Bellagio Poker: Both Flynn and Ollie decided to swing by the Bellagio room to see how the 1/3 games were looking. The appearance was about the same as the playing experience ~ discombobulated. The Bellagio was in the midst of replacing the carpet (not downsizing), so they had ¾ of the room shoved to ¼ of the room, and all tables were a tight squeeze. The staff was trying to make the best of it, but it was awkward, to say the least. The game itself was not the best, probably due to lots of players coming and going, and no real rhythm. No doubt it will be back up to its usual pristine self in a day or two, but it just was not comfortable. Ollie lost some and decided to move on. Flynn stuck around a bit longer, then picked up and joined him at the next stop.
Aria Poker: This would be Ollie’s first visit to the Aria poker room this trip, and Flynn’s second. It did not disappoint. F & O settled into their respective tables and breathed a sigh of relief. Flynn had noodles delivered from Lemongrass, and immediately lost his first $200 buy-in. After re-buying, he ran it way up to over 800, and 5 hours later called it a night. Ollie had a good run as well, but since Flynn was not within view, has no idea how he fared at the end. The table Ollie was at was much friendlier. Flynn’s table was quiet, serious, and had one man-bun in attendance. The Aria has good service, is comfortable and consistent. They do not have promotions. Restrooms are close. What more can you say, it is very reliable.
Golden Nugget poker room: One early evening was spent at the GN poker room, soaking up the downtown ambiance and taking some $ from our opponents. F&O were at the same table but never really got into any poker wars with each other (a rarity). It should be noted that the room seems to have resolved their lack of cell-data signal in the vault, so it does make playing there a little easier. We love the ability to play with cash $100s on the table, it just makes buying/selling chips easier for everyone as well as the ‘cool’ factor. This room is generally well run, and the dealers/staff are accommodating. Parking gets validated, so that is not an issue. BTW, there was one floor person that day who was a little cranky ~ we all have bad days, but don’t think it does not get noticed. The best part of the game was when Flynn’s handler got profiled for being a ‘girl’ by a dork who was convinced he was beat any time an Ace came. (Cause you know, girls keep any ace). Easy game.
Venetian Poker room: Once again, this was the 1st visit for Ollie, and Flynn’s second trip to the V poker room this week. It lasted exactly one hour, prior to leaving for the airport, and was unremarkable. The locals were pouring in at 1130 ish to take advantage of the 30 minute $600 high hands which start at noon and they played their hands accordingly. The more interesting story about the V poker room this week is the drama surrounding the Lucky Shot Poker Tournament, which up to this point (Friday morning) had only a handful of entries. Will they or won’t they make their guarantee? A quick search online did not yield any hints, however we are sure the answer will be found on Twitter later today.
Sadly, F&O’s week-long poker adventure had to come to an end. F&O had a great time, a little extra $ made it back home with us, and the weather was stellar. Can’t wait to return.
Fin
Flynn