Day 3
I wake up and head downstairs... scared. That's the best word for it. Stuck 40k, had at a maximum only planned on a 50k loss (and even that I didn't really consider as a strong possibility) and I've got over a day to go.
I manage to book a small (~3k) win going into breakfast.
OK, so TR confession time. D and I went to Jardin for breakfast. I got pretty much the same thing I got the last time I was here. I thought about taking pics for the TR, but then thought "this trip is so forgettable, the likelihood I'll have anything interesting to report is basically nil, meh F it". So from here on out the pics are spotty at best. I may have remembered/thought to care, more likely I just didn't care anymore and assumed this TR was dead in the water.
D and I have a nice breakfast and we plan our attack for the day. I've got a little over 20k. Plenty if all we played was craps, life support if I'm playing VP. OK, let's play craps. I've had pretty good results this trip betting 320 across, I've also gotten plenty of play. So what's the harm in buying in a little bigger and playing 640 across rather than 320?
Well, we know the answer to that- I stand to lose twice as much. But I could win twice as much too!
So D and I head over to a table at the Encore. Plan is play here, and if bad we hit the spa. I buy in for 3k instead of 2k and reason I've got about 5 rolls at 640 across. That's HOPEFULLY enough??? I make my bets and immediately get gunshy. Man, that's a lot of money to have out there when I don't stand to pick up any chips without a repeat or a decent roll.
D starts us off. It's decent. I get my roll paid for pretty quickly. The 5 is amazing- I go from 100 to 250 as planned (power press), take a same bet (pays 350), then take it to 500. It hits again- same bet. Hits again- 700. Hits again- go to 1000$. We officially have yellow on a number for the first time this trip, and first time for me ever on a 5 or 9 (I usually don't bet those numbers). D is super efficient and of course he's hitting other numbers as well- I think he only wasted time with a 3 or 11 once, max two times out of all his rolls.
This is getting legit huge. Every number is pumped up in some way. I'm not pressing as hard as I think I would when in the abstract- being stuck huge for the trip and finally getting a chance to pick up decent money each roll, I'm not gonna lie... I was gunshy. I take the 5 to 1500$, then to 2000$. This roll is ecstasy. A new player joins the table and surprise surprise doesn't kill the roll. D makes his point, all the numbers are off, and NOW he throws 7 on the come out. This is just perfect.
Every roll is critical now. We're picking up purple chips minimum no matter what hits. And if we see a 5 or a 9... yellows at minimum. I think about taking a pic but worry I'm going to kill the roll by doing that. I realize that's stupid, obv me taking a pic won't do anything. I've never had all the numbers pressed this high before, this might be a once-in-a-decade pic. The 5 hits AGAIN and I take it to 2500$. OK, I have to do this subtly so the crew doesn't get mad and I don't slow this roll down. D hits another number. I pick up my chips then whip my phone out.
I'm in the top slot. 4 and 10 are 500$ each. 450 on the 6, 600 on 8. 9 is at 1000$, and the 5... 2500$!!!!! Not pictured- a rack+ full of blacks, some purples, and some yellow!!!
Grab that pic. D has only been rolling 25 min. It just goes to show how truly rare a real 1hr long roll (with no BS, people slowing the game down etc) is. Come on, just keeping hitting numbers...
... D 7 outs the next roll after my pic. Did I cooler the table? Sure, I'll take the blame for it. At least I got a pic at the height. I was legitimately so upset at myself that I didn't have the heart to tell D I took a pic until later that night. Obv he didn't blame me.
OK, that was the roll of the trip. Hell, that was the roll of the year. I left over 5500$ out on the table. After that roll, I was still up 13k. We keep playing, but you know where this is going. Give some back, there's no way we're going to recreate that magic... screw it, let's color and enjoy this for a bit.
In for 3, out for 13 and change.
SO MUCH FUN. That's why I play craps, and honestly why I stopped playing so much craps. It's just too unlikely a roll like that is going to come, and waiting for one for as long as you do gets real old. I'm now stuck less than 25k for the trip- this AM has been quite a recovery. I can ALMOST see a path forward here if this keeps up... we head back to VP.
God, finally got a good one on spin.
I think this VP session was also a medium winner (~4k). Getting unstuck slowly but surely. We head to the spa.
At the spa, I text host to confirm the spa will be covered by my card status. He tells me I used it already in March... I don't remember that. On reflection, I guess I did (one of the March Madness guys used mine when they went with D). OK, guess I'll use comp dollars. Plus side- host is getting back to me right away. Down side- this spa is not worth 100$ out of pocket, which is basically what comp dollars are. Whatever, I don't care anymore. D asks host to put me on his spa credit (should cover both of us). Host doesn't answer him... argh.
Spoiler- host covered everything. Whether using D's credit, or bc of my play, we'll never know. But the Wynn is slowly getting back into our good graces.
D and I kill a few hrs there, and then it's time for more VP. I head to hi limit- still waiting for some real heat!
That's not hot enough. Straight flush is the most undervalued hand in VP.
I give back several K there. This next pic is 3 hrs from the last one, so you know the damage was done. I THINK what happened was-
- head to craps and it sucks, lose a few k
- head back to floor, lose a few k
So I'm now stuck basically 35k again for the trip, and have given back most of the AM recovery.
Thank god. It's as close to a 5 digit hit on VP that I've seen this trip.
