Vegas poker (and rugby) in March. (1 Viewer)

[bentax1978]

My weimaraner is a rescue, he's starting to have problems.... It's not going to be easy.

It never is.

When we adopted Jake he had his share of issues. He had lost 25-30 pounds while in foster care and was pretty shy. He had skin issues (allergies) and was missing quite a bit of fur on this legs and belly. We spent quite a bit of time in the beginning fixing him up so to speak. He has his own doggy dermatologist, and eventually his own doggy surgeon (who over the years replaced his ACL, removed a racquetball sized tumor from his leg and then another from his ear canal). The last year was rough as his health deteriorated. By the end he couldn't walk without assistance. and it was clear his quality of life had diminished to the point where we had to make the decision. It took my wife an extra week after I had come to terms with what had to be done. It was rough, but it was clearly the right choice to make under the circumstances. He was 14, had lived a great life, and there just wasn't much more we could do for him at that point.

 

[bentax1978]

Had a little scare last night in regards to the upcoming Vegas trip in 3 days.

Went to lookup our Southwest Airlines confirmation numbers so that I could put them in my calendar and check-in 24-hours ahead (and not get stuck in the C boarding group). Found mine, no problem. Couldn't find Mrs. Bentax's email confirmation. So I asked her to check her email, thinking maybe I didn't get a copy back in November when I made the reservations. She comes into the office and said there's a problem. I asked if she wasn't able to find it, she said she found it, but her outbound flight was on the 4th (mine is on the 3rd). I proceed to freak out a bit, asking her why she didn't check it when the email first came in. Though to be fair, I'm the one who made the mistake since I booked both tickets, I just never saw the confirmation so I never got a chance to see it was wrong. (The tickets were booked separately because we used her miles and I used an old voucher that was set to expire at the end of this month).

So anyway, I called Southwest, who basically said they could rebook her flight, but at the current rate, which would have cost us over $400 more. I acknowledged it was my mistake, and asked if there was anything he could do to help me given the circumstances (that didn't involve coughing up an extra $400). He said no, and then said that his supervisor would say the same thing (which he did). The only thing he offered was a customer relations phone number I could call during business hours and said it's possible they might be able to help at that number. So I called this morning, explained the situation, and 90 seconds later we were all set

FWIW, I wore my @Redbelly Poker t-shirt to bed last night for good luck; It apparently worked! (y) :thumbsup:

 

[k9dr]

Had a little scare last night in regards to the upcoming Vegas trip in 3 days.

Went to lookup our Southwest Airlines confirmation numbers so that I could put them in my calendar and check-in 24-hours ahead (and not get stuck in the C boarding group). Found mine, no problem. Couldn't find Mrs. Bentax's email confirmation. So I asked her to check her email, thinking maybe I didn't get a copy back in November when I made the reservations. She comes into the office and said there's a problem. I asked if she wasn't able to find it, she said she found it, but her outbound flight was on the 4th (mine is on the 3rd). I proceed to freak out a bit, asking her why she didn't check it when the email first came in. Though to be fair, I'm the one who made the mistake since I booked both tickets, I just never saw the confirmation so I never got a chance to see it was wrong. (The tickets were booked separately because we used her miles and I used an old voucher that was set to expire at the end of this month).

So anyway, I called Southwest, who basically said they could rebook her flight, but at the current rate, which would have cost us over $400 more. I acknowledged it was my mistake, and asked if there was anything he could do to help me given the circumstances (that didn't involve coughing up an extra $400). He said no, and then said that his supervisor would say the same thing (which he did). The only thing he offered was a customer relations phone number I could call during business hours and said it's possible they might be able to help at that number. So I called this morning, explained the situation, and 90 seconds later we were all set

FWIW, I wore my @Redbelly Poker t-shirt to bed last night for good luck; It apparently worked! (y) :thumbsup:

Free rolling your first buy in :

 

[bentax1978]

Just a little over 24 hours to go!

Told my wife before I left for work this morning that we should pack in separate suitcases because I needed to leave plenty of extra space for things I intend to take back. She just rolled her eyes and said "really?". My 9 year old immediately says "Yeah dad, do you really need more poker chips?". Yes son, yes I do.

 

[Jeff]

Free rolling your first buy in :

Yeah, and you were free-rollin his free-rollin. :

 

[BiGGyT]

Run good sir, take pics of fat stacks!

