Hello Mike
Being a Reno Junkie, I'd like to comment on some of your plans. It's all good no matter what you do, since Reno is really a fun town.
Reno is hurting, and you really should not pay for good food if your a VP player.
I'll be at Eldorado for one night just to get a taste of downtown and the SL FPDW machines.
The Silver give slim comps for their deuces and FP Joker 4700 machines. A good alternative is the 10/7 Double bonus machines 5C/10C 1-100 coiners.
The Eldo- while not as good as it use to be, still have some good plays, and are really good with new player comps. They have 100 and 50 play with 7/5 Super Aces at 5C/10C you might want to give a shot with. The food there is fantastic.
Three nights at Atlantis Atrium at $89 a night which I expect to get comped based on the 100-play machines I will be investing most of my bankroll in.
Atlantis rates #1 on my chart, as best casino in Nevada...nuff said its VP players paradise , but if you want to get on their good side - I'd spend more time here and chuck a few of those time wasting side trips.
It has taken me 45 years to get to Reno and I may never see it again so I am trying to make it a "see all" type trip.
That's what I said on my first trip to Reno ( drove up from Palo Alto ) twenty five years ago. Consider another trip one day because the VP is better than Vegas.
I will surely stop at the Boomtown coming into town from my SF family wedding (which is the genesis for this whole trip). Plus the >tacky and garish Western Village is a must. I'm also going to hit the Sands for their filet mignon special and the Gold Dust for their Prime >Rib freebie for new slot card people.
I'd chuck all this for 1 night at John Asuaga's Nugget. They have great games there and are super generous with food comps ( they have good restaurants to boot). $10,000 coin in will easily get you all the meals listed above with higher quality.
PS - The Gold dust really is a dump...wait DUMP!
Plus the Nugget Awful hamburger is something that's been in my mind since I saw it on the Travel Channel a decade or so ago so that's >one that won't be missed.
Its a filthy and disgusting place, I would not risk getting sick ( Really !) The In-Out or Fatburger in Vegas is 10X better ! If in Reno the burger at Johnny Rockets at GSR, or the 50s style Diner inside the Sands are better , & you can get those easily comped too !
I will surely hit the Cal-Neva a couple of times for their specials and blackjack and the Bonanza (daytime!) for its skid-row ambience similar to the Western in LV.
Well, if you want to get mugged or sick from their disgusting food, be my guest. A place like Tamerack Junction or even Western Village or even Circus Circus ( always have $29 rooms ) will give you a taste from the bottom of the barrel, safe, have great games, and decent food comps.