Sunday morning. We’re up about 8:30...ready to go by 9am. What to do? Well, first off, we’re anxious to find out if Big T placed in the VP Tourney yesterday. I still had about 2hrs internet left so we logged onto his B-Connected account. Nothing there.
We’re hungry. We decide to shuttle over to Gold Coast. Maybe it’ll be posted a little early? We go to Rio first to use the BOGO MRB at the Carnival Buffet. Oh, yeah, it’s SUNDAY, and everyone jacks the price up for breakfast, then calls it brunch. We hadn’t realized this until the total rang up $30 after coupon ($64 before the coupon was applied). Seriously who would ever pay this full price? I asked the lady for our coupon back - we’d use it on a cheaper day. Mr. T rolled his eyes at me...but never said a word. Really, he's pretty used to my cheap-o, sometimes embarrassing/sometime mortifying antics by now. We’ve been married 15 years. Besides, I think he thought it an outrageous after coupon price as well.
In hindsight, I wish we would have gone over to Palms and used our 50% off coupon for brunch there; however, we planned on using it at Nove later in the week. Well, that never happened (more on this later) and for the first time since becoming an LVA member, I came home w/my 50% off coupon - DOH’!
Well, alright then, Rio is way to rich for my blood, even with a 2-4-1 coupon. We stroll over to Gold Coast and their brunch costs $11...still cheaper than Rio even at full price. We each had $2 in comps on our cards, so the grand total (before tip) was $18. We still had two free buffet vouchers for Gold Coast but wanted to save them for Monday night Prime Rib dinner.
Better than average breakfast offerings at Gold Coast complete with an omelet station. We did end up eating at Rio later in the week, and honestly, there’s very little difference between these two buffets (save the price). For breakfast (value and quality) I give GC brunch 4 1/2 forks.
We finished brunch around 10am. Moseyed over to the tourney and still no standings posted. When they say noon. They mean NOON. With two hours to kill, we remembered we had win card (non-negotiable) chips to use at the Tropicana. We had a total of $45 ($5 denoms) because when my Dad was in Vegas in April he bought $15 for $10 and never used them. He brought them home for us. We each bought another $15 for $10 the day we arrived, bringing our total to $45.
We wanted to be back to Gold Coast by noon and didn’t want to mess around with the shuttle to Orleans, then Bill’s, then walk to Tropicana, then walk back to Bill’s, then shuttle to Gold Coast....so for only the second time this trip, we took a cab. Cost: about ten bucks plus tip.
Last year, when the Trop was first remodeled, we loved it. Great vibe - friendly dealers - low table minimums. I think all the positive reviews went to their heads though because this year we couldn’t find a table minimum (on a Sunday mind you) under $10.
Slowly but surely we bet all the win chips $10 at a time + one $15 bet. Did not win ONCE...Mr. T couldn't even hit anything. Lose. Lose. Lose.
Between the original buy in of $30 for the win cards, plus cab fare, we’re now down $40 bucks. Grrrr.
Another long, hot walk back to Bill’s (with a brief shopping detour for souvenirs) and we were back on the Bill’s shuttle headed back over to Gold Coast. Least when I’m shuttling and walking I’m not losing money!!
So it’s FINALLY noon. We're back at the Gold Coast, and the standings have been posted.
I’ll let you find Big T’s score which you may remember from Day 4 (2795).
That’s right one hundred BIG ONES. With the exception of Gaylord Focker, I don’t think anyone has ever been more proud of 10th place!
We immediately run to our favorite bank of FP JOB machines (near the escalators) to run it through. Mr. T says before we begin play, “Ok, I’ll run through fifty of it, then you run through the other fifty.”
“Deal” I say.
So the 400 credits load and he starts hammering away. Big T is holding his own, down about 40 credits after the first 50 is played through. All trip long he would consistently hit full houses and flushes while I seemed to be the 4OAK queen...
