Time for the semi-annual trip to Vegas. One of my sister’s flies in from Milwaukee and I fly in from Texas. We’ll be spending a full week this time. We extended our visit just so we could see Clint Holmes at the Smith Center. Turns out he was out of town that weekend instead. But it all worked out – my sister got an invitation for the M Resort for a bingo tournament. She called immediately to reserve it, but they said it was sold out. They booked her room for the weekend anyway and she asked to be put on a waiting list for the tournament. They called the very next day to say there was a tournament opening. And best of all, the offer included a tournament entry for a guest! Me! Yeah!
Our flights arrived within 20 minutes of each other. We met up in baggage claim and took the shuttle to the rental center to pick up our car. The rates were brutal and the best I could do was $203 (all in) for a standard sized car. We picked up our usual Chevy Impala. Even though it was just 2 of us this trip, we still like having the extra trunk space this car provides.
We drove right to the M Resort to register for the bingo tournament and then went to check in. We got a lovely room with a mountain view. We unpacked and had a few hours before the bingo tournament started, to gamble. We swiped for the weekend point multiplier and set out. Gambling didn’t start out very well, but we eventually earned enough points for a free buffet which we planned to use after bingo. We played some new slots: Beetle Juice, Rolling Stones, Jurrasic Park, a new version of Batman (really bad payouts) and a new Ghost Busters. We went to the old Willy Wonka machines and sat side-by-side and just kept hitting bonus after bonus. We both cashed out with a good profit.
The bingo tournament was well attended, but it didn’t appear to be full. Lots of empty seats. They gave us each a goodie bag upon arrival, a drawing ticket for bonus prizes, and a bingo six-pack of paper cards. We also picked up a machine loaded with another (40+?) games. The goodie bag had popcorn, pretzels, candy and a bingo dobber. We would be playing 15 games worth $1100 - $2000 each (some cash, some free play). Once they started calling numbers, we realized we were going to be there for a while. The guy calling had a nice clear voice, but it was obvious he never called bingo before. He repeated each number 4 times which got real old, real fast. B Eleven, B One One, B Eleven, B One One. Nice. And. Slow. Zzzzzz. We might have been more patient if we had won. My sister got down to one number twice and I got down to one number once.
After bingo we went to the buffet. They have their seafood buffet on the weekends and it’s one of our favorite buffets. I grabbed us a few glasses of champagne and filled up a plate of crab legs. This is the life!! Food was fabulous, as always.
After dinner we split up. I played some blackjack and just about broke even. I played at a great table of nice people. It was a double deck pitch game (reminded me of the table we loved to play at, at the Stardust years and years ago). BJ paid 3-2, dealer hit soft 17. I placed a $20 bet on the Cleveland Browns for my husband (that’s the price I had to pay for him staying home alone with the dogs!) I played some more slots and video poker and called it a night (I remembered to “fall back” and changed the clocks before falling asleep). I was down about $40 for the night. I certainly had $40 worth of fun!
Sunday was absolutely gorgeous – in fact the weather the whole trip was fantastic. Sunny and 70’s. We started the day with another M Resort buffet that they had sent us coupons for. Crab legs and champagne (just one glass) again. I began to wonder how often I could have that meal before I got tired of it.
We went to Orleans and played for hours. They have a triple play nickel VP progressive that’s always worth playing for. Neither one of us hit it (this time), but we love playing it. My sister struck lightening on the quarter loose deuces for a cool $625!
We headed back to the M Resort for the evening. I had a close call playing Pai Gow. I got 4 Aces for a 75-to-1 payout. I was shy just the joker for a potential $14k payout. So close. I had another nice hit (unfortunately, it was just nickels). I don’t normally play Ultimate X VP, but sat down at a nickel machine. I hit 4 jacks on a 12x pay line for a cool 3000 nickels ($150). I had to sit and admire that hand for a few minutes!
Monday, we checked out of the M Resort and would later check into Bally’s for 5 nights. We went to the Gold Coast first for their bonus day (free VP tournament, 5x points on VP, 10x points on slots, free bingo blue pack) and to play some bingo. We played both the 11am and 1pm bingo session and got down to 1 number MANY times, but alas, no bingo. In between sessions we went to the Noodle Exchange for lunch. I had heard it was as good as Ping Pang Pong but it was not good at all. We each got one of the lunch specials (beef and broccoli and chicken lo mein). The texture of the beef and the chicken were oddly similar - very soft and not at all appealing.
