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Luxor Trip Report (EXTREMELY LONG + Pics)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by hillwood24, Oct 25, 2013.

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  1. hillwood24

    hillwood24 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2012
    Messages:
    773
    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    13

    My Trip Report

    For years I have enjoyed reading everyone's trip reports and they have always helped me pass the time until my next trip. I really enjoy the longer and more detailed trip reports, so I'm going to try and write one myself. This will be a report consisting of mostly gambling, shows, and couponing.

    The players:

    This trip was originally supposed to be a solo trip, but I found out that my dad had some vacation time that he had to use, so he decided to tag along. I'm 23 and my dad turned 49 on the second day of this trip. This is my fourth trip to Vegas and probably his 15th. I brought a gambling budget of $2500 and he brought a gambling budget of $1000. We had already prepaid for all of our shows and entertainment, and we planned to charge all food and other incidentals to our credit cards, so as to leave our gambling funds completely dedicated to gambling.

    DAY 1: Sunday October 20th

    I usually fly out early in the morning, but we decided to leave a day earlier and fly in at night since the airline tickets were cheaper. We paid roughly $225 each round trip on American Airlines. We arrived at the DFW airport at around 7pm and were checked in and through security by 7:20. No TSA hiccups this time (more on this later).

    As we sat at the gate for our 8:15pm flight, the ticket agent notified us that the flight was oversold and that they were looking for 3 volunteers to roll over to the next flight for $400 travel vouchers. My dad and I literally sprinted into the line and were #1 and #2 on the list with a nice girl behind us in line at #3. We got our vouchers and got our guaranteed seats on the next flight that left just 1 hour and 45 minutes later at 10:00pm. We are already up $400 each for the trip! This will pay for my next flight out to Vegas and I'll likely be able to go first class since the $400 has to be used all at once. That will be a sweet trip!

    We walked towards our new gate and stopped at Wendy's to have a quick snack. We then walked the rest of the way to the gate and watched the second half of the Broncos/Colts game. The flight was very smooth and uneventful and we pulled up to the gate exactly on time to the minute. I don't know how they always do that.

    We walked downstairs to the luggage return to find our luggage already sitting aside since it went on the earlier flight. We picked it up in stride and headed towards the rental car shuttle.

    We had rented a compact Ford Focus for 5 days through Chase bank using credit card points for a grand total of 8800 points ($88 equivalent). I had read the horrid, nightmarish reviews about Dollar rental car prior to booking this, but decided to book it anyways since it was sooo cheap.

    We encountered a line of about 5 people, and it was our turn within 10 minutes. Not bad at all. However, we did get the hard up-sell at the counter for all kinds of upgrades and insurance protections. From the reviews, we knew that they weren't always straightforward about the real cost of each add-on, so our strategy was to just decline everything and hold firm for the cheap rate we got. We did inquire about the insurance though because we wanted some peace of mind, but the full insurance was $69 A DAY!!! That was completely outrageous considering the rental rate was about $17 a day. We obviously declined and headed downstairs to get our Focus.

    After arriving downstairs, we stood in a line of about 5 people also waiting for cars. When it was our turn, they told us that no compacts were left and offered us a minivan. We declined and said we just wanted our Focus. (I had read in the reviews that this was a tactic they use to charge you more. They insinuate it is a "free" upgrade, but then hit your credit card for a huge up charge after you leave). Anyways, after seeing that we didn't want a minivan, he leaned in and asked us "how much would you pay for a Mustang?" When we said "nothing" he said "Ok, I'll take care of you." I immediately started recording on my phone because I wanted to get this exchange on tape for proof. So he walked us over to the Mustangs and we asked again how much this was going to cost and he said "don't worry about it, I subbed it for you on the receipt." After confirming this, we gave him a $10 tip and he thanked us and allowed us to pick from a long row of Mustangs. We picked one of the silver convertibles and headed for the strip. The Mustang had 44k miles on it, but was clean inside and just had the normal rental car dings and scrapes on the outside. It drove really nice. I had never seen that many miles on a rental car before.

