Las Vegas trip report - Goodbye Bally's (12/14 - 12/22) (4 Viewers)

[Thomacetti]

Cool I'll PM you. Has the pickup as "Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, looks to be right outside.

awsome… I’m outside waiting

 

[inapinch]

Hate to miss you Mike and Thomacetti. But know, where one story ends, another begins. my brother and I will take some advice from this thread and hit some casinos Later tonight!!

 

[Thomacetti]

First back home update

While my time at Vegas couldn’t have been any better, my travels were a lot more difficult.
I was 3h early for my flight since I really wanted to be home before Christmas.
And if that was not a sure thing, I would take a cab back to strip, book a hotel and ride out the weather.
I did not want te be stuck at Eastcoast or Phoenix due to flight cancellations and delays.

The girl at the counter assured me Phoenix to London would be a sure thing so I went for it.
Flight got delayed to Phoenix and missed my connection to London.
Luckly I got a spot on the next flight…that was also delayed so I missed my connection from London to Brussels.
London HT sucks monkeyballs and never flying BA again, ever !
I got really pissed at the desk when they wanted to put me on a flight Saturday 4AM…and I wasn’t moving from that desk.
Eventually and since I didn’t cave in…they got me on a Brussels Airlines flight only 2 hours later.

In Brussels, no baggage (still in London)…so more paperwork and then I catched my train.
Made it home by 23.00 local time.

Glad I put all the harvested chips (a lot) in my check bag…nothing but chips and a few filler/padding clothing.
Every security check (LV and London), my carry on had to be opened, the girl in Vegas said she never saw someone take so many chips home. I decided to play dumb since if they started to add things up (cash and chips) I would be close to 10K (had to report that in advance).
Would still stay under in the end but did not want the attention…in the end both checks went well after a safe swap test.

Since all 3 flights were booked solid, they wanted to check in my carry-on at boarding…but never caved and gave them the ‘from my cold dead hands’ look. I said listen, if I’m stuck somewhere, I at least need some essentials (no lie)...I can wear my shorts two days but couldn’t phantom seeing my mint Bally’s fivers stuck in an airport storage. Good thing I did because my carry-on would be in limbo just like my checked bag.
Now they are safe with me

Again, thanks at all for following my trip reports and all the positive feedback.
The Orleans score will stick for a while, it’s not my biggest cash but 100% the one I played the best poker I ever played and the field was not to balk at… Same for the Bellagio hand, gained a lot of trust in my game and looking forward putting in more study and playing hours.

Special thanks to Mike @slisk250 , Rufus @BootySnatcher and Mark @djmarc for hanging with me and making this trip another lifetime memory, Oscar @Okku for the Spinettis connection/helpline and Barrie @BarrieJ3 for the last minute Uber lifesaver rides...incredible. PCF can be a magical place with fantastic friends…and I’m lucky to have them in spades.

and Mikey, thanks sooooo much for all the harvested chips

Wishing you all a great Christmas and happy holidays, stay safe and party on.

Kind regards

Thomas

 

[Mongoose]

Glad that you and the chips made it home safely!

 

[slisk250]

Glad you pulled it off. When you told me you were going PHX to London on BA, I said nothing because I knew it was your only option. I hate that route, done it a bunch. It’s much better to go Delta/KLM to Detroit or Minneapolis, then Holland. So many flights.

Can’t wait to see you again bro.

 

[Thomacetti]

Hate to miss you Mike and Thomacetti. But know, where one story ends, another begins. my brother and I will take some advice from this thread and hit some casinos Later tonight!!
View attachment 1045515

Have an awsome trip…sending the last goodrun I have left.
Keep us posted

 

[Okku]

Wishing you all a great Christmas and happy holidays

Same to you and your family!! Glad you got home safe with the goods!

 

[Thomacetti]

 

[Thomacetti]

If you have not been there….best sandwiches ever…

@BootySnatcher

These are the magical cookies

 

[Thomacetti]

These were saved from the crusher and will reside in Belgium for the rest of their lives…and some US deliveries (plaques, DB’s, dice and cut cards)

Awsome haul, all credits go to Mike (Bally’s $5 and GN $2)…thanks again buddy

One rack of Bally’s 5$ go to France @Don Clay

Two racks of Bally’s fivers and one rack of GN two’s will be the start of my house mold set, I will relabel the GN’s with identical 25c or 50c textured labels.

