Hey guys.
So, this pandemic had me fiending for poker so for the first time in over 10 years I went through the hoops to start playing online. Some background on me, I've been playing poker for 15 years, almost exclusively in casinos. Started playing in Motor City while I lived in Detroit, then AC when I moved to Maryland along with a few clubs in the MD/DC area. During this time I started getting very good and a club sponsored me to play in other clubs against high roller celebs in what you could call an underground circuit. Alex Ovechkin was a common player, Tiger Woods popped in a few times for 2/5/10 and 5/10 games. After a few raids and Live finally opened up I stopped and just played there and eventually MGM since I've moved to DC.
In any case, I've been a winning player for the past 7-8 years but I can admit online is different. Props to you guys who are winning online players, you can walk into most 2/5 casinos and win with ease. I have no problem winning 2/5 when I play in DC or Vegas, but .50/1 is probably a little harder. It could just as well be the small sample size online and I am not losing by much, but I feel the talent gap for sure.
Any fellow live players feeling the same? Or am I alone? Shit maybe I just suck, lol ....
submitted by We went to Detroit to see the last game of the season as sabres fans from NC. Went to the MGM Grand casino to kill some time tonight. As soon as we walk in I open the door and there is Dahlin and Olofsson. Freaked out and got a picture with them.
We go about our business and go gamble a bit and wouldn't you know, we run into zemgod and Larsson at a roulette table! I am giddy as hell typing this, I've never met a famous person before let alone a sabre, so this night has been crazy so far! I wonder if we'll meet anyone else?
submitted by I've only been playing craps for a few months. I wanted to learn before I went to Las Vegas. It was my first time in Vegas and my wife hasn't been for 10 or so years.
This report is from 5/4/2019-5/18/2019.
We play in Michigan and Indiana for the most part. There is a Boyd property out here we have been going to for a few years. We were able to get free rooms at the Fremont for 2 nights and Gold Coast for 2 nights. We went to MGM in Detroit once with her mom and they send us offers all the time to go to Vegas. We decided to take them up on it and were able to get 4 nights at the Luxor.
I had a budget of $200/day. My goal was to play $5 craps where I could.
The first weekend we spent mostly at the Fremont. I enjoyed playing at the tables with the older guys and a more relaxed crowd. Always had a $5 table open and the dealers were really nice. I tried to make some 2 way hard ways and yo's and the dealers really seemed to appreciate that. They remembered my name and were always very kind to me. One dealer even flipped the dice to 3-3 for me when he sent them my way to save me time. I really enjoyed playing there.
I saw that they had a shooters club at Fremont and found it curious. I was able to roll 20 and 23 times while I was there, but that's not even close to getting on the wall. I was playing mostly the pass and 6-8 occasionally taking a 5/9 with my winnings. I didn't make much, but people around the table did.
We found our way down to the D and Golden Gate on Sunday afternoon. My wife really enjoyed the Golden Gate and I did as well. Always found 5 dollar tables and at night they have the dancing dealers, which is always a nice thing to look at. Dealers were great any my wife was able to earn comps there quickly. Paid for our dinner at Pizza Rock on just her comps. The D was pretty nice too, but was very loud at night and more crowded.
We had a nice room at the Luxor and spent our first day there (Thursday) walking around the hotels. I was trying to collect a dollar chip from any casino that we went into as a souvenir. Luxor was $10 everytime I was there. 2 tables open in the morning with no one playing. I asked if they would lower it to play, but they declined. We walked to Excalibur and I was able to play for $5 anytime except for Saturday night after 8. They did have a $5 crapless table, but it was crowded and I don't like it. The house edge is high.
I had some coupons for match play at Planet Hollywood so I did play $10 there for about 3 shooters but I lost my money quickly. We had to make some bets for my brother at Caesars so we used his card to park there for free. I did bet one shooter there just to say I played at Caesars.
As you can imagine, the nicer hotels were all $10 and up. I was able to find $5 briefly during the day at Treasure Island and played there for a little while.
We went back downtown the Saturday and Sunday where we could afford to play. My wife found her home at Four Queens. She loved sitting in the Keno room and playing the live Keno and a Keno machine at the same time. She also enjoyed playing High Card Flush and Texas Holdem there. I played craps there for quite a long time, but the dealers for that shift weren't as friendly.
For the most part I would win $100 somewhere and loss $100 somewhere. But I kept most of my money throughout the trip.