We each played enough to earn the free entry into the VP tournament. They played Jacks or Better this time. I didn’t do well at all but my sister had just over 1800 points which was a pretty good score. We’d have to come back tomorrow to see if that was in the money. We earned enough points to also get the gift of the day – a glass pie plate and a glass measuring cup. I wasn’t sure I would have room in my suitcase for them, but this was all I had to show for my gambling so far! Just like the “free drinks” can sometimes cost hundreds, these were some very expensive pyrex baking items.
We headed over to Bally’s to check in. There was a fairly long line to check in, so we utilized the empty Platinum line. This will probably be our last time for this perk as both our Platinum status’ ends in March. It was very nice while it lasted. We got a nice room in the Jubilee tower overlooking the Paris pool and the Eiffel Tower. We quickly unpacked and then went over to the Flamingo for the 7:30pm Legends in Concert show (KSHP radio tickets $15 each). We gambled there just a little before the show. We got a booth to ourselves at the show. We enjoyed the show more than we thought we would. I’d never been to the show before and I was really expecting lip-syncing. All the performers were live and were just different enough to know it wasn’t a sound track. That evening we saw Michael Jackson, Elvis, Britney Spears, Bobby Darin and Barbra Streisand. It was very entertaining and we’d go see it again.
Tuesday we drove over to Red Rock for the lunch buffet courtesy of MyVegas. The seating was excruciatingly slow, but we just loved the buffet. I particularly loved their salad area – so many unique and interesting pre-made salads. Their French bread was absolutely awesome! We gambled there for a few hours. I found a great set of triple/five play nickel VP progressives. I didn’t hit anything, but I didn’t lose anything either! On the way back we stopped at the KSHP radio station to exchange a certificate for the Bally’s Comedy show. I hadn’t noticed an expiration date when I purchased it, but they were happy to exchange it for me. We also stopped back at the Gold Coast to check on my sister’s VP tournament standing. She just missed the cut-off for the free play.
While at the Gold Coast we decided to give bingo another try. There were only 43 people in the bingo hall – how could we miss? Very easily it turns out! We got down to 1 number almost EVERY stinkin’ game, but just could not cash in. However, we did gamble enough to earn the gift of the day. This time it was a set of knives. Again, I wasn’t sure there’d be room in my suitcase. But for a $300 set of knives, I’d make room! O.K. maybe it didn’t cost everyone $300.
Back at Bally’s later on, we went to the Comedy show (KSHP radio, $5 each). They started late and the opening guy wasn’t that great, but the main act was pretty funny. It was a well-attended show and was a nice break from the gambling. I played for a bit at Paris and hit a penny royal. A royal at any price is always a nice surprise!
Wednesday we went to the Bellagio breakfast/lunch buffet courtesy of MyVegas. Lunch was good, but they were very exact about not having lunch items available until the crack of 11am. WE took a stroll through the
conservatory. They were just putting the finishing touches on one of the displays.
This little girl was just mesmerized by the talking tree.
We drove down to South Point to pick up tickets for tomorrow’s Dennis Bono radio show. I’ve written about this several times before, but suffice it to say we thoroughly enjoy this show each time we see it. The show isn’t until Thursday at 2pm, but you can begin to pick up the free tickets the day before after 12 noon (all you need is a player’s card). And many times you really do need to pick up the tickets as early as you can. Each time we’ve seen the show, it’s been “sold out” with a line of people on stand-by hoping someone won’t show up.
We went over to Orleans for their Senior Day promotion. You get to swipe for a point multiplier. I got 7x slots/5x VP. My sister got 6x/4x. You can theoretically get up to 50x. Today was my good day and I started by hitting the Loose Deuces for $625 (on the same machine my sister hit it on Sunday). I was dealt 5oak (22255). I debated for a short while, but my sister agreed too that I should dump the 5’s. We said a prayer and up popped the other deuce! High Fives all around!
