Summer 2012 – Day 35 Trip Final
It’s 7:30 AM and I have to check out of my suite, no doubt the last time I’ll get anything like this considering my play with Caesar’s this trip has been so minimal, not because I didn’t try, but long play depends on getting a few nice hits along the way that sustains your play, but without those, my daily loss limit forces me to quit. I left housecleaning a nice tip as they do so many little details that you just don’t get in the regular rooms. I also left a paper on the floor with a note saying small ants are enjoying the suite with arrows pointing to the hole in the framing by the shower as their entrance.
I couldn’t drive to Laughlin just yet because I had one more tournament day to finish off at the Rio, so I drove over there after writing and posting yesterday’s trip report. I got there with about five minutes to spare. The plan was that if I happen to get a miraculous score of something like 1200 to 1500, I’d be forced to stay in Las Vegas to at least 8 PM when the prizes are given out. With the first place prize being $7, 500, it would be worth checking in at Laughlin late that night. However, if my play was in the iffy range of 9,000 to 11,000 (that was yesterday’s $50 winners), I’d probably forgo that money and head on head out. So, I hit my buttons for the ten minutes, and all of this turned out to be academic. I had another machine that hated jackpots and only gave me 6,000 points. I headed directly to my car.
Just one side of the tournament machines waiting for players at the Rio
I stopped in Henderson to fill up at Costco ($3.27 per gallon—gone up a bit since I arrived) and drove into Laughlin. I arrived a little after 12 PM, which was too early to check into Harrahs, so I made a stop at the Riverside to take on the Quick Quads one last time. After starting out poorly, I finally started to catch a few Quick Quads but it was too late in the session, so I had cashed out with a $50 loss. I went to the slot booth and asked for my cash back (something I’ve never done since being a member here) and she said I had $47. I got the check and cashed it, so I pretty much broke even again. The Riverside offers not only cash back, but also comps, which are not removed when you grab the cash—nice.
Ouch!
It’s seriously hot in Laughlin. I got into my car, which was in the covered garage, and the temperature read 122. However, it wasn’t that bad after I got going as it was “only” 117. That is simply too toasty for me. I parked in valet at Harrahs and was given a nice room on the 14th floor with a river view.
My room view and the crazy people in the heat down below
I’m scheduled to be here for two nights. I booked it because I had originally thought to go home after the tournament at the Rio, but because I drive through Laughlin anyway to get back to Pine Valley, why not break up the drive and grab a few more points towards my Diamond (yes, I’m going for it ONE more year—I might as well considering I’m more than half way there now). This is the first time I’ve booked a room at Laughlin that wasn’t a part of a concert or tournament promo. I simply went on the calendar on their site and found the two nights for free I wanted.
I didn’t do much but I did play for a while…a few penny games…some 7/5 Bonus, which I end up making a little money on. I ordered a club sandwich to go from the café and took it up to my room. I surprised even myself when I fell asleep at 6 PM. I woke up at midnight and couldn’t get back to sleep. I thought I really had no plans for tomorrow and really no reason to stay the extra night. I packed up my things but before I left, I thought I’d risk the last $100 on the two-cent 50-play 8/5 Super Double Bonus. I end up having a good couple of rounds that included two Royals (that makes eleven two-cent Royals for the trip) and when the clock struck 3 AM, I headed home with a $100 profit—a good way to end an otherwise rough gambling trip.
I got home in Pine Valley at 8:30 AM only to find my landlord busy working in the kitchen. While I was gone, he put in a new kitchen and bathroom floor, a new toilet, and new hardware for both sinks—but he wasn’t expecting me until tomorrow. I asked if he would have been finished by then and would it have made any difference and he said no—but he loves to needle me. Last year when I was on the Hit ‘em Nevada trip, he came in and redid all the ceilings and other things so it’s just terrific to come home to some new things being done to the old joint. As far as landlords go—they don’t get any better.
When I first decided to go on this trip, I had no idea what I was going to do. I simply went to all my offers and took anything that was available and started filling in dates. This trip is certainly one of the shortest of the past three or four years (yes, I’m saying 35 days is short) and I was disappointed in myself for not coming up with any “theme” I could really get into. But like all the previous trips, I ate too much, played too much, and didn’t get as much exercise as I should have. I will pay for this now for the next six months.
Needless to say, the worst part of the trip was the lack of winning sessions. Yes, I had a couple, but they were all small (many under $100) and the losing sessions were far longer than I had experienced. Last year, I’ll admit to having a very good year: two 50-royals, three or four quarter royals, and a dealt $1500 quad at a 50-play machine…so I suppose this year the video gods simply felt it was time to give a lot of it back, which I did. Though the good or bad gambling doesn’t take away from the overall fun of the trip (always budget accordingly), it can’t help but put a damper on your enthusiasm, and I’m sure that frustration came out in some of these reports. Let’s face it, winning is a hell of a lot more fun than losing.
Some high notes are the people I’ve met this trip, most of them readers of the LVA reports. Thank you for the meals and the fun conversation and allowing me to talk about our meeting in these pages. I look forward to meeting you again down the road. Readers, I enjoyed your comments, your suggestions, and your questions during all of this. LVAers Dave and Julie, and Terry and Louise have become very good friends and I so enjoy spending time with you all. The good folks of the ECLVA have become friends over the years and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. The suites at Harrahs and the M were nice surprises, and I was very happy with my paid stay at the Candlewood Suites on Paradise.
What’s up next year? Who knows? I’m open to suggestions. I’m still toying with the idea of driving the circumference of the continental United States. There are many, many casinos in the state of California or Arizona. We’ll just have to wait and see what next year brings.
So, thanks to all of you and though my sign off of “More Tomorrow” isn’t at the end, I will say…
More next year.
