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4 nights a Encore and Sam's Town

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by gambler, Jul 9, 2016.

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  1. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    We just came back last week from 2 nights at Encore and 2 nights at Sam’s Town. I took lots of pictures so thought I’d share some.

    I wonder if this guy had to pay for an extra seat for his guitar? The flight was full so I’m thinking he must have. We were late leaving because a baggage handler had to be called in to strap it down.

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    Once the pilot finally turned off his cell phone, we were on our way! It was strange to see the door to the cockpit open. That’s something I rarely see these days.

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    There was a big lineup at the Encore check-in when we arrived. Just a little trivia - an employee told us that there were 400 new rooms being rented out today (Monday) but it was busier on Sunday when they had 600 new rooms being processed. He said it was unusual for the Sunday check-in numbers to be that high.

    We had to wait till about 5 before we got into our room. We got a room on the 10th floor, looking towards downtown.

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    My husband and I had both received offers for a free slot tournament entry and 2 nights comped room. The slot tournament had entry for 350 people and paid out prizes for the first 175 places. First and second prize were $30,000 and $15,000 in free play. I ended up coming in somewhere around 150th place and won $25 in free play. My husband didn’t place at all. It was a great excuse to visit Encore though while being comped.

    The tournament had 3 sessions of 2 minutes each with the session winner getting 2 free comps to the buffet. I came in 2nd one time but the 1st place winner had already won passes to the buffet the previous session so he passed them on to me. Nice of him – we enjoyed the buffet for lunch the next day.

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    One of the tournament flower displays with blue roses. I had to stop and take a breath. The bouquet smelled wonderful.

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    I think I may be at my limit for pics so I'll continue in the next post, coming right up.
     
  2. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    I had a few good wins over the 2 days splitting time between both the Encore and Wynn casinos.

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    I checked out the high limit room but only found a couple Game King machines to play. The odds were the same as on the floor if I recall correctly. The room had a beautiful backdrop but there wasn’t anyone playing in there.

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    Cocktail service was beyond bad this trip. On our previous 3 trips, the drinks came so fast we couldn’t keep up. This time, the cocktail waitresses were almost nonexistent. I only saw one waitress one morning but she went running down the outer aisles like a jet on a runway. Although she was screaming “cocktails, cocktails” all the way, she never slowed down to hear anyone respond.

    There were a few more servers on in the evening but 4 times during our stay we ordered cocktails and never received them. On two other occasions a server returned without our drinks only to ask us again what we ordered. (Yes, we were tipping.) We’ve had slow service before but this was unbelievably bad.

    My husband and I always look forward to a light late evening meal at the Lobby Bar. Our favorites are their sliders and seared scallops. Unfortunately, they have changed the menu and nothing really appealed to us. We decided to try the new sliders and see if they were as good as the previous ones. The ‘harissa’ bun was chewy and the ‘Moroccan spiced beef’ was as dry as sawdust. We each ate one and left the last. I can’t recommend them. One good thing at the lobby bar though is that they always serve chips and nuts when you sit down. Turns out almonds make a good light dinner after all.

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    I had a really fun moment while at Encore. I can’t blame it on the alcohol because, as mentioned earlier, there was hardly any involved. A couple hours after we got there, my husband and I found a bank of 8 vp machines, 4 on each side, back to back. We sat down beside each other to play with me on quarters and him on dollars. Eventually my husband moved to the other side. I went for a walk and came back and sat beside him. My husband was doing well and the machine in front of me was showing my game (quarters on DDB) so I decided to give it a try. Since I was playing quarters, I looked for a $20 bill in my purse. I didn’t have one so rather than pull out a hundred dollar bill, I slipped in a $30 TITO I had in my purse.

    After checking the bottom left corner of the screen to make sure I was on the right game (mistakes happen), I commented to my husband that the odds for DDB were better on this side of the bank of machines (9/5) rather than the other side (8/5). He had a glance and agreed it was pretty odd for Wynn. Then I hit max bet and noticed only one column in the pay scale lit up. I stared at the machine and hit bet one credit. Nothing changed. I got my husband involved with my problem.

    Finally, I noticed I only had $5 left from my $30 TITO after this bet. That didn’t make sense so I checked the denomination for about the 4th time and realized I only saw earlier what I wanted to see. And this machine was not quarters! I was glad I hadn’t put a hundred in and hit max bet.

