Las Vegas Trip Report October 2009
SATURDAY Part 1
This is my second trip to Vegas this year. The first was seven days in May with my wife. On this shorter three night/four day trip I went solo. I left Saturday morning from Manchester, NH via Southwest and had reservations at McCarran at Hertz (special AAA deal) for $80 and at Dollar for $100. Double reserved in case the line at Hertz counter was too long (no special Hertz membership), but I have Dollar Express. Upon arrival at the rent-a-car center, with thirty customers at the Hertz counter, I proceeded downstairs to the Dollar Express kiosk and got my Dollar reservation processed in about three minutes. Renting a mid-size, most were relatively new Kia's. I went around the outside of one to check for damages, and I noticed there was no license plate on the car. I know this is legal in NV, but I prefer a car with a plate on it. So I looked at all the rest of the Kia's and none had plates. So I grabbed a blue Subaru Legacy with Colorado plates figuring the Colorado plates would be easier to pinpoint in a parking lot or garage.
Next, I headed to Suncoast Casino for the lunch buffet. I picked Suncoast because A) it was one of the few decently-rated buffets that I had never been to; B) my MRB coupon was good on a Saturday and allowed 50% off for one; and C) as usual, I had a cache of matchplays and freeplays (MPs and FPs) from ACG, and LVA, MRB. and I had a Rampart $25 MP next door, a Suncoast $5 MP, and a Red Rock $20 coupon for free chips, which is nearby.
I first went to Rampart and lost a $25 MP on red (black won), but did win $5 playing FPDW VP for about 10 minutes. At Suncoast, I turned a $5 bet with MP into a $15 win playing blackjack with a double down. At the Sun Coast buffet with the MRB coupon the cost was reduced from $8.00 to $4.00 and the remaining $4.00 was covered with some old B-Connected points I did not know that I had (was told I had $5.00 in points).
The buffet, which I thought would be better than Gold Coast's buffet, was not. I'd rate it a 3 or 4 out of 10. Nothing looked appetizing, the sliced beef was tough and the sliced turkey was dry and the selection of other stuff was not diverse. Regarding mid-priced buffets, I'd rate it a notch below Silverton and Orleans, and equivalent to Gold Coast and Palace Station. But not in the same league as Rio, GVR, or Red Rock.
After lunch, I drove over to Red Rock to use my MRB (buy in for $100 and get $120 in chips) coupon. I assumed you'd get $120 in non negotiable chips for $100. But instead they give $20 in non-negotiable (must be played) chips and a negotiable $100 standard black chip. With the $20 in non-negotiable chips, I played $10 each on Red and Low (1-18) on the same roulette spin, but Black and High won. I then went back to the cage cashed in my $100 black chip and got my initial $100 back. So despite the hypothetical $20 in chip loss, I lost nothing. If you think about it, when they give the $100 chip and $20 in non-negotiable at the cage, you could just request they cash the $100 chip in then and you'd get your $100 back before even leaving the cage. I'm not complaining (it's more preferable to me than $120 in non-negotiable), but a Forest Gump saying comes to mind.
Before leaving Red Rock, I played some FPDW and LDW VP at a mix of the $0.25 to $1.00 level. I played for a bit, but after a while left down $100.
It was then time to check in to the LV Hilton on Paradise for three nights for $33 per night on a special USPS mailer offer (including a Saturday night stay). At the check-in counter I laid my credit card, license, and a $20 bill on the counter, but just slid the license and credit card (and not the $20) to the check in woman, and very nicely asked for a low floor, redesigned, North Tower (near the parking garage) room (if they had one available) even though the mailer stated it was for only a "Classic" (un-redesigned) room.
She said in that category, she only had smoking rooms available on the lower floors. So I said, I'd take a higher floor non-smoking if everything else was met. She said it as was, and it also happened to be a strip view room.
I thanked her for her "hard work" and gave her the $20. The room was very nice and the view wasn't bad except for the black half-finished monstrosity on LV Blvd and Riviera they call the Fontainebleau and the non-descript, City Center. A few things that stood out in a good way from there was Wynn, Encore and Trump as well as further down the strip, the New PH condo Tower, I believe it's called PH Westgate.
After showering and changing, I went downstairs and played a $10 MP on red, but black won. Next I went to the Sportsbook area and played some LDW VP for awhile at the $0.25 and $1.00 level and lost $60.
