Yet another fun semi-annual trip, seven nights at South Point, Four Queens and Palace Station. It was just Linda (wife) and I this time, and we did well overall, with lots of memorable hits (Linda hit a 50¢ royal for $2K, our biggest hit so far). Total coin in was $82K, Linda was up $1612 (after CB), I was down a lot but had a great last day, finished down $96, for an overall win of $1516 (1.8%).
WEDNESDAY
Easy nonstop on Southwest, got in a little early and we were able to catch the SP shuttle. SP was pretty crowded, they had a big equestrian event (Run for a Million), caught some of that in the arena over the next few days. Serious horsuosity and lots of Stetsons, I felt slightly out of place. Anyway. Had a decent start, played a lot of 3-play and held my own. Got some weenies for lunch in the sports book, had an okay afternoon with some good STP sessions and a great NSUD session (4 SFs and a wild royal). Dinner was at the coffee shop, they have surprisingly adequate Chinese food, I had some jiaoze and sweet and sour pork. Mediocre evening, and early shut-eye.
THURSDAY
Had a few major roller coaster sessions this morning on dollar single line and quarter 5-play JoB, the kind where you drop from $200 to $5 and then claw your way back with 2-pairs and trips. Lunch was the new AYCE sushi place across LV BLVD, Top Sushi. Fun place, pretty hip but the usual overengineered American kids’ sushi, everything with five or six sauces and garnishes. Got a forgettable Capriotti's sub for Linda and got back to work. Had the usual major roller coaster session on GTP-NSUD, had a few good hits, including a 6x SF, but ultimately lost. Had a monster STP-BP session, dealt quad on the second hand (no multiplier, unfortunately), quad 3s, a 5x dealt straight and an 8x flush. Also a good NSUD session. Dinner was at Primarily Prime Rib, always good, solid prime rib and some pea soup. Dogshit dollar JoB session after dinner.
FRIDAY
Okay start but started bleeding green after a while, had another GTP session, this one terrible. Drowned our sorrows at the oyster bar (not nearly as good as the one at PS, of course), had decent oysters Rockefeller, clam chowder and pretty tasty poke tacos. Mediocre afternoon, took a shot at UltX Illinois Deuces, that was a mistake. We were about to head out to dinner when lightning struck, Linda hit a royal on a 50¢ JoB bartop for $2K. Yay! Dinner was at Katsuya Ton Ton, a very Japanese tonkatsu-ya out on Durango. Waited about a half hour for a table but it was well worth it, excellent tonkatsu (kurobuta pork!), also had a fried king oyster mushroom and an excellent salmon belly appetizer with a yuzu and miso sauce. Hell of a dinner. Back to SP, had a few decent 3-play sessions in the evening.
SATURDAY
Moving day, to 4Q. Downtown seems nastier every trip, I have to admire how hotel security maintains a semblance of normalcy. The promotion this summer was Double Your Fun, worth $140 FP for 1200 points ($9600 coin in), it's always a slow grind because their highest denom decent game is single line 50¢ JoB, but we're persistent. Had an okay start, then lunch at Chicago Brewing Co (adequate Chicago pizza and potato skins). Up and down all afternoon, nothing exciting but nothing terrible; also ran down to the El Cortez for some FP, stopped at the Jerky Store on 3rd ST (what a great store!). I went over to the Cal, had dinner at Aloha Specialties (probably my favorite Vegas restaurant), had the garlic chicken with gravy and a spam musubi, and dessert across the corridor at Lappert's (Kaua'i Pie ice cream cone). I walked over to MSS, our old primary casino before Boyd gutted the players club and then the VP inventory a few years ago. Place looks like it's done for, it was absolutely dead, only two people at the Boar's Head bar at 7:30pm on a Saturday. Table games are also only open on the weekends now. Damned shame, but serves them right. Got some White Castle burgers for Linda on the way back, mediocre last session for me, but Linda made her 1200 points and did okay with her $180 FP (the promo plus her mailer).
SUNDAY
More grinding. First session was a hell of a roller coaster ($100 to 260 to 35 to 100), next few were awful. Quick lunch at American Coney, then more losing (had a fun breakeven quarter DB session, though). Our mailers included $25 each food credit at Whiskey Licker Up at Binions, so that was dinner. Cool venue with the revolving bar overlooking Fremont ST, but the food (wings, patty melt, meatball sub) was garbage, really low-end bar food. Rude server, too, that didn't help. Honestly, 4Q and Binions could do so much better with their restaurants. Anyway, back to grinding, had a nice DB session with a quad and a few FHs, turned $40 into $100. Cashed my FP for $170.
