Day Seven
I am still posting because I want a journal of what I have done on this trip. But I would like it a lot more if I got some comments. *sniff* me so unloved *sniff* The day before yesterday was long and mostly uneventful. Don and I played at the MGM. After I got seated at the 2/5NL table, I got up and went down to the pit where I was last playing blackjack.
I had re-checked my notes and I had actually given them closer to three than two hours of $100 action when I was on pit-tilt. I sit at the table, buy-in for $1000, and immediately ask to speak to the host. Apparently there aren’t so many around that early in the day. Early in the shoe, the pit manager comes over to see if she can help me. I tell her I want a nice meal for two. She goes and checks. A little while later, she comes back and tells me that I only have about $50 in credit; I could get a meal at the café or two buffet tickets. I am thinking “THAT IS FUCKING BULLSHIT.” I nicely ask her if I could discuss it with the host. She promises that she will send him over. This is at the end of the first shoe.
I finish the second shoe, up $200, and get ready to get up. I shove my chips forward for the dealer to color-up and ask her to send the pit manager over again. I am fully prepared to tell her that their comps are way out of line and that I had gotten the distinct feeling that I am not a valued customer. I don’t have to play there anymore. This is not a bluff; I am really serious.
She comes back accompanied by the actual host. I tell him what I want. He tells me the same thing the pit manager told me. I tell him what kind of customer I have been in the past at the other MGM-Mirage properties, I tell him that me giving the MGM Grand action was unusual for me, but would definitely do it again if it were a positive experience, which it wasn’t at the moment. He compromises on a meal at Wolfgang Puck’s. This is the first notch above the café or the buffet. That is marginally satisfactory for me. I agree.
He explains that the real problem is the alcohol. When they comp a meal, it includes the booze and some people would take advantage of that in a gourmet room. For example, one could order a $500 bottle of wine with their $200 meal. I asked for a food-only comp. They don’t have those. I ask how much action it would take to get the kind of comp I was wanting. He told me about five times as much action. I told him that I would get RFB, no questions asked, for that kind of action somewhere like The Golden Nugget. He agrees and tells me he plays at the Golden Nugget. Enough said.
The moral of the story is don’t play casino games at the MGM if you want comps. They are tight even by Strip standards. That is fine. I shouldn’t be playing there anyhow. Next time I choose to gamble, it will be for fun, I won’t be on pit-tilt, and I will take the time to drive myself to the Golden Nugget.
I return to the poker room with my comp ready to go, I sit and play for several hours without getting involved in any big hands. Don gets busted by an aggressive player on a draw and packs it in. I don’t blame him a bit for packing it in, but I did have to go cancel the comp. I assume I will be able to get the same or better without too much additional BS at some point later in the trip.
I return to my game. Another hour goes by without me playing any big pots. I then make the only mistake of the session. I raise to $45 in the BB with AQd. There were several limpers in the pot, and I had just shown a big bluff two hands earlier. A loose, aggressive, and very good player in EP re-raises to $100. Given what I know about this player, I put him on several possible hands. A re-steal is possible as are TT, JJ, QQ, and AA. I decide to see the flop. Flop comes Q high, two diamonds. I check to him, he bets $100. I call. Turn is a blank; action is check, check. River is a blank. I bet out $100, he calls and shows me his aces. I regret my play on the hand, but given what I know about him, I don’t regret it a lot.
I change tables and start playing some really solid poker. I find my way back to close to even before the table dries up. I am tired so I call it a day.
I am now a full day behind; I had a great session at the Bellagio yesterday that I want to tell you about. It will have to wait until next time as I want to get down there before there is a long list; Saturday is super-busy, even early in the day. I also want to get into why I am really here, but, unless nothing happens today, it will have to wait until Monday.
