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Super Bowl Weekend At Bally's - Holy Craps!

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by RockyBalboa, Feb 11, 2011.

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  1. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    My Trip Report

    My 8-month hiatus to the greatest city on Earth ended last Saturday. My previous 4 trips were with my girlfriend and this trip was a guys trip. It was supposed to be 3-4 of us but a couple of 'em backed out so it turned out to be my one friend and his girlfriend. So this was basically half solo and half guy trip.

    I flew out of Houston on the 0730hrs flight on Continental. The flight was packed as they were looking for volunteers to take a later flight for a measly $300 voucher. Normally I'd take the bump - but give up precious Vegas time? Ha! Yeah right.

    We were delayed a few minutes to get de-iced since Houston had suffered a pretty bad coating of ice on Friday and it was still cold out. I was up at 0400hrs that morning to make sure I would be able to make it should I have to take an alternate route. But I made it in enough time and the flight was uneventful. I had a pretty good conversation with my aisle-mate and it helped the 3hrs click by fast.

    Upon landing I grabbed my carry-on and bolted for the taxi line. There was no line whatsoever which surprised me. I figured SB weekend would mean mega-crowds. I hopped in the cab and we were off to Bally's.

    I was booked there in a South Tower offer for $67 Saturday with Sunday, Monday and Tuesday comped. I booked Tuesday because I was taking the red-eye early Tuesday morning and did not want to check out at noon Monday and be without a room.

    The cabbie was pleasant and did not long-haul me. I advised him that we would not be taking the tunnel and the fare about about $14. I dropped him a $20 and went inside.

    There was no line at check-in as it was about 1030hrs at that time and I figured I would see if I could score a room this early. I told the clerk that I didn't care about the view nor the high floor, all I wanted was a clean room and a good shower. I asked about North Tower but decided against it and rolled the dice(theme of the trip) on the South Tower.

    I was on the 14th floor facing the Paris pool and could see the corner of the Bellagio Fountains.

    I have to admit I was worried about the room based on the reviews I had read. However, this cemented my belief that people bitch about the dumbest things as the room was just fine. Who really cares that the night-stand is nicked up and worn? I took a two queen room because it was available. The beds were comfortable and it served me quite well for the, oh maybe 8 hours that I was in there asleep the three days.

    I kicked back and rested for a little while and called my girlfriend to catch up and see how everything was. Slowly but surely the itch started. By the time we got off the phone I was in full blown degenerate mode. I needed food and I needed to gamble.

    My first move was to go to The Venetian and The Hilton. I wanted to cash a World Cup bet and get my Super Bowl prop bets in before the crazy crowds hit.

    I wandered around the Bally's casino floor awhile looking at the table minimums and when I got to the craps and all three were $25 I knew it was going to be a high-minimum weekend.

    I walked out of Bally's and took in the sights and was ready to get back after it after such a long absence. I grabbed a cab to The Hilton ($15) and the line to the sportsbook was the longest ever. It wrapped around damn near the whole sportsbook. I’d estimate about 150-200 people in line. I took Pittsburgh +2.5 and also took a Pit +2.5 & o45.5 parlay along with about 15 prop bets.

    I grabbed the bet sheets and sat down at the bar and drank a couple beers while looking through the bets and formulating my plan. Eventually I stood in line and surprisingly it wasn’t that bad of a wait – the staff was herding the cattle through there pretty quick. Time to hop back in a cab and head to Bally’s to put my tickets in the safe (I paid the $3 a day to use it).

    After dropping my stash of Super Bowl tickets I went to The Venetian. The books (both V and P) were packed. I stood in line and when I got up to the counter the guy told me that because the ticket was more than 60 days old I needed to come back on Monday to have accounting open the ticket back up. Ok, cool. So I walked around a bit and decided I was going to hit Casino Royale for a craps session. I was ready. I had deprived myself long enough and the dice were calling my name.

    Royale was packed like always (only $5 tables on the entire strip – even Bills and O’Sheas were $10 and IP even had $15 and a $25!!), but I noticed they’ve made an attempt to freshen the joint up a bit. The craps tables were moved towards the back and the roulette and table games moved up front. I scoped out a few tables and I hopped on one that seemed to have a good vibe. It started off slow but soon was hopping.

