Hi Guys, Hope you all enjoy these memories of my last week long trip to Glitter Gulch.
All comments welcome...Tom
Vegas Trip Report June Sept 2-8, 2009 Part I.
Day 1: Weds
Hotel: Four Queens 3/nights
Food: $7 Romans Pizza ( $7 ) pepperoni. Could not charge this to my room as this place only rents space and is not affiliated with the Four Queens. While the pizza was OK for Vegas ( rating 4/10) , it cant compare to Chicago Brewing's terrific ones.
Bar: Sports bar in back and front while playing Ugly ducks progressives.
VP: Today was a mixed bag
- lost - $100 playing bar Ugly ducks progressives and all my free play.
- lost - $300 playing 10/7 Double bonus
- lost- $400 playing 10/7 double bonus
- lost $100 playing 8/5 bonus progressive at Fitz ( rf > 1800 )
- Won $1000 playing 7/5 bonus poker quick quads at the Fitz. I actually like to play here, but have mixed feelings since I wouldn't want to eat or stay here.
Misc: Trip from NY came in early at 9:15PM. Picked up my rental car from Alamo ( $199 total for week included full tank of pre-paid gas ). Check in at four queens was fast. My room was quiet as you always ask for high floor/quiet room NOT facing the Fremont Street experience. The Four queens offer was basically 3 nights RFB and $200 in free play. This place may not be the classiest place in the world, but they are consistently over generous to me and treat loyal players like family. The VP is decent and includes 10/7 DB, 9/6 jacks, and progressive joker and deuces at the bars which very often go positive.
Day 2 : Thursday
Hotel: Four Queens
Food: Breakfast at Magnolias Coffee shop ( fair ). But a great casino balcony view as you eat.
Bar: The 3 bars are great. $20 allows you to drink for free.
VP: Did not do very well playing 10/7 Double bonus and some gimmick games with horrible pay schedules like Ultimate X. Before going to bed, I tried the $1 10/7 Double bonus progressive. I don't like to play this machine much cause it's a "locals machine" with limited points for playing. I was so tired, I was nodding off and was ready to go to bed with the machine as my mattress. I remember holding a 2 card royal, and I dreamed I hit the Royal for $4413 dollars. But when the call attendant popped up on the screen and stayed up, and bells and whistles went off, I realized it was not a dream !
Misc: Chicago Brewing Co is a terrific place for Pizza and Beer. You can eat/drink & play VP at the same time. Hit 4 ducks while playing ( $250 ) to basically make $100 . But the large beers coupled with the lack of sleep from the night before really made me tired.
Day 3 : Friday
Hotel: Four Queens
Food: Had a MacDonald's double cheese over at the Fitz for 99C. I must have been starving as that was one of the tastiest burgers I have ever ate!
In the evening I ate at Hugo's Cellar. This is a good place, but totally over-rated and cant compare with most fine dining at strip hotels.
Bar: The Canyon club bar at the Four queens seemed dead for a Friday night. I enjoyed the band outside on Fremont street. They were a Fleetwood Mac cover band from Canada called Dreams and were terrific.
VP: lost $150 playing 50 play 13/4 bonus deuces ( this is the best EV on these at 98.8 ), and stand along 50C 9/6 Jacks.
M casino: Since I had business over at a real estate office on Saint Rose in Henderson, I decided to stop over at the M casino. It's a nice casino, sort of reminded me of the Red Rock. For joining the slot club they give you $10 in free play.
Lost $300 playing 8/6 bonus deluxe Multistrike. Did I mention the word "arctic cold", heck the guy playing next to me was getting killed to...then.....
Lost $300 playing 8/5 bonus poker triple play progressives. Because of the high progressives, I estimated these to be about a 99.8% play. So far, I'm thinking the M visit was a really bad choice !
Ok, so I blew $600 playing some questionable VP choices. I heard so much about this place, and while I only looked at about 50% of their inventory, I could not find a single full pay machine ! On the way out , I chucked $40 in a dime triple play 7/5 STP machine, and as luck would have it, got back $400 of my loss with a dime royal - so I did not feel that bad.
Hope I get some offers. I should get some offers .but will have to do some more research on their VP inventory - its just not that great !
Fremont: Lost $200 playing full pay pickem and quarter 8/5 bonus super time pays. Walked over to my favorite machine, The $1 9/5 bonus poker plus. After about 20 minutes hit the four 'non-tax' aces for $1199. Life's nice when for a cost of only a buck you avoid the hand pay and the tax statement.
Binions: This place is now owned by the four queens, is nicely decorated and hardly resembles the old rat hole at all. They have brought back the million dollar picture, and they are really nice and the cost is free. The vast majority of the machines are short pay - but there are 4 machines in the south section with full pay deuces, joker, 10/7 db, and 10/6 ddb. I broke even on these thanks to a quarter joker 5 - kind.
Cal: Hit 4 ducks on the 50C Nsud for $500.
Gave back about $200 of that playing the 25C $12,500 diamond RR with 9/5 triple bonus plus ( over 100% ).
Misc: Woke up early, and by 7:15AM was out running on the downtown streets doing my morning Jog. Got coffee and donut at Crispy Cream right next to the Fitz. While I did not take advantage, they have free internet access ( Four queens charges you $12 a day ). I still prefer the Dunkin Donuts coffee over at the Fremont for my morning Joe. The casino was dead including their "upscale club" the Canyon Club.
Day 4: Saturday
Hotel: Check out of Four Queens and Check-in at the Palms - but first a trip to Main Street Station.
Food: Had a bagel/cream cheese and coffee to go from the four queens Deli. Played some Video poker while eating, no luck giving back around $200. Played some dummy slots and actually won $80...fun-fun-fun.
Misc : They are so nice to me at the Queens. After a totally hassle free TV checkout ( total was zero, except for 1 in-room movie I ordered extra ). At the players booth I received $100 in cash back, a really nice 4 queens winter jacket, a T shirt, and a lava lamp.
Main Street Station:
- lost $100 playing 25C triple deuces
- lost $100 playing 8/5 bonus poker triple play
- won $300 playing 50C 8/5 triple bonus progressives ( hit quad aces )
- won $200 playing 10/7 50C double bonus
Sad to say, they removed the Wheel poker machines, but still have the more-for-four scratchoffs, which I collected $12. This place was my close second choice behind the 4Q's, but in retrospect I made the correct choice.
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