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Should I Say Anything?

Bob Dancer

The details of today’s incident caused me to wonder whether I should say anything to casino management. If they chose to “fix” the inconsistency it could either go in a way that would slightly benefit or slightly hurt other players. I’ve kept quiet, but I am writing about it. Maybe one or more of you will speak up about it. I’m sure this happens in more places than I know about.

The One Club is the slot club system used by Circa, Golden Gate, and The D, in downtown Las Vegas — all of which are casinos owned by Derek Stevens.  Among other benefits, Bonnie and I each receive $100 in food and beverage twice a month from the One Club. We redeem these comps at 8 East and Saginaw’s Delicatessen inside Circa and Joe Vicari’s Andiamo’s Steakhouse  inside The D. There are other eligible food outlets and numerous bars, but these are the places we frequent.

The idiosyncrasy that prompted this blog post is that the two restaurants at Circa include sales tax of 8.5% or so against our comp balance when we eat there and the one at the D doesn’t. So, we get $100 retail worth of food at The D and only about $92 worth at Circa. And both casinos belong to the same organization.

In many casino restaurants, sales tax disappears when you use a comp or pay with points. Things can vary when the restaurants are not owned by the casino but just rent the space. Some of these don’t accept comps at all, but others, like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses in various Harrah’s casinos, charge extra if you are using comps.

There are other Joe Vicari restaurants around the country, so I’m guessing Andiamo’s isn’t actually owned by The D. And that’s the place that waives sales tax for compees. I can find no other Saginaw’s Delicatessens or 8 East restaurants on Google, so I’m guessing these are owned by Circa. 

I’ve not met Derek Stevens, the owner of the other casinos involved here, but he has the reputation of being approachable. I believe I could find a way to ask him about his sales tax on comps policy if I tried hard enough. 

But what would happen if I did? One possibility is that he would remove this internal inconsistency by starting to charge sales tax on comped dinners at Andiamo’s — which is a solution that players certainly don’t want.

So, I’ll let things be and remain curious about why things are the way they are. There are a whole lot of situations where I don’t understand things, but I don’t have a mission in life to get to the bottom of everything.

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Bobby Vegas—Stacking

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Maximizing offers and coupons by “stacking” is a treasure hunt. Played right, you’ll maximize value through smart sourcing, combining offers and coupons. It almost always results in stretching your gambling, food, entertainment, and hotel dollars, reducing expenses to very low, free, or even cash back.

Playing on their dime on their time tilts the advantage, turning the edge in your favor. That’s what stacking is for — helping you win.

Ever heard the grocery store coupon stories about folks getting hundreds of dollars in free groceries or having rooms full of free food and housewares? Stacking is the key.

For example, you take coupons and one chain offers 2x, 3x, 5x or more on certain days or in certain categories or age groups. In the weekly circular, they list all their discounts and BOGOs. I add Senior Day discounts too. You stack them for maximum value.

On a recent grocery trip, I bought crab legs at $9/lb, jumbo shrimp, etc., on sale totaling $150. I paid $100. Stacking.

In Vegas combine birthday, sign-up, and come-back bonuses, LVA MRB coupons, etc., for a Fremont run. You’ll earn $20 an hour or more to visit casinos. How?

1) Use offers from casinos online and always sign up. Check the Plaza deals.

2) Learn to utilize your LVA MRB coupons. I get $500 a year minimum. That’s 10-to-1. At the Rio, I stayed four nights with no resort fee, saving $228.

3) Check LVA announcements for special offers like free parking, no resort fee, veteran or birthday specials. (See my post on these subjects and coupon runs as well.)

4) Do you have other coupon sources? Share your discoveries here in the comments.

I like the Las Vegas magazine newsletter, currently showing no resort fee at Treasure Island ($79/night) and the ongoing Westgate Sports Book play $100 get $100 (better for locals). Just saved you another $125 easy.

5) Plan a trip with a coupon/promo/BOGO or birthday run to maximize value and fun. I love stacking runs, like playing 9/6 JoB at Rainbow during a high-points earning period (50x, 75x, even 100x!), then using points and an LVA coupon to have a meal at 50% off or a 2-for-1 on points! That’s stacking. When I used to do this at Ellis Island, I called it “Free Steaks Forever.”