Eventually it was time to leave for the Cannery, where I had an inexpensive, but front row seat to see a Dionne Warwick concert at 8:00 PM. I think I was assigned a front row seat because I was only looking for a single ticket. The seat price was the same price as seats for many rows back. I've always liked her voice and songs (mostly Bachrach songs), and figured I'd catch her before she stop's touring completely. I hear part of her motivation in touring was to pay off $2 million in back taxes to the State of California.
At the Cannery, before the concert, I played a $10 MP on BJ and lost but decided to play a few hands without a MP because the rules were decent and the minimums were low; but mainly I had time to kill before the concert. I lost another $15 and then found their FPDW VP machines and lost another $20.
The show room at the Cannery is different from any other I've seen. The front one third is inside with a level floor, then the rest is outside consisting of round table seating in the front of the outside portion followed by inclining metal bleacher seats at the rear outside portion (the type you might see at the side of a small high school soccer/lacrosse field).
Although the stage was pretty high (about four feet), the front row seats (that I was sitting in) were back from far enough from the stage so the view from the front row seat was fantastic. Dionne maintained eye contact with the audience throughout the concert, particularly with many of us in the front row.
She did many of her hits and a few other songs and she and the band sounded great. The woman piano player (also the band leader) was very talented. Despite that the other instruments (except for drums and bass) were replicated by two keyboard synthesizer players (e.g., guitar, strings, brass, woodwinds, and harmonica), the instrumentation sounded authentic.
The only downside was she kinda begged too much for applause particularly for her band members and the show was short (began at 8:12 PM and was done by 9:30 PM (and she did not come back for an encore).
Since it wasn't late, after the show, I decided to drive to the Palms. Across from the Palms, I noticed there was a Sonic take out restaurant. In New England, where I live up until about a month ago, there were no Sonics and the people in New England who had been to Sonics in other parts of the country had high praise for them. Apparently the first few weeks they were open in New England there were long lines and traffic jams at the Sonic. Since I hadn't eaten since lunch and it was about 10:00 PM, I was hungry. Better still, I had a buy one Sonic burger, get one free coupon from MRB. So I had my first and second ever Sonic Burger. I thought they were very good and were large. I also had a limeade, which was excellent.
After, the burgers, I drove across the street to the Palms and the place was mobbed and I was treated to a view of the many good-looking, mostly skimpily clad, nubile women hanging out throughout the place. On a Saturday night, this is one of the best free shows in all of Vegas.
To also pass the time there, I played a bit of $0.25 FPDW VP progressive, which conveniently provides an excellent view of the parade of lovelies waiting in line to get into the various clubs. This rates up there with the Bellagio fountain show for Saturday night entertainment (if you are with the wife stick to the fountains, they also may pay dividends).
Two firsts occurred while I was there: 1) I got my first set of deuces ever at the Palms (paying $250); and 2) I got my first ever proposition from a hooker.
Me: (sitting at FPDW machine playing at a rate of about 800 hands per hours).
Her: (sits at the adjacent machine, but is not playing and I notice she is thin, pretty, and well dressed. I figured she is just taking a load off her feet for a couple of minutes. I then notice how young she looks and I'm thinking she could pass for 16 and actually may be that young).
So she says to me (with a very young and somewhat nervous and under-confident voice): "Are you winning?"
Me: (thinking) Why is she talking to me? I'm fifty something with grey hair and overweight.
Me: Replying: "No, how about you, are you winning?"
Her: "No. . . Are you here by yourself?"
Me: (a bit shocked and now thinking, I'm pretty sure I know where this is going and thinking not only could I get busted for solicited a prostitute, but in this case probably run the risk of statuary rape of a minor and whatever else that goes along with it. Even if it was free -- and I wasn't married -- I still wouldn't risk it, as she really looked young enough to be jail bait.)
But, anyway I respond: "Yes, I'm here by myself."
Her: "Are you looking for a date?"
Me: (thinking, I was right about her intentions and further thinking, "date", is that what they call it now?
Me: (saying) "No, no thanks."
Her: "No problem at all. Bye."
Me: "Bye"
The good news is right after saying no, I got my first ever four deuces at the Palms FPDW machines (paying $250). In the end, I left up $200.
I then went back to the Hilton and before hitting the hay (by myself) played some LDW VP for a while and won another $50.
