After a year of enjoying others trip reports, I now have one to share. Better half and myself for 4 nights @ Ballys ($40 Sat/ Comp Su, M, Tu)
1/22/2011 - Afternoon flight out of Tampa w/layover in Atlanta. Flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas delayed on runway to "burn 500 pounds of fuel". Not sure when they weighed everyone. Was hoping 500 pounds was enough to get us of the ground.
Check-in went well. I was offered $20 per night upgrade to N Tower. I declined. Nice desk lady noticed that her sister lives in beach town near me. "I'll give upgrade anyway". Sweet! Already a win in first 1/2 hour. Large room on 25th floor.
Off to Hard Rock for dinner and Buckcherry/Hellyeah show. Tried the $19.95 "all you can eat" deal @ Johnny Smalls. Good food. Particularly enjoyed the Asada. But, any good meal has a price. The service was poor. Waited over 20 minutes for Surf and Turf on stick to find out they were out.
Already late for concert. Stop @ VP to drop quick $10 each in $.25 FP DDB. Bam! Hit four 8's. Played down to $60 up. Thanks for dinner Hard Rock.
Catch last 4 songs of Hellyeah and first 4 of Buckcherry. The Joint is a nice concert venue. Look forward to seeing more shows there.
1/23/2011 - Every Vegas trip for us includes stop @ Double Down. Double Down is the place to go if you are into punk. It is only couple blocks away from HR. Question: Is it common to see a dog tied to a trash can running across busy street in Vegas?
We did.
IDFI was a good hard core punk band. The other band that stood out was the "Sleeping Sea King". Wondering why they do not have a record deal as they were really tight.
Back home to Ballys about 3 am. Time for some more VP. Found bank of $.25 9/5 DDB Progressive machines. These have progessive all the way thru 4OAK. Cocktail service average. I Hit some nice hands here. I hit for 4OAK 9's. Dozen or so hands later, 4OAK 3's. And to my surprise, 2 hands later, 4OAK 2's. Time to cashout up over $200.The misses, not so much. Take our Coronas up to room.
Okay, we need more beer @ 4 am. Down to casino bar (near poker room). We decide to slow play (no max bets) $20 each. Not hitting anything except the Coronas. Good thing they have bar backs that can tend bar because bartender "John" would disappear for long stretches. I cashout down $10 and the misses down $6.
Up @ 10 am to hit sportbook for AFC/NFC Championship bets.
From there, we are off to Ellis Island. Typically eat here at least twice per trip. Use MRB 2 for1 on breakfast. Can not beat the Hungry Man Special. The ham steak is the size of the plate.
We also enjoy VP here. They have Quick Quads w/ $.05 DDB. But first, sat @ casino bar and did the MRB for 3 rounds of high octane drinks. QQ was kind to me. Playing 3 lines, dealt 4OAK 3's and caught an A on 1 line from redraw. Activate our FSP. Cashout up $100 as the Packers are punching their ticket to Jerry's World.
Watch the Jets come up short (had 4 pick parlay worth $180) before heading to Mirage for dinner and LOVE show.
Get to Mirage 7:30 pm. Casino floor seems very busy. Will call for tickets. 60 something couple in front of us counting change to pay for tix. Look on ticket ladies face was priceless.
Dinner @ Cravings buffet with 2 for 1 MRB. Food is of good quality and service/staff was good. However, this place is in need of makeover. Chairs and tables very tired.
1/2 hour to kill before 9:00 seating begins. Wandering through casino and see $25 VP machine. Not in High Limit room but on main casino floor. People were lined up to play it. NOT!
Wow. Now we have a 2nd Cirque du Soleil show to recommend. The LOVE show is excellent. I am not the biggest of Beattles fans, but this is a must see. (Mystere is still the best Cirque show)
On walk back home, stop @ Harrahs Poker Palace. We had 3 quick beers for $60, i.e. the misses lost $20 and I lost $40.
1/24/2011 - Back home, find some different VP machines. Best paytables are 8/5 DDB (other than Progressive bank). Not hitting anything, not even Coronas as the cocktail service is lagging tonight. Back to casino bar. Thankfully, different bartending crew. Look for Mark, tell him Rays fans from Tampa Bay sent you. Not sure that you will get anything from that, but tell him anyway. I hit 4OAK A's. Had to have that last $50 beer of the night. Still cashed out up $150. Again, the misses down $50. To bed early, 5 am.
Out and about around noon. Purchase $7/1 day bus pass. You can get anywhere you could want to go with the bus system here. Over to Ellis Island to eat using another 2 for 1. Big juicy 1/2 pound burger with steak fries. Excellent.