Our last weekend we stayed at Gold Coast and played there on Thursday night. We went back downtown Friday night to play at the Golden Gate and Binions. My wife hit a jackpot in slots at Golden Gate before we left that won back all of the money we lost. We left Las Vegas even on money after paying for dinners and such.
It was a really fun trip. I know with my bankroll Vegas can be tough. But we aren't fancy people so downtown was perfect for us. We earned some comps and plan to stay at a Boyd property or the D when we go back in February (we had Disneyland tickets for one day. I've never been and she hasn't been since 1998. But my wife got sick so it's an excuse to go back.). Hoping we can put the money we came back with away to use as a bankroll next time.
submitted by The list below are high school dropouts:
Thomas Haffa – self-made double-digit billionaire German media businessman
J.R. Simplot – self-made billionaire American agricultural businessman
Robert Maxwell – self-made billionaire British publisher
Jim Clark – self-made billionaire American businessman; founder of Netscape – first Internet billionaire (17, U.S. Navy)
Jimmy Dean – singer-songwriter-actor; self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the Jimmy
Andrew Jackson – 7th U.S. President; face is pictured on the U.S. twenty dollar bill (13, U.S. Continental Army; orphaned at 14; little formal education; home schooling/life experience; studied law in his late teens and became a lawyer
Leon Uris – best-selling American author (Exodus, etc.) (17, U.S. Marines)
Walter L. Smith – former president of Florida A& M University (equivalency diploma, at age 23.
Clement Stone – self-made multimillionaire (some sources indicate billionaire) American businessman-author; founder of Success†magazine (elementary school dropout; later attended high-school night courses and then some college
Jack London – best-selling American author (dropped out at 14 to work; later gained admission to the University of California; left after one semester
Arthur Ernest Morgan – American flood-control engineer; college, president-author; appointed by President Roosevelt to be director of the Tennessee Valley Authority public works project (left high school after three years; later attended the University of Colorado for six weeks
Maurice Chevalier – Oscar-winning actor-singer; French Legion of Honor inductee/Medal recipient (note: rank bestowed in
Pierce Brosnan – actor
Daniel Gilbert – Harvard University psychology professor (equivalency diploma
Patrick Henry – American Revolutionary War era politician; Virginia’ first governor; famous quote: Give me liberty, or give me death! (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; later studied on his own and earned a law degree
Peter Jennings – Canadian-born American television journalist; evening news anchorman
Ansel Adams – American wilderness photographer;Â photography book author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Brooke Astor – wealthy American socialite-philanthropist-author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Pearl Bailey – singer-actress, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Bill Bartman – self-made billionaire American businessman
Lew Grade – British film/TV producer (TV: The Avengers, The Saint, Secret Agent, The Prisoner, The Muppet Show, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Lew Grade)
Philip Emeagwali – supercomputer scientist; one of the pioneers of the Internet (high-IQ high-school dropout; left school in native Nigeria due to war conditions and lack of tuition money; continued to study on his own and earned an equivalency diploma; later won a scholarship to Oregon College of Education in the United States; transferred after one year to Oregon State University)
Hiram Stevens – American-born engineering inventor, knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Hiram Stevens)
Kemmons Wilson – self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the Holiday Inn†hotel chain
Kjell Inge Rokke – self-made billionaire Norwegian businessman
Walter Nash – New Zealand Prime Minister 1957-1960, knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Walter Nash)
Rosa Parks – U.S. civil rights activist-pioneer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
Mary Pickford – Oscar-winning actress; early Hollywood pioneer; co-founder of United Artists Corporation†(little formal education [six months]; home schooling/life experience)
Frederick Freddy†Laker – self-made multimillionaire British businessman; airline entrepreneur; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Frederick [or Freddy] Laker)
Tommy Lasorda – baseball team manager; National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
Anton van Leeuwenhoek- Dutch microscope maker; world’s first microbiologist; discoverer of bacteria, blood cells, and sperm cells)
Richard Branson – self-made billionaire British businessman; founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways,†Virgin Records,†etc.; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Richard Branson)
Isaac Merrit Singer – American sewing machine inventor; self-made multimillionaire founder of Singer Industries,†I.M. Singer and Company,†etc. (elementary school dropout)
Alfred E. Smith – New York Governor; 1928 Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate (elementary school dropout)
