Trip Notes: Early December 2005
Glossary:
C: My dedicated couponomist in crime and loving wife, Chris
ACG: American Casino Guide (current best price is at Buy.com)
LVA: Las Vegas Advisor (get the $10 sub at the end of every year and
score a full POV Pocketbook of Values)
MP: Matchplay coupon
BOGO: Buy One Get One Free
COD: Card of the Day
JJJ: Jumbo Jackpot John, the $113,917 Jumbo Jackpot winner at Santa
Fe Station in `03.
Arrived via SWA on time and had a wonderful airfare of ~$150 RT for
me and free for C via the SWA Companion Pass. Dollar was the
cheapest rental and unlike previous trips, I did not plan to tip the
lot attendant to get a larger car. I wanted the compact I had
reserved so I could pocket some gas savings. As fate would have it,
I was forced to take a full size car or wait since no compacts were
stocked in the Express (formerly Fastlane) aisle.
Our first stop, as has become our custom, was at Ellis Island (report
will be broken down by casino)
ELLIS ISLAND
Coupons: First stop was the pit to play an ACG matchplay (MP)
coupon. Sweaty Pete graced us with his usual snarl and the paper
promptly hit the felt. After pocketing a nice win, we headed to the
bar.
Misc: Our Latino bartender nemesis, trained in customer service by
Sweaty Pete, served us his usual attitude when we presented our ACG 4
Free Drink coupon for bottled waters. Ah yes, a fine way to start
the trip.
Food: Bottled waters in hand, we hit Metro Pizza in EI for a couple
slices since they were running a BOGO special. Great fuel for a
coupon run, and at a reasonable price too. Just be sure to degrease
your slice prior to consuming, else you might have to delay your run
a bit for a bathroom pitstop.
TERRIBLES
Coupons: GASP! The sportsbook parking was shutoff for some type of
construction and we were forced to park on the hotel side and make
the longer than usual trek inside. Don't they know that Hit-N-Run
players desire convenient parking for time savings? We planned on
hitting the slot club for a free funbook, but the usual mile long
line was in order, so we passed and went straight to the pit. The
ACG coupon is valid on any table game so that's a nice break from the
BJ-only POV coupon. We garnered nary a nasty look from the pit when
playing coupons. What's the world coming to?
HARD ROCK
VP: Sadly, the speed settings on the quarter 9/6 JB weren't turned
up past ploppie speed so there's no reason for a VP player to step
foot inside this poser's paradise.
Coupons: Another trip, another set of 6 pack coupons without a
problem. Whoever printed that HR restricted these coupons to new
members only needs to check the facts a bit closer. In 5 plus years
of getting 6 packs, we've never been turned down. The $10 MP remains
in the funbook. At the gift shop for coupon redemption, we had no
problems getting a deck of cards in lieu of the free shot glass.
FIESTA HENDERSON
Coupons: The pit continues to shrink at this store, and the
selection of table games continues to be pared down.
Misc: I had a $35 TITO from my July trip that I needed to cash. I
called in August when I realized I forgot to cash it and, rather than
mail it to a local to cash, I was told by a cage supervisor that all
I needed to do was to find a slot supervisor and cash it when I came
back into town. I stressed that my next trip would be outside the 90
day window and Lisa, the supervisor, stated it would not be a
problem. Once I arrived to redeem the coupon, I was told by a slot
supervisor, FOUR times that this was the "ONLY time" they would cash
it for me.
Construction is in full swing and I would imagine parking can be a
nightmare during busy periods. On a positive note, arriving at FH
from 215 is now a breeze since the freeway construction is complete.
VP: Sorry, didn't play a penny here. .08% comps just doesn't do
much for me on non 5x points days.
LONGHORN
Coupons: You didn't expect me to come to this dump for any other
reason, did you?
VP: The venerable quarter FPDW remain near the cage.
NEVADA PALACE
Coupons: We had a craps dealer tell us "One coupon per person, per
year" when trying to play a $3/$2 POV coupon after we played an ACG
coupon. I guess I'll have to cross my fingers and hope next year's
POV contains this coupon so I can play it in `06.
CANNERY
Coupons: Played the 50 coin ACG as well as the matchplay coupons
here. Add in 5x points, the COD and the various promotional
giveaways and even 8/5 Bonus Poker is attractive. Why didn't someone
mention this play to me before? 