But now it’s my turn and we switch seats. I pull triple fives, hold ‘em all, then push draw.
Cha Ching!
Man it was an awesome day at the Gold Coast. You’d think we had hit a royal and ten grand to boot the way we hooted and hollered over that 4OAK and subsequent cash out.
When it was all said and done and all FP run through, we walked out with a cool $115.
This made us forget all about the forty dollar flop we experienced an hour earlier at the Trop.
There was nothing else on the agenda for the day except Mr. T’s 4:00 massage (also at the Tuscany). Just before we left on our trip, an LVAer posted a great groupon deal: 2 one hour swedish massages for $69.
The only downside to the coupon was we weren’t able to schedule them at the same time. Mine had been on Friday and his was today. We didn’t mind as the Tusk was a short walk from our hotel and each of us enjoyed their $.50 roulette while waiting for the other. Additionally, we had an ACG 2-4-1 coupon at The Cantina in their casino and we thought a nice dinner following Big T’s massage would be a fine way to cap the evening off.
Departed Gold Coast, walked to Rio, then shuttled to Bally’s. We’d only had two beers so far and were pretty thirsty.
After freshening up, we decided to stop at Ellis Island on the way to Tuscany to use up our final (MRB: 3 rounds for two people) drink coupon. I stuck with my Michelob Ultra’s but Mr. T sure loves the EI’s microbrews and their Amber was his beer of choice.
Someone at the bar mentioned Ellis Island will not be participating in the MRB (or ACG) coupons next year. That would be a dirty shame, as it’s what keeps us coming back there year after year. I hope it’s not true.
We threw a twenty into one of their old school Jackpot party slots. Did not hit one bonus round and rode it all the way down to zero. We got our final drink, tipped and thanked the bartender, then headed over to Tuscany.
Now on our many walks back and forth between Ellis and Tusk, we just knew there had to be a quicker way to get between the two properties than the long (sidewalk) way.
These two casinos border each other with a wall that varies in height along the Tuscany property. We found a spot on that wall that was easy for me to scale with a boost from Big T and viola...shortcut achieved!
Mr. T made it to his massage appointment no worse for wear. I had about an hour and a half to kill, decided to play some $.50 roulette. I never recorded a win/loss after this session, if memory serves though, I came out even plus guzzled two beers.
T-Bone enjoyed his massage (but said she talked to much) and rated it 4 hands.
We stayed at Tuscany long enough after that to eat at the Cantina. They give you huge quantities of food plus chips and salsa; neither of us finished, and were it not for the BOGO, we could have easily split one of these entrees. Next time.
I ordered the chicken enchiladas which were excellent, and Big T got some sort of combo platter. Entrees are about ten bucks each there, so after the coupon was applied, our two dinners and T’s soda (I drank water) came to $20 with tip. Four forks for The Cantina.
We were stuffed and the walk back to Bally’s was a good way to let some of that food and beverage digest.
We were curious about these new electronic craps tables and sat down when we got to Bally’s to play a little.
Minimum bet at most Caesar’s properties (and Bellagio) is $3. Players sit in a circle and take turns “shooting’ the dice which really amounts to pushing a button that tosses big rubber dice in the air for your roll. It’s pretty fun, and we cashed out with an extra five dollars afterwards.
We played a little at Bellagio...ended up one dollar + 2 beers. Threw in another twenty dollars at the Paris to play some degenerate penny slots, lost it all, decided we were ready for bed...almost.
At the last moment, just before getting on our elevator, Mr. T said we should participate in the NBC survey they’d been trying to talk us into all week at Bally’s. They were paying $15 per person to watch and give feedback on a new show they’re piloting. I didn’t mind, and agreed.
Surprisingly we LOVED the new show they are developing (probably going to air in fall is my guess). I honestly wanted to watch more. We viewed about 40-45 minutes of the program (starring Jerry O’Connell - yum) and then answered a 10 minute survey. In and out in less than an hour with $30 cash to add to the kitty.
