Author Topic: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog  (Read 185333 times)

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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #555 on: November 08, 2016, 19:08:12 PM »
Extracted from a Trip Report/ Blog entry from January 2008.

Sidebar: A trip to Vegas with my brother Pete. He still likes Corona.

Las Vegas: January 14th 2008

"Hello Pit"


Anyway...I"m up with larks (well, bleary eyed larks that is) after a 3.30 am finish...wait...no Pete!

Another all-nighter I guess, hope he"s doing well. That"s the thing about Pete...it"s not about the winning or losing...as long he"s having a good time..he don"t care.

So, I potter around for a couple of hours until I get a text from my friends Jim and Terry who are also along on the trip..."IHOP, now!"

Sidebar: The food options at the Stratosphere are...adequate...fortunately, within 50 yards there are other options, IHOP and Denny"s being the best.

So we find Pete on our way out...yep, he"s still at the blackjack table...but he postpones food for now, so the three of us head off for some scran.

We"ll have the Big Breakfast Combo....3 bacon, 3 sausage, 3 gammon pieces and 4 eggs...$8.99....Mmmmm, IHOP!

Halfway through, the drunken bum dearest brother wanders in. Honestly, there are only few things funnier than watching a functioning drunk eat. Stabbing at a piece of bacon and missing because he can"t focus, cleaning his plate and then trying to eat the napkin...as I said, a few things funnier...but not many.

After a while, Jim & Terry are done and head off. In an unusual act of familial compassion, I decide to wait for Pete and make sure he gets back. Some time later I pay and I lead the sot back to our room

One of the funnier things...is watching a stuffed drunk trying to undress himself....

OK, a quick aside here, it"s not that I like watching a grown man get undressed, honest guv"nor, but someone has to in case he falls over and hurts humself....plus, they charge extra for cleaning up blood &/or vomit

...anyway, Pete finally manages to fight himself free of his jeans...mumbles something about "Hello, pit...it"s good to be back" and decants himself into bed. 4.7 nanoseconds later the snoring commences.

Good Times.
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #556 on: November 08, 2016, 19:41:56 PM »
Gotta say, I"m enjoying re-reading these as the overworked Matt Dale unearths them from the APAT crypts.

It looks like we"re coming up on a November 2010 Vegas Trip....I think that one was fun....the only chance I have of remembering any of it is the blogs I posted here.

Should be fun. :)
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duke3016

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #557 on: November 08, 2016, 20:12:14 PM »

Gotta say, I"m enjoying re-reading these as the overworked Matt Dale unearths them from the APAT crypts.

It looks like we"re coming up on a November 2010 Vegas Trip....I think that one was fun....the only chance I have of remembering any of it is the blogs I posted here.

Should be fun. :)


I am lucky enough that I saved my muses off-line. However, I am the same as you I am loving re reading the posts from years ago. Your posts on trips are a window to my past as it jogs the memories and the laughs.

Fatcatstu

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #558 on: November 08, 2016, 21:22:04 PM »
Love reading both your blogs. You are both superb writers, keep digging them up please!
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #559 on: November 08, 2016, 22:31:46 PM »
Luton: 22nd October 2010

Up The Hill To Bedfordshire


I managed to persuade the boss to let me out an hour early on Friday afternoon in the hopes of beating the usual congestion on the M25. After checking with all the online traffic sites that I could, I decided to, at least in part, take the scenic route from leafy Essex to the Bedfordshire garden spot known at Luton.

Jumping off the M25 about halfway I came up through the back-roads via Wheathamsted [isn"t that a great name?] arriving at the Days Hotel around 5.45 if I recall correctly. Easy parking next door and no trouble checking in.

After all the kerfuffle that had gone on with rooms being "flooded" or whatever it was a relief to be assured of a relatively decent place to lay my head. Not surprisingly, as I walked into reception, I"m greeted by the sight of the usual APAT rowdies in"t bar...where else?

After a quick wash and brush-up, I was downstairs necking my first, second and third beers of the day.

Around 7.30 or so, I wandered over to the G to meet up with the Luton crowd who had put on a private game and kindly let me play (they must have seen the value there) while the others headed off to downtown Luton for the usual frivolities.