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    We drove straight to the Luxor and parked in the self park. We went straight to check in. We were staying on a 4 night comp in one of their tower rooms. I have stayed here twice before, so I guess it is kind of my home base. I did the $20 trick and asked for a Pyramid Suite with two beds. The lady at the desk wasted no time and got us exactly what we asked for. I am 4 for 4 on the $20 trick. It works ever time. It even worked for me over Memorial Day weekend, but I upped it to $50 for that special occasion. We checked into the room and unpacked a little bit.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    We were feeling hungry so we walked downstairs to look for some food. It was around 1am at this point, so all that was open was McDonald's. We walked over to Excalibur and found Krispy Kreme open. I got a donut and chocolate milk, and my dad got 2 donuts. We scarfed those down and headed back towards the Luxor to go to sleep, but not before a quick pit stop at the Craps table. I put $100 down and started betting $25 on the dark side. I won once, but then lost the next few throws and was felted within 15 minutes. This was a bad start to the gambling, so we went up and went to bed.

    Day 2 Monday October 21st

    Today was my dad's birthday, so I had bought him Carrot Top tickets. I had seen the show twice before, but it is absolutely hilarious, and it seems to get funnier each time. I purchased the tickets using the MyVegas B1G1 reward. The grand total was like $65 and we got third row, dead center. The seats were excellent and the price was amazing.

    Anyways, we woke up at 7:30am to get ready. We called for a safe to be sent to our room so that we didn't have to walk around with all of our gambling money at once. They brought it right up within 15 minutes and we were on our way.

    We walked downstairs to the Luxor sports book to check out the Monday night football lines. Although the Giants hadn't won a game yet, we decided to put $100 each on them to cover the 3.5 points that they were giving up. We felt pretty good about it.

    We then headed downtown for some breakfast and gambling. This was when it was really cool to have a convertible. The weather was nice, and we could look straight up at the towering hotels as we drove down the strip. Really cool stuff. We ate breakfast at Binion's café and then got our pictures taken with the million dollars. I didn't have a Binion's card, so I signed up for it and took advantage of two of their coupons. I did the free ace in blackjack and hit blackjack for a $15 win on my $10 bet. I scooped that up and headed over to the craps table to do their $10 match play bet. I put $10 on the dark side and hit immediately. It was clear that the gambling was really turning around for me.

    Next we walked over to the Plaza and signed up for their players card and got entered into their slot tournament. We did that for $5 minutes and it was kinda fun even though we are not slot players (I've never played a slot before this trip). I went ahead and decided to play some craps and continue my luck. I lost $200 betting the dark side within 10 minutes. The shooter hit point after point after point.

    I was pretty pissed, so we walked over to the Four Queens to sign up for their players card. We each did the free ace and match play coupons. Again, I hit my dark side match play and also blackjack on my free ace. I scooped up those winnings and headed straight for the cage. I watched my dad play Keno for about an hour and then we decided to play the video craps machine where the dice pop up in the middle. He won a few bucks, and I broke even.

    We decided to leave and walked outside to find this fairly attractive girl standing in the middle of Fremont with no shirt on. She was just holding a fan in front of her to hide what little she could. My dad basically forced me to take a picture with her, so he handed her the tip and I got my picture taken. It finally started to sink in that I was in Vegas.

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    After that, we drove on over to the Pawn shop to check it out. The reviews for this are spot on. It is basically a dump. It was cool to see, but it is nothing like you imagine on the show. The place was kind of dark, and just wasn't everything I'd hoped it be.

    I desperately needed to recoup some of that $200 I'd lost in craps at the Plaza, so we went to the Luxor so I could put another $100 on the Giants at -3.5. I was confident they'd cover, so this would be my way of getting my money back. After that bet, I swung by the box office to pick up our Carrot Top tickets. It was then on to the Quad to see Jeff Civillico!

    We had purchased tickets on eBay for Jeff Civillico about two weeks prior to this trip. We paid a grand total of $9 shipped for two VIP tickets. This got us right up front against the stage and we had a great view of all the action. The opening act for Jeff was a guy by the name of Turf. He did some dancing, but mostly showcased his double jointed contortionism. We didn't particularly enjoy this, as it was pretty disgusting and not really entertaining. He seemed to me like he should be doing this on the sidewalk out in front of the Quad with the other street performers. It would probably fit in better there.

