Reason number nine is very important to me right now.
9. Yearlong dry air = no sinus problems- Every year I get two sinus infections, one in the spring when the weather breaks and another in the fall when the weather changes again. So it's that time of year in Michigan, and I've been suffering all week. Were I in Vegas right now, I wouldn't be sick....I'd probably be drunk and broke, but I wouldn't be sick.
I'm probably going to take this week off with my college picks since I haven't had any time to look at the match-ups. Hopefully I'll make the time to look at the NFL match-ups and post some picks tomorrow.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Playing Catch Up
Under the weather and busy at work....not conducive to good blogging, but here I am with more reason I love/miss Vegas. I owe three reasons, and I am going to add tomorrow's early. I will try my best to tie all four together.
5. Playing 25 cent video blackjack at 6. O'Shea's while drinking comp beer to get a buzz on before hitting a club via a 7. Crazy cab ride where we will take our last comp 8. Beer in the cab with us.
The bar inside O'Shea's has been a favorite hangout of mine since one of my first trips to Vegas. I love the club scene out there, but sitting at that bar (which has a surprising good selection of beers) drinking for free, assuming you put $10 in one of the games, can be a great way to spend an evening of pre-drinking. The bartenders are every bit as good as you'll find at the bigger strip properties, and great at chatting it up with anyone.
While they will refill you quickly when you are empty, the management seems pretty strict in enforcing the one drink per person rule. I completely understand, and don't mind since shots count as your one free drink at a time. Tip the bartenders pretty well, and you'll go through a bottle of your favorite drink in no time at all, at a fraction of the price you'd pay anywhere else.
Last time we were there, I noticed that the multi-games at the bar offered blackjack for as little as 25 cents per hand....your $10 will can go a long way playing a pretty break even game with 40 credits. If you want to conserve your bankroll play slow. Play a couple hands, drink some beer, repeat as desired. Or if you are up for shots, one shot for every 5-10 hands seems pretty good. Even if you run bad you'll still get about 10 shots out of that 10 bucks. Just remember to tip. If there are 3 or 4 of us at the bar, we'll usually all take turns giving the bartender $5 for a round.
Taking open drinks in a car in Nevada is actually a no-no, but most cabbies won't call you out on it if you don't ask them if it's ok as you get in. If they do, the people behind you can always take that cab and you can try the next one.
If you've never been in a Vegas cab, you may very well be in for the ride of your life. I always think of Crazy Taxi when I think of the Vegas cabbies. I'm sure some other big cities compare, but I've never gotten more entertainment out of my cab rides than I have in Vegas. Buckle up, and enjoy.
On to football....I had a pretty decent weekend where college was concerned, even though PSU fucked me by throwing not one, but two fricking INTs for TDs in the last two minutes. Just one and that pick would have covered. ND was a winning pick even though it looked rough for them right away. Michigan was a loser for me by 1/2 of a point. I don't remember who won the Bama/Ark game (and I am too lazy to look it up right now), but Bama was getting 1.5 and it was a one point game.
So I finished 2-2 in my big school picks. My small school picks continue to rock and I was 2-0 this week as Central Michigan covered in OT and Southern Methodist put a 55-9 hurt on Arkansas State. A while back I was awakened to the fact that by keeping your eye on a few select small schools throughout the year and researching the opponents of those teams each week, you could make a pretty good profit.
Most small school games will have small spreads because the average gambler doesn't bet enough to be confident taking or laying double-digit spreads in those games. Example: School A is playing at School B. Records are similar, spread is less than a TD. School A rates about 6.5 out of 10 and School B rates 5 or less out of ten. Home field isn't much of an issue here, so take School A and make your money. One caveat is to try and find spreads of 5.5 or less as a 6 point spread can easily lead to a push because many mistakes are made in PAT attempts in these games.
Pro Football: T.O., WTF?
Poker: None to speak of since my last frustrated post. Thankfully no one has found me at work to collect their money.
Vegas: 78 days away.
5. Playing 25 cent video blackjack at 6. O'Shea's while drinking comp beer to get a buzz on before hitting a club via a 7. Crazy cab ride where we will take our last comp 8. Beer in the cab with us.