My sister’s luck held out on the nickel VP progressive where she hit a royal for $240+. I slotted around without much luck until I came across a Big Catch slot machine. I’ve played these before but the $3 max bet is a little rich for my blood. This machine had $1.75 for the max bet, so I decided to give it a shot. I hit the bonus fairly soon and went to the fishing bonus. I pulled in $300 on that bonus and was pretty darned happy. I decided to play a few more spins and hit the bonus again! Got $300 on that one too. Now we’re cooking! I wasted a few bucks hoping it would continue, but that was it. I pocketed my profit and went to find some buffalo machines to try to preserve today’s nice wins.
I met up with my sister later and we decided to take a break from gambling and went to see a $4 movie. We went to see “Gone Girl”. What a fantastic movie! I had already read the book and I wasn’t sure I’d like the movie because I already knew the kicker – but knowing the ending in advance in no way detracted from the movie. I definitely recommend this one!
We did our “Pick the Pros” football contest and we also did the “Cash Grab” promotion. We were guaranteed between $5-500. We both got $5, but it was cash, so we pocketed it and headed back to Bally’s for the night.
I didn’t have any luck the rest of the night. I grabbed a turkey sandwich from Nosh (great sandwich!) and played some Keno. My sister didn’t want anything to eat so I shared my sandwich with the keno dealer! I went to bed with a very nice profit for the day and up a little for the trip.
Thursday was another gorgeous day. We hadn’t been to the Rio buffet in quite a while and my sister got to talking with some people who said they recently ate there and thought it was terrific, so we went. It’s a bit pricey at $21.99 for lunch (they don’t serve breakfast anymore), but my sister had the LVA 2-4-1 and she paid the rest with points. It was pretty good. We got there right when they opened and everything was so fresh and nicely presented. We gambled a bit. I saw the Titan 360 machine so I just had to give it a try. My first spin I got the bonus with 72 free spins! I was salivating about how much I was going to win. Would you believe $13? Poop!
We drove down to South Point for the Dennis Bono show. Excellent show, as usual. He again had quite the variety of guests: Comedian/Magician Murray Sawchuk, stand-up comedian Dennis Blair, Elvis impersonator Donnie Edwards (man, this kid was fantastic – he really had the look and the voice), Jazz singer Lisa Gay, and Lou Gazzara from the Three Tenors show. We loved the show! We decided if we lived in Vegas, we would come to this show every week.
It was senior day at the South Point, so we did the free slot tournament. My sister earned enough points to get 2 free entries. Neither one of us did very well.
While we were at the Orleans yesterday, my sister saw a sign that today they would be having 15x points on penny slots, so we headed back to the Orleans. I revisited all my winning machines from yesterday only to find they were cold, cold, cold and attempted to take back all of my winnings.
As a bankroll saving measure, Keno is my game. It takes them about 30 minutes to get through 5 games. For $5 that sounds like a bargain to me (although the odds on keno are just horrible). But I can usually get a drink too, so that’s where I headed. My first ticket got me $3 back out of my $5, so I played 5 more games and I hit my 4 for 4! Now don’t get excited. I was only playing $1 a game, but that won me $160. I was so excited I asked if it was all right to take a picture of the board. See my numbers? 17, 27, 37 and 47! Wooo Hooo!
Friday was another beautiful day. Sunny and upper 70’s. The Great Gift Wrap was at Paris this year, so we stopped by to take a look. I only had enough points to get a $10 Home Depot card. My sister got two. It’s always fun to have a look around though. They had penguins this year!!! We also stopped and got our free picture taken. We might have had a few samples of Godiva chocolates too, yum!
After the Dennis Bono show yesterday, they were handing out 2-4-1 coupons for Bootlegger, so today we went there for lunch. (I think Dennis Bono’s wife is part of the family that owns Bootlegger). After hearing so many good things about the place, I was a bit disappointed. Service was not very good and I thought the food was just o.k. (although the garlic nuggets were phenomenal – should have just had those with a salad!) We both had a lunch special. I had beef ravioli and my sister had the lasagna.
