BACKSTORY
After previous trips to Las Vegas & elsewhere, I found myself with enough miles to take a trip somewhere. What better choice than our favorite city? I couldn't think of any. So I looked on Delta and tried to find some dates that would work for me. The Feb. 3-9 time period worked all right, so I decided to book - even though the flights were suboptimal (2 stops each way from Lansing). That was in July. In October they cut out one of the flights and really made a mess of this schedule. So I called customer service and got much better flights - a single stop each way in Detroit.
The hotels I started working on in November, and they changed a lot from there. The Orleans offered three nights' hotel plus a minor slot tournament entry for $90 for Feb. 7-9. I really only needed two nights plus two hours or so, but this was good so I booked it anyway. That was in December. For the other four nights, I flipped between the El Cortez (Cabana), Hooters, and the Orleans again. I finally settled on the Hilton. The rate was nice ($158 total for four nights) and it covered Super Bowl weekend, which most other hotels were charging extra for. It was also right on the 108, which made it very convenient from the airport. Its sports book also had a good reputation, and it also had good video poker. I'll get into the cons later.
THURSDAY, 2/3
I had a 6:45 AM flight to catch. Would my street, on the periphery of nowhere, be ready for service? Not really; the plows worked on more important byways. My taxi driver did a heroic job to make it to the house. Certainly tip-worthy, IMO. I paid $25 for a $15 ride. He seemed to appreciate it.
There was no line at screening. My carry-on got the twice over for some reason. I was the first one at the gate, but eventually things filled up. Our plane had some mechanical difficulties, so we dinked around and left about 50 minutes late. The plane was one of my favorites - a Bombardier CRJ 200. I still say the whole CRJ series is built for pygmies, not normal people. At least I didn't bump my head anywhere.
The flight was mostly full and we made up a little time, arriving at the gate about 30 minutes late. Problem: the connection to LAS was tight and that gate was far away. I did all I could do to make it without causing an incident. I heard the final boarding call... was I too late already? There was nothing to do but keep chugging away. Another couple and I made it. Yeah! We weren't quite the last ones on, as the kept the door open a few minutes longer. Finally they shut it and we took off, kinda on time. This was a Boeing 757. It was mostly full, but no one was in the middle next to me. All right! We arrived on time.
I waited for the 108, which took about 15 minutes to arrive (it was on time, just bad timing on my part). The trip took about 20 minutes as I stopped by the Convention Center. It was a short walk to the Las Vegas Hilton from there. This would be my home for the next four nights. including Super Bowl weekend. The check-in line was very short and they were able to help me right away.
My room on the 21st floor of the Center Tower probably would've been considered top-of-the-line in 1991. But now it's showing a few signs of wear and they can't do much about a bathroom that these days would be considered smallish (thanks ladies). It did have a HDTV and a snazzy alarm clock (I'm putting it on my Christmas list right now...). I liked the room quite a bit better than it sounds like I did. So what if it hasn't been renovated in awhile? 1991 was a very good year. The view wasn't too bad - off in the distance I could pick out the Sahara, the Riv, big Bleau, Wynncore, and the Strat.
After a bit off I went into the casino. I found it sprawly, going off in several different directions. I found the sports book and copied down the bets of interest (most of them; I'm not too picky about how I make my money). I'll tell you what I finally picked later. Meanwhile, I had a burger at the nearby Sports Deli. It was no Binion's Burger, but at $10 with drink I'm not going to complain much. Then I went back to the casino to rest; copying the changing odds of 300 different bets can really take it out of you.
Later I hit the casino for real. I laid $156 in bets:
$22 Mike Wallace + 16.5 yards to outgain Greg Jennings @ -110
$50 Pittsburgh +2.5 @ +100
$20 Big Ben - no interceptions @ +150
$24 Big Ben - over 11.5 yds rushing @ -110
$30 Green Bay under 23.5 points @ +100
$10 James Jones to score a TD @ +240
This would have yielded $330 if they all won, which they didn't. You sports fans out there have probably figured out how well I did, but I'll get to the results later.
In other gambling news, I won a buck @ nickel JoB, $6 at quarter NSUD, and $4 at virtual blackjack. This virtual BJ machine was quite a find, I thought. It's tucked away in what's known as the Spacequest Casino, near the monorail entrance. It paid 3:2 with the usual options (including late surrender). The limits were a generous $1-500. The sequence of dealers didn't match any I had seen before. Call this one 3.0.
That took the gambling edge off so I was able to rest easier. And after that I took the SDX downtown. There were seats available, but what's this? A RTC employee actually checking passes? It's their right, but I wonder what brought this on? Anyway, the rest of the trip was quick and eventless. My first stop was the Four Queens. I picked up their prop sheet (from the Cal Neva, which handles a couple of sports books in town), but I didn't redeem the MRB coupon because the line was too long. So I went to the Fremont and picked up their prop sheet. You should be proud that I resisted their STP machines. Then I went to the Vegas Club. There were two plays here - first I got my $5 in freeplay. I put in a pretty slot called Catch a Wave. I got a nice bonus that kept retriggering - 14 bonus spins in all. Not a great yield out of it - about 600 pennies - but enough to yield $9.50. Then I went to their double deck table ($10 minimum). I used my $10 matchplay and lost it. But the cover came through and I was able to leave $10 ahead.
I had to pass up on the Golden Gate for now since I was running out of time. The El Cortez was holding a 8 PM reservation for me at the Flame. The service was fine as was the ambience. I had the NY Strip steak - good overall. With coupon, drink & tip, the damage was about $21. Good value here for carnivores. After that I waddled to the booth to redeem my ACG freeplay coupon. There was a slow-moving line here, but eventually I got to the head of it. Their virtual BJ machine wouldn't take the play, but I knew Kenny would. I got $9.68 for free here. Then I went to a nearby Cops & Donuts machine where I soon hit a bonus that paid 460 pennies. I left there $5.85 ahead.
So with a fully belly I walked back to the Fremont St. SDX stop. There was the usual bunch of confused & confusing gawkers, etc. on the Fremont mall. At the stop RTC inspected passes - again? And they did it one more time on the road. There really seems to be a push here. I got off at the Convention Center stop after another quick and relatively painless trip. And that ended the day. I took it relativekly easy, by design, with good results.
FRIDAY, 2/4
Up and at 'em around 3. I love the mornings; there's little to get between me and my machines. I went into the belly of the beast to play some NSUD. i got a 5oak to power me to a $7.50 win. I then played $1 JoB for variety. The hit & run was successful for a $5 win. Then I pulled into the virtual BJ machine and settled in. The virtual dealers were nice to me and allowed me to escape with a $7.50 win. Then I saw those hot ladies from NYC and decided to take a whirl. Things did not go well with my last fling with them. And things were worse this time. I was playing $2/spin. My biggest "win" was 50 cents - and that only came once. I dropped $18 here and finally learned my lesson, I think. I went back to the virtual BJ machine to try to make up my losses. I couldn't, as I was dealt an appaling string of stiffs vs. strong dealer upcards. That eventually stopped, but I was too far behind by then. I surrendered down $27.
After some time in the room getting ready for the day, I took the 108 to Terrible's. I selected a DD $10 minimum table. This was, perhaps, not the best decision. Not because of the results (won $30 and used my blackjack coupon), but because the dealer and I seemed to not get along. I won't get into the specific details. It's been a long time since I was so glad to get away from a table. I went to my weakness - the DOND-WYD game. It was acting funny, so i didn't get a chance to play. Too bad.
