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two Virgin Handpays, Gossy, Britney and general shenanigins 24-31 October

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by WHU66, Nov 3, 2015.

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  1. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17

    My Trip Report

    After 4 years in the dreaming, one year in the imagining and 8 months planning after actually booking the flights this trip finally arrived. Just Mrs Whu and I for a week of Vegas fun and games, which would be the greatest trip I have ever had for various reasons.
    The definite plans included;-
    My Vegas $50 each free-play at MGM, $50 for me at Monte Carlo, $50 booze at duelling pianos at Bar at Times Square NYNY, Bogof for week travel on the monorail, Mirage breakfast buffet for two, we also had Matt Goss tickets for Sunday 25 October, Britney for Wednesday 28 and High Roller Happy Half Hour tickets to be used one evening, Neon Boneyard and Mob Museum (tour booked for Monday 26 at 10am)
    Probable plans;-
    Pinball HOF (thanks VMB), Peppermill for breakfast, Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast, watch rugby World Cup Semis and Final, Big Elvis at Harrahs
    Possibles;-
    Gold and Silver Pawn shop, Craps lesson, Mandarin hotel bar for view, more duelling pianos (Harrahs?)
    As you can see, we had quite a lot to fit in and I must confess I had a few worries before we went that I had over-planned and there was not enough time for those ‘Vegas moments’ that just happen – have no fears, as it happens it could not have been better. We moved some plans around and fitted in some more, it was amazing!
    We are not high rollers by any stretch, have daily envelopes to cover all food, gambling and incidentals of $550 per day (between us) but with the MyVegas savings above and some careful planning it is possible to survive on this budget and still have fun! So we had 8 envelopes in total, covering arrival day Saturday 24 October through to leaving day on Halloween (flight due at 17.35 so we classed this as a ‘full day’).
    I had prepaid the flights and rooms (booked via Hotels.com) and we were staying 3 nights at MGM and 4 nights at Monte Carlo. I have been to Vegas 6 times over the years (not as often as I would like but the finances only stretch so far with a family, work commitments, etc) and like to try different hotels each time. I have always fancied staying at MGM and due to rumours surrounding the Monte Carlo, I wanted to stay here before any changes occurred.
    Anyway, enough planning, let’s get this party started! Flight with Virgin Atlantic departing Gatwick at 11.20am. Traditional healthy Maccy D’s breakfast (as you will see, we are not foodies and eat basically because we’re hungry)! Followed by a pint or two for me and visit to the shops for Mrs Whu.


    Not my best shot ever but you can see where this is going!
    So we now have the 11hrs or so on the plane to our very own Mecca. No issues, plane leaves on time, we have selected seats with no-one behind us so that we can get some sleep, put seats back with no-one behind us, etc. Start with some drinks and food and watch Terminator Genysis, it was OK, not great but Ok and made the time pass. I had promised myself a sleep so put on Jurassic World and it did the trick – got about 3hours shut-eye! Woke up to eat some more, had some crisps, sweets, sandwiches, etc. Junk food really but it passed the time! Finally we arrived, got through customs, got bags, joined long taxi queue and were in a cab on the way to our first home – MGM Grand. Check in was smooth, we had a pre-booked King room in the West Wing and I have to say it was god, just what we needed. We got our Mlife cards and were good to go.



    Our original plan was to go to Hooters for some wings as a first meal but we were so full of ‘plane rubbish’ we decided against eating and went straight for gaming and drinking. We tend to play slots together, choosing a game of interest with 2 spare seats next to each other and playing $20 bucks each to see what we can get. We spent a few hours in MGM and were getting a bit worried as we were hitting nothing, each time we sat down we both had no bonus games, no line pays and generally no luck! This was not the start to the trip we hoped for and had dreamed about! But the drinks were flowing (Buds for me and water for Mrs Whu, she is not a big drinker).
    We decided to switch things up a bit and move across to NYNY as Mrs Whu likes the Casino there. Well, we got to the Casino eventually but had to stop at Hershey World first, Mrs Whu is a Twizzlers fanatic! Then we found a small gift shop and had to pop in there as well – first night in Vegas and I’m shopping! Had fun though, we got some Vegas Christmas decorations – our family is big into Christmas and we have two trees, one designed by Mrs Whu is very artistic and well themed in red and white (very Disney heavy but with some additions) and mine is just an explosion of colours and styles, from Disney, through Guinness to West Ham my football team, etc but each tree has decorations that mean something and we have stories to tell about when and where they were bought! It’s just our thing – so, whenever we saw decorations we picked some up. Same with key-rings! My daughter (12) collects them – she now has many more to add to the collection, we went a bit crazy!
    We played a bit at NYNY and had a few wins at last!



    No massive wins on night one but enough to keep us afloat! Mrs Whu felt the day catching up with her, so at about 1am we wondered back to the MGM and our room. I however was in Vegas and could sleep next week, so as usual with my lovely wife’s blessing, I went back to the Casino floor…… Vegas 2015 067.jpg Florida and Vegas 2015 366.jpg Vegas 2015 Trace phone 051.jpg Florida and Vegas 2015 365.jpg Vegas 2015 069.jpg Vegas 2015 070.jpg Vegas 2015 071.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  2. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    I played for a further hour or so, believe I was back in bed around 2am – fairly sensible for day one in Vegas but I had been up for 28 hours by now and had an 11 hour flight to contend with! Again, played our standard rules of $20 each per machine and see what happens, kept the money rolling with a few wins as below, biggest so far at £121 – I love it when a plan comes together!
    So, after a few hour’s sleep, I awoke traditionally early and was up again at about 6.30 – it’s Vegas baby! Time for me to have a proper little explore of the MGM and get my game and drink on. I have a theory that there are better times of day to gamble than others, not sure if it holds any weight but I always feel early mornings and late nights/very early mornings are the best payout times – basically the times the Casinos are quieter. I absolutely love the first morning in Vegas, get up and have a few games whilst it’s quiet. Got my drink on – coffee and a JD, separate glasses please! Played around a bit with nothing of note. I had planned to watch the rugby semi final between Australia and Argentina this morning (8am Vegas time) but there was just too much to do and see – no England in there anyway so why bother….