The bar inside O'Shea's has been a favorite hangout of mine since one of my first trips to Vegas. I love the club scene out there, but sitting at that bar (which has a surprising good selection of beers) drinking for free, assuming you put $10 in one of the games, can be a great way to spend an evening of pre-drinking. The bartenders are every bit as good as you'll find at the bigger strip properties, and great at chatting it up with anyone.
While they will refill you quickly when you are empty, the management seems pretty strict in enforcing the one drink per person rule. I completely understand, and don't mind since shots count as your one free drink at a time. Tip the bartenders pretty well, and you'll go through a bottle of your favorite drink in no time at all, at a fraction of the price you'd pay anywhere else.
Last time we were there, I noticed that the multi-games at the bar offered blackjack for as little as 25 cents per hand....your $10 will can go a long way playing a pretty break even game with 40 credits. If you want to conserve your bankroll play slow. Play a couple hands, drink some beer, repeat as desired. Or if you are up for shots, one shot for every 5-10 hands seems pretty good. Even if you run bad you'll still get about 10 shots out of that 10 bucks. Just remember to tip. If there are 3 or 4 of us at the bar, we'll usually all take turns giving the bartender $5 for a round.
Taking open drinks in a car in Nevada is actually a no-no, but most cabbies won't call you out on it if you don't ask them if it's ok as you get in. If they do, the people behind you can always take that cab and you can try the next one.
If you've never been in a Vegas cab, you may very well be in for the ride of your life. I always think of Crazy Taxi when I think of the Vegas cabbies. I'm sure some other big cities compare, but I've never gotten more entertainment out of my cab rides than I have in Vegas. Buckle up, and enjoy.
On to football....I had a pretty decent weekend where college was concerned, even though PSU fucked me by throwing not one, but two fricking INTs for TDs in the last two minutes. Just one and that pick would have covered. ND was a winning pick even though it looked rough for them right away. Michigan was a loser for me by 1/2 of a point. I don't remember who won the Bama/Ark game (and I am too lazy to look it up right now), but Bama was getting 1.5 and it was a one point game.
So I finished 2-2 in my big school picks. My small school picks continue to rock and I was 2-0 this week as Central Michigan covered in OT and Southern Methodist put a 55-9 hurt on Arkansas State. A while back I was awakened to the fact that by keeping your eye on a few select small schools throughout the year and researching the opponents of those teams each week, you could make a pretty good profit.
Most small school games will have small spreads because the average gambler doesn't bet enough to be confident taking or laying double-digit spreads in those games. Example: School A is playing at School B. Records are similar, spread is less than a TD. School A rates about 6.5 out of 10 and School B rates 5 or less out of ten. Home field isn't much of an issue here, so take School A and make your money. One caveat is to try and find spreads of 5.5 or less as a 6 point spread can easily lead to a push because many mistakes are made in PAT attempts in these games.
Pro Football: T.O., WTF?
Poker: None to speak of since my last frustrated post. Thankfully no one has found me at work to collect their money.
Vegas: 78 days away.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
2 More Reasons
3. Free drinks & 4. The wonderful girls who bring them to you- Here in Michigan, the gaming control board decided that comp drinks are a no-no if they contain any alcohol. Truthfully I can't say that I blame them, because the Detroit casino crowd would be ten times worse than it is now, which is saying a lot. It's nice to be able to order a Newcastle in Vegas and only worry about the tip.
Now any of the other dealers I worked with at MGM could tell you that I am a sucker for the cocktail waitresses in the casino. Unfortunately, the waitresses soon realized this too....but that's an entirely different post. Of course I am not talking about the girls at Caesar's who have been there since the place originally opened. Every time I go back there I see fewer of the AARP waitresses at Caesar's, probably cause they are dying off, but there are still a few there that have got to be pushing 70. Although they are great to talk to if you catch them on a slow night cause they all have great stories about Frank, Dean and the rest of the pack.
