Hi Gang:
Hedy and I are back home after a whirlwind, seven-day trip to Vegas that
saw me crash and burn (again) in the World Series of Poker and produced an
amazing number of video poker hits at the Rio and South Point that helped us
recoup ... and more ... our recent loss at the Atlantis in Reno.
We also saw an incredible show (Human Nature) at the Imperial Palace and
also enjoyed Cheap Trick doing Sgt. Pepper at the Paris and Gary Puckett at
South Point.
It all began last Monday when we flew into Sin City and checked into the
Rio on Hedy's Seven Stars trip. We were assigned a beautiful, wraparound
suite on the 24th floor in the Masquerade Tower that had floor-to-ceiling
windows providing a breathtaking view of the city. There isn't much playable
video poker at the Rio but we dabbled in some quarter Super Times Pay (mostly
five-play, 7-5 bonus poker) and held our own on Day One.
The next day I was playing in a nightly tournament in the World Series so
we walked over to the Palms in the morning (when it wasn't too hot!) to
play a little there and pick up some bonus cash. The Palms was hosting the NHL
Awards that weekend and we took a couple of pictures with the Stanley Cup
and some other trophies being displayed in the lobby right where the FPDW
progressive bank usually is located. We managed to cash out most of our $120
bonus cash while playing 10/6 DDB and returned to the Rio where we settled
in at the bank of STP machines.
Not much was happening for awhile then, while playing triple-play 8/5 DDB
(ugh!) Hedy got the 5X multiplier, held two aces and drew the other two and
a kicker on the top line for a $2,500 handpay! Later, unbelievably, she
hit aces again with a 3X multiplier for $600 and aces a third time for $200.
I busted out of the no-limit hold 'em tournament that night after about
three hours of play but was happy that Hedy had provided the team a nice
profit for the day.
Wednesday, our final day at the Rio, we did a reprise of our second day in
town with another morning walkover to the Palms and another small win
there before heading back to the Rio. We started to play at the STP bank and
Lady Luck again was in our corner. Hedy hit aces again for $200 and got a quad
with a 4X multiplier but the real shocker was yet to come. Just before 11
a.m. I was playing triple-line DDB when I pushed the deal button and,
suddenly, the machine locked up and there it was ... a DEALT royal in clubs!
10-J-A-Q-K of clubs across my screen for a $3,000 hit, the second multi-line,
dealt royal of my career! I busted out of the nightly tournament again that
night in the WSOP but our video poker success during the day made the
sting a lot easier to handle.
Thursday we moved to South Point for a four-night stay and STP again
provided our vehicle to success. This time it was Hedy's turn. While playing
triple-line 9/6 DDB, she hit aces twice for $200 each but that merely a
warm-up. During mid-afternoon she was dealt three treys and a nine and the
multiplier symbol started dancing in the fifth spot on her screen. As the symbol
was spinning, we started chanting, "Three of hearts, three of hearts!" and
wouldn't you know it, up popped the three of hearts and the multiplier was
5X! So, Hedy had a guaranteed $1,500 with the dealt threes and multiplier
but she still had a chance to draw kickers on all three lines!
She held the threes, we held our breath, and she hit the draw button.
First line ... four! Second line ace! Third line ... five. So, she hit two
kickers and the handpay was $2,500! And, just like that, we put another good
day in the books.
The inevitable down day came Friday but I did manage to hit deuces on $1
NSU for $1,000 to help cushion the blow. That night we saw Gary Puckett in
the South Point showroom. His show was good but his voice has lost a lot and
he leaned a lot on audience participation to carry him through.
Saturday we bounced back big time after a slow start. The morning hours
saw us drain off an additional $1,000 as we wondered if our bad luck of
Friday was going to continue. But then it quickly turned around. Hedy was
playing her usual triple-play DDB on STP while I settled in at a nearby slant-top
to play $1, single-line NSU. Hedy shifted into high gear as she got aces
twice for $200, 4's with a kicker for another $200 then got dealt aces for
$600, missing on all three lines to get a kicker. I was rolling along on my
original $200 investment, hitting a few wild royals and five of a kinds to
keep me going. Then, I was dealt the K-J-10-A of diamonds. I had a couple
of other four-card royal draws prior to this and wasn't expecting much when
I held the four and hit the draw button. Bingo! The beautiful queen of
diamonds showed her face and there it was, a $4,000 royal! We immediately
stopped playing and went to the room to catch our breath.
Later, we finished another fun day with dinner at Michael's and a trip to
the Paris to see Cheap Trick singing most of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper
album. We enjoyed the show (lead singer Robin Zander was terrific) but weren't
really into it like a lot of CT groupies in the audience.
Sunday, our last day in town, was Survival Day as we were determined to
hold onto our substantial win and we managed to do it thanks to another
morning miracle. Right after breakfast, we were playing at our two favorite
machines when I got two aces dealt with a 3X multiplier. Amazingly enough, I
drew two more aces and a kicker on the middle line for a $1,500 score! Hedy
chipped in with two more sets of aces for $200 each and I got ducks with a
3X multiplier for another $300. So, the trip turned out to be a huge
financial success.
That night we had dinner at the Silverado Steakhouse with friends who live
in Vegas and the four of us went to see Human Nature at the Imperial
Palace. The only thing we can say about the show is, "Oh, my God!" If you like
the music of Motown, we would advise you to run, not walk, to see this show.
It is a group of four Aussie guys singing Motown hits and they are, in a
word, incredible. It is one of the best shows we've seen in years.
Two other interesting notes:
While at the Rio, we noticed a very long line one morning and realized it
was a sign-up for invited guests for a two-day slot tournament. We went to
the 7 star line and although we weren't "invited" they immediately included
us. Another perk of 7-star status. It included $50 freeplay coupons for
each of us and four $25 Total Rewards gift cards that could be used at any
Harrah's property ... "sweet!" After two days of play, Hedy's score, by 30
points, cashed for $50. When you're hot, you're hot!
Also, when Hedy and I flew home Monday morning I was going through the
wanding and patdown procedure at McCarren because of my new hip and after I
was done, who do you think was the next passenger in line to get checked? It
was none other than Regis Philbin.
He and Joy were in town for the Daytime Emmys at the Hilton on Sunday and
it was ironic that we were being checked back-to-back because he and I had
our hip replacements done on the same day, at the same hospital and at the
same time back in December. Hedy struck up a conversation with Joy while
Regis was being checked and both she and Regis were very gracious.
We return to our home stomping grounds this weekend at Harrah's AC and
we're hoping that the Fourth of July weekend will provide some more VP
fireworks for TeamVee.
Regards,
CoachVee & Hedy
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