My Downtown Trip Report - Golden Nugget - April 12-15, 2013

My first downtown trip report

A little background: I am in my low 40s, and have been going to Vegas a couple times a year for nearly 20 years. First time stayed at the IP (yes, we know, now it’s the Quad). Wasn’t the IP everyone’s’ first hotel in Vegas? Stayed up all night my first night there, as I have gotten older, I tend to eat a little better and sleep more on each successive trip.

I take two kinds of trips to Vegas, one with the guys (brothers, father, friends, etc.) and one with the wife. Trips with the wife are only at the Bellagio or Wynn, fine dining, a show or two, and less time gambling (2-3 hours/day). Trips with the guys include cheap food, more gambling and much less sleeping! As my income has grown, so have my average bets, I’m now typically a black chip player. Used to play 8-9 hours a day when I was younger, now 2-4 hours a day is more typical.

Pre Trip:

I am mainly a strip person, have visited downtown a couple of times, but never really saw a reason to actually stay there. Smaller casinos, less flashy, not as nice restaurants, not as much to see or do, etc. However, my dad (late 60s) enjoyed each visit we made downtown on prior trips, mainly due to the $5-10 blackjack tables, so I suggested this time we would give downtown a shot.

I mainly play blackjack averaging between 150 and 200/hand, which is typically comped rooms or small suites at many of the MGM properties, and I get comped rooms at Wynncore. Sometimes includes food/beverage (TI is RFB), used to include promo chips, but haven’t seen those in a long time. As others have noted, I have seen a fairly significant pull back in comp offers over the last year or so, along with higher expected play, so I was actually interested to see what my play would generate downtown. I decided on the Golden Nugget for our downtown adventure, it was supposed to be one of the nicer places downtown. I called up one of the player hosts out of the blue from their webpage, explained that I was considering staying downtown, and asked what they could do for me? The host who answered the call mentioned at my play, they would typically comp one of their new Rush Tower Club rooms, and look at food and beverage on the back end, which I thought was reasonable. She asked that I forward an offer or two from my current casinos, mainly to verify my stated level of play. I also found this reasonable, if I was really a black chip player, I should have a few offers in my account. In the past, I have asked for Petite Suites at TI (two bathrooms, and either two double beds or a king and a pull out), but the Nugget didn’t have a setup like this, so I asked for two rooms instead. Need a little privacy, and having two bathrooms in the morning is always a good idea. My host mentioned she could only comp one up front, and gave casino rate on the second room ($129/139/79/night for a Fri/Sat/Sun in mid April) basically $10 off their website rate for the Rush tower room. Other room types were available for less, but for the initial adventure, I figured we would stay in as nice accommodations as possible. Plus, I knew that room comps were the easiest to get out of a casino, so the likelihood of getting both rooms comped on the back end was pretty good. Gave flight information, and had limo pickup at the airport all set up.

The Trip In:

Both dad and I had connecting flights through Dallas, so arranged to meet there. Had a couple beers in the club, a couple of drinks on the flight (in first class) and soon we were in Vegas! Made it downstairs to the waiting limo and half hour later we were checking in to our rooms. After 5pm the Rush Tower check in is closed, so we went to the main check in (mistake #1) instead of the VIP check in. Not sure if the host mentioned this or not, but since it was my first time to the Nugget, I didn’t know any better. Got our rooms in the Rush Tower, but they weren’t club rooms (mainly lower floor with open vs. keyed access, so no big deal).

The Hotel:

Rush Tower rooms were as nice as any standard room on the strip, with the possible exception of Wynn (Wynncore standard rooms are nicer) and I’ve not stayed at Cosmo or Aria, so can’t compare those. The rooms themselves are furnished with newer furnishings than even Palazzo/Venetian, though the V/P rooms are obviously much bigger. Nugget website photos are accurate for the Rush rooms, so I didn’t take or post any. Big double sink area in the bathroom to spread out all your stuff, big soaking tub with a rain shower head. The shower head was about 5-6 inches square with a hundred or so outlets, so lots of water! It was not a jetted tub. We were in rooms 10-222 and 10-224 with a view of the strip (not Fremont street) which is probably better, mainly from a noise point of view.

