MGM Grand-Foxwoods

Stayed at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods this past Saturday! We were able to book a room because my wife's mother had a huge amount of points left over on her dream card (foxwoods promotion cards). So instead of it costing us 450.00 it cost all of 50.00. That's the only reason we were there in the first place...that and we were able to have my parents watch their two little grandaughters. We paid the rest the next day with points earned on wife's dream card anyway. This is the first time we've been able to get away for an overnight in two years. I've actually have been to foxwoods once last spring to sling some chips around but that was for a tourney and small blogger gathering and only for a few hours. That makes two times in two years....I am 'live' rusty to say the least.

So the MGM Grand is a pretty nice place. It seemed a little dark in the casino...and I felt like I was in a giant bowl or something. There is an escalator that goes up into a cross walk connection to Foxwoods (more on that later). Time flies at that place. I didn't sleep much but the bed and rooms were nice. We get there around 4PM and before I know it it's 9PM...all we did is get something to eat and gamble a bit. So around 10PM the wife is crashed out...I'm getting antsy for some poker. I had a bunch of drinks but the walk would sober me up a bit. I decided to walk over to the poker room....maybe see where the 10K main event is for the Poker Classic. I start my trek and 20 minutes later I'm at the poker room. That's 20 straight minutes of walking from the MGM Grand all the way to the other side of the world it seemed. The strange thing was I didn't see hide nor hair of the poker tournament. Nobody in the poker room did either. Huh? I guess they setup one of the ballrooms (of which they have many) as the final table/WPT featured table.....never saw any of it. Anyway I sat down in the poker room at any old 1-2 NL table. Rumor had it 'Rakefeeder'(going to back to Iraq next Sunday FWIW) and 'ittolm'(has played in a couple BBT events in the past and runs the best home game tourney in the land...AKA the HPT) were going to be there. So at the first 1-2 NL table I was feeling good and relaxed....maybe too relaxed. We started the straddle-bet and had the dealer politely remind everybody to straddle-bet. We also decided to make a prop bet that if anybody could get everybody on the table to fold to the 'hammer' then everybody else would pay 5 when the 'hammer' was shown. It made for some pretty wacky play...and damn it...it was fun. I chipped up from 120 to 280...then I lost a big pot. I had been betting into a semi-coordinated board with my two pair and a guy with a large stack was calling until the river then he re-raised my 40 bet to 140. He had to have caught his straight...but no...my two pair was good after all. After I fucking folded it! I get out maybe twice a year and that hand had knocked my chip stack back down to starting stack. I was pissed off but I don't play much of the cash game anymore...the kid just made the right move into somebody who didn't want to stack off yet...me. I also made another n00bish move that worked in my favor....I had Ah-Kh and raised to 12 from early position. There were two callers. Ax-10x-6x fell...the guy to my right raised to 36...I forgot about the guy to my right at that moment and pushed my T120 "all in"...."oops". The guy to my right apparently flopped two pair 10x-6x. He didn't know what to do....he folded. I ended up raking the pot after the other original raiser folded as well. I apologized and the table later broke up within the hour. I also noticed that my brackets got royally screwed by UConn. The poker room deflated a bunch after that. I was fluctuating up-down-up-down.
I noticed something different about the poker room....couldn't quite put my finger on it...maybe the service?? Yessir...ever since Mohegan Sun opened up I guess the service has been much better...and I did notice. They also didn't charge 5 bucks per half hour....just raked pots. That's the kind of place I want to be at. It's about time they did something for the players there. After the first table broke up I found 'ittolm' and 'rakefeeder'. I sat a 'rake's' table and basically put him on tilt after talking for a while. I was also bleeding chips. Every time I see 'Rake' I cooler him....d'oh...sorry dude. I was having a good time but I was not making good moves and my chip stack went back down again. We later went to different tables and I pushed my stack into two good situations but they turned out bad. The first was Ah-Qh....the short stack on the table went all-in ahead of me....someone called...I went for a squeeze play because I had about T85. The guy that went in first had T45. He flopped a straight and I turned two pair. He raked that pot. After folding a while I saw Ks-8s and lots of people limped...I limped and a flop of Kc-9x-8c fell....The crubs. I went all in and was called by Jc-9c chick. Of course the crubs got there on the river. She didn't even know she won and was about to muck when Mr. Valiant decided to announce the flush. I wasn't feeling it anyway...after 3 hours I decided to go talk to 'Rake' and see if I could rail/cooler him for a few. Sure enough he starts losing pots and playing bad. I also tilted his sense of balance. He was leaning back on his chair and talking to me over his shoulder...some kid next to him had Aces. He get bet out of the pot and then turns to talk to me....then he starts falling over. Head over heals...over the back of the chair....hits his shin and belly flops on the poker floor...LOL!!! That was some funny shit right there. 'Rakefeeder' can really entertain a crowd. I announced "This guy is defending our country"!! LOL's So after that debacle and Rake nursing a bruised shin and a damaged chip stack I decided to call it a night. I said my good byes and wished him luck over there.
I think most people owe Rob or 'Rakefeeder' a debt of gratitude regardless of how you feel about the war. Go over to his blog and wish him good luck....god speed...or whatever else you want. Good luck Rob. Hope to see another Poker room belly flop soon!!!!
so I walked back what seems like 5 miles to the MGM Grand. I sit down at a slot machine called Dublin Diamonds because of the DD initials. That was a good decision and and even better one the next day. I got up and of course the wife was out playing at...Dublin Diamonds! She also found it because her initials are DD....pretty scientific gambling logic for us. We checked out of the room and checked our luggage for a few hours. We sat down at the Dublin Diamonds slot machines and I proceeded to hit for an 800.00 prize...on a 5cent slot! So I basically got paid to get drunk....gamble up a little....and laugh my ass off for 24 hours.......BOOOOOOOM!
All in all a great Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I think I'll go back.....