Another semi-annual trip under our belt; this was our usual 7-night trip, same casinos as last time, three nights at MSS, two at Sam's, two at Four Queens. This time it was Linda (wife) and I, our local friends Glen and Jennifer, our friend from Minnesota, linda2244 and our son and his girlfriend from Denver, Aaron and Arielle (who arrived late Friday evening). Lots of people to juggle but it all worked out fine. Heavy play this time, about $55K coin-in, loss was about $965 (1.8%). Kind of an emotional roller-coaster for me, I was way ahead until we got to the Four Queens, and then things just went south. Loads o' fun overall, though. One other disaster, my piece of shit Nikon Coolpix digital camera managed to erase all of our pictures; I think it has a date with the garbage can, it's been nothing but trouble. Anyway, here's the rundown:
WEDNESDAY
Easy non-stop flight on Southwest with Glen and Jennifer, wound up taking a cab downtown (gave explicit directions, so no long-haul for us). Had a good start at MSS, then went over to Aloha Specialties (probably my favorite restaurant in Vegas) with Glen and Jen (Linda isn't much for Hawaiian food), had the Aloha bento. After lunch, I got my usual set of natural quads on a deuces machine then moved over to the triple-play BP machine, got a dealt quad. Meanwhile, linda2244, who rarely plays VP, went to the bar and got a royal on her first hand. Lucky! Played some more, then we all went over to the Fremont for senior day (except for Jen, she's just a kid). Played some STP BP, had a lot of fun with that, got a flush with an 8x multiplier and a FH with a 5x, also a quad. Meanwhile, linda2244 played a Quick Hit machine and hit for $1700. Guess it was her day. Got our free senior buffet at the Fremont (which is about what it was worth), then made it an early evening.
THURSDAY
Started with a very profitable cup of coffee at the bar, running $100 up to $364 (got two quads), then took a walk and hit on two of the $25 MPs in the LVA book, one at the Plaza and one at GG. linda2244 had some Dupar's comps and also used the free pancake coupon, so that was lunch; had a very good patty melt. Up and down all afternoon, then Linda, linda2244 and I went to Vic and Anthony's for dinner, linda2244 and I did the $49 Distinctive Dining special and Linda got a ribeye. All was very good, the lobster bisque was reliable, steaks very good, creamed spinach and chocolate mousse cake both excellent. Definitely the Deal of the Day. Played some DB after dinner, then bedtime.
FRIDAY
Up and down in the morning, then got a dealt quad on 5-play BP, that hit the spot. Lunch at American Coney, then back to MSS, got dealt quad 4s on DB so I was again ahead. linda2244 and I went over to the DTG, played our MPs and FP, gave them some play and did well; we'll see if we get on the radar. Back to MSS, had a great NSUD session with a couple of dealt wild royals. Hit the Friday night seafood buffet at MSS, it's pretty good and the price was right (zero). It's always crowded, always lots of yelling kids playing with the melted butter, and the best part is always the dirty looks that you get when you use the invited guests line. Some more play after dinner, then bedtime. Aaron and Arielle arrived a little before midnight, had an easy trip; they stayed on our room, and we were off to Sam's the next morning.
SATURDAY
Started the morning with a spam musubi from Aloha Specialties; Aaron was playing NSUD after breakfast and got his first set of quad deuces; yay! Took the shuttle to Sam's, got a back room facing the mountains; I'm happy with any room for Super Bowl weekend (or Big Game weekend, as the lawyers would have you say it). I didn't do that well Saturday, although Glen hit a Quick Hit machine for $1300. Finally got quad aces on triple-play BP, evened out a bit. We had tickets for O that night, took the 202 bus to the Strip, had a surprisingly good meal at Le Burger Brasserie at Paris (couldn't use the coupon on the weekend, though), much better than I had expected. Not life-changing hamburgers, but very good, and the service was perfect (contrary to reports that we had seen). I had the blue cheese burger, excellent choice, as was Aaron's lamb burger with feta. The gravy fries (with short rib gravy and Tillamook cheddar) were mighty tasty as well. Short walk over to Bellagio, and to O. It was a great show, we had seen it back in 2007 but made the mistake of booking the 10:00 show on our first night (while we were still on Eastern time brain-wise), glad we got to see it again. Spectacular show, really quintessential Cirque. Section 202 was the perfect seating for us; most of the seats were discounted due to "limited visibility," but this was absolutely not a problem; as the reservation agent accurately described, there's a railing that would obstruct the view of some of the stage if you were under about 5'3", no problems at all for us. Back to Sam's, played a bit more, watched the Mystic Falls show (the bear is being repaired, he's currently replaced with a sheet of plywood and some steel ribs), and to bed.