The pool area was a nice resort style pool, I could stare at the shark tank for hours! Rode the slide down through the shark tank (didn’t want to go too fast and miss all the fish from the inside of the slide). On Saturday afternoon, the pool area was crowded enough that we couldn’t find lounge chairs, so we just threw our shirt and shoes by a palm tree and made the best of it. Sunday and Monday was no problem finding a chair. Went upstairs to The Hideout (no one under 16 allowed in) to have lunch. Could have rented a chair up here for $20 each, but I was too cheap. Had lunch at the bar up here, beer was reasonable for a pool resort at $5 each, or bucket of 5 for $20, sandwiches were $10-15 ea, and mixed drinks were $10 ea. Point is, the pool was crowded on Saturday, but you could get a chair if you were willing to pay by going upstairs.

The Trip:

Friday

After we got checked in, threw our stuff into the room and went looking for dinner. Saw an advertisement for Prime Rib at the California for $9.99, so we gave it a shot. Waited in line for 15 minutes (not bad on a Friday night) and had a decent prime rib and open salad bar. The salad bar looked like one you would find at any reasonably priced place, like Ruby Tuesday or similar. Not a grand scale one like at some of the other buffets. Prime rib was a little fatty (aren’t they all?) and about ¾ inch thick. Filled us up, and away we went for under $25 for the two of us.

We walked back to the Nugget, took in a few canopy shows, did some people watching, then it was time to hit the casino! I came down from my room to find dad playing a $5 6:5 game, and promptly shoo-ed him away from that to a proper 3:2 $10 game. I only played in the main area with my dad, we did not try any of the high limit tables. At TI, Monte Carlo and Mirage, as long as I was betting black chips, they would let dad play for $10/hand, if it wasn’t too busy, but I didn’t even ask this time. Dad was comfortable at $10/hand so that’s where we played. The game was H17, meaning dealers hit a soft 17 which is an advantage for the casino, but not this weekend. Out of 12 soft 17s, the dealer broke on 10 of them, got a hard 17 and a 19. So for this session at least, the H17 worked out well.

Pulled a marker for $1000, was planning on betting $50/hand and working up from there. The first thousand was gone in less than an hour, never could make anything happen. Dad decided he was tired and went upstairs, I moved over to a $25 double deck pitch game. This game was S17, so dealer did not hit soft 17s. I like the pitch game because you get to actually touch, hold, pick up, and fondle the cards. Pulled a marker for $2k and started with black chips. However, two hours later, all the chips were gone, I was tired, so it was time for bed. Damn, down $3k the first night! And I told myself I was going to take it easy this trip…

Saturday

Got up the next morning and headed over to the Golden Gate to try the Dupar’s pancakes I have read about on other trip reports. Short stack (2 pancakes) was $5.95, “Vegas Stack” (3 pancakes) was $7.95. We each got the Vegas stack, and they were HUGE. I barely finished one, and that was after drinking all night, so I needed a beer sponge! Next time, I’d either split the Vegas stack, or just get the short. But the pancakes were good, fluffy and everything’s better with syrup. Headed back to the hotel for our pickup by the guys from rvn4fun (that’s their web address) Vegas ATV Adventures. Dad booked a 2 hour ride at Nellis Dunes on a pair of 4 wheelers. They picked us up right at the hotel, drove a half hour north to a wide open area of dunes, hills, hard pack, gravel trails, etc. Had a blast riding up hills, down hills, through the desert. Plenty to see and do out there. We didn’t want a “follow the leader” type tour, where you basically eat the dust of everyone in front of you. The ATVs were certainly not new, but they ran fine, guys were friendly, so we will definitely be back.

Made it back to the hotel and hit up the pool in the afternoon. As mentioned above, kind of crowded, but I would expect a Saturday afternoon to be peak time. Hung out by the pool for a few hours, then headed to the room to clean up for dinner.

