I’m going to be out of town for a little while and hopefully on vacation from my computer much of the time. Brad and I will be flying to Georgia to help granddaughter Kaitlynn celebrate her graduation from Columbus State University. Then the whole family will be driving to Harrah’s Cherokee where we can use many of the Harrah’s Seven Stars benefits we have accumulated over the last year or so.
We will be at Cherokee May 18-21 so if you spot us, please stop and say hello. We will be spending some time in the casino, of course, but you might find us at the pool or in one of the many restaurants. Our family loves to eat so there will be no problem using up our food comps!
To make up a little for the short break in my blogging, I decided to leave you a blast-from-the-past article. This is from the very beginning of my writing “Frugal Fridays,” the predecessor to this “Frugal Vegas” blog. I can’t believe I have been writing on this LVA site for over SIXTEEN years!
I have been reading over a lot of my old writing as I am working on an update of the Frugal books, and I am struck by the fact that even though much has changed in the casino world there is still so much that has not changed. This article is a typical example.
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Frugal Fridays – April, 2000
It’s in the casinos. I’ve played it. And it’s more fun than I’ve had outside a bedroom since I kicked out a slat in my crib 61 years ago. What is it? Fifty Play video poker. You thought Triple Play, then Five Play, then Ten Play gave you a rush? I was playing a quarter machine for 250 credits a hand-that’s $62.50 on every push of the Deal button. I experienced more emotional ups and downs than a middle-age woman in menopause.
Take a 20-credit “win,” for example. I’m playing 50 hands, where 250 credits is a push, and I get back only $5 of my $62.50! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. But then I’m dealt four to a royal and make TWO of them, plus a few miscellaneous paying hands, for a $2,187 payout-and a W-2G.
Watch out. This game is addicting. And the video poker drug lords have a Hundred Play machine in the works. Who knows, they may even have a Hundred-Million Play in mind. I always say that life is just one long video poker session. I may have to change that to life is just one long VP hand!
Briefs
Words I hate to read in a letter from a casino: “We’re improving our slot club.” I have NEVER, in 17 years of casino gambling, known the changes in a slot club to benefit me! Silverton sent us one of these dreaded letters this week. They’re making their comp points worth more, but cutting out cashback. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and wait to see just what we can use our comps for. They’ve given out some great vouchers- to Wal-Mart, Belz Outlet Mall, Hickory Farms, See’s Candies, and a local grocery store-in exchange for our comp points in the last few months. Maybe this will be the first positive slot club change for us. Maybe, but I’m not holding my breath!
Seen in a Sam’s Town ad in the local newspaper: “Friends don’t let friends sign up for comp-only slot clubs.” Wonder if they knew what Silverton had in the works?
Do you know that the Hard Rock has a Bikini-Cam poolside? Tell your friends to visit www.hardrockhotel.com and watch you cavort with the beautiful people.
It’s getting hot in Vegas. It’s supposed to creep into the 90s this week. But I don’t need a thermometer to tell me this. I’m already starting to renew old acquaintances in security at several casinos. You don’t understand? Well, here’s a little-publicized Vegas fact: The hotter it is outside, the colder the casino must be inside. By July, I’ll be wearing a heavy hooded sweatshirt and threatening to wear gloves, even if that makes playing video poker difficult. But right now, all I take along is a sweater, which I put on the back of the chair when the air is comfortable. Leaving the machine to go home, I forget about the sweater. Amazingly enough, I’ve never permanently lost a sweater this way-but all the security people at Lost and Found know me by name!
We’re off to Reno this weekend. Does taking a vacation from Vegas by going to Reno seem like carrying coals to Newcastle?
Oh! Almost forgot. Brad says to tell you that he can’t give a complete jacket report until we go back to our home in Indy in May, where there are a couple more closets full of casino logo jackets. We only have 20 here in Vegas–jackets, not closets.
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We love your post. Old or new.
What should we do about the MGM Parking RIP OFF¿
We Visit about four times a year from Texas.
We met you and brad at the Palms years back. We we were both playing the 100 play penny. (Palms has removed them.)
We always visit the Bellagio Gardens. I often drop $200.00. Seldom win.
Do you have a contact at MGM we can express our disappointment too¿
Stay well.
I am sorry that I will not get to see you in Cherokee. I live in Charlotte and am having knee replacement on the 18th. Prefer to be in Cherokee. I still own your first three paperbacks. A lot has changed since they were written but the basics still hold true. Have a good time in N C. Just keep Brad out of the ladies bathrooms, they do not like that so much around here.
I’ll be curious to know how many actual video poker machines there are in Cherokee. We had thought about taking a quick trip there a couple of weeks ago. When we called to find out about their video poker, we weren’t impressed. The gal we talked to said they had about 20 machines. At their “sister casino” also in the area (can’t remember the name) we were told that they were phasing out video poker and going to live poker. Needless to say, we saved ourselves a trip
Love ALL your stories, the old and the new.