MONDAY
To PS today. No more fun books, by the way, just more Stations tightening (like no more airport shuttle, only 0.05% CB, no more point multipliers for out of towners, etc.). Anyway, decent start, got quad aces early on the quarter 3-play BP machines. Quick lunch at Tomi Ramen across the street (okay takoyaki, KFC handroll and buta ramen, nothing special). I brought McDonald's back for Linda, who was doing well on the dollar BP bartops, got the quad aces and a bunch of other quads ($5100 RF prog, which she didn't hit, although most of the meter rise was probably hers). The afternoon started okay, but I had the worst deuces session of my life, on the 3-play Illinois Deuces machines. I've never been so underdeuced; how can you see 10 to 15 cards ten times in a row and maybe see one or two deuces total? Had a few more losers, but vultured a Joe Blow Gold machine for about $170. I'm starting to like those accumulater slots. Dinner was at the Charcoal Room, had a great chopped salad, a USDA prime New York strip (Linda had some pricey but good King crab legs), good twice-baked potato and crappy creamed spinach. Had a difficult dollar JoB session after dinner but ultimately came back with a dealt quad. Finished the evening with a good 3-play deuces session (had to see if they had really emptied the deuces out).
TUESDAY
So, I'm not the superstitious type, but I do have a lucky shirt, an old Tampa Bay Lightning t-shirt (wife is a hockey fan, I'm not). I couldn't help but notice that I was wearing the shirt when I hit my first two royals (both at MSS) and my first and only W-2G ($1254, on 30¢ on a Life of Luxury machine at the Las Vegas Club). I'm not sure of the physics of textiles affecting an RNG, probably has something to do with electrons and quantum tunneling, though, maybe also voodoo. So, I wore the shirt on Tuesday, and it was maybe our best day ever, up about $1400 between us. I'm never taking this fucking shirt off again. The day started off poorly, with a $100 cup of coffee at the bar (two 4-card royals, both turning into straights instead of $5K royals). Things improved from there. Linda spent most of the day on the dollar bartops, hit maybe 10 or 15 quads, including more premium quads than expected, wound up $700 ahead on one session. I had a good 3-play Illinois Deuces session going, got dealt some junk that I threw and got the quad deuces dealt on the redraw. Had a few more good sessions, then walked down Sahara to Mi Ranchito, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite Vegas restaurants. Had a mixed seafood (shrimp and octopus) tostada and a sope de carnitas, both really fantastic. Picked up McDonald's again for Linda on the way back, and the hits kept coming. Next was a third line quad on Multistrike BP, up another $200, then a monster dollar JoB session. Thought about the shirt a lot. Also thought about paying off my markers with cash, but realized that I didn't have any markers outstanding. Then I vultured an Ocean Magic Grand machine for about $50, then a good NSUD session with a bunch of SFs and quints. Dinner was at Lindo Michoacan, the new Mexican restaurant at PS. Very good (had queso fundido, shrimp-stuffed snapper and an unfortunately mediocre taco de carnitas), we'll probably be back, but I like Mi Ranchito better. Gave some money back after dinner, but had a few quads and a dealt FH on a last 3-play BP session and a breakeven 3-play deuces session. Hell of a day.
WEDNESDAY
Last day. We asked for a late checkout, the front desk clerk was apologetic, said that she'd have to charge us $17 for an extra hour (even with a comped room), begrudgingly gave us an extra 30min free. Stations is getting very Boyd-like, if you ask me (wasn't it their CEO who was quoted as saying that they're not giving away anything to anyone anymore?). Anyway, quick Uber to the airport (with $2400 in the suitcase, makes me nervous). Suffered through a lackluster Auntie Anne's pretzel dog and an unusually rude and arrogant gate agent who arrived at the gate only 10min before boarding (a real outlier for Southwest), then an uneventful flight home.
Overall, it was a great trip, lots of fun and my favorite tail of the bell curve. Next trip in February, with friends and family, hopefully even more fun. Thanks for reading!