As dad took a nap, I wanted to see the El Cortez, so made my way down there, just a 10 minute walk from the Nugget. Read on line they will give you 5% of an ATM withdraw as freeplay up to $50, when you join their club (or earn a certain number of points the previous month if you have a card). Since my bank refunds ATM fees, I figured “why not”. The process is a bit tedious, stand in line to sign up for a card, hit the ATM (I got $1000, in order to get the max of $50 in play) then take the ATM slip to the main cage, take the voucher back to the slot club to have them load the play. Took about 15 minutes total, but for $50, not a bad return on my time. Loaded the free play into the Silver Strike machine, won two of them and cashed out with $35. Headed back to the Nugget to meet dad for dinner.

Dinner was at the Chart House at the Nugget, not cheap, but excellent quality tuna and swordfish, and lobster bisque had a good amount of lobster chunks in it. Yummy! Got a whopping $5 off the $130 bill (including a $38 bottle of wine) for the two of us from a Golden Nugget coupon book we got at check in. We could have explored the Landry’s Card which has some signup bonuses and such, but I didn’t have the details or time to sort through that.

Back to the tables! Hit the same pit with dad as the first night, pulled a $2k marker and never looked back. Cocktail waitress remembered us from the night before, and even remembered drink orders! I tipped her $5 whenever I ordered, and dad tipped $2 when it was his turn. Had plenty of bottle beer and Johnny Walker Black for the evening. Dealer was doing a great job of busting when she was “supposed to”, and everyone at the table was making money. After about 3 hours, I was plateau-ing around $2k profit. Paid off the marker and had $2100 in front of me. Put $300 in the circle, got a 5-5 v. dealer 6. Put another 300 out there, got a nice smiling Q on top. I’m feeling pretty good now! Dealer flips over a 2 for a total of 8. Great, lay a king on top of that 8, and I’m cashing out big time! She puts a 7 on top, now dealer has 15, “keep going!” the table shouts. Next card out of the shoe, I can see the damned thing as it comes out (I always sit at 3rd base) and of course, it is that damned 6… crap. $600 down on one hand when I’ve been playing 1-200/hand all night. That was certainly the cue to stop, took my $1500 profit and cashed it in. Got back half what I lost the night before, not too bad!

Left the table and meandered over to Mermaids, got some beads, and went to order a fried twinkie. Lo and behold, the twinkies are all gone! Yes, I knew about Hostess going under, but I thought Mermaids said they had a supply on hand and a “generic” supplier lined up. Oh well, got the fried Oreos as well. Had two bites (that’s all I can stand before my teeth and triglycerides call “stop!” Dad had two bites and the same reaction. Upon entry, we were showered with beads and the bead lady ensured we knew she wanted a tip. Dad breaks out a buck and sticks it right in her cleavage. Awesome! Instead of looking surprised, she is now looking at me… well, I’ve wasted dollars in worse ways! We took our numbered cards for the drawing, put them in the bin and went to the bar to play nickel (yes, 5c) video poker and drink comped beer. Ten minutes later, they called my number, I’m the big winner! I go back and spin the special slot machine and win $2. But I got beads, more beer, and high blood sugar now, so time to check out more happenings on Fremont.

Got a table at one of the outside bars, watched a couple of bands, saw some street performers with drums and dancers, a great time taking it all in. The strip doesn’t have anything like this. Yes, the clubs and bars are nice, the headline shows are exciting, but they don’t have an outside open air feel to them. It is a 20 minute walk from one thing to another on the strip, downtown we could see/do many things within 5 minutes. I really enjoyed the street performance atmosphere on Saturday night. Ended up staying up past 2am, which was enough for me!

Sunday

Met dad for breakfast at 10am, plan was to head to Main Street Station for Sunday Brunch and find a 2-for-1 coupon somewhere. Find out the 2-for-1s are only in the Las Vegas Advisor book, and I didn’t have one. Brunch was $10.95 each, as both dad and I had BConnected cards. Fairly good value here, good selection of breakfast items, fruit, bacon (tons of bacon….mmmm…) and some interesting lunch items, including poi (must cater to a Hawaiian crowd, I used to live there when I was younger). I picked the MSS as they included champagne in their brunch, but honestly, it was way too sweet (and cheap) for me. Good selection of desserts too, which is kind of unusual for a brunch display.

