My Farewell Year – Chapter 3
This chapter takes place in Laughlin (I’ll be in Las Vegas next month) as I received a couple of offers that were just too good to pass up. First of all, the Tropicana Express sent me a three night comp, which surprised me because I haven’t given them ANY play for over a year now—perhaps an attempt to woo me back. In addition to that I also got an offer from Harrah’s for a video poker tournament. I combined them for this second week of March because in addition to the free rooms with the tournament offer, they also sent me coupons for $100 per day in free play.
I left early from San Diego and arrived in Laughlin at 9:00 AM. First things first, I went to the Riverside to see a movie (too early to check in) and chose CHAPPIE, the robot with a heart flick. Though formulaic and predictable, I still enjoyed it—lots of shoot-em-ups and arrays of bad language. After the movie I went down and played a little Quick Quad poker (broke even) and a couple of penny games to burn up time before I checked into the Trop.
I need to re-clarify my gambling assertions from the past couple of chapters, or if you will, amend my thoughts on it. When I said I wasn’t going to gamble with my own money this year that was mostly for the Caesars properties, and am no longer trying to get enough points to reach the next higher level. I’ve decided to still play for fun (and hopefully for profit), but I’m not going to play at high levels as I’ve done in the past. A twenty here, a twenty there is about all I’m intending to wager on video games. By not concerning myself with acquiring points any longer, the joy of just playing for fun has returned.
It was time to check in to the Tropicana. I haven’t stayed here in years and word is they remodeled their rooms, which is a good thing because their rooms were absolutely dingy and depressing the last time I was here. Though the comp is for three nights, I’m only going to stay for two as I’m scheduled to stay a Harrahs for the tournament on Tuesday. They gave me a room on the 11th floor with a distant view of the river. The room was, indeed, much nicer. There’s a small flat screen TV and the bed and furniture have been improved.
The recently remodeled room—not pictured is a desk, chest of drawers, and the TV.
View from my room at the Tropicana Express
I was happy to see a coffee maker in the bathroom. The mattress was a little stiff for my liking but otherwise certainly a decent room. I did have to pay for in-room Internet, but it was at least somewhat reasonable ($15 for two days). I hung out in the room for a while taking a short nap and watching TV. The casino at the Trop hasn’t changed much at all though they turned the old poker room into a Bingo hall. I played a couple of games doing okay but losing a little. I watched people play the new Ellen machines that she hawks a lot on her show. The games seem really tight and I didn’t see anyone win anything.
The newly constructed bingo hall at the Tropicana Express
I drove over to Harrah’s to use one of my $100 free play coupons. This quarter they sent me four $100 coupons (three for every ten days and another only good on March 9). I purposely booked these days so I could use one of them on its last day and then another for the next ten days along with the March 9th for a total of three days play (this ain’t my first rodeo). I chose to play a personal favorite Bier Haus. Things were going along fine and though I wasn’t catching any bonuses, I was holding my own when the screen filled up with a slew of beer mugs (wild on this game) for a nice $200 win.
A nice little hit at Harrah’s on the Bier Haus machine
I end up walking out of Harrahs with a tidy $225 profit. The main street in Laughlin is called Casino Drive and they’ve recently remodeled and landscaped the entire street with cacti and wind art pieces. They’ve done a really nice job here. I thought about hitting a couple more casinos, but having gotten up at 4AM and daylight savings time kicking in, I was tired, so headed back to the Tropicana. I picked up a couple of tacos and a quesadilla and took it up to room and called it a night.
Monday, March 9.
One of the problems of not gambling much anymore is that here in Laughlin, there’s not much for me to do. There are plenty of sights and activities if you’re visiting, but I’ve been here so often that I’ve seen and done it all—many times over. I decided to go back to the Riverside and see another movie (I love movies—or is it the popcorn?). I chose THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. This movie was completely charming. I loved the first one and this sequel is just as good, if not better (to my parents—this is one you’ll love).
After the movie, I went down to the casino to play a little, lost some and headed over to the Colorado Belle to get into a poker game. A seat opened up at a 2/4 table and I bought in for $60. Things in the first hour went terrible. Twice I was dealt pocket queens, and twice I lost. I only took down one hand the whole hour. I bought in for another $40 and things began to turn around and go my way a little bit. But in the third hour, it began to turn again, and I finally cashed out for $40 (a loss of $60 for the day). I did finally get dealt pocket Aces (the first time in years at this house) but they held up so I didn’t get a bonus—bummer.
