Masktober in AC
10.15.2020 Out in the great wide open.
Hey Now! Welcome back my friends! Well, Sweet Ti & I had been looking forward to this trip but alas, she was a bit alarmed by recent new flu cases here in VA and in NJ so in an abundance of caution she decided to stay home instead. I had my right knee replaced on June 11th. I went back to work in mid- September, and am ready to practice some safe gamboling. As safe as possible at least. Our son Mark decided to join me. Sweet Ti & I were gonna do 3 nights but Mark can't. Wednesday is his daughter Lanie's 15th birthday. Happy Birthday Darlin'! So we are catching the 8:45 ferry on Thursday and coming back early Saturday evening. Short trip. Mark just needs to make sure he is here at 4 a.m. It's a 4.25 hour drive from here to the ferry. So I'm all ready and waiting a few before 4. It's a half hour drive from Mark's. Which means by the time he called to say he overslept we had already missed the ferry. But, there's always another one.
We finally get on the road around 6 a.m. There's a ferry at noon. I formulate a plan. We will have just enough time to stop by Ocean Downs Casino on the way. I've only been there once and it was before they were dealing table games.I need that chip. Plus, they started buggy racing again so the tote board got fixed up. Amongst other things. The traffic going up the Shore was basically non-existent.
This is a great little spot pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Berlin, MD. We had to do the velvet rope walk to get past security. Safe AND healthy. Mark signed up and I got a copy of my card. He scored 10. FSP. I got a rock.
Actually, I hit up the cashier for a chip, but no go. The pit opens at 10 a.m. Perfect. Now to blow through a hundy while I wait. Jim???
Stinkin' clean machine
The racetrack really looks nice. They did a bang up job. Their summer meet ended recently. Different kind of place from Harrington.
casino by daylight
They finally opened a BJ table and I procured a chip for my collection. Sure as shit, it cost me a hundy. Onward. It's about an hour drive to the ferry from here. We hit a RoFo on the way for gas and world famous chicken. Foxy found her way to the boat right on time. Snoozed our way into Joisey. Resorts selfish-park gave up a spot on the 3rd floor near the elevators. Not too much problem limiting these bad boys to 4 persons. That's about maximum butt room inside on a good day. Inside we are smacked in the face with industrial strength Fabreeze. The decades of smoke still linger in the background, but barely thru a mask. We are thermally scanned and a mask free smile for the camera.
Our Polish Spinster Sisters square our rooms away. Maggie asks after Sweet Ti and Ziggy. What a sweetheart. We have rooms next to each other- but not adjoining doors. Perfect. Except for that damnned Fabreeze.
I called Sweet Ti and sprayed down the entire bathroom with a 50/50 bleach mix I brought with. The room is cleaner than usual, but just don't look too deep. Showered, and changed our dinner reservations. Thinking it was for my dear bride and I, it was Gallagher's at 5 p.m. Methinks 7 p.m. is more reasonable. Mark and I finally make it downstairs. I've got 84. cashback and invest it in B7's progressives. Nuttin honey. Then we try some VP. Mark uses his free play on some DDB and scored the first 4OAK.
Meanwhile I lose my free play on DSTP. 3 hand .25 9/5 DDB. Considering the volatility it's pretty much 2 out of 3 sessions are losers. Next! That would be some Top Dollar. On account of it's 5 p.m. on Friday. Sweet Ti is just getting off work. This is Sweet Ti's favorite since she hit the 1000 credit bonus earlier this year on our A Sadie Hawkins Saga trip. Jimmy!!!
it's no grand....
We scope out the Roulette offering. 10. minumum. We buy in for a hundy each. I'm playin' nickels, Mark is doing dollars. I play 19 and 24 on the inside and alternate black/red and even/odd. He plays various numbers. We hold our own for a bit and color up- down fifty each. Let's see then there was some more VP where I lost today's 70. FSP plus a couple hundy. Then it was time for some. RWB.
