some point. I'd take an Uber to the rental car center, then a shuttle to the airport. This is what we did on my last two trips. As usual, we loved the buffet, and got to the poker room in time to get seated at the same table that was just then opening. We sat next to each other. Joan in the middle seat, me to her left. Yeah, I liked having posiiton on her.
About an hour later, I limp in with 5h 6h. 5 other limpers. The flop is 3h Jh Kd. I bet $5 with my flush draw, and Joan is the only caller. Turn is 3s. We check. River is Jc. We check. I'm playing the board, turn my hand over and announce, "Two pair with a king." She looks at my hand, looks at the board and discards her hand. The dealer, very slowly, pulls her hand into the muck, giving her plenty of time to realize her mistake. Finally, in the muck, he gives me the pot, and I ask her why she folded. She thought I had a pocket pair - even though my cards were right in front of her when she folded. I told her I was playing the board. She says then it should have been a chopped pot. I agreed. The $20 pot is still in front of me, so she takes $10 out of it. Joan!? What the hell? She realizes she's in the wrong, and gives me back the two red chips, but starts moaning that I owe her $10. Finally, in an effort to shut her up, I take $10 out of my wallet and give it to her. She immediately, during a hand, gives it to the dealer and asks for 2 red chips. Although it's totally out of protocol to do so during a hand, the dealer does it. Mind you, the entire table is ammused by this whole incedent.
About an hour later we again get into a hand together. I had Ks 7s in the big blind. The flop was Qs 9s 4d. Fown bet $10, I called with my flush draw. Other players folded. 6s on the turn. Flush. Joan bet $20, I made it $50 and Joan went all in for about $200. I called with the second best flush. Joan had Ad Qd. Top pair top kicker, but drawing dead.
Normally I wouldn't make fun of the situation, particularly when the other person was a friend, but Joan then said something, I wish I could remember what, that got me laughing. I was laughng so hard I had to put my head down on the edge of the table. At that point, the chair, which was on wheels, slid out from under me. I literally fell out of my chair laughing. After I get up, the she starts to leave, but I said to wait because I think she had more than me. Sure enough, the dealer counts it up, and she still had $1. She gave it to the dealer, and left, remarking, "This is why I don't like to play poker for cash."
Note: The two hookers I mentioned were the only hooker encounters I had on this trip. I must be losing my hooker magnet powers.
I have a friend, Joan, who lived in NJ and played in my poker league. She moved to Vegas towards the end of March 2020. Yep. In the middle of the 3 week lock-down, she moves cross country. As has become my tradition, we spend a lot of time together on my visits.
My most memporable gambling incedents were three poker hands, where Joan was the significant other player in the hand each time.
Monday morning I wake up way too early. Despite having lunch plans at noon with Joan, I head over to Main Street Buffet at 9:30. I think it's better than when I went there on my last trip, but I also think the price has gone up. Again. I may cross this off my "must do" list.
Joan met me at Plaza and we walk over to Golden Nugget Monday for lunch at Salt Grass. Excellent food and service. This was followed by poker. We both were seated at the same table, 8 handed. Me in seat 1, Joan in seat 8. After a while, the person in seat 5 (center of the table) got up. Joan loves middle seats and changes seats, even though she was going to be big blind, and would have to post after moving. So I became the big blind and got the hand she would have gotten. Pocket Jacks. Everyone folds except Joan (since she already posted), and the small blind came in for the discount. I raised it to $7. They both called. The flop was 8d, Js, Jd. Quads. Nice. Possible flush draw for one of them. Small blind checks, I check, Joan checks. Turn is 5d. OK. Maybe one of them hit the flush. I bet $5 and they both folded. $21 pot, less $2 rake, $2 promo rake, and my original $7 bet, nets a $10 profit. Yippie. Fortunately, I know the Nugget has bonuses for quads and straight flushes. I checked the board and I'm getting a $163 bonus. Then the dealer tells me there's a flop it from 2pm to midnight special. I'm getting $599. Nice! On the hand that Joan would have had if she stayed in her seat. For whatever reason, she doesn't complain that I got her hand.
