StingerHook Live 8/30 - 9/6 (Red Rock, Cosmo, Mandalay Bay)

In less than 24 hours I’ll be on a plane headed to VEGAS, so I figured I’d start this thing off with some big-picture stuff. I don’t expect my TR to have anywhere near the amount of pics/detail that some of the other recent live TRs have had, but I will do my best to keep it live and share what I can.

Flying out of BWI tomorrow, should land in Vegas mid-afternoon. Will then pick up my rental car from Budget and head to Red Rock Resort, where I have 4 free nights via MyVEGAS (I lucked out and must have gotten rewards from two separate batches, since the limit was originally 3 per player).

Monday morning I’m going to drive towards Prescott, Arizona to do some sight-seeing/exploring (last year I did a similar mini-trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon); I probably won’t report much on that but will include pictures if I get any good ones.

After my Red Rock nights are done, I’ll move to Cosmo for Thursday night, then Mandalay Bay with a college buddy for Friday-Sunday. Fly back to BWI Sunday evening and use Labor Day to re-acclimate to ‘normal life’ before going back to work on Tuesday.

As the great poet Marvin Gaye once said, let’s get it on!

 

I like the way pphold lists goals/objectives for the trip in his TRs, so here are some of mine:

1) R-E-L-A-X: Haven’t taken any personal time from work since January and things are about to get hectic in the office after Labor Day, so I’m looking forward to being able to spend an entire week operating at my own pace and clearing my head.

2) Charm at least one front¬-desk agent into a complimentary upgrade: I don’t care what property it comes at, but a comp upgrade is something I’d like to score.

3) Register some time at a spa & a pool: Red Rock seems to be the most likely spot for the spa since I’ll be there the longest (and there’s no additional fee to use the spa common areas if you’re a guest!). I’ll definitely be at the Green Valley Ranch pool, probably Red Rock and maybe Mandalay Bay.

4) Exercise frugality in regards to food/drink without sacrificing quality: I’m not a foodie/fine-dining aficionado by any means, but when I’m on vacation I want to be excited about what I eat. MyVEGAS rewards and Social Rewards should help with this a good bit.

5) GAMBLE: The primary goal is to win, so I’ll probably be focused on quick hit & runs as opposed to any marathon sessions (easier said than done once the drinks are flowing), but if I’m getting really good entertainment/time for my money losing is a tad easier to tolerate. Bubble craps and Pai Gow will likely be the games of choice with some blackjack and 'gimmick' video poker sprinkled in here and there.

6) Play in a poker tournament: Not a high-priority goal, but if my schedule allows it I would like to buy into one of the daily tournaments at Red Rock or MB just to see how it goes.

7) Visit some different casinos: Not necessarily spread my play out all over the place, but I would like to at least visit some casinos that I haven’t been to before.

8) Eat at Ellis Island: Not much to say here, other than I want to eat a meal here.

9) Take a gander at the Trop’s $200 loss rebate: Depends largely on how my bankroll holds up through the first couple of days – I would likely swing for the fences with the first $200 and use the rebate as a sort of ‘safety net’, similar to what many posted about in this thread (LINK)

10) Go to a Las Vegas 51s game: Not high priority, but I’m a big baseball fan and love watching games live. I’ll be more likely to accomplish this if I need a break from gambling, so we’ll see…

 

In regards to my “frugality” goal (#4), I try to take advantage of freebies & discounts as much as I can/as much as it fits in with my plans so I have more money to gamble with. For this trip, I’ve got the following freebies/discounts at my disposal:

- Free One-Night Stay @ Red Rock (via MyVegas) [x4]
- Pool Cabana & $175 Food/Beverage Credit @ Green Valley Ranch [x1]
- 2 Free Breakfast/Lunch Buffets @ Red Rock (via MyVEGAS) [x3]
- 2 Free Breakfast/Lunch Buffets @ Green Valley Ranch (via MyVEGAS) [x1]
- 2 Free Dinner Buffets @ MGM Grand (via MyVEGAS) [x1]
- $50 Dining Credit @ Monte Carlo (via MyVEGAS) [x1]
- $50 FreePlay @ Mandalay Bay (via MyVEGAS) [x1]
- $100 in Rewards Credits (via Social Rewards)

My flights are booked with Rapid Rewards Points – I have the credit card and I get extra points every month or two for taking online surveys, so I count this portion of the trip as “free”.

