Las Vegas Trip Report Part 3

by Nolan Dalla

This page is part of Ken's Poker Page

On 22 Oct 1998 05:35:33 GMT, in rec.gambling.poker nolandalla@aol.com
(NolanDalla) wrote:

Side note: OK, it's passed midnight now and how many of you are still
with me? What's the over/under for NOLAN DALLA in the most "kill files?'
150? 200? Hey, don't say I didn't warn you in Part 1 that this was going to take
awhile.

So, what do I do after spending an entire day with the BEST CARDPLAYER IN
THE WORLD? You got it. Head straight to the poker table.

I vow to get even with the jerks who robbed part of my bankroll over at
the BELLAGIO last night (Translation: They outplayed me, as my mind was
off in the sports book -- so tonight it's going to be different). Before walking
into the room I run into none other than BOBBY "THE OWL" BALDWIN
1978 WSOP Champion and President of BELLAGIO. I know BALDWIN is a
very busy man, but I manage to say a few kind things about the resort which I'm
sure comes across as pure patronizing to someone like BOBBY, but he seems
generally interested in my thoughts about the poker room. After just a
few minutes, I thank him for his time and let him deal with what I'm sure
are much more important matters..

I put my name on several lists, but incredibly get called to the SAME
TABLE and SAME SEAT in the $15-30 game as last night. Now, this gets
really spooky. I have the same sports book in front of me as a
distraction to contend with and sure enough -- I get the same results
financially almost to the dollar! I think I lost 10 dollars less on this
session versus the previous night. Please BARBARA -- odds on drawing the
same seat in the same game on consecutive nights and achieving the same
results...... ODDS = x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450
=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)x(r~)x450=12-(a/b)

Does that look about right BARABRA? LANDRUM? WEIDEMAN? JAZBO? HELP!

Now that I have by passed the ax of the math wonks for my fortuitous bit
of jesting, let's get back to the poker report. At the table I recognize
another ex-Atlantic City player...who used to frequent the middle and
high-limit games.

It was a young lady that played all the time with her boyfriend/perhaps
husband. I never met either of them, but played with them dozens of
times. They are both very good players. Interesting that I have not seen
this "hold'em team" in over a year, but they surfaced in LV. Perhaps they
now live in the West. I don't know.

I exit BELLAGIO and now I want everyone to listen to me. What follows was
a near religious experience. I am coming out of the front door and see a
crowd of people gathered around the large lake that sits in front of the
casino. The lake just impressed me as a large body of water when I first
saw it -- nothing spectacular. but then I realized there is actually a
show that takes place with the water. With this magnificent sound system
one of Pavarotti's arias is playing with the great Italian tenor hitting
the high c's and making your spine tingle with the magnificence of that
voice (obviously an older recording). The lake is like 8 acres and is
equipped with hundreds of spouts that shoot water into the sky with every
note. So picture this: Pavorotti does a AhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHH and the
water shoots 30 stories up into the air choreographed PERFECTLY to match
every note and sound emanating from the speakers. I mean this is one of
the most spectacular things I have ever witnessed. The volcano and
Treasure Island is the Mickey Mouse Club compared to this thing. It was
amazing for its pure beauty and simplicity. No fire, no explosions.....
just a display of water shooting in all directions. After the
Pavorotti song, there are a few other assorted tunes which are nice,
but if you see this show -- which runs every night (called the "Water
Show," or perhaps the "Fountain Show" -- I'm not sure which) you have to
see it from the start.

I mean it's incredible and best of all I completely stumbled upon it by
accident. And of course, it's free.

