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Some Thoughts About Cosmopolitan

I stayed at Paris over the weekend and could see Cosmopolitan to the left of the Bellagio fountains view. It is actually one of the most accessible newer properties on the Strip. No convoluted walking here - you can enter Cosmo in a flash after crossing over from Planet Hollywood.

Whether you like what you will see depends on why you are there. Since vpFREE concerns video poker I'll avoid description of architecture, layout, etc and simply cut to the chase - the slot club and the games.

Cosmopolitan chose the name "Identity" for its slot club. It had to be one of the strangest sign-up processes I've ever experienced. The most accurate description would be like having a conversation with a concierge. However, you will actually get more information about Identity from the brochure you are handed than from the attendant. There you will see that it takes $50 in VP play to earn 10 Identity points. To advance to the Gold tier it takes 20,000 points. The highest level requires 80,000 points.

There is no mention of cash back or FreePlay in the brochure. Ask for a list of hosts to see if there is someone you might know from another property.

As mentioned earlier on vpFREE Cosmo is not heavy on video poker. But it is sprinkled throughout the casino. And you will find $1 9/6 Jacks, 8/5 Bonus, 9/7 DB and 9/6 DDB in the vicinty of High Limit. Think creatively and you will find it. The very back row of High Limit offers $5 and up NSUD in various multi-play options. I also saw a variety of $10 single-line games like 9/6 Bonus Deluxe and 9/7 TDB. Though I was allowed to scroll through the game menu and paytables I didn't actually play any of the games. That's because a woman seated there said she had lost heavily and was playing all four machines, though only one had any credits on it. I didn't want to add insult to injury and chose to simply walk away quietly.

At Cosmopolitan I didn't see any of the popular "gimmicky" games like Ultimate or Dreamcard, but I may have missed them. Air quality was too cigar-y for me, and the technobeat music a bit jarring. It was almost soothing to return to Paris.

Well, I guess I wasn't creative enough in my thinking, 'cuz I stopped in on Dec. 21 & 22 (while staying at Caesars Dec 20-24) and had no luck finding the $1 9/6 JoB or 8/5 BP. On the 21st I settled for playing a little craps - but no profit. In the evening on the 22nd, after finding only MG/MD $1-$2-$5-$10 where only the $5 & $10 levels had FP, I opted to risk a Benjamin on the $1 9/5 JoB. After about a half-hour holding my own I got down to my last $15. Was dealt 3-to-the-Royal (J,A,10 - Diamonds). Hit the DRAW button and got the K & Q for the RF. I asked for $3K in a check and $1K in cash. It took nearly 50 minutes to get paid - but I really didn't mind waiting. Once the paperwork was done and I played off the Royal, as requested, I threw another Benjamin in the machine and decided (What the hell, I'll risk one C-note on the 9/5 DDB. Well whaddya know! On the 3rd or 4th hand, I held the As,Ac,Ad and drew the Ah with a 3d kicker for another $2k handpay. (Went with cash this time to avoid any possible delay.) Then I spent about 5 more minutes running the meter up to $175, cashed out - and called it a night.

Never did find the $1 FP machines - but I can live with the disappointment,

Neil M.

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--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mikeymic" <mikeymic@...> wrote:

As mentioned earlier on vpFREE Cosmo is not heavy on video poker. But it is sprinkled throughout the casino. And you will find $1 9/6 Jacks, 8/5 Bonus, 9/7 DB and 9/6 DDB in the vicinty of High Limit. Think creatively and you will find it.