Las Vegas Trip Report… August 2008 Key facts: When: August 23rd to 28th 2008 How long: 6 days and 5 nights in Vegas Who: Darren and Tracey (my wife) with Linsey (my sister) and Stuart (my brother-in-law)
DAY 1 - Saturday 23rd August
5am alarm call @ home. Linsey and Stu picked us up at 6.30am. Arrived at LGW @ 7.45. Flight delayed so back to the bar! 10.45 departure, became 1 o/c departure! (damn, losing Vegas time here!) 7.30pm Saturday and we are still in the air. Some useful (useless!?) facts: 3 hours and 24 minutes to go (1,700 miles!). Scheduled arrival = 14:53 local time. We are going 554 mph, and have covered 3,643 miles! It is 11.36am in Vegas now (7.36pm for us). When we got out the (air conditioned) airport the heat hit us. OMFG! It was ridiculously hot. Last time we went there it was March (2006), so considerably cooler. August is horribly hot. The good news is that Casinos have air-con! 8-) We got a taxi/MPV from the airport to our hotel (the one with the fountains!). Arrived at the Bellagio at about 5 o/clock ish. We had to change room initially as our room on 14th smelt of recent cigarette smoke (despite it being a non-smoking floor). Moved to 26th floor. Unpacked quickly; then quick wash and spray then out for 6 o/c to hit the strip! (Yeeeeee). Walked around Bellagio casino for a bit then headed towards Caesars. The Bellagio shops and the Caesars Forum shops are amazing; that's if u like shopping (which I don't especially!). Then checked out poker room action in Caesars; in my view Caesars has one of the nicest poker rooms in Vegas. And it was packed, so lots of action. Here fishy fishy….. Then went to the Cheese-cake factory for dinner. OMG - HUGE portions. I had a ribs and steak combo and was just crazy (especially as my body thought it was middle of night by now!). Back to Bellagio room by about 9pm (5am for us) as we were all knackered! Straight to kip!
Had a terrible night's sleep; waking regularly; clearly body clock is up the spout! Woke at 4am. Wide awake! Opened the curtains, put TV on etc. We were up and out on the strip by 5am! (LOL). Got a cup of black tea from Starbucks in the new Planet Hollywood opposite (was The Alladin last time we were here). Then checked out their poker room (well, poker area). 2 cash games in progress. Then played the poker machines for a bit of fun (wifey likes them). Then walked to Paris to check out their poker room (not much going on) and then across the bridge near Ballys, and back to the Bellagio. Met up with Linsey and Stu. 8.15am - The 4 of us went off to the Wynn (via taxi) for Champagne Breakfast. Very nice. Had loadsa lovely grub, and several glasses of champagne, and a bloody Mary (why not?!). Felt a little - hic - tipsy. Then booked a show at the Wynn for tonight. Then the 4 of us went to the shopping Mall opposite the Wynn, and I then left the other 3 guys at 11.30am to head to Caesars for the 12 midday tourney ($135 entry). Not helped by the fact that I walked the wrong way out of the Shopping Mall and ended up in the bloody desert! (nothing to do with the Wynn breakfast; honest!). Anyway, I got there in time and registered for the 12 o/c MTT. $125 + $10 for 7.5k chips. Highlights of play: Correctly folded KK pre-flop, then got AA the next hand a doubled up. Won a big pot when I called a PFR with 58o and flopped a draw, and was then allowed to hit [on Turn] with odds when over-pair slow played. Nice! I got lucky along the way, and managed a 3-way chop for 3rd/4th/5th - the 2 big stacks were in a different league chip-wise. Met the other 3 guys in the Sea Horse bar near Caesars poker room. Had a beer to celebrate my winnings (despite the fact that I'd been drinking beers all afternoon for $1 each!). Note to poker-playing blokes: If you leave your wife shopping in Vegas all afternoon whilst you are playing in a poker tournament, she will spend more than you win! Then grabbed some quick food from food-court (fish and chips!) and headed back to the Bellagio to get ready for the show @ The Wynn that we booked tonight. Gotta be out at 8.45pm for taxi (back) to the Wynn for the show - Le Reve. Very, very good if you haven't seen it. The problem is that we were all stupidly tired, so we were literally falling asleep during the show. We had planned an afternoon nap, but some idiot spent all afternoon in the poker room!. The show was over by 11pm (and we couldn't wait to get out and get to sleep!). Asleep by 11.30pm! [light-weights!]. …………………………………………………………………………………….. Day 3 – Monday 25th August Woke at 7am (better than 4am). Had great night's sleep. Out by 8am. Shopping Mall (again!) to change Tracey's jeans that she bought yesterday (found big hole in them - no not the ones where you are supposed to put your legs!). The Mall wasn't yet open, so went and had a coffee and muffin. Then walked across to the new Palazzo and then to parent hotel the Venetian. Very nice poker room! Played on the machines for a bit (poker and elec BJ). Then went back to the Mall (finally, open!). Changed the jeans, etc then got taxi to MGM / New York. Then headed to Harley Davidson for lunch at 12.30 with Linsey and Stu. After went for the 3pm $65 freeze-out MTT in Caesars, with Tracey playing too. My 44 walked into 56 on a 234 flop so I was out fairly early on (DOH!). Wifey lasted a bit longer, but was ultimately eliminated by about 4.30pm. Back to room at 5 o/c for a much needed kip. I woke at 6.45, and for a while thought it was morning. LOL. U gotta love Vegas. Met at Linsey and Stu's room for Champagne whilst watching the Bellagio fountains, with the matching music on the TV. Marvellous! Then went to the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio for 8.30. We ordered a bottle of bubbly whilst we were waiting to be seated (we had booked a table on the patio over-looking the fountains, so didn't mind a little wait - there are only 4 tables out there!). Dinner was fantastic, we had the 6 course menu comprising of lobster, then scallops, then