Is there honestly anything better than having a smoking hot girl bring you free alcohol, and only have to worry about giving her a couple bucks for the effort? If you had your girlfriend or wife do that for you at home that would cost you hundreds, maybe thousands in jewelry and other gifts....on top of what you originally paid for the beer anyway. Then again, how many guys out there would really try and have their girl "serve" them like that at home?
Now any of the other dealers I worked with at MGM could tell you that I am a sucker for the cocktail waitresses in the casino. Unfortunately, the waitresses soon realized this too....but that's an entirely different post. Of course I am not talking about the girls at Caesar's who have been there since the place originally opened. Every time I go back there I see fewer of the AARP waitresses at Caesar's, probably cause they are dying off, but there are still a few there that have got to be pushing 70. Although they are great to talk to if you catch them on a slow night cause they all have great stories about Frank, Dean and the rest of the pack.
Is there honestly anything better than having a smoking hot girl bring you free alcohol, and only have to worry about giving her a couple bucks for the effort? If you had your girlfriend or wife do that for you at home that would cost you hundreds, maybe thousands in jewelry and other gifts....on top of what you originally paid for the beer anyway. Then again, how many guys out there would really try and have their girl "serve" them like that at home?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Frustration
I'm not one to be frustrated easily, my personal life is a great example of that....but for another time maybe, but busting out pretty deep in a tournament after being top 20 or so in chips for most of it is really getting old fast. My MTT game is tight right now. Not perfect, but I am playing better than I have at any time since my great run late last year that was capped off with my 5th place finish in the WPBT Winter Classic. Right now I am just playing to get ready for Vegas, but doing so well for so long only to be struck down and out in a matter of 10-20 hands is beginning to annoy me.
I can take solace in the fact that about 90% of the hands that lead to my demise I actually play right, but get unlucky or sucked out on. The other 10% I can look over to help me improve my play, so it's not all bad. I just can't help feeling a little upset about being out in front of hundreds or even thousands of other players for so long, then crashing or burning with nothing to show for the effort.
Hopefully soon enough I will get a rush of cards when I need it and at the very least final table somewhere....if only for the sake of my confidence.
Sorry for the venting. Technically this isn't a bad beat post, but if you want your dollar for listening anyway just find me. I'll even double it if you find me at my 9-5....
I can take solace in the fact that about 90% of the hands that lead to my demise I actually play right, but get unlucky or sucked out on. The other 10% I can look over to help me improve my play, so it's not all bad. I just can't help feeling a little upset about being out in front of hundreds or even thousands of other players for so long, then crashing or burning with nothing to show for the effort.
Hopefully soon enough I will get a rush of cards when I need it and at the very least final table somewhere....if only for the sake of my confidence.
Sorry for the venting. Technically this isn't a bad beat post, but if you want your dollar for listening anyway just find me. I'll even double it if you find me at my 9-5....
Why I miss Vegas part 2 of 84.
2. Sports Books- Is there a better place to watch a game, or multiple games, than Bellagio's book? Comfortable chairs, free alcohol brought right to you, every game or horse race you could ever hope to want to watch, losing money on sports legally....it's hard to pull myself away from here on Saturday or Sunday when I visit late in the year.
One of the great things about the book is it's proximity to the poker room. What could make me feel better as I watch Iowa getting thumped by underdog Iowa State when I laid? Hitting the bathroom at the half and talking to Scotty Nguyen about getting screwed on Iowa/ISU pretty much every time they play. Gamblers are a sick and sorry bunch, and we always feel better knowing someone else is taking the same beating we are.
Speaking of losing money on games, I haven't had any time to breakdown this week's games....but at first glance I don't like much. I picked my games pretty well last week, but never got my anything on Minnesota before the spread swung hard. That game was my 7 star pick this year. It's all downhill after that.
Off the top of my head I'd have to say I like betting against Michigan -13.5 this weekend. We are a notoriously bad double-digit home favorite. If you bet against the Wolverines at home every time the spread gets to two scores or more, you will make money in the long run.
Other CFB picks include:
Penn State +16.5 @ OSU
CMU -4.5 @ EMU
Bama +1.5 @ Ark
ND -2.5 @ MSU
and in my "You are a complete degenerate if you bet this game pick" I like Southern Methodist to cover the 5.5 against Arkansas State.