The game got under way after a slight change in plan. It would be dealer-dealt (thank you very much) but a 7500 F/O rather than a 3000 D/C. Fair dos...all good there.

My first two hands were monsters (AK & KK I think...it starts to get hazy for reasons that will become obvious) and pre-flop raises and c-bets won me a few chips early on.

This was not to last. Forty-five minutes in and I once again get KK in MP and 3-bet an EP raiser who flatted. A queen high board saw us get it all in on the flop and he rolls over the (by now) obvious AA. No suck-out for me and I"m toast. C"est le poker as they say at the Aviation Club.

Well...what to do with the rest of the evening? I think you know the answer to that question...come on, you can work it out.

That"s right...I went back to the hotel. OK, I"m kidding, I wandered off to find the usual reprobates at the White House, the Wetherspoons in the centre of Luton where they had, apparently, gathered.

I walk up to the entrance and there"s a security guard standing there who make a gesture towards me...I have no idea what he wants but I assume it"s a dress code check or summat..happens..if they turn me away, I can live with it. Nope, he just wants to stamp the back of my hand the the old UV ink....God that takes me back more years than I care to remember and probably more than most APATers have been around.

Anyway, apparently they don"t care what I"m wearing (heh) and I find the others slinging them back by the bucketful. Soon I"m necking them back too. However, it"s not long before Tighty announces that we"re off to the Chicago Rock Cafe...whatever the hell that is...but we dutifully make our way there.

At least it"s closer to the hotel than the Wetherspoons but, then again, it"s uphill. Never a good thing.

From then on, it"s something of a vague, blurry series of images in the back of my brain. X-Factor contests, blue drinks, orange drinks in jugs, Des buying a round (I saw it I tell you), drinks in bottles etc. etc. You get the picture.

At some point, I realised my feet were bl**dy killing me from standing around all night (no dancing, Praise Be) and I decide to take a pew.

FATAL.

Next thing I know, I"m pretty sure I"ve dozed off and Ger Jr is leaning over me asking if I"m alright. I probably mumbled something incoherent but assuring.

Regardless, I was apparently suitably compos mentis to decide that it was time to call it a morning and started the weary climb up the rest of the hill to the Days Hotel. At this point, the burning plates of meat at the end of my legs decided to remind me of their existence. Every frakkin" step is agony. Take it from me...never get old and fat!

I stop at several points along the enormity of the distance I had to cover (it must have been at least half a mile) to give my barking dogs a rest and during one of these I make my final tactical error of the night.

Yep...a kebab!

I carry it back to my hotel and finally make it into my room and made efforts to consume this delicious morsel before throwing myself into the joys of slumber.

Well, I say throw but, to be truthful, it was more like "place carefully" as the single bed I was occupying was on wheels and the slightest movement would have it careening around the room. It was like kipping on a skateboard.

As it turned out I found the remains of my dinner under the desk in the room in the morning...apparently I missed the wastebaskets when I"d finished.

Oh well, I live and never learn.
« Last Edit: November 09, 2016, 06:57:53 AM by Paulie_D »
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duke3016

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #560 on: November 08, 2016, 22:38:17 PM »

Next thing I know, I"m pretty sure I"ve dozed off and Ger Jr is leaning over me asking if I"m alright. I probably mumbled something incoherent but assuring.


Believe me he is used to it  ;D

Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #561 on: January 14, 2017, 22:41:19 PM »
I"ve been rooting about in some old "cloud" files I recently came across when I was recording trip reports.

Combined with what remains of the old disrupted blog files i"ll try and reconstruct a couple of trip diaries from Vegas  excursions, not sure everything survived but here goes.

December 2012 into January (Xmas & New Year in Vegas)....a long trip this one....three weeks. I would be accompanied, at least for some of it...by Ger and Don Logan



A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 0 - December 16th, 2012

Planning had taken some months but the time of departure was a less than 24 hours away as I left home for my overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Gatwick.

Immediately, I was in some trouble as the M25 had apparently been closed between my junction and the Dartford tunnel but a judicious bit of backroads driving got me where I needed to be only 30 minutes later.

Comfortably situated in the HI bar I indulged in a few pints and a very nice BBQ pulled pork pizza as I whiled away the evening.

