blonde poker forum

Well, here we go...

I've been procrastinating over starting a pre holiday weight loss blog for almost as long as I've been putting off quitting the takeaways...

I've finally gotten around to it, but unfortunately run out of time before my trip, and will therefore just use it to keep track of my trip :P

Considering it was initially going to be about weight loss, I wasn't going to bother at all, however, I've convinced a friend of mine that he should split his trip between the strip and Fremont St.

He has been training whilst over there, so I'm going to try and throw some dumbbells about with him in the mornings before I head off and donate my $$.

(Thanks to Joe Cross for the shamelessly stolen title)

Moi...

Some here have the misfortune of knowing me 'IRL' so to speak, some only have been unfortunate enough to cross paths of me here, and the lucky ones won't have a danny  who I am.

Truth be told, there isn't a great deal exciting to know, but I'll endeavour to add a little background, although I'll have to be careful not to drive everyone away right off the bat!

My name is Mark, I'm 33 years old, and I live in Dorset. An area that I've always thought was one of the nicest in the country, but then I met Claypole, and my view became rather conflicted ;)

I actually live in a small town called Dorchester, which is the county town, and I would guess quite a small one at a population of 20,000 a few years ago. I doubt that includes surrounding villages, which would probably bring it up to about 25,000. I've lived here most of my life, bar about 18 months in London, and 4 years in the Navy. I was actually brought up with card games from an early age, and was taught several forms of poker as a child, but the only card games in Dad's club were Pontoon, 3 card brag, and Nap.

I never actually player Holdem until after I left the Navy in 2003. I noticed my old man playing a game on his PC one evening, in his office while he was 'working late', and obviously wanted to know the coup. He explained it to me, and I then started splashing around myself during lunchbreaks at work too.

Been playing ever since, with the odd few quid coming my way when the deck smacks me in the face. Don't play so much now, purely because I'm lazy, and find it easier watching/betting sports, whilst eating 'insert random takeaway'

I did play a lot for a while, but in 2009 I was diagnosed with MS, and my Neurologist suggested finding myself something less stressful to do would be in my interests. At this time my father was working for Badbeat, and they were just about to start recruiting more staff to work as 'remote managers'. Lucky timing for me, and that was what I did for the next 4 years.

Unfortunately it was a case of SNLR after 4 years there, and I went back to working for my Dad who had gone back into the mortgage business. Bit of a paycut, but it's ideal for me, as I can work from home, and am never too far from the kettle or the bathroom :D

Anyway, I'm off tomorrow morning, and will use this to blog the trip. Hopefully there will be some training sessions, there will definitely be some drinking sessions, and with a bit of luck I might even win some money!

1st

In.

Get the Lot.

Show Tikay how to Rip dem Holes.

GL Marky  :)up

subbed

enjoy marky.  Obviously you will you downtown monkey!

Subscribes, on the condition that there is less talk of concrete and arseholes than has been witnessed on adjacent diaries.

Raoul Duke and Dr Gonzo ain't got shit on Marky147. Have a good one fella.

Might be visiting downtown later today. Will follow diary

;)




I'll try mate :)

Had to read that last line twice, because I missed the 'l'




Cheers mate!

I'll probably need to be after a week :D





The time has come to corrupt Cute!





No concrete, but there is likely to be a fair bit of talk about arseholes... After all, I can't not talk about myself and my drinking partners!

A few years ago maybe ;)

Cheers shippers!





Watch out for that Tikay, and don't let him lead you astray!

BOOM!

Great news Mark, have a safe flight, see you in Starby's.

Cheers, and hopefully this time you won't stand me up ;)

Nap with a strip-deck?

Used to love that game, must be 30 years ago since I last played it tho :(

GL in Vegas, maybe see you in Andiamos at some point.

It's that long ago, I can't even honestly remember how to play it :(

I'll ask my dad tonight when he gets back from work, and he'll be able to fill me in.

They let me drink drive in the D, so definitely up for some Andiamo action one night.

You have to take all the tricks. You have to attempt to go 'nap' without it, if no one volunteers to do that you can go 'nap' with it.

Simples!

Good Lord, "penny Nap", greatest card game ever.

I most enjoyed a mysere (sp?) where you had to lose, I think 5 tricks.

Never enjoyed a card game more.

We played, literally for pennies, & on a good night, might win 20 or 30 pennies, in old money, so about 2 bob.

I remember it a bit differently...

5 cards each, dealer also puts a "floater" face down.  Player to the dealer's left can put into the pot to look at the floater, (or just pass) and then can make a bid (minimum bid was "3with" then "3without(w/o floater) 4 with, 4 without, 5 with and 5 without.  To outbid that, you had to bid "Napoleon" whereby you had to lead your lowest nominated trump first..

Bids of ,/= 4 were paid player to player, successful bids of all 5 = take the pot down.  Those pots used to get mahoosive as it used to be very tough to get anything weaker than a lock through.

Only just seen this .....Should be a good read

All the best in Vegas and dont skip any juicy details    :)

Cheers Fraser, and I doubt they'll be anywhere near as juicy as they may have been 7/8 years ago ;D

I'm looking forward to following this.

Looking forward to this mark, I thought this was you, I played for bad beat when you and your dad were there , overdrawn was one of my aliases. Good luck bud get the lot

Good luck mate. Will be following

Cheers chaps, and hopefully the highlight of the trip won't be getting out with both my kidneys... Although, I probably could do with swapping one out by now anyway :)


That is usually what my bank account looks like by the end of July every year!


Been a long 18 months, so I'll go just take a flyer at Dave E?

Might have joined you if that donkey Dzeko finds the net once.

Subscribed. My first missed Vegas since 2005 - so I can live little vicariously through your musings....never thought I'd be reading your diary when I first saw you struggling to reach the table as a nine year old. 

Let's hope there some "Swanseaeaque" shenanigans

Dorchester is lovely. The wife and I go to Dorest every other year for a holiday and quite often stay just outside in Charminster. love it!
good luck in Vegas.