SUNDAY part 2
Got up at the crack of dawn and went to the Peppermill for coffee and warm banana bread to go. I then drove out to the Rainbow Club Casino in downtown Henderson (coincidentally owned by the same people who own the Peppermill on the strip). It even looks a bit like it inside. The attraction here is the 10 coin $0.25 FPDW VP. No Player's Club, but still not a bad play and the machines are TITO. I've been playing here every trip for the past four years, but frustratingly have yet to hit four deuces here (or a royal). With 10 coin 25c play, four deuces pays $500. The bad news even after this trip, I still haven't gotten four deuces here, but the good news, that day I did get a royal instead. In fact, this was my first-ever royal in five years of playing VP. So I got a W-2G; 20 - $100 bills, a free T-shirt (for the royal), and ultimately left up $1,900 (this time with two shirts instead of my usual loss of my shirt).
From here, I drove over to GVR to watch the Red Sox (my home team) play the third game of the division series with the Angels. The Sox blew it. It was so discouraging the way they played, by the middle of 9th inning, I began rooting for the Angels to win. Based on how well the Angels played and how poorly the Sox played, the Angels deserved to win. Now only if the Angels can beat the Yankees, that would be great. While there, I also lost about $90 playing FPDW and LDW VP at the $0.25 to $1.00 level.
After the game I decided to try a Wincard run. Wincards are available at three adjacent strip casinos: Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur. Both MB and Luxor offered $30 in non-negotiable (must be played until lost chips) for $20 and Excalibur offered $15 in chips for $10. So, overall it's like getting $75 in chips for $50. The other motivation was that I've been to every casino on the strip, except for the Excalibur and the Encore, and I made sure this trip I would make it to both.
The other nice feature is that there is a tram and a people mover to get you from and to these three casinos in relatively short time. I parked at MB and took the exterior tram to the Luxor and the interior people mover from Luxor to Excalibur and then the exterior tram back to MB. I couldn't hit much using the Wincard chips and even with the benefit of an added $25 in free Wincard chips, I still overall lost $20 in cash. Had I not taken the Wincard deal, however, I would have lost $45. So the Wincards saved me $25 in losses.
Since I hadn't eaten since about 6:00 AM, from there, I went to the Palms for a late lunch at the 24/7 Café,. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat and eventually decided on three eggs with bacon, home fries, and toast. With Fresh OJ and coffee, it came to $14, but I had an MRB Palms 50% off MRB coupon and some "old" points that covered the balance. While there, however, I lost $100 playing FPDW and LDW VP, but recouped $40 on two $10 MPs (one before lunch on roulette and one after lunch on BJ).
From there it was a short drive east on Flamingo (across the strip) to Ellis Island and to Terrible's where two $10 MPs netted me a $40 gain, followed by two more $10 MPS at the Hilton where I won one and lost one for a $10 gain. LDW VP at the $1.00 level at the Hilton followed, however, for a $200 loss.
The good news: overall for the trip as of now, I'm still up $1,605.
MONDAY part 3
The day began at the Hilton with a $10 MP loss followed by a $20 VP loss. From there at Terrible's with a $10 MP and a BJ, I left with $25 in winnings, followed by a $20 win on a $10 MP at Ellis Island. Next I headed downtown, but on the way, made a quick stop at the Sahara for a $5 loss on a $5.00 MP.
Downtown I parked at the Vegas Club garage. I noticed they were no longer collecting $5.00 at the parking garage kiosk and that they were using the back room as some sort of club with a stage (last time I was there it was empty). Tinnoco's have taken over what was the Great Moment's Room Restaurant, which then became the VC coffee shop. I've heard good things about Tinnoco's.
The most hilarious thing I saw was an arcade type game at the Vegas Club. It is the kind you see with the crane inside that comes down and you try to catch a prize (usually a stuffed animal). In this one there was the crane above hovering over a pool of live Maine lobsters. For $2.00 you could try to lift one out of the pool with the crane. If you succeeded you apparently could bring your lobster to Tinocco's or some other restaurant in the VC and they would cook it and serve it to you. Since I can get live and steamed whole lobsters at my local supermarket here along the coast of MA for about $5.00 each, I passed on this gamble.
