Greg's Game

Greg missed my summary of last week, but my memory missed it as well.
So, I'll just write up today.
Players were Robin, Ezzy, Peter, Gregg and it was a fine game with perhaps less action than other weeks, but fun.  We had some good talk as well and I enjoyed that part.  I like some talk and some friendly banter. 
It was grand to see Robin.  For me that happens not often enough.  I think we met in 1965, so we've been friends for 50 years although as you probably have noticed, he is a good bit older than I am.  He left early to go up to see the Saratoga horses run.  Hope he caught some fast runners.  Maybe he ran into Wild Bill.

Peter was off his game or not in the luck of the day.  Once again he lost $46 dollars.  I took the most of the money so that by the end of the day I was up $45, but figuring in Peter's stakes, only up one dollar.
Ezzy took the Aces cracked and the high hand with kings full of nines beating out a king high straight that Greg took half way through the afternoon. 
For music Jim left us some fine CD's with easy listening and they worked just great.
I think Robin lost a little bit, but not much.
Greg lost.  But he did play one hand with great flourish, betting a full 20 when he had the nuts on the river and getting called by Peter.
I was lucky to twice on the river catch an inside draw to the wheel straight.  I also had trip tens a couple times.  I had pocket kings that lost and then had them again and they lost, by my pocket queens held up again Peter when I flopped a set and slow played them.  Peter bet into the slow play because he had pocket Aces.  So they were cracked but after the time when the bonus money was still in the pot.

Oh,  I'm sorry.  There are not "cracked Aces" at Greg's games now.  If you lose with pocket Aces, your Aces were cocked.  "Cocked Aces" is the correct term.

We cashed in and started fresh for the second session, the pineapple part of the day, Peter won back $27.  So he made some pocket money.

We missed many of you.  It was a hot, hot day but very comfortable in the poker room.  I guess we expected that more of you would show up to escape the heat.  Why hunker down in your own pad watching Turner Classic Movies when you could be in the action?  Consider coming back and bringing a friend.

There was new art in the room, a product of one of those painting classes we wrote about. 
Also, Greg is trying for a Friday night game.  Interested?  Contact him for details.

*******************************************
Sunday at the last minute I bought a Yankee Trail ticket to Turning Stone and who do you think hopped on the bus? 
Slink!!!
That ole Son of a Gun!!

 So, we caught up and had a good time telling stories and catching up until his study of German lured him away from conversation.


One good old German proverb applies often to the game of poker
Die dümmsten Bauern ernten die dicksten Kartoffeln.
You can use it in Munich if you can find a game, but I fear
Es gibt keine Poker Spiele in München.

He told me about the Crazy Pineapple tournament and it was great fun, but I was eliminated very quickly.  The Pineapple we sometimes play at Greg's does not change the game much, but in Crazy Pineapple the third card is discarded after the flop.  Twice I split up pocket Aces because the flop gave me trips on the other card.  Slink played a long while but he did not cash.  I thought the competition was very hard and I also thought that the 1-2 tables were easier because the better players were in the tournament.

I played the rest of the day at 1-2 tables and felt very comfortable.  I'll do that again.  I sat at a 2-4 but it was terrible.  Just 5 old rocks.  We all broke the table and turned it into a 1-2 game. 

Slink and I had a nice buffet and he told more of his gambling adventures.  He plays some blackjack and some table game Texas Hold em.  I watched him play that for a while and it was good fun. 
Both of us took the $25 we got as part of the bus package and got our money back or better.  He ran his through the blackjack.  I played a double double bonus poker.

I also ran into a former student on the bus.  That was fun.  In the end I lost money, but I think I will go again sometime. 

******************************************************************************************
I will have an updated "resort and other fee article" in the 2016 edition of American Casino Guide and I was also asked if I'd like to do a video about resort fees.  Then I got a note from Jean Scott, famous for her books on Frugal gambling.   She asked me to help her with her next book and I sent in some suggestions and information and thanked me when I did.  That was pretty awesome for me!!
She really inspired my frugal approach to Vegas and introduced me to video poker, the only machine game that is sometimes in the player's favor.

*******************************************************************************************
Some of you were asking about the Riviera.  Well, today the die is cast.  It will get blown up and as soon as possible.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/lvcva-committee-votes-demolish-Riviera

******************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, Ron is off to Maine for his vacation with Laura and Minte.  He will get some much cooler weather and some wilderness and some sea air. 

Now, catch this.  Sometimes law just gets too nuts about card games.  This is really ridiculous.

Seniors who play Euchre
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/indiana-agency-forces-senior-center-change-game-32575757



 

Greg's game

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Greg's game

Well, the Hill boys rocked this week.  Peter took $42 and Dewey took $69.   That was most of the profit from the table.  Ezzy left with some, I think.  I know he left with both bonus pays, the high hand and the cracked Aces.  He had the high hand on the second dealt hand, quad Aces with king kicker.   

Gregg started off with huge wins and had almost three trays, much of it won on all-in hands.  One of those was my loss. 

He was happy................

for a while. 

 Gradually, his early and substantial lead  was ground down. 
I helped with luck on the turn one hand and on the river another.  Both of them took my pocket sevens and made them into winners.  Once the turn gave me trips and another time the river gave me a full house.  It was a hard to put me on these cards, so I got plenty of callers.

 I made three buy-ins before my luck took off.  Peter made two.
I'd say my wins had more to do with luck than skill.

Peter's still often have to do with aggression at the right time. 

Certainly, my taking Peter down on the river was all luck against the odds. 
We were all-in.  Peter had trips.  I needed a Jack for an inside straight.  I called for it, and it came.

Gail Gregory joined us this week and livened up this circle of old men (and Peter) with banter and story.  She seemed to take quite a few pots in the beginning, always because she had a respectable kicker.  But in the end her bankroll drained away.

Add in hands that stick in your minds, please.  I mostly remember the ones that affected my bankroll and not even all of those.

Jim played the music mix we liked last week and will again next week since we have not heard but only a fraction of the whole mix.  There was a good bit of music trivia discussion again this week.  Gail added to much of that, hearing in the mix many songs she knew and remembered, and perhaps a few she hated.

