Well, this is one of those tough ones to write, know what I mean, dear
friends? I came home with a small wad of one dollar bills, so I won't
starve at work this week anyhow.
Stayed & played at Silver Legacy Thurs eve thru Sun eve. Small
hitch, probably due to my late decision to book (about 2 weeks ago), I
didn't get my Suite!! Host says won't happen again, not to worry.
Lot of commotion Fri-Sun in town, some big name fight, a few big
concerts, and three SL tournaments (slots, BJ & Keno of all things)
and a special party & drawing, that I flew home too early to be there
for. Standard noisy zoo Fri and Sat nites, slight slow-down in
attendant & wait service, but that's a good time to go eat or take a
long room break. Like, if you're out of money, for instance, and have
to wait until midnight so you can tap your next day's ATM daily
allowance, FOR EXAMPLE only. Ha!
Flew Southwest. Limo no showed at airport, so I called bell desk, my
name was there on the list, they just screwed up. I said I'd wait for
it. Only slightly annoying. Checked in at VIP, another disappointment
that they couldn't give me my suite. Felt cramped in the room, but I
always say the room doesn't matter, so it couldn't harsh my buzz
today. Hit the promo desk to cash my $500 postcard bonus cash offer
that expired that day, Oct 27. Scooped the 5 benjies at the cashier
cage and headed for the FPJoker wild 25c at the bank of 10 slant tops
near Keno. They weren't there! I panicked and asked the Keno counter
lady if she knows where they moved to. You know, I have asked the Keno
ladies questions many times thru the years and they NEVER know
anything. They always play dumb and act like they don't understand the
question. So, I take another 20 steps and discover the machines haved
moved only 20 feet to one long row along the back edge of the keno
lounge. (No change required to vpFree database). All 10 still carry
FPKBJW and 10/7 DB @ 25c denom, 5 cred max. I play about a 20 min
session, and the floor is shaking, at first I think it a train going
by, but it lasts too long and I conclude it's a concert reverberation.
I'd never felt that before there. A friendly attendant goofed on me
by saying he couldn't feel anything. Even money session. This new
location is good in that it is away from that noisy coin redemption
machine, with it's occasional line of bucket-people or a couple of
security guys noisily emptying coins from the back of the machine. But
you now have your back to a higher traffic aisle and those zany loud
craps players.
Even tho my plan is to stick to quarters until losses pile up, I have
my own tradition of making a quick run on the $1 DDB progs. Up $50
there, I cash out. Prog at 4711, it would get up to over 5711 Saturday
night when someone (else) hit it. I want to make the rounds early, to
scout the machines in my plan - I play 50c ACE$Bonus upstairs outside
of Buffet. I hit my first bonus quad 4s for 100 and cash out up 50.
Time for a run on the 25c 3 line 10/6 DDB. More bonus quads w/o
kickers: 3s & 2s for +100 ea. and a SF for only 50, not 62 (these are
10/6/40 DDBs) and I cash out +200 more. By the way - Change the
Database on these 3/5/10 plays - there are 4 machines in this area,
not 2 per database.
An even run on the 9/6 DDB coin dropper slants near the main floor
mens room, prog @1102 end my first hour up 800 "casino money".
I decide to catch dinner at Sweetwater. Cheese tortellini is a sticky
orange mush and the spinach salad is soggy with too much dressing. No
need to try to finish. Must keep tummy happy for VP sessions comfort.
Back to JW near keno, long even session with 4 dealt quads- similar to
4RF or 3 wild deuces on the deal for excitement level. 5-of-a King JW
pays 1000 creds. Never hit one this trip.
For some reason I'm back on the $1 DDB next, hit a quad 6 for +250,
but the session takes me past midnight and I'm down 600 for that
session, still up 200 (bonus cash).
I'm wanting to play some 50-play near high limits, but all 4 machines
are full, so I take a try at the 100-play. nickels. I know 9/6 JoB is
the best game there, but I decide to play 9/6 DDB. I have some decent
dealt hands, like some trips, as I cash out up 150. Back up to the
mezzanine for some 50c ACE$BP drop 100. I decide to play 3-play 50c
DDB and within a few dozen hands I've hit quad 2 for 200, quad 9 for
125 and quad T for 125 for a quick +300 session.
