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Tesla's Trip Report (LA and LV, Jan 8-13 2017)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Tesla, Jan 4, 2017.

  1. Tesla

    Tesla
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    Hello everyone and welcome to my first VB trip report! I’ve lurked here for a while, and wanted to become a contributing member (sorry for sounding like an NPR pledge drive) of the community with my own trip report.


    Cast of characters:
    Me: Longtime gambler and fan of Vegas, including playing poker semi-pro for a while. By "semi-pro" I mean that poker was a serious hobby that put enough extra money in my pocket to benefit my life significantly, but I didn’t completely support myself by gambling. My major interests in Vegas: gambling, eating, drinking, and maybe a little gambling thrown in.

    Mrs. Telsa: Smart, gorgeous, funny, and a bad-ass. She’s a knowledgeable gambler in her own right, although gambling is not a big attraction for her during our trips. Her major interests in Vegas: eating, drinking, spa, and relaxing either by the pool or by walking around.

    My sister “A” and my sister-in-law “D”: They decided to tag along on this trip. They don't gamble much, but they will be fun to hang out with and will keep Mrs. Tesla company if she gets bored hanging out with me.

    “J” the poker player: Old friend of Mrs. Tesla's. We haven't seen him in a long time, but fortunately he was going to this year's CES and was able to stay over the week after so we can meet up. He and I are serious about poker, so it’ll be nice to have someone to talk over hands on this trip.

    Logistics:
    Fly from Boston (Logan is close enough that it's worth sucking up the drive to fly direct) to Los Angeles the morning of Jan 8. We will link up with “D” at LAX, pay a quick visit to family that afternoon and evening, crash for the night, and drive to Vegas the morning of the 9th. We plan to get there around noon and link up with “A” at McCarran. Then it’s 4 nights at the Bellagio with everyone flying home the morning of Jan 13.

    Must-Do List:
    Epic dinner at Carbone. What more to say? Reservations are made and I'm already starving myself in preparation.

    Visit the Lucky Dragon. It’s hard to believe it’s the first new casino to open in Vegas in 6 years. That alone would make it worth a look, but we want to sample the food and check out the tea garden in addition to doing a little gambling.

    Deconstruction of the "Noir Fizz" cocktail, served at Fizz in Caesar's Palace. I've wanted to figure out how to make this drink, so the plan is to take over the bar with our entire group and order a round, so we can watch the bartenders make them and take notes.

    Ladies afternoon in the Bellagio spa: You girls enjoy yourselves! See you tonight! Come find me in the poker room when it’s time to get ready for dinner…

    Maybe-Do List:
    Check out Bernie Mack’s show at Harrah’s. We’ve seen him on Penn & Teller’s TV show “Fool Us” a couple of times, so we know we’ll like his act. It’s also pretty clear P&T have a lot of respect for him as a magician. He has some matinee shows this coming week, so dinner plans will be easier to organize if we go for it.

    Breakfast at Caesar’s Bacchanal Buffet. OK, OK, I get it. It’s expensive and crowded (both of which are less of a problem at breakfast though), and it’s not at an MGM property. But oh my God the food is so good, especially considering the variety of what they offer. Also, you can stay full for the entire day after loading up for breakfast here, so we rationalize it as an investment in money saved by not needing to buy lunch.

    Trip Downtown: “D” hasn’t been there in a very long time so that might be a nice way to spend an afternoon. Plus I realized I do not have a souvenir chip from the Sweaty Spaniard...

    Gambling Plan:
    Ammo supply is 3k in cash and my credit line at the B*. This report will be all table game action: my games of choice are blackjack, pai gow tiles, and live poker. Our friend J is spending two weeks in Vegas on a small bankroll so plans to play fixed-limit poker. That’s actually fine with me: we can relax, talk, and have drinks while playing like nits. It also means I can bring a smaller cash bankroll.
    *For those who do not know, the B (actually, every casino that I know of) does not allow you to use markers to buy into a live poker game, or make race/sports bets.

    The Comp Situation:
    I already discussed this in an earlier post, but the quick summary is I got my room comped for four nights (we sprang for the Salone Suite upgrade @$65/night). Given the limits and duration I plan to play blackjack, I’ll probably end up over-comped for the trip. No wonder my host treats me like gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe. I get that a black-chip blackjack player generates almost no theo, and comps are super-tight for almost everyone these days, so I don’t take it personally. Still, I probably won’t even bother looking for him to say hi, never mind asking him for anything, on this trip.

    Wrapup:
    That's it for now - more updates to come leading up to Sunday! Expect a combination of snarky humor, wry observations, and geeky analysis. Plus lots of food pictures; eating is going to be the main focus of this trip. I'll do what I can about chip porn, but that's up ultimately up to Lady Luck...
     
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  2. Tesla

    Tesla
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    Here's some chip porn from my last trip. Hopefully I can get a few more photos like this next week.
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  3. pphold

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    Good luck and have a good trip.

    I'll be there for CES and leaving on Tuesday the 10th.

    Last trip 3 hours of HL blackjack theo was = to 1/2 an hour of Craps play in theo. HL Blackjack generates little theo unless you are grinding it for hours and hours.


    That is a long flight from Boston Logan to LAX.

    I just flew from Dallas to Bos Logan and it was too long for me.

    At least you get some rest before you hit Vegas. Has a safe drive.
     
  4. Hard4

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    Sounds like a good plan. Good luck!
     
  5. Clarkgriswald

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    Good luck Tesla! Cash in big!
     
  6. Tesla

    Tesla
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    We're on JetBlue so the flight shouldn't be too bad (I don't mind long flights for vacation but hate long flights for work - go figure), and that extra night before we hit Vegas will help with the jet lag. I've done the drive from LA to LV before and actually enjoy it. The desert scenery is meditative for me, and the trip is just long enough to build up the anticipation. For anyone thinking of trying it though, be aware that the police in both CA and NV are very aggressive about busting speeders and reckless drivers on I-15. There is no 10mph gray area, and even a no-blinker lane change can get you pulled over. I was warned before my first time so have never had problems; this is as good a place as any to pay that advice forward.
     
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  7. stackinchips

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    Here ya go...

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  8. Tesla

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    Yea, I saw that link when I was researching, but what I need are the proportions. I also think that recipe leaves out Cherry Heering.
     
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  9. Ski-Doo-rider

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    "(Logan is close enough that it's worth sucking up the drive to fly direct)"

    I wish Manchester still had direct flights to LAS, but sadly they don't. I'm just around an hour and a half away from Logan and only 15 min. from Manchester, I'd rather have one stop than have to go into into Logan. I'm sure in the end it's all a wash, but comming home it much nicer to only be 15 min from home when you step off the plane.

    Have a great trip!
     
  10. DannyOcean

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    Nice preamble! Glad you're contributing this TR, Tesla! Crush it.
     

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