Subscribed. My first missed Vegas since 2005 - so I can live little vicariously through your musings....never thought I'd be reading your diary when I first saw you struggling to reach the table as a nine year old. 

Let's hope there some "Swanseaeaque" shenanigans
[/quote]

No doubt something will pop up, and you'll be on a last minute job out there :)

Haha, I never thought I'd joyriding a mobility scooter around Vegas 25 years after I was dragging a beer crate around a Snooker table :D

Of that there is no doubt, but I'm not sure such tales are suitable for a (public) diary!




It's definitely that, and I didn't really appreciate it until I spent a few years living away from it while in the Navy. Charminster one of many lovely little villages surrounding the main town, and even though very small, it has its own Golf course!

Thanks, hopefully I've got a heater following me around for the next few weeks.

Thanks very much

Just heading off to Gatwick now, although the chauffeur is none too pleased about having to get up at this hour :D

2nd worst part of the journey on the way, but thankfully the iPad is loaded with films to see me through the trip.

Good luck to anyone punting/playing today, and see you on the other side!

good luck and hopefully bump into you while your out here!

Good luck, get the lot.

Good luck Marky. Top lad

Have a great trip mate.

Cheers gents, first goal is to make it out intact (very lofty aspirations :))


Arrived without too much fuss, bar being told that assistance was 'just over there' at Gatwick, only to find it was far enough to cause me some agg on little sleep. Still, it was a good flight, albeit one I didn't get more than a few hours sleep on, and bar a short wait for the bags it was plain sailing.

There was an elderly couple also being given assistance, who seemed to be a bit confused as to how they were getting to their hotel. I had booked a limo for myself and the other 2 guys I travelled with, so offered to drop them, off at their hotel, which turned out to be the Venetian. The journey was fun, as the lady had never been to Vegas before, and was even more excited than a child on Xmas morning.,

I did feel a bit for the driver, as he humped their cases out of the boot when we got there, and the guy never even offered him a tip. Last luggage out had to tip our driver, and I was the lucky party in that little coup...

I had booked preferred check in, so that I could ensure that I got a fridge, as well as a corner room, and the girl kindly checked the other 2 lads in as well. Bit of a touch, as there was quite a queue out at registration.

Got to the room and unpacked everything sharpish, so that all the annoying tasks were out of the way. However, our american sims happen not to work as described, so the guy who bought them is going to sort that out tomorrow.

We headed down for a bit of dinner, before popping in to the cardroom at the Nugget, to see if we knew anyone that was left. The comp was on a break, so we obviously headed down to the bar. This is the 3rd time I've stayed at the Nugget, and as such I've gotten to know a few of the staff here... Actually, that's a blatant lie, and I've gotten to know one of the barmen at the main bar in the casino.

One of the guys who was here already said to me that Kelly had been asking when/if I was coming out, and had seemed pleased to know that I was arriving this weekend. Obviously it's good for him when there are a load of brits pouring booze down their necks, but he always looks after us, and our glasses are never empty for long when we're socialising.

One of the other guys from our forum had gone deep in the 1500, before eventually getting knocked out 89th for a decent enough cash, and by 9pm there was around 10 of us at the bar drinking. We found out that the bar was closing for a refurbishment, which wasn't the best news I had heard, but Kelly then explained it would be done overnight!

Only in Vegas would a 'refurb' be done overnight, so that it was business as usual next day :D

It turned into a bit of a Fremont St crawl, and although hazy, I think I got back to the room around 2. I fell asleep, only to wake up at 5am with a mouth like Ghandi's flip flop!!

A couple glasses of water solved that problem, but I'm now caught in the middle of two time zones, and my body hasn't got a scooby where I am. The objective had been to stay up until around midnight, so that I could ease myself into Vegas time smoothly. I guess half a bottle of Vodka, and 4 or 5 long island ice teas aren't too conducive to a good nights sleep...

Here anyway, and if I'm feeling alright in the morning I will donate to the Binions hilo aka 'The Tikay Benevolent Fund'.

I hadn't had a drink since I left Vegas last year, and had toyed with the idea of seeing if I could break the 1year mark, but that lasted until Kelly asked me what I wanted  :P

Oh well, back to the scratcher it is...

Any changes at the Nugget?
Ice bar was mooted near the pool last time I was there . . any sign?

When was the last time you were here mate?

Ice bar is located directly in front of you as you walk into the main entrance, and was here in 2012 when I stayed.

Carson Street Cafe has been split into a tequila/sports type bar, and a 'Claim Jumper' restaurant, which I think is another chain that is owned by Landrys.

Can't think of much else that's changed, or much that I've noticed.

One of the other lads has been put in the room next door to me, and I got woken up at 9am by him shouting 'Marky, Marky, are you awake?'

In a very jovial mood, on the back of lots of travelling, and a heavy drinking session, I was obviously very pleased with these developments, and my answer was something along the lines of 'I ****ing am now, aren't I!!'

Possibly a bit excessive, but the old 'knocking on the door, or shouting through it, followed by 'are you awake', has to rank pretty highly amongst irritating ways to be woken up.

The 3rd chap I am travelling with informed me when we had lunch that the same thing had happened to him, and he responded in much the same way as myself :D

As he said to me, why not just text us, and if we don't reply he has the answer...


Still, no big deal, and I eventually made it over to Binions for a shot at their O8 earlier.

As you can probably guess, I'm no longer playing that, and am now mulling over dining options for this evening, and what to do after that.

Peeled a raise from the BB in a multiway pot with KQJ6 ds, and c/shoved my 20bigs on a flop of KJT with one each of my suit, after the PFR bet, and 2 other callers folded.

Not sure if it's bad, or if it's ok to call pre/pile post, but the turn was a T, and AK2T picked up the pot.


Had a look for Tikay, but couldn't spot him anywhere, so headed back to the Nugget, and the score is now 0/1 for the trip...

Any stripper stories yet mate? Pics would be a bonus  :)up

Bugger!

