Palazzo Trip Report 1/16/09 - 1/18/09

Highlights -

- Losing lots of money to a ridiculous number of blackjacks

- A sandwich straight from the gods

- Lots of drinks at Margaritaville

- A trip to the emergency room.

DAY 1:

This was my 4th trip to the Palazzo since May of 2008. The flight was smooth and the limo driver was there on time. I booked 2 nights comped in a Bella Suite on the 39th floor with a nice view. I was also given $200 in match play or slot credit, $50 in dining, and 2 tickets to the blue-man group.

We pulled up in the limo at 9:30pm. The palazzo was nicely decorated for the upcoming Chinese new year with red and gold lanterns adoring the lobby and garden area of the hotel. It was the same smell as usual but didn%26#39;t seem as pungent this go around. Check in was a breeze through invited guest check-in.

I brought my fiance, my good friend Matty and my fiance%26#39;s friend. My fiance%26#39;s friend seemed to be pretty impressed with the hotel and the fact that I was comped. We went to the room to get ready for the evening. We decided to keep it casual this evening and so Matty and I went downstairs to gamble while the girls changed and got ready. I immediately hit the tables. I was up and down on my first $1000. Not really winning or losing much. I decided to switch tables and play about my average of $150 a hand. I was up a couple hundred at most at one point. I was down to $500 and decided to push all in on one hand. Dealer has blackjack...great not a good start to the weekend. I%26#39;ve been here 30 minutes and already down.

Not to be discourage I hit the Salon where the high rollers play and decide to play $500 a hand. I sit down and place $500 I told her a purple is fine. i was playing double deck and I%26#39;m thrown a K-6....dealer has black jack- again I thought? Deja vu anyone? So I have lost $1000 on two hands because the dealer had blackjack... ok no big deal I%26#39;ll take a break for awhile.

We decide to walk down the strip and get drinks at random places. Even contemplated the idea of playing beer pong but it seemed like a lot of work to get drunk. I was still bitter that 2 hands in a row I was beat by blackjack at different tables. We ended up drinking at the lounge at the palazzo and then head over to the Grand Lux for a little slice of heaven. Now when you have had enough drinks to where you are feeling good and are now craving something greasy to help absorb the alcohol....

The most delicious drunk food on the planet is to be found at the Grand Lux Cafe. It is the Delux Breakfast Sandwich. The Sandwich itself is a work of art with the only comparison being the works of Michaelangelo himself. Served between what I will call texas toast(thick slices of bread) are slices of tomato, bacon, ham, eggs, havarti cheese, and special sauce kinda like mayo but creamier. It comes with a side of hash browns and is big enough for 2 to eat.

Deciding I was down but not out I pulled out more money and promptly lost in the same fashion. I was averaging $150 or so a hand and then decided to place the remainder of my $600 in chips into a nice little stack within the betting circle. My anticipation grows as I watch the dealer deal me 2 jacks...woooo hooo I%26#39;m gonna make a come back I feel that this is the turning point...only of course to have my hopes and dreams shattered by yet another dealer blackjack. This is 3 tables I have been busted out of by 3 blackjacks. So far I was 3 for 3. I decided that this was just getting stupid and I decided to keep track of how many blackjacks I had received vs the dealers. So far the count was 2 for me and 6 for the dealers. I called it an evening and crawled into bed.

DAY 2:

I got up early and went down to level two for the coffee shop and brought back and assortment of treats for my guests and fiance. I took a well deserved shower and watched TV until everyone had gotten ready for the day. We walked down to check out encore. I must say I like the hotel...the casino is quite small in comparison to the Wynn. There are big drapes that seem to somewhat enclose each pit area. It seem more intimate than the Wynn. I also like that you have a clear view of the pool area from a lounge/bar. Around 12:30 I suggested we get lunch somewhere. My fiance suggested Margaritaville. We had both never been but always talked about going.