All in all a great Day 5.
Here are the running totals to date: +$78.50 gambling and +78 beers
We’re hungry. We decide to shuttle over to Gold Coast. Maybe it’ll be posted a little early? We go to Rio first to use the BOGO MRB at the Carnival Buffet. Oh, yeah, it’s SUNDAY, and everyone jacks the price up for breakfast, then calls it brunch. We hadn’t realized this until the total rang up $30 after coupon ($64 before the coupon was applied). Seriously who would ever pay this full price? I asked the lady for our coupon back - we’d use it on a cheaper day. Mr. T rolled his eyes at me...but never said a word. Really, he's pretty used to my cheap-o, sometimes embarrassing/sometime mortifying antics by now. We’ve been married 15 years. Besides, I think he thought it an outrageous after coupon price as well.
In hindsight, I wish we would have gone over to Palms and used our 50% off coupon for brunch there; however, we planned on using it at Nove later in the week. Well, that never happened (more on this later) and for the first time since becoming an LVA member, I came home w/my 50% off coupon - DOH’!
Well, alright then, Rio is way to rich for my blood, even with a 2-4-1 coupon. We stroll over to Gold Coast and their brunch costs $11...still cheaper than Rio even at full price. We each had $2 in comps on our cards, so the grand total (before tip) was $18. We still had two free buffet vouchers for Gold Coast but wanted to save them for Monday night Prime Rib dinner.
Better than average breakfast offerings at Gold Coast complete with an omelet station. We did end up eating at Rio later in the week, and honestly, there’s very little difference between these two buffets (save the price). For breakfast (value and quality) I give GC brunch 4 1/2 forks.
We finished brunch around 10am. Moseyed over to the tourney and still no standings posted. When they say noon. They mean NOON. With two hours to kill, we remembered we had win card (non-negotiable) chips to use at the Tropicana. We had a total of $45 ($5 denoms) because when my Dad was in Vegas in April he bought $15 for $10 and never used them. He brought them home for us. We each bought another $15 for $10 the day we arrived, bringing our total to $45.
We wanted to be back to Gold Coast by noon and didn’t want to mess around with the shuttle to Orleans, then Bill’s, then walk to Tropicana, then walk back to Bill’s, then shuttle to Gold Coast....so for only the second time this trip, we took a cab. Cost: about ten bucks plus tip.
Last year, when the Trop was first remodeled, we loved it. Great vibe - friendly dealers - low table minimums. I think all the positive reviews went to their heads though because this year we couldn’t find a table minimum (on a Sunday mind you) under $10.
Slowly but surely we bet all the win chips $10 at a time + one $15 bet. Did not win ONCE...Mr. T couldn't even hit anything. Lose. Lose. Lose.
Between the original buy in of $30 for the win cards, plus cab fare, we’re now down $40 bucks. Grrrr.
Another long, hot walk back to Bill’s (with a brief shopping detour for souvenirs) and we were back on the Bill’s shuttle headed back over to Gold Coast. Least when I’m shuttling and walking I’m not losing money!!
So it’s FINALLY noon. We're back at the Gold Coast, and the standings have been posted.
I’ll let you find Big T’s score which you may remember from Day 4 (2795).
That’s right one hundred BIG ONES. With the exception of Gaylord Focker, I don’t think anyone has ever been more proud of 10th place!
We immediately run to our favorite bank of FP JOB machines (near the escalators) to run it through. Mr. T says before we begin play, “Ok, I’ll run through fifty of it, then you run through the other fifty.”
“Deal” I say.
So the 400 credits load and he starts hammering away. Big T is holding his own, down about 40 credits after the first 50 is played through. All trip long he would consistently hit full houses and flushes while I seemed to be the 4OAK queen...
But now it’s my turn and we switch seats. I pull triple fives, hold ‘em all, then push draw.
Cha Ching!
