Vegas hotel/casino meme
Great trip down memory lane into my old grinder past. I'm almost certain I'm missing a few trips here, but I've done my best.
Circus Circus (1999): My first trip to Vegas, taken when I was 18, with my dad and my cousin. My goal was to go and count cards at as many casinos with good rules and low stakes as possible. It was successful, and I only got carded once the entire trip. I hit up tons of low-roller joints; CC, Slots-O-Fun, even the old El Cortez.
Imperial Palace (1999): Went with my cousin for New Year's. I'd just learned to play poker and spent a ton of time playing 3/6 at the Mirage and 4/8 at the Bellagio. Moved up to 6/12 at the Mirage and nearly had a heart attack because I mucked the winner. Won my first ever poker tournament, a $22 noon at the Luxor, on January 1, 2000.
Gold Spike (2000): I stayed here. No really, I really did. It was $22/night and I was a poor up-and-coming gambler. You had to step over bums and crack addicts to get in the front door but the rooms were actually decent.
Stratosphere (2001): I remember specifically staying here because they had the only 1-2 NL cash game in town. There was no NL in Vancouver or on the internet in those days, so I'd never played before. At that time, this was literally the only NL cash game in town that wasn't at nosebleed stakes. I really wanted to play NL, so I stayed here. Would end up meeting a future roommate and good friend named Thomas on this trip.
Monte Carlo (2001): Stayed here shortly after 9/11, and Vegas was dead. Did absolutely nothing the entire time but play 8/16 at the Bellagio.
<--- Terrence becomes legally old enough to play poker in Las Vegas --->
Barbary Coast (2002): Did absolutely nothing the entire time but play 15/30 at the Bellagio.
Boardwalk (2002): Went on a fun road trip with Thomas to California and Vegas and stayed here. God this place was a shithole, but an amazing location for $50/night or whatever it was. We pondered regularly when they were going to bulldoze it and put up an actual nice property in that spot (the answer, as it turns out, was 2006).
Binion's (2004): Stayed here a couple nights to play the WSOP (main, plus four prelim events) for the first time in my life. Glad I did, since of course it would be the last time the WSOP was held there. By now I had a real job and was also devastating $100 SNGs on Party, so I had real money. Highlights include Thomas waking me up at 6am to buy his soon-to-be-expiring lammers on the day of the main event, and having a nice chat with the man who would end up becoming World Champion that year.
Gold Coast (2005): Stayed here for about a week during the WSOP due to its Rio proximity. 2005 was the first real WSOP (though still only 9 events) and I decided pretty quickly that I hated living long-term in a hotel, and quickly took up an offer from friends to crash with them. From 2006 onwards it would be only poker-house living for me.
Golden Nugget (2005, 2006): BARGE in '05, and with an ex-girlfriend for a couple nights in '06. Best value in Vegas, when you have a car.
Caesar's (2007): Had a comped room due to making Diamond in a Day in 2006, so I used it before the rental began on our WSOP house.
Bellagio (2007): I spent my first five years coming to Vegas mostly to play poker here, but in those years I was never able to afford it. So I never actually spent the night here until 2007, as an anniversary trip with an ex-girlfriend.
Rio (various): We often keep a room at the Rio during the WSOP; I've crashed in it maybe a total of 3 nights over the past few years but taken dinner break there quite a few times.
Circus Circus (1999): My first trip to Vegas, taken when I was 18, with my dad and my cousin. My goal was to go and count cards at as many casinos with good rules and low stakes as possible. It was successful, and I only got carded once the entire trip. I hit up tons of low-roller joints; CC, Slots-O-Fun, even the old El Cortez.
Imperial Palace (1999): Went with my cousin for New Year's. I'd just learned to play poker and spent a ton of time playing 3/6 at the Mirage and 4/8 at the Bellagio. Moved up to 6/12 at the Mirage and nearly had a heart attack because I mucked the winner. Won my first ever poker tournament, a $22 noon at the Luxor, on January 1, 2000.
Gold Spike (2000): I stayed here. No really, I really did. It was $22/night and I was a poor up-and-coming gambler. You had to step over bums and crack addicts to get in the front door but the rooms were actually decent.
Stratosphere (2001): I remember specifically staying here because they had the only 1-2 NL cash game in town. There was no NL in Vancouver or on the internet in those days, so I'd never played before. At that time, this was literally the only NL cash game in town that wasn't at nosebleed stakes. I really wanted to play NL, so I stayed here. Would end up meeting a future roommate and good friend named Thomas on this trip.
Monte Carlo (2001): Stayed here shortly after 9/11, and Vegas was dead. Did absolutely nothing the entire time but play 8/16 at the Bellagio.
<--- Terrence becomes legally old enough to play poker in Las Vegas --->
Barbary Coast (2002): Did absolutely nothing the entire time but play 15/30 at the Bellagio.
Boardwalk (2002): Went on a fun road trip with Thomas to California and Vegas and stayed here. God this place was a shithole, but an amazing location for $50/night or whatever it was. We pondered regularly when they were going to bulldoze it and put up an actual nice property in that spot (the answer, as it turns out, was 2006).
Binion's (2004): Stayed here a couple nights to play the WSOP (main, plus four prelim events) for the first time in my life. Glad I did, since of course it would be the last time the WSOP was held there. By now I had a real job and was also devastating $100 SNGs on Party, so I had real money. Highlights include Thomas waking me up at 6am to buy his soon-to-be-expiring lammers on the day of the main event, and having a nice chat with the man who would end up becoming World Champion that year.
Gold Coast (2005): Stayed here for about a week during the WSOP due to its Rio proximity. 2005 was the first real WSOP (though still only 9 events) and I decided pretty quickly that I hated living long-term in a hotel, and quickly took up an offer from friends to crash with them. From 2006 onwards it would be only poker-house living for me.
Golden Nugget (2005, 2006): BARGE in '05, and with an ex-girlfriend for a couple nights in '06. Best value in Vegas, when you have a car.
Caesar's (2007): Had a comped room due to making Diamond in a Day in 2006, so I used it before the rental began on our WSOP house.
Bellagio (2007): I spent my first five years coming to Vegas mostly to play poker here, but in those years I was never able to afford it. So I never actually spent the night here until 2007, as an anniversary trip with an ex-girlfriend.
Rio (various): We often keep a room at the Rio during the WSOP; I've crashed in it maybe a total of 3 nights over the past few years but taken dinner break there quite a few times.