    After turf left the stage, Jeff Civillico came out. All I can say is that this show was amazing. It was definitely very family friendly, but Civillico still had plenty of innuendos that were absolutely hilarious for the adults. He really knows how to work an audience and is an extremely talented juggler. He really deserves a better set-up than what the Quad can offer him. I expect that he will have a better venue in the near future. On the topic of the Quad, the casino renovations are looking fairly nice. A lot better than the old Imperial Palace.

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    Afterwards, we went to dinner at El Segundo at the Fashion Show Mall. We had a coupon from Restaurant.com that we paid $1.99 for that allowed us to get $25 off of a $35 purchase. We had no problem meeting that threshold after ordering two tacos, two quesadillas, chips and salsa, and chicken fajitas. We sat at the bar and ate like kings as we watched the first half of the Giants/Vikings game. After seeing how bad the Vikings were in the first half, we sprinted across the street to the Wynn to get money in on the second half. The Giants were 2.5 point favorites for the second half, so we each put another $50 on them that would help us break even should the Giants cover. We barely got our bet in by mere seconds before they took the line down.

    At this point, it was 8pm and we needed to be at the Luxor for Carrot Top at 8:30. We raced the Mustang down the strip while listening to the game on the radio. We heard that the Giants had scored a touchdown and we went absolutely crazy. We parked the car and then ran inside and up the stairs and took our seats at 8:25pm, just in time for the show. Before the show started, I checked my phone one last time to see that the Giants had scored again, so we were feeling really good about our bet. This put us in a good mood for the show, and we had an absolute blast. Carrot Top was as funny as ever and my dad really enjoyed seeing him for the first time. There was a famous band in attendance that night and they were sitting in the row directly behind us, but we didn't catch their name and didn't recognize them. Oh well.

    We got out of Carrot Top and confirmed that the Giants won and covered the spread. We decided to celebrate by heading downtown to play some craps and to use our $25 free play coupon at the Golden Gate that we had found in one of those Vegas advertisement books. I lost my $25 on the don’t pass, but decided to keep playing since I was the only person at the table. I put down $200 and was down to about $80 after a half hour of play. I stuck with the dark side and put it all up on one throw. I immediately hit a three and doubled my $80. Now down only $40, I switched to $25 dark side bets and was hitting every which way. I'd hit a point and then immediately seven out. It was awesome. I started putting the dealers on the line and we just couldn't lose. I cashed out up a couple hundred bucks and tipped the dice crew one more time. That was by far the best dice crew I've ever played with. They cheered really loud whenever I won and rooted me on the whole time. They were also incredibly appreciative of the tips and even remembered my name when I came back on subsequent days. It was a ton of fun.

    After the epic craps session, we went to Magnolia's at the Four Queens for an open face turkey sandwich, as we had a 2 for 1 coupon. It was incredibly tasty, especially at 1am. We hung out for a while and eventually retired to the Luxor at about 3am.

    Day 3 TUESDAY October 22nd:

    I forgot to set my alarm, so we slept in until about 11am. We quickly showered and headed over to Mandalay Bay for a Slice of Vegas. We had another restaurant.com coupon for $25 off $37.50 that we paid $6 for. We got a large pizza, two drinks, and an order of fries and it was barely over the $37.50. Perfect. We ate a ton and then headed out for some more gambling.

    Our first stop of the day was to swing by the Wynn to collect on our sports book ticket from the night before. After doing so, we signed up for their players card and got $10 free play each. I didn't know what to play, but ultimately decided on an Oodles of Poodles game since we have a dog that looks a lot like the picture. I don't play slots, so I didn't know what I was doing. I ran through that $10 pretty fast. My dad decided to play his through video roulette and was low-rolling at a quarter a spin. I wandered over to find a craps table but a Michael Jackson slot caught my eye. I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, and this slot kind of looked fun, so I threw a $100 in it. I max betted every time, because I think that's what you're supposed to do, and I was up and down for about 10 minutes before I hit a $45 bonus. I wasn't quite even yet, so I continued to play. I rode that $100 all the way down to $45 when I hit another bonus that paid $75. This put me exactly $20 ahead, so I cashed out my $120 and ran to the cashier to get my cash.

