Trip Report
Flight was uneventful on American. I can reconfirm that ALL cashouts
at McCarran (in C & D terminals) are now handpays. They could easily
make the machines TITO and put a self service ticket pay machine in
but noooo. . They are aware that most players won't want to bother
with a handpay, and this will basically force them to play until they
hit a jackpot or they lose their buyin. This is still a ripoff!! .
Rented from Alamo this trip. CTI didn't work for Dollar, so I was
forced to pay a regular rate which amounted to close to $20 per day
after taxes/fees. I think this is the last time I'll be renting from
Alamo. Their Quicksilver service has proved to not be quick the past
2 trips I've rented from them. I stood in line for 20 minutes to get
my contract. Compare this to the 30 seconds it takes at other
locations for their members of frequent renter programs and Alamo
simply isn't acceptable.
I will break down my report by CASINO with: FOOD, COUPONS, VP, MISC
Glossary:
MP = matchplay coupon
ACG = American Casino Guide
LVA = Las Vegas Advisor
CP = Casino Player
M&M = multi denom/multi game VP.
FPVP = full pay video poker.
TITO = ticket in/ticket out
JJ = John the Jumbo Jackpot winner (Sept 03 at Santa Fe for big
bucks)
C = My lovely wife and couponing partner
First stop, as always was
ELLIS ISLAND
Coupons:
Played the ACG and LVA matchplay (MPs) coupons. The pitboss (Pete)
sneered at us and asked the dealer if we tore the coupons out of the
book. I had precut the ACG coupons from the book. They weren't
perforated, so tearing them at the table would be a PIA. After
playing the MPs, we used the ACG coupon at the bar for 4 free
cocktails. We each got bottled waters, so we started the trip with a
total of 8 bottled waters. Like the last trip, the bartender wasn't
too pleased with this, since he could only hustle for 1 tip. NOTE:
You can NEVER have enough bottled water in Vegas.
Misc:
Tried Metro Pizza for the first time and I highly recommend it.
KEY LARGO
Coupons:
Played the POV MPs here without a problem. The pit rarely paid any
attention to the games. The pending closure might have had something
to do with this. During the week in the AM, only the double deck game
is open so you may have to wait a bit for them to shuffle, since
it's no mid-deck entry. We played and left.
TERRIBLES
Misc:
The McDonalds has been yanked out and replaced with slots. This McD's
was a nice place to get a quick bite to eat while not having to stop
couponing. Not anymore. New option is the Metro Pizza. The free
Tshirt from the funbook has a pretty decent design, but the shirt
itself is a cheap lightweight T. Bummer.
HARD ROCK
VP:
The M&M machines still have 9/6, located close to the Joint. They are
still ONLY at the .25 denom AND they deal very slowly. I can confirm
the other reports of the Lucky Draw being yanked.
Coupons:
Played the $10 MPs without incident. We again both used the CP
coupons to get the 6 pack coupons. I don't know why I'm always
reading that 6 packs are only for new members, we've picked up 6
packs here for years without a problem. Other than MP's, there is no
reason to stop at the HR now. Sad
. Ah, the memories of playing at
the 10/7 DB bar and enjoying the atmosphere
BARLEYS
Food:
Again, we stopped at Barleys for our coupon run fuel. We again called
ahead and ordered to save time and the pizzas were ready when we
arrived. It was excellent as usual. If you haven't stopped here to
use the free pizza coupon, you really are missing out on one of the
best meal deals in LV. Hopefully Casino Player comes through in '05
with this coupon again.
MONTELAGO:
Coupons:
Played the ACG MP. Only certain pitbosses record your slot club
number on the coupon now.
VP:
Bartop machines have been downgraded, the only playable game is .25
NSUD. I saw a few FPDW scattered through the casino. As others have
reported, no 2 were next to each other and the machines have been
slowed. I wonder which "consultant" can be thanked for this. Anyone
care to guess? FP PE in the Gamemakers remain the ONLY machines in
the casino that aren't TITO. November promo was for a decent free
hat.
Misc:
The "over 600 fullpay machines" advertisements are still all over the
casino. This is obviously not accurate now. I'm guessing the clock is
ticking on the remaining FP in this place.
