Trip Report for June 11th-15th.
This was my second trip to LV in less than a month. It also marked four times in less than a year, which is a record for me. I broke a long losing streak last month, but started an even bigger one on this trip.
Transportation:
Southwest Airlines from Kansas City. For the first time in about five trips, my flight was not early. Still it was only three minutes behind schedule.
Car Rental:
Budget. I normally rent from Alamo, but their prices were sky-high so I went with Budget for the first time since 2008. My car was a Chevrolet Sonic. Budget assigned me the car and I had no choice. It was a hatchback and had pillars making it difficult to see to the sides and rear. Typical GM piece of crap.
Hotel:
Palms . I got a three night offer in the mail complete with some multi point coupons and paid for the last night. My room was in the original tower which is due to be completely remodeled in about three weeks. I was on the 11th floor and got to listen to traffic and the A/C groaning 24 hours a day. The Palms has that BS $20.00 resort fee even on comped rooms. I decided to stay there anyway because of the full pay video poker and I also wanted to play a lot at the Gold Coast.
Gambling:
I played mainly at Palms, Red Rock, Gold Coast and Main Street Station. I had the worst trip of my life. In nearly 30 trips to Las Vegas I have never lost as much money playing quarter video poker. I personally paid the salary of the Fertittas when I lost money hand over fist my first day at Red Rock. I could get nothing out of my play on FPDW or 10/7DB. Hundred dollar bills vanished in 20 minutes multiple times. Simply an awful first day. The last three days I played at Palms, MSS and Gold Coast. My last day I hit my first wild royal and the only set of deuces I hit for the trip. I felt like I was driving down the highway and throwing money out the window. I've had two other trips similar to this one and it absolutely sucks. Still, I know I am the favorite at those games and will be back in December for another shot.
Dining:
Red Rock Grand Cafe (comped): I ate breakfast at this place because the buffet line was long. I had the all-you-can-eat pancakes. It costs $2.99 but you must buy a beverage. I ordered milk which cost $2.75. The pancakes are good and very large. I ate three of them. Grade B+.
Fatburger at Red Rock. This one disappointed me. The burger and bun were both very dry. First underwhelming hamburger I've had at this joint. Grade C-.
Palms Buffet. Last month I ate the Palms breakfast buffet and it was very good. I had dinner there and it sucked. The heat lamps were so hot I couldn't pick up the utensils on some of the items. Needless to say, this dried out everything. Grade D-.
Nathan's Hot Dogs. This one is in the Palms food court. The good: Very good hotdog that tastes like the ones at the ball park. The bad: Costs just like the ones at the ball park. Grade B.
Palace Station Breakfast buffet. I was apprehensive about this one because the last time I ate at Palace Station the food was bad. The breakfast didn't have much selection, but it was very good. I was delighted to see my favorite breakfast item - Eggs and Chorizo. Grade B+.
Aloha Specialties at the Cal. I ate here specifically to try the Loco Moco. Also has a short entry in "Eating Las Vegas". I had tried this last month at the Golden Nugget and loved it. The plate at Aloha is twice the size for half the price. I did like the peppery gravy better at the Nugget. Grade A-.
Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. I had the regular sized sandwich and cheesecake. I like these sandwiches but they are just not a good value. My total bill with tip was $40.00. Grade B-.
Ham & Eggs at Irene's. This is just a short drive from the Palms so I drove over to test this Top 10 Value. Make no mistake, the ham is ENORMOUS. The breakfast potatoes are very tasty. Definitely worth the cost and drive. And yes, I finished the whole thing. Grade: A.
Dinner Buffet at the Mirage: I said in my report last month this buffet is great even without a coupon and I went back again for dinner. There was no one in line at 7:45pm, so I got right in. Fantastic food. Grade A.
Le Burger Brasserie, Paris: Very good hamburger but very overpriced. Tasted similar to Smashburger to me at twice the price. Grade B.
Sugar Factory, Paris: Another one from my "Eating Las Vegas" book. I had a $15.00 dollar banana split that was the size of Rhode Island. Gigantic portions of food presented to you like an art object. I saw a group of people eating ice cream out of what looked like a kitchen sink. There must have been five gallons of ice cream in that super-sized dish. If you're wondering, yes I ate the entire thing. Grade A.
Breakfast Buffet South Point. June is my birthday month and South Point gives you 2500 points ($7.00) after you earn one point. After earning my one point, I ate the buffet free. This one also has Eggs and Chorizo and is pretty good. I don't play much at South Point because they don't have any over 100% machines, so this was a good hit and run. Grade B.
