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Reno Trip Report - LIVE

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Trip Reports' started by Vegas Lover, Jul 22, 2013.

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  1. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    In just a few short hours I will be leaving for the airport to fly into San Francisco. San Francisco you ask, and not Reno? Well.... I am traveling with my wife as she is on a business trip. So I will be flying into SFO arriving around 9:30pm, picking up the rental car, dropping her off at her hotel for the next 3 days & proceeding to drive straight to RENO :) :beer: SOLO in RENO!!! :nworthy: I am sure that I will likely be extremely tired & am hoping to get some sleep on the plane. Supposedly Google maps states that I can make it to Reno in 3.5 hours. I doubt it, but am hoping to arrive safe without killing anyone or any animals :nono:

    I will do my best to update everyone when I can.
     
  2. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    If that 3.5 hours is from the airport, I think it might be off. But depending on where her hotel is, that might be pretty accurate.

    We used to live in Foster City and I think we were just under 4 hours to Reno on most trips. It took about 25 minutes to get across the bridges, through the city and on our way.

    Have you been to Reno before? Where are you staying? I'm always interested to hear what people think of Reno as it's where I popped my casino cherry way back in the day.
     
  3. FXT

    FXT VIP Whale

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    Travelling at night you should make it there under 4 hrs. Just beware of all the highway pds hiding in odd places. Better to add 1/2 hour to the trip to avoid a $400 ticket.
     
  4. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    I've never been to Reno before & I think I am going into this with the correct expectations. I am not expecting Vegas! But I am expecting some of the cheaper tables and decent food options.

    I am staying at Circus Circus. Primarily for 2 reasons: 1st its cheap as all hell, and the 2nd is that it is connected via walkway to two other casino's. the other thing that I liked is it said on the website I could check in at 8am or 10am during the weekdays. I am not planning on getting a hotel room tonight & am going to try & save the $50. More gambling money :cheers: I just hope I don't have to take a nap in my car if they won't let me check in. However like all true degens I will probably be on the gambling rush when I first get there & won't even think about sleeping.

    The idea I like about CC is the walkway, espically at night drinking and not having to drive anywhere. My plan for my solo adventure is to hit as many casino's as possible to collect casino chips, and hopefully find some insanely cheap craps tables along the way. Since I will be driving a decent amount I will limit my intake of adult beverages primarily to night time at CC. However I am not against going on a heater drinking heavily and just getting a room at whatever place I am at.

    I hope to get to most of the casinos is Reno/Sparks, visit Virgina City & Carson City, & travel much of Lake Tahoe visiting the casino's along the way. Pretty much thinking hit an run type of play. Seeing if I can win $20, get my casino chip & leave. Lake Tahoe from the pictures I've seen looks amazing.

    Anyone have any good food suggestions? I am 10000% sure I will be eating at IN n Out at some point of my trip & am super excited by that, but any other suggestions?
     
  5. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    Are there a lot of cops along that section of highway? A $400 would suck! :grrr:
     
  6. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    It's been a long time since I've stayed in that complex, but we used to stay there exclusively. The steakhouse at Silver Legacy usually has a decent dinner special that starts around 5pm. I also used to love drinking and playing VP at the brew pub at Eldorado.

    I always find a moment to go over to the other tower of Circus Circus where there is a small casino. We used to always play Roulette there and bet "29 for Al", our favorite dealer from CC back in the olden days (90's).

    Tahoe is beautiful! The casinos are gathered in a very small section of the lake that you can easily walk around.

    Enjoy your trip!
     
  7. FXT

    FXT VIP Whale

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    We saw quite a bit when we went last thanksgiving. Might have been the holiday weekend but I feel like they're always out there to catch truckers and end up giving out quite a bit of speeding tickets too.
     
  8. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    I had a few days in the area and tried to hit as many casinos as possible in Reno / Tahoe. I was able to hit all of the Reno casinos and most of the other casinos on the list below (casinos with live games & chips (not slots only casinos)). I liked Grand Sierra and Peppermill the best in Reno, and Harrah's/Harveys and the Grand Lodge in Incline Village. Also checked out the state capitol and wanted to check out the Carson City mint but it was closed.

    Link

    Reno (11)
    Atlantis Casino Resort [64,814]
    Circus Circus Hotel & Casino [68,759]
    Club Cal-Neva [40,640]
    Diamonds Casino [8,000]
    Eldorado Hotel & Casino [77,400]
    Grand Sierra Resort & Casino [59,410]
    Harrah's Casino Hotel Reno [40,200]
    Peppermill Hotel & Casino [77,085]
    The Sands Regency [25,791]
    Siena Casino [24,000]
    Silver Legacy Resort Casino [89,200]


    Northwest Nevada - Other (24)

    Carson City (4): Carson Nugget, Inc. [28,930]; Carson Station Hotel & Casino [12,250]; Casino Fandango [42,943] & Gold Dust West Carson City [18,100].
    Crystal Bay (2): Crystal Bay Club Casino [14,020] & Tahoe Biltmore Lodge [10,480].
    Fallon (2): Fallon Nugget ^ [3,700] & Stockmen's Casino [8,614].
    Gardnerville (1): Topaz Lodge & Casino [14,400].
    Incline Village (1): Grand Lodge Casino [18,900].
    Minden (1): Carson Valley Inn [22,800].
    Sparks (4): Alamo Travel Center [7,150]; John Ascuaga's Nugget [82,600]; Terrible's Rail City Casino^ [23,854] & Western Village [26,452].
    Stateline (4): Harrah's Casino Hotel Lake Tahoe & Harvey's Resort Hotel & Casino [One license - 89,244]; Lakeside Inn [17,852] & Montbleu [45,000].
    Verdi (1): Boomtown Reno [38,550].
    Virginia City (1): Bonanza Casino^ [12,484]
    Winnemucca (2): Parker Model T's [7,053] & Winners Hotel & Casino [10,340].
    Yerington (1): Casino West [4,950].
     