No idea how we missed each other, I was there, still am actually.

gl Marco :D

In for the duration, have a great trip Marky.

Do you ever go to the bar of the Italian restaurant in The Nuggett?

Very nice barman there who's kind of Italian and loves a bit of banter.

Pics needed pls

Particularly of the best and most expensive brasses meals

I don't do strip clubs any more, but will try and find some eyecandy for you mate ;)




Cheers Dreenie :)






Thanks Ralph, and the trip is always great, win or lose!

I normally have lunch in the Italian a few times when I'm playing at the Nugget. I know the bar, but have never done any drinking there before, so will have to try and get the boys together for a sesion up there.






Will have to work out how to post pics up, but there hasn't been much brass about so far anyway...

Been nothing to update about over the last day or so, because I got absolutely destroyed on Tuesday night, and spent all of Wednesday hiding away to get ready for today.
T
We got the news about a 2nd 5pm flight while out, and decided that we would just come up to the Rio on Thursday for the competition 2pion.
'
Get there around 2pm, and dind out that there are more runners than the main event, and we will start playing @ 100/200 around 10pm.

Not ideal, but at least I'll have made the dinner break :D

Monster Stack


Underwhelming day in what was an incredible tournament, and one which will no doubt run every year from now on.

It was basically a small version of the main event, and hopefully they'll include more than one going forward.

I only really played 3 pots of any note the whole tournament, and the rest were small ones I won on the flop or preflop with a 3bet.

The first big pot was early in 100/200 25

An asian guy limped in ep, and I make it 700 from MP2 with AKo.

Flop A26, and I bet 900 into 2k, which he calls.

Turn is a 9 that completes the rainbow and he chk calls 1500 after thinking a while.

The river is another 2, completing the board of A2692.

He now donk bets for 2500, which I call, and am shown A2


Should probably have folded the river that early, but after a few hours playing with him I would have beat him in the pot.



I floated around the 7/9k mark for the next hour or so, before doubling up with QQ v KQ, which went all in on the turn.

I opened to 1k utg @ 200/400/50, playing 6.5k, and was called in one spot around the back.

Flop 8TJhh, I lead for 1525 into 3k, and he calls me pretty quickly.

Turn is a 4 and I shove for the 4k I have left. He dwells for a good while before calling it off with KQ, and I win when the river bricks.

Back to starting stack now, but we're soon headed to 300/600/75, so my stack is going to be back to a single figure M shortly.

Raise AK utg to 1500 @ 3/600, called by the HJ, and the BB.

Flop 677cc, bb checks, and I lead 1875 into 5.5k. Button calls, and
BB folds.

Turn 3 is checked by both of us, and the river J the same. He flicks over A6 and wins the pot.


(I actually misread this guys stack in this hand, and thought he had 25k back pre after calling, when he in fact had 5k) *Get eyes tested!



That left me around 10k which I maintained for about half an hour. Before shoving 9k on the button with AQ, and finding the BB with AK...

Flop, turn, and river devoid of any Queens makes short work of my stack, and I'm jogged at about 3am with 20 minutes remaining.


Biggest tournament I've played for a good while, so gutted that I didn't get to have at least a bit of a run. No matter, still a few comps to play before the trip is over, and a couple chances at a decent chunk of change :)

One of the lads I had travelled up with was AWOL, having gone to get me a coffee an hour previously, and it transpired that my scooter he had been joyriding about on had run out of battery. His phone had too, so he had been trawling the Rio looking for me after finding out I had busted.

We ended up staying at the Shutters bar drinking with a guy who was still in the $1500, and one of his mates, who was trying to clean the blackjack table out, whilst shouting across the casino at us. Around 6am we decide to make a move back to the Nugget, but it doesn't seem there are too many cabs which take scooters around at that time of the morning. Eventually we get one, and it's an old fella driving, who has us in stitches talking about 'rub & tug' shops etc.

We head to our normal watering hole upon return, to have a couple more beverages before bed. A couple of the other guys turn up at around 8ish, because they're actually leaving today, and wanted to see if anyone was at the bar before they headed out. We didn't disappoint :D

I headed to bed around 9am, and then spent most of the afternoon just chilling in my room. Myself and the 2 guys I came out with met at the bar for a few drinks, before heading to dinner at the Charthouse, which is an excellent seafood restaurant in the Nugget. After this we decided to head out onto Fremont Street to have a little mooch about, and maybe do some bar crawling.

Well, this didn't work out exactly as we had planned...

One of the guys, Simon, suggested we hop into Mermaids for a drink, so in we went, and once there we found a 'daiquiri' bar.

Sounded nice enough, so I ordered 3 'small' strawberry daiquiris, and waited for the girl behind the counter to serve up.

What we got for $50 was what looked like nuclear waste in a glass about 3 feet tall, and it actually turned out to be a treacle like slush puppy!!

I try for about 10 minutes, but then write off mine as a bad investment and just people watch for a while with the 2 kids. They are both determined to finish it off, despite the headfreeze, and both end up in bed by around midnight :D

I debate going to bed early, but I'm not tired, so head back down to seemy boy Kelly at the bar. I shoot the shit with him for a few hours until he finishes, and then the guy who replaces him Jim. Some people probably think it's strange, but I actually quite like sitting at the bar on my own, chatting to the barmen, who have some great stories, and it's also a great opportunity to do a spot of people watching, which can be great fun, too.



Brag - Hit first ever 4OAK on video poker

Beat - Was playing low stakes and won $40

Variance - I made myself feel better by blagging drinks for free, even though playing bowl stakes ;D


I headed to bed around 5am, and then woke up just as the football had kicked off this morning. I'll probably have another nap after the game, and then likely head over to Binions to play their $20k GTD tournament at 2pm.


It turned out that I made a good decision leaving that 'daiquiri' on the bar last night anyway, because one of the guys is now eating imodium like Smarties, and the other spent most of last night on the toilet :D

I'm defo returning to Vegas just to get pissed with you lolz, such a ledge, find the run good plz, and meh if not, enjoy.

