Hi, everyone. This is my first attempt at a trip report. I enjoy
reading everyone else's so much that I feel obligated to try. My
husband and I arrived in Reno from Houston around noon on Monday,
April 18th for a long awaited vacation with a determination to put
into actual play all we had practiced. The Peppermill limo driver was
waiting as we entered the baggage claim area and we arrived at the
Peppermill with no problem. Our suite was not ready but we said no
problem and left our bags to go eat and play. My husband plays JOB
and I am playing NSUD this trip. We have our mailer from the
Peppermill and with that my husband starts with $15 free play and
another $50 from a previous mailer. It was already loaded on his card
when we arrived. The mailer also had a coupon for a $25 meal credit
and a $10 match play coupon and a 40 coin 4 o K coupon. We start at
the quarter level (5 coins) The bar top machines all appear to have
been standardized around the casino, on previous trips I had seen
more variances in game payoffs. I take breaks from VP, when on a
losing streak or when just sitting down to get a drink, by playing
video blackjack. On previous trips I had to check each machine
because some had even money payoffs on blackjack, but on this trip
all the machines I tried had the traditional payoff at all levels.
You can get a really nice drink in the Steak House bar playing video
blackjack for 1 or 2 nickels. We spent the evening at the lobby bar
playing VP. I played all Monday on just my pocket money, never even
having to dig into my bankroll, finished the day up about $90.
Now the part of the story my husband insists that I include. Tuesday
we were still on central time and woke about 4:00 am. As I began
dressing I realized that I had taken off my wedding band as I usually
do at night and said, "I wonder where I put it". My husband
said the
last he saw it was in one of the glasses in the bathroom. I said I
brushed my teeth and rinsed from a glass. We looked at each other and
called maintenance. (I had dropped my rings in the sink once before
about 15 years ago so we knew the drill) They were up in the room in
less than ten minutes opening up the trap. When they returned the
ring, I took it as a good omen for the day. We were awake so had
breakfast at the coffee shop and then began our VP marathon. I kept
getting 3 deuces and never converting. I was still even as we broke
for lunch. Please be understanding about what I am about to tell you,
but I don't just come to play VP, I also like craps and
blackjack, so
I spend an hour or two each day playing those games while my husband
takes a break in the room. About the room, we usually stay in a suite
for the space and the Jacuzzi. This time the view was great, we had a
corner room on the 17th floor but the Jacuzzi had a fake tree above
the tub obscuring the usual mirror. That was fine, we figured it was
for shy people, but have you ever tried to dry yourself off with your
head and shoulders in a tree? This was also the only suite I had
stayed in that had an intercom type radios/music-playing thing in the
wall in the room and bathroom. The bathroom, shower and the room had
speakers.
By the evening I was down about $100. We played at the Fireside bar
to check out the free appetizers. Warning, the Peppermill now has a
roaming comic magician and assistant. They were performing a few
seats away when I routinely held three to a royal and looked down and
saw my first paying Royal Flush. The bartender brought a couple of
glasses of what he said was the best champagne, but was the worst I
ever tasted, even worse than the cheap grocery store stuff you buy to
make mimosas with and it was orange! I forget what he called it. I
just sat contemplating my royal so I could savor the moment. That was
when the annoying magician tried to intrude on my moment and we had
to shoo him away. We played a little more and roamed around the
casino trying to find a good multiplay machine till we ran out of
energy. We then had dinner at Oceano. We both got the mixed seafood
salad, which was great; I saved half of mine for the next day. I
really love the refrigerators in the rooms, on this one the icemaker
actually worked. Now if they only would break down and put coffee
makers in the rooms.
We set out Wednesday morning for the VIP lounge as had been
suggested, to meet a host and talk about our level of play, but were
told (1) there is no separate host for Video Poker, contrary to what
the VP Free database said and that (2) they would not call one for us
to talk to. The girl suggested pretty rudely that we should talk to
the people in the information booth, who were also unwilling to call
a host for us to speak to. They did as compensation tell us what our
comp total was, which I understand is unusual for the Peppermill.
So we again took our places at the Qube bar. We don't really
drink
that much just like getting liquids when we want instead of waiting
for a cocktail waitress. I was down about $250 after about 2 hours
NSUD play when I once again held 3 to the royal, looked down and
calmly told my husband, "I did it again". My second royal in
24
hours, after playing for about 10 years without one. (In fairness, I
wasn't a serious player for most of that time).
Since my husband was hitting 4 o K's on JOB right and left, he
had
already gone to 10 coins and now I did also. My bankroll stayed
steady the rest of the day. He was very pleased to be playing JOB, as
he was never up or down more than $300 the entire trip while he
waited for a royal (which he never got this trip). He was sort of
bummed that I caught up with his lifetime royals number in 1 24 hour
period.
Thursday we slept late, woke around 8, husband went down first, met
him at Qube bar around 8:30. Stayed even hitting SF and 40k's,
we
played till about 12:15 went to food court for lunch since we were
going out to dinner with friends from Reno that night. Food Court now
has prepackaged sushi, seemed pretty fresh.
After lunch my husband took a break and I again played craps for
about 2 hours. When I rejoined him at the Qube bar we played until
4:30. He hit a major winning streak and went up for the trip without
a royal or even a SF just getting a lot of 40K's.
