WoVCon: Spring, 2017

D'oh! Yes, I meant April.

Quote: Doc

And I am commiting to the plan for a Spring Fling on 4/22/17. As noted in another thread, I plan on a nine-day trip to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. I have my rooms booked for all but one night, but I haven't bought my plane tickets yet.

Those two omissions have now been resolved. The airline tickets cost me $100 more (for the two of us) than the very cheapest rate I had seen for those days but less than had been shown at times. I have developed an impression -- possibly completely fictional -- that sometimes the airline offers lower fares late at night and/or on weekends when business travelers aren't likely shopping. This weekend there was no change, so I purchased the tickets on Sunday rather than risk that they go up even higher today. So far, still no change, and I should really stop looking now that I made the purchase.

This morning I took care of the remaining night's lodging. I had planned to use a two-night comp offer for Friday and Saturday nights and another two-night comp offer for Sunday and Monday nights, with just the annoyance of moving between hotels in the same town. Unfortunately, Saturday night was sold out at the first place, and I originally booked just Friday on that offer. I checked with the Sun-Mon place about what it would cost me to arrive on Saturday, and they had Sat night blocked for arrivals. I wasn't willing to pay for both Friday and Saturday when they were supposed to be comped. I was able to get the Fri-Sat comp moved to another hotel in the group and made that reservation while cancelling the Fri-only reservation. Looks as if it is all set now. Seven nights comped (paying resort fees and taxes for three of those nights) and for the eighth night paying rack rate at a joint way out in the boonies of Tonopah.

Are we planning on doing a Friday dinner like we did last year? I am fully on board with a Friday smaller get together I just need to know whether I should plan on being back in Vegas from California for Friday night or not.

We will get (back) to Las Vegas from Lake Tahoe and Tonopah on Friday 4/21, sometime in the midday. Would definitely be up for a gathering that evening. Friday and Saturday nights we will be staying west of the strip, but we will be able to join a group on the strip, downtown, or most anywhere in the area.

Ok then I will plan to be back in Las Vegas for a Friday night gathering. Maybe since Friday will most likely be a small gathering we could visit Lucky Dragon and collect chips. Is RDW planning on coming this year?

I have not been in touch with rdw4potus in quite a while. Apparently he visited the forum a couple of days ago, but he has only made one post since last October. I don't know what the story is.

You have a private number for him don't you? Maybe send him a message?

Just did.

It's much harder now to get to this site than it used to be. My company added it to their list of blocked sites last summer. That kills my laptop and phone at the office (on their wifi) and it also kills the laptop at home (on their vpn). For a while I was doing the phone from home. I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd done that.

I think 4/22 will work for me. Really, probably 4/21 to 4/25. My mother in law is visiting my wife that week. That makes me happy to head to Vegas, but it means I'll be alone this year. I'm not sure yet about flight timing, but a collecting trip on Friday probably works for me. Same with the usual Saturday and potential Sunday festivities.

It kills me a little to be missing chips from northern Nevada again, but I can't get up there this time. I might head to California to try to grab a chip from that newish casino by Joshua tree.

I can't find a path to 500 more chips for the group. I think we're underrepresented in cali, in WA and Oregon, and in North Dakota. But adding those only adds about 200 chips.

I think there are about 620 chips in my collection. I could see getting to about 800 if I go to FL, go to WA and Oregon, visit Northern California, and revisit Ms, LA, and ok. Maybe 850 if I go to deadwood and to the bars in nd.

Good to see you back RDW and glad to hear that you will be joining us for Spring Fling!

The newer casino by Joshua tree, are you talking about Tortoise Rock Casino? If not please do tell cause I can't figure out which one you are talking about. I will be doing a Southern California collecting trip as part of Spring Fling and I will be visiting Tortoise Rock.

That was my thought exactly when I wrote this in the CotD thread a couple days ago:
"Well it sounds like we have room for about 500 more chips before the index becomes an issue again. Or to put into other words this thread will be ok for a very very long time :)

I can't see where those chips would come from to create a problem again. From my estimation if as a group we visited every available casino in North America I think that would still be only 200-300 more chips to add to the thread. I'll be grabbing probably 30-40 more from Southeast Asia next January when I plan to go back to Asia for 8 weeks. Unless Konbu plans to backpack all of South America and Europe we shouldn't have many issues :)"

I will hit the 600 mark for my collection after Spring Fling but other than a few Western Canadian chips I might collect this summer I don't think I will be adding anymore until next January in Asia.

I would probably make 22 April and possibly even another evening around that date. If any collector wants a northern Nevada chip I have one from Hotel Nevada in Ely I would sell for $1.25.

