Vegas...Day 2, I find the Makers!!!

Part II in case you couldn't figure it out by the title. So you may want to go down and read part I first.

I woke up slowly. That is bound to happen when drinking for 10 hours. It was about 8 when I got out of bed and opened the drapes. My room had a nice view of the Venetian. You could also see the TI board behind it. I slunk back to bed and turned on the TV. I was most interested in the weather for the day. I knew the temps were going to be in the 60s so I brought some shorts to wear mainly so I could wear shorts in December. With the forecast being 68 and sunny, it seemed like today would be the day.

They also had a funny "contest" that was sponsored by a local station. They had the Griswald award. You could submit a house for the most gaudy and outlandish light display (as in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation) and win $1000. Not bad. Man, some of the pictures they showed had some ugly displays. I found it amusing how they showed the pictures with fake snowflakes coming down in the background.

Once I got out of the shower- which took a while because I had to play with the shower massage (why just turn on the water, when the water can turn you on?- I hope that jingle stays stuck in your head!), I headed down to get some food in me. I went into the coffee shop and took a spot at the counter. The waiter, Ray, was rather cool. He looked at me and asked if I wanted coffee, orange juice, or maybe a Bloody Mary? I took the coffee. Then I had the chicken fried steak. I am a total sucker for the chicken fried steak whenever I am on vacation. Can't get enough of it. Especially when it is smothered in country gravy. I can feel my arteries clogging with every tasty bite. Plus, the coffee was pretty damn good too.

From there, I wobbled over to the Pai Gow table. I enjoy this game as you can have some really crappy hands and not lose. Then again, you can have some really good hands and not win. The dealer, this old dude, was quite entertaining. He seemed to enjoy his job. Some people just don't understand the role of the dealer. I can sit and lose quite a bit of money gambling, but if the dealer makes it an enjoyable time, it just won't matter. They need to interact and make the experience fun, win or lose. I played Pai Gow for roughly an hour and a half, leaving just a bit lighter. I had a couple of beers while playing (hey, it was past noon back in Milwaukee!). I decided to leave when the new shift came into deal at noon. I decided to head up to TI and see if there was any action up there.

I walked outside where it was nice and warm in the sun. But when you hit the shade, it was rather cool. I passed the Venetian, wondering when the last time was I went in the place. It doesn't do much for me. I ignored the sign in front of TI saying to walk around the boardwalk because it was supposedly closed. If it was, then why were there people walking on it? It was rather quiet inside TI. I took a quick lap around the building looking for anything that might be new and interesting. There wasn't anything really. I threw 20 bucks into a slot machine and pissed that away rather quickly. I then walked over to the Dragon area and played some more Pai Gow. I recognized the dealer right away. The last 3 trips I have made out to Vegas, she has dealt to me. Nice Asian girl named Huei (pronounced Way). She enjoys her job and she can be funny when she is dealing.

Now good and bad things happen to me when I play at TI.
Good- I usually do quite well there
Bad- I don't leave when I am up
Good- They have Makers Mark!!!
Bad- I forget to eat (unless getting cherries in the drink counts)
Good- they comp me for a meal
Bad- they prime rib in the cafe sucked
Good- I am downing Makers and ginger left and right. Drank at least a dozen
Bad- My nice profit is blown and then some

Six hours after arriving at the TI, I eat my meal and leave. I have had a good time, but am a bit disappointed on how the cards turned on me when I was up $200. Yeah, I could have played a bit more conservatively but that wouldn't have been any fun. I did like how the waitress kept looking surprised after the 10th Makers. Every time I asked for another, she glanced at me like I might fall out of my chair. Now, I did have a good buzz going, but I wasn't all wobbly drunk. I knew that if I ate something, I would be better.

Once I was done at TI, I headed next door to the Mirage to play some poker. I went in and signed up for the 6/12 limit. I had to wait about 10 minutes before I could get on a table. Now the alcohol was kicking in. I remember leaning just so I would sway back and forth. It was a good thing when I got my seat. Things at the poker table didn't start well. I lost the first couple hands I was involved in when someone had just slightly better. But as the night went on, I did ok. Part of the time at the table I sat wondering how much this guy paid for his wife's boob job (she was playing at a table behind him). There was no way those tits were real. Weird thing happened later in the night. Half our table left so they moved us to a different game. I was seated next to a guy that looked familiar. Don't ask me why, but someone I felt I had played with him before. As play went on, we started talking along with the Canadian on his right. This dude was from Utah. Now it hit me! A year or so ago, when I was out here for Paul and Dianne's wedding (year? I don't know!), I had played with this guy and he kicked ass! On numerous hands, he would always have just slightly better than me. If I had a straight, he had a higher straight. If I had a flush, he had a higher flush. But this time I was ready for him. Well, actually not as we never really got into any battles.

After downing a couple of more beers, I decided to call it a night. I walked by the white tigers and down the moving walkway out of the Mirage. I was a little surprised to see that I was right across the street from Harrahs. Don't know why it didn't click before. I had been not liking the location of Harrahs as most of the poker rooms are on the south end of the strip. But here was one of the best right across the street. Cool! I went to bed early that night, at 1. I had plans to go south on Thursday so I felt some rest may be a good thing.