Flight-in arrives 9:20PM Thurs nite. Southwest has been futzing around with their flight
schedule. This evening non-stop got pushed out 3 hrs from the previous, which used to
be perfect for me to dart to the airport after work. Now it's 3 hours less gaming! At $137
roundtrip, I'm still content with Southwest. The new boarding method is ok- but every
change confuses some people. People are allowed to sit and relax, but my observation is
that there a lot of people who don't know how to relax, or maybe they don't WANT to
relax. You can see them- they don't sit, they either stand in the new boarding area before
they are called, or they hover, standing, along the boundaries of the numbered staging
areas. Maybe it's the sourpuss greeting ("no jokes please") and threatened strip-search we
get from TSA on the way to the terminal; or the repeated announcements to be alert for
unattended baggage. Maybe good citizens never relax. Maybe that movie Storm Troopers
is what we're moving toward; or THX1138.
So, limo guy is there in Reno, bags are out very quick, and we're on our way. I'm traveling
with my recently retired pal Jim. We're gaming by 10:30PM. I squandered my $200
freeplay much too quickly on 25c DDB - the new big machines I gushed about in October's
report. Well, they are still in good shape, but the firm buttons bothered my fingers and
the display brightness strained my eyes, so they aren't my favorites anymore. Headed to
the low ceiling room between fish bar & fireside for 25c BP prog w/ big seQ. I hit a quad A
for $100, then a few hands later, Jim hits the Royal for around $1100. What a start. This
was Jim's trip highlight tho'- he claims 15 more quads (in BP & DDB) (or WRFs in NSUD)
thru Saturday, then two days of nada damthing.
I noticed right away - NSUD is everywhere at Pepps, all denoms 25c & up. I hit quad wild
2s playin' 25c for $250 after midnite. not much else, playin 25c & 50c, then dropped 250
on $1 DDB and -$300 on $2 ACE$BP in hi limit. Quit day 1 down $450 at 4:30AM.
Day 2
Somehow up & gaming by 11:30AM. Maybe it's the steam shovel outside excavating the
old outdoor pool structure into the long dump truck 14 floors below my open window. At
10AM or so, a bank of low clouds hit the town and dumped SNOW! Cool view from by
corner suite up high in the tower. My other pals from Seattle are due in this morning and I
run into Mike and Lynn in the lo-ceiling room. They play 50c multi-line a lot, I played it
much less than usual this trip. I dropped 200 playing 25c x 5 NSUD & DDB, so I drifted
over to the $2 Job Prog which resets to $9400.
I hit two quads, $250 ea, which gave me a tidy profit for the session. Playing my creds
down to an even number, I drew 2 cards and hit the Royal. $9455. My biggest RF ever.
$60 tip. Two oddities on the payoff ritual: they brought the money in two rubber-banded
packets and asked me if I wanted them to count it out (I said no, which was another oddity
I suppose). I counted it myself, it was good. Then, they never asked me to play the hand
off. Mike and Lynn were nearby, so they took a photo amidst the excitement ( a suit came
by and said no photos!). I got a screen shot with my disposable.
Up 450 on the bank of 4 50c DDB with prog RF at 2050 (in new area near sportsbook),
thanks to 3 x $125 quads & a bonus quad A for $400. Piddle away 600 in high limit on $1,
$2 and $5 ACE$BP. Down 700 on 50c x 5 NSUD and $1 x 3 DDB. Recouped 700 on $1 DDB
(prog 4300) thanks to quad 4 for $400 and quad 4 w3 kicker for $800. Up $8600 on the
day when we 4 met up for dinner at Oceano. I had a very fine meal with a Yoshi roll (sushi)
appetizer and the petite filet mignon & lobster tails.
9:00 and back to gaming after a short room break. Host gifted me a bottle of merlot, a
cheese and fruit plate, and a couple pastries. I started off on 25c DDB and scored a SF for
$62 on this play: Ah/A345c toss Ah, drew 2c. This was the correct play per the cheat
sheet.
A quick run in hi limit came out even: $1 BP, $2 NSUD (two quints for 160 ea) and $5 NSUD
(SF for 250 and a quint for 400). A 500 loss on $2 NSUD despite dealt quint for 160.
