SUNDAY, 10/23
With a 7:50 PM departure, it was a long day back at home. But the time passed and eventually I got to the time of departure. Traffic was relatively benign to the airport and I made it in plenty of time. Some of it was taken in the screening line, which was longer than I'd seen in quite awhile. I went through the traditional scan, not the new one - lucky, I guess.
I was flying Southwest this time around and the first flight to Midway left about 15 minutes late and arrived about 10 minutes tardy. But the flight from Midway to Las Vegas was running later. This was my first trip ever inside Midway. It seemed a little quaint compared to more modernized airports I've seen elsewhere. There was a surprisingly long walk between gates. I also seemed to pass by more than my share of McDonald's. And people were buying. I alternated between being sickened and hungered - McD's is not my favorite kind of food.
The flight's lateness gave me an opportunity - they were overbooked and wanted volunteers to be bumped to a flight tomorrow. They were offering ticket cost + $300 in credit + a night's hotel stay near the airport. I usually couldn't take advantage of these, but this time I could because of my schedule. I wasn't sure I could use the credit fully in a year, but I liked to have the option. I was the third to sign up. The delay dragged on and we all got on the plane. One was called back, presumably bumped... but no more. Oh well, I guess I was going to Vegas, baby. Yay?
Once on the plane, the flight was delayed further, I suppose due to its lack of AC. They never did say for sure. We took off about 1 1/2 hours late. Once in the air, the flight was eventless. I slept through parts of it. We made up a little time, but were still in the air as of midnight Pacific time.
MONDAY, 10/24
We finally landed about 12:30 AM - 1 hour and 15 minutes late. I chose Bell Trans as my shuttle since they had one going downtown right away. This was my first real bit of luck. The shuttle had only three couples and me on it - most unusual not to pack 'em in full. We stopped by the Rio first, but my hotel - the El Cortez - was second. I was so overwhelmed by this good service that I paid $10 instead of the billed $8.50.
My stay at the Tez was under the same offer I've talked about several times before - Tower room billed at $51 a night, but receive $25 in freeplay and room credit per. I checked in and got my freeplay vouchers, instructions on how to use my food credit and the room key.
The room on the 14th floor had a view for once. I could see the Strat, the soon-to-be-renamed Hilton, Trump, and other big buildings I didn't recognize. Closer to me I could see parts of downtown and the area between downtown and the Strat. The room was much the same as the tower room on my stay in April - spacious (except for the bathroom), some signs of wear but certainly not bad. The TV was a CRT, but overall I was more than pleased with the room - except for the lights by the writing desk, which were a bad joke. It also reminded me heavily of the rooms I've had at the Gold Coast and the Orleans. Was the same designer involved, perhaps?
I finally conked out at 1:30 - far too late in the normal time zone. Notice that I didn't do any gambling here yet. Don't worry, I would make up for lost time.
It started at 6 AM. I got a USA Today and a local paper ($2 total) - President Obama was coming to town! Alas, I wouldn't be within 3 miles of him. He was stopping at McCarran, then off to the Bellagio for a fundraiser, then to a neighborhood on the east side to push his ideas. Meanwhile, I had my own agenda.
After reading the papers I went out into the casino to redeem my freeplay. I had no problems, and there was even a little bonus - I could pick one day or another for a 5x multiplier. This was part of an offer I was sent. I didn't figure to rack up a huge number of points, but I chose this one anyway since I thought I would have the most play here.
I moved on to one of their dollar 8/5 bonus machines where I turned my $75 in freeplay into $70. On my last hand I got 444. Could I get lucky and get the last 4? Not this time.
I then made my one foray to Megabucks - I won a buck, then lost tip money at some pretty slots. One of them was the very pretty Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. BTW, virtual BJ is gone from the Tez.
I then went to Café Cortez for some steak & eggs. The steak looked better than it tasted, but it was more than adequate. Everything was good. The service was brisk. It would've cost about $16 for everything if not for the comp, which covered most of it.
I then went out to Fremont St. to try to find my future. There's a new restaurant in Neonopolis that some of you might be interested in, though if any of you can get freebies here, do me a favor and keep it to yourself.
My first stop was Fitzgeralds. I got a new card plus a bonus - $5 in freeplay. It might have been on one of my offers that I occasionally get from them. I whiffed @ NSUD but made $7.50 of real money at the same game because I'm stubborn like that.
