Jump to content

My Disasterous Vegas Vacation


Recommended Posts

Ok , It has taken me a while to write this up , mainly because of what had happened and the negative feelings I had toward myself , but since work is slow today I figured I would post my vegas trip report I took out last month to the wsop . * Disclaimer * This is really long, and is meant to be entertaining. It's all 100 percent completely true. My fiance and I , went out to vegas in middle july with a friend of ours to go spectate the WSOP, and play in a few of the satellites there. We each had 1500 $ for a total of 3 grand to play cards with and just enjoy ourselves. We spent 500 in air travel and rooms and food. We always stay downtown because we like the atmosphere of freemont street alot better then the strip. We always stay at the 4 queens because its cheap , moderate and , well thats where we've always stayed. No one likes to be taken out of thier comfort zone. We always play at the Binions, and thier late night MTT's . The trip began Friday night , flying out of denver around 7pm. Im afraid of flying so I loaded up on 2 zanax , and about 4 shots of whiskey at the airport bar , and about 4 cigs to keep my calm. Was funny , on the flight there was a cat fight in front of us because this chick kept taking her top off and flashing the guy across the aisle .. then she threw up , not bad way to start your trip off . Ok , so we get to vegas around 10 , hail a cab , check into the 4 queens ... The plan was to eat and get some sleep and be refreshed for the morning , but hell , were in vegas .. the lights and the sounds are enough to make u want to stay up for 36 hours. We eat at the diner inside 4 queens (Best croissant BLT ever) , and decide we are going to walk across the street to the binions to play in the MTT at 2am .. I figured Id sit in the 1-2 for a while .. Ok , before I get into the poker playing , I want to shed a little background on myself .. ( I love to play , im a product of the Varkoni series .. I have a massive poker book collection that Ive read cover to cover and includes all the greats. Think of a poker book , I got it .. I play alot of Fulltilt as well. I frequent alot of poker clubs here in the denver metro area with the occasion to blackhawk to sit in on some donkey bingo 2-4 limit. Ive come to Vegas this time around with goals in mind for poker , and for just getting around to see the place )* My goals were * To actually come home with money this time. Before I met my fiance , my trips to vegas were more about enjoying myself and partying it up , not really having a financial mindset when it came to poker, or how I spent my money. I wanted to play solid poker , pick up the idiots and feel good at the end of the night with a profit to show. I did not want to come home a loser. I wanted to go to the WSOP , get all the free stuff I could , and see all the pro's .. I wanted to take in that atmosphere and enjoy it. I wanted to go see and play in the new poker room at the Venetian .. Ok , so you get the idea , these were things I wanted to do ... I had 5 days , 4 nights .. Back to Binions * While waiting on the MTT to start, I decided to sit in the 1-2 NL games ... around midnight , it was only 1 table and a must move table .. so I sat in the must move .. I wont go thru hands, but I did notice a guy that just sat down and lost a stack with AK to a guy with a made preflop hand .. next hand I got was AQ .. same guy as the previous hand in the hand with me, I raise , he raises a ginormous amount , and I read it as him having the same hand .. I push in for 300 and get called and my pocket queens hold up and ive doubled already . * The strategy was to , at the end of the night , peel off our winnings , and set them aside and start the next day with the same 1500 . We were to never touch our winnings. * So im happy , and the MTT begins . I bust out within 3 levels and I start to play 1-2 again , as its late , the drunks are coming in and its easy money. My fiance and friend are still in the MTT . Im running well , winning small pots here and there and enjoying my free cran vodkas .. Around 5am , my fiance is still in it , in fact shes a big stack at the final table . With 130+ players entered , first is getting 1200 and second is getting 750 .. I get off the 1-2 game with another net gain of 150 , which pretty much offset my buyin and rebuy + addon to that MTT , and begin to rail her . She takes second on paper , but they chopped and she got an extra 100 for a total of 850 .. she was short stacked but catching cards and the leader didnt want to play with her . So , boom ..right off the bat up around 1k .... we tuck it away, enjoy a 2.99 steak and egg breakfast at binions and get some much needed sleep. ** WSOP DAY ** Wake up , shower , shave , put on the comfy shoes .. Its gonna be a long day , but its gonna be a great day . I dont care that Im playing , I just want to rail the **** out of people and play in the cash games there and some SnG sats .. so we get down there .. Man , its a big event ... Half naked ladies walking around handing out free shits .. seein all the pro's , just looking into that tournament hall is something else .. The sounds of a couple million chips riffling , its nuts .. MY friend and my fiance go to sit in a Sat ... I go up to the board for the cash games (Which was not ran very well) and I sit in some 2-5 NL .. Im enjoyin myself , gettin free redbulls ... winning pots here and there, not really losing much .. and im up another 300 for the 45 minutes im there or what not .. and I get up and play in a satellite ... Im seated next to Doyle Brunsons daughter ... she was cool , had alot to say about her dad ... alot of her family and famous pro's stopped off to hug her and what not .. greenstein even came over and sweated her for a bit .. I mean , it was just a fun expirience .. she ended up knockin me out tho ... lol . So , everyones having a good time , and we decide ok , enough of the massive crowd of people , lets go eat and play in the 10pm binions ... I won about 300 and then lost my buyin to that sat for 125 , so all in all after cab was like a 150 profit .. Me and my fiance are doing great ... (BTW , she is a fiance and accounting major ... If any of you are having problems