I promised details from my trip quite a while ago. Sorry, I'll try and get it all down now....
The trip was to Laughlin, one of our favorite places to go - even though I am not much of a gambler (ok, I'm not a gambler at all, more on that later)
We left fairly early in the day, making for a nice leisurely drive and time for a long break at Luchia's in Wikieup. Peacocks, doves, chickens, and a koi pond make this quite an oasis in the middle of the desert. Leave it to my sweetie to remember to bring some old cereal and bread to feed them with, those were some happy critters. It turned out that they preferred the bread over anything else we had and would eat it right out of my hand. When we got down to the end of the bag, he gave me the last piece because he knows how much I enjoy feeding them. (I know - - "Awwwww")
When we got to Laughlin I found that he had arranged for a specific room, a gorgeous suite with a bubbler tub and an incredible view of the river. Sweet.
We got signed up for the poker tournament (it took some convincing to get me to buy in - but I did it), made reservations for the Prime Rib Room, and he set off for the blackjack tables. I went upstairs to try and get a bit freshened up before the tourney.
I ended up sitting next to Felicia Lee, a professional poker player whose blog I have read with interest in the past. That was pretty cool, but also a bit unnerving. It is a lot easier to relax into the game when you can convince yourself that the others at the table are just casual players like you. Knowing you are sitting next to a pro can rattle you.
I played very tight and got some breaks, so I made it through the first break with a decent stack o' chips. The first hand back, several of the players were still absent from the table. I looked down at my cards and saw aces - gorgeous. Guy a couple of seats to the right raises the $1600, lady next to him calls, I raise to $2500 (not sure about this amount, just what I grabbed). First guy calls, lady calls - pre-flop, no cards on the table. Dealer lays 'em out, A-5-5. Very pretty. I'm golden! Guy checks, lady checks, I go all in - I figure if they were betting or calling pre-flop they have either A-K or a high pair and I own them. I was actually hoping for A-K, because then their hand got better...just not good enough to beat me. (Can you see where this is going?) Guy folds, says, "hey, I was just trying to steal the blinds, I'm out". Lady calls.
I turn over my cards feeling pretty good. She turns over her cards and apologizes - because she has POCKET 5s. She has quads! I let out a groan that got everyone's attention. I couldn't be mad about it though (some people get really hot when they get a bad beat) because it was beautiful. She kept apologizing, I was just laughing. The only thing that gets me is that she called such a large bet pre-flop with 5s, very bizarre. Worked for her, though.
I went up to the room and relaxed, while my honey finished out the tourney. He ended up splitting the winnings three ways. He was the chip leader but is also pragmatic - had he played it out and won he'd have gotten $170 more, had he played it out and lost he'd have gotten $170 less. $510 seemed like a good take - and we were already late for our dinner reservations.
He tried to get me to gamble after dinner, and I had brought several hundred dollars with me so I could, but I couldn't. He said he'd sit with me at the blackjack table and help me, or that I could play the one dollar chips at the roulette wheel and $25 would last me a long time. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, I am too much of a wuss. Instead, I went up to the room and bathed (mmmm, bubbler tub) and read. And slept.
Saturday I walked up to the mall where I found nothing. Seriously, not even at the book store - how lame am I? Then we saw World Trade Center at the Riverside Theater.
Then the spoiling started continued (he's always spoiling me). He had me scheduled for a massage with Lisa (any of you who get away to Laughlin - 3T, Lori - you really have to treat yourself to an hour with Lisa at the Riverside Salon she is wonderful). I headed back to the room afterward and was greeted by the bubbler tub full of hot water and fragrant bubbles, surrounded by a plethora of scented candles. Next to the tub was a bottle of champagne on ice. He got me settled in and went to get the champagne flute from the fridge where it was chilling. (Yeah, I know - "Awwwww") I am SOOO spoiled - sigh.
Later, we had dinner at the Gourmet Room, something we never miss. The food, the service, the view.... Spectacular! Spoiled rotten, that's me.
He tried again to get me to gamble and I really thought I would...but, once again, I wimped out. He played and I went up to the room. I sat on the balcony reading and enjoying the view for a while, then finally went to bed.
Up and out on Sunday morning, what a great weekend!
Holy crap -- that makes ME want to date your boyfriend. Sounds like he's one in a million. Speaking of which, maybe you should keep posts like this in your private journal. Otherwise, you're going to give women unrealistic expectations about what the other 999,999 men per million are capable of. I mean, I can imagine spreading all of that spoiling over, say, a year -- but all in one weekend? I get tired just thinking about it.
Posted by: Special Agent Johnny Utah at August 24, 2006 09:26 AM