Another return to $2 NSUD on a different machine and I held two ducks and drew 2 more
for a tax form +$2000. Here's another oddity: I assumed because I had hit two W-2G
jackpots totaling more than $10,000 on Fri, Nov 30 that I would get one of those $10,000
fed forms also. I mentioned it to the attendant who paid me for the ducks and he
mumbled "nah, we don't do those anymore." ??? 18 months ago I got over the $10K on a
calendar day at Silver is the only reason I even know about the form.
Quit about 12:15, up five figures for the first time: $10,000, on the day. Wow.
Day 3
Gamin at 12:30PM. Long runs on 50c and $1 DDB progs with lotsa quads but no profit: 2 x
125, 4 x 250 and 2 x 400. One of the 250s was a SF, held 3 (6-8-9). I'm playing and
dribbling away a few 100 each on 50c & $1 x 5 NSUD, and $2 BP & NSUD. On a $1 10-coin
DDB in the low-ceiling room, I note it has an unusual 6-way prog: NO prog on the RF, but
the SF and all the (5) quads have meters. I hit the quad As with no kicker for $1704 and
my 3rd tax form of the trip. Put me up 200 on the day. up a bit more, then I played 25c,
5-play BP Multistrike. The rare times I play this, it's for 10c denom. I was too lazy to go to
the 5c/10c/25c MS game out near the Cube bar, my friends were next to me playing the
multi's. Anyhow, I got quad 9s on the top line and cashed out down 50 and felt good to
get back that close to even. $25 per deal on this puppy. Better know the strategy! (I
practiced MS- JoB and deuces and DDB when it first came out, but am probably rusty.)
So, my friend's birthday is today, we make resos at Biscotti's. Nice looking place and great
menu. We were seated and waited 20 minutes with no water or even a word from anyone.
When we first sat down, we noticed a couple near us get up and leave. They had no food
on their table, so we figured they just stopped for a drink or they were employees or
somethin. Well, 5 min later their food arrived, and was set up with them gone. Two suits
sweated what to do for the longest laughable time (not covered in the new employee's
manual we guessed). At least 3 waiters/waitresses walked by our table without so much as
looking our way. We left. Bah bye! The clueless host/ greeter gal said "Bye! thanks for
coming." More laughing from us.
We walked over to the Steakhouse, got seated immediately and after telling the suit that
seated us about our Biscotti experience, we got waited on at the Steakhouse with extra
attention. I had lobster bisque, crab-stuffed mushrooms and salmon dinner. Rich stuff
that I paid the gastronomical price for the next morning, but ahhhhhh so tasty.
Back gamin' at 9:15. Being mr. moneybags, well, actually someone nicknamed me Royal
Boy for this trip, I decided it would be Good to play $300 thru the $100 denom VP
machine in high limit. My gang followed me to the lone machine, where I ceremoniously
played one credit on 9/6 JoB, one on NSUD and one on 9/6 DDB. I'd love to report I made
my money back or better, but all three dealt and drawn hands were forgettable and
forgotten. It was a hoot tho.
Playing 50c, $1 and $2 DDB, JW, JoB and NSUD, I had only one SF in JW for $250. I tackled
$5 coin NSUD for -500 despite a Quint for 400. Up 500 at dinner break, I finished the day
down 4900. Ouch!
Day 4
Sunday, starts off at noon. My friends are all early-to-bed- early-to-rise types. Mike
scores a DEALT Royal on 50c (DDB) 3-play for $6000. Will post this photo and a couple of
my own 'soon'. I stuck to 25c and 50c and it can be fun. I quit sessions up or down 100 or
even. Only 2 quads for 100 and one for 200 and down 400, I finally got a slick dealt quad
A with a kicker on 50c DDB for $1000, putting me up 550 at dinner break about 5:30 at
Romanzo with the crew. I had the baked polenta appetizer and veal and Scampi dinner,
excellent per usual and I didn't overeat.
I didn't want to repeat yesterday's post-dinner bankroll nosedive, so I quit a $1 DDB long
session at even money, after my third quad got me back to even. My 2nd quad was dealt
quad 8s and the 3rd I held an Ace and drew four Ks. Back on the 50c DDB prog bank of 4,
I held two As and drew two more with a 2 kicker for another $1000. I gave back 400 in a
longish session. Then I played a $1 DDB with suited RF progs- a lone upright next to the
change booth near to the promo desk. RF-Heart meter was 5436, Spades 6436, Dia 4650
& Clubs 4186. Dropped 500 to it with no quads. switched over to the 3-5-10 play
machine adjacent to it, and hit quad wild 2s on one line playing 50c x 5 NSUD for 500.
