New Poker Home

Poker: Today I went down to play at the Bellagio and they had half the room closed off for a tourney, which meant very few tables and very long lists. So I decided to walk next door to the Aria. I've always heard how great the room was at Aria, but I just never tried it. Well that has been my loss.

The Aria poker room is amazing. The tables are spread out giving you plenty of room, the staff is friendly, the chairs are the best chairs I've ever sat in at a poker table, the bathrooms are right there, and there's 2 places literally next to the poker room that serve quick food. It's also right by the exit that goes to the self park garage. The only down fall was game selection. Now I wouldn't really say it's a downfall as much as "no better than other places". But for anyone looking to play low limits (1/3 and 2/5) there was plenty of tables going.

From now on this will usually be my first stop when looking for a game. I only played 2 hours today and got involved in no real big hands....walking away with a $65 profit. Can't wait to go back there, but got a date tonight.

Women: Tonight I'm going out with Lory, she's a poker dealer at the Wynn. I flirt with her just in a friendly way every time she deals my table, and the other day she handed me a paper with her number and name on it and said "I'm off Wednesdays and Thursdays". This is our first time going out and we are trying a new lounge out, (new to me). I'll give an update on Lory and the lounge later.

Went out the other night with Hana........or Hanna, not sure how it's spelled. This is the girl that had her aunt approach me at the bar. We had fun, but meh. I'm quickly learning that if you go out with a tourists under 30 yrs old, they just want to do tourist stuff, like night clubs and bars. But on the opposite side, if you take a tourist out that's over 30..........wow..........these women have no interest in you, they just want to use you to fulfill a Vegas fantasy.

I don't mind being used btw.

Went out with Mimi also again last week. She's the blackjack dealer at Wynn I went out with a few weeks back that I randomly met at the pool. Things are going well with her but slow. She leaves to Vietnam for a month though on Sunday, (that's where she's from moved here with family when she was 11), so won't be seeing her again for awhile. I'll actually miss her. So far of the girls I've been out with, Mimi is the most fun to be around.

Work: The more I do my job the less it becomes something exciting to report about. Don't get me wrong, my job is still fun as hell and gets to be more fun the better I get at it. Hoping for a good bar this Saturday night that has some action at it.

Bartender Heaven

Work: So last night I get called in to work the graveyard shift at the Eastside Lounge which is 1 am to 9 am. Now I always had a feeling this would be the fun bar and shift to work since it's pretty much the same shift as I worked in security and I used to hang around this bar a lot. But I had no idea.........this was like bartender heaven. This is what you think of when you think of a bar in Vegas. First off, it's so busy I only bartender, they have a porter that does all the grunt work I do often in slower bars. And this bar is packed, people everywhere just waiting for us (one other bartender also there.) And these people hang out and drink for hours. Not like during the day where they have 1 drink and don't talk too much to the bar staff.

The Eastside Lounge is the bar you go by when you leave XS, which is our nightclub that is currently rated number 1 in Vegas and number 2 in the world. So it's basically the after hours hang out spot for club goers.......aka babes in hot dresses and heels. Now I don't want to sound conceited, but I now know what a hot chick feels like. I was hit on all night long and girls wouldn't stop trying to get my number. The only difference between me and a hot chick was that actually gave my number out.......a lot.........to a quite a few great looking girls.

The best one was a fairly attractive lady about mid forties comes up (I wasn't waiting on her, other bartender was) and says to me "you have a great smile, how can we get a hold of you later for some fun?" I said "who's we?" She points at this gorgeous girl that couldn't of been over mid 20's down the bar and says "it's actually for my niece, but she's too shy to talk to you". So I obviously went and talked to her and gave her my number.

Ugh......sorry for the brag, but I just had such an awesome night. Anyway, this shift is next to impossible to get for new guys like me, but someone called in sick at the last minute yesterday so I got it. If there was a God he'd grant me with that shift 5 nights a week.

Women: See story above

Poker: Who fucking cares? Didn't you see the story above?

I Tried To Be A Good Friend

First off poker......I'm taking a few days off, so no updates.