+150.
Nice to finally have a winning session. At this point, it's just a bit before seven. Time to partake.
This is the first time in a restaurant for me since our Sadie Hawkins Saga trip back in early March. We are seated in the main section. Best I can tell they are only using 6 out of 16 tops in this section. But only one other has customers. They aren't busy on this Thursday evening. We are served by today's local, Janine. Jamine has worked here for quite a while and has served Sweet Ti and I before. She said the Covid is killing business here. We tipped her enormously. Stephanie has graced us with a very nice comp. Neither of us is drinking so most of it goes unused.
We both got the filet and truffle fries. Off the hook. Plus- plenty of leftovers. Good thing the rooms come with mini-fridges.
takes forever to earn a point here.
I'm done. Mark heads back to the action. I will catch up with him in the morning. Sweet Ti and I telephonically tuck each other in....
10.16.2020 Under the skies of blue
Hey Now! 6 a.m. Slept like shit which is unusual for me while gamboling. Raining it's ass off and 54º here. I call Sweet Ti and she says it's the same there. Brrrrr. I turn up the thermostat. Downstairs I stop by the front desk to chat with the P.S.S. Theyshow me how carefully they keep their entire workspace. They have wipes, bleach, and plenty of paper towels. Maggie made sure to tell me to let Sweet Ti know it's about as safe here as is possible. I concur. I feel fairly safe. Fairly. Next stop QH Progressive. Dollar denom. 2. maxi bet
-200.
Seems like yesterday's luck is continuing. I stroll thru the nearly dead pit. Looks like quarter BJ tables only. A few of the carnival games were 15. Maybe 10 people playing, mostly Bacc. I'm up for some DSTP. I insert coinage am having a decent session when I get kicked out for till change. I mosey over to the northeast portion of the joint just behind the sportsbook. I hardly ever play here. I find a machine I've never played before. It's certainly not new, just new to me/ Lucky Money Stacks. .25 denom. 5 line. 1.25 maxi bet.
Assuming that jackpot resets at 1k
The music is the same as Reels O' Dublin. WMS Interactive gets a lot of mileage from those banjos. I actually cashed out a small profit. Which I promptly lost along with another hundy on Buffalo Gold. They have opened back up the VP area so I slide over. Triple Boner .25.
Premium bond win
Mark showed up, and I cashed out up a hundy and we went to the food court so Mark could eat. I tried Triple RH7's instead.
.25 denom 3.75 maxi bet
Yet another small score. I find Mark at some kind of machine and he has just hit this...
1.80 bet
Make it Rain Jimmy>>>Money Rain style!
loud enough????
We mosey down around Hollyrock Hills way. I invested my leftover TITO and 70. FSP in an old Double Top Dollar. This was the first Double Top $$$ machine I ever successfully parleyed from 1. to 2. to 5. and hit a jackpot. I cheat today and start at 2. Didn't go well. So Mark suggests we donate a hundy each for a micro group pull. I choose In The Money. 2. denom. 4.maxi bet . Insert said paper. Jim??
So after we finally got our money back from Homey we try Ultimate Fire Link .10 denom with a 4. bet. Take us there please James...
We cashed a small profit and tried Double Top Dollar. Had enough fair offers to push. We finally lost our stake at some QH Platinum. Time to leave the upper altitudes. Mark spots an interesting possible suspect. Rock Around the Clock. Let the 50's show itself Jimbo!!!!!
Still on the hunt. I insert at a
Double Diamond .25 5 line machine. These machines are between the front desk and
the Soup Fascist Nazi. Pretty much all vintage 3 reels. But
every other one is off. Including several of my old standby machines. Mark texts
me "Turn around". He's on some huge machine up against the wall of the
food court. He is doing well. I cash out and join him. There are 3 of these
machines by the wall and the middle one is empty. I watch Mark play for a bit
and then take a seat at the other one operating. Heat 'Em Up Jim!