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    We then decided to head over to the Palms to redeem our slot play coupons that we had purchased in advance. For new members, you can buy $50 in slot play for $25. There was even some link I found that got me 5% off of that, so I paid $23.75 for $50 in slot play. I went straight to a dollar 9/6 JOB machine and stayed even for a while. I could have cashed out like $40, but I wanted to actually win some money so I continued to play. I lost it all within 5 minutes after making that poor decision. I went and found my dad playing multi-card keno with his money. He played that for a long time and ended up cashing out his $50.

    I decided that I wanted to play some more, so I figured I'd try the Palms' loss rebate promotion. If you lose $100, they'll give you $40 in free play up front, and then $60 in free play after 30 days. I went to the Michael Jackson machine and lost the $100 after not hitting a single bonus. It was a real bummer. I went to the player's desk and got my $40 in free play loaded on my card. I then went to the high limit room to try and win something big on "their money." I did 4 pulls on one of their $5 machines (2 credits) and didn't hit a thing.

    To continue on our cheapskate gambling, we went to The Cosmopolitan to partake in their loss rebate promotion. I went straight to the high limit room and found a $5 slot that looked promising. I hit on like the third spin to bring my $100 investment up to $175. I immediately cashed out and called it a success. My dad put $100 in the same machine and ran it all the way down and hit absolutely nothing. He wandered over to the player's club to get his free $100. As we looked for a cheap blackjack machine to cycle the $100 free play through, I spotted the new NASCAR slot machine that I had read about on here. I really wanted to try it since I am a huge NASCAR fan. I put my $175 TITO in the machine and started max betting. This had to have been the coldest machine in the world. I hit nothing over $6 the entire time, but hit for 40 cents like every third spin (how is this even possible on a max bet????). I ran through the full $175 and joined the line to get my $100 free play loaded on.

    We decided to just cycle our money through a low variance machine like blackjack so we could get most of it back. We each bet $1 a hand and played it through. I ended up with $82, and he ended up with $77. All I can say about the blackjack machines are that they have to be rigged. I have never seen such BS happen on a real table. They had a 10 up like 7/10 times. And if they had a 6 up, they turned over a 5 EVERY SINGLE TIME. It was beyond insane. That stuff just doesn't happen at the real tables. I decided that I wanted my full $100 back, so I put my $82 TITO into a video roulette machine and started betting $1 a spin on red. I figured I'd do the double up strategy of doubling my bet after each loss, as that gave me the best chance of getting back my money. It worked flawlessly after only a couple $16 scares, and I cashed out even at $100. My dad lost a little bit of money on the promotion but he was fine with it.

    By this time, it was 7:15pm and we had tickets for Vinnie Favorito at 8pm. We ran back to the Luxor and changed for the show. We ended up arriving 5 minutes late (and this is not a show you want to be late to, as he will harass you), but it started late anyways, so we were OK. We had VIP tickets that we had purchased on eBay for $35/each. This got us in the front row, just barely off center. His show was really good (not quite Carrot Top funny), but still funny. His jokes are like a 70/30 split between race and sex jokes. His interaction with the audience is excellent, and let me assure you that nobody is safe from this show. He talked to nearly 3/4 of the crowd (only about 50 people in attendance), but we somehow escaped unharmed.

    We left the Flamingo to head downtown for some more craps at the Golden Gate. I won $120 betting the dark side $5 at a time. If I was betting my normal $25, I would have had a nice $500 win. I forgot to mention earlier that they have some beautiful girls dancing and dealing cards here. I'm 23 and they were probably close to my age, maybe a little older. I was in heaven. We ate at the Four Queens café again with another B1G1 coupon. I had the french toast and eggs. Very tasty.

    After downtown, we headed to the Palms at 2am because my dad wanted to play his lucky keno machine. He won a few bucks and we decided to call it a night. We stopped at the gas station for a quick soda and gave the homeless guy out front $1.50 in change that we had in our pocket. We then stopped at the Cosmopolitan real quick to cash in some chips that my dad forgot he had. We finally got back to the Luxor at 3am and passed out.

    Day 4 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23RD

    Woke up at 10:30am and quickly showered. We drove to Harrah's to use a Groupon at Kelly's Gourmet Burgers (KGB). We got $30 of food for $15 dollars. The burgers and fries were tasty and well worth even the full price. As we wandered around Harrah's we found a Mac King coupon where you could get free tickets for buying 1 drink at $9.95. We decided to do this and the grand total came to $14 each. We tipped the seat guy and he put us in the second row, dead center, and nobody was in front of us. We had a great view of all the action. Mac King was really good and also very funny. I really enjoyed it and it was a good use of $14.

