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Mike's Eight Day Golden Nugget Trip

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by MikeOPensacola, Jul 13, 2015.

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  1. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    My Trip Report

    Well it's T-minus 14 hours until I arrive in Vegas!!! My annual sojourn to escape the brutality of the Florida summer is here once more.

    The trip started out great with a week long visit with my life long buddy and his family in LA. I saw a great concert at the Hollywood Bowl (Bucket list item, check) and literally did not see one cloud in the last five days. I looked at the forecast for Vegas and the weather looks like it will actually be a little cooler than this time last year.

    I've got plans to meet up with a couple of VMBers which I'm excited about. If any of you want to meet up for a drink and/or a little gambling let me know, I'm always happy to put some faces with the names here on VMB.

    I'll be on the hunt for the best BJ games in town and the elusive "heater" on the strip for craps.

    Next report will be in the wee hours tomorrow night....... :peace: :beer:
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  2. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    Oh boy! Oh boy!!!

    Good luck, looking forward to updates!
     
  3. SW

    SW Well-Known Member

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    Good luck at the tables!
     
  4. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Checked into the GN at 11:30 am, no muss no fuss. Great Rush Tower room with strip view.

    Some very good BJ games downtown, especially at LVC and GG.

    LVC seems to have cleaned itself up; much more appealing to the eye. It looks like a normal downtown casino instead of the Thailand open air bar feel that it had last summer.

    GG is still the same, awesome. The deal-trainers were rocking it tonight.

    Great half-rack of baby back ribs at Binions in their BBQ bar in the back.

    Hit and miss BJ for the early part of the night. Walked over to LVC and bought in for a hundy at three card poker. Three hands in I bet $25 on the pair plus and caught the 9-10-J of clubs. It turned my previous loss at BJ of about $150 into a big win on my first night. I colored up and hit my room by 10:00 pm. I know, 10:00 pm on my first night in Vegas makes me a wimp of epic proportions. All the fun I had in Cali finally caught up with me tonight. Ugh.......

    Going to Hugo Boss at the Forum Shops to treat myself to a sport coat with my three card poker win tomorrow.

    I'll post some pics once I get the tap talk thing figured out on my iPhone........

    :peace: :beer:
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  5. sam_marques

    sam_marques Vegas Vlogs Youtube / TeamClareVlogs

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    Nice start!! Congrats on the 3 card win!
     
  6. kingpasty

    kingpasty High-Roller

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    Nice! I also liked LVC in May. Played late at night with a very "talented" older blonde lady that used to work as a cocktail waitress at Bill's.
     
  7. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    Good to hear of the early win. That is always a plus.

    Now, if you don't mind, a few questions: How does the BJ and Craps at the GN look? I will be there in 3.5 weeks. Minimum limits, if you please. I know they tend to offer a pretty reasonable game, regarding rules, but the minimums might hurt me. Also, how did you happen to get such an early check in time? Wow, best I have ever done was about 1:00p. Of course, that is when I showed up. Never tried any earlier. Are you a Landry's Select member? Thank you in advance. Best wishes for continued success at the tables.
     
  8. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    I've played at that very 3-card table on my last trip... I also noticed an improvement in the look/feel of LVC... was a bit disappointed that the $10 DD with DAS was not opened as normally scheduled...
    Did you play the DD shoe at Golden Gate? They never dropped it below $25 on my last trip out, but I do know that they set it at $15 from time to time.

    By chance, did you/will you stop by DTG? Curious about their current blackjack conditions.
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
  9. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    bu$h... in late June, the Nugget did indeed have very good rules for their 6-deck shoes... H17, but DAS and LS permitted.
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
  10. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    top...thanks. I am glad to hear they are still doing DAS and LS (I think I am about the only person I know, and see at the tables, who uses it. Does it label me? I am not an AP, but use whatever I can to help me.) Were they offering $5 BJ, or have things gotten expensive to the tune of $15, or, egads, $25 a hand? I can handle the $15, but would sure prefer to have that $5 or $10 safety net. Thanks.
     
  11. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    BJ @ GN is pretty miserable at anything under the $25 level. Their $10 games are atrocious. Haven't played craps at GN yet, but their games are usually at a $10 min. I love staying at the GN but I hardly gamble here at all.