Beef Ravioli at the Bootlegger
We stopped at the Harley Davidson store so my sister could grab a t-shirt and fantasize about a new bike. She's had a Harley for years and I do believe it's probably her most prized possession!
Just one big jackpot and this could be yours!
We drove down the strip to the new SLS (newly remodeled Sahara). We both got $5 in free play for signing up for a player’s card. We walked around the place and checked out some of the restaurant menus. It’s small, but we liked it there.
We went back to park the car and hit the strip for a bit. They gave me a pretty nice coupon book at Bally’s check-in, so we stopped at the Cromwell and the Link to use the free slot play coupon. At the link, they had a free pull on a slot machine (after earning 10 points) for $1 million. Obviously, we didn’t hit the million, but my sister won a free ride on the High Roller (observation wheel). She came back to use it later, when it was dark, and really liked it. She said she’d love to go again (but still would not pay the ridiculous price they’re charging - $34.95).
We also stopped at the Bellagio. We both won a little on some vampire game. My sister also hit a nice 4oak WITH the kicker (they were so few and far between, I took a picture). She also got a proper glass of champagne and I got a chocolate martini (in a martini glass, no less).
4oak at the Bellagio!
While she was riding the High Roller, I went to the Cosmopolitan. I’ve read too many trip reports about people playing there, hitting royal flushes and getting fabulous comp offers. I wanted that too! I went to the Chandelier Bar and played VP. When I ordered a champagne, they asked what kind I wanted! I went for Prosecco! I already LOVE this place! Unfortunately, that proved to be the best part of my visit. No royals, no 4oak, no jackpots. BUT, the champagne was very good! Next time!
We finished the night at Bally’s/Paris. I sat down at the new High Card Flush table game and just might have had a bit too much champagne. But it was our last night and it was FUN!
My flight was at noon on Saturday, so I just slept in. My sister grabbed us a BLT from JJ’s Boulangerie – it was sooo good! She dropped me off at the airport and only had another couple hours before her flight home.
We had SUCH A GOOD TIME – but then, we always do. Neither one of us came home a winner, but I didn’t do too bad. Aside from gambling, our biggest expense was the car. We certainly utilized plenty of coupons and freebies - MyVegas is a very nice thing. We also used LVA coupons and KSHP radio purchases.
In my opinion:
Best Buffet – M Resort
Best Show – Dennis Bono
Best Win – Loose Deuces (for both of us!)
That’s it until May when all four sisters get together.
- Linda in TX
Our flights arrived within 20 minutes of each other. We met up in baggage claim and took the shuttle to the rental center to pick up our car. The rates were brutal and the best I could do was $203 (all in) for a standard sized car. We picked up our usual Chevy Impala. Even though it was just 2 of us this trip, we still like having the extra trunk space this car provides.
We drove right to the M Resort to register for the bingo tournament and then went to check in. We got a lovely room with a mountain view. We unpacked and had a few hours before the bingo tournament started, to gamble. We swiped for the weekend point multiplier and set out. Gambling didn’t start out very well, but we eventually earned enough points for a free buffet which we planned to use after bingo. We played some new slots: Beetle Juice, Rolling Stones, Jurrasic Park, a new version of Batman (really bad payouts) and a new Ghost Busters. We went to the old Willy Wonka machines and sat side-by-side and just kept hitting bonus after bonus. We both cashed out with a good profit.
The bingo tournament was well attended, but it didn’t appear to be full. Lots of empty seats. They gave us each a goodie bag upon arrival, a drawing ticket for bonus prizes, and a bingo six-pack of paper cards. We also picked up a machine loaded with another (40+?) games. The goodie bag had popcorn, pretzels, candy and a bingo dobber. We would be playing 15 games worth $1100 - $2000 each (some cash, some free play). Once they started calling numbers, we realized we were going to be there for a while. The guy calling had a nice clear voice, but it was obvious he never called bingo before. He repeated each number 4 times which got real old, real fast. B Eleven, B One One, B Eleven, B One One. Nice. And. Slow. Zzzzzz. We might have been more patient if we had won. My sister got down to one number twice and I got down to one number once.
After bingo we went to the buffet. They have their seafood buffet on the weekends and it’s one of our favorite buffets. I grabbed us a few glasses of champagne and filled up a plate of crab legs. This is the life!! Food was fabulous, as always.