    I was on the hook to the right of the stick and the left of stick was shooting. The five people on that side of the stick held the dice for well over an hour and my rack was filling up quick. I normally play pass line with 3x-4x-5x odds along with placing the 6&8. However I decided this trip that I was going to be more aggressive.

    I started with my normal bets and pressed up a unit quicker and placed three or four numbers (sometime even had 5). Thanks to the left side of the table being hot the rail was filling up nicely. This continued for a solid 4-4.5 hours until it finally wound down and went ice cold. I am a firm believer in tipping and I always had the dealers on the line with me and with 2x odds. This helped them get into the game since the table was hot and I’d guess they made about a hundred over the four hours off the bets. We had a solid crew. I like a lot of the Royale dealers. My session…I tripled my buy-in.

    One suspicion I’d always had about the Royale was confirmed; whether you ask for Miller Lite or Bud Light or Piss Light, you’re getting whatever the waitress has on her tray. Once I am numb it doesn’t matter, but the drink service for this session was good.

    My buddy was getting close to landing so I walked back to Bally’s to rest up a bit and charge my phone. He and his girl landed around 2300hrs and I made my way over to The Orleans where they were staying. I’d never been there and I liked the vibe. It was busy but not overwhelmed. The drink service was prompt and once again I was on a HOT table. And there were some hot waitresses too.

    This was BY FAR the hottest table I’d ever been on since I started shooting craps a year ago. The funny thing is I bought it and the first few shooters almost put me to the felt. I was still aggressive and was playing with my winnings from Royale’s session.

    There were a few solid rolls going on and then the dice go left of the stick. There were two older guys there and they were betting big. A rack full of green and blacks and had just signed for another grand each on markers.

    The first guy rolled for over an hour. By the time he sevened out you could barely see the felt there were so many stacks of chips out there. Just on him I’d made several hundred profit.

    You’d think the table would have iced up and people would color up and roll. Well if they did, they missed an even more impressive roll.

    The next guy was on for several minutes longer that his buddy and the stacks of chips out there were massive. The center bet area with all the hardways looked like the damn Rocky Mountains. The shooter had to get some nice air on the roll to clear the cash.

    After making a few points, he sets the point on 10. And this is where the monster roll began. He never made that 10 as the point but he hit hard 6 three times in a row and the guys who were on it big were cashing in nicely. I tell you what – if that man had made the point and hit hard ten he would have been carried out on the entire tables shoulders. I had $50 on the hard ten.

    When his monster finally ended, I had $170 on the table ($5 pass + $15 odds + $50 hard ten + $30 on 6 & 8 and $10 each on 4 and 5). What an amazing experience! Between him and his friend I had quintupled my buy in.

    Throughout this my buddy had arrived, checked-in, went and ate at TGI Friday’s and placed most of his Super Bowl bets. After the two superstars made us all a lot of money, I stayed on the table awhile and gave about a buck fifty back to the house so I walked away with a nice profit still.

    By this time it was 0300hrs Vegas time and I’d been awake for 25 hours. We went and sat in the sportsbook and drank a couple more beers and I cabbed it back to Bally’s. On the way out the cops were tossing a half naked chick in jail for something. Interesting to watch.

    continued...
     
  2. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    After crashing out for my customary, yet refreshing, Vegas 4-5 hour sleep I was awake ready to get going again.

    My friend had booked us for Steiner's Pub on North Buffalo Rd for their Super Bowl Party. He went last year and said it was awesome. So i was down with that. It cost $50 per person to reserve a table and then $100 per person entry fee. They offered all you can eat and drink off the entire menu (except the big dinner platters).

    I waited for him by wandering around Bally's playing some slots and rapid roulette. The table minimums were still outrageous ($15-$25-$50 craps) for Bally's and I wanted to hang onto the previous day's profits for a little while.