We continue playing for a while until it's time for us to leave to make it to her Poker League game that night. If any Vegas locals are interested, it www.MisfitsPokerLeague.com
The Monday game is at PKWY Tavern Flamingo, which is at the interaection of Flamingo and I-215. Sure, it's near her home, but a $29 Uber ride back for me. Whatever. Good food, fun players, and I won the first of two games I played. No prize, just points. So it's something that only locals would be attracted to.
Tuesday morning I again woke up early. Played some craps at the Plaza, had breakfast at McD, then head to GN for poker. On the way there, there's almost nobody on Fremont. But I do see a gal that might be a hooker leaning against a post, looking at her phone. As I pass, she looks up and says, "Hi. How ya doing? Where you going?" Yep. She's a hooker.
After a short time at GN poker, I hop an Uber to Flamingo, drop my bags, then spent most of the day at G2E. While there, I stopped at a booth run by a guy I've met at various G2E and Cutting Edge shows in the past. I beleive he posts here. He invited me to a private VIP event he's hosting at a lounge off the casino floor after the show ends for the day. I'd mention his name and game but I think he wants to keep quiet about hosting the party.
In the meantime, my feet are killing me, so I go to the Venetian poker room so I can sit for a few hours. While there, I hit a high hand and get a $300 bonus.
Finally, I leave and head to the VIP event. A bunch of people I know are there including Mike. FYI: This was the 'prior commitment' he mentioned in the WoV meetup thread.
Amoung the guests are a couple somewhat provocatively dressed ladies. I assume that since they were also invited, that they are probably expo booth eye-candy type gals, with an emphasis on eye-candy.
One of them, a very pretty black girl in a tight, short, cream white dress, stikes up a conversation, asking me a variety of industry type questions, as well as asking about my games. I ended up giving her my card, and pointed out that the phone number rings right into the cell phone I was holding.
About a half hour later, I get a text from her. Here's the first part of the conversation:
Honest to god, I though she and some other people had broken off to have dinner, and I was being invited. That is, until I read that last part. Finally, the alarm bells start ringing in my head.
Of course, I'm still holding on to the possibility that she's a booth eye-candy girl and this is a legitimate conversation. And, frankly, while I've always been a hooker magnet in Vegas, I've also always been a good boy and turned down the offers. But at the same time, a simple extended conversation about their chosen profession would be nice. So...
I had seen her talking to Mike earlier, so I found him and asked what he knew about her. I also showed him the texts. Mike says he thinks she's a hooker, but that I should 'go for it.' Thanks Mike.
Yeah, we met. I still went in with the hope that she wasn't a hooker. Except her second sentence was "You know I'm working, right?" So much for my hopes. I respond, "Oh, I wasn't sure. But just so you know, I'd love a conversation, but there won't be anything else. When it comes to it, I'm going to decline."
She did tell me a lot of personal stuff, like how her mother and uncle both know and approve of what she does. I don't know who said it first, but we eventually did use the word 'hooker' rather than 'escort', so if there was any remaining lingering doubt, it was gone. I never got around to asking any of the real questions I wanted to ask. After about 20 minutes she starts hinting that time is money, so I slipped $20 into the bartop machine she was sitting at. I may be somewhat clueless, but I do know that procedure. She played a couple hands, then cashed out for $18.
After another 10 minutes she starts getting serious about her offers and how good she is and what she'll do for me, etc. All with me reminding her that I told her at the beginning that it's a no, I'm married, etc. Eventually, a girlfriend of hers shows up, and now I'm offered a variety of 3 way options. After all she argued, how could sitting on the side, just watching some girl/girl action, be cheating? She was damn persuasive, but it was still a no.
