Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Karabiner]

Terrifically enjoyable diary Tony, you really should think about writing a book.

Winter fuel allowance, free prescriptions and a bus pass, what fun 

[Acidmouse]

Thanks for the thread really interesting, also just read Actionjack's Vegas Diary - Part I lol man this guy is pure class

[kinboshi]

Except, it appears, a pack of new socks, 2 shirts, several books, including a biography of Vincent O'Brien, one on the construction of the Hoover Dam, & one entitled "Schrodinger's Cat". Ignoring the obvious "the cat's out of the bag", the low-lifes appear to have pilfered the contents of my suitcase under the guise of National Security.

So as you flew over, the book was both in your luggage and not in your luggage?  Of course you had no way of knowing until you opened the case.

 

[Rod Paradise]

Except, it appears, a pack of new socks, 2 shirts, several books, including a biography of Vincent O'Brien, one on the construction of the Hoover Dam, & one entitled "Schrodinger's Cat". Ignoring the obvious "the cat's out of the bag", the low-lifes appear to have pilfered the contents of my suitcase under the guise of National Security.

So as you flew over, the book was both in your luggage and not in your luggage?  Of course you had no way of knowing until you opened the case.

 

GEEK!!!

 

[Redbull]

That was a brilliant read. Should definitely keep up the writing.

[Miami Vic]

Having recently read Tikay's daily diary and Tony Holden's 'Bigger Deal', I think I preferred the diary.

[tikay]

Catching up with the news since I arrived home, because there is no "real world" news in Vegas........

I gather Mr Tony Blair has been appointed the Peace Envoy to the Middle East. If true, how extraordinary. The most perfect example of running with the hare & hunting with the hounds I've ever seen.

[tikay]

How many timesd has this happened to you? You answer the phone, & it goes like this......

"Is that you?"

"Yes, who's that?"

"Me".

How many statements of the bloody obvious are in there?

[Dingdell]

Also - "where are you?

Answer "I'm here"

Or my Great Aunt when my mobile rang - "How do they know where you are?"

[RED-DOG]

Or when you mam says, "Do you want me to give you something to cry for?"

[AndrewT]

"If you don't already know what's wrong then there's no point in me telling you"

[tikay]

So, Vegas is done & dusted. This was only my second Vegas, & my main memories are.....

Weather (in July). Unbearably, brutally, searingly hot.

Hotels. By any standard, they are of behemoth standards. And there are lots of them. The car drop-off points, a lay-by in the UK, are eight lanes wide.....And you don't park your car, a little man does it for you.

The hotel bedrooms are superb. Lots of furniture, king-size bed, and what is advertised as a "walk-in" bathroom. (What other types of bathroom entry are there?).

Traffic - dreadful. The Strip is 10 lanes wide, & blocked with traffic 24/7.

Pretend Icons. They have a pretend Eiffel Tower - like 20 storeys high. And a pretend Statue of Liberty. And a pyramid, complete wih sphinx & Cleopatra's Needle. And a pretend Venice, with a pretend Grand Canal. And a pretend Treasure Island. And the Americans queue up to have their photos taken in front of these pretend things. Conversely, they have a Miirage. Which is real.

Hotels with place names. Rio. Monte Carlo. Paris. New York. Hollywood. Mandalay Bay. Sahara. Orleans.

The people. Well, you only really meet players, & dealers. Almost without exception, they are warm & friendly. And, oddly, real.

Clocks. They don't have clocks, or time, in Vegas. Night follows day, & you'd never know.

Exit Signs. Hotels don't have Exit Signs. You can wander around for ever seeking a way out. Clever stuff.

Water. Thanks to the Hoover Dam harnessing the Colorado, water is plentiful, & there are fountains & water displays galore, The Bellagio being simply stunning. On the sidewalk, & above outdoor eateries, they have little water spray devices, to keep punters cool. A fine "mist" of water is continously piped out - but the ground under the sprays is perfectly dry - the water evaporates before it touches the ground, a mere 8 feet below! They estimate that 70% of the water that the Belllagio Fountain Display shoots into the air evaporates before it lands! Oh, & they have a sign at McCarron Airport that says "SAVE WATER - IT'S PRESCIOUS"........