To answer Noel's Q.......I don't have a set schedule now. Every Friday I get my schedule for the following Monday thru Sunday. Sometimes my days off aren't even back to back.

Last night I go out with some friends and we hit up this night club (The Blue Martini) which is a locals place known for Wednesday night Ladies Night. We hang out, talk to some girls have some drinks, and a few hours in 2 of the guys leave cause they work in the morning. Me and Harvey stick around for more drinking.

Harvey catches the attention of these 2 girls and they sit with us for about 2 hours and we drink and talk and dance a bit. Now Harvey got their attention and instantly was all over the hot one.........why is there only 1 hot one btw? Anyhow, I get the 6 while he has the 10.......err maybe 9.5, but she was hot. I'm fine with it, he got them there, let him have at it, I'm not going home with the 6 but we have a good time, so alls well.

The thing is, the hot one just stares and me and smiles constantly and half ass is ignoring Harvey when he's talking. Now Harvey is my bud, but he's 23 yrs old and not a looker.......he has no chance with this girl, but I still let him try and he has a good time.

By the time we decide to leave, Harvey is wasted and can barely walk (damn kids trying to drink). So I take him home, on the way he's texting the hot one......yeah he got her number, but he passes out mid text. I pick up his phone see her number and text her from my phone that I'm taking him home and he's passed out now. She responds with something along the lines of "That's nice of you, Harvey is too young for me (she's 28 btw), he's nice but I think of him more like a brother, I prefer older guys". My interest perks up a bit since there was no reason for her to really tell me that. But I just say goodnight, and maybe we'll see you around.

I wake up the next morning to a text from her and end up in a 2 hour conversation and a date for Saturday night.

Am I doing Harvey wrong? Feel free to answer. It won't change my mind, cause this girl is smoking hot and sweet so I'm going out with her either way.

Also talked with Mimi the other day like I said I would. We had lunch together once and are going out tonight for a movie and hopefully drinks afterward.

Work is also going well, nothing new to report really. I'm getting better at making drinks in front bars though. Presentation and how smooth you make a drink in front of the guest is a big deal for our casino.

Women, Poker, and Work......Changed the Order

Women: Ugh........just when I gave up on Jing, (China girl from few weeks ago), she calls me last night. She was going to be in the poker room today and wanted to know if I'd be there. Well I was planning on not being there, but I can't say no to her. So I show up and get a seat right away next to her (getting to be friends with the floor person is a big plus). I'm so distracted by chatting with her I didn't even notice the poker game going on.

Than BAM......it hits me........the past steps in and fucks it all up. Dian calls and is stranded in the desert and needs help. So being the friend I am, (me and Di remain close friends), I set out to get her. I tell Jing I'm sorry, and we'll hopefully see each other soon. I leave with "call me sometime and let's do something away from the poker table". She says "Ok" and I leave.

Probably never hear from her again......oh well. I'll be talking with Mimi tomorrow about getting together and doing something.

Poker: Ugh, I'm so busy worrying about women I forgot poker was going on today. But somehow I manage to win $28 over a short session.

Work: 2 days ago I show up to the bar and the phone is already ringing. I answer it and it's my boss. "Ugh Jason, this is Mike. The bartender for that bar isn't coming in tonight, can you handle it on your own?".

WHAT? This is amazing for me. My chance to really show I can do it. The chance I'm not suppose to get for months. "Sure Mike, I'll be fine".

8 hours later I have 5 cocktail waitresses thanking me and tipping me large saying how well I did. My boss today mention he heard I did very well and thanked me for stepping up. And I got the full bartender tips for the night (about 4x more than I normally get)............love my job.

Work, Poker, and Women.........in that order

Work: It's going awesome. I'm done training now and loving my job. I get paid well and I'm getting really good at making drinks and enjoy learning about mixing drinks and different spirits. Tomorrow is my first day working not training, meaning I get larger tips (don't have to split them with my trainer).