Then I stopped at the Four Queens. I lost $8 at Star Wars and Elvis MS, but gained $5 on one of their pretty good VP machines. I lost a little at another pretty slot before leaving for Binion's. Their big, honking DOND-WYD was still there to tempt me, but not too strongly. I'd like to say I'm wise to its tricks now, so I only bet $1 a spin.
I hit the single bonus on the 6th spin. Disaster struck early and often as I kept knocking out the biggest amounts again and again. I finally took the offer of - get this - 41 cents. Bleh. No I didn't want to double; what would be the use? So I lost $5.59 on that foray. I guess it could have been worse.
I won a buck at TAR, which seems to have been reconfigured - it's a 40 cent minimum now. In other Binion's news, they've moved their virtual machines close to the west entrance. I didn't check to see whether they were still 6:5; sorry. And JAWS seems to be completely gone.
On to the Fremont and their craps table, where I caught exactly one shooter - a good one, as he made $80 for me quickly. I checked the lines here, didn't see much I liked, but finally settled on a small bet on St. Louis. That didn't go well, so that was $10 out the window.
Meanwhile, I headed back to the Tez. I played some single deck BJ out of a shoe. This was nearly full when I got there, but the dealer was hot, so she wiped out everyone or all comers. At least this is told myself. Anyway, the dealer and I found ourselves heads up. I don't usually play heads up, but I wanted the information. Here it is, for the two of you out there that care: They consistently dealt four rounds per deck heads up, three to two players, and two to 3-6 players. Not great penetration, except at a full table where it wouldn't do a lot of good (or would it?????) Anyway, I had a lot of chips and fair luck, so they didn't wipe me out. Indeed, I left ahead $49.
Elsewhere around the casino I won $38 at video poker. I was playing 8/5 bonus for quarters when I was dealt JJJ. This time I got the last, sweet jack. I also won a tiny bit on a couple of pretty slots.
By this time it was early afternoon. I snagged some birthday cake (did I mention that Jackie Gaughan, former El Cortez owner and perpetual VP, turned 91 on this day?), then I rested for quite awhile. I watched some football and baseball. Then I felt my tummy rumble - time for din din. But first some gambling. I played Catch a Wave for nickels because I had a good feeling. You know how that goes, right? But this time I did well. I caught the Big Kahuna bonus for 220 coins (a little disappointing; I've had bigger other times), then followed with the surfboard bonus for 300 coins (which was pretty good). I left $21.20 ahead. I should've stopped there as I lost $4 on other slots and video poker. Easy come, easy go.
I had chicken at the Café. The food was good, service not so hot. This cost about $13, mostly comped. I went back to the room and it was lights out around 10:30.
TUESDAY, 10/25
I got up around 5. After prepping for the day to come, I went into the casino. My first stop was Cops & Donuts, where I made tip money. To my unpleasant surprise the Café was closed for cleaning for the next 1/2 hour. So what's a poor degenerate to do? I know, play some blackjack. I got a lot of BJs in a short amount of time - 5 for those who were counting. That was my margin of victory as I left ahead $37.50. I also played a cute slot called Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. I'm sure it would have been a natural at that clown joint a few miles away. I escaped with a small win.
At the Café I had the Jackie Burger and fries. Good food, sluggish service. It would have been about $11 if I had to pay the whole thing.
After a bit of rest I went out to do the stroll on Fremont St. First I went to the Fremont to play STP. Not great, but not terrible either as I stopped down $15. Then I walked the two blocks to the new, improved Plaza. The entry doors looked new. And it certainly had the smell of a newly renovated building. It looked new, yet felt very familiar. I used my two ACG coupons here. The $5 in freeplay netted me $3.75 at a 7/5 bonus machine (the best I could easily find). The matchplay didn't go as well. They only had one $5 table available at this time - a CSM (ugh). I lost the match and stayed too long after, racking up a $54 loss overall. So bid the Plaza adieu and stepped into the Golden Nugget.
There was only one reason to play here - the TPIR machines. The lady next to me hit two Showcases and the Punch-A-Bunch bonus while I was there. I assume she did well. I did not, surrendering down $13.75. But again, it's OK, for Rod's sake.
From there I went back to the Fremont to find a hot craps table. I caught a cople of decent shooters and left up $44. I collected some betting info from their sports book and then left.