Oh, did I mention that the room and 24 days parking was a mere £127 after discounts and the like? Cheaper than a taxi both ways and long stay parking at the airport.

Upgraded to Executive Room too.

Enough.


A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 1 - December 17th, 2012

Getting There Is Half The Experience

The HI threw in a complimentary buffet breakfast and I took full advantage as I dislike airline food and needed to stock up for the 12 hours ahead.

I was on the airport shuttle by 9am and, having checked in online, I was able to scoot through Bag Drop and Security in record time. I only had to wait a few minutes before they announced the gate number and, even better, it was the first one down the line.

Things were looking up. A 20 minute wait before being able to board but I was in my PE seat in short order and on looking round it was clear that this flight wasn"t as packed as those I have experienced before.

Although I did have a gent in the seat next to me he soon moved to another seat once we were in the air for more room (which I had planned to do) and I was in airline heaven. New seatback IFE kit with all mod-cons.

It wasn"t until I went to the loo the first time that I realised just how empty the flight was. There was an older couple seated in the exit row by the door but I swear the next 20 rows back were empty. Apparently the manifest had 114 passengers and 18 crew listed!

Nothing spectacular to mention on the flight, I napped for about an hour I guess but otherwise just watched a few movies or read for a while.

We landed 15 minutes early and taxied for a while to the new Terminal 3 but we were off the plane and down to passport control in no time.

Then it started.

Apparently we had landed just after a full AeroMexico flight and they were just starting processing the passengers. Now, I"m not saying that these passengers were subject to any greater scrutiny than the norm....but they didn"t get to us for an hour. It was quite warm in passport control and we actually had two people faint from having to stand for so long. It could be that they hadn"t hydrated properly on the flight but still!

Anyway, I finally got through the usual Border Control grilling, who always seem surprised that anyone would want to spend more than a week in Vegas. I spun them some bull**** about extending my usual time by "visiting friends in the area for the holidays" and all was good.

Due to the wait the bags were already on the carousel and mine rolled around just as I walked up. I grabbed it and headed outside to grab a cab.

Now it was my own fault but I was kind of tired from the flight and wasn"t thinking and when the driver suggested taking the highway to TI I said OK...forgetting that this is cabbie code for “I"m long-hauling you”.

Whatever, I twigged about halfway there and dunned him on a tip.

Check-in at TI was a breeze and I made my way to my room to rest up for a while. Pretty good size room and a decent view...if you like that sort of thing.

Oddly, I can"t find a power point anywhere near the workdesk which seems very strange but I figure can work around it. Wi-fi works fine and is included in the Resort Fee.

I napped for a couple of hours before making my way down to The Pub at Monte Carlo to meet up with some old friends from the London Poker Meetup who, not quite coincidentally, are also in town for a few days.

Beers were had, I had a very nice Belgian Beer Tasting selection TYVM, food was eaten and memories were shared.

I don"t recall The Pub closing up that early but, then again, it is only Monday...however, I"d been up for over 24 hours with only small catnaps in the interim (and a few beers) so I called it a night and was back in my TI crash pad by 11pm.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2017, 21:37:29 PM by Paulie_D »
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #562 on: January 14, 2017, 22:47:52 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 2 - December 18th 2012

Blue Moon Over Vegas

I can"t say that I had the greatest nights sleep but, fortunately, I had ample opportunity to get a nap or two in the morning as, as is usual when I"m in Las Vegas, I"m not planning on leaving the room until noon.

Perhaps it was the delayed sleep after the long flight or the mix of Belgian Beers (the Timmerman Strawberry was very nice) that"s got my sleep clock off a little.

Still the bed is very comfortable.

I did make one discovery this morning, the workdesk does have a power point. It was practically right under my nose but since it was black it was discretely blending into the dark wood panelling surrounding the desk. At least that"s my story.

Noon rolled around and I headed out for something to eat and, of course, to get some cards in the air.

I had a number of reasons for choosing TI as part of my hotel medley, one was the price since I got a pretty good deal (pre-resort fee), the second was the fact that I like checking out hotels I haven"t stayed at before and the final reason was location.

