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Labor day and a bit underfunded

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by mike_m235, Aug 29, 2012.

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  1. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    My Trip Report

    I don't leave for two days, but to understand the dynamics of this trip, I need to explain how I got here. For those of you who just want to read about the action in Vegas, skip ahead a few posts and I promise it will be there. But some of that won't make sense unless you understand the background.

    Backstory:

    It started two trips ago when I got a host. My play isn't at a level that requires a host, really -- it's on the borderline. The reason I got a host was because two trips ago I didn't have any offers. My play merits offers, but I'd been in Iraq for a year so everything had kind of dried up. When your story starts out "Hey, I come to Vegas quite a bit and I gamble at a pretty decent rate, but I've been deployed for the last year and I don't really have any offers..." Let's just say that that's the kind of story that you want to tell to a human instead of relying on a computer to spit out a number.

    I contacted two hosts, one at NYNY and one at Monte Carlo. The one at NYNY said they'd give me a room for 3 nights. The guy at Monte Carlo said 'What dates do you want to come? We'll take care of you.' And they did. They put me up in a Spa Suite for two weekend nights. That's a pretty low end suite, but not knowing what it was worth, I asked my host what kind of play he was looking for and he said they'd like to see 8 hours at about $100 average bet to cover the two nights.

    $100 average bet is higher than I play, mostly, but not much. It was a short trip where I got in late on Friday and left early on Sunday, but Saturday I went on a nice run playing two $50 spots of blackjack where I won the first hand and was never below my buy-in. I cashed out after 3 hours playing solo at a table up $700, but did a good job increasing my average bet with the play. I finished the trip breaking even with 7.5 hours of play averaging $84 a bet. When I talked to my host, he said my numbers looked good, which surprised me a bit, but hey, I'll take it.

    Last trip in March, the same host put me into a Monaco Suite, which is in the same class and gave me $300 in Free Play. I went in with my biggest bankroll that I've ever brought, at $6000, and promptly lost $3000 in the first 45 minutes. I dropped 2 grand on blackjack and then another grand on craps. It was heinous. So I took a break, cashed in my freeplay, and started playing craps at a lower level. I got a bit back, but was still down. Then Saturday I went on a long craps run. I didn't win anything, but it was one of those runs where everyone hits about one point and you just stay level. I started at 11:30 AM and next thing I know it's time to meet my wife for dinner at 5 PM and I'm still at the same table. Basically, I broke even for the rest of the trip and finished down the initial $3000.

    I call my host after the trip and he says I played 13 hours at an average bet of $92, and that I lost about $5000. The difference between what he thought I lost and what I actually lost is because I stash chips when I hit any kind of run at craps. Am I fooling anyone? Probably not. But I tip well at the craps table and I'm very sure that when the pit guy is filling out my paper, sometimes it goes in my favor.

    Which brings us to this trip. I called my host and told him the dates I wanted -- I had almost no decent MLife offers -- go figure. I want the spa suite, and I'm pretty sure I'll get it based on my play the last trip. He tells me that he can put me up in a studio in Hotel 32. I have no idea what that is, so I ask if it's better. He says 'It costs more. You should try it one time.' New is always good, so what the heck. I take it along with some freeplay and RFB. It's my first time getting RFB. Only $150, but along with express comps I'll be eating mostly free. Good deal.

    My assumption is that my host is expecting a relatively similar level of play as last time. Even thogh that play exceeds my bankroll by a bit, I wasn't too worried about that. If I underplayed it a bit, I can always go back down a room level, or even just pay for a suite.

    And then a bunch of things happened, most of them forseeable, that cut my bankroll down. I bought my son a car, and my stepson needed help with his wedding. Then I lent my father in law some money. All of a sudden, I'm low on cash going into my trip. Oops. Please, no lectures on gambling more than you can afford...I have money...it's just a short term cash flow issue.

    The bottom line is, I'm off to stay in a room that would cost $800 for two nights if you booked it and eat for free, all with exactly $4100 in my gambling pocket. Should be interesting.

    Edit: Sorry, I didn't read the sticky about not posting pre-trip reports before I wrote this. Won't do it again.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2012
  2. captainron62

    captainron62 VIP Whale

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    Firstly, this is exactly why I dont bother with a host. I get pretty similair COMPS to what you get thru CET without a host. I am leaving for LV on Sunday, I just bought a house this month and paid 4K in atty bills to get full custody of my kids. I too am a little more cash poor than usual. Not in a bind by any means, but just dont feel comfortable firing it up as I usually do. Since I dont have a host, I am not worried. I am booked thru April 2013 COMP thur CET.

    With that said, from friends and what I have read, most hosts will "give" you one bad trip. I wouldnt really be concerned, short of the Hotel 32 and the $300 free play you havent gotten anything spectacular for that play anyways.

