OK folks, if you like to read feel good stories and happy endings, don't read this because I assure you, it's NOT pretty. You've been warned.
Trip Report
December 9 – December 31, 2015
Well here it is. It's time for another Christmas/Birthday Trip report. We've got lot's planned this trip including another new hotel to add to my growing list, dining in new places and of course lots of gaming action! There's free play, coupons, promos and more. The bags are packed, the plane is waiting and Las Vegas awaits. Here we go!
Day 1
Wednesday December 9, 2015
We were up really early today for our flight. It's 3am and we just got up. There are no pre-flight hotels or any one way car rentals. Instead of driving 2 hours to get to the airport we're driving only 10 minutes. Since this is my Seven Stars trip through Caesars Entertainment and I get up to $1200 in airfare for this trip we were able to fly from our local airport, Stewart – Newburgh.
I booked this flight through a host in my home casino in Atlantic City. Initially the flights were still too high even with the $1200 credit but they finally came down. Unfortunately my host dropped the ball and I lost out on these fares because of the long and drawn out way Caesars does things. By the time this flight got booked it was just over $1200. I still took the flights and will be using reward credits to cover the $33 difference. We're also going to have to pay for luggage which I hate but will suffer through for the “free” flight.
We left the house at around 4:00am and I dropped Dee off at the airport. I drove back down to where I work which is only a mile away to park the car for free! Once I got down there I walked back up to the airport. This is a smaller airport and checking in was so fast and easy. They also told me that it wouldn't post $25 to my credit card but the luggage was covered. I can only guess that Caesars covered that as part of the price. Security was equally as easy except for me being a bonehead and forgetting I had a pen in my pocket prompting a full body cavity search!
This initial flight is on a smaller plane and we boarded first because of Dee's wheelchair. The only drawback of flying from here is that we have to make a connection. This is American Airlines flight 4745 from Newburgh to Philadelphia. We have a scheduled departure of 5:45am and a flight time of 1 hour and 9 minutes but the captain came on and told us it would be 51 minutes.
When we arrived in Philly we had to get off the plane and take a shuttle to a different terminal where the main flight would be departing from. This went well.
When we got the the other terminal we made our way to the gate all of the way down to that farthest point of the terminal. It was just about time to board. Things here went well and we pre-boarded and got to our seats with no problem
This is American Airlines flight number 577 non stop from Philly to Las Vegas. We are scheduled to depart at 8:00am with a 10:43 arrival time. Before we took off the captain came on the PA and told us that the flight was going to take about 4 hours and 45 minutes.
To pass the time on the flight I played on my tablet and slept. Dee slept too. Before we knew it we were on our initial descent into Las Vegas. The flight was smooth except for a few cases of turbulence. The only other issue was the cabin. This had to be the coldest flight I've ever taken. We landed at 10:05am and taxied to gate. We waited for everyone to get off the plane and then headed for the monorail to the main terminal where I collected our suitcase.
Once I had everything I found a place for Dee to sit and I took the shuttle over to the rental car facility. I actually have 2 reservations this trip and the selection of cars will dictate which option I use. One rental is with Dollar for a Standard SUV through Dollar for a price of $108/week. This worked out well for us last time we were out here but I noticed on their website that they are now using a smaller sized SUV for standard sized than they did just 3 months ago. I decided I'd check their inventory to see what was being offered and if it wasn't up to my satisfaction, I would cancel it and go to Alamo. At Alamo I have a premium car booked for $102/week.
When I got to Dollar they had me set up in a Nissan Exterra that had over 48,000 miles on it. I wasn't ok with this and one of the lot attendants offered me a Chevy Equinox. It was in good condition with only 10,000 miles on it and I took this one. After looking it over and heading out
When I got back to the airport I got Dee and we were back out fast enough to not have to pay for the short term parking.
We left the airport and went up to Arizona Charlie's Decatur. The plan here was to have lunch and then play because I had a $90 mailer and they were running a promo where if you earn 1200 points you get to swipe and win $12, $120 or $1200.
For lunch we went to the Sourdough Cafe. I got the French Dip with fries and Dee got the Farm. It's the standard 2 eggs, 2 sausage, 2 toast and has browns for $3.99. The food here is decent but nothing fancy but we usually leave here satisfied. Today was no exception. I used points to cover the bill and we were off to the casino.
We chose to play 3/5/10 play 8/5 bonus today. Dee hit aces on her 4th hand. She continued to hit quads while I fed in bills. I even switched games a few times with no luck feeding in bill after bill. Things caught up to Dee too and she started getting slammed. By the time we quit we'd dropped over $1200 and we haven't even checked in yet.
On your spins we hit for $12 in free play each. I ran it through some penny slots and we were on our way.
After a quick stop at CVS for a few items our next stop was to the Linq Hotel and Casino where we'd spend just the next 2 nights. I booked this hotel on a mailed offer of up to 4 nights, $50 free play and $20 in food. The reason I chose the Linq over some of the other properties in the Caesars portfolio was simple. I've never stayed here before.
When we checked in and the room was ready. Considering this is the old Imperial Palace they did a nice job on it.
We were assigned room 22016. This room has 2 double beds, dresser, flat screen TV, small table & 1 chair and a view of the Strip. The bathroom is small and had your standard vanity, shower stall and toilet. I can say they've done a pretty nice job with the remodel of this place and the transformation from Imperial Palace to the Linq. The only thing I found lame is the soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower.
We stopped at the booth/cage to get my free play vouchers. I saved them for tomorrow because even though it's not late, it's late! We don't play much at the Caesars properties in Las Vegas because of the poor pay tables on their video poker. I also don't need anymore points for the year since I've already reached 7* for next year so any additional points would be a waste.