Recently the Colorado Belle closed their sports book and remodeled their deli
I drove back to Harrahs to use my $100 coupon. This time I played quarter triple play bonus poker. The very first hand I played I was dealt quad queens (nice!). I kept my eye on the meter. As soon as the free play was played out, I cashed out and was happy to walk with a $125 profit. So far my free play has netted me $350—sweet. I drove over to Subway, picked up a sandwich and drove back to the Tropicana, watched some TV, surfed the net, and called it a night.
Tuesday, March 10
I checked out of the Tropicana after enjoying a long morning of drinking coffee and reading some of this month’s book club choice. At 11, I drove back to the Riverside (yes, another movie—it’s what I do on these trips). This time it was Vince Vaughn’s latest UNFINISHED BUSINESS. The first two chapters of the movie were a little dumb and too easy on the jokes played on the dumb guy, but by the end there was a strong message on bullying that played well and left me feeling better about the movie.
I checked into Harrahs and was given a nice river view suite in the central tower. I just barely got unpacked when the gift pack of fruit and nuts arrived soon followed by the turn down service of brownies—yes, I will miss this a little. I headed down to the casino to register for the two day video poker tournament. I was given an 11 AM play time and I’d be playing on machine 32 both days (odd). I thought about it and went back to Diamond registration and asked how many nights I was booked for and was told two nights. Usually, I’ m given three nights (registration day, then a night for each tournament day). This means that I’ll have to check out on Thursday but stick around for the tournament and if I win anything, stick around until 5 PM for the prize disbursement. I could have asked my host to give me another night and she would most likely have given it to me but after I thought about it, I decided to go ahead and head back home Thursday night.
View from my window at Harrahs. Beautiful weather throughout this entire stay.
Along with the three $100 free play coupons, I also received a $40 dining credit at the Range, so I booked tomorrow night and then played the final $100 free play. I went back to the Bier Haus machine hoping fire would catch again. However despite catching a bonus of 30 plays which netted only $8.30, the rest of the session was a super bust and I only cashed out for $13.85.
I ordered a club sandwich from the café and headed up to my room. Because 7 Star members receive both free Internet and free movies on demand, I enjoyed my sandwich and watched the latest Ben Stiller Museum movie, which I thought was a tad better than the second one. Sad seeing Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams for the last time.
Wednesday, March 11
I stayed in my room until it was time to go for my first tournament session. As those of you know, you have to hit a quad or two each session to have a chance for a prize. Well, my ten minutes play time accumulated only one full house and zero quads. It was brutal. Now, all I can do is wait until tomorrow and hope I hit something big, or this will be the video poker tournament I won’t have cashed something in years.
I drove over to Bullhead to fill up the tank ($2.25—I’m missing the sub $2 mark) and go to Target to get a few things. I had small leisurely lunch before heading back to Harrahs for my dinner at the Ranch. I thought about stopping at a couple of places to gamble a little, but my heart just wasn’t in it and headed back to the hotel. I read a little more and watched some TV before heading over to the Range. This is the fine dining restaurant at Harrahs and the food and service is top notch but it is pricey. I had the veal and a Caesar’s salad. It came to $46, so I paid the small overage with my points, left a hefty tip and wondered into the Diamond Lounge for a while watch some basketball and finally back to the room.
My choice for the pay-per-view tonight was INHERENT VICE. I managed to watch about 2/3 of it and turned it off. The movie didn’t make any sense and the characters were all losers. It wasn’t my kind of movie.
THURSDAY, March 10
It’s checkout day. I called and asked for a late checkout to 1PM, so I could play my second round of the tournament and still have time to pack my things and get my car out of valet. The second session was a little better than the first, but I again did not hit even one quad, so there’s little to no chance of cashing this time around. However, I did manage a nifty $300+ profit from the free play (yes, I gave some of that back at poker and some penny machines), so I’m heading home with a little more money than I came with, which is really the whole point.
My next chapter will be the second week of April, when I again will be playing in a video poker tournament, though this time in Las Vegas.