After dinner we split up. I played some blackjack and just about broke even. I played at a great table of nice people. It was a double deck pitch game (reminded me of the table we loved to play at, at the Stardust years and years ago). BJ paid 3-2, dealer hit soft 17. I placed a $20 bet on the Cleveland Browns for my husband (that’s the price I had to pay for him staying home alone with the dogs!) I played some more slots and video poker and called it a night (I remembered to “fall back” and changed the clocks before falling asleep). I was down about $40 for the night. I certainly had $40 worth of fun!
Sunday was absolutely gorgeous – in fact the weather the whole trip was fantastic. Sunny and 70’s. We started the day with another M Resort buffet that they had sent us coupons for. Crab legs and champagne (just one glass) again. I began to wonder how often I could have that meal before I got tired of it.
We went to Orleans and played for hours. They have a triple play nickel VP progressive that’s always worth playing for. Neither one of us hit it (this time), but we love playing it. My sister struck lightening on the quarter loose deuces for a cool $625!
We headed back to the M Resort for the evening. I had a close call playing Pai Gow. I got 4 Aces for a 75-to-1 payout. I was shy just the joker for a potential $14k payout. So close. I had another nice hit (unfortunately, it was just nickels). I don’t normally play Ultimate X VP, but sat down at a nickel machine. I hit 4 jacks on a 12x pay line for a cool 3000 nickels ($150). I had to sit and admire that hand for a few minutes!
Monday, we checked out of the M Resort and would later check into Bally’s for 5 nights. We went to the Gold Coast first for their bonus day (free VP tournament, 5x points on VP, 10x points on slots, free bingo blue pack) and to play some bingo. We played both the 11am and 1pm bingo session and got down to 1 number MANY times, but alas, no bingo. In between sessions we went to the Noodle Exchange for lunch. I had heard it was as good as Ping Pang Pong but it was not good at all. We each got one of the lunch specials (beef and broccoli and chicken lo mein). The texture of the beef and the chicken were oddly similar - very soft and not at all appealing.
We each played enough to earn the free entry into the VP tournament. They played Jacks or Better this time. I didn’t do well at all but my sister had just over 1800 points which was a pretty good score. We’d have to come back tomorrow to see if that was in the money. We earned enough points to also get the gift of the day – a glass pie plate and a glass measuring cup. I wasn’t sure I would have room in my suitcase for them, but this was all I had to show for my gambling so far! Just like the “free drinks” can sometimes cost hundreds, these were some very expensive pyrex baking items.
We headed over to Bally’s to check in. There was a fairly long line to check in, so we utilized the empty Platinum line. This will probably be our last time for this perk as both our Platinum status’ ends in March. It was very nice while it lasted. We got a nice room in the Jubilee tower overlooking the Paris pool and the Eiffel Tower. We quickly unpacked and then went over to the Flamingo for the 7:30pm Legends in Concert show (KSHP radio tickets $15 each). We gambled there just a little before the show. We got a booth to ourselves at the show. We enjoyed the show more than we thought we would. I’d never been to the show before and I was really expecting lip-syncing. All the performers were live and were just different enough to know it wasn’t a sound track. That evening we saw Michael Jackson, Elvis, Britney Spears, Bobby Darin and Barbra Streisand. It was very entertaining and we’d go see it again.
Tuesday we drove over to Red Rock for the lunch buffet courtesy of MyVegas. The seating was excruciatingly slow, but we just loved the buffet. I particularly loved their salad area – so many unique and interesting pre-made salads. Their French bread was absolutely awesome! We gambled there for a few hours. I found a great set of triple/five play nickel VP progressives. I didn’t hit anything, but I didn’t lose anything either! On the way back we stopped at the KSHP radio station to exchange a certificate for the Bally’s Comedy show. I hadn’t noticed an expiration date when I purchased it, but they were happy to exchange it for me. We also stopped back at the Gold Coast to check on my sister’s VP tournament standing. She just missed the cut-off for the free play.