    At about 8 Mrs Whu was good to go so we decided to start with….gambling and drinking! We collected our free play at the Mlife desk and linked our player cards. The staff at the MGM Mlife desk were amazing, so helpful and made us feel we were their only guests – excellent (more on this later). We headed back to the Monorail to collect our ‘MyVegas Bogof deal’, we got a weekly ticket each for $56 and, as you will see, I think this was excellent value. We are both normally quite fit (have run marathons in the past, Mrs Whu is very good and I plod around) but have not kept this up as much recently and the weight is starting to creep on! Diet when we get home!! It does mean we are quite fit and love walking on holiday, particularly in Vegas – I think we see a lot more on foot than we would by car, etc but even we need some boost and the Monorail saves some leg work.

    Headed to Paris via the Monorail and decided to head to Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast – well, it was actually brunch by the time we arrived! Where does the time go in Vegas? We had to wait for our table so played a little on a couple of machines and I realised we hadn’t collected our Total rewards cards so we went to do that. We thought we had plenty of time before our brunch as they had said it would be 30 mins for our table to be ready on the patio. Well, we had the slowest clerk in the history of the world take our request. All she wanted to do was moan that our account was not set up correctly and whomever had done it originally got it wrong, etc, etc. I started my account when it was just a Paris card, not TR, and don’t think I even had an email account back then – I didn’t think it was the end of the world but it seems I was wrong!! Eventually we had our cards and just in time as the buzzer was sounding and red lights were flashing – dinner is served!

    The meal at Mon Ami was amazing, I went for a 14 oz (?) steak, rare with frites and Mrs Whu the pulled pork sandwich (traditionally a favourite of hers), a nice cold water each and I had a glass of Merlot also. The bread was even outstanding – I would highly recommend the restaurant for the food and also the view/people watching. By now it was 12.30pm so we also had the Bellagio fountains to enjoy, along with the ticket salesmen and Timeshare folks out the front of Paris – their sales patter and watching peoples moves to avoid them was quite entertaining!

    After lunch only one thing to do, get our Gamble on! We wandered the strip, popping into each Casino for a play and a drink. We got as far as the Linq and were amazed to see the difference from the old IP (we stayed there 4 years ago), amazing change – for the better!!! I remember we were in Casino Royale and signed up for their players card and were playing a Back to the Future game – kinda fun with various bonuses. We played out our $20 bucks and then also played out the ‘matched losses’ for new players $20 bucks each – surprise, nothing to show for it. Not a bean. Oh well, there’s always more games available!

    We eventually found ourselves at the Cromwell and spent a great few hours there at the bank of Hangover (original) and Gremlins machines. Drinks service was amazing, machines friendly and a good bunch of people playing and celebrating together. We established firmly here our own rules of play, Whu to the right hand seat, Mrs Whu to the left – we did this at every game we played together – call it a rule, superstition or whatever, we found it worked! Part of the vacation for us is just having time together, so sitting playing slots, letting the world go by and celebrating a few small wins is great. We wander around the casino and wait until one of us has a ‘feel’ for a machine – usually one of our favourites or something we have not played before.

    Today started with the original Hangover, a real favourite – we were playing the 4 reels at $4 (max was $6 but we still stuck with our $20 rule, so 3 spins is not that appealing) – I lucked out quickly but Mrs Whu was on fire! She kept getting the little bonuses for additional wilds – Tiger, Police car, Mattress and twice Mr Chow – it was great and we both enjoyed watching both the games and the cash roll in! I moved to Gremlins (started with the Gremlins version and then moved on to Gizmo) – what a great game! I loved the little bonuses and the extras when the Gremlins just appear and you get wilds, or progressives or they spin the wheel – again, again! I was also getting addicted to shouting higher, higher at the screen as the electric Gremlin appears to boost the multiplier! Well at one point both Mrs Whu and I had over $300 bucks from our initial $20 buy-in (well $40 for me as I lost originally on Hangover but was up immediately on Gremlins). What a fantastic afternoon – I can’t remember exactlky what we came away with but think it was about $250 and we had played for a few hours – excellent afternoon to start our trip.

    After these wins and drinks I had a nice Buzz going, Mrs Whu enjoyed herself but missed the drinks (she doesn’t really drink much now and has water with MIO added for flavour) she is a wonderful wife though and never (rarely!) stops me and enjoys seeing me relaxed – we were having a great time and it felt like we had been in town for days already – its so easy to settle back in to the Vegas vibe!

    We made our way back to home-base at the MGM for a ‘rest’ and to get ready for our night out with Mr Goss at Caesars. We got the monorail to Harrahs and wandered over the way to Caesars. First stop was to get our tickets and locate the Gossy rooms – it’s been 4 years since our last visit and I have always struggled with directions at Caesars. No worries, wuick stop at Concierge and we were sorted, tickets in hand it was time for some food, gaming and a drink or 2 before the show. We ate at Smashburger in the food court – I would recommend this for a good, no nonsense meal. The food was fresh, meat well cooked and the fries were fantastic. Also what a great place for people watching – one of my favourite Vegas pass-times! I’m all for ladies feeling and looking ‘fabulous’ but please have some consideration for others while they’re eating! Yes, I mean you, the young lady with the cheap tattoos, high heals, tight tight tight leggings and the strappy top allowing the rolls to flood out – I know you felt good but…….Haha, sorry but some of the sights are amazing!

    Matt Goss was brilliant – we had general admission tickets and arrived about 8.30 for the 9.s0 show. We were taken to front row seats to the right of the stage. Good drinks service and overall I felt not too badly priced, $8 for an Angry Orchard cider seemed reasonable for a show. I enjoyed a few, Mrs Whu again on the water! The show felt quite British, Matt is fairly sarcastic and had great interplay with the audience. His voice was great and he sang some old classics, as well as some of his own new stuff. We love these more intimate shows, where you really feel part of it and can throw yourself into the evening, joining in with the singing, clapping, whooping, etc. I did not understand some of the audience who just sort of sat there and watched, not joining in at all – strange to me but I still loved it!

    After the show (about 11.30 ish?) we wandered back via various machines at Caesars, down the strip and eventually back to the MGM. Mrs Whu crashed at about 3am having gambled together for a few hours from Caesars to Ballys, Paris, etc the walked back ‘home’. Having escorted my gorgeous wife back to the room I ‘popped back down to the Casino for a while’……

    The original plan was to play for an hour or so longer, as we had the Neon Boneyard booked at 10amn and needed to get down there, so leaving MGM at 8.30ish was the plan. Well, as they say, the best laid plans and all that – of course I pulled an all-nighter and what fun it was!!