fois grois, then lamb for main and a choice of puddings! Hmmm. We had a bottle of white early on then a $200 bottle of red later! OMG! This was a stupidly expensive night (the tip was $100!!!!), but it was really lovely food and service. Back to room for 11.30pm ish for a cash top-up then we went out to Palms as none of us had been there before. What a complete and utter cr*p hole. We thought it would be like the Rio, but we were sooooo wrong. It had a really rubbish feel, and seemed to be populated by dodgy types in their little gangs. The poker room looked rubbish etc etc. We weren't impressed, so had a quick beer and left! To top it all we were in the taxi queue and the guy in front of us threw up, stepped over it, and moved along the line. How lovely?!. Back to the Bellagio again. We played the - now addictive - spinning wheel fruit machines, without winning the millions jackpot (surprise!). At about 1.15am we went back to our room to get changed - as wifey and I had decided to go for the 2am tourney in Planet Hollywood….Cos we can; lol. Only 3 tables in the 2am tourney, but enough for a decent game. $50 + $10 buy-in. I started playing very loose and showed several hands to create an image. The best one was UTG raise with 7To and flopped the full house. Bet flop, bet turn and check raise river. Oppo folded so I showed. LOL. Unfortunately wifey bubbled as we approached the final, going out a very tired 10th. I kept playing and got lucky here and there to build a bit of a stack. To cut a long story short, I walked away with 1st place @ 5.15am (despite oppos wanting to do a deal with 3 left). Back to room but couldn't sleep until 6.15+ as I was too hyper. Then awake at 7.30, then back to sleep. You gotta love Vegas! . ……………………………………………………………………………………… DAY 4 – Tuesday 26th August Woke at 9.15am (!!) Had breakfast at Bellagio pool café; eggs on toast & a cuppa tea!; marvellous. Off to a shopping Mall (again!) somewhere off the strip, to get Mumsy a present (for having the kids whilst we are away). Stopped off at the big Gamblers store on the way. Great array of poker chips, Tables, books, etc. Most amusing taxi guy who gave us a top tip to get into gentlemen's clubs for free! Lol. Then to shopping mall. Bought lots of gear - including several funky t-shirts etc - and had to buy a new suitcase/bag to get home! Then got taxi to MGM to play some blackjack (me and Stu counting). Sonny the dealer sussed that we were counting and kept asking us questions involving us having to give him numerical responses (to confuse us and throw us off the count). Good fun, but hard work! We then went to play the - ever more addictive - Reel Winner machines, and dropped more cash! (surprise). We then went to the watch shop to look at a v expensive watch that Stu wants to buy. Somehow wifey left the shop with a rotating diamond ring on her finger!!!!!! What was I saying about wives spending more than you win ?! Walked back to the Bellagio along the strip, and got back to room at 6.45pm ish. Popped in to see Bills "new card-room" - LOL ! Quick bath then met Lins and Stu at 7.15pm for more Champagne in our room. More fountains and music, etc. I could get used to this! We then went off to Caesars at 8ish for a meal at Joe Stone-crabs @ 8.30. The meal wasn't great (served by gangsters!) but we had a fantastic laugh between the 4 of us - mainly at Stu's expense! Afterwards, I walked wifey back to room and then went to the midnight tourney at Caesars. $65 for 2500 chips. Early double up with sneakily played KK vs player holding a J on J high flop. At the end I suffered a horrid beat with 5 players left. My JJ losing to 33 - all-in pre-flop. Obviously he flopped a 3. So I ended up taking 5th and (just) in the money - but not gonna change the world! Back to room at 3.30am. …………………………………………………………………………………… Day 5 – Wednesday 27th August Last full day ! (gutted). Early wake up at 7am by Mrs Allen. Grabbed some tea and a muffin at 8 o/c. Met Lins and Stu at 9.30 ish. Then I had the full breakfast at the Bellagio poolside café. Wifey not hungry, and the other guys were sun-bathing. Afterwards I had a brief (30 min) sunbathe, and then headed down the strip to the Venetian's midday $150 MTT. Apparently the best (in terms of size) field at the moment. They weren't wrong. Had 90+ runners I think. Had pretty rough time. Mainly dealt complete crap and yet when I had a hand I didn't get any action (AA twice!). Also KK lost to AQ called all in pre-flop. He flopped the A (obviously!). I somehow survived to 22nd, but overall very disappointed. In the end my A6o all in from button walked into AQ on the BB. Marvellous. Back to hotel room at 5 o/c ish. Wifey asleep so I had a kip. Woke at 7pm (feeling rough due to the $1 beers in the afternoon!) and had a quick shower. We met L&S at 7.45pm for (surprise) more champagne in their room. Fountains, music, etc etc. We walked to Caesars and the Forum shops, etc and then grabbed a table in BOA, the restaurant. Our first visit, and much recommended. We got a table on the terrace over-looking the strip and Caesars. V nice! Fois grois, Dover sole, Vino, etc. Walked back to Caesars to catch the end of the Pussycat Doll show (shame !). Then from there we walked back to the Bellagio and dropped another $100 on the (now annoying) Wheel of Fortune machines! Bed at 1am. …………………………………………………………………………………… Day 6 – Thursday 28th August Woke at 7am! Packed cases then grabbed a tea and pastry from downstairs in the Bellagio. Checked out at 9.30. Went to look around shops to kill some time and get some gifts, then had lunch in the Bellagio restaurant near the gardens in the main reception (name?). Big burger and a couple of strong pints later we were ready to leave for the airport (at 1pm ish). We flew at 4pm ish and got home to England early on Friday morning. DOH! What a great time tho…….need to book the next visit !!!!!!!
Darren Allen (aka GoldenBalls)
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