As a side note, after eating at Irene's I stopped by Huntington Press to see if I could get a copy of one of Bob Dancer's books. I've met Bob and also Jean Scott, but I wanted to meet the guy who got me hooked on video poker - Anthony Curtis. I asked the receptionist if he was in and he came down to talk to me. Wow, what a great guy he is! I said, "I'm the guy you quoted on the Red Rock buffet in this month's issue." He also remembered my dad's name as being one of his very first subscribers to the LVA. Chatted with him about video poker and prime rib dinners. He said he had eaten at the Riviera Steakhouse recently and was floored by the quality. Look for a review in an upcoming LVA edition.
Random Thoughts:
It would be nice if I could put back to back winning trips together.
Red Rock has great slant top machines that don't kill my arms and back.
The Palms uprights wear me out.
MSS has 10/7 DB slant tops that also have 9/6 Jacks that I'll be playing more often.
I was shocked at how good the buffet was at Palace Station.
I was shocked at how bad it was at the Palms.
GM makes crappy cars.
Irene's will be a must stop on all my future trips.
The Sugar Factory will too.
I got to meet my gambling idol - Anthony Curtis.
The casinos were all incredibly crowded.
The new sports book at the Palms is awesome. I need to try in game wagering.
Good thing the Palms is remodeling because it needs it.
For the second trip in a row, I spent a huge amount on food.
I got slapped in the face with hot, dry air when I got to Las Vegas, and slapped back by the hot, humid air upon returning to KC.
As usual, people feel a need to make cell phone calls in their cars, in front of escalators and while walking three or four across on the sidewalk.
Project Linq is going to be very big.
I am WAY overdue for a Royal Flush. Nearly 150,000 hands without one.
There was some Asian guy playing high-stakes baccarat at the Palms. No matter when I walked by at any time of the day or night he was in there playing alone with a dealer and a pit boss.
Note to Palms: If the handles of the spoons on the buffet are so hot I can't touch them, it's probably time to turn down the heat.
As usual, perpetual construction on I-15.
Is it possible to have an A/C unit that doesn't rattle and groan all day long?
It's hard to concentrate on the video poker at the Palms with all the eye candy walking around in that place.
Eff you to the Palms drink server who spilled beer on me while handing it to another person and just tossing me a napkin while saying "Sorry, use this."
Next trip: December during the dead period. I hope my luck changes.
Thanks for reading the report.
This was my second trip to LV in less than a month. It also marked four times in less than a year, which is a record for me. I broke a long losing streak last month, but started an even bigger one on this trip.
Transportation:
Southwest Airlines from Kansas City. For the first time in about five trips, my flight was not early. Still it was only three minutes behind schedule.
Car Rental:
Budget. I normally rent from Alamo, but their prices were sky-high so I went with Budget for the first time since 2008. My car was a Chevrolet Sonic. Budget assigned me the car and I had no choice. It was a hatchback and had pillars making it difficult to see to the sides and rear. Typical GM piece of crap.
Hotel:
Palms . I got a three night offer in the mail complete with some multi point coupons and paid for the last night. My room was in the original tower which is due to be completely remodeled in about three weeks. I was on the 11th floor and got to listen to traffic and the A/C groaning 24 hours a day. The Palms has that BS $20.00 resort fee even on comped rooms. I decided to stay there anyway because of the full pay video poker and I also wanted to play a lot at the Gold Coast.
Gambling:
I played mainly at Palms, Red Rock, Gold Coast and Main Street Station. I had the worst trip of my life. In nearly 30 trips to Las Vegas I have never lost as much money playing quarter video poker. I personally paid the salary of the Fertittas when I lost money hand over fist my first day at Red Rock. I could get nothing out of my play on FPDW or 10/7DB. Hundred dollar bills vanished in 20 minutes multiple times. Simply an awful first day. The last three days I played at Palms, MSS and Gold Coast. My last day I hit my first wild royal and the only set of deuces I hit for the trip. I felt like I was driving down the highway and throwing money out the window. I've had two other trips similar to this one and it absolutely sucks. Still, I know I am the favorite at those games and will be back in December for another shot.
Dining:
Red Rock Grand Cafe (comped): I ate breakfast at this place because the buffet line was long. I had the all-you-can-eat pancakes. It costs $2.99 but you must buy a beverage. I ordered milk which cost $2.75. The pancakes are good and very large. I ate three of them. Grade B+.
Fatburger at Red Rock. This one disappointed me. The burger and bun were both very dry. First underwhelming hamburger I've had at this joint. Grade C-.
Palms Buffet. Last month I ate the Palms breakfast buffet and it was very good. I had dinner there and it sucked. The heat lamps were so hot I couldn't pick up the utensils on some of the items. Needless to say, this dried out everything. Grade D-.
