Please ADD your own Las Vegas Trip Report. Date of Trip: April 30, 2008 to May 08, 2008 Hotel Stayed At: Orleans and Ballys pt 7 Report by: shirl <lilly2kool@hotmail.com> From: london

So .....we are up and at ‘em....and heading down the strip at 8am sharp. It was a fantastic morning, the sun was shining, no humidity, no wind, no haze, just clear skies and fresh air to walk in....brilliant. We couldn’t get over how much the City Center Project has come along since we were last in town, in October. They really put those place up quickly don’t they. Amazing. Anyhow....we walked down as far as the MGM, crossed over to NYNY, over again to Excalibur, as we walked through Excaibur I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer the place looked since I was there last. All new carpets, gone was the stench of stale smoke, it was looking quite good. We made our way to Luxor and again I noticed many changes....for the better Marc and I both decided, it now has a hip-cool kind of look and feel to it. I think MGM is doing a fine job at remodelling their hotels. Sure the themes are disappearing, and against others feelings on this subject, I must say a change is as good as a holiday. I liked the new look....I have always been a softy for the Luxor anyhow....love the place....now I feel, I am even more impressed. So on to Mandalay bay we go and Nigel decides it’s time to throw some of his hard earned cash into a slot or two....who am I to argue...so we all pick a machine each and play away happily for half an hour or so...until...hubby...the non-gambler of the trio decides he needs to eat....and when Marc wants to eat....we all eat...it’s his thing...eating and drinking beer...he’s a man of simple needs. We indulge his need and head to Verandah for breakfast. This little restaurant is by the pool at the Four Seasons and is particularly lovely for sitting outside and having breakfast under the palm trees, surrounded by gardens....just lovely and relaxing, and of course the food is delicious.

I have my usual bacon and eggs with chicken sausages this time as well, Latte and a pineapple juice, both the boys have corned beef / pastrami hash with eggs and bacon, grilled tomato, OJ and coffee...total bill without tip was $96....not bad for 3 people at such a nice place...we all agreed it was delish and good value for money.

The guys being the computer nerds they are decided that since we were down this end of the strip, it would be remiss of them not to duck out the Frys and check out what’s new. Given that would be like being in hell for me....we all agreed it would be best if I stayed at MB and waited for their return at 12 noon. So off they go....and I wander the casino looking for the perfect mechanical friend. It didn’t take long at all for the time to pass and they boys turned up proudly carrying their booty, I finished up on my village People Jackpot Party Machine which had eaten another $100 of my very quickly dwindling bankroll and we headed over to the MGM to get our monorail passes for the day, headed back to Ballys to drop off the guys stuff as they wanted to go shooting now. So, dropped off the loot, monorailed it back to MGM then jumped in a cab out to the Gun Store. Now hubby and I had been there before and had a blast, literally, but I decided against joining them today, I would just wait for them to have some guy time.

We get there and it is packed to the rafters with Britts, ready to fire away on a machine gun or two. I swear, every guy in the place thought he was Rambo...the air was so thick with testosterone I thought I would choke. Good times for the boys. I get chatting to a lady waiting for her hubby to indulge his SAS fantasies and discover they had met on the internet...he was an Aussie and she was from South Carolina...they fell in love, he moved to America and they have been happily married for 6 years....go figure huh, people meet in the weirdest of ways. It was about then that a tiny Asian girl, who was there with a group of guys wanted to get behind the counter and have a closer look at the guns....the staff working at the gunstore all pack handguns....and from the conversation that followed....are not afraid to use them.

Girl; I don’t know which gun to pich
Staff; choose your weapon, we are very busy
Girl; I need to look closer....as she moves towards the other side of the counter.
Staff; maam, you have to choose from over there, you can not come back here.
Girl; oh yeah...what are you going to do
Staff; I will shoot you!
Girl; ok...I’ll just choose that one...pointing!

I found this quite funny...the guy working there did not. He was not kidding....I could just tell...and so obviously could she.

So shooting over and we headed to the Hard Rock. In all my trips to Vegas I never bothered to join the slot club there, I figured today was as good a day as any to do so. Hubby flags down a waitress and orders a much needed beer each for the boys....asks me what I want....oh nooooooo....devil/angel/devil/angel.....ok Devil wins again....I will have a Jack-n-coke....but only 3....3 is going to be my limit today...ok....no more than 3. Hubby agrees to count my drinks and to stop me after my 3rd....he’s a good guy.

So....3 hours later and oh I dunno 6 or 7 Jacks and we decide to head back to the strip. Marc said I was having a good time and he didn’t want to box me in...so let me keep drinking. Good decision/Bad decision.....only the next few hours would tell.

Nigel wants to try some poker for the 1st time and hubby is keen to have many more beers. I tell Nigel of my exploits at O’Sheas....we decide to head there. Even Marc joins in for $30....they sit at the $1-$5 spread game and I head to the $1-$2 NL game. I buy in for $100 and on the 4th or 5th hand I get QQ. I make it $15 to go and get 1 caller....flop comes 5TJ....a bit scary with a straight draw out there.....my opponent bets out $40...good lord I think to myself....if he’s got AK I’m in great shape...if he’s got KK or AA I’m sure he would have re-raised me....if he’s got trips...I’m sure he woulda checked to me for a re-raise.....so what does this monkey have....all this thinking takes place in about 2 and a half seconds.....and I decide I’m good to go....i come back over the top of him for an all in and he insta-calls...oh my...I could be in trouble here....he flips up 56 off suit and I show my Queens. I looked again at his 56...yup thats what it was...GOOD TIMES....turn was a 9 river was a 3 and my Queens take the pot down...yayyyyy me....Happy camper. Guy gives me the nice hand line...I tell him he got unlucky, tip the dealer and everyone is happy. Guy re-buys for a rack and I am already counting his chips into my stack again in my head.

It was then I was summoned to the $1-5 game to join Marc and Nigel. I head on over with my new size stack and in 5 mins get a read of this table, there was a young buck with a huge stack playing really solid poker, and old guy, obviously local playing really tightly, hubby who will play anything big only, Nigel our newby pal who would play any pocket pair or AK, AQ, AJ suited just like I told him too....throw the rest away for now, there were 2 drunks donking off their chips having a grand old time and Foo-man-Choo on the end who played any two, despite raises and re-raised from any position to the river no matter what. Foo-man-Choo was to be our mark for tonight....timing would be everything....the whole table was just eyeing off his stack, young buck next to me informed me his stack was a direct contribution from Foo-man....and he had stacked up other palyers over the past few hours who had since taken the money and run....I was happy to hear this and settled in for the night.

1am came.....and after going up and down all night I hovered about even....Foo-man...got me a couple of times, but I was unable to beat this guy...no matter what I did....he came up shining against me....I managed to damage control so no real harm was done. Hubby turned his $30 into $150....Nigel took his $30 to the felt then re-bought for $30 then again....but at 1am cashed out for $150 also....making him a small profit. We were all absolutely smashed...cashed out and headed back to Ballys.

Tomorrow is a new day....and the last I would see Marc for 2 weeks. We agreed to meet Nigel again at the elevators at 8am for breakfast.

shirl <lilly2kool@hotmail.com> - london    4234

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