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Sam's Town and Downtown Vegas Trip Report

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by aaisack, Jul 7, 2014.

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  1. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    I love reading all the trip reports so I figure it's my duty to give it a go at least once. Won't be posting pictures, but i'll try to keep you guys updated at least once a day. I'm a low roller and will try to stick to a 2k budget. I mostly play video poker (90% quarters), but i'm sure i'll be playing a little live poker and a few slots when I need a break from the VP. I like blackjack, but it doesn't like me.

    I'll be flying out tomorrow from Seattle/Tacoma (Seatac) airport on Alaska and staying in Vegas for a week. This will be my 3rd trip in the last 4 months, and my 22nd or so trip to Vegas.

    I'll be traveling with my Uncle Jim, who took me to Vegas for the first time 10 years ago right after I turned 21. He has traveled with me about half my trips since then. My uncle is a great guy, and also a total craps degenerate. The really bad kind who presses everything and never takes money off the table. In over a 100 trips to Reno and Vegas he has NEVER left town ahead... I've watched him play craps only once in all these years and never played with him. His horrible luck honestly scares me a little. Hopefully this is the trip where he turns things around.

    I will also be meeting a long time acquaintance down there named James. We grew up together and when he found out I was going he said he was in. James is a really big guy who is usually the life of the party. He is also the king of tall tales, you literally can't believe a word out of his mouth. I half expect him not to show. If he does you can probably expect a more interesting trip report. He says he has MGM booked, but I made sure to cover those nights just in case.

    So the plan is Sam's Town for 3 nights, then 2 nights at Main Street Station followed by 2 nights TBD. We will see if James comes through.

    I like to drink and gamble and work the comps as best I can. Picked up a copy of the American Casino guide for this trip, which I've used in previous years. A great book, especially for the downtown visitor. Crammed with good coupons. I'm especially looking forward to the freeplay offer coupon from The D for up to $100, depends on points earned.

    If anyone wants to do a video poker pub crawl when i'm in town, let me know. I would love to spend a night with some fun people who want to milk as many "free" drinks as we can out of the casinos while shooting for the royal.

    Win or lose, should be a fun trip !
     
  2. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Sounds like you're ready to roll... thanks for takin' us along, so to speak. Most importantly, HAVE A BLAST!!!
     
  3. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    Have a great trip!! Looking forward to your adventures!!
     
  4. Ty

    Ty ?

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    Are we there yet?
     
  5. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    Good luck!! Looking forward to your posts!!!
     
  6. boxofbirds

    boxofbirds Royally Flushed

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    Seattlite here, looking forward to your report. Good luck!
     
  7. LinLV

    LinLV High-Roller

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    Looking forward to your report! I will be at Sam's Town in a week for 4 nights and then move to Plaza for 2 nights. Would love to read about your experiences with Sam's Town :)
     
  8. AOchoa95

    AOchoa95 Low-Roller

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    Awesome and enjoy!
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2014
  9. Mango68

    Mango68 Tourist

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    We're fellow Western Washingtonians and love Vegas too...would love to hear about Sam's Town, we are planning to shuttle out there for one day on our upcoming trip. Enjoy your stay! Sounds fun!
     
  10. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    Best of luck. If you are downtown on Saturday, the Binion's 2pm 10k guaranteed is a great tournament. Be prepared for a long day though. 30 minute levels and a pretty gradual increase. Easily 12 hours if you make final table.
     
  11. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

    Flight out of Seattle was fine, a little turbulence on arrival but otherwise uneventful. My uncle and I are both cheapskates so we opted to take two buses to Sams Town. 108 north bound picks up at terminal 1, heads up paradise, got off at Flamingo and took the 202 eastbound to Boulder HWY. 3 bucks for a 2 hour pass on local routes. Took us about 45 minutes from the Airport.

    Arrived at ST about 7:30, no line at check in. Booked on a comp, gave them 30k worth of coin in 2 months ago, and put in a courtyard facing room. Half the rooms face the courtyard and the other half face outwards towards the hwy. The courtyard includes hotel registration, a bar and an interior fountain light show area. The rooms are clean, but very simple and boring. Fine in my book, unless you're trying to impress someone. Courtyard facing rooms have a decent view of the light show, which isn't worth going out of your way for, but worth checking out if you're there.

    A short day, so decided to stick to VP for the evening. Played Full Pay Dueces Wild all evening. Honestly one of those boring sessions where you're up a little, down a little and don't get any big hits or bad losing streaks. About $4200 K in over 4-5 hours. Ended up down a whopping $50 bucks for the evening. No 4 dueces. Amazingly not a single natural royal draw all night. That's a lot of hands not to have a single shot at one. Uncle Jim lost at the craps table. He didn't want to talk about it. I'm guessing a few hundred, I've seen him when he has gotten beaten up way worse. He killed the rest of the evening micro rolling on the slot machines.