    After Mac King, we wandered over to the Casino and found another video craps machine. The plan was to stick only a $10 in, but that is where things went horribly wrong. After losing the initial $5 don't pass bet, I bet $5 on the don't pass again. Immediate loss. Well there goes my $10. So I pulled out a $20 to chase my original $10. I lost 2 consecutive $10 don't pass bets. After losing $30 when I only planned to bet $10, I was forced to pull out my secret $100 like a true degenerate gambler. I stuck that in the machine and bet $30 and lost. Then in a fit of rage, I put the remaining $70 on the don't pass to try and make it back. The shooter rolled a 4, so I was feeling really good. But then what does she do? Rolls another freaking 4!!! Omg, $130 gone on stupid video craps. I was livid, but at least the lady shooting won $2 on her pass line bet.

    I knew right then that I needed to get my money back. Like the real life Clark Griswold, I ran across the street to the Mirage with my dad in tow. I convinced him that the only way to get our money back was to load up on the don't pass for one throw. We found an empty table and got our chips. I put down $300 on the don't pass, and my dad put down $200. I was the shooter and rolled the glorious 4. I was feeling really good now. I was in the driver's seat. I then rolled an 8 (thought it was a 7 at first) and then rolled the dreaded easy 4. $300 gone. I stumbled away from the table and found a seat at a nearby slot.

    I began thinking how I could get my money back. I ran through a ton of scenarios in my head, and ultimately decided that the World Series was the only way. My dad and I power walked over to the Mirage sports book with me explaining to him that I was going to put $500 on the Red Sox in order to break even. I got my money out, walked into the sports book, and about had a nervous breakdown. The sportsbook was CLOSED!!! They said that their communication line was down, so they couldn't currently book bets. I thought about running back to Harrah's to book the bet, but it was 3:45pm and we had 4pm tickets for Nathan Burton at Planet Hollywood. Plus I figured that the sports book being closed was a sign from God to not make the bet. For those that don't know, the Red Sox won 8-1. So I was sick to my stomach that I missed out.

    Nathan Burton was next on the list. Again, these were VIP tickets that we purchased on eBay for $8 each. We ended up finding out that the lady that sold us the tickets was Nathan Burton's mom. I guess she sells his extra tickets for him. We had great seats in the middle and really enjoyed the show. He had two beautiful assistants and his tricks were surprisingly good, considering how little you hear about him. Some of the tricks were on par with what you might see at Criss Angel. This show was supposed to be comedy magic, but Nathan Burton just wasn't that funny. He was a great magician, not so much a comedian. However, his assistant Russ Merlin was absolutely hilarious. He did this bit with 4 volunteers where he put masks on them that was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. I could not stop laughing even 5 minutes after the bit was over. It was very well done.

    After Nathan Burton, we decided to do the $200 Tropicana promotion. My dad had done this in August, so he picked up his $60 in free play and played it through the keno machines. I went straight to the high limit room and put $200 in a Double Diamond $5 slot. On the fifth pull, I hit for $125 and cashed out an even $300. I decided not to gamble anymore and took my $100 win. My dad lost most of his $60 free play as well. I think he cashed out about $15.

    Feeling hungry, we walked to the Monte Carlo for some Sbarro pizza. I had the Stromboli and it was good as always. We had tickets to the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana that we purchased on eBay for $12 total. It was 8:15pm at this point, so we booked it to the Tropicana to make the 8:30 showing. These were just general admission tickets, but we tipped the guy that seated us and got in the front row. It was a fairly good show and I had a few good laughs. I don't think I would have paid full price, though. My dad even got picked on by one of the comedians, so we had a good time.

    Next we decided to go gamble at the Stratosphere , since we'd never been there. I flirted with the idea of doing the SkyJump off of the 108 story tower. After getting there and seeing it, I was scared to death. However, I decided to do it anyways. I'm a huge believer in the "you only live once" mantra, so this was something I had to do. I chose to do the full package where you get the photos and the video. It was almost $150, but I think it was well worth it because where else can you do something like this?? I'll remember this forever. The staff at the Stratosphere was very professional but also made it very fun for me. They joked around and made me feel at ease. The jump itself was incredibly terrifying. The hardest part is the initial jump. I was shaking and I think I might have peed myself a little bit. My pants were kinda wet afterwards, so it was either pee or sweat. I couldn't tell. The observation tower up there is simply amazing, and it easily the best view in all of Vegas. I highly recommend it. I bought a couple of t-shirts to commemorate the jump, and then we headed downtown.

