Flamingo days

I have not been keeping up very well with just a running narrative while here at the Flamingo. Red Rock and Human Nature were the highlights of the time. The gambling has been losing and most disconcerting is that I don't think I have been playing that badly.
I did get some cards last night and won some hands at a 2-4 table at Imperial Palace, but except for two guys all the others easily would have outplayed me in any contest. All knew one another and one was a dealer with lots of experience. This is not the competition I want. So I went home.
Earlier a Canadian guy had dominated and overbet the OShea's game, "betting on representation" as he called it and talking every minute. He was obnoxious but friendly enough and I just could not beat him. I lost money and left after he did and the pots diminished again to practically nothing.
He was playing for Guinness, he said and was pretty drunk, ordering one after another, but because he bet everything, he was difficult to beat. He caught good cards and seemed to have them when he was raised or called.
I played there between a dealer's wife who I liked and another woman I keep bumping into from San Diego who is very friendly and attractive. She was up meeting her sister. So it was a friendly game with some talk of Vegas.
I was in bed by 7:30 trying to squeeze something watchable out of the bad television and I fell asleep, woke up and put on the mask and then slept a good night. So I am rested. It has been hard for me to be rested this trip and that keeps my out of the late night games.
I went back to the Spice Market buffet yesterday and enjoyed basically the same treats I had at the Sunday brunch for much less money. I have not managed the buffet deals as well this time. I was in line a bit late and so did not get in until after eleven so I paid $5 more for the lunch menu. The trick is to get in line early enough to catch the breakfast price and late enough to get the lunch food. Next trip I'll remember.
At Venetian I seemed to do well at the 4-8. The game was conservatively played and it reminded me more of the Foxwoods game with a few bad players and a few really good players and the rest like me. I may try that game again tonight if I still have energy. When one game broke, another continued and at that table sat a girl with hundreds of dollars in chips in front of her. There are no high hands or bad beats there so she much have won those playing all day. Her chip stack made her seem invincible. I got lucky and beat her on one hand when I caught a queen full house. I confused her by checking the turn. This was a mistake except I thought it might get her to call the river, or had she bet I would have raised. I don't know what she held.
I really don't know how to think about the poker. I have only found my ideal game once while here. Most of the games have not been with poorly playing tourists. Perhaps the thrill of sitting down to play after watching television is over.
The trip is complicated too because generally I am up for indulging food and alcohol and this trip I am more focused on not gaining back the weight I lost. Then too my sleeping just does not contribute to easy poker play.
Finally, the Flamingo has just not delivered the delight I expected. I'll be glad to leave. I tried swimming yesterday and could only bear the water for ten minutes. I soaked in the fine hot tub and listened to a fellow from Australia tell a couple from Canada how to tour London and go to some rock concert extravaganza. I liked that, but it was too cold out to sit and read and they expect more cold today as well so I am debating whether to head for the zoo or not. I expect that I would be warm enough there in layers with my coat and scarf, so perhaps I'll head out soon.
Then the bed bug business added to my discomfort. I am more relaxed about it now seeing that an inspection can determine whether there has been any activity, and after a few days in a room without getting bitten, I can get my luggage out of the tub and being to relax and expect no surprises. The fact that the source is a traveler means that no infestation just happens from down the hall, the way a flu bug might work. I suppose that I need to find more long 5 night stays at fairly good prices and quit jumping from hotel to hotel. This makes downtown appear a good bet again especially since my napping has not very often extended my gambling day. I do wonder if the Super 8 has weekly rates. With the free transportation from the airport, that might be a good spot to stay, combined with Terribles for a couple of coupon nights before heading downtown.
Or if the Gold Coast starts giving me good room deals, I'll book there as I did like the food, the video poker, the music and the access to the strip on Flamingo and Tropicana.
The Venetian looked fine at night again. I like going there when it is dark. What a strange moving walkway! I remember going on it one time when it was iced up and the little hill of metal required some sliding.

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Walked up to the Tuscany for wifi but I did not have enough juice for reading long. I failed to bring my wire or I could have plugged in there in Marilyn's cafe.

There were no crowds. Things were very quiet with only a couple people having breakfast.

Played and lost two match plays
Bill's
Tuscany
down $15
Played and tied at Ellis Island
Then played too much video poker but at the last minute caught four kings and two hands later help 8-10-Q of hearts and caught the straight flush.
So now I am $5 ahead

But not for long. Thursday was a frustrating day. I lost $475 at 4-8 at the Venetian and I lost my senior ID when I made a mistake and put it in the machine that dispenses tickets.
After waiting for the bus and talking to the bus driver I found out it would be 3 hours before anyone would address the problem and then I still would have to go downtown to retrieve my ID.

The game was fine. My cards were not. I kept thinking that I could win and feeling very comfortable with the mix of players. But I kept losing.
My last hand I went on tilt. Bets were gradually capped and I had pocket fours. I stayed with it. The flop gave me a set. There was not much betting after that, but I lost on the river when the fourth heart made the Ace and King high flush. That was enough, the icing on the cake.

Played with friendly people and liked the general pace of the game. The opponent I worried most about generally folded if I raised. Once we went head to head. We each had three queens but he had the bigger kicker.

So I guess this ends my huge passion for poker. Something I don't understand gives me repetitive losing streaks and this is the second Vegas trip that has resulted in huge losses. Add to that my new diet sense of not indulging the food and alcohol as well as my sleeping issues and I am just not having such a good time coming to Vegas anymore. Tough to admit as it ends a long passion with this place, but I have not had so much fun this trip.

I was in my room by nine but I was up watching very bad television until 2 and then someone called me on the cell at 5. I will be tired today. I guess I'll just head out after a shower and go downtown. Vegas Club might have an early room for me.