Vegas Club days

Vegas Club narrative

The upgrade to the North Tower was well worth the extra money if in fact they are going to charge me that amount. I thought the hotel got the upgrade money, but no one collected anything from me. I'll have to check my credit card statement.

I loved my room. It had some minor flaws, but I agree with Turtleman that this is the best kept secret in downtown.


I took a nap and woke up at 11Pm ready for some late night poker. Exiting the elevator I walked straight into a night club. Wow!! Playing was a great R and B group. Next Movement was the name and they were clearly talented. The place was packed with African Americans, more than I have seen in Vegas since I used to see Huck Daniel's review, but these were out for some clubbing and not performers on dark Monday. I watched a set and really enjoyed the community and the music. Imagine, at the Vegas Club.

First El Cortez game.
I sleep from 4PM until 11PM and then wander Freemont Street Experience a bit. It hopping.


Walking the Experience I see two light shows. One is the music developed for the summer of love. It remind me of flower children and the feelings I had when I was young. The other features Bad to the Bon and I like it less.
In one of the gift stores I buy one deck of Sahara cards and find that these orangish red backed cards are not marked with black pen,so I buy all they have. Gregg will be happy.
I go back to the room, but the band is on a break. I leave my cards, hat, jacket and scarf. Finally some decent weather.
So by the time I poke my way up to the El Cortez it is about one AM but there are two poker tables going. I join one and do well for a while and then I just lose as I have been doing this entire trip.
This was an ideal game. Dave was very loose and he would follow any bets right through the six on the river if he had even a pair, and sometimes he would be with nothing at all. I have played a long time tight as a rock so I try isolating him after he bets if the two folks acting after him fold. This works so well I can do it with any high pair I want to play, but I then have to call until the river with or without improvement.
I don't get so much improvement, but when I win a couple of hands with a second best hand, folks who folded to the rock now start to call me at least when I call, so I will get paid on my flushes or straights.
I just don't get so many cards.
I get pocket Aces and isolate Dave and me but he flops two pair and beats me.
In the end I lose more than I win and feel again that all this thinking and strategy isn't making me any money. Maybe I am a fool afterall.
I have four rums and that is very good. I catch up a bit with the dealers who all remember me but think I am from Chicago. Jimmy, the floor remembers my name as soon as I come in.
A new dealer named Tia is quite delightful to look at. All the players have friendly ways. One is Cuban. I have played with him before. He speaks Spanish to an older woman he calls Tia. He helps her play as well, but no one seems to care. I like it because she bets only one or two chips even on really good hands. When she bets one or two but should have bet 3, he shakes his head and mutters, so I know she has good cards.
Generally I fold when she bets but on one hand I get drawn into an inside straight draw when I have K-Q and both are overcards. I hit the straight on the river. She has a smaller straight, but she just calls me. The table groans.
Two people leave mad. One young fellow has been grumping for a long while and in his last all-in hand I river Queens full of Aces. This is the nail in his coffin and out he storms. He should have been glad not to have more money to bet.
I feel very comfortable, but I play too long. I don't want to quit while Dave is there feeding the pot, but finally I head back to the hotel to sleep.

I played poker at the El Cortez all night and had some rum and good conversation, but I ended down about $100.

On Saturday I could not nap, so I talked the Main Street Station Player's Club manager into a fine discretionary buffet with no reduction in points. I had played plenty the day before.

I had kalua pork again but it is not the same flavorful recipe it used to be. The stroganoff was good. They have a new way to dispense the topping for iced cream. I love butterfinger and now it is easy to put on a small sundae.

Carol the server gave me the cranberry lecture again. She says that it is only 10% fruit juice and recommends the orange juice. She is right too. I tipped double.

Saturday

This was the day of the Blonde board meet and I rolled in from the poker in the early morning, called and talked to Elizabeth, and then tried to nap. I did not sleep much and finally got up and planned my day.
Finally, I was going to ride the ACE bus and see how it felt. I also wanted to play off some matchplays.
So I went up the Westin to play off a $25 Matchplay.
a matchplay at the Westin takes a good bit of patience. You have to go to the
Player's booth and get a card. Then you have to show your card to the dealer and the pit boss. Then you have to show the ACG card, take it out, make certain it is signed.
Some places make me feel like a welcome guest even though I only play one coupon.
This place made me feel like I was trying to take advantage. Well, I was. But if the casino wants to have more than four people gambling on a Saturday afternoon, once they have lured me there with this coupon, they should be friendly, not a bureaucratic nightmare.
I played a $25 dollar matchplay. I caught nine, the dealer caught 3. I doubled down. I caught nineteen; the dealer 21. No one expressed regret.

I was an hour early at the Palms, so I played my first Texas Tea of the trip, playing the whopping amount of two cents a line and three lines. It kept me entertained.
Ratfink and his wife were around but we did not yet connect.
Then finally there was a bunch of familiar faces and up we went to Loser's suite.
What a nice gathering. Plenty of conversation. Some on gambling; more lot on dogs. Plenty to drink and eat and plenty of banter and laughter. This is a good group Blonde has collected. She will collect more. She does not do all this for money, but just for the love of the community and the sharing of information. Nice. Refreshing. Her speech was genuine, touching without being sappy. Her theme suggested that somehow we have been doing her a favor by joining up when the opposite is true.
Well, anyway, I am not much for meets, especially when I have had only about an hour and a half of sleep in the last 24. I did not feel my perky self, but I am happy I made this one.

Finally, I had to think about sleeping. I took the Flamingo to the ACE. The bus left just as I arrived so I went into Paris and used the bathroom. Those cute sinks. I came out to find another bus there and I hopped on the back and rode to Sahara to play off another $25 matchplay. I am done doing them at blackjack.
In just a few minutes the ACE came back. I could see the schedule and know when it was coming. It was two minutes late. It dropped me back downtown and I watched a bit of the group Next Movement. Such fine R and B sounds and so amazing to have them right there on the way to my elevator and with no cover charge.
Vegas Club let me stay until noon for checkout. And then I was off, rolling the luggage to El Cortez for the last two days of the journey.