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Since I had to meet a couple of people at the M Resort this afternoon, I decided to leave a bit early so that I could enjoy the resort at my own leisure.

I don’t get the opportunity to go the M as often as I would like, so I decided to play some no-limit in the notoriously tight poker room, and I also wanted to spend a little quality time at the pool before Summer came to an end.

Ironically, shortly after I arrived it started drizzling, but the pool remained open.  It was still 102 degrees, and people were still swimming.  God bless the resolve of bikini-clad women.

I’ve only played two hold’em sessions at the M since it opened and I did horribly on both occasions.  However, since I am a slave to cliche’s (and fashion), apparently “the third time’s the charm”.

Given that the percentage of older locals is high on Wednesday afternoons, it probably was not the best time to try and break my losing streak … but I decided to take this opportunity to hone my skills by playing counter to my usual rock strategy.

I raised pre-flop with marginal hands, and I stole the blinds on several occasions.  This came out to about $3-$12 per hand.  If I was re-raised without a premium hand, I would muck.

I learned a valuable lesson today.

This strategy does not work.

At least not for me.

Especially in 1/2.

I made $10 here and there, but when I would throw a $20 blind-stealer out, and I got called or raised on it, I gave all of my ill-gotten blinds back … and then some.

I was extraordinarily fortunate to hit a well-disguised set (pocket 3’s, J-8-3 flop), and because of this I managed to escape the game with a couple of dollars more than I was seated with.  I realized that lightning wasn’t going to strike twice.  Tight local vs. tight local is just not a game that I play well, so I took my small profit and walked.

The M Poker Room is incredibly comfortable and well-run, but I am going to stick to rooms that better suit my style of play.  My poker strategy is not pretty, but it works better than trying to get cute by swiping miniscule blinds.

After dodging this bullet, I walked through the rest of the casino, and I was pleased to find that the place is still clean enough to perform surgery in.

I’m still infatuated with the concept of an on-site pharmacy, and I made it a point to drop in this afternoon.

As a cancer patient somewhere waited for his medication, I wasted the pharmacist’s time by repeatedly insisting that I wished to redeem my Player’s Card points for a bottle of 30mg Roxicodone tablets.  Fortunately, the pharmacy staff had a sense of humor, but I was unable to actually convince them to agree to this exchange.

Speaking of staff, I must say that the quality of the M employees has not trailed off since opening week.  They are still among the most friendly and accommodating people that you will find at any casino in the Vegas Valley, and the waitresses … holy Joseph the sheep herder … the waitresses.

The servers at the M still range from above average, to downright bone-shattering.  If there is one product the M pharmacy does not have to stock, it’s Viagra.

If you can play for 10 minutes in the M without getting an acute case of priapism, then do yourself a favor and drive yourself to the morgue. You’re already dead.

After my semi-successful attempt at hold’em and my unsuccessful attempt at pharmaceutical enhancement, I headed to the pool.

The M Pool remains a beautiful sight.  It’s minimalist in a Red Rock Resort kind of way, yet still retains a decidedly high-end vibe.  There were maybe 100 people at the pool, and most of them appeared to be families on vacation, but there was some eye candy here and there.

In particular, there was a lady in a black bikini that I definitely would have fouled like a set of 20 year old Ford spark plugs.  That I would have spanked like an unruly child.  That I would have plowed like an Iowa corn field.  That I would have … well, let’s just say that she was fairly easy on the eyes.

As I was sitting in the pool area, I received a call that my party had finally arrived, and it was time to dine.

I ate at the M buffet for only the second time in my life, and again, the M has maintained its quality in this area as well.  Were I to compare this buffet to something a typical tourist would already be familiar with … I would probably compare it with Cravings at the Mirage, Dishes Buffet at Treasure Island, or even Red Rock Feast Buffet.  Typical buffet food, but certainly in the upper echelon quality-wise.

Due to my strong preference for jumbo shrimp and king crab, nothing is ever going to touch the Wynn, Bellagio or Paris for me … but for a mostly “turf” buffet, the M remains a strong bang for the buck.

As we headed to the parking lot to return to our respective automobiles, I spotted a Hexbreaker 2 machine, and forced my companions to stop as I stuck a $5 bill into the machine.

I was in a hurry, and the smallest button I could find was “bet 50 credits” on the 1¢ machine, so after ten spins or roughly sixty seconds I was toast.

I’m not sure I like this penny machine where the minimum bet is half a dollar, but I may have missed a way to stretch my fiver into a few more plays.  Given that I had only donated a small poker rake on my visit, I reasoned that I owed the M a couple of bucks for the time by the pool.  Despite the quick slot loss, I bid the property a farewell with no hard feelings.

While I got off to a rough start with this place five months ago, I’ve since become a fan of the property.  The gaming odds and limits are slightly above average for Las Vegas, but the one striking aspect of the M that continues to impress me is the service.

For the average patron (not high rollers with a host on speed dial), the attitude of employees at the M remains their strongest asset.  In my opinion, it is superior to any other casino in Vegas.  This includes high-end properties like the Encore and Bellagio.

I actually look forward to going to the M because it gives me flashbacks of the way I was treated in 1999.  I obviously don’t roll into casinos like a whale, but everyone at the M calls me “sir”, and they always go above and beyond to accommodate me.  Whether it’s walking me to my destination when I can’t find something, tolerating my stupid attempts at humor, or just thanking me for coming …  I tend to come away with a positive experience.

I am not implying that I don’t have positive experiences in other casinos, but I have yet to encounter this level of consistency elsewhere.

If I could offer any advice to the M, it would be to do away with the $25 “resort fee”.  Given the personnel and the quality of the casino, I think the M could compete even if they advertised their actual prices.  The fee trickery goes against the rest of their customer-friendliness, and at this point is the only reservation I have with the property.

Even though it is strictly on principal … until they get rid of the fee, I could never personally recommend it for accommodations.  It may still be a bargain overall, but what price can one put on such a gratuitous insult of their intelligence?

Room fees notwithstanding, the casino itself remains a very solid offering.  I only wish it was 8 miles north.

Because the M resort is so far from my home, it’s never going to be a frequent stop.  Once every other month is probably the most they can expect to see of me.

If for no other reason than the service, however, I will always look forward to these trips.

I’m still holding out hope that the rest of the city will follow the M’s lead with regards to employee courtesy, but as of now, the M is still in a category of its own.

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