The art is still up.  There are some opportunies to learn from this particular artist.  Talk to Greg about those if you are interested.  Her art was praised at the game.
  
I'm not sure what happens to me next week.  I'll try to get there and the odds are good, but I have to have my car serviced that morning by the dealer.  Who knows what that may entail.  I go in early in the morning, so perhaps there is a chance I'll be done.  Or if I have to leave it overnight, perhaps Pete and I will take the Central Ave. bus and walk from that 155 corner.  If Elizabeth will pick me up at the end of the game.
It will all be last minute planning.

We discussed "The Day the Music Died" and no on could remember the fellow who was saved because he gave up his seat.  Someone said Bob Dylan, but this made little sense to me.  Waylon Jennings is the correct answer.  Interesting is that the whole crash is being investigated again as to its cause.  It may not have been pilot error after all
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/entertainment/buddy-holly-plane-crash-reexamined/



Since he has not come to tell any jokes, I thought I'd include one of Bill's latest jokes.

         Mickey O'Flynn worked in an

Irish pickle factory. For many years he had a powerful

desire to put his penis in the pickle

slicer.  Unable to stand it any longer, he

sought professional help from the factory psychologist.

After six months, the therapist gave up.   He advised Mickey to go ahead and

do it or he would probably never have any peace of

mind.  The next day he came home from

work very early. His wife, Mary, became alarmed and wanted

to know what had happened.

Mickey tearfully confessed his

tormenting desire to put his penis in the pickle

slicer. He went on to explain that today

he finally went ahead and did it, and he was immediately

fired.   Mary gasped and ran over to her

husband. She quickly yanked down his pants and shorts only

to find a normal, completely intact penis.

She looked up and said, "I

don't understand. What about the pickle

slicer?"     Mickey replied, "I think she

got fired too."

Which reminds me of this helpful technique I recently discovered:

http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-slash-a-hot-dog-to-make-it-extra-crispy-article?mbid=social_facebook

Have a good week. 

Greg's game

Another sparse showing of just four of us, but a good bit of action nonetheless.  I can't talk anyone into playing Pineapple to increase the action a bit. 
But it sure was fun this week.
I ended up with most of the profit after five buy-ins, all depleted by all-in scenarios. 
I never had a full house or better all afternoon, but I managed to do well anyway.  I beat Peter on his huge 40 chip bluff with just my Queen and got out of two other similar situations when he held full houses. 
Perhaps I am getting that Malcome Gladwell Blink sense of things.
http://gladwell.com/blink/

Or perhaps I just got lucky.

Greg ended down with some comeback.  Peter made $7.  Jim broke about even.

 While the poker was great, it was like playing in an old folks home.  My back cramped and spasmed all day.  I even had Peter drive as much as I could.  So I used the vidow viper gizmo and refused to reach.  Both Greg and Jim had different sorts of dizziness problems with Jim wondering if he could drive home, but then thinking he could and making it.  Good none of us were drinking.

Jim's music was actually the best from my perspective.  He had 17 hours of stuffed that shuffled and most of it clicked on very old emotional memories of mine from early adolescence making me remember my days at Lime Lake and girls I loved in 8th grade.  Amazing, really.  And then Ray Charles, Sinatra, or some delightful but unknown singer would pop up.  My kinda music.  He may play that again next week.

Greg's new art is very nice.  Scenes mostly and very pleasant.  And we played until 6 PM which is my vote although I was getting mighty hungry.  It meant that my drive home even with all the damned construction on the bridge and closed roads to avoid was very easy and well after the rush hour. 


Peter won the cracked Aces and Jim had them afterwards at least twice, winning with them.  I think Greg had them as well.  Looking at my cards I would always look for them, thinking, "Yeah, they are those cards with the symbol that seems like a little A frame house, right?"  The few times I got them they avoided being twins, opting more to the principle that opposites attract.

Still I won $60.

Jim hit the high hand which ended at 4 again. Early on he had Aces full of 2's and it held up.  Had we gone with the bonus until 6 Greg would have gotten it with his pocket tens that flopped trips.  I had K-J of clubs and we went all-in.
"I just need a club, Greg."
Then up popped the case ten and Greg smiled and smiled.
Otherwise I'd have won $86 dollars.

Lots of good talk.  I mentioned this NPR report on "upspeak" which was really a report on "Do I Sound Gay?"  (http://www.npr.org/2015/07/07/420627143/filmmaker-and-speech-pathologist-weigh-in-on-what-it-means-to-sound-gay)  but featured this speech pathologist and she mentioned this voice pattern.
 http://www.sankinspeechimprovement.com/are-you-asking-me-or-telling-me-speech-pattern/

Gregg had us illustrate. He wondered if he was doing that when he bet with a question.  I don't really think so.  There it is really a question.  Will you call this?  Can I win with this?

Here is true upspeak.  Traditionally, it was  connected with young women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj4EIGje4dA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjKMNyZ2oTc

So few variations in English actually annoy me, but these do.  

As usual, our poker games are part poker and part university class.  And part sports, but not this week because none of the Delmar boys attended.  And a good part gardening, but not this week because Charley was off cultivating better friends.

Sorry I can't remember more hands.  There were some exciting rivers.  Even without a switch to Pineapple, we seem to create action at the small games.  It is not shuffle, collect three chips, and then shuffle again.

But then we don't have Greg, who goes all in on 6-2 against Peter.  And on the flop comes a 6 and then a 2.

At least this did not happen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA6vbyPqqdg

Peter and I went to TJ's near Peter's house on Central.  He had garlic chicken wings and I tried the prime rib.  We like it there.  Anyone wanting to talk down the game and join us feel invited and well welcomed. They are very accommodating.  It is a popular place.

Well, perhaps next week we'll see some of you again.