I then went upstairs to the Bougainvillea Cafe to find a minor change - the old entrance to the Cafe was blocked off and the new entrance was shared with the buffet - similar to the setup at the Fremont. I got in and ordered the Deuces Wild special - 2 pancakes, eggs & bacon. Another good meal that really hit the spot. The total damage was about $8.
After a short wait for the 202, it was off to the Gold Coast. They had a couple of coupon plays plus 4x points on video poker today. I started off well at STP but couldn't sustain it. I reached my point goal, but lost $27 to get there. I then switched to NSUD and blew another $32.50 there. I then went to the craps table to use one of my coupons - a $5 matchplay. That lost, and I lost another $55 for the "fun" of it. Some fun. Then it was off to use my other coupon - $10 in freeplay. I used it on NSUD and got $5 out of it. Yay for small victories.
I hustled out of there and headed across the street to the Palms. I checked out their Super Bowl odds - nothing notable on the board, but I noticed something interesting on their parlay sheets. I'll get into it more later. I then strolled over to the craps table and used my $10 match. That won, but the cover didn't go so well. I left $5 in the red. But I saw my old friend QUEEN and had to settle down. The max bet here is $2.50 and I played it for their "up to" 95% opportunities. I didn't hit anything until I got a 1000 coin (penny) score. I decided not to press my luck and surrendered even.
I caught the 202 to Bally's, walked down to the Paris stop, and took the SDX home. After a little time licking my wounds, I walked over to the Riviera. I redeemed my MRB coupon for $30 in freeplay for $50 in regular play. I found a 8/5/30 bonus machine that looked comfortable. On my last play at dollars - my dollars - I had a pair of 3s and got the other two on the draw. Hot diggity dog! That $150 score is my best ever at dollars (I had a slightly bigger win at quarter STP on another trip). Who says you can't win on the Strip? I had a few regrets that if I had been playing a regular bonus machine, I would've won $200. Then I found myself with a problem - I thought I remembered my PIN, but I didn't. So I went back to the Club to take care of that, then tried my luck at the same machine. It wasn't quite as hot, but I still got $15 out of it.
BTW, the Riv seems to be the world's capital for virtual machines. They have six of them, 4 dealing out 3:2 blackjack. One had Mississippi Stud, which I hadn't seen in any other casino. Then again, I don't look too hard for sucker games like that.
On my way to the Sahara I found a magazine bin stuffed with info mags among the usual smut. So I grabbed them all and headed back to the Hilton. I knew there was some articles and coupons that might be of interest in these. The overall haul was a little disappointing; the only coupon I could find that I might use is $2 off the Atomic Testing Museum. After some time to digest this and do other things, I finally walked to the Sahara. It was a pretty easy walk of about 15 minutes. There were two plays here - the 50-40 chips and a $25 matchplay. I've never had much luck here, but maybe things will be different this time around. I went to a handy craps table with just the right amount of activity. I scraped out $50 with those blue chips, then I used the match. Come out roll... 7! Winner! But what's this? I was on the Don't Pass. Bummer dude. So that was an instant loss. The Sahara curse and the big matchplay curse bite me again. My lifetime record with matchplays over $10 is 2-7.
Now it was off to downtown to take care of some loose ends. First, Fitzgeralds to wash some change. I played a bit of NSUD for the fun of it. The trend was generally down when I hit a wild royal with three deuces. The book says hold it, so I did. Visions of that 4th deuce still danced in my eyes as I collected my $17.50 win. Then I went to the El cortez to make a couple of plays. The 'Tez book is hooked to the South Point (as is the Palms), so I played a parlay here - PIT +3, under 45, and under 2 fumbles. Both teams were great at holding on to the football without fumbling it away, so I figured I had a huge edge there. I figured I had smaller edges on the other two. By my rough calculations, I figure I had about a 25% chance to win $120 (I bet $20 on this). I also bet $33 on the under 45 (the Hilton was still at 44.5 when I last checked).
I headed to the Golden Gate dodging crowds along the way. All of Fremont St. and its casinos were crowded - a good sign, I suppose, but not so great to actually deal with. I found a 7/5 Bonus ACE$ machine for dollars - their best among games I can play. I wasn't hitting very often, but when I did hit I was mostly hitting big - trips or better. Somewhere in there I was dealt quad 7s. Baby!
I earned my 100 points ($200 coin-in) and cashed out $125 ahead. I went to the club booth and got my $25 loaded. I went back to the same machine and got $20 out of it. There was one last play here - the blackjack coupon. I was up, then down, then up again. Then came the blackjack. The dealer had an ace, but I got paid anyway. Very nice. I left $40 ahead.
Dinner was at the Four Queens. Magnolia's fried chicken special was gone, replaced with a 1/2 slab of ribs for $9.99. So I had that. The food was good and I got a view overlooking their table games. The service was fine and the final bill was about $16. I took the SDX back to the Hilton. No inspections this time, not that it mattered. I didn't gamble, but I couldn't resist a final peek inside the casino. They, too, were hopping. The minimums at the tables were all $10 and up. The book was very busy. I found they were finally offering the total at 45 like most everyone else in town. I didn't notice any other significant changes. All in all, this was a very good day.
SATURDAY, 2/5
Up and at 'em around 2. I figured the crowds would be gone by then. Not quite. The casino was still busy, though starting to tail off. I won a buck in a quick hit at NSUD, then tried some virtual BJ. I gave back $31, but it could have been worse. With my gambling urge satisfied for the moment, I went back to the room for a few hours of rest and prep.
Breakfast was to be at the Tuscany, so I took the 108 to Flamingo and walked from there. The casino was still as sleepy as I remembered it - even on 10x points day there was barely anyone there. I earned a few points at 8/5 Bonus, their best, and a couple of bucks in the process. Curiously, the blackjack games were dead, but the roulette and craps games were going. So I slid in and watched the dice roll. Good news: I won the $5 match. Bad news: I still lost $30. I won a little at TAR, then it was time for breakfast. The service was good and friendly, as always, at Marilyn's. I had the basic breakfast - eggs, hash browns, and toast. With drink & tip it was still around $12 - slightly more than basic, but never mind.
Now it was time to go back to the hotel. I took the 202 to Swenson and from there the 108. The Flamingo/Swenson stop continues to be my least favorite. But no incidents as I returned safely.
The casino was starting to show some more signs of life already. I blew a few bucks at some pretty slot machine, then another $25 at video poker. Virtual BJ was good to me for once as I escaped up $20. After a sort rest I returned to the belly. Things were hopping even more now. And thus begins the degenerate portion of our program.
It started well - up $11 at quarter JoB. Then I lost $51 at NSUD. Time to slow down. I got quad 8s at nickel JoB, but that was not enough to prevent me from losing $5. Then a seat opened up at virtual BJ and I heard its siren song. After two days playing it almost exclusively alone, I had human company most of the time from here on. I blew $132 here and the less said about it, the better. Back to nickel VP, where I made up a buck. Then I did something really silly - I headed for the craps tables. There were three going - one with $15 minimums and two at $10. I chose one of the latter. It looked like a good choice as I was up a little early. But that was just a warmup. I finally surrendered down $184. Yeesh. Back to virtual BJ to try to do better. Not really. I was down from the very start and then it got worse. Finally I caught a run and gave up down only $90. Yay? The only good news is that it was time for the dinner buffet.
