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TR August 2-6th Flamingo Hilton

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by westcanguy, Aug 7, 2015.

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  1. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    We decided to take up CET on their offer of a great gift wrap up event which was held August 3-6. Attending the event gives you an additional 42,000 points and then you can add to that with your play and reach a tier where you can top up to an extra 80 some thousand points. The great gift wrap up event itself takes place the first week in November and the first week in December.

    Flying out of Calgary, the only direct flights to Vegas are WestJet and Air Canada Rouge which could be loosely translated as "sardine can" air. I really don't have much good to say about Air Canada Rouge but I fly Air Canada for business and have status that allows me to usually book a couple of flights using my aeroplan miles. I found out at check in that the flight was overbooked. I asked if I could be put on an upgrade list but the agent said my fare was too low. Flip her my status card and I get put on the list. Get to the gate and my name is called and we are upgraded to Premier Rouge which is their version of first/business class. This trip is starting out great! Comfy chairs, no knees pressed into the seat ahead of you, Rum and coke before the hot meal, wine during the hot meal and a few Grand Marnier's after the meal... you know, to help prep for the final descent into Las Vegas.

    I have had a host for a few years now and he is based out of the Flamingo and has always taken care of me. He had a limo waiting for us when we arrived and was hoping we could get to the hotel before the VIP check in closed at 10. We got there at 9:58 and it was closed... Thankfully, there was no line at regular check in which is rare. My host told me that he would hook me up with a suite but at check in, I found out that he booked us in a Metropolitan suite. The biggest suite they have. I found out later that he did that because I was bringing my better half and he wanted everyone to be happy that trip... but not to expect that on a regular basis. Mission accomplished. That room is 500 a night on their website to book. Some pics are not too great but hey, I was using a crackberry and did the best I could.
     

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    Last edited: Aug 7, 2015
  2. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    On Sunday night, we decided to give some business to MLife so we visited the Mirage to play slots and VP. Unfortunately, I found the crack cocaine of VP, Ultimate X. This game can be very generous if you find a friendly machine... I didn't find a friendly machine or a cocktail waitress to parch my dry throat. Time for bed.

    Monday - Before we do anything each day, we head down to the pool for a couple of hours of sun, 10 dollar Bloody Marys and a lap or two around the pool. We usually head out before noon as it gets pretty hot out there and a much younger crowd comes in to start the party. I found that the line for the pool starts about 8:30, maybe a little sooner. Diamond and Seven * members get their own line and get in first - no waiting unless you are there before 9am but you still get in first. Bloody Marys go for 10 dollars before 11am and Miller beer is 5 in a bucket for 25 dollars before 1pm. Everything else, bend over cuz it's expensive.
    After showering and looking somewhat presentable, we headed down to the buffet for brunch. I thought it was pretty decent and the price for TR members is 18.99 and includes Bloody Marys and Mimosas. There was a decent variety of lunch items including fresh pizza, roast turkey, roast pork, sausage, a good selection of salad and fixin's, a variety of breakfast items including an omelet station. My better half is celiac and can't eat gluten Those those of you with this condition, the omelets are great and the bacon is baked, not deep fried so no cross contamination. We didn't trust the potatoes or other offerings so my better half included a nice variety of fruit to her plate.
    After lunch, I registered for the great gift wrap up points and headed for the VP area of the Flamingo which is near the poker room while my better half booked an appointment at the spa. There is currently a special there whereby you can have 2 treatments for 200.00. Being a Diamond member, we got 20% off that. She had to put in a little session of slots before it was her time for the spa. She said she really enjoyed it. It certainly wasn't the spa at Caesars but then again, it was also 400 cheaper!
    My play at VP was anything special for half the afternoon. I moved between .25 Ultimate X(I never learn) and .50 - 3 play DDB. Half way through my session, I finally got a royal flush for 2,000.00. That helped the afternoon go by nicely. For dinner, we went to Margaritaville. Again, for those who are gluten intolerant, they do have a gluten free menu there. The food was good and not over the top crazy expensive.
    We had no plans for that evening after dinner so we back to play and build up those great gift wrap up points.
     