Nice job dude!
Penny denom. 3. maxi bet. The progressives pay for 5 or more of those Heat 'Em Up symbols. Plus, a random feature triggers both the bottom screen AND the upper screen. And for whatever reason, the progressives are paying off along with the occasional other bonuses. We are having a blast. I hit one of those random features and by golly, there's a whole passel of symbols everywhere. Roll it J.J. !!!!!!!!!
1428.78
Hey Now! Today's local, Ramon paid me. He's yet another long time employee here. I was in the system already so it didn't take long. Mark cashed out 370. having inserted a 20. Looks about time to go up and make a room deposit. Sweet Ti is pleased. I am too. That was right on time too. Seems like that happens every time. It's looking bleak and then one nice hit will pull you back. Back down, I insert coinage in a slant VP. 1. DDB. And more coinage. Damn. Maybe some Money Beatchay. Take it away Jimmy....
cowabunga!!!!
This is a different version in the Money _____ series. My favorite is Stupid Money. But this one just reeks coolness- Dude. Cheap singlasses. Mark inserts in a 007 machine and immediately starts getting bonuses. I head to Munchkinland. Queue the Yellow Bricks James?
Wiz this.....
Pretty pitiful for a 6. maxi bet. I cashed out with a small loss and tried some WD2. Ouch! Let's head back to more a familiar realm J.J.-
that damn song....
Time for another Crack Whore session. DSTP. .25 8/5 BP 3 line. 5.25 maxi bet. Insert coinage.
an actual winning VP session!!!
Meanwhile, Mark is tearing up a Monopoly Money machine.
Tell 'em Lucy!
I joined him and we had a regular board game length session here. Sweet Ti & I did the same a couple of trips ago. What a blast. These progressives hit fairly regularly. We both showed a small profit. Next I wanted to show Mark this Hot Roll machine I like. Do it Jim!!
That's the way to properly introduce Mark to this game. I cashed out a nice profit. Then Mark had another go at Heat 'em Up,,,
damn if it ain't living up to it's name
solid!
The ol' B7's aren't putting out much this trip. I think I must be over-progressived on these anyway. I'm just spoiled.
hard core right there-
odds?-don't ask!
We scoped out the pit and figured if we were to score a 15. BJ table, now was the time. It's around 7 p.m. on a Friday night. We spot an empty 15 table just opening up and Mark sits at 2nd to me at 3rd. There are 5 betting spots with dividers in between and also between you and the dealer. Impossible for everyone to communicate. Pantomime meet charades. We watched the dealer shuffle the 8 brand new cards into 1 shoe. She was thorough, although slow. So we are sitting in essentially a phone booth waiting. She finally gets done and we both buy in for 140. I like to mix in some pink chips- 2.50. along with a handful of whites for toking and side bets. I can't see the dealer's name tag. I ask her name and she says it. I give up. She's Asian so I would probably mess it up anyway. ___ yelled to the PB about our buy in, but he was at the other end and ignored her. So I waved my arms up in the air like I just don't care and he finally spotted me. ___ had already given up and handed Mark the cut card. She cut and managed to pick up all 416 cards and pivot them into the awaiting shoe. Nice job. H17, 3/2, DAS, Re-split, didn't check surrender. ___ was pulling rabbits out of her hat for a bit. Then a chick bought in at 1st and things pretty much settle down. We hold our own and I start playing the Match the Dealer side bet. Just to have something to do as I might as well be playing electronically. only playing a buck. I Match both ___'s cards and earn a tidy 25-1. I start feeding Mark whites to play it with. After another bad spell Mark is tapped and I am down to my last 4 reds. I go all in and am dealt 2 8's to the dealer's 6. So I buy in for a twenty and split. Both hands draw faces. She busts. I color up and tell her to keep the red. That was about as fun under the circumstances as could have been expected. We certainly felt pretty safe from the covid. Every surface was cleaned between customers. Probably not something I would have a long session doing.
