Mr. & Mrs. Buddha -- September Vegas Trip

Las Vegas -- September 10 - 17 @ Main Street Station :

Well, folks … Mr. & Mrs. “Buddha” were back to Vegas for trip #52, following our last trip way back in April. This trip was a special combination Anniversary and Birthday celebration for us. Both of these events actually took place in August, but we are not fans of the hot summer trips, so we stuck to our usual September trip, when it is a little “cooler’. This was our 48th anniversary, and my special 70th birthday, and where better to celebrate than in Vegas.

We first booked our September Southwest flights back in February, when the SWA reservation window first opened up. Our flights were priced at $189 per person, each way out of Chicago Midway (plus our Early-Bird boarding), but we knew that we would eventually be able to re-book at a lower price. Sure enough, at the end of February, the price went down to $174 each way, and re-booked, putting $60 in the SWA credit bank. And then, on March 3rd, the price went down to $149 each way, again re-booked, for an additional $100 in our SWA credit fund. Gotta love the simple and easy SWA re-booking system.

We will each be earning 993 Rapid Reward points on each flight to Vegas and back. In addition, we used our Southwest Visa for double Rapid Reward points (1612) on the complete first purchase, and will realize the $$ savings when we use our credits .

Our room reservations were once again set up with the assistance of our host at Main Street Station. My usual mailer offer from Main Street Station for 4 comped nights came this time with only 3 comped nights (damn bean counters). But, with an email to our host, the 4 nights (Wed. thru Sat.) were all covered. I also did not get my usual $35 in free-play (used to be as high as $50), but instead received two $20 dining coupons … good enough !! Added to that was Nancy receiving her usual 3 comped nights (our Sun. thru Tues. nights.) at the California, which our host just attached to my nights at MSS. And now, we were able to stay all 7 nights in the same room at MSS, and not have to move from MSS to the Cal, but we can still do our casino play at both properties.

Next was the rental car for the week, and I searched the Alamo reservations page, as our usual source for decent prices, along with RR promo points from SWA. We really try to max out our SWA - RR points on any and all trips we take. My first search on the Alamo web page showed the their cars at well over $200 all-in for the week … I passed. About a month later, the all-in price dropped to $189 for a mid-size, and I booked it. However, in the following days, I discovered that Dollar Rental was offering an $85 / week special for a compact, plus the usual taxes and fees. My final booking came in at $168 all-in, including the user fee for my triple SWA - RR points. This booking will also come with double RR points from being charged to our SWA-Visa card.. Collecting all of these SWA Rapid Rewards for this entire trip will eventually add up to approx. 7700 RR points for a future trip.

Our daily itinerary is semi-planned, my dozens & dozens of ACG and LVA coupons are organized, our bags are packed, our early-bird boarding passes ( # A-30 & A-31) are printed, and we are raring to go !! If you have read any of my previous Vegas reports, this will pretty much follow a similar pattern, so I will not necessarily go into a lot of detail.

Wednesday - Sept. 10 :

As is our regular plan, we park our car at the local commuter lot for the week (now $12), and catch the morning Metra commuter train ( $2.75 each - Senior fares) into downtown Chicago Union Station. From there, we typically walk the 6 blocks over to the elevated (the “L”) CTA transit trains, but it was raining steady. So, we opted for a taxi ride ($5 + tip). Up the elevator, we board the Orange Line ( $1.10 each for Seniors) for a 30 minute ride directly to Midway Airport. We no longer drive in from the suburbs, and park in one of the airport parking lots, as the morning drive traffic is terrible, and the week-long parking would cost over $65. So, our present method is more relaxed, and much cheaper.

TSA screening at Midway was much easier than usual, as our boarding passes indicated that we qualified for the new TSA “pre-screening” … a separate TSA line, keep our shoes on, belt on, 3-1-1 toiletry baggie kept in carry-on, and laptop computer kept inside my briefcase. Pretty slick, and the walk through the x-ray booths at Chicago Midway (and also McCarran airport) was a breeze, and soon on our way to Gate B - 16. Our plane is scheduled to depart at 11:35 am, so we have time to grab some grub from the McDonald’s, in preparation for the 3 hr 45 min. flight to Vegas.

