So, my flights had been rearranged for the 23rd May after being cancelled in April due to the volcano. Had to get to the airport a little earlier than usual as could not select seats on rearranged flights. Needed them together as travelling with the family including my 3 year old. Was a pain in the ass to start with. Was flying with Virgin and had to self check-in. The terminal kept booting me out half way through and the 'non-customer service' rep kept saying it could only be done through there. Eventually she relented and let us do it at the desk/bag drop.
stood there for another 15 minutes but eventually got 4 seats together. Flight over was pretty uneventful, bar a load of scousers drinking the free bar dry and being threatened with arrest when they refused to sit in seats and congregated by the doors.
This was the first time i've flown direct and terminal 2 at McCarron is sooo much quieter and quicker to get through. Had a result at immigration too when the guard saw I had a young child with me so let skip to front of queue!
Taxi driver took a long route to the excalibur so got a minimal tip. He then started on about why the tip was small so, with rest of family out of earshot, told him in a slightly nicer way that he was a scheming cunt for going a long way and to stop begging. Was on the cusp of asking for the minuscule tip back, for his cheek of asking, but told him to simply fuck off instead.
Check-in was quick and had adjacent rooms with walk-through door, as requested.
Room was basic and old. Bathroom only has a shower WTF? opened the adjoining doors to find two towers of beer cans/bottles inbetween the two doors. Could see the funny side of it, even if the cleaners are lazy fucks, and just put em in bin and left it in the corridor.
had a quickie dinner of Maccie Ds that first evening and an early night. Got the shopping at the outlet centres out the way the next day, for the mrs at least. I spent a few hours entertaining the little un on the rides etc and the disney shop whilst the mrs and mother in law shopped, then get told were leaving before I get a chance to buy anything!!!!
First night out go sight-seeing along the strip and go to sahara for some cheap roulette and blackjack. Mrs gets carded and so can't play. Shes nearly thirty but isn't carrying her passport around. so we play some slots for a couple of hours and finish up a bit. Comedy moment when after a few drinks she is hungry and wants a hotdog. For some drunken reason asks me what to order, with my blunt reply in a loud voice being ' a bloody hotdog'. Cue person at bar and barman thinking I want one too...lol
Did plenty of stuff for the littleun, visiting all the kids places. another com moment being visiting the adventuredome at circuscircus. Just about the only decent thing at the place. An attendant on one of the rides was the spit of MC from blondepoker. Was so tempted to surreptitiously film him and then post a 'MC broke in vegas and working at the adventuredome shocker'. I'm sure it woulda been taken in good heart.
Little un played plenty of games at the midway fair in the excalibur and won sooo many soft toys it was a wonder they all fit in the suitcase.
Like any 3 year old he loved the rain and thunder in the miracle mile and the monsoon and animals in the rainforest cafe. Not sure what the staff thought about him throwing burger at the cheater halfway up the wall that he was trying to feed!!!
The excalibur, and the strip in general was very busy the weekend we left. Not surprising as it was a holiday weekend.
Onto the poker and there wasn't much of it. This was expected as was a family holiday really. We had also agreed to take it in turns to stay in at night, so stayed in 2 nights to look after little un. Couldn't really play on the nights out either as neither the mrs or mother in law play poker. This left the daytime, when not doing the sightseeing shit. Ended up playing 6 tournies, 2 at the excalibur and 4at the luxor.
In short, these tournies have few runners, and are abso crapshoots. Also have standard vegas redic reg fees of 30%.
Played on 3 different days, 2 tournies a day.
The Luxor tournies were $33 buyins, they had 3k starting stacks and blinds as follows:
50/100 - 20 mins
100/200 - 20 mins
200/500 - 20 mins
500/1000 - 15 mins
1000/2000 - 15 mins
2000/4000 - 15 mins
4000/8000 - 15 mins
First tourney I made the final table, but was short and eventually busted about 6th, with 3 paying. 2 noticeable hands. JJ into 77 on a J high flop. Guy gutted a straight on the river. Exit hand 22 into 92, 9 on the flop.