  9. Sab

    Sab Tourist

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    awful awful

    Try the awful awful burger.it is downtown in the little nugget casino not to be confused with the nugget which is in sparks.
     
  10. fadetheseven

    fadetheseven High-Roller

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    For low rolling you can find $3 craps at the Cal-Neva a little further south of the 3-casino complex you'll be visiting. I think they offered 3/4/5 odds on their table. You will find some strung out junkies here.

    I prefer the dealers and the vibe at the Atlantis. They will always have a $3 craps game with 5x odds all the way across. This is where I stay in Reno and never need to leave. They have an excellent steakhouse and great pastrami in the deli.

    For ULTRA low rolling, you can get $2 craps with 2x odds at the Bonanza in the area north of University. The steakhouse is ok but I'd rather pay a bit more for a thicker cut of meat at the Atlantis.

    edit: forgot to mention Peg's diner on State St. just south of the Downtown area. They have amazing huevos rancheros.
     
  11. Carole

    Carole Low-Roller

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    This drive, San Francisco to Reno can be filled with law enforcement. Highway 80 goes through several counties, and the area south and north of Vallejo is traveled alot by CHP units because they have their office around there. The other really bad area is Placer county, which is north of Sacramento...usually when you see one cop there is another nearby. I make the trip from Sacramento to Reno frequently always during the day so I can at least be looking in my rear view for black and white! Out of the 3 hotels in the walk way area, my favorite is silver legacy. Their players club is very easy and you accumulate dollars for food quickly. The draw back to circus circus is lots of kids...When we were there a couple of weeks ago my son and his family got a room there. They had to wait and take a tram to the hotel tower from the casino. The food at both the cafe's the one in Silver Legacy and the one in El Dorado is decent. Good Luck!
     
  12. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    This is an awesome list!!! Thanks so much! At the airport right now flying out in 1 hour. That's a lot I casinos to hit butt I'm up for the challenge! Hit and run baby!!!:beer:
     
  13. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    Do I dare ask what the awful aweful burger is????
     
  14. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    That $3 game at Atlantis sounds just up my alley! Typically I always have $25 working in some way, but a $3 let's me have more numbers working!
     
  15. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    True, but the Spark Nugget (John Asquaga's) has it's own version of the Awful-Awful, which is a two patty burger. Hard to argue the authenticity of it as Asquaga was a cook in the 60's at the Carson Nugget for Dick Graves who pioneered & owned the various Nuggets.

    They're both outstanding burgers and it's kind of a Ford/Chevy argument locally.
     
  16. fadetheseven

    fadetheseven High-Roller

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    I would heartily recommend the Atlantis if you are driving. I don't think the Bonanza is worth driving to since it is kind of dumpy. They used to have a $1 game back when I started playing dice in Reno. The Atlantis has great high ceilings for good circulation. They also have a bunch of DD BJ for $5. They offer a variety of FP VP at the quarter level. Like I mentioned before, their dice dealers are top notch. Look for Rame/Kahn on the night shift, Scott/4finger Paul on the day shift. If you are single malt drinker, they comp Glenlivet on the floor. Not the most interesting dram, but better than most cheaper blends.

    If you wish to imbibe and would rather walk, the Cal-Neva is your next best option. These dealers only come alive if you've got them in the action. Otherwise these guys are zombies.

    Edit: Darn it! I keep forgetting about the food. I tried the Awful Awful and it was just ok. It comes with a monster basket of cheap skinny fries. The Atlantis Bistro Napa has a happy hour from 4-6pm nightly that has half off their app/alcohol menu. They have a Trio of sliders for about $8 or so. IMO worlds better than the Awful Awful. Plus, you can get a pour of 18 year old Macallan for $10.
     
  17. JSR1968

    JSR1968 Low-Roller

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    We used to gamble in the Sky Tower all the time. It used to have a full casino until the mid-90's then only slots and VP until at least 2000 or 2001. The last time I was there in late 2011 it was pretty much empty.
     
  18. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    Finally arrived in Reno after a slight flight delay, a long wait at the rental car location at SFO (it's like people have never rented a car!!!). Then dropped the wife off. In Reno by 4am. Not bad. Debating on what to do first. I'm pretty tired, but a small session wouldn't be too bad. We shall see!!!
     
  19. Vegas Lover

    Vegas Lover Low-Roller

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    Down a quick $40 on craps :(
     

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  20. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Awful BIG... Awful GOOD!!! That's where the name comes from.
     
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