Back at the Tez I played blackjack, double deck this time. I hit quite a few BJs here too, eight in an hour. But overall it was up, then down, then up again. I finished $29 ahead.
Then because I hadn't had enough gambling fun, I went for some craps. I did OK here too, leaving up $35. That was the extent of my gambling downtown. I won about $300 here. You might want to keep that figure in mind for some reason.
After some rest I went to the Flame for dinner. I had previously made a reservation. The service and food were very good, as expected. I especially enjoyed the sweet potato fries. The atmosphere was very relaxing, which was helpful after the madness of the casino, Fremont St., and Café Cortez. It was pricey, by my standards - about $41 - but mostly comped. I didn't need to use either of my coupons.
I then went up and watched football (no bets) and rested the rest of the night, heading to bed about 11.
WEDNESDAY, 10/26
I got up around 7. This was a leisurely day to start, but I was sure it would turn more manic near the end. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't try the café. I vacilated between playing some futures bets on college football at the Plaza and not. I eventually decided against it. I also finished one of my books. Then it was time to check out. I went to the front desk to make all those food charges disappear. She obliged. Again, I didn't max it out - only about $67 this time. Maybe I'll do better next time.
So I left the El Cortez and headed toward Casino Center. It was relatively cool and breezy outside. I bought my 24-hour pass just in time to watch the SDX leave. Argh. Another one came in 10 minutes, so no biggie. It's always interesting to hear tourists babble about touristy stuff. My pass was checked just before I got on. I was able to find a seat and it never got too crowded. There wasn't too much traffic either. The trip to Excalibur took about 25 minutes - excellent time.
I then hoofed it over to New York New York and the Tropicana stop. After a short wait I took the 201 the rest of the way to the Orleans. There was only one person in front of me in line at hotel registration. I eventually took my turn, which went routinely. I was asked if I wanted a high or low floor room. I took low and got a 2nd floor room overlooking the pool. Good view of the pool, but not anything else. It was also a good distance down a hallway. The room itself was similar to the room I just left at the El Cortez, except the furniture was newer. It suited me just fine.
After dropping some stuff off, I went into the belly. First I used my free $5 bet at craps. I lost that but stuck around long enough to win $14 overall. Next I played TPIR - their 40 penny version which I don't like as much as the 9/15 nickel versions that still exist at the GN and Mirage. Rod was not nice to me and I lost $5 here. Then I wandered over to another pretty, new slot - Godzilla. The minimum price was reasonable - 30 cents for each of two games, or 60 in total. I actually hit a bonus here. It was fun to look at, though not notably lucrative - 750 pennies total. I won $4 overall here. Then I played Uncle Sam who rebated me a buck.
Then I went to the Courtyard Café, which proved itself to be a good and reasonable place to be. I had the ribs - just what I needed. The total cost was about $23, but I got part of that comped.
After lunch, I tried my luck again. I won a buck at NSUD, then paid $22 for a losing sports ticket. Then I sat down at a blackjack table. I wasn't feeling good vibrations here. I should have listened to my instincts. I lost the matchplay and was generally ground down. I did rally to finish only $39 down. Only? I stayed here longer than I intended and went upstairs to watch the rest of the game I bet on. I finally put the lights out at midnight.
THURSDAY, 10/27
I got up around 5. After cleaning myself up I went to the Courtyard Café. I had the steak & eggs. The service and food were just fine. The total damage was about $13, again with a partial comp.
On the way back to the room I did a foolish thing - I played their 8/5 bonus Spin Poker Deluxe for quarters. 20 lines X 5/line X 25 cents = $25 a spin! Yikes! I don’t have the bankroll to take too many shots like this. I got a pair of nines, held them. I ended up getting some full houses and some trips - $55 worth in all. I took my $30 profit and ran.
After a brief pit stop I went out to Tropicana to catch the 201. I walked up & down and all around from the Trop to the Monte Carlo. I hadn’t been there before, so I wanted a quick look-see. I lost a couple of bucks at Airplane. You’re welcome, MGM.
The next stop was the newest megaresort on the Strip, Cosmopolitan. I had also never been here before. I got my new Identity card and tried for the loss reimbursement. Bad news #1: vpfree2 implied that they had full-pay VP at very high levels. I couldn’t find them; 9/5 JoB and 7/5 bonus were the best I could find. So I played $5 JoB. Bad news #2: I whiffed on four straight hands. Bleh. The one good thing about losing so quickly is I don’t waste time. I got reimbursed my $100 in freeplay and set out. I played 7/5 bonus for dollars. Bad news #3: I only got $40 out of my freeplay. My impression of the Cosmo is that it’s a nice place with nice people… but not for me.