Zigged back to the DDB -300 and zagged to the 50c x 5 , -200 and fled back to the 50c
single line DDB w Prog @ 2170. Down 500. yeow. Down 200 more on the blue keno $1
DDB which put me even on the day.
Time for a hi limit session. You just never know, eh? down 500 on $2 coin, I got in a
looonng $5 coin session. NSUD and DDB, down a horrifying 1800. Still not sleepy, I
finished the day on $1 DDB, no winners and quit gaming at midnite, down 2700 on the
day. Up only 1900 on the tour total. Panic!
Day 5
Prepacked the nite before, bags to bell and gaming by 8:45AM! Dropped a seemingly
obligatory 150 on 25c denom, I joined Mike and Lynn out near the cube bar, me playing
10c denom Multistrike BP- they playing 50c x 5 and $1 x 3 DDB and NSUD. I make it up to
the 8X line 4 with one hand and I'm dealt the 4-part RF. I get them to watch and do the
mini-drumroll and Royal Boy scores! The Call attendant sign flashes and it takes me
longer than usual to figure out the win amount (10c x 4000 x 8 = $3200). That's a lot on
10c denom, schweet. Hope the photo turns out.
Gaming after that zeroed out, except no offset of a down 500 $1 DDB session. I
"discovered" the fish bar for myself for the first time in many Pepps visits, having never
played the bartops in there. They are MGame/MDenom, but the prog was on $2 DDB. ($1
10coin) Mike and Lynn were playing there, and that is a brutal game for anyone's bankroll.
I was sporting a $500 ticket and it went south in about 10 min. with $20 in creds left I hit
a quad T for $500 and cashed out even & happy. What IS nice about the fish bar is the
mood- it's cozy, and the video and the tunes are refreshingly NORMAL as opposed to the
schlocky crap we'd suffered thru the rest of the casino. Granted, the live performances at
the cabaret are very good if you are within the listening area, but the country and old fart
giddyup garbage in the casino became quite noticeably annoying by the end of 5 days.
Relief can be found at the fish bar! Yay.
One last hand of note: 3456d + 7c; I tossed the 7 and drew a 2d for the $250 SF. Not per
the cheat- lost $2.35 of my guaranteed $20 on that draw but I guess the risk returned
$230 on this one-time hold.
My last hand of the trip was a quad 8s on 50c DDB, so in 5 hrs on day 5 I was up $2100.
I grabbed a Bronx Bomber from the Sports book deli. Beef brisket piled high with creamy
horseradish sauce on a great fresh roll that I woofed at the airport. YUM. We were all on
the same flight home so we limoed to the airport at 2:15 for a 3:30 flight. Actually the
driver talked us into riding in an Escalade, which sucked in my book. I want my limo -I'm a
spoiled brat, I'll admit it. Uneventful travel, which is good. This Last non-stop home used
to be 4-5 hrs later, dang those Southwest flight schedule changers. That 4-5 lost hours of
gaming. You never know I suppose.
Stat boy, I mean Royal Boy's stats:
Day 1, -450, 6 hrs
Day 2, +10,000 10 hrs
Day 3, -4950 11.5 hrs
Day 4, -2700 10.5 hrs
Day 5, +2100 5 hrs
Total +4000 43 hrs
denom x hrs = $+/-
25c x 8 = - 600
50c x 13 = + 600
$1 x 10 = -4050
$2 x 4 = +9850
$5 x 1.5 = -2350
$100 x(3spins)= -300
multilines:
25c x 2.5 = - 650
50c x 2.5 = - 50
$1/2/5 x 1 = -1400
10c x 0.5 = +3100
coin-in total calc'd: $163,000
(will verify via host)
Jackpots:
5 x 100
12 x 125
4 x 160
3 x 200
1 x 225
19 x 250
6 x 400
2 x 500
1 x 800
2 x 1000
1 x 1704
1 x 2000
1 x 3200
1 x 9455
···
=========
59 Jackpots worth $30,800
finis.