The Hilton had a program where you could refuse maid service and they would give you a $10 voucher good for food at their restaurants. They could be stacked with each other, but not with any other discounts. They're not available on the day you check in or check out. They said they were supposed to hand them out by noon, but I usually got mine between 2 and 3. My frugal bones got a tingle when I heard about this. I locked out the maids all three days I was eligible and I got three of these green certificates, as I called them.
Anyway, back to the dinner buffet, since it was $19.99 and by this time I had two vouchers, the meal was covered (except for the tip). BTW, there was no line. One rare quality about their dinner buffet is that they offer beer and/or wine (you have to go up and get it, where it's served to you). I don't imbibe, so I didn't partake. The food and service were both good, though at regular price it's not any great bargain.
I eventually went back to the room to try to shake things off. As good as Friday was, this Saturday was twice as bad.
SUNDAY, 2/6 (Super Bowl!)
It's 12:30 or so - morning by my definition - so I guess it was safe to go down into the casino to give them my money. It was quite busy, but, oddly, not as busy as yesterday. I played a little nickel video poker - up a bit to start, then played it down to even. Then I went to an assortment of pretty video slots and won a few pennies. So the day was starting better than the last one ended.
With that, I went back to the room to rest and prep, then headed back out for the 108 to the Flamingo stop, then transferred to the 202 going west. I got off at the Caesars stop and walked to the Bellagio. I actually passed by the B's sports book on my first time through - remember, hard right past the poker room. I grabbed some odds sheets and teaser cards. The teasers loked interesting; I'll tell you about those later.
Then it was off to Bally's. Their book is downstairs and way in the back. Same deal - more odds and teasers. I then walked over to Paris. Those cobblestone streets may be authentic, but my feet did not appreciate them. I made it to their buffet, which didn't have much of a line. $18.99 for a regular breakfast? What pencil pusher decided this? Good thing I had my coupon, which cut the price to a more palatable $10. The buffet itself was pretty good - I especially recommend the Lyonaise potatoes. The nice thing about having more exotic stuff on the menu is that some of it is actually good.
After a brief stop at Planet Hollywood (Oh! My ears!!), I went to the MGM Grand to have some parlay fun. I'm going to confess that I got too cute here. The $25 on the PIT/Under 45/Under 2 fumbles was fine - even if it did duplicate what I already did at the El Cortez - but the $50 each on Under 2/Odd-even scores was not the best way to play this. I would have been better off just betting the prop straight up (the odds were -130 at the Hilton at the time). If I was destined to win it wouldn't matter, but if I lost it would matter a lot.
I then caught the SDX back to the Hilton and stayed there for the rest of the day. The hours passed and finally it was time for the Super Duper Bowl!!!! I spent the time in my room so I could keep track of my bets more easily. There was one quick bit of good news - Ben scrambled for a big enough gain to make that prop a winner, assuming he didn't go crazy with the naked bootlegs. Alas, almost as quickly he threw a pick, so those props more or less evened out.
As for the rest of the game, Green Bay got out to a 21-3 lead, which was not the way the script was supposed to go. My spread, O/U, and teaser bets were in serious jeopardy. Pittsburgh scored 2 TDs to make it 21-17 and gave me a little hope. Then they fumbled it away, which made me very nervous for the rest of the game - another lost one would ruin me. GB followed with a TD, which pretty much signaled "game over" for me. The final, as most of you now know, was 31-25 GB. I did win the Wallace vs. Jennings comp, and the Under 2-Odd-Odd teaser. Out of $434 in Super Bowl bets I collected $386, for a $48 loss. It could have been worse.
By this time I felt a rumble in my tummy. I had another voucher, so what about the buffet again? All right, so I headed there. Oh man, everyone - and I mean EVERYONE in the hotel - was heading in the other direction. The buffet was by the sports book, and it was still madness there with people watching the postgame, cashing tickets, etc. But there was barely a line at the buffet itself. The food didn't seem to be quite as good this evening (maybe it was the bitterness in my mouth from Pittsburgh not living up to their potential?), but it was more than acceptable. The final cost was about $14.
I went to the room, grabbed a book, and retired for the evening.
MONDAY, 2/7
I got up relatively late at 6:30. I prepped for the day to come, then stopped by the book to see if they were open and cash my bets if they were. They were, and I did. That gave me money for breakfast, so I went over to the Arco station across the street for a paper and some cheap snacks. I selected a danish and ice drink (don't call it a Slurpee please). That cost about $5. I finished off my mini-breakfast and read the latest news and sports. I also confirmed the bets that I thought won won, and the ones I thought lost lost. There were no ties.
I really didn't feel like gambling anymore, at least not at the Hilton, so I passed the time until it was time to pack up and go. That time arrived and I stuffed everything in my suitcase and left. Check-out was by video. There were no charged on the bill, of course. I bid goodbye to the Hilton for the last time. It was a good place to stay, if a little isolated.
I went to the Convention Center stop to wait for the SDX. That came and I got off at Excalibur. The water sellers were out in force on the Tropicana bridge. There was also a beggar or two. Both are hard ways to make easy livings, IMO. I got to the NYNY stop on Tropicana and waited a bit for the bus. It did eventually arrive and dropped me off at the Orleans, my home for the next two days.
The first thing I noticed was the perfume around the entrance was pretty powerful. The second thing I noticed was the crowd skewed elderly, just like the other Boyd joints and it wasn't even their "day" yet (that would be tomorrow). The third thing was there was a big line at check-in. Yeesh. But there was nothing better to do but wait. It did move and I eventually got checked in. My room on the 10th floor gave me deja vu - it looked and felt like my rooms at the Gold Coast. There were some decor differences (it's more tasteful here), the room itself was a bit larger, and the TV was an out-of-fashion CRT. But I thought they were basically the same. Also, it was a LONG way from the elevator down a hallway.
OK, enough fooling around - time to gamble!!! I lost a bit @ TPIR and NSUD in limited play. I then went over to receive my packet of instructions for the slot tournament that came with this room offer. There were two 15-minute sessions - one morning, one afternoon - and I got the latest possible ones, which wasn't ideal. Then I went over to Bconnected to redeem my coupons. I got a straight flush to help power me to a $8.75 gain in real play. The freeplay didn't yield anything. And play after that was a $3.75 loss. OK, that was kinda fun... off to the craps table. I immediately lost the matchplay, but made up for it and scooted away $2 richer.
After a bit of rest, my tummy started to talk to me - time for lunch. I got on the 201 and headed for the Tropicana. There were more water sellers and beggars on the way to MGM. I found the sports book and cashed my ticket with no problems. Next it was off to P. Ho for their buffet. The noise there would annoy me more if I had to stay there. Worse than the music was the facct I had a lot of difficulty finding the Spice Market Buffet. It's under the sign, but downstairs. The line was minimal and I got the lunch price.
The quick review... I'm sure it was when I went and what I chose, but everything I tried seemed to be a bit off. This is one of the best buffets in town? Not in my eyes. I earned a point on one of their 7/5 dollar bonus machines. Better was the fact I got an extra $5 out of it.
After that I crossed the street to eyeball City Center, Monte Carlo, and New York New York. There were fewer slappers here, but still there to pester those not fast enough to get out of their way. I actually thought they were fairly well behaved - just don't look at 'em and keep walking. Quickly. Not easy to do when there's a bunch of slow-moving people in the way. I was feeling a bit tired and full, so I didn't stop in any of the casinos along the way. It seemed to take a long time, but I got to the NYNY stop. The afternoon sun pounded me with no relief. Fortunately it wasn't that warm. Eventually the 201 came and dropped me back off at home. I went straight to the room and rested.