There was nothing left for me to do here, so I moved on. I took the 202 to the Rio. I expected (and got) a big shipment of points courtesy of Caesars for some crazy stunt I did over the summer. I wanted to lock them in for a few more months so they don’t accidentally expire. That meant playing 7/5 bonus for a point here. Two whiffs. What WAS it with me and video poker today?
I crossed the street to the Gold Coast. There were two plays here - 5x points, and a free buffet for 200 (base) points earned. I used the MRB version, in case that matters to anyone. I played STP of course, that being the #1 game in town. Continuing today’s theme, I lost $25. But at least I got some decent hands and multipliers - but alas, not together.
I then crossed Flamingo to get to the Palms so I could use my 40-25 freeplay coupon. I used them on the #3 game in town, the 9/6 50x JoB for pennies that they’ve had for several years, at least. This, as always, would be my very best chance for a royal. I’ve never gotten one, y’know. And I didn’t get one on this day, but I did get dealt a full house. Nice. I left ahead $34.75. I then walked back to the Orleans. Not too bad; a bit over a mile. Something worth noting is that there’s a full sidewalk on the east side of Arville to Tropicana, but not on the west side.
Back at the Orleans I found I needed to kill some time, so I did some scouting. I found the NSUD games away from Subway (which usually smells like a Subway). They’re near the southeast entrance. I lost $5 there. I also found the ACE$ machines near Bconnected. I broke even on those. And on to TPIR-Dice Game just because. I lost another $5 there.
Then I tried craps. The table was incredibly icy when I was there. I would’ve made a bundle had I been betting the don’ts, but I wasn’t because I don’t do that. So I lost $39 and it could have been a whole lot worse.
That was enough gambling for me. I was still ahead about $160 for the trip. That meant I’ve come out ahead on my last 7 trips to our favorite city - the last losing trip was May 2009. Of course, I’ve dumped some money at Reno since then, but never mind that…
Anyway, just because I stopped gambling didn’t mean the vacation was over. I went to see the movie “Real Steel” at the conveniently located theaters. I thought it was decent entertainment - your typical big game movie with a has-been, a kid, and a bunch of bots. How could it miss?
The movie let out in time for me to head back to the Gold Coast to have a buffet dinner. The good news is the shuttle came shortly after I started waiting for it. The bad news is that it pulled out before they let me on. Wha? I guess these shuttles are getting popular. So I shrugged my shoulders and walked to the Palms. The temperature was fine and there wasn’t much wind, but the sun was always troublesome. No big deal, though. I took a look at the lines at the Palms - nothing too interesting there.
Then I crossed the street to the Gold Coast. I killed a little time without gambling, then I stood in line for dinner. They accepted my earned voucher without question, even though it was Steak Night, which rates an extra premium price. As usual, there wasn’t much of a line. Service was good, as was the portions I sampled. I constantly hear this buffet being dismissed, but I think it’s just fine. Let them have their Bellagios and Wynns; for a third of the price (or less), I can fill up just as well.
I tried to catch the shuttle back. This time I got the very last seat and some other people had to wait. It was a short ride back to the Orleans and I went up to my room and hid for the rest of the evening. I finally went to bed about 10.
FRIDAY, 10/28
I got up around 4, cleaned myself up, cleaned up around the room, packed, and did the TV checkout thing. There was nothing but the remainder of my food charges on the bill, so that was good. I splurged on a taxi to the airport. The fare was $16, but I handed out a twenty because I’m generous like that. I used the Early Bird check in some weeks ago and that went routinely; I got numbers around A30 for both flights.
The flight to Denver left and arrived on time. The connection was a little tight, but I made it to the gate with no problems (it wasn’t far away). The flight to Detroit left on time and made it there about 10 minutes early. Cool. I got my car from parking and sped off toward home. There were some gum-ups, but that’s to be expected from Metro Detroit traffic. I got home in decent time, and that ended another adventure in Las Vegas.
My next trip is scheduled to be in February, right around Super Bowl time. I’ve got the Orleans planned for Friday & Saturday; the other days figure to be Caesars Entertainment hotels to be named later.
