TR: Small Balla (and wife) take on Vegas (7/19-7/14)

[kevstreet]

Caveat: This trip report does not contain any stories of strippas or jail sentences, just a thirty-something small part-time poker player who spends a few days in Las Vegas. Oh and I'm not all that witty either...


Every time I read a trip report I wish there were pictures. So I've included one of my wife and I that was taken during our vacation. This is, by the way, the first time I've posted a photograph of myself during my stint on Two Plus Two (man I really thought I was better looking than this)



Arrival

We fly out of Buffalo at 7 am on Sunday July 9th. Of course I can't sleep the night before because I'm so anxious. We touch down in LV at approx 8:30 am and take the provided shuttle to the Flamingo. As we wait in line to check-in I tell my wife I'm going to get a room upgrade by paying off the hotel desk clerk (aka the "$20 Trick") As we approach I wink at my wife and say "watch this" I take a $20 bill, fold it up and place it on the desk w/ my credit card. "Do you have any upgrades available, my wife and I are on our honeymoon?" The receptionist looks down at my twenty, looks up at me, and then makes a face as if I was asking for her phone number. "Um, well we have upgrades I'll explain the cost of them to you in a second. Meanwhile I'm going to go to the end of the desk and pretend I'm doing something, when I get back I really hope that $20 is off the desk" ...PWNED! Not only are we not upgraded she proceeds to tell us that we have to wait until 3 PM to check-in, two bad beats and I'm not even checked in yet.

Pool

We rip through our luggage and grab a couple of bathing suits and head to the pool. Fortunately there are only a bajillion people hanging by the Flamingo pool at 9 am. We hit the bar and order two Malibu & Pineapples ($16 drinks / $4 tip) and painstakingly look for two chairs. We finally find 2 that has about a quarter inch of room on each side. As I finally maneuver my way around and sit down my drink goes ass-over-tea kettle. "Two coronas please" ($9/$3) much better and hardly any chance of spillage. We settle in but I'm ready for some poker and tell my wife I'll be back in one hour. (By the way, where is a decent pool without the chaos? We stayed at the Mirage last year and it was just as bad.)


Poker

I hit the 1/2 NL table at the Flamingo and buy-in for the max amount of $300.

The first hand I play I pick up wired 8s and raise it up $8 from the CO... button calls, the rest fold. Flop A 10 9r, I check (possibly looking to C/R) button checks. Turn T and I lead out for $15, lady calls. River is a 3 and I'm feeling frisky and represent aces up or trip tens and lead again for $26 hoping/praying she folds... she snap calls w/ pocket 6s... MHIG! This probaly wasn't the brightest of plays on my part w/ that board especially considering she had position on me but I needed to get my feet wet.

The biggest hand I had in my first session was A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Early raise to $8 w/ one caller and I call on the button. Flop 10 high rainbow. Check check and I bet $15, both call. Turn 10, I bet $30, one caller. River is an Ace and I fill up and bet $50... fold.

First Poker Session: + $115

Dining (Margaritaville)

2 Coronas
2 "Catch of the Days" (Blackened Tilapia)
$30/$10

This was a nice lunch, complete w/ reggae tunes, cold beer and good food. We also had an interesting conversation w/ a couple next to us. Apparently they were locals and lived 5 minutes away from a brothel. The guy explained his girlfriend or wife makes $20 a day there. I tell her she needs a raise and she takes this as a compliment.

Drinking & Prince

We finally check-in, shower and head to the Mandalay Bay to see Purple Reign at the House of Blues. I ask a young waiter at the restaurant where the show room is for concerts. He lets me know it's right next door and asks if I'm going to the Prince show. He then gives me two VIP tickets. Sweet, I give him $5 and we head to the Rum Jungle to warm up w/ a few more drinks before the show. The Jungle is a great place and the drinks were fantastic. I had a Hawaiian Pau and Bobbi (my wife) had a Rum Jungle Juice ($24 / ?) We then head over for the concert. At this time there is a line to get in and I go to the doorman and give him the VIP tickets. He lets me know the tickets will get me in but not past that 30 minute line. Oh well, the show was great! Prince turned into Morris Day about half way through and I was completely back in the 80s again. Oh the VIP tickets included a free drink. I had a Vodka/Red Bull/Purple Razzmatazz and officially was off my ass. We took the short bus home after the show which seemed to take about an hour to get back to the Flamingo. Of course drunken breakfast was in order at the Flamingo Cafe and officially kept us up around-the-clock (EST)

Day one complete. If there isn't much interest I'll discontinue the report (I'd understand).

Here's a picture from later in the week, just in case.

[Ditch Digger]

Nice, keep em coming.

[skipperbob]

Good Report....Keep 'em coming...Nice looking wifey [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Shilly]

Whoa, I always thought you were a college student.

Nice report. Planning on playing any WSOP events?

[kevstreet]

[ QUOTE ]
Planning on playing any WSOP events?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll give you the answer to this during day 2's recap, ok?

[AliasMrJones]

ZOMG, I see that you said there was a pic of you and your wife so I of course scroll down looking for the pic before I read the story. At the bottom of the post it says, "Here is a pic..." So I sit there waiting for the pic to load. Then, poof, it loads and your wife looks a lot like Daniel N. Oh wait, there's another pic near the top! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Nice report. More please!

[AMT]

nice report kev

i met negreanu also while i was in vegas, chatted for a while and he is really a stand up guy, just as personable as he is on tv. nh

[ALReturnsLOL]

Good report. Mad props that you got to meet DN.

[wiggs73]

Nice report. Post stuff from the other days too, we all [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] trip reports.

[Jay Riall]

Man, Daniel Negraneau looks rundown in that picture.