    By 11am my late-for-his-own-damn-funeral friend FINALLY showed up at Bally's to go to breakfast. They had rented a car so we went to a local joint called Black Bear Diner which is down the road a bit from The Orleans. What a great little place! I had a huge omelet and the bill for the three of us was $41.00 before tip.

    After eating they dropped me off back at Bally's to chill until 1400hrs when we would leave for Steiner's. I again played some roulette with nothing notable as far as wins go.

    1400hrs rolls around and where in my friend? Late again. Always. So there I sat and waited. They finally showed up and off we went to Steiner's.

    I cannot emphasize enough how awesome that place was. You get the full menu and basically the full bar for an hour before the game until its over. So a solid 4.5 hours worth of indulgence. I took full advantage and drank their supply of Molson Canadian as well as several appetizers (good shrimp cocktail and potato boats) and a great hamburger.

    The $100 entry fee also buys you a square on the big squares quarter board.

    I drew #1 and #7; And what was the score at the end of the 3rd quarter? 21-17!!!

    $1050 in. The. POCKET. Like Randy Moss says, "Straight cash, homey".

    Never mind that I lost almost every bet I put down. I made the money back and then some on that nice little hit.

    So the Steelers lost, Green Bay won and I was enjoying a nice buzz. They wanted to sleep a little bit as my buddy was drunk. So back to Bally's I go to rest and charge my battery and my phone's for a long night of gambling and drinking.

    We were supposed to meet at 2300hrs. Did you catch the theme of his lateness earlier? Yeah. Well I spent two hours sitting at Paris' rapid roulette making my $100 look like $300. I was betting $45 a spin and racked up some good points on my TR card I think.

    I cashed out and texted him...no response. Its past midnight now so I head over to Mirage and hit roulette there for a quick $160. Every table was full over there and they even had a $100 craps table (empty).

    I finally hit Royale again and waited until I checked in for my flight the next night until I hopped on a table.

    I pissed away $200 fairly quick and took a break until Mr. I Will Meet You at 11pm showed up at 0130.

    We jumped on an empty table and it was cold. We were low rolling it and fooling around and having a good time. Every time I would shoot my buddy Don't Passed me. What a dick. But all in good fun as the table was empty for the most part. Down another hundo and creeping up on 0400hrs I was getting tired. But we decided to hit up MGM for Sigma Derby!!!

    I made it through two rolls of quarters before I got back to Bally's and passed out. My boy and his girlfriend hit the damn 200/1 as soon as I left though.

    continued...
     
  3. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    I crawled into bed and had a fitful three hours of sleep. Waking up on your last day in Vegas sucks. There is no good way to describe this feeling. Every trip I think of reasons to stay an extra day - how can I justify the time off? Can I change my flight? Ah screw it...I jump up and shower and head downstairs.

    I decided to play Deal or No Deal for awhile since it was finally free. Once I figured it out I had a good time for about an hour. I picked lucky #17 and the damn thing held $129 but I chickened out and took the $60 deal.

    It was time to head back to The Venetian to cash the World Cup bet. The sportsbook supervisor was somewhat of a prick even though he was the guy who told me to come back between 0900 & 1400 on Monday. They told me it would take 20-30 minutes so I went and blew $50 on WOF and then sat down at a video poker machine.

    I have never played VP and know little to nothing about the game. But I see everyone talk about it so I figured it was worth $20 to try and to help waste some time.

    I hit a flush (I think, not sure which combo) and won like $60. I was playing the $0.25 machine on a max bet. Now that I have taught myself craps and blackjack, this is my next conquest - video poker. I cashed out and went and got my World Cup bet and walked out to the strip.

    I promised my girlfriend that I would buy her something. She likes the store H & M and I thought there was one on the strip by MGM. So I hopped The Deuce and rode down. Hmmm, no H & M. I pulled out my phone and saw that it was at Towne Center which was out by the airport so I walked to NYNY and hailed a taxi. I went to H & M there only to find out they have a shop in The Forum Shoppes and I think Miracle Mile too. Yay for me researching this and wasting $30 on cabs to go buy a damn dress.