For dinner we went to Guy Fieri's Las Vegas. We've been here a couple of times in the past and really like the food and atmosphere. I got the Motley Que sandwich. It's pulled pork and slaw with fries. Dee got the deli salad. She said it was excellent. My sandwich was very good but was lacking in meat.
Even though it wasn't that late we decided to just go to the room and wrap up the night. We've been up since 3:00am eastern and it was now 9:00pm pacific.
Total Coin – In for the day $9600
Total win/loss for the day - $1250
Total comps for the day $1491
Room $74
Cash/Free Play $114
Food $67
Gift Shop $3
Other $1236 (airfare)
Day 2
Thursday December 10, 2015
When we got up today we started off with Dee getting up at 4am thinking it was 7. Screw it, I got up too. We left the room and went to the casino. First stop was Nosh Express for 2 muffins.
Next up we played my free play on some penny games. At first we did ok but then it got bad. We turned the $50 free play into just $20. I knew better than to play slots here so shame on me.
Next to get some action in we played some short pay video poker. We only ran 3k through the machines and dropped 4 bills between us with no major hits at all.
We came back tot he room to get some more sleep. We were woken up by a phone call from room service. There was a guy outside the room with a birthday cake for me and a snack box! The cake was a sponge cake with pudding and fruit in the layers and was really good but the frosting was Crisco and sugar and not good. The snack box had chips, pretzels, cashews, cookies and dried fruits.
We left the Linq and went to the Flamingo to get show tickets to X – Burlesque, a show Dee has wanted to see for years. I used a 2 for 1 from the ACG and charged $76 to the room to be covered with comps when we check out.
Next was to the player's club to get a $100 voucher for dinner tonight from my 7* celebration dinners and then it was back to the Linq to fetch the car.
We left and went to Savers so Dee could get some books to read during the trip. Shop also got a new used purse.
Since we didn't need to play any more here today I decided to use the day to get reestablished at an old place that I used to play quite often. That place being Terrible's, now Silver 7's. I used to play here a lot in the old days. I used to get decent mail offers for my action and the comps were pretty good too. I thought I'd we'd take a shot today at trying to restart that action and see what happens. I got new cards and my points were still active. Today was 3x points on video poker. The VP here kind of sucks these days but I found some Loose deuces to play. Things were not good here with nothing happening. We walked out of there with a $300 loss and less than 3k in action again. This losing at a 12% rate needs to stop soon or we're going to be in real trouble.
During the afternoon we took a break in the room and watched some TV for a bit.
It was dinner time so we went over to the Flamingo. I had booked a reservation over at the Flamingo's steakhouse, Center Cut. We wanted to try this last time we were in town but ran short on time.
Oddly the prices here aren't super crazy which I was expecting them to be. Prices were in the thirties to forties for most entrees. I got the 7oz filet mignon with a twice baked potato. Dee got the chicken fettuccine Alfredo. All in all I'd have to say this meal was excellent. The filet was cooked perfect and the twice baked potato was the best I ever had. I tried some of Dee's and the Alfredo sauce was one of the best I've ever had. The bill for the two of us was $73. I used points to cover the cost and we were on our way.
We went to the diamond lounge for some dessert afterwards. There wasn't much of a selection but there was enough to do the trick. The only problem with was the room was about 40 degrees and it was freezing in there
We still had plenty of time before the show so we came up to the room and watched TV for a while.
It was time to go to X – Burlesque. We had general admission tickets but my 7* card got us in first and 4th row center. The show was ok, but it's seriously like going to the titty bar without having to tip. Add in the price works out to about $1 per minute and the titty bar could be a better option!
We ended the night with a little more TV and then were asleep by midnight.
Total Coin – In for the day $5900
Total win/loss for the day - $700
Total comps for the day $379
Room $82
Cash/Free Play $50
Food $80
Shows $152
Other $15
Day 3
Friday December 11, 2015
We were up early today and packed up the few things we needed for this stay at the Linq. We checked out and headed to Laughlin. We left quite a bit earlier than normal and the ride was the same as it usually is, BORING! On the way we made a quick stop at Einstein Brothers Bagels to hold us over.
We arrived at the Aquarius where we'd be staying for the next 5 nights. When we arrived there was a happy birthday message on the Marquee. AP was also up there along with his anniversary so we got pictures of all 3. The was pretty cool to see. I wasn't sure if the rooms were going to be ready yet but we took a shot and they were. We also got a holiday gift basket from our host when we got there too.
I had booked a small suite again with my host like we had last time. The extra space was just enough for us without being too big like their larger suites. I also had a mail offer for $350 in free play and another $50 from my host for my birthday. Dee also has a mailer that's good later in the week that's good for $135 giving us $535 in free play. Dee will also be getting her “dividend” this trip along with cashing in some points. I'll also cash in some points as well and that should double our free play by the time we're done.
We were assigned room 18130. This room has a living room when you walk in with a wet bar area, couch (that's a sleeper), chairs, coffee table and flat screen TV. It has a view of the river from the side window and of the street, parking lot, mountains, outlet mall and events center out the main windows. The bedroom features a king bed, dresser, night stands work desk, and flat screen TV. There is also a view of the same stuff you can see from the living room.
The bathroom is small with your basic tub, toilet and vanity.
Once we got our stuff up to the room it was off to the casino. We'd be playing on my card today and we started off with some Super Times Pay. It was not good and we got hammered here dropping about 9 bills and only got about 8k in play. Yet another session where we lost close to 12%.
We went to the room for a while to take a break before dinner.
For dinner we went to Outback with our friend AP who was also in Laughlin for the next few days. I got a pork chop and Dee got a burger. We had a great time enjoying a good meal and hanging out with AP. The food was typical, average at best for Outback.
After dinner it was back to the machines and more video poker action. We played triple play deuces wild with a progressive this time. The pay table is short on the quints and wild royal. I was getting killed yet again. Dee was streaky and actually hit deuces two times. That was the good part. The bad was she only won $100 and even worse is I lost $100.