We finally split up, but not before she complained that I had wasted her time. Really? I had warned her right at the beginning.
About 15 minutes later, I got one final text:
I didn't reply. I eventually left and had dinner at about 9:30 at Outback in Casino Royale. Then played a little and finally check in at the Flamingo.
On Wednesday, Joan was driving, and we ventured out to a few places so I could get my souvenir chips.
I love the Ellis Island breakfast special, and would have walked there if Joan wasn't with me. Craps was open when we got there at 9am. $5? $10? Can't remember. The most memorable part of that stop was the breakfast special. Steak & eggs. I think $8.95. Damn good too. Word to the wise: They brew their own beer there. But for non-drinkers like me, they also brew root beer. Damn tasty when it's fresh like that.
Next we drive over to Oyo where the craps weren't open. They had $5 BJ, but it was a full table, so I played some $10 BJ. It paid 6:5, but I never got BJ, so that didn't matter. Walk over to Tropicana where craps was $15 and had several players. I played and made a small donation.
We drove over to Virgin / Mohegan Sun. The pit was empty, and craps was $15. I asked the floorman if he'd consider making it $10. For whatever reason, instead of lowering it, he said I could play at $10 but told the dealers that if anybody came up, that I was grandfathered in and new players were $15. In the next half hour or so, I was up $300, put about $25 in the toke bucket, and saw one other player venture over, only to leave when he saw it was $15.
It was around 2pm and Joan wanted to call it a day. That was fine by me since I was a bit tired too, and wanted to jump into the pool. Plus the WoV meetup was at 5:30. I get to my room, and sit on the bed for a minute. Next thing I know, it's 4:45. Yikes! I clean up and head over to the meet-up, getting there just in time.
The meetup was at a pizza restuarant at Pallazo. I forget the name, but it was a sit-down restuarant, not a mere 'pizza joint'. They made brick-oven pizza - and made them well!
The only thing of note was Mike asking me how it went with the hooker, and asking if I had her phone number - because he sometimes gets inquiries from visiting friends. Um, yeah, sure. Whatever.
There was no after dinner gaming, so I hiked up to Resorts World to play some poker. Hike is the key word. When I was done, I took an Uber back to Flamingo.
When I get back, there's two craps tables open. One was $15 and full. The other was $200 on one side and $500 on the other side! One guy was playing on the $200 side. OK. He's a whale. Whatever. But why not have both sides be $200? Days later I figured out that he is OK with other players - at $200 - but wants to keep the dice landing area clear, which is why that side was $500. In hindsight, I wish I had the balls to pull out $420 just to place the 6 & 8 while he was shooting.
Thursday morning, I wake up early, and go to play some craps. The only table open is that $200 table, with nobody playing. I remarked, I guess that whale is sleeping, and doesn't want anyone touching his table in the meantime. Craps at Cromwell is $25.
Screw it. I check out and go to McD next to Harrah's form breakfast, then Venetian to play poker until G2E opens.
When G2E opened, I went to that booth where Tuesday's VIP party host was, and told him that at least one of his guests, that we ws paying for the booze for, was a hooker. He was all appologetic and shocked. No bid deal, but I wanted him to know so he might consider better 'velvet rope' operations if he does it again next year.
After G2E, I go back to Flamingo, get my bags and hop the monorail to Westgate. My plan was to play some poker until their 7pm Crazy Pineapple tournament started. There's only 4 tables, and two were for a meet up game for some poker bloogger I never heard of. At around 6:30 pizza arrives that all players are invited to take. Before I joined in I found out that it was paid for by the poker manager, but didn't find out if that meant personally or that he did paperwork for the poker room to pay it. I also didn't find out if this was a regular thing or because of the meet up game. Regardless, once everyone else toom some, I went up and there were still like 13 slices left, so free dinner fo me. Woo hoo!
Right at 7pm I got into a big hand where I went all in and lost. After that, and feeling tired, I skipped the tourney, and hopped an Uber to Downtown Grand to check in for the night.