Sean Connery – Oscar-winning actor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Sean Connery)
Jack Kent Cooke – self-made billionaire Canadian-born American media businessman
Charles E. Culpeper – self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early 1900s’ owner and head of The Coca Cola Bottling Company
Robert De Niro – Oscar-winning actor-producer; knighted (France: Chevalier [Knight] of the Legion of Honor; Chevalier [or Chev.] Robert De Niro)
Gerard Depardieu – Oscar-nominated actor; knighted (France: Chevalier [or Chev.] Gerard Depardieu) (elementary school dropout)
Richard Desmond – self-made billionaire British publisher
Joe Lewis – self-made billionaire British businessman
Carl Lindn er – self-made billionaire American businessman
John Llewellyn – U.S. Labor leader pioneer; for 40 years until his retirement, president of the United Mine Workers Union
Marcus Loew – self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early Hollywood pioneer; founder of the Loews†movie-theater chain; co-fondner of MGM studios (elementary school dropout)
Mary Lyon – American women’s education pioneer; early American teacher; founder of Mount Holyoke College (America’s first women’s college)
Sonny Bono – singer-songwriter-actor, U.S. Congressman (California U.S. Representative)
Horace Greeley – American newspaper publisher-editor; U.S. Congressman; U.S. Presidential candidate; co-founder of the Republican party in the United States
Here is another list of people that dropped out of high school or college. They have gone on to make more money then the rest of their graduating class all together:
Alan Gerry is another billionaire high school dropout. Gerry 71 also filled his bank account by exploiting a new technology. In 1956, ten years after he dropped out of high school, Gerry built the first cable television network in upstate New York. He made his fortune in this new market, and then sold his company, Cablevision, to Time Warner for $2.6 billion four years ago. Now Gerry is chairman of a venture capital firm called Granite Associates. Granite funds entrepreneurs trying to make their money in burgeoning technology industries, just as Gerry made his fortune by getting into cable when it was still in its infancy.
When you have a brilliant idea, nobody is going to ask to see your diploma, Gerry says. You don’t need a four-year college degree if you have burning ambition or a great plan.
Take Spud King John R. Simplot. Simplot, was born on an Idaho farm and left home when he was 14 because he was sick of milking cows.†Simplot followed that with a half century of hard work and shrewd investments, he made a killing in Micron (nyse: MU – news – people ). How important was education to his success? Hell, he says, I didn’t even get out of the eighth grade.
Tom Monaghan owner of Dominioes and former owner of the Detroit Tigers:
I floundered during the rest of high school and graduated last in my class. They weren’t even going to graduate me, but I pleaded with a nun. She said, Well, you got good marks in the seminary, so I’ll let you graduate. But don’t ever ask me to recommend you for college.
One day in 1960, my brother told me about a pizza shop in Ypsilanti, Mich., called Dominoes, that a friend of his was selling. My brother was interested but afraid to do it on his own, so he asked if I’d do it with him. I was having problems paying my way through school, so I said yes. It was $500 down, and we borrowed $900. I got a 15-minute lesson in making pizza from Dominick, and I was off. We opened up without an attorney. I didn’t even collect sales tax “didn’t know I had to. The plan was for me to work half the night and my brother to work the other half. But it didn’t work because he didn’t want to leave his full-time job as a mailman. Within about eight months he wanted out, and I bought him out by giving him the Volkswagen we used for deliveries.
Most of you probably know that Dave Thomas the founder of Wendys was a high school dropout.
Peter Jennings-High School Dropout
Here is a couple of notable geniuses that were not billionaires. They were rich with knowledge but not cash. They were high school dropouts.
Albert Einstein Thomas Edison
Hong Kong self-made billionaire Li Ka-Shing, worth $18.8 billion or so, is Asia’s richest man. He is also the richest Chinese in the world, and according to Forbes, the 10th richest man in the world.
When he was just 12 years old, Li and his family fled to Hong Kong when Japan invaded China. When he was 15, Liâ’s father died and he was forced to drop out of high school to support his family.
Li got his start as a salesman selling watches at his uncle’s store, and soon proved to be a diligent worker: he worked 16 hour days, visited customers during the day and worked at the factory at night. Determined to better himself, Li even found a tutor to teach him English every night!
When he was 21, Li opened a plastic manufacturing company and grew his business by selling high quality plastic flowers at bargain prices. When Li was 30, he accidentally got into real estate because he couldn’t renew the lease for his factory and was forced to purchase and develop a site himself.
From there, Li diversified into electronics, telecommunications, retails, ports, and even power and electricity. Li is also noted for his philantrophy: he gave millions to various universities and disaster-relief.
