Recent Trip Report Part I-IV Complete!

I had wanted to go to Vegas this spring, but almost didn’t get the trip together. Toward the end of last year I had talked to the wife about going in the spring and she was agreeable, but then as it was getting close to booking time the wife had to make a trip to Midwest for a few days. I didn’t think this was going to be an issue, but as I started preparing firm plans she recanted saying that because of being away from work while in the Midwest she felt that she couldn’t be out of the office that much in a single month. To her credit she offered that I could go without her and go with friends without issue.

A good offer, only trouble was I don’t have any friends anymore. Well not exactly, but one is on the gambling wagon due to finances, and another seems to have lost enthusiasm after loosing $1k out his pocket while in a semi-inebriated state during the last trip we took together. And well the others, they just can’t seem to get it together to actually get permission from their wives, book a trip and actually get with the program. My other alternative was my son, who was visiting recently. My son seemed like a possibility, though I could tell it wasn’t as important to him as it was to me, but all the same he seemed game enough. Unfortunately, after running through the list of prospects, the airfare went from doable to outrageous, as it more than doubled for basically the same flight as I had looked at the previous week. So, as much as I wanted to go, I deferred. However, I kept looking over the next couple weeks and finally the price dropped back to a reasonable level. Just before I booked I double checked with my son only to find that he had booked a flight for his return home that morning. My prospects were diminishing and as much as I wanted to go I felt it wouldn’t be a good idea to go by myself.

Discouraged, I started looking at the possibility of forgoing a spring trip and going perhaps as late the fall. A couple weeks before the wife’s trip to the Midwest she got the word from work that there would be a process reorganization that would require extra hours and no time off for a few months starting April. I asked her again if she was sure she didn’t want to get away now that the big push at work had been announced, and after a short consideration she was again up for a trip as long as it was before work’s impending demands. As it happened flight prices were still acceptable, so I booked trip for six nights scheduled for a week after her return from the Midwest. So the trip was on, it wasn’t my first choice for a time period as March Madness would be in full swing and I expected Vegas to be busy, but there was still plenty of incentive. Sure enough in contacting the first hotel of choice, the Golden Nugget, I was disappointed to learn that the Friday I wanted was not available. Undaunted, I booked the GN for the tail of the trip, three nights Saturday through Monday night. Then I called the M and checked their availability, they didn’t have the Friday night either, but I booked the beginning of the trip for Wednesday and Thursday. Now I just had the Friday in the middle to book and I would be set. That’s all, hardest night of the week to get, but I still had a few choices left for hotels where I had offers. I ended calling the El Cortez. Sure enough they had a room for Friday, and I booked the night in their tower.

The wife went on her trip leaving me casseroles and the like for the five days. I’m not much of a cook, but I can get by if the situation demands. Truth be told I probably would have gone out for dinner a couple of the nights, but I had to work the weekend and I felt bad about incarcerating our two dogs for all the days while at work, so I made an effort to get home as soon as possible every day and spend as much time as I could with them when I wasn’t at work. The time passed quickly because of work, the wife was soon home, and we were preparing for the impending trip to Vegas following a few days more of work.

The night before the trip we picked up my mom to come over and house sit and take care of the dogs. Mom has been good about this through the years and in return we’ve taken care of her cats, though less demanding but usually a much longer time, when she went on trips such as cruising to Australia. I’m grateful mom can still travel independently and is able to care for our dogs, but expect it won’t be much longer that she’ll not be up such rigors. After picking up mom I packed my bag for the trip and the wife made some efforts to pack, but was still fiddling around when I went to bed. At her request she wanted to get as many work hours in as possible, so we were working and flying on the same day. I worked only ¾ of a day, but I knew I would still be tired not getting into Vegas until 9pm. I got through work and was glad I was able to wrap some things up at work as it was a busy time for me also. The flight was uneventful and as I planned we were able to get the last M Resort shuttle from the airport about twenty minutes after landing in Vegas. We arrived at the M and checked in to a room with a strip view followed by a trip to the Vig Deli for a corned beef sandwich and a salad for the wife. I was too tired to play craps, but I played a little VP and the wife hit some sort of slots for a couple hours and then we called it night. I lost a couple hundred and she won about a hundred.

