Great Offer Adventure, CP/Cal/?, 7/22-?, CZR/TLC/Boyd/?, (Semi-Live)

take the $.50 ticket and try and cash it making some type of "last trip then covid blah blah" excuse for why you could not cash it in time

 

Man, when I read the Day 29 title of "sexy bitch", I really had envisioned something else. Very disappointed

 

Talk about "Pennies from Heaven".

 

reminds me of someones TR with helpful protip: don't leave your prerolls or bags out there.
Wind'll get em.

 

Day 30, Thu 8/20, VP, Momofuku, STK

On my fifth day at Cosmo I discovered that the room control panel is portable by accidentally knocking it off its charging stand. But since cleaning it does not seem to be on the housekeeping checklist, I chose to leave it on the stand and try to forget what I saw. Throughout the stay slivers of Pringles kept appearing on the floor. I finally figured out that the chair cushions were full of broken pringles...which also probably explains the grossness of the control panel.


After work I had a great lunch with @DaiLun and his BFF at Momofuku. We all had the Shoyu Pork Ramen & Pork Belly Bun lunch special. Food was great (and a deal at $25 for ramen, bun, and beer). Company was so great that no one remembered to take pictures. Which is a shame because it was a very photogenic meal. I guess I will have to make the sacrifice and go back for "research." @DaiLun graciously let me earn the Identity Points for the meal.

After lunch it was back to the video poker salt mines. The gambling gods were unkind and $30k coin-in at 9/6 Job cost well over a grand But that did give me another Lucky Drop entry. This time I hit the $100 slot...which would have been sweeter if I hadn't taken a beating earning the points.


Before playing the free play I went and made an insurance bet on the Caps. If the Caps lose at least I get a little cash.


I had $125 free play from the Lucky Drop promotion and my Identity Points were worth $150 point play. $275 free/point play turned into $255 cash money...not too shabby.

Dinner was appetizers at STK's great happy hour. Half price cocktails, $10 wine, and a selection of apps for $7. I was seated at a counter in the bar area (not the bar itself) with 6 ft spacing of chairs. The Spiced Watermelon cocktail was pretty and tasty.



The Grilled Chimi Filet med-rare was cooked perfectly even with the thinness of the meat. The Beef Tartare was great, just like last time. The Tuna Tartare on avocado with crackers was good but unmemorable. The Jalapeno Pickled Shrimp Cocktail wasn't too jalapenoie, and the shrimp seemed over-cooked/pickled. It wasn't bad, but I will pass on it next time.



At this point I was 2,117 tier point away from Identity Gold status. Getting rid of resort fees is music to my ears (hear that MGM?), so I went back to the high-limit slots room and played video poker while watching the Caps get bounced out of the playoffs. The 1.5 hours of 10-play 50 cent 9/6 JoB treated me better than the afternoon session. The $60 loss exactly cancelled out my sports bet profits. The gambling gods do seem to have a sense of humor. I turned points into $25 free play, which got converted to $30 cash money.

Status: Up $21,400 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: Work, Cosmo Summary, Harrah's, Oyster Bar

 

Good stuff!

And to remind others, you won that $69 bet on the Islanders. They have gone to Edmonton now. They have played great and have earned me a few bucks as a result.

 

Day 31, Fri 8/21, Work, Cosmo Summary, Harrah's, Oyster Bar

It was Cosmo checkout day. I wanted to ask about backend comps since I had played a decent amount, so I went downstairs at 8:45...no host until 9. Since I was out of cold cuts the plan was to hit Eggslut but then I remembered as a newly minted Gold the Wicked Sppon buffet was 50% off. Everything was quite good and they had some interesting things like duck wings and bone marrow. The guacamole was great. Crowds were light and the staff were on top of things. The only problem is that I over indulged and felt ill and lethargic for hours afterward.


After lunch I swung by the hosts' office again and there was still no host available. I had a 1:00 "late" checkout...housekeeping showed up at 1:05. Luckily I just doing my OCD ten time check of the room for left items. After loading up the truck I was finally able to find an available host on duty.