Booked ;D

Got a few bullets left to hit something, and if not I've got plenty of ammo in the other gun!




Played Binions $20k today, and did not win. Had great fun during the 5/6 hours I was playing though, so not all bad.

Went for a really nice meal at http://lethaivegas.com/Le_Thai/HOME.html, which is a little boutique restaurant way down Fremont Street, and almost across the road from El Cortez.

3 of us shared 3 apps, one item in each of the entree sections, as well as a noodle and rice dish. This along with 6 beers, and a coke came to $100!

It really was worth double that, and I'll definitely be going again with the guys who didn't come tonight before I go home.

Had a few drinks at the bar after the meal, and then headed upstairs for an early night. I couldn't sleep, so headed back down around 1, and had a couple more to hopefully put me to sleep.

Played the last comp of Binions poker series yesterday, and had a really good starting table. Chipped up from the 20k starting stack, to 50, and hardly had to show a hand. Once there I couldn't win a pot, unfortunately. It happens, but was frustrating, and I think I'll take a couple days off before the Nugget main on Wednesday.

My mate who normally plays O8 played it as well, and he actually made the final table which got me my buyin back. He actually managed to bag himself over 3rd place money, despite being 5/6 I think it was. I was pretty hammered, so can't remember what the exact coup was, but I think most of the players just wanted to go to bed.

Other than that the highlight of yesterday was dinner, which was here http://www.triplegeorgegrill.com/

The 2 of us that went must have had about 6 martinis throughout the meal, which coupled with apps, entrees, and a dessert all came to under $200. I think for the same meal on the strip, with drinks you'd be paying close to double that, so I'm at least saving money on something while doing it in :D

With 2 days until the next comp, today has the potential to get very messy, and it's also Monday which means the weekend warriors have jogged themselves on  8)

I've not gone anywhere. Had a battle of a weekend though!

Great stuff Mark, loving the stories. Mandalay Bay should be jumping this weekend, with two UFC events there - including the return of the hero, BJ Penn.

:)




I'll write up last night later, but I'll have to speak to the other lads first, because I can't remember much after around 2am...

UFC fighters are all at the Golden Nugget on the 4th July, so I'll hopefully be able to get some snaps, and might offer Cain an arm-wrestle ;)

Well, last night did turn into absolute carnage, but I can't do a complete TR until I've spoken to some of the others later.

I should have known that chaos was on the cards, after I ramraided our table in Gordon Ramsay Steak early doors!

Not really sure what happened. I asked the hostess if she wanted me to leave it out front, and she no doubt regrets telling me to head on through to the table, and that they would bring it back to the front.

I guess the throttle just stuck, but luckily for the people on the next table it was set low, as I had remembered to turn it down on entering. The scooter just carried on moving when I took my hand off, and speared the table like a bull would a human. Glasses, plates, and the entire contents of the table deposited next to the people eating at the next table, and I've gone for a burton to the deck as well :D

What was amazing, was the speed with which the table was reset. It was like a swarm of staff descended to the area it happened, and you wouldn't have known anything had, less than a minute later.

Still, great meal, and I'm sure that it livened up a few nights anyway ;D

Headed back to the Nugget, to meet up with a couple of Paul Jackson's BRS players, one of which had his American girlfriend in tow, along with her friend, and boyfriend too. It all gets a little hazy from here, but I will be going to see them later, so hopefully, or hopefully not some blanks will be filled in.

One thing I do remember, is doing shots with a Mini Mr T at the bar in the early hours, after we came across him in one of the lounge bars.

Here is the little fella

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKYx4etcS_Y

I seem to remember that there was talk of re-enacting the bicycle scene from ET using my scooter, but I'm not sure anything came of that in the end :D

Only in Vegas quality!

I would of so loved to have seen the crash !!
Have a great time marky

The best bit was the look on the face of the hostess, when I said 'Wait until I've done 2 bottles of red with dinner' ;D



Playing the Nugget $1.1k today, and at the dinner break I've got 33k from a 40k starting stack...

40k at 25/50 is just ridiculous, and I wish that I had stayed in bed until the end of late reg!

Table would be better if I didn't have the 2 best players on my direct left, and another young guy who is very good with 100k + as captain. He was started on his way at 50/100, when an old guy went ballistic for 300bb at 50/100.

Previous action being as follows

UTG opens to 300 @ 50/100, old guy in MP1 peels, btn makes it 1300.

UTG calls, old guy makes it 4k, button folds and UTG calls.

Flop 236r goes chk/chk quickly.

Turn J sees utg check, and the old boy immediately announces all in  for 26k :o :o :o

UTG tank calls tens, and the old chap flips over KQs...


Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any of his chips, and he managed to stack the other main spot too while I was in the bathroom.

Back to 300/600 shortly, and still plenty of time to get moving.

Good luck Mark, TIDMOF.

Thanks Tikay, but the dream is over...

Great turnout, which produced a big prizepool, and 125k up top. Unfortunately I won't be getting any of it.


Just GGd it about 15 minutes from the end of 800/1600 w/a 200 4balling TT preflop against the guy who was the beneficiary of the earlier mentioned explosion from KQ.

I opened for 3800, he made it  ~10k otb, and I shoved just under 40k.

He called with AKdd 467dd 5d sealed my fate, and an 8 on the river meant I at least lost with a straight :)


Said his name was Renrad01 or something similar, and I thought he played very well all day, and was very aggressive with the big stack.


Couple other lads still in, so hopefully one of them can nick the loot, and if not, there is always Vodka ;)

Renrad is a high volume mtt reg on stars.

http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=184649

That's the kid... Although, he'd whacked a razor round his boat, and spent the last 6 months doing arm curls!!

He also had more food in his rucksack than I've eaten this week :)

I thought he played well, and was a nice fella too.

good luck for the rest of your trip Marky

Cheers, bobby!

Just seen the latest crack American drinking team off :D

Judging by Facebook, I'll soon need to remove the word 'almost' from the title :)

Sounds like you're having a great time. Enjoying the diary.

