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.

TR 8/31-9/3: Achieving the Mythical "Diamond in a Day" as a low roller

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by nsideirish, Sep 4, 2012.

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

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4

    My Trip Report

    Will post as replies later. Quite the trip....planned on playing $10 craps all weekend (group of guys in their mid 20s)...but found myself in the high limit rooms at Paris and Caesars until 6 am....
     
  2. Dpin300

    Dpin300 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2012
    Messages:
    379
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    You've got my attention :)

    ps could you explain how much money you would have to "turn over"(?) to get diamond?
     
  3. oc_guy

    oc_guy Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2012
    Messages:
    181
    Location:
    Orange County
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    You need 3,000 points, which on slots is $5=1 and VP is $10=1 So either 15k or 30k coin in.

    Table games vary greatly based on type and how you're being rated, but if you were at $10 craps with max odds and playing across for each shooter, you would probably get pretty close if you play 8 hours each day for 3 days.
     
  4. bighead1970

    bighead1970 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2006
    Messages:
    952
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    DIAD

    I have a thread going on right now about DIAD over in the casino gaming section. Please give me details as I will have questions for you.
     
  5. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    I probably won't be a ton of help as I did it on complete accident and only realized I did it upon checking out (the thought of being anything but a basic Gold member never really crossed my mind.) And I did it through a combination of HL baccarat, blackjack and slots.

    Working on my TR now.
     
  6. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    Let me preface this with a little background (and warning). This is my first TR so it may not be the best. But I’ll give it a shot. I am a low-mid roller in general..usually have about $500 a day and stick to craps but enjoy baccarat.

    I first played baccarat on my last trip (March Madness) at a $10 table at NYNY. All of the craps tables were packed and I had the gambling itch. So I cozied up to a mini baccarat table and started making bets without understanding the rules….and I was too drunk to understand the dealer explaining it. This experience established my “strategy” of only betting on Player because the whole paying commission on Banker wins was also too complicated for my mind.

    A little more background: This is my third trip to Vegas. I am 24 y/o. The plan was set a few months ago to meet 4 friends from college there on Friday. I was coming in from Chicago and they were driving in from LA. We all went to college together but hadn’t seen eachother since graduation a few years ago as they all moved out to work and live in LA and I stayed in Chicago. It was a reunion of sorts. The rest of the group were not the biggest fans of gamblers (notice the “were”…this would change—as evidenced by the bruises on their arms for leaning on the craps table for hours and hours on end).

    We had two rooms booked at Paris. Mine was comped (surprisingly for my lowly Gold level and only playing $10/$15 table games & sportsbook back in March). 4 of them booked one room together as they wanted a smoking room while myself and another went with the non-smoking.

    Overall, really enjoyed Paris. Loved the atmosphere of the casino and the relatively quickness of getting from the room to the Strip (nothing compares to Bill’s in that regard though). The room was a little aged and had an old tube TV but we had a nice view overlooking the pool. We had no real plans in terms of meals/shows/clubs set in stone except for a cabana booked at Paris pool on Saturday set as I love to just go with the flow.

    Wow, typing a lot more than I thought I would. Sorry ‘bout that. Now the scene is set…let’s get onto the fun stuff…
     
  7. Dpin300

    Dpin300 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2012
    Messages:
    379
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    so far so good!
     
  8. Dpin300

    Dpin300 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2012
    Messages:
    379
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    thanks! I'm more of a slots player. I curious of how many points I'm going to earn on my trip. I'm guessing the more booze the faster the point-count ;-)
     
  9. FullPay

    FullPay When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2008
    Messages:
    4,127
    Location:
    Derby City, Kentucky
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    110
    So basically, $5 Video poker, full coin in, 400 hands per hour. Only need three hours to run 30K...if you survive. At very good (not perfect) play, figure 94% return, you're out $1800 with no surprises. What exactly is a diamond worth, anyway?
     
  10. habs0nut

    habs0nut VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2010
    Messages:
    2,213
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    Looking forward to the rest of the report. Don't worry about getting too detailed, some of us really enjoy a detailed report.
     
  11. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    Ok, from the beginning now…a lot of details are blurry in this trip but I’ll try my best.

    My fight was at 6:20 am on Friday out of Midway. I live literally 5 minutes from O’Hare but I had a ton of Southwest points which only flies out of Midway so I bit the bullet and flew out of Midway. The flight was super smooth and I got a lot of reading done on the plane. (I wish I could sleep….but the excitement holds me back from doing so). Plane lands half hour early…first win of the trip! No lines for a cab (second win!) and my cab driver ends up being a friendly guy originally from Chicago like myself who gets me to Paris for $12.50. I give him a $20 and we exchange a “Go White Sox, Bears, etc etc.” and I am on my way.