I ran my $400 free play through $1 8/5 bonus. I actually case out the entire $400 after hitting a full house on my last hand.
Our last play for the day was Dee playing 8/5 bonus 5 play and losing yet another $100. I played STP and lost $200 in 15 minutes. I switched over to Spin Poker and was doing better but only hit one quad and dropped $100 in about 4 minutes.
It was getting late and had been a long day so we packed it in and headed up to bed after yet another horrible day at the machines.
Total Coin – In for the day $20980
Total win/loss for the day - $950
Total comps for the day $615
Room $160
Cash/Free Play $400
Food $40
Other $15
Day 4
Saturday December 12, 2015
When we got up today we started off with a short work out in the gym. After about 30 minutes we came back up here to the room and got ready for the day.
Once we were ready to go we started with breakfast at Cafe Aquarius. This place was packed today because the buffet is closed and because of this the service was slow and really sucked. I had the pecan crusted French toast and Dee had the Denver Omelet. The food was good and filled us up.
After breakfast it was time to hit the machines. We chose to play 3/5 video poker and some Super Times Pay mixed in this time. This was a session from hell for Dee as she dropped 5 bills in under an hour and only got 4k in action. She had a 24% loss rate.
My action was about the same but I only lost $100. My biggest issue was getting good multipliers and not winning anything on them. I had one good hand when I switch to DDB in a hail Mary attempt and caught quad 4's with a kicker. At the rate we're losing if things don't turn around soon I'm not sure what we're going to do for the rest of the trip. On a trip this long we certainly can't continue to lose over $1000 a day while getting no action in.
We took a break up in the room for a while which sucked considering it wasn't even 11am. Dee stayed in the room and read and I went to the casino and played some blackjack. This table wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. It was one of those win one, lose one tables. Good for playtime but not good for making money. Eventually it turned a little bad but then got a little good. It went back to win one, lose one and then I caught a short run and was able to go from being down $200 to up $600. I played a bit more and colored up with a $400 win after tossing the dealer a few chips. It was kind of exciting being the first win of the trip.
I came back to the room to get Dee and we went to Duet for a light lunch. Dee ordered a turkey and Swiss wrap. I ordered a chicken pot pie. It was prety good especially when you factor in that it was a beef pot pie complete with 1 chunk of meat!
Now it was back to the machines and some Super Times Pay. Things were streaky for Dee but she scored a quad with a 3x multiplier. She also had a few other key hands but still ended up getting whacked. I was streaky too but hit a sets of aces, a dealt quad and then holding a single ace with a 4x multiplier landed a quad for 1600 coins to save the session.
We took a break from video poker and played a variety of penny slots. There were no major hits but we did play for close to 2 hours on a single bill. Not great results but less losses than we'd had on video poker.
For dinner tonight we went to Outback again with AP. Tonight I chose the ribs and Dee chose the chicken tender platter. The ribs were pretty good and I'd get them again. Dee liked her tenders as well.
When we were done eating it was back to the machines again. We played everything from triple play, five play, STP pay and spin poker in 8/5 bonus and deuces wild. We were getting our asses pounded again until Dee hit a set of aces. I hit a few quads but I was bleeding to death. It seemed like I was feeding in bills. Dee continued to hang on after her aces and scored our first royal of the trip on the bottom line of triple play. I continued to bleed when she switched to deuces wild and hit deuces followed by another set soon after. From here she hovered for quite a while as I continued to feed in more bills. I lost track of how many bills went in between us and how many tickets Dee cashed out. I can say I was worried even with these hits were would still be down for the day.
After I cashed in all of the tickets at the cage I was amazed to know we were not only up, but up quite a bit for the day after one of the most wild rides I think we've ever had.
It was getting late so we decided to wrap things up and came back here to the room for some TV and sleep.
Total Coin – In for the day $20488
Total win/loss for the day $700 ($300 video poker + $400 blackjack)
Total comps for the day $238
Room $160
Food $78
Day 5
Sunday December 13, 2015
Once again today we started with a trip to the gym. After a quick workout we came up here and got cleaned up and then headed out to get something to eat.
For breakfast we hit the Cafe. I had the standard 2 eggs with corned beef hash and Dee had the Aquarius Omelet. Everything was fine as it usually is.
For gaming we started off with 8/5 bonus 5 play today. This time around it was very rough for me dropping close to $400 with very little play. Dee dropped a bill herself and I was not happy with the results considering I barely ran 1k through the machines. With only about $25 left on my meter I took a hail Mary attempt on Triple Double and landed a set of aces with no kicker on line 3 for $200 which started a major come back for me. Dee had a comeback of her own with a set of aces and numerous other quads. For me the quads finally started to come and so the did the dealt winners that were absent the last four days. I slowly crept the meter up back up to even, then up $100 then up $200 before it turned again. Dee also got up to even before her bleed started again. While she lost $200 I was able to quit up $100 for a $100 loss. While I would have rather won we did run 10k through the machines and only lost $100. This is more like what it should be!
We took a short break in the room and had a snack while watching some football.
After the break we played more video poker. We played more 5 play and this time not much happened. Dee was in for 3 bills and I was in for 4 bills before anything happened. Dee leveled off and hovered for a while. I still struggled and then switched to Spin Poker. I was hovering but oddly after about 3k in action had only hit one quad. I eventually busted out and between us dropped $600 for the session.
This was the last day we'd be playing on my card so I hit the players club and cashed in some points and got $500 in free play. We ran that through 50¢ 9/6 jacks or better and turned it into $550 thanks for dealt quads 3's, quad jacks on a single jack hold and a good number of full houses.