 

Mohegan Sun

On the way down to Mohegan Sun, I stopped in East Hartford to try the Pho restaurant that Westie had recommended and found it fairly uncrowded. 
https://www.google.com/search?q=east+hartford+pho#q=PHO+501+East+Hartford,+CT&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDQyUHm5SQmYWlgamFpZGhgampkZmZibG5EhYxL-aCjPwg3tTE4hKFjMSikrT8opQoQRSuAlDFIUZVgwoLy1QzU-O0NHOz5BRzwzRLK6CQhXlaknEa0FyT5KSUpMSvbzsEXto6CPl_nPyV5bp7n_bmleoAQUrAH5YAAAA&rlst=n
No lines.  Plenty of parking.  It was about 10AM on July 5, a Sunday when everything was closed in the city. That probably helped.
I had rice noodles, but next time I'll ask for no noodles and just have the bean sprouts and so reduce the carbs. 
I added all the extras, the mint, the small hot peppers, the bean spouts. 
Everything was good.  $12 including tip.
The old gruff fellow taking my order had an air force cap. I could not see where it had come from.  I wondered if it were Tan Son Nhut Air Base.  I should have asked.

It dawns on me that with all the chicken soup base I cook myself from left over roasted chicken/turkey I should be able to make this Pho.  I grow my own mint.  I always have some sort of hot pepper.  I should buy some spices and experiment. 

Useful too was a Bank of America ATM just down the road where I could gather my bank account for the trip.
This is a nice little break as it is a bit beyond half way. 
 
I don't much enjoy the driving these days, but I did rearrange my CD's and have a huge selection now.  I took one of those old plastic towers and set it down between the front seats.  It makes a great caddy, and the tower easily sits up when I want to arrange the stow and go van seats.  I like it.  I just need a bit of velcro on the bottom. 
I used to like having the CD's on the visors, but I found over time they go scratched.  Keeping them in unmarked cases lets me take out one and put the one I just played in that case.  This seems to keep them in pretty good shape. 
I have used the Crosby record player to make CD copies of old swing records.  I'm pretty old school in technology.  I loved having these for the trip. Some great mixes of Big Band era music and not the old chestnuts we hear over and over. More obscure pieces, some I have never heard.  I also have a good bit of Sinatra, but I'm mostly playing Big Band between NPR reports of the Greek election on Euro Zone issues and other news. 
DAY ONE
I played at the casino and did really terrible, getting close to $300 down at live poker, moving between the 1-1 NL and the 2-4 limit games.  Then things go better and by the end of the day I was down just $111 on the poker, but lost more on the VP.

Hands I remember:

A-K   Two Aces flop and there is a K on the turn.  I don't bet because they are betting in to me, but I am not in good position.  On the river I sense I had better bet.  I toss in $25 and of the two players, one calls.  it was a nice pot.
Oddly, I had bet just the same way when I had nothing earlier with the same opponent.  That time he thought for quite a while and finally folded. 

"You must have had me beat." he said.
"Well, you never know," I answered and the table chuckled.
Perhaps this time he had to see it.
He was a friendly fellow with a very slight Scadinavian accent.  He was a good player and there all day.  I left, checked in to the room, came back and sat to his right again.

Pocket Aces on the 2-4 and pretty good betting.  It slows down so I senses I was in good shape.  I bet the river, have two callers and win.
A of spaces with X.  I catch the flush on the river.  The fellow right afterwards had K-X.  He just called the river.

The 1-1 was fairly full of regulars.  Louie was talkative and he got into it with a young fellow when Louis pointed out a string bet made by a young girl.  The young fellow gave up the verbal battle and on we went. 
Louie is doggedly narcissistic.

Moses and Julius played on the 2-4.  There were also two fellows there who were very funny, bull of banter and jokes and teases and even a some bits of song lyrics.  I had a good time with them.
And there was a woman from Oklahoma.

I liked the last 2-4 table.  I drank a good bit of the Copper Canyon cabernet wine and it was more of the kind of a party a 2-4 often is in Vegas.  I had good cards and won some money.

Generally, I move tables when the 1-1 is down to only a few players and they are all rocks so the pot is a few dollars.  Or when I've been there long enough that when I bet out, everyone folds.
I like 2-4 when it is full of passive callers and that is what happened at Mohegan Sun.  I can do my preflop button raises with suited connectors or with flop straight o flush draws and be fairly certain of not getting raised and getting a free card as well as confusing everyone when I raise after the flop, check when they wait for me to bet the turn, and the reraise them if I catch on the river.  Sometimes that $2 raise preflop will let me see two free cards.  A player who might have bet his/her high pair after the flop will wait until the river and by then I'm out.
I am not certain chasing straights and flushes or both in late position is the best play, but it is fun to be in that action.  And when I'm lucky, I generally get paid.

Raising and then folding also breaks up my otherwise fairly tight play, so my table image is not as a rock.

I went to find the 9/6 JOB that a poster on one of the boards had mentioned.  I thought it was at the Bow and Arrow bar, and so I found my way to that end of the casino.  It was not at the bar, but it was in that area.  This was fine as I did not want to play at the bar, or drink anymore, but to sober up so that I could drive to the hotel with no issues if stopped.

I had the worst hand I ever remember.

I was playing 8/5 Bonus and dealt A-K-Q of diamonds and another Q.  The correct strategy is to hold the pair of Q's.  I did that. The next two cards were 10-J of diamonds.  Had I played the incorrect strategy, I'd have hit the royal.

I ended up down $80 and so down $191 for the day.  Not a good day, but it was a long day, so not terrible.  I am not certain if this earns any points of any sort.  It does not earn what they call Momentum Dollars but it might earn something.  The little signs are too hard to read in the dark.

I did like the feel of the casino late at night on Sunday, the end of the holiday weekend.  Plenty of pretty girls and interesting colors and shapes.  There was not much live music offered over these couple days.

The Super 8 room

This was still the rock bottom cheapest I could find.  July 5-6 for a total of $103 booked on booking.com so that I could have cancelation without penalty.  Super 8 booked at their site often offers no chance of cancelation.

I don't think booking on booking.com always gets me the Wyndam points, but instead of asking, I just gave them the Wyndam card with my credit card and they punched in my number. So perhaps I will get points.