It's about time now to head up to Capriccio's. I bumped back our reservations to 9 p.m. But neither one of us feels like a sit down dinner tonight. Elvie greets us and I tell her we are going to order to go. I ask if Genaro and Alberto are working. Ulysses wasn't but his buddy was working the Cielo Bar. There's nobody at the bar. The restaurant is no where near 25% full. In short order today's local, Genaro pops up. Alberto is close behind and says hello. Genaro and I bump arms. He and Alberto both look like jockeys. Genaro was visiting his family in I think Peru the last time we were here. . I order a salad and a veal cutlet. Mark gets salad and spaghetti. We each also get cheesecake. Genaro puts in our order and while we are waiting our host Stephanie walks into the restaurant. She's so darn pretty..... We chit chat and she asks us if we needed and room charges taken care of or anything else. I thank her and say that we won't even use up this comp! Steph headed on into the dining room. Genaro returns with our food and says we are leaving way too much on the comp. He suggests "Doesn't your wife like white wine??" Moscato! He adds a bottle to the bill and wraps it up for me. 30% toke for the boys and we head out for home.
Food overkill
Mark heads down back to the action but I'm all actioned out. I have a nice chat with my Sweet Ti and crash. Damn, I miss her. Good day gamboling though. I'm actually ahead a bit and Mark is pretty much holding his own too. We are catching an afternoon ferry tomorrow so we do have a few hours left to gambol on the morrow. I see I have 128 points. That means 36 points earned today. Epic is secured.
10.17.2020 A rebel without a clue
Hey Now! 6 a.m. Finish packing and make a run out to Foxy with said packing. I had just stuck the room key in my pocket, and couldn't find it on my way back in. Shit. Luckily for me those to Wild and Crazy gals were at the front desk. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome today's local.......Lightening fast Maggie! By the time I finished telling them that I'd lost my key she handed me this-
Safety Maggie
I do like having the extra security of showing a room card in the elevators. The rooms work the same way. I finish moving my stuff to Foxy and on the way out notice this...
ooopssiees.
Dropped it in the self car park. Time to gambol. B7's prog. is over 1100. I invest today's 70. FSP along with a hundy. Plus another.
Ouch. Mark texts and I tell him to meet me here, just inside from the front desk. I try a Triple Diamond 1. denom 3. bet. 1 line.
Mark sits as he can and said he had a fairly short evening- for him. He's not partying so getting up is doable. Usually.
540.
I cashed out 800. We looked for something completely and found Multi Play Super Charged 7's. Let's lose our money on yet another W4 variant dammit to hell. And even though there's no BUFFFAAALLLO!!! there's those pesky 7's. Anything but 7's. .01 denom. 2.- 10. bet.
I varied my bet but mostly played 4. The wheel spins came fairly often, but didn't pay much. Volitility seems average W4 type game. Gave up another hundy. I need to do my obligatory final VP session for that ever important final 4OAK. This has to have been the worse VP trip I've had in years. So in keeping with the volitality kick that calls for DSTP. 3 hand. 9/5 .25 DDB. Insert coin.
POINTIES!!!!
Perfect timing. We go up one last time and checkout. We walk out and stash Mark's stuff. Time for one last stand.
Queue "That Smell" please Jim-
let's hear it for nickels!
Mark headed over to do some shopping for his girls. I made one last effort at the B7's prog. Sheesh. Not this trip!
emergency back up 7's
'Cause it's a Bier.......House- right Jimmy????
How about a pitcher Jim Jim????
Thanks Heidi!
And we call it a trip. Mark sustained a small loss, and I actually ended up a bit. Nice trip especially after spending the last 8 months cooped up. Plus in June I had my right knee replaced so throw that in too. Mellow trip home and all is well in flysrbville. Thanks for playing along at home y'all. Stay safe. Be Still. Till next time- Cheers!
Trip total: 50 points