All in all, not bad for a high school drop-out.
Amancio Ortega.
Amancio Ortega was a son of a railway worker turned fashion-mogul and Spain’s richest man. He is worth $14.8 billion.
Ortega started out at the age of 14 as a gofer in a shirt store. At the age of 27, he started his own company to make bathrobes. Twelve years later, he opened his first store called Zara, which would become an enormously popular chain.
Ortega kept a very low profile (so much so that when he did make a public appearance in 2000, it made headlines in Spanish press!) but we’re guessing it’s not because this billionaire dropped out of high school.
François Pinault.
François who? You may not recognize the name, but you’ll definitely know his products: through his retail and luxury goods holding company PPR, Franasois Pinault owns (or has owned) Gucci, YSL, Converse sneakers, Samsonite luggage, the Vail ski resort in Colorado, and the auction house Christie’s.
But donâ’t tell the luxury goods buyers that Pinault is a high school dropout – just tell them he’s worth $7 billion.
David Murdock had a tough childhood – he dropped out of high school in ninth-grade and pumped gas until he was drafted into the Army.
Since then, however, life had worked out for him: Murdock did a leveraged buyout of Castle & Cooke, which then bought Dole Food Company and assumed its name.
So, next time you eat a Dole pinapple, remember that the guy that owns it was a high school drop out (and by buying the product, you’re making him that much richer than the $4 billion he’s currently worth)
Kirk Kerkorian.
Self-made billionaire Kirk Kerkorian was an amateur boxer (Rifle Right Kerkorina) and a pilot. At the age of 30, he got his start by buying a small air-charter service flying gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in 1947.
Seeing opportunities in Las Vegas, Kerkorian bought land and got into the lucrative real estate / casino development. Since the 1960s, Kerkorian had bought (and sold) hot properties like the Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas Hilton, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and others.
Kerkorian’s current fortune is estimated to be around $8.7 billion – not bad for someone who was a highschool dropout.
YC Wang.
Can you technically label someone a dropout if he never started high school to begin with? Dunno, but this is too remarkable not to mention.
Wait, there’s a billionaire here that never even set foot in high school?
Yes. That’s YC Wang, a self-made Taiwanese billionaire who made his fortune in plastics and chemicals. The octagenarian is now the head of Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics, one of the largest plastic manufacturers in the world.
Wang was born to a tea farmer and was forced to enter the work force with only an elementary school education.
He did well for himself, though – Wang is now worth $5.4 billion.
Virgin’s Richard Branson is worth $2.8 billion and that’s not too shabby for a guy who didn’t even finish high school.
Branson suffered from dyslexia and dropped out of high school at 16 years of age. What he lacked in schooling, however, he made up in curiosity and entrepreneur zeal – when he was 15, he had started two business ventures: growing Christmas trees and raising parrots!
When he was 17, Branson opened his first charity and started his first record business. Along with Nik Powell, Branson opened a small record store in London called Virgin. It specialized in krautrock imports.
Virgin became a veritable giant (branching out into things like airways, telecommunication and so forth) and Branson was knighted in 1999 for services to entrepreneurship.
More education doesn’t mean you’ll be more successful. It’s all about your drive. Your passion in life and sticking to it. Not necessarily playing it safe. I’ve meet many people that have played it safe, with a good job and such and then retire broke. Don’t play it safe. Go for it like these people have.
So, next time you want to call him a high school dropout, remember that it’s Sir high school dropout to you.
From
http://blog.christophersherrod.com/high-school-dropouts-are-more-successful/ So this is actually my first Reddit post, if I fuck it up please let me know so I can correct it.
Ok so a little back ground on me, I was born and raised in Detroit, I left when I was in my late teens and am now fast approaching 40. I went off to become a chef, moved a few places most notably Las Vegas, SF and now NYC. I have learned a lot over the years about the restaurant business and have a strong desire to open my own. I am currently a partner in a business, food related but not a restaurant. This business looks like it will be sold in the next six months or so and as a result I will actually have what I am hoping is enough money to actually realize my dream. It won't be a ton of money around $200k so I need to maximize my investment.
I'm not looking for advice on how to start a restaurant, I'm confident in my ability there. As a side note I helped open the MGM casino and am comfortable with what I am getting myself into as far as talent pool and resources. Here is the advice I am seeking, what should I do and where should I do it? Ha!