LONGHORN
Coupons:
No problems using the coupon, but the dealer made it a point to tell
me if I hit a BJ on the $10 MP that I'd only get paid $30 total. Not
surprising from a grind joint like this.
VP:
Full pay deuces still exist near the cage.
NEVADA PALACE
Coupons:
Played the ACG MP's without a problem
.and the place is still a dump.
No surprise.
Misc:
I bellied up to the craps table to play an MP
the dealer pushes the
dice to the shooter and I look up
.and it's Marty a fellow
couponomist. Small world.
SAMS
Coupons:
Free Ace coupon from the 2003 CPlayer funbook is still being accepted
without a problem since there is no exp date printed on the coupon.
Misc:
Walked by a 6:5 table and the dealer invited me to play. "No way", I
stated. The dealer replies that it's the "best game in the house." I
proceeded to launch into a 60 second nonstop verbal assault on this
guy for trying to feed me a line of BS like that. The wife finally
pulls me away as I continued to argue with this dealer. While I know
dealers are generally clueless when it comes to accurate basic
strategy, I find it hard to believe that they don't know 6:5 is a
ripoff.
AZC BOULDER
Coupons:
No problems playing the POV MP. I didn't bother checking the VP
because I see no reason to spend more than 2 minutes in this joint.
STRATOSPHERE
Coupons:
Had a funbook and, of course, these MPs must be validated at the slot
club. The slot club is now located towards the back of the casino. No
problems getting the funbook MPs validated, and to my surprise, they
have a new promotional funbook which includes some type of bingo
chart. You get each spot stamped for getting certain winning gaming
wagers or making certain food purchases. After you get a certain
combination, you get entries into their daily 7P drawing for a 42"
plasma TV.
FIESTA H
Coupons:
Played the POV $5 MP and 3:1 BJ without a problem. In addition the
pit accepted the Barley's MPs.
VP:
All inventory remains as stated.
Misc:
2 Holdem tables are now in the middle of the table games pit. Very
odd to see poker dealt in the middle of a casino.
PALMS
VP: $0.25 10/7 DB machines remains at the center bar. As many others
have reported, the Gamemakers are gone. Also played the .01 50 play
9/6 JB near Ben & Jerry's for a while. For low rollers, these are a
great way to rack up some coin-in with minimal variance.
Coupons:
We were shot down when trying to use a $10 ACG Freeplay coupon
(coupon states new signups only). Last trip, in July, we were able to
use them without a problem. So, to summarize
YMMV!
Food: Gardunos Grade: A-
Another trip to Gardunos proved to be as good as in the past. In a
nutshell, very good food, excellent service, enormous portions and
very good value. Both the wife and I had fajitas. Food was brought to
table 10 minutes after we ordered and it was piping hot. The steak
was a little tough, but other than that the meal was excellent. We
carried 3 packed boxes out of there. It made for a great midnight
snack! Thanks to Jean the Queen for picking up the check with her
points. As usual, we topped off dinner with an ice cream at Ben &
Jerrys.
Little Buddha Grade: C-
The atmosphere was definitely unique and enjoyable. Unfortunately,
the service just plain sucked. The staff seemed more interested in
standing around and portraying a "Yeah, I'm cool, I work at Little
Buddha" persona rather than actually serving their guests. As far as
the food goes, they completely whiffed on my wife's filet (ordered
medium). It came out rare and came back charred. I had some sort of 5
spice chicken. It was decent, but it was dark meat. They claim they
don't serve white meat chicken because "it gets too dried out." I've
had numerous excellent white meat chicken entress at fine Chinese
restaurants. I doubt we'll return.
IMPERIAL PALACE
VP: The bank of (9) $1 9/6 JB on the north wall remains, but that's
the only VP worth mentioning. Since they yanked the AA bartops, I
haven't dropped a coin in their machines.
Coupons: LVA MP's. Nothing special to report other than the dealers
don't look twice at the MPs. Good to play coupons without the dealers
inspecting them closely and holding up the game
which often leads to
loud sighs and the occasional dirty looks from other players.