My plan for Friday was to get an all-day bus pass, and hit Spinetti's Gambling Supplies, as well as a few casinos north on LV Blvd. And hit the pool somewhere in there.
I started woth Breakfast at McD at theD, then GN for poker. I totally do not remember what I did for lunch, but on the way back to my room at DTG, I did something stupid. I pulled a cuticle and tore it causing bleeding. Because I get similarly stupid often, I always have a few bandages with me. I patched it up and took the bus to Spinetti's. On the bus, my finger was bleeding thru, so I added my last bandage which I took just in case. On the way back, the bus stop was right in front of the Walgreens on Fremont, so I bought a box of bandages. I got back to my room and rebandaged myself. I DID seem to finally be stopping, but I guess this means no pool for me.
I played some $5 craps at DTG for about an hour, then rebandaged it again even though it did stop, then hopped the bus north to Jerry's Nugget. I played $5 craps for a while, then, based upon the Google reviews, decided to have early dinner in their coffee shop. Monte Cristo for about $10. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. I then headed further north to Silver Nugget. No table games at all, so back to the bus to Poker Palace where they have a $20 tournament at 6:30. I got there around 5:30, and figured I'd play some cash poker first. After all, with a name like Poker Palace they gotta have some poker action, right? Nope. They only have 5 tables, and cash games start after enough people get knocked out of the tourney. So, with no craps table, I played some $3 BJ that actually paid 3:2! The tourney finally started with only 26 players. I knew it was unlimited rebuys, and with a mere $20 buy-in, I expected some crazy all-in action as a result. Nope. At my table, only 1 guy played crazy - and rebought SEVEN times before the rebuy period ended. Two other guys rebought once each. I busted out on the last hand before the break and rebuy period ended. I had the option, but decided it wasn't worth it, besides, Joan warned me that the neighborhood can get rough at night. So I took the bus back, and decided to play craps.
Part of the check in package was a coupon for a match play of any value, $5-$50. Just go to the player's club desk to convert the coupon to the matchplay slip. I got my matchplay for $50. I played it and immediately lost. Sigh. But I stayed at that table, playing minimums, and about an hour later, walked away up almost $200. I then called it a night.
The plan for Saturday was for Joan to pick me up, and head to the South Point where I'd check my bags. We'd eat lunch at their buffet, play some poker, and Joan would leave at some point. I'd take an Uber to the rental car center, then a shuttle to the airport. This is what we did on my last two trips. As usual, we loved the buffet, and got to the poker room in time to get seated at the same table that was just then opening. We sat next to each other. Joan in the middle seat, me to her left. Yeah, I liked having posiiton on her.
About an hour later, I limp in with 5h 6h. 5 other limpers. The flop is 3h Jh Kd. I bet $5 with my flush draw, and Joan is the only caller. Turn is 3s. We check. River is Jc. We check. I'm playing the board, turn my hand over and announce, "Two pair with a king." She looks at my hand, looks at the board and discards her hand. The dealer, very slowly, pulls her hand into the muck, giving her plenty of time to realize her mistake. Finally, in the muck, he gives me the pot, and I ask her why she folded. She thought I had a pocket pair - even though my cards were right in front of her when she folded. I told her I was playing the board. She says then it should have been a chopped pot. I agreed. The $20 pot is still in front of me, so she takes $10 out of it. Joan!? What the hell? She realizes she's in the wrong, and gives me back the two red chips, but starts moaning that I owe her $10. Finally, in an effort to shut her up, I take $10 out of my wallet and give it to her. She immediately, during a hand, gives it to the dealer and asks for 2 red chips. Although it's totally out of protocol to do so during a hand, the dealer does it. Mind you, the entire table is ammused by this whole incedent.