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    We had a good laugh!

    Anyhow, I had no choice but to play out the hand so I hit the deal button. While I was hoping for at a minimum a pair of jacks to get my bet back, this hand got my heart beating. This hand had possibilities!!

    I was torn on which cards to hold but in the end, I went for the Royal rather than 4 to a flush. I think it was the correct choice.

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    Then I fantasized about how much I’d win. A $25 bet x 250 = $6250!! Darn, why didn’t I put $100 in - that would have been $25,000!

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    Then I hit draw.



    I wish this story had a happier ending but it doesn’t. I won nothing, nada, zip, zero. Not even a pair. I didn’t even take a picture.

    But boy was it exciting for those few moments of dreams!! If you have to make a mistake, that’s a fun one! I checked the machines far more carefully for the rest of the trip. I didn’t want to make that mistake more than once.

    Sam's Town coming up...
     

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  3. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    Shame about the beverage service ad food. I love Wynncore. By the way, that's a cello, not a guitar.
     
  4. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    We also found out this trip that the points you earn at Wynn expire after one year. We made sure to clear the account before we left. I started with 1,881 points. That’s worth $18. I’d definitely lost points. You can convert the points into free play from your machine but you need to have a few dollars in the machine before you do it. Wynn is different from most in recording free play.


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    After our Encore stay, we had 2 nights comped at Sam’s Town. We walked down to Harrah’s to catch the shuttle to Sam’s but had to stop in Palazzo for a while because it was so hot outside. They had a cold water stand set up in their lobby so we enjoyed that.

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    After our free shuttle ride to Sam's Town, we checked in and headed to our room only to find it was non smoking and we didn’t see a safe (later the clerk assured us there was a safe in that room.) We went back to the registration desk and since there were no smoking rooms available, we were given a suite instead. It had lots of space, a fridge and most important a safe. I couldn’t reach it - but it was there.

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    We started at the Winchester Bar where I got a few 4OAK and my husband hit 4 aces. So happy to find a casino serving alcohol, the rest of the evening is a blur.

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  5. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    Those aces with kicker are damn pretty! (I had a similar draw last trip - such a nice surprise when you're just hoping for a high pair.)

    Great report/pics so far. Looking forward to the rest. :thumbsup:
     
  6. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    The next morning we walked through ‘Mystic Falls’ park but stopped when we saw the bear. He either had one hell of a hangover or the animals got in a wild fight last night!

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    An employee told us they were upgrading the animatronics. Later in the day when I walked by, he had a garbage bag over his head and towels covering his other wounds. By the end of the night, he was completely covered with a sheet. Poor thing, I hope he has a speedy recovery.

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    I spent an hour one night watching a pro play video poker. I wish I could share the video (it’s too large to load) because he was a sight to see. He was playing 2 vp machines simultaneously and looked more like a concert pianist than a vp player. I talked with him after his session and he told me he came in to play till he reached 10,000 points. Wednesday’s are mystery multipliers for those over 50 and he had scored a 30x points multiplier. I think it took him just over an hour to run 10,000 points through the two dollar machines that he was playing. He told me he’s a local and plays where ever he can get an advantage. He was fascinating to watch.

    For some reason, Sam’s was offering their breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet for just $5 on June 30th. We ate buffet for breakfast and lunch because it had everything we wanted but just couldn’t bring ourselves to have a 3rd buffet for dinner. We had dinner at the nearly empty Billy Bob’s steakhouse the final night and really enjoyed it. We used our points to cover the bill. The waitress told us that Billy Bob’s plans to close in August and then a new steak restaurant will open where Willy and Jose’s Cantina used to be. They were in the midst of renovations. The new steakhouse will be more high end than Billy Bob’s and the menu will be a la carte.

    On our last morning I checked into this board and saw that Ty was playing at the poker bar. We stopped in to say hi on our way out. It was great to meet him. Hopefully we have time for a drink or two next time Ty.

    We had a 3 hour layover in Vancouver on the way home so spent some time outside soaking up the sun. Vancouver has a small park by the shuttle pick up area at the airport. It was a nice place to hangout.