The next morning I got early as usual around 6am, which was actually sleeping in a couple hours; it always takes a few days for me to readjust from my early work wakeup schedule. I played quarter Dream Card DDB VP and had a little luck cashing out about $600 up. After a couple hours I went back to the room and the wife was finishing her shower. I cleaned up and we went to breakfast at the M buffet. We’re not big buffet eaters, but we like the M’s buffet. After breakfast I played my first round of craps while the wife went to the M Spa for some sort of treatment. I dropped my whole buy in at the table never seeing a single hand worth while. I went back to VP and basically treaded water there. By then the wife was back from the spa and I talked her into going for a walk. We walked around the entire property with an intension to walk across the highway to some sort of little strip store group we could see in the distance from our room. We never did make it there as we couldn’t find a cross walk, and even though we’re still up for a good walk, we are past the point where we would sprint across a four lane highway with busy traffic. A little disappointed with the lack of pedestrian access we still had a good walk in 65 degree weather which was nicer than back home. After the walk we headed back for lunch at the Vig Deli. Can’t remember what we had, but we’ve been happy with everything we had there.

After lunch I did something I always have wanted to try; I finally played Mini-Baccarat. There were a couple players at the ten dollar table and I had time on my hands, so I gave it a shot. The two sitting players had about the same luck as I, but after a bit another guy showed up and bought in for less than three hundred, played for about five minutes and cashed out twelve hundred up and left. About ten minutes later he returned, bought in for about the same, played about five minutes and cashed out up about $3500. I couldn’t believe the streak he had; he played both player and bank, and won like nine out ten hands. I, on the other hand had no such experience, despite becoming somewhat aware that he had something good going and eventually playing mostly with him towards the end, my result was a net loss of $3 after paying the banker bet commission. A strange game with gamblers of different personalities than I’m familiar. I guess I’ll have to play it again a few more times before I can say whether it’s a game for me. Quite a different type of players and pace than craps.

After the Bac experience I went where I was more familiar and played craps again, I was able to play for about three hours, but treading water most of the time, as I never could get it going liked I hoped. I ended up quitting down $175, and then before I walked I talked to the pit boss about dinner. After a bit of play review he complied with a slip for our restaurant of choice, the Italian place, Marinelli’s. We had eaten there once before and were favorably impressed. We weren’t disappointed again, as we started with a nice bottle of wine for the wife and a Carpiccosa Piazza which really had a good thin crust that was close to what we had when we spent a summer in Rome for school years ago. Then we had antipasto, and I had a Caesar salad, and for entrées the wife had a spicy scampi and fettuccini, and I had a nice rib steak. All things considered, even though I had a loosing craps session, the fine dinner as a comp about equal in dollars, more than made up for the loss. We left Marinelli’s with a half bottle of wine, as I’m not really much of wine drinker anymore, and boy was I glad the our room was nearby as I was so full from dinner that I wasn’t up for anything but bed.

The next morning I woke up early as usual and headed down to play VP and have couple cups of coffee. It turned out to be real expensive coffee as first I tried the bar tops quarter DDB, then quarter triple play Dream Card DDB, and finally dollar play in the high limit room. I got creamed before breakfast everywhere, and dropped over $600 before I gave up and went upstairs to the wife. Turned out she had another spa appointment for the morning, so I went to breakfast on my own and had a nice meal again at the buffet. After breakfast I touched bases with the wife again, and she needed breakfast now that her spa treatment was over, so I went and played more VP with the same luck as earlier this morning dropping a few more hundred, and then it was time to check out. The wife and I took our bags down and I was pleased to verify that there were no charges for the two nights and the food we enjoyed. We went to a nearby un-open bar with couch seating and had a seat. We had a bit of wait for the next leg of our trip so we caught up with tv sports news while we waited for the M shuttle to the strip.

Thanks for the 1st installment of your TR; can't wait to read more

Agreed. A very good read. I hope your gambling luck inproves....and I hope your meals continue to be awesome!

I am finally down to single digits. We leave in 9 days for GN (5 nights)....WooHoo.

Can't wait to read your next installment.
Thanks, MIKE

Thanks for writing. I've already got my popcorn ready for part II.

Mahalo for sharing. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for the trip report. Enjoyed it very much and waiting for the next installment. It is helping me get through the waiting for my trip.

More Please!

Thanks for the encouragement. I had to work late, and it looks like I will have to work the weekend. So I’m going to be a bit lagging on getting Part II out, but will do as soon as I can make the time.

Thanks for taking the time to make a TR. I like the detail. Hopefully youll be writing about some big wins in part dux.