One of the great things about the book is it's proximity to the poker room. What could make me feel better as I watch Iowa getting thumped by underdog Iowa State when I laid? Hitting the bathroom at the half and talking to Scotty Nguyen about getting screwed on Iowa/ISU pretty much every time they play. Gamblers are a sick and sorry bunch, and we always feel better knowing someone else is taking the same beating we are.
Speaking of losing money on games, I haven't had any time to breakdown this week's games....but at first glance I don't like much. I picked my games pretty well last week, but never got my anything on Minnesota before the spread swung hard. That game was my 7 star pick this year. It's all downhill after that.
Off the top of my head I'd have to say I like betting against Michigan -13.5 this weekend. We are a notoriously bad double-digit home favorite. If you bet against the Wolverines at home every time the spread gets to two scores or more, you will make money in the long run.
Other CFB picks include:
Penn State +16.5 @ OSU
CMU -4.5 @ EMU
Bama +1.5 @ Ark
ND -2.5 @ MSU
and in my "You are a complete degenerate if you bet this game pick" I like Southern Methodist to cover the 5.5 against Arkansas State.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
84 Reasons I Miss Vegas
Since I am only 84 days from being back in Sin City, I figured the best way to countdown to my trip would be to say a little something each day about what draws me back there year after year after year. It may be a place I make sure to visit whenever I am there, it might be a place that I would visit but has closed or changed, and I will make sure to add a few of our better stories from the last 8+ years that we've been going out there. Now with that out of the way, here's my first post.
1. Cafe Gelato- This has to be the first mentioned because this is the first place we go after checking in at our hotel. The one Vegas tradition that we've never broken is visiting this little cafe across the hall from the pool entrance at Bellagio. I don't remember if this was the first place I ever heard of gelato or even the first place I tried it, but to this day it remains the best gelato I've ever had. By far.
If you are not familiar with gelato, it's basically ice cream. What makes it special is the thick cream they use to make it. It's richer and a lot more flavorful than regular ice cream. I once heard someone describe Cold Stone as "an orgasm for your mouth" (FOR your mouth, not in it), but I personally don't think Cold Stone comes close to the level of gelato at Cafe Gelato.
So in 84 days, at about noon on December 14th I will be sitting in Cafe Gelato (hopefully in my favorite booth on the right side of the cafe) enjoying a scoop of Oreo on top of a scoop of Chocolate, nestled nicely inside of a waffle cone. Mmmm. If you happen to run into me there at that time, mention this post and your first round of gelato is on me. Restrictions do apply.
1. Cafe Gelato- This has to be the first mentioned because this is the first place we go after checking in at our hotel. The one Vegas tradition that we've never broken is visiting this little cafe across the hall from the pool entrance at Bellagio. I don't remember if this was the first place I ever heard of gelato or even the first place I tried it, but to this day it remains the best gelato I've ever had. By far.
If you are not familiar with gelato, it's basically ice cream. What makes it special is the thick cream they use to make it. It's richer and a lot more flavorful than regular ice cream. I once heard someone describe Cold Stone as "an orgasm for your mouth" (FOR your mouth, not in it), but I personally don't think Cold Stone comes close to the level of gelato at Cafe Gelato.
So in 84 days, at about noon on December 14th I will be sitting in Cafe Gelato (hopefully in my favorite booth on the right side of the cafe) enjoying a scoop of Oreo on top of a scoop of Chocolate, nestled nicely inside of a waffle cone. Mmmm. If you happen to run into me there at that time, mention this post and your first round of gelato is on me. Restrictions do apply.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
More Guinness Wisdom
Guinness says:
"It ain't easy living with an AT&T employee"
You may have heard about the possible TB outbreak at the AT&T building downtown (if not, there's a possible outbreak of TB at the AT&T building downtown). It just so happens that Guinness and I have a room mate who works in that building. Guinness is a proponent of hedging your bets.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Football Rants
So Ohio State looked pretty good on Saturday. As did Notre Dame. Michigan, not so much. The win over Central Michigan was so impressive that they fell out of the top ten. I really hope we can get things going for the game against Notre Dame this week. I am sure the Irish will be ready.