I've actually never felt so fresh coming off a 9am finish ;D

Be nice to win a big flip at some point, but c'est la vie... Worse places to lose than here!

Couple of mates are still in the main downstairs, so time for a shower, and then I'll head down to cheer them on  ;cheerleader;

The other lads both cashed, but didn't make the big bucks unfortunately. 2nd time in a row that the guy I flew out with has made a deep run, and I think that the Planet Hollywood main is on the cards tomorrow, if we're not dead...

Carnage again last night, and I'm starting to remember why I went 11 1/2 months without touching a drop of alcohol. The hangovers are horrendous when you drink too much, and mix your drinks as well!

Grabbed dinner John Conroy, when the bubble burst in the comp last night, and then he joined me at the bar after being unable to get there when 4balling into Aces with about 40 left. First time I've seen John for a while, so was good to catch up, and I think we're going to dinner again tonight*

*John was slightly inebriated when last sighted at 3am, so he might keep himself away me tonight, with the main event to play tomorrow ;D

Lightweight :) bout time you came home for 11 months n 2 weeks of sobriety
Best get there when I do next year :)

That is what I'll likely do, although I might come out 2 weeks later next year, and go for a whole 12 months with no booze.

You boys were running scared, and made sure you were out of town before the 'A-Team' hit the bar!

We even picked up our own Mr-T along the way ;D

Remembered why I normally don't leave the Nugget on July 4th nowadays... It was absolutely chaotic last night, with concerts on up and down Fremont Street, and there was a massive thunderstorm to top it all off.

I've never seen rain like it in Vegas, and we got caught heading down to a Thai restaurant for dinner. They had security gates for people getting in and out of the concert area, and it was turned into anarchy by the weather.

Best of all, we spent 45 minutes getting from one end of Fremont to the other, and the restaurant was closed early because of the weather. Half of it is outside, but undercover, and they had closed that area, and brought everyone inside. The woman thought we were mad, because we burst out laughing when she told us that they were shut.

Simon had chucked a bin liner over him, so that he wouldn't get too wet, and I had a hoody on anyway. We headed back to the Nugget for dinner, and just dived into the sushi place there for a bite. I definitely prefer the tapas style of eating, where you just order several different dishes, and then just pick your way through them. I guess I have spent too many years just on the 'Steak and Spuds' staple :)

After dinner the lad I'm travelling with went to bed, and I headed off to meet up with another guy I know from the UK. He was meeting up with some lads he knows from out here, who are dealers at the Nugget, and they turned out to be massive degens. Wages must be alright, because one of them was doing anything up to $500 a hand, and playing 2 boxes, too!!

I found it quite hard to get my head round, and my mate said that they basically work for free because they degen so much elsewhere...

Was going to play the Planet Hollywood tourney today, but when I woke up I couldn't decide if I wanted to play, and that isn't a great sign. I decided to just chill out in the room, and watch the football matches, before maybe heading downstairs and watching the main card of the UFC tonight.

Good luck to all Blondes in the main event, and hopefully there will be a November niner on the forum!!

Badly timed nap means I missed the UFC, and that I'm probably now up for the day, which isn't great. On the flip side means I'll be asleep at a reasonable time tonight, and won't be rolling onto the plane having finished drinking at lunchtime on Monday, Tom ;)

I really am hopefully going to cash a live tournament soon, but a sample size of 6/7 a year doesn't give you much hope of ironing out the variance. I think that I should really give some thought to doing a bit more time grinding the 1/2, than I do grinding the bar, and I might even freeroll a trip that is littered with tourney bricks. No point worrying about that now though, as what's done is done, and it's another trip in the books.

Got a few bits of laundry to sort out shortly, so I've got some gladrags for the last night, and then I think that I'll pack a day early, just to be safe...

Bit of a detox once I'm settled back in at home, and hopefully the building work my parents were having done while I was away is complete. I've got a big enough job staying upright on flat ground, nevermind a hallway with half the floor up :D

Was disappointed not to catch up with Tikay, and a few of the other Blonde guys, but Vegas is so big that it's something which happens very easily, and even myself and the guys who I travelled with have been like ships in the night at times.

Guess it's time to find something to watch on TV, and hope that I can grab a couple hours before it's officially 'Sunday Morning'

I can barely believe we missed each other, we even shared a Tourney @ Binions, that was the day I was sat next to Marsha Whatsit (Wagoner?) & she took all my chips.

I only saw Thewy once all trip as it happens, though I saw Ryan a few times, & saw a lot of Robert Price. Never saw enough of kaibobble, aka Kate Langshaw, sadly, though one can't really, can one?

She must have seen you first....

How much u done on strippers? (http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/funny/1/belly-dance.gif) (http://www.sherv.net/)

I know, and if we had played 2 or 3, I may have gotten a complex ;)

I did spend a few hours on the same table as David Lloyd in that comp, and other than that have only really met up with some of Paul Jackson's lads, and a few Americans that were in tow with them.



@ Woodsey

This trip - Nothing

Lifetime - I don't want to think

I call

Would have been a good call going back a few years, but I haven't been to a strip club in Vegas for the last few trips.

Did they come to you?  :D

If I'm not paying strip club rates, I'm definitely not paying takeaway stripper rates :D

I've got 2 tickets to Iron Maiden baby,

Come with me Friday, don't say maybe......

You're just a  teenage  dirt-bag baby....

Good grief, you recognized the track. GREAT track of it's era it is, too.


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC3y9llDXuM

It's great how you can associate different songs with different events in your life...

It was the fifteenth anniversary of myself joining he navy last week, and I posted about it to a couple of the lads I joined up with on Facebook. It was pretty funny, because they couldn't believe it had been that long, and then I was remembering a few of the songs that always remind me of the 3 months we spent in basic training at HMS Raleigh.

Tracks that were getting a lot of airplay on the radio from that time, and would often play when we were up making sure our washing was ironed to A4 for our lockers, before call the hands at 530am.