After going 2 for 4 playing MPs at the Vegas Club, Plaza, 4Queens, and Fitzgerald's, I netted about $10. But then I decided to check out some of the ancient Downtown Deuces machines in El Cortez AKA eC located in the room where the Subway exists. It was like playing on an Atari game as opposed to a Sony Playstation III. It was slow, the sound was primitive, and the screens reminded of an old 9" interlaced VGA computer screen of the late 1970s. Still, the pay scales were great with 4,700 for a royal, etc. So these actually paid better than FPDW at 100.9%. And despite not getting four deuces or better, I still managed to win $160 quarters ($40) plus get my original $20 (80 quarters back), So I brought my 240 quarters to the cashier in a plastic cup and he also counted out 240 quarters and gave me $60. On the way back, I stopped at the Fremont and noticed they had FP Pick'Em, a game I play in CT at Mohegan Sun, They only had it at the 25c level, but feeling a bit nostalgic for home and knowing this game cold, I threw in $20 and couldn't seem to lose a hand. Although the best hand I hit was a full house, I still managed to walk away with 200 quarters ($50) in profit for a cash out of 280 quarters (since this machine was also not set up for TITO).
From Downtown, I decided to take the drivable section of Fremont St. to Boulder Highway and stopped by the E. Cannery for lunch, a MP, and some FPDW with double points. I ate at Snap's coffee shop and had a chicken club sandwich with fries and a Diet Coke. The food and service were average, but again I had an MRB 50% off entrée coupon so saved a few bucks on that. Unfortunately after looking at the expected spot for the FPDW machines I couldn't find them there or anywhere near there. So decided to forego the VP and played a $10 MP on BJ. I got a BJ, but so did the dealer. After the push, on the next hand I was less lucky and left with a $10 loss. From there, I bolted across the Highway to the Longhorn, where I had a $10 ACG MP and since they had some beneficial rules decided to play some straight up BJ (one advantageous rule is you can double on any two or any three cards). So for example if you were to be dealt a 3 and a 4 and you took a hit and it was another 4 before taking your next hit you could double on the three cards totaling 11.
Anyway, some guy was just finishing up a monster winning session when I sat down at a $3.00 minimum table and he had about $3,000 of $25 chips in front of him. Well apparently he used up all the good luck for the day there, as I lost seven hands in a row for a $40 loss and decided I'd had enough and left.. Before heading back to the Palm's (my home away from home). I decided to swing by Bill's to use a $10 MP. I did and lost and then went to the Palms where I switched my play from FPDW to LDW. The LDW machines are located near the front door. The one I played was turned up very loud so each time I'd win people playing and dealing BJ across the aisle could hear every win.
After a while it happened: I was dealt one deuce, I held it, and drew four cards, and three more deuces showed up and all hell broke loose. The machine wouldn't stop racking up the credits and the sounds and songs kept playing very loudly for about three solid minutes. Unlike FPDW that pays $250 for four deuces, LDW pays $625. For a five quarter game, that's quite a hit.
As the song kept on playing loudly, the female BJ dealer just kept looking at me apparently knowing that I had hit it big. LDW is a great game when you hit four deuces, but when you don't, it can bleed your bankroll very quickly. After collecting my $625 ticket, I swaggered over to the BJ table and played a $10 MP and won that as well for a $20 win.
I'm now up $2,220 for the trip.
One other casino I had heard a lot about was the new "M" casino far south on LV Blvd. Being close to the I-15 I decided I'd take a spin down there to see what I could see. I took I-15 to the St Rose exit. It's very nice inside and out and looks in some ways like a smaller version of Red Rock casino: a lot of stone and marble and very cushy and colorful carpet. I tried to sign up for a player's card, but there were about 30 people in line. What's up with that? They've been open for some time now and this was on a Monday afternoon about 3:00 PM (maybe because it was Columbus Day and they also were handing out T-shirts to I assume new sign-ups?). I found the FPDW, but didn't play them because I didn't have a player's card. I walked around and noticed how busy the buffet was as well. Back at the casino I got myself a free Diet Coke at the free soft drink dispenser, and then before leaving checked the line at the Player's Club again, but there were still about 20 people in line. So I left. FU "M" for not having enough people to handle player's club signups.
From there I wanted to accomplish my goal of having been to every casino on the Strip, so the only one left was the Encore. I took the I-15 to Spring Mountain and then a left on the Strip and pulled into the self park lot in the back. The casino looks very much like the Wynn Casino but perhaps a little smaller and a little redder. I found a $1.00 8/5 Bonus Poker VP machine and dropped in $100. I held my own for a while and put some decent coin in but eventually went through the $100. Maybe I'll get a decent room offer in the future. The VP seats here are very comfortable and there are no nicer looking cocktail waitresses anywhere in Vegas.
