1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

1st TR....7/12-7/15 @ PH

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by grosx2, Jul 18, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31

    My Trip Report

    I flew into LAX on 7/10 to stay at my brother’s place for a couple nights (he lives in Marina Del Rey). We met up with a couple of his buddies, and the four of us took a car service to and from the Yes concert at the City National Grove of Anaheim. Great show, highly recommended. Thursday was supposed to be a recovery day, but we started the bloodys pretty early, continued more drinking at his buddy’s bar (Tony P’s), at which point my sister in law felt a migraine coming on, and decided go home for a nap. Now my brother and I were left to our own devices, which didn’t bode well for….

    Day 1:

    The original Thursday plan was to go to dinner around 7 or 8, then back to my brother’s place for an early night. With the voice of reason (his wife) out of the picture, we found ourselves scarfing down a couple burgers at Hinano’s at around 11pm (KILLER burgers), then next door to The Terrace for a few nightcaps. Our plan of being on the road by 10 on Friday morning was ruined, but we did get out the door a little before noon.
    We managed to avoid the majority of the Friday afternoon traffic, and pulled into the PH parking garage at about 5pm. After the walk through the Miracle Marathon shops, we were checked in and had a few brews from the loaded cooler we brought. We had about a half hour to play before we had to leave for The Palms, so I found the bank of STP machines that tringlomane has mentioned on here. 7/5 BP for as little as nickels, about as good as you’ll find for CET props on the Strip. I threw $100 in and about ten hands in I drew 4 to a royal, closed my eyes, and hit this:



    I had never hit a royal while playing for real money (not sure if I’ve even ever gotten 4 to a royal outside of practice sessions – I’m pretty new to VP). After I went upstairs to de-jizz my pants, I bumped the denom up to dimes, played a bit more and hit my first dealt quads:



    So I headed to the Palms with a $500 voucher in my wallet that I would end up playing VP on for the rest of the trip. We polished off a couple foot longs from Nathan’s in the food court and headed into the venue. The concert was awesome once again, even more so because we were in the second row this time. We had the two aisle seats in the center section stage left (aka right in front of the master Steve Howe), and as an added bonus, the pair next to us were no-shows, so we had four seats to ourselves. Phenomenal show….



    Cabbed it back to PH, up to the room for a couple beers and some party favors (of the green variety), and headed back down to try High Card Flush. Try it yourselves to be sure, but this game is lame and boring. My $200 buy in lasted for a good while, but I didn’t hit anything worthwhile. If you’re looking for a non-thinking game, stick to 3CP or C4P. The best part was when three drunk New Zealanders showed up; my brother attempted to teach the guy to play, while I chatted up the two broads. Good people. On to Crazy 4, where we could have saved time by going to the TR desk and handing them a few hundred dollars in exchange for about 8 tier points (it was a SHORT session). Back up to the room for a beer and green regrouping session. Down again to try out UTH, which I had read about and practiced up online. This game is AWESOME. There’s a good deal of thinking/strategy involved, it’s much more fun than other carny games, plus a significantly lower house edge. We sat down around 4am, and played until about 8. We were pounding beers/vodka sodas the whole time; when the CW asked a newcomer to the table if he wanted a drink, he made a face and said “Coffee. Black.” That was our cue to call it a night. I lost about half of my buy in, but it was a great time. We hit the Earl at 8am and headed up. More later....
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 18, 2013
  2. jamesxnj

    jamesxnj VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2009
    Messages:
    2,296
    Location:
    TN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    Liking this report,can you try to repost the pix? Was a big Yes fan and green party favors back in the day ;)
     
  3. mdm4sfest

    mdm4sfest VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2012
    Messages:
    1,872
    Location:
    Cleveland, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    32
    Think I found my long lost brother...
     
  4. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,301
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    Yeah you need to repost the pics, they didn't come out right. :( Sounds like you got off to a good start...but I stopped reading to avoid reading more hits without pictures. :nono:

    I personally use photobucket for pics. I've never tried to link it through this site.
     
  5. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2009
    Messages:
    16,023
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    175
    Enjoying the report, but old fart here. What are "green party favors"?:confused2:
     
  6. hedgehog

    hedgehog Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2012
    Messages:
    218
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    Code 4 smokin' sausage in the boys stall
     
  7. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    Pics should work now, but they will all show up as thumbnails at the bottom of the post. I don't know how to get them to appear individually in the middle of the text.
     
  8. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    Recreational smoking herb. I wanted to differentiate from "white" party favors, of which I do not partake.
     
  9. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    LOL, not quite, but glad that you know "code" for that sort of thing. :rolleyes2:
     
  10. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    I could try posting some vids, once I get the photo thing down :eek:
     
  11. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    :thumbsup:
     
  12. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,301
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    Well, I knew you got one of them by reading before the pics showed up. At least the surprise wasn't too ruined before the pics! Less than 2% to pull at least that good of a draw, nice hit! Figures you got it in the suit that I'm still looking for too...lol
     
  13. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    Day 2:

    Woke up a little after one, feeling surprisingly not terrible (hangovers can’t set in if you’re still drunk). We went downstairs to meet my brother’s wife, whose flight landed around 2, and I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. I also slugged down a couple coconut waters (we brought about a dozen in our cooler) and I felt like a hundred bucks. Spent a chunk of the afternoon back at STP where I had some more decent hits, nothing great though.

