vpFREE Administrator wrote:
"Are you going to post your trip report on vpFREE_Reno ?"
By request..........
Took SW via PHX into RNO without incident. This was my first trip in
many years with a Companion Pass and it worked without a hitch.
We're looking forward to many more trips in the next 12 months using
this SWA benefit for FFlyers. Rented from Dollar at RNO and got an
upgrade to a minivan for a $5 tip to the counter clerk (had the
family in tow, so this was a nice bonus). After the 2 minute car
rental process, our bags were coming off the belt. I located a
baggage cart after a quick walk outside (pay $3 to rent one? Ya
right!) and all the bags were quickly loaded. Wouldn't it be nice if
arrival into LAS was this flawless?
As always, I'll breakdown my notes by casino:
Peppermill:
General: My first stop was the Pepp because I had (2) separate $75
freeplay offers to redeem. I wasn't sure if I could get all $150 at
once, but after inserting my card into the reader, it showed I had
$165 in available freeplay. I played it through one time and was
able to cash it out. I'm not sure how the extra $15 was on my
account but I'll take it. The Peppermillions free daily swipe is
still active and is a great way to get a few extra dollars in EV each
trip. The wife (referred hereafter as "C") and I received the
following over the course of 4 days: 40 coin SF bonus, 40 coin Jack-
Ace 4OAK bonus, 100 coin RF bonus, $5 matchplay and $1 free roulette
bet. We also scored the free coupon sheet which also contains a $10
matchplay and $20 bonus for 6's-9's on a 4OAK ($1 game). The 6-9
coupon pays $10 for quads at the dime denomination, so I cashed it
while playing dime 10play Super Times Pay. The slot attendants pay
these on the spot, so there's very little hassle when redeeming
them. All together, I netted nearly $100 cashing these coupons, so
they're definitely worth your time. Add in the awesome VP inventory
and this is one of the best plays in town.
VP: All VP played (including 10/7 prog at Oceano, STP, .50 FPDW near
Oceano, Pickem outside Fireside) was as listed in the VPFree
database. One new find was a 5play Multistrike located near the
entrance to the Fish Bar which had NSUD and 9/6 JOB. I played this
at the nickel level and it's still $5 a play (100 coins). Between
the STP and the MS I got my fill of `carnival' VP games without
paying a penalty of poor paytables. I earned $$ on the STP but lost
on the FPDW.
Food: We dined at the coffee shop one afternoon and after a 25
minute wait enjoyed a very good lunch. This outlet isn't the
cheapest considering the food ordered; we racked up a $64 tab for the
4 of us. Food quality was good and portion sizes were generous.
Overall: The Peppermill continues to be among my favorite casinos in
any locale. Due to the numerous expansions, this casino has machines
tucked in countless little corners and alleys. Neon makes up 90% of
the light, so if you like a darker, low traffic, environment to play
in, you'll be at home in the Pepp. Service at the bars (almost all
of which have at least 9/6 JB) is excellent and top shelf beverages
are available.
Harrahs:
General: Because I needed two separate rooms this trip because we
brought the kiddos and MIL, Harrahs was the choice. On my previous
trip in April, I gave Harrahs about $3K in coinin on both my card and
C's. As I had hoped, Harrahs promptly started sending me room offers
for 3 nights each. Diamond check-in was prompt, but our rooms
weren't ready at 2PM on a Thursday (in off season!).
VP: I played about $5K CI on both my card and C's card. At the
Sportsbook bar, there's still 9/6 JB for halves AND dollars
(previously not reported). As luck would have it, on my last evening
in town I held K,J of diamonds and filled in the other three for my
fourth career four G royal. I searched far and wide and was not able
to locate the $ Pick `Ems. RIP.
Food: Harrahs coffee shop, Café Napa, continues to run some specials
that offer value. Best of those are the $6 Chinese entrees
but
beware the nasty spring roll that comes with the dish. We dined here
three times and service was spotty during periods of high volume.
Portion size and product quality were average. A late dinner snack
was enjoyed at Andreotti's with a couple BJ21.com Green Chip members
(thanks to the Bear for picking up the tab). We ended the trip with
a meal at Ichiban's; a Benihana-type Japanese steakhouse. The `show'
was decent, though not as good as some others I've seen. Food
quality was above average and portions were adequate. The main
drawback was how they handle comps. The cashier must call down for a
comp to be brought up from Total Rewards. This took nearly 15
minutes and was not well received after the nearly two hour meal. In
addition, they charge tax on comps here since it's not a Harrahs-
owned outlet. I won't be darkening Ichiban's doorstep anytime
soon.