Thanks for reading.
With a 7:50 PM departure, it was a long day back at home. But the time passed and eventually I got to the time of departure. Traffic was relatively benign to the airport and I made it in plenty of time. Some of it was taken in the screening line, which was longer than I'd seen in quite awhile. I went through the traditional scan, not the new one - lucky, I guess.
I was flying Southwest this time around and the first flight to Midway left about 15 minutes late and arrived about 10 minutes tardy. But the flight from Midway to Las Vegas was running later. This was my first trip ever inside Midway. It seemed a little quaint compared to more modernized airports I've seen elsewhere. There was a surprisingly long walk between gates. I also seemed to pass by more than my share of McDonald's. And people were buying. I alternated between being sickened and hungered - McD's is not my favorite kind of food.
The flight's lateness gave me an opportunity - they were overbooked and wanted volunteers to be bumped to a flight tomorrow. They were offering ticket cost + $300 in credit + a night's hotel stay near the airport. I usually couldn't take advantage of these, but this time I could because of my schedule. I wasn't sure I could use the credit fully in a year, but I liked to have the option. I was the third to sign up. The delay dragged on and we all got on the plane. One was called back, presumably bumped... but no more. Oh well, I guess I was going to Vegas, baby. Yay?
Once on the plane, the flight was delayed further, I suppose due to its lack of AC. They never did say for sure. We took off about 1 1/2 hours late. Once in the air, the flight was eventless. I slept through parts of it. We made up a little time, but were still in the air as of midnight Pacific time.
MONDAY, 10/24
We finally landed about 12:30 AM - 1 hour and 15 minutes late. I chose Bell Trans as my shuttle since they had one going downtown right away. This was my first real bit of luck. The shuttle had only three couples and me on it - most unusual not to pack 'em in full. We stopped by the Rio first, but my hotel - the El Cortez - was second. I was so overwhelmed by this good service that I paid $10 instead of the billed $8.50.
My stay at the Tez was under the same offer I've talked about several times before - Tower room billed at $51 a night, but receive $25 in freeplay and room credit per. I checked in and got my freeplay vouchers, instructions on how to use my food credit and the room key.
The room on the 14th floor had a view for once. I could see the Strat, the soon-to-be-renamed Hilton, Trump, and other big buildings I didn't recognize. Closer to me I could see parts of downtown and the area between downtown and the Strat. The room was much the same as the tower room on my stay in April - spacious (except for the bathroom), some signs of wear but certainly not bad. The TV was a CRT, but overall I was more than pleased with the room - except for the lights by the writing desk, which were a bad joke. It also reminded me heavily of the rooms I've had at the Gold Coast and the Orleans. Was the same designer involved, perhaps?
I finally conked out at 1:30 - far too late in the normal time zone. Notice that I didn't do any gambling here yet. Don't worry, I would make up for lost time.
It started at 6 AM. I got a USA Today and a local paper ($2 total) - President Obama was coming to town! Alas, I wouldn't be within 3 miles of him. He was stopping at McCarran, then off to the Bellagio for a fundraiser, then to a neighborhood on the east side to push his ideas. Meanwhile, I had my own agenda.
After reading the papers I went out into the casino to redeem my freeplay. I had no problems, and there was even a little bonus - I could pick one day or another for a 5x multiplier. This was part of an offer I was sent. I didn't figure to rack up a huge number of points, but I chose this one anyway since I thought I would have the most play here.
I moved on to one of their dollar 8/5 bonus machines where I turned my $75 in freeplay into $70. On my last hand I got 444. Could I get lucky and get the last 4? Not this time.
I then made my one foray to Megabucks - I won a buck, then lost tip money at some pretty slots. One of them was the very pretty Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. BTW, virtual BJ is gone from the Tez.
I then went to Café Cortez for some steak & eggs. The steak looked better than it tasted, but it was more than adequate. Everything was good. The service was brisk. It would've cost about $16 for everything if not for the comp, which covered most of it.
I then went out to Fremont St. to try to find my future. There's a new restaurant in Neonopolis that some of you might be interested in, though if any of you can get freebies here, do me a favor and keep it to yourself.
My first stop was Fitzgeralds. I got a new card plus a bonus - $5 in freeplay. It might have been on one of my offers that I occasionally get from them. I whiffed @ NSUD but made $7.50 of real money at the same game because I'm stubborn like that.
