First Solo Vegas Trip

Solo Trip to Vegas Day One:

My first solo trip to Vegas happened in late December courtesy of my wife who decided that a solo trip to Vegas would make the perfect present for Christmas. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I had being on it!

It was a cold a rainy Saturday that I had to spend some time packing and getting ready. My flight was on schedule and everything looked good for me to have a normal arrival time. I fly a lot for work and it is rear when I find my flight on time. It makes it a big win when I find it on time going to Vegas! The flight was nice and I enjoyed a few complimentary beverages thanks to be an "A" list from Southwest. It seemed to be quicker than most flights to Vegas.

I arrived just after 5:00 to find my bags waiting for me by the time I got to baggage. This is a double win so far. Off I went on the car rental shuttle. If I was going to get held up, I was sure that it would be at Fox Rental Cars. I usually rent from them because they are cheap, but I often find myself frustrated with the long wait. As it turned out there was no wait at all, so I went up to the counter and answered no about 40 times to turn down all the extra BS they try to tack on. With the keys in hand I was heading out to downtown to get my room sat the Freemont Hotel and Casino

Since I had just arrived in Vegas, and the sun was just setting, I decided that I needed to drive down the strip and watch the lights come on. Even though it takes extra time going down the strip, I enjoyed seeing it lit up.There is something about driving down the strip at night to make kicking off my solo trip extra special!

I arrived at the Freemont and did the valet. I was parked and checked in to my room in less than five minutes. This is one of the reasons I like being downtown. I rarely have to wait in long lines to get checked in. My room at the Freemont was kind of small and a touch outdated. With that being said, it was clean, the bed was comfortable and it would fit my needs for the first night!

After dropping off my bag I headed downstairs to see the action. I am mostly a blackjack and poker player. I decided to check out the tables at Freemont and found myself sitting at a rather enjoyable table with a bunch of family members who were celebrating a 21st birthday for their Marine who just returned home. It was a great time of drinking and cheering each other on, I had fun and won a few bucks and had a few beers to boot. I realized that I needed to get up and get some food in my gut since I had not eaten anything all day.

Another reason I love downtown is that there are a lot of places to eat and it doesn't break the bank like the strip can! After walking around a bit I found myself at the Chicago Brewery in the Four Queens. My wife and I love this place and find ourselves eating at it when ever we are in town. I had the usual pizza and wings. If you find yourself needing some good pizza downtown, I highly suggest you give it a try!

After gorging myself with some grub, I walked over to the Plaza. I know most people are not big fans of the Plaza, but I like it. In fact I like most dive joints. I must say that I do like it more since they have fixed it up a bit. I played some more blackjack for a while when they made an announcement that they were going to have a poker tournament for a $12 buy in???

That sounded very strange to me. I had never heard of a buy in that cheap. I decided to check it out. They have the tables that have a video dealer and they run mostly tournaments. I decided to give it a go. The competition was weak, but it was a great deal of fun to play in. Besides, Where else are you going to find characters at the table that decide it would be a good idea to bring their girlfriend to the tournament, only to find his wife show up!

I was mostly card dead during the tournament, but I did enjoy the fight that broke out between the husband, wife and girlfriend! After busting out I headed over the the Golden Gate to play some more blackjack. My play in blackjack continued to be steady as I headed over tot he California, Main Street and back to the Freemont.

I like to give the Boyd properties play, as they like to give me free rooms. I'm all about the free comps when I can get them! After a long night of drinking and gambling I decided to call it a night, so I could be ready for Sunday.

I will post the next couple of days when I get some time. Until then, feel free to check out my blog at: http://muddledmisadventures.blogspot.com/

 

Where else are you going to find characters at the table that decide it would be a good idea to bring their girlfriend to the tournament, only to find his wife show up!

I was mostly card dead during the tournament, but I did enjoy the fight that broke out between the husband, wife and girlfriend!


Now, That's funny..

The stunad needs some better scheduling skills.

 

Lol, it was pretty funny. I don't think the guy was the brightest around. He did seem like a regular as a lot of people knew his name and his wife's name. I am not sure how he thought he was going to get a way with it!

 

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

Now I've seen all sorts of things at a poker table, but that would be a first!
Keep the posts coming!

 

Solo Trip to Vegas Day two:

Day two started early for Vegas time and normal for Texas time. I was up and ready at 5:00 am. I decided that since I was downtown I should try to win back some money from last summer when a few downtown casinos felt that is was not necessary for us to send our daughters to college. I grabbed a quick breakfast sandwich and was on my way. My first stop was at The D. For some reason I like to play here even though it has always crushed my hopes and dreams of becoming a full time professional gambler! I changed that as I scored big and fast by doubling up my initial buy in within minutes! I took my winnings and stormed out proud to know that I was capable of inflicting some pain to those to the place that has beat me like like Stu from the Hangover when Tyson lit him up!