    Enjoy your trip, hopefully you get on a heater and it doesnt matter anyways!
     
  3. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    i think that's a reasonable bankroll for that level of play. just have to start a little slow and hopefully build into a nice win. i find that some of my best trips are when i go short on funds because it makes me pay closer attention to my play. when i go high on the hog, i sometimes get complacent and start throwing away money on bad bets because i know i've got the bankroll.
     
  4. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    I agree -- for someone at the level of play I'm at, you don't need a host and I wouldn't recommend one to most people. Unless you have a special circumstance, like I did a couple trips ago. But now I have one, and it's hard to go back because he's giving me more than what I get in corporate or hotel specific offers.

    And I also agree -- a heater would be nice!
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2012
  5. Kimsa70

    Kimsa70 High-Roller

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    MGM corporate told me that my offers are based on an average of my last 4 trips and they drop the lowest one. So, one trip playing lower than usual should not have a large effect on future comps. And I'm guessing they will comp your room at hotel 32 as promised.
     
  6. PSM

    PSM High-Roller

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    Can't wait to hear how the trip goes! Good luck making that "smaller" bank roll last!
     
  7. Reed

    Reed High-Roller

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    I have been in a similar scenario with the offers/host. I am not at a level of play where a host is going to seek me out. When my offers went to crap the last couple of years (even with increased play) I contacted a host at NYNY and she is very good as far as comping the rooms upfront and some of my charges at the end of my stay.

    Good luck on your trip!
     
  8. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    Preparation:

    I have two priorities when I go to Vegas. Spending time with my wife away from our kids and playing craps. These things are opposed to each other, since my wife doesn't play craps. She barely gambles at all. She plays video poker, so sometimes we'll find a multi denomination bank and she'll play quarters while I play dollars, but that's about it. So our normal routine is we have breakfast together, I gamble during the day, and she goes to the gym and goes shopping. Then we get together for dinner and entertainment and spend the night together doing Vegas things.

    Until this time. I've asked my wife several times to play craps with me, but she is too intimidated. But this trip, she agreed to play as long as I taught her how before we get there. So this week I've been converting our kitchen table to a makeshift craps table and teaching her the basics. I knew she had it yesterday when I set a point of 10 and she shifted my buy bet from the 10 to the 9 without me telling her. We've been using a pepper grinder to mark the point, and I half expect her to get to vegas and ask the stick man where the pepper grinder is. She doesn't like to play high, so we've agreed that she's buying in for $100 and playing $10 pass and $10 odds. I give it half an hour before she quits, but it will be fun while it lasts.

    For her part, my wife is going to get her nails done today. Her theory is that if she's throwing dice, people are going to see her hands a lot. There's a chance she might be playing me on that one. Anyway, nails and $100 in craps bets will still save me money over her going shopping in Vegas.

    I've been preparing with diet and exercise. No, really. I try to keep my weight between 185 and 190, but today I weighed in at 184. I fully expect to return from Vegas at 190. Food is a big part of the trip, as usual.
     
  9. PSM

    PSM High-Roller

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    I literally laughed out loud at the part where she said people will be seeing her hands a lot if she's throwing dice. hahaha
     
  10. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    uh oh ... sound exactly like my wife and me ... exactly. never, ever gambles, but one time agreed to play craps with me. all i'll say is i've never lost my entire buy-in so quickly. we were just messing around on a $10 table and lost $400 before our drinks even showed up. hope it goes better for you ...
     
  11. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    My record for craps is dropping $1000 in 8 minutes -- she'll have to work to beat that one. But yeah, I'm absolutely worried that this could go bad one of two ways. Either we get crushed, or she throws a six point heater on her first roll and gets addicted. Granted, the six point heater would cushion the blow of having to get her into a program.
     
  12. Tbone3336

    Tbone3336 VIP Whale

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    Ya never know, you know what they say about craps virgins! You might end up in the penthouse suite after her heater! At least I hope so for you... those virgins have never worked out for me so far the few times I was at a table with one.
     
  13. CaptainJack

    CaptainJack Low-Roller

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    I recommend you go and play however you want to play...if you bust out short of how much play your host is expecting, he'll see at least a $4k loss (probably more with your ratholing). Don't let the comps dictate your play though...you've got a book of play at this hotel now, your record is not just based on the last trip anymore.
     
  14. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    The Plan:

    I go into every trip with a plan. It doesn't survive, usually, but I find that if I go without a plan that I wake up Sunday morning wondering where the weekend went.

    Non-Gambling is pretty well set. We arrive at 12:30 Friday and the hotel is sending a car. We'll do hors D'ourves at Lounge 32 around 5 or so (no idea how good that will be -- but it's part of the package, so it's free. Worth a shot.) and then we have Jersey Boys over at Paris at 7. After that we'll find food somewhere, and maybe hit the VP.