FLAMINGO
VP: With the pathetic VP, the ripoff Mindplay BJ and Noro virus, why
would anyone step foot in this place? Well, I had a couple $7/$5 MPs,
so I did on my way to the Inferior Palace. I made it a point to walk
by the Mindplay table and the pitboss invited me to play. I
said, "Are these the tables that prompted the lawsuit against your
casino? I read about something like that in the LVRJ." The pit was
not thrilled that I began voicing my opinion about them in front of
other players, telling them that the Flamingo CFO stated that each
$20K table has paid for itself in less than 6 months. Of course, none
of the ploppies bothered to get off the game, but maybe they'll think
twice about sitting at a Mindplay table in the future.
BARBARY COAST
Hotel: No problems with the room. We had another room facing Flamingo
Rd, but I wasn't bothered by the road noise. Room renovations will
begin in early 2005.
Coupons: The good Funbook is still being given to hotel guests.
VP: The $1 NSUD are near the change booth on the Flamingo Rd side of
the casino. I spoke with Lisa Vios for a while at their slot tourney
about these machines. She stated that when the machines were upgraded
the wrong chips were put in and that new ones were "being ordered."
Lisa seems like a straight shooter, so I would tend to believe what
she told me. Keep an eye on these, since it seems like 9/6 might
return and NSUD at .50/.25 might come back too.
Food: Victorian Room (x3) Grade: B+
The food and service here is always consistent for us. There is
always a wait, but if you tell the hostess you have a comp, you'll
wait 10 minutes max (we are normally seated within 5 minutes). French
toast and Belgium waffles are two of my breakfast favorites. If you
like Chinese, they have several excellent offerings. Beware the hot
mustard. Some of the hottest I've ever eaten.
Misc: The meal card play remains one of the greatest meal plays on
the strip late at night. Supervisor pulled/reinserted my card and
verified I had points (I always keep 10K min on my account) and
immediately gave me a meal card. They've changed their meal cards.
They are now meal specific.
FIESTA RANCHO
VP: All the good stuff remains as is. As a nonlocal, I was able to
get the Friday 5x points. I swiped at the kiosk and no dice. A 30
second visit to the slot club and I was all set. Verified points upon
arrival home.
Coupons: For a change, I was dealt my 3to1 BJ on my 3rd hand and made
a profit. Sadly, the last great single deck BJ game in Vegas is gone.
They pulled it when they put in 2 HE tables.
JERRYS NUGGET
Coupons: The streak continues. We booked another losing MP run at
this place.
Tip: Made another prop bet with the LVA Sports MP. One of these times
my longshot will come in and I'll collect a nice win. Played NCAA
hoops. ILL and ARZ both at 12:1. With the MP, it makes the odds 24 to
1.
ALADDIN
Coupons/VP: Played the $25 freeplay Perks coupons on the oversized $1
9/6 machine. It remains in the same spot it's been in since the place
opened. All the other slots were pulled and replaced by poker tables.
I was actually kind of surprised to see the 9/6 survived the change.
CAESARS
VP: Played the Super Times Pay machine again and managed 2 big hits.
One flopped FH with the 10x multiplier and one quad with the 8x
multiplier. Hands like that will dig a player out of hole real quick.
Also played the 5x Multistrikes. $25 per hand is a bit much for me,
so I only played these for about 15 minutes. Managed a couple decent
hands and walked away even from this beast.
SANTA FE STATION
Coupons: Played the $5 MPs without a problem.
Food: Café. Grade: A-
Possibly the best coffee shop of the Stations bunch. SFS recently
opened this outlet. I had an excellent turkey sandwich on sourdough
and the wife enjoyed her meatloaf. JJ had some stir-fry that he also
enjoyed. Portions here are enormous and the prices are reasonable.
Service was acceptable and the atmosphere was enjoyable. We'll
definitely return to this place. Thanks to JJ for using pts to pay
for the meal.
LAS VEGAS HILTON
Coupons: The new ACG "Matchplay" coupons require a trip to the cage
to exchange the coupon for matchplay chips. These differ from the old
non negotiable chips because you are required to place a $10 real
money bet along with your chips. Some cashiers aren't sure how to
handle the coupon and they give out the old non negotiable chips.
Hotel: A small `tip' and our HHonors Gold VIP card got us a very nice
room in the East tower. It was an oversized room with a Jacuzzi tub.