The two racks of Paris will become fracs in my customised AS cash set with Paris $1 fracs, THC Bally’s $1 and original AS $5 $20 and $100

Two racks of Horseshoe $1 will become HSI $1

The plaques will finish off my beloved Protege set, now it is a lifetime set 4 sure

Two barrels of Cherokee T500 to finish my rack of Derby Club $20

And some other smaller add on’s and samples

Thanks at all involved, plenty of work for the winter time…the Vegas set will be my second to last Paulson set.
One more set and I’m only in business for BCC’s

 

[Thomacetti]

With the chip change at Bally’s, two very harvest worthy chips got lost
The new $1 are still nice but RHC so will be very hard to get mint chips, after 1 week I already had to filter out 25% of rejects.
And just walking up to the poker cage and ask for a rack of 1’s I not going to happen without a connect.

Buy-in’s for 1/3 and 2/3 are all red and you change a barrel at the table.
Best option is the limit game where you can get 2 racks of $1

Paris has become impossible…I tried every day but no go and got rejected every time (even for just a barrel)
Let‘s hope they open up the cage again during WSOP or else it’s going to be slim pickings in Vegas for the time to come.

I will need some help finding 2 racks of house mold $1
House denom mold is preferred, even if they are expensive, other suggestions are very welcome

 

[slisk250]

I think the easiest House mold blue 1s in Vegas are either Caesars, GN, Harrahs, Sahara.

If you like the Saharas, I have 2 racks for you, near mint.

Should I keep them until May when you visit again or ship them to Ken?

I also might have a rack of GN.

 

[Thomacetti]

Final Orleans stack

Just when I posted blinds, we stopped play and my BB and BB ante (160k) was returned for ICM count.
Total stack was 1,61 million with a 20k starting stack (and no add-on)

Last night at Bellagio

I won one more hand after that, table broke 2 hands later and cashed out little over $700

 

[grebe]

Last update from Vegas…

Back at my room after the last night and since it was my last…I wanted to do something special.
Took the monorail to Sahara and hit most casino’s on the way back that I was not able to visit yet.

I visited

Westgate: fantastic sportbook but poker room sucked

Sahara: love the place, went with Mike in September…great vibe/atmosphere but no poker tables running

Circus circus: good lord, might as well stay home with the three kids, not a place for me and looks old too

Ressorts World: beautiful and very modern, big poker room with plenty of action…great music too

Encore & Wynn: stunning…poker room was packed even after WPT but many good players

Palazzo & Venetian: already visited these in September but loved seeing Little Italy in Vegas again

Bellagio: Rufus, Marc and I already visited the conservatory….always amazing to see. Poker room is the softest I played in

After that 4h walk, I was down for some In&Out, power nap and some poker.
Horseshoe was full with massive list, the high hand bonus is running from 12 to 12 so in between the place is packed with OMC players only playing premium hands for the bonus..no value here.

Some shut eye then, woke up at 1 AM and couldn’t get a spot at HS so went down to Bellagio and got in the 1/3 game.
Got to 700 but then table broke..both the 2/3 and 5/10 had massive stacks at the table so at 6 I played my last hand.

Time to pack the bags, shower, breakfast and short trip to Spinettis….then airport and back to Belgium.
Has been an awsome week and the cards were with me…the Orleans score boosted my confidence and next time I’m ready to play bigger games and tournies.

Thanks for riding with me, my PCF friends.
Special thanks to Mikey, Rufus, Mark and Oscar, always great to be able to count on US & local Vegas friends when in the US.

Fantastic report! Loved it all. The dude giving you 2k at the bar was crazy!

 

[Thomacetti]

Fantastic report! Loved it all. The dude giving you 2k at the bar was crazy!

Thanks so much, it sure as hell was crazy…only in Vegas.
He said he called the second AI because he was deep stacked after felting me and his JJ won over the villains AKs.

After I beat some regs to pulp at the Horseshoe and scored at Orleans, word got out quickly. During the last 4 days I never had so many seat and table change when I bought in…

Poker wise I have been a steady winner over the last 6-12 months I added casino play in the mix. I think I can beat 1/3 and 2/3 and we will soon know how shots at 2/5 and 5/10 go.

If that works out, I might combine work and poker for a few months…
Because if I can beat the 5/10 or be profitable at those stakes and combine tournies, i can look into my dream scenario

 

[slisk250]

Thanks so much, it sure as hell was crazy…only in Vegas.
He said he called the second AI because he was deep stacked after felting me and his JJ won over the villains AKs.

After I beat some regs to pulp at the Horseshoe and scored at Orleans, word got out quickly. During the last 4 days I never had so many seat and table change when I bought in…

Poker wise I have been a steady winner over the last 6-12 months I added casino play in the mix. I think I can beat 1/3 and 2/3 and we will soon know how shots at 2/5 and 5/10 go.