I like the position of this casino because late at night it is easy to find without traffic.  I leave Mohegan, go straight to 2East, turn right on 12 and go directly there.  In the middle of the day I got twisted up and went 2West and my GPS got me there eventually but with highway traffic and a roundabout route.  I need to remember just to go the easy way. 

The clerk remembered my complaint about the broken light last trip, and I asked her that if she knew of a room where everything worked, that was the one I wanted.
She gave me a nice end room and the second floor 227.  I'll ask for that room by number next trip.

Of the three lights, one is missing a blub.
However, I don't need it and everything else does work.  The room is comfortable, clean, and quiet.
I did not go down for breakfast as I'm making tea and chicken soup in the room and hoping to go back for a short nap before heading out today. 

I like having the microwave and heating up my home made chicken soup.  I can't remember and did not make note of whether I had that last trip. 
This time I have a king bed and slept well, but had some tough dreams probably based on eating just before going to bed.

The hotel is underbooked this trip.  There were more people on my last visit.  

The television worked well to entertain while I had food even though it did not carry Turner Classic Movies.
I did not go down for the breakfast at all the first morning but made tea and soup in my room.


********************************
DAY TWO

I slept quite well here.  I had some strange dreams, and of course I woke up at the same early time, but I felt rested and as it turned out I gambled from about 11 until midnight at one thing or another.

I was bought in for $200 almost immediately.  I start with only 60, but there were a few tough hands.  In one I held a small flush on the turn that needed a five of hearts for the straight flush and a potential high hand award of several hundred dollars.
My opponent bet $20 on a river king of hearts.  He had the Ace along with the five I hoped to catch.  I should have folded, but I had not played long enough with this fellow to know that he did not bluff.
For those of you used to no limit games, that might seem like a very small bet.  Actually, it is a substantial bet in this game. 
The rest of my losses were all bleeding.  Did I play too loose?  Maybe.
However, I soon got all that back and made a profit in spite of drinking 5 glasses of the Copper Ridge cabernet. 
I know it is not good to be tipsy and play no limit, but in this 1-1 game it matters less than in a high stakes game.  There is less bluffing to read. 
Sometimes I think being a bit drunk helps my table image.  In limit it loosens up my opponents and tightens me because along with the wine I become quite talkative and so the dull wait between playable cards is diminished.  Either that, or I just rationalize.
But for me the experience is not at all about winning big money and not always about the poker.  I like the interaction with strangers, the banter, the joking, the stories.  At this table I get to tell my newest joke:

"What do you call a prisoner who looks down on everyone as he walks down a staircase."
"A condescending con..........descending."

Then when there are groans I can follow with,
"Yeah you groan now, but you'll be telling it all week."

When my pocket jacks flop trips and I slow play them and even get a $12 call on the river, and everyone talks about how much they hate jacks, I get to say:

"Well, there are four ways to play pocket jacks...............................................
and they are all wrong."

At a 1-1 game of strangers I have the right audience.  These guys are not quoting Dan Harrington or figuring pot odds to the dollar.  They will talk a bit about the death of Andy Griffith and repeat a few old scenes.  They talk a bit about Trump's speech.

And my old jokes are often new to them.

At any rate, if I am going to drink, it has to be in the afternoon.  Unlike Vegas, where I can stumble on a bus, here I have to leave and drive sober, so the drinking is before the buffet. 
And that fits my diet as well.  Red wine will lower my blood sugar if I over indulge in the buffet.
I went to the buffet just before the price went up at 4 PM.  They had a Facebook special discount (M to F you say Facebook or Twitter...a verbal coupon, my favorite kind.)   With my points, or Momentum dollars, or whatever builds on the card,  I ended up paying under $5.
I am still not certain if that is all live poker or if the full pay VP adds value to my meals.

There seemed to be even more things on my diet there.  One medley of peppers and onions was just great.  I put the meatballs and sauce on that.  I had a slice of the end of beef, all crunchy and full of the spices they use.  I had a tiny piece of the fried chicken. The sugar free cheese cake and the mousse were there again and very good.  Next time I'll ask immediately for a carafe of coffee as that is about two cups and then I don't have to wait. Service was fine, but still not like having the coffee right there. 
I carry in my own Truvia.  Once my Truvia and Stevia are depleted, I may be carrying in leaves of the two Stevia plants I pot planted this last week. I can't do sugar and I won't do these carcinogenic substitutes whenever I can remember the more natural sweetener. 
My sister-in-law has a new sweetener for me to try.  And I'm going to try Yacon Syrup as well.
I tasted a few fried clams and shrimp.  The clams I mixed with roasted cauliflower and a bit of Frank's hot sauce and that was a very good combination.

After supper I wanted to let the last of the wine play out, so I slowly played a bit more of video poker and lost $40 and then went back in the early evening for poker. 
 
First I was on a 2-4 table, but I did not like the ambiance there.  I won the one and only hand I played with most of the table in,  but when they called me for a new 1-1, I went to that table. 
These were very friendly and easy players, but more skilled than the earlier games.  And two to my right was a young fellow whose style was erratically aggressive on purpose. 
I could not put him on hands, and so did not know what to do. 
He left for a while, and that made the table easier.  He then came back. 
Two poor players had by this time lost all their money.
One was a really sad call.  He held the 7 for a straight but could get beat by 7-J or J-Q and it was crystal clear that one of the two opponents pushing all-in had one of those hands. Last to act on the river he called over $50.
He asked about the hand and the table was kind, but he wanted to know.  I explained to him how in the best case scenario he would split the pot three ways, and in the best guess, he had lost. 
Too bad.  He was a friendly kid.

 I was tired, the table now was a totally tough group, and I figured everyone had my tight style down, so I went to play more video poker. 
I had made almost $100 at that table before I left. 
I like having the flexibility here to move from a 1-1 to a 2-4 and now to some VP.  I'm convinced that table selection in these low games is key to everything.