Right opposite the Venetian. That"s right, I can walk out of my room, out of the casino, over the walkway crossing the Strip and be in the Poker room in under 10 minutes. That"s at my walking pace...I reckon anyone else could do it in five.

However, I popped into the big Walgreens store next to the Venetian to buy a bottle of JD Honey for my evening visit (of which more later).

As I said, food was...erm...on the menu, and I wanted to try out Rattlecan, a beer and burger restaurant next door to the poker room at the V.



Heavyish metal / Rock playing over the sound system is my kind of thing especially when it"s not cranked up so high that you can"t hear yourself think. First order of business was a beer though and I have a fondness for Blue Moon...and they have it on draft. Would I like a large one, as a matter of fact, I would. A 20oz iced glass is in front of me in seconds and I"m necking it in no time.

I order their signature burger...hell why not...and that fills a hole...as does another Blue Moon.



Not cheap though, the burger was around $18 and the beers were $11 each. The final toll was over $40 and I left a generous tip for the very attentive (and attractive naturally) girl behind the  bar.

Suitably refreshed I got my name down on the list for some 4/8 Omaha 8/b but had to wait for while before a seat opened up.

Lord, I"d forgotten how these players love their poor draws. Even though I won the very first hand by flopping the nut low / nut flush and got paid on every street, I still managed to get out drawn more than a few times in the intervening 4 hours. Backdoor everything seemed to get there, oh, you have a 4 outer to a higher boat than mine...here you go!

Whatever, I dropped about $130 and will chalk it up to first day lessons.

I had made contact with the people at the Vegas Video Network some time ago regarding the possibility of making a visit while I was in town.

VVN is a small video company specialising in marketing video, podcasts and the like. However, they have two or three weekly podcasts which, if you are interested in the Vegas "scene", as I am, bear watching.



I jumped in a cab about 5.15 and made my way over to their studio facility on Convention Center Drive (a short walk from the Peppermill Lounge) and was finally able to meet the people I had been tweeting with back and forth for some time. I know that conversation was mentioned during the taping (towards the end) but whether it will make it into the final cut I don"t know.


Take it from me, they don"t take themselves seriously...at all. It was a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes in the making of a podcast and I plan to make a visit a regular feature on my future Vegas trips.

My main contact there was Jacob, their Technical Director, and we made tentative plans to get together for a few drinks on Saturday. I think Ger and Don will get a kick out of it too.

I was done and dusted by 8pm and after making my goodbyes made my way back out into the cold Vegas evening.

Of course, being the numpty that I am, I had forgotten to consider how I was going to get back to my hotel which was about a mile away. Did I do the sensible thing and call a taxi from the hotel opposite...of course not, I"m an idiot.

So I walked it. Now, I know that for the most of you this is a trivial thing but I"m old and fat and by the time I"d trudged my way to TI I was in a world of hurt, legs aching, dogs barking and, oddly, with an aching back.

There was only one possible cure. Beef and Beer. The logical place for both was Gilleys but I avoided the bar area (with mechanical bull) and made my way to the front for the restaurant area facing the strip.

Blue Moon again?...Ohhhh, yes please. Plate of meat with that? You bet.

Now the food offering wasn"t anything to write home about (or I would be writing about it) but the Blue Moon didn"t let me down.

Nor did the 4th or 5th. By the time I was finished, most of the aches and pains had subsided but I was also in no state for much of anything else so I chose the sensible option and retired relatively early.

Gotta pace yourself you know.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2017, 21:37:48 PM by Paulie_D »
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #563 on: January 15, 2017, 17:45:34 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 3 - December 19th 2012

Slowin" It Down & Grindin" It Out

Surprisingly, I awoke without any headache or a visit from the Drinking Bear, I guess he hasn"t figured out that I"m out of the country yet.

Today, Wednesday for me, was one where I had no specific plans and nothing in particular was grabbing my attention for any sort of adventure. So, over to the Venetian then to grind out 4/8 Omaha 8/b.

However, the body needed sustenance so I stopped in at the Grand Lux Cafe for some more Blue Moon (yummy) and a Buffalo Chicken Burger.

Being in no rush I dallied over an extra pint or two before making my way over to the Poker Room. I was on the list only for a short while before they fired up a new "must move" table and I dived into the fray.