    I had some successes early on with the usual $20 starting point and was at $420 after some luck on several machines. Plenty of the usual mix of drinks, a couple of Bloody Marys (spicy of course) and then the usual coffee and JD, separate glasses kept the buzz going. I had my first Hooker interaction this morning playing a ‘Deal or no Deal’ slot. 2 ‘ladies’ approached and started to say how they did not understand the machine, was I winning, how did I do it, they were bringing me luck, did I need them to get me a drink or anything, I could get even luckier, etc, etc then the killer question – are you with anyone? When I said yes, my wife and I’m not interested thanks very much I saw them scuttle off to the next (willing) victim!

    I also had a long interesting chat with a new slots manager, Anthony, at the MGM. He seemed like a nice guy, from Vegas and we were chatting about how the town used to be, etc. I mentioned that I was heading to the Neon Boneyard and he suggested a couple of bars to visit, including a ‘speakeasy’ type place, where you have to give your name to get in – think it was called Carlitos but I lot the details – anyway, it sounded like a fun idea but will have to be on the list for next time!

    I finished this longer than anticipated session with some table games. Low limit blackjack ($5 table with a $5 ‘lucky bonus game, and yes, the pay table was rubbish but I just wanted a game or two). It was great fun! I played for about an hour and a half on an initial $60 buy-in. The lucky bet kept me afloat – I kept hitting it about every 2 from 3 hands! The 2 cards you were dealt plus the dealers dealt card face up had to add up to 19, 20 or 21 to win (with other variations also) and it just kept hitting! I was having a great laugh with the dealer (Christina? – sorry, I’m bad with names) her pit boss and a couple of other players whilst shooting a few more Bloody Marys – Fantastic fun! But it was time to leave and start Monday proper, Neon Boneyard followed by Mob Museum and Downtown, first stop SLS via the Monorail – again, we stayed at the Sahara in 2006 so really wanted to see how the SLS looked……..
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  3. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    We went to the SLS for a quick gamble and a coffee or two, for some reason I was starting to feel a bit jaded! We, in typical frugal fashion, took the monorail to the SLS and got a taxi from there to the boneyard, why pay for the extra taxi fare when we already had a free mode of transport?!? We arrived at the Neon Boneyard about 15 mins before our tour time and passed the outlet shops on our way in the taxi, Mrs Whu suggested a visit there later in the week – I was not certain this was a good idea but more to come on that later!

    The tour of the Neon Boneyard was awesome – a real must do! Great tales of old Vegas, fun way to pass an hour or so. The weather was fantastic, lovely and warm with a sunny back-drop for our pictures. We loved seeing the old Sahara signs in particular as this is where we stayed for my wife’s first visit and holds great memories, a real connection to ‘old Vegas’.

    From te Boneyard we walked downtown, only a few blocks and in the morning sunshine it was lovely, not too ‘seedy’ at this time of day. We walked to the Mob Museum but given the hot day (we’re Brits and not used to it) we needed a drink or two. We popped into the Grand for a quick gamble/drink – it was a quick hit and run for about a $30 win each I think. Still feeling thirsty we grabbed a drink at the Triple George and sat in the sun enjoying the relax – Lovely!

    On to the Mob Museum, now it may have been because I was tired after the all-nighter or I just wasn’t in the right mood but I did not ‘feel’ the museum. It was OK but not amazing for me. I know a lot of the history already and found it a bit too wide for me, I hoped for a lot of Vegas details not general US Law Enforcement. Maybe it was just me (and a little Mrs Whu) but it was just ‘meh’ really…..

    So after the museum it was definitely Gamble O’clock again – time to trawl Fremont. I wanted to see El Cortez again so we started there, played a few machines (standard right and left seats for Mrs Whu and I) – nothing massively memorable but we strolled Fremonth, popping in to every casino for a game or two. I had the Worlds smallest hot dog to fill a gap, it was OK, just small!! On to MSS and the Cal, then back for the compulsory ‘Big Football’ iced drink, something Blue, sweet and alcoholic seemed to be the right choice at the Golden Gate! Definitely perked me up…..

    Suddenly the realisation that we had not really eaten all day hit home. What could we do nearby to fill a need – VMB to the rescue! I recalled various people saying Pizza Rock is good, so that was the decision. Thanks Guys, awesome choice. We nearly didn’t make it in due to my big blue concoction but luckily the lady on the front desk took pity on me and agreed to hold it until we left! I’m gald, not sure I could have chugged it…..

    We were taken to a high table near the back and a large beer for me with ……..water for Mrs Whu! This was soon followed by the largest meal I have seen in a long while, a lovely Calzone with beef strips for Mrs Whu and a meatball Lasagne for me, absolutely fantastic but no way could we finish it all! For the money we paid and how good the food was, I would definitely recommend this place. Great food at a great price – just be aware of the portion sizes!

    Time for a cab back to the Westgate as I have never been and wanted to see it. I wuite liked the ‘old folk’ vibe there. We had a quick play, then Monorail back to MGM (frugal as ever). A bit of play at MGM, nothing of note and an early night at about 1.30am – the all-nighter eventually catching up with me!!......
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  4. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    Tuesday 27 October will go down as one of my favourite days in Vegas ever!! As usual I woke early (7ish) and had the need to get my gamble on – left Mrs Whu to sleep and crept downstairs to the casino at the MGM. Bounced around a few machines with not much happening, seemed to keep my money (around $40 all the time) had my usual coffee and JD in separate glasses – apparently this is some form of ‘hooker magnet’ as I received more unsolicited (get it?!) attention. This time my rebuttal was not sufficient for the young lady who became quite passive aggressive that I was not interested and would not take no for an answer! Oh well, she will live with the disappointment….Time to move to a quieter area in the casino!

    I carried on playing, swapping my money around and eventually getting my first (and only) bonus on a Wonka game. Hit 5 golden eggs for a bonus of about $75. This is where my luck really took a turn for the better. I was chatting to a slot attendant and she asked if I had tried a couple of their newer games and pointed them out. I tried one, a ‘Gold Grab Progressive’ thing where you need Bonus symbols (5?) to hit a rewards round where the Bonus symbols all give a certain amount back. I played for about two minutes and hit for $95 – that will do nicely! On to the other game she suggested but I just didn’t feel it – cashed out and split my winnings back into $20’s!

    After this I wondered for a few minutes, playing here and there with nothing of note. My slot attendant friend (sorry, as I said, I’m bad with names) asked if I had played The Walking Dead. I said yes, I like the game but have no luck on it. I then went and played something else, Deal or No Deal I think, with no luck at all. I started to think what the hell, try Walking Dead. I enjoy it and it’s not all about winning for me (I mean it helps but I’m only risking $20 at a time and it’s more for the entertainment). We bought the money with us expecting to lose it, I was up a bit on the morning so why not play for a while? So I sat down and played $20 – nothing, Nada, not a bean. That $20 vanished! I always play Max bet on these machines (Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, etc), usually we only play $1 a spin but I go for it on these ones…..so, I sat for a second and argued with myself – should I play another $20……well, I was up on the morning, yes, another $20 then that’s it!