I think overall I did well in the poker because in all my play during the first two days, I can't remember having a full house or better.  Much of my winning was lucky river. 
Take this hand.
I have K-J and a J X X flops. The J stays high on the turn and nothing else connects.  I make small bets and they are called. On the river comes my K and I make a large bet.  It too is called.  My main opponent held A-J and had me right up until the K hit. 
Here too my tight table image helped me.  He never tried a raise, figuring if I were betting, I had more than top pair.

My rivers were like that. 

One good hand I played A-9.  I caught two pair on the turn after calling small bets.  I still just called.  On the river both of my opponents checked.  I bet $25.  They both called.  Each had two pair smaller than mine.   One had K-8 and another A-3.  I know that $25 does not seem like very much to NL players, but in this game it was a large bet.  I made that river bet only a few times this week.  I won each time, one time stealing a pot with nothing. 

I then played VP for about 3 hours on $100, went up and down and in the end I was up $5.   That 2 pair payout really helped me grind from quad to quad.  I'm hoping I get some points or something for all that coin in.  In Vegas I'd be getting room offers. 
I played so long because I found a fine full pay, new game in the smoke free area (with the help from a board friend) and it was just a very comfortable game.  I like to use the buttons rather than touch the screen and all these buttons worked.  I really liked it.  Earlier it was dominated by some regular who gave me bad looks when he saw me checking pay tables in that area. 
Drink service was slow.  Otherwise it was great.
Max Coins on these machines is 25 quarters. I play just 5, but  there is one button near the deal button that says, "Bet Max" 
At one point some pretty girls came around the machines bantering with their fellows, and I got a little distracted.  I was watching them and listening to their banter. 
All of a sudden I noticed that there was a leap in my dollar amount when I hit two pair.  Apparently I had by mistake hit the Max Coin and then whenever I hit the Deal button, I was betting 25 coins. 
I was lucky.  I won a bit and pulled myself out of a losing slump with that error.

After I was too tired to play any sort of game, I walked over and watched the roulette for a while.  It is such a colorful game and the wheel is just such a graceful machine.  I love it.  I never bet it, however.  Too much house advantage.  But I love to watch.  This one was particularly clean.  It looked very new.  The colors were all very intense.
I played $20 in assorted slot, but was not impressed with them.  Some I played just a few pennies.  There would be no hits at all.  In Vegas I can be in this mood and play a game like Texas Tea at the El Cortez and it will hit here and there for a few cents and give me that entertainment.  I ended on an old reel machine taking 2 quarters and just paying the top hand 5.000 quarters.  I was up and down.  But I lost my $20.

Part of me wanted to stay later, but the rest of me was overtired.  One of my earlier opponents in a very colorful shirt came and shook my hand.  He had lost the tournament and was getting it back on the blackjack.  He seemed new to poker. 

On the way out I noticed the large dome of a light just before the elevators.  It is really wonderfully colorful.  I don't think the newer casinos coming in Schenectady or Springfield will have the ambiance of this casino where décor is unique and well considered.
 

 LAST DAY

This last day really put a sour spoil on the trip for me. 
I lost all my bankroll, down about $600.  I got a bit grumpy.  The dealer misheard me say "Call" when I tossed a $5 chip and counted it as a raise which was reraised.   I got grumpier.   I should have just used a quiet one chip rule.  I'll not play without some ones again so I can put in the pot exactly what I want to put, and I'll check what I say with the dealer's perception before I push. 
Then I had pocket 3's and a fellow turned his cards over on the fold preflop.  One was a 3. I was big blind, but there was a raise to $3 and so I folded.
A 3 flopped.  It would have won.
After the hand someone said something about more 3's and I said there were not more because I had folded pocket 3's.  A fellow next to me said sarcastically, " I really doubt that."
I now this is poker, but why would I lie and being called a liar twice in a row, really broiled my beans and I said so.
Then another fellow had something wise to say a bit later after he showed cards that I missed and I just asked what he had.  Perhaps he just wanted to rattle me. In any case, I just picked up my chips and left.  What I had left over I put through the double bonus VP.  No mirables, so I went home.
I played a bit more video poker and nothing.
The drive home was fine, however.  No traffic. Easy roads.  I was not so tired.  I wave very glad to see my quiet old house and the calm lake and make a cheese sandwich.  I slept very well.

It will be while now before I go again.
I have to reserve my bankroll for Vegas.
I got $60 back at the home game the next day.  That was good. 

Gregg's game reviewed

It was a very sparse group at Greg's this week.  Only four of us.  Jim returned. 
I was up and down and ended up $27 ahead.
Jim made a few dollars even with some banking troubles
Greg won some money this week.  Did very well on just one buy-in
Peter was the big loser.  $94 down.

I felt comfortable going all in with J-J, only Jim had Q-Q  and Greg had K-K.  Nothing developed and Greg took a very good pot.
Greg got me again when I went all in after the turn.  I had flopped a Q high heart flush.  Greg had flopped the K high flush. 
Greg took the high hand with Aces full of Jack's and it held up.  I took a nice pot from Jim with Aces full of 10's when he had Broadway.  He called a healthy bet, putting me on a bluff.  
I won the last hand with 2-3 offsuit.  My pair of 3's held up.  Small winnings, but fine way to end the day.

New art was up.  Very interesting.  You must come and see it.
NO  pole dancer this week.

The music was very nice, interesting and low key.  Jim had background on the groups as always.

We missed the rest of you .  Four is not my favorite game. 
****************************************

OTHER GAMBLING CHATTER

This fellow entered the wrong tournament and did not know it until the first 5 cards were dealt.  However, in the end he won.

http://www.newser.com/story/208283/guy-enters-pro-poker-event-by-mistake-wins-81k.html

************************************
Those of you wondering about Phil.  Here is a Father's Day photo.  Hi, Phil.  Come play with us.    Bring the youngster.

******************
I like the Bravo Poker phone app, but it is not accurate.  It says it is 107 miles to Turning Stone from my house.  Goggle says 125 miles.  It ways 108 miles to Mohegan Sun.  Goggle says 147. 
Still, I was surprised how the trip is really a toss up.  I like Mohegan so much better and it is just 22 miles farther.  It always feels longer, especially going home, but I think my mind considers Albany my destination and from Turning Stone Albany merely gets me off the super highways for another 30 minutes.
 