I checked for some of the machines in the database. Could not find
the NSUD progressive by the Buffet. Checked all the machines but only
found a progressive that was at $1071.89, 279.97, 31.47,
80,65,20,15,10,10,5. I may be doing the calculation wrong in Winpoker
but that came out at 98.1% for me. There was also a pick a pair a
little ways back toward the cashier that was
10,000,1000,500,90,75,55,25,15,10 that according to my calculation in
Winpoker is 99.24 with variability of 20.91869. I could not find
pick `em machines the database says are near the Blue Reno. Those
machines all seemed to be the regular multiplay. I also looked for
the FPDW in the alcove by the Fish Bar that the trip report to 4/17
reported but did not see. I may have not been looking for the right
pay schedule.
Friday
We got up about 6 am and had breakfast. We showed Harold, the 77 year
old waiter on the night shift in the coffee shop, his mention in the
Peppermill Casino information in the VP Free database and he was very
impressed. We played for about 5 hours. I finally got the 4 deuces
that were all I had expected for the trip. Never thought that I would
have more Royals than 4 deuces. I played until I was down to about
plus $75 for the day and then played craps for 2 hrs, blackjack for
about 30 minutes and lost about $125 combined. We had lunch around 2,
and then played again till 5:30, I stayed even. I don't know how
you
all do it for 8-10 hours in a day. I was in a stupor hitting the
touch screen. I did find a 8/6 JOB progressive job near Flamingo bar
neer the Food Court currently at an over 100 % return with
progressives at $1240.67, $124.86, $35.52 10.76 30, 20, 15,10,5. Too
much variability at 32.55 for me.
Sat. awoke around 6:30, lost $14 at video blackjack, getting my
free ? coffee. Evens out though last night was up $28 at video BJ
getting my free nightcap. Most delicious drink I ever had, called a
Chocolate Banana, declined the whipped cream but said yes to the
(infinitesimal) alcohol. It was like a milk shake. Yum, Yum, may be
all I eat the rest of the trip. Except for the banana macadamia nut
bread in the coffee shop, give it a try, either as a bread or as
French toast. I order extra and take home and freeze for my between
trip craving.
But enough on food. We got down to the Qube bar where we play the
most, 9 6 job in 25c and $1.00 and NSUD, double bonus is only 9/7,
don't think there is any 10/7 left in the Casino. The machines
had
Bonus Poker at 99.1660, Bonus Poker Deluxe at 99.6417, Double Bonus
Poker at 99.1065. Did find Spin Poker behind the Qube bar towards the
buffet with, to the best of my knowledge and belief, 9/6 JOB and NSUD
down to the penny level up to $1.00 I think. Played those a little,
but could tell would give me a headache for any length of time. I did
find at least 1 of the full pay DW by the Oceano doors
Played craps from 11 to 2, up about $25 lunch with husband, then back
for a little VP and then watched my Rockets win. Collected my $5.00
winning bet. Husband has now reached his goal in hours for trip and
is up slightly so doesn't intend to play any more.
Sun. don't feel like playing VP alone so play $25 with free ace
at
blackjack coupon, 1 hand, won, play craps for hour or so, down 75,
play blackjack for about 45 minutes up 50 so take my breakeven day
over to Sunday drawing and my name is called to spin, can win up to
10K, I win $100, and am up for the for the day and so I quit. I would
have checked out more machines but was uncertain what the Casino
policy is toward people making notes about the machines. The daily
card swipe Peppermillions coupons were pretty good for the trip, we
got 4 gift shop points ($4.00), two 40 coins for a 4 of K coupon and
one 400 coin sequential royal coupon on which we never collected.
(came late in the trip and never got the quads), 3 free aces with a
blackjack bet, on which I never got blackjack, lost 2 five dollar
bets and won the $25.00 bet, and 3 match play coupons which I used at
craps, winning on the five and 10 dollars bets and losing on the $25.
Incidentally, for those who play craps, they have taken the big 6 and
8 off the table, since the only good use for them were with match
play coupons. I also got $5.00 match play keno and sports parley
coupons, neither of which I won on. There are also some new
promotions geared toward slot players and an indication that the
expanded card swipe machines will be used to check point and comp
levels and maybe write your own comps from your account. Nothing
specific was mentioned just my inference from some comments I heard.
Mon, leaving, husband plays VP for a while with me since it is last
day I throw caution to winds and play dollars. Got 3 deuces once but
did not turn into the 4. I was down about $75. So I take $25 and see
if I can win millions on the slots, but don't, leave for airport
in
limo. We have been coming to the Peppermill for about 5 years, but
this is the first trip where we really put money thru. We figure 5
days at around $8000 a day for both of us, not counting table games
and the weekend when we rested compared to the rest of the trip. I am
up around $700 for the trip, after tips, meals, etc. and my husband
up a smaller amount since he never hit a big payout. We figure that
the Peppermill comped us about $350 towards our room and food from
this trip's play, it was hard to tell exactly since we had
leftover
comps in some amount from a previous trip and did not know our
beginning balance.
We will be returning on a business trip in July so I hope to come
with a slightly larger bankroll and see who will be the winner, me or
the Casino. I will try to scope out more of the machines while my
husband is out working.
Okay, now that this is finished and posted, I don't feel guilty
any
more just reading everyone's posts and living vicariously and
getting
my fix between trips.
Good luck to everyone
Trish