    I got back to Bally's and put the stuff away and rested a little while. I was famished as I hadn't eaten since the SB party the day before so I went and got some pizza and it was time to go explore The Cosmopolitan.

    First Impression - Wow.

    Second Impression - Wow.

    I went and got my Identity Card and while standing in line they had a cocktail waitress working the line. Nice touch.

    Card in hand I walked around a bit and saw how impressive this place is. Wow again. But like a moth to a flame, I made my way to the craps tables. Lo and behold there was a $10 one with a spot opening up. I buy in and its off to the races...again!

    Before I get to deep into the session - Joey Porter (LB for the Cardinals, formerly a Steeler and Dolphin) was on the table next to me and Vernon Davis (TE for the 49ers) and his friends were at my table. Darrell Revis and Ndamukong Suh were also milling around the area. Kind of cool to see those guy. Suh looks like a freaking animal.

    Anways, where do I start?

    I was on yet another insanely hot craps table - my third heater session of the trip. Before I knew it I was 4x up on my buy-in. My buddy had yet to make it there so he missed out.

    I had over $200 out there a few times and would always press a unit on my places and was taking full odds. It helped that one shooter was a 10-rolling fool. He had 10 as the point three times and hit it all three times.

    I was again betting nicely for the dealers as I really like getting them in the game especially when the crew was as good as this one was. They were, by far, the best crew I ever played with. And the Pit Boss was awesome as well. A nice guy by the name of JD.

    I made a fatal mistake though. I stayed on the table too long and did not maximize my profits. I should have walked away and I didn't. I usually know better but for whatever reason I hung on too damn long trying to recover.

    I ended up getting rated at $120/roll for three hours.

    Once again I have to compliment how professional and awesome the dice crew and all Cosmo employees that I came across were.

    They earned a lot of my business going forward and I am thinking of booking there for my next trip next month.

    Anyway - when I finally colored up I was pissed at myself. Damn me! Oh well, my friend was there so we walked around and had a few drinks and then he had to split to go catch a show.

    I decided to go back to Bally's and eat something and pack my bag and give Bally's some table play. After straightening everything up I sat down at a $25 (3:2 table) table and proceeded to get slaughtered. This wasn't even a gradual beat down. This was execution style. Bang! They got their money's worth from me and I paid for those comp rooms pretty damn quick.

    This was "what the hell just hit me" sessions where every flippin' card and hand was against me. Jeez. so I was pretty salty at the fact that I'd pissed away a healthy profit at Cosmo and then pissed away some of the previous days wins at the blackjack table.

    By this time it was time to go get my bag and get to the airport. So much for sleeping a little bit. I made it back to Houston on time and have been trying to get caught up with work and sleep all week.

    However - I came back with a decent profit considering all expenses were essentially paid for with winnings and the leftover cash is on call for the next monster craps roll in March.

    I realize this is a long report - sorry if I bored any of you guys.
     
  4. WHITEJACKET73

    WHITEJACKET73 VIP Whale

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    Nice report..nothing like Super Bowl weekend in Vegas. My buddy and I played craps at the Palms a couple of years ago. We were doing pretty well when Joey Porter and his homeys walked up to the table...first time I played with a guy that was betting with $1000 chips. My buddy went on a tear with the dice and won Joey about 50 grand (he had about 10 grand on the felt with each roll). He tossed my buddy three black chips and then they did a chest bump. I think he broke one of my buddy's ribs..lol. It was a pretty wild afternoon.
     
  5. Tuna

    Tuna High-Roller

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    Awesome report Rocky, I have a friend that's late to everything as well. It's his most annoying quality and I can get so pissed at him waiting but then when he shows up, I can't help but forget that I was even mad at him, he just has that type of personality. I've learned to tell him everything is an hour earlier than the actual time, it's really worked out well for me. Congrats on the wins brotha!
     
  6. sabrina

    sabrina Low roller

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    Great TR!
     
    Seinfield
  7. Bo333

    Bo333 VIP Whale

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    As a craps addict myself, it was very fun to read.
    Love those hot tables!
    Nice job.
     
