Flushing It Out of Vegas - In Search of the Elusive Royal
Day Five - Sat Nov 11th, 2006
We got up this morning early again and hit the quarter BP. I was
getting *so* close on so many hands this trip - in the one morning run
I had four to a Royal dealt 3 times and didn't get it. On the fourth
time I had J K 10 Q of hearts - I pulled the 9 of hearts for a
straight flush. The condolence prize. And Mrs. Flusher on her last 5
quarters held (A A) and nailed the other two for $100. You never can
tell, like the time she won $500 on her last 2 quarters on Double
Diamond on another trip.
I nailed (Q Q) Q Q and then K (K K K). I'd held 3 to a quad on 36
attempts without getting one. We played about 1100 hands in this
session - a good one with no damage done.
Breakfast was another of the FQ's players specials - steak and eggs
for $4.00. It was quite good too - normally $9.45.
We were really setting in downtown and went on walkabout, visiting the
various machines we were enjoying playing and getting some walking in.
We played the Bonus Slut machines at the McNugget, 9 (9) 9 (9) - see,
held two again... and then took a shot at the (also Elusive) Four
Deuces on full pay Deuces Wild at Binions.
Binions is not the historical property it once was, and a lot of
people lament this. It was once known by another name, did you know
that???
Yes, Binions was once known for its colorful founder and previous
owner, Mr. Paul Binion, who was a very large man, who with Babe, the
black and red ox, was responsible for creating the Hoover Dam when he
put his lunch pail down in the river one day to cool some very large
beers he had in there and forgot it when he fell asleep after having
too many beers.
We managed 450 hands on Deuces and broke even between us - guess who
lost and who won?... I sat next to a very nice man who was in town
from Hawaii for some personal business. Sorry to be cryptic, but it
struck me that we were very lucky to be able to be there on holiday,
and Mr., if you read this, I hope everything turns out okay for you.
He'd been dealt four deuces on a fiveplay the previous day, so he had
some mojo going for him anyway. Aloha.
We planned to schlep back to the ElCo to use our $30 comp for lunch.
So we schlepped down Fremont and schlepped right into a parade
schlepping up Las Schlepping Vegas Blvd. Veterans day parade of
course. I was really hoping for jets to come roaring down the Blvd. We
watched for a while, bought a poppy to support the Vets, and headed
off for lunch. I kept one ear out for those F-18s ripping under the
Fremont Street Experience canopy, afterburners blazing, but I was
disappointed.
(I just want to say I had a moment when the gold star mothers marched
by. What can one say? God bless you. God love your strength for
marching in the face of your loss. I thought of our own boys seeing
heavy action and losses in Afghanistan and wondered what it all means
and when it will end.)
Naturally when in a casino, for whatever reason, be it lunch,
checkout, checkin or just walking through... we like to gamble. After
all we came to play. So the BP got a workout. (3 3 3) 3 for $50 for
Mrs. and I was dealt K Q 10 and Jack of clubs. So many of these
opportunities!
Clumping! I could just feel the attempted clumping of Royals going on!!!!
Well I pulled the 9 of clubs for another consolation straight flush.
Lunch was at Careful Kittys. What fun it is to pick and choose menu
items so as to use exactly the comp amount. We settled on shrimp
cocktail, chicken fajitas, cheesecake, and cappuccino for me (total
value $28.75), and a jello ($1.25) for Mrs. Flusher round out a good
meal. Mine was delicious and I heard no complaints from the jiggly
happy Mrs. F.
Really this day we just played and played and played. Except when we
rested. Back in the room. At the Four Queens. And I looked out the
window and... there were JETS!!!! Great looping, roaring,
afterburning, formation flying Thunderbird jets. The airshow at
Nellis.
I shot some dice and won $32 - I was starting a string of winning
sessions and really getting a feel for the flow at the table. Back to
the old deal and draw and it was (2 2) 2 2 and (4) 4 4 4 for $50 each
for me. At this point I was up almost 200 on the day. It felt goooood.
So what to do? Take another shot at the full pay Deuces. At Paul
Binions. And lost $80 over 650 hands. And no deuces.
Back to the FQ for more comp-generating play. Dealt J J J J. Nice!
Also (10 10 10) 10.
We had some tickets for the draw at the McNugget - every day in
November they were giving away a Mustang. So we had dinner there at
the coffee shop and played a bit to get ready for the draw. Everyone
gathered around and we waited a while. They had been working on the
area where the buffet used to be - it was all draped off and dusty
with jackhammers going on etc earlier in the week. And here it was
open, full of machines and doing business. I have no idea how they
turn it around so fast.
After some lame-ass marketing hype from the people who are nominated
to do such hype-spewing and ticket drawing, the ticket was drawn. The
owner would have 3 minutes to collect, or they would draw again.
The first name was drawn and...
...
and...
...
and did you really, honestly think I would let my wife have just jello
for lunch??? Nonsense. We both split the comp and had decent meals.
No jello.
Okay back to the draw, the name was pulled, Jack something and we
heard a 'WAHOOOO!' so we knew the guy was there, so there was this
collective groan let out by the (now) losers. And then... Jack started
to make his way to the front.
With help.
And the groans turned to cheers.
And people started smiling.
And looking a bit sheepish.
Jack had sustained some serious injuries to his body somewhere in his
life. Clearly blind in one eye, and missing a hand. And it all felt so
wonderful to see him win this car and nobody NOBODY would have had it
any other way. People couldn't stop clapping him on the back and
congratulating him, and shaking his hand. He came right by me and I
congratulated him as well.
We walked out of there into the cool night, whole and in one piece,
and Mrs. Flusher did not see the tear in my eye.
--- === ---
We finished our night at the Golden Gate on my favorite $3 craps
table. There was this guy who had no idea how to play but was there
earlier and making hard points over and over. He made 3 fours once
while I was there. And my favorite dealer was there too.
My favorite dealer overpays sometimes. I am convinced that he is color
blind! Now is it wrong to keep the overpayment? Of *course* it is.
Do I keep it? Of COURSE I do. I justify it this way: Since I often
have trouble figuring the payouts myself, I may have well been
shortchanged and not know it, and I don't always know when I am
overpaid. Also - pointing out that the dealer has overpaid will just
make him look bad and get him fired. Also - casinos take every
opportunity to take my money. Also - I am a cheap bastard.
So, the neophyte college lad super-roller rolled number after number
all the while with only $3 on the line. (I recommended he get one of
those little cards which will tell him the basics. I hope he does) The
table was hot and I bought in for $60 and took out $158 after tips.
And I was ahead on the day. How does it get any better?
The Score
ยทยทยท
=========
Quads: fifty two
Straight Flushes: five
Aces on BP: one
Deuces: zero
T-shirts: eight
Elusive Non-clumping Royals Flush: ONE 
Even more to come!...