Another important way to maximize value is do the offers in order. Take come-back and LVA coupon free play offers. Play them first, concentrating on full-pay VP. Then use that money for matchplays. You’re using their money to place a 50/50 bet that pays 2-1. And that’s as good as it gets. Get matchplays from the LVA MRB, signups, monthly offers, and downtown using your Southwest ticket. Some offer it for other airlines or mentioning an influencer.

When things slow down and many signs indicate that they’re starting to, the opportunities will increase and … the adventure continues. Stack!

Note that many offers state, “Not allowed to be combined with any other offer.” You know what? I’ve never encountered a problem. And doing offers “in order” is impossible to track.

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Life After Bally’s

PSST! Don’t tell Soo Kim but sugar daddy Gaming & Leisure Properties is making plans for a post-Bally’s Corp. era. Nor are they being secretive about it, spilling the beans to the invaluable Barry Jonas of Truist Securities. It had nothing to report on troubled Bally’s Chicago “though we think the development remains behind schedule. We also believe some of GLPI’s stock underperformance relates to BALY credit concerns,” which are very real. It’s what happens when you budget money you don’t have (and can’t borrow), expecting GLPI CEO Peter Carlino to pick up all the tabs.

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Naked Greed

Perhaps, in his more delusional moments, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg still thinks he can get $2 billion for the Flamingo on the open market. How else to explain the preposterous levy imposed on Flamingo guests who have the temerity to request an early check-in rather than cool their heels with their luggage in the lobby. The nerve of them! To show who’s boss, Reeg is slapping Flamingo guests with $60 early check-in fees.

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The Empire Strips Back—A Burlesque Parody (Rio)

The Empire Strips Back is the new show at the Rio. ESB began as a small production in Sydney, Australia, and grew to a point where it has played in 40 cities, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and now Vegas.

While it’s based on the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s a jiggle show first and foremost, with nine female dancers, two males, and an emcee. Like all shows of this type, it’s one vignette after another and you have to marvel at where they get the ideas to make them different enough, but that’s where the Star Wars theme works, as the segments play off the oh-so-well-known characters — Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2, CYoda, Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca, and on and on. Of course a strip show has to have familiar music and this one delivers, featuring licks by Run DMC, Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Guns N’ Roses, among many others.

Sexy Quotient

Make no mistake, the SQ (sexy quotient) is high, but there’s almost no nudity. Other than some flashing topless moments, the rest is pretty much everything butt. We have to admit, watching the Storm Troopers strip down to their Under Wars is titillating, but that doesn’t have a thing on the moment when it becomes clear that Darth Vader is a girl!

Speaking of girls, the ladies in the audience get their turn when Luke does his thing to “Smooth Criminal,” with a few more performances by the guys throughout (after all, this was the former Chippendales stage). The highlight of the show is a romp by Chewbacca, who, thankfully, doesn’t disrobe (in part because he doesn’t have any clothes to take off). The entire cast comes out to tie a bow on it in the cool finale.

Intermission

This is one of the only shows in town that has an intermission. It’s 20 minutes, which stretches the run time to almost two hours. Some like it, some don’t. We didn’t mind, if only for an easy bathroom break (see “Pro Tips”).

Pro Tips

Here are two. During the intermission, the closest restroom is mobbed. Go down the escalator and walk back toward the casino to access an easier bathroom play. And seating is tight, uncomfortably almost, especially if you want to move while the row is seated. The showroom is small, so there’s no sightline penalty for sitting in the back where it’s less cramped. If you’re not seated there to start, those seats open up after the intermission.

The Verdict

This is a good Vegas show. Whimsical, appropriately raunchy, definitely sexy, funny enough, and the dancing is impressive. The price is right (given today’s standards) starting at $76. Before and after the show there are ample good choices for dinner, then some 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. As we’ve been pointing out since the Rio came under new ownership, it keeps getting better over there and this show is a worthy addition to the mix.

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Le Café Central

Le Café Central has opened in Chinatown (3616 Spring Mountain Rd), specializing in “authentic French and European offerings.” It’s the third in the group, joining Le Café du Val in Henderson and Le Café du Sud in Summerlin. It’s interesting that Chinatown is adding a European flair, with Central joining the recent expansion of Partage across the street from Le Café Central that added the Champagne bar, Le Club by Partage. Central is a breakfast and lunch spot open from 7 am to 3 pm seven days a week. Order at the counter and seat yourself; your food is brought out to you. Serve yourself for water.