I had booked the room for 5 nights at $99/night with no resort fees. The host said that my theoretical loss was $400 something. I'm guessing she said $480.25 since that was my exact optimal expected loss on ~$106k coin-in at 9/6 JoB. Of course, I don't play optimally so their expected win was more. The host ended up comping $50 off the room plus using $30 of points to lower the bill. Not amazing, but that knocked the cost of 5 weekdays nights to $415, or $83/night for a terrace one bedroom. That is a fair price, and I appreciate that they knocked off a bit. $50 free gives me more happiness than it should.

In the end Cosmo won this round. I dropped $1700 over 42k hands of video poker. That's basically a royal cycle with no royal so I should have been down over $4k, so I can't complain too much, especially with the royal luck I've had on the trip so far. And Cosmo has already sent me some free room offers in addition to the complimentary free nights I get for Gold.

After checking out of the Cosmo it was time to figure out where to stay that night. I had recently found out I had to go to Baltimore for a funeral, so I had booked a 6am Sunday flight back home. Instead of exploring a new casino for a day, I decided to try to do the Seven Stars weekend at Harrah's. My host was unreponsive...probably because this was not the first time this trip I was booking a room same-day, so I just booked a $400 room credit two-night stay online. Just as well since I had no plan to gamble at all.

The Harrah's self-park garage was a nightmare to navigate in a 20 ft long truck. It has two-way traffic around every hair pin turn and was also quite full. I read somewhere that I-15 traffic between LA and LV is down only 16% during the pandemic, and all those cars have to park somewhere. One nice feature is that I got an xxx12 room in the Valley Tower overlooking the garage so I could keep an eye on my truck from the window. Unfortunately I was a little too far away to activate remote start to get the AC cranking while I made my way down to it.


Dinner was another trip to Harrah's Oyster Bar. I had not anticipated that all Seven Stars having $400 to spend on dining would cause problems. When I went downstairs at 5:00 there was already a mob scene. With 6 ft spacing I was standing beside slot machines waiting for the restaurant to open. I made it to the front of the line right as the first wave filled up the restaurant. I planned to wait for counter-top (not bar!) seating anyway.

I was the head of the line for about an hour. I had no gambling to do, so playing on my phone was probably what I was going to be doing anyway. During that hour I learned that I don't ever want to be in customer service. So many diamonds walked up and were annoyed there was no separate line. Then I discovered that if you're a high enough roller you can get reservations at the Oyster Bar...your host has to make them. Other people in line were pissed, but why? Ask your host next time.

Also, the Oyster Bar won't take walk-up to-go orders. You have to order it online and get it delivered to your room. A half-dozen people refused to believe it without being told about three times each. Some would even come back after a couple minutes and ask again. I understand the policy...to-go people want to stand at the counter while they order/wait and that's a big no-no.

The same woman was schucking but I wanted oysters so braved the shell slivers. They were sliver free! A couple of specials caught my eye. I'm a sucker for carbonara...but this sounded more like alfredo than carbonara. Why do restaurants put peas in carbonara?! It is definitely not traditional.


A 14oz ribeye with lobster tail for $65 is a pretty good deal. Of course I needed to burn through a $400 food credit eating solo in just two dinners and a brunch so getting a good deal wasn't a priority. I still used the drink benefit and had the wine taken off the bill before charging it to the room.


After dinner I just wandered around the strip for a bit. Someone had capped my favorite video poker machine at Harrah's! Usually I have no competition for this machine. Someone left a free bottle of "Tito's" in no man's land between Casino Royale and Harrah's.


So many scooters getting their Sugar fix.


Piano bar is open Friday and Saturday nights, lounge seating only. They open the curtains, but I assure you I was not allowed to stand there watching from outside. Only one of the sisters was performing this night.


Before bed I checked on my machine. I confirmed with a slot attendant that the same person playing it was the person who had capped/reserved it earlier. He wasn't even playing the good paytable! At least it wasn't keno.

Live update: Today is the end of the Vegas portion of the trip. I'm spending the day driving up to South Lake Tahoe. Looking forward to some bar-top action! I plan to write about that too in a new report. But I will finish this report first.

Status: Up $21,400 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: Cafe Americano (CP), Gordon Ramsay Steak

 

Great report. I’ve enjoyed following along!