D and I head to dinner at Safta 1964- it's a Mediterranean chef in residence at Jardin. I didn't take any pics and the food was just ok (5-6/10). That said, I'd try it again just to eat different things on the menu. Most places are worth giving a second look and this place makes that cut off.
OK, it's our last night in Vegas, again. We're at 30k stuck for the trip. Can't we just have some fun on our last night? We head to craps, and it sucks, again! We didn't last long at all. Head over to VP surprisingly optimistic- VP has been so bad all trip. Haven't had a good last night in I don't know how long. Maybe tonight's our night!
Maybe not. I didn't hit one jackpot, or if I did it was so small in my "probably won't be a TR here" mode I didn't care to take a pic. All I know I lose 5k in record time and I'm stuck 40k for the trip, AGAIN. Had an amazing roll earlier. Hit 2 8000s on spin. Irrelevant. GOD THIS IS SOOOO BAD!!!!!!
I feel tilt kicking in. I get up from the machine and head upstairs in basically the same mood I was in last night. I hate this place. I hate VP. I'm in bed by 10pm ON SAT NIGHT IN VEGAS FOR F'S SAKE!!!!!
Day 3 result- even
Overall- -40k
dealt quads- 3
Final Day
Not much to say here. D is taking an early AM flight and in fact we've settled up already. I have to leave for my flight at 10am, far earlier than normal. Plan is to slowplay, get room service breakfast, and go lick my wounds at home. Pretty glad I'm leaving early.
I head down to hi limit and grind at 12 lines. I get dealt quads number 4- just jacks. WTFever machine. So insulting. I'm up about a grand for the session.
Then, I get dealt quads number 5 of the trip.
Spoiler:
Apologies for the poor quality, I took this for me and not for the TR. That's dealt premiums with a kicker, 24k!
OK, let's think about this. I am only stuck about 15k now. That's not bad at all. WAY better than the last two days. I resolve to NOT give the majority of this back. I step up just a touch, but I'm good now. I'm ok with a 25k total loss given I was at 40k before. That's 10k for the next couple of hrs. I'm good.
Soon, I get dealt quads number 6 of the trip. As crappy as this machine has been, apparently it's decided to finally wake up.
Spoiler:
WOW! Dealt premiums with kicker again! 30K!
Ladies and gents... I AM UNSTUCK!!!!!
I just sit here and bask in this for a while. What a comeback. Sure, I'm only up a few k, but up is up. D comes down to head to the airport, sees the credits in the machine and immediately says "MOTHER F'ER!". He knows I've made a huge comeback, and he's not part of it. I feel really bad and snap decide to give him 2k right there. So he ends up stuck 2.5k for the trip out of a 5k trip bankroll, that's not bad at all and he recognizes that. We say our goodbyes and I keep playing.
The machine just stays good. I hit a bunch of 2000s and got dealt quads again (I think they were 9s). Still didn't take a pic bc I wasn't in TR mode. When I head up for breakfast I'm now up 10k for the trip!
I throw down a room service breakfast, shower and pack all within 15 min. NOW I'm in a rush. NOW I want to play. I guess all my run good for the trip is going to be jammed into these last couple of hrs!
On my way down to the floor for one last session, I plan my attack. I decide let's try spin, one last time. Hi limit finally decided to not suck, maybe spin will decide to not suck as well. I'll give myself 5k to play with, 12 lines. See if I can hit a monster. If not, I book a 5k win which relative to a 40k loss is obv the nuts.
I get dealt premium trips...
Spoiler:
BEST possible result. I somehow manage to make quads 5 ways out of 12!
I'm up big now. Let's keep this going!
Spoiler:
FINALLY. FINALLY. ALL MY RUN BAD ERASED IN ONE FELL SWOOP!
I have exceeded the credit limit in this machine (100K). This is a new life achievement. While I'm waiting to get the machine unlocked, I just bask in the glory. I've gone on a 100k+ upswing in 2 hrs. Zero five digit hits to 4. I've been dealt quads 4 times today, twice premium with a kicker.
Yeah, I'm coming back to the Wynn. Let's get real.
They unlock the machine, I give 2k back to spin then head to hi limit to play huge.
This was actually a disappointing draw- trip aces 50 ways and only converted one. I really thought THIS was going to be another major point in this trip. At this point I'm up 70k!
Alas, all good things come to an end. I gave back a few k over all at hi limit but played down to the wire and played huge for most of it. Final tally-
Day 4 result- +100k
Overall- +60k
Dealt quads- 7
5 digit hits- 4
Postscript-
D and I overspent on food, no questions. Host picked up all of it. The spa I already mentioned- comped. I killed the Wynn the last day. Just KILLED THEM!!! Played bigger as well, of course, but my host still picked up all the overage. So, in the end analysis for now I'm staying with the Wynn. I'm still going to see what FB has to offer, but ultimately my base offer here hasn't changed and I suspect my play will continue to get me a cabana in general, esp if I don't burn any play on D's card.
I got extremely lucky, of course. This was almost a TR that never was. Bottom line I'm flush again. I've also learned several things moving forward which should make future trips more fun-
- 320 across on craps, even 640 is infinitely doable for me and can easily result in fun
- 5 line UX SUCKS. It's just a tease, 99% of the time. Better to play the same amount 10 line, take a shot but not torture myself for hrs. If I lose I lose, get up and do something else.
That's it. I apologize for lack of pics at the end but if I didn't make this comeback we wouldn't have any TR at all. Thanks for reading!