SUNDAY
This was the day when I really felt like I had my nose rubbed in Vegas. Serious roller-coaster gambling, the Super Bowl and the Sterling brunch at Bally's. Had a bad start, one of those pricey cups of coffee that happen when you're playing bartops (I mostly play the dollar 9/6 JoB progressives at the sports book bar). Linda, linda2244, the kids and I took the 202 to Bally's; the Sterling was excellent as always, we had Javier again as a server, great guy. Lots of Perrier-Jouet champagne, everything was wonderful. High points included the smoked salmon, the lobster tails, the rack of lamb, the Nueske's slab bacon. Back to Sam's, kept losing and losing. Watched most of the Super Bowl at the sports book (standing room only, but a good venue), caught most of the fourth quarter in the ballroom, which was less pleasant. Had a late Vienna hot dog with kraut ($1.50 at the sports book), that was plenty after the Sterling. Lost some more at the bar and on the multi-line BP machine over near the keno lounge (with the added distraction of the recorded voice saying, "number two" every few minutes), then wasted about 20 minutes (although Linda wasted more like 90 minutes) trying to teach some lady how to play VP. It didn't take me long, she was playing fooler deuces for 2 cents (94.34% EV), asked me if it was a good game. I talked to her about the FPDW nickel machines, then saw her making holds like 34 suited, she said that she felt lucky, so I told her that it was probably the right machine for her and left Linda with her. Poor Linda. Anyway, I was pretty beaten up by now, decided to play some DDW up on the second floor and Linda finally got away and joined me. After about 15 minutes I got dealt three deuces and drew the fourth one for $500. Played a little more on the multi-line BP machine, again got beaten up but held one ace and drew the other three on one line for another $100. Hell of a day, pure Vegas roller-coaster, wound up about even. Finally bedtime.
MONDAY
Played a little more (got a 7x multiplier for the day, that yielded some extra CB even though I only played for about an hour), then took the shuttle back downtown and to the Four Queens with Linda and the kids; linda2244 relocated to Cosmo and Glen and Jennifer to Hooter's. Good start (that was the only good play I had there), then lunch at Magnolia's. I had some tasty gumbo (people rave about it; it's not New Orleans but it's tasty) and a French dip; Arielle had a hell of a good white pizza, plenty of garlic. Oh, we found a loophole; we used a BOGO entree coupon from the LVA book but were told that we couldn't use comp dollars if we used the coupon. So, we charged the meal to the room and then were able to pay for it with the comp dollars when we checked out. Pretty slick, eh? Anyway, not a good afternoon, although I did run over to the D and hit my third $25 MP; I was 0 for 3 last year, 3 for 3 this year. Dinner was at Heritage Steak, at Mirage; all seven of us met there, along with some friends, Elvin and Rhonda from back home, who were staying at the Wynn. Eight of us had those $30 off rewards from MyVegas; there was some question about using more than one at the table, but I had spoken to several restaurant reservation agents beforehand and kept a paper trail, so we were able to use all of them (but had eight separate checks). Anyway, it was a fantastic meal; we had eaten at Tom Collicchio's other place, Craftsteak at MGM, a few years ago and were really impressed. Heritage had a somewhat more innovative menu and everything was outstanding. I had a Wagyu skirt steak and Linda had an Australian Wagyu flatiron, both outstanding quality and preparation. Other high points included Aaron's butternut squash soup with foie gras torchon garnish (maybe the best soup I've ever had), Arielle's pork belly starter, and a truffle risotto side. Great meal overall. Rhonda also told us that she had put a dollar into a bartop at Wynn, a dollar VP machine, not sure what, and that she immediately hit a royal. For $250, not $4K. Oh, well. Anyway, back to Four Queens, and the beginning of a couple of very bad days. Linda did okay (got a SF!), I couldn't hit anything, had one quad in about $10K of action (between dollar JoB and quarter DB). Should have gone to the airport from Sam's, but that's how it sometimes goes. Maybe it's better to lose the first few days and finish with some winning days.