The Lions played alright. We even had a chance to win late in the game until Shawn Bryson decided to take a stroll all by himself down the sideline on 3rd down, never looking back for the football until it nearly hit him in the head. Then of course Nick Harris did his best John Jett impersonation and booted the ball to the back of the end zone instead of pinning the Seahawks deep.
Big Baby controlled the line of scrimmage all day long, becoming Ernie Sims' best friend in a hurry as Sims became Boss Bailey's best friend in a hurry. Most people seem to think Boss played well even though he had zero tackles and 4 assists. At least he's shown he can take down someone who has already stopped moving because they have been wrapped up by someone else.
So is Roy WIlliams a prophet or an idiot? Guess we'll have to file this under 'wait and see'. I am certainly tempted to bet Chicago this week, but the 8 points won't let me do it. Chicago's offense might not score 8.
My beloved Redskins really jobbed themselves last night. With such a tough division schedule, every game in September will have a huge impact on January. That being said, they tanked it yesterday against Minnesota and their hokey offense. Run, run, run, launch it deep. Rinse, repeat.
Is it just me, or are the refs way too flag happy so far? There were at least a dozen cheap calls on crucial plays during week one. Many extending drives that would have ended with a punt on the next play. I also noticed that the refs are acting like appellate judges. Don't like the fact that you didn't catch the ball? Yell at the ref....50/50 chance he'll penalize the defense.
My personal pet peeve with the officiating this year is not the refs themselves, but what they are instructed to call as spearing, or use of the helmet as a weapon on normal, textbook tackles. This year the NFL has decided that the facemask is to be included in the spearing rule. You can no longer lead with your helmet or face mask when coming in for a tackle. If you do, and it makes contact with someone....that's illegal. Essentially you can't lead with your head at all, which is what is completely natural when you are running forward. So if you want to make a legal tackle, you have to make sure that you get your head completely out of the way just before impact. Doing that will leave defenders wide open for severe neck injuries.
If this rule is strictly enforced, I believe it will lead to a huge increase in serious neck injuries. And I'm not even talking about the NFL so much as I am talking about High Schoolers and younger. If this becomes an issue in the NFL it will trickle down to the lower levels of play because they will all want to protect their players as much as they can, like the NFL. This means different coaching when it comes to tackling, with an emphasis on turning your head away from the play. I'd be a little uneasy about having my son(s) taught to tackle that way.
Another thing about this rule is that offensive players can get a flag thrown on the defense by lowering their helmet into the defender's helmet just before impact on a play where the defender's helmet wouldn't have been a factor. Shouldn't the "you can't lead with your head if you are running forward (or any direction for that matter)" rule apply to both the offense and defense? I guess not since I've seen at least three plays like this result in a flag for the defense since the Hall of Fame game. This is a rule that could truly add insult to injury.
The Lions played alright. We even had a chance to win late in the game until Shawn Bryson decided to take a stroll all by himself down the sideline on 3rd down, never looking back for the football until it nearly hit him in the head. Then of course Nick Harris did his best John Jett impersonation and booted the ball to the back of the end zone instead of pinning the Seahawks deep.
Big Baby controlled the line of scrimmage all day long, becoming Ernie Sims' best friend in a hurry as Sims became Boss Bailey's best friend in a hurry. Most people seem to think Boss played well even though he had zero tackles and 4 assists. At least he's shown he can take down someone who has already stopped moving because they have been wrapped up by someone else.
So is Roy WIlliams a prophet or an idiot? Guess we'll have to file this under 'wait and see'. I am certainly tempted to bet Chicago this week, but the 8 points won't let me do it. Chicago's offense might not score 8.
My beloved Redskins really jobbed themselves last night. With such a tough division schedule, every game in September will have a huge impact on January. That being said, they tanked it yesterday against Minnesota and their hokey offense. Run, run, run, launch it deep. Rinse, repeat.