Overall: I later found out that a large number of rooms were out of
service due to renovations in the West tower. FYI: If you want easy
room access from the parking garage, the West tower is the one to
choose. Rooms are typical Harrahs; clean and comfortable. A plus at
this property, unlike some others, is that they allow you to use
Reward Credits to pay for in-room movies. Starbucks, Andreotti's and
the buffet (currently closed for renovations) are all located near
the West tower elevators, so this is another plus. I would advise
light sleepers to get a south facing room in the East tower as those
are the only rooms that don't face the train. The trench is
scheduled to open sometime in December or January, so this soon will
not be an issue. Note: comps cannot be used at Quizno's.
Thankfully, I asked before ordering one of their overpriced (but
yummy) sandwiches.
Reno Hilton:
VP: The four PE machines are still located towards the Sportsbook
area. I did not check any other machines as I was only here for a
meal.
Food: Dined at Johnny Rocket's again and was shocked at the $91 tab
for eight (two kids) of us. This is a hamburger joint! Food was
good (on par with Steak N Shake/Culvers/In-N-Out), service was decent
but prices were outrageous! Like Ichiban's, this place is leased and
they stick you for the sales tax. Chalk up another place I won't be
visiting in the future.
General: They offer Win Cards here, so it's an easy ~$10 in EV.
They are still doing the free daily swipe, but I never received any
coupons of value.
Golden Phoenix:
Blackjack/General: This place was scheduled to close in early
December but ended up shutting its doors early. Knowing that dealers
and pitbosses are generally spiteful of their employer during times
like this, I took advantage of this opportunity to descend upon the
Phoenix like a vulture. I pounded their single deck BJ table with no
fear of being 86'd, spreading an amount that would be sure to get me
booted for any other joint within minutes. The count quickly
skyrocketed and I jumped my bet substantially. I caught a snapper on
that hand while the dealer drew more little ones. As the count
remained high, I pushed another big bet out and caught a A-9. The
dealer didn't outdraw me and more chips were pushed my way. After a
shuffle and a round in which the count remained neutral, it went up
on the third round and I again pushed out a big bet, catching two
faces to beat the dealer again. The dealer knew what was going on
and was cheering me on, saying, "I hope you win all the owner's
money." Sadly, the party ended soon after when the casino shift
manager walked over and pushed my chips back, telling me I couldn't
spread my bets like I was. She was nice about it and I quickly
scooped up my chips, hit the cage, and walked out the door. Later
that night, the Buzzard was to close forever.
Silver Legacy:
General: I received a $250 mailer, along with an offer for some
concert tickets so I had to make a stop in. In addition, the hundred
play 9/6 were to be my primary play while in town. During the one
evening C joined me for VP, she settled in on her favorite game, Let
It Ride (yes, I'm very aware of the poor EV this game offers). She
enjoys the game, only plays $5 minimums and generally at only full
tables. The slow pace of the game results in about a $10/hr loss and
she only plays it a few hours per trip so I do my best to deal with
the losses
can someone please tell me how do you calculate the
positive EV of keeping her happy? 
Well, as the gambling gods
would have it, she was dealt 7-8-9 diamonds on her SECOND hand. She
let the first bet ride and caught a 6 of diamonds. Of course, the
second bet stayed and the final card was a 10 of
.diamonds! Three
thousand bucks. I was in another part of the casino when my cell
phone rang, "Get over to the table now. Hurry up, right now!" I
thought either she caught a 4OAK or had some sort of emergency. When
I rushed over, I saw the three stacks of blacks. I stood stunned for
a moment looking at the felt trying to figure out what she had hit
(the next hand had since been dealt). She then yells, "STRAIGHT
FLUSH!"
VP: The inventory remains as listed in the database. I settled in
on the hundred plays and over the course of three evening sessions
got pounded. Only two dealt full houses and no dealt 4OAK's. I
managed eight SF's, so the extra $ from the added payout was well
received.
Food: We dined at the Café once, using a $25 meal offer C received
for her birthday. Strangely, they require you to go to VIP for the
comp, not to the Legacy booth. This wasn't on the mailer, and the
walk from the booth to VIP is a PIA. Service was spotty, but food
quality was very good. I ordered a Chinese dish that was of higher
quality than the same dish I ordered at the Peppermill or Harrahs.
We're definitely returning to this outlet!
Overall thoughts: Reno continues to be a very nice alternative to
Vegas. The airport hassles are a mere fraction of what must be dealt
with in LV, road traffic is minimal and the people are generally
quite a bit friendlier. The VP blows away what's available at most
high-end LV joints, and the money that can be earned on table games
play compared to LV is laughable. Try finding a playable single deck
game in LV these days. Hahaha. No, there's no cashback for VP
players, but the bounceback is high enough at the joints where I play
(SLegacy and Peppermill) that it makes it a wash. Comps are as good
as in LV (if not better), rooms are decent and food is acceptable.
The better VP is puuuure profit. If you haven't been to Reno lately,
do yourself a favor and give it some consideration.