Bus to Terrible's to use our $100/$100 rebate. Never really caught any monster hands on 1st $100. Thankfully they have good cocktail service. Rebate $100 was not much better. They do not accept freeplay on the $1 progressive machines. We played 80 hands each and the misses lost $13 and I lost $21. Not bad for 3 hours play.
Around 6 pm, catch free Rio shuttle from Ballys to get 2 for 1 MRB Penn and Teller tickets for following night.
Catch Duece to downtown for coupon run. Get there and decide we are hungry. Gave the Flame a try using MRB coupon. Nice restaurant. Our lucky night. We had the biggest a-hole come in and sit right behind us. Really, this guy had some issues. Problem with dress code. Loud, profanity laced outburst. He had a lady friend. The misses wanted to tell her "to run" when they get back to where ever they came from. Do our FSP. My $10 goes down to $2.50. Might as well play it out. The misses finally gets on the good side and cashes out her FSP for $25.
Four Queens FSP. Same story. Me nothing. The misses hits a 4OAK and cashes for $60.
Vegas Club for ACG $5 FSP. I let the misses do it because she is on a roll. Unfortunately, she was not able to cash out here.
Zip Lines down Fremont Street appear to be doing well. Looks like a lot of fun, we will try next time.
1/25/2011 - Bus towards home around midnight. Misses suggest stopping @ Slots A Fun. Place is DEAD. VP selection OK but decide to play a newer Wheel of Fortune type game. Hit a 2X 2X triple bar. Cashed out up $60. Good call by the misses. Thanks for dinner Slots a Fun.
Back home. Straight to casino bar where Mark is working again tonight. Not hitting anything and we have the pleasure of sharing cigar smoke with 2 guys. They were pretty funny, trying to pickup this much younger lady.
Late start, 2 pm. I think we were running out of gas. Hit Ellis Island one more time. Used 2 for 1 from ACG. Misses had chicken fried chicken and I had chicken parmesgan. As is with everything here, portions were huge. And for under $10, you can't beat it. Time to use our FSP we "earned" Sunday. We both sit down on $.05 QQs to play DDB. I could not hit anything above 2 pair. And on DDB, that goes real fast. The misses however, hit the same monster hand I had hit 2 days prior. Dealt 4OAk 3s and caught an A on 1 line from redraw. Coincidentally, this was on the same machine as well. I burn $40 as the misses roller coaster rides her winnings. She cashes out up $50.
Back home to ready for Penn and Teller. Catch free shuttle to Rio. Some guy on shuttle missing dinner engagement bithing up a storm. Dude, it's a FREE shuttle, plan better. Funny, they have those $40 Coronas in the Masquerade casino @ Rio too. No show in sky Tuesday.
8:30 pm. Head to Penn and Teller. These guys have asking "how the?"when you leave. Excellent show @ 1/2 price. Really good if paying full price.
1/26/2011 - Short walk over to Gold Coast. Table games are jammed. Predominately Asian crowd. We were looking to play DDB nickels here. Best paytable we found @ that level was 6/5. Really poor. Played a little $.25 here and there. Nothing good happening. Down $40. The misses played $20 bucks on some IGT (Texas Tea/Kitty Glitter etc) pennies for about an hour and cashed out even. Cocktail service was lagging. Check games @ casino bar. DDB not so good, but have full pay (9/6) JoB. After having a $20 Corona, I realized we had FSP to use here.
Royal Flushes really do exist. I got my 1st royal (as posted on Royal thread). Well, this was the best FSP I ever had. We played for another hour. The misses cashed out even (after FSP) and I cashed out up $900. Hit TGIF for some $6 appetizers. Fryer too hot or bad grease or both. Could have been better for sure.
Back home @ 3 am, still feeling the Royal. Ready to play some more. Casino bar has "John" back. Time to check out the other casino bar toward strip. $.25 DDB. Misses puts $20 in and I start with $50. Just started our $20 Coronas when I get 4 OAK As. Order another beer and play down to $250. We both decided we have had it and go to bed.
Up @ 8 am. Neither one of us slept well and it is pack up and go day.
11 am checkout. Use less than convenient boarding pass kiosk in the lobby. $5 to use some outdated computer? Oh well. Check bags @ bell desk as we do not need to be @ airport until after 1 pm. Place some to go bets on Daytona 500. VP @ sports book bar. Give $50 back and the misses drops $10.
3 pm departure for Tampa via Atlanta.
Bonus on return flight: we flew over and along the Grand Canyon. It is amazing.
With just a little over 5 hours sleep a day while in Vegas, we will surely have some down time in Florida.