Until then…
This chapter takes place in Laughlin (I’ll be in Las Vegas next month) as I received a couple of offers that were just too good to pass up. First of all, the Tropicana Express sent me a three night comp, which surprised me because I haven’t given them ANY play for over a year now—perhaps an attempt to woo me back. In addition to that I also got an offer from Harrah’s for a video poker tournament. I combined them for this second week of March because in addition to the free rooms with the tournament offer, they also sent me coupons for $100 per day in free play.
I left early from San Diego and arrived in Laughlin at 9:00 AM. First things first, I went to the Riverside to see a movie (too early to check in) and chose CHAPPIE, the robot with a heart flick. Though formulaic and predictable, I still enjoyed it—lots of shoot-em-ups and arrays of bad language. After the movie I went down and played a little Quick Quad poker (broke even) and a couple of penny games to burn up time before I checked into the Trop.
I need to re-clarify my gambling assertions from the past couple of chapters, or if you will, amend my thoughts on it. When I said I wasn’t going to gamble with my own money this year that was mostly for the Caesars properties, and am no longer trying to get enough points to reach the next higher level. I’ve decided to still play for fun (and hopefully for profit), but I’m not going to play at high levels as I’ve done in the past. A twenty here, a twenty there is about all I’m intending to wager on video games. By not concerning myself with acquiring points any longer, the joy of just playing for fun has returned.
It was time to check in to the Tropicana. I haven’t stayed here in years and word is they remodeled their rooms, which is a good thing because their rooms were absolutely dingy and depressing the last time I was here. Though the comp is for three nights, I’m only going to stay for two as I’m scheduled to stay a Harrahs for the tournament on Tuesday. They gave me a room on the 11th floor with a distant view of the river. The room was, indeed, much nicer. There’s a small flat screen TV and the bed and furniture have been improved.
The recently remodeled room—not pictured is a desk, chest of drawers, and the TV.
View from my room at the Tropicana Express
I was happy to see a coffee maker in the bathroom. The mattress was a little stiff for my liking but otherwise certainly a decent room. I did have to pay for in-room Internet, but it was at least somewhat reasonable ($15 for two days). I hung out in the room for a while taking a short nap and watching TV. The casino at the Trop hasn’t changed much at all though they turned the old poker room into a Bingo hall. I played a couple of games doing okay but losing a little. I watched people play the new Ellen machines that she hawks a lot on her show. The games seem really tight and I didn’t see anyone win anything.
The newly constructed bingo hall at the Tropicana Express
I drove over to Harrah’s to use one of my $100 free play coupons. This quarter they sent me four $100 coupons (three for every ten days and another only good on March 9). I purposely booked these days so I could use one of them on its last day and then another for the next ten days along with the March 9th for a total of three days play (this ain’t my first rodeo). I chose to play a personal favorite Bier Haus. Things were going along fine and though I wasn’t catching any bonuses, I was holding my own when the screen filled up with a slew of beer mugs (wild on this game) for a nice $200 win.
A nice little hit at Harrah’s on the Bier Haus machine
I end up walking out of Harrahs with a tidy $225 profit. The main street in Laughlin is called Casino Drive and they’ve recently remodeled and landscaped the entire street with cacti and wind art pieces. They’ve done a really nice job here. I thought about hitting a couple more casinos, but having gotten up at 4AM and daylight savings time kicking in, I was tired, so headed back to the Tropicana. I picked up a couple of tacos and a quesadilla and took it up to room and called it a night.
Monday, March 9.
One of the problems of not gambling much anymore is that here in Laughlin, there’s not much for me to do. There are plenty of sights and activities if you’re visiting, but I’ve been here so often that I’ve seen and done it all—many times over. I decided to go back to the Riverside and see another movie (I love movies—or is it the popcorn?). I chose THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. This movie was completely charming. I loved the first one and this sequel is just as good, if not better (to my parents—this is one you’ll love).
After the movie, I went down to the casino to play a little, lost some and headed over to the Colorado Belle to get into a poker game. A seat opened up at a 2/4 table and I bought in for $60. Things in the first hour went terrible. Twice I was dealt pocket queens, and twice I lost. I only took down one hand the whole hour. I bought in for another $40 and things began to turn around and go my way a little bit. But in the third hour, it began to turn again, and I finally cashed out for $40 (a loss of $60 for the day). I did finally get dealt pocket Aces (the first time in years at this house) but they held up so I didn’t get a bonus—bummer.
