The car service picked me up promptly at 4:30am this morning and I made my way to JFK for my flight to Vegas. Upon boarding, I found my seat in the MINT section of Jet Blue (their version of First Class), was offered their signature drink (honey infused lime juice, vodka and a sprig of mint). I browsed the movie selections and decided to watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, as I had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep, I decided to engage the lay flat mode of the seat and promptly fell asleep for a 4 hour nap. Upon waking, I watched a couple episodes of The Office. As episode 2 finished, we landed.
I called for a LYFT and, apropos of my location, the driver’s name was:
I arrived at Paris and, considering it was only 9am, my room was not yet ready so I strolled over to the Total Rewards desk to have them print out a new Diamond card for me. I then noticed a Diamond check-in lounge, grabbed a water (my mouth was so dry even after just landing) and the clerk informed me they had a room ready for me:
Took a walk over to CVS and saw a woman wearing a “Sunday Run Day” shirt so I asked her if she was running in the marathon this weekend - she laughed and said she did it once but never again. I replied that I did not think I could even drive the length of a marathon. I then got on line, paid for my items and returned to my room. I had to call down to the front desk to ask them for a new remote control as the one in the room appeared to be broken as I would have to press the channel and volume buttons about 10 times before it would register. I then decided to head down the Strip and take a walk over to Aria.
Got.a text message from a friend in Vegas a/k/a @LuckysLasVegas and we had lunch at the Yard House - it was 5 minutes until 3PM (when the happy hour specials started so the waitress took our order then put it in at 3PM so we could get the happy hour deal). The food was ok, the service a little less than ok. Oh well.
We then walked down the Strip, through the Bellagio and then across to Planet Hollywood where I bought some moisturizer at Sephora (cue Lucky’s comments on a grown man buying moisturizer).
Now back in my room relaxing wondering where the night will lead me.
Showered and got ready for the evening - grabbed some cash and headed for the high limit pit at Paris and bought in at a 6D blackjack game for $2k.
The first shoe was uneventful and I had 1900 of the $2k buy-in remaining.
Then, the second shoe happened…The dealer had 9 blackjacks and, when she didn’t have a blackjack she had a 10 showing (which, 75% of the time, meant she had a 20) — I lost 4 double downs and this hand was nonsensical:
I was dealt an Ace, Ace versus a dealer 8 and split - dealt another Ace and I asked if I could re-split the Aces - the dealer said no and was dealt a 7 — the dealer turned over an Ace of her own for 19 - however, a pit boss walked by and asked why I didn’t re-split my third Ace - I told him the dealer said I was not allowed and he replied that I most certainly could - the dealer apologized and I split out the third Ace
So now, I knew the dealer had a 19 - the dealer moved my 7 to the first Ace for 18 (loss) and my second Ace received a 2 and my third Ace received a 4 (I was wishing that the pit boss had not happened to walk by)
That shoe was a disaster and I am now down $2k
Ughhhh - I was not a happy camper
I then took a break and, thereafter, decided to head over to The Cromwell to resume play and hopefully get back to even.
I started at a $50 minimum 2D pitch game. I bought in for $500 and hovered around that mark for about an hour or so before finally succumbing to a flurry of lost double-downs, wiping out my $500 buy-in.
I then headed into the high limit at The Cromwell, the entire staff therein was friendly and genuinely cheering me on.
Fore the first hour or so, I hovered around my $2500 buy-in. Then, a dealer change and, within 2 shoes, that buy-in was wiped out.
The “highlights”:
First shoe after dealer change - dealer had 7 naturals and beat me by 1 on 6 hands in a row at one point. I even stopped doubling down on hands as I was losing 99% of the double-downs. It was brutal, a bloodbath. At one point, about halfway through the next to last shoe I played, I actually won 3 hands in a row, including a natural while I pressed my bet. I thought things would be on the upswing but then, the last shoe was perhaps the worst shoe I have experienced in ages.
I was dealt a 20 on multiple hands, losing all of them to a dealer 21 — the dealer, pit boss and other dealer sin the High Limit pit were all cheering for me and seemed to be genuinely disheartened over my beatdown. Of course, the cynical among us will claim they are merely pretending but, in my humble opinion, they genuinely wanted me to win (especially after I told them I would drop a purple chip for them if they got me back to even for the trip. Alas, it was not to be and I dropped that buy-in. My trip bankroll was $5k and I lost $4975 thereof (I forgot I had a green chip in my pocket).
Upon heading back to Paris, I stopped to get some food and was chatting with the hostess about tattoos and marriage (she was 25 and married for a year). I told her I was a divorce attorney and she asked for advice - I told her that couples should not hold in their issues with their spouse - that getting them out and talking about them is the most healthy way to keep a marriage alive. When I asked if she needed me to pay my check, she said she has been absent-minded lately as the restaurant is closing and she will be out of a job. I realized that my losing my bankroll for the trip, while upsetting to me, was not as serious as someone losing their livelihood. I enjoyed my chicken, broccoli and noodles and am now in the room, trying to decide if I will play any more this trip or whether I will change my flight and go home.
Finally, in an attempt at rationalization, I won $4300 in my prior 2 trips to Vegas this year, as such, for 2019, I am actually only -$675 (I’ll take it lol).
Your thoughts…?