First, just want to say how much we enjoy visiting Harrah's New Orleans.
The people are great, the hosts are great, the food is great.
We are back from a wacky weekend with more ups and downs than a seesaw.
My husband was close to attaining 7 Star status, so we planned to play more
than usual to push him over.
DAY ONE. First thing we played at 3/5 and 10 play $1 NSU VP, only to lose
and lose and lose FAST. We tried the $5 slots, including one of my
favorites, Top Dollar, only to lose and lose. Within a few hours we were down
about $7000 -- more than I wanted to lose (if one can say one wants to
lose...) during the whole 4 day trip. Ouch! My husband went to bed in disgust.
I took out another marker for $2000, figuring I was probably going to lose
more and end up sitting in the room the rest of the trip, not gambling,
and sorry I had ever come!
I sat at a 5 play NSU outside the high roller room, and started playing,
and losing another grand in. Big ouch! Then I held 3 to a royal, and
wallah! Got a royal!!!! Yippie, a slight bit up. I kept playing, since in New
Orleans the system is to give you a slip for your jackpot, but then you
have to wait until they actually pay you money and give you your W2G. So
I'm playing and things are stable but not going up.
Then, the hand I've always wanted to see but had yet to see on 5 play -
dealt deuces!!! Wham!!! What a gorgeous, $5000 sight. I'm close to even but
probably not there yet. I sit and wait for them to pay me, and keep
playing.
Up comes 4 to a royal. Now I must have held 4 to a royal on 5-play
dozens, if not hundreds of times. All to often up comes nothing - not even a
deuce!! So I hold and hit superfast, not expecting a thing, but up comes not
one, but TWO ROYALS (and a wild royal!!). Over $8000!!!! I'm way ahead!!
I've hit all 3 jackpots in maybe 1 1/2 hours. Weird.
But wait - that is day one of 3 days of play....
DAY TWO. So day two comes, and my husband has gotten his 100,000 points
for 7* status, so has stopped playing, and I'm playing on my winnings. But
now the losing starts again... 5 play, can't get deuces. I try a 9/6
double double bonus $1 progressive (over $5000 for the royal), for several
hours, but can't get anything but a couple of quad sets of 9s and a 5s and
woops, down $1500 for this machine alone. I try Star Trek - it's a 2 cent
machine and soon I'm plopping in hundreds with hardly a bonus round to speak
of. I hit the $5 slots -- nothing, while around me people are playing a $25
wheel of fortune and hitting the wheel over and over. Lunchtime comes,
dinnertime, and I'm now back to even again. Argh! My husband heads for bed
and I decide to try the 5 play again, but the 2 machines are taken. So I
sit at the 10-play NSU. I'm losing again, I'm definitely down for the trip
again. Argh. I can't get deuces, I don't even see 3 deuces dealt to me.
And then, out of nowhere, BAM -- 4 DEALT DEUCES. The ultimate hand for a
10-play deuce machine (except for a dealt royal of course). 2 - 2 - 2- 2
- 6!!! $10,000!! I'm in the money again. They send a mechanic over to
check the machine. It seems strange to me, but he opens it up, pulls out
some sort of circuit board and scrutinizes it for maybe 5-10 minutes. I ask
about it and he says he is checking some sort of do-not-tamper sticker.
They apparently do this for any jackpot over $10,000.
DAY THREE -- I'm trying not to gamble too much, but it is raining outside,
and hey, what else are you going to do? I try the $5 reel slots, nothing
but take my money; the penny machines - yuk; the $1 single lines - nope;
finally the 3 and 5 play NSU, nothing. I'm losing again.... Thank
goodness, dinnertime, and afterwards I decide to stop playing and go back to the
room to watch a movie.
DAY FOUR - Time to go home. I'm still maybe $5000 up plus the money that
Louisiana State Tax took (about $1500) - some of which I will get back.
I've never had so many great jackpots in a weekend or such wild swings down
and up in such a fast amount of time. Thank goodness I ended up for the
weekend and not down. Those 5 and 10 plays can take the money so fast, and
the $5 reels that I tried were awful for me.
I took a couple of jackpot photos and I'll try to post them to the list.
···
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Regarding New Orleans -- we had a great meal at Ruth Chris steakhouse with
Coachvee and his wife and friends. The steak was really delicious. Also
ate at Cafe Adelide in Lowe's Hotel, but didn't like it too much this time,
though we have in the past. Then ate at Besh Steakhouse inside the casino
- we love their pate opening appetizer. Other food was good too.
We learned that 7* members now only get 2 free "pay" movies on TV in their
rooms. Another Harrah's cutback. 7* members in New Orleans also get a
choice of either a ride on the Natchez steamboat, or carriage ride, which is a
nice extra. 7* members still get free internet, which is very helpful.
The service in the hotel is just great. Unfortunately room service is
quite expensive. We ate the Ruth Chris brunch, which actually is a much
better deal than having room service breakfast at about $35 per person for a
3-course brunch.
Casino personnel are wonderful, but there seem to be cutbacks, so service
by cocktail people and for hand-paid jackpots can be slow at times.
There is an underground walkway between the hotel and the casino, which can
be quite useful if it rains (as it frequently does in N.O.).
For those of you who haven't been to N.O., I can't recommend it highly
enough. There are no signs of Katrina in the downtown area; and you'll find
the food, entertainment, and people to be terrific.
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