Epilogue

Ok, so that epic post has raised a few comments/questions, so let me try to address a few of them, going back a week or so:

TC: No, I didn't make it to the 32 Bar at the M, but that doesn't mean I won't make it back. Oh yeah, I'll definitely be visiting again in the near future. Of course I'll report on my findings.

Deb: True, I have heard about the fried mac n cheese at the Cheesecake Factory, and someday I may get over there at get some. And I've had something similar at other bars before too. It's just that the food at the Freakin' Frog is, as the kids like to say, Teh suck.

Hammie: Not only is Kosher Coke better, but there is a Mexican supermarket over on Trop and Pecos that sells the Mexican Coke in the old-school glass bottles, and it's also made with cane sugar, not that high-fructose corn syrup crap.

Dave P: As far as great French Onion soup in Vegas, I've had a couple that stand out--Mon Ami Gabi, of course, has a great offering, as does the regular cafe at Paris (In fact, one of my favorite meals while 'doing the Strip' is to have a bowl of that, a fresh baguette, and Coquilles St. Jacques at the Paris cafe. Soooo frickin' good!). The best I ever had, however, was at Binion's Ranch Steakhouse--it was amazingly good the first few times I had it, but it seems that the last time I had it (during March Madness), it had slipped just a bit. Still great, but not oh-my-god amazing. Even the French Onion Soup at Chicago Brewing Company out in Summerlin is pretty good, too.

RecVPPlayer: All those lengthy comments about paytables and percentages, while maybe helpful to others, are falling on deaf ears with me. Honestly, I really don't enjoy video poker, and the only place I play it is at Sierra Gold, and there are only two machines that I'd play--that little triple play 10-cent machine, because it's the only one in the bar and it sits in front of my favorite seat, and it's cheap entertainment. If that seat is not available, then I'll play the short-pay progressive for the sequential Royal. I don't care, otherwise. I hit and run and I'm not interested in the least in finding the best machines with the best payouts. I put twenty in, get my beer, and cash out. I just posted those pics because I happened to get lucky on my first spin or two.

Scott: My audience is much more vast than just those interested in hand analysis and such at the poker table, so I kinda don't wanna get too deep in the poker-geek forest, and while there is technically a difference between a 'set' and 'trips', to 99% of the rest of the world, it doesn't matter a hill of beans (at least to me)--the result is usually the same. I'm not writing for Card Player (yet), and stuff like that is the poker equivalent of discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. So, indulge me a little... (Honestly--I didn't know there was a difference until you pointed it out, and I've been playing poker for years).

Howzie: I don't subscribe to LVA, so I can't read any of the articles there. But I will be playing in a WSOP event this year (maybe two), even if the Evil Empire takes a ridiculous cut from the entry fees. It may be a crooked game, but it's the only game in town, as they say...

Brad: Yep, I heard the Seth McFarlane podcast--it was pretty good. (If I can catch Flo-Jo, I can catch you!) In fact, I listen to every Adam Carolla podcast religiously every morning when I get home from the casino (it's usually posted by 4:00 am out here).

Vegas Bobby: $250 per night in poker winnings is an extremely optimistic number. Honestly, my goal is to make $150 per night, but if I double up and make a hundie, I'm happy. But the last few nights have been a total grind. And it doesn't matter how well I play--if the calling stations are catching the river, I'm not gonna win much money. One thing I have discovered, however, is that the real key to winning at poker isn't so much winning a lot of hands (anyone can win with good cards), but minimizing the losses and knowing when you're beat. Most everyone I know always stays one bet too long on every hand they play.

Paul: I would love to share any Nascar picks, but I don't get them until after the race starts. My buddy does all the research and makes the bets--I just give him the money and he texts me what our action is, usually right after the green flag. It's not my baby--I'm just riding the gravy train.


Anyhow, that's all for now, I think. I'm not playing tonight--I've gotta work later. I hope it's a little better than last night--I was there for an hour, but only did one down and made $18 before the game broke. Yay!

I'm off for a couple of days after this shift, so maybe I'll come up with some good Vegas-style adventures to write about then.

Mikey