Summer 2012 – Day 8
This morning I didn’t want to do so much lounging around the room as usual. I wanted to get down to the Pioneer Hotel and Casino to check out their breakfast buffet that one of the readers recommended. Of all the hotels here in Laughlin, the Pioneer is one that’s easily forgotten. The outside façade is just what the names suggests, an old mining town. However, in reality, it’s really a motel in that you drive up and park in front of your room in one of the two story buildings in the back. I’ve never stayed here, but I’ve heard the rooms are what you’d expect from a Motel 6 type of lodging—clean and reasonable.
The entrance the Laughlin's Pioneer Casino
Across from the Pioneer, there’s a little strip mall (with covered parking in the basement), which could be easily missed. I mention it because on the top floor is a sports bar and restaurant called the Hideout. During football season, this is the place to be, and I’ve spent many Sundays here watching the Chargers as there are plenty of monitors and a lively crowd of mostly locals. The owners put out a table of complimentary football type food for the customers served in home Tupperware and casserole dishes. The drink and beer prices are reasonable, so I recommend this place if you’re around here in the fall and want to watch some football.
The Hideout, just across the street from the Pioneer
Inside the Pioneer casino you immediately are sent back to the casinos of yesteryear. The entire place is red with very low ceilings. Many of the machines are still coin-droppers and the few penny video games they do have are what you’d now call vintage (Munsters, Cleopatra, Texas Tea). All the employees here appear to have been here since Prohibition. This might be taken as derogatory but there are many who call this place home and prefer this kind of environment. If you’re into just sitting and enjoying a drink, there’s a very long bar facing the Colorado River. Today being Sunday, it was Sunday Champaign Brunch (they offer Champaign—sparkling wine—with your breakfast, which I don’t care for and declined). The cost was a little higher than in the midweek, and the usual breakfast items also included some lunch entries and a fully stocked salad bar. They also make omelets to order. I thought the food was okay, but really nothing to rave about. I did like that they leave the thermos with your coffee. The desserts were very limited (cinnamon rolls and donuts). With the exception of me, the waitresses seemed to know everyone else there greeting those hugs and chats. When I paid my bill, I was given a $5 free play token. I used it and won $6, so my breakfast ends up only costing me $6, nice. (2 ½ forks)
The view from where I enjoyed my breakfast--very nice.
I drove back to Harrahs as I did have to play my second day in the tournament. I did much better this time having hit four jackpots for a total of 8K+ points (no chance whatsoever in placing in the money). I sat down and played the 50-play Super Double Bonus machine for $.02 (ten cents per hand times fifty hands makes it $5.00 per hand). The hope here is to get dealt as many three-of-kinds as I can. These multi-game machines are almost like stud games in that your success is so important on the dealt hand. In this game, if you’re lucky enough to get dealt a quad, you’re entire session will be a winner (5 to 10 quads = $250; 2 through 4 quads = $400; straight flush quads = $400; Jack through King quads = $600; and Aces quads = $800. Of course, a dealt royal flush is $4000). Playing single line poker this trip, I was dealt quad Aces twice, quad 4s once, and quad 7s once. However, no such luck with this machine. I did get dealt three Aces once, but didn’t catch even one quad. That’s not to say I didn’t do well as I made a profit of $100 thanks to being dealt three-of-a-kind enough times to make some money, while putting 500 points on my card.
I stayed the rest of day at Harrahs, playing assorted games and having a couple of margaritas in the Diamond Lounge while watching the Women’s Golf Open (the only thing on the TVs besides soccer—I’d take even golf over soccer). Ed and I met once again for dinner (he just missed making the money in the tournament by only 400 points), this time using my Two Free Buffets coupon. We both usually end up using these alone, wasting a free buffet. Ed told me last night that after dinner tonight, he was going to go ahead and drive home and the more I thought about it, I thought I’d do the same. Being as I like driving at night, why go to bed early just to get up at 3 AM, when I could leave the night before and sleep in at home. So, this morning, I packed up my things and took everything to the car to beat the heat. After dinner, I checked out and headed home. My habit is to go into Bullhead, fill up there, as the gas prices are so much better, then take the road by the AVI hotel and then back to Pine Valley. I got home at 11:30 PM. The only downside to this was that it was SO hot all the way until I started up the mountains to Pine Valley. When I got home, it was 63 degrees. That’s a 50 degree difference than when I left.
Some bald guy showing you the temperature outside my car in Bullhead, AZ
So, as I mentioned on Day 1 of this trip report, I’d be taking a small sojourn from my trip and the reports, and that time is here. I’ll be home through Friday as I need to make a dental appointment, and I’m also going to use the time to put new tires on my car. However, I’ll be right back in Laughlin at Harrahs this Friday for a Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis and the News concert offer. So my next trip report will be then.