keeping track of your money or just need some bank roll budget ... find an accountant and propose) lol .. Not too much happened at binions , I didnt play in the 1-2 as I was tired, so I just railed my fiance , she made the final table again at the binions and got another 400ish for taking 4th. At the end of the night we put our winnings away and started fresh with 1500 again . Something about being ' up ' and winning money , makes everything better. The shower feels great , the food tastes better ... you smile a little more , your a little less negative .. I dunno , winning is good. So , the next morning , we get up ... Im wanting to play poker in the evenings and not in the mornings / afternoons ... alot of drunk guys sit in the Binions 1-2 game and its pretty easy pickins ... so I decide to play some blackjack , while my fiance and friend go play in the 2pm MTT . (They couldnt get enough of these ) .. My fiance was seriously considering buying into the Ladies event , she had been running really well online with some big cashes and seemed to be running deep into these MTTs here .. I was left to my own devices. I walked around the 4 queens , and sat down at the 5 min blackjack . I had really scimmed a blackjack book , and didnt know much about strategy except one called a negative equity . The name alone should have led me NOT to use this strategy , but basically , I just double my bet when I lose a hand, and keep doubling til I win. Hitting a blackjack is what makes this strategy the most common used , because you come out on top instead of even .. * if you hit a blackjack * I sit with a couple ... I lose , I double to 10 .. I lose I double to 20 , I lose I double to 50 ... I hit , they look at me funny , and I walk on to cash out and head over to binions .. Blackjack is super easy to learn and play .. and what the hell , theres blackjack at binions ... ill play ome hands there .. My friend see's my walking to the blackjack tables (he just busted out of the MTT ) and decides to watch me play some. Im explaining my strategy to him , acting like a big shot .. 5 dollar bet , I lose.10 dollar bet, I lose.20 dollar bet, I lose. *drink some beer*50 dollar bet, I lose. *Went to the wallet now, pulling out 100 dollar bills.*100 dollar bet, I lose.200 dollar bet, I lose.400 dollar bet, I lose.*Reaches for the last 800 in my wallet , pull out 8 100 dollars bills , I look to my friend , he's not moving , I think hes in shock that Ive already lost 700 in the matter of 10 minutes .. * For some reason , I didnt hestitate .. I had to win , I cant lose that many friggin hands in a row .. Ill at least get my money back if I win, and if I hit a blackjack , paying 3-2 , I come out ahead .. I plop the 8 100's down on the bet circle ... the dealer yells something to the pit boss , he comes over and watches , nods his head to the dealer .. the pit bos's supervisor comes over ... nods and tells me good luck ..Im dealt a Jack .... and a 3 . NOT THE HAND I WANTED TO SEE .... Dealer shows a 10 , of course I know the strategy and have to assume he had a 10 underneath .. For some reason , I decided to go against common strategy , and stay ... dealer turns up a king , and I go numb . No one says a thing , the people behind me watching me , my friend , the dealer the pitboss ... was like a bomb just went off next to my ear , I couldnt hear anything, and was numb ... my friend grabbed my arm to pull me off the seat .. I had lost all the money in my wallet ... to blackjack. I stood there, and I remember the pitboss callin my name , handing me my players card, and askin if he could get me a burger or something .. Numb , cold .. in shock , I walked to the poker room . I had to tell her .. I cant sit on something like that . God damn , a day I will never ever forget. Granted , now its middle of august and Im financially sound, have plans to go back in november , at the TIME tho , losing your entire roll .... TO A GAME YOU WERENT EVEN THERE TO PLAY .. just takes the wind out of your sails ... I see my fiance, she see's me ... does the thumbs up thumbs down to ask me how im doing , I point down ... I cant move ... Im just stunned ... she comes over to me , walks out to the valet area ... smokes with me and asks me ... I tell her all of it . Im waiting for the " WHAT THE **** JIM" ... she was very supportive... explained that strategy doesnt work if I only have 1500 to play with ... will eventually get paid off , just need a bigger stack. She knew how I was feeling ... she didnt yell at me or try to make me feel worse .. So , we called it an early trip and left the next morning .. She actually paid for my buyin to a MTT that night where I made the final table ... was a confidence boost .... I mean , heres how I look at it ....I took the trip out there to play poker , not blackjack. When I played poker, I didnt have a single losing session and actually made a good amount of money .. I won about 40% of my stack playing poker, and lost 100% of my stack playing blackjack .. What really bothered me the most, and to this day ... is I didnt get to do what I wanted to do .. I left the RIO thinking I would be back the next day to walk around the booths , and get some free stuff , and see more of it .... I figured that I would be able to play some holdem inside the new venetian poker room ... I wanted to eat at the bellagio buffet .. I couldnt do that because I was so stupid .. my fiance didnt play in the ladies event ... because I had lost so much money.. I dont blame her , no one wants to come home and say they lost it all ... come home with some , put it away for next time was the plan ... I cringe every time I see the World series of BLACKJACK on tv now ... I just feel ... yuck ... I dunno , I look back and I cant wait to get my grips on the felt again ... Everything was running so smooth and according to plan , but one little mistep cost me a big portion of the goals I had ...I will never play a single hand of blackjack again. Anyways, since July , Ive won quite a bit on FT poker, and have decided my new goal is to have my online winnings pay for my next trip out there ... keeps me goal orientated and makes me work for what I want ... i heard aboslute poker has blackjack now , maybe Ill go check it out :-) ... not . :club:

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 140
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

That sucks man, but I can tell you with no uncertainty that the doubleup strategy DOES NOT WORK even if you have an unlimited bankroll. This is due to the table maximums (set low specifically to beat this strategy) and the fact that the casino can deny your bet and not allow you to play at any time. Plus the fact that you were essentially betting $800 to win $5, just foolish. You don't have to quit blackjack and never play again, you just have to play it for enjoyment and not to make money. The only real way to make a consistant, predictable income at blackjack is to count cards, which is a difficult skill to pick up and an easy one to spot if you're the casino.*Edit* What table we you playing that allowed you to bet $5 and $800 anyway? Never heard of such a thing...

Link to post
Share on other sites
Good story, hopefully some of us learn from your mistake... sucks that you lost so much money though...Thanks for sharing
You found someone to marry you...talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut.
Link to post
Share on other sites

Double up catch up.I bet 5 lost10 lost20 lost 40 lost80 lost160 lost 320 lost 640 WON!!!Everyone was all excited and I was like "I won 5$"I'm pretty sure that was the last time I tried it.One other thing you talked about getting 3-2 with BJ. What happens if you get a decent bet up there and you get AA or 88? You split em cause you're supposed to. Then the BJ gods slap the crap out of you for playing a st00pid system and lose both hands.I'm glad your fiance was cool about it.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Good story, hopefully some of us learn from your mistake... sucks that you lost so much money though...Thanks for sharing
You found someone to marry you...talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut.
Link to post
Share on other sites
That sucks man, but I can tell you with no uncertainty that the doubleup strategy DOES NOT WORK even if you have an unlimited bankroll. This is due to the table maximums (set low specifically to beat this strategy) and the fact that the casino can deny your bet and not allow you to play at any time. Plus the fact that you were essentially betting $800 to win $5, just foolish. You don't have to quit blackjack and never play again, you just have to play it for enjoyment and not to make money. The only real way to make a consistant, predictable income at blackjack is to count cards, which is a difficult skill to pick up and an easy one to spot if you're the casino.*Edit* What table we you playing that allowed you to bet $5 and $800 anyway? Never heard of such a thing...
In Tunica about the lowest limits are 5-2500. So you can play double up catch up for a while.
Link to post
Share on other sites
I will never play a single hand of blackjack again. Anyways, since July , Ive won quite a bit on FT poker, and have decided my new goal is to have my online winnings pay for my next trip out there ... keeps me goal orientated and makes me work for what I want ... i heard aboslute poker has blackjack now , maybe Ill go check it out :-) ... not . :club:
Sorry u had to learn about Blackjack the hard way!Also, I hate to tell y'all the truth but u need to triple up each time u lose if u wanna make money!
Link to post
Share on other sites