TUESDAY
Another bad day for me, although Linda held her own. The kids were getting beaten up, too, at that point. Linda and I went over to Binion's, had the BOGO hamburger coupon. Really shitty hamburger at this point; I remember when the old guy was cooking them, they were top-notch; now they're very dry and tasteless. It's a shame. After lunch, we got a call from Aaron, they had gone back to MSS to play some more, and he got his first royal! That brought them back ahead again; a real thrill for them, although maybe they're a little young for that kind of emotional upheaval. Royals are good upheavals, though. Anyway, we went over to the El Cortez late in the afternoon; we all played some blackjack (DD), nobody did that well and I got killed (finally got a natural on a 3-unit bet, but pushed). I did walk down to Container Park and the Western to kill some time, might need to get back to Container Park for Cheffini's or Pinch's some time. The Western is boarded up but clean, and the marquee says something about event space, maybe that's the plan. The creepy thing (in a different creepy way than it used to be) was that there are a bunch of mannequins behind the glass doors now, fronted by a row of mannequin heads. Really looked like something from that guy's basement in Silence of the Lambs. Anyway, back to the El; we decided to try Siegel's 1941. It's really a coffee shop that tries to be all things to all people but isn't; they have some of the entrees from The Flame on the menu but it doesn't seem to fit. I had the prime rib special, which was about the same as it used to be at Careful Kitty's; nothing was too special. To top things off, we had the same waiter that had ruined our lives a few years earlier, some long, thin, smarmy fuckbubble that kind of looks like the guy on those "Idiot's Guide" books. A few years ago, he had forgotten to put Linda's order in and then blamed the busboy; we complained but they didn't fire him. Now, he's even more condescending and more defensive than before; for every mistake there was an excuse. Pain in the ass. Anyway, I played some Downtown Deuces on one of the vintage 1985 coindroppers after dinner but didn't hit anything better than quads. Back to the Queens (watched the Bon Jovi VivaVision show on the way, it always reminds me of my niece's lunchbox), lost some more and went to bed.
WEDNESDAY
The kids and I got up early and went over to the Cal, they have an oxtail soup graveyard special (advertised around the casino as, "The Ultimate Oxtail Adventure," how can you say 'no' to that?). Very tasty and filling. Got packed, ran over to Binion's for a last session (quarter BP progressive), lost, came back to the Four Queens (got Linda a slice from Pizza Rock), checked out, took the WAX to the airport and had an uneventful flight home (aside from the damned camera screwing up).
Overall it was a fun trip, lots of good times with family and friends. Up and down, although down and up might have been better (and it was certainly better than down and down). Next trip in the summer, we'll see what happens.
WEDNESDAY
Easy non-stop flight on Southwest with Glen and Jennifer, wound up taking a cab downtown (gave explicit directions, so no long-haul for us). Had a good start at MSS, then went over to Aloha Specialties (probably my favorite restaurant in Vegas) with Glen and Jen (Linda isn't much for Hawaiian food), had the Aloha bento. After lunch, I got my usual set of natural quads on a deuces machine then moved over to the triple-play BP machine, got a dealt quad. Meanwhile, linda2244, who rarely plays VP, went to the bar and got a royal on her first hand. Lucky! Played some more, then we all went over to the Fremont for senior day (except for Jen, she's just a kid). Played some STP BP, had a lot of fun with that, got a flush with an 8x multiplier and a FH with a 5x, also a quad. Meanwhile, linda2244 played a Quick Hit machine and hit for $1700. Guess it was her day. Got our free senior buffet at the Fremont (which is about what it was worth), then made it an early evening.
THURSDAY
Started with a very profitable cup of coffee at the bar, running $100 up to $364 (got two quads), then took a walk and hit on two of the $25 MPs in the LVA book, one at the Plaza and one at GG. linda2244 had some Dupar's comps and also used the free pancake coupon, so that was lunch; had a very good patty melt. Up and down all afternoon, then Linda, linda2244 and I went to Vic and Anthony's for dinner, linda2244 and I did the $49 Distinctive Dining special and Linda got a ribeye. All was very good, the lobster bisque was reliable, steaks very good, creamed spinach and chocolate mousse cake both excellent. Definitely the Deal of the Day. Played some DB after dinner, then bedtime.