If you"ve never played limit O8 then you have no idea how soul destroying it can be. 6-7 see a flop pretty much every hand and some outrageous draws get there.

I had more than a few big hands crushed by low outers, including Kings full beaten by quad 7 (admittedly he flopped it but still) and I was in a hole for quite some time. Eventually though every worm gets his turn and after about 6 hours of play I was a whole $50 to the good and I figured that would have to do.

I couldn"t really decide where I wanted to eat so I thought I would just head back to TI and see what was on offer. As it turns out the options aren"t huge but I plumped for Kahunaville, a sort of Tropical Cafe type place.

The Pit Ribs sounded nice as did a couple of draft beers (no Blue Moon this time, just Bud Light).

Wow, you hear the term "Fall off the bone"...well those ribs were just that...literally. When I picked up the first rib it came away in my hand clean as a whistle. Yummy.



I hoovered up the food and a few more beers before heading out into the casino again. Frankly, I wasn"t in the mood to do much so I wandered about for a while before deciding that sitting in the Breeze Bar while necking some cocktails and doing some people watching wouldn"t be the worst thing.

It wasn"t. The cocktails were very moreish but I managed to restrain myself and just...erm...hung for an hour or two before calling it a day.

Not a late night, I suspect there may be a few of those in the next few days.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2017, 16:00:11 PM by Paulie_D »
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #564 on: January 15, 2017, 17:53:42 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 4 - December 20th 2012

Santa Ger Is Coming To Town


Thursday rolled around as it tends to do after Wednesday and my stay at TI is now at an end. So, it"s Moving Day v1.0 and I"m due to switch over to Harrahs.

I check out of TI and take a cab over to Harrahs, I don"t think the cab driver was too impressed with the short ride but a hefty tip percentage seemed to appease him.

Official check in time wasn"t until 4pm but they squeezed me in and I was comfortably esconsed in my room by 1pm.

Decent sized room in the Carnaval Tower. Certainly, I think it"s larger than the one I had last year.







The view isn"t great but if you look closely you can see the some of pylons that will hold up the new giant ferris wheel / observation thingy that"s going up behind the Linq.



Needing food, I examine each of the offerings available to me in Harrahs before falling back on an old favourite, Toby Keith"s Bar. Several beers and a plate of chicken tenders later, Ger enters the bar....somewhat later than I expected. Apparently, he"d got my text telling him where I was, about 3.30 but I hadn"t gotten a reply. Turns out he"d programmed my number wrong into his phone.

We have a few beers although Ger seemed put out that he was drinking his out of a "jam jar" as he called it.



It wasn"t long before he"s off talking to random strangers as he tends to do.

Perhaps he finds me boring?

Anyway, after a couple, he asks me for a plan of action and I suggest Miller"s Ale House which is south of the airport in a shopping / restaurant complex called Town Square. We cab it down and arrive in the early evening.







I immediately introduce Ger into the delights of Blue Moon and he seems to like it. We share our admiration for Linsey the bartender (sorry no picture) but as usual Ger is off talking to randoms again.

The first thing one of them said was "Which part of Scotland are you guys from?” Wow, talk about wrong on so many levels. Regardless, Ger chats to them for a while before coming back and says, quietly, to me “The only things missing from those guys is a white sheet and a pointy hat”. I was amIused.

After only a couple of pints, I can tell Ger really isn"t into it and when he suggests going back to the hotel I agree. The long flight can really take it out of you.

We ask the hostess to call us a cab and he pulls up almost immediately and is, as usual, subjected to an interrogation by The Duke about whether he"s happy in his work and whether he"s having a good day. Sometimes...sigh.

We"re back at the hotel by 7pm and Ger wants to play Pai Gow. I feel like getting my feet wet so we jump on a $10 table. I think Ger made it another 90 minutes or so before deciding that rest was required and reminds me that Chezger don"t do mornings before going to crash.

should have taken that as a sign but I stayed and in the space of 4 hours spanked off $200. Unfortunately, I can"t say that I got full beer value as the cocktail waitress was somewhat slow in coming around. Oh well, I have the hang of it now.