 

[bentax1978]

At the airport, ready to go! Sadly the plane's cargo door is stuck and we're a bit delayed taking off. Hopefully they'll get that fixed quickly.

Packed a few extra things last night, just in case. Never know if you might need eight empty chip boxes while on vacation.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I do the same thing - but I disassemble the empty boxes for transit. Less of a risk of breakage, and takes less room. Vegas can keep my dirty underwear if I need the space on the return flight.

 

[bentax1978]

Plane is fixed.

Drink coupons in hand (for Mrs. Bentax).

Ready to go!

 

[k9dr]

Hope half of those are for the flight back

 

[bentax1978]

Hope half of those are for the flight back

I have a feeling we'll have plenty for the trip back. She fell asleep right after takeoff, don't think I'm going to wake her for a free drink.

 

[bentax1978]

Hope half of those are for the flight back

Drink #1, with Melee chip in the picture just because.

 

[k9dr]

Good luck card capper

 

[Forest@Farmington]

good luck. Lots of pictures.

 

[12thMan]

View attachment 33474

 

[David O]

Sending good karma and a whole bunch of "run good" vibes! Good luck!

 

[bentax1978]

Found this in the Southwest magazine just now (article about the Inner Harbor in Baltimore). In the 13+ years since we got married there, I don't recall ever seeing a picture of the 7-foot Knoll Lighthouse (outside out wedding pictures and my chip mockups).

 

[Ronoh]

Have a great trip!

 

[bentax1978]

Made it!

First stop, rugby parade of nations. (Took that picture for you @stocky)

Second stop, fuel.

 

[derekdd23]

I miss in and out so much

 

[12thMan]

Double double animal style makes the world go round!

 

[stocky]

Nice one @bentax1978, clever tactic inviting Aussies to play sport to a place like Vegas. Should be easier to beat when they're all stumbling drunk.

 

[bentax1978]

So the $20 sandwich trick works as advertised.

Reserved the least expensive room, and for $20 bucks we ended up with a room on the 50th floor with a panoramic view of the strip.

Watching the Bellagio fountain show as I type. Not bad

 

[bentax1978]

Let the poker begin.

 

[kmccormick100]

Let the poker begin.

View attachment 33521

Run good! And update

 

[bentax1978]

Run good! And update

Thanks!

Not too much to update. Sitting on a little under $800 on my initial $500 buy. Getting tired as it's almost 4am Eastern time and I've been up almost 24 hours at this point. I'll probably head back to the room soon. Or not.

Also notice the near minty $1 chips hiding behind the stacks. Those keep finding their way into my pockets

Edit: table broke up not long after I last posted. Ended up leaving with 750. After I cashed out, I bought two racks of $1 chips and quickly pulled out the nice ones. Between those and the ones I pocketed during the game, I have about 65 so far. Looks like getting a few racks of nice condition Bellagio $1 chips won't take much effort. Off to bed now, more poker and harvesting tomorrow!

 

[bentax1978]

So waking up the morning after and looking over my haul, about half a dozen of my harvested chips didn't make the cut. I guess my standards are lower at 2am. Good thing Bellagio takes returns

The good news is that in person the Bellagio $1 chips looks just as good as I hoped it would with the stardust poker mansion T100 chips (to be relabeled). Molds feel almost identical, and they look great together IMO. Looks like I'll be harvesting more of them over the next few days.

 

[David O]

Very nice! Never hurts to go to the cage and ask for minty chips. Usually a good tip will get you some nice chips. Worst they can do is say no

 

[bentax1978]

Very nice! Never hurts to go to the cage and ask for minty chips. Usually a good tip will get you some nice chips. Worst they can do is say no

Thanks! That was actually my initial plan, then I started having fun harvesting while playing. When I cashed out, I was going to ask, but it was crowded at the cage and I figured I might have better luck when they're not slammed. I'll try again today. I'd be perfectly happy to tip them $100 for a couple racks of new chips if they have them

 

[David O]

Thanks! That was actually my initial plan, then I started having fun harvesting while playing. When I cashed out, I was going to ask, but it was crowded at the cage and I figured I might have better luck when they're not slammed. I'll try again today. I'd be perfectly happy to tip them $100 for a couple racks of new chips if they have them

Good luck harvesting!!!
Also I saw pictures of your plane trip. I saw one with someone with a bunch SWA drink tickets. I didn't know you were taking your daughter! [emoji3]