TUESDAY, 2/8
I got up around 5 and went to the Courtyard Cafe for one of their overnight specials. I chose the burger & fries. Good eatin' and good service, though I couldn't finish all the fries. The total damage was about $10. After that I did some gambling. I lost a buck at a pretty slot, then won a bit at NSUD. I then won the dollar back at some different slots elsewhere. And then I played some blackjack at one of their shoe games - not their best, but those were occupied. Mornings, you know - not every table is staffed. It was mostly a down experience until I caught my run and finshed behind only $3.
On to the craps table. Soon after I arrived I caught a nice shooter who kept hitting numbers. When the smopke cleared I was up $229 - one of my biggest scores. I was now within shouting distance of getting even.
But first I had a slot tournament to compete in. This was new for me. It seemed to be organized well for a minor tournament. The game of choice was Red White & Blue - I'm sure you slot fans have heard of it. The big prize was getting a red seven, white seven, and blue seven on the same line, which "paid" 1000 credits. I took my turn in the morning session, and I slapped that button like crazy... but the results were not good. I only got just over 10,000 points. My neighbors all did better, so I'm guessing it was bottom quartile. I would need a much bigger number to compete for the top 100 (which paid $50 in freeplay), never mind #1.
To drown my sorrows I watched a movie, "Black Swan". I liked it, though I'll admit it's not for all tastes. After the movie ($7 ticket, $5 iced drink), I played some NSUD (down $20), and then it was back to the tourney. Already? OK, back to button slapping. I did much better this time - a smidge under 16,000. That was above average, but would it be enough to cash? We would see later. They promised to post the results by 6 PM.
In the meantime, I played blackjack at one of their $10 tables. I survived and left up $40. Then, on a whim, I put $55 on Buffalo in a college basketball game against Central Michigan. Normally I don't follow college basketball, and the MAC Conference I pay almost no attention to when I do. But CMU was a terrible team, playing several hundred miles away against a pretty good one. I thought the Chippewas would miss their home casino (the Soaring Eagle) and find the ones in nearby Niagara Falls an inadequate substitute, at best. The line was BUF -12.5, and for once I didn't think that was too much to give.
I went back to the room and watched basketball (not CMU @ BUF, which only an alum, a diehard, or a heavy bettor would bother with - I'm not even sure the Hilton's Superbook, with its dozens of screens, broadcast it). I kept a close eye on the ticker. ESPN didn't care much about the game either; they only showed the results approximately a third of the time through. Anyway, Buffalo made up the spread early, scared me a little by being up only 12 at the half, then cruised to a 29-point victory. This one did go according to plan, unlike that game down in Dallas which far more people cared about.
I finally decided what I wanted to do for dinner, so I went down to go do it. But first I cashed my winning ticket. I decided to stop gambling at that point. I found myself ahead - drumroll please - a whole $15. It was a squeaker, but just enough to keep my streak of Las Vegas winning trips alive. It's five in a row for those keeping track. It was especially sweet since I put myself in a major hole on Saturday.
Also, the results were posted from the tournament. The news here was not good - there were 269 people entered, which was more than the 200 they said and they didn't adjust the prize amounts or number of prizes to match. That cut my EV down to about $35 from $49. I was not amused. The top button slapper achieved a score of around 39,000 - good for him. 100th went down to about 28,600. My score of 26,070 was good for 174th - well out of the money.
Where was I? Dinner? Yeah, that was at the French Market Buffet. There was a short line to pay, but a significant wait to get in. The service was brisk and efficient and the food was good. With coupon the total damage was about $10. I went up to the room to do fascinating things like watch keno numbers come in.
WEDNESDAY, 2/9
I got up around 6:30 and took things slowly, hanging around the room until 10. Then I went past the belly of the beast (mostly) to Sbarro for a pizza slice and soft drink. For $7, it wasn't too bad. After that it was time to pack up and move out. I didn't check out, figuring that the Orleans would eventually get the message. Besides, I might need that room if something goes wrong. After deliberating about whether to take the bus or the taxi, my true nature got the best of me and I took the free option.
I jogged partway to the stop opposite the Orleans and the bus was kind enough to wait for me. The 201 moved relatively efficiently to the Tropicana stop, where I got off. Then I got some bad news - the WAX was now hourly, seven days a week. And the next bus wasn't due for another 40 minutes. Grrrrr. Lesser men would have sprinted to a nearby hotel and taken a taxi, but I was raised stubborn, so I stayed and waited. And waited. And waited. The WAX came right on time and had maybe eight other people on it. There was only one stop to the airport and we all got off there.
I printed out my boarding pass and headed to security. The line looked long, but it moved relatively quickly. No issues at security and I took the tram to the D gates. The time went by relatively quickly as we departed on time for Detroit. The plane landed a few minutes early, for all the good it did me. They played a movie on the flight - "Secretariat". I was tempted, but not thanks. The flight attendants soft-pedaled some earphones for $2 each (any old earphone would have worked just as well, for free). The hop, skip & jump to Lansing was on time and landed early. No taxis were waiting, so I called for one. This is the one disadvantage of flying out of LAN. After about a 10 minute wait, one came for me and took me home. The fare was about $14, but I paid $18. I was pleased to note that all the streets had been plowed, and the main ones were actually snow-free. And that ended my latest adventure.
COMMENTS:
* Virtual blackjack = EVIL. That's all.
* Out of $100 in freeplay, I received $64.18 in real cash. Unlucky me, but that paid for my MRB subscription and ACG, with enough left over to buy a low-end or discounted breakfast buffet.
* In other coupon news, I went 2-4 on matchplays for a loss of $20, won $10 from the blackjack bonus coupons, and won $10 from the Sahara's bonus chips. Call it even.
* I'm not sure how to value the food coupons I used. I don't think any of the places I visited are worth the full price I didn't pay, and I wouldn't have visited them if they were.
* I liked the Hilton's room (outdated though it was), the view, the buffet, the service (generally), their attempt to go green, and the video poker. I disliked the occasionally fierce crowds, high minimums on the table games, and its isolation. Overall I'll keep it in the mix for future stays.
* The Orleans was surprisingly loud. Not quite up to Hard Rock/P. Ho standards, but you'd think they would have more consideration for the tender ears of their target audience. And mine.
* Further thoughts on the Orleans: I preferred the Gold Coast. Seriously. The rooms are about the same, the casino is less busy, and they have more of the video poker games I really like.
* It would have helped to have the SDX run eariler than 9 AM. The walk to the nearest Deuce stop was about 10 minutes away, and I was never inclined to do it.
* Cutting the WAX to hourly makes it much less useful, especially coming from the airport.
* I didn't have any problems with the bus passes I bought online.
* Cut from the list of things to do: Mark Curry, Pinball Museum, Atomic Testing Museum. I may never have a chance to see Mr. Curry again, and too bad for that, but I figure the pinball games will still be there when I'm ready for them. And even the U.S. isn't scandalous enough to do above-ground nuclear testing again, so that piece of history will also wait. I still have the coupon, which expires at the end of 2012.
* Another coupon some of you might be interested in is a free buffet + VIP upgrade for Legends in Concert at Harrah's. I don't normally do impersonator shows, but I might do this one. Some of the freebie mags had this one, some had its inferior cousin with just the free buffet.
* I really missed downtown and wished I could have spent more time there. Next time I'm probably staying there (Four Queens, Fitzgeralds, love me, love me not...), so that's not going to be an issue.
* Celebrity dress-alikes I saw downtown: SpongeBob, Batman, Dale Earnhardt, Darth Vader. I didn't see Spider-Man this time around.