Poker: It's going shitty. I'm down a few hundred for the month. I guess it's just a bad run, but it's so frustrating sometimes........you all know, why am I bothering to explain it. Fun hand from the other day. I'm the button and playing a normal live table, meaning there's 8 fucking morons there. I've won a bunch of little hands and have a stack of $580 (1/3nl I started with 300). The UTG (lucky fish who's got like $1000 in front of him) opens to $20 and there's 4 callers. So $100 in the pot and I look down to KK and decide I'm happy with taking the $100 now so I'll just make it big. I raise to $220. Without thinking the UTG snap calls and everyone else folds. Flop is TT3 he checks the flop I shove he calls and of course..............he has TT, flopped quads and stacks me...........sigh. Oh well, equity wise I'm crushing the games.

Women: Went out a few nights with this girl I met from Hawaii..........not gonna kiss and tell, but it was a good time :)

Plus, I went to hang out with some friends at one of the casino pools few days ago and ran into one of the blackjack dealers from the Wynn that was there with a friend. This girl is really cute and I flirt with her at work a lot, but she just smiles and shakes her head. Well we spend some time together at the pool, and all of a sudden she's giving me her number the next time I see her at work. She's out of town for a few days, but I'll be trying to spend some time with her very soon.

Love The Job

So I've worked a week now at my new job as an Apprentice Bartender. So far I love it. I'm much busier than I was in security and I make a lot more money......and the job is just fun. Mixing spirits is a blast. I've mostly been working service bars while I get good at making drinks, but they are a ton of fun.

Service bars are the bars the cocktail waitresses come to get there drinks from. Some places have the girls get drinks from regular bars, but at Wynn we have special bars in the back the girls come too. I make drinks all day and BS with cocktail waitresses while listening to good music (there's an ipod dock at the service bars). Then at the end of the day all the cocktail girls tip me. The main bartender that's training me gets most of the tips, but I get an extra $5/hr on average.

I did work one regular bar and had a lot of fun with it also. One lady I served was a lady that I cracked her KK in the poker room the night before at the Wynn. She looked at me and smiled and said "of course I can't win with kings, you know the dealers". Forgot her name but she was from Notingham.........think I know someone else from there.

As for my China girl, haven't seen her again. I got busy and never showed up Sunday to meet her.......although it wasn't a "let's meet here at this time" thing. It was more of a "I'll probably see you since we both play that day and we'll do something." She asked for my number last time I saw her and said she'd call to find out when I'm playing, but she hasn't. So I guess I'll give up on that one.

Okay, off to bed for me. I'll be back with more exciting posts soon.

I Made A Dealer Cry and I Weight in Under 200

Picture of me at under 200 for first time in about 15 years.

Okay, so I play a lot of live poker now. I'm in the poker room everyday, and until yesterday I was playing the Bellagio every single day. (Side note: now that I'm not in the Security Department I'm allowed to play at the Wynn, so been there last 2 days trying it out) Back to the story........

So being in the Bellagio every day I've gotten to know a few of the dealers very well. They all seem to like me, but mostly because I'm one of the only regs that's not an asshole. I stick up for the dealers and don't tolarte dealer abuse at the table. When they can't say anything due to risk of losing their job, I will pipe up and tell a player to quit being a jerk, it's not the dealers fault you suck at poker.

So anyway, Ivette is dealing at my table, I have ran my stack up to about $430, so I'm sitting on a nice profit mostly from small pots just adding up. Then comes this hand, I get TT, a fish (they all are really) raises (he's been sucking all day vs others and has me almost covered) and I call from the BB. HU action flop is AT4 rainbow. I c/r him we get all in he has AQs and he wins the hand with running spades for a flush.

I serisously didn't even bat an eye, patted the felt and said "nice had". I've been there so many times I really don't care. I look up at Ivette and she has a tear in her eye and she's staring at the board like she can't believe what she did to me. I toke her $1 and say "no biggy" and she starts crying. After her down she hugs me before moving to the next table and tells me something about favorite player don't ever change.

Guess I've made some friends in the poker room.

I also had my first offical date with Jing last night. We decided to quit playing poker and have dinner and spend a few hours talking. She seemed very anxious to meet up again Saturday, but I told her my brother was in town Friday and Saturday, but I'll meet up with her Sunday and we'll go do something fun.

Next post will have pic of us.