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Possible TR? 11/13-11/21

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by FuzzyDiceCraps, Nov 13, 2015.

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  1. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    I know how this works for me. I land in Vegas, start drinking and gambling, and before I know it I'm boarding the plane for home with 2-3 pictures on my phone and (if I'm lucky) a slightly fatter bankroll.

    I am terrible about taking a moment to slow down and take a picture, or collect my thoughts - at least with any resemblance of organization.

    So while I love the idea of a TR, whether it happens is another matter. If nothing else, I hope to share some pictures and moments with you all, as I know so many of you have gotten me through the Vegasless lulls filled with work and commitments.

    Soooooooo, that all being said, I figured I would try to at least start a TR here and see how it goes.

    A few warnings before I begin:
    (1) Once I get going I can be a bit long-winded, I also don't proofread and type fast, so forgive any typos or errors.
    (2) My cell phone camera takes terrible pictures, so forgive that as well. I still have a more "corporate" style phone for my work, and the camera isn't really up to par with Samsung in particular.

    With that...post #1 begins!

    I'll leave the office in about 2 hours (noon, EST) to go home, finish my packing, take the "kids" (dogs) to "grandmas", say good-bye to the farm (wife and I farm in addition to full time jobs), and other last minute prep. We have about an hour drive to the airport, and plan to arrive about 2 hours before the flight. This accounts for any traffic incidents (sadly common on I-70), and gives us time to grab a pre-flight cocktail (or two). Then we have about a 4.5 hour flight to Vegas!

    This trip has kind of grown into a monster of its own creation. Generally we stay 6-7 nights, 4 nights at Palazzo, and 2 at a CET property where we have comp rooms (those are our main rewards programs we use). We normally come out for my wife's b-day each year (which is this coming week), so about 6 months ago we booked Palazzo for Monday - Thursday nights, and figured we'd add on a CET weekend later on. We enjoy V/P during the week, my wife being a big slot player likes to not have to fight for the machines she wants to play, and for me, I appreciate $10 tables during the days, although $15 is more my typical denomination.

    Anyway, shortly after booking the trip through our host, our host contacted us to let us know if we wanted to change our dates Grazie Gifts was the following week and he could get us a better offer. MY wife really wanted to go for her bday though, so we ended up getting our trip extended one night at Palazzo to include Friday night. Combined with a 4pm flight out of Vegas Saturday that ensured we could hit up GG in the morning before leaving. Our host was able able to comp the 5th night, which was great.

    Fast forward a bit later, my wife, who has recently taken up running, decides she wants to run the 1/2 Marathon the weekend before our trip. So she registers, and not wanting to arrive the day before the race, it now means our arrival is planned for Friday. Because of the race, rates that weekend are high, and our offers from CET not great. Plus we've always wanted to stay off strip, and the crowd of the marathon gave us the incentive to do it.

    I therefore reached out to M Resort, since we ocassionally visit PNG's Ohio properties, who immediately offered us the weekend comped. So we were all set....I thought....

    A couple weeks ago, while discussing our trip, we came to realize it was going to be a massive headache heading to the strip for the marathon Saturday to get my wife's bib, then again Sunday for the race, and then back to the M sunday night after the race just to go back to the Palazzo to check-in Monday morning. So we decided to check out of the M on Sunday for one night. By this time the only place we could get a comp room was Rio, so even though its still off strip we booked it for Sunday night.

    This means are plans are now:

    Friday-Sunday - M Resort
    Sunday-Monday - Rio
    Monday - Saturday - Palazzo

    The good? Its all comped, and other perks at M/Palazzo....the bad? I think the first few days of the trip are going to be a bit busy/stressful. But its Vegas, still better than being at the office!!

    We've also booked a lot more entertainment this trip than in the past. In the past, we normally just show up without plans and do what sounds fun. This trip we did a bit more prepping - I think partly because we are even more excited for this trip than the last couple, so planning took on a life of its own.

    Our booked entertainment / commitments:
    Saturday afternoon - Marathon Expo
    Sunday afternoon/evening - Marathon pre-race concert and marathon (my plan is to watch the wife start, then make my way up to V/P area where the finish line is to watch her finish - the race has runner tracking, so I can see where she is, meaning I can go into the book and check out NFL games and play some VP while she runs)
    Tuesday evening - The One (Michael Jackson)
    Wed evening - Britney Spears (wife's bday show)
    Thursday evening - Frank, the Man at Palazzo
    Saturday morning - Grazie gifts

    Possible entertainment:
    Rock of Ages (offered tix, unsure if we'll use)