Decent place too. I'm looking
forward to burning some comps on a meal here next trip.
RAMPART
Coupons: Also played a 50 coin ACG 4OAK coupon here. No COD promo,
but they were offering $10 in gas for $3K CI, you keep the points.
VP: All the $1 9/6 remains in place, as stated in the VPFree
database. Note that I did observe a 9/6 bartop that wasn't in
the `center' area of Addison's Lounge bar. I gave them about $15K CI
over a couple days so hopefully a mailer will come. We've decided we
could stay at this ritzy joint sometime.
Misc: For anyone holding a Marriott Gift Cheque (for example, the
$100 one they give away when you signup for a Marriott Visa), the spa
at the JW Marriott allows them to be redeemed here. C stated the
massage was a great value, even though I had to cough up $18 extra.
Hey, a guy has to splurge sometimes.
FIESTA RANCHO
VP: Stopped in on a Friday for some 5x points, and as usual we had
to go to the booth to get the promo. I'm guessing this is the case
for all out of towners? Every time we've attempted to swipe at the
kiosk, we've always had to go to the booth. Luckily there was no
line and we were soon in action. I spent the majority of my session
on the $0.10 MultiStrike. Save your preaching about the lower EV
versus the FPDW, I enjoy the buzz of the 4 and 8x levels so I played
it for about an hour. A FH on the top line was all I could manage
and bled for a bit before we hit the road.
SANTA FE STATION:
Food: Hit the food court during a coupon run timeout; Quizno's for
me and Panda for C. Is it just me or is $9 for a large steak
sandwich (80% bread/20% toppings) at Quizno's a ridiculous price? I
coughed up the points and felt the sandwich was flavorful, though I
pissed and moaned about it for about a day afterwards. C also noted
that the amount of Orange Chicken they gave her at Panda would barely
feed our 10 year old. Hey, it's a casino, aren't they supposed to
offer you obscene serving sizes? Yeah, yeah, they're leased outlets
but if you're going to break it off in me at a 67% point premium I
expect to receive at least a scant amount of value for the food
served.
PALMS
VP: All the usual plays remain, including the 10/7 DB on the bartops
easily the best atmosphere for a bartop play in town. Top shelf
beverages with a 3x pts coupon, what more could you ask for? Well a
royal, or even a quad, would be nice as I coughed up a few twenties.
Off to the 3play NSUD to rack up a few points and kick that VP buzz
into overdrive. After about 5 minutes, BAM, dealt ducks. Woooo-
eeeee, we're living large now. I'm on the phone to C and we're outta
there. First time I've scored a winning session at the Palms in
ages. I'd have to check my notes, but it might be the ONLY time I've
walked from this joint a winner.
BARBARY COAST
VP: The NSUD machines remain as advertised and I continue to get
crushed on them. Graveyard players should be sure to ask for a
mealcard if you have any sort of play history at the BC. I had no
trouble securing the comp on both nights of play.
Room: We were both looking forward to seeing the recently refurbed
rooms at BC. Wow, what a letdown this was. Other than fresh carpet,
new wallpaper and a new 40"+ Plasma TV, not much else has changed.
Yes, the furnishings are new, but the same old tired bedspread graced
the bed. The wallpaper appeared to be applied by a 6 year old, with
seams that were mismatched and obvious from ten feet away. The TV
looked great on the wall
.until it was turned on and had a garbage
reception. What's the point of a $2000 TV when you feed it a crappy
analog signal? One notable positive was they replaced those horrible
foam mattresses with real ones that actually offered some
support.
Misc: Our main reason for staying at the BC was the offer for 2 to
Drai's. John Z made mention of this offer in recent posts on VPMail
and VPFree, and I can confirm his statements. The offer was for
$100, though it was NOT stated on the mailed offer. When I checked
in, a few days after John made his thoughts known to Ozzie (the Fun
Club Director), the lady at the booth CLEARLY spelled out $100 on the
comp slip, while verbalizing this amount to me. I stated that $100
might buy us a basket of bread and a couple of glasses of water, but
would certainly not cover a full meal. She suggested I call Ozzie,
which I did the next day after putting in about $10K CI (and
suffering a $1K loss). Ozzie's reply was basically, "Tough$hit, it's
a leased outlet and you only get $100." I mentioned that the mailed
offer didn't state $100 and Ozzie wouldn't budge. Now for those who
remember Lisa Vios, you'll know that this attitude would never have
been given to the customer. If they wanted to make it a $100 comp,
fine, just clarify it to customers BEFORE they fly two time zones to
use the offer.