My night at Cosmo is comped via a marketing offer (a 2-night offer, but Wednesday is sold out so the offer is not valid), though I did pay $30 to upgrade from a City Room to a Terrace Studio and the resort fee looms as well – so while not a freebie, I’m not paying rack rate either.

My nights at MB are at a casino rate – again, not a freebie but not rack rate, either.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Looking forward to following along. Good luck!

 

Looking forward to seeing what you think about RR. We wil be staying there in a few weeks.

 

Thanks Bronco! Though they'd be of a much smaller magnitude, hope I can get on some good runs like the ones you've enjoyed recently.

Thanks Elf!

Thanks pebbles! I've heard a lot of good things about RR and from what I've understand they've got good gaming options for my level so I'm really looking forward to it!

 

Bankroll has been sealed in the daily envelopes and bags are 95% packed. One more sleep & then it's off to the races!

 

Have a great trip, look forward to coming along with you! Good luck for the big wins!

 

Boarding here in about 10 minutes -flight's on time on there aren't many young kids in the group at our gate (knock on wood).

 

Good luck stingerhook.


I do list so I can remember to do different things.

Win money.

 

Wheels on the ground! Pics from flight:







Major thanks to vwhiten for the southwest drink coupons! Had two Wild Turkey & Ginger Ales, watched some of the Barclays tourney and slept a bit.

Pulling up to the gate now - I have two checked bags to pick up, then it's off to the rental car facility to get my chariot from Budget.

 

do it big playa

 

You are very welcome -- I had my best trip earlier this month - hopefully some of my good luck was passed along with the drink coupons.

I also take the surveys for Rapid Rewards -- I don't have their credit card but I do a lot shopping through Rapid Rewards. I buy all my cleaning supplies and hair care items through Drugstore.com. Usually 3 pts per dollar spent and sometimes they have specials where you get 6-8 points per dollar spent. I also get my daily contact lenses through Coastal -- they take my medical savings credit card and I usually bet about 4-5 points per $ spent. About once every 3-4 months SW gives extra points based on your shopping. Between my account and husband's we both got 1000 extra points every time the offer is active. I use my American Express at check out and gets points with them and Rapid Rewards both.

Looking forward to the TR and all your wins.

 

I hope you're right about the luck coming over with those coupons! I'm a huge fan of the Rapid Rewards program - plenty of ways to earn points.

 

Quick status update:

Rental car - acquired. If you hear reports of a Toyota corolla dusting Ferraris on the highway, that may or may not be me.

In-N-Out - consumed. #1 with animal fries and animal burger. Intestines are already offering questionable feedback, but they'll deal with it. Totally worth it.

Checked into my room and it is a freaking HIKE from the elevators. Not pleased about that, but free is free and I'm very impressed with the room. Will post pics later.

Gonna grab a shower then do some grocery (beer & liquor) shopping for the room before hitting the casino and taking most of their money.

 

StingerHook, hope you have a good relaxing trip. Great on maximizing your "frugality" and getting some great rewards. Would be interested to know how the buffets, rooms, and cabana rewards work out within the 2 every 24 rolling hours limitation for the station casinos. I'm planning on staying at GVR in a few weeks and also plan to use a few rewards. Have fun and good luck.

 

Grocery shopping complete. Stocked up on beers, water, and bourbon - three of my favorite food groups.

Casino time now!

 

Oh and here are some pics of the room for those interested:

 

Good luck stinger. May the Pai gow be very profitable for you. I hear red rock has a very nice progressive