Ongoing VP TR, PART 2!

Hey Leon, I remember you mentoining that you play at Barona. I recently saw a couple of videos from a guy called Teddy San Diego who plays high stakes VP over at Barona, do you know him/know who he is? He has multiple 200k hits on both UX and regular TDB, pretty sick.

I think I've crossed paths with him a couple of times. I've seen his videos and obv recognize the background (both at Barona and Wynn). Never actually met the dude in real life.

May 16-19th TR

The reason for this one is simple- the 5k +1500$ rebuy slot tourney! D managed to score himself an invite as well, so we've got double the chance of... nothing! Actually that's not true, but I'm going to assume we're going to get screwed.

D and I had a lot of success at the 10k buy in in Sept 2023. We actually opened strong for once, which made each successive round so much more fun. Every one of those could have been the one where we could say, we are top 3 with rounds to go! As opposed to the usual, "get screwed, get more desperate, each rd dashes more and more hope... end with no hope" which is exceedingly unfun.

The prize structure for this one is good. Everyone gets at least 1.5k in free credit back. We're getting an additional 500 in free play bc we signed up early. Obv if you take top 3 or bink the re buy round it's serious money. I like our chances. D elects to have 100% of himself, so we decide to 50/50 on both of our entries no matter what. Spreads the options around, reduces the possible individual net win, but is EV neutral.

Agenda-
- Thurs- get in, try not to lose our asses. Dinner at Mizumi
- Fri- dinner at Komodo at Fountainbleau
- Sat- Cabana all day, bink slot tourney, dinner at Casa Playa
- Sun- head home

Bankroll- 50k. I've been getting badly beat up at the local and with taxes. What seemed like an indestructible bankroll at the start of 2024 has been whittled to less than 6 figures! :shocked: The only consolation is locked up 200k in the market so it hasn't all evaporated, but I definitely feel (and am) short.

Day 1

Everything is smooth and the check in even had our keys ready before we walked up to the desk! All I had to do was get to the front, give my credit card and we're up in the room 2 sec later. D and I have our usual Parlor Suite with a connected room. We grab our money and then head downstairs.

I know I'm going to start with 5 line UX and try and limit spin poker. I have to prepare for the worst and starting small is the responsible thing to do.

They've got a special barrel of Stagg reserved for the Wynn at the bar. Same price, same quality.

We get on the board very early.

We give some back, then D heads off for his first craps session of the trip. I'm in for a G with him, he's in his usual 10% with me. I get bored and move to spin.

Boom! Our first 5 digit hit of the trip!

I think I gave back quite a bit at that machine before deciding to give hi limit a try. Probably up a few k at this point. We find our first dealt quads a few min later.

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Finally got a good one on this machine! Second 5 digit hit and we're cruising!

I step up big and am immediately rewarded.

Tons of hits. Unfortunately, one can see I tended to hover about 10k off of the overall hi point.

Eventually, I get kind of tired of hi limit and head back to spin.

This is just a nice hit any way you look at it.

Move back to UX.

At some point, I exceed the 50k limit on the UX machine, so I cash out a near 50k ticket and start a new one with the leftovers. This ticket is going in the safe! Amazing pre dinner session. The only downside is D got killed at craps. VP-wise, we're up over 40k.

I get ready for Mizumi. D and I are on cloud 9.

Mizumi

I've been keto for almost a month and I'd really like to keep that going here. I come to Vegas so often that it can't be an excuse to ruin my diet. My diet has slipped over the years and I've got a little bit of a dad bod going on. Since I've been keeping up the discipline with the food and starting to work out again, might as well keep a good thing going.

It was nice to be able to get some different dishes, eg the grilled items, etc. I had one piece of uni sushi (can't get that sashimi) but otherwise ate super clean. The mushroom salad was great, 8/10. All grilled items 6-8/10, some were too sweet. Sashimi 7/10.

On our way back to the room, we notice the bar is quite empty, esp for that time of night. Gotta take the opportunity to mule some bourbon now. I slide up to the bar and do my usual "request stupid amounts of bourbon just to bottle it up in the room" move. I've never seen this bartender before, and he immediately figures out what I'm trying to do. He offers to sell me a whole bottle. I say, "I shouldn't be saying this, but I've been told you can't do that. Obv I'd prefer that, but don't bother if you can't". He explains he's been trying to convince his manager to let it happen for over a year and it'll be fine. So, long story short, I grab a completely unopened bottle of Stagg, same price, and now I don't have to pour it into plastic and be rushed to drink it at home! Score!

D and I head back down.

Twice on each of these draws, excellent.