While at the Gold Coast we decided to give bingo another try. There were only 43 people in the bingo hall – how could we miss? Very easily it turns out! We got down to 1 number almost EVERY stinkin’ game, but just could not cash in. However, we did gamble enough to earn the gift of the day. This time it was a set of knives. Again, I wasn’t sure there’d be room in my suitcase. But for a $300 set of knives, I’d make room! O.K. maybe it didn’t cost everyone $300.
Back at Bally’s later on, we went to the Comedy show (KSHP radio, $5 each). They started late and the opening guy wasn’t that great, but the main act was pretty funny. It was a well-attended show and was a nice break from the gambling. I played for a bit at Paris and hit a penny royal. A royal at any price is always a nice surprise!
Wednesday we went to the Bellagio breakfast/lunch buffet courtesy of MyVegas. Lunch was good, but they were very exact about not having lunch items available until the crack of 11am. WE took a stroll through the
conservatory. They were just putting the finishing touches on one of the displays.
This little girl was just mesmerized by the talking tree.
We drove down to South Point to pick up tickets for tomorrow’s Dennis Bono radio show. I’ve written about this several times before, but suffice it to say we thoroughly enjoy this show each time we see it. The show isn’t until Thursday at 2pm, but you can begin to pick up the free tickets the day before after 12 noon (all you need is a player’s card). And many times you really do need to pick up the tickets as early as you can. Each time we’ve seen the show, it’s been “sold out” with a line of people on stand-by hoping someone won’t show up.
We went over to Orleans for their Senior Day promotion. You get to swipe for a point multiplier. I got 7x slots/5x VP. My sister got 6x/4x. You can theoretically get up to 50x. Today was my good day and I started by hitting the Loose Deuces for $625 (on the same machine my sister hit it on Sunday). I was dealt 5oak (22255). I debated for a short while, but my sister agreed too that I should dump the 5’s. We said a prayer and up popped the other deuce! High Fives all around!
My sister’s luck held out on the nickel VP progressive where she hit a royal for $240+. I slotted around without much luck until I came across a Big Catch slot machine. I’ve played these before but the $3 max bet is a little rich for my blood. This machine had $1.75 for the max bet, so I decided to give it a shot. I hit the bonus fairly soon and went to the fishing bonus. I pulled in $300 on that bonus and was pretty darned happy. I decided to play a few more spins and hit the bonus again! Got $300 on that one too. Now we’re cooking! I wasted a few bucks hoping it would continue, but that was it. I pocketed my profit and went to find some buffalo machines to try to preserve today’s nice wins.
I met up with my sister later and we decided to take a break from gambling and went to see a $4 movie. We went to see “Gone Girl”. What a fantastic movie! I had already read the book and I wasn’t sure I’d like the movie because I already knew the kicker – but knowing the ending in advance in no way detracted from the movie. I definitely recommend this one!
We did our “Pick the Pros” football contest and we also did the “Cash Grab” promotion. We were guaranteed between $5-500. We both got $5, but it was cash, so we pocketed it and headed back to Bally’s for the night.
I didn’t have any luck the rest of the night. I grabbed a turkey sandwich from Nosh (great sandwich!) and played some Keno. My sister didn’t want anything to eat so I shared my sandwich with the keno dealer! I went to bed with a very nice profit for the day and up a little for the trip.
Thursday was another gorgeous day. We hadn’t been to the Rio buffet in quite a while and my sister got to talking with some people who said they recently ate there and thought it was terrific, so we went. It’s a bit pricey at $21.99 for lunch (they don’t serve breakfast anymore), but my sister had the LVA 2-4-1 and she paid the rest with points. It was pretty good. We got there right when they opened and everything was so fresh and nicely presented. We gambled a bit. I saw the Titan 360 machine so I just had to give it a try. My first spin I got the bonus with 72 free spins! I was salivating about how much I was going to win. Would you believe $13? Poop!
We drove down to South Point for the Dennis Bono show. Excellent show, as usual. He again had quite the variety of guests: Comedian/Magician Murray Sawchuk, stand-up comedian Dennis Blair, Elvis impersonator Donnie Edwards (man, this kid was fantastic – he really had the look and the voice), Jazz singer Lisa Gay, and Lou Gazzara from the Three Tenors show. We loved the show! We decided if we lived in Vegas, we would come to this show every week.