Not the rollicking pub crawl you were expecting I can guess. I"ll see what I can come up with when Don gets in this evening.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2017, 21:38:30 PM by Paulie_D »
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #565 on: January 15, 2017, 21:25:01 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 5 - December 21st 2012

Distractions

Despite being wiped out pretty early last night it seems Ger was up an about pretty early on Friday morning as I received a text at 11 o"clock to the effect “3 card poker and in profit”

I, as is my usual practice, wasn"t about to leave until noon but managed to pick Ger up on the way to the Venetian where we breakfasted (real men don"t do brunch) in the Grand Lux Cafe and Ger continued his growing affair with Blue Moon.

Once refreshed, I one again took to the fray of 4/8 Omaha whilst his Dukeness wandered off, I thought, to dabble in some NL cash.

Another disappointing session for me; no bad beats as such just a complete lack of anything to play once I made it to the main game from the "must move" table. When I did get something playable due to blind luck, I"d end up with a kicker problem or the like. Another $150 gone.

To be honest, I"d rather have lost the money via bad play or getting outdrawn but sitting there getting nothing to play is even more soul grinding.

Oh well. After 4 hours or so I decided I"d taken enough and went to find Ger.

Himself hadn"t, in fact, gone for the cash but had instead been glued to a 3 card poker table for the full time and had taken full advantage of the beer bonus.

After chucking $400 across the table and getting down to "dirt" he"d won a like amount by hitting a straight flush and then another $300 by hitting trips.

My mind wasn"t quite straight at that point after having my soul sanded down with a piece of 40 grit but we managed to find a bar for a drink or three while we waited for news from Don Logan.

Remember Ger"s experience with 3 card poker from just above? Now this is a worthwhile little tale but when you"ve heard it 6 or 7 times in the space of an hour it"s tends to get a little...erm...wearing.

Eventually, we heard from Don and decided to make our way back to Harrahs with, I thought, the intention of finding a place, getting something to eat inside Ger and continue the fun.

I shouldn"t make plans like that. While waiting for Don to come down Ger and I sit at a Blackjack table and before long Don is with us.

Me, I cash out after breaking even and watch the other two play before my attention is drawn to the lovely young lady gyrating a few feet above our heads. Ger is blissfully unaware until she descends when her relief shows up and the lovely lass is standing next to him chatting to a co-worker. When Ger"s eyes finally lift from the felt and he gazes, somewhat blearily, around he finally twigs. I wish I could have caught that expression.



At the point I can see that I"m not going to be able to drag these two away from the table any time soon so I retire to a nearby bar and just take in the attractive scenery.

By and by, Ger and Don have had enough but Don, as expected, is suffering, a little from landing day time lag and Ger just needs to sleep.

Ger heads off and Don and I have another beer before I too make my way back to the room.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2017, 22:18:43 PM by Paulie_D »
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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #566 on: January 15, 2017, 21:32:27 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 6 - December 22nd 2012

Here Kitty, Kitty


I"d made plans with Jacob from the Vegas Video Network to meet up at some point on Saturday and got email suggesting we meet at Lagasse"s Stadium a sports book cum lounge in the Palazzo.



Ger, had apparently been up since very early and was back on the 3 card poker but we walked over arriving at around 11.15.

Jacob arrived dead on 11.30 and we enjoyed a few more Blue Moons and chatted for a couple of hours before we called it a day. Very nice chap, Jacob. He has an English wife and so is fully aware of the differences in the US and UK cultures and has some stories to tell of his own.

Anyway, we"re done by, I guess, 1.30 and we say goodbye to Jacob and cab over to Caesar"s where Don is playing the noon tourney.

When we arrive he"s still in so Ger and I decide to ride the 3 card poker train to Drinksville at the nearby Pu$$ycat Dolls "Lounge" while waiting for him to finish.



Once again, I have plans to make an evening of it by hitting up a couple of places ending at McMullans. As it"s about, I dunno, 2.30 or so, I decide that I will get in a "beer nap" and be fully refreshed for the evening. I walk back to Harrahs past the shell of O"Sheas and the construction surrounding the Quad and get my head down about 3pm I guess.

And that"s all she wrote. Not so much a beer nap as an outright 7 hour coma. Feck, I must have REALLY needed to sleep as I just don"t normally sleep more than 6 hours on a good night.