The most stressful time of my life to date at that point, but definitely one that I look back on very fondly nowadays.

Always remember 'teenage dirtbag' bein played regularly on nights out when I had just gotten to Portsmouth in the summer of 2000.

Great times!!

That's the best thing about music, it resonates to a time in our life. Good & bad, of course, but I'm at the stage of life where I'm winding down, & so reflecting on my life is something I do all the time now, I have more to look back upon that look forward to.

Music rings so many bells.

This is another track which resonates strongly with a period in my life. It's actually aged remarkably well considering it must be getting on for 40 years old.

I think I might just be in love with Joe Walsh, (4.40 on) what a cool guy he is, & just get that suit. 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkJcjBCG88

Great song, and one which is popular with all generations I would think!

I'm only 33, and I often stroll down memory lane now... I guess I should start writing it down, because there is no way my frazzled noggin is going to be able to remember back this far if I make it as far as yourself ;)



I guess I better close the trip out this afternoon at some point, and suffice to say that the journey home wasn't without a few speed bumps...

Hotel California would easily be in my top 5 of all time. Maybe even top 3. And it was just before my time. I think.

me and claypole going to vegas for a week in sept/oct mate get yourself involved

Call  ;)







I would absolutely love to, but there is more chance of me running a marathon than getting out to Vegas again this year :(

Might as well wrap this up while I have a spare 10 minutes...

The last few days of the trip were quite strange, because there were only 2 of us left, and the other lad was very sick.

That left me to my own devices, so I decided that I would head to Le Thai for a last supper on my own, before having a quiet night at the bar, and then trying to get a bit of kip before the flight home.

A great plan in theory, but it started going wrong when I got to Le Thai, only to find out that they closed on Sundays... I was going to use up some comps I've got from Landrys at Vic & Anthony's, but thirst got the better of me, and I dived into the food courts on the way back to Claude's Bar.

Kelly was working, so I parked up, and plotted up at the bar for the evening. Well, unless Simon had made a recovery, and fancied going out to cause some mischief, which unfortunately didn't happen.

Around 2am Kelly finished, and I had probably walloped the best part of a bottle of Vodka in that time, so I headed up to the room shortly afterwards, and felt pleased that I had packed earlier. I woke around 8am, and felt about as well as Simon had looked when he was ill. I was shaking, being sick, and sweating like I was outside at lunchtime in a suit!

I drank loads of water, in between praying to the porcelain god, and was getting a little worried about how I was going to deal with a flight in this state. By lunchtime I was no better, so I contacted the number given on the Virgin website for changing flights, and was kept on hold for 90 minutes, with nobody answering the line.

Simon is now whatsapping me to find out what is going on, and if I've finished packing etc. I let him know that I have almost, but I'm going to need some help, and I'm not even sure that I'll be able to fly. He pops up, and helps me to pack the rest of my stuff, while I'm shivering, sweating, and still on hold to Virgin Atlantic!

I give up in the end, and say to Simon that I'll just have to hope I'm not sick on the flight, and he'll have to hope that I'm not sick on him :D

To top everything off, our limo doesn't turn up, and we have to grab a cab. The journey doesn't start too well, as he is driving us up the strip, and I instantly request that he takes us on the freeway, because we have a plane to catch. He takes a couple turns, and we're on some other roads, but definitely not any freeways. He starts babbling about how it's more expensive, and I try to explain that $10 is not worth 15 minutes of my time at present, because we have a plane to catch.

We get there eventually, and he is telling us proudly that he saved us $8 by taking us the short way, even though it was much longer timewise. I had been pretty short with him when he didn't take the freeway, and he obviously meant well, so I tipped him $10 anyway, and then staggered into the airport.

Simon had gone ahead, and said to wait at the seats inside the door, while he sorted everything out. Happy days, I thought, as I plotted up an waited. 5 minute or so passed, and I noticed Simon heading back towards me with somebody important in tow.

This turned out to be one of the service managers for Virgin Atlantic, and after speaking with Simon she was talking about pulling me off the plane! I had made it this far, so there was no way I wasn't flying home now, and I repeatedly assured her that I was just feeling a little peaky, and definitely didn't want to be put up in a hotel for a few days until I was feeling better. Thankfully I swang it my way, and she said it was ok for me to fly, and that she had sorted it for us to have an empty seat between us.

I asked Simon what he had said to her, and he said that he had been angling for an upgrade, so laid it on really thick about my MS, and being ill, obviously not expecting her to try and pull me off the plane :D

As eventful a time I've had at an airport, and a lucky escape by all accounts, as I definitely didn't want to spend a couple days at South Point on my own before flying home!!


A comical end to the trip, and hopefully the last time I almost get the boot from my flight when stone cold sober ;D

Enjoyed the write ups marky
Comical end!

Thanks mate, I actually enjoyed doing them (except for when I was suffering from a hangover) :)

It was, but could have been pretty annoying if the woman had made me stay in Vegas. Yes, I would have had another few free nights, but I had made the effort to get there by then, and just wanted to get home!

Quality Marky Thank you very much

Awarded.......

Best Vegas Degen Diary 2014

Glad to be of service :)




Ha!

I was actually pretty well  behaved this year, getting myself to bed early, and sober, the night before tournaments.

Didn't work though, so I think I'll go back to the old tactics of turning up plastered, and maybe that will do the trick!

Bumped for Sunday 👍🏿

Just read the whole thing,most entertaining. . Hopefully more to come?

Haha, cheers.

Yeah, I'll do something, though it won't be anything like Dr Kendall's.

Just off to the gym, and will post up plans when I get back.

Comical reading that back :D



Iron Maiden are actually in Vegas while you're there, Tikay.

Get yourself some tickets.

I'll wait & see how EDC goes first.

I've got my gear sorted, can't wait.

Superb outfit, and will be good to see that on the final table stream, before you dash off to party.

Travelled up to Gatwick on Saturday night, and stayed at the Sandwick, which is about 5 minutes from the airport. Was only £140 for 2 rooms, which were very nice, and will definitely be staying there before every trip going forward.

