Rockin it Slow with Lonnie Lo

The pizza arrived and I signed various pieces of paper and accepted delivery of the pie. I then enquired, “You don’t happen to have a glass of milk on you by any chance, do you?...”

Well, the fella was beside himself and ran to go get it. I felt bad for him, having to make an extra trip after screwing up. I imagined he felt about as bad for himself as I did for myself when I lost the rental car twice in an hour that day.

Tickling the Vegas Ivories at the Mob Bar

The milk arrived and the fella was very apologetic and, in fact, he brought two very large cold glasses of the Four Queen’s best moo juice. I tipped him four bucks.

Why not? He was pleasant, called me ‘buddy’, and very sorry that he’d forgotten the milk. I think he actually wanted to be my buddy? We could have each had a glass a milk together. I debated asking him if he knew where my rental car was.

The answer, by the way, to the 'why not' is that I was stone broke. And I suddenly remembered I would have cocktail waitresses to tip later. It's hard to be broke, dammit! Oh well, maybe it would help my gambling karma.

I stuffed myself with delicious pizza and watched the second half of the game. The Riders prevailed, which encouraged me.

And, best news short of a dollar Royal, Kenny had made it home safe and sound and all seemed to be stable.

The fridge in the room, which was behind a cupboard door and rested on a beat up moldy piece of plywood, was too small to accept the pizza box, so I put the Flusher smarts to work. I put the pizza on the plate they’d sent, and covered it with the plastic wrap that the milk had been protected with.

Sunset - and a Four Queens Date with Jacks or Better DESTINY

I went back to the Jacks and hit it hard. I had almost two hours play I still needed to do. I burned through the second $100 of my free play in about ten minutes. Shit. I changed machines, punched up the third $100.

I was feeling pretty down, envisioning the walk of shame that surely would be coming. In my wallet I had exactly one dollar left - tip money for the cocktail waitress. One dollar and that was it.

Well, I started hitting it. The winning hands kept flowing and flowing and there were quads thrown in too. And the credits kept growing. I went on a nice little streak.

My high-water mark was $570 in credits and when I got the points I wanted to get, I had $530 in the machine. I played on, but bailed when I hit an even $500.

I actually made my goal of $8,000 coin-in and cashed out $500.

Leaving the Four Queens, there was something huge going on and the people were jammed into Fremont. There was no way, absolutely no way, I’d be able to walk through them and down 3rd Street.

I think it was trumpeter Lonnie Lo and the Golden Showers Love Orchestra. I still have their first album on vinyl, “Lo Blows”.

Big turn-out for Lonnie Lo and the Golden Showers Love Orchestra!

I ended up walking to the other end of the Four Queens (stopping briefly at the other bar to say hello to Alternate Mike), out across Fremont, and around the outside of the Fremont casino.

At the Downtown Grand, I, for some reason, stopped to look a the paytables on some of the machines. And what did I find but 8/6 Boner Deluxe. Hmmm. In Quarters! Encouraged, I hunted around and sure enough, the Downtown Grand had vastly improved their video poker offerings.

Draw night at the Downtown Grand. I really wanted to spin this girl's wheels.

It’s nice to know that the customer, and in particular this customer, have been listened to and that the Grand has responded.

I blew through all my freeplay, not getting much. As in nothing. No matter, at least it wasn’t dollars out of my pocket.

Dueling Pianos at the Mob Bar. I didn't go in though.

And that meant it was an actual, genuine, real winning day! Read that again - an actual real winning day!

I could have cried I was so happy. No walk of shame, not today! Not a loser, not today! No marker, not today! Made money on freeplay today! Had VIP Seventies Stag Suite Pizza today!

And, if I got a dollar Royal, I would have very respectable losses indeed, as opposed to the very degenerate losses I was now carrying.

Onward!

Royal Flusher: Day $+500 Trip $-3210