Vegas in August - part 9 Saturday Blackjack

Well it's Sunday Afternoon - and tomorrow we come home. It's been a great time. Last night we were comped to see Joan Rivers putting on a limited engagement show at the Venetian Showroom. Star gazing saw Louie Anderson, Jerry Springer,(or a look alike), Petula Clark, and David Brenner in the audience.

She was very raunchy and very funny - an awesome performer - and 76 years old !

Why Joan Rivers, you ask? Well, we've seen just about every show we want to see here in the past. Most of the Cirque shows, and a few others. We are not big fans of aging 50's and 60's musicians cashing in on memory lane, so that eliminates half the entertainment.

We had dinner at Valentino's after, which is one of the restaurants we like in the Venetian. Not too fancy, but always good food with a home cooked feel, and a nice vibe in the place.

Problem now was it was early and neither of us wanted to go to bed - especially on a Saturday night in Vegas - but I did not see optimal blackjack table conditions, and did not feel like anymore poker that day.

So I killed time at a 5 cent multi play poker machine while Svetlana did battle at the $50 tables in the double deck pit.

I wondered over a bit later and she had moved tables (usually not a good sign) and this time she was at a $100 table - also not a good sign. I knew she would be uncomfortable if I saw her early in play there - she would already be nervous, so I circled around the room looking for entertainment.

With great reluctance I sat down at a $25 shoe game in a corner of the room that was not so busy. Bought in for $150 and ran it up to $475 in 1/4 of a shoe. Some guy with smelly armpits decided he should get in on the action, and leaned over my shoulder to bet the spot to my right - effectively taking my cards - which were pretty hot.

I did not vent - this is one's lot in the floor, and just another one of the obstacles you have to overcome - like bad players; grumpy dealers; changing cards, streaking cards; etc.

But I pulled in my reins and began to breathe through my mouth. I did make a point of not moving over to allow him comfort to take a seat though - but he was happily flat betting his $25 and winning 4/5 hands.

After ten minutes of this, I understood nothing was going to change, so I finally got up with a $250 profit, and gave my chair to smelly armpits.

I decided it was prudent to check in on Svetlana, and was relieved to find her smiling, and up several hundred. She was equally relieved to see me, as the pressure was getting to her and she wanted me to bet her spot, as she felt it was solid. The guy beside her had just taken out his fourth $5000 marker. He was a liquidator from New Jersey - things, not people, he assured me.

So liquidator and I got into a comfortable setting and began to play. His bets typically ranged from $500 to $1600 and a couple of times $2000 or $2500. I was somewhat lower needless to say.

We began to win right away - especially NJL (New Jersey Liquidator). So they changed the cards and Sveta and I went into the Salon for an upscale bathroom break, and to rub shoulders with incredibly rich Asian gamblers in their private lounge.

We came back to a new dealer, and a new player - a dour Iranian guy sucking on an unlit cigarette in the third seat, with Harry the NJL still on first base. (I was in anchor)

There was no magic with this new confluence of circumstances, and the gains from before were quickly passed back to the dealer's tray.

We switched tables in an effort to stem the tide but that didn't work either. Fortunately, the dealer at the orginal table, Gilbert, returned from his break, so we went back to him to help repair the damage.

This worked out fine. I ground out a win of $970. More importantly, Harry the NJL, my new best friend, won back all but $1500 of his $20,000 - and had the sense to get out before his fortunes reversed.

He was betting heavy and winning more hands than he was losing - which of course we all pray for in a given session, but in the long run simply cannot be.

The dour Iranian took NJL's place, and he was last seen grinding away in flat betting mode while we repaired to our rooms for a good night's sleep.

So for us, a good ending to a tough day (poker wise).