Sounds like interesting people and fun. I just cant get over the idea that casino people are listening to our plans.

Id only go with a mask over my face. And leave on a dirt bike with no plates.

I'd like to make everyone aware that there is a separate thread for another eating challenge the Spring Fling weekend: MCNUGGET CHALLENGE #5.

I would like to officially nominate the time and place as the McDonalds at the Plaza at noon on Sunday, April 23.

OK, any suggestions as to where the Saturday noon WoVCon gathering should occur?

Strip, downtown, elsewhere?

I'll pick up the tab if there is a consensus of where we are going

Quote: Wizardofnothing

I'll pick up the tab if there is a consensus of where we are going

Well, thank you!

Didn't we agree to go to JOËL ROBUCHON at the MGM Grand?

Quote: Wizard

I'd like to make everyone aware that there is a separate thread for another eating challenge the Spring Fling weekend: MCNUGGET CHALLENGE #5.

I would like to officially nominate the time and place as the McDonalds at the Plaza at noon on Sunday, April 23.

I couldn't make the nugget challenge on Sunday, as my flight usually leaves around 9:30am... but if that works for all of you guys then keep it there, as I'm about 60/40 on attending right now as it stands.

Quote: MrV

OK, any suggestions as to where the Saturday noon WoVCon gathering should occur?

Strip, downtown, elsewhere?

Just to complicate things a little more, I thought I would show a bit about the history of these events. There has been quite a variety of choices for the "Main Event" with the first one being on a Wednesday in June and the rest being on Saturdays in April or May. Main Street Station's Triple 7 Pub has been the most common location, though we have gathered elsewhere both downtown and on the strip. Start times have been noon, mid-afternoon, and early evening. Here's the whole batch:

Date	Name	Location	Start time (PDT)
6/15/2011	WoVCon (original)	Main Street Station	2:00
5/12/2012	WoVCon ][	Four Queens	Noon
5/25/2013	WoVCon ]|[	Paris Las Vegas	Noon
4/26/2014	WoV Spring Fling 2014	Main Street Station	Noon
5/16/2015	WoV Spring Fling 2015	Main Street Station	6:00
4/16/2016	WoV Spring Fling 2016	Main Street Station	5:00
4/22/2017	WoV Spring Fling 2017	???	???

Of course, we have often had other gatherings the days before or after and earlier/later than the main event.

Quote: Wizard

Well, thank you!

Didn't we agree to go to JOËL ROBUCHON at the MGM Grand?

Lol ok
Let me clarify
Something. More in lines of what we did last year

Quote: MrV

OK, any suggestions as to where the ... WoVCon gathering should occur?

MrV asked the question, and I provided a rundown of where and when we have gathered in the past. Since then, we have had three days of thunderous silence in the thread.

My personal suggestion is that we imitate what we did last year: Main Street Station Triple 7 pub in the early evening on Saturday. I think that location has worked well for us in the past. Of course, I will be in town all day, plus the days before and after, with no agenda except to have some fun. Others may have constraints on their time.

I would like to hear from folks who plan/want to attend but who would have a problem/conflict with either the time or location I suggested.

I can show up for anything that isn't during the day on a weekday. I attended last year and would be content to repeat the dinner at Triple 7.

I know it will be impossible to get a consensus on a gaming activity. $1/$2 NLTH poker was the gaming event last year. The socialization was fun but the game wasn't everybody's cup of tea. I'd like to play a table game against the house. I enjoyed watching a group play Pai Gow after the G2E dinner a couple of years ago and think something like that would be fun. Again, I know there probably isn't one thing that everybody will want to do.

The gaming choice has often been between poker and craps because of the better chances of getting more of our group together on a table. I'm not a poker player, but I did join the game at the initial WoVCon.

I would try to make the argument for craps that (1) the game allows each player to wager at the level they are comfortable with and (2) we wouldn't be in a situation where we are trying to take money from each other. However, others here could/would point out my bias, since craps is my personal favorite casino game.

I will note that last year we had a large group and split up, with some playing poker and others going to the craps pit at the same casino.

Quote: Doc

My personal suggestion is that we imitate what we did last year: Main Street Station Triple 7 pub in the early evening on Saturday.

I second that.

Maybe I should make a separate thread for this but I'd like to propose an obviously optional activity before dinner.

Somewhere I wrote that I wanted to solve the 5x5x5 Rubik's Cube on a unicycle before the end of the year. Well, I'm ready now! I propose to do it in the 3rd Street alley between the D and Four Queens at 5:00 on Saturday, 4/22. As far as I know from searching YouTube and the Guinness Book web site, it is has never been done before. So I would like to get as many witnesses as possible.