Airport wasn't that busy, and I spent most of the flight asleep, having railed most of the HORSE final.

Assistance guys can be a bit miserable, as would I be if I was pushing 100kg lumps through airports all day. I bunged him a score as we started up the walkway from the plane, as I knew he was in for a rough 1/2 hour :D

Pulled all the bags off, got trolleys, and even sorted out cabs for the parents after he'd jumped the queue with me. $20 well spent, imo.

Checked in easily enough, and was plotted up at the bar by 7pm. Bit of dinner with one of my american friends, and then back for a few more quiet drinks.

Got a good kip the first night, so hopefully jet lag won't be present at all, and I'm good now for the trip.

Only tourneys I'm planning to play are the Monster Stack on the 25th, and the Nugget $500k on July 1st.

Andrew Neeme has got me inquisitive about cash games, so I might try bumping into Trooper one night at the Nugget, and attending the Vlogger's drinking game at Mirage, if Andrew & Brad Owen hold another of those.

At the Nugget until July 4th, and then moving to the Cosmo for the last 10 nights.

Tickets for a few shows, which should break up the periodsof knocking it in at poker

Queen & Adam Lambert on June 24th.

Jim Jefferies on June 30th

Joey Diaz & Joe Rogan on July 7th

UFC 213 July 8th


Beyond that, my only plans are watching tikay dust off a CL stack to bust in 8th somewhere  ;scarymoment;


And Vodka, lots of Vodka, obviously.

In for the duration.

Hopeful of a few ripping poker yarns and willing to subscribe for any degenerate X-rated karaoke/alcohol-related stuff.

Have a good time.


PS It's 33C today in Notts.

  Sounds a Great Schedule Mark

  Not making Vegas this year but for some great night time views try and get up the Ghost bar at The Palms Casino if you can get past The Knob security   :)

  Have  Fun   x

  
  PS   Frickin 32 degrees in Sunny Sheffield today

Thanks Guys!

Shame you're not heading out Fraser, but it sounds like you guys have got the weather back in the UK!

I've been to Ghost Bar a few times, back when I was more mobile. I'm not sure they'd go much on me bowling around up there in a scooter :D


They killed Vegas karaoke for me, when they shut the IP Karaoke Club :(

Be plenty of drinking, and maybe some RTAs involving my wheels...

Enjoy your month out there marky.  Fuck the poker just get pissed!

Karaoke is/was blonde-speak for Spearmints etc...  ;kev;

That is the largest part of my trip, hence only planning 2-3 tournaments over the 4 weeks, :D



Not been for a few years, but will update if there is any 'karaoke'

Just reread the blog prior to this years activities, good luck out there and have to agree with Ray's comment below

Haha, thanks.

I've slowed down a bit the last couple years, so have problems trying to recreate the carnage of 2014.

Been largely uneventful thus far, but it's a bit of a skeleton crew down here at the moment.

I was in bed early last night, so I could watch the racing this morning.

No plans today, other than going for dinner tonight, and likely some Vodka/Mojitos.

Been a rather sedate trip thus far, which in turn means nothing to really report.

Went to register for Sunday's WSOP comp last night. Bumped into Tikay bimbling back to Gold Coast, and that's the only celebrity sighted so far ;)

Still pretty boring, but stayed up drinking until about 4 last night, and then rofl'd about watching Ascot this morning.

Going to see Queen tonight at the T-Mobile Arena, so will be heading up to the Aria for some dinner as soon as my cab arrives, and then scooting over there for that at around 8.

No late drinking tonight, as I'm up at 830 to hit the Rio for the monster.

Where you been eating Marky?

Do you play table games?

Was talking to Matt about your trip over a Stein last week, couldn't work out whether 4 weeks is the stuff of dreams or just so long your guaranteed to wake up one morning to an empty safe!!

Gonna get emptied one way or another :)

good luck tonight marky

Literally, last year 😂

Cheers 🙂

Uneventful so far, and around 12k @ 75/150-25

Usually have fruit or something with a coffee for breakfast, and then have a nice dinner.

Don't play tables at all, but  I did whack 400 through a the other day, and that's the most
I've gambled in years here.

Usually just drink loads, eat at nice restaurants, and play a few poker tournaments over the trip.

Only gone from 2 1/2 weeks to 4, because I stay for the UFC weekend now.

VBOL

That's poker done for another year... back to vodka and steaks.

Disappointing lack of degeneracy on here these days.

You gone completely off the poker then Marky?

Afternoon vodkas on an empty stomach!?

Favourite restaurant downtown and on the strip?

You're a lightweight Hopkin.

Cheers, boo :)

I'll need it now the proper drinking starts!

I've never really been degen, other than some stripclub exploits in my 20s.

Not off it, but I don't play more than once a month at home, and don't travel to play live either.

I'm probably just about profitable in a WSOP comp like that, but reading the stuff Pleno posts just makes my head asplode :D

MS has turned my bladder into a 70yo man's, and I can't drink beer anymore. Nice citrus/raspberry vodka and soda water does the trick.

Andiamo or Vic & Anthony's would be my favourite steakhouses down here, and Le Thai is my favourite little boutique type spot.

Sushi Samba @ Palazzo is a fave, but I'd probabyl say CUT, which is also at Palazzo

Drinking is going up a notch now, which has seen 6am & 4am finishes over the last two nights.

Feeling quite fresh today, but have picked up a bit of a cold, so not going to do anything too strenuous like poker, and will just stick with drinking.

:)

Would that be due to the air-con Marky ?

This is more like what we were expecting

Most likely, I think.

Not feeling like sitting around a poker table all day at the moment, so will likely skip the Nugget main, and probably play the WSOP sat @ Binions next week.




Glad I haven't disappointed :D

Friend of mine from Arizona is leaving today, so took him for dinner last night.

After the meal, I tried dragging him to the bar, but he wanted an early night before driving home, and I scooted on down there solo.