After take-off, and reaching cruising altitude, we enjoy a couple traditional free Bloody Mary’s along with the standard in-flight snacks, and settle back for the ride, as we read the paper, do puzzles, practice our video poker, and arrive in Vegas right on schedule, and 93 degrees. J This was a whole lot different weather than back in Chicago, as we had not a single 90 degree since back in July … but, of course, we have more humidity.
Off the plane with our carry-on bags, and onto the shuttle bus to the rental car facility, we proceed downstairs Dollar Express, and we are soon picking up our rental, which was upgraded to a new Chevy Malibu for our week in town.

We head down Warm Springs Rd., across LV Blvd., to Dean Martin Way (Industrial Rd), and head up and over to the Dollar Tree store on East Charleston , picking up a case of water, a few snacks, and some incidental toiletries. It is now about 3:30 pm, and we still have some of the day & evening left to enjoy..
Back down west on Charleston to 7th Street, heading north past the El Cortez to Stewart Ave, and heading west directly to Main Street Station. Check-in is quick, up to our room at MSS (# 801), with a good view to the south, and at the extreme east end (next to Main St.) away from the railroad tracks. We unpack our bags, as we receive delivery of a complimentary house coffee-pot (and several coffee packs) to our room.
Once unpacked and settled in, it is off to Fremont Street for our arrival dinner at Magnolia’s Café at the Four Queens.. Using a 2/1 coupon from the LVA, Nancy ordered the hot open-face turkey sandwich & gravy, and I ordered the country-fried steak & eggs, with biscuits and gravy … delicious and satisfying, at a final cost of just $12 + tip. We finished off the evening with some video poker at Four Queens (+ 34), and an assortment of free-play coupons at the El Cortez (+15), Binion’s (+ 16), Vegas Club (+ 11), and the Plaza (+17). Along the way, we also broke even on match-play coupons at the Las Vegas Club (- 10), and the Plaza (+ 10).

After this very busy and active day, we are weary, and opt for some TV time in the room, and catching up on some emails, using the free downtown wi-fi signal that I can get through our south-facing window. More fun to come …. ZZZZZ ……

Thursday & Friday & Saturday - Sept. 11 - 12 - 13 :

These three days of casino play will be spent mostly at MSS, as my comp offer came from them, and we will both be playing on my B-Connected card, in order to maximize the daily play to around $7000 per day. We both typically play quarter 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17 % game) and 9/6 JOB (99.54 % game) … and there are plenty of those single-line quarter games at MSS for Nancy …while I prefer the 3-Play machines at MSS (also in quarters) in order to maximize my coin-in, and the additional opportunities for a big hand. We will also periodically be doing several match-play coupons from the ACG book, and the Las Vegas Advisor rewards book, on our coupon runs at the Riviera, Palms, Orleans, Gold Coast, Ellis Island, Jerry’s Nugget, Rampart, and the LVC & Plaza downtown.
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Thursday began with a 2/1 LVA breakfast buffet at Boulder Station, with friends Darryl & Carolyn. We are always in email contact throughout the year, but this is our usual personal get-together time in Vegas.. Even though we have our usual long-range emails, it is always enjoyable to catch up on a more personal level of chit-chat, and discuss Vegas news and war stories. We enjoy our lengthy breakfast, and eventually part ways at about 10:45 am, and Nancy and I head back to MSS to begin our assault on the VP machines.

The MSS video poker machines these days were very erratic, up one session, and down the next … with me able to keep my head above water, but Nancy experiencing a slow, constant slow drain.. We have often said that our ultimate goal each trip is to just break even in the casino … but a winning trip would definitely be acceptable.

BUT THEN … in the mid-afternoon of Thursday, after a few small losses, I was dealt a completely junk hand on my Triple-Play machine. I of course tossed everything away, and on the re-draw, the top line filled in a Diamond Royal for $1000 !!!!!! J I was completely shocked !!!! I cashed out my winning ticket, and started a new session with a fresh $100, and in about 5 minutes, I was dealt the K-Q-J-10 of clubs. On the draw, I pulled the 9 of clubs for the “infamous” King-high straight flush … sooooo close !!!!
And in the following days, I would pull 3 more of these “upsetting” King-high hands.