Overall, we had a great trip. Hope you enjoyed it as well.
Thanks for reading.
1/22/2011 - Afternoon flight out of Tampa w/layover in Atlanta. Flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas delayed on runway to "burn 500 pounds of fuel". Not sure when they weighed everyone. Was hoping 500 pounds was enough to get us of the ground.
Check-in went well. I was offered $20 per night upgrade to N Tower. I declined. Nice desk lady noticed that her sister lives in beach town near me. "I'll give upgrade anyway". Sweet! Already a win in first 1/2 hour. Large room on 25th floor.
Off to Hard Rock for dinner and Buckcherry/Hellyeah show. Tried the $19.95 "all you can eat" deal @ Johnny Smalls. Good food. Particularly enjoyed the Asada. But, any good meal has a price. The service was poor. Waited over 20 minutes for Surf and Turf on stick to find out they were out.
Already late for concert. Stop @ VP to drop quick $10 each in $.25 FP DDB. Bam! Hit four 8's. Played down to $60 up. Thanks for dinner Hard Rock.
Catch last 4 songs of Hellyeah and first 4 of Buckcherry. The Joint is a nice concert venue. Look forward to seeing more shows there.
1/23/2011 - Every Vegas trip for us includes stop @ Double Down. Double Down is the place to go if you are into punk. It is only couple blocks away from HR. Question: Is it common to see a dog tied to a trash can running across busy street in Vegas?
We did.
IDFI was a good hard core punk band. The other band that stood out was the "Sleeping Sea King". Wondering why they do not have a record deal as they were really tight.
Back home to Ballys about 3 am. Time for some more VP. Found bank of $.25 9/5 DDB Progressive machines. These have progessive all the way thru 4OAK. Cocktail service average. I Hit some nice hands here. I hit for 4OAK 9's. Dozen or so hands later, 4OAK 3's. And to my surprise, 2 hands later, 4OAK 2's. Time to cashout up over $200.The misses, not so much. Take our Coronas up to room.
Okay, we need more beer @ 4 am. Down to casino bar (near poker room). We decide to slow play (no max bets) $20 each. Not hitting anything except the Coronas. Good thing they have bar backs that can tend bar because bartender "John" would disappear for long stretches. I cashout down $10 and the misses down $6.
Up @ 10 am to hit sportbook for AFC/NFC Championship bets.
From there, we are off to Ellis Island. Typically eat here at least twice per trip. Use MRB 2 for1 on breakfast. Can not beat the Hungry Man Special. The ham steak is the size of the plate.
We also enjoy VP here. They have Quick Quads w/ $.05 DDB. But first, sat @ casino bar and did the MRB for 3 rounds of high octane drinks. QQ was kind to me. Playing 3 lines, dealt 4OAK 3's and caught an A on 1 line from redraw. Activate our FSP. Cashout up $100 as the Packers are punching their ticket to Jerry's World.
Watch the Jets come up short (had 4 pick parlay worth $180) before heading to Mirage for dinner and LOVE show.
Get to Mirage 7:30 pm. Casino floor seems very busy. Will call for tickets. 60 something couple in front of us counting change to pay for tix. Look on ticket ladies face was priceless.
Dinner @ Cravings buffet with 2 for 1 MRB. Food is of good quality and service/staff was good. However, this place is in need of makeover. Chairs and tables very tired.
1/2 hour to kill before 9:00 seating begins. Wandering through casino and see $25 VP machine. Not in High Limit room but on main casino floor. People were lined up to play it. NOT!
Wow. Now we have a 2nd Cirque du Soleil show to recommend. The LOVE show is excellent. I am not the biggest of Beattles fans, but this is a must see. (Mystere is still the best Cirque show)
On walk back home, stop @ Harrahs Poker Palace. We had 3 quick beers for $60, i.e. the misses lost $20 and I lost $40.
1/24/2011 - Back home, find some different VP machines. Best paytables are 8/5 DDB (other than Progressive bank). Not hitting anything, not even Coronas as the cocktail service is lagging tonight. Back to casino bar. Thankfully, different bartending crew. Look for Mark, tell him Rays fans from Tampa Bay sent you. Not sure that you will get anything from that, but tell him anyway. I hit 4OAK A's. Had to have that last $50 beer of the night. Still cashed out up $150. Again, the misses down $50. To bed early, 5 am.
Out and about around noon. Purchase $7/1 day bus pass. You can get anywhere you could want to go with the bus system here. Over to Ellis Island to eat using another 2 for 1. Big juicy 1/2 pound burger with steak fries. Excellent.
