The Vegas Golden Knights are playing in an elimination game for the first time in 1,045 days.
But how did the VGK, who seemed to be in control after a 2-0 lead against the Dallas Stars, end up in this unexpected situation? Lindsey, Chris, and Eddie dig deep into the how and why the team is where it is.
And of course, the crew makes their predictions for tonight’s night’s Game 6.
In this week’s video Anthony and Andrew talk about the Vegas pool scene, a new resort project, how to pick your seat at a blackjack table, and more.
I noticed a pattern at the Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas. It probably happens elsewhere too.
The casino sometimes, not always, has monthly promotions. While the details of the promotions vary, most of them follow a pattern.
This is a slot club where slot machines require $5 coin-in to earn a point, video poker machines require $8 to earn that same point, and the loosest video poker games require $16 to get that same point.
The promotions require you earn a certain number of points during the month — it could be 500, 1,000, 2,000, or even 4,000 — and when you accumulate that many points, you go to the booth, and they give you your reward. The rewards are some combination of free play, comp dollars, and physical gifts.
The loosest video poker games are for 25 cents and $1, and even with the extra coin-in required to earn a point on these machines, they still represent the best value. There are exactly four $1 machines where you can find the loosest game, and probably 200 players during the month want to play their points on these machines for whatever the promotion is this time.
The thing is, for the first 10 days or so of the month, if you come in to play on these machines, usually all four of them are busy. For the last 10 days or so of the month, if you come in to play on these machines, usually you have your choice of any of the four.
These dates vary, of course, depending on how many points are required this month. If it’s a 4,000-point promotion, meaning $64,000 coin-in on a dollar machine, the machines will pretty much be busy all month long. If it’s a 500-point promotion, the machines will be available more often simply because it doesn’t take nearly so long to satisfy the promotion.
Because of this, I usually wait until the 15th or so to start my play there, assuming I’m going to be in town all month. If I’m going to be gone for a couple of weeks late in the month, I’ll get my play done during graveyard shift in the first week of the month. That’s a less popular time to play, so almost always one or more seats are available at that time any day during the month.
In addition to machine availability, there’s another reason I wait until mid-month to get my play done there. If you do your play on slot machines there instead of video poker machines, not only does it require less play coin-wise, but your mailers tend to be bigger. And play done at either the Four Queens or Binion’s (which is catty-corner across Fremont) count. So, when I’m downtown earlier in the month, I’ll check to see if any slot machines are in positive mode. I do have certain machines I check in both properties. There are a lot of slot hustlers checking machines downtown all the time, so finding a playable machine at any particular time is hit or miss, but I’ll still check.
I never know how many slot points I’ll accumulate. I have rules of thumb for when these machines are worth playing, but they are usually playable only until a certain bonus feature goes off. I’ve had bonuses go off on my very first spin, earning virtually no slot club points, and I’ve had bonuses take a very, very long time to go off.
If I need 500 points on slots, if I find a good machine and play off my points, it will typically not be a good time to leave the machine. If a machine is of the type that it’s a play if ever the minor bonus is at least 25 spins, I might get on the machine at 27 spins and by the time I’ve played 500 points it’s now up to 33 spins — which is considerably more positive than merely being at 25 spins. (After all, when it goes off, you get eight additional chances for something good to happen.) When this happens, I’ll play considerably more than the minimum points required for the promotion.
The thing is, though, I cannot be the only player who has noticed that the loose machines are usually busy early in the month and usually un-busy later in the month. While out-of-towners need to play while they are in town, locals, generally speaking, should be equally comfortable playing during the last week of the month rather than the first week of the month.
And yet, I don’t see this happening. I wonder why?
Caesars Palace – Bacchanal Buffet: Regular brunch buffet is now Monday and Thursday only instead of Thursday-Monday. Still 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the same price of $64.99. No more weekday vs weekend dinner prices. Daily dinner is 3 p.m.-10 p.m. at the price of $84.99.
Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This week’s buffet schedule is: Friday breakfast buffet, 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. for $19.95. Weekend brunch is Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for $24.95, and weekend dinner is Friday-Sunday, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $24.95.
MGM Grand – MGM Grand Buffet: Weekday brunch went up by one dollar to $32.99. Hours are still Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
There are a lot of good bar steak specials out there—Mr. D’s. Jake’s, Jackson’s—but this one at Scoundrels Tavern & Eatery might be the best (not counting our Member Rewards deal at Jacksons). It’s served Tuesdays only from 3 pm until they’re gone. It’s a 16-ounce ribeye that comes with salad, loaded baked potato, vegetable, and garlic toast for $19.99.
This meal is terrific and it’s huge—one dinner will easily feed two. The salad is a notch above to start, the big baked potato comes with butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and cheese, and if they’re lying about the in-house-cut ribeyes being 16 ounces, it’s because they’re bigger than that.
Yes, they do. Lots of steaks come out of the kitchen and we’ve been there around 8:30 pm when they’ve sold out . They usually last longer, though (the bartender usually knows exactly how many are left). Best to order as soon as you get there.
There’s a big menu. We’ve tried the burger ($12.99), the cheesesteak ($13.99), and chicken fingers ($13.99). None of these stood out like the steak, but they’re decent options if it’s not Tuesday.
Scoundrels has a play-$250-get-$50 sign-up bonus and a play $500-get-$50-bonus Sun.-Tues. from 8 to 10 pm. These can be played on the same day. Show up before 8 for dinner, then play after.
