701 Adventures to the 702: TR 5/26 - 6/1
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Langdon
3
2yr agoLeg 2 final preview
we are now T minus a few hours from takeoff. we are checked into our flight so there shouldn't be any shenanigans this time. flight departs at 5:00am sharp. I don't think I've ever had such an early flight before. howeva, we are arriving in Vegas still in the a.m. so that's like a whole extra day.
I got some cash from the bank which did not go unnoticed by Mrs Langdon.
I managed to work about 23 hours already this week. 16 more for holiday and "encouraged PTO" and I am basically already at FT. maybe I'll get to do some fun things Friday. currently that day is still pretty open.
one of us is taking the kids to a show Wednesday night. I'm hoping to convince my wife to go to allow a little degen time, and then some poker after dark as long as I can stay awake.
guess I should start packing....
Langdon
3
2yr agoConclusion, Summary
This trip had a bunch of setbacks. I nearly missed my flight, I went 0-3 in tourneys, got stuck in a parking garage traffic jam, and I had car trouble.
I kinda quit keeping track of my budget. still, I did not need to hit the ATM and I still have cash. luckily this trip was not only about poker tournaments. played cash game sessions at Aria, Mandalay Bay x3, Resorts World, and Bellagio. pretty sure I came out on the plus side side overall in those due to a couple early nice sessions despite some unfortunate missteps later. I actually did change my style a little to play more aggressively per some of your comments, with mixed results. I made 3 costly plays: called an all-in jam with top two pair vs a hidden straight, lost a big pot with pocket tens vs a flopped low straight, and shoved flopped bottom two pair vs a better two pair.
I kinda did everything I wanted to do. quite a few firsts: rode the NYNY coaster (used a myvegas reward for free) and that was a surprisingly awesome ride, played poker at Bellagio, Pai Gow, tried my biggest tourney buy-in, ordered table side food, and got a massage at the poker table.
I took advantage of the card tier matching opportunities. I went from MGM Pearl to Gold without doing any gambling. this saved me about $250 on resorts fees this trip alone. my Gold status will only last 90 days, but we have another trip coming in July that I can use it. got $100 dining credit at Fontainebleu that I will use on a date with my wife, and my poker comps for MB are at $40 that should help us have another decent meal.
staying at MGM Grand was fine. over 3 nights/4 days I ate zero meals on site, because it all seemed overpriced, I only spent a couple hours of a tournament in their poker room, and did no other gambling there. but their pool area is an attractive attraction, and I was there everyday. the room rate was pretty low and I used a myvegas 3-night-stay freeplay to win back the cost of one of those nights. I don't know if KA will be ending soon but I got to see it again just in case and I liked it.
I really like the pool at Aria. it is big and much more chill and relaxing. didn't spend much time in the hotel room, but it was noisy and I didn't sleep very well. it was also a free room via myvegas. also didn't spend much time at Luxor but the Tower room is a nice base at a cheap rate.
only played one session of blackjack and lost $200. (howeva, one interesting note: at one point I felt good about a side bet, and immediately got pocket kings for a 8x win. I literally played Kings Bounty side bet one time and won it. the dealer was impressed.) Ultimate Holdem would be more fun at a lower minimum but at $15, that means I was losing between $30-90 a hand if I hit a bad beat. I dropped $300 there way too quick. face up Pai Gow is probably my new favorite pit game as it takes a little bit of thinking but there is no strategy, there are no bad beats, and your play goes a lot longer.
I did not eat any fancy or amazing meals this time but I was happy enough with what I had.
so I guess that's it. I had a nice relaxing getaway that scratched my poker itch. really got tired of the traffic and parking garages and walking through casinos and crowds, but there's a logical reason for the traffic and crowds: Vegas is a great place to visit. I will actually be returning to Vegas on July 3rd with the wife and kids. the young ones will likely spend most nights at their cousin's house (please not me) so there might be a lot of driving back and forth but I think it can still be a wonderful trip I'm looking forward to. I still have my MGMG room card so I might sneak into their pool again. the only poker will likely be at night where we are staying and a short session at Red Rock. I will likely piggyback that trip onto this TR below.
thanks for following along and for your nice comments....