Let me explain. What should I do, in that what is Detroit missing food wise? I have been looking and it seems like some places are coming about but there really seems a lot of room in the field and I want to narrow it down. To help in this I believe in simple, honest food at a reasonable price. I'm not talking fine dining or quick service either. Kind of a marriage in the middle. Upscale diner, pizzeria, brasserie maybe? Think Slow's but in a different cuisine.
The second part of where is equally important to me I want someplace with character not a white box with shitty cafe tables. I want a neighborhood that appreciates good music, good food, and a fun vibe. So nix the suburbs, mostly because of the boring architecture, I'm sure there are plenty of good people there it's just too homogenized for my taste.
I know that it's rapidly changing there and I am quite sure I am not up to date. I'll be heading out in July to scout around to see what's up.
Thanks for any advice, also if you think I'm delusional about the confidence in starting a restaurant and there are unique things in the Detroit restaurant scene I need to look out for please feel free to let me know. Any help is help.
Edit: thanks to all who commented and sent me messages. This post is helping me solidify my decision to move back home and get this thing going.
What the consensus here seems to be is keep it cheap (ie under $10 for an entree) but good and limit menu options. I really have been thinking craft beer and pizza or sandwiches where no corners are cut and absolutely everything is made from scratch with old school techniques.
Please keeps the comments coming I am taking notes and it helps to keep the fire burning.
submitted by Detroit’s MGM announced that health and safety protocol for reopening is already developed Detroit’s casinos prepare to reopen on July 4. The date marks Phase 5 of the state’s restart of economy, but it is yet to be confirmed by state officials if casinos will be allowed to reopen their doors. MotorCity Casino Hotel and MGM Grand Detroit will reopen Wednesday, according to officials of the properties. Greektown Casino tweeted Sunday to "check back for an official date" of reopening. Casinos have been hit hard during the pandemic, costing the city of Detroit millions in tax revenue. MotorCity Casino, MGM Grand Detroit reopening Wednesday. Posted at 4:10 AM, ... Dec. 21, but said it will open Wednesday so that all returning employees will get COVID-19 tests. Online Gambling At MGM Grand Detroit In 2021. In late 2019, Michigan’s governor signed legislation to legalize sports betting and online gambling.It’s a big sea change that MGM Grand Detroit is taking advantage of by offering retail sports betting, as well as an online casino, online sportsbook, and online poker. BetMGM Casino is live in Michigan, bringing the ultimate casino experience to the Wolverine State. For years, players were able to appease their gambling appetites in the luxurious MGM Grand Casino in Detroit.Join BetMGM now for $25 plus a first deposit match worth up to $1,000.. Now, you can enjoy the same slot machines and blackjack from the comfort of your home, courtesy of BetMGM Casino in ... The casino was set to open at 10am but opened early at 2 a.m. to avoid lines. MGM Grand Detroit reopens amid COVID-19 MGM Grand Casino, the last of Detroit's three casinos, reopened its doors amid ... Detroit — Detroit casinos plan to reopen next week after being shut down for more than a month as the state battled an uptick in coronavirus cases. MotorCity Casino Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit and ... MGM Grand Detroit is open and ready to welcome you back, safely! Over 1,500 slots and video poker machines are available, including table games, our Poker room, and the BetMGM Sportsbook. Our restaurants and bars are open for guests to enjoy dining and beverage service daily until 10pm. MGM has released what they're calling a “Seven-Point Safety Plan” for facilities that include the MGM Grand Detroit casino. ... “Preparing for the moment we can re-open our doors, MGM ... MGM Grand Detroit will open for invite-only VIP customers Wednesday and Thursday, and at 10 a.m. Friday for the general public. Casino customers can expect to see a lot of changes and new rules ...
Peter was playing blackjack at MGM Grand Casino in Detroit, MI, USA. At that time there were three players at the table and Peter was the player in the midd... Thanks for Watching LIGHTNING LINK GRAND WON! Jordan & SDGuy SPIN AND WIN at the MGM GRAND in DETROIT!! Like the video? Thumbs it up! Love the video? Leave a... This time DESTINATION takes us back to Detroit, and this time we will visit the MGM Grand. Slot Mole has lots of good luck! We have lots of good informatio... At MGM Grand Parking lot.....lol fooling.....having fun..... The MGM Grand Detroit is the first Las Vegas style resort built near a major metropolitan core and the casino resort raises the bar for luxury in Detroit. Fo... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
