Ga-Ga for crab legs?

I'm a little at a loss for peoples' euphoric craze for crab legs at buffets.   I like crab legs too....but for some people they are like crack cocaine.

I Went to the new Rampart Buffet recently on crab leg night....and it was the same scene you see at every crab leg buffet - people building criss-cross lincoln log towers of crab legs on their plate to the complete exclusion of everything else.    Then they spend the next 45 minutes trying to pry them open and get the teaspoon of meat out.

First of all, the buffet is not going to run out and you are allowed to make multiple trips.   There's no need to build a scaled down version of  Eiffel Tower on your plate.   Secondly, are they really THAT good that you dont eat anything else?  They have Prime Rib up there too, ya know!  

Interesting that I went to the Wynn Buffet a few days later where they have crab legs every night. ....and they actually slice them in half the long way making it easy to get at the goodies inside.   Didn't seem any more popular than other items.    

Any way - just an observation.   Rant over.

I visited the Rampart recently, not aware that it was seafood night, and I saw the same thing you did. If everybody consumed crab at that rate, the species would be wiped out in a year. (And yeah, the prime rib was good.)

I did enjoy the lobster everything (bisque, ravioli, etc.). The buffet was low on variety but was of high quality. I wouldn't say it was worth the $30 cost, but with the LVA coupon, hell yeah.

Pity the gambling there utterly sucks. I like to go out and eat, then gamble. But the only sensible option after having dinner at the Rampart is to leave.

I visited the Rampart recently, not aware that it was seafood night, and I saw the same thing you did. If everybody consumed crab at that rate, the species would be wiped out in a year. (And yeah, the prime rib was good.)

I did enjoy the lobster everything (bisque, ravioli, etc.). The buffet was low on variety but was of high quality. I wouldn't say it was worth the $30 cost, but with the LVA coupon, hell yeah.

Pity the gambling there utterly sucks. I like to go out and eat, then gamble. But the only sensible option after having dinner at the Rampart is to leave.

Not sure why you say the Gambling at Rampart "utterly sucks".

-All BJ pays 3:2. Plenty of double deck games. I will grant you they don't deal too deep.

-Slot machines pay pretty well. The LVA verified this a number of times.

-VP isn't the greatest, but it ain't that bad either. Much better than any strip property. Double points at least once a week.

-Weekly drawings on Friday and Saturdays.

-Great monthly mailers for locals.

Getting off topic....but I tend to think Rampart does an ok job with their casino.

My biggest issue is their players club is  not really connected to any other property.   Players who are building  tier are kinda stuck there.    It nice to get a change of scenery sometimes....especially if your default place has certain dealers or regular players that rub you the wrong way.   

I was at Texas Station last trip with a beligerant craps player that was talking shit to the dealers and other players.   I think he had a little bit of a gambling problem  and lost his rent or something.   Anyway, I cashed in my chips and went to Fiesta Rancho accross the street with the same card.    Always Nice to have that option.

Well, anything that pays 6:5 isn't even blackjack in my opinion, so the fact that Rampart isn't as horrible as a Strip property doesn't elevate my opinion of that game there. It's on a par with Boyd, etc.

Slot machines that pay well are like bullies that beat you senseless but don't rip off your clothes.

VP is pretty bad actually; nothing better than 8/5 Bonus (99.17%). I grant you, .25% is better than normal, and there are 2x points days. Someone told me the mailers are pretty good.

However, if I can't climb above 99.67% even on the best days, including players' club bennies, that's pretty bad IMHO. And yeah, it's pretty bad almost everywhere these days. I guess it would come down to what yummies I would get in the mail; I could throw in a couple thousand on BP, fade the $20 loss, and see what Mr. Postman brings me. I have several go-to places where I'm getting well over 101%, so the Rampart would have to be pretty juicy.

Let us know what your mailers are like and what kind of play you've been giving them.

I'm not saying that the Rampart is the best play in town. What I am saying is that describing it as "utterly sucks" is not correct. The strip properties that deal 6/5 BJ, have 8/5 Jacks (VP) and triple zero roulette...they utterly suck.

We are the top level at Rampart. $500 momthly FP, weekly swipe averaging $75 FP. All the perks given to the top players and other "stuff" from our host. Check out their web page for the amenties given to the top tier players.

Where in town do you play where you are "getting well over 101%"?

I have, after many painful experiences, adopted a policy of not identifying good plays. At least twice in my recent memory, posting about such a play has resulted in that play being wiped off the map--once, that same afternoon! :(

I have three locations where an inherently positive or inherently breakeven game is a springboard for promos that add 2% or more to the return. Also, there's a place where I can play a 100%+ game and get 1.5% food comps, seven days a week--and there are three day-of-the-week-dependent promos that add an EV of 1.4% and can be piggybacked with the food comp promos.

And of course, there's fullpay Deuces and Jokers at Stations, with which their piddly little promos such as their kiosk games, enable you to reach and sometimes exceed 101%.

How much play do you give Rampart to get those goodies? What games do you play? Do you play them optimally? You're getting about $700 monthly, so one would expect your theoretical loss to be more than that. That would be in the neighborhood of $80,000 coin-in at Bonus Poker, the best game they offer. If you play less than that, you're getting +EV--again, assuming you confine yourself to the best games and play them optimally. If that's not the case, you would still be experiencing a net loss. That's why I'm asking what and how you play, as how much you get back isn't meaningful in and of itself.

If you don't want to share info about your plays at 101+% (at the $1 or higher level), why should I give you any info???

Because if you tell me what you play, and how much, at the Rampart, that won't affect your play or anyone else's. In contrast, if I tell you about the plays I mentioned, those plays could get killed off.

However, you inadvertently answered my question, in a way--you implied that you're a $1 denom player. If you play VP, that $80,000 a month coin-in threshold I mentioned would be reached at 20 hours of play/month ($5 a hand at 800 hands/hr). And that would put you at breakeven ONLY if you stuck to 8/5 Bonus, and never played any other game or ventured to the slots.

The plays I mentioned BTW are mostly lower denominations and limited in scope (meaning that the benefits are capped in any one day), but if I do everything that's available in a given month, I stand to make about $700. Not a king's ransom, or a living, but it sure beats losing.