After previous trips to Las Vegas & elsewhere, I found myself with enough miles to take a trip somewhere. What better choice than our favorite city? I couldn't think of any. So I looked on Delta and tried to find some dates that would work for me. The Feb. 3-9 time period worked all right, so I decided to book - even though the flights were suboptimal (2 stops each way from Lansing). That was in July. In October they cut out one of the flights and really made a mess of this schedule. So I called customer service and got much better flights - a single stop each way in Detroit.
The hotels I started working on in November, and they changed a lot from there. The Orleans offered three nights' hotel plus a minor slot tournament entry for $90 for Feb. 7-9. I really only needed two nights plus two hours or so, but this was good so I booked it anyway. That was in December. For the other four nights, I flipped between the El Cortez (Cabana), Hooters, and the Orleans again. I finally settled on the Hilton. The rate was nice ($158 total for four nights) and it covered Super Bowl weekend, which most other hotels were charging extra for. It was also right on the 108, which made it very convenient from the airport. Its sports book also had a good reputation, and it also had good video poker. I'll get into the cons later.
THURSDAY, 2/3
I had a 6:45 AM flight to catch. Would my street, on the periphery of nowhere, be ready for service? Not really; the plows worked on more important byways. My taxi driver did a heroic job to make it to the house. Certainly tip-worthy, IMO. I paid $25 for a $15 ride. He seemed to appreciate it.
There was no line at screening. My carry-on got the twice over for some reason. I was the first one at the gate, but eventually things filled up. Our plane had some mechanical difficulties, so we dinked around and left about 50 minutes late. The plane was one of my favorites - a Bombardier CRJ 200. I still say the whole CRJ series is built for pygmies, not normal people. At least I didn't bump my head anywhere.
The flight was mostly full and we made up a little time, arriving at the gate about 30 minutes late. Problem: the connection to LAS was tight and that gate was far away. I did all I could do to make it without causing an incident. I heard the final boarding call... was I too late already? There was nothing to do but keep chugging away. Another couple and I made it. Yeah! We weren't quite the last ones on, as the kept the door open a few minutes longer. Finally they shut it and we took off, kinda on time. This was a Boeing 757. It was mostly full, but no one was in the middle next to me. All right! We arrived on time.
I waited for the 108, which took about 15 minutes to arrive (it was on time, just bad timing on my part). The trip took about 20 minutes as I stopped by the Convention Center. It was a short walk to the Las Vegas Hilton from there. This would be my home for the next four nights. including Super Bowl weekend. The check-in line was very short and they were able to help me right away.
My room on the 21st floor of the Center Tower probably would've been considered top-of-the-line in 1991. But now it's showing a few signs of wear and they can't do much about a bathroom that these days would be considered smallish (thanks ladies). It did have a HDTV and a snazzy alarm clock (I'm putting it on my Christmas list right now...). I liked the room quite a bit better than it sounds like I did. So what if it hasn't been renovated in awhile? 1991 was a very good year. The view wasn't too bad - off in the distance I could pick out the Sahara, the Riv, big Bleau, Wynncore, and the Strat.
After a bit off I went into the casino. I found it sprawly, going off in several different directions. I found the sports book and copied down the bets of interest (most of them; I'm not too picky about how I make my money). I'll tell you what I finally picked later. Meanwhile, I had a burger at the nearby Sports Deli. It was no Binion's Burger, but at $10 with drink I'm not going to complain much. Then I went back to the casino to rest; copying the changing odds of 300 different bets can really take it out of you.
Later I hit the casino for real. I laid $156 in bets:
$22 Mike Wallace + 16.5 yards to outgain Greg Jennings @ -110
$50 Pittsburgh +2.5 @ +100
$20 Big Ben - no interceptions @ +150
$24 Big Ben - over 11.5 yds rushing @ -110
$30 Green Bay under 23.5 points @ +100
$10 James Jones to score a TD @ +240
This would have yielded $330 if they all won, which they didn't. You sports fans out there have probably figured out how well I did, but I'll get to the results later.
In other gambling news, I won a buck @ nickel JoB, $6 at quarter NSUD, and $4 at virtual blackjack. This virtual BJ machine was quite a find, I thought. It's tucked away in what's known as the Spacequest Casino, near the monorail entrance. It paid 3:2 with the usual options (including late surrender). The limits were a generous $1-500. The sequence of dealers didn't match any I had seen before. Call this one 3.0.
That took the gambling edge off so I was able to rest easier. And after that I took the SDX downtown. There were seats available, but what's this? A RTC employee actually checking passes? It's their right, but I wonder what brought this on? Anyway, the rest of the trip was quick and eventless. My first stop was the Four Queens. I picked up their prop sheet (from the Cal Neva, which handles a couple of sports books in town), but I didn't redeem the MRB coupon because the line was too long. So I went to the Fremont and picked up their prop sheet. You should be proud that I resisted their STP machines. Then I went to the Vegas Club. There were two plays here - first I got my $5 in freeplay. I put in a pretty slot called Catch a Wave. I got a nice bonus that kept retriggering - 14 bonus spins in all. Not a great yield out of it - about 600 pennies - but enough to yield $9.50. Then I went to their double deck table ($10 minimum). I used my $10 matchplay and lost it. But the cover came through and I was able to leave $10 ahead.
I had to pass up on the Golden Gate for now since I was running out of time. The El Cortez was holding a 8 PM reservation for me at the Flame. The service was fine as was the ambience. I had the NY Strip steak - good overall. With coupon, drink & tip, the damage was about $21. Good value here for carnivores. After that I waddled to the booth to redeem my ACG freeplay coupon. There was a slow-moving line here, but eventually I got to the head of it. Their virtual BJ machine wouldn't take the play, but I knew Kenny would. I got $9.68 for free here. Then I went to a nearby Cops & Donuts machine where I soon hit a bonus that paid 460 pennies. I left there $5.85 ahead.
So with a fully belly I walked back to the Fremont St. SDX stop. There was the usual bunch of confused & confusing gawkers, etc. on the Fremont mall. At the stop RTC inspected passes - again? And they did it one more time on the road. There really seems to be a push here. I got off at the Convention Center stop after another quick and relatively painless trip. And that ended the day. I took it relativekly easy, by design, with good results.
FRIDAY, 2/4
Up and at 'em around 3. I love the mornings; there's little to get between me and my machines. I went into the belly of the beast to play some NSUD. i got a 5oak to power me to a $7.50 win. I then played $1 JoB for variety. The hit & run was successful for a $5 win. Then I pulled into the virtual BJ machine and settled in. The virtual dealers were nice to me and allowed me to escape with a $7.50 win. Then I saw those hot ladies from NYC and decided to take a whirl. Things did not go well with my last fling with them. And things were worse this time. I was playing $2/spin. My biggest "win" was 50 cents - and that only came once. I dropped $18 here and finally learned my lesson, I think. I went back to the virtual BJ machine to try to make up my losses. I couldn't, as I was dealt an appaling string of stiffs vs. strong dealer upcards. That eventually stopped, but I was too far behind by then. I surrendered down $27.
After some time in the room getting ready for the day, I took the 108 to Terrible's. I selected a DD $10 minimum table. This was, perhaps, not the best decision. Not because of the results (won $30 and used my blackjack coupon), but because the dealer and I seemed to not get along. I won't get into the specific details. It's been a long time since I was so glad to get away from a table. I went to my weakness - the DOND-WYD game. It was acting funny, so i didn't get a chance to play. Too bad.