Some trips we get a car for all or some of the trip, and some trips I try to plan for no car usually based on where we’re staying and whether we want to spend much time on the road vs. hunkered down and playing. This was more of a playing trip, but we would hit a variety of casinos along the way. For this trip we just had a modest bag each, my strapped carry bag and the wife of course had her checkable wheeled bag. After a bit the M shuttle appeared and we loaded for the next leg of our trip. The shuttle dropped us off at the Fashion Show Mall and from there we walked up the strip a block and across the street to Harrah’s where we dropped our bags off at the bell desk. A bit more of walk than I expected, but it worked, and the bell desk was close to our next transition point as we took the Harrah’s shuttle to the Rio.

There was a collectable show at the Rio that I had planned on attending during this trip and for some reason we had never been to the Rio in all our trips to Vegas, so it seemed like a plan. We successfully made it there by yet another shuttle and the first thing we did was eat lunch at the sports grill. We split a really good sub sandwich and then went to the players club to see about my card. While preparing for the trip I was able to find the wife’s Harrah’s card, but for some reason I couldn’t find my card. I offered my Harrah’s London card for the Sportsman Club which was the most recent Harrah’s property I had gambled about eighteen months ago, but they couldn’t reference it. Same thing they said about Reno and New Orleans years ago. Lots of casinos, no apparent link between them as far I have experienced. As for my lost Harrah’s card I don’t know for sure, but I may have thrown it away in disgust the last time we were at Harrah’s Vegas after just coloring up at the craps table plus $1200 from a couple hours play. I was mad because following my play I was turned down for a lunch comp, which resulted in us promptly leaving to have lunch and then continue playing at a more agreeable non-Harrah’s casino. Or perhaps I just misplaced it; it’s been so long since we gave the giant conglomerate any play. Now I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m a Harrah’s hater, but it’s just that I know other places I can have more fun.

However, in this case there was a reason to go to one of the formerly known as Harrah’s properties and since we had not been to this casino, I decided to give them a shot after half a dozen years or so without stepping into a US Harrah’s property. The Rio club attendant issued me a replacement card and I parted ways the wife leaving her to play slots while I went to the collectables show for about an hour and half. After the collectables show I met up with the wife and I made use of the replacement card for about and hour while having a couple beers delivered by the scantily clad waitress. I didn’t have any luck, but only played $100 and then we headed back on the shuttle to Harrah’s and picked up our bags.

From there we walked out to the metro bus stop and took the Deuce downtown to the El Cortez. We checked into one of their tower rooms. This only the second time we had checked into the EC and it was our first time in a tower room. We didn’t have too high of expectations, but were pleased with the Jacuzzi room that we were given. For the record: two tubs, didn’t use either one, just showered. After dropping the bags we headed down to play and I hit a variety of the crazy VP games they offer there while the wife played crazy slots. Then after an hour or so we headed to the Flame for dinner. We ordered the comp offered bottle of wine, the wife had pork chops, and after having the rib steak the night before I, I ordered the grilled halibut. The food was very good, but for the second night in row I stuffed myself. After dinner we played a bit more and then went to bed.

The next morning I got up and played a little straight, single line quarter DDB VP at the bar tops. I had a little luck and hit a couple 4oaks getting back some of what I had dropped the previous night on the crazy games. Then I went up to get the wife and we had breakfast in the EC café. After breakfast we activated our 5xs 24hr period and downloaded our modest freeplay. It was getting near check out so we packed up and checked out with a part of previous night’s dinner and breakfast’s bill for charges. Then we walked over to the Golden Nugget and checked in the Rush Tower for the start of our remaining three nights.

We like the Rush rooms a lot, and are really getting used to the quiet, elegant features that the Rush offers. But for now we were heading back up the strip for a bit. After dropping the bags we hopped on the bus and rode it up the strip and got off at the Cosmo. I head heard the Cosmo was a bit different, and sometimes like things that are considered different. I didn’t know it before we started our bus ride, but the bus dropped us off right at the front door of Cosmo. I mean right there, just a few steps and you’re in the place. I seriously doubt there is any way you could park a car and be anywhere as near. I hadn’t told my wife much about Cosmo and she couldn’t believe that we actually got somewhere that I planned for, with so little effort and walking. I often underestimate walking distances, but she is pretty good about my miscalculations most of the time.