    My friends we all due to arrive later in the day (a couple at 5 pm and a couple at 9 pm) so I had quite a while on my own. But I had no complaints. I got to get situated and do some exploring. Check-in at around 9 am. At first, the lady says there won’t be anything available at all until at least 11 am…until she sees my $20 and is able to find me a room with a few strokes of the keyboard. Ah, money really talks in this town. She says if I wait a few hours, she can get me a room with a better view, but I am tired and really just want to get situated so I take the available room.

    My room is on the 7th floor directly overlooking the pool. Not a bad view as I can see the Eiffel Tower as well. The room is clean, fresh and looks nice. Only thing that really sucked about the room was the tube TV, but I only use a TV for sports and there are sportsbooks and bars everywhere so who really cares? The bathroom has marble floor and granite countertops and has a bathtub in addition to the shower. Unpack, make a few calls telling people of my arrival, update the Facebook status bragging that I am in Vegas, listen to a few songs, and I am out the door by 10:30 am.

    First stop: slot machine to use my $30 in free play. Now, I usually despise slot machines but I have a $30 reel rewards slip that can be used at any machine so I figure I should just give it a shot. Find a $1 WoF slot and put in my ticket. Within 2 minutes, a cocktail waitress comes up to me and I order an Irish Coffee…whiskey gets me going in the mornings. My $30 is gone before I blink. I get my drink, curse slot machines and vow to never play ‘em again (this would definitely change 24 hours laters….). My plan is to march across to Bellagio to make some sports bets but of course, I stop at a baccarat table to play 4 quick hands at $25 per hand. I throw my $100 down, get my 4 greens, and well, Banker wins four times in a row. As you remember, I only bet Player, so I am out $100 (plus the $30 in free play) within 5 minutes. Damn it!

    Oh well. Time to make some sports bets. I make my way across to Bellagio. I really wanted to make my bets at Bellagio because I heard about the free drinks service they offer (no tickets required) and I knew I would be watching quite a bit of college football throughout the weekend. I throw a few parlays down and $100 on my Notre Dame Fighting Irish to cover the 15.5 spread. The game was at 6 am Vegas time so I had to promise myself to somehow make it back to watch the game. Cocktail waitress walks by a few seconds after I place my bets, I give her $2 and ask her for an Irish coffee to go and she obliges. I get my coffee and I am out of there. Plan is to head north to Casino Royale to use that $1 fee ATM to get the rest of my cash to top off my bankroll. It is still only a little past 11 am…

    Any tips/suggestions on how to make this any better before I march on with the report? I am being a lot more detailed/long-winded than expected.
     
  12. habs0nut

    habs0nut VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2010
    Messages:
    2,213
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    So far so good
     
  13. vegasqc

    vegasqc VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2010
    Messages:
    3,639
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    its great dont worry about putting to much details the more we have the better it is
     
  14. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    This report will probably become less and less detailed as the buzz kicks in and things begin to blur together…

    I begin walking north to Casino Royale. Pay my respects at O’Shea’s…I am going to miss that place a lot. The walkway is crowded and not a lot of room to pass up slow walkers. So annoying. I pull some money out of the ATM and decide to go play some craps at Bill’s. Play at a $5 with $10 odds and one come bet at a time. The table is pretty cold. After about 6 shooters, I decide to stop betting the fire bet as I have one $1 chip left and am going to use it to tip the CW. And I think you know what’s coming next…yep, the shooter hits 5 points. DAMN! The shooter himself didn’t bet the fire bet either as he only does it when others are shooting (don’t quite understand that philosophy). Anyways, after a few hours of shootin, drinkin and losing, I decide to head to Stage Door to pick up some booze for the room.

    The second I step outside of Bill’s, it hits me. I am drunk. A combination of not a lot of food and sleep has lowered my tolerance. I am probably only 8 or so drinks deep at this point which is usually only good for a buzz for me. I pick up a couple bottles and walk (stumble?) back to Paris. I poor myself a Maker’s Mark on the rocks, put on the TV and order up some room service (I know, I know…). It is only about 3 at this point. I eat my food and take an hour drunk nap. After waking up, I shower and head downstairs as my first group of buddies will be arriving soon and I am to help them carry in their stuff. They had the responsibility of bringing beer, cases of water, etc. since they were driving in.