So there it is, another plan in tatters and on checking my phone I don"t have any messages so I guess I haven"t been missed.

I really can"t summon up the effort to get up again, track down Don and Ger and try and salvage anything so I just chalk it up to experience and slide back under the covers.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2017, 21:39:13 PM by Paulie_D »
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #567 on: January 16, 2017, 15:59:12 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 7 -December 23rd 2012

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together...Mostly

After yesterday's fiasco, I was more than determined to get some sort of bar trip in today.

As usual I dossed about in the room until I received a text from Ger that he and Don were heading over to Caesars' Palace to play the noon competition. My initial thought was to head over to the Hash House A Go Go in the IP Quad for a late plateful of breakfast but that plan had to be scrapped when I rocked up and the place was rammed.

Muppet that I am, I'd overlooked the fact that it was Sunday and the whole of Vegas turns out for a late breakfast on Sundays. Oh well. I made my way out of the Quad and could see that although they've made some strides in putting in new signage and re-organising the layout there is still a long way to go until they fully strip out all of the old theming.

I walked over the road to Serendity 3, just outside of Caesars and took a table outside for a bit of people watching. They do the BEST chicken strips with a honey mustard dip that is to die for.

Oh and Blue Moon too. I lingered over the meal and a couple more beers before making my way into the Caesars poker room about 2pm or so.

Ger was just standing up bubbling the final table although Don was still in. Apparently, the competition had only started with 20 runners and so they were only paying top 2.

Ger went back to the hotel for a quick power nap and I hoped he wouldn't have the same experience as me in that endeavour.

I railed Don for a while until he went out in about 6th and we decided to cab over to the Orleans with the idea of going over to McMullans later in the evening.

First port of call was TGI Fridays inside the Orleans so Don could eat...and  had a couple of Blue Moons.

Then it was time to properly introduce Don to Pai Gow so we took a seat and played for hour or two until Ger showed up. I cashed out a mere $25 down and chatted to Ger until it was time to walk over the road to McMullans.

John Windsor was already giving his all and I had a couple more Blue Moons...well more than a couple...I think.

It starts to get a bit hazy after that. I think I remember Don leaving and certainly Ger hung around, probably to make sure I didn't hurt myself.

I remember having a good time but eventually I must have been persuaded to leave as I also remember walking back to the Orleans to catch a cab.

I made it back to the room with little difficulty...I think.

Something furry this way comes.
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Paulie_D

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #568 on: January 16, 2017, 16:04:06 PM »
A Very Vegas Vacation - Day 8 - December 24th 2012

Bear With Me - I"m Weak

Ursis Imbibus, the drinking bear has come to town and taken up residence in Room 1742 of the Carnaval Tower of Harrahs Hotel and Casino in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.

Oh Jeez. I did not feel at all well on Christmas Eve morning.

I let myself suffer for quite a while before sticking my head out of the room. A good solid meal was on the cards so I staggered down to the Coffee Shop / Cafe for a good old fashioned steak, eggs and hash browns with coffee and OJ. That'll set me up right.

I lingered over a second cup before deciding what to do for the day. Nothing really appealed but I decided that I would give the Venetian another shot. That place is certainly turning out to be my kryptonite...in fact, I think I said the same thing last year.

I'm honestly not sure if it's the players there or whether it's just me but I just don't seem to be able to beat that game.

Although I did have to wait for a seat I did eventually get seated and after another several hours I was down another $100.

Enough. Unfortunately, I'd picked the wrong time to get up and eat as the V was packed and every mother's son was trying to do the same thing. I decided to walk back to Harrahs and perhaps get food the KGB Burger Bar.

That hope was dashed as that place was shut for some reason so on to Toby Keiths for chicken and beer.

I had a few, texted Ger but received no reply so I hung out for a while until the live band started playing.....loud.

Time for bed...again.

Santa's coming tomorrow.
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Fatcatstu

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Re: The Perils of Paulie - An Irregular Blog
« Reply #569 on: January 17, 2017, 01:45:03 AM »
Love reading your trip reports mate, excellent as always, keeping me going through a late night poker grind!
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