Then I stopped at the Four Queens. I lost $8 at Star Wars and Elvis MS, but gained $5 on one of their pretty good VP machines. I lost a little at another pretty slot before leaving for Binion's. Their big, honking DOND-WYD was still there to tempt me, but not too strongly. I'd like to say I'm wise to its tricks now, so I only bet $1 a spin.
I hit the single bonus on the 6th spin. Disaster struck early and often as I kept knocking out the biggest amounts again and again. I finally took the offer of - get this - 41 cents. Bleh. No I didn't want to double; what would be the use? So I lost $5.59 on that foray. I guess it could have been worse.
I won a buck at TAR, which seems to have been reconfigured - it's a 40 cent minimum now. In other Binion's news, they've moved their virtual machines close to the west entrance. I didn't check to see whether they were still 6:5; sorry. And JAWS seems to be completely gone.
On to the Fremont and their craps table, where I caught exactly one shooter - a good one, as he made $80 for me quickly. I checked the lines here, didn't see much I liked, but finally settled on a small bet on St. Louis. That didn't go well, so that was $10 out the window.
Meanwhile, I headed back to the Tez. I played some single deck BJ out of a shoe. This was nearly full when I got there, but the dealer was hot, so she wiped out everyone or all comers. At least this is told myself. Anyway, the dealer and I found ourselves heads up. I don't usually play heads up, but I wanted the information. Here it is, for the two of you out there that care: They consistently dealt four rounds per deck heads up, three to two players, and two to 3-6 players. Not great penetration, except at a full table where it wouldn't do a lot of good (or would it?????) Anyway, I had a lot of chips and fair luck, so they didn't wipe me out. Indeed, I left ahead $49.
Elsewhere around the casino I won $38 at video poker. I was playing 8/5 bonus for quarters when I was dealt JJJ. This time I got the last, sweet jack. I also won a tiny bit on a couple of pretty slots.
By this time it was early afternoon. I snagged some birthday cake (did I mention that Jackie Gaughan, former El Cortez owner and perpetual VP, turned 91 on this day?), then I rested for quite awhile. I watched some football and baseball. Then I felt my tummy rumble - time for din din. But first some gambling. I played Catch a Wave for nickels because I had a good feeling. You know how that goes, right? But this time I did well. I caught the Big Kahuna bonus for 220 coins (a little disappointing; I've had bigger other times), then followed with the surfboard bonus for 300 coins (which was pretty good). I left $21.20 ahead. I should've stopped there as I lost $4 on other slots and video poker. Easy come, easy go.
I had chicken at the Café. The food was good, service not so hot. This cost about $13, mostly comped. I went back to the room and it was lights out around 10:30.
TUESDAY, 10/25
I got up around 5. After prepping for the day to come, I went into the casino. My first stop was Cops & Donuts, where I made tip money. To my unpleasant surprise the Café was closed for cleaning for the next 1/2 hour. So what's a poor degenerate to do? I know, play some blackjack. I got a lot of BJs in a short amount of time - 5 for those who were counting. That was my margin of victory as I left ahead $37.50. I also played a cute slot called Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. I'm sure it would have been a natural at that clown joint a few miles away. I escaped with a small win.
At the Café I had the Jackie Burger and fries. Good food, sluggish service. It would have been about $11 if I had to pay the whole thing.
After a bit of rest I went out to do the stroll on Fremont St. First I went to the Fremont to play STP. Not great, but not terrible either as I stopped down $15. Then I walked the two blocks to the new, improved Plaza. The entry doors looked new. And it certainly had the smell of a newly renovated building. It looked new, yet felt very familiar. I used my two ACG coupons here. The $5 in freeplay netted me $3.75 at a 7/5 bonus machine (the best I could easily find). The matchplay didn't go as well. They only had one $5 table available at this time - a CSM (ugh). I lost the match and stayed too long after, racking up a $54 loss overall. So bid the Plaza adieu and stepped into the Golden Nugget.
There was only one reason to play here - the TPIR machines. The lady next to me hit two Showcases and the Punch-A-Bunch bonus while I was there. I assume she did well. I did not, surrendering down $13.75. But again, it's OK, for Rod's sake.
From there I went back to the Fremont to find a hot craps table. I caught a cople of decent shooters and left up $44. I collected some betting info from their sports book and then left.