 

Really enjoyed your report. One of the best and most detailed reports that I’ve ver seen. Thanks for sharing

 

Day 32, Sat 8/22, Cafe Americano (CP), Gordon Ramsay Steak

Breakfast options are slim mid-strip at the moment so I decided to try Cafe Americano at Caesars Palace for the first time. Every time I've passed it in the past I've just laughed at the absurdity of their prices. But since I thought I was eating on CZR's dime I gave it a try.

On the walk over from Harrah's I got propositioned at the crosswalk in front of the Linq Promenade...at 7:30am. I rarely get propositioned...like once every couple years. I like to think it's because I look like a man that doesn't need to pay...but it's more likely my RBF

While the host was seating the party in front of me a guy walked in the exit and stood next to me. There is no diamond/7* line at Cafe Americano but I guess this guy was making one. He was flashing his diamond card. Unfortunately the host asked who was there first and seated me first. Too bad because I wanted to break out my 7* card if the host tried to seat him first. And it was only me and one other party waiting in line when this clown tried to pull this

The menu did not look promising. A whole section of $20 avocado toast! Something, something millennials. I ended up ordering the $50 ribeye steak and eggs. It was a bit disappointing. The steak was cooked fine but too salty, and I say that as someone who buries steaks in kosher salt before grilling. If the eggs had been just a skosh colder I would have had to send them back. Coffee was $5.50! To be fair, it was good coffee. Service was fast enough and friendly.


Later that day I saw a tweet from sevenstarsinsider about Cafe Americanos not being owned by CZRs. I assumed since they switched the restaurant at Paris to that brand that it must be a CZR brand so I did not do my homework. And yes, I ended up paying $60+tip out-of-pocket for breakfast (without any booze!)

There they are, the Gamblers in the Mist.


After breakfast I ran out and loaded up the yeti style cooler in the truck with ice to get it pre-chilled. I needed things to stay cold from Sun morning to Wed night. The afternoon was spent re-arranging luggage and packing for the trip home.

Dinner was at Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris. To avoid no-man's land in front of the Cromwell and to minimize my time outside in the heat I casino hopped through Linq, O'Sheas, and Flamingo. At Flamingo I exited through the valet area and walked through the Cromwell porte cochere and crossed Flamingo Rd at the light-controlled crosswalk. Much better than baking in the sun from the Flamingo to the Bazaar shops, and much less crowded.

After making my way through the chunnel up to the second floor, I started with my customary Bombay Sapphire martini. And I needed to try the steak tartare to compare it with STK. Interestingly both restaurants serve it with potato chips (crisps). Both restaurants do a great job and I'm not willing to declare a winner.


The inclusion of a scotch egg got me to order a caesar salad. The egg was great, the salad not so much. It was a pain dealing with the huge leaves of lettuce and I was worried dressing was going to get flung everywhere.


For those keeping track, this was my third straight meal of steak. (Surf and turf at Oyster Bar, steak and eggs at Cafe Americano, both ribeyes). Instead of ordering my usual ribeye, the waiter recommended an American wagyu filet. It was great! Very tender and flavorful. Since CZR was paying I added foie gras and scallops.


It was wasteful since I was dining alone, but I wanted some mac-and-cheese, mushrooms, and bearnaise. I barely touched the sides, but they were all very good.


And I finally tried the Sticky Toffee Pudding. OMG was it good! Give me hot cake and ice cream together and I'm happy. But this was kicked up many notches (oops, wrong celebrity chef). I managed to resist drinking the toffee syrup from the pitcher. The waiter recommended a Madeira and it paired perfectly.


They were still doing the drink benefit for 7*s. It took them some doing but they knocked off $81 of drinks. That still left a bill of $260 (with tax)! If I was paying out-of-pocket I wouldn't have had most of the add-ons.

Walking through the Flamingo on my way back to Harrah's was the first time I saw the William Hill takeover of CZR sportsbooks. It is a sad day to lose competition and I don't understand why a 70 property company wouldn't do it themselves. Maybe when the contract runs out they will go back setting their own lines.


Bed time came early with a 3:30am alarm set.

Status: Up $21,400 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: McCarran

 

Day 33, Sun 8/23,
Day 34, Wed 8/26,

Warning: Mostly non-vegas content

Up at 3:30 for the 6am flight. Made a quick stop for ice at the Arco at Flamingo and Koval on the way to the airport. 110 degree weather versus a yeti style cooler for 3.5 days.

