Vegas Semi-Solo July 2008 Trip Report
Lowlights: Planing and deplaning and replaning and leaving four hours
late. Leaving a full order of paid-for steamers at airport restaurant
to catch plane.
Highlights: Hitting four deuces at LDW paying $2,500 and meeting Paul
Pierce (Boston Celtics).
Left home about 6:00 AM Saturday, July 19th for four-day (semi-solo)
Vegas trip from Boston. Scheduled to leave at 8:00 AM, but planed and
deplaned and replaned. Four hours later still on the ground because
of a mechanical problem, I was sitting at the gate starving so just
before noon decided to get an order of steamers nearby at Legal
Seafood. Just as the order was served I noticed people at my gate
were reboarding the plane. So now I was faced with a choice: Stay and
eat my $15 steamers or miss the plane to Vegas. The steamers lost. So
far I was already down $15 and I was still six hours from Vegas.
After making people wait around the gate for four to five hours in
Boston you'd think US Air would have comped the box lunches they sold
on board. Yeah right; FU US Air!!!
Once I got the rental car at Dollar on Swensaon, I immediately drove
to In & Out Burger on Tropicana. This was my first time at In & Out:
Exceptional tasty and fresh burger for the price; the fries not so
much.
I then checked into the Hilton for four nights including a Saturday
night for a TOTAL cost of $199 on a mailer offer. With not enough
daylight left, I decided to forego my planned North Vegas coupon run
(thanks US Air)
Gamblin' and More Gamblin'
I played my first MP at the Hilton and won a quick $20. I also played
some $1.00 x 5 coin Loose Deuces Wild (LDW). After an hour or so, I
broke even.
Having a number of $25 Station Casino MPs and $25 POV MPs good at
Sante Fe Station, I decided to drive out to this most northern major
Vegas area casino/hotel to play some MPs and video poker at 5X
points. I began playing $0.25 FPDW. But I wanted to move up in
denomination. Like most casinos, however, they didn't have FPDW
(100.7%) higher than at $0.25. So I switched to $0.50 LDW (100.1%).
After going sidewise for a while, I moved up to $1.00 LDW. On the
third hand at a $1.00 x 5 coin, I kept a sole deuce. I wasn't really
looking at the result and then I heard a loud bass-thumping tune. I
had no clue why. So I looked down to play my next hand and the
machine was locked up and I saw four deuces. After a miserable travel
day, this brought a joyful tear to my eye, as LDW pays 2,500 coins
for four deuces instead of the 1,000 coins of FPDW. And I was playing
$1.00 instead of $0.25 when the four deuces hit.
Sometimes life does not suck.
After three previous weeklong trips to Vegas playing primarily FPDW
and LDW, I've never hit four deuces at all -- or a royal. So to hit
four deuces playing LDW and at the $1.00 level -- was a best
possible case other than a royal. In addition to getting my first set
of deuces, I got my first ever W-2G.
Being up $2,587 on my initial day, put me in gambling winnings
preservation mode. I wanted to be sure to take home at least $2,000
in winnings when I boarded the plane.
Not wanting to push my luck that night I did not play any $25 MPs
there and left. I went to the Palms. I played a bit of the $0.25 FPDW
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,
it also may pay dividends).
One other unexpected bonus was that while walking around, I saw this
guy that looked very familiar. Then it hit me; that's Paul Pierce of
the Celtics: c-o-o-l. He was at the cashier and when he was done, I
yelled over congratulations. He smiled from ear-to-ear and so did I
(being a long-suffering Celtics' fan). I knew the NBA summer league
was going on in Vegas that week but I didn't think he would be here
(mostly rookies).
Sunday
Sunday morning I headed out to Henderson. I first went to the Rainbow
Club Casino, which is only one of two places in Vegas (that I know
of) that has $0.50 FPDW. I played for less than hour but I couldn't
get a cocktail server to serve me (just wanted a coffee) so after
about 45 minutes I left even, but dying for a coffee. I headed over
to Fiesta Henderson and played a $25 MP and hit a blackjack for a $75
profit and also won a quick $20 at FPDW VP.
Next, at Green Valley Ranch (GVR), I got a cup of coffee at the
Coffee Bean and also registered a 5X points coupon. I was hoping to
run enough money through the machines to get some mailer offers for
rooms later in the year without losing too much. Well it didn't work
out quite as planned and after much play with increasing
denominations in an attempt to get even, I dropped $400 on LDW.
Thankfully, I had to leave before 11:00 AM to pick up my brother at
the airport. He was in town for business but we planned to hang out
together today, Sunday. I picked him up and he checked in to the
Renaissance on Paradise. Nice, very modern. boutiquish hotel.
Last year, I directed him to a bunch of free play for slot signups on
the strip. This time I was going to show him the downtown (his first
time) and direct him to some freeplay (FP) signups there.
On the way, we stopped at Palace Station hoping to get him a chunk of
FP there. New signups get a random amount of $3 or higher of FP. Not
surprisingly he got $3.00. He likes two slots: Super Party and
Village People and he played his FP and a bit more. He was really
hungry and he saw a sign for the buffet for $8.99+- PP. I warned him
that this buffet was the worst rated buffet in the entire Station
chain and we could get better food at the Main Street Station (no
relation to Palace Station) buffet or the Golden Nugget downtown. But
he was really hungry, so I caved. Other than the roast turkey and a
few decent desserts, nothing was really that good. No roast beef, no
steak, but hamburgers. I'd give it a 5 out of 10. Before leaving on
the way out, I played a $25 Station MP and lost.