We had our play in for the day at this point so we came up to the room, grabbed a few things and headed up the hill to Harrah's. I have a 2 night reservation here that comes with $20 in food and $20 free play. We would only be spending one night here for a change of pace even though we're booked for 2 nights.
Checking in was quick in the Diamond/7* room and we were assigned room 11522 in the South Tower. When I booked my reservation I put in the comments section that I did not want anything in the North Tower. They obviously did honor this request. This suite is identical to most of the other suites we've had here. You enter through a living room that has a couch, chair, coffee table, flat screen TV and wet bar area with coffee maker and fridge.
The bedroom has a king bed with nightstands, a dresser and TV cabinet.
The bathroom has the vanity outside and a Jacuzzi tub. The inner part of the bathroom has the toilet and shower stall.
The view from this room sucks and is of the valet area and the other towers.
We took a short break in the room and headed back downstairs to get something to eat.
For dinner I had a reservation at the Range Steakhouse and we are going to use the $100 celebration voucher I got the other day at the Flamingo. I ordered the large filet mignon and Dee ordered the veal piccata along with an order of snails. We also got the au gratin potatoes and asparagus. Everything was good and Dee really enjoyed her veal dish.
We played a bit in the casino with poor results on the deuces machines. Typical for us once again losing at a 12% rate dropping $600 on 5k in action. Afterwards we packed it in for the night.
Total Coin – In for the day $26310
Total win/loss for the day - $700
Total comps for the day $769
Rooms $139
Cash/Free Play $500
Food $128
Gift Shop $2
Day 6
Monday December 14, 2015
We started off the day with breakfast at the Beach Cafe. We both had the 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, hash brown and pancakes. One thing I can say is that the prices here at Harrah's are substantially higher than they are at the Aquarius. I actually used a coupon from the ACG that's good for a free entree when you buy one and with drinks the bill was still $25!
After breakfast we ran out and did some shopping for a few things we needed over in Bullhead City. We also went to the outlet mall in Laughlin for a little while to pass some time.
Next up we went back to the Aquarius and hit the VP machines. The next three days we'll be playing on Dee's card to try and increase her offers. We decided to play 8/5 bonus on Spin Poker. This can be streaky and it was. I'm notorious for not hitting quads on this game and today wasn't any different. I did hit a few but in the end they weren't enough and I dropped $200. Dee was streakier than I was with a few quads but not enough. She actually blew through $200 and bought in for another $200. She had a few key hands and got out even on her second round. Between us we lost $400 but did manage to run about 8k through the machines.
We went up to the room for a while for a break and then came back here to Harrah's. The first thing I did was get my $20 in free play and then it was off to the machines.
We played some ugly ducks triple play for a while. Things were decent here for me. The deuces were showing often enough to keep going. The end result was about a $20 loss for me. Dee was getting hammered and was in for 2 bills and almost busted out but had a few nice dealt winners. She wrapped up the session by getting dealt 3 deuces and pulling the 4th on line 2 and walked away with a win. Between us the win was $100 but it was welcomed.
Next up saw me taking Dee to the Salon to get her hair done. She did this last trip and enjoyed it and used some of the many reward credits to pay for it.
For dinner we were going to go to Guy Fieri's El Burro Borracho. We were here in the fall and liked it so decided to come back. Unfortunately when we got there they had a sign on the door that they are only open on the weekends during the holidays. That was too bad because we were looking forward to it.
Instead we went to the diamond lounge. Tonight's offerings were pretty good with deli meats, veggie platter, fruit salad, a chicken and pasta dish the Dee really enjoyed, some deep fried pockets with a mystery filling, and creamy chicken Florentine soup that was excellent. Dessert was the standard cookies and rice crispy treats.
When we were done eating we found a penny slot to run the $20 free play through for some fun. We had a few hits but nothing major and turned the $20 into $15 cash. The way things are going I'll take it!
We came back up to the room, grabbed our things and went back down to the Aquarius.
When we got back we hit the machines again. We started off by playing spin poker again. This did not work out well with me hitting the only quad of the session and dropping $200. Dee was hit even harder dropping twice as much for a $600 loss on only 4k in action in another one of those 15% loss rate sessions.
We decided to play some single line 8/5 bonus next for halves.
Dee was hovering but then started getting beat up. She put in a second bill and hovered for a while on that one but never hit a quad. She dropped just $100 for this round. I was streaky on my machine not hitting much of anything other than jacks and two pair. I went into my Hail Mary mode and switched to Triple – Double Bonus of all games. This game makes double – double look like it's not volatile at all. I hit a few full houses to keep alive but then lost when I was willing to play and even a bit more. That's when I was dealt 2 A A x A. I held the 3 aces and the deuce, said won't this be some shit if it hits. Slammed the draw button and yelled “Holy shit, I got it, I fuckin' got it!”. After I got my $2000 hand pay I cashed out my ticket and left the aces w/ kicker on the screen for everyone else to enjoy.
For a little variety we played some super times pay spin poker for dimes. I plain and simple got my ass kicked here dropping $200 on only $600 in action. Dee was a little luckier landing a set of deuces. Her best hand was getting a 3x multiplier and being dealt a quint for over 2000 coins. She cashed out up $200 breaking us even after my loss.
We finished up the night by playing regular 8/5 bonus triple and five play. I was getting my ass kicked again dropping $100 without hitting a hand better than trips. I put in another bill and finally hit a quad. You know it's bad when you have more quads than straights and flushes. My ass kicking continued until I dropped 2 bills. Dee was doing better though and on a 3 ace hold landed the quad on 2 of her 3 lines. The machine went into suck mode after that though and she cashed out even.
We called it a day after this to lick our wounds. Even with the $2000 hit the profits were small today, but happily accepted.