About an hour later we again get into a hand together. I had Ks 7s in the big blind. The flop was Qs 9s 4d. Fown bet $10, I called with my flush draw. Other players folded. 6s on the turn. Flush. Joan bet $20, I made it $50 and Joan went all in for about $200. I called with the second best flush. Joan had Ad Qd. Top pair top kicker, but drawing dead.
Normally I wouldn't make fun of the situation, particularly when the other person was a friend, but Joan then said something, I wish I could remember what, that got me laughing. I was laughng so hard I had to put my head down on the edge of the table. At that point, the chair, which was on wheels, slid out from under me. I literally fell out of my chair laughing. After I get up, the she starts to leave, but I said to wait because I think she had more than me. Sure enough, the dealer counts it up, and she still had $1. She gave it to the dealer, and left, remarking, "This is why I don't like to play poker for cash."
Note: The two hookers I mentioned were the only hooker encounters I had on this trip. I must be losing my hooker magnet powers.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
November 7th, 2022 at 11:18:17 AM
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Quote: DJTeddyBear
After dispensing key cards, it printed instructions to get to the room. The instructions were useless, as it had turns indicated, but did not indicate any landmarks. I.E. The first instruction was to proceed to the left. How does it know which way I am standing?
I would assume it knows which way you're standing because you're standing in front of the kiosk reading the screen....Did you go left from there?
November 7th, 2022 at 11:20:25 AM
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I enjoyed your trip report, which was unusually spicy, and which also made me laugh.
You might consider changing your signature line to:
"No no no, no chocolate for my willy wonka"
You might consider changing your signature line to:
"No no no, no chocolate for my willy wonka"
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
November 7th, 2022 at 11:44:11 AM
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My Vegas trips are different from yours! I rarely text back and forth with prostitutes during mine.....
Did you do any (inventor related) business while at the meeting? You do have games you are trying to get on gaming floors, right?
Were your hotels comped? Like 3 separate "stay with us free for 2 days" offers? If not, moving from hotel to hotel just seems like a PITA.
Did you do any (inventor related) business while at the meeting? You do have games you are trying to get on gaming floors, right?
Were your hotels comped? Like 3 separate "stay with us free for 2 days" offers? If not, moving from hotel to hotel just seems like a PITA.
November 7th, 2022 at 1:19:45 PM
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If I had, I would have run into another bank of kiosks.Quote: TigerWuI would assume it knows which way you're standing because you're standing in front of the kiosk reading the screen....Did you go left from there?Quote: DJTeddyBear
After dispensing key cards, it printed instructions to get to the room. The instructions were useless, as it had turns indicated, but did not indicate any landmarks. I.E. The first instruction was to proceed to the left. How does it know which way I am standing?
link to original post
I did talk to some people about my games and have been following up, but no real bites yet.Quote: SOOPOODid you do any (inventor related) business while at the meeting? You do have games you are trying to get on gaming floors, right?
Were your hotels comped? Like 3 separate "stay with us free for 2 days" offers? If not, moving from hotel to hotel just seems like a PITA.
link to original post
Yeah, switching hotels is a drag. I like downtown but the expo was on the strip, so…
I had good deals based on status. Free at Plaza, deep discount at Flamingo and DTG.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
November 7th, 2022 at 2:01:27 PM
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Ellis Island craps table used to open at noon back in Jan/Feb. Steak special was always good.
My 2 long stay in Vegas, one for 6 months 2018 and one for 3 months Nov 2021- Feb 2022, I was never , ever approached to have a good time. Maybe next time, I will hold a few purple chips in my hand to change my luck. And what is the going rate for a good time please? Will Wizard help ? Thanks in advance.
Enjoy your report very much.
My 2 long stay in Vegas, one for 6 months 2018 and one for 3 months Nov 2021- Feb 2022, I was never , ever approached to have a good time. Maybe next time, I will hold a few purple chips in my hand to change my luck. And what is the going rate for a good time please? Will Wizard help ? Thanks in advance.
Enjoy your report very much.