    So I play $20 more, $3 bucks – gone, $3 more – gone, and so it continues down to the last spin. I have $5.15 on the machine and am $40 in for nothing to show, no line wins, no Horde and certainly no Wheel bonus! Anyway, push the button one last time and……the screen fills with Rick’s, the rumble chair starts going crazy, the music seems clearer and the World comes into focus! I’m watching the credits build and thinking I could get $600 here (my biggest win to date). The numbers keep cranking up and at $1,000 I start thinking ‘hand pay, come on, hand pay’, I have read about them on here and never seen one, let alone had one myself in 6 previous Vegas visits! Could my pre trip dreams come true? Well it just keeps going and suddenly the screen stops, the chair stops, buttons are locked and showing on the screen is $2,592.00. I am in total shock, I know I do not move and someone (my friendly slot attendant who pointed it out – did she know it was due a big one?) would come along and I would have tax forms to complete….Awesome, as a Brit I get it all, none withheld, the whole $2,592.00 was coming to me! I couldn’t wait to rush upstairs and tell Mrs Whu – the look on her face would be priceless!

    Now this is where the whole thing becomes a bit surreal – no, it is downright freaky weird. Remember I am a low roller and have just turned $40 into $2592, over 2 thirds of my total budget for food, gambling, incidentals for the week and was literally stunned. Shocked. Hairs on my arms were standing on end – I had done it, the hand pay, things I had dreamed of but never though possible. Boom it was here! So, these machines at the MGM are against a wall between the ladies and gents restrooms. Out of the women’s comes a very drunk Irish woman (it’s now 8.15am and she has clearly been on the source all night). She stands behind me and says ‘can you go into the men’s and get my husband’ – my Spidey senses are tingling, is this a scam? Did she see the win and wants my machine? WTF is going on? I say ‘No, I just won on here and can’t leave the machine’. She just looks confused, again, ‘can you just pop in there and get my husband?’. Come on lady, please get the brain in gear, ‘No, I have just won a huge sum and can’t leave the machine until it is verified’ – pointing at the screen for emphasis! Dynamite would not prize me from the seat at this stage, I was going nowhere. She tries to refocus, her eyes kind of spin in her head and eventually the reality of the situation sinks in. After a few expletives, I eventually receive a high five or two. At this point her hubby appears from the restrooms followed by a very large African American guy (Mr Big). They are informed of my luck, more high fives ensue and general excitement – I’m still trying to digest what just happened.

    I have suddenly adopted new friends at just the moment I wanted some solo contemplation (or sharing the moment with Mrs Whu). Next up, Mr Big advises in an off-stage whisper that he has the best Coke in Vegas. I congratulate him and decline. He then changes the subject and somehow we move onto sex and how he is going to ‘get some’. Again I congratulate him. I try and make a joke that I should also ‘get some’ when I show my wife the money! Well, it seems Mr Big not only has access to Coke but also has access to ‘ladies’, he suggests I tell Mrs Whu I won $1500 and spend the rest with him and his girls! Other than being a great salesman it was not for me, so I declined his kind offer of more company, at this stage I wanted less not more.

    Mrs Irish then offered to go and fetch someone to help – great thinking me new friend! A couple of minutes later my slot attendant returned to congratulate me! Now, have you ever won a hand pay with us before – er, No! Do you have your passport with you? No, darn, why not? Oh yes, you never expected this to happen and Mrs Whu is safely guarding the id back in the room. Is this a problem?.....No, the lovely lady advises me to pop up and get it, the machine is locked, she has my players card and will start the paperwork and await my return. More high fives from my new friends and I run upstairs to let Mrs Whu know I need my passport and her trip to Tiffanys is on!!

    Get my passport and some congratulations from Mrs Whu (not that kind you dirty minded folks, I didn’t have time I needed my passport and to go get my other reward!)! So I rush back and imagine my surprise, my new friends are still there! Mr Big makes some attempt at a pay out from my win, suggesting they were cheering me on. I pointed out that I had won before I even saw them. Then Hubby sort of runs off, leaving me with Mr Big, Mrs Irish and one of Mr Big’s mates who had arrived while I was away. So Mrs Irish starts flirting with Mr Big, I surreptitiously ignore them, they are now sat on a machine behind me. I believe there was some making out going on behind me and eventually they sloped off into the night I know not where! I must confess, I was a little relieved to see them leave.

    My slots friend came back and was accompanied by two ‘managers’, one of whom was Anthony that I had chatted to the other evening. We did meet again and this time he had my form 1042-S foreign person’s U.S. Source Income subject to withholding – known as a CITN I believe?!? Basically, all that stood between me and £2500 bucks was a few signatures. Then my slots friend counted out the money – I think I tipped reasonably leaving her the $92 and me keeping the $2,500. I am a strong believer in Karma and paying it forward and tip relatively well usually. Pay it forward and it will pay you back, even being polite, opening doors, being gracious in victory and defeat – it all adds up. More on this theme later…..

    I ran back to the room, after adding $10 to the machine to play out the $2.15 that was left on there. We have another little rule that we always ‘play out’ a win at least one spin and never leave a winner showing – just another little Whu family custom (superstition?). The cash went straight in the safe – we would lock in that win and stick to our original daily budget – Restraint! Although I did promise Mrs Whu a visit to Tiffany pre-trip if we won any sum over $1,000 in any one hit – so that was on!
    Today was moving day, so we packed our bags and checked out of the MGM slightly sorry to be leaving. I like to try different hotels and have stayed at Luxor, Paris, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Sahar, Excalibur and IP on previous trips. I have heard rumours of a rebrand/changes afoot at Monte Carlo so wanted to stay there as it is before this happens. We went to the Mlife desk to see if our play would warrant covering the resort fees (I booked through hotels.com so had already paid the room fee, so resort fees was all that was left).Yes, they could cover them (c$100) and also offered us a meal at the hotel for say $100. Wow, us little low rollers offered a meal. We explained we were leaving and could we take it at Monte Carlo when we got there? We were thinking of Diablo or Double Barrell. Yep, no problem just ask at their Mlife desk and it would be available – about $100 bucks! Plenty for us. We left our bags with the bell desk and went for a stroll.