I then went upstairs to the Bougainvillea Cafe to find a minor change - the old entrance to the Cafe was blocked off and the new entrance was shared with the buffet - similar to the setup at the Fremont. I got in and ordered the Deuces Wild special - 2 pancakes, eggs & bacon. Another good meal that really hit the spot. The total damage was about $8.
After a short wait for the 202, it was off to the Gold Coast. They had a couple of coupon plays plus 4x points on video poker today. I started off well at STP but couldn't sustain it. I reached my point goal, but lost $27 to get there. I then switched to NSUD and blew another $32.50 there. I then went to the craps table to use one of my coupons - a $5 matchplay. That lost, and I lost another $55 for the "fun" of it. Some fun. Then it was off to use my other coupon - $10 in freeplay. I used it on NSUD and got $5 out of it. Yay for small victories.
I hustled out of there and headed across the street to the Palms. I checked out their Super Bowl odds - nothing notable on the board, but I noticed something interesting on their parlay sheets. I'll get into it more later. I then strolled over to the craps table and used my $10 match. That won, but the cover didn't go so well. I left $5 in the red. But I saw my old friend QUEEN and had to settle down. The max bet here is $2.50 and I played it for their "up to" 95% opportunities. I didn't hit anything until I got a 1000 coin (penny) score. I decided not to press my luck and surrendered even.
I caught the 202 to Bally's, walked down to the Paris stop, and took the SDX home. After a little time licking my wounds, I walked over to the Riviera. I redeemed my MRB coupon for $30 in freeplay for $50 in regular play. I found a 8/5/30 bonus machine that looked comfortable. On my last play at dollars - my dollars - I had a pair of 3s and got the other two on the draw. Hot diggity dog! That $150 score is my best ever at dollars (I had a slightly bigger win at quarter STP on another trip). Who says you can't win on the Strip? I had a few regrets that if I had been playing a regular bonus machine, I would've won $200. Then I found myself with a problem - I thought I remembered my PIN, but I didn't. So I went back to the Club to take care of that, then tried my luck at the same machine. It wasn't quite as hot, but I still got $15 out of it.
BTW, the Riv seems to be the world's capital for virtual machines. They have six of them, 4 dealing out 3:2 blackjack. One had Mississippi Stud, which I hadn't seen in any other casino. Then again, I don't look too hard for sucker games like that.
On my way to the Sahara I found a magazine bin stuffed with info mags among the usual smut. So I grabbed them all and headed back to the Hilton. I knew there was some articles and coupons that might be of interest in these. The overall haul was a little disappointing; the only coupon I could find that I might use is $2 off the Atomic Testing Museum. After some time to digest this and do other things, I finally walked to the Sahara. It was a pretty easy walk of about 15 minutes. There were two plays here - the 50-40 chips and a $25 matchplay. I've never had much luck here, but maybe things will be different this time around. I went to a handy craps table with just the right amount of activity. I scraped out $50 with those blue chips, then I used the match. Come out roll... 7! Winner! But what's this? I was on the Don't Pass. Bummer dude. So that was an instant loss. The Sahara curse and the big matchplay curse bite me again. My lifetime record with matchplays over $10 is 2-7.
Now it was off to downtown to take care of some loose ends. First, Fitzgeralds to wash some change. I played a bit of NSUD for the fun of it. The trend was generally down when I hit a wild royal with three deuces. The book says hold it, so I did. Visions of that 4th deuce still danced in my eyes as I collected my $17.50 win. Then I went to the El cortez to make a couple of plays. The 'Tez book is hooked to the South Point (as is the Palms), so I played a parlay here - PIT +3, under 45, and under 2 fumbles. Both teams were great at holding on to the football without fumbling it away, so I figured I had a huge edge there. I figured I had smaller edges on the other two. By my rough calculations, I figure I had about a 25% chance to win $120 (I bet $20 on this). I also bet $33 on the under 45 (the Hilton was still at 44.5 when I last checked).
I headed to the Golden Gate dodging crowds along the way. All of Fremont St. and its casinos were crowded - a good sign, I suppose, but not so great to actually deal with. I found a 7/5 Bonus ACE$ machine for dollars - their best among games I can play. I wasn't hitting very often, but when I did hit I was mostly hitting big - trips or better. Somewhere in there I was dealt quad 7s. Baby!
I earned my 100 points ($200 coin-in) and cashed out $125 ahead. I went to the club booth and got my $25 loaded. I went back to the same machine and got $20 out of it. There was one last play here - the blackjack coupon. I was up, then down, then up again. Then came the blackjack. The dealer had an ace, but I got paid anyway. Very nice. I left $40 ahead.
Dinner was at the Four Queens. Magnolia's fried chicken special was gone, replaced with a 1/2 slab of ribs for $9.99. So I had that. The food was good and I got a view overlooking their table games. The service was fine and the final bill was about $16. I took the SDX back to the Hilton. No inspections this time, not that it mattered. I didn't gamble, but I couldn't resist a final peek inside the casino. They, too, were hopping. The minimums at the tables were all $10 and up. The book was very busy. I found they were finally offering the total at 45 like most everyone else in town. I didn't notice any other significant changes. All in all, this was a very good day.
SATURDAY, 2/5
Up and at 'em around 2. I figured the crowds would be gone by then. Not quite. The casino was still busy, though starting to tail off. I won a buck in a quick hit at NSUD, then tried some virtual BJ. I gave back $31, but it could have been worse. With my gambling urge satisfied for the moment, I went back to the room for a few hours of rest and prep.
Breakfast was to be at the Tuscany, so I took the 108 to Flamingo and walked from there. The casino was still as sleepy as I remembered it - even on 10x points day there was barely anyone there. I earned a few points at 8/5 Bonus, their best, and a couple of bucks in the process. Curiously, the blackjack games were dead, but the roulette and craps games were going. So I slid in and watched the dice roll. Good news: I won the $5 match. Bad news: I still lost $30. I won a little at TAR, then it was time for breakfast. The service was good and friendly, as always, at Marilyn's. I had the basic breakfast - eggs, hash browns, and toast. With drink & tip it was still around $12 - slightly more than basic, but never mind.
Now it was time to go back to the hotel. I took the 202 to Swenson and from there the 108. The Flamingo/Swenson stop continues to be my least favorite. But no incidents as I returned safely.
The casino was starting to show some more signs of life already. I blew a few bucks at some pretty slot machine, then another $25 at video poker. Virtual BJ was good to me for once as I escaped up $20. After a sort rest I returned to the belly. Things were hopping even more now. And thus begins the degenerate portion of our program.
It started well - up $11 at quarter JoB. Then I lost $51 at NSUD. Time to slow down. I got quad 8s at nickel JoB, but that was not enough to prevent me from losing $5. Then a seat opened up at virtual BJ and I heard its siren song. After two days playing it almost exclusively alone, I had human company most of the time from here on. I blew $132 here and the less said about it, the better. Back to nickel VP, where I made up a buck. Then I did something really silly - I headed for the craps tables. There were three going - one with $15 minimums and two at $10. I chose one of the latter. It looked like a good choice as I was up a little early. But that was just a warmup. I finally surrendered down $184. Yeesh. Back to virtual BJ to try to do better. Not really. I was down from the very start and then it got worse. Finally I caught a run and gave up down only $90. Yay? The only good news is that it was time for the dinner buffet.
The Hilton had a program where you could refuse maid service and they would give you a $10 voucher good for food at their restaurants. They could be stacked with each other, but not with any other discounts. They're not available on the day you check in or check out. They said they were supposed to hand them out by noon, but I usually got mine between 2 and 3. My frugal bones got a tingle when I heard about this. I locked out the maids all three days I was eligible and I got three of these green certificates, as I called them.