By 5:00 pm, we had earned more than our target 7000 card points, and 15 scratch cards … all $2, except for one $3 card. These scratch cards are always a nice little bonus, which can possibly add a few tenths of a % to a player’s expected return.

After freshening up for dinner, we decide on eating at the Triple 7 Brewpub … using one of my $20 mailer coupons. The 777 serves up very nice dinner platters, which will fill anyone‘s appetite. Nancy orders the Chicken Marsala , and I opted for the Meat Loaf dinner. Both of these come with a large baked potato, and a good-sized helping of green beans. Along with my $20 voucher, I also use player points to pay for the additional billing, plus a cash tip for our hard-working waitress.

We decide to walk off a little of our dinner, by hitting the Plaza and Vegas Club with Matchplay coupons. This turned out to be a bad-luck walk, as we had double losses at both properties … Plaza (-20) and Vegas Club (-10) … OUCH !!!

Upon returning to MSS, we stopped at the player’s club to pick up a breakfast comp on our way back to our room (an easy benefit that can be picked up right from one of the clerks at the PC.

Friday & Saturday followed a similar pattern of activities. After our free comped breakfast buffets at MSS on both days , our video poker has its usual ups & downs … winning, losing … losing, winning … as we progress from session to session … but Nancy is losing more & more, and winning less & less. HOWEVER, I am the lucky one again, on Friday, at my Triple Play machines. With an innocent hand starting with the King & Queen of spades, the redraw fills the bottom line with the 10-Jack-Ace of spades for another $1000 Royal !!!!! Two Royals of this size on one trip is a new experience for me. On one of our earlier trips, I hit 3 Royals, at 3 different properties … but they were all on nickel games for $200 each. But I will take them any way I can get them …..

We periodically take a break between sessions, and on one break, I met up with one of my dedicated coupon traders (“Dale”) at the 777 for some refreshments and friendly conversation. It’s always nice to put a face on someone that I only “talk to” through a series of emails. Nice to finally meet you, Dale … always happy to trade coupons.

Nancy and I often head out to do a few Matchplays. MP’s on these two days, at the LVC, Plaza, Riviera, Gold Coast, the Palms, and the Orleans, bring us a profit of $45 to add to our pockets. Our dinner on Friday was at the Market Street Café (at the California), Nancy - Philly Steak Sandwich platter, and Me - the Hot Turkey Open-faced sandwich platter … using my 2nd - $20 dining voucher, and a few player points.
On Saturday evening, we went to the Café at Binion’s, using the ACG - 2/1 Hamburger coupon. These were very good hamburgers … large burgers, with LOTS of your favorite toppings … lettuce, onion, tomato, and pickles … along with either French fries, or potato salad, or cole slaw. *** Be sure to first take your ACG coupon to the player’s club, and get it exchanged for the official 2/1 voucher. I forgot, and had to walk back to the PC.

Sunday -- Sept. 14 :

Sunday is our usual “moving day”, but we really are not moving at all. This is the morning that we go down to the hotel front desk, and I check out, and Nancy checks back in … to the same room. This is a practice we started a couple trips back, with the help of our host, putting Nancy’s 3-night offer from the Cal, connected right behind my reservation at MSS, as a “stay-over“. After the “sign-in” was completed (at 7:00 am) and the room is left in the hands of the house-maid, we first had our usual comped breakfast buffet at MSS.

Afterwards, we headed for the car for our usual Sunday destination … the Rampart, out west in the Summerlin area. EXCEPT … this time we went there in a very round-about way. We first drove to the Riviera for MP’s (+10), followed by Ellis Island (-10), Orleans (+40), Palms (-20), Gold Coast (+5) … and eventually to the Rampart.

The Rampart casino has lots of full-pay VP here. Nancy likes the single-line slant-tops for quarters, around the back side of the Round Bar with 9/6 JOB, and 8/5 Bonus, as well as 16/10/4/4 Deuces (99.73 %). My favorite at the Rampart are the 10-play upright machines, at $2.50 / hand, playing max nickels. However, on this visit, only the full-pay 8/5 Bonus remains, as the JOB and DW have been slightly lowered. We play for a couple hours, again with the results being very erratic, and eventually end our play with both of us having minor loses … but we did make a $20 win with a couple of ACG match play wins.