I play for hrs after dinner. The only problem is, other than that 5k hit none are big enough to really get ahead. At best it kept me in the game. I'm not sure exactly where I was when I went to bed, but I know it was off the high point. Let's say we're up 40k for the day- it's close enough.

Day 1 result- +40k
dealt quads- 1, premium
5 digit hits- 2

Day 2 coming soon...

Sweet baby jeebus

These two reports are always so damn entertaining! Let's hope for a big day 2.

Helluva first day!

Just checking…re the 5k+1500 mtt…Wynn are covering the first 5k for each of you? And then you get the free play credit on top for entering?

Also the $1500 is rebuy or add on? (And you would pay that or they pay that too?)

[QUOTE=leon]he only consolation is locked up 200k in the market so it hasn't all evaporated, but I definitely feel (and am) short.[/QUOTE]

Well, not yet. 😀

I play in home games with a bunch of people who put their money in precious metals because hurr durr alt-right talking points. When asked how I protect my money, I responded, "First by diversifying my investments. Second, by not living in a paranoid fantasy world where the United States' economy is in danger of immediate collapse."

Separately, re keto, dad bod etc…not for Vegas but I’ve found that fasting is a great compliment to keto

I do 17hr fasts 3-4 days per week (7pm til midday) and it’s really helped accelerate and sustain the weight loss and then maintain it since I’ve got to/around the weight I want to be.

I’m sure you would have tried it before but just in case it’s slipped out of a part of the dieting habit? And if you haven’t, once you get used to it, it isn’t debilitating and I actually find it really energising. I can even now manage it after I’ve done early am weights, albeit that is definitely harder

I've never fasted as dictated by the clock. When I cut weight for lifting meets I'd eat so little per meal that it felt like a fast LOL. And I did enjoy that energized feeling once you get used to it. I likened it to what a Spartan may have felt like, or that line from Gladiator "lean and hungry". You really do feel leaned out and like a wolf or a predator.

My wife has done IF on and off for a while with mixed results. Personally, I'm a breakfast kind of guy so if I skip a meal it's going to be lunch. My guess is I skip 4-5 lunches per week. I don't really want to truly do IF though. I figure keto and getting the calories dialed in is enough- the more things I throw on, eventually willpower is going to be like "meh F it eat all the rice".

Oh, as far as the tournament- Wynn covers nothing. I've always been told the tournaments are losers for the casino- 100% of the buy in goes to the prize pool, and then on top of it the Wynn gives free credit, pays employees, provides space etc. They make it up with what the donks like me will lose at the machines or tables. But D and I put up the whole 6500 ourselves.

Just amazing how these TRs never get boring. More thanks to Leon for keeping up with details and pics.

Also super kudos to that bartender who got you the unopened bottle. Very nice

I'm not sure whether the +40K or the unopened bottle is running hotter, casino nonsense sometimes knows no bounds. Amazing start!

Yes, when people ask me about IF I generally also say that it’s a fancy way to say ‘skip breakfast’. Idk if there’s much science in what I do or if it’s just a relatively convenient way to keep calories down but w/e, it seems to work for me

Nice first day and great report. Thanks for sharing.

Day 2

I wake up at my usual early hour. Nothing on the agenda today but gamble, register for the slot tourney and hopefully win even more!

I start off losing at 10 line UX and scale it back. Obv pick up dealt quads number 2 soon after.

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Meh.

Step back up to 10 lines.

Give all the profit back, and head to multiline. I get pummeled, and I know I should have stopped earlier, but then the machine rewards my stupidity with dealt quads number 3!

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PREMIUM!

Need a good draw here...

Result-

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Not bad. Not bad at all.

The really sick part here is I'm up less than 10k for the day despite that hit. So I step up and hope the magic repeats itself, but instead the machine goes stone cold and I give back 1, 2, 4, 6k in no time at all. Mini tilt kicks in and I give back more until... I'm even for the day. WTF. I get up and move back to UX.

Last hit pre-breakfast.

D and I are eating at Tableau. I'm almost embarassed to tell him the result- dealt premiums again, yet we're DOWN 3k for the day!

After breakfast, D and I hit craps, and it's bad, again. Lost several K here. What can I say about this next part? Let's just say this next pic is at nearly 4pm!!!!! So I didn't have anything worth taking a picture of from basically 9am to 4pm. At the rate I play, you know I went through an epic cold patch. I know I took a nap in there somewhere. I know I did everything I could to slow the bleeding down, but I dumped almost 20k back during this period.

Despite the previous photos, I've been running very dry on trip ace draws. Can't convert any at spin or UX which is a sure death sentence if that continues. Of course I can turn one ace into a royal.

OK this was a good one.

Standard "quads on the redraw".