Now I am wondering if I can trust the Bravo Poker numbers on tables currently playing and waiting lists.  I hope it is accurate for Vegas games.
**************************

MY SEPTEMBER VEGAS TRIP FINALLY FULLY BOOKED

The more I think about getting this settled, the better I feel.  My trip starts with a 40th birthday party for my son and so a meetup of 5 sons and assorted friends.   That will go just three days with everyone and then my wife, who rarely joins me, will stay out the week.  We cash booked the Gold Coast for all that time. The heated pool is a draw.  Inexpensive food as well.  We may have a car for some of it as the boys are planning a family trip out to Red Rock Canyon. 
I often book the Gold Coast for the days of the trip I won't gamble.  Prices are good.  And in spite of not gambling there, they often toss me a couple free nights in an outreach mailer.  And at least one buffet there is free, the ACG coupon with 250 points earned.
This week a mailing from the Gold Coast saved me $150 by cutting the weekend price in half.  Nice.  Especially since I give them practically no action.

I then have two freebies at the Orleans, over a Young at Heart Day, so I'll eat there for free and get a good taste of my favorite Nite Kings in the lounge.  The Young at Heart promos are now extended into the evening, and that will give more flexibility to my day, especially if I get a good multiplier on the swipe promo or win so I can keep playing.  There I just play the triple nickel progressives.  Good fun and not very expensive,  just 75 cents a pull.  9/7 DB is enhanced by the Royal progressives for each line and a huge one were I to get a dealt royal.

Then I do the Excalibur for one day and use up MyVegas points at the Aria buffet, so those meals will be free.

Then I stay at a  B and B on a small street just off Maryland near Flamingo. This will give me a chance to do laundry, relax if I want with no casinos.  Walk down to a local inexpensive show at the Onyx Theater.  Relax in a Jacuzzi.  I get a room with a private bath for $50 a night and so cover the expense of a weekend with no gambling.  This is a new experience for me.

I'll probably head up to Sam's Town for the afternoon free show and then over to Eastside Cannery for a free buffet and wine.  I may play poker in either place.   I probably will give the full pay nickel Deuces a run if there is a seat.  I understand they reduced them to just two machines.
Then Palace Station where I can do a buffet a day on MyVegas points and seed my play in dimes to see if that will generate any mailings or not.
Then Two nights at the D on a 2 for 1 rates, but higher than in the past because of the Life is Beautiful and the new policy of charging resort fee on the one paid night.  Coupons usually come with the rooms there and they get me a light free breakfast.  8/5 progressive Bonus will be the draw there with Golden Nugget live poker after 2 AM when the high hand awards double.
Poker vouchers with 4 hours of play  get me a cheap Golden Nugget buffet.
And finally 4 nights at the 4 Queens at casino rate, but with one night already paid by comp dollars from the last trip and a second probably can be reached by a mailer, in spite of the weekend being that Life is Beautiful festival.
This was not expected to be a frugal trip, especially with the rather pricey Gold Coast booking.  But now all the planning does seem to have generated a very affordable trip.
Now if I can just win when I gamble.

*******************************************************************************

Gregg's Game I got sick

Poker players at Gregg's games.

YOU MAKE ME SICK!!

Or perhaps it was something I ate earlier.

For the entire game, this migraine built a pot in my brain.

By the time I left, I was sweating and very, very uncomfortable.

Peter drove to his house.

I drove from there.

Well,

I got as far as Burden Lake road before my stomach decided to go all-in. I was happy not to have "pushed" earlier, say in heavy traffic.

I won $42 at poker and after I pay for the van to be detailed, I'll only be down about $100.  Not bad.

Elizabeth certainly enjoyed taking the hose to the van  interior, filling the washing machine with my clothes, fixing hot towels for my head.

She was very sweet about it.

It was the only bit of sweetness in my afternoon and evening.

I slept.

I still have a bit of a headache, but it is passing.

I haven't checked yet, but I'm betting that I lowered my blood sugar today.

****************************

The game was sparsely attended:   Charlie, Gregg, Dewey, Peter, Ezzy with only four of us in the last hour.

Charlie splashed the pot with pepper and basil plants.  Thanks, Charlie.  Charlie banked and brought music and was kind enough to give me a bit of quiet for my headache during the last half hour of the game.

I suggested that we extend the high hand award until 4:30 this week.  At the time I was the high hand with some weak jack high flush.  Peter hit a fine full house, but at 4:25 I hit Jacks full of sevens, calling Peter's bluff off bet and taking the $10 high hand award.  As a result, Peter ended down $4.

Gregg just gave away money all afternoon again and was a good sport about it. 

Ezzy did well, but I don't know if he showed a profit.

Charlie showed a profit and better yet his banking came out right to the quarter.

There was no new museum art up as promised   There were some arches of white flowing fabric.

"Are we going to have a dance?" Charlie asked.

Gregg is thinking of getting a pole dancer for the next game.

Here is my suggestion  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUTYVN-_FCA

I had great cards, but I can't remember sh$$t .

Vomit I can remember, but not sh$$t

Except flopping broadway to Peter's flopped lower straight from the nine.

See more of you next week, I hope.  Just now I'm going back to bed.

*********************************************************************************

OTHER GAMBLING CHATTER

I like this site for 1-2 and maybe 1-1 information.  Most poker books and information just don't stay with me, but some of the simplistic arguments here make sense.  They probably don't fit Gregg's game.  The most surprising was the advice not to play K-J  Q- 10 and I'm thinking about it.

http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/ultimate-guide-to-crushing-live-12

Meanwhile kid Frank sent me for Father's Day a great book on poker.  I reviewed it here

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2015/06/colson-whiteheads-book-noble-hustle.html

Atlantic City (Revel) sent me two free nights in June, but it took me all this month to decide to book it for the end of June and they are all sold out.  It was through Mohegan Sun somehow.  Probably good for me just to hang by the water and fish, saving bankroll for the real trips.