Back at the Tez I played blackjack, double deck this time. I hit quite a few BJs here too, eight in an hour. But overall it was up, then down, then up again. I finished $29 ahead.
Then because I hadn't had enough gambling fun, I went for some craps. I did OK here too, leaving up $35. That was the extent of my gambling downtown. I won about $300 here. You might want to keep that figure in mind for some reason.
After some rest I went to the Flame for dinner. I had previously made a reservation. The service and food were very good, as expected. I especially enjoyed the sweet potato fries. The atmosphere was very relaxing, which was helpful after the madness of the casino, Fremont St., and Café Cortez. It was pricey, by my standards - about $41 - but mostly comped. I didn't need to use either of my coupons.
I then went up and watched football (no bets) and rested the rest of the night, heading to bed about 11.
WEDNESDAY, 10/26
I got up around 7. This was a leisurely day to start, but I was sure it would turn more manic near the end. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't try the café. I vacilated between playing some futures bets on college football at the Plaza and not. I eventually decided against it. I also finished one of my books. Then it was time to check out. I went to the front desk to make all those food charges disappear. She obliged. Again, I didn't max it out - only about $67 this time. Maybe I'll do better next time.
So I left the El Cortez and headed toward Casino Center. It was relatively cool and breezy outside. I bought my 24-hour pass just in time to watch the SDX leave. Argh. Another one came in 10 minutes, so no biggie. It's always interesting to hear tourists babble about touristy stuff. My pass was checked just before I got on. I was able to find a seat and it never got too crowded. There wasn't too much traffic either. The trip to Excalibur took about 25 minutes - excellent time.
I then hoofed it over to New York New York and the Tropicana stop. After a short wait I took the 201 the rest of the way to the Orleans. There was only one person in front of me in line at hotel registration. I eventually took my turn, which went routinely. I was asked if I wanted a high or low floor room. I took low and got a 2nd floor room overlooking the pool. Good view of the pool, but not anything else. It was also a good distance down a hallway. The room itself was similar to the room I just left at the El Cortez, except the furniture was newer. It suited me just fine.
After dropping some stuff off, I went into the belly. First I used my free $5 bet at craps. I lost that but stuck around long enough to win $14 overall. Next I played TPIR - their 40 penny version which I don't like as much as the 9/15 nickel versions that still exist at the GN and Mirage. Rod was not nice to me and I lost $5 here. Then I wandered over to another pretty, new slot - Godzilla. The minimum price was reasonable - 30 cents for each of two games, or 60 in total. I actually hit a bonus here. It was fun to look at, though not notably lucrative - 750 pennies total. I won $4 overall here. Then I played Uncle Sam who rebated me a buck.
Then I went to the Courtyard Café, which proved itself to be a good and reasonable place to be. I had the ribs - just what I needed. The total cost was about $23, but I got part of that comped.
After lunch, I tried my luck again. I won a buck at NSUD, then paid $22 for a losing sports ticket. Then I sat down at a blackjack table. I wasn't feeling good vibrations here. I should have listened to my instincts. I lost the matchplay and was generally ground down. I did rally to finish only $39 down. Only? I stayed here longer than I intended and went upstairs to watch the rest of the game I bet on. I finally put the lights out at midnight.
THURSDAY, 10/27
I got up around 5. After cleaning myself up I went to the Courtyard Café. I had the steak & eggs. The service and food were just fine. The total damage was about $13, again with a partial comp.
On the way back to the room I did a foolish thing - I played their 8/5 bonus Spin Poker Deluxe for quarters. 20 lines X 5/line X 25 cents = $25 a spin! Yikes! I don’t have the bankroll to take too many shots like this. I got a pair of nines, held them. I ended up getting some full houses and some trips - $55 worth in all. I took my $30 profit and ran.
After a brief pit stop I went out to Tropicana to catch the 201. I walked up & down and all around from the Trop to the Monte Carlo. I hadn’t been there before, so I wanted a quick look-see. I lost a couple of bucks at Airplane. You’re welcome, MGM.
The next stop was the newest megaresort on the Strip, Cosmopolitan. I had also never been here before. I got my new Identity card and tried for the loss reimbursement. Bad news #1: vpfree2 implied that they had full-pay VP at very high levels. I couldn’t find them; 9/5 JoB and 7/5 bonus were the best I could find. So I played $5 JoB. Bad news #2: I whiffed on four straight hands. Bleh. The one good thing about losing so quickly is I don’t waste time. I got reimbursed my $100 in freeplay and set out. I played 7/5 bonus for dollars. Bad news #3: I only got $40 out of my freeplay. My impression of the Cosmo is that it’s a nice place with nice people… but not for me.