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    I played a little blackjack at Binion's while my dad played keno. We both about broke even and we headed back to the Luxor to go to sleep.

    Day 5 THURSDAY October 24th

    We woke up at 10am for checkout. Did the express checkout and dropped our keys in the box at exactly 11am. We drove to Circus Circus to eat lunch at their Pizzeria. It was very good. My dad played a little craps afterwards and won $20.

    We had some time to kill before our 6pm flight back to Dallas, so we decided to head on over to the LVH to check out the super book. It was very big. We checked some of the lines and realized that they had our Dallas Cowboys at +155 on the money line. We had seen this at +145 at MGM and Caesar's, but we liked this a lot better. I put $200 on it, and my dad put $100. Should these bets win, we will have an excuse to come back to Vegas within the next 120 days. That'll be sweet.

    We then headed to the MGM to do a little gambling there. Played video craps and cashed out up $20 each. We got gas in the car and drove to the airport. Dropped the car off at Dollar and had no issues. They gave us a receipt for $0 owed and we felt pretty good. $88 all-in (plus $26 gas) for a Mustang convertible was a great deal.
    We shuttled over to the terminal and checked our luggage with American. We walked upstairs to security to find no line at the TSA checkpoint.

    Now this is where things took an ugly turn…I did as I was told to remove my shoes, belt, and everything in my pockets and put it through the x-ray machine. No problems. I then stepped up for my turn to go through the metal detector, just like the guy in front of me had. However, they herded me over towards the scanner machine instead. I politely asked if I could go through the metal detector instead, and they snapped back with a "no" and asked me why. I explained that I didn't want the radiation exposure and would rather just go through the metal detector. The "officer" was incredibly rude and said to me "there is no radiation, it's millimeter wave technology, look it up!" Now, I have a Bachelor's of Science degree, but even without that, I took 8th grade science, so I know what millimeter wave technology is. It is the length between the waves of the RADIATION!!! I asked the officer if he honestly believed there was no radiation or if he was lying. He repeated again "there is no radiation..I've been here 5 years and my hair isn't falling out." I explained to him that the machine definitely does emit radiation, it's not freakin' magic!! He told me I was wrong and to "look it up." With my only option being to go through the machine or opt out, I opted for the pat down. He asked if I wanted a private screening, but I declined and explained that I wanted all the other passengers to see this for what it really is. I got my incredibly intrusive pat down (where they actually stick their fingers inside the banding of your underwear) and went on my way. I immediately pulled out my phone to google "millimeter wave technology" and wouldn't you know, the first line of the definition is "a type of electromagnetic RADIATION." Freakin' idiots.

    Anyways, flight home was uneventful. No travel vouchers to snag, unfortunately. We drove home, stopped at In-N-Out to grab a couple burgers and then went home to sleep.

    Final Thoughts:

    This was a great trip and I'll definitely do the rental car again in the future. It was so much more convenient than riding the bus. I wouldn't recommend it if you drink a lot though, as that could really limit your travel options. We are not heavy drinkers, so it was not an issue for us. It allowed us the freedom to travel to all of the off strip casinos that we wanted to hit, and also downtown several times.

    I do feel bad about basically no playing MGM. I stayed on a comp offer, and then basically gave them no play. This was not by design, it's just that we had so much stuff planned, that we were unable to gamble too much in their properties. I'm sure the offers will dry up, but I hope not. If so, I'll probably switch my play towards Wynn/Encore or The Cosmopolitan in the future, as I really like those two properties.

    I can't wait until my next trip and hopefully the Cowboys win on Sunday so that I can get back to Vegas faster!

    Any questions, just ask! Thanks for reading!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 3, 2013
  2. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    Location:
    Indiana
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    Great 1st TR!! Enjoyed :) Sounds like both of you had a good time. Thanks for posting and good luck on your next trip to Mecca!!
     