We arrived at Margaritaville at 1pm and were told it would be an hour. We headed up to the bar on the roof and started with our first round of margaritas. 8 bucks a piece for about a 12 ounce margarita...not the best deal but they were good. It was fairly warm outside so we decided to head down to the second level bar. I bought another round and we played the Bimini Ring game for about 30 minutes. It%26#39;s basically just a ring on a string that you have to get around a hook. A random server came up to us and asked if we were waiting for a table. I said yes and he said follow me. I think he was just working the bar area and these tables were not for those waiting in line...either way we had a seat.

I promptly ordered another round of maragaritas (ROUND 3) and so we were all feeling good and loose by 1:45pm. We had already decided on an order or nachos. I also ordered the Seared Ahi tuna (good and spicey!) I also noted that there was a large selection of drinks to be hand in addition to these increasingly delicious margaritas. I proposed that we each ordered a drink to the person on our left. To my left was Matty and I planned on getting him wasted. I ordered him the 5%26#39;Oclock Somewhere which includes Barcardi 151 in a 22oz souvenir glass. For the amount of alcohol that was in it, it was surprisingly good. My fiance ordered me some fruity foo foo drink...good though. Matty was feeling it wasn%26#39;t fair that I got away easy so he ordered my a double wild turkey on the rocks. OH BOY THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG AFTERNOON. I made Matty drink some and while I did have a few sips of it (hey I can%26#39;t turn down bourbon) I ended up pouring the majority of it into his drink. REVENGE IS SWEET! We devoured our nachos and paid the $150/tab with tip (for margaritaville seriously?)

We went next door the the flamingo and had another round (I have no idea why) and then stumbled back to the room. The Fiance and I got there way ahead of the other two so we could ';take a nap.'; We had bolted the door so the keys do not work and we heard them rustling with the door knob and promptly woke up from our nap and answered the door to Matty lying in the hallway.... It is going to be a long night for him. The Fiance and I got ready for the Blue-Man group.

I enjoyed the show and neither of us really knew what to expect. I admit that I did fall asleep for 5 minutes early on but I was really tired. My only comment is what do they do with all the paper after the show? Seems like it would take a lot of effort to recycle that much waste. We made it back to the room around 9 pm.

Matty was passed out on one of the beds and we were filled in by my Fiance%26#39;s friend that apparently he was ';super bored'; insisted on going out and then promptly passed out. He didn%26#39;t even respond to an obligatory pillow to the grown because he was sleeping spread eagle (in jeans). we finally woke him up and he reluctantly got ready. We met my friend Bill downstairs who is from San Diego but relocated for a job. I coached Matty at the tables although I assured him that he probably didn%26#39;t want me around with the bad luck that was emanating from every pore in my body. The girls came down and we headed to Lavo. I had guestlist for 5 and it was smooth getting it not problems at all.

Matty bought the first round of drinks (Jameson and Ginger) $63 before tip...pricey but actually not a bad deal for a club (Tryst is around $18/drink). The club is small and the dancefloor is fairly small as well. We danced for a bit and then hit the bar again. The fiance%26#39;s friend was only on her second round and had gotten well hydrated after our lunch at margaritaville and had dinner. She said I don%26#39;t want this drink it isn%26#39;t making me feel good. I promptly gave it to Matty explaining the she had purchased him another drink. He didn%26#39;t like that idea then all of a sudden my Fiance%26#39;s friend went down on the floor. I thought she might have slipped on a spilled drink. So I was trying to pull her up but she wasn%26#39;t responding...felt like dead weight. We have some fat security guy yelling at her to get up and she is clearly unconscious. Her eyes were wide open and she even appeared to be experiencing Rapid Eye Movement (REM) or also an indication for a seizure. After 20 or 25 of the longest seconds I have been through she came to and sat up really quickly and was acting confused and disoriented. My fiance went with her and security to see the EMT%26#39;s immediately. I waited in the same spot. I texted every 5 minutes but didn%26#39;t get anything back I was becoming more nervous...Matty and Bill were still having a good time...giving me drinks which I woud sip and then put down.