Food: Drai's. It was a near certainty that this meal wouldn't match
our previous experience at this outlet a couple years ago, given the
comp fiasco. And, I'm disappointed to report, the staff at Drai's
did their best to make our perception of the meal a reality.
Indifferent service and lukewarm food stood out during out dining
experience. When the server, Fred, realized we had no intention of
going over our $100 comp his service level dropped accordingly.
Dessert took 25 minutes to be served from the time we ordered and the
dinner servicewares were cleared. As far as the food goes, it was
very good in taste, though not served at the appropriate
temperature. My lobster ravioli's were again very notable in flavor,
but the barely warm temp was unacceptable. My wife ordered the free
range apple garlic chicken and, while moist and tender, it wasn't
piping hot. The Caesar salad was very good, but the French bread was
not of the same quality as our prior visit. The meal highlight was
the strawberry beignets. Wonderful would be an understatement in
describing these yummy morsels. For those who haven't had a beignet,
it's similar to a doughnut. They batter the strawberry and deep fry
it, then roll it in sugar and serve with a chocolate and vanilla
crème dip. Oh my, it was delectable. As mediocre as the rest of the
meal experience was, the beignets nearly made up for the other
issues.
Food: Victorian Room. The typical 30 to 40 minute wait was in effect
throughout our visit. If you have a comp, be sure to show it to the
hostess (along with a friendly attitude and a one time $5 or
whatever type of - bribe) and you'll quickly get the first available
seat. I gave the hostess a pair of tickets to a show that we had no
plans of seeing last year, and we are now VIP's in her eyes. The
food quality continues to be adequate, with the Chinese being notably
positive. I had Chinese both days for lunch and enjoyed it. The
other members in our party noted that the food was enjoyable, so this
outlet continues to be one of our main haunts for lunch while we're
in town.
ORLEANS
Food: Sazio's was the location of one of our dinners while in town.
We enjoyed the meal with Mr. and Mrs. EZFromNwOn from the VP lists.
Now to save a future chastising from Mr. EZ, I will note that Mr and
Mrs EZ are not vegetarians (not that there's anything wrong with
that) and they DID eat meat in their entrée. Overall value at this
outlet was excellent, given the 50% Coast promo points discount. I
enjoyed the Chicken Marsala and C had the Lasagna. C noted that the
lasagna was a bit heavy on ricotta for her taste, but I think it was
more a matter of personal preference than an actual issue with the
item's preparation. We also shared a house salad with some tasty
garlic bread. We passed on dessert and our tab, along with 1 drink,
was only $24. That's the sort of value I'm used to in LV.
WYNN:
VP: The bank between Red8 and Lure is as stated. I would like to
add that the bank is a 3x1 and not 2x2 or 4 in a row. The fact that
they were three on one side and only one on the other threw me for a
bit of a loop and I had to make three passes through this area before
I located them. Remember, 3 on one side and 1 on the other, back to
back. The machines are located near the cocktail waitress service
area, yet I had to flag two down in order to get service. The drink
served was of excellent quality, blended perfectly and in the correct
portions in a generous sized glass. Those that drink should watch
themselves here
one could easily over indulge!
Promo: Here's the straight skinny on the new member buffet promo
deal as stated to me by THREE different slot persons (I will not
refer to them as `noids here as they were all very polite and
knowledgeable). At the 50 point ($450 CI) level, you get 2 buffets.
The buffets do NOT have to be used at the same time and they MUST be
used Monday through Friday and they do NOT come with a line pass.
The 500 point buffets also do NOT have to be used at the same time
but they are valid all seven days and they DO come with a line pass.
ALL the buffets expire in seven days if not used.
