VEGAS TRIP REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 2011

An Overview


I suppose I will have a good bit more to say about my 17 day November trip to Vegas than is posted in the following 19 separate blog posts, but I have already delayed reporting the trip too long due to illness. I divided my trip into these 20 topics so readers could easily skim for information by looking at topic headings, and l could also post a link in board discussions.

This was a very unusual trip in that it was not solo. I had hardly any time to myself and what I did have came at the end of the trip at the same time that a hard cold came too.

The cold stayed with me for a few weeks and was very unpleasant. That an another illness add on is why it takes me so long to post these observations. I have been spending most of my time in the house sleeping with little energy for writing.

I started this trip with my poker buddy Wild Bill who is similarly frugal, a coupon saver, a "twofer" as I heard we are sometimes derogatively called by casino staff. We gambled and saw a couple inexpensive shows.

Then my wife came and we met her brother and his wife and the entire flavor of the trip changed. It is hard to convince my wife to come along, but with five free nights at Harrah's and a promise to focus on shows and visiting the area, I managed to show her a good time.

For me the week she was here helped me downscale my own gambling and just enjoy Vegas a bit. My last trip I seemed driven to play poker every breathing minute, and perhaps I played badly. I knew if I could take my time, relax, gamble in spurts I would do better. My goal was to use up my free room comps with no compunction to gamble to get them again and so manage to make the sum total of both trips reduce my overall losses.

I cut down to only low limit poker and walked away from games that seemed too tough. I like no limit here at home or in Florida, but then I am gambling for a day and have the bankroll to play. I don't have the bankroll to play no limit for 17 days, so I end up playing with scared money.

Also, staying in the Harrah's rooms where the high rake is a discouragement to many of the local regularly has given me table primarily filled with an assortment of tourists.  I can beat them but not by much. Still a fair assessment of my play suggests that I might have a median gain of about $25 a session with any high hand bonus awards on top of that.  This won't pay for my trip, but it will restrict major losses and generate a good portion of food and room comps if I concentrate on Harrah's casinos.

I used an old money management scheme.

$20 in.  Lose it, Walk away.

Win and set two limits, one win limit and one loss limit.  

Say I win and am at $50.  Decide to quit at $30 or at $70.

Now suppose I win on a quad so I jump to say, $90.  Now I might say walk away at $80 or at $100.

This does not improve my odds, but it does restrict the volatility and so restricts the losses.

No more popping in $100 and pushing it.

I have played less video poker and probably not generate those free rooms on Weekends at Coast, but I won't have an experience like last trip when the trip itself cost as much as going where hotel room rates are $100 a night.

I guess I did right. I ended up $470 ahead. Still it is hard to know because I did not really lose many sessions. At the nickle 9/7 progressive triple play at the Orleans, I say down and was dealt four 5's and so had a great bit of money to play with. Elizabeth played as well that night. I ended hitting first four aces and then the royal.

Waiting for food at Ellis Island I my limit was two 20 dollar bills. When they called me for the table I had one hand left to play to deplete the money. I hit four 8's for enough to play a bit after eating and quit when I broke even.

My poker playing improved, so that I left very few sessions with losses. I concentrated on matchplays, free plays, short sessions, and put solid stopping places into the video poker, win or lose.

I spent more in shows and food, but I got good value for most of that.

Overall I am delighted to have refocused a bit and not let the gambling overwhelm all the other possibilities of Vegas.

At the end of my last trip I wondered if I ought to just give it up. Now I look forward to going again in the Spring.
Okay, skim ahead and read and comments are welcome, but if you come from a link I posted on a  discussion board, then probably the richest place to comment is there.