After almost depleting MyVegas points when I bought the Station rooms, I am back to 188,000 which is more than enough for some free food or perhaps a show ticket if Elizabeth wants to see one in September or October.  I will stay in November at Excalibur for a week, so I can eat at Aria three times if I want.  To use the freebies at Mlife casinos, I have to be staying at one of them.

I only play for less than 20 minutes every week or so, starting at a point where a new game starts and ending at a point where I know they will begin to bleed away my playing chips.  However, everytime I'm on computer I collect chips and spin for chips once a day so that I can start my 20 minute sessions well bankrolled with a million or two playing chips.

My next trip I have 3 nights totally free at Palace Station and one at Exalibur and in November 2 nights at Red Rock and one at Excalibur.  Station casinos use a lot of chips, but cover the resort fees as well.  Excalibur was $22 for resort fee but it has gone up to $28.  ridiculous really.

Going just once a year, the chips that can be redeemed will build up nicely for me. 

Here is an interesting thread based on a guy who went to Vegas and was very disappointed.  The comments afterward give some good retorts to his sour experience.

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?121518-This-is-from-a-non-vegas-fourm-I-m-in-where-someone-asked-about-Vegas

The forum itself is great for Vegas discussion and information with the boards divided by topic for ease in skimming.  Folks who post generally know what they are talking about and interpersonal abuse is just not tolerated by the Board Moderator and so very rare and short lived

MOHEGAN SUN TRIP

ROOM

I came to this Groton Super 8 because it was the cheapest alternative for my one night Saturday stay. I had a few points and with under $35 I got a room when others were quite expensive.

My leaving home this weekend gave my wife and her best friend from Rochester some sister time without me in the space. It was a good time to go gambling.

One fellow at my poker table had priced a room at Mohegan Sun at the last minute. It was $900. I just don't understand that kind of pricing. Another told him that he might be about to arrange it for about $200 if the fellow was willing to buy out another guy's points. I don't get it. For $900 I can fly to Vegas.....Twice!!.

Since I usually go solo, just driving down the road for 20 mintues to Groton is a good choice for me.

For the Super 8 I read the mixed reviews at Trip Advisor. I read the last reports of bed bugs at the registry. That was in 2010. I think the word is out and most places are pretty good at monitoring infestations.

The reviews mentioned poor upkeep. I saw that in my room in the broken lights by the bed. I said something on the way out, but I did not want to have folks coming in to fix things for a one night stay.

I also see some burn holes in the bed covering. However, it was clean and I don't use the top covering anyway. The blanket was pretty flimsy. The mattress was not those in the upscale hotels. But I did not need a blanket and I slept very well.

The bed was easy to inspect for bed bugs; I could get right down to the mattress and check the ridge. Both of them were very clean of anything.

It was quiet. Out my window there is a parking lot, but from the second floor there is only the look of green trees. Very nice.

When I arrived the AC was off and the window was open so the room smelled fresh. I put the AC on, closed the window, and by the time I had unpacked the car, the room was very comfortable. It was a quiet AC. It went off when the set temperature was reached.

The refrigerator was cold and the little freezer area refroze my little ice bags for my cooler and a quart plastic milk carton fit there as well. I stocked it with seltzer and food. Too much really for just one night, but I can't depend on the free breakfasts because they are all carbs. This one did not have even one piece of fruit. They did have some English Breakfast tea and good coffee. I made good tea in the room. I carry my own tea cup and my own green tea.

There was very accessible electrical plugs for my computer and for my sleep apnea machine. The wifi was just grand, fast and with no passcodes to mistype.

A long desk table easily held my computer.

There was an elevator, one cart that no one else seemed to want, and so I got all my things up and back down without incident.

Folks were pleasant. Some guests were not quiet and I heard them in their rooms ranting as I walked the hall, but once in the room I heard nothing. There was no AC in the hallway or the rest of the hotel. That made it a muggy walk in.

The bathroom was very nice. It looked newly painted and there were no issues with plumbing. There was a tub, but I forgot my epsom salts. The shower head adjusted to two settings.

The television did not have Turner Classic Movies, but did have a number of good choices. I don't watch much television. It was an old style television.

The clothes hanger was mounted on the wall and convenient. The little coffee pot worked fine. For the tea I put hot tap water in the cup and ran the water through twice with the bags in the little pitcher on the second run. It worked great.

I was very comfortable just spending a quiet early morning in the room and I was rested enough that I played until 9 PM and drove 3 hours home that night.

The Super 8 was very easy to find from Mohegan Sun. No twisting and turning. It was right on a main road. Nearby are little diners that would entice me for breakfast if I had not brought a cooler of food with me.

Going solo, I like just hanging in the room and eating with the television or the computer and drinking all I want of coffee and tea as there is little to do in the poker room until about 10AM.

So, I get that there are some minor issues with this place, but I'd come again.

THE BUFFET AT MOHEGAN SUN

I had $4 off Saturday's buffet and $11 off Sunday's , so the food expense was very low. There were no Facebook or Twitter deals; those are only M to F.  In the poker room I earn a dollar an hour for 2-4 and 1-1 play.  Perhaps my $4 was left over from last November and the $11 accrued on this trip.  Compared with Vegas buffets, this one is a bit overpriced, but using the points brings it down to a pretty decent deal.
I was thinking of going to Springville to a restaurant I like there called the Student Prince, but I was just not in an adventurous traveling mood and I wanted to keep playing poker as long as it was good.

I enjoyed the food, but did not relish it as much as I usually do. That was disturbing because the food was as good as it usually is. There was still the no sugar cheesecake and one night there was a no sugar chocolate almond mousse. I wish they would bring back the little melting fluffy meringue cookies in no sugar format.

I am not avoiding meats lately, so the meatballs with marinara were my favorite and the sausage and peppers was good as well. I liked the baked pollock although the cajun spice needed a good bit of help from Frank's hot sauce.

I liked the succotash and collard greens. Both were tasty. The steamship beef had good flavor. I had just a small bite because I could get an end piece.

One nice thing about this buffet is plenty of hot sauce: Frank's, Tabasco, Cholula, and one green.