FRIDAY
Up and down in the morning, then got a dealt quad on 5-play BP, that hit the spot. Lunch at American Coney, then back to MSS, got dealt quad 4s on DB so I was again ahead. linda2244 and I went over to the DTG, played our MPs and FP, gave them some play and did well; we'll see if we get on the radar. Back to MSS, had a great NSUD session with a couple of dealt wild royals. Hit the Friday night seafood buffet at MSS, it's pretty good and the price was right (zero). It's always crowded, always lots of yelling kids playing with the melted butter, and the best part is always the dirty looks that you get when you use the invited guests line. Some more play after dinner, then bedtime. Aaron and Arielle arrived a little before midnight, had an easy trip; they stayed on our room, and we were off to Sam's the next morning.
SATURDAY
Started the morning with a spam musubi from Aloha Specialties; Aaron was playing NSUD after breakfast and got his first set of quad deuces; yay! Took the shuttle to Sam's, got a back room facing the mountains; I'm happy with any room for Super Bowl weekend (or Big Game weekend, as the lawyers would have you say it). I didn't do that well Saturday, although Glen hit a Quick Hit machine for $1300. Finally got quad aces on triple-play BP, evened out a bit. We had tickets for O that night, took the 202 bus to the Strip, had a surprisingly good meal at Le Burger Brasserie at Paris (couldn't use the coupon on the weekend, though), much better than I had expected. Not life-changing hamburgers, but very good, and the service was perfect (contrary to reports that we had seen). I had the blue cheese burger, excellent choice, as was Aaron's lamb burger with feta. The gravy fries (with short rib gravy and Tillamook cheddar) were mighty tasty as well. Short walk over to Bellagio, and to O. It was a great show, we had seen it back in 2007 but made the mistake of booking the 10:00 show on our first night (while we were still on Eastern time brain-wise), glad we got to see it again. Spectacular show, really quintessential Cirque. Section 202 was the perfect seating for us; most of the seats were discounted due to "limited visibility," but this was absolutely not a problem; as the reservation agent accurately described, there's a railing that would obstruct the view of some of the stage if you were under about 5'3", no problems at all for us. Back to Sam's, played a bit more, watched the Mystic Falls show (the bear is being repaired, he's currently replaced with a sheet of plywood and some steel ribs), and to bed.
SUNDAY
This was the day when I really felt like I had my nose rubbed in Vegas. Serious roller-coaster gambling, the Super Bowl and the Sterling brunch at Bally's. Had a bad start, one of those pricey cups of coffee that happen when you're playing bartops (I mostly play the dollar 9/6 JoB progressives at the sports book bar). Linda, linda2244, the kids and I took the 202 to Bally's; the Sterling was excellent as always, we had Javier again as a server, great guy. Lots of Perrier-Jouet champagne, everything was wonderful. High points included the smoked salmon, the lobster tails, the rack of lamb, the Nueske's slab bacon. Back to Sam's, kept losing and losing. Watched most of the Super Bowl at the sports book (standing room only, but a good venue), caught most of the fourth quarter in the ballroom, which was less pleasant. Had a late Vienna hot dog with kraut ($1.50 at the sports book), that was plenty after the Sterling. Lost some more at the bar and on the multi-line BP machine over near the keno lounge (with the added distraction of the recorded voice saying, "number two" every few minutes), then wasted about 20 minutes (although Linda wasted more like 90 minutes) trying to teach some lady how to play VP. It didn't take me long, she was playing fooler deuces for 2 cents (94.34% EV), asked me if it was a good game. I talked to her about the FPDW nickel machines, then saw her making holds like 34 suited, she said that she felt lucky, so I told her that it was probably the right machine for her and left Linda with her. Poor Linda. Anyway, I was pretty beaten up by now, decided to play some DDW up on the second floor and Linda finally got away and joined me. After about 15 minutes I got dealt three deuces and drew the fourth one for $500. Played a little more on the multi-line BP machine, again got beaten up but held one ace and drew the other three on one line for another $100. Hell of a day, pure Vegas roller-coaster, wound up about even. Finally bedtime.