It’s 7:30 AM and I have to check out of my suite, no doubt the last time I’ll get anything like this considering my play with Caesar’s this trip has been so minimal, not because I didn’t try, but long play depends on getting a few nice hits along the way that sustains your play, but without those, my daily loss limit forces me to quit. I left housecleaning a nice tip as they do so many little details that you just don’t get in the regular rooms. I also left a paper on the floor with a note saying small ants are enjoying the suite with arrows pointing to the hole in the framing by the shower as their entrance.
I couldn’t drive to Laughlin just yet because I had one more tournament day to finish off at the Rio, so I drove over there after writing and posting yesterday’s trip report. I got there with about five minutes to spare. The plan was that if I happen to get a miraculous score of something like 1200 to 1500, I’d be forced to stay in Las Vegas to at least 8 PM when the prizes are given out. With the first place prize being $7, 500, it would be worth checking in at Laughlin late that night. However, if my play was in the iffy range of 9,000 to 11,000 (that was yesterday’s $50 winners), I’d probably forgo that money and head on head out. So, I hit my buttons for the ten minutes, and all of this turned out to be academic. I had another machine that hated jackpots and only gave me 6,000 points. I headed directly to my car.
Just one side of the tournament machines waiting for players at the Rio
I stopped in Henderson to fill up at Costco ($3.27 per gallon—gone up a bit since I arrived) and drove into Laughlin. I arrived a little after 12 PM, which was too early to check into Harrahs, so I made a stop at the Riverside to take on the Quick Quads one last time. After starting out poorly, I finally started to catch a few Quick Quads but it was too late in the session, so I had cashed out with a $50 loss. I went to the slot booth and asked for my cash back (something I’ve never done since being a member here) and she said I had $47. I got the check and cashed it, so I pretty much broke even again. The Riverside offers not only cash back, but also comps, which are not removed when you grab the cash—nice.
Ouch!
It’s seriously hot in Laughlin. I got into my car, which was in the covered garage, and the temperature read 122. However, it wasn’t that bad after I got going as it was “only” 117. That is simply too toasty for me. I parked in valet at Harrahs and was given a nice room on the 14th floor with a river view.
My room view and the crazy people in the heat down below
I’m scheduled to be here for two nights. I booked it because I had originally thought to go home after the tournament at the Rio, but because I drive through Laughlin anyway to get back to Pine Valley, why not break up the drive and grab a few more points towards my Diamond (yes, I’m going for it ONE more year—I might as well considering I’m more than half way there now). This is the first time I’ve booked a room at Laughlin that wasn’t a part of a concert or tournament promo. I simply went on the calendar on their site and found the two nights for free I wanted.
I didn’t do much but I did play for a while…a few penny games…some 7/5 Bonus, which I end up making a little money on. I ordered a club sandwich to go from the café and took it up to my room. I surprised even myself when I fell asleep at 6 PM. I woke up at midnight and couldn’t get back to sleep. I thought I really had no plans for tomorrow and really no reason to stay the extra night. I packed up my things but before I left, I thought I’d risk the last $100 on the two-cent 50-play 8/5 Super Double Bonus. I end up having a good couple of rounds that included two Royals (that makes eleven two-cent Royals for the trip) and when the clock struck 3 AM, I headed home with a $100 profit—a good way to end an otherwise rough gambling trip.
I got home in Pine Valley at 8:30 AM only to find my landlord busy working in the kitchen. While I was gone, he put in a new kitchen and bathroom floor, a new toilet, and new hardware for both sinks—but he wasn’t expecting me until tomorrow. I asked if he would have been finished by then and would it have made any difference and he said no—but he loves to needle me. Last year when I was on the Hit ‘em Nevada trip, he came in and redid all the ceilings and other things so it’s just terrific to come home to some new things being done to the old joint. As far as landlords go—they don’t get any better.
When I first decided to go on this trip, I had no idea what I was going to do. I simply went to all my offers and took anything that was available and started filling in dates. This trip is certainly one of the shortest of the past three or four years (yes, I’m saying 35 days is short) and I was disappointed in myself for not coming up with any “theme” I could really get into. But like all the previous trips, I ate too much, played too much, and didn’t get as much exercise as I should have. I will pay for this now for the next six months.
Needless to say, the worst part of the trip was the lack of winning sessions. Yes, I had a couple, but they were all small (many under $100) and the losing sessions were far longer than I had experienced. Last year, I’ll admit to having a very good year: two 50-royals, three or four quarter royals, and a dealt $1500 quad at a 50-play machine…so I suppose this year the video gods simply felt it was time to give a lot of it back, which I did. Though the good or bad gambling doesn’t take away from the overall fun of the trip (always budget accordingly), it can’t help but put a damper on your enthusiasm, and I’m sure that frustration came out in some of these reports. Let’s face it, winning is a hell of a lot more fun than losing.
Some high notes are the people I’ve met this trip, most of them readers of the LVA reports. Thank you for the meals and the fun conversation and allowing me to talk about our meeting in these pages. I look forward to meeting you again down the road. Readers, I enjoyed your comments, your suggestions, and your questions during all of this. LVAers Dave and Julie, and Terry and Louise have become very good friends and I so enjoy spending time with you all. The good folks of the ECLVA have become friends over the years and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. The suites at Harrahs and the M were nice surprises, and I was very happy with my paid stay at the Candlewood Suites on Paradise.
What’s up next year? Who knows? I’m open to suggestions. I’m still toying with the idea of driving the circumference of the continental United States. There are many, many casinos in the state of California or Arizona. We’ll just have to wait and see what next year brings.
So, thanks to all of you and though my sign off of “More Tomorrow” isn’t at the end, I will say…
More next year.