    He calls and says he is about 20 min out. I spot a $10 empty craps table and decide “What the hell?” I throw down a Benjamin. And thank God I did…I was hitting everything. I was also making a bunch of bets for the dealers and winning them a ton to. I feel my phone vibrating which meant they were pulling up and right as that happens, I seven out. I color up…$450! Not bad for only playing $10 on the pass and $20 odds with a few Come bets.
    We exchange our “bro hugs” and gather up the stuff and head upstairs. One of them checks into his room and they are on the 4th floor. Should have given him the heads up about the $20 trick to see if he could have been higher up.

    Oh well. Upon entering my room, they proceeded to have a good laugh at my expense when they see the open bottle of whiskey and the food service tray that I absolutely obliterated. We begin letting the drinks flow, music play and catching up on old times. Life is good.
     
  15. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    After the catching up, we decide it is time to head out to see what damage we could do. My goal was to teach them craps so we head over to Bills and all buy in at a table. A high school friend was in town with some of his fellow marines so they meet us Bills and we all are at the same table just lettin’ lose and havin’ a good time.

    They begin learning the basics of the game…no thanks to me. I begin trying to explain it to them and the dealers just kind of told me to “shut up” (in a polite of way as possible) as my drunken explanation was worthless. The dealers all have a good laugh at my expense and I quickly become the joke of the table. And I’m okay with that. I’m drunk, I am in Vegas with my best friends and the drinks are flowing and the dice is rolling…life doesn’t get much better.

    After playing for a while (broke about even), we decide to head over to Bellagio so they can get some sports bets down. We part ways with the marines as they were going out to clubs (definitely not our scene). I convince one of them to put $50 on ND and to prove how confident I was , I put another $100 on the Irish. I now had $200 riding on that game which is fairly big chunk of change for me.

    The rest of our group had arrived and met up with us and we headed north. We ducked into Imperial Palace for the only reason it is good for—Fat Tuesday’s. Got a big fruity drink with a bunch of shots in it. Man, that place is just looking depressing with the construction going on. But of course, we are degenerates so we see an open craps table and begin playing…and losing. Back to Bills!

    We are welcomed back to the same table with the same dealers as earlier at Bill’s. I can tell my friends (who weren’t big gamblers coming into the trip) are all starting to really get into craps as they are making all different kinds of bets throwing chips everywhere. A good craic is being had by all. The dealers become “one of the guys” as they were joking right along with us. The cocktail service is great at Bill’s (probably because we were all tipping…and drinking heavily). We all win some money and then the group begins to split up, as always happens. We all agree that it’s impossible to all stay together so there is no point in trying.

    Some of the group heads far south to MGM and NYNY. I head back to Paris to hit that $25 baccarat table. I had one friend with me and wanted to teach him how to play. I get there early in the shoe and see Player has won 3 times and Bankers has won once. The beginnings of a Player shoe! Sure enough, Player just dominated t he show and my bets were getting larger and larger as the shoe progressed. My friend had disappeared to go play craps (wasn’t into baccarat I guess) and I decide to take my winnings (~$600!) and head into unfamiliar territory…the high limit room.

    I step into the room and immediately get some strange looks. Wonder why…I am a drunken 24 year old probably stumbling and slurring at this point walking into the high limit room. I sit down at a $100 baccarat table and the dealer proceeds to tell me that the blackjack tables are on the other side of the room. I tell her I am there for baccarat and she looks surprised telling me that the only white people who play are older guys. I was a little surprised at her candor but she said it in a joking way so it was all good. I proceed to buy in for $600 and throw $300 on the Player right away. Flip over a natty 9. Great start. And wouldn’t you know it? Another Player shoe. My “strategy” is often laughed at by the high rollers always betting some kind of elaborate pattern, but hey, it works for me. I am up close to a thousand overall for the trip at this point and drunkenly decide to do something I never do…slots. And not just any slots…high limit slots. And this is where I found my personal ATM for the trip….
     
  16. golfnut

    golfnut Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2011
    Messages:
    489
    Location:
    South Dakota
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    Great trip report so far. Keep it going. No seriously stop whatever your doing and write some more.
     
  17. Reed

    Reed High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2008
    Messages:
    580
    Location:
    IL
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    13
    :thumbsup:
     
  18. PopsOLA

    PopsOLA Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2012
    Messages:
    142
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3
    DAMN YOU!!!! I shouldn't have started reading til you were done LOL... I am soo looking forward to the slot night :)
     
  19. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    I spot a $5 WoF slot sitting at the end of a row kind of isolated from the rest of the HL slots. I am a bit nervous, but drunk and confident at the same time. I pump in $300 and sit back. It is 2 credits a spin. $10 a spin is A LOT for someone who despises slots. Hell, it’s a lot for anyone. But I am playing with house money at this point so why not go for it? “Maker’s Mark on the rocks please” as the cocktail waitress comes by. I tell her to bring two in quick succession and I give her a $5 spot. Still haven’t hit that “Play Max Credits” button that is just taunting me. I close my eyes and hit it…nothing. Well that was a quick $10.