@DaiLun mentioned that the Southwest checkpoint no longer has a separate PreCheck line. Unfortunately the same is true at Terminal 3, at least at 5 in the morning. I won't go through the whole miserable experience, but they managed to get my carry-on out of my sight for a good 10 minutes. At least they didn't break my work equipment. But I just realized a weeks later I haven't been able to find my backup phone...wonder if it's in lost and found at McCarran? On the plus side, once I got to the gate I remembered that I had a large amount of cash in the carry-on...it was still there.


Flights were uneventful. Wish I could have gotten an egg mcmuffin in Denver but with Chick-fil-A closed on Sundays the McDonald's was mobbed. Good thing humans don't need to eat on Sundays. Not sure why an airport would allow a restaurant that is needed 7 days/week to be open only 6.


Spent Monday and Tuesday in the office. Coworkers were fascinated with my Vegas stories but didn't seem to believe it was supposed to be a profitable trip even after I explained the math. But I got the sensitive work equipment attached to a remote control power switch so that it can stay in my office. Much more secure than a vegas hotel room.

The flight back was on Wednesday 8/26. I grabbed a late lunch at G&M right by BWI. If you are ever travelling through BWI I highly recommend making your way to G&M for some of the best crab cakes in the world. Pro-tip, that picture is actually of the stuffed oysters...that's two large oysters each stuffed with a crab cake.


Flights were uneventful. Parking at McCarran was $72 for 3.5days. Yowser! Probably should have left it at Harrah's garage and taxied/ubered to-fro the airport. On the drive to Harrah's I noticed streaks on the windshield that looks like condensation had dripped down and left streaks. It was way past my bedtime so it didn't dawn on me that there is no condensation in Vegas in the summer. After arriving I found out what really happened. I had cans of diet tonic water and two of them had exploded because of the heat. I had anticipated this and had put them in a drink cooler. But the force of the explosion let one of them escape. The cooler did at least collect most of the liquid, and at least it was diet so the truck isn't covered in sugar and ants.


The good news is that the yeti-style cooler managed to keep my lunch supplies cold for 3.5 days in the Vegas summer.

Status: Up $21,400 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: Work, VP, Harrah's Suite, Bugsy and Meyer's

 

Great to know that the drink benefit is honored at Gordon Ramsay. I made a reservation and will be dining there for the first time ever in a few weeks.

 

Day 35, Thu 8/27, Work, VP, Harrah's Suite, Bugsy and Meyer's

My host had not responded the previous week but he did finally hook me up with a suite at Harrah's for four nights. The normal room I stayed in the previous Fri-Sun would have been a little cramped to work from. But the suite was very comfortable to work from with a separate table in the living area. And I again had a view of my truck down below. The workday went fine and Harrah's wifi didn't give me the same problems as the wifi at Caesars Palace.


This stay was for the Bicycle Promotion:
https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/cet-bicycle-promotion.175930/

The plan was to earn 8,000 TCs to get $2,500 of free play. At 1.5% house edge VP the promotion was worth:
EV = $2,500 - 1.5% * ($80,000 + $2,500)
EV = $1,262

My favorite machine at Harrah's was taken but I wanted to play a little before dinner so I tried my hand at $1 8/5 JoB Dream Card. 200 TCs cost $265. This was the dream card variant where 46% of the time your fifth dealt card is the dream card. I swear the machine does not always give you the best card...and it definitely gives you cards to try to get you to chase royals that are not the correct hold.

Dinner was my first time at Bugsy and Meyer's. Entering through the bakery is kind of silly, but I did like seeing the meat aging on the way to the tables. I started with my usual Bombay Sapphire martini. I did not refuse the bread. It was quite tasty but I managed to not eat all of it.


The tour of steak tartare continued. This was probably my least favorite. The rectangular bar shape threw me off and there was just too much "stuff" in it. Not bad, just not as good as STK and GR. The buttered toast was amazing. The caesar salad was quite good.


I went with my usual medium-rare ribeye. It was more burnt than browned in places, but was medium-rare and tasty. They're too fancy to have serrated steak knives, so I built-up my forearm muscles cutting the steak with the dullest knife in history. Not sure it even qualified to be called a knife

"The Heater" was a bit disappointing. Don't be fooled by the picture, it was 100% potato with just a little cheese and sausage on top. The menu really oversells it. In hindsight I would have preferred a baked potato with sour cream.