IMO, this is the best tower to stay at if you come and go frequently
to other properties. You can park in the sportsbook lot and get
to/from your room very quickly. I had read that the North tower was
the way to go, but I disagree.
VP: All listed FPVP remains. I enjoyed playing the PE and AA in the
Star Trek casino. Great drink service at the bar and good slot
service on the floor. The bar closes at 2AM (yes, I'm a night owl),
but CW's come by very frequently. I played a bit on the 10play .25
9/6 and quickly donated a few Benjamins. Beware, these bad boys can
be hazardous to your bankroll! JJ and I also spent quite a bit of
time playing some 15/8 LD's. Neither of us caught the deuces, but we
held our own while consuming numerous beverages. Late night drink
service in this area is very good. I hope the Gamemakers survive for
a while longer. Fullpay PE and AA are a dying breed in LV.
Food: Café Grade : B
Service was slow, but the food (I had the Philly steak) was pretty
good. One of the better Philly's I've had at a casino coffee shops.
The wife had standard breakfast fare and stated it was acceptable.
WILDFIRE
Misc: We had a few extra minutes one evening, so we stopped in to get
our freeplay with new slot club signup. After entering, I surveyed
the casino for the slotclub and didn't see one. I asked a security
guard where it was. He replied, "I'll help you", and walks us over to
the sportsbook. He asks for our ID's and begins typing our info into
computer. After a few minutes, I said, "Well, I screwed something up,
Helen at the cage will have to help you." Turns out we only won $5
for our new signup. Not surprising, but what was surprising was a
security guard trying to sign us up for a slotclub.
VP: A complete wasteland. Not even 8/5 Bonus.
GREEK ISLES
Misc: After driving by this property numerous times, I decided to pop
in and check it out. I like to get one chip from each casino I visit,
so I hoped to add a chip from this property. No table games, so no
chip for me. Here's a summary: Stay in your car and don't waste your
time.
VP: .25 All American. No slot club.
GVR
Coupon Nightmare play of the trip: Like last trip, the pit allowed
the usage of the Barley's MPs. We sat down, plopped down our $20
matchplay and a $20 bet. I was dealt 8,8 and the wife was dealt 7,3.
The dealer showed a 6. GVR allows a player to double or split for the
value of the coupon too. So, of course, I split the 8's for a full
$40 and received a third 8. I resplit and receive a FOURTH 8. The
first hand I receive a 3 and double, then a 7. On the second 8, I get
a 10. The third eight resulted in another 10. My fourth hand produced
a 2 for a second double. And then a 10. For those keeping score,
that's three 18's and one 20. The wife doubles and draws a 2 for a
total of 12. That's a total of $280 I had on the felt for a potential
win of $320 a $600 swing on one hand
.. The dealer flips a 5, then
a 10 for a 21. We lose all. Win some, lose some and then REALLY lose
some.
Food: Buffet Grade: A-
The GVR buffet ranks light years ahead of other Stations, both in
terms of food quality and service levels. I was perusing the spread
when one of the chefs asks me if there was something I wanted that I
did not see. I asked if it would be possible to throw a tortilla and
some cheese on the grill for a quickie quesadilla. Not only did he
smile and say "Sure", but he asked if I wanted any chicken with it.
I'm a big fan of chicken quesadillas, so I quickly took him up on
that offer. While he was cooking up the chicken I asked if he had any
cilantro and he quickly threw some on. This is what makes a good
buffet a great buffet. The meal was topped off with Breyers ice
cream. GVR will now make shakes upon request. Beware, they use real ½
and 1/2 when making their shakes, which is hazardous to your
waistline (not like the ice cream isn't.) Thanks to fellow
couponomist "luvnluk" for using points and treating us to the meal.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, a decent and enjoyable trip. I'm starting to sour a bit on
Vegas. For the most part, the BJ stinks, the playable VP
opportunities continue to dry up and comps are getting tighter too.
The `tourist/ploppie' effect is really taking hold and the casinos
are milking them for every penny. Our trip to Reno in October really
opened our eyes to how poor the value is in Vegas. If it wasn't for
coupons, I doubt I'd even bother with LV
.