I'm sure somebody will propose a bet but I must say that I'm pretty confident I can do it. I'd set the over/under on my time at 12 minutes but I discourage betting on it.

Whose up for it?!

Wizard,

Do you envision this only being a valid attempt if, once you mount (or whatever it's called) the unicycle, you must not put a foot down until the cube is solved or it doesn't count? Just curious.

Quote: Wizard

Somewhere I wrote that I wanted to solve the 5x5x5 Rubik's Cube on a unicycle before the end of the year. Well, I'm ready now! I propose to do it in the 3rd Street alley between the D and Four Queens at 5:00 on Saturday, 4/22.

I can be there as a witness with video documentation. Are you proposing to do this on the south side of Fremont St, literally between D and Four Queens? I suggest that 3rd St on the north side of Fremont St would be better for a small group to gather. Plenty of room with no automobile traffic.

Thinking about that location, now I'm craving a Sausage and Stout at Pizza Rock. Hmm, I think they have a room big enough for our group :D

Quote: Wizard

I propose to do it in the 3rd Street alley between the D and Four Queens at 5:00 on Saturday, 4/22.

I won't be there, but I would suggest across the street, in the alley between Fremont St and Downtown Grand.

Not only are you more likely to get foot traffic and spectators, but the street is actually a sidewalk there. Seems like it would easier to ride the unicycle on that nice sidewalk, particularly since you'll be distracted working on the cube.

Just my 2¢. Keep the change.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Do you envision this only being a valid attempt if, once you mount (or whatever it's called) the unicycle, you must not put a foot down until the cube is solved or it doesn't count? Just curious.

That is correct.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I won't be there, but I would suggest across the street, in the alley between Fremont St and Downtown Grand.

Please watch this video to see what happened when I tried to do the same challenge with a regular Rubik's Cube there.

Quote: Wizard

Please watch this video to see what happened when I tried to do the same challenge with a regular Rubik's Cube there.

Bummer. But if it makes you feel better, I'm a little dizzy from watching it!

Turns out April 22 is also the day of the Tour of Summrlin 80-mile bike ride. I plan to do that so imagine I won't have the energy to do this the same day.

Wuss!

How many cubes can the Wizard solve over an eighty mile trek?

Quote: Wizard

Turns out April 22 is also the day of the Tour of Summrlin 80-mile bike ride. I plan to do that so imagine I won't have the energy to do this the same day.

Will you still be able to attend dinner that night?

Quote: billryan

How many cubes can the Wizard solve over an eighty mile trek?

I've actually given serious thought to trying to break the record for most 3x3x3 cubes solved on a unicycle. The record is 180. If I memorized a LOT of patterns used by experts, to get my average time down to 30 seconds, I'm very confident I could.

Quote: PokerGrinder

Will you still be able to attend dinner that night?

Of course!

p.s. Happy pi day!

Ok so this is coming up soon and we haven't made any definite plans yet to my knowledge?!?

Friday I had proposed (I believe in the chip thread) that we should do dinner at Nora's off the strip for dinner and then head over to Lucky Dragon Casino for gaming and chip collecting.

Saturday we have the main event. Are we doing it at 777 at Main Street Station again? Time?

Sunday is the McNugget challege. Has a definite time and location been set?

I am down for any other activities if someone wants to suggest them otherwise I will be grinding at the Wynn for most of the trip if nothing is planned.

Btw for anyone who doesn't know Nora's is an amazing Italian restaurant on Flamingo and Jones.

Quote: PokerGrinder

Btw for anyone who doesn't know Nora's is an amazing Italian restaurant on Flamingo and Jones.

What? You are going to bypass Battista's for Nora's where you actually have to pay for wine??

I'm not much of a drinker, I opt for good food over free wine. Is battistas any good?

Quote: PokerGrinder

I'm not much of a drinker, I opt for good food over free wine. Is battistas any good?

No sorry, it was a joke. While it has it's fans, many consider it the worst in town.

I think Saturday has to be dinner to fit the Wiz's schedule. And the 777 has worked so well for the past couple years I think we should just roll with that. I forget how it worked for the reservation, but I think we had to move to an earlier hour in order to be allowed to reserve a table. Even then, IIRC, it took some arm-twisting to be allowed to make a reservation.

Friday dinner and chip collecting sounds good to me. Don't really care about the details, as long as a trip to the Lucky Dragon is involved.

Just to confirm (since I come back to this thread every so often) the weekend of the Spring Fling is 04/22, correct?

Quote: Romes

Just to confirm (since I come back to this thread every so often) the weekend of the Spring Fling is 04/22, correct?

Correct.