If that works out, I might combine work and poker for a few months…
Because if I can beat the 5/10 or be profitable at those stakes and combine tournies, i can look into my dream scenario

Nice work on the tables. I found I’m better at harvesting!

 

[Thomacetti]

Nice work on the tables. I found I’m the best at harvesting!

FYP

Seeing you work the cage or the craps table is an awsome experience..those craps dealers really love players like you.

I have looked around on the chip rack…someone recently been at Tropicana AC ?

I would pay 300-400 for a VGC rack or better

Park Palace AC is an option too…any feedback, info or offers welcome

 

[Thomacetti]

Had some time tonight to squeeze in a short 2/4 session at HC Valkenburg.
Played from 12 until 02.30 when table closed

300 in and almost 1000 out

 

[slisk250]

FYP

Seeing you work the cage or the craps table is an awsome experience..those craps dealers really love players like you.

I have looked around on the chip rack…someone recently been at Tropicana AC ?

I would pay 300-400 for a VGC rack or better

Park Palace AC is an option too…any feedback, info or offers welcome

You can pick these one by one on eBay but I don’t know of anyone with racks. The GN blue house denom mold 1s are the easiest with your mold. I do have one for you.

 

[TheDonkeyKong]

Enjoyed following this thread, glad you all had a great time!

 

[OneGearManySpeeds]

These were saved from the crusher and will reside in Belgium for the rest of their lives…and some US deliveries (plaques, DB’s, dice and cut cards)

Awsome haul, all credits go to Mike (Bally’s $5 and GN $2)…thanks again buddy

View attachment 1046580
One rack of Bally’s 5$ go to France @Don Clay

Two racks of Bally’s fivers and one rack of GN two’s will be the start of my house mold set, I will relabel the GN’s with identical 25c or 50c textured labels.

The two racks of Paris will become fracs in my customised AS cash set with Paris $1 fracs, THC Bally’s $1 and original AS $5 $20 and $100

Two racks of Horseshoe $1 will become HSI $1

The plaques will finish off my beloved Protege set, now it is a lifetime set 4 sure

Two barrels of Cherokee T500 to finish my rack of Derby Club $20

And some other smaller add on’s and samples

Thanks at all involved, plenty of work for the winter time…the Vegas set will be my second to last Paulson set.
One more set and I’m only in business for BCC’s

What would you pair up these Bally’s 5s with if you were making a micro stakes cad set? Obviously the Bally’s dollar but fracs? I value your opinion man this is impressive. What chips are you using the 5s with?

 

[Thomacetti]

What would you pair up these Bally’s 5s with if you were making a micro stakes cad set? Obviously the Bally’s dollar but fracs? I value your opinion man this is impressive. What chips are you using the 5s with?

Thanks, I'm going to use the Ballys fivers for an AC/LV combined set with

200 GN $2 (relabel as fracs, same artwork)

100 Boardwalk Regency $1 (en route)

and 100 Altantis $1 (en route) until I find enough single of BWR to fill the second rack

300 Ballys $5

Now I just need a barrel of AC $25 on house denom mold in great condition...current rate is $75 each...so not holding my breath anytime soon
But one day...

 

[OneGearManySpeeds]

Thanks, I'm going to use the Ballys fivers for an AC/LV combined set with

200 GN $2 (relabel as fracs, same artwork)

100 Boardwalk Regency $1 (en route)

and 100 Altantis $1 (en route) until I find enough single of BWR to fill the second rack

300 Ballys $5

Now I just need a barrel of AC $25 on house denom mold in great condition...current rate is $75 each...so not holding my breath anytime soon
But one day...

That's amazing, I've not seen that GN $2 before. Are they available and affordable or our of reach? What are the other to pictured below?

 

[OneGearManySpeeds]

Thanks, I'm going to use the Ballys fivers for an AC/LV combined set with

200 GN $2 (relabel as fracs, same artwork)

100 Boardwalk Regency $1 (en route)

and 100 Altantis $1 (en route) until I find enough single of BWR to fill the second rack

300 Ballys $5

Now I just need a barrel of AC $25 on house denom mold in great condition...current rate is $75 each...so not holding my breath anytime soon
But one day...

Have you thought about the AC Bally's $20? Wonder if anyone has any of these?

 

[Thomacetti]

That's amazing, I've not seen that GN $2 before. Are they available and affordable or our of reach? What are the other to pictured below?

View attachment 1087895

Hi

Blue chips = Paris $ (THC)
White = Horseshoe Las Vegas $1 (RHC)

My harvest master Mike hooked me up with the GN $2 (and the Ballys $5)....he makes every chip harvest look easy but the man is a genius in the game.
Plenty of GN $2's out there