    Earned enough points quickly to cash in the ACG free buffet coupon (200 points earned). Will be using that for an early dinner tomorrow. Hopefully the food coupons will let me hoard the Boyd points so I can buy both of us a good meal in a few days. Wednesday and Thursday are senior days this month where they award free dinner buffets for 100 points earned so the uncle should be able to eat for free.

    Plan tomorrow is to get up early and play in the cheapo 10am tournament (It's like 30 bucks), hang around Sam's Town during the afternoon, then try to get a hold of James and head to the strip tomorrow evening. My Uncle hasn't been to Vegas in a year and a half so he's looking forward to checking out some of the changes. Hopefully some wins and a lot of wandering and drinking tomorrow night.
     
  12. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Was that 30k last trip mostly on full pay deuces wild too? How many days was that?

    And a mediocre win is never bad! And looks like you play pretty quick. Aren't the Sam's Town machines permanently on slow? But I wouldn't call a 30% likely occurrence "amazing"...:poke:
     
  13. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the tip. I've played in a few Binion's tournaments. The $100 buy in took all day. Definitely a possibility.
     
  14. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    The FPDW machines are pretty worn out. Many have sticky buttons and a few are slower than others. Last trip was mostly dueces, down about a K on them for that trip with only one 4 dueces and no royal. Most play at a medium setting, which is about perfect for my pace. I'm quick, but not overly so. If you decide to check them out they pay out 1/4 points (no effect on tier points though)
     
  15. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    The buy in is $140 on Saturday and $80 every other day for the 2pm. Saturday is 30 min levels while the other is 20 min. A lot of value either way.
     
  16. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    James bailed. Can't get a hold of him. Not shocked.

    I put in a long day Wednesday playing Dueces and some bar top. Bar top at Sam's Town is pretty good. They have $1 9/6 JOB with a progressive and 25 cent 9/7 DB with progressive. After midnight only me and one other guy playing, he pulled it off with the progressive at $1700. Down 350 for the day. No 4 deuces on deuces machine killed me. Over 10k coin in. Probably cleared half a 5th of whiskey + a few Newcastles playing bar top

    Thursday nursing a hang over until noon or so. Didn't get to gambling until 4pm. Ate the buffet there for the second time in 2 days. I give their buffet a generous D, only because the old Sahara buffet needs to be in a class of its own. The food at Sam's Town buffet is all overcooked and incredibly bland. Nothing I tried was better than decent either day. Their prime rib sucked. Did it twice because the uncle got young at heart rewards both days and the craps table was killing him.

    We headed downtown for a change of scenery. He wanted to check out the Downtown Grand's street dice. When we got there we found out that they only did it Friday and Saturday and now it's no more. They also tore off the front doors you couldn't see through so pedestrians actually know that there's a casino inside. My first impression from a couple months ago was reaffirmed. Their casino sucks. Played a bank of brand new video poker machines where every single hold button would stick half the time you would press it, You would have to wiggle them around to get them out. Lost 2 hands in 5 minutes because sticky buttons threw away cards i had selected to hold. I can't believe they haven't returned them to the manufacturer yet. This place is going to crash and burn. What a disaster.

    Played a couple hours at MSS, and an hour or so each at the Four Queens and The D. The D was really packed. The new ownership/management has really turned things around. Lost a hundred at each place. Won 50 back at Sam's Town. Down 650 for the trip. Heading downtown tomorrow to stay at MSS for two nights.
     
  17. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    One more quick note about drinking downtown. The shops that sell beer and liquor have giant signs in their windows that say that beer purchased there can't be consumed outside. Looks like the law also prevents them from giving out plastic cups with the purchase of a beer.
     
  18. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    Haven't eaten the buffet at Sam's Town in many years but can confirm you experience is not from recent changes. Even the breakfast buffet was bland. How can you do that without a plan? However, the steakhouse (billy-bob's) was actually very good....bone in rib-eye..yummy.....good luck downtown....if you get a chance try the prime rib buffet at MSS on a comp. It was very good in May and easy to comp (Uncle can probably do it in craps play)....amazing the same corp can have such a varied presentation of buffets amongst properties....heard Fremont buffets were good as well but never made the trek....Good Luck....
     
  19. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    MSS, Gold Coast and Orleans buffets are much better. The selection was also dismal. I haven't tried Fremont.
     
  20. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    Fremont has decent selection but I'm not much of a fan. I do like the tropical but old school Vegas feel of the room so we usually opt for the Paradise Cafe which is a coffee shop with seating in the back of the buffet.

    If the line for the buffet is crazy, you can sit at the cafe and stare at the menu long enough to decide there is nothing you want. You then tell the server that you want the buffet and they just bill you for that.
     
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