Life on the run....where are we going??

back from Vegas blog - 

the trip was fun.  Very, very fun.

We actually managed to pack a lot of stuff into the free hours and make a really good Vegas Trip out of the whole thing, got out in the rental car and made it to Hoover Dam (which is just awe-inspiringly massive), had a couple of really great meals, visited the Atomic Testing Museum and saw the Fremont Street light show again, margaritas in the sun, circus performers in the casino, Star Trek Experience in the afternoon and saw the terrible disaster that is Folies Bergres at the Tropicana.  Whew.

And I gambled well for the first time, like really dangerously well.

First let me say that I love craps but I am nowhere near "good" at them, I watched people making money on me left and right but was too timid to just do what they were doing but still did better than ever.  I love the fact that it's the only group gambling experience, the cheering and banter that goes on just doesn't happen at BlackJack or Roulette or anywhere else.

I started at Bally's, where the craps are cheaper and the fun began shortly thereafter.

I was making a couple small bets and we changed callers just after I got the dice, the new stickman pushes the dice my way and looks up, sees my hair and actually let out a startled "WHOA!".  After taking a second to catch himself he good-natured 

"Did you lose a bet or something??"  the guy was obviously going to fuck with me so I just stared at him as coldly as I could (and still keep a straight face) and said 

"Never."

and began throwing dice.  I was throwing 7's and 11's all over the place, I cleaned up.  In 20 short minutes I was needing to walk away from the table to get to dinner and was on a crazy streak, having tripled the money I started with very quickly.  I kept staring at the stickman whenever possible, just to glare at him and just kept on winning as if I was doing it just to mess with him.  it was absurd.

As his turn at the stick ended he came up and loudly apologized about making a crack about my hair, I told him it was alright and promptly threw a 7 and crapped out.  the whole scene was very fun, as if I was going to keep on winning until he said he was sorry and it added one very funny (and profitable) "bit" to the works.

I like craps a lot, stuff like that doesn't happen at the Price Is Right slots.

Ended up doing well at craps at a different casino and more than doubled my money there as well* and then hit big at a video poker machine I decided to throw some cash into.  It began to feel like anytime I was running low on cash I could just stroll over to the nearest game and generate more, which I think might be THE most dangerous kind of cocky stupidity that starts to creep in when you start doing well in Vegas.  the thought that you are "Lucky" or have some "skill" at this whole thing or are "on a roll" is exactly the last thing you want.  I was smart enough to quit while I was ahead this time, that is all.

there was a lot and it seems hard to imagine that I woke up in Ceasars Palace this morning.

Now my body is 2 hours off and my brain is under-stimulated without all the constant beeping and dinging of slot machines and I can't sleep.  

*it is worth pointing out that I am by no means talking about large sums of money, which are much harder to multiply,  but when gambling that's a pretty satisfying standard to be able to keep up instead of losing all your cash.