At 4:00, the Rampart opens their Sunday dinner buffet, and I had a mailer for one free buffet. And, with the addition of player points, Nancy and I enjoyed a very nice meal, at absolutely no cost … except for the usual tip to our waiter. We specifically had the early dinner, as we needed to be back in our room for the 5:30 (Vegas time) start of the NBC Sunday Night Football game, featuring … yeah, you guessed it the Bears against the favored S.F. 49ers. We head back to MSS, and we went directly to our rooms, turned on the TV, and watched the Bears play a miserable first half. Luckily, the Bears played great defense in the 2nd half, with 2 interceptions, and a fumble recovery, and ended up with a very surprising 8-point win. Shortly after the end of the game, we absolutely crashed into bed from a very busy day.

Monday & Tuesday -- Sept. 15 & 16 :

Since today & tomorrow are from Nancy’s offer from the Cal, we both played there on her card. So, our free breakfast today (Monday) is at the MSS buffet, using the California - ACG - “Earn 250 points, Get a free buffet”. getting the voucher at the Cal’s player’s club, and then using points with that voucher.

When we do our VP at the California these two days, Nancy has her choice of several 8/5 Bonus machines, and her favorites are the slant-tops right in front of the cashier’s counter. I sometimes play those same machines, or a couple of their 9/6 JOB uprights over in the alcoves over-looking the craps table. But today, I have decided to try the 50-play nickel machines with 7/5 Bonus, but I only play them with 15 lines.

We play our VP at the Cal for about 2 hours, with Nancy still having difficulty finding a winning session. I am having a little more luck on my multi-line machine, but nothing major. I also purchase my usual 25-game Keno ticket for $10, and allow it to play in the background, while we do our VP … but truth be told, I have never gotten back more than a couple dollars on any of these Keno tickets … but there’s always that chance of hitting an 8-for-8 winner some day ….

We also take a walk around Fremont St., hitting the LVC and the Plaza with match plays (-30) … and upon returning to the Cal, we check our Keno card and find that we won back a total of $1.80 . No big pay-day for us, I guess.

We settle back in at our earlier machines, and the results are only slightly better now, as we are hitting a few more winning hands. We continue our VP play for another couple hours, but mostly just win a little, and lose a little more, and it’s mostly just a slow, small drain.

Tonight, for dinner, we return to the Market Street Café at the Cal, and will be using one of Nancy’s $20 mailer vouchers. We enjoyed our dinner selections of my BBQ beef brisket, and Nancy’s chicken sandwich platter. HOWEVER, just as we were finishing up, our waitress came by to pick up some of our dishes, and knocked over my iced tea, spilling some of it on the side of my shorts & shirt. The waitress was very upset with herself, and quickly got a supply of towels so I could dry off …and luckily everything was pretty dry by the time we got back to our room at MSS. But, her tip was greatly reduced… and with Nancy’s voucher, and player points, it was a free meal anyway.

After that escapade, and on our way to our room, Nancy stops by the player’s club at MSS, and receives a full comp for our MSS buffet breakfast in the morning. We watch some TV, check emails, and soon it is time for the night-time ZZZZZZZ’s ……


Tuesday morning (16th) begins with our breakfast at the MSS buffet, with Nancy using her comp voucher. The Cal does not have a buffet, so the MSS will comp our action at the Cal for the buffet..

We play VP for about three hours at the Cal, at our usual machines with very mixed results, with Nancy at (-75), and me at (+20). We again take a break to visit the LVC and the Plaza with MP’s (one loss / one win). Back to the Cal for a new session of VP at our usual places, and this time the cards were more favorable … with both of us hitting a few quads, and another straight flush for me. Anyway, we came away from that session at (+ 45) … and time to take a break up in the room, and check in on our Southwest flight for tomorrow’s early-bird boarding. This time, we received # A-24 and # A-25, and worth every dollar, to get on the plane in the first group … and a whole lot better than searching for seats & luggage space at the end of the line. In addition, we also notice that both of our boarding passes are marked for the new “Pre-Chk Screening”, which puts us through the security screening in just a fraction of the normal time.