Scoundrels is a good sports bar to boot, with sports always on the big screens. The only negative is the location, way out on the north side at 6310 N. Lamb Blvd., but it’s a straight shot out I-15 N near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
MGM Resorts International‘s post-20th anniversary, post-Travis Lunn dumbing down of Borgata continues apace. Our man on the Boardwalk visited recently and found all the Borgata-branded pens to have been retired in favor of generic pencils. “MGM previously replaced the soap bars and small shampoo containers with liquid soaps, fastened to the sink and to the shower wall,” he reports, although that’s part of a company-wide sustainability initiative.
Continue reading Atlantic City blotter; Mega-Jottings
I’m back in Vegas, it’s beeyootiful, and I’m killing it on the dance floor. Standing at the bar, a lovely asks, “I saw you dancing. Wow. Are you with the band?” Some guy offered to buy my hat for $100. It seems I’ve become the unofficial house dancer at Bruno Mars’ Pinky Ring. Though Bruno announced in his Saturday late-night set, “It’s not the Pinky Ring, it’s the Panky Rang.”
If you missed my article or Anthony and Andrew’s post-Super Bowl YouTube video, where I strongly encouraged you to high-tail it over to the “Panky Rang” and missed the super value play, believe me, in the world of Vegas club experiences, this is still so far above the rest, ya gotta go.
Everyone I’ve met there have been staggered by hanging with Mr. 24 K Magic, rockin’ it in his super-intimate ultra-posh penthouse lounge. (You never know if he’s there until, well, he’s there, but hint: Hooligans.) Remember, max capacity is an insanely tiny 186, so maybe 170 get in. And on busy nights, there’s a line.
If you come in between 5 and 8 p.m., there’s no table minimum — again, amazing by Vegas club standards. From 8 p.m. on, you’re buying the table for the night. This is a very good thing. Depending on whether the Hooligans (and possibly Bruno) are playing or the Diamonds, the rates change. You can get a table for two for $150, the minimum. But with the Hooligans on stage, it jumps to $300-$700. A larger table for 6 to 8 is $1,000 or more.
If you want to meet the man, be respectful. Don’t bum rush his space, as Carl and Michael, Bruno’s security, will stop you cold with THEIR pinky.
But do tell Baez, the host at the door, that Bobby Vegas sent you. Please.
The DJs spin around the band, who play at least two sets starting at 9 or 10. The Hooligans do mostly jazz and funk for the first set, then more funk, pop, and disco (my fave) the second set. If Bruno joins them, he plays maybe four songs.
I grew up on “Soul Train,” so believe me when I say that when Bruno sings Marvin Gaye, it’s nothing less than amazing. And I bumped into a big guy at the bar who I thought was gonna break down and cry. “I been comin’ to Vegas forevah! An’ I never seen anything like this this. We did shots with Bruno, man! Shots!”
Bringing this back to LVA, is the Pinky Ring still a value play? Let me answer a question with a question.
If two orchestra seats at Bruno’s Dolby Live show at Park MGM set you back $600-$700 smackolas, is it worth spending $700-$1,000 to hang with the man in his very own lounge, living the 24 K magic live? Your other half will love you forever and you’ll talk about it for years. So if you can’t figure that out, please just go back to where you come from.
Oh, and the final secret? SRO is still free, if you can get in. So get in, early.
Don’t look now, but the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights have flipped
the switch and activated full playoff mode, putting the rest of the NHL on notice.
Eddie and Chris analyzethe VGK’s surprising first two wins in Dallas and what, if anything, Dallas
can do to avoid the golf course before May 1.
The playoff bracket contest is underway and along with 7 subscribers, the race for a dinner with
the HKV crew is heating up.
Episode 79 also features updates on the other 7 first-round matchups and bids farewell to
Chapman’s super-upset pick of the New York Islanders over Carolina.
Of the three food halls that have opened most recently in casinos in Las Vegas, Eat Your Heart Out at Durango is the most popular, Promenade at Fontainebleau is the fanciest, and Canteen at the Rio is the most approachable.
We’ve already reviewed the cheesesteaks at Tony Luke’s and chicken tenders at Tender Crush and liked both. We went back a third time for the Mexican at Southland Burrito.
Southland serves nachos ($8), loaded fries (brisket barbacoa, cheese, crema, guacamole, and two salsas, $12), and a half-dozen burritos, from the breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes, beans, cheese, guacamole, and salsa $11) to the chile colorado ($13). You can also build your own ($13) with your choice of all the different ingredients if, as the menu dares, “you think you can do better.” We did and got a brisket barbacoa burrito with avocado verde, along with the chips and salsa ($6). It was a major lunch, very good for fast food, and it provided two full meals for $20.59 with tax.
You can also get all the ingredients in a bowl. Next time, that’s what we’ll do; the burrito is really messy and the tortilla was a bit heavy for our taste, so it’ll be easier to build and eat a bowl than a burrito.
Still, so far, we’re three for three at the Canteen’s outlets.
Gambling revenues hit a bit of a speed bump on the Las Vegas Strip, inching downwards after a March that saw flat visitation, with tourists making up for a worrisome, 37% plunge in convention attendance. Strip casinos won $716 million, a 1% declivity from last year. The Strip’s saving grace was baccarat, with the house playing lucky: Win was up 74% despite 4% less wagering. (A bad month at baccarat can break a quarter.) Slot winnings of $401.5 million were 4% higher despite flat coin-in, while table games winnings plummeted 15% to $203 million, on 7.5% less money wagered. It definitely hurt to not have the CON/AGG expo this year, nor the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strip hotel rates felt the pinch, down 17% on 85% occupancy (92% on weekends), even though rates were still 31% higher than in pre-Covid times. Some cold consolation could also be had in auto traffic from California that was 1% higher than last year and air traffic that was not only 2% higher but 14% above 2019.
Continue reading Durango carries Vegas; Boyd disappoints