  8. techie223

    techie223 High-Roller

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    Thanks for the TR. Great hearing about the hot streaks at the craps table :beer:Trying to get up the guts to try it myself :eek: Maybe in May at the Cosmo, since you liked the dealers there.
     
  9. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Thanks for reading, guys.

    WJ73 - Porter obviously loves to shoot the dice. He was fun and certainly playing with a large amount. He liked to play the hardways and horns a lot.

    Tuna - yeah, thats what I do too - I tell him 30-60 minutes before and he's still late. Even when we worked together years ago he was always showing up last minute. Drives me nuts because I am the exact opposite and afraid of being late anywhere. Good luck on your upcoming trip, man!

    Sabrina - thank you. It was an enjoyable time and I am about to book another three day jaunt in March. I am missing it already especially knowing this time last week I was on a table having a blast.

    Bo - thanks! Not sure if you checked the futures when you were out last, but they had the Birds at 8/1 to win the Super Bowl. I think I am going to drop some coin on them next month.

    Techie - craps is awesome! I taught myself by reading a book by John Patrick and using online simulators on Wizard of Odds and ESPN Arcade. The Cosmo was awesome and its no hyperbole when I say the dealers and pit were great.
     
  10. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    I forgot to add:

    I ate at Le Burger Brasserie and it was a pretty damn good burger. I had the one with mushrooms and onion rings on it, a side of fries and three Amstel's. The tab, with tip, was $45. It was a massive amount of food and I couldn't polish off the fries. Another benefit was the "scenery" there; lots of nice looking waitresses.

    Oh...and I just booked March 11-14 :drunk:
     
  11. Terry Benedict

    Terry Benedict VIP Whale

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    You had to check the spelling on Ndamukong, right?

    Nice touch.
     
  12. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Ha! Actually, no. Being that I am a huge NCAA/NFL Draft/NFL geek, I know the name well.

    The guy is a beast. One of my favorite players to watch.
     
  13. LaRae

    LaRae Low-Roller

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    Great read! Your report was not boring at all. Nothing like a winning trip.
     
  14. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Thanks, LaRae!

    A couple other observations I forgot to mention;

    1. Everyone I seem to meet there is from Minnesota. No joke. I must have met 14 people from up that way.

    2. The broken escalators were at an all time high. It seemed like one out of every two was busted.
     
  15. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    Rocky,
    You're type of tourist Vegas loves to see - someone that comes to gamble.
    Another thing that stood out was how you maximize your Vegas time - not dibbling around for you. That was apparent early on when you eschewed the $300 airport voucher and continued throughout each day you were in Vegas.
    Your craps sessions were especially descriptive. Enjoyed reading what was written.
     
  16. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Thanks for reading, Chef.

    You're absolutely right.

    When I go solo or on a guys trip - its only for 2-3 days so every hour is precious. I have no interest in doing anything but eat, drink and gamble. As soon as I get checked in, its time to get to work.

    When my girlfriend is along, its slower paced and more shows and whatnot

    March 11th can't get here fast enough!
     
  17. Jinx

    Jinx VIP Whale

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    Great report, not boring at all and glad you had some wins. Looking forward to March's report. I got a kick about your comment on meeting everyone from Minnesota, I've had trips like that where I wind up meeting people from the same state throughout the whole trip, very bizarre.
     
  18. jdub7

    jdub7 Tourist

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    I enjoyed your report. It was not too long. I am impressed that you followed thru with your promise to your girlfriend. I hope you told her how much work it was to get her that dress!! I think my husband would have given up! Good luck in March!! :thumbsup:
     
  19. DoubleUp

    DoubleUp Low-Roller

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    Great TR, fun read. I was like :popcorn: the whole way through !
    I would love to hear more about your approach to craps on these hot tables. Do you buy the 4/10? Does Casino Royale charge commission on wins only? Do you use come bets?
     
  20. denluvslv

    denluvslv Low-Roller

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    Great trip report. Great wins. I enjoyed reading it. I got a kick out of your friend. My husband and son always run on their own time. It's called "Late O'Clock." I always have to give them an earlier time to get there as close to time as possible. Looking forward to March.:beer::beer::beer:
     
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