Overall I enjoyed my experience. Service was friendly and efficient. There are just a couple items I will not be ordering again. I forgot to ask about 7* drinks

After dinner my preferred machine was available and it cost $90 to knock out the remaining 2,300 TCs needed for the daily tier bonus.

It's not clear in the picture, but that was two security guard walking down the hallway pushing on every door to make sure they were latched. This was around 9 at night. That is smart of Harrah's and should help avoid incidents like what happened at Circus Circus two years ago.


Status: Up $21,100 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: Work, VP, Battista's Hole in the Wall

 

Been following along your amazing summer journey. I have to park my truck in a remote airport while I commute so it's good to know the Yeti can withstand that Vegas heat for days. What I find fascinating is that we're in the middle of a pandemic and it doesn't really seem to affect your travel. Whereas other TRs are half about masks, sanitization, and security your recent TRs are more about logistical issues with promotions, hotels, and what you had for dinner. Either you've adjusted to the new pandemic normal, it's no big deal, or maybe just choose not to write about those issues anymore. Either way, I'm having fun following along thanks!

 

And that's one of the reasons why I love this report, in addition to the length of it! I definitely want to know about how the hotels are doing in terms of health and safety but I like @Tarpie's attitude. He's not complaining much about what we have to do but is focused more on how much he is enjoying it.

I basically never want you to go back @Tarpie! Or, if you do, start planning your next big trip and another set of promotions.

 

GREAT STUFF!!! Keep it coming!!! And find a way to keep the Vegas trip going!

 

@Tarpie don't beat yourself up about not asking for Seven Stars drinks at Bugsy & Meyers, I asked about it on August 29 was turned down.

FAB

 

@Tarpie - good to hear that the rest of your trip went well. Following you down there on Thursday. Maybe I will try to have some discipline and play V/P at the Wynn.

 

I didn't know peas were not traditional in carbonara. However, put me in the camp that likes them in it lol adds to the texture. Love your food updates and those rib eye porn. Next time get that sexy red cross section.

Thanks for continuing to update and best of luck!

 

Day 36, Fri 8/28, Work, VP, Battista's Hole in the Wall

Another day of work, then downstairs to earn at least 2,500 tier credits. I was able to get on my favorite machine at Harrah's, but 2,900 TCs ended up costing $2100! Ughhhhhh. The prize is only $2,500 of free play and I'm down $2,500 so far. And I still need another 2,500 TCs! Not good.

Battista's Hole in the Wall has been on my "things to do in Vegas someday" list so I finally pulled the trigger. They've got their COVID response down pat, the menu is plastered all over the walls.



I stuck with the carafe of house red. Sorry about the quality of the pictures...Battista's is very dimly lit. My phone camera is pretty good but decided to be temperamental. I opted for the salad instead of minestrone soup...I hate minestrone soup. One of the few items of food I avoid. Both the salad and garlic bread were solid.



My entree of veal parmegiana was standard veal parm that you get at restaurants like this. Fried competently and covered in red sauce and tons of cheese. What's not to like? A side of pasta is included. I went with fettuccine alfredo to cut down on the red sauce nut it was to no avail. I managed to give myself massive heartburn. Not the restaurant's fault, just something that sometimes happens to me with red sauce and eating way too much food.



But I was a trooper and powered through the carafe of wine, one tiny glass at a time. I even had the included cappuccino which was quite tasty. And the waiter twisted my arm into having a limoncello which really cleansed the palate after all that food.



Overall I enjoyed Battista's. It's not fine dining, but it's a reasonable price for decent food. It reminded my of my going to large, loud italian restaurants in Rhode Island on family vacations growing up. I like that ambiance, at least some of the time.

And if there's one thing I know, it's Germans love David Hasselhof (his picture was all over the place).



I was very glad I gotten the VP play in before dinner so I could just go upstairs and lay in bed like a beached whale.



Status: Up $19,000 cash on vp. Two quarter royals. Four dollar royals.
Up next: Magnolia's Breakfast, VP, Promo Results, Oyster Bar (again)