Nathan's Hot Dogs. This one is in the Palms food court. The good: Very good hotdog that tastes like the ones at the ball park. The bad: Costs just like the ones at the ball park. Grade B.
Palace Station Breakfast buffet. I was apprehensive about this one because the last time I ate at Palace Station the food was bad. The breakfast didn't have much selection, but it was very good. I was delighted to see my favorite breakfast item - Eggs and Chorizo. Grade B+.
Aloha Specialties at the Cal. I ate here specifically to try the Loco Moco. Also has a short entry in "Eating Las Vegas". I had tried this last month at the Golden Nugget and loved it. The plate at Aloha is twice the size for half the price. I did like the peppery gravy better at the Nugget. Grade A-.
Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. I had the regular sized sandwich and cheesecake. I like these sandwiches but they are just not a good value. My total bill with tip was $40.00. Grade B-.
Ham & Eggs at Irene's. This is just a short drive from the Palms so I drove over to test this Top 10 Value. Make no mistake, the ham is ENORMOUS. The breakfast potatoes are very tasty. Definitely worth the cost and drive. And yes, I finished the whole thing. Grade: A.
Dinner Buffet at the Mirage: I said in my report last month this buffet is great even without a coupon and I went back again for dinner. There was no one in line at 7:45pm, so I got right in. Fantastic food. Grade A.
Le Burger Brasserie, Paris: Very good hamburger but very overpriced. Tasted similar to Smashburger to me at twice the price. Grade B.
Sugar Factory, Paris: Another one from my "Eating Las Vegas" book. I had a $15.00 dollar banana split that was the size of Rhode Island. Gigantic portions of food presented to you like an art object. I saw a group of people eating ice cream out of what looked like a kitchen sink. There must have been five gallons of ice cream in that super-sized dish. If you're wondering, yes I ate the entire thing. Grade A.
Breakfast Buffet South Point. June is my birthday month and South Point gives you 2500 points ($7.00) after you earn one point. After earning my one point, I ate the buffet free. This one also has Eggs and Chorizo and is pretty good. I don't play much at South Point because they don't have any over 100% machines, so this was a good hit and run. Grade B.
As a side note, after eating at Irene's I stopped by Huntington Press to see if I could get a copy of one of Bob Dancer's books. I've met Bob and also Jean Scott, but I wanted to meet the guy who got me hooked on video poker - Anthony Curtis. I asked the receptionist if he was in and he came down to talk to me. Wow, what a great guy he is! I said, "I'm the guy you quoted on the Red Rock buffet in this month's issue." He also remembered my dad's name as being one of his very first subscribers to the LVA. Chatted with him about video poker and prime rib dinners. He said he had eaten at the Riviera Steakhouse recently and was floored by the quality. Look for a review in an upcoming LVA edition.
Random Thoughts:
It would be nice if I could put back to back winning trips together.
Red Rock has great slant top machines that don't kill my arms and back.
The Palms uprights wear me out.
MSS has 10/7 DB slant tops that also have 9/6 Jacks that I'll be playing more often.
I was shocked at how good the buffet was at Palace Station.
I was shocked at how bad it was at the Palms.
GM makes crappy cars.
Irene's will be a must stop on all my future trips.
The Sugar Factory will too.
I got to meet my gambling idol - Anthony Curtis.
The casinos were all incredibly crowded.
The new sports book at the Palms is awesome. I need to try in game wagering.
Good thing the Palms is remodeling because it needs it.
For the second trip in a row, I spent a huge amount on food.
I got slapped in the face with hot, dry air when I got to Las Vegas, and slapped back by the hot, humid air upon returning to KC.
As usual, people feel a need to make cell phone calls in their cars, in front of escalators and while walking three or four across on the sidewalk.
Project Linq is going to be very big.
I am WAY overdue for a Royal Flush. Nearly 150,000 hands without one.
There was some Asian guy playing high-stakes baccarat at the Palms. No matter when I walked by at any time of the day or night he was in there playing alone with a dealer and a pit boss.
Note to Palms: If the handles of the spoons on the buffet are so hot I can't touch them, it's probably time to turn down the heat.
As usual, perpetual construction on I-15.
Is it possible to have an A/C unit that doesn't rattle and groan all day long?
It's hard to concentrate on the video poker at the Palms with all the eye candy walking around in that place.
Eff you to the Palms drink server who spilled beer on me while handing it to another person and just tossing me a napkin while saying "Sorry, use this."
Next trip: December during the dead period. I hope my luck changes.
Thanks for reading the report.
