This trip was planned for my wife and I’s 15th anniversary and my 40th birthday

Day 1: Traveled from Atlanta to Vegas on Delta FF. Everything very normal and got into Vegas around 9:30. Grabbed the bags and a cab and off to the Monte Carlo. This was the first time for my wife and I to stay here. We usually stay at Paris. I liked it well enough and my wife liked the pool much better. As another poster put in their report “It smells nice when you walk in”!

Played 2-4 Texas Holdem at MC and won a little. I like the room here. Easy to get in a game and the jackpot hands are a nice bonus. Over the course of 3 days of playing there, there were 3 quads and one straight flush just at my table. (Jackpots range from $20 to 500 for quads)

Ate at the Noodle place in MC for dinner and didn’t particulary care for it. Nothing terrible but just not great. Walked the strip and took in the Friday night sights.

Day 2: Texas Holdem, craps, and small denomination slots. Nothing great one way or the other.

Day 3: Texas Holdem, craps, and small denomination slots. (See day 2)
Spent the morning at the pool and then walked the strip with the wife. Ate at La Provencal in the Paris. Casual, but we both enjoyed our meal.

Day 4: Played a Texas Holdem tournament ($40 buy-in) at the Aladdin. 100 started and I finished 40th) Oh well, I had fun playing even though I got terrible cards. Went to the 1/2 price ticket place nearly the Harley store and got tickets for V at the Aladdin. Went back for more Holdem until my wife came to get me for the show. We went to the 6pm show. It was very entertaining and was a good value for 1/2 price. I would recommend it as a great secondary show. After the show, we ate at Le Provencal again since we liked it so well. Tonight we just did appetizers for our dinner. (Soup, salad, and Calamari)

Day 5: Rented a car and drove downtown and then out to Red Rock Canyon. Very pretty. Returned to play more poker and slots. Over the years, we have become friends with the members of the Mark Otoole band. Actually my wife knows there life history and I know there names because I usually gamble why she listens and I just pop in and out for a song or two. Actually as it turns out, 3 members of the band grew up about 20 minutes away from me in Illinois. I grew up in Monticello and they grew up around Champaign. I even played sports against them! On Tuesday the band was playing at the Excalibur. I know, I know…. but if we wanted to see them, then we had to go slumming!!!!!

The first night was not their best unfortunately. The lounge at the Excalibur wants all of the bands that play there to basically be quiet and try to put the people to sleep. Mark and his band decided that this was not going to work for them and turned it up to where it should be. Some manager guy kept coming over and turning down the sound. My wife said it was a little tense for a while and she thought the guys were going to get kicked out of the place. What a total waste for a lounge to hire a quality band and then make them butcher their sound just because some bartenders thought the sound was too loud.

As for the gambling, I have to say that the slots at the Excalibur were the loosest that I played anywhere. The RIO, which sucks now btw, were the tightest. I played at the RIO for 1 1/2 hours and lost $200 on 1c, 5c and 25c slots. Every machine lost and lost fast.

Day 6: Played poker all day. Unfortunately this was our worst day in Vegas ever. (this is an aside that you can skip because it provides nothing to the trip report other than to explain why it was such a bad day.) My wife called me in tears around 10am and I was off to the room.
Background: 2 weeks ago I resigned from my position as VP of IT for a healthcare company. It was a suggested course of action if you understand what I mean and I was treated real well on my exit so we have several months to decide what to do next. My 2 children go to a private school in the Atlanta area and we made the decision to remove them from school until we could nail now where and what we will be doing.
My parents and my mother in law live within 5 miles and are not happy that we are looking at potentially moving. My wife delivered the news to her mom about what we were doing and I guess her mom just ripped her a new one over being so irresponsible. It took me about an hour to get her calmed down and smiling again. I of course then had to call my parents and tell them the situation about the kids and us potentially moving. The took it much better but still were not happy. Then back to poker. (Did several shots to improve the mood!)

Ate at Blackstones in the MC. This is their steakhouse but we just weren’t that hungry. We had the Lobster Bisque, shared a Shrimp Ceaser for 2, and then shared the Cold Seafood Appetizer for 2. All was very good and I enjoyed the meal. We had tickets to the Lance Burton show as part of our package. The show as good, I enjoyed it, I was amazed at the tricks but I could have lived without seeing it. My wife and I both felt there was something just dull about the whole show. (maybe it is just his voice. He talks just like Ward Burton the NASCAR driver. Hey I wonder if they are related. Neither of them move there mouth when they talk)

Went back to the excalibur to see the Mark Otoole band again and I have to say that they were awesome tonight. The sound was much better and they had resolved the differences with the Sound Nazi. Listened for the first set and then went and gambled.

Day 7: Gambled. Got my cashback from the Slots. Visited the Casino host and got about $100 comped in meals. Grabbed a taxi and then off to the airport. Got caught in a holding pattern in Atlanta and got in about 30 minutes late.

Summary:
Mark Otoole band rocks!
V was worth the price (1/2 price was even better)
Le Provencal was a good casual meal
Monte Carlo was a very nice place to stay
Rio sucks
Changing jobs sucks
I could have lived not seeing Lance Burton

Posted by jk13 on LVTalk