With my pocket full of green and my confidence as high as the hopes of Bears fans prior to the season starting, I headed to another favorite downtown casino. This casino also did some damage last summer and I needed to get back what was rightfully mine. Again I struck gold and doubled my buy in, although it took my time and a few bloody mary’s and a new found friend.

My new friend was a cool dude if you could look past the fact that he was difficult to understand with only one tooth in his mouth that made a whistling sound when he talked. He was a local and told me that he only plays at certain casinos downtown because they comp him a free meal everyday for his blackjack play. He told me he will only play until he loses $20 a day, or wins $100. He claimed to be up $250 for the year! For all I know he could have been making the story up. Either way he was highly entertaining and fun to play with. He was obviously a good luck charm for me and as always, I was pleased to meet another character at the tables. Some people are very quiet and don't like to talk, and that is fine. I think they are missing out on one of the best parts of gambling, the socializing! I love meeting and talking to new people while gambling. Its amazing what people will tell you when they are gambling money away and throwing drinks down their gullets!

After doubling up my winnings and wishing my new friend goodbye, I placed my five team parlay for the football games. It was a long shot, but thats what Vegas is for me, a long shot and a dream! Not to mention that it makes watching the games much more interesting. I went and played at some other casinos downtown until it was time to checkout and move on.

I had some time before I checked into the Luxor so I decided to see what the new SLS property looked like. The new SLS reopened where Sahara use to be. The Sahara was an old haunt for me and the wife back in the day when they offered $1 blackjack. The SLS looks like a cleaned up expensive version of the Sahara. I didn't play since it is no longer a hole in the wall casino type that I like to play in. Basically they put lipstick on the pig and tricked the yuppie folk to come in. Not my style and no longer my place. I had no hopes of meeting a friend like I did earlier so I got out of there like Jim Harbaugh got out of San Francisco.

I went to the Luxor to check in and get my room. This room was my first time staying in the Luxor and I must say that I am pleased with the accommodations! The room was huge and was just redone. I also got a high floor with a great view. I don’t stay on the strip very often, but I would consider coming back to the Luxor.

I headed out to one of my favorite gambling establishments called South Point to watch the games, play some poker and dabble in some blackjack. Last summer the blackjack gods were not friendly to me and I had to retire from the game mid trip and go back to poker. This trip the exact opposite was true. Poker has been brutal with some bad beats and great starting hands the turned evil o the river. No big deal! I shook it off as I wanted to watch the games to see how I was doing. I needed some extra support so I called on a good friend to work some crafty mojo magic to help me out! The parley was looking great with one problem. I bet against the Bears to lose. Lost they did, but not by enough points! I wanted to send out a special thank you to former Broncos quarterback, Jay Cutler who now plays for the Bears. You can’t even lose good!

I grabbed some hot dogs and headed back to the Luxor for a nap! Vegas time and gambling messes with my sleep and I was exhausted at 6:00 at night. I took a four nap and was woken up to sirens outside. I rallied and splashed some water on my face. My wife had done a lot of planning and preparation for this trip. I didn’t want to disappoint her by sleeping it away. I was off to the old Hooters Casino. I have not played here in years and it turned out to be a bonus for me. They signed me up as a new member and I scored some free wings and a t-shirt. Of course that shirt and wings ended up causing me huge at the tables.

After a long hard day of work and my wifes dream of new wood floors for the game room starting to fade as that money was donated to make sure that Las Vegas stays bright and shiny for more to visit. Day three hoped to be more promising with a new adventure and people to meet!

For more adventures check out my blog at: http://muddledmisadventures.blogspot.com/

 

Solo Trip to Vegas Day three:

I got up early again even though I was up late the night before. The two hour time difference has always messed with me. Luckily it is much easier for me to readjust when I get home. Plus I will still be on break when I get home so it will give me a chance to rest up before heading back to work.
I decided that I would go back downtown to start off the day. I had consulted with a good friend about todays parlay picks and got his expertise to place the wager on all the bowl games for the day. I was late getting my picks in, so I had to settle for only betting on two games. We got absolutely destroyed losing both games and never really having a chance right from the start. Rigo has promised to pick up his game for the summer trip and brush up on his baseball skills so we can hit some killer parleys when we return!

Downtown was busy for ealy on a Monday morning. A lot of people are arriving for the big new year festivities in Vegas. The tables downtown turned their evil face on me early and stayed that way at each place that I went. The blackjack for the day has proven to be a tough code to crack! I went on a long run of bad hands and nothing I did seemed to improve. I decided to pick what I had left off the tables and drown my sorrows elsewhere.