One minor critique: The show runs too long and is hurt tremendously by
the appalling lack of musical taste of its creators. The show starts out,
like I said, with Pavorotti blowing away the audience with a wonderfully
choreographed display of water. However, the show then retires into some
old Broadway show tunes, which just seem out of place in an establishment
with as much class a BELLAGIO. Don't get me wrong, I love BROADWAY
tunes, but seeing "One" from A CHORUS LINE with a single stream of water
jetting into the sky -- just doesn't thrill me a great deal. Then, the water show
took an abysmal turn for the vomit meter when the next song that came on
was a LIONEL RICHIE tune...."All Night Long," the overplayed and
over-rated meandering verseless and musically tasteless melody of the
mid-80's Great. We go from Pavorotti to freakin' Lionel Richie within 15
minutes. Listening to this in front of the $1.6 billion BELLAGIO is like
wearing a pair of white athletic socks with a $1500 Martinelli
double-breasted suit. Please, someone please fire the idiot who made that
tasteless selection of music! The BELLAGIO deserves better. Play Sinatra.
Minnelli. Bennett. Borcelli. A rock opera. Anything! But please yank
that Lionel Richie sap from the performance! You are destroying your
ambiance!

OK, enough ranting. One last thought: I only saw the fountain show once,
so I have no idea if the music and water display changes. But my
speculation is that the fountains must be computer programmed (similar to
the Freemont Street Experience downtown) and that what we see is the same
show every night (others may wish to make a correction if they see a
different show than the one I have reported here). My point is: Catch
the first five minutes of this show and prepare to have your breath taken
away.

OK, now back to poker.

I haven't been in the FLAMINGO in a few years and find a very juicy $4-8
game. I drop $100 in an hour. The game is comprised totally of tourists
-- in stark contrast to the $15-30 at the BELLAGIO which was a very
talented field...and I failed to make any of the necessary adjustments. I
am really upset about this session and have one minor craps crisis. Hey,
it took me an hour to lose $100 to a bunch of people who wouldn't know LEE
JONES from ROBERT E. LEE, and I'm going to get that cash back...or lose
another hundred in the process (ATTENTION YOUNG PEOPLE: DO NOT
ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME. THIS NEXT ACT SHOULD ONLY BE DONE
BY A PROFESSIONAL). I lay $100 on the DON'T PASS. The shooter rolls
a ten. Oh man -- now here's one of those crisis moments. Do I lay $400 in back
at 2-1? I vow not to blow my winnings away in a craps session -- remembering
all the pain this has caused me in the past. The shooter rolls a SEVEN! Damn!
Why didn't I lay $400 odds against the number (For the true answer to this puzzle:
Go back and read my two columns on "Symbiotic Cause and Effect" ).

Now, it's back to the MIRAGE.

The $10-20 game is terrible. I flop FOUR DUECES and check it to a sole
opponent who doesn't show any backbone by trying a bluff. He just checks
it down, until I finally bet on the end and he quietly folds. I guess my
eyes lit up like Silver dollars -- I mean anyone in that spot would have
made a move at the pot, but the gravedigger just laid there like
scarecrow and when I said BOO! He mucked his hand.

I move over to the $20-40 which is a wild game. There is a wild Asian who
is raising with abandon and hitting enough hands to sustain a nice stack.
He can't play with a lick, but the other players back off and get out of
his way often enough for him to win a few pots through sheer bluster
alone. So, this game plays much like a $40-80 game, with all the raising.
I vow to play a tight game and make a few isolation raises to get heads up
with the maniac when I do have a hand.

About half an hour into the session, I am dealt pocket QUEENS. I raise.
The Asian re-raises and I raise again. He calls. Flop comes without an
Ace or King. I know I can bet here and will get raised so I do so, and he
raises me. I re-raise and he slows down now, by simply calling (now, I
know he doesn't have Aces). Blank comes. I bet, he raises, and I
re-raise. Blank comes on the river....all low cards. I bet, he raises,
and I re-raise. It was obvious he was beat as he kept making it appear
that he had a powerful hand.....he mucks his hand. Unfortunately, I
didn't get his phone number -- but I'm considering hiring a Private
Detective to track this guy and report back wherever he sits in a
game....I imagine this would be a very profitable EV for anyone that can
isolate him in a hold'em game. Result: PLUS $480.

Now, it's back to the HORSESHOE. for some much needed rest.

The final day and the final trip report to come...........

NOLAN DALLA

Continue to Las Vegas Part 4

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