  3. justmare

    justmare High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2009
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    Location:
    Southern California
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    200
    Enjoyed your report and pictures! Very cool that you got to go with your dad and celebrate his birthday. Spend as much time with your folks as you can -- they're not with you forever (miss mine horribly).

    You guys really got around to so many places and saw a ton of shows! Nice.

    I totally agree with you about TSA. I'm lucky to live in So Cal and can easily drive to Vegas, so I don't fly much (haven't since they started that scanner nonsense).

    Looking forward to your next trip report!
     
  4. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
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    Great, detailed trip report! And lots of good value tips in this! But you have more guts in craps than I do by betting the don't. If I win a bet, I would like to be able to celebrate a bit without possibly being punched in the face. I know the don't gets you an extra 0.05% back, but my face is fragile. :evillaugh
     
  5. joeynym

    joeynym Tourist

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2012
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    Location:
    Long Island NY
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    awesome tr... Great read!!!
     
  6. donovanrs28

    donovanrs28 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2012
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    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Enjoyed your Trip Report! I'm also 23 and was supposed to be a solo trip, until I surprised my parents with plane tickets to tag along for my mom's birthday. I'm staying at Luxor also on comped Pyramid Suite via host and arrive Monday.
     
  7. M_ILIS

    M_ILIS VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Outstanding report and sounds like a great trip! Loved reading it! I had never considered eBay for show tickets before, either. Thanks for the tip.
     
  8. Corinne

    Corinne Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2012
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    Location:
    Bucks, UK
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    Great TR, thanks for taking the time to put it together. Loved Nathan Burton and the masks thing. You're right, it's the funniest thing ever. Saw it twice and although it was still funny the second time, the first time seeing it was just amazingly funny. They have free tickets on many sites but a $10 fee at the box office. Same for Jeff Civillico. Great value both of them.

    I always opt for the pat down in Vegas. At least I did until the last time when they told me there was no radiation. I agreed to the scanner after thinking I had been mistaken previously but now I know better, thanks, and will insist on pat down next time. You have no choice in the UK. If you are picked to go through it, you go through it or you do not get on the flight. Lots of good advice in your TR so thanks.

    Corinne
     
  9. derek33

    derek33 Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2012
    Messages:
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Just an awesome TR. Just great detail and pics. Can't wait till your next Vegas trip. Did you win your Dallas bet? I don't sports bet and don't understand what -155 money line means?
     
  10. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Thanks for a well written and detailed trip report, a great read! Looks like you did well with coupons bought off ebay and elsewhere. I made it to the Golden Gate on my last trip and had a blast playing blackjack on a $10 two deck hand pitch table. The dancers and music made for a fun atmosphere, plus I won my $25 match play coupon (thanks Buddha!).

    Sounds like you have to return for your Dad's 50th!
     
  11. themightydude

    themightydude High-Roller

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Houston, TX
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    Sounds like you guys had a fun trip!

    I'm a don't pass line better as well, but I don't roll. I seem to lose to much money when I do lol.

    You might consider looking into TSA precheck. I'm part of that due to being in the CBP global entry program and it's amazing.

    Took me 5 minutes to get through US customs when we came back from belize. Security lines at the airport are easy as you get to go through the pre check lines which means you don't have to take shoes, coats or belts off. Don't have to take things out of your bag, and you go through a metal detector. Also there's hardly anyone in those lines.

    However, you don't always get to go through as they can do random screenings and send you through the normal lines. I've never had a problem with the TSA though. Maybe that's because I don't care what I go through. I figure I'll die one day and it probably won't be a millimeter wave machine that does it lol
     
  12. floridavegas

    floridavegas Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 9, 2012
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    Location:
    Clearwater Beach, Fl
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    Great trip report!! The pics were great too.. Sounds like you did allot, always fun! No better place to celebrate your birthday so I'm sure your dad enjoyed that. I love using restaurant.com, groupon for meals - the T&T at Luxor is another great restaurant.com we like using.

    Thanks for posting this trip report!! :peace:
     
  13. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

    Joined:
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    Great first trip report.........I'd need a diaper to do The STRAT jump!!! You could make it an annual tradition to celebrate your Dad's birthday in Vegas!
     