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  3. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Tuesday - Started the day at the pool and relaxed. We decided to make the walk over to the Paris to have lunch at Mon Ami Gabi. We have found that they pay special attention to those who are gluten intolerant. We both decided on the hamburger with fries. This restaurant will bring out warm bread for you to eat while waiting for your food. For the Gluten intolerant, they bring out toasted gluten free bread. Nice touch. After our food arrived, my better half found that her medium well hamburger tried to kick her when she tried picking it up! It was medium rare at best so back it went. It took some time for it to come back and I was basically finished my meal before the other finally arrived. The waitress felt bad and gave us free sorbet for dessert. We walked back to the Flamingo and back to our room to get ready for the afternoon session of slots and VP. We laid down for a minute. When I actually woke up, it was after 4pm and I was by myself. I walked into the living room and saw that my better half was in the second bedroom at the other end of the room. Apparently my nap was a little "loud".
    Diamond and higher players get 2 show tickets a month and we picked Legends in Concert. From the time we woke up until the show started, we played a little slots. No money was made.
    The Legends in Concert show is held in the Donnie and Marie theater. I found it to be quite small which is a good thing because there doesn't appear to be a bad seat in the theater. The show itself was ok. I learned I'm not a big fan of impersonators. The singing was quite good but I'm not sure I would have been happy to pay for the show. Then again, I'm certain with my play and luck, I paid for the show.
    We both played until it was time to head upstairs for the night. I was getting absolutely creamed. Didn't matter what machine I play, they were all stuck on greedy, tight mode.
    I was ready to head to bed and was playing .50 DDB 3 play and was dealt 4 Aces with a 3 kicker. Nice 3 k handpay until they take 30% off the top. It did make going to bed a little easier.

    Wednesday - Stared the day at the pool followed by a visit to the buffet once again because well, it's safe. Restaurants with a decent gluten free menu are not the easiest to find on the strip. For the afternoon, my better half went shopping while I was witness to a severe beating... my severe beating from any machine I played. They were all VP ****'s..." No wins for you!" By the grace of God, my better half showed up and suggested we leave a little early for Planet Hollywood to take in the Jeff Dunham show at 7pm. We got there a little early so we headed over to the Diamond lounge for a cocktail and a lite bite to eat. I actually prefer that lounge to the one at Caesars. The Jeff Dunham show was quite good. He came out before the show started and explained that his material that evening would be mostly new because he is going to be shooting a special for NBC as well as Comedy Central. He also explained that after finishing with each character, he was going to try some extra jokes to see what the reaction was like. I thought that was pretty neat. I thought the show was very good and had some good deep belly laughs. I would recommend this show.
    After the show, we headed over to PF Chang's for dinner. That place was still hopping busy at 9pm. They have very good gluten free selections and we've always been happy with our meals there.
    Once we got back to the Flamingo, we played some slots and VP. I was able to get a 1600 handpay. I didn't take pictures... I wasn't too excited as I was already upside down with my bank roll. I grabbed my better half and took her to the craps tables as she always wanted to throw dice so thats what we did. She actually made a few points and the table was decent for a little while but then it went dead cold. We managed to turn 200 into a whopping 11.00 in that short period of time. Actually, she had a blast and thought it was cool to throw the dice so the 189.00 donation was worth it to me. Time to head upstairs.

    Thursday - Time to head home today. Called for a late check out and then headed down to the pool for a couple of hours. I t was nice to soak up some morning heat. It felt good and was a time to just relax before packing and checking out. Check out was easy and asked that my bill be sent to my host for review and then jumped in a limo for a ride to the airport. It wasn't busy at all and we were through security in no time at all. Had time to sit in the United lounge for a cocktail and some snacks. The flight home was uneventful. No upgrade this time but since the flight wasn't full, we had an empty seat between us which was nice for room.

    Summing up the trip, we had a good time. The hand pays were appreciated and needed! My biggest regret of the trip was not managing my bank roll properly and not pacing myself better. My minor regret was not hitting up In N Out Burger. Don't judge! I love the place... My host was great as he always is. Everything we did and ate was taken care of which tells you I gave him way too much action but that's all on me. I did make top tier with the gift wrap up event so I suspect we will be back in Vegas in November or December to pick up a few things with the points.
     