The Food

Breakfast selections include granola bowls, croissant sandwiches, French toast (sweet and savory), galettes of all sorts (artichoke, florentine, lobster), lox dishes, crepes (caramel, berries, Nutella banana), and Benedicts. Interestingly, no quiche or omelets. Everything is $8.99 to $18.99. Lunch choices are varied, but mostly awesome sandwiches and salads. There were three of us and we all had baguette sandwiches—Paris ham with Swiss and prosciutto with Brie (both $15.99) and the French dip ($18.99). Fabuleux!

Prosciutto
French Dip

Coffees (and more)

Espresso, café au lait, red eye, fresh brew, cold brew, Americano, cappuccino, latte ($3.99-$5.99)—would you expect anything less in the coffee department? There’s also an impressive dessert selection if you want to pair the two.

The Verdict

This place is outstanding. You could go back 20 times and want to try something different on each visit. It was busy when we went, but there wasn’t a line. The bare-bones seating and service actually add to the charm and probably help keep prices down. We’ll be back, maybe 19 times.

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Pisces Bar & Seafare (Wynn Las Vegas)

Pisces is the latest super-fancy restaurant at the Wynn. It’s in the spot that was formerly Lakeside, which was supposed to be taken over by Fiola Mare out of Washington D.C., but that didn’t happen. 

The Food

The cuisine is primarily seafood with fish flown in daily from the Mediterranean. Good. Expensive. Loup de mer (wolffish) is $180 and Dover sole is $120. Seafood platters are $225-$1,000. On the lower end, king salmon and halibut are $60. The seafood paella for two comes with a lobster tail for $155. Our party of four had the paella, the halibut, and a selection of appetizers.

pisces

Paella with appetizers and a less-expensive fish is probably the way to go to get out for $100-$125 per person. Our food was excellent, though nothing really stood out. One thing that might have is a dessert called If Wishes Were Fishes that’s described as a “fish skeleton” in all the Pisces reviews. We didn’t try it, but it sure looks cool.

photo credit: Steve-Legato

Dinner and a Show

An added bonus here is the “show” that comes with dinner. The dining room looks onto Wynn’s Lake of Dreams, which lights up with a different presentation every 30 minutes. During dinner, you’ll get to see three or four of them.

The Verdict

This is a classic Wynn Las Vegas dining experience, with the emphasis on the “experience.” If you have three bills to spend on dinner for two, you won’t be disappointed (especially if you get that fish dessert). Everyone gets three hours free parking, which is enough time to get out without the extra tariff.

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I Don’t Have Enough Time to Eat!

Bob Dancer

On Wednesday April 30, I ate the breakfast buffet at South Point. I had a $15 coupon which expired that day, so it was ‘use it or lose it.’ The breakfast buffet costs $15.95 if you have a player card, so the meal basically cost a dollar, plus a two-dollar tip. The meal was easily worth more than that.

The April promotion at the South Point was, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, play $3,000 coin-in on video poker and spin the wheel. Most of my wheel spins were for $50, $75, or $100 free play — which is an excellent return for a $3,000 investment on an even game. You could get some food offers, which expired May 4 or so, but I didn’t receive any of those. I was planning on playing $3,000+ on both my card and Bonnie’s after breakfast.

On my way towards the exit of the buffet, I noticed two men I’ve been friendly with for 20 years or so, “Al” and “Bo.” They were in the middle of their meal and, after receiving indications that I’d be welcome to join them for a bit, I pulled out a chair and sat down. We chatted for a while about this and that, as old men are wont to do, and then Al told me he wasn’t sure he was going to play the promotion that day.

“Why,” I asked. “It’s a nice promo plus you’re already here. Unless you are on a really tight schedule, it makes sense to play.”

Al told me that he already had two remaining breakfast or lunch coupons from this drawing, and they are only good Monday through Friday. If he got another one, he wouldn’t have the chance to use it.

Among the three of us, about 75% of the prizes had been for cash, averaging about $75.

I asked him if he’d play if he knew he’d get $50?

“Of course.”

Well, if 75% of the time you’re getting $75, that’s worth more than $50 in EV. He was used to such calculations, but not when there was food involved. He conceded that he couldn’t fault my logic.

“Plus,” I added, “if you do get another two buffets, you can use more than two in a day. You could invite Bonnie and me on Friday, and I’ll leave the tip! That’s got to be worth something to you, isn’t it?”

I left soon thereafter. I didn’t hear about his score that day, nor what he got with the wheel spin. I do know that Bonnie and I ate breakfast at home that Friday.