Anyway, back to the dinner buffet, since it was $19.99 and by this time I had two vouchers, the meal was covered (except for the tip). BTW, there was no line. One rare quality about their dinner buffet is that they offer beer and/or wine (you have to go up and get it, where it's served to you). I don't imbibe, so I didn't partake. The food and service were both good, though at regular price it's not any great bargain.
I eventually went back to the room to try to shake things off. As good as Friday was, this Saturday was twice as bad.
SUNDAY, 2/6 (Super Bowl!)
It's 12:30 or so - morning by my definition - so I guess it was safe to go down into the casino to give them my money. It was quite busy, but, oddly, not as busy as yesterday. I played a little nickel video poker - up a bit to start, then played it down to even. Then I went to an assortment of pretty video slots and won a few pennies. So the day was starting better than the last one ended.
With that, I went back to the room to rest and prep, then headed back out for the 108 to the Flamingo stop, then transferred to the 202 going west. I got off at the Caesars stop and walked to the Bellagio. I actually passed by the B's sports book on my first time through - remember, hard right past the poker room. I grabbed some odds sheets and teaser cards. The teasers loked interesting; I'll tell you about those later.
Then it was off to Bally's. Their book is downstairs and way in the back. Same deal - more odds and teasers. I then walked over to Paris. Those cobblestone streets may be authentic, but my feet did not appreciate them. I made it to their buffet, which didn't have much of a line. $18.99 for a regular breakfast? What pencil pusher decided this? Good thing I had my coupon, which cut the price to a more palatable $10. The buffet itself was pretty good - I especially recommend the Lyonaise potatoes. The nice thing about having more exotic stuff on the menu is that some of it is actually good.
After a brief stop at Planet Hollywood (Oh! My ears!!), I went to the MGM Grand to have some parlay fun. I'm going to confess that I got too cute here. The $25 on the PIT/Under 45/Under 2 fumbles was fine - even if it did duplicate what I already did at the El Cortez - but the $50 each on Under 2/Odd-even scores was not the best way to play this. I would have been better off just betting the prop straight up (the odds were -130 at the Hilton at the time). If I was destined to win it wouldn't matter, but if I lost it would matter a lot.
I then caught the SDX back to the Hilton and stayed there for the rest of the day. The hours passed and finally it was time for the Super Duper Bowl!!!! I spent the time in my room so I could keep track of my bets more easily. There was one quick bit of good news - Ben scrambled for a big enough gain to make that prop a winner, assuming he didn't go crazy with the naked bootlegs. Alas, almost as quickly he threw a pick, so those props more or less evened out.
As for the rest of the game, Green Bay got out to a 21-3 lead, which was not the way the script was supposed to go. My spread, O/U, and teaser bets were in serious jeopardy. Pittsburgh scored 2 TDs to make it 21-17 and gave me a little hope. Then they fumbled it away, which made me very nervous for the rest of the game - another lost one would ruin me. GB followed with a TD, which pretty much signaled "game over" for me. The final, as most of you now know, was 31-25 GB. I did win the Wallace vs. Jennings comp, and the Under 2-Odd-Odd teaser. Out of $434 in Super Bowl bets I collected $386, for a $48 loss. It could have been worse.
By this time I felt a rumble in my tummy. I had another voucher, so what about the buffet again? All right, so I headed there. Oh man, everyone - and I mean EVERYONE in the hotel - was heading in the other direction. The buffet was by the sports book, and it was still madness there with people watching the postgame, cashing tickets, etc. But there was barely a line at the buffet itself. The food didn't seem to be quite as good this evening (maybe it was the bitterness in my mouth from Pittsburgh not living up to their potential?), but it was more than acceptable. The final cost was about $14.
I went to the room, grabbed a book, and retired for the evening.
MONDAY, 2/7
I got up relatively late at 6:30. I prepped for the day to come, then stopped by the book to see if they were open and cash my bets if they were. They were, and I did. That gave me money for breakfast, so I went over to the Arco station across the street for a paper and some cheap snacks. I selected a danish and ice drink (don't call it a Slurpee please). That cost about $5. I finished off my mini-breakfast and read the latest news and sports. I also confirmed the bets that I thought won won, and the ones I thought lost lost. There were no ties.
I really didn't feel like gambling anymore, at least not at the Hilton, so I passed the time until it was time to pack up and go. That time arrived and I stuffed everything in my suitcase and left. Check-out was by video. There were no charged on the bill, of course. I bid goodbye to the Hilton for the last time. It was a good place to stay, if a little isolated.
I went to the Convention Center stop to wait for the SDX. That came and I got off at Excalibur. The water sellers were out in force on the Tropicana bridge. There was also a beggar or two. Both are hard ways to make easy livings, IMO. I got to the NYNY stop on Tropicana and waited a bit for the bus. It did eventually arrive and dropped me off at the Orleans, my home for the next two days.
The first thing I noticed was the perfume around the entrance was pretty powerful. The second thing I noticed was the crowd skewed elderly, just like the other Boyd joints and it wasn't even their "day" yet (that would be tomorrow). The third thing was there was a big line at check-in. Yeesh. But there was nothing better to do but wait. It did move and I eventually got checked in. My room on the 10th floor gave me deja vu - it looked and felt like my rooms at the Gold Coast. There were some decor differences (it's more tasteful here), the room itself was a bit larger, and the TV was an out-of-fashion CRT. But I thought they were basically the same. Also, it was a LONG way from the elevator down a hallway.
OK, enough fooling around - time to gamble!!! I lost a bit @ TPIR and NSUD in limited play. I then went over to receive my packet of instructions for the slot tournament that came with this room offer. There were two 15-minute sessions - one morning, one afternoon - and I got the latest possible ones, which wasn't ideal. Then I went over to Bconnected to redeem my coupons. I got a straight flush to help power me to a $8.75 gain in real play. The freeplay didn't yield anything. And play after that was a $3.75 loss. OK, that was kinda fun... off to the craps table. I immediately lost the matchplay, but made up for it and scooted away $2 richer.
After a bit of rest, my tummy started to talk to me - time for lunch. I got on the 201 and headed for the Tropicana. There were more water sellers and beggars on the way to MGM. I found the sports book and cashed my ticket with no problems. Next it was off to P. Ho for their buffet. The noise there would annoy me more if I had to stay there. Worse than the music was the facct I had a lot of difficulty finding the Spice Market Buffet. It's under the sign, but downstairs. The line was minimal and I got the lunch price.
The quick review... I'm sure it was when I went and what I chose, but everything I tried seemed to be a bit off. This is one of the best buffets in town? Not in my eyes. I earned a point on one of their 7/5 dollar bonus machines. Better was the fact I got an extra $5 out of it.
After that I crossed the street to eyeball City Center, Monte Carlo, and New York New York. There were fewer slappers here, but still there to pester those not fast enough to get out of their way. I actually thought they were fairly well behaved - just don't look at 'em and keep walking. Quickly. Not easy to do when there's a bunch of slow-moving people in the way. I was feeling a bit tired and full, so I didn't stop in any of the casinos along the way. It seemed to take a long time, but I got to the NYNY stop. The afternoon sun pounded me with no relief. Fortunately it wasn't that warm. Eventually the 201 came and dropped me back off at home. I went straight to the room and rested.