Finished brunch and headed over to the Jerky Store on 3rd, picked up some flavored jerky for my wife and little ones at home, along with some Li Hing Mui (dried plum seeds, mixed with sugar, salt, and some spices). It was a treat we got when we lived in Hawaii, none of the kids ate chocolate because it would melt, so as kids, this was the kind of stuff we got. Brought back some fun memories of Hawaii. Walked down to the Heart Attack Grill, my wife and I ate here on a previous visit. Fun place. No mention of anything diet at all. No light beer. Home of the 10,000 calorie hamburger. Awesome. Poked through some of the shops at Neonopolis, not sure that place is going to make it. Watched some of the folks on the zipline, dad was too heavy to do it (he’s over 250) but don’t think we would have anyway.

Made it to the “D”, I liked the interior, darker, warm woods, nice looking leather seats, etc. We considered staying here, but I think I like the Nugget better. Grabbed a coke form the McDonalds on site, and headed back to the Nugget to put away the jerky and Li Hing Mui. The plan was to take the Deuce down to MGM and play the Lions Share progressive slot (over $2.3m and counting). Got an $8 all day ticket and took the Deuce down to Bellagio, stopped off at the players lounge and grabbed a coke and cookie, and we were off. The lounge staff were checking room keys for others, but guess dad and I looked like we belonged, so no problem. I would have called my host there if we were questioned, but didn’t have to. Trammed it to Monte Carlo and crossed the street to MGM. Ran $102 through the Lions machine got one Lion, but not much else. Made our way around the Trop, NYNY and M&M World, then took the SDX express bus back to the Nugget. The SDX was much faster than the Deuce, 20 minutes v. nearly an hour to get from MGM to the Nugget.

Back at the Nugget, took in a little more pool and lounging action. Less crowded, got a couple of chairs and a couple of beers and mellowed out for the rest of the afternoon. Got cleaned up for dinner, and headed across the street to the 4Queens. I saw on their coupon flyer, new signups get a 2-for-1 entrée at Magnolias, their coffee shop. Also saw a sign outside they had 9.99 prime rib! Signed dad up for a card (apparently, I had one from a previous visit) and away we went for our second prime rib meal. Got seated and were told we couldn’t use the 2-for-1 for the 9.99 special, we either had to order the “normal” price 11.99 prime rib, or we could get a double cut for 17.99. I figured for the extra 6 bucks between the two of us, “bring me a double”! It was fantastic! Normally, I cut away ¼ to 1/3 of the prime rib as it is too fatty or whatever. These prime ribs were almost 2 inches thick, wonderfully moist and literally tender enough to cut with a fork. I did trim some fat (need it for flavor during cooking) but this was outstanding. Highly, highly recommended. We did add a bottle of $15 cabernet that you could get at the liquor store for $8, can’t remember the winery, some mass market wine like Kendal Jackson or Mondavi, it wasn’t Cloe du Bois, because I hate that one. So for under $35, we had two fantastic prime ribs, salad, and a cheap bottle of wine. That’s value!

Now properly fed and priming the alcohol pump, it was time to hit the tables again. Back to the Nugget! Same pit, different table, same dealer, pit boss, and cocktail waitress. Started with a $2k marker, paid that off fairly quickly, hovering around $500 profit for the night, couldn’t really get much above that. Put out the standard black chip, get a pair of 8s against a dealer 9. Of course, have to split them. Get a 3, now have to double. Get another 3…great, $200 on a 14. On to the next 8, get another 8. Re-split and get a 4, hit it and get a 6… ok 18 is better than 14. On to the 3rd 8. Get another 8! That’s now 4 – 8s on the table in front of me. Get a 2 for a total of 10, have to double this one too. Get a 5. So now I have a $200 14, and a $200 15. On the last 8, I get a 9 for a 17. So now I have a 13, 18, 15 and 17 against a dealer nine. I’m just waiting for her to flip the 10 and crush my win for the evening. Flips the 9, and up comes a 5, then the biggest most beautiful Queen I have seen in a looooong time for a $600 win on that hand. Decided then I needed some really good scotch, so I ordered a Johnny Walker Blue (between $150-200 a bottle in duty free) from the waitress. She of course had to get it approved by the pit boss, no problem there. Five minutes later, I tipped her $10 for that one, and now I’m drinking my favorite scotch and won (for me) a monster hand. Played around a little more that night and ended up +$1200 for that session, for a total loss of the trip of $700. Head outside to Fremont again, watch the shows and performers, listen to the music and finish drinking with dad, then up to bed.