Is it just me, or are the refs way too flag happy so far? There were at least a dozen cheap calls on crucial plays during week one. Many extending drives that would have ended with a punt on the next play. I also noticed that the refs are acting like appellate judges. Don't like the fact that you didn't catch the ball? Yell at the ref....50/50 chance he'll penalize the defense.
My personal pet peeve with the officiating this year is not the refs themselves, but what they are instructed to call as spearing, or use of the helmet as a weapon on normal, textbook tackles. This year the NFL has decided that the facemask is to be included in the spearing rule. You can no longer lead with your helmet or face mask when coming in for a tackle. If you do, and it makes contact with someone....that's illegal. Essentially you can't lead with your head at all, which is what is completely natural when you are running forward. So if you want to make a legal tackle, you have to make sure that you get your head completely out of the way just before impact. Doing that will leave defenders wide open for severe neck injuries.
If this rule is strictly enforced, I believe it will lead to a huge increase in serious neck injuries. And I'm not even talking about the NFL so much as I am talking about High Schoolers and younger. If this becomes an issue in the NFL it will trickle down to the lower levels of play because they will all want to protect their players as much as they can, like the NFL. This means different coaching when it comes to tackling, with an emphasis on turning your head away from the play. I'd be a little uneasy about having my son(s) taught to tackle that way.
Another thing about this rule is that offensive players can get a flag thrown on the defense by lowering their helmet into the defender's helmet just before impact on a play where the defender's helmet wouldn't have been a factor. Shouldn't the "you can't lead with your head if you are running forward (or any direction for that matter)" rule apply to both the offense and defense? I guess not since I've seen at least three plays like this result in a flag for the defense since the Hall of Fame game. This is a rule that could truly add insult to injury.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
100 Days til Vegas
We are booked and ready to go. With all that's happened in the last few months, Michael and I needed a decadent weekend of debauchery to look forward to. Obviously we need a little Vegas. I found another sweet deal on airfare (less than $200 roundtrip) and the room rates at Aladdin are about the same as last time ($120/night incl taxes) so I don't feel guilty about taking a few days off work and throwing away my overtime for two weeks just before the holidays. Like I could ever feel guilty about going to Vegas....
Thursday Dec 14th-Monday Dec 18th. The same weekend as the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. That tournament just happened to be in town the last time I was in Vegas to attend the WPBT Winter Classic. Yes, the same weekend I dominated a field of 100+ bloggers on my way to the final table only to get seated directly to Gracie's right as she proceeded to get hit over the head with the deck. But I am not bitter about my 5th place finish in such a deep, talented field. As a matter of fact I'm proud enough to still be bragging about it to this day.
So what else....oh yeah, Steve Irwin is dead. Killed when a sting ray barb penetrated his heart. I hate to sound cold about it because he has a family and all, but if you are going to play with fire.... I must give the guy credit though. His crazy dream was to play with large dangerous animals on a daily basis. He followed that whacked out dream for many years and made a name for himself at the same time. And, I have been told, he used that fame to help fight for the preservation of wildlife and their natural habitats, which is very admirable and something I really respect.
Running out of time now, so I'll have to save the details of my wager with Michael until tomorrow.
Thursday Dec 14th-Monday Dec 18th. The same weekend as the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. That tournament just happened to be in town the last time I was in Vegas to attend the WPBT Winter Classic. Yes, the same weekend I dominated a field of 100+ bloggers on my way to the final table only to get seated directly to Gracie's right as she proceeded to get hit over the head with the deck. But I am not bitter about my 5th place finish in such a deep, talented field. As a matter of fact I'm proud enough to still be bragging about it to this day.
So what else....oh yeah, Steve Irwin is dead. Killed when a sting ray barb penetrated his heart. I hate to sound cold about it because he has a family and all, but if you are going to play with fire.... I must give the guy credit though. His crazy dream was to play with large dangerous animals on a daily basis. He followed that whacked out dream for many years and made a name for himself at the same time. And, I have been told, he used that fame to help fight for the preservation of wildlife and their natural habitats, which is very admirable and something I really respect.
Running out of time now, so I'll have to save the details of my wager with Michael until tomorrow.
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