The iced tea that was good as was the one cup of coffee before driving back the 3 hours to home. It worked to keep me awake.

I ate one buffet a day and filled it with food I brought along. I do like having breakfast in the room in the early morning, writing, watching the news, having coffee and tea.

GAMBLING

I was up and down both on video poker and live poker. I played a 9-5 DDB and an 8-5 Bonus and ended $100 down with a few close possibilities but no royals or Aces and only one quad, Kings. The Bonus machine said it did not give points. I did not notice if the DDB gave points.  The poker room allows a dollar per hour. 
Points matter less to me at Mohegan Sun than in Vegas because I don't go enough, but I am curious to know more about it. Perhaps Momentum $ are different than points.

I played the 1-1 live poker which I love and some 2-4 when the 1-1- was unavailable or I did not like the table.

One interesting hand was my A-4 that flopped 4-4-7. Two players were all-in before me. I thought that no on else was in and turned my cards, but a fellow stopped me because there was a guy behind me who was still live.

The turn came another 7. I checked, thinking that I could not win since he had seen my hand and would only call with an 7.

He checked.

The river came and I checked again, but he went all in for $23. I was puzzled. I called and he had nothing much, perhaps a pair. He had not seen my cards, so he perceived my checking as weakness that he might exploit. So I took down two other players for a healthy pot.

I had pocket Aces in fairly early position. A fellow before me bet all in for ten dollars. I made it twenty-five. Everyone folded. No high hand, but I did win the pot.

I had one nice royal in clubs draw. I needed the queen on the turn or the river. The turn gave me a queen of spades and so I won the hand, but sadly no royal.

Generally, here the high hand awards went for straight flushes. They paid every three hours. However, today I think they pay every 15 minutes, as they do at Foxwoods today also. The crowds are just crazy in line for seats when they offer that promotion, so I expect it will continue. Of course, since I play that promotion in Ocala every Saturday with $500 going every half hour, and plenty of seats, I am not so attracted.

My worst table was a table full of young men who all were joking with each other and playing a strange and very aggressive game. This was late Saturday night. I lost the last of my $60 buy in when I called pocket kings all-in when I had A-9. It was not a good bet, but it was time to go home.

My best run was actually on a 2-4 table where I had a very lucky streak. Often the 2-4 games there are looser than those in Vegas, and a new table, opening late in the evening will bring the passive callers who pay off top hands. My K-K held up for a huge pot my last night. I like the 1-1, but in this case the 1-1 table was just dead rocks and I had not made a bet in a long, long while, so I moved to 2-4. I knew that were I to bet, I'd not get called. They called me on the 2-4. I was in a seat where seeing was hard and I held 3 jacks with a possible diamond flush on board. I kept betting into the flush because I did not think anyone had it. A guy with J-K folded because he thought I had the flush. When I showed my hand, it turned out that the river 8 had given me a full house. I had seen it as a 6. And yes, someone had called my river bet without either a flush or a jack.

At this same table I am nervous betting my Ace because I only have a 6 kicker. However, the guy who stays with me has a seven for a pair of sevens. The river gives him another seven, but he checks to me and is very disappointed that I don't bet out, but check as well.

The dealers for the most part are very good, but every once in a while there is a dud, and I got one at this table for a while. I explained that I could not see to know when the bets were over or sometimes to know the cards. It did not matter to her. When she was relieved, she heard me tell the fellow next to me that I was happy to be getting a new dealer because she would call the game. And she did. If I was in the hand, she read out the flop to me. That was very helpful.

I drank some wine called Copper Ridge. It was good. It sells for about $7 a bottle. This just proves that casinos can offer drinkable inexpensive red if they look for it. This was a cabernet.

It may have affected my play. It did on one hand, although I thought my healthy $30 bet would push off my opponent. On other plays, having a bit of wine and getting a bit talkative seems to encourage folks to call when they should not call.

There was only one high hand at any of my tables, and he did not get paid. His quad 9's were beat. There were a few full houses, but I don't really count them. They won't hold up over 3 hours.

In the end I lost $266 over the two days. This was not too bad for the hours of play. But it was not too good either.

Some of the people were interesting and funny. Some were boring. There were few story tellers. One woman named Merrill from NYC (with a strong accent) was just delightful and attractive. We had some good time. Her husband was there and he was the most grumpy unsociable guy. Such a contrast. She consoled me when I lost with trips twice within a few hands. I liked her. She left because she felt a migraine coming on. I could not remember the new medicine I take for those. Sumatriptan.

None of the players were very good at stories. The best I got was just good joking and humor, most of it centered on the cards and the game.

Some of the players I have seen before and I think they play every day. Two old cab drivers, Neil and George, did tell some stories but nothing really dramatic.

Vegas is much richer in players and variety.

Perhaps I am staying too quiet lately, but the noise of the casino and the crowds on Saturday night did not absorb my interest. And while I liked the poker room, I did not engage my aesthetic senses in the abstract lighting as I usually do.

I did enjoy one blues piece on my way out by a band I think is Nick Forte. It was a BB King tribute song. “The Thrill is gone” and very well done.

In general I was not up to music or shows this weekend. I would have bought a cheap scalped ticket to see Bette Midler, but she is not my favorite and there were none in the lobby anyway nor would they have been very cheap.

The ride home was a bit of a hassle. Just minutes out I got stuck in a half hour delay due to an accident. The rain made it hard to see. The glare bothered me more than usual. I would just get something interesting on the radio and the station would fade.

One of those was a show I did not know was on live radio. It is hosted by Dan Akroyd as Elwood Bluesbreaker. The show I heard featured this fellow. It is now your usual blues.

http://thebluesmobile.com/pokey-lafarge-takes-a-spin-in-the-bluesmobile-this-weekend/

It was ironic because a Blues Brothers impersonation was at the Wolf lounge the night I was at Mohegan Sun. I regret not going to that.

Some shows are streamed, but I can listen live here on Sunday night : WPYX 106.5 8-9 PM  I managed to drive the 3 hours home without a break.  I'll need my nap today.