We walked right in and were immediately taken by the grand chandelier and the look of the place. We took a short tour and then went to the player’s club, Identity. Prior to the trip I had set up an online account and told the representative once we stepped up to the booth. The club representative was apologetic, and explained that the online system wasn’t quite up to speed and in fact she could not even view my profile, so I had to give her all my specifics in addition to my driver’s license. I wasn’t too surprised, as I had read on the Vegas Message Board that there were issues with their online system. No problem, it didn’t take more than a few extra minutes and as I indicated, they were very nice about it. After my wife and I were done getting cards we walked around the rest of floor. Not too big, but crowded and a lot of energy. Seemed like the crowd was mostly younger semi-beautiful types, and smaller number of older, even older than us, moneyed types. Twenty somethings and their grandparents? Well I guess someone has to pay the bills. Perhaps I’m being a bit jaded. Of course there were other age groups there also, it just seemed like our age group was not well represented during our time there.

I did like the place because it was different, not hard to get around; I hate the MGM because it takes forever to get in and out of the place, and I liked the Cosmo just for a change of pace if nothing else. I wanted to play bar top VP, because the bar was engaging with unusual angle mounted tvs, but it was packed as there was a game on tv. I ended up playing quarter VP and the wife found a machine to her liking. I’d been going pretty easy on the liquor of late, but I felt like a drink, so when the waitress came by I asked for my usual, a Mai Tai in bucket. She brought the drink fairly quickly and shazzam the real deal. I have drunk Mai Tais all over the world and I’m here to tell you that this was a good one. I mean it was really right on. I’m talking Trader Vics good, I’m talking like that one place in Hawaii I can’t remember the name of, I’m talking like my local favorite old school restaurant on the water back home, Harbor Lights, I’m talking like when I couldn’t get a good drink across the boarder in Canada, but the Canadians being the good people that they are allowed me to come behind the bar and make my own drink while they watched, and like the way I make at home for myself requiring an array of ingredients I always stock, that I’m almost embarrassed to admit the cost.

Anyway, it was good, so I finished it and ordered another the next time the waitress came by. My VP playing was composed what seemed like an unusually large number of dealt 3oaks, but with no improvement from the deal. At some point a woman perhaps six or eight years younger than I sat down next to me, in an area with plenty of open seats on like games. I paid her little attention as I played on, but she struck up a conversation anyway. I was polite, but did not in encourage her, yet she kept on. Now, I understand that one never knows when and where they might meet someone, but you would think by the time you got to be the age old enough to have grown children that would be able to tell when someone wasn’t interested. Just to clarify, she definitely was not a working girl, I think the age would be an indicator, and though she looked as though she might have had financial resources, she had more of divorced housewife thing going than a retired supermodel look. I had my second drink in hand and the dealt trips without improvement thing didn’t seem that great, so took my drink and moved on to locate the wife. All things considered, I’m perfectly happy with the wife, and if I’m going to enjoy a smile from a girl and let my imagination wander, I’m going to stick with occasional special young waitress that I know is out of my league for sure. I found the wife and she was having a little luck and was up a couple hundred, as compared to my treading water with my original hundred buy-in still near intact. We played a few more minutes while I finished my drink and then we cashed our tickets and walked across the street to Paris.

Paris wasn’t our destination, just the means as I was under the impression that they also had a shuttle to the Reo and I wanted to go back to the collectable show again. We discovered that the shuttle really wasn’t at Paris, but Bally’s. We walked to Bally’s resulting in a more typical farther walk than expected. After finding the shuttle stop we waited about ten minutes and then got the ride to the Reo. Once at the Reo, we had lunch at the Chinese place next to the sports bar. We split an order of their deluxe, or whatever they called it, fried rice. It was good and plenty for the two of us. This time instead of leaving her to play while I went to the show, I talked her into coming in and looking at the antique jewelry that was a small portion of the show. She was good for about a half hour and then went and sat while I finished up about another hour longer. After the show we went back to the casino and played a bit and had a beer again from the scantly clad waitresses then left. We got the shuttle back to Bally’s.

From Bally’s shuttle stop we walked to the strip and caught the Deuce to go back downtown to the Golden Nugget. After freshening up a bit we went out on Fremont Street and walked around. We stopped by the Fremont Casino and played. While there I commented to the wife that although I had won the most at the Fremont VP machines in the process of hitting three royals on their machine’s, that I had never hit a straight flush. The trend continued and I didn’t hit one that night either or much of anything else. After dropping another couple hundred I gave up, rounded up the wife and we headed to Du-par’s at the Golden Gate for a nice substantial basic dinner, with the wife ordering a hot Pastrami and I had fried chicken. The food was good as always, and then I stopped by the Fremont Casino to play a bit more with no significant outcome, and the wife headed across the street to Nugget for bed; I followed a bit later.