From Encore it was just a quick trip down the strip to Riviera Rd and then back to Hilton, where I played a $10 MP and lost and then went up to my room to get ready for the evenings activities..
My plan was to go downtown and eat at the Fremont Buffet. I've heard some decent reports about it and I had a 50% off MRB coupon. Essentially it was similar to the Gold Coast, and Sun Coast but smaller with less of a selection. Luckily, it was prime rib night. And at least the Prime Rib was good and after seeing there was little else I was interested in, I coaxed the server into giving me a very thick slice. I also had a decent baked potato with it and although the salad bar was small, at least the standard veggies were fresh and that rounded out my meal: meat, potato and a basic salad. For $6.50 after the 50% discount, it was a decent deal, but if it weren't prime rib night, I'm not sure there would have been much that I would have liked there.
I then played MPs at Fitz, 4 Queens, the Plaza, and Vegas Club for a net $12.50 win resulting from a $5.00 BJ on a $5.00 MP. I also found an ancient 25c Downtown Deuces VP machine (100.9%) at the Vegas Club but couldn't hit anything on it and left with a quick $40 loss.
From there, I decided to once again hit my home away from home, the Palms. Before pulling into the parking lot I did I quick stop across the street at Gold Coast as they had emailed me a free 3,000 point coupon if I stopped by there and redeemed it. I quickly went to the player's club, got my points and was gone in flash. I think they are only worth about $3.00, but I was driving by there anyway. I find the people working at the Gold Coast very likable and unusually helpful and have gambled there in the past when the conditions were right.
At the Palms, I just went sideways for a long time at FPDW and then did a $10 MP and made a straight BJ bet and somehow left with a $10 profit. It was here I saw the stupidest BJ play I've ever seen (and this guy was not counting cards so you couldn't account for it because of that). The guy was dealt two 5s and the dealer was showing a 7. The player slides more chips next to his initial bet, so the dealer says, are you doubling down on the 10? The guy says no, I want to split the 5s. Everyone at the table says are you f'in nuts. The guy says I know that's not what the book says but I want to split the 5s. The dealer tries to talk him out of it, but can't. The guy loses both hands. What a putz.
I headed back to the Hilton to go back to my room for the night, but figured I better give the Hilton a little more play to ensure future room offers. So I played a mix of 25c and $1.00 LDW VP. I wasn't expecting to win but was just hoping not to lose too quickly or too much. It worked out and I gave them some decent play and only lost $80. On the way up to the room, I played my last $10 MP and won $20.
So now I'm up $2,022 for the trip and I have a 12:30 PM flight the next day, so I want to be at the car rental return by around 10:30 AM +-.
Tuesday Finale
The next morning I check out of the Hilton about 8:30 AM and at the Player's Club booth they give me $16 cash back, so now I'm up $2,038. I decide to drive over to Green Valley Ranch for breakfast as I had an MRB 50% off buffet coupon. I'm a big fan of their buffets and I was not disappointed: the room, the service, and the food were excellent and abundant. They had scrambled eggs pre-made four different ways, eggs benedict, an omelette station, pancakes, waffles, bagels with about four flavors of cream cheese, fresh donuts, muffins, fresh fruit ,and everything was fresh and delicious. If you order coffee, they bring you a whole pot and leave it at your table.
After breakfast, since I was up about $40 above $2,000 I thought I'd play $40 of VP before I left to turn in the car. I played a mix of 25c FPDW and 50c and $1.00 LDW. After being up and down about $20, I was dealt a wild royal playing $1.00 LDW that would have paid $125, but it was made with three deuces. In LDW if you have three deuces you throw away the other two cards regardless of how good they are and this includes a SF, five of a kind, and even a wild royal. The reason is four deuces pays $2,500 instead of $1,000 if playing FPDW at the $1.00 level. I tossed the wild royal that would have paid $125 and only got four of a kind paying $20. What a killer!
Anyway, I left losing the $40 and after gasing up the car, I headed east on I-215 to the rent-a-car return and made it to the SW gate in plenty of time. In the end I played 32 MPs at 19 casinos and won 15 and lost 17 and overall including VP and all other gambling activities came away winning about $2,000.
ST