Downtown Trip Report - 48 Hours = 3 Day Hangover

(I know this isn't the TR Board, but its located Downtown and some of the info could be useful)

What started as a solo trip, turned into a bonding weekend with big brother Matt. He flew out Thursday, staying at MSS, I left Friday morning and FYI:
If not checking a bag, avoid long TSA lines by using the International Terminal. Took less than 15 mins to get through.

First time taking advantage of Uber/Lyft in Vegas. LOVED IT. Walked right to a waiting car and cost $27 (including tip) to get Downtown. Traditionally a cab would cost around $35-40 if not more. We used credits for a free ride to the Strip and only $14 (with tip) from Flamingo back Downtown. Amazing.

I'm a creature of habit and love Golden Gate, but this weekend was a bad experience. They have been generous with free rooms so I don't expect a suite with first class service, I'm happy to have somewhere to nap. However, a few things really stuck out:
- They lost my reservation - Maybe my fault. I booked for 3 nights (Thurs/Fri/Sat) but didn't get there till early Friday morning.
- My room view was literally a wall. Not a wall and an ally or a wall and a piece of Main Street, nope 100% wall.
- No hot water in the shower. When I inquired, they said mid morning was "peak" showering times. Huh?
- The slots were noticeably tighter than ever before. Guess they gotta pay for all those new Downtown properties.
- Leaving Sunday morning I wanted to play $15 left on a TITO. A Security Guard immediately jumped on us to move on with our bags. It was Sunday at 630 am, we were obviously leaving, but he insisted we couldn't stand at a machine with bags. I understand the heightened sense of security, but this was a little unnecessary.

On the flip side, Matt's room at MSS was great. Clean with an awesome view of Plaza and The Strat off in the distance. I was both pissed and jealous.

Thoughts/Observations:

Downtown was a hot mess as always. Lots of characters and normally I pass them by, but if you see the guy dressed as Chris Farley/Tommy Boy, go talk to him. He is spot on and funny as hell. Definitely worth the few bucks.

Had a blast at La Bayou. It was loud, the staff were very friendly and the coin machines were a nice nod to the glory days of Vegas. YES, the mixed drinks are really stiff. Glad we were able to stop by before they shut it down (never maid it over to Mermaids).

Downtown Grand seem to have it figured out, for now. It was crowded, people were winning and noticed the staff going out of their way to chat with the players/guests. On more than one occasion, I had a suit give me a card and to let them know if we needed anything. Nice touch.

Every trip, we find one spot that stands out more than others, this year that spot was Binions. No real reason, we just had a lot of fun and some big luck at the machines. Kudos to the Players Club staff who offered some profitable advice on how to get the most use out of coupons and players club points.

Off Strip - Silver Sevens have upped their breakfast buffet. Last year it was awful. This weekend, it was great with plenty of options. Bonus with the MRB Coupon and points, it was $3.

The Max is still open. It was dead and had just 1 live table open. The slots were not kind either.

If ever around The Stage Door Casino, stop by for a drink. That place is an adventure. We witnessed a super drunk kid give a stripper (or prostitute) who reeked of body odor $100 to get him some weed. She asked if we wanted any, I politely declined. I wonder if that kid ever got his weed.

Ran by Caesars to pick up tickets to see Reba w/ Brooks and Dunn in 2017. After staying/playing Downtown for so long, you forget how big some of the Strip Casinos really are. I was out of my comfort zone.

Back Downtown: Go checkout Vanguard Lounge. Fun laid back spot with good drinks if you need to get away from the smoke/noise for a bit.

El Co was great as always. I hope they never get rid of that pina colada/sweet smell.

Plaza was fun but they have construction going on in the middle of the floor. Apparently, some of the ceiling tiles buckled during the April storms. I asked the dealers what was going on and 3 assumed it was going to be a new High Limit Room. Side note, something about the clientiel at The Plaza was off. Matt noticed it too. Couldnt put my finger on it, but it was a rough looking crowd.