    Other activities:
    Strip slot golf - this is a tradition each trip. One day we walk the entire strip and treat each casino as a "hole". We have a system of rules for tracking how many "strokes" it takes us each to finish the casino before moving on. Its a lot of fun, and gets us moving. This year, since we're staying all over we may do slot golf over a span of a few days rather than all at once.
    Buffet of Buffets Pass - beginning Sunday night at the Rio after the race, and continuing until Monday evening, we will be doing Buffet of Buffets. Its kinda crazy, but fun. our plan is to hit up the following - Rio for Dinner Sunday; Flamingo for Breakfast, PH for lunch, and Harrahs for Dinner. In the past we normally do Bacchanal and Paris, but this gets us out to the "lesser" buffets all for one price.
    Ohio State games - I'm a die hard Buckeye and will be watching the game at the book on the 14th. The 21st is killing me. Extending the trip to Saturday I really banked on a noon game against MSU based on recommendations from a guy I know who is high up in OSU's athletic department, now I'm worried it will be 3:30 and I may miss part of the game. We'll see

    Gambling Activities:
    Me - mainly craps (real) and "fuzzy dice" (aka "bubble") craps, some slots (mainly with the wife), fair amount of sports betting, some VP (mainly while watching games), and a minimal amount of BJ, roulette and other random games
    Wife - almost exclusively slots, small amount of craps with me
    Locations: If I am diligent about doing this you will literally see every single strip property, as well as several off-strip properties in this TR. Aside from that, the main places we tend to gamble will be: Venetian/Palazzo; Linq (O'Sheas); Flamingo (Margaritaville); PH; Paris; M Resort (Friday-Saturday); Rio (Sunday).

    For a variety of reasons, I don't share specifics of the bankroll here. When you've been in my line of work as long as I have you gain an appreciation for discretion and an abundance of caution. My wife and I are proud mid-rollers, we aren't spending tens of thousands in Vegas, but we gamble enough to make things interesting and have at least a small shot of that dream we all have of hitting those handpays and big time table wins. I will share chip porn or voucher porn as appropriate (if I remember to), just not any specifics on performance. I provide this disclaimer only because I know some people are interested in that, but I won't do that here. Plus, lets be honest, anyone can share only their wins and not their losses, and that picture of a stuck of hundos could be one hundo with a bunch of dollars underneath. :)
     
  2. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Good luck!

    I really like the M for an off strip property gaming wise, especially since I'm a craft beer sucker. Too bad I don't gamble with Penn enough to get anything! [emoji5]
     
  3. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Sounds like a very busy, fun trip! Hope you are able to update live. Go get 'em!
     
  4. sam_marques

    sam_marques Vegas Vlogs Youtube / TeamClareVlogs

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    Great start!! I look forward to following along, good luck to you and your wife!
     
  5. VegasGreg

    VegasGreg Low-Roller

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    You flying SW nonstop today? It sounds like we might be on the same flight.
     
  6. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    Ha, yeah, Columbus 5:15?
     
  7. StingerHook

    StingerHook High-Roller

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    Better to have the possibly-stressful stuff at the beginning of the trip - once that's behind you it's smooth sailing! Good luck and have a great time!
     
  8. VegasGreg

    VegasGreg Low-Roller

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    Haha. Nice. Same flight! Maybe we will run into each other at CMH.
     
  9. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

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    Have a great time!!! You sure have lots of things planned. Please keep us updated and try to take lots of pictures. And I agree on the bankroll pictures. It's your private thing, how much money you bring with you on the trip. No need to post stacks of money for everyone to see. No need to show off!!! Just show us the wins!!!:thumbsup:
     
  10. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    Great start indeed! Have a great trip and good luck to your wife during the race!
     
  11. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    [​IMG]
    Round one. Flight is delayed could be first of many. On the bright side we are at the airport and not sitting I'm the highway. [emoji1]
     
  12. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    [​IMG]

    And round 2. Wife got started on that wine early.
     
  13. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    [​IMG]

    Round 3. I'm blowing through these specialty cocktails
     
  14. VegasGreg

    VegasGreg Low-Roller

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    What bar at CMH. Located in concourse A?
     
  15. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    We were at donatos
     
  16. VegasIs4Me

    VegasIs4Me Tourist

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    Good luck to both you and the Mrs! I'm looking forward to following your trip. I'll be at the V/P for Grazie gifts but not until 11/26. Safe travels and have a great trip!

    ps. Go BUCKEYES!!
     
  17. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    We arrived. A short trip in the limo from McCarran and we are at the m. A bottle of bubbly at check in to celebrate.

    [​IMG]

    While taking that picture there is a knock on the door. A few treats sent to our room.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Now to take this buzz to the casino. Probably an early night.
     
  18. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Awesome! Great start to your trip!
     
  19. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    What a start! Thanks for sharing your trip!

    Your strip slot golf is a neat idea. On one of our trips my bride and I played strip "bingo" where we each completed a blank bingo card of things to see or do in Vegas (with a Welcome to Vegas-sign free space) on the flight in. We each filled in the other's card. My wife made my card way too easy/general and I was the winner! I put more specific things/activities on there like, "Ask a time-share hawk where they're from before they ask you!" and "High-five a pornslapper!"

    Have a super rest of your trip! I'll be with you in spirit!

    -Richard
     
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