Just as the plane came over the Nevada mountains and I could see the lights of the strip, I knew it was getting close to poker time! Sin City , here I come! I quickly downed the remainder of my bloody mary, put my tray table up, sat up in my seat, and turned up the volume on my Ipod so I could hear The Who belt out the theme song from CSI (yeah, I’m corny like that!). “Ladies & Gentlemen…At this time the captain requests that all approved electronic, portable devices be turned off in preparation for landing.” BUZZKILL!!
If you have never been to McCarran International Airport , then let me explain. The minute you step off the plane, you’re greeted to the sounds of Vegas since the airport is littered with slot machines. They even have glass encased areas in the middle of the terminal walkways for all the blue hairs that still need to puff on their pall malls while giving a tug on the one armed bandits. It’s tough to see how the’re doing though since all you can see is one big cloud of smoke. I could have sworn I saw the word “help” carved into the nicotine on one of these glass tombs much like you would see the words “wash me” written on the back of a dirty car windshield. Oh well….I didn’t bring my oxygen tank so I headed straight to baggage claim and then got on a $5 shuttle to the hotel.
The Excalibur Hotel is located on the southern part of the strip in between New York New York and The Luxor. The only reason I like staying here is the price. It’s generally the cheapest on the strip and since the only thing I need in my room is a bed and a shower, it suits me just fine. I got my room key, dropped the bag off, and hit the poker room with my buddy Jason who was along for the trip. It wasn’t long before the cards started flowing. One of my favorite things about playing poker are the various characters you meet at the tables. This trip proved no exception. The people at my table this first night were all fairly nice and we had a good time. I thoroughly enjoyed my view since I was situated so that I could watch all the lovely honeys stroll down through the casino while I played my cards. Despite the many visual distractions, I was able to hold my own and I came out little ahead on my first session.
I got up Saturday, had breakfast and decided to go place a few bets on some preseason games. (yeah I know, it’s only preseason, but when in Vegas….) We thought we would try our luck at a tournament over at the Luxor (the pyramid). I got knocked out pretty early but Jason lasted about an hour or so longer than me, but he didn’t finish in the money either so we were both out our $30 entry. As I waited for the tourney to start I was playing in a no limit game at a table with a bunch of Brits. They were really cool but when I first sat down I realized that everyone at the table was getting really tired of this one individual who had obviously been up drinking all night. Unfortunately for them, not only had he been drinking, but he had been winning. He had quite a massive stack of chips in front of him and the “bloke” to my right informed me when I sat down that it was only a matter of time before the drunk’s stack of chips would be distributed between all of us. (Rule # 73 in the poker handbook – If you play drunk, you WILL lose!) Like right on cue, the poor sap started to tilt and everyone took full advantage. It was like a bunch of piranhas on a feeding frenzy. Everyone at the table was just praying they would be the ones to catch the cards and put this guy out of his misery. Needless to say, he died a quick death. After he exchanged a few pleasantries with the dealer, he was politely asked to leave. As drunk and obnoxious as he was, we hated to see our ATM machine leave the room. Oh well, there will be more…
We had fun at the Luxor tournament so we decided to try another one over at Paris . We headed over there and I must say, what a neat casino Paris is on the inside. They have it set up where you feel like you are on the streets of Paris under a starry sky while you are actually inside. Really cool! Anyway, we sit down and start the $60 tournament. I proceed to again go out just before the first break. And once again I put all my chips into the pot with the best hand only to get sucked out on when the community cards improve my opponent’s hand just enough to send me packing. Since Jason is still in again, I decide to walk over to the Bellagio and see the fountain show. It is quite impressive. When I return to Paris , I notice the tournament is down to 2 tables and Jason is still going strong! I watch for a little bit then head over to the Sportsbook to see how the Astros are doing. (I know I previously wrote about them but I am reminded of Al Pacino in The Godfather Trilogy – “Just when I think I’m out….they suck me right back in!”) The Astros win and I notice I have won 2 of my 4 football wagers. No word from Jason so I head back over to the poker room…..He’s at the final table! I watch the rest of the tourney and Jason ends up 3rd with a cash out of almost $500.00! Way to go, bro!
Saturday night was the party night. Everyone was having a great time and the table we were at that night at Excalibur was the most fun I have ever had playing poker. There was a girl from Phoenix sitting to my immediate left who was cracking me up the entire session. The joke of the night was how nice her “rack” was (of chips, that is). All of the dealers and players were in a great mood and the atmosphere could not have been better. I am sure I had a little too much crown b/c I was feeling it the next morning. I was a little nervous when I woke up, however, b/c I didn’t want to roll over and see one of the lovely ladies of the night who had propositioned me on my way back to my room lying next to me. The coast was clear…..WHEW! Although I made it to about 3:00AM, I think Jason saw the sun come up!
Sunday was going to be “old school Vegas” day so we were going to head down to the poker mecca – Binions in downtown. Jason didn’t get up until almost lunchtime so I proceeded to lose some money on those damn Wheel of Fortune slots after breakfast. While I waited, I decided to cash in my winnings from the preseason bets I had made. I take some of the winnings and put them on my mighty Texans who were playing that night. I finally catch up with Jason and we catch a cab to head downtown. We get to Binions only to have to wait for a table for about half an hour. We give up and decide to go over to the Golden Nugget where we played at a limit table for a few hours. Once it got dark, we headed out to Fremont street to catch the Fremont Street Experience. This is hailed as the largest video screen in the world. There is a video/light show projected on a screen right above you on the canopy that stretches an entire 5 blocks! It was extremely impressive!
We head back and end the night as usual by playing on our home turf at Excalibur. Being tired from the previous night, I decide to call it and head to bed. The next morning I cash my winning Texans ticket (they lost the game by 3 points and since I got 4.5 for taking the Texans, I came out a winner). We catch a cab and head to the airport to catch our flight back to H-town. As I strolled through the terminal and looked at the blue hairs and their oxygen tanks in the smoke filled tombs trying to get their last few pulls of the slots in before they too had to catch a flight back to their home, I couldn’t help but feel something similar to what they must have been feeling…..I can’t wait to come back!