MONDAY
Played a little more (got a 7x multiplier for the day, that yielded some extra CB even though I only played for about an hour), then took the shuttle back downtown and to the Four Queens with Linda and the kids; linda2244 relocated to Cosmo and Glen and Jennifer to Hooter's. Good start (that was the only good play I had there), then lunch at Magnolia's. I had some tasty gumbo (people rave about it; it's not New Orleans but it's tasty) and a French dip; Arielle had a hell of a good white pizza, plenty of garlic. Oh, we found a loophole; we used a BOGO entree coupon from the LVA book but were told that we couldn't use comp dollars if we used the coupon. So, we charged the meal to the room and then were able to pay for it with the comp dollars when we checked out. Pretty slick, eh? Anyway, not a good afternoon, although I did run over to the D and hit my third $25 MP; I was 0 for 3 last year, 3 for 3 this year. Dinner was at Heritage Steak, at Mirage; all seven of us met there, along with some friends, Elvin and Rhonda from back home, who were staying at the Wynn. Eight of us had those $30 off rewards from MyVegas; there was some question about using more than one at the table, but I had spoken to several restaurant reservation agents beforehand and kept a paper trail, so we were able to use all of them (but had eight separate checks). Anyway, it was a fantastic meal; we had eaten at Tom Collicchio's other place, Craftsteak at MGM, a few years ago and were really impressed. Heritage had a somewhat more innovative menu and everything was outstanding. I had a Wagyu skirt steak and Linda had an Australian Wagyu flatiron, both outstanding quality and preparation. Other high points included Aaron's butternut squash soup with foie gras torchon garnish (maybe the best soup I've ever had), Arielle's pork belly starter, and a truffle risotto side. Great meal overall. Rhonda also told us that she had put a dollar into a bartop at Wynn, a dollar VP machine, not sure what, and that she immediately hit a royal. For $250, not $4K. Oh, well. Anyway, back to Four Queens, and the beginning of a couple of very bad days. Linda did okay (got a SF!), I couldn't hit anything, had one quad in about $10K of action (between dollar JoB and quarter DB). Should have gone to the airport from Sam's, but that's how it sometimes goes. Maybe it's better to lose the first few days and finish with some winning days.
TUESDAY
Another bad day for me, although Linda held her own. The kids were getting beaten up, too, at that point. Linda and I went over to Binion's, had the BOGO hamburger coupon. Really shitty hamburger at this point; I remember when the old guy was cooking them, they were top-notch; now they're very dry and tasteless. It's a shame. After lunch, we got a call from Aaron, they had gone back to MSS to play some more, and he got his first royal! That brought them back ahead again; a real thrill for them, although maybe they're a little young for that kind of emotional upheaval. Royals are good upheavals, though. Anyway, we went over to the El Cortez late in the afternoon; we all played some blackjack (DD), nobody did that well and I got killed (finally got a natural on a 3-unit bet, but pushed). I did walk down to Container Park and the Western to kill some time, might need to get back to Container Park for Cheffini's or Pinch's some time. The Western is boarded up but clean, and the marquee says something about event space, maybe that's the plan. The creepy thing (in a different creepy way than it used to be) was that there are a bunch of mannequins behind the glass doors now, fronted by a row of mannequin heads. Really looked like something from that guy's basement in Silence of the Lambs. Anyway, back to the El; we decided to try Siegel's 1941. It's really a coffee shop that tries to be all things to all people but isn't; they have some of the entrees from The Flame on the menu but it doesn't seem to fit. I had the prime rib special, which was about the same as it used to be at Careful Kitty's; nothing was too special. To top things off, we had the same waiter that had ruined our lives a few years earlier, some long, thin, smarmy fuckbubble that kind of looks like the guy on those "Idiot's Guide" books. A few years ago, he had forgotten to put Linda's order in and then blamed the busboy; we complained but they didn't fire him. Now, he's even more condescending and more defensive than before; for every mistake there was an excuse. Pain in the ass. Anyway, I played some Downtown Deuces on one of the vintage 1985 coindroppers after dinner but didn't hit anything better than quads. Back to the Queens (watched the Bon Jovi VivaVision show on the way, it always reminds me of my niece's lunchbox), lost some more and went to bed.
WEDNESDAY
The kids and I got up early and went over to the Cal, they have an oxtail soup graveyard special (advertised around the casino as, "The Ultimate Oxtail Adventure," how can you say 'no' to that?). Very tasty and filling. Got packed, ran over to Binion's for a last session (quarter BP progressive), lost, came back to the Four Queens (got Linda a slice from Pizza Rock), checked out, took the WAX to the airport and had an uneventful flight home (aside from the damned camera screwing up).
Overall it was a fun trip, lots of good times with family and friends. Up and down, although down and up might have been better (and it was certainly better than down and down). Next trip in the summer, we'll see what happens.