Food: The Buffet at Wynn x 2 different nights. Wow, oh my, is this
a journey into culinary heaven! I started with the Chinese chicken
salad and was not disappointed. On to the brick oven pizza, which
was simply fabulous. Don't see the pizza you are craving? Ask the
young man to make what you desire. He did so with a smile and
willing attitude. How refreshing was that? I found Sterling, the
head chef, and told him about my experience. Sterling asked my name,
thanked me for the feedback and shook my hand for the positive
feedback. Yes, I spend as much time offering compliments as I do
complaining, when it's warranted. Back to the food review
..
JJJ noted the sushi to be worthy of three separate trips to the line,
stating the sashimi to be the best. There's some sort of unique red
Chinese fruit that looks like a red porcupine that none of us were
willing to sample but it appeared to be a well received treat among
the native Wynn patrons. The prime rib was restaurant quality and
could be grilled to your preference. Carved turkey was also moist
and flavorful. Mashed potatoes were wonderful (yes, plain old mashed
potatoes stuck out in my memory
they were that good!). C stated that
the pre split king crab were decent, though not of the quality we've
had in some restaurants. It was noted that the crab legs were neatly
stacked, rather than dumped in a bin, which added to the visual
appeal of the buffet line. I had a dish of Chinese noodles that were
tasty, though not something I've dined on in the past. Mongolian
beef was tender, spicy and enjoyable. For dessert, I tried a crème
brulee that, while flavorful, was a bit runny. The tiramisu was the
ONLY item I sampled that wasn't up to the quality I would expect at
an outlet like this. It tasted like a dish of yellow cool whip, with
a small hunk of coffee-like cake in the center. Hand scooped ice
crème and freshly prepared crepes were also available.
The bottom line? I've had the buffet at Bellagio and at Aladdin and
the buffet at Wynn wins by a large margin. As a frugal (yes, it's
true) visitor, I feel this buffet is even worth the $34 cash price
charged on weekends.
LAS VEGAS HILTON:
Misc: This place is a complete cluster of construction. Jack
hammering of marble tile occurred at all hours; day and night.
Carpet ripped out in huge chunks (we entered the sports casino at 2AM
one night and were led behind the lines into the service areas since
they had the ENTIRE walkway ripped up). We entered behind the poker
room and came out near the old bar by the cage. I would estimate
they had 25% of their slot product either off the floor or out of
service during out stay due to the extensive construction.
VP: IMO the Gamemakers are not long for the LV Hilton world. With
the other machine replacements, I cannot see the GM'rs surviving the
transition. The PE bartops in the SQ casino were completely deserted
early on a Monday morning. I had the entire bar (and casino) to
myself. It was a bit eerie to have an entire casino to yourself,
with the occasional slot attendant and drink server passing by. I
earned CB at a rate of .3%.
Room: For the first time in three trips, we were not able to score
an upgrade, even with showing our HHonors Gold cards and a $10 bill.
Reminder to self: Avoid young female front desk clerks! Males and
older females are much more receptive to Las Vegas coercion tactics
(aka bribes). Our standard room in the East tower was perfectly fine
and I enjoyed the work desk that overlooked the Strip.
OVERALL thoughts: There's no stopping the demise in Vegas, though I
left town this trip with a slightly better attitude than my trip in
July. I guess the $150 STL-LAS airfare + SWA companion pass savings
that totaled $400+ from my prior trip had something to do with the
trip starting off well. Auto rental prices continue to hold the
line, but the fuel cost can easily approach $50 if you do a lot of
coupon runs and driving around town (we chalked up 400 miles in 5
days on the rental). Coupons continue to be the way to get the edge
while in town, but I have to note that during our primary coupon run,
we lost 19 of 20 matchplay coupons, which put a notable dent in my
winnings for the trip. I'm hoping our play at Wynn and Rampart
generates some offers. Since we only did the Wynn promo on my card,
we hope to repeat the process again when C signs up for a card. If
all goes according to plan, 8 buffets, $20 FPlay, ??cash and 4 nights
at Wynn for $9K CI on a breakeven game will be the type of play that
makes the Legends book. Sadly, this is only a short term play and
the overall outlook for the advantage player in LV remains rather
bleak. JimmyJazz and I were reminiscing about the juicy days of the
late 90's/early 00's and it was then that I realized how weak the win
rate per hour in town is now compared to then
FYI: If anyone is
looking for extra LV coupons from the usual sources, feel free to
drop me an email and I'll try to hook you up.