TUESDAY, 2/8
I got up around 5 and went to the Courtyard Cafe for one of their overnight specials. I chose the burger & fries. Good eatin' and good service, though I couldn't finish all the fries. The total damage was about $10. After that I did some gambling. I lost a buck at a pretty slot, then won a bit at NSUD. I then won the dollar back at some different slots elsewhere. And then I played some blackjack at one of their shoe games - not their best, but those were occupied. Mornings, you know - not every table is staffed. It was mostly a down experience until I caught my run and finshed behind only $3.
On to the craps table. Soon after I arrived I caught a nice shooter who kept hitting numbers. When the smopke cleared I was up $229 - one of my biggest scores. I was now within shouting distance of getting even.
But first I had a slot tournament to compete in. This was new for me. It seemed to be organized well for a minor tournament. The game of choice was Red White & Blue - I'm sure you slot fans have heard of it. The big prize was getting a red seven, white seven, and blue seven on the same line, which "paid" 1000 credits. I took my turn in the morning session, and I slapped that button like crazy... but the results were not good. I only got just over 10,000 points. My neighbors all did better, so I'm guessing it was bottom quartile. I would need a much bigger number to compete for the top 100 (which paid $50 in freeplay), never mind #1.
To drown my sorrows I watched a movie, "Black Swan". I liked it, though I'll admit it's not for all tastes. After the movie ($7 ticket, $5 iced drink), I played some NSUD (down $20), and then it was back to the tourney. Already? OK, back to button slapping. I did much better this time - a smidge under 16,000. That was above average, but would it be enough to cash? We would see later. They promised to post the results by 6 PM.
In the meantime, I played blackjack at one of their $10 tables. I survived and left up $40. Then, on a whim, I put $55 on Buffalo in a college basketball game against Central Michigan. Normally I don't follow college basketball, and the MAC Conference I pay almost no attention to when I do. But CMU was a terrible team, playing several hundred miles away against a pretty good one. I thought the Chippewas would miss their home casino (the Soaring Eagle) and find the ones in nearby Niagara Falls an inadequate substitute, at best. The line was BUF -12.5, and for once I didn't think that was too much to give.
I went back to the room and watched basketball (not CMU @ BUF, which only an alum, a diehard, or a heavy bettor would bother with - I'm not even sure the Hilton's Superbook, with its dozens of screens, broadcast it). I kept a close eye on the ticker. ESPN didn't care much about the game either; they only showed the results approximately a third of the time through. Anyway, Buffalo made up the spread early, scared me a little by being up only 12 at the half, then cruised to a 29-point victory. This one did go according to plan, unlike that game down in Dallas which far more people cared about.
I finally decided what I wanted to do for dinner, so I went down to go do it. But first I cashed my winning ticket. I decided to stop gambling at that point. I found myself ahead - drumroll please - a whole $15. It was a squeaker, but just enough to keep my streak of Las Vegas winning trips alive. It's five in a row for those keeping track. It was especially sweet since I put myself in a major hole on Saturday.
Also, the results were posted from the tournament. The news here was not good - there were 269 people entered, which was more than the 200 they said and they didn't adjust the prize amounts or number of prizes to match. That cut my EV down to about $35 from $49. I was not amused. The top button slapper achieved a score of around 39,000 - good for him. 100th went down to about 28,600. My score of 26,070 was good for 174th - well out of the money.
Where was I? Dinner? Yeah, that was at the French Market Buffet. There was a short line to pay, but a significant wait to get in. The service was brisk and efficient and the food was good. With coupon the total damage was about $10. I went up to the room to do fascinating things like watch keno numbers come in.
WEDNESDAY, 2/9
I got up around 6:30 and took things slowly, hanging around the room until 10. Then I went past the belly of the beast (mostly) to Sbarro for a pizza slice and soft drink. For $7, it wasn't too bad. After that it was time to pack up and move out. I didn't check out, figuring that the Orleans would eventually get the message. Besides, I might need that room if something goes wrong. After deliberating about whether to take the bus or the taxi, my true nature got the best of me and I took the free option.
I jogged partway to the stop opposite the Orleans and the bus was kind enough to wait for me. The 201 moved relatively efficiently to the Tropicana stop, where I got off. Then I got some bad news - the WAX was now hourly, seven days a week. And the next bus wasn't due for another 40 minutes. Grrrrr. Lesser men would have sprinted to a nearby hotel and taken a taxi, but I was raised stubborn, so I stayed and waited. And waited. And waited. The WAX came right on time and had maybe eight other people on it. There was only one stop to the airport and we all got off there.
I printed out my boarding pass and headed to security. The line looked long, but it moved relatively quickly. No issues at security and I took the tram to the D gates. The time went by relatively quickly as we departed on time for Detroit. The plane landed a few minutes early, for all the good it did me. They played a movie on the flight - "Secretariat". I was tempted, but not thanks. The flight attendants soft-pedaled some earphones for $2 each (any old earphone would have worked just as well, for free). The hop, skip & jump to Lansing was on time and landed early. No taxis were waiting, so I called for one. This is the one disadvantage of flying out of LAN. After about a 10 minute wait, one came for me and took me home. The fare was about $14, but I paid $18. I was pleased to note that all the streets had been plowed, and the main ones were actually snow-free. And that ended my latest adventure.
COMMENTS:
* Virtual blackjack = EVIL. That's all.
* Out of $100 in freeplay, I received $64.18 in real cash. Unlucky me, but that paid for my MRB subscription and ACG, with enough left over to buy a low-end or discounted breakfast buffet.
* In other coupon news, I went 2-4 on matchplays for a loss of $20, won $10 from the blackjack bonus coupons, and won $10 from the Sahara's bonus chips. Call it even.
* I'm not sure how to value the food coupons I used. I don't think any of the places I visited are worth the full price I didn't pay, and I wouldn't have visited them if they were.
* I liked the Hilton's room (outdated though it was), the view, the buffet, the service (generally), their attempt to go green, and the video poker. I disliked the occasionally fierce crowds, high minimums on the table games, and its isolation. Overall I'll keep it in the mix for future stays.
* The Orleans was surprisingly loud. Not quite up to Hard Rock/P. Ho standards, but you'd think they would have more consideration for the tender ears of their target audience. And mine.
* Further thoughts on the Orleans: I preferred the Gold Coast. Seriously. The rooms are about the same, the casino is less busy, and they have more of the video poker games I really like.
* It would have helped to have the SDX run eariler than 9 AM. The walk to the nearest Deuce stop was about 10 minutes away, and I was never inclined to do it.
* Cutting the WAX to hourly makes it much less useful, especially coming from the airport.
* I didn't have any problems with the bus passes I bought online.
* Cut from the list of things to do: Mark Curry, Pinball Museum, Atomic Testing Museum. I may never have a chance to see Mr. Curry again, and too bad for that, but I figure the pinball games will still be there when I'm ready for them. And even the U.S. isn't scandalous enough to do above-ground nuclear testing again, so that piece of history will also wait. I still have the coupon, which expires at the end of 2012.
* Another coupon some of you might be interested in is a free buffet + VIP upgrade for Legends in Concert at Harrah's. I don't normally do impersonator shows, but I might do this one. Some of the freebie mags had this one, some had its inferior cousin with just the free buffet.
* I really missed downtown and wished I could have spent more time there. Next time I'm probably staying there (Four Queens, Fitzgeralds, love me, love me not...), so that's not going to be an issue.
* Celebrity dress-alikes I saw downtown: SpongeBob, Batman, Dale Earnhardt, Darth Vader. I didn't see Spider-Man this time around.