Man it was an awesome day at the Gold Coast. You’d think we had hit a royal and ten grand to boot the way we hooted and hollered over that 4OAK and subsequent cash out.
When it was all said and done and all FP run through, we walked out with a cool $115.
This made us forget all about the forty dollar flop we experienced an hour earlier at the Trop.
There was nothing else on the agenda for the day except Mr. T’s 4:00 massage (also at the Tuscany). Just before we left on our trip, an LVAer posted a great groupon deal: 2 one hour swedish massages for $69.
The only downside to the coupon was we weren’t able to schedule them at the same time. Mine had been on Friday and his was today. We didn’t mind as the Tusk was a short walk from our hotel and each of us enjoyed their $.50 roulette while waiting for the other. Additionally, we had an ACG 2-4-1 coupon at The Cantina in their casino and we thought a nice dinner following Big T’s massage would be a fine way to cap the evening off.
Departed Gold Coast, walked to Rio, then shuttled to Bally’s. We’d only had two beers so far and were pretty thirsty.
After freshening up, we decided to stop at Ellis Island on the way to Tuscany to use up our final (MRB: 3 rounds for two people) drink coupon. I stuck with my Michelob Ultra’s but Mr. T sure loves the EI’s microbrews and their Amber was his beer of choice.
Someone at the bar mentioned Ellis Island will not be participating in the MRB (or ACG) coupons next year. That would be a dirty shame, as it’s what keeps us coming back there year after year. I hope it’s not true.
We threw a twenty into one of their old school Jackpot party slots. Did not hit one bonus round and rode it all the way down to zero. We got our final drink, tipped and thanked the bartender, then headed over to Tuscany.
Now on our many walks back and forth between Ellis and Tusk, we just knew there had to be a quicker way to get between the two properties than the long (sidewalk) way.
These two casinos border each other with a wall that varies in height along the Tuscany property. We found a spot on that wall that was easy for me to scale with a boost from Big T and viola...shortcut achieved!
Mr. T made it to his massage appointment no worse for wear. I had about an hour and a half to kill, decided to play some $.50 roulette. I never recorded a win/loss after this session, if memory serves though, I came out even plus guzzled two beers.
T-Bone enjoyed his massage (but said she talked to much) and rated it 4 hands.
We stayed at Tuscany long enough after that to eat at the Cantina. They give you huge quantities of food plus chips and salsa; neither of us finished, and were it not for the BOGO, we could have easily split one of these entrees. Next time.
I ordered the chicken enchiladas which were excellent, and Big T got some sort of combo platter. Entrees are about ten bucks each there, so after the coupon was applied, our two dinners and T’s soda (I drank water) came to $20 with tip. Four forks for The Cantina.
We were stuffed and the walk back to Bally’s was a good way to let some of that food and beverage digest.
We were curious about these new electronic craps tables and sat down when we got to Bally’s to play a little.
Minimum bet at most Caesar’s properties (and Bellagio) is $3. Players sit in a circle and take turns “shooting’ the dice which really amounts to pushing a button that tosses big rubber dice in the air for your roll. It’s pretty fun, and we cashed out with an extra five dollars afterwards.
We played a little at Bellagio...ended up one dollar + 2 beers. Threw in another twenty dollars at the Paris to play some degenerate penny slots, lost it all, decided we were ready for bed...almost.
At the last moment, just before getting on our elevator, Mr. T said we should participate in the NBC survey they’d been trying to talk us into all week at Bally’s. They were paying $15 per person to watch and give feedback on a new show they’re piloting. I didn’t mind, and agreed.
Surprisingly we LOVED the new show they are developing (probably going to air in fall is my guess). I honestly wanted to watch more. We viewed about 40-45 minutes of the program (starring Jerry O’Connell - yum) and then answered a 10 minute survey. In and out in less than an hour with $30 cash to add to the kitty.
All in all a great Day 5.
Here are the running totals to date: +$78.50 gambling and +78 beers