Monday

Had a 2-for-1 buffet coupon in the hotel book so had the Nugget buffet for breakfast, 8.99 not bad with the 2-for-1, but otherwise kind of pricey compared to other available eats. Buffet was ok, sort of Old Country Buffet standards, nothing exciting, nor significantly different than the Main Street buffet to justify the difference in price. Time to check out with the host and see what they can do. Total bets were 9 hours at an average of $188/hand. With that play, she comped off both rooms for all three nights, the $28 VIP check in (?), the limo ride from the airport and about $100 in food/beverage from the trip. Dad had 9 hours at $18 average bet, so she took another $30 off the food. I kind of thought they should have taken care of everything (there was only about $60 left on the folio) but I wasn’t going to push it on my first trip. I was actually pleased that dad’s play counted at all, as we all know on the strip it is hard to get rated at all below $25/hand. She then offered the limo to head back to the airport, but I already had planned to take the bus. Now, before you laugh, there is a Westcliff Airport Express (WAX) bus that leaves every hour literally across the street from the Nugget. It was $2 per person, so far less than the $20 tip on the comped limo would have been. So we had to roll our bags across the street, which wasn’t much further than the front desk. Bus arrived on time, 4 or 5 stops later (30 minutes? not much longer than if we drove ourselves) we were at the airport. I wouldn’t have taken the bus if it was raining, or with a ton of luggage, or late at night, but with one rolling bag, and literally across the street, it was too good to pass up! I wouldn’t use the bus on arrival though, as it would be too hard to plan/coordinate when you arrive v. the bus’ schedule. A waiting limo is much better for that. Kind of funny, though, limo in, bus out! Sort of like what Vegas does with your money, lots of money in, not as much on the way out….

Headed upstairs to the check in level, got my boarding pass from one of the kiosks and headed to security. Dad came through first class security with me, even though he was on Allegiant (no first class) and I went through Pre-Check (the TSA program of expedited screening). Fifteen minutes later we were in the LAS Club lounge, with a drink and awaiting our flights.

Summary

Downtown’s offering of lots of casinos close by is tough to beat. Don’t like your table? Go to the next one. Want to try something different? Just cross the street. The “junk” shops downtown sell soda, water, beer, etc., much cheaper than the stores on the strip. The players lounge at the Nugget needs some work. They only have water and juice, no soda, wine, beer, etc. The Nugget is the nicest place downtown, but there are many other reasonable alternatives. I would certainly return on a guys trip, probably would not stay downtown with my wife, as there are too many other things she likes to see/do on the strip. Higher end restaurants, shows, etc. Didn’t see the spa at the Nugget, so can’t really comment on that. Didn’t see nearly as many hookers on this trip, either in the casinos or on Fremont. I didn’t see any inside the Nugget, not sure if they chase them out, or if there is another place they like to go. With judicious use of coupons, eating can be outright cheap for two people downtown. Wish I had time to hit the Mob Museum, actually play more at the “D” to get on their offer list and spend some time at the Golden Gate. There’s always next time!


Hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing, happy to answer any questions (assuming I remember the answers).

 

well played sir!

 

Nice report. I still prefer the hotel limo to and from the airport, but have used the WAX to go to Suncoast and back to the airport to pick up a rental. Your dad at age 60, could have rode for a buck if just showed a picture ID.

 

Dad's actually 68... could have saved that buck for another bead girl at Mermaids! Next time....

Thanks!

 

Great Report.

Welcome to the Dark Side.

 

Great trip report. Then again, I'm a sucker for father-son bonding.

 

Thanks for the report and all of the details.Glad to hear the 2nd big hand worked out in your favour

 

That was a great report. Gotta love the adrenaline rush that comes with those splits and double downs! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the bus tip too Joe. I never knew that.