Betting Shops they have none, but "Sports Book Halls or Lounges" they have a-plenty, in Hotels, & they are a punters dream. Big, comfy, armchair. 8 humongous plasma screens, showing several  baseball games, horse racing, football, tennis, Nascar, Golf, the lot. And a giant odds screen. A personal betting terminal. And valets, with barely enough clothes to cover their plumbing, plying you with free drinks. Ladbrokes will never seem the same again.

The Cardrooms. Stuningly good, surely the best in the world. They almost all have....

1) 15 to 20 plasma screens, showing not just the Tourney details, but baseball, boxing, football, News, anything you want.

2) With acres of room between the tables to wander around. (In the UK, one of these days a Fire Officer will wander in to a Cardroom during a Tourney & withdraw the Fire Certificate in a trice, they are so crowded during big comps, illegally so).

3) Knowledgeable, well-trained, friendly Dealers. Who understand the game so well because they are allowed to play it.

4) And, get this - they start their Tourneys, generally, smack on time. What % of UK Tourneys start on time, do you think - honestly?

5) Tourneys start every hour of the day & night, including 6am & 7 am & am - daily! It's like playing Online, there's always another Tourney waiting.

But for the weather, barren countryside, & lack of wildlife, I'd live there 6 months of the year & just play poker 24/7.

There is a tremendous Fessie at Caesars Palace in October, would cost $20k (£10k) to play the lot, & I'm aching to play it, but that's just too much money for me - unless I happened to hit a really big cash between now & then. Tempting though....

But when it comes down to it, I adore the British Tourney scene, with it's variety of characters, (nippers apart, which has got really bad lately) friendly staff, & quaint venues. If ONLY they'd learn to start on time, & do summat with the bizarre & ridiculous Prize Structures (I estimate 80% of all Tourneys end in a chop or Deal, which tells it's own story).

I must thank Sky Poker & Poker Week for paying for my Vegas sojourn. How lucky am I?

[RED-DOG]

What are the prize-structures like in Vegas Tony?

[tikay]

Talking of Hotel's, I checked out of Planet Hollywood on Friday, & checked in, on Saturday, to the Feltham......Travelodge. Bit of a reality check, that......

Most Vegas Hotels are dirt cheap, $70 to $100 per night during the week, far cheaper than the UK. But Travelodge, outside London, are usually only £60, £30 if you book 7 days in advance.

Here's what you get in a Travelodge in the UK - ANY UK Travelodge, for their Quality Control is just awesome.

A nice bed, with a clean, gingold duvet cover & 2 decent pillows.

A TV

A kettle. With 2 teabags, 2 decaff coffee sachets, 2 Instant Coffee sachets, 2 whgite sugar & 2 brown sugar sachets, 2 "Splenda" sachets, 3 tubs of milk, 2 mugs & two steel spoons.

A Wardrobe.

A lovely clean shower, toilet & wash-basin.

Toiletries? Yup. A mini-tablet of soap. That's it. No shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, hair net, sewing kit or the other stuff "normal" Hotels give you.

They have 300 Hotels in the UK, & the standard never varies from hotel to hotel. They are "fit for purpose" and a national institution. Now & then I spoil myself & book a nice Hotel suite in a posh place, but Travelodge is the business, it really is, maybe only Days Inn compares at the budget end.

One thing that puzzles & irritates with ALL Hotels is the booking in when you arrive. A girl taps the keyboard of a PC for an age. And taps. And taps. What are they doing, how many keyboard entries can it take to allocate a pre-booked room?

[tikay]

What are the prize-structures like in Vegas Tony?

Much flatter than here Tom, & thus less chops are done.

If there is a Brit in the chop, they'll ask the Brit to sign for 1st place - because it saves them tax apparently!

Walk into a UK Casino, check out the Prize Structure, & you can BET there wll be a chop done, because it's so top-heavy. An odd thing.