baaahahah Clark Griswold.! welcome to the sucks at blackjack club.P.S. You're an odd fellow, are you the same guy who said he has a fear of driving?you seem to have fear of unknown, and I say this because you stick with what you like, and what you're comfortable with, you hate flying, and i can only assume driving. You stuck with 1/2 because it was easy money and yet you decide to throw away all tha tmoney at black jack.I dont know if i'm the only one who thinks this but maybe "blackjack" isnt your problem.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Tough Story - you should burn that blackjack book as the "double up" strategy either wins you a little or loses you a lot. Sounds like you have a great fiancee though - good to know that she won't tear you a new one after you ****** up.Good write up also - at least you did well at the poker tables!

Link to post
Share on other sites
baaahahah Clark Griswold.! welcome to the sucks at blackjack club.P.S. You're an odd fellow, are you the same guy who said he has a fear of driving?you seem to have fear of unknown, and I say this because you stick with what you like, and what you're comfortable with, you hate flying, and i can only assume driving. You stuck with 1/2 because it was easy money and yet you decide to throw away all tha tmoney at black jack.I dont know if i'm the only one who thinks this but maybe "blackjack" isnt your problem.
No , I l love to drive , yes Hate to fly. What is my problem then? I dont think Im afraid of the unknown since I ventured into Blackjack with it being a relative unknown to me ...
Link to post
Share on other sites

agreed...blackjack sucks!!!i was in vegas in march. put in a few hours at a 1-2 NL table and won $200. went to a blackjack table and lost it all, playing the minimum ($15), and did not win a single hand. i vowed then and there to never play blackjack again. granted, i didn't lose my bankroll, but once you play poker and can make rational decisions, it makes you never want to play the games of pure chance again. been back to vegas twice since then and have not even considered playing blackjack. keep the faith.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yea my fiance is great ... When my friend jokingly called me a dumbass or something , she was quick to point out that "You dont have the stones to lay that kinda money out there .. " I replied something to the tune of , "or lack of brains" .. lol I love her .

Link to post
Share on other sites
No , I l love to drive , yes Hate to fly. What is my problem then? I dont think Im afraid of the unknown since I ventured into Blackjack with it being a relative unknown to me ...
sorry, got my fear of driving guy mixed up. I think he has a similar avatar.anyways, Its very odd that you stay off the strip and enjoy what you're used too. but you will go ahead and throw your money at a game like blackjack without any idea.The whole "gotta win back my losses" is a sign of gambling problem. I'm glad to know you play poker differently and have a roll and limit.stay away from -ev gambling
Link to post
Share on other sites
sorry, got my fear of driving guy mixed up. I think he has a similar avatar.anyways, Its very odd that you stay off the strip and enjoy what you're used too. but you will go ahead and throw your money at a game like blackjack without any idea.The whole "gotta win back my losses" is a sign of gambling problem. I'm glad to know you play poker differently and have a roll and limit.stay away from -ev gambling unless you have a system.
FYP
Link to post
Share on other sites

Why anyone plays table games is a mystery to me. But maybe that's just because I like money and hate fun.I guess I'm one of the few people who goes to Vegas to gamble all the time, but I have never wagered a single dollar at anything outside of a poker room. I just can't do the math in my head that makes it alright for me to inexorably give my money to the house. (But I also don't drink, go to clubs, consort with questionable women, etc.. So, as my friends like to tell me, Vegas is almost wholly wasted on me and I suck. But, as I like to tell them, I've never yet left Vegas with less money than I came with in my pockets, while they spend their flights home devising elaborate stories to tell their wives.)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm puzzled as to how a man who reads so much would actually employ the most common dealth trap in the pit...otherwise known as the Martingale System.I feel for you OP...hopefully you learn from this experience.

Link to post
Share on other sites
sorry, got my fear of driving guy mixed up. I think he has a similar avatar.anyways, Its very odd that you stay off the strip and enjoy what you're used too. but you will go ahead and throw your money at a game like blackjack without any idea.The whole "gotta win back my losses" is a sign of gambling problem. I'm glad to know you play poker differently and have a roll and limit.stay away from -ev gambling
I dont play poker like that. I get up when im tired , I dont try and win the money back that I might have lost. I look at it as a session over a month , and thats that ... I dont have a gambling problem , I just think I ' tripped offline ' or short circuited for a few minutes and when I came to , I had lost 1500 bucks . LoL ...
Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

Announcements


×
×
  • Create New...