  14. PPtraderal

    PPtraderal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
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    Location:
    Philadelphia Area
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    Good report

    Thanks for posting. Glad your taking care of Dad. I lost mine some years ago and still miss him. Good job.
     
  15. texdan17

    texdan17 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
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    Location:
    Houston, TX
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    Never got to do a trip to Vegas with my Dad, but it was good reading your experience. You move at a good speed and I really enjoyed all the different places you visited...while also stopping to enjoy some good food and shows. Great TR!
     
  16. RedRiverRose

    RedRiverRose VIP Whale

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    Excellent trip report. I enjoyed it very much.
     
  17. hillwood24

    hillwood24 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2012
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    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
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    I'm glad you enjoyed it! We did have a great time!

    Yeah, it was really cool to get to go with my dad. I thought I'd never get to do a trip like this with him because he works a lot.

    And yeah, TSA is a nightmare. I wish I could drive to Vegas, but it's just too far away from Dallas.

    I know what you mean! I used to bet the pass line, but switched to the don't pass recently because it just seems to win a lot more (despite being only a .05% better bet as you mentioned). The table is cold more than it is hot. I also seem to get better comps betting the dark side. When I bet the pass, I will bet the table minimum and do max odds, whereas I don't lay odds on the don't pass. I just make a bigger bet (like $25 instead of $5 or $10) and pray for the 7. I really enjoy playing the dark side, but some people do get mad!

    Thanks!

    Sounds like you're my long lost twin!

    Thanks! eBay actually had some great deals. It allowed us to see some cheap shows and have some cheaper meals.

    Yeah, Civillico and Burton were great! I did see after arriving in Vegas that these shows could be had for fairly cheap. So probably no need to buy in advance on eBay but we wanted to lock in the cheap rate.

    And as far as the TSA, I don't see how they can honestly tell people that there is no radiation, when there clearly is. Some people with medical devices like pacemakers could have trouble with the magnetic fields or the radiation created by these machines, so the TSA needs to tell the truth.

    Thanks! The Dallas game is tomorrow (Sunday) at noon, so I'll know about three hours after that! In sports betting, +155 on the money line means that each $100 I wager will pay $155 should they win the game outright. So my $200 wager will net me $310, plus I will get my $200 back. Go Cowboys!!!

    Yeah, the couponing actually worked out really well! I initially thought that it might be a hassle, but I was wrong.

    The Golden Gate will forever be my go-to place for downtown gambling. I enjoyed it more than anywhere else I've ever gambled. The atmosphere was excellent, the dice crew was incredibly fun, and the girls were absolutely beautiful.

    My dad and I will definitely have to go back for his 50th!

    The don't pass is the only way to go! I usually pass the dice as well, but I'll throw when I'm the only person at the table. It didn't work out so well for me this trip.

    I will definitely look into the TSA pre-check program. I saw the signs for it when I was waiting in the airport, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. It's probably a good tip to go ahead and do it like you. I'm not terribly concerned with the radiation, but I do always notice that the dentist leaves the room before he takes the x-ray of my teeth. I wouldn't want to be the guy that stands next to that machine everyday for 5 years.

    You're right, T&T is very good! I've eaten there in the past and would have loved to do it again, but didn't see any coupons. I'll have to check it out when I come back.

    The Stratosphere jump was frightening, but the actual descent wasn't as bad as I thought it was. It is somewhat controlled, so everything is okay once you actually make the decision to jump.

    I would love to make it an annual tradition to celebrate with my dad!

    I'm sorry for your loss. I had a great time with my dad and I'll remember this trip forever. It's not all the time that I get to hangout with him.

    The rental car allowed us to really get around. I normally just walk or ride the bus everywhere, which limits the options. But my dad was set on renting a car and I'm glad we did.

    Thank you!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 3, 2013
  18. br549

    br549 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2011
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    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
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    Thanks for the nice report and pics. Strat Jump = hell no. Too old. I do, however, need to meet the girl with the fan. lol
     
  19. Dude beer

    Dude beer Tourist

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    Enjoyed the report. When you are playing the darkside, are you putting the full amount on the don't pass or are you laying odds after hitting a point?
     
  20. hillwood24

    hillwood24 High-Roller

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    I am putting the full amount on the don't pass. I personally never lay odds when betting the dark side. It gets too expensive when my base unit is green chips.
     
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