D and I limp into the tournament reg. If I won anything this last session it was maybe a few K. I know I'm down at least 20k for the day for sure, and I'm vaguely worried I may have seen my high point for the trip...

That wheel is the "free gift" for tournament entrants. You get to spin and you receive whatever free credit you land on. D and I both got the bare minimum, obv.

D and I have about an hr before we head to Fountainebleau for dinner. We lose some at spin then move to UX.

OK, finally got a good one at UX.

We head to dinner with a small recovery, stuck just under 20k now.

Before dinner, I status match with FB and get their highest level card. It comes with 250$ food credit, which D and I plan on using at dinner.

Wow. Lots to say about this place. First of all, the restaurant is nice and the decor is great. The "live DJ and club vibe" which the waiter proudly told us about? Yeah, not so into that. He did warn us that it gets louder as the night goes on, so I'll know next time an old fart like me needs to eat at 5pm 😀 The food itself was 7-8/10 over all. Most dishes were decent but too sweet. Trying to stay keto was a challenge for sure. D and I way overordered as can be seen, mostly bc we wanted to try different stuff and...

The duck. WOW. Best Peking duck I've had in forever. SO MUCH MEAT- I swear, they must have either had an extra large bird OR they didn't waste any of the meat with those worthless lettuce cups most places give you after. They got every ounce of meat off that carcass. And the legs/wings? Most places don't serve that either- the fattiest, juiciest meat. The crispiest skin. D and I finished about half and it wasn't for lack of trying. 10/10, I will definitely come back here simply for the duck at some point. That dish single-handedly turned what was a pretty standard Vegas meal into a memorable experience.

Heading back from the restaurant. I feel like Rainman, minus the suit and the ability to print money at the tables, obv.

D and I are so full we decide a walk back to Encore is just what we need. I'm wearing jeans and it's freezing in all casinos. The first half of the walk is pleasant, and the second half I'm reminded that it's Vegas in late May. I'm happy when we finally get back to Encore.

OK, what to do? It's 9pm. D decides to play craps. I head to VP and get pummeled. D comes back, he got pummeled too. We remind each other not to lose too much, and then he goes to play craps again. So what do I do? I go on mini-tilt again and lose more than I said I would. I was planning on a 5k post dinner loss, max. Turned it into a 10k loss and it didn't take long either. Disgusted with myself, I head to bed past midnight. Got crushed today and I'm starting to need to rely on the slot tournament for that big win, never a good position to be in.

Oh, D went on tilt too. I found out after he stayed up until about 3am, he almost walked to Resorts World just to change it up it was so bad.

Day 2 result- -30k
Overall- +10k
Dealt quads- 3
5 digit hits- 3

Day 3 coming soon...

oof

Some great food pics!

Now just need to turn it around for the gambol

ooooo love Peking Duck, definitely taking note

I speak for all the thread that we are thrilled you tried a new restaurant for us.

Day 3

OK, today is super important. I'm barely hanging on to a win. We HAVE to bink this slot tourney. I've been running pretty bad in 2024 overall and giving away a 40k day 1 win is not helping.

I move to UX.

This is just infuriating. Nothing fun about this at all. How many times can I draw at 3 aces or 4 to royal and miss, yet this comes in twice? Whatever.

I decide to move to 10 lines and pick up dealt quads number 4!

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Boy that's meh.

Meh.

I book a completely break even AM session. I suppose that's better than losing. D and I head to our cabana- plan is to eat breakfast there, and make it our home base going to and from the slot tourney.

Sometimes I forgot how awesome these cabanas are...

Lobster salad, extra eggs.

D and I chill for a bit, and soon enough it's time for our first rounds.

Let's do this!

First round result for me. Total mediocrity.

Despite our request to NOT be in the same round, of course they put D and I in the same round. So we can't even sweat each other's play and maximize the expectation. I checked in with D, he had a decent first round but not great. For me, it's the same old BS. Open like crap, so there's no fun of thinking "just need one more great one", but instead it's the ever-dwindling hope of, "well, maybe NEXT round will be good.." and it just gets shttier from there.

All three of my rounds are garbage. Unless I bink the rebuy, I'm taking the bare minimum. What's worse, D also had 2 sht rds. So, same comments for him. SO, SO unfun.

We head back to the cabana pretty dejected. We do the responsible thing and chill for hours, I think we played poolside craps just to change it up which was ok but still a loser. Stayed away from VP which I'm proud of. Eventually we head back for the rebuy rounds.

And... mine is garbage. Of course. Bare min. D surprise surprise doesn't bink. His re buy is also decent, maybe he's got a shot a something more than the bare min (maybe 2.5k free credit)? Well, that was "fun". God, why do I keep paying for these things so someone else can make a massive score?