    Found our way to NYNY again, Mrs Whu likes this casino. We played a while and also picked up our MyVegas $50 drinks voucher for duelling Pianos which we would use that night. We did a mini South strip tour, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana and finally Hooters. Gamble and drink in each, I remember a Grease game in Excalibur that was fun, House of Blues at Mandalay but the rest was ‘the standard favourites’. I didn’t care, I was still basking in my win! We signed up for Hooters cards, no wins of note and we lost our matched play bets but had some fun.

    Back to MGM and decided to walk with our cases to Monte Carlo (Frugal Vegas again, eve n after the win). It was an experience to say the least – I was hot by the time we had traversed the whole length of the MGM and still had to get over the cross-over (2 elevators), past NYNY and then through the length of Monte Carlo. It was achievable but I was a bit hot and bothered by the time we hit the check in queue! This is the same guy who hit for $2500 earlier in the day – but that was safely stashed away as if it never happened, so foot power it was, no additional taxis for us!

    Eventually we got checked in after about 30 minute wait, they didn’t have a King Room available (which is what we paid for) and we had a a double queen – we could move in the morning if we wished?! To be honest, we didn’t care by this stage. It was a room, clean enough, a Queen is big enough for us Whu’s and the pool view was fine. Time to get changed and get our gamble on again!

    First we check with Mlife about our free meal. We get there and tell them what was said at MGM and they basically say not a chance. Your booking was with expedia, you have no freeplay or comps, we can’t see anything, check with the front desk, etc. Basically anything to get rid of us.We manage to load the $50 MyVegas freeplay but that’s about it. We try reception and they pas us back to Mlife – we gave up. We were a bit frustrated and starting to really regret moving to the Monte Carlo. We decided not to dwell on it, it was a potential ‘freeby’ after all and at some stage we will pop into MGM and see if they can still help – more on this later……

    Over to NYNY ready for Duelling Pianos. We got there early and played around for a while, Mrs Whu hitting a nice $100+ to keep us going. We headed to the Times Square Bar at about 8.30 and paid the $5 entry and found a good spot at the back by the bar. It was very quiet at this stage but the piano’s were playing and we were ready for a drink. Strongbow British Cider for me and……Screwdriver for Mrs Whu, she’s getting her drink on! We had about 3 rounds on the voucher and I had a few more after the voucher, think we spent roughly $90 up to 1am, covering $50 on the Voucher and tipping and extra $20 to our barman who was pretty cool.

    We love duelling piano bars. The atmosphere is usually good, singing along is fun and again, we like that ‘intimate’ feel. We met a couple of Aussies at the bar and had a bit of a ctach up with the Colonials – great fun! It started picking up in the bar and the crowd was on form. We paid $20 for a request and it was paid immediately, I must have over-paid! Still paying it forward! We had our first dance at our wedding to Andy Williams, I love you baby, so it seemed appropriate – great tune, great performance and a lovely dance with my darling wife! Mrs Whu had a buzz going after 3 drinks and moved back to water! I went out to the restroom and returned to find a Canadian convention delegate hitting on Mrs Whu! She was very polite and he was happy to be introduced to me but I have never seen anyone scuttle away so quickly! Haha! We absolutely love these small gigs (Gossy, duelling pianos, little lounge bars, etc) and hope to find some more. Overall a great day and night and we were back to the room by about 2 I think, fairly early for us!
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  5. Jordan

    Jordan Caveman

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2013
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    Location:
    Halifax, Canada
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    Great pics, thanks for posting!
     
  6. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
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    sorry, double post.....working on Wednesday now! thanks for taking the time to read, I'm loving reliving it anyway!!
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  7. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    Indiana
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    Enjoying your report....so glad you had fun & congrats on the nice win!
     
  8. dvandentop

    dvandentop VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Great report loving all the details
     
  9. Superpocky

    Superpocky VIP Whale

    Joined:
    May 19, 2014
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    Vancouver, Canada
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    Way to go to hit that WD machine for almost $2600. Hope your trip ending in the black, can't wait for the rest!
     
  10. Charlie8

    Charlie8 Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2014
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    Washington State
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    Awesome report. Congrats on the win
     
  11. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Wednesday already! Today’s plan included some shopping for Mrs Whu following my win – Tiffany here we come. We also had tickets for Britney Spears tonight! We headed out from Monte Carlo (with a little go on some favourites, Ghostbusters, SoA, Walking Dead (of course), Hangover (original and Pretty Awesome) and Gremlins with the odd Buffalo thrown in (Buffalo!!!!!) – although Mrs Whu didn’t ‘feel’ the Buffalo, would this change?) towards Aria, Cosmo and Crystals shops – yes, Tiffany! Bought a lovely silver ring in a new style – gives Mrs Whu a new range to ‘collect’, she loves Tiffany silver and we usually try and get something each trip to America (this all started when I had a solo trip to New York when we first met and I bought some ‘bean’ earings – the love of Tiffany was begun and mow she enjoys a fairly hefty collection of assorted jewellery and deserves every bit of it for putting up with me)!

    Next into Bellagio, short play and then on to Planet Hollywood – Earl of Sandwich Holiday Sandwich – Wow, just Wow – perfect for brunch (thanks to our daughter who spent the last year working in Disney Florida and suggested this sandwich, I will be having it again, yummy)! From here I think we moved to Caesars for photos, gift shops, etc and also Forum shops – I got a bit warm in Abercrombie, only solution is a half Yard Fat Tuesday!! We made our way to the Mirage to collect our voucher for the MyVegas free buffet at Cravings. We would have buffet for breakfast on Thursday. The name of this buffet always makes us smile – if anyone remembers ‘Fat Fighters’ from te UK comedy ‘Little Britain’ they may remember the references to Cravings, Jogn Cravings News Round up!?!? If not and it’s just an in-joke I apologise but it made us chuckle……

    Next up, Encore, Wynn, Palazzo and Venetian – drinks and gambling in each. I was loving everything Vegas as usual by this stage (did I mention I had a big win yesterday??).Back through Harrahs, Margaritaville, Flamingo, Cromwell and then the walk back. On the way we stopped at Sin City brewing, I have always enjoyed it at Miracle Mile and Flamingo so wanted a new t-shirt. You get a free beer with it, so I just had to take up there kind offer! On the way from there we passed the North Las Vegas Fire Department selling T-shirts in aid of Cancer Research. We bought a couple and made a donation, we have both lost family members to the disease and do what we can – more Karma perhaps? A great cause and well done to the guys for all their efforts.