 

Damn thought I was reading my own trip report for a minute. Same age, frequency of trips to Vegas, split trips with the guys and the wife, same level of blackjack play, grew up as a kid in Hawaii (miss that li hing muy, and lets not forget dried cuttlefish, rice cakes, manapua, fried noodles from the lunch wagon, and diamond head cola!), first trip was to IP, and to top it off a dolphin fan!

Enjoyed your TR, and lets go fish!

 

Nice report!

 

My first stay in Vegas wasn't at IP, but at the Holiday (Ship on the Strip) Casino, now Harrahs. I think it was my 3rd trip before I stayed at IP and haven't since. I've never stayed downtown so really enjoyed your account from a "first timer" perspective. Before my Mum passed I used to take her to Vegas twice a year; lots of fun memories. Sounds like the GN treated you well and no doubt you'll be seeing future offers. Sounds like you enjoyed making Vegas memories with your Dad and I enjoyed the read!

 

Finsfan, I enjoyed your report. The Nugget has treated us well over the years for my craps play there, and my wife and I really like the Rush rooms. Regarding your concerns about your wife not enjoying staying downtown, you might try a mixed trip; two nights downtown and four on the strip or some such. On our trips we like to mix it up between the two locations, in addition to the M Resort.

As for fine dining downtown, you should try the Flame at the El Cortez, Hugo’s at the Four Queens, and Vic and Anthony’s at the Nugget (in that order). You should be able to get old fashioned dinner pit comps at these restaurants for your level of play as I have for a similar level of craps play in the past. We take the bus also, it works well going to the airport and runs on a posted schedule so it’s easy to make flights. Good fun reading about you and your dad!

Outsider

 

Very enjoyable read. Thanks for taking the time!

 

Very enjoyable read thanks. It's rare to read a report that includes some higher level play downtown.

I think you did well at GN. People often say that comps are comparable to strip properties but an average of $188 for 3 hours a day got 2 comped rooms, limo transfers and some F&B. That sounds fairly good to me.

 

Great report. Thanks for sharing. GN is the class of downtown although with my low stakes I find I need to stay at 4Q to squeeze out a comped room. My dad died when I was 24 (he was 49) so enjoy those trips with Dad while you can. I'm envious. Sounds like you both had a great time. Get that next trip planned! (but maybe next it's the wife's turn)

 

i think its funny that you were looking for coupons and other deals on food, saving $10 or $20. while averaging $188 per hand. why is that funny you might ask? i do the exact same thing. why not take advantage of a freebie or discount if it is there for the taking. if a group of us are going i'll get online and trade for dining coupons so we can save a little each meal, i especially like the bogo buffet coupons.

great trip report. sounds like you had a great time with your dad.

todd

 

Enjoyed your report!!

We are doing the strip this year since it is a 21st birthday deal for our daughter but my wife and I are starting to think downtown will be our home during trips after that...

 

Thanks for all the details on downtown. You seem to have had a rich experience. I especially enjoyed hearing how the ATM freeplay deal went at the El Cortez. That seems like a good deal.

I beat the California line to eat by sitting at the bar. No line for that, just walk up and ask. Once I did it with four of us.

I like the Four Queens. For slot and video poker players, the American Casino Guide has a coupon to double points up to 500 on a single day. That figures out to be $12.50 in cashback so it just about pays for the book. There is a 2 for 1 for Magnolia's there as well.

There is a bit of a decision to make as the specials are not usually on the coupons. You handled it very well and got a great deal. Another thing to watch is if you are at a table with a group, I think 5 or more, the tip is added to the bill. If you leave and tip and don't look at the bill until you make the cash register, well, you know the waiters scoop up table tips right away, so it may mean you have tipped twice.
55 and older get 20% off bills at Magnolia's.

Thanks again.

 

Great Friday read;

Mahalo!

 

Great trip report, really enjoyed reading it, and glad that you both had a good time.

I myself am a Wynn/Palazzo man who has been converted to the joys of downtown Vegas. I stayed for 2 of 3 weeks in the Rush Tower last year, and was kind of sorry to leave for the Palazzo in the end...

The report has really got me excited for another summer at the Nugget!