We head back to the cabana to close the day out. Looks like we've got to survive the rest of this trip on our own. Just gotta make a nice score somewhere here!

Eventually, of course, we find ourselves back at a VP machine.

God, finally convert a trip ace draw, but where's the kicker??!

Dealt quads number 5!!

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What a slap in the face, obv. Losing at 10 lines so I move down to 5 and of course LOL regular quads, zero multipliers. F this game. F this machine.

We lose, slowly but surely. Time for dinner at Casa Playa. We're basically even for the trip, which means we lost 10k so far today. No slot tourney bink. We're in danger territory here folks. The one silver lining is we check our free credit. I've got the bare min 1.5k as expected. D has... 5k?! Whoa, so that means he skipped over the 2.5k mark, and technically he's top 11-20? Who knew?

Casa Playa

That meat/seafood platter is enough food for 4 people FYI. Everything 6-7/10, if I knew the platter had the same shrimp as the appetizer I would have gotten a different appetizer. This place is ok but it gets old fast, a lot of the same flavors in many of the dishes.

It's time to play off that free credit and see where we stand!

D's free credit. 5k + 500 for early sign up + 500 for gift. I think we took 4k from the 5k, so I've got 50% of that.

My 1250 start.

End. Basically 100% conversion which is good obv... it's just not enough.

Jesus meh meh meh. How about following up with dealt quads?

OK that's better.

So we limp until about midnight. I keep playing, hoping against hope that I'll finally have a good last night. I know I've had them but it's been years since I can remember a great Sat night. Most of them have been like this one, not good from a gambling perspective, I get progressively more and more tired and annoyed at the Sat night crowd. I think I finally give back every cent I tried to preserve and force myself to go to bed. Angry, tired, and I get to fight my way through a massive crowd by the bar by my elevators as a finale.

Sometimes I hate this place. I ALWAYS hate this place on Sat nights when they suck, which is seemingly always these days.

Day 3 result- -10k
Overall- even
Dealt quads- 5
5 digit hits- 3

Conclusion coming soon...

Thank you for taking all the time to post your trip reports. It's great to ride the highs and lows of your roller coaster that we all experience. I too am an avid vp player. One question for you - do you ever consider holding the 5th card for non-premium quads? I do bcz my concern is a malfunction where a duplicate card could be dealt thereby voiding the hand. I don't know if that's even possible but i never wanna take the chance

I've been involved in this discussion many times in the past, usually as a passive reader. Someone said something one time that stuck with me- basically, "stop focusing on something that is so unlikely to happen and spend time on something more meaningful, like studying the game, thinking of ways to make more money, maximize comps, etc. You're worrying about the ultra-rare dealt quads, chip malfunction, void payout super parlay that as far as anyone knows is a theoretical concern only". I tend to agree with that.

To answer your question more fully, if that's a concern for anyone, then by all means go ahead and hold the 5th. It's not wrong obv. I just don't think it matters. If anyone can provide proof of a modern VP machine malfunctioning in such a way I'd love to see it.

I actually think it's MORE likely holding the 5th card is going to generate an unforeseen problem, by some order of magnitude. Eg, someone goes to hold the unnecessary 5th card and they unhold one of the quad cards. Or, there's a minor electrical short between the buttons (which, after all, are just little pieces of plastic and wiring that get pushed 1000s of times a day) and someone does hit the right button, but it unholds a different card anyways. I think either of those scenarios are unlikely, but still WAY MORE LIKELY than the chip malfunction scenario. Just me.

Yeah the quirks are funny. When I run bad and it deals me one ace for the 20th time in a row I will smash the button and hold/unhold the one ace 50 times, before finally holding it and drawing. Actually I don't do that bc I think it'll help I just do it bc I'm mad as hell 😆

I never use the screen for the same reason you avoid the buttons- I've seen the screen fail many, many times. Certainly easier for me to get a visual and physical confirmation I've held a card using the button vs the screen, that's for sure. And triple checking? That's just being safe and responsible. Only reason not to do it every hand? Most hands are utter garbage and it literally doesn't matter lol

That’s EXACTLY what happened to me at Aria if you remember my TR from 1.5 years ago or so. I was dealt 55554 on one line $5 stake for a hand pay. Held all five cards but one of the buttons was sticky (later tested by slots manager who couldn’t find a problem obviously) and it unheld a 5 and I missed out on the hand pay. So I accidentally unheld one card and screwed up my hand. Not sure if it would have changed if I only hold the four 5s, guess we’ll never know.

Leon Sunday advance posting: "...so since I was running so poorly all weekend after my amazing day 1 I just had breakfast and went to the airport to catch an earlier flight instead of trying to chase a win..."