Day 4 started with me attempting to go work on my still non-existent tan. However, the line of people waiting to be screened and/or waiting for others to leave the pool so others could be let in was a bridge too far so I headed back to the room to change.
On my way back, while walking through the long corridor between the Augustus and Octavius Towers, I noticed a woman, approximately 30 feet ahead of me, wearing metallic red high heels, Daisy Dukes, with a wig hanging on by a thread carrying an almost empty fifth of Jack Daniels. A security guard approached her and she tripped. The security attempted to help her up and she actually screamed “Hashtag Me Too”, causing the security guard to stick his hands up as if Jesse James had just entered a bank he was charged with securing. He asked her if she was ok and then offered her a mask (she was apparently not wearing one). Her response: “Fuck you!” As she sashayed away, I could see the gears turning in the security guard’s brain, trying to decide whether to die on “Mask Hill” - he thought the better of it and slinked away.
By the size of the crowds checking in yesterday, I new Starbucks would be a non-starter this morning and I was right. The line for roasted cocoa beans was prohibitively long - about 40 people deep. I opted for a canned energy drink instead and sat at the sports book relaxing while visions of my new found love, the WOF slot machine, cascaded through my mind.
I should have left those WOF stay in my head but, alas, I sat down at a WOF machine and out in $150. I think I only had three small hits and not one spin of the big wheel. I cashed out $4.
Trip is -294
I changed things up by moving over to the main table games area. It took about 30 minutes before a seat opened up at a $25min. table and I promptly sat down. The guy at 1st base just played his game but the guy in the middle was on TILT…he released more F-bombs from behind his mask than you would hear at a double bill show starring Andrew Dice Clay and Richard Pryor.
I had bought in for $300 and the dealer dealt herself 6 naturals in that first shoe. I was down to $75 after shoe number one. However, the cards got better in shoe number 2 beginning with the first hand:
I was dealt Ace, Ace v dealer 10 — split and dealt a 2 on the first Ace and another Ace on the second Ace (no re-splitting allowed though) - the dealer turned over a 4 then drew an Ace, then drew another Ace then drew a 6 for 22 BUST!
The second shoe saw the dealer actually deal me a couple of naturals - including one in the final hand. Overall, on that shoe, I had made $12.50.
Trip is -283.50
I headed back to the room for a brief respite and to catch a few episode of Roseanne - one of the episodes was the one with the tornado - for some reason I have always liked that episode. Anyway - I then headed down tot eh casino to, in the words of Teddy KGB, “play some cards”. I took the 1st base position at a $25min. table and learned the two gentlemen at the table were from Syracuse - although, I am actually calling that into question as they said they never heard of Turning Stone casino - hmmmmmm.
I played one shoe and really, there were no hands that stood out. It was the typical give-and-take but, by the end of the shoe I had accumulated $62.50 worth of chips above my buy-in.
Trip is -221
As usual, I failed to pack enough shirts so I ventured into the Forum Shops and picked up a nice casual button down at Ralph Lauren.
As I have always enjoyed Javier’s food, I made my way to Aria for some delicious Mexican food. I think the last time I ate there was a year ago with Mitch and Dr. Kev from Tipping the Odds. The chips and salsa were excellent and the salsa tasted spicier than I remembered. I ordered the grilled chicken quesadilla with a side order of retried beans and yellow rice - delicious.
Alright, Saturday night in Vegas and it did not feel as crowded as last night but there was still a good vibe. I found a $25min. table just as a shoe ended and the lone player colored in. I won the first hand when the dealer busted but then proceeded to lose the next 5 in a row - I busted 4 out of the 5 hands and lost with a 20 to a dealer blackjack on the other. However, I was then dealt a 7, 3 v dealer King and doubled down — the dealer gave me the card “down and dirty” style and she turned over a Queen for 20 — but, alas, when my face down card was turned over it was, amazingly, an Ace. I went on a nice run and had reclaimed another $100 by the shoe’s end.
Trip is -121
As I entered the Diamond line at the cashier window to cash in my chips, a guy jumps over the rope into the line, cutting me off. I asked him if that was a secret entrance to the Diamond line I did not know about - he replied he “just needed to cash in one chip”. I looked at him quizzically and told him that I had entered the line at the proper point and he needed to get behind me. He did. Is Epic a #Karen?
I walked over to the WOF machine that gave me no spins this morning to find a couple playing it. I inquired of them whether they had received any spins on the big wheel from the slot machine gods - they said they’ve had 2 in the past 5 minutes - lucky them. Apparently, whether it is slot machines or the blackjack tables, the gambling gods remain fickle.
In the “nobody needs to experience that” department…I was sitting at the sports book for a few minutes drinking an energy drink and a woman 2 seats over started hacking up a lung with a coughing fit. So, what did she do? If you guessed “removed her mask and just hacked away” you win. Basically, anyone seated in the sports book got up and left.
Moments later, while walking to once again play the WOF slot machine, a scooter incident occurred. A woman, probably in her mid- to late-40’s turned down a slot machine aisle without a care in the world and ran right into a the legs of a young girl walking. The girl shook her head and I nodded in solidarity with her at the insanity of these people on scooters.
Safely in my seat at the WOF machine, I loaded up $84 ($80 + a $4 TITO i had leftover from earlier) and pushed the max bet button. I had a couple of small hits and was soon down to $31 when I had a nice hit of $111. I promptly cashed out.
Trip is -63
In the words of Billy Joel - “It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday”
I decided to take a walk outside - the warm night air felt good and it’s always good seeing the lights of the Strip. While outside I casually chatted with a nice woman who happened to be sitting next to where I was taking the below photos. However, as is typical in Vegas, any woman who willingly chats with me that I do not already know — is a hooker.
Well, it is time for bed here on this Saturday night. I am in my room relaxing and will be back again for Day 5 in the morning. Sweet dreams everyone.