More Friday…
This morning I didn’t want to do so much lounging around the room as usual. I wanted to get down to the Pioneer Hotel and Casino to check out their breakfast buffet that one of the readers recommended. Of all the hotels here in Laughlin, the Pioneer is one that’s easily forgotten. The outside façade is just what the names suggests, an old mining town. However, in reality, it’s really a motel in that you drive up and park in front of your room in one of the two story buildings in the back. I’ve never stayed here, but I’ve heard the rooms are what you’d expect from a Motel 6 type of lodging—clean and reasonable.
The entrance the Laughlin's Pioneer Casino
Across from the Pioneer, there’s a little strip mall (with covered parking in the basement), which could be easily missed. I mention it because on the top floor is a sports bar and restaurant called the Hideout. During football season, this is the place to be, and I’ve spent many Sundays here watching the Chargers as there are plenty of monitors and a lively crowd of mostly locals. The owners put out a table of complimentary football type food for the customers served in home Tupperware and casserole dishes. The drink and beer prices are reasonable, so I recommend this place if you’re around here in the fall and want to watch some football.
The Hideout, just across the street from the Pioneer
Inside the Pioneer casino you immediately are sent back to the casinos of yesteryear. The entire place is red with very low ceilings. Many of the machines are still coin-droppers and the few penny video games they do have are what you’d now call vintage (Munsters, Cleopatra, Texas Tea). All the employees here appear to have been here since Prohibition. This might be taken as derogatory but there are many who call this place home and prefer this kind of environment. If you’re into just sitting and enjoying a drink, there’s a very long bar facing the Colorado River. Today being Sunday, it was Sunday Champaign Brunch (they offer Champaign—sparkling wine—with your breakfast, which I don’t care for and declined). The cost was a little higher than in the midweek, and the usual breakfast items also included some lunch entries and a fully stocked salad bar. They also make omelets to order. I thought the food was okay, but really nothing to rave about. I did like that they leave the thermos with your coffee. The desserts were very limited (cinnamon rolls and donuts). With the exception of me, the waitresses seemed to know everyone else there greeting those hugs and chats. When I paid my bill, I was given a $5 free play token. I used it and won $6, so my breakfast ends up only costing me $6, nice. (2 ½ forks)
The view from where I enjoyed my breakfast--very nice.
I drove back to Harrahs as I did have to play my second day in the tournament. I did much better this time having hit four jackpots for a total of 8K+ points (no chance whatsoever in placing in the money). I sat down and played the 50-play Super Double Bonus machine for $.02 (ten cents per hand times fifty hands makes it $5.00 per hand). The hope here is to get dealt as many three-of-kinds as I can. These multi-game machines are almost like stud games in that your success is so important on the dealt hand. In this game, if you’re lucky enough to get dealt a quad, you’re entire session will be a winner (5 to 10 quads = $250; 2 through 4 quads = $400; straight flush quads = $400; Jack through King quads = $600; and Aces quads = $800. Of course, a dealt royal flush is $4000). Playing single line poker this trip, I was dealt quad Aces twice, quad 4s once, and quad 7s once. However, no such luck with this machine. I did get dealt three Aces once, but didn’t catch even one quad. That’s not to say I didn’t do well as I made a profit of $100 thanks to being dealt three-of-a-kind enough times to make some money, while putting 500 points on my card.
I stayed the rest of day at Harrahs, playing assorted games and having a couple of margaritas in the Diamond Lounge while watching the Women’s Golf Open (the only thing on the TVs besides soccer—I’d take even golf over soccer). Ed and I met once again for dinner (he just missed making the money in the tournament by only 400 points), this time using my Two Free Buffets coupon. We both usually end up using these alone, wasting a free buffet. Ed told me last night that after dinner tonight, he was going to go ahead and drive home and the more I thought about it, I thought I’d do the same. Being as I like driving at night, why go to bed early just to get up at 3 AM, when I could leave the night before and sleep in at home. So, this morning, I packed up my things and took everything to the car to beat the heat. After dinner, I checked out and headed home. My habit is to go into Bullhead, fill up there, as the gas prices are so much better, then take the road by the AVI hotel and then back to Pine Valley. I got home at 11:30 PM. The only downside to this was that it was SO hot all the way until I started up the mountains to Pine Valley. When I got home, it was 63 degrees. That’s a 50 degree difference than when I left.
Some bald guy showing you the temperature outside my car in Bullhead, AZ
So, as I mentioned on Day 1 of this trip report, I’d be taking a small sojourn from my trip and the reports, and that time is here. I’ll be home through Friday as I need to make a dental appointment, and I’m also going to use the time to put new tires on my car. However, I’ll be right back in Laughlin at Harrahs this Friday for a Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis and the News concert offer. So my next trip report will be then.
More Friday…