Second tourney I got to double average quickly. Going ok when a shortish player all in. I called with AKs and so does oppo to my left. shortie had 1010 and leftie had 88. Flop was 998!!. Managed to check it down. Then getting short raised with 109s. got called ny leftie. I pushed the 9 high flop and he called with jacks. The guy was a rack. Had jacks or higher about 8 times in first two orbits. Was poor too. He overbet constantly when he had top pair. Usually on connected boards.
Third tourney I got to final but was never comfortable. K3s on the button no match for A9 on the bubble.
Fourth tourney I got up to double starting stack by making decent plays and c bets in good spots in first level. This was the only time you had chips to play any sort of poker, after that it was odds and situations for your stack. Though most players couldn't/didn't adjust. Made the final table then just picked spots to pick up chips. One player wanted an even chop with 6 left, 3 paying but got told no. I then took out two players, including him. One of em had limped with QQ on my big, leaving a couple of bigs behind. I had 75 and a 7 on the flop had me putting him all in. Obvo the 5 hit to give me a winning two pair. He appeared confused as to why i bet with 3rd pair, like I was folding after I had hit and he was soo short. Got 3 handed and I had almost half the chips. Lost about 7 hands in a row when a flop was seen to go short. Got some pushes through and once I knocked out the 3rd place woman me and oppo were even with chips and about 6bigs each so chopped the money. A little over $200 each.
The excalibur tournies were $40 buyins with 3k starting chips and blinds as follows:
50/100 - 15 mins
100/200 - 15 mins
200/400 - 15 mins
400/800 - 15 mins
800/1600 - 15 mins
1600/3200 - 15 mins
3200/6400 - 15 mins
An absolute crapshoot.
First tourney I double up first level when AK beats A10, all in on an A high flop!! Then just pick spots where i can. These crazy asian guy kept going allin pre. He got caught out but re bought and went on a heater to have a huge stack. The table was a pretty fun one, with one huge guy from Kentucky doing all the talking at first. He could play as well as he could talk though and crazy asian guy did for him. I was sat next to an aussie called Trent he seemed like a decent bloke. Was talking sports with him and MMA. He had come over for the fan expo and UFC 114. He was meant to be with a mate but his mate had pulled out 2 days before!
The tourney staff in this were a fucking joke, worst i've ever seen. The dealers were retirees who couldn't count, and would then refuse to admit they were wrong. Three guys were all in and she miscounted, calling a 500 chip a 1000 one and then getting the sidepots fucked up. Lukily the biggest stack won the hand so it didn't really matter.
Ends up 4 left and they still haven't put up the payouts. dealer asks if 3 or 4 pay. get told 3 pay and shortie gets knocked out and leaves. 10 mins later they put up that 4 pay out. Informed that 4th has already left and they say, no computer is wrong but we can't change and and say only 3 pay. They then have to recalculate the payouts. Obvo fucked up before. I busted 3rd for $115. Bust out was a beat when short but damage had been done when I got A5 to put asian guy in. Unfortunately aussie woke up with A7 and board ran low to give him the better 5th card kicker.
heads up between aussie and asian crazy lasted one hand. Asian guy had a small flush but aussie gutted a straight flush on the river.
Second tourney never saw a hand and busted mid tourney when my A9 could race v 55. Why the 55 player thought they were ahead when they called I do not know.
So that was it on the poker front. wanted to play much more but didn't have the time or freedom to do so. In all honesty i'll leave Vegas to going with mates in future. Whilst the tourist stuff is okay, it doesn't really need doing when you done it before. Only thing that's changed is that city centre is now completed. Looks pretty good and certainly fills the void. Now they need to get restarted on fontainblue and echelon place, as that end of the strip looks somewhat old and deserted.