Total Coin – In for the day $18160
Total win/loss for the day $550
Total comps for the day $299
Room $139
Cash/Free Play $135
Food $35
Other $90 (Salon)
Trip Report
December 9 – December 31, 2015
Well here it is. It's time for another Christmas/Birthday Trip report. We've got lot's planned this trip including another new hotel to add to my growing list, dining in new places and of course lots of gaming action! There's free play, coupons, promos and more. The bags are packed, the plane is waiting and Las Vegas awaits. Here we go!
Day 1
Wednesday December 9, 2015
We were up really early today for our flight. It's 3am and we just got up. There are no pre-flight hotels or any one way car rentals. Instead of driving 2 hours to get to the airport we're driving only 10 minutes. Since this is my Seven Stars trip through Caesars Entertainment and I get up to $1200 in airfare for this trip we were able to fly from our local airport, Stewart – Newburgh.
I booked this flight through a host in my home casino in Atlantic City. Initially the flights were still too high even with the $1200 credit but they finally came down. Unfortunately my host dropped the ball and I lost out on these fares because of the long and drawn out way Caesars does things. By the time this flight got booked it was just over $1200. I still took the flights and will be using reward credits to cover the $33 difference. We're also going to have to pay for luggage which I hate but will suffer through for the “free” flight.
We left the house at around 4:00am and I dropped Dee off at the airport. I drove back down to where I work which is only a mile away to park the car for free! Once I got down there I walked back up to the airport. This is a smaller airport and checking in was so fast and easy. They also told me that it wouldn't post $25 to my credit card but the luggage was covered. I can only guess that Caesars covered that as part of the price. Security was equally as easy except for me being a bonehead and forgetting I had a pen in my pocket prompting a full body cavity search!
This initial flight is on a smaller plane and we boarded first because of Dee's wheelchair. The only drawback of flying from here is that we have to make a connection. This is American Airlines flight 4745 from Newburgh to Philadelphia. We have a scheduled departure of 5:45am and a flight time of 1 hour and 9 minutes but the captain came on and told us it would be 51 minutes.
When we arrived in Philly we had to get off the plane and take a shuttle to a different terminal where the main flight would be departing from. This went well.
When we got the the other terminal we made our way to the gate all of the way down to that farthest point of the terminal. It was just about time to board. Things here went well and we pre-boarded and got to our seats with no problem
This is American Airlines flight number 577 non stop from Philly to Las Vegas. We are scheduled to depart at 8:00am with a 10:43 arrival time. Before we took off the captain came on the PA and told us that the flight was going to take about 4 hours and 45 minutes.
To pass the time on the flight I played on my tablet and slept. Dee slept too. Before we knew it we were on our initial descent into Las Vegas. The flight was smooth except for a few cases of turbulence. The only other issue was the cabin. This had to be the coldest flight I've ever taken. We landed at 10:05am and taxied to gate. We waited for everyone to get off the plane and then headed for the monorail to the main terminal where I collected our suitcase.
Once I had everything I found a place for Dee to sit and I took the shuttle over to the rental car facility. I actually have 2 reservations this trip and the selection of cars will dictate which option I use. One rental is with Dollar for a Standard SUV through Dollar for a price of $108/week. This worked out well for us last time we were out here but I noticed on their website that they are now using a smaller sized SUV for standard sized than they did just 3 months ago. I decided I'd check their inventory to see what was being offered and if it wasn't up to my satisfaction, I would cancel it and go to Alamo. At Alamo I have a premium car booked for $102/week.
When I got to Dollar they had me set up in a Nissan Exterra that had over 48,000 miles on it. I wasn't ok with this and one of the lot attendants offered me a Chevy Equinox. It was in good condition with only 10,000 miles on it and I took this one. After looking it over and heading out
When I got back to the airport I got Dee and we were back out fast enough to not have to pay for the short term parking.
We left the airport and went up to Arizona Charlie's Decatur. The plan here was to have lunch and then play because I had a $90 mailer and they were running a promo where if you earn 1200 points you get to swipe and win $12, $120 or $1200.
For lunch we went to the Sourdough Cafe. I got the French Dip with fries and Dee got the Farm. It's the standard 2 eggs, 2 sausage, 2 toast and has browns for $3.99. The food here is decent but nothing fancy but we usually leave here satisfied. Today was no exception. I used points to cover the bill and we were off to the casino.
We chose to play 3/5/10 play 8/5 bonus today. Dee hit aces on her 4th hand. She continued to hit quads while I fed in bills. I even switched games a few times with no luck feeding in bill after bill. Things caught up to Dee too and she started getting slammed. By the time we quit we'd dropped over $1200 and we haven't even checked in yet.
On your spins we hit for $12 in free play each. I ran it through some penny slots and we were on our way.
After a quick stop at CVS for a few items our next stop was to the Linq Hotel and Casino where we'd spend just the next 2 nights. I booked this hotel on a mailed offer of up to 4 nights, $50 free play and $20 in food. The reason I chose the Linq over some of the other properties in the Caesars portfolio was simple. I've never stayed here before.
When we checked in and the room was ready. Considering this is the old Imperial Palace they did a nice job on it.
We were assigned room 22016. This room has 2 double beds, dresser, flat screen TV, small table & 1 chair and a view of the Strip. The bathroom is small and had your standard vanity, shower stall and toilet. I can say they've done a pretty nice job with the remodel of this place and the transformation from Imperial Palace to the Linq. The only thing I found lame is the soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower.
We stopped at the booth/cage to get my free play vouchers. I saved them for tomorrow because even though it's not late, it's late! We don't play much at the Caesars properties in Las Vegas because of the poor pay tables on their video poker. I also don't need anymore points for the year since I've already reached 7* for next year so any additional points would be a waste.
For dinner we went to Guy Fieri's Las Vegas. We've been here a couple of times in the past and really like the food and atmosphere. I got the Motley Que sandwich. It's pulled pork and slaw with fries. Dee got the deli salad. She said it was excellent. My sandwich was very good but was lacking in meat.