One of the guys that she fell next to started talking to me about how he is a doctor in an ER room and feels that she really should get checked out. I later confirmed with jaclyn that he was taking her pulse. So he gets credit in my book. My Fiance calls me (I told her to text me because I couldn%26#39;t hear anything in the club)...no response...she calls me again...umm hello I%26#39;m in a club I have no idea where you are. Finally I get a text and I come outside to meet them. Matty and Bill follow...no no stumble out of there. Finance informs me we are going to the emergency room and that I should grab her purse from the room. After I come back Fiance%26#39;s friend is sitting on the ground feeling like she is going to pass out again. Finally get her on an ambluance and I follow my Fiance and friend in a cab. we arrived around 1:30-2am. They run tests and hydrate her and cannot determine the cause. Finally she was released at 2am. Now I have sat in some uncomfortable chairs but never in my life has anything been this uncomfortable. Sunrise Hospital please get some new chairs!

DAY 3:

We all get back to the room and pass out. I wake up at 11am and head downstairs for food and to play some more blackjack and see if I can make a dent in my losses. I play 150 a hand or so and it%26#39;s back and forth. Blackjack count before this table was 2 for me 6 for the Palazzo dealers. This dealer was hitting blackjacks. I sat for about an hour and the dealer had hit 5 and 0 for me. I was still up a bit though since I had one some double downs. I decide that I%26#39;m not making a dent and up my bets to 300 a hand. I decided since I have 900 left in chips I%26#39;ll either lose out or stop at 2100. I then proceeded to lose the next 3 hands. I bet you can%26#39;t guess what the final hand I lost on was? YUP BLACKJACK. At this point I wasn%26#39;t even pissed I had been busted out on 4 tables with blackjack and I had not even made 1 trip to the cage this entire time. Final blackjack count 12 - 2. OUCH!

Final lunch was at sushisamba... Fiance and I were craving sushi and while it is average it is nothing to write home about. Their slogan should read home of the world%26#39;s most expensive Miso soup. $6 for a small cup. Most japanese restaurants charge between 1 and 3 dollars.. this was absurd and amount to a 3rd of our bill.

Left for the airport (which was rather dead I suspect because everyone is coming home today).

Overall this trip was just so so and I couldn%26#39;t believe the unlucky streak I had mounted. I think I am going to take a break from blackjack for awhile and start playing Craps and Baccaratt.

Sorry for the long one!

Palazzo Trip Report 1/16/09 - 1/18/09

The black jack gods just were not one your side. Nice TR.

Palazzo Trip Report 1/16/09 - 1/18/09

Is the female that went to the ER doing OK now?

Yes sorry. Everything is A-ok. I suspect she was still a little dehydrated and possibly strobing lights and loud music and standing for awhile did the trick.

Yikes. I%26#39;ve been fortunate enough to avoid the ER in Vegas (knock on wood). Glad she%26#39;s ok.

That sandwich at the Grand Lux sounds out of this world. That%26#39;ll be my next choice there...!

Exciting report, thanks for sharing.

My first thought was that there was something wrong with the drink - did anyone check it out?

funny you mention that as it was Matty%26#39;s first inclination too. But the drink went directly from the bartender to Matty to me and then to her. So it would have been done by the bar tender. Also Matty ended up finishing the drink and nothing happened to him.

Fun Trip Report! I feel your blackjack pain and almost feel a little secondary buzz %26lt;giggle%26gt;.

Glad to hear all is well. People would pay alot of money to not have something horrible happen to them.

Thanks for the TR!!! I%26#39;m disapointed that Lavo was small. Clubbing is a large part of Vegas as I was excited about staying at Palazzo, but sounds like I%26#39;ll need to go to another hotel to dance the nights away?