I'm noting on my index cards the time of day a lot easier, even
without wearing a watch, as I'm reading the time off the Tickets from
TITO. Makes stat generation a lot easier. It's 1AM. I give back 50
at 50c ACE$BP and 50 more back on the FPDW in the upstairs alcove and
finish the night up 450 at 1:45AM.
Friday:
Sleep well, up about 9:30. The shower head is barely adjustable and
it's in jet stream mode, I'm hating these regular rooms more. I got a
cramped 3 feet between the end of my 2 dbl beds and the TV cabinet.
I'm on a middle elevator floor, far enough above the air conditioning
roof equipment and parking garage roof so I can enjoy the view. I
typically cancel housekeeping on my first day, and I leave the Do Not
Disturb sign on the door when I leave. Doesn't everyone do this unless
housekeeping is expected? More on this weird story later, this is the
set-up part.
So, 10:45AM I'm hitting the 25c single lines. Drop 50 total between
JW, DDB and BP. Drop another 50 on a $1 slot flyer. 12:15. I hit a
nice $1 DDB quad 4 for 400, up 100 for that session. Give back 100 on
50c ACE$BP. I somehow lose 300 playing 3-play and 5-play 25c DDB.
Another 100 loss on 50c 3-play DDB and I'm Even for the trip. Playin'
"my own money" now.
I say this even tho I know it's all my own money as soon as I pocket a
profit. I slip 100 into 5c 100-play and cash it out up 50 and head
for the food court.
Chicken chow mein - love the noodles and a generous amount of chicken
gives this meal a thumbs up from me for a mid-day filler, maybe even a
thrifty dinner. Back on the horse - I play 3 and 5-play 25c DDB and
drop 150 despite a quad 2 for +100.
I move up to 50c 3-play DDB, drop another 100. I find TDB with 9/6
(98.58% EV) thought it was the FP version which I now see should be
9/7, but I play 50c denom and drop 100 despite quad 9s for 125. It's
2:15PM, I'm down 300 for the trip.
Next , I try three 20's in the 9/6DDB 25c uprights along the wall just
N of keno. Prog at 1058, this one got up to 1200 by Sunday. Next I
play some $1 BPs that are at the base of the center escalator. They
have Suited Progs (Hrts:6818, S:4046, D:4459, C:6113) after I started
playing, I notice it is only 7/5, but I decide to cash out at a nice
even number, then I hit quad 5s +125 to cash out at a nice even amount
of up 150. Up 100 more upstairs on 50c ACE$BP, up 150 more from a few
minutes on 50c 3-play DDB after quad J +125. Up 50 for the trip to
here @ 4:00PM.
I'm playing $1's now, can't explain it on retrospect - I'm off my
plan. I think it's because I treated the lost 500 bonus cash as money
I need to recoup, instead of pure profit loss. Anyhow, I drop 500 on
$1 DDB & BP. Another minus 100 to 5c BP 50-play. Then I'm in High
limit playin' $1 BP down 200. I jump to $5 denom but stop after a 200
loss. Barely 30 hands and of course a 4-part Royal or two to get the
adrenaline flowing. I then realize I don't have to jump to $5 denom,
I can play 10 creds on the $1 denom BP, effectively $2 denom. I hit a
quad 6 for +250, but the session goes south, -300. I flee high limit,
but decide to spend 250 on the $1 DDB's w/prog @ 5071. No quads. no
fun. No money. ATM time and it's only day 2. I only brought about
half my usual stake in my pocket this trip, getting cocky perhaps from
many winning trips this year...
100 goes in 25c JW. I switch to 50c 3-play DDB and get a quad 5 for
125, but drop 300 in about an hour's worth of play. my last 100
disappears on 50c BP and I take a pizza to go from Food court express
off to my room to regroup about 8PM.
This is the time I gotta wait for midnight for another daily limit ATM
w/d. But I relax and enjoy the Truman Show movie on TV. Great movie,
w/Jim Carrey (my 3rd viewing) but maybe too much paranoia to view
while you are on a casino gambling trip.