For dinner, we decide to use Nancy’s last $20 voucher (plus points) at the MSS buffet, as it is “T-Bone Steak Night”, and a nice way to finish off our last night of the trip. The steaks were full-size, and very tasty, as was all the other offerings that night. Yummy !!!

Up to the room for a short break, and to freshen up, as well as some organizing of our belongings, in preparation of our departure tomorrow. But the evening is young, and our next item on the agenda is a trip to the Riviera. It has become a tradition to spend our last night at the Riviera to see the nightly 8:30 Comedy Club, using the ACG coupon for two free tickets (exchange at the box office on the main casino floor). AND … while we’re there, we do a couple Matchplays before the show (+40), and the another pair on the way out after the show (-20).

The Comedy Club here regularly puts on two good comedians, but on this night, the opening act (Penny Prince) fell flat. He seemed inexperienced and not polished, and often criticized the audience for not laughing at his routine. Luckily, the following headliner (Steve Marshall) was terrific. If you ever saw raw energy on stage, it was probably still not at the level of Steve Marshall … he was a complete nut case … but he had the audience in stitches from start to finish. If you ever see his name on the Riviera comedy listings, be sure to check him out … and don’t forget your ACG free coupon !!!

Wednesday -- Sept. 17 :

Our bags are packed, our early-bird boarding has been logged in, all paperwork organized for later, and we check out from 7 nights at MSS … no charges. And a check on our November reservation finds all in order for that return trip. Since our flight home is not until 2:35 pm, we head down to Sunset Station for a final getaway breakfast buffet, and one final shot at the video poker machines. This time, Nancy and I use an ACG - 2/1 buffet coupon for the buffet (OK, but nothing special). After breakfast, we locate the bank of 6 VP machines (near the movie theater), that have all of the most common full-pay games. I managed to break even on my 9/6 JOB games, but Nancy struggled with her 8/5 Bonus game (-40).

Leaving Sunset Station, we gas up the rental car on Warm Springs Rd., at the Rebel station, and make the return to the “car barn” - $168.26 all in total. Shuttle bus quickly delivers us to Terminal 1, we print out our Early Bird boarding passes at a kiosk, and are soon passing through the TSA-Pre-Check dedicated line, and on our way to Gate C-23. Our Southwest plane, coming from Portland arrives on time, but the previous plane at our gate is still boarding, after a delay for a maintenance problem. Everything “eventually” gets sorted out, with us departing 20 minutes late, for our 3 hour 20 min. gate-to-gate flight to Chicago Midway.

Back through the Chicago transit system, and onto the suburban Metra commuter train, we find our car sitting where we left it a week ago …and we pull into our garage just a few minutes later. Vegas trip # 52 is complete … # 53 coming up in November …..


Summary :
>> 7 nights @ Main Street Station … all comped through our two mailer offers
>> Dollar rental car - Chevy Malibu --- $168.26 all-in total , and 1800 SWA - Rapid Rewards credits
>> Meals with cash out-of-pocket --- $37
>> 10 free meals, from room offers, comps, coupons, and player points
>> Tips --- Maids, waiters, waitresses, service personnel, shuttles --- $77
>> MatchPlay coupons : + $45 (disappointing -- too many double losses)
>> Casino play : cycled & re-cycled about 35K coin-in
>> Video Poker (including Free-Play) : Nancy : - $690 , Me : + $940

Hope you enjoyed the read (beware of typos), and inaccurate data, due to old age & senility. Questions & comments are always welcome.

Next trip in November …. Viva Las Vegas !!!!

“Buddha”

 

Great report as usual. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

 

Just loved your TR. You really do a great job retelling your trip.

MSS/Cal to stay for that extended time (without c/i & c/o) has gotten easier IMHO.

Aloha

 

I was going to ask about using multiple coupons at the downtown properties as I have an extra ACG. Doesn't sound like it is a problem. Congrats on the Royals! Hoping to get my first this next trip.

 

A redraw royal??? WOW! I thought redraw deuces on deuces wild was crazy enough for my trip. At pennies no less.

Great report once again! You definitely make it hard on Vegas to win money off you two!