Dejected I went to a recently found favorite to sulk my bitterness in an Italian beef sandwich from Al’s Beefs. If you find yourself in Vegas, I suggest you indulge in one of the better beef sandwiches that I have had. After a large beef, fries, and an orange soda I went back to the strip to walk around and see what was new. I am normally not a strip type of guy, but it was kind of interesting to walk down the strip and see the sights and crazy people. Two notes on people in Vegas. #1. Leave your kids at home! They don’t want to be in a stroller going down the strip in thirty degree weather while you are drinking a beer and clogging up traffic. #2 When it’s thirty degrees out short skirts and no jacket are probably a bad idea! After a walk I headed back for a nap.

The nap was short and I decided to call home and see how things in reality were going. My wife’s plan to win the parent and spouse of the year award was going better than my run at gambling glory. She took it upon herself to take down Christmas, put together a difficult ping pong table, mount the dartboard on the wall, take the girls shopping at the mall, and let them each have a friend over for a sleepover! All why making sure that I was having fun with my present. I decided that it was time to stop my pouting after the earlier losing session and head to the South Point to win back my losses and make my wife proud of me!

I headed to the buffet to map out my plan on how I was going to win. I sat down at a table and after three and a half hours of grinding it out playing poker I was able to climb out of my hole that I had dug earlier. Proud and pleased I headed back to the Luxor and decided that since I was not tired I would walk around and go over the Mandalay Bay. I have not set foot inside Mandalay Bay since we ran the Marathon back in 2009. It was nice enough to allow me to make a sizable donation to make sure that they keep the place looking good!

I decided to head back to my room and get some sleep to be prepared for my last day in Vegas before I catch the flight home with the family.

If you enjoy this post, check out my blog for other crazy adventures at: http://muddledmisadventures.blogspot.com/

 

This was so much fun to read. I did my first solo about 5 months ago and it's a whole different experience! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Santé,
TL

 

great report. I love solo trips!~

 

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I still have the last day to report. I will try to get it up tomorrow.

 

Great report!! I also love the solo trips. Have done those plenty of time. Love the freedom of being able to do what I want, when I want. My trip in 2 weeks is with my girlfriend this time, so now I will have to do some of the things she wants. Shows and expensive dinners!!

 

Great report and I'm another who enjoys a sole trip to Vegas

 

Solo Trip to Vegas the final day:

Solo Trip to Vegas the final day:

Day four started extra early as the fire alarm went off at 4:00 am! This was the second day in a row that the fire alarm went off. They came on the intercom and told everone to stay put while they investigated. I must say, it is a touch nerve racking waiting in your room while they “investigate”! After twenty minutes of the piercing alram ringing in my ears the alarm went off. It was kind of hard to go back to sleep after that.

I knew that I only had a few short hours to redeem myself and bring back some pride and glory to the family. I took a shower and headed back to the South Point. I played blackjack and was on an up and down ride for about an hour when I was down to little money left. I was able to hit a great streak that lasted long enough for me to triple my buy in. Once it ended, I picked up my money with pride knowing that I would have something to bring home.

Happy with my final day results I went to In N Out Burger to celebrate the days victory with a Double Double Animal Style. The burger and shake were great as always and I went back to the Luxor to checkout.

One thing that really bothers me about Vegas is how most of the hotels charge a resort fee. The fee is and covers such things as use of the pool, which was closed. It does not even cover the wifi. It’s a way to make extra money and I do everything I can to try to get out of it. Since I was staying on a comp I really feel that it is ridiculous to get charged! I tried to get the girl at check in to waive the fee and got denied. I had mapped out a plan at checkout to ask if they would consider it since the fire alarm went off the last two days. When I got in line there was a lady who was screaming and yelling about the alarm and wanted her room for free. The guy working behind the counter refused to budge and she was forced to pay her bill. It was my turn next and I simply asked nicely if they would consider waiving the resorts fee with a smile. He looked up my bill, smiled and said no problem. I also got a coupon for a free buffet. The morale of the story is people in the service industry deal with a lot of disgruntled people who treat them like crap, if you want something, it never hurts to be nice, and when they are, throw them a couple of bucks for going out of the way for you!

I headed to the airport and watched as the flight to Lubbock got canceled. Mine was delayed but we were finally able to board and get into Midland to a frozen wonderland that took me a long time to get home. I went inside to find my wife and the girls playing games. I gave them kisses and handed her the earnings from the trip!

I enjoyed my first solo trip to vegas! I will say that I did not enjoy it as much without my regular gambling partner, my wife. When you are down at the tables it is great to have someone with you to pick you up. It’s also more fun celebrating wins with someone. With that being said, I am looking forward to our annual summer trip with the hopes that we hit the big one and can retire in peace and quiet.

For more great adventures check out my blog at: http://muddledmisadventures.blogspot.com/

 

Love solo trips but your right having my wife there is better.

Thanks for the trip report.

TomT

 

Glad you liked it!