I decide I have enough energy to go back out around midnight. I stick
to single line quarters for the rest of the night, cautiously scooping
small profits. About 2AM I'm on 25c coin dropper BP prog uprights in
the SW corner (bank of about 16 machines). Place is quiet, but my
ROYAL, drawing 1, makes a nice commotion. $1059 and I take that ( plus
my previous 500 w/d) back to the room after another hour on JW and DW,
at 3AM.
So, I had chatted up my host on the floor, a long chit-chat about lots
of stuff, and I mentioned about the room. He made some notes, I
down-played the impact, but he's perpetually trying to develop proper
communication with the front desk folks, so he needed the ammo. Said
he'd phone if he could find a way for me to switch rooms.
I get back to the room, and the message (orange) light is lit up on
the phone. But there's no numbered/labelled face plate on this cheap
room phone, so I don't know which button to hit to retrieve my
message(s). So I call the hotel operator. She doesn't know which
button to push either (geez!), but she connects me to the message
tape. It's NOT from host, it's from (what?) ?Housekeeping! This may
have been a recording, I couldn't tell. The lady says something like
we tried to provide housekeeping today, but your Do Not Disturb
placard was on the door all day and no one answered the knocks on the
door. So, please call housekeeping at 4113 before 9AM tomorrow.
Otherwise, we may ask security to enter your room to see if you are OK
!! WHAT THE __??
So, I don't know if they can't keep it straight that I cancelled, or
maybe they get angry at me cancelling one h/k visit: I realize they
get paid by the room or something (read that here on vpFree a while
back) but this also implies that me putting out the Do Not Disturb all
day bothers them also. So, I did raise my voice a bit talking to the
lady who answered the phone as I called before I went to sleep Fri
nite late about 3:30 AM. She was able to stall and diffuse my
complaint by saying they were just concerned about my health. Of
course, that was a weird incident that got me rankled just before
bed-time. Made me think about croaking in the room, a single person on
a solo trip. <sigh> have a good sleep, Mark.
Sat morning: slept well, got up before 9AM and was gaming by 10AM.
There's a Keno tournament going on, some empty breakfast food platters
are layed out on a table in the keno area, but early bird keno tourney
folks got it . These keno hardcores start early. And they leave
their black crayons on the VP machines. Ugh! Fast forward to 3:30.
After 5 1/2 hours, I'm down 750 of my 1500 daily bankroll. changing
machines about every 20 min. 5 of 11 are slight winning sessions,
thanks to quad 4s on 25c DDB and quad Ks on 50c (3-line) DDB. I
tossed a dealt str8 for a 4SF and hit the SF (+62) and got a dealt
quad 9 for +62, I see here in my notes. Also- the cigarette girl is
extremely hoarse as she hawks her wares, which is VERY effective at
keeping me off buying any. I brought along backwoods cigars and have
one about every 2 hrs
I go for a short room break then an early dinner at Fairchilds Oyster
house. I have the Pan Roast Crab & Scallops. That soup is SOOOoo
rich and cheesy, incredibly tasty. I finish the whole thing, after the
Fairchild house salad with bay shrimp added. Both highly recommended.
The bread is fresh here too, included ,and I enjoy a draft Sierra
Nevada ale. I didn't have much to drink this trip, there's enough
things that give me a headache already. Bailey's on ice and maybe a
gin mary or a beer once a day. Lotsa water. Another meal paid for off
the comp card, so convenient. I like to tip at least 20% cash on these
comped meals.
Off to a cozy slant top 25c BP w/prog on the north side of the house,
where I don't spend much time typically. It's just noisier. There are
8 BP prog slants on the NE (mens room) side of the escalator to
circus, and also on the NW (ladys room)side. I usually shop for the
highest Prog on these coin dropper BP & DDB banks. Wonder how long
these coin droppers will last. The $1 DDB bank east of center bar
still has 8 coin-droppers and 8 TITO, all on a linked prog meter. The
coin-droppers usually have more folks on them!! I don't get it.
Perhaps your money lasts longer on the slower coin-droppers. 500 Hands
per hour vs 800+ HpH on the TITO. Slow is better when you're losing,
I hear.