    After changing we walked to MGM to visit the Mlife desk and see if we were good for a meal?We asked if they could help and the young lady could not have been more helpful. We explained the issues we had had at Monte Carlo and she was surprised. I think it was probably because we had not gambled much at Monte Carlo they did not want to ‘honour’ the Mlife points/comps. Anyway, after some discussion we agreed to try Hecho en Vegas in MGM (we didn’t know how this worked but got a voucher for $100 to spend at the particular restaurant). This was a great choice for us, couple of drinks (strawberry Mojito for Mrs Whu. Long Island Iced Tea for me) fresh Guacamole prepared tableside and shared some enchiladas. Amazing meal and exactly $100 with coffee and a JD for me (separate glasses, Oh yes)! Tipped well and headed to Planet Hollywood for Britney Bitch – awesome food and service and all free! Amazing!

    As we walked to Britney I rechecked the ticket and realised I had the time wrong! Oh no, we arrived just as she started and so missed about half the first sone. No too bad and we missed all the queues and went straight to our seats. The show was good, all the classic Britney tunes and overall it was fun. It just felt a bit impersonal and we were quite a way back so she was tiny! Also felt a bit tired, as if everyone was just ‘going through the motions’. It was good but not great, top be fair, probably what we expected. We would not rush back and it probably reflects our preference for the smaller, lounge act, type gigs.

    After Britney we wondered through the Casino and happened on the ‘Extra Lounge’ where a band were performing some ‘rock’ and doing a good job. We sat and got a couple of drinks, I was now ‘in the zone’ and Vodka Red Bull seemed sensible – really?!? We put in a request for Bat out Of Hell at $10 bucks – they were happy to play it but we only got the first line, the singer didn’t know it! The guitarists Wife is a backing singer on tour with Meatloaf and he said if he knew it, he’d be with her! We got some Aerosmith instead – happy with that – and they played ‘Devil Rides down to Georgia’ the greatest Country tune ever, so it must have been a good band! A guy sat behind me asked how we got the request, how much I paid, etc. Funnily enough it was another Australian and after he had his request played we got chatting to him and his group. They were two couples, Pat and Vicky and Mike (?) and Sandy (who looked just like Olivia Newton-John and called Sandy as well, you couldn’t make this up!). Apparently I reminded them all of a friend back in Aus and they basically adopted us Whus. We had a great couple of hours chatting and drinking, thanks guys it was fantastic!

    By now I truly had my drink on and was feeling relaxed (as a newt?) and as we made our way back at 3am ish I said to Mrs Whu, ‘do you feel like doing something silly? Shall we go to Hooters? – we like the atmosphere and the drinks service is usually good. As the wonderful wife she is, the answer of course was Yes! So of we went. Now, as stated, I was well into my beers by now and continued to drink a few as we played. We hit up some of the favourites and added a new one, ‘Buffalo Train’, it’s actually called Cash Express and is a standard Buffalo game but with a bonus where you get trains on the screens, etc. It was good fun and seems to like me! I took a quick $100 from it but then needed the restroom – all that beer. On a whim I left Mrs Whu with a $20 as I went and said go play a favourite, I won’t be long. As I was washing my hands I clearly heard Mrs Whu shouting ‘Oh My God, I can’t believe it, No, No, Really’, etc, etc. So I quickly finished up and ran out to find her sitting at a Gremlins machine (the observant amongst you may see she broke with tradition and sat at the Right Hand machine – my side!) and had hit for the second highest progressive – her biggest ever win at $688.78. A nice little earner from my ‘silly idea’ to go to Hooters at 4am – fantastic end to another great day! Time for bed said Zebedee…….I beleive Karma is with us
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    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  12. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
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    Thursday here we come, a bit later than usual due to last night/this morning’s fun. Note to self - I should never drink red bull! Feeling the pace of life a little today but off we go at around 10am and walked down to the Mirage for our breakfast buffet courtesy of MyVegas. Stopped at Caesars for some more photos and Karma (dropped some coins at Budha and the fountains) did some more gaming but nothing major. Still, I had a nice fat wallet thanks to Mrs Whu win early this morning, now what could we do with that?

    Made our way to Cravings (giggle) and were amazed again. We have avoided buffets in general always thinking they were just piles of food, overpriced, probably not that great and, as I said at the beginning, we are not really foody’s and eat when we are hungry. We really enjoyed the options here and thought it was great – excellent value for nothing but we would pay for a buffet in the future! We didn’t overdo it and had a plate each, followed by a plate of sweets. It really was good, I had the prime rib and gravy, lovely. Mrs Whu had breakfast, a couple of drinks each and we were back in the game. Time to get the gamble on…..

    A few games at the Mirage, then over the street to the Monorail up to the Westgate. I quite like it here, probably wouldn’t stay here as it’s a bit far out but nice for a bit of a visit. Played some VP and hit my first ever 4OAK – again, thanks VMB for all the detail on this game. I have not really played much but tried to remember the basics. Not too bad for a beginner!

    From the Westgate we took a cab to the Premium outlets, Mrs Whu wanted some sunglasses and running shoes, Yankee candles, etc. I just came along for the ride, carry the bags etc – or so I thought. Then my luck changed for the better again (Karma – I did over-tip the cabby!!!). I could not stop shopping for me! I smashed it! T-shirts, shoes, Timberland boots, swimming trunks, more t-shirts, etc – it seemed I found something in every store and paid cash from our winnings for all of it, that sure felt good! As Brits, that bargains are just too good not to take and the excvhange rate is OK at the moment also. We just do not do sales like this back home, I am ‘super-pleased’! I got two running shirts for $20 the pair, they would be minimum £25 at home, I just couldn’t turn it down. Mrs Whu did get her sunglasses and a couple of tops but I was the real winner here – as usual, she was soooo supportive of me and insisted I carry on buying. We have been to Florida in the last couple of years and I have not really seen anything I fancied so made up for it in one morning in Vegas. Also think it helped my recovery, I drank about 5 diet cokes and 3 juices while we walked around – some rehydration for my poor body! Frugal Vegas continued after that, usual Taxi/Monorail combo this time via the SLS. I could get to like the SLS I think but again, just too far out really.