Even though it wasn't that late we decided to just go to the room and wrap up the night. We've been up since 3:00am eastern and it was now 9:00pm pacific.
Total Coin – In for the day $9600
Total win/loss for the day - $1250
Total comps for the day $1491
Room $74
Cash/Free Play $114
Food $67
Gift Shop $3
Other $1236 (airfare)
Day 2
Thursday December 10, 2015
When we got up today we started off with Dee getting up at 4am thinking it was 7. Screw it, I got up too. We left the room and went to the casino. First stop was Nosh Express for 2 muffins.
Next up we played my free play on some penny games. At first we did ok but then it got bad. We turned the $50 free play into just $20. I knew better than to play slots here so shame on me.
Next to get some action in we played some short pay video poker. We only ran 3k through the machines and dropped 4 bills between us with no major hits at all.
We came back tot he room to get some more sleep. We were woken up by a phone call from room service. There was a guy outside the room with a birthday cake for me and a snack box! The cake was a sponge cake with pudding and fruit in the layers and was really good but the frosting was Crisco and sugar and not good. The snack box had chips, pretzels, cashews, cookies and dried fruits.
We left the Linq and went to the Flamingo to get show tickets to X – Burlesque, a show Dee has wanted to see for years. I used a 2 for 1 from the ACG and charged $76 to the room to be covered with comps when we check out.
Next was to the player's club to get a $100 voucher for dinner tonight from my 7* celebration dinners and then it was back to the Linq to fetch the car.
We left and went to Savers so Dee could get some books to read during the trip. Shop also got a new used purse.
Since we didn't need to play any more here today I decided to use the day to get reestablished at an old place that I used to play quite often. That place being Terrible's, now Silver 7's. I used to play here a lot in the old days. I used to get decent mail offers for my action and the comps were pretty good too. I thought I'd we'd take a shot today at trying to restart that action and see what happens. I got new cards and my points were still active. Today was 3x points on video poker. The VP here kind of sucks these days but I found some Loose deuces to play. Things were not good here with nothing happening. We walked out of there with a $300 loss and less than 3k in action again. This losing at a 12% rate needs to stop soon or we're going to be in real trouble.
During the afternoon we took a break in the room and watched some TV for a bit.
It was dinner time so we went over to the Flamingo. I had booked a reservation over at the Flamingo's steakhouse, Center Cut. We wanted to try this last time we were in town but ran short on time.
Oddly the prices here aren't super crazy which I was expecting them to be. Prices were in the thirties to forties for most entrees. I got the 7oz filet mignon with a twice baked potato. Dee got the chicken fettuccine Alfredo. All in all I'd have to say this meal was excellent. The filet was cooked perfect and the twice baked potato was the best I ever had. I tried some of Dee's and the Alfredo sauce was one of the best I've ever had. The bill for the two of us was $73. I used points to cover the cost and we were on our way.
We went to the diamond lounge for some dessert afterwards. There wasn't much of a selection but there was enough to do the trick. The only problem with was the room was about 40 degrees and it was freezing in there
We still had plenty of time before the show so we came up to the room and watched TV for a while.
It was time to go to X – Burlesque. We had general admission tickets but my 7* card got us in first and 4th row center. The show was ok, but it's seriously like going to the titty bar without having to tip. Add in the price works out to about $1 per minute and the titty bar could be a better option!
We ended the night with a little more TV and then were asleep by midnight.
Total Coin – In for the day $5900
Total win/loss for the day - $700
Total comps for the day $379
Room $82
Cash/Free Play $50
Food $80
Shows $152
Other $15
Day 3
Friday December 11, 2015
We were up early today and packed up the few things we needed for this stay at the Linq. We checked out and headed to Laughlin. We left quite a bit earlier than normal and the ride was the same as it usually is, BORING! On the way we made a quick stop at Einstein Brothers Bagels to hold us over.
We arrived at the Aquarius where we'd be staying for the next 5 nights. When we arrived there was a happy birthday message on the Marquee. AP was also up there along with his anniversary so we got pictures of all 3. The was pretty cool to see. I wasn't sure if the rooms were going to be ready yet but we took a shot and they were. We also got a holiday gift basket from our host when we got there too.
I had booked a small suite again with my host like we had last time. The extra space was just enough for us without being too big like their larger suites. I also had a mail offer for $350 in free play and another $50 from my host for my birthday. Dee also has a mailer that's good later in the week that's good for $135 giving us $535 in free play. Dee will also be getting her “dividend” this trip along with cashing in some points. I'll also cash in some points as well and that should double our free play by the time we're done.
We were assigned room 18130. This room has a living room when you walk in with a wet bar area, couch (that's a sleeper), chairs, coffee table and flat screen TV. It has a view of the river from the side window and of the street, parking lot, mountains, outlet mall and events center out the main windows. The bedroom features a king bed, dresser, night stands work desk, and flat screen TV. There is also a view of the same stuff you can see from the living room.
The bathroom is small with your basic tub, toilet and vanity.
Once we got our stuff up to the room it was off to the casino. We'd be playing on my card today and we started off with some Super Times Pay. It was not good and we got hammered here dropping about 9 bills and only got about 8k in play. Yet another session where we lost close to 12%.
We went to the room for a while to take a break before dinner.
For dinner we went to Outback with our friend AP who was also in Laughlin for the next few days. I got a pork chop and Dee got a burger. We had a great time enjoying a good meal and hanging out with AP. The food was typical, average at best for Outback.
After dinner it was back to the machines and more video poker action. We played triple play deuces wild with a progressive this time. The pay table is short on the quints and wild royal. I was getting killed yet again. Dee was streaky and actually hit deuces two times. That was the good part. The bad was she only won $100 and even worse is I lost $100.