Recently the Colorado Belle closed their sports book and remodeled their deli
I drove back to Harrahs to use my $100 coupon. This time I played quarter triple play bonus poker. The very first hand I played I was dealt quad queens (nice!). I kept my eye on the meter. As soon as the free play was played out, I cashed out and was happy to walk with a $125 profit. So far my free play has netted me $350—sweet. I drove over to Subway, picked up a sandwich and drove back to the Tropicana, watched some TV, surfed the net, and called it a night.
Tuesday, March 10
I checked out of the Tropicana after enjoying a long morning of drinking coffee and reading some of this month’s book club choice. At 11, I drove back to the Riverside (yes, another movie—it’s what I do on these trips). This time it was Vince Vaughn’s latest UNFINISHED BUSINESS. The first two chapters of the movie were a little dumb and too easy on the jokes played on the dumb guy, but by the end there was a strong message on bullying that played well and left me feeling better about the movie.
I checked into Harrahs and was given a nice river view suite in the central tower. I just barely got unpacked when the gift pack of fruit and nuts arrived soon followed by the turn down service of brownies—yes, I will miss this a little. I headed down to the casino to register for the two day video poker tournament. I was given an 11 AM play time and I’d be playing on machine 32 both days (odd). I thought about it and went back to Diamond registration and asked how many nights I was booked for and was told two nights. Usually, I’ m given three nights (registration day, then a night for each tournament day). This means that I’ll have to check out on Thursday but stick around for the tournament and if I win anything, stick around until 5 PM for the prize disbursement. I could have asked my host to give me another night and she would most likely have given it to me but after I thought about it, I decided to go ahead and head back home Thursday night.
View from my window at Harrahs. Beautiful weather throughout this entire stay.
Along with the three $100 free play coupons, I also received a $40 dining credit at the Range, so I booked tomorrow night and then played the final $100 free play. I went back to the Bier Haus machine hoping fire would catch again. However despite catching a bonus of 30 plays which netted only $8.30, the rest of the session was a super bust and I only cashed out for $13.85.
I ordered a club sandwich from the café and headed up to my room. Because 7 Star members receive both free Internet and free movies on demand, I enjoyed my sandwich and watched the latest Ben Stiller Museum movie, which I thought was a tad better than the second one. Sad seeing Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams for the last time.
Wednesday, March 11
I stayed in my room until it was time to go for my first tournament session. As those of you know, you have to hit a quad or two each session to have a chance for a prize. Well, my ten minutes play time accumulated only one full house and zero quads. It was brutal. Now, all I can do is wait until tomorrow and hope I hit something big, or this will be the video poker tournament I won’t have cashed something in years.
I drove over to Bullhead to fill up the tank ($2.25—I’m missing the sub $2 mark) and go to Target to get a few things. I had small leisurely lunch before heading back to Harrahs for my dinner at the Ranch. I thought about stopping at a couple of places to gamble a little, but my heart just wasn’t in it and headed back to the hotel. I read a little more and watched some TV before heading over to the Range. This is the fine dining restaurant at Harrahs and the food and service is top notch but it is pricey. I had the veal and a Caesar’s salad. It came to $46, so I paid the small overage with my points, left a hefty tip and wondered into the Diamond Lounge for a while watch some basketball and finally back to the room.
My choice for the pay-per-view tonight was INHERENT VICE. I managed to watch about 2/3 of it and turned it off. The movie didn’t make any sense and the characters were all losers. It wasn’t my kind of movie.
THURSDAY, March 10
It’s checkout day. I called and asked for a late checkout to 1PM, so I could play my second round of the tournament and still have time to pack my things and get my car out of valet. The second session was a little better than the first, but I again did not hit even one quad, so there’s little to no chance of cashing this time around. However, I did manage a nifty $300+ profit from the free play (yes, I gave some of that back at poker and some penny machines), so I’m heading home with a little more money than I came with, which is really the whole point.
My next chapter will be the second week of April, when I again will be playing in a video poker tournament, though this time in Las Vegas.
Until then…