We drove downtown. We first hit the Golden Nugget where new member
signups get $10 in FP. I already had mine from previous trips. The FP
applied to most machines, but not to the two he wanted to play. I
tried to explain to him to play something else and just count the
coin-in (CI) and once he reached $10 CI he could cash out and then
take the ticket and put it into the machine he wanted to play. He
didn't get it and just kept playing past the point where the freeplay
had been used. Next we hit Binions that had $10 for signups about 6
months ago when I was there. Also I had $10 FP on account from a
coupon a gave them a while back but had not used. So he signed up and
they gave me my FP on a card. But after he signed up they informed
him they were no longer offering free play for new signups: FU
Binion's! I played my $10 FP through and had $2.50 left and just ran
it through until it evaporated.
We next hit 4 Queens that gave him $10 FP for signup and I got $10 FP
and had a $10 MP from a POV coupon. I made $5.00 on the FP and won
$20 on the MP. At Fitz there was no FP for either of us, but I had a
$10 MP and won $20. Last, we hit ElCo where I had $10 FP from ACG,
$10 FP from POV, and $5.00 FP from an email-requested coupon. They
loaded a combined total of $25 FP onto my account and my brother got
$10 in FP from an ACG coupon. I turned the $25 FP to $20 in cash and
a $5 MP into $10.
My brother's co-worker was staying at the Venetian and I wanted to
see the new Palazzo, so we made plans to hang out there on Sunday
night. His co-worker loved to snag top shelf drinks at one of the
nicer casino bars by playing one coin VP at the bar. My brother had
never played VP before, so I coached him. In addition to getting free
expensive drinks he also won $40. Next they each found some Super
Party and Village People Slots and played these for quite a while. I
just watched as I refuse to play slots anywhere or VP there. The VP
paytables at the Pallazo have been watered down since their initial
opening a few months ago.
By about 9:30 PM we had not eaten, but they just wanted to continue
to play slots and get free drinks, so I walked over to the Venetian
casino food court to San Gennaro and had an excellent grilled Chicken
sandwich along with my favorite fries in all of Vegas.
About 11:00 PM we all called it quits. My $2,587 in winnings were now
down to $2,327.
Monday
The next morning I did a North Las Vegas coupon run. I hit the
Cannery, Poker Palace, Silver Nugget, Bighorn, Jerry's Nugget, Texas
Station, and Fiesta Rancho. I won 6 of 7 MPs for a $125 profit. But
along the way, lost $210 in VP.
I then planned to go to the Palms to play their $0.25 FPDW
progressive, but first stopped at the Gold Coast (across the street)
and played two $5 MPs. I went 1 for 2 for a $5 profit. At the Palms,
I played about 3 hours of FPDW VP for a $100 loss. A guy hit the
$0.25 progressive royal for $1,088 while I was playing. Next, I went
back to the Hilton for a short nap.
My $2,587 in winnings were now down to $2,162.
I fell asleep about 7:00 PM but didn't wakeup until eight hours later
at 3:00 AM.
Tuesday
Well rested (to say the least), about 4:30 AM, I decided to go to the
Peppermill for coffee. With my coffee I had a small loaf of warm
banana bread: coffee and banana bread were excellent. Prices here
have really gone up, but I still love this place.
Next, I did a local strip area mini-coupon run that included
Terrible's, Hard Rock, Ellis Island, Sahara, and back to the Hilton.
I won 5 of 8 for an $80 profit. I then decided to hit a few western
LV area casinos that included the Rampart, Suncoast, and Red Rock. On
this coupon run, I lost the two smaller MPs but won the larger $25 MP
at Red Rock for an overall $25 profit. Also while at Red Rock, I
registered a 5X points coupon, again hoping for reduced room rate
offers later in the year. I began playing 25c/50c and then $1.00 DW
VP. After many hours of play, I lost $300 on VP. While there though,
I finally got to eat at Capriotti's sub shop a highly-rated Vegas
sandwich shop (mini-chain). The cranberry turkey sandwich was
excellent.
From Red Rock, I took I-215 East to southern Las Vegas Blvd. and
drove to South Point (having never been there) where I had a $10 FP
coupon. I played 8/5 Bonus VP and parlayed it into a $35 profit.
Getting close to dinnertime, I had a 50% off coupon for the Orleans
buffet, where I've never eaten (many people consider this to be one
of the best value buffets in Vegas). It was a quick drive up I-15
from South Point. I think my final cost was about $7.00 for dinner
with the 50% off coupon. I'd rate the buffet 6 out of 10, better than
Palace Station, almost as good as the Silverton, but surely not in
the league of GVR, Red Rock, or PH buffets.
My flight was leaving that night at 11:45 PM, so after dinner I drove
back to the Hilton. I was going to play another MP and more VP at the
Hilton before leaving, but when I realized my winnings were down to
$2,002, I decided to call it quits. I gassed up across from the
Hilton. Dollar at the Rent-A-Car Center took the car quickly, but the
shuttle to the terminal took a long time since we stopped at Terminal
1 first before going to Terminal 2.
In the end, for MPs I won 19 of 27 for a $355 net profit plus FP
offers for another $60. Overall, I made it home with total net
winnings of $2,002 (and got to say hello and congratulations to Paul
Pierce).
Steve T