It was senior day at the South Point, so we did the free slot tournament. My sister earned enough points to get 2 free entries. Neither one of us did very well.
While we were at the Orleans yesterday, my sister saw a sign that today they would be having 15x points on penny slots, so we headed back to the Orleans. I revisited all my winning machines from yesterday only to find they were cold, cold, cold and attempted to take back all of my winnings.
As a bankroll saving measure, Keno is my game. It takes them about 30 minutes to get through 5 games. For $5 that sounds like a bargain to me (although the odds on keno are just horrible). But I can usually get a drink too, so that’s where I headed. My first ticket got me $3 back out of my $5, so I played 5 more games and I hit my 4 for 4! Now don’t get excited. I was only playing $1 a game, but that won me $160. I was so excited I asked if it was all right to take a picture of the board. See my numbers? 17, 27, 37 and 47! Wooo Hooo!
Friday was another beautiful day. Sunny and upper 70’s. The Great Gift Wrap was at Paris this year, so we stopped by to take a look. I only had enough points to get a $10 Home Depot card. My sister got two. It’s always fun to have a look around though. They had penguins this year!!! We also stopped and got our free picture taken. We might have had a few samples of Godiva chocolates too, yum!
After the Dennis Bono show yesterday, they were handing out 2-4-1 coupons for Bootlegger, so today we went there for lunch. (I think Dennis Bono’s wife is part of the family that owns Bootlegger). After hearing so many good things about the place, I was a bit disappointed. Service was not very good and I thought the food was just o.k. (although the garlic nuggets were phenomenal – should have just had those with a salad!) We both had a lunch special. I had beef ravioli and my sister had the lasagna.
Beef Ravioli at the Bootlegger
We stopped at the Harley Davidson store so my sister could grab a t-shirt and fantasize about a new bike. She's had a Harley for years and I do believe it's probably her most prized possession!
Just one big jackpot and this could be yours!
We drove down the strip to the new SLS (newly remodeled Sahara). We both got $5 in free play for signing up for a player’s card. We walked around the place and checked out some of the restaurant menus. It’s small, but we liked it there.
We went back to park the car and hit the strip for a bit. They gave me a pretty nice coupon book at Bally’s check-in, so we stopped at the Cromwell and the Link to use the free slot play coupon. At the link, they had a free pull on a slot machine (after earning 10 points) for $1 million. Obviously, we didn’t hit the million, but my sister won a free ride on the High Roller (observation wheel). She came back to use it later, when it was dark, and really liked it. She said she’d love to go again (but still would not pay the ridiculous price they’re charging - $34.95).
We also stopped at the Bellagio. We both won a little on some vampire game. My sister also hit a nice 4oak WITH the kicker (they were so few and far between, I took a picture). She also got a proper glass of champagne and I got a chocolate martini (in a martini glass, no less).
4oak at the Bellagio!
While she was riding the High Roller, I went to the Cosmopolitan. I’ve read too many trip reports about people playing there, hitting royal flushes and getting fabulous comp offers. I wanted that too! I went to the Chandelier Bar and played VP. When I ordered a champagne, they asked what kind I wanted! I went for Prosecco! I already LOVE this place! Unfortunately, that proved to be the best part of my visit. No royals, no 4oak, no jackpots. BUT, the champagne was very good! Next time!
We finished the night at Bally’s/Paris. I sat down at the new High Card Flush table game and just might have had a bit too much champagne. But it was our last night and it was FUN!
My flight was at noon on Saturday, so I just slept in. My sister grabbed us a BLT from JJ’s Boulangerie – it was sooo good! She dropped me off at the airport and only had another couple hours before her flight home.
We had SUCH A GOOD TIME – but then, we always do. Neither one of us came home a winner, but I didn’t do too bad. Aside from gambling, our biggest expense was the car. We certainly utilized plenty of coupons and freebies - MyVegas is a very nice thing. We also used LVA coupons and KSHP radio purchases.
In my opinion:
Best Buffet – M Resort
Best Show – Dennis Bono
Best Win – Loose Deuces (for both of us!)
That’s it until May when all four sisters get together.
- Linda in TX