I ran my $400 free play through $1 8/5 bonus. I actually case out the entire $400 after hitting a full house on my last hand.
Our last play for the day was Dee playing 8/5 bonus 5 play and losing yet another $100. I played STP and lost $200 in 15 minutes. I switched over to Spin Poker and was doing better but only hit one quad and dropped $100 in about 4 minutes.
It was getting late and had been a long day so we packed it in and headed up to bed after yet another horrible day at the machines.
Total Coin – In for the day $20980
Total win/loss for the day - $950
Total comps for the day $615
Room $160
Cash/Free Play $400
Food $40
Other $15
Day 4
Saturday December 12, 2015
When we got up today we started off with a short work out in the gym. After about 30 minutes we came back up here to the room and got ready for the day.
Once we were ready to go we started with breakfast at Cafe Aquarius. This place was packed today because the buffet is closed and because of this the service was slow and really sucked. I had the pecan crusted French toast and Dee had the Denver Omelet. The food was good and filled us up.
After breakfast it was time to hit the machines. We chose to play 3/5 video poker and some Super Times Pay mixed in this time. This was a session from hell for Dee as she dropped 5 bills in under an hour and only got 4k in action. She had a 24% loss rate.
My action was about the same but I only lost $100. My biggest issue was getting good multipliers and not winning anything on them. I had one good hand when I switch to DDB in a hail Mary attempt and caught quad 4's with a kicker. At the rate we're losing if things don't turn around soon I'm not sure what we're going to do for the rest of the trip. On a trip this long we certainly can't continue to lose over $1000 a day while getting no action in.
We took a break up in the room for a while which sucked considering it wasn't even 11am. Dee stayed in the room and read and I went to the casino and played some blackjack. This table wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. It was one of those win one, lose one tables. Good for playtime but not good for making money. Eventually it turned a little bad but then got a little good. It went back to win one, lose one and then I caught a short run and was able to go from being down $200 to up $600. I played a bit more and colored up with a $400 win after tossing the dealer a few chips. It was kind of exciting being the first win of the trip.
I came back to the room to get Dee and we went to Duet for a light lunch. Dee ordered a turkey and Swiss wrap. I ordered a chicken pot pie. It was prety good especially when you factor in that it was a beef pot pie complete with 1 chunk of meat!
Now it was back to the machines and some Super Times Pay. Things were streaky for Dee but she scored a quad with a 3x multiplier. She also had a few other key hands but still ended up getting whacked. I was streaky too but hit a sets of aces, a dealt quad and then holding a single ace with a 4x multiplier landed a quad for 1600 coins to save the session.
We took a break from video poker and played a variety of penny slots. There were no major hits but we did play for close to 2 hours on a single bill. Not great results but less losses than we'd had on video poker.
For dinner tonight we went to Outback again with AP. Tonight I chose the ribs and Dee chose the chicken tender platter. The ribs were pretty good and I'd get them again. Dee liked her tenders as well.
When we were done eating it was back to the machines again. We played everything from triple play, five play, STP pay and spin poker in 8/5 bonus and deuces wild. We were getting our asses pounded again until Dee hit a set of aces. I hit a few quads but I was bleeding to death. It seemed like I was feeding in bills. Dee continued to hang on after her aces and scored our first royal of the trip on the bottom line of triple play. I continued to bleed when she switched to deuces wild and hit deuces followed by another set soon after. From here she hovered for quite a while as I continued to feed in more bills. I lost track of how many bills went in between us and how many tickets Dee cashed out. I can say I was worried even with these hits were would still be down for the day.
After I cashed in all of the tickets at the cage I was amazed to know we were not only up, but up quite a bit for the day after one of the most wild rides I think we've ever had.
It was getting late so we decided to wrap things up and came back here to the room for some TV and sleep.
Total Coin – In for the day $20488
Total win/loss for the day $700 ($300 video poker + $400 blackjack)
Total comps for the day $238
Room $160
Food $78
Day 5
Sunday December 13, 2015
Once again today we started with a trip to the gym. After a quick workout we came up here and got cleaned up and then headed out to get something to eat.
For breakfast we hit the Cafe. I had the standard 2 eggs with corned beef hash and Dee had the Aquarius Omelet. Everything was fine as it usually is.
For gaming we started off with 8/5 bonus 5 play today. This time around it was very rough for me dropping close to $400 with very little play. Dee dropped a bill herself and I was not happy with the results considering I barely ran 1k through the machines. With only about $25 left on my meter I took a hail Mary attempt on Triple Double and landed a set of aces with no kicker on line 3 for $200 which started a major come back for me. Dee had a comeback of her own with a set of aces and numerous other quads. For me the quads finally started to come and so the did the dealt winners that were absent the last four days. I slowly crept the meter up back up to even, then up $100 then up $200 before it turned again. Dee also got up to even before her bleed started again. While she lost $200 I was able to quit up $100 for a $100 loss. While I would have rather won we did run 10k through the machines and only lost $100. This is more like what it should be!
We took a short break in the room and had a snack while watching some football.
After the break we played more video poker. We played more 5 play and this time not much happened. Dee was in for 3 bills and I was in for 4 bills before anything happened. Dee leveled off and hovered for a while. I still struggled and then switched to Spin Poker. I was hovering but oddly after about 3k in action had only hit one quad. I eventually busted out and between us dropped $600 for the session.
This was the last day we'd be playing on my card so I hit the players club and cashed in some points and got $500 in free play. We ran that through 50¢ 9/6 jacks or better and turned it into $550 thanks for dealt quads 3's, quad jacks on a single jack hold and a good number of full houses.
We had our play in for the day at this point so we came up to the room, grabbed a few things and headed up the hill to Harrah's. I have a 2 night reservation here that comes with $20 in food and $20 free play. We would only be spending one night here for a change of pace even though we're booked for 2 nights.