    We headed over to Aria a little after 5, as I had a myVegas reward to redeem….free 5-item antipasto platter at Sirio. We had made a 9pm reservation at Strip House, so this was a nice appetizer. We did two meats (Speck and Salame Toscano), two cheeses (Pecorino di Fossa and Formaggio Sottocenere) along with marianated artichokes. Everything was great, and we will probably come back here for a full meal on a future trip. Back to PH, more STP, more decent hits, keep the voucher from my original $100 buy in going strong. I had no idea what was in store for me at….

    Strip House:

    This restaurant gets its own section in the TR. Prior to this trip, my Vegas steak house experiences were Ramsay Steak and The Range (twice each), and Voodoo and Bally’s (once each). Strip House blew them all away. I started with a very tasty Caesar Salad, which would turn out to be the resounding lowlight of the meal. I ordered the 16 oz. strip, med rare, with a Maytag blue cheese crust. Definitely one of the top 3 steaks I’ve ever eaten, maybe number one. Cooked to perfection (leaning more towards rare rather than medium), incredibly juicy with just the right amount of char. Fucking bovine nirvana. The three of us split two sides: Potatoes Romanoff (just stupid good) and one of the specials that night….their black truffle creamed spinach, embiggened with their roasted bacon. I consider myself somewhat of a creamed spinach connoisseur, and this was the best I’ve ever had by miles. Plus, we got a bottle of ’08 Jordan Cab (they had plently of ‘09s, but this was their last ’08) for $130….great wine, great year, great price! And my sister in law needed help finishing several bites of her lobster tail….she really had to twist my arm for that! The service was outstanding as well; overall a fantastic dining experience.

    After dinner, the three of us hit a UTH table, where I again lost a bit of cash but had a good long session. Below, please enjoy the attached pics of (extremely softcore) VP porn. Some good dealt hands, some good multiplier hands (unfortunately none at the same time!) Some of these are from Day 2, some from Day 3….I just grouped them all together here. Wish I had taken some food porn pics at Sirio and Strip House, but I didn’t. To be concluded….
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Huddler

    Huddler VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,248
    Location:
    Nashville
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    LOL! You aint that old!:evillaugh
     
  15. Huddler

    Huddler VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,248
    Location:
    Nashville
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Enjoying the trip report! Keep it coming!:beer:
     
  16. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,301
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    +1

    And three dealt quads in three days? 10-play STP definitely doesn't play that quick even at 3 arrows (which is what I think I see in one pic). How much were you playing that thing those days? Did I end up making you a full blown addict? :eek: Maybe so after those Royals...:evillaugh

    And if you recall, what did you have at GR Steak? Was it that much worse? From everyone else I read, people just seem to rave about "Steak".
     
  17. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2013
    Messages:
    3,086
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    Honestly I don't feel like I played it a ton. One guy must have been playing 10 play quarters for about 8 hours straight! And another night there was a woman playing two machines at 10 play quarters! My sessions were mostly less than an hour I would say. I would guess than I earned about 500 tier from all my STP play combined. Addict is a strong word, but this will definitely be a major part of all my future gaming endeavors! :thumbsup:

    Speaking of tier, I had recently read comments on another site from a few people who feel that CET has recently tightened up the player ratings on UTH. I don't know what they used to be like, but they sure seemed tight to me. Usually a decent session (2-3 hours) at 3CP or C4P would net me maybe around 300 tier points (betting $10 per circle). I bet the same amount at UTH and it seemed that my longer sessions only resulted in about 100-150 tier. I only earned about 1000 tier in the 3 nights I was there, whereas I earned closer to 2000 points on my last few trips playing 3 and 4 card (although those were 4 night trips, while this past one was only 3). I would guess that those 1000 tier points were roughly split between the tables and STP.

    GR Steak was great both times I was there....I wouldn't say it was that much worse, I would say Strip House was that much better. GR Steak is excellent in every aspect (price is a little outrageous, even for Vegas), but Strip House was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had. First time at GR Steak I had the bone-in strip, second time I had the beef wellington; both were terrific. I dined with larger groups there so I tried an assortment of sides; my favorite was the mac and cheese. They also make a mean Caesar, and the scotch egg is a cool touch. British ale onion soup is pretty meh.

    If I had to rank the Vegas steakhouses I've eaten at, it would go like this:

    1) Strip House (PH)
    2) GR Steak (Paris)
    3) The Range (Harrah's)
    4) Bally's (duh)
    5) Voodoo (Rio)

    Sadly, The Range is no more, having been replaced with a Ruth's Chris. I'll have to try that one on a future trip, but it will be tough to resist going back to Strip House!
     
  18. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2010
    Messages:
    9,409
    Location:
    Florida
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    32
    Great report. I hope there is more to come. :beer:
     
  19. casinoboy

    casinoboy Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2013
    Messages:
    412
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    your right about strip house it is the best steakhouse in my opinion and we've eaten at almost every steak house on the strip. good tr and i wonder if you had any green party favors before dinner at strip house :licklips:
     
  20. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,301
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    Well, reason why I asked about how much you played is because if you consistently played 10-hand nickels, the average tier score for pulling off 3 dealt quads would be 3750 Tier. So nice job, luckbox. :Þ

    As for UTH, yeah, that's pretty crappy because comparing to C4P, they are now giving comps in a manner where they are assuming they are against near-optimal players. That assumption is definitely incorrect, so it is basically a big comp grab! :grrr:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.