    I sit back and think maybe I should just cash out now. Slots aren’t my thing. I can take my $290 and go play some craps. Then the waitress comes by with my drink. She is gorgeous and we do a little chatting. She happens to be from Chicago too and actually went to high school right near me. Crazy. Well, after a little flirting and a Maker’s in my hand, I feel a little swagger, so I start hitting that button. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Damn, down $110 bucks. Sittin’ there with $190 in the machine, I decide to play it down to $150 to see if I could get that elusive “Spin”. I finish my Maker’s and sure enough another one is waiting for me. I hit the button and I hear that “Wheel of Fortune”. I was expecting just to hit for the minimum $100 and then cash out about even…but the wheel lands on $600! Brilliant.

    I cash out and shoot out a mass text to the group to reconvene at Gustav’s Bar at 20 min. I cozy up at the bar, put in $40 and play some VP (not my game, for sure)…I just wanted that drink. I order another Maker’s on the rocks and wait for my friends. Two of them show up and we begin sharing stories. We then realize we haven’t heard from one in our group in a long time. He was unresponsive to text and calls so we figure the big city has swallowed him whole and he’ll find his own way. (He would eventually stumble back after playing craps 9 hours straight at NYNY). We all have a few drinks while my friends tell about their craps playing experiences up and down the south end of the strip. I then pull out my wallet with a smile on my face to show my winnings and I swear, if looks could kill, my family would be planning my wake right now. Of course, they were happy for me, but they wanted to win too.

    We played there for a bit and had a few more drinks. Next thing I know, its 4 am. Yikes, ND game kicks off in two hours. We part ways and they go off to play more craps. I head up to the room, order room service (I know, I know) and put on some Irish music. I arrange for a 5:45 wake up call and set my phone and ipod alarm. I eat a about half of my room service and pass out. Next thing I know, alarms are going off around me and its go time! I get up and look at my food service tray and the rest of it is gone. I then look at the bed and my room mate isn’t back. I thought maybe I ate my food while sleeping or something….? Then I begin to walk to the bathroom and hear snoring and see my room mate sleeping in the crevice between the wall and the bed. I snap a pic (of course) and try to wake him up for the game. No luck. I blast the ND fight song, do a couple drunken Irish jigs and put on my Notre Dame shirt and it’s out the door I go…
     
  20. nsideirish

    nsideirish Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    150
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    6 am on the Strip is a strange time. A combination of kids my age stumbling out of the clubs and joggers out for the morning jog. I have one focus and that is to get to the Bellagio Sportsbook. Unfortunately, a road block gets in my way. As I am going up the escalator, a hooker is right in front of me and propositioning me her hardest. After she wouldn’t leave me alone, I told her bluntly “Listen, you are gorgeous and I am sure worth the money. But not even the most beautiful woman in the world can prevent me from watching Notre Dame football.” She proceeded to berate me calling me all sorts of homophobic names as I walked off. Oh well….it’s football time.

    I sit down in one of the nice leather chairs and there is a decent crowd at the book already. A lot of ND fans but quite a few people who had money on Navy. ND gets off to a fast start and never turns back. The CW is nowhere to be seen so I decide to go to the bar at the sportsbook to play some VP and drink up there. I meet an awesome guy from Brooklyn who is also a huge ND fan. He helps me play VP and we are just talking about all kinds of thing. We both work in the financial field so we have a lot of chat about that. All around great craic.

    A quick sidestory to illustrate my degeneracy…halftime rolls about and I need to use the restroom. I begin walking to it and spot a craps table off in the distance…I think, what the hell, restroom can wait and I choose craps over handling my bodily functions. And it was a good choice. It is a $10 table and I buy in for just $100. I am in the corner right next to the dealer. I look across the way and saw a very familiar face. He had two racks full of black chips. I ask the dealer who he is and wouldn’t you know it, Steve “The Franchise” Francis. Former NBA star. Awesome celebrity sighting. He doesn’t play long and neither do I as the game is back on. I cash out with $150 and still have to go to the bathroom.

    Head back to the book and the Irish continue to just dominate. I text my friends and no response. Oh well. Have a few more drinks with my new buddy from Brooklyn and cash in my tickets right after ND wins. Happy as a clam, I march on back to Paris.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.