I had re-checked my notes and I had actually given them closer to three than two hours of $100 action when I was on pit-tilt. I sit at the table, buy-in for $1000, and immediately ask to speak to the host. Apparently there aren’t so many around that early in the day. Early in the shoe, the pit manager comes over to see if she can help me. I tell her I want a nice meal for two. She goes and checks. A little while later, she comes back and tells me that I only have about $50 in credit; I could get a meal at the café or two buffet tickets. I am thinking “THAT IS FUCKING BULLSHIT.” I nicely ask her if I could discuss it with the host. She promises that she will send him over. This is at the end of the first shoe.
I finish the second shoe, up $200, and get ready to get up. I shove my chips forward for the dealer to color-up and ask her to send the pit manager over again. I am fully prepared to tell her that their comps are way out of line and that I had gotten the distinct feeling that I am not a valued customer. I don’t have to play there anymore. This is not a bluff; I am really serious.
She comes back accompanied by the actual host. I tell him what I want. He tells me the same thing the pit manager told me. I tell him what kind of customer I have been in the past at the other MGM-Mirage properties, I tell him that me giving the MGM Grand action was unusual for me, but would definitely do it again if it were a positive experience, which it wasn’t at the moment. He compromises on a meal at Wolfgang Puck’s. This is the first notch above the café or the buffet. That is marginally satisfactory for me. I agree.
He explains that the real problem is the alcohol. When they comp a meal, it includes the booze and some people would take advantage of that in a gourmet room. For example, one could order a $500 bottle of wine with their $200 meal. I asked for a food-only comp. They don’t have those. I ask how much action it would take to get the kind of comp I was wanting. He told me about five times as much action. I told him that I would get RFB, no questions asked, for that kind of action somewhere like The Golden Nugget. He agrees and tells me he plays at the Golden Nugget. Enough said.
The moral of the story is don’t play casino games at the MGM if you want comps. They are tight even by Strip standards. That is fine. I shouldn’t be playing there anyhow. Next time I choose to gamble, it will be for fun, I won’t be on pit-tilt, and I will take the time to drive myself to the Golden Nugget.
I return to the poker room with my comp ready to go, I sit and play for several hours without getting involved in any big hands. Don gets busted by an aggressive player on a draw and packs it in. I don’t blame him a bit for packing it in, but I did have to go cancel the comp. I assume I will be able to get the same or better without too much additional BS at some point later in the trip.
I return to my game. Another hour goes by without me playing any big pots. I then make the only mistake of the session. I raise to $45 in the BB with AQd. There were several limpers in the pot, and I had just shown a big bluff two hands earlier. A loose, aggressive, and very good player in EP re-raises to $100. Given what I know about this player, I put him on several possible hands. A re-steal is possible as are TT, JJ, QQ, and AA. I decide to see the flop. Flop comes Q high, two diamonds. I check to him, he bets $100. I call. Turn is a blank; action is check, check. River is a blank. I bet out $100, he calls and shows me his aces. I regret my play on the hand, but given what I know about him, I don’t regret it a lot.
I change tables and start playing some really solid poker. I find my way back to close to even before the table dries up. I am tired so I call it a day.
I am now a full day behind; I had a great session at the Bellagio yesterday that I want to tell you about. It will have to wait until next time as I want to get down there before there is a long list; Saturday is super-busy, even early in the day. I also want to get into why I am really here, but, unless nothing happens today, it will have to wait until Monday.
posted by Weak Player @ 10:14 AM
4 Comments:
It does not sound like you overplayed your hand much at all.. you lost, yah, but probably the minimal possible.. he was being very passive with Aces..
But I would like it a lot more if I got some comments. *sniff* me so unloved *sniff*
I'll comment on Monday.
Yeah advice from Waffles is like herpes from a hooker. :)
AUSTIN IN APRIL!!!!
I agree with Waffles, I don't think you lost too much with the AQ hand. Too bad you hit the flop I guess.
I totally do not understand how the comp system works. Maybe I will address the issue when I finally put up my Craps and Pai Gow blogs.
Post a Comment
<< Home