Overall, it was a great trip. I didn't win anything, but didn't go to the ATM, so I was happy.

Pre trip Check List vs POST TRIP

Friday - Downtown
- Check out and play at Downtown Grand, Plaza, GG, MSS and everywhere else. - YES AND YES.
- We have it scheduled to spend a little time at Mermaids & La Bayou. HAD MUCH FUN AT LA BAYOU.
- I got a Groupon for Vanguard Lounge. DEF. WORTH STOPPING BY FOR A DRINK
- Also plan to spend some time at El Co. YUP. DIDNT WIN, BUT HAD FUN.
- We are bringing our trunks in case we need a few mins to relax at a pool. NO. RAN OUT OF TIME.
- Bed by 10 - seriously! - MORE LIKE 1130

Saturday
- I'd like to get a decent nights sleep because we have the grand idea of seeing a Vegas Sunrise. YES! WELL THE LAST 3 MINS OF IT AT LEAST
- From there cab/uber it to Silver Sevens for breakfast and play. PLAY SUCKED, BUT THE FOOD WAS GOOD.
- Walk to EI for drinks and more play. ODDLY QUIET AT EI THIS TRIP.
- Hit The Max and Tuscany. MAX WAS DEAD, ONLY WALKED IN TO TUSCANY LONG ENOUGH TO SAY WE WALKED IN
- I usually avoid The Strip but need to hit Caesars to get tickets to see Brook and Dunn in 2017! GOT MY TICKETS! FRONT ROW!

Thanks for the massive hangover Vegas. It was worth it. See ya in February!

marko...

Thanks for the excellent report - always good to know downtown is still comfortable for folks like us....

Did you find the better paying Video Keno?

Oddly enough, I didnt play much Keno (I was focused on Craps), but Matt said he had the best luck at 4Q, DTG and Binions. Dont think he follows pay tables much, but did hit 6 of 7 about 8 times. He was very pleased.

marko..

But he should be urged to pay attention to the pay tables because he will be able to play longer if they are paying more. When 7 spots pay 1-2-22-422-7000 instead of 1-2-21-400-7000, that 23 additional coins does make a difference since it raises the return almost an additional 3% (have him check out the Keno Calculator on the Wizard Of Odds website, input these different pay schedules and then see what returns are offered)!

The casinos downtown that have the best pay schedules for video keno are the Plaza (four card 5, 10 and 25 cent level), Golden Nugget (four card at the 25 cent level) and the Downtown Grand at the bar only (four card and twenty card at the 25 cent level). The 5 and 10 cent options have a much worse pay schedule at the DTG.

The Plaza also has the only twenty card keno game at the penny level downtown with a decent (second best) pay table. The El Cortez has been mentioned to have decent VK but I haven't been there in a long time so I don't know about their pay tables.

The California up until two weeks ago also had the best VK on their four card games. Unfortunately they just
downgraded that game. They seem to do that periodically...........so who knows if it will remain that way.

As RecVPPlayer said, pay attention to the pay schedules. In the worst pay schedule (which I've unfortunately seen quite often), the pay off for the seven spot card is 1, 2, 21, 335, 7,000. So if someone gets a 6/7 the difference between a payoff of 422 or 335 is obviously huge.

Great report--GLAD to hear the Grand was busy! We LOVE the decor in this hotel & have had some fun gambling there but never busy.

Group,

I just noticed in the "Winners Circle" section of the El Cortez Casino website, there are some Video Keno shots with the 1-2-22-422-7000 for the 7 spots pay schedule in July 2016 (although they were hit with the player playing 4 coins at a time) plus some other good pay schedules for 5 and 6 spots. And this pay schedule was not only on regular Video Keno (One Card) but also on 4 Card Video Keno, and so check into that if you're interested!

The photos that are currently there are for jackpots hit in May, June and July 2016 and at least for the Video Keno seem to be the best pay schedules.

And so yes, a better pay schedule will increase the return rate and so you and your brother should have attention paid to them.

Thanks for the update; I'll check it out.