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  4. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    What a wonderful trip and report. The room looks very nice and congrats on the wins. The royal was beautiful and being DEALT 4 Aces with a kicker on a three-play machine is heavenly. Sounds like you really enjoyed the Flamingo. I'm Seven Stars and CP is my base but there is something about the much smaller Flamingo spa that I like. The showers I believe are decades old but they work well and it feels cool in an old school way to use them. The new steam room is HUGE, at least 50% bigger than the steam room at Qua, so you can really stretch out and Erlinda, a Flamingo masseuse, is the best. I get some treatments at Qua but I trek over to Flamingo to get a massage from Erlinda, after which I'll have breakfast a MAG or at the Flamingo buffet, which, for the price, I believe is underrated, especially with the view of the pond and flamingos to boot.

    Your trip report brought back some good memories. Thanks for writing it.
     
  5. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    The decor of the suite is "interesting". Congrats on the hand pays!
     
  6. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Thanks for the response, Flowers. Thanks as well for for the comments on the spa at the Flamingo. I will make a note of the lady who you rave about and suggest to my better half that she give Erlinda a try when we head back in a few months. After one long afternoon session, I spent some time in a whirlpool and hit the steam room. It was relaxing and refreshing.
     
  7. marcianofan

    marcianofan High-Roller

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    Your two regrets are the same as mine from my trip in July, got a little greedy at blackjack and didn't make it to N in Out! Tks for the TR, love seeing those hand pays....
     
  8. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Thanks Breanna61. I agree the rooms are "interesting". They are going for a retro look. The pictures on the walls are all taken of the Flamingo from decades ago. From the shag rugs to the switches that you use to open and close the curtains and sheers, it has that 70's feel to it. I kinda liked it!
    Speaking of retro, our driver to the airport has been "in the biz" for 51 years. That young fella started as a bell boy at Caesars. He told us that anyone who has worked Vegas when the mob ran it, would be happy to work with them running it again compared to corporations.
     
  9. mrstealth

    mrstealth VIP Whale

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    Great report, and thanks for sharing!

    After the diamond/7 stars checkin room closes there is a separate checkin line (I think it's to the far right) that allows you to bypass any checkin line (If there is one). When the vip check in room is open you can get bottled water there as well as some awesome cookies. I always stop there before going up to the room so I have a few free cold waters and sweet treats if you want them.

    Remember also to take advantage of the diamond lounge. The one at Flamingo is small, but it allows you to go in and have a quick treat/snack/drink.

    As far as Ultimate X, they are definitely addicting, and if you are not getting dealt made hands, quite expensive. You should try Super times pay, and double super times pay (Flamingo has several scattered around the VP area), instead of having to pay 10 coins per hand, you are only paying 6 or 7 coins per hand, yet you still get the added benefit of a multiplier.

    Thanks again for the nice report
     
  10. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Yeah, no ultimate x pics in this TR looked like it hurt the bottom line a lot. :( I'm also a sucker for Double STP. That's swingy enough for me.

    Nice report!
     
  11. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Thanks for the suggestion to try super times pay. I've played it before and don't mind the game but I can play it up here in Calgary and have had a couple of nice hand pays. I guess I gravitate over to Ultimate X because I haven't found that machine in western Canada. Next trip it will be 3 play DDB and super times pay!
     
  12. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Yeah, like a dummy, I used wins from DDB 3 play to fund my visits to Ultimate X. Not doing that again. Ultimate X is like an ex girlfriend... more bad than good and not worth the effort. I need to like the idea of 18 bet instead of 30 and still get some multipliers.
     
  13. adbynot

    adbynot High-Roller

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    My best VP win was a $1 3-play DDB STP, was dealt quad A's w kicker for $6K. Chasing that ever since.
     
  14. Jordan

    Jordan Caveman

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    Congrats on the Handy's.....Hoping to get a shit-ton of them starting Thursday ;)
     
  15. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Good luck! I'll be watching to see a bunch of hand pay pics.
     
  16. westcanguy

    westcanguy High-Roller

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    Nice! I really could have used one of those. Wait, I did get one of those last week but on .50, not 1$. Ok, I needed another one... Damn Ultimate X. All I have to show is 3 more 1042-S receipts that I'll have to wait almost a year to get back back from the IRS.
     
  17. adbynot

    adbynot High-Roller

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    That was the tough part, giving them 30% and waiting for it.
     
  18. sandybeachbar

    sandybeachbar Low-Roller

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    Great report!
    .................ya that 30% wait! :grrr:
     
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