Southwest's sale a few months ago (fly on a certain Tuesday, get half off one way) happened to coincide with some comped rooms at Harrah's, so I jumped at the chance. If you want to live vicarously through me, read everything below. If you want the summary, skip to the bottom.
I flew out the evening of election day, and had a few drinks while I watched the guy next to me check the results on his tablet. I guess he could have used the drinks I was downing, since he didn't seem too happy. But I digress...
Check in was fine, a short wait in line. I didn't do the $20 trick, but after I got to my room I should have. This was my second stay at Harrah's, and the fact it was originally a Holiday Inn shows. The room was a bit small, and the bathroom very cramped. Plus I think it was a handicap room, because the extra rails in the shower made it uncomfortable. But it was a free room, so I can't complain too much.
After resting and watching election coverage, it was time for the casino. A quick $60 win on Goldfish was a good start, though some of that went back on video poker. I traveled over to Paris, since I wanted to check out the "party pit" they put in this year. (I'm a single guy, you can't blame me there!).
As far as party pits go, Paris wasn't bad. The music wasn't too loud like the D or Golden Gate, and not by the doors like Flamingo. I played some threecard, and got very lucky. I was up $70, and was going to cash out up $50. So I took my four extra chips and played everything blind, including the bonus (which I never play). The dealer came up with AA3, with two of them hearts. When the dealer turned over my cards, I had a straight flush...in hearts! Woohoo! So a very good start!
Back to Harrah's, where the cafe has a 9.99 steak and eggs from 11pm till 6am. Pretty good stuff. After that, I lost a quick $100 at craps and went to bed.
Wednesday was a lazy morning of sleeping in, then I got the passes for Mac King. I was solo, so for under $20 I got the VIP seating, and a free drink. Lunch at Margaritaville on points. Here I have to say I was a bit disappointed. They no longer have a chicken sandwich on the menu, and the burger was very blah. Mac King was hilarious, much better than Nathan Burton. Then the poker tournament at Harrah's didn't treat me well, so it was off for oysters at PJ Clark's. The oysters were as good as always, and has a permanent place on my to-do list every trip.
Downtown that night, and I went straight to the Golden Gate. This is my favorite downtown casino, thanks to the dealers, the good BJ rules, and the dealers. I lost a bit, and headed over to the Plaza. I actually like the casino ever since the renovation. Very clean, mellow, and open. Not very busy, but I still like it. Everything else downtown is a bit dirtier, loud, and cramped. Broke even there, and back to GG. My blackjack luck was much better and finished up quite a bit.
Thursday I got a monorail pass and went down to the MGM to play some blackjack. I figure that since their properties are the only ones that offer 3:2 on the strip, I should do it in style. Took them for a bit, and did my tshirt shopping. I have to say, I'm turning into a big fan of the monorail. Yes, it is a bit of a pain to walk through casinos to get to it, but you don't have to fight people on the strip, and it's nice when it's a bit chilly out.
So after 48 hours, I actually had a few more dollars in my wallet than I'd arrived in town with. So I decided to go back to MGM and play (for me) high dollar BJ: $25 a hand. Whoops. That lasted about 10 minutes, and I was no longer in the black, and was back on the monorail much sooner than planned.
Took the monorail up to the LVH so I could walk over to the Riviera, since I'd never been there before. Here's where my inexperience showed: I knew it was a bit of a walk, but at 10pm it's a VERY long walk. Not to mention the LVH depressed me a bit when the monorail station took me through the closed and dark old Star Trek TNG area. They definitely have some work to do if they want to bring that place back up to snuff. The Riv was a bit dead, and it showed by the lack of open tables. I was able to wedge myself into a BJ table next to a guy betting 100-400 a hand. Not my best BJ experience, everyone there was loud, annoying, and giving me shit for playing by the book. So I took my winnings and left. Guess the last laugh was on me.