Checking in was quick in the Diamond/7* room and we were assigned room 11522 in the South Tower. When I booked my reservation I put in the comments section that I did not want anything in the North Tower. They obviously did honor this request. This suite is identical to most of the other suites we've had here. You enter through a living room that has a couch, chair, coffee table, flat screen TV and wet bar area with coffee maker and fridge.
The bedroom has a king bed with nightstands, a dresser and TV cabinet.
The bathroom has the vanity outside and a Jacuzzi tub. The inner part of the bathroom has the toilet and shower stall.
The view from this room sucks and is of the valet area and the other towers.
We took a short break in the room and headed back downstairs to get something to eat.
For dinner I had a reservation at the Range Steakhouse and we are going to use the $100 celebration voucher I got the other day at the Flamingo. I ordered the large filet mignon and Dee ordered the veal piccata along with an order of snails. We also got the au gratin potatoes and asparagus. Everything was good and Dee really enjoyed her veal dish.
We played a bit in the casino with poor results on the deuces machines. Typical for us once again losing at a 12% rate dropping $600 on 5k in action. Afterwards we packed it in for the night.
Total Coin – In for the day $26310
Total win/loss for the day - $700
Total comps for the day $769
Rooms $139
Cash/Free Play $500
Food $128
Gift Shop $2
Day 6
Monday December 14, 2015
We started off the day with breakfast at the Beach Cafe. We both had the 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, hash brown and pancakes. One thing I can say is that the prices here at Harrah's are substantially higher than they are at the Aquarius. I actually used a coupon from the ACG that's good for a free entree when you buy one and with drinks the bill was still $25!
After breakfast we ran out and did some shopping for a few things we needed over in Bullhead City. We also went to the outlet mall in Laughlin for a little while to pass some time.
Next up we went back to the Aquarius and hit the VP machines. The next three days we'll be playing on Dee's card to try and increase her offers. We decided to play 8/5 bonus on Spin Poker. This can be streaky and it was. I'm notorious for not hitting quads on this game and today wasn't any different. I did hit a few but in the end they weren't enough and I dropped $200. Dee was streakier than I was with a few quads but not enough. She actually blew through $200 and bought in for another $200. She had a few key hands and got out even on her second round. Between us we lost $400 but did manage to run about 8k through the machines.
We went up to the room for a while for a break and then came back here to Harrah's. The first thing I did was get my $20 in free play and then it was off to the machines.
We played some ugly ducks triple play for a while. Things were decent here for me. The deuces were showing often enough to keep going. The end result was about a $20 loss for me. Dee was getting hammered and was in for 2 bills and almost busted out but had a few nice dealt winners. She wrapped up the session by getting dealt 3 deuces and pulling the 4th on line 2 and walked away with a win. Between us the win was $100 but it was welcomed.
Next up saw me taking Dee to the Salon to get her hair done. She did this last trip and enjoyed it and used some of the many reward credits to pay for it.
For dinner we were going to go to Guy Fieri's El Burro Borracho. We were here in the fall and liked it so decided to come back. Unfortunately when we got there they had a sign on the door that they are only open on the weekends during the holidays. That was too bad because we were looking forward to it.
Instead we went to the diamond lounge. Tonight's offerings were pretty good with deli meats, veggie platter, fruit salad, a chicken and pasta dish the Dee really enjoyed, some deep fried pockets with a mystery filling, and creamy chicken Florentine soup that was excellent. Dessert was the standard cookies and rice crispy treats.
When we were done eating we found a penny slot to run the $20 free play through for some fun. We had a few hits but nothing major and turned the $20 into $15 cash. The way things are going I'll take it!
We came back up to the room, grabbed our things and went back down to the Aquarius.
When we got back we hit the machines again. We started off by playing spin poker again. This did not work out well with me hitting the only quad of the session and dropping $200. Dee was hit even harder dropping twice as much for a $600 loss on only 4k in action in another one of those 15% loss rate sessions.
We decided to play some single line 8/5 bonus next for halves.
Dee was hovering but then started getting beat up. She put in a second bill and hovered for a while on that one but never hit a quad. She dropped just $100 for this round. I was streaky on my machine not hitting much of anything other than jacks and two pair. I went into my Hail Mary mode and switched to Triple – Double Bonus of all games. This game makes double – double look like it's not volatile at all. I hit a few full houses to keep alive but then lost when I was willing to play and even a bit more. That's when I was dealt 2 A A x A. I held the 3 aces and the deuce, said won't this be some shit if it hits. Slammed the draw button and yelled “Holy shit, I got it, I fuckin' got it!”. After I got my $2000 hand pay I cashed out my ticket and left the aces w/ kicker on the screen for everyone else to enjoy.
For a little variety we played some super times pay spin poker for dimes. I plain and simple got my ass kicked here dropping $200 on only $600 in action. Dee was a little luckier landing a set of deuces. Her best hand was getting a 3x multiplier and being dealt a quint for over 2000 coins. She cashed out up $200 breaking us even after my loss.
We finished up the night by playing regular 8/5 bonus triple and five play. I was getting my ass kicked again dropping $100 without hitting a hand better than trips. I put in another bill and finally hit a quad. You know it's bad when you have more quads than straights and flushes. My ass kicking continued until I dropped 2 bills. Dee was doing better though and on a 3 ace hold landed the quad on 2 of her 3 lines. The machine went into suck mode after that though and she cashed out even.
We called it a day after this to lick our wounds. Even with the $2000 hit the profits were small today, but happily accepted.
Total Coin – In for the day $18160
Total win/loss for the day $550
Total comps for the day $299
Room $139
Cash/Free Play $135
Food $35
Other $90 (Salon)