Quote: rdw4potus

I think we had to move to an earlier hour in order to be allowed to reserve a table. Even then, IIRC, it took some arm-twisting to be allowed to make a reservation.

Friday dinner and chip collecting sounds good to me. Don't really care about the details, as long as a trip to the Lucky Dragon is involved.

I am definitely up for dinner and a visit to the Lucky Dragon on Friday evening. Need a definite decision on dinner location and time, but I think someone among us can handle that within the next couple of weeks. ;-)

As for the Saturday evening Main Event, in the discussion on pages 7 & 8 of this thread, I suggested the 777 Pub at Main Street Station in the "early evening", and the Wizard endorsed that. Wizardofnothing very generously offered to pick up the tab -- nice deal! I don't think that a specific start time is established.

Yes, rdw4potus remembers correctly that last year we had some difficulty getting a reservation for a fairly large group on a Saturday night. At the restaurant, they would not agree to a group reservation at all. I was staying and playing at MSS, and Mike suggested that I talk to a suit there. A pit supervisor got the 777 manager to come to the pit and set up a reservation for us. We did start earlier than the previous year, but I don't remember whether that was a requirement.

This year, I will not be staying at MSS until Sunday night, and I might not play there until Saturday. I think it would be best if someone with more influence than I have would set up the reservation. Of course, to do that we will need to get at least an approximate count of attendees expected.

During the day on Friday as I get back into town from Lake Tahoe, I had initially planned a loop of the area to gather chips to replace some metal tokens in my collection. In the CCotD thread, it was pointed out that some of the smaller establishments on my list do not open their tables until evening, so I will need to revise those plans. If Friday and Saturday evenings are booked with Spring Fling events, I expect I will make that loop either Sunday or Monday evening. Anyone interested in joining me on that adventure?

Earlier in this thread, the Wizard had proposed a unicycle/Rubik's cube challenge/demo for Saturday very-early evening (5:00?) before we go to the 777 Pub, but he then realized there was a conflict with his scheduled bicycle ride. I don't know whether there has been a proposed alternate time. Last I read, the McNuggets challenge will be at Noon on Sunday at the Plaza.

If there are other events planned for that weekend, I either didn't hear or forgot. We typically attempt group gambling after the main event, but I don't think we have a definite plan for that yet, since we are still a little loose on plans for the main event.


Edit: Has anyone heard whether the Lucky Dragon has a craps table now? I think that they did not at the time the place opened but that there was a rumor one was coming. I haven't heard anything definite since. If they do have one, what kind of minimum bets would you expect them to require on a Friday evening?

Quote: Doc

Correct.
I am definitely up for dinner and a visit to the Lucky Dragon on Friday evening. Need a definite decision on dinner location and time, but I think someone among us can handle that within the next couple of weeks. ;-)

Ok I will take control of Friday. Dinner will be at Nora's at 7:00. So far it is just RDW, Doc, Mrs Doc and myself. Anyone is more than welcome to join but I will need to know how many to make the reservation for. If nobody else is interested in dinner (very good food) on Friday then I will make a 7:00 reservation for 4.

Quote: PokerGrinder

Ok I will take control of Friday. Dinner will be at Nora's at 7:00. So far it is just RDW, Doc, Mrs Doc and myself. Anyone is more than welcome to join but I will need to know how many to make the reservation for. If nobody else is interested in dinner (very good food) on Friday then I will make a 7:00 reservation for 4.

I spoke with "Bruce" (lol that name is so silly) and we'll be in town for the event. As of now just the 2 of us, with a possible third to be determined later.

I believe we'll plan to attend dinner Friday evening, and then the festivities (dinner + gambling?) Saturday evening.

Perfect so Romes and Bruce make 6. I will hold off on the making the reservation until this weekend and we can always add to it. I just want to do it before I head south early next week and Nora's will be extremely busy on a Friday.

Quote: PokerGrinder

Btw for anyone who doesn't know Nora's is an amazing Italian restaurant on Flamingo and Jones.

Not familiar with Nora's but I'm game. Did a Google Maps search -- for those equally unfamiliar, it appears that Nora's is really a couple of short blocks east of Jones (maybe a quarter mile?) That's the right place, isn't it?

5780 W Flamingo Drive

Two questions:
Who is on the attendee list at this point?
Are Romes, Axel, PokerGrinder & MaxPen holding a NL Poker lesson this year ;-)?

Quote: Paradigm

Two questions:
Who is on the attendee list at this point?
Are Romes, Axel, PokerGrinder & MaxPen holding a NL Poker lesson this year ;-)?

Go all in with AA! Fold 27, lesson over. Romes anything you want to add?