So, just as I slip my 20 into this cozy BP machine, a session of the
slot tournament in a roped off area nearby begins. These folks are
pounding the buttons so hard and fast and loud that it sounds like a
swarm of locust. And this one witchy lady is SCA-REAMING "C'MON 7's,
C'MON 7's" in this horrible scraggly voice. Laughable at first but 15
minutes of it makes it a nightmare. Halloween weekend. I fled the
area in terror. After trying to cash out my 75 credits which, of
course, required a hopper fill. C'MON 7's!!!
4 hrs later, I've made the rounds, mostly 25c, some 50c, single lines.
I got one quad to speak of on 50c BP, quad 2 for +100. Total these 4
hrs: down 250. Time for 3-play 50c DDB on the mezzanine. 3 minutes
in, dealt trip Aces, one more comes in on one line for +400. Yeah!
Where have these hands BEEN? My nightcap game is JW, down 100, as
I'm nodding off a bit toward the end. It's only 10:30, the casino is
generally a zoo and I'm tired, I got about 850 to last me thru Sunday.
I watch two episodes of South Park while my "stat-boy" persona is
busy sumarizing and extrapolating data to analyze for game selction
and planning for My last day Sunday. I zonk out about 12:30.
Sunday: I hop outta bed real early , pack up my bags, check out via
the TV, kick the wall and head to bell desk to double check my limo
reso, get my boarding pass printed and stash my bags. Left my room
about 8:45, and the first time check I do before I play VP a clock
reads 8:09. Oh yeah, wind the clocks back! An extra hour - help
winning or lengthen losing? Ya never know.
I play thru until 12:30, savoring each game, certainly not each hand,
maybe each 20 and each 100 dollar bill. It's a steady drain,
punctuated with quad 2s for 100 on a 15 min ride on 25c 10/7 DB. 50c
ACE$BP nets me quad 3s, +100 and quad 2s for another 100. And a brief
foray to $1 BP nets me quad 6s for +125. But overall on the day i'm
stuck 500. A brave session on $1 DDB will surely snag me one of
them there bonus quads, maybe w/one of them there kicker card
thingies. No dice, down 250 more. 25c JW and 25c BP prog skims off
my last 100. Time to use the last ACE up my sleeve: my Sunday ATM
withdrawal. 500 has to last 5 hrs. Can ..I...Do...It?
The first hour I'm down 300 of this last 500 playing first 3play 50c
DDB, then 50c BP, then 25c DDB with a 1177 prog. Another hour it's
3:15, a big drawing is going on, I never bothered getting my tickets
printed (they'll be they're valid for next trip's drawing..30K
giveaway on Sundays) and I'm down to my last 100, having dropped 100
at 25c BP, DDB & JW. Time to savor a macanudo stogie outside in the
sun.
About 3:45, I'm making my last stand on the circular bank of 25c DDB
progs near the SW corner entrance. My brother played this bank all
nite almost 12 hrs long ago. Inspiring and senseless. I got two
twenties left (plus the untouchable one securely in my wallet for the
limo driver tip), put one in and halfway thru the credits I hold two
3s and drw two more plus the 4 kicker for +200. On a typical trip, no
big deal, but in this situation, I should be able to make it last
until my 6:30PM limo for my 7:30 flight.
I piddle away 100 on more 25 DDB. I'm hungry and need a change of
pace. Prime rib at Sweetwater. They can't screw this up and they
don't: it's good. Lemon pie desert, coffee, feelin' good. I'm not
rushing back to the machine, but 25c DDB it will be. 20's go slowly,
a $62 quad every 20 min keeps me alive. But it's slippin away, 20 by
agonizing 20 dollar bill. The last 20 goes in a 25c ACE$ bonus
upstairs and then I'm down to some $5 bills. It's 5:50 or so. I hit
them nickel VP machines hard, I tell ya, and I double up to $10, but
it's time to go. I catch the limo. On-time, not-full flight, raining
in Seattle when I get home, charge the park 'n fly bill, light up a
backwoods for the drive home and enjoy gettin' home.
E-mail me for my stats - if I don't get to publishing them separate here.
Long report. Next one in December.
~MARK
36 hrs; down 3000 VP-ing
About 60K coin-in, I guess that's a 95% return which doesn't make me
feel any better.
25 jackpots over 100:
10 x 100; 8 x 125; 2 x 200;
2 x 250; 2 x 400; 1 x 1059 total of jackpots only 4759.