My Shirley Temple Trip to Las Vegas

Is it possible for a long-time degenerate gambler to visit Las Vegas and not gamble? Sadly, the answer is yes.

My youngest daughter, Erin, has been my only child that has really taken an interest in my poker and gambling activities. Maybe it was from having her play an online slot machine years ago -- I don't know. However, she has always delighted in hearing my stories when I come back from Las Vegas. I had some free flight coupons and decided to take her out to Sin City as her fifth grade graduation trip. My wife started the graduation trip tradition with our other children. They got to take a friend on a trip to Canada, but I gave Erin the option of accompanying me to Las Vegas. She naturally junped at the chance.

We were in Las Vegas June 10-13. We stayed at Excalibur, which seemed to be the best fit in terms of child-friendliness, location, and cost. I have stayed at Excalibur a couple of times and have been satisfied with the combination of room and price.

The highlight of the trip happened after Erin selected Dick's Last Resort as a dinner choice instead of the Rainforest Cafe. Yes -- I taught her well. Our waiter was appropriately grumpy and rude, but the best part was when he made one of Dick's famous paper hats for Erin. She wore it proudly after seeing that he wrote "Princess" on the front. When the hat fell off, she was shocked to see that he had written "I eat my boogers" on the back! What a good time.

We visited the midway games at Excalibur and Circus Circus, Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, the Lion Habitat at MGM, ... You get the picture. We also had a couple of nice swimming sessions.

TOTALS:

Poker hands played: 0
Slots played: 0
Other gambling activities: 0
Alcoholic drinks consumed: 0
Naked bodies seen: 0 -- but honorable mention to the woman in the pool who said "Oops - my boob fell out of my suit" and the woman who wore Levi shorts over her bikini bottoms and peeled off one layer too many when she got ready to swim.

Trips to McDonald's: 5

So yes -- I was in Las Vegas for over three days and did not gamble. Who would have thought it possible?

Blogger Drama

I think that just about everything has already been said. Blogger society is a microcosm of our world. Nothing surprising here -- just disappointing. Since I have never personally met either of the people involved in the latest controversies, I don't feel what some people are feeling. However, I can relate. The one online poker player I have met in person, who is a nice guy, showed that he can be a shitty friend when engufed in personal problems. Such is life.

Illinois Charitable Games

So ... I go to Las Vegas for three days and play no poker, then have to scratch my poker itch in ... Bloomington, Illinois? I had one heck of a time playing the ICG cash games on Saturday. My table had some people with quirky personalities, and there was a steady flow of fish entering the game. One poor guy was in way over his head and kept peeling off Benjis. You just shouldn't lose $500+ at a charity game, should you? Anyway, I made a nice profit. My biggest problem was keeping clean as I drove home eating a La Bamba super burrito. Gawd, what a mess I was.

Bodog

Bodog continues to be a good place for me. I felted some guy twice last night at the $1/2 tables with AA vs KK and with top two pair (Aces and Queens) vs top and bottom pair (Aces and 5's). He could have gotten away from the first hand. I raised pre-flop, he re-raised, I re-raised, and he went all in. He should have known. I am sure he was looking to get his money back on the second hand. Tough luck, bro.

My House

Yes, I still have a house on the market for 11 months and counting. I am instituting some realtor and buyer incentives, which will hopfully help me get the darn house sold by the end of the season. It really sucks to see money just flying out the window month after month.