    As far as the early check in it was pure luck. I had an early flight in, but had the slowest cab driver in the history of western civilization. Still though, we took Paradise and it was less than $25. Rush Tower check in is now at regular check in; even with the VIP package. When I checked in the line was short and they checked me right in. No Landrys card. I did talk to a guy on the elevator who saw me with my bags and commented that on Monday he had to wait well past 3:00 pm to check in. (As an aside, I knew yesterday was going to be my day when my suitcase was the very first one to roll down on the baggage claim carousel.)
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  12. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    Mike...Thanks. That is sad to hear. I do love the GN (been going every July/Aug for the past 15 years) but may have to change my gambling location. Seems they have really started to think highly of themselves over the last couple of years. First the FSE (read Resort Fee); then the DD Fee (read Resort Fee); and now the correctly labeled resort fee (bypassed this year, as I booked a Gold Club Room.) Sad the games are no longer $5.
     
  13. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Mike & bu$h... when I was last there (at GN) the 6-deck shoe with DAS & LS was $15 during the day (on a Monday).
    Otherwise - yeah - what Mike said...$25+ at GN to get a decent table.

    Nugget may very well be the only downtown casino even offering surrender on their shoes.
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
  14. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    [​IMG].

    Just hit a monster, for me, at The D, for $700.
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  15. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Top didn't play a lot of serious BJ yesterday, I was too dog tired. I'll be starting my BJ play for serious tonight and I'll most def keep you appraised of all the good, bad & ugly BJ games downtown. Looking forward to hitting up DTG but breakfast at Du-par's put me in a food coma. Time for a swim.....

    :peace: :beer:
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  16. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    Rush Tower room with view of the strip @ Golden Nugget.
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  17. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    John Gotti's Jag @ Plaza.
    Great BBQ at Binions.
    Awesome breakfast at Du-Par's.
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
  18. bu$hman

    bu$hman Guppie trying to become a whale

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    Score on the roulette wheel! A game I think I have only played once.

    I do like the Rush Tower! Especially the bathroom. Love the double-sink vanity, and the shower. Nice that the commode is by itself, too.

    Keep on winning!
     
  19. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    I'm looking forward to the Dupar's pancakes. Haven't tried the BBQ at Binion's but it looks good. Sounds like a good trip so far with some nice wins.
     
  20. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Absolutely brutal BJ session at GG. Playing heads up against a very nice female dealer who completely slaughtered me. I bought in for $500, making $25 bets, and when I had two quarters left it occurred to me I hadn't won one single bet. Every hand the dealer had a ten value card showing and I had to hit my stiff. A couple doubles on 11 and draw an ace and presto, there goes $450. Walked with my remaining $50, I just didn't want to lose those two units. Crappy run of luck, but we've all been there. The positive is that GG and LVC offer great BJ games at the $5 level during the day: 3/2, DAS, double on any two cards, and even surrender.

    The single deck games downtown all suck. They're all 6/5, no DAS, no double on any two cards, no surrender etc. etc. I saw these games at Binions, GN & ElCo. Most of these games start at $10. Looking at the rules they post is like going back in time and doing the exact opposite of what the LVC did in the 80s when they literally had the best BJ games on the planet.

    If I sound discouraged I'm sorry. Just a rough day. I went to ElCo to play some BJ and Craps. Their shoe game was ok. The only craps that was open was a $3 table. Complete cluster...k. My advice is if you're a $5 or $10 craps player skip the ElCo $3 game. It is very slow and frustrating. I was the only one at the table betting nickels and after about five minutes without a roll (due to incorrect payoffs, players arguing with each other etc.) I took down my place bets and walked away with a small win.

    I'll report on the BJ games at DTG sometime tomorrow. Right now I'm off to Oscar's for what I hope is going to be a fun meal. Done gambling for the day, no sense letting my BJ loss make my day any worse by chasing. Beef, Booze and Broads (as Oscar would say) is the cure....

    Btw, the only High Card Flush I've seen is at Binions. No longer at Four Queens.

    After 30 hours I'm up $47 dollars. Thank the good lord for my roulette hit this morning at the D.
     
    Annual CCA (Casino Collectibles Association) Show at South Point
    Long Overdue Stay At The Golden Nugget
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