Monthly Archives: February 2019

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How to Save Big with Extreme Hotel Deals

I Booked a $25,680, 3-Bedroom Suite in the Bahamas for $2,210 (a 91% Savings)

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Over the past couple of months, I’ve booked two extreme hotel deals. The first was an executive suite at the nearby Grand Hyatt in Denver—a family favorite—for a 1-night “staycation.” That room usually goes for about $380, including tax. I paid $114 after tax, a savings of $266 (70%).

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Bahamas -- one of the extreme hotel deals I've recently booked

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Bahamas

Saving 70% on a hotel is incredible. But my second booking made the first look like child’s play:

I booked 6 nights in a 2,500 sq. ft., 3-bedroom Ocean View Residence at The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamas. The 6-night, all-in price for this monster should have been a jaw-dropping $25,680. But I paid $2,210, a discount of $23,470 (91%).

The way I scored these deals is new to me. In this post I’ll show you how to do likewise. And I’ll show how you can sometimes do so using points instead of cash (if you prefer). (more…)

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Beating the House on a Vegas Vacation

How to Vacation in Las Vegas Very Inexpensively

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Jerry Seinfeld once said about Las Vegas, “If you were not losing, this would not be a very nice place to be, would it? They wouldn’t have beautiful carpeting and restaurants and wonderful shows. It would be like a POW bunker. . . . The losing pays for the nice hotels.”

Vegas Strip showing several hotels including Paris and Planet Hollywood

You can benefit from the countless billions lost every year in Vegas by using some simple tips to vacation there for a fraction of what other people pay. (more…)

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You’ve Gotta Know When to Hold’em, Know When to Fold’em

8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker, Part 3 of 3

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In my previous post I told the story of the day I lost the most money at the poker tables and the lesson it taught me. Fortunately, not every life-lesson I’ve learned playing poker has come at such cost.

Playing poker with my boys, teaching them to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em

Can you guess, based solely on how they stack their chips, which of my sons plays looser and which tighter? 🙂

In this final post of this three-part series, I share the last three lessons a decade of poker has taught me, including the single biggest lesson I’ve learned. (more…)

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The Day I Lost the Most Money at the Poker Tables

8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker, Part 2 of 3

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You know those days that just seem to go from bad to worse? My worst day at the poker tables was just such a day.

Roulette wheel showing ball in black slot

Yeah, this is a roulette wheel, not a poker table. And that is precisely the problem….

In 88 games over nearly two years, I had been slowly adding to my winnings. But then came the 89th game…. (more…)

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8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker

Part 1 of 3

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Ten years ago, I bought into a No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker game for $10. I won $72.50. Using those winnings, I bought into another such game, and so on. Ten years and nearly 200 games later, I’ve grown that initial $10 to $2,114. Here’s a chart showing my “bankroll” (money set aside exclusively to play poker) over time:

My Poker Bankroll Over the Last 10 Years

Not bad percentage-wise, but not a huge deal either. At least, not financially.

The bigger deal has been the life lessons I’ve learned or had reinforced along the way—lessons dealing with time, money, and what matters most.

In this three-part series, I’ll share 8 lessons a decade of No-Limit Texas Hold’em has taught me. If you like poker, I hope you enjoy. But whether you like poker or not, hopefully you’ll find these lessons applicable to your life as well: (more…)