 

Jim - first off, congratulations to you and Nancy on your 48 years of happiness. Also, congratulations on joining me in the exclusive Septuagenarian club.

It is always nice to hit a royal, but getting 2 is more than twice as nice.

I won't weep for you on hitting 4 king high straight flushes as you got the 2nd best draw possible on each. I will take it.

Best to both of you.

 

Happy Anniversary. Congrats on the royal flushes.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your TR, I enjoyed reading it.

Congrats on two Royals! They really helped keep you in the black.

Have you gotten your November offers from MSS?

Also it looks like you don't gamble at MSS on moving day.

Other than the keno ticket, do you guys do any other gambling?
We sometimes mix in a little roulette or craps at MSS or bar top VP at Excalibur.

 

Enjoyed your trip report!. I like where you can use both of your room comps back to back and stay in the same room. My wife and I did the same thing at the Orleans back in August. We love staying Downtown but for some reason my wife doesn't get offered free rooms Downtown. Our trips are usually 7 days but I only get offers of 4 complimentary nights.
We both got 2 complimentary nights at the Orleans so we booked that back to back then spent the remainder of our trip Downtown using my 4 complimentary nights.

I drive very rarely when in Vegas (Vegas drivers scare the shit out of me...) and usually rent a car for a couple of days on a week long trip. The rest of the trip we utilize the Boyd shuttles to get to Sam's Town, Harrahs on the strip and the shuttle to Orleans and Gold Coast (We are loyal patrons of Boyd properties.) On the days we have a rental car we visit off-strip properties and go shopping.

Thanks again for your trip report. Looks like you and the Mrs. had a nice vacation and kinda came home even between the two of you. Good Luck on your Nov. Trip!

 

Sounds like a great trip, congrats on the anniversary. Hope we can enjoy Vegas as much on our 48th

 

TY .... Yes, our November offers arrived, and we already have our trip booked.

We never gamble at MSS on moving day, as we typically spend that day hitting other properties, and we don't want to "short play" ourselves, and lower our daily average.

We do the high majority of our gambling on the video poker machines, plus our MP's at the Roulette and BJ tables, and "maybe" an occasional $10 on a fun slot machine.

 

Congrats on another great trip, and a winning one at that! I was waiting for that three-peat email, but 2 quarter royals are 'da bomb! 2 royals are even better than TSA Pre-check... but only by a little... LOL.

Glad you had a wonderful time, and good weather, I was a little worried about the tropical storm coming that way, not to mention the Illinois hurricane on the day of your departure! Glad Mrs. Buddha's knee held out well!
diane

 

Are you referring to "multiple coupons" as you, yourself, going back to the same property with a coupon ? It should not be a problem, as long as you don't have to take it to the player's club, and get it recorded.
OR ... are you talking about the two of us using coupons at the same time ? We do coupons at the Roulette table at the same time, but they won't want you to do Black & Red at the same time, nor Odd & Even. "Occasionally", we'll run into a dealer that will only allow one coupon to be played at a time. When we use the coupons at the BJ table, we always play on separate deals.

 

Jim have to get to it later....Football ya know???

 

Great trip and great report. That country fried steak and eggs at Magnolia's is one of the best meals in Vegas.

 

Jim, I hate to tell you this, but that first royal, that was mine! Great trip report as always, glad you have a new record 2 royals in one trip!

 

Congrats on the double celebration trip...sounds like a good one! Have a question.....when you rebook your SWA flights....does the "early bird" carry over to the new reservations? A few years ago I did this and it no longer had the early bird as part of the reservation. Just want to make sure I did it correctly cause the rates are a little lower but certainly do not want to pay $50 again. Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!!

 

Thanks for your report. Very informative.

I've only ever tried to use a match play once, I failed. I'm not a table game player, and can't see that changing any time soon.

 

Congratulations on 2 Royals! I enjoyed reading your report. I rarely get DT these days so like hearing details from those that do.

 

Yes, Sybgal ... Once you have purchased the "Early-Bird Boarding" with your original flight, the new re-booking change will automatically transfer your Early-Bird, as long as your new flight keeps the same Confirmation #. I do it all the time, and have never had a problem.