    For the evening we decided to see if Mlife could help us again – there was a sort of ‘hint’ that more may be available! We wnet back to MGM, we just liked it there better and the staff were brilliant. To be honest, we had no trust in the Monte Carlo after their initial reaction. Sure enough, we landed a further $150 and chose to eat at Fiamma the Italian restaurant, again, somewhere we would not usually choose. We were blown away, it was amazing, thanks MGM/Mlife. The bread, the wine, the food (awesome steak perfectly cooked for me and a lovely pasta for Mrs Whu), sides were great – possibly the best roast potatoes I have ever had.

    The Mlife staff at the MGM were all amazing, as stated my memory for names is terrible but Jenn helped us a couple of times and was great. They explained the comps and the different possibilities, told us how to make the most of them (ie charge to the room and then have it ‘comped back’ to get basically double value – if we had trusted Monte Carlo we may have done this) and were really helpful overall. We felt special – I know that’s just service and what should happen but it worked. At some stage we reached pearl status – cool! The Monte Carlo feels like a hotel on a knife edge, the staff are just courteous enough not to be rude, the hotel is a bit tired overall and the drinks service is poor to non-existent. As I say, feels like a place ready to give up – I would not return.

    We then played around a bit. Mrs Whu hit for $170 on a SoA bonus. We had a few hits like this each day to keep us afloat. It was amazing really but after a poor start on day one, each time we sat down at two seats, $20 bucks in each, one of us would win or at least come away even. It was rare we both lost all our buy-in and frequently we would pick up a nice $90-$100 bucks win. Play down to a round number and then move on. We gambled, walked, drank, people watched and chatted all day on our $550 envelope. I had a winner at the shops, bought everything from our ‘winnings’ and I think we ended that night with our new $500 emergency pot intact and about $400 from our envelope/winnings. The hand pay was safely stashed in the safe so at this point the world was all good, could it get any better? Think we were in bed at 2ish having said we should try 12.30 and get some rest. It’s Vegas, it happens!
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  13. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
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    Chicagoland
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    Great stuff so far!
     
  14. sam_marques

    sam_marques Vegas Vlogs Youtube / TeamClareVlogs

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2009
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    Scotland
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    Awesome TR so far!!!!! Congrats on your first hand pay! Lovely pics too, look forward to more.
     
  15. Cinwhim

    Cinwhim Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2009
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    Columbus, OH
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    Really enjoying our report! Thanks for taking the time to share. :)
     
  16. davidcyndi

    davidcyndi MIA

    Joined:
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    Katy, Tx
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    great tr thanks for sharing.
     
  17. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
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    17
    So Friday, the last full day in Vegas. I am awake earliest again at 7.40, Mrs Whu asks for some time to get ready (does she need to ask?) so I went for a bit of a solo gamble. Quick trip back to MGM for 20 mins, I just fancied ‘going home’ which is how it felt there – better than Monte Carlo. Nothing of note but I did of course try ‘my Walking Dead’! No luck this time. The machine must be in Coke corner though, I was trying to count my cash having lost a bit, won a bit and wasn’t sure where I stood. I heard a guy coming through the Casino chearing peoples play and generally fairly ‘Vegas’ for that time of the morning and he came up and grabbed my shoulders, shouting ‘Hey man, what ya doing?’, I sort of stuttered back something unintelligible, holding my wallet with that day’s money in my hands, thinking – here we go! He then wonders into the same gents restroom as the other day saying, ‘you want Charlie man, course you do, you want Charlie, follow me’! Needless top say I hightailed it outta there, beer, spirits, hard liquor of most sorts and I’m there but drugs and hoes, not so much! Sorry Vegas, I know what I like…..!

    So I skipped back across to Monte Carlo and it was still only 8.15ish, I had agreed about 8.30 with Mrs Whu so had plenty of time! Hit for a few nice wins on some machines I don’t usually play, $93 on Pirate Ship, $36 on some bug thing took me to $220 bucks for the morning at a cost of $80 overall, so a nice return. Then back to my favourite Buffalo Train for $59 and lastly Walking Dead for £113 – I put some back (Spartacus, why am I addicted to trying when you never pay ou?) but was up about $300 in a matter of minutes. We had one envelope to open tomorrow, nearly $1000 for today and our emergency $500 in my new ‘emergency fund’ plus, hiding in the safe, away ffrom harm but not forgotten, my Big Win! Wow! We may come home with some money towards our family Florida trip next year – that would take some pressure off when we got home! What a fantastic trip and still a couple of days to go…..

    Went to find Mrs Whu in the room and we wondered off via Monte Carlo (gaming) then MGM (gaming) on our way to the Monorail up to the Westgate (gaming) and then a walk to the Peppermill Fireside Lounge. I had read up about this place and seen some reviews on here (thanks guys) and knew I had to try it. As usual, Mrs Whu was game, she knows to trust me, especially in Vegas! I had not appreciated just how popular this place is. Our timing was astray again and we arrived at 11.30am on Friday morning of Halloween weekend and expected a table – how silly were we. There were people everywhere, it was semi-organised mayhem. The servers did well to herd these cats and keep some order, there were drunks and hungover people all over the shop! We waited 35 minutes and were seated in a lovely booth. Our server was slightly nuts but very attentive (talking to us about a fetish party she had been to, etc). The food was great but, again, with Vegas sized portions we could not finish it. Reasonably priced (paid from winnings haha) and was a great experience. Loved it and would definitely recommend and will be back – maybe not at their busiest time.

    From here a short stroll to Circus Circus, just a flying v isit really, couple of games, drink, restrooms and out! Nothing to report….Got a cab from here to the Gold and Silver pawn shop – we watch the TV programme and thought why not do the whole tourist thing! It was a fun visit and we got a load of mementos for us and the kids (22, 21 and 12, not really kids anymore but hey….). Took a load of pictures and had a fun visit. Everything again paid from winnings – I could get used to this! We then walked across the road to the new Pawn Plaza and I mentioned that I was aware Rick sometimes worked in his bar at ‘Tolling Smoke’, so we took a look and…….there he was! But he was on a break eating his lunch so we left him to it. It was cool to see him in ‘real life’ and the store, so it was then time to get back via our taxi/monorail combo back to the Harrahs.

    It was Big Elvis time! We saw him 4 years ago at Bill’s and had a laugh. We made it here for the b3.30 show and it was a blast! Again, simple, ‘intimate’ showroom style show. We enjoyed a couple of drinks and sang along to some classic Elvis and Jonny Cash – absolute quality. At least 2 of the people in the audience were there last time we went, it’s just a great show! Following this hour or so of fun, we strolled back to Monte Carlo to change.