    Saturday my wife will hit the gym, we'll have brunch together, and then she'll go shopping, then we have dinner at Craftsteak and the Neil Diamond concert.

    My gambling plan is more fluid. Every trip, I take one 'shot' at craps where I buy in for $1000 and play green chip. My normal bet is more like $15 pass with some numbers or comes, depending on how the table is working. But once a trip I allow myself to bet bigger and see if I can hit the big win. All I really need is for one of those epic rolls to coincide with my heavier betting one trip. Hasn't happened yet.

    For this trip I've decided I'm taking that shot right up front. Because I've got a lower bankroll, I don't want to risk being down $1500 and then deciding I can't risk the bigger bets one time. So first thing, I'm buying in for $1000 and playing $25 pass line with odds, buying the 4 and 10 for $25 each and placing the 6 and 8 for $30 each. It's high variance, so it could go quickly if the table is cold. But hey, I'm already gambling on a lower budget this trip...what's another $1000? On the flip side, if I hit it, my bankroll will be set and I can go about my normal business. If I don't hit but have a long break even session, my average bet will be big enough where I can play lower for the rest of the weekend and never think about bet size again.

    After that, I'll play through my freeplay at $1 DDB video poker. I like the high variance -- if I hit an $800 hand, it really helps the trip -- gives me something to chase other than the royal.

    My initial cutoff for losses is $2600. If I go down $2600 Friday or early on Saturday, I'm going to shut it down so I can continue to gamble and have fun with the remaining $1500. I'll probably walk down to the Trop or Excalibur and play some $5 craps. Just buy in for $300 at a time and play the day away.

    Every trip I run $100 through a slot machine with a progressive. What the heck...might as well take a shot at the lottery. This time I'm pretty committed to doing the Lion's Share over at MGM. Not sure what I'm going to do with my $2.3 million once I win it. Probably buy an icecream. And a security guard.
     
  15. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    As it turns out, my wife got her toes done too. So apparently she intends to throw dice with her feet as well as her hands.
     
  16. pywakit

    pywakit Low-Roller

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    Your wife needs a pepper shaker charm bracelet.
    Good luck and have fun.
     
  17. 777

    777 Tourist

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    Good luck to you! I agree you need to bet big at the beginning hoping to catch a good run upfront. I am planning to do the same this weekend, we are on the same boat here, I am underfunded this time as I dropped 15k in the past week at my local casino. Have you thought about playing BJ first instead of craps? The risk is higher in craps on a short run than BJ, if you think about it, you are placing a number of bets at once, and only one will be won at one time. When that 7 comes out, your entire bet is gone. I suggest you start off with 200 at bj table and press it hard when you win, all you need is a streak of 4 or 5 hands with a double down or split or a natural blackjack, you should be able to double your entire bankroll.
     
  18. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    I actually did that last time with blackjack. Bought in for 2K when I first got there and played black chip. For about 30 minutes until I was broke. So I agree, it's a viable plan, but I'm just going a different way this time.
     
  19. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    One day to go, and not a lot to report. However I've discovered that the Farmer's Almanac is wrong. It says the longest day of the year is June 21st, when in reality, the longest day of the year is the day before you're heading to Vegas.

    Last night in our practice craps session, my wife saw first hand how horrendous it can be if you're on a bad run. Set a point, throw a seven, repeat. We blew through a buy-in in about 10 minutes. At least she won't be surprised if it happens in vegas.

    After that, my wife went through her closet and tried on dresses to decide what she was taking. I tried to explain to her that we weren't really going anywhere you had to dress up this trip -- two trips ago we ended up going to Bank at the Bellagio -- friend had a table, long story -- so now my wife feels like she has to pack accordingly. So despite my protests that it wasn't required, she tried on 11 dresses before selecting 3 to take with her. Did I mention that this was a two day trip? Oh well, we're flying southwest, so the bags are free.

    Our other decision was committing to go to Aria for the breakfast buffet one day. I give this about a 20% chance of actually happening. We always say this, but then 10 AM rolls around and we're already at our hotel, and it's just so far to walk...and we eat at the hotel we're staying at. The Monte Carlo buffet doesn't suck for breakfast (I've never eaten dinner there, so no idea how it holds up.) It's really hard to mess up breakfast. You make the eggs, you make the coffee. And if you're Monte Carlo, you also serve shrimp, which I never understood, but they're tasty. So hopefully we'll muster the energy to walk next door. I've never been to the buffet at Aria, but so many people talk about it that I feel like I should try it, just so I know. Comps and line passes probably make it easier, and I should have both. I'm sure I'll earn enough ECs on Friday to pay for breakfast saturday, and the gold MLife card line pass to the buffets is the only perk that I actually really appreciate.
     
  20. Jinx

    Jinx VIP Whale

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    Looking forward to hearing how the trip goes, good luck, especially for the initial betting.
     
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