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A few
weeks ago, the wife and I spent 5 nights, 6 days in Vegas with a wonderful room
at the Mandalay Bay. If you're going to Vegas in July, get a room at the hotel
with the best pool. We had booked the trip back in April on American so we got
both a great rate on airfare and didn't have to pay extra for checked bags.
That gamble paid off. We also booked a car through Thrifty and got a compact
for the trip for $158 (all taxes, etc) for the week. The car was a 2008 Dodge
Caliper and had power nothing. I didn't think they made cars without power windows;
door locks or outside remote mirrors anymore but Thrifty has them.
The
only thing objectionable about the car was the lack of privacy in the rear.
There was no cover for whatever you put back there and you had to remember to
manually lock all doors, including the rear hatch, before you walked away from
the car. For just cruising around town, the car was fine and saved all those
taxi fares.
The
first night (Sunday) we had tickets for the final Vegas performance of
Spamalot. We both loved it and as we were leaving the theater, they gave away
any remaining souvenir booklets they had to anyone who wanted one. What
were
they going to do with them anyway? Sorry that most Broadway shows cannot make it in Vegas. Our past favorites include Chicago, Avenue Q and Spamalot, all only had short runs. Mama Mia seems to have survived because they offer half price tickets for almost every night (Tix4U) and Phantom because of the mixture of Magic Show and musical (we both recommend all these shows)
Both
the wife and I both stick to JOB on video poker because it's the one with the
highest payback and easiest to learn. I know there are better paybacks but the
risk factor is a lot higher on other games. I love the 10 and 15 paybacks for pairs
and treys. We gamble to relax, not as a job.
We
found a bank of 9/6 JOB at Hooters just outside the Dixie Country Bar. Playing
it, I hit my first ever straight flush but the payoff was only 239, it was on the glass. Checking on
WinPoker, the difference between 250 and 239 was 99.5439% vs. 99.5199%. What
the heck are they thinking!! A difference of a few hundreds of a percent!! I do
like Hooters though, especially the 16-ounce Budweiser¢s in the ice-cold
aluminum bottles served by a very attractive Hooter babe. It took away the
110
degree heat almost instantly.
We
spent one afternoon at the "Pinball Hall of Fame" off East Tropicana.
Sort of a seedy location but we had lot of fun. Lots and lots of pinball
machines that only take quarters and pay only free games but a ton of fun. We
especially liked
the Rocky and Bullwinkle machine.
Over at
the Gold Coast, the only 9/6 JOB machines we found were at the Sports Bar. I
hit a straight flush here, it paid the 250 it was suppose to, but still no
Royals. I did get 4 to a Royal 5 times, got the blood boiling but
never
filled it in.
We
walked over to the Rio to see their new "hot and steamy" show. If
that's what you think is hot, book your next trip to Branson MO so as not to
offend yourself. It wasn't much different from the great shows they once had
before
Harrah's
took them over. Flying Elvis's and babes on Dolphins from the ceiling and other
stuff that dazzled the eye.
Traveled
over to South Point and found some 9/6 JOB over at the northeast side and
played them for a while, came out ahead but again, no RF.
When
not playing VP, we play Blackjack. This was not our trip for BJ, we just
couldn't get the cards no matter where we played. I'd stand with a 2 card 20,
the dealer would draw 6 cards to a 21. If that happened on an Internet gaming
site, I
might have thought the game was rigged.
We did
spend one day on a bus trip to Laughlin, some people we know recommended that
we check it out. The bus trip was $5 a person and included a buffet at the
Riverboat place, I don't remember the name. The buffet was not worth the $5, we
both got indigestion from it. The VP was no better than 9/5 or 8/5 at the few
casinos we went to (Gold Nugget, Pioneer, Ramada and the Riverboat place). It
was much too hot to check out any other places and we needed to stay close to a
rest rooms after the buffet. It reminded me of Shreveport LA but with a much
prettier river.
We
almost sat down at a blackjack table before I noted that BJ paid 6-5. We did
find a $3 3-2 table but once again, couldn't get the cards.
The
Mandalay Beach was wonderful and worth the extra cost of staying there. Spent a
lot of time in the Lazy River and the wave pool. We usually stay at the Planet
Hollywood but the pools there leave a lot to be desired. We stay there
when the weather is cooler and the pools are not a big deal. The best pools are
at the Mandalay, Rio and Mirage. but with both the Mirage and Rio, you have to
traverse public areas to get to the pool, At the Mandalay Bay, it's on
a different level.
How
many people have seen the entrance to the Mandalay Bay from the strip? It is
beautiful but most miss it because they get to the hotel by the tram from the Excalibur
or taxi and miss the unique entrance. If you're there, spend a few minutes and
check it out.
Didn't
get downtown this trip so I have nothing to report from there.
We did
notice that the town seemed less crowded than on previous trips. At 12:30 on
Thursday, there was no line at all to the Mirage Carvings Buffet (my favorite)
and the longest wait we had was at the Augustus Grill in Caesars for lunch (I
love their Onion Ring Appetizers)
Overall,
I was ahead on VP but left it all at the BJ tables. That's why they call it
gambling.
Good
gambling and hit those RF that I left behind.
As a
side note, Donald Trump sure likes his name. gaze up the strip northward and there
you see in Gold Glitter "TRUMP" towering over TI. I wonder why he
didn't get a gaming license?
ChetK
Fort
Worth TX
Worth TXth TX__
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