Heading out Monday morning for 4 nights @ Aria. They kept sending me really good offers (4 nights in a corner suite, $500 free play, $250 food, no resort fees) and I don’t have anything to do here, so I figured I’d go play some PLO for a few days since there isn’t any around here inside a casino at the moment. I haven’t played live poker since the pandemic started. Looks like they are getting 2-3 tables of 1/2/5 and 5/5 w/ rock every day at Aria.
Background
Been playing PLO seriously for ~ a decade. It’s been my primary or secondary source of income for those years. Mainly 2/5 a few times a week with a weekly 10/25 game for a few years there, and occasionaly 1/2/5.
I’ll degen a little on BJ, craps and VP, but I got my teeth kicked in a couple summers ago in high limit at Aria for 5 figures in a matter of hours, so I’m semi retired from the true degen life.
I’m more than 2 weeks past my second vaccine dose. I haven’t dined inside a restaurant, been inside a casino or flown since the pandemic started. I’ve mainly been home with the dogs for a solid year. I’ll try and post plenty of pictures of the current state of Vegas, the 8 handed plexiglass poker and lots of food.
Do you have plans to go to specific restaurants or do you figure it out when you get there? If yes, are they returns to usual spots or do you have plans to check out some place new to you?
A good mix of both old and new. I’m dead set on trying Best Friend (Roy Choi) at ParkMGM and Bang Bar by Chang / Momofuku when it opens Thursday at Cosmo. I’ll probably do Carbone, Bardot and Javier’s at Aria since I have food $ to use. If I make it off strip I’ll do Lotus of Siam. Momofuku and Milk Bar at Cosmo. Nothing else planned. Wanted to do the vegan tasting menu at Sage, but it closed during the pandemic.
When I travel with my better half I will plan out meals and reservations in advance after doing cursory research. If there’s anything near my part of the strip that I must try, I’m all ears.
ETA I’ve been to all those except Best Friend and Bang Bar.
Lotus is one of my favorite restaurants around and is reasonably priced for Vegas. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
Got sober about a month after my third bachelor party of 2016. Bottle service at the Rhino was involved. Haven’t been to one since. Doesn’t sound like something that would be fun solo and sober ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I guess a couple of all-vegan sushi places opened up in Vegas since last you were there, though not on the Strip. Curious about your reaction to the concept.
Flying out of Vegas this morning after 6 days celebrating my best friends wedding. Came from that lockdown life in NY - pretty surreal.
Mask compliance 100% in casinos and frankly most places. More chin straps of course, but honestly aside from that things were pretty normal. Was staying at GVR tho, but did get to the strip and Aria/Cosmo and was similar.
Brag: private scotch tasting at Carbone w their director of beverage. That was def once in a lifetime.
Have a blast - I’m expecting you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
For some reason I’m supposed to post a shoe pic. Rocking the JCrew Killshots. Airport is pretty slow. Was through security in less than 5 minutes. Downloaded Tenet to watch on my 500 year old iPad on the flight. Ready to be disappointed.