Bus to Terrible's to use our $100/$100 rebate. Never really caught any monster hands on 1st $100. Thankfully they have good cocktail service. Rebate $100 was not much better. They do not accept freeplay on the $1 progressive machines. We played 80 hands each and the misses lost $13 and I lost $21. Not bad for 3 hours play.
Around 6 pm, catch free Rio shuttle from Ballys to get 2 for 1 MRB Penn and Teller tickets for following night.
Catch Duece to downtown for coupon run. Get there and decide we are hungry. Gave the Flame a try using MRB coupon. Nice restaurant. Our lucky night. We had the biggest a-hole come in and sit right behind us. Really, this guy had some issues. Problem with dress code. Loud, profanity laced outburst. He had a lady friend. The misses wanted to tell her "to run" when they get back to where ever they came from. Do our FSP. My $10 goes down to $2.50. Might as well play it out. The misses finally gets on the good side and cashes out her FSP for $25.
Four Queens FSP. Same story. Me nothing. The misses hits a 4OAK and cashes for $60.
Vegas Club for ACG $5 FSP. I let the misses do it because she is on a roll. Unfortunately, she was not able to cash out here.
Zip Lines down Fremont Street appear to be doing well. Looks like a lot of fun, we will try next time.
1/25/2011 - Bus towards home around midnight. Misses suggest stopping @ Slots A Fun. Place is DEAD. VP selection OK but decide to play a newer Wheel of Fortune type game. Hit a 2X 2X triple bar. Cashed out up $60. Good call by the misses. Thanks for dinner Slots a Fun.
Back home. Straight to casino bar where Mark is working again tonight. Not hitting anything and we have the pleasure of sharing cigar smoke with 2 guys. They were pretty funny, trying to pickup this much younger lady.
Late start, 2 pm. I think we were running out of gas. Hit Ellis Island one more time. Used 2 for 1 from ACG. Misses had chicken fried chicken and I had chicken parmesgan. As is with everything here, portions were huge. And for under $10, you can't beat it. Time to use our FSP we "earned" Sunday. We both sit down on $.05 QQs to play DDB. I could not hit anything above 2 pair. And on DDB, that goes real fast. The misses however, hit the same monster hand I had hit 2 days prior. Dealt 4OAk 3s and caught an A on 1 line from redraw. Coincidentally, this was on the same machine as well. I burn $40 as the misses roller coaster rides her winnings. She cashes out up $50.
Back home to ready for Penn and Teller. Catch free shuttle to Rio. Some guy on shuttle missing dinner engagement bithing up a storm. Dude, it's a FREE shuttle, plan better. Funny, they have those $40 Coronas in the Masquerade casino @ Rio too. No show in sky Tuesday.
8:30 pm. Head to Penn and Teller. These guys have asking "how the?"when you leave. Excellent show @ 1/2 price. Really good if paying full price.
1/26/2011 - Short walk over to Gold Coast. Table games are jammed. Predominately Asian crowd. We were looking to play DDB nickels here. Best paytable we found @ that level was 6/5. Really poor. Played a little $.25 here and there. Nothing good happening. Down $40. The misses played $20 bucks on some IGT (Texas Tea/Kitty Glitter etc) pennies for about an hour and cashed out even. Cocktail service was lagging. Check games @ casino bar. DDB not so good, but have full pay (9/6) JoB. After having a $20 Corona, I realized we had FSP to use here.
Royal Flushes really do exist. I got my 1st royal (as posted on Royal thread). Well, this was the best FSP I ever had. We played for another hour. The misses cashed out even (after FSP) and I cashed out up $900. Hit TGIF for some $6 appetizers. Fryer too hot or bad grease or both. Could have been better for sure.
Back home @ 3 am, still feeling the Royal. Ready to play some more. Casino bar has "John" back. Time to check out the other casino bar toward strip. $.25 DDB. Misses puts $20 in and I start with $50. Just started our $20 Coronas when I get 4 OAK As. Order another beer and play down to $250. We both decided we have had it and go to bed.
Up @ 8 am. Neither one of us slept well and it is pack up and go day.
11 am checkout. Use less than convenient boarding pass kiosk in the lobby. $5 to use some outdated computer? Oh well. Check bags @ bell desk as we do not need to be @ airport until after 1 pm. Place some to go bets on Daytona 500. VP @ sports book bar. Give $50 back and the misses drops $10.
3 pm departure for Tampa via Atlanta.
Bonus on return flight: we flew over and along the Grand Canyon. It is amazing.
With just a little over 5 hours sleep a day while in Vegas, we will surely have some down time in Florida.
Overall, we had a great trip. Hope you enjoyed it as well.
Thanks for reading.
