Tuesday March 3, 2020 (I tried the fix the title typo, but I this site doesn't allow me to edit it)
After a 7-hour sleep (woken up three or four times thanks to the loud music from the Fremont Experience), I enjoyed a nice morning of coffee and quiet. This is my last day in Las Vegas as I have scrapped plans to go to Laughlin, though the offer was pretty nice, because my dad has injured his arm (nothing serious) and I want to be there to help with anything he might need—my mother passed away last November and he’s still coping with being alone. My plan is to spend the day here and then head back to San Diego around 5 PM or so avoiding the rush hours.
I met up with Terry for breakfast using our food comps at the D’s café. I went a different route and had the breakfast burrito. It was fine but nothing can touch those huevos rancheros. Even after this, our second breakfast here, we still have $40 in food comps left, which we’ll use for dinner later. Though you can use your One Club slot card points at many of the local restaurants downtown, you can only use your specific food offers at the coffee kiosk, Coney Island Hot Dogs, and the café here inside the D. I’m looking forward when the Circa opens and I believe the choices will be far greater.
We had initially planned to drive back to South Point to take advantage of the March 3 (3/3) poker promotion. But as we talked it over during breakfast, you would need to be dealt pocket 3s, and then a 3 would have to be on the flop to qualify for any of the promotions. Those odds just seemed a little too remote, so we decided to not fall for this promotional “gimmick” and not go. It’s fine if you’re playing there anyway, but to make a specific trip, nah.
It was Young At Heart Tuesday at the Boyd properties, so after breakfast, I went over to the Fremont to activate my card at the kiosk and add a hundred or so tier points while Terry went back to the 4 Queens. After sliding the card, any bonus points would now be 11X and I also got a free breakfast or lunch buffet, which I would not need.
I like to donate $100 to this quest, double or nothing, to get the 100 tier credits ($500 in play) on assorted penny slots. I play $20 through until it’s gone, or I hit a bonus and move on. I played Lightning Link Lanterns, the good ol’ I Dream of Jeannie, wild cherry old school slots, Dancing Drums, DaVinci Diamonds, Spartacus, Kronos, Zeus, Moon and Tiger Lightning Link, and one other new one I don’t remember the name but lost on it right away, so who cares?
Even though, I caught a few nice hits and bonuses along the way ($67 on Kronos), I never reached that $200 goal and eventually lost it all. That’s okay. I did say “donate $100.” I did mange to put another 200 tier credits ($1000) on my card and now only need another 450 to extend my Sapphire status through 2021—a very easy goal considering I have the rest of the year. I have no desire to go any higher with Boyd.
I digress a bit here to add that even though the Boyd casino marketing suits decided to slap video players in the face, the company still have many good things about it. I enjoy my Sam’s Town off night free room offers. I love their Young at Heart promotions, and they have very nice casinos for locals. Besides, as a lifelong video poker player, I still really enjoy playing the penny video slots. They are far more entertaining and if you play them for that reason and not for the sole purpose of offers, it’s a nice respite from the monotonous video poker deal-hold-deal over and over and over again.
I met Terry in the Golden Nugget for our final poker session of the trip. We played for the next four hours on table 1. The first hour was dreadful for me. While Terry was winning many pots (he played very aggressively to the consternation of the rest of the table, but it was working), I had not won even a single pot. I did win my first pot of $3 when I raised under the gun with A/K suited and everyone folded.
The final hour, things turned upside down. Terry started losing getting rivered over and over again, but I started to win. When the table finally folded, we decided to quit. I bounced back from being stuck $120 and got off with only a $23 loss. Terry, unfortunately, lost most of his buy-in. Oh well—$8 more dollars in comps for the time ($2 per hour comp rate playing poker here) and the table was lively with fun players.
It was already 2 PM and we went to the Vue Bar for my final video poker session of the trip. Terry joined me. For almost an hour, neither of us could catch a quad. However, Terry did hit the progressive straight flush for $104 and I eventually did catch quad 3s and quad 4s. But that was pretty much it.
We used the last of our food comps at the café, I had the spaghetti and meat balls and Terry the barbecue chicken salad—both very good meals.
It was almost 5 PM and we said our goodbyes. I hit the road and though getting out of Las Vegas proper was a little slow due to traffic, it would be the only slow down I’d experience all the way home. I was back at my place by 10 PM. I made a count, and though I thought it would be more, I came home with $1100 more than I left with. I suppose all those daily poker losses really raked up. But who can complain?
Terry texted me that after I left, he finished his play at the Four Queens playing 50-cent 10/6 Double Double bonus hitting quad 6s and then quad Aces—no kicker, and then topped it off with a straight flush on 9/6 Jacks or better. He came home just short of $300 more than he came with (don’t mind my ending this sentence with a preposition).
And THIS is an example why I have been coming to Las Vegas 5 to 6 times a year for the past 30 years. It also explains why I spent so many hours learning and practicing video poker. I just spent 6 nights at three hotels absolutely free. I have eaten all seven days (with the one exception at the Winchell’s Bar and Grill-my choice) absolutely free…AND I came home with more than a $1100 than I started with.
Of course, there are many trips that I have come home with losses, but very rarely were the losses more than the value of the free rooms and the meals.
Terry will be returning in April after a three week stay in Hawaii, but I won’t be joining him because I will be preparing for my monster May adventure.
This final reminder. In May (exact date not yet determined as I need to line up all the hotel rooms and the routes), I will be once again be doing my Hit ‘em All Nevada adventure. I will be making a minimum $20 bet in EVERY casino in the state Nevada (that’s over 350—as of last count—I expect it to be larger) and I will be video taping it all and putting it on You Tube for all to follow and hopefully enjoy.
See you then!