    A quick wander again over to the Tropicana and an evening meal of Champions – Barbeque Crisps for me and a Milky Way for Mrs Whu! We then grabbed a cab to the Pinball Hall of Fame! I have always enjoyed Pinball and also read about the place (including on here, thanks again VMB). We had some fun to begin with as the driver had never heard of it, so we had to use his phone and google the address. Got there in the end and spent a fun half hour playing various games my favourite being Nightmare on Elm Street but also played 24, Star Wars, Terminator 2, Guns n Roses and Indiana Jones. Great fun for about 5 bucks or so. We also saw the owner, Tim, who I have seen on the Ricks Restoration show before, again, he was eating his evening snack….there’s a them here! We walked up the road to the British Crown and Anchor pub, British beer so I had a Guinness and we ordered a cab back from here to the MGM.

    Monorail time again, MGM to Harrahs for a Living Social deal on the @Happy Half Hour on the High Roller’, we were there about 9pm and straight through to the 9.20 pod. Good fun and the views were amazing. The drinks were flowing, one drink each to start and then just order as you fancied. Mrs Whu had 2 screwdrivers and got an immediate Buzz going as she doesn’t drink! I hadn’t been to the restrooms before we boarded and didn’t want to regret that decision so took a while to get started, the first JD and coke lasted 15 mins! No worries, I squeezed four into the second half anf had a great trip! The views were spectacular and I really enjoyed it, I would do this again and that surprises me as I thought it would be a once only event. Mrs Whu took loads of photos, had two drinks and a proper buzz going – great last night in Vegas, the most wonderful place on earth! We then hit the souvenir shop for a few more necessities.

    We had a wander and were both feeling a bit tired but it was our last night – what to do? We had a bit of a walk and I suggested the Cromwell. We had a great afternoon there the other day, a bit of luck and some fantastic drinks. I could carry on working through the JDs and Mrs Whu could start to see a bit straighter by having some water! As usual, my lovely wife was game for the plan so we hit up the Cromwell. We headed for our usual Hangover, no joy, already taken. Gremlins? No go, already taken. Big Buffalo? Remember Mrs Whu doesn’t ‘feel’ the Buffalo – OK she says but just a quick $20 to see if anything else comes free…..

    Now is there anyone observant who read the title to this entry properly? Did it say 2 Virgin Handpays? Read on……

    So we sit, right and left machines as ever, $20 bucks, Mrs Whu at $1 per spin, me on the ‘go hard or go home’ $3 bucks a spin. So I buts quicker than you can shout Buffalo, which we did a lot on this trip! I sat and continued to enjoy JD number 2 (told you the service is good here) while Mrs Whu played out. She then hits 3 coins, ding-a-ling, the bells ring and up pops the ‘congratulations you have won 8 free games’ bonus pops up. It starts to play the free games and not much is hitting. Then 2 more coins, ding-a-ling, 5 more free games. I am starting to warm up now having watched some youtube of Buffalo (thanks Pleepleus/Mr Chow, Evoni and others) and know that a retrigger can be good. Ding-a-ling, 5 more games and I am saying ‘this will be good, watch, this will be good’, Mrs Whu not so much. Nothing is really hitting and she is saying ‘maybe $200’?! I am the one who planned the trip, is on the message board and watches the slot recordings – I like to think I know my way around Vegas (to a degree, there’s always something new) and the machines can always surprise you with nothing. We had about 6 games left and are at $200 or so, I say ‘it will be at least $400’ – ding-a-ling – 5 more spins. I now see the truth dawning on Mrs Whu of what could be and I am repeating ‘hand pay, hand pay, hand pay’ over and over! What are the odds of one each on this trip, we have never been near one before?

    You guessed it folks, £1205.60, sweet! A second set of tax papers, this time for Mrs Whu and I was there to see it. She was quite emotional and couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. The slot attendant arrived and there were hand-shakes and congratulations all round! There was also some relief from the slot attendant when they saw the British passport – no tax to withhold! I can see how this level of pay-out would frustrate an American or Canadian guest but it was awesome for us! We tipped $50 from our daily spend, took some photos, had a couple more drinks and back to the Monte Carlo for a quick gamble before heading up to stash the cash with the rest – we made it a nice round $4,000 from the ‘emergency fund’, so still had an envelope plus a little extra for the last day on Saturday. What a fantastic way to finish our time in Vegas, going home with most of our cash, loads of clothes, shoes, momentoes and memories – the greatest trip ever!
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  18. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    So thanks for reading so far, I hope it has been of some interest and/or help. We enter the last day, Saturday 31 October, Halloween and we were leaving at 17.35……plenty of time to enjoy our last day. We had been back to Mlife yesterday and got a ‘last supper’, well breakfast anyway and secured 2 brunch buffets! All you can drink Mimosas and lovely food, we really enjoyed it again and knowing it’s free is an added bonus! We ate at about 8am, then back to check out at the Monte Carlo via the Mlife desk. Any chance you can cover the Resort fee? Yes – result, another win for the Whus! Did we need anything else, another meal, etc – as we had just eaten we declined but it was good to know they were finally coming around to our way of thinking!!

    We checked our bags at the bell desk and went for a final stroll down the strip to get our gamble on. Caught the Tram to the Bellagio and saw the fountains one last time, The American Anthem at 12 noon followed by a very poignant ‘time to say goodbye’ – it was unfortunately. We popped to Paris for a Milky Way bar (see a theme here?) at the little shop at the entrance, below the Eiffel Tower. It was $2.95 and as I had a pocket of loose change I decided to use that. I counted out and piled up neatly 8 quarters and 19 nickels for the correct money. You would have thought this was OK right? Well, apparently not, the grumpy little sales woman grew very upset and announced she didn’t need all these coins! Oh well, you’re a shop, I’m paying legal tender, get over it. I thanked her for her help and turned to leave, Mrs Whu was less forgiving to ‘the grumpy old cow’! Haha!! Not wishing to dwell on it and leave on a sour note we found our way back to the Monte Carlo for some last gambling fun. Got some ‘refresher’ drinks at Starbucks and some water using our Express compass and went to find Buffalo train – Buffalo! We had some fun and I got the train bonus for $170 winner – Great result at the end of an awesome trip.

    Picked up our bags and got a taxi back to the airport at about 3.45pm. Just time for a burger at Carlos Jr – hit the spot. A bit of a delay taking off but overall a fine flight with Virgin as usual. We both slept most of the way, Vegas got its own back!!

    We had the most amazing trip ever – we had a spending budget for food, gambling and incidentals of $550 per day for 8 days, total $4,500 and we came home with $4,370! This