There was nothing left for me to do here, so I moved on. I took the 202 to the Rio. I expected (and got) a big shipment of points courtesy of Caesars for some crazy stunt I did over the summer. I wanted to lock them in for a few more months so they don’t accidentally expire. That meant playing 7/5 bonus for a point here. Two whiffs. What WAS it with me and video poker today?
I crossed the street to the Gold Coast. There were two plays here - 5x points, and a free buffet for 200 (base) points earned. I used the MRB version, in case that matters to anyone. I played STP of course, that being the #1 game in town. Continuing today’s theme, I lost $25. But at least I got some decent hands and multipliers - but alas, not together.
I then crossed Flamingo to get to the Palms so I could use my 40-25 freeplay coupon. I used them on the #3 game in town, the 9/6 50x JoB for pennies that they’ve had for several years, at least. This, as always, would be my very best chance for a royal. I’ve never gotten one, y’know. And I didn’t get one on this day, but I did get dealt a full house. Nice. I left ahead $34.75. I then walked back to the Orleans. Not too bad; a bit over a mile. Something worth noting is that there’s a full sidewalk on the east side of Arville to Tropicana, but not on the west side.
Back at the Orleans I found I needed to kill some time, so I did some scouting. I found the NSUD games away from Subway (which usually smells like a Subway). They’re near the southeast entrance. I lost $5 there. I also found the ACE$ machines near Bconnected. I broke even on those. And on to TPIR-Dice Game just because. I lost another $5 there.
Then I tried craps. The table was incredibly icy when I was there. I would’ve made a bundle had I been betting the don’ts, but I wasn’t because I don’t do that. So I lost $39 and it could have been a whole lot worse.
That was enough gambling for me. I was still ahead about $160 for the trip. That meant I’ve come out ahead on my last 7 trips to our favorite city - the last losing trip was May 2009. Of course, I’ve dumped some money at Reno since then, but never mind that…
Anyway, just because I stopped gambling didn’t mean the vacation was over. I went to see the movie “Real Steel” at the conveniently located theaters. I thought it was decent entertainment - your typical big game movie with a has-been, a kid, and a bunch of bots. How could it miss?
The movie let out in time for me to head back to the Gold Coast to have a buffet dinner. The good news is the shuttle came shortly after I started waiting for it. The bad news is that it pulled out before they let me on. Wha? I guess these shuttles are getting popular. So I shrugged my shoulders and walked to the Palms. The temperature was fine and there wasn’t much wind, but the sun was always troublesome. No big deal, though. I took a look at the lines at the Palms - nothing too interesting there.
Then I crossed the street to the Gold Coast. I killed a little time without gambling, then I stood in line for dinner. They accepted my earned voucher without question, even though it was Steak Night, which rates an extra premium price. As usual, there wasn’t much of a line. Service was good, as was the portions I sampled. I constantly hear this buffet being dismissed, but I think it’s just fine. Let them have their Bellagios and Wynns; for a third of the price (or less), I can fill up just as well.
I tried to catch the shuttle back. This time I got the very last seat and some other people had to wait. It was a short ride back to the Orleans and I went up to my room and hid for the rest of the evening. I finally went to bed about 10.
FRIDAY, 10/28
I got up around 4, cleaned myself up, cleaned up around the room, packed, and did the TV checkout thing. There was nothing but the remainder of my food charges on the bill, so that was good. I splurged on a taxi to the airport. The fare was $16, but I handed out a twenty because I’m generous like that. I used the Early Bird check in some weeks ago and that went routinely; I got numbers around A30 for both flights.
The flight to Denver left and arrived on time. The connection was a little tight, but I made it to the gate with no problems (it wasn’t far away). The flight to Detroit left on time and made it there about 10 minutes early. Cool. I got my car from parking and sped off toward home. There were some gum-ups, but that’s to be expected from Metro Detroit traffic. I got home in decent time, and that ended another adventure in Las Vegas.
My next trip is scheduled to be in February, right around Super Bowl time. I’ve got the Orleans planned for Friday & Saturday; the other days figure to be Caesars Entertainment hotels to be named later.
Thanks for reading.