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    My total losses ended up around $600 and most of that was lost on our final night. I guess I should have gone bowling. All in all though it was a pretty good trip! Hope you enjoyed the pics.
     

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  7. Geogran

    Geogran VIP Whale

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    Loved your TR - great style and great pics.
    We've all had that 25c vs $25 moment - sorry it didn't hit! At least you noticed sooner rather than later.
    Nice VP hand pay - thanks for sharing!
     
  8. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    That sure was a gorgeous suite at ST.
    When you took the free shuttle from Harrah's did they object to you bringing luggage? I was always worried they would be.

    Enjoyed the report...thanks!
     
  9. Ty

    Ty ?

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    Drink service must of been good if "the rest of the evening is a blur".

    It was so cool to meet you and your husband! You guys are so easy to talk to. I'm a bit envious of your count-down timer.

    A drink or two next time? Hell yes! Tell hubby I said Hi.

    Good luck on your next trip.
    Ty
     
  10. Drewm1972

    Drewm1972 VIP Whale

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    Wow what a great detailed report!!! Thanks for sharing it... I m not sure where's SAMs town casino is located... Is it in downtown?
     
  11. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Nice report! But I would have held 4 to a flush on that $25 misplay. 4 to a flush always beats 3 to a Royal if you aren't betting max credits. I don't blame you for trying though.

    Awesome Aces w/a kicker from one card! I still haven't pulled that one off before. They always have been without the kicker.

    It's on Boulder Hwy about 20-25 min. east of midstrip by car.
     
  12. kkinwi

    kkinwi VIP Whale

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    Enjoyed your report and pix! Love Aces/k esp on dollars!
    Too bad about the Encore cocktail service.....really makes gambling less fun for me. Tho I do keep liquor/mix in my room so usually bring down a solo cup to get started!
    Thanks for the post...
     
  13. emmas

    emmas VIP Whale

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    Enjoyed reading your report and seeing the pics. Sounds like a good trip with a slight loss at the end.
     
    I need all the luck I can get!
  14. Ty

    Ty ?

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    The shuttle is like a motor coach, it has a large storage area accessible from outside. We've used the shuttle with luggage and we've seen others do it too. Never been a problem.
     
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  15. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    Good to know...thanks.
    I have been on the bus before but never seen someone with luggage.
     
  16. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    Thanks johnvic. I was hoping someone would know what it was. I had no idea. I can see why he wouldn't want to send it through the cargo hold though.

    I really enjoy the calm atmosphere at Wynncore but I think I value drinking more. I sure hope the drink service there was just a glitch. The servers were doing their best but they were sorely under staffed. On our last night there, we realized we only had 3 drinks each. We still had fun but a few more drinks would have been nice.

    Oh ya, we more than made up for lost time at Wynn! We usually do most of our playing at the bartops but Sam's has a variety of machines and pay schedules on the floor so we found ourselves more often on the slant tops. I have to say that drink service was great at Sam's both at the bar and on the floor, even in the morning. The difference between Wynn and Sam's was night and day.

    It was great to meet you Ty. It's a little intimidating walking up to a stranger to say hello but you made it easy!

    Blonde, no problem with luggage on the shuttle. We just take carry on so usually take it on the bus with us but we have had it loaded in the back when other people have luggage. And the shuttle really is one of the best things about Sam's. Having a free shuttle to both downtown and Harrah's is such a bonus. We had planned to spend a morning downtown but somehow never made it.
     
  17. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    I wondered about that tring. I thought the 4 to a flush might be the better play since I was really just playing to get my bet back. You're right, I played it like I was at max bet going for the Royal bonus. Oh well, it was a $25 thrill!
     
  18. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

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    Great report, lovely pics and congrats on the hand pay win! Good stuff all round!
     
  19. queentata

    queentata VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the great TR and all the pics. I made a mistake like your $25 one years ago at Mirage, but for $100...a weird machine, but DANG!! I hit nothing, also.
     
  20. buckeyetodd

    buckeyetodd High-Roller

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    enjoyed your report, how nice would a royal have been on that $25 mistake. not on vp but i've done the same thing on slots before.

    how long is the shuttle ride to sams town? i've been to vegas 35 times and never visited there. i'm assuming the shuttle runs both ways?
     
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