The other lads staying here all cropped up pretty soon, and 3 of us ended up drinking until ~3. Much later than they wanted to, as they were off kayaking at 9am...

Group whatsapp from this morning was an amusing read, seeing them all try to make sure they were on time for the pickup ;D

4 of us went to Hugo's last night, and had a nice meal

Nice atmosphere, and decent food. Not as good as V&A's or Andiamo, imo.

One of the guys missed dinner because he was playing the $365 at Binions, which he managed to chop for about $3.5k, after being 12/12 at one point.

I headed off around 2/3, as I'm going to see Jim Jefferies tonight, and didn't want to be rough.

Possibly a bit of Sushi Samba action pre-show, and then some more Vodka testing afterwards.

Fired up to the Venetian yesterday to give one of our pals a quick rail in the $1100 O8 comp there, and he was ticking along with about 70 left.

Went for some dinner at the Palazzo

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19554092_10158870059340534_6980390684258715140_n.jpg?oh=df17abc717e450dabd0b8df84af56bc3&oe=5A11A29B)

Saw that this guy was doing a couple live shows this month, and managed to snag a couple tickets for one of them @ The Mirage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR9IaXH1M0


Always worry about needing front row seats, as it just seems more likely you are going to get grief at some point during the show. A few did, but thankfully I wasn't one of them.

Great show, and highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance.

Thought me and you had a lot in common and could have a good night out on the raspberry vodkas until you showed me those plates of slime you think is food  ;tracet;  ;smackedbottom; rotflmfao

:D

That was just an appetiser, there was plenty of cooked stuff, too. Seabass, Prawns etc.

Pretty dull last couple days, with only food and drinking occurring.

Got up early to play the WSOP sat at Binions, but it only had just over 1 seat registered at start.

I left it, and have come back to pack for the move to Cosmo.

Need more pics when you are at The Bond bar........

I'll try to find it, as I've only ever popped in here to eat before.

I got absolutely trashed last night, and have random phone numbers in my phone, along with missed calls at 6am, which gives me some indication as to how late I was up.

Went for dinner at Vic & Anthony's with parents, and my old boss John Conroy, who has just arrived for the main event.

Few vodkas before, a bottle of red during, and anything that was behind the bar after... Put me into a state, and I woke up on the bathroom floor of my room at 8am.

Worst of all, was that it was at the Nugget, and I had to be out of that room by 12 and wait for a scootercab to Cosmo.

Dived straight into bed here, and after another shower I am now feeling alive again.

Off to Gordon Ramsay's for dinner in a bit, and then might fire a few cocktails down in the Chandelier.

 

Now plotted up until I leave, and this is definitely better than looking at aircon vents :D

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19875191_10158903407430534_3538838887795841440_n.jpg?oh=10bea890377e248300d23f57017db543&oe=59CF7B72)

Wasn't holding much hope of getting the room number I wanted, as there were about 500 ppl at checkin when I arrived, and I was told the East Tower rooms are better located.

Asked for the specific room series I wanted, and told the girl I'd chuck her $50 if I could get one of those. Said unfortunately there weren't any available, but she had got me as close as possible to that, and it was a 1br suite, rather than a studio.

Really nice rooms, and a very nice property, too. Very happy, and will likely stay again in the future.


Cocktail was nice, but the flower wasn't great...

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19756894_10158903150080534_6193916654508147604_n.jpg?oh=8db3dd1088f23fa69a1e03a6e7455761&oe=5A022808)

Dinner at Ramsay's was nice, and thankfully the evening didn't develop into carnage, as the other 2 lads are on the way back now.

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19748433_10158902720610534_5062901588420895543_n.jpg?oh=06996b1c85e2da604f93f6c12d0bdbe7&oe=5A0402EE)

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19247936_10158902778350534_7033069318804938937_n.jpg?oh=2433c180d9b2fc7ce169bace6dada673&oe=5A05825B)

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19748593_10158902872500534_9140931255159490296_n.jpg?oh=2c3fd3730ceab4d307e2bd8cf1e6c9bb&oe=5A09E751)

As I'm quite a boring twat, food is about the highlight of my evening.

Other than ogling passers by from the bar, obv.

Lovely view from that room Marky - food looks okay too.

That sticky toffee pudding is so nice!

Looks like you having fun Marky.  Onny just had a bink for 70 large yesterday in a WSOP event.  You run into him at all?  He has been at the nugget a fair bit last couple of weeks.

Another good blog , thanks for sharing Marky. I hope you are having a great time .

Nice to plot up out on the balcony with a coffee late in the evening.



I don't usually like them, but have had that every time I've been :D




Yeah, been a good trip so far, and only one week to survive now.

I haven't run into him, but saw he finalled the turbo. If he was at the Nugget, I'm guessing he was playing cash, while I was drinking Vodka ;D




No worries, glad it's not boring everyone, lol.

Been expensive, but good... I think I might start playing slots, as my parents got their whole trip comped. Old man only plays poker, and mother plays <$1 slots. Didn't lose a penny the whole 2 1/2 weeks, and even got their room service comped, too.

Bit of a hectic weekend, but a relatively sober one, with only a couple alcoholic beverages being consumed.

Friday was Joey Diaz at South Point, which was a great show, even if the casino seemed like walking onto the Beverly Hillbillies set.

After that it was onto Joe Rogan at the MGM, which was very funny, but not quite as good as Diaz.

Saturday was UFC 213, which I could have actually got refunded after the main event fell out at the last minute. Person I went with had flown all the way over from Michigan, so we went anyway, and it was a pretty good card, with a superb main event.

Chilled out Sunday for most of the day, and then went for dinner at Striphouse, which is up there with Vic & Anthony's as the darkest steakhouse in Vegas. Good meal, though, and superb service.

Also nice to have a khazi in the restaurant, and not have to go mooching about into the casino for one.

Got up early to sweat Fred's tennis punts today, and have done the grand sum of zero tonight.

Intentions are just to mooch about for the rest of the week, but Mr Rutter has suggested drinks, which never turns out too well :D