Poker, Heineken, Anniversaries, New York & Oysters

We are considering moving from Toronto to Sin City within the next 2 years. Originally it was Northern California, but in light of the current housing market we could do really well in Vegas. 3.5% is all you need for a down payment and houses are at rock bottom level. No where to go but up. No chance of a loan that ends up being way more than the value of the home. None. Gated community, 3 bdrms, pool for 200K. We'd make 30% on the value within 5 years. Maybe more. We wouldn't lose.

But this is a city that steals souls and sucks life from even the most vibrant inhabitant if they're not careful. Go for a week and you can dive head first into that degenerate hole knowing that you'll reach air again soon and be on a plane back to whatever reality you know. Manage your money, wear protection and avoid the meth and junk and everything should be alright. The same STDs are available in Las Vegas as can be found in just about every little Buttfuck, NW. Vegas seems like it'd be more fun on acid or mushrooms anyway, but that's just me. The point is that one should be safe when they feed on Las Vegas in moderation, but what if I live there? Will it suck my soul dry. Could I manage everything? There is much opportunity and fun to be had, but it's out there on a tightrope. Without a net. Etc.

We got back late last night and I miss it already. First and foremost was seeing the family. We have two little ones both under the age of two. They are both born to two of our nieces and nephews (we have 4 there) which is a little crazy I'll admit, but not so out of step in today's world. I come from a small family myself and I am learning that there is something to be said for a large family. If you start with acceptance not only of people but of situations, the rest is gravy and basically life.

We were originally going to rent a car and base ourselves out of my sister-in-law's house. The kids were all back in school and the car didn't work out due to me not having a credit card. I think I may be at the point where I need to re-examine my position on CCs. They have taken down so many people/families. I've been trying to get around the system or avoid the system is probably more like it, but it's getting to be near impossible these days. Especially when traveling. I'm still blowing off the cell phone. It'll be a sad day when I break down on that one, but such is the state of the world we live in. Until then I'll continue to smell the roses and if you can't get a hold of me, tough shit. I digress...

So no car. Instead we just booked the whole week down on the strip at New York New York. I had only been to this property once before on my very first trip to Vegas in 2002. My buddy Kurt & I went to ride the roller coaster as he had never been on one. I don't think he has since. NYNY has no poker room, so there was really no reason for me to go there after that 1st time. We secured a nice corner room with a King and a Strip view after they tried to stick us in a double/double. The GF was having none of that and made it happen. I'm a little more laid back when it comes to those things, but not her. The lesson: If you don't ask, you don't get.

The best part about NYNY was its proximity to the MGM Poker Room. This is my favorite room to play in in Vegas. The staff is great, the players are friendly, it's right near the sports book, TVs everywhere. The only drawback is the noise since it's right out in the open next to Centerfuge Bar and the Rainforest Cafe. There's a jungle stampede every 22 minutes. It gets old fast. We spent from Sunday night to Friday morning at the hotel and I played poker on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They comp you $1 per hour to use at any of the property's food outlets. I had $19.50 to spend by the end of my session on Wednesday. I met a bunch of great people I played with all three days and had some interesting late night sessions. I made a lot more money during the late night/early morning sessions for some reason. The games were much more wild and the booze was flowing steady. Ha ha. I think over the whole time I averaged 1 Heineken per hour. Since I'm not professional and I'm from Canada where you have to buy drinks in a casino, I count this as a part of my overall take.

20 x Heineken @ $7.50 - $1 Tip = $130.00 + 19.50 Food Comp = $149.50

This is before I even pull in a chip. I made enough playing poker to cover all of our extra curricular fun on the strip. Meals, games, non-casino drinks, transportation, slots for the GF and other entertainment stuff. All the kids came to meet us on Wednesday afternoon and we hit up a few Mega-Arcades. We got a steal of a deal at the hotel so the whole thing was a minimal expense with the plane tickets accounting for the largest chunk of change.

Thursday was our anniversary so we spent that entire day together playing slots at various resorts, sipping on free drinks and eating. I think we hit the the Venitian, Mirage, Caesars, and Bellagio in that order. I was alternating Coronas and Bloody Mary's and I had one of each on the go when I was able to. Great combo. We found a great Indian restaurant on the strip called Tamba. I linked it because it's Sofa King good. Both of us are not the type to really sit down in one of those pretentious restaurants named after some idiot TV chef. They are either filled with assholes from LA or fans of so-and-so's show that just want to say they've been there and done that. We just like good food at a fair price with good sized portions. The nan was probably the best I ever had. The Butter Chicken is making my mouth water as I type this. The place was packed. Always a good sign. I don't see myself ever going to Vegas again without eating at Tamba at least once.

We were supposed to go out dancing together, but we were just too faded by the time we got back to NYNY. We had bee out for about 10 hours drinking, eating, gambling and walking. What we should have done was hit the pool, go to dinner and then hit the clubs. We ended up sprawled out on the bed watching The Hangover.

We got picked up on Friday and went to our nephew's high school for a chicken dinner in support of his football team. The night ended with a drive to Chinatown (yes, Vegas has one) where supplies were purchased for a stir fry and Oyster BBQ. We ended up with a case of 60 of the biggest oysters I've ever seen. My only oyster experience has been raw so I was going to be watching from the sidelines until I got talked into full on participation. We had some Hawaiians there and they are the experts when it comes to BBQ'd oysters. They ended up being great. We cooked them all night long, topped them with Tabasco, Soy, Salt and fresh lemon juice and washed them down with cold Coronas. The night ended with a few Beer Pong matches. My first time. For the record I left Vegas undefeated. There are Beer Pong tournaments that people can enter on the strip. You can make side bets and everything. Just an FYI.

Our flight back on Saturday was fairly uneventful. We flew through Dallas which was surprisingly a first for me. We were in the same row on our last leg but not beside each other. We each had a window seat so we just waved back and forth. The GF made friends with the couple sitting next to her. I met them as they got off and they started asking for my phone #, email etc. We think they're going to try to recruit us for religious purposes. Good luck with that. Very nice people though.

I guess this was more a a trip recap post than one that argues a point which is how I think I started this one. Will Vegas beat me down and leave me in the ditch if we ever move there? If I live life like I did this past week then I believe the answer is yes. If I am able to pick my spots, push my edge and above all resist certain temptations then I think I have a chance to dominate in any number of arenas available to me there.

I ran my Fantasy Football draft while in Vegas. I'll have more on this and my Fantasy Baseball team which is heading for the playoffs in my next post.