Vegas was fun, not amazing or great, just fun. Like the Wii which you play around with for a few months (if that) but inevitably put away because the novelty wears off and the graphics are subpar compared to the PS3. I seriously needed a vacation even before the job loss, and this had been planned for one of my off weeks.
But like the procrastinator I am, I didn't cram and memorize all the poker theory from the 9 poker books I have (no joke). And so the night before the flight out to sin city, I was still washing clothes and figuring out what to pack. I did take Caro's Book of Poker Tells, Sklansky et al's Small Stakes Holdem, and Jones' Winning Low Limit Holdem. They did help take me off tilt a few times during the trip and might have plugged some chip leaks, but weren't the boon to my small-stakes game as I thought they would be.
So thus begins Day 1 of 4, part 1 of 2, the chronicles of the destruction of my poker bankroll...
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The flight out of Houston was at 10:30AM. Mama dropped me off at 6:30 on her way to work, so I had a good couple of hours at the airport with my poker books. But I didn't want to be a cliche, the hapless fool who thinks he can beat Vegas with his 'How to Win at Blackjack' or 'How to Count Cards', so I refrained and caught up on some NPR podcasts. Like the day before the big test, I normally defer all studying to the absolute very last moment. As a sidenote, poker is a beatable game since you're not playing against the house but against (as I would find out) idiots, who should hemorrhage chips your way but don't, and cause you to tilt even at limit holdem.
The flight was nice except for this one lady who kept recounting her story of her trip to Houston for some Catholic retreat with her sister. Along the way, she told me about how expensive her Lantus was (after I let slip that I was a pharmacist). I let her know about Victoza and Byetta since she asked, but wondered silently why she wouldn't just try something cheaper instead of the regimen of metformin and Lantus. Patient assistance programs are like drug dealers: the first hit is free.
Looking out the window at the vast shades of brown of sand, rock formations and canyons, I wondered who in their right minds would build a city in the middle of a desert. And then again once more in Dubai. Oh well, don't question, just enjoy.
The plane touched down shortly after 11:40AM. Walking into the airport terminal, I was greeted by the siren sounds of slot machines--sorry babes, you're not my type. McCarran is a thoroughly confusing airport, but I eventually made my way to the entrance where the prepaid shuttle sat outside. My plane ticket, shows, and shuttle were all prepaid online, which is nice not to shell out any dough but they all made it distinctly clear that gratuity was not included. I prepped a $3 tip, which was 50% of the $6 ride, but didn't give it to the driver because I had taken care of my own two small bags. Would you tip a carryout place? Perhaps I should've tipped considering the lukewarm luck that ensued.
Becky at the check-in counter at Imperial Palace was nice enough. She seemed like Harlequin from Batman except with dirty blonde curls. Most of the Vegas employees I met had this affected smile plastered on their faces, just glad to have a job. But I don't care if people fake it so long as they have the decency to fake it. As she handed me the room cards, she pointed the way to the elevators with her off-hand.
I passed by some cocktail waitresses on the way to the lifts (there were quite a few Brits there). Damn, black thong underneath see-through negligee! I lament, 'I'm just here to play poker, but they make it so hard..to keep focused!' Vegas is most assuredly not for the weak-minded..
The digs were nicer than I expected. Imperial Palace is a cheap place smack in the middle of the strip. Room rates for weekdays with all their deals can be cheaper than a motel in Victoria, TX. I flipped through the coupon books and trashed most of it, unpacked, washed up, and got ready to walk to the Rio to pick up the ticket for Penn & Teller.
If you've never been to Vegas, just be aware that all strip maps should include a disclaimer, 'objects are much, much farther than they appear!' I knew this since this was my second time, but I figured I was going to sit down to a buffet later that afternoon, so I'd need some exercise. A mile and a half later, I was at the Rio, navigating the maze of a casino to the theater, which was closed. Apparently I could've gotten the tickets at the front desk which was right at the front entrance. Great.
I trekked the 1.5 miles back to the strip and thought, 'Hell, might as well go to the very north of the strip and get it over with on the first day!' As far as I'm concerned, the very north is the Wynn, since I'm pretty sure the poker action at Riviera, Sahara, or Circus Circus would not warrant the time spent walking there.
So after 45 minutes from the Rio, I got to the Wynn. It's really good this was a solo trip because my friends would have been hating me at this point. I signed up for their club card to get the comps I would never use this trip (just for practice), and headed my way to the buffet.
As would happen frequently during this trip, I was just 2 minutes too late for the lunch price. It was 3:32... Oh well, it's Vegas baby! What's another $10?
The menu was exotic. There was some amazing Mediterranean dishes. I figured out that the yellow type of Indian curry was pretty much the same as Vietnamese curry (I think we borrowed that one). Everything was good, but nothing spectacular. As I would find at other buffet places, the sushi is seriously lacking. Midway through, I discovered that after walking a 5k, you really shouldn't sit down at a buffet. But for $35, I packed away the one meal of day in the mythical second stomach.
I tipped the lady $6 for having a less fake smile and headed to the poker room, satieted and ready to crush some souls.
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