I spent the rest of the evening jumping around Flamingo, and Bills, with a quick stop at the IP/Quad. I'm still wondering how they're going to de-Asian the Quad. There's a lot of woodwork, carvings, etc. No big wins on gambling, though a lady of the evening did proposition me. Turning her down was probably the smartest thing I did that night. I finally did some late night craps at Harrah's, and it was better than last time. I throw out a horn high yo whenever I get a pass line winner on the come out roll. I won three in a row once, and a few more later. That made this craps experience a winner.
Friday was a bit tough. I had to check out after not much sleep, and then spend 5 hours waiting to leave for the airport. The weather changed over night, so I had to pick up a sweater at the shop in Monte Carlo, and got a very nice winter coat for $20 as well. Random three card, video poker, slots, and even some 6:5 (don't judge me) blackjack lowered my take home a bit. Finally off to the airport, and a quick plane ride home. Well, it was quick because I was exhausted.
So the highlights, observations, etc:
-I noticed Harrah's and Flamingo had separate check in lines for Platinum card holders. This is new to me, so it looks like you actually do get something for platinum. If I had known that, I would have focused my gambling more towards earning points, since I'm not too far away from leveling up.
-The steak and eggs at Harrah's cafe rocks. Better than the special at Bill's, without the wait.
-The monorail is worth it if you enjoy wandering the strip like me. I'm going back in January, and am staying at Bally's while friends are at Luxor and Mandalay Bay. A three day pass is definitely in my future.
-The LVH and Riv are doing a fine job of upholding the north end's (poor) reputation. I just hope they can hold on until the economy picks up. I'd love to have another area of the strip come to life. But that's in the VERY distant future.
-Downtown is still my favorite place to spend an evening gambling. It's just more relaxed, much less douchbaggy than the strip.
-I like the Plaza's casino. As I mentioned above, I just think the quality of the facility is nice. Now if only there were more people there...
-Mac King was hilarious. I'm making my friends go in January. Same with the oysters at PJ Clark's.
-I did get lunch at KGB's at Harrah's. The burgers are really f-ing good.
-I prefer a little noise and crowds while gambling, and hate playing at empty tables. It seems as if Harrah's dies off earlier than most other casinos. Maybe they focus on a different crowd, or are feeling the pinch of the sidewalk construction at IP. So it looks like my night time gambling will be at Flamingo, Paris, Bally's, etc.
-What else?
I flew out the evening of election day, and had a few drinks while I watched the guy next to me check the results on his tablet. I guess he could have used the drinks I was downing, since he didn't seem too happy. But I digress...
Check in was fine, a short wait in line. I didn't do the $20 trick, but after I got to my room I should have. This was my second stay at Harrah's, and the fact it was originally a Holiday Inn shows. The room was a bit small, and the bathroom very cramped. Plus I think it was a handicap room, because the extra rails in the shower made it uncomfortable. But it was a free room, so I can't complain too much.
After resting and watching election coverage, it was time for the casino. A quick $60 win on Goldfish was a good start, though some of that went back on video poker. I traveled over to Paris, since I wanted to check out the "party pit" they put in this year. (I'm a single guy, you can't blame me there!).
As far as party pits go, Paris wasn't bad. The music wasn't too loud like the D or Golden Gate, and not by the doors like Flamingo. I played some threecard, and got very lucky. I was up $70, and was going to cash out up $50. So I took my four extra chips and played everything blind, including the bonus (which I never play). The dealer came up with AA3, with two of them hearts. When the dealer turned over my cards, I had a straight flush...in hearts! Woohoo! So a very good start!
Back to Harrah's, where the cafe has a 9.99 steak and eggs from 11pm till 6am. Pretty good stuff. After that, I lost a quick $100 at craps and went to bed.
Wednesday was a lazy morning of sleeping in, then I got the passes for Mac King. I was solo, so for under $20 I got the VIP seating, and a free drink. Lunch at Margaritaville on points. Here I have to say I was a bit disappointed. They no longer have a chicken sandwich on the menu, and the burger was very blah. Mac King was hilarious, much better than Nathan Burton. Then the poker tournament at Harrah's didn't treat me well, so it was off for oysters at PJ Clark's. The oysters were as good as always, and has a permanent place on my to-do list every trip.
Downtown that night, and I went straight to the Golden Gate. This is my favorite downtown casino, thanks to the dealers, the good BJ rules, and the dealers. I lost a bit, and headed over to the Plaza. I actually like the casino ever since the renovation. Very clean, mellow, and open. Not very busy, but I still like it. Everything else downtown is a bit dirtier, loud, and cramped. Broke even there, and back to GG. My blackjack luck was much better and finished up quite a bit.
Thursday I got a monorail pass and went down to the MGM to play some blackjack. I figure that since their properties are the only ones that offer 3:2 on the strip, I should do it in style. Took them for a bit, and did my tshirt shopping. I have to say, I'm turning into a big fan of the monorail. Yes, it is a bit of a pain to walk through casinos to get to it, but you don't have to fight people on the strip, and it's nice when it's a bit chilly out.
So after 48 hours, I actually had a few more dollars in my wallet than I'd arrived in town with. So I decided to go back to MGM and play (for me) high dollar BJ: $25 a hand. Whoops. That lasted about 10 minutes, and I was no longer in the black, and was back on the monorail much sooner than planned.
Took the monorail up to the LVH so I could walk over to the Riviera, since I'd never been there before. Here's where my inexperience showed: I knew it was a bit of a walk, but at 10pm it's a VERY long walk. Not to mention the LVH depressed me a bit when the monorail station took me through the closed and dark old Star Trek TNG area. They definitely have some work to do if they want to bring that place back up to snuff. The Riv was a bit dead, and it showed by the lack of open tables. I was able to wedge myself into a BJ table next to a guy betting 100-400 a hand. Not my best BJ experience, everyone there was loud, annoying, and giving me shit for playing by the book. So I took my winnings and left. Guess the last laugh was on me.
I spent the rest of the evening jumping around Flamingo, and Bills, with a quick stop at the IP/Quad. I'm still wondering how they're going to de-Asian the Quad. There's a lot of woodwork, carvings, etc. No big wins on gambling, though a lady of the evening did proposition me. Turning her down was probably the smartest thing I did that night. I finally did some late night craps at Harrah's, and it was better than last time. I throw out a horn high yo whenever I get a pass line winner on the come out roll. I won three in a row once, and a few more later. That made this craps experience a winner.
Friday was a bit tough. I had to check out after not much sleep, and then spend 5 hours waiting to leave for the airport. The weather changed over night, so I had to pick up a sweater at the shop in Monte Carlo, and got a very nice winter coat for $20 as well. Random three card, video poker, slots, and even some 6:5 (don't judge me) blackjack lowered my take home a bit. Finally off to the airport, and a quick plane ride home. Well, it was quick because I was exhausted.
So the highlights, observations, etc:
-I noticed Harrah's and Flamingo had separate check in lines for Platinum card holders. This is new to me, so it looks like you actually do get something for platinum. If I had known that, I would have focused my gambling more towards earning points, since I'm not too far away from leveling up.
-The steak and eggs at Harrah's cafe rocks. Better than the special at Bill's, without the wait.
-The monorail is worth it if you enjoy wandering the strip like me. I'm going back in January, and am staying at Bally's while friends are at Luxor and Mandalay Bay. A three day pass is definitely in my future.
-The LVH and Riv are doing a fine job of upholding the north end's (poor) reputation. I just hope they can hold on until the economy picks up. I'd love to have another area of the strip come to life. But that's in the VERY distant future.
-Downtown is still my favorite place to spend an evening gambling. It's just more relaxed, much less douchbaggy than the strip.
-I like the Plaza's casino. As I mentioned above, I just think the quality of the facility is nice. Now if only there were more people there...
-Mac King was hilarious. I'm making my friends go in January. Same with the oysters at PJ Clark's.
-I did get lunch at KGB's at Harrah's. The burgers are really f-ing good.
-I prefer a little noise and crowds while gambling, and hate playing at empty tables. It seems as if Harrah's dies off earlier than most other casinos. Maybe they focus on a different crowd, or are feeling the pinch of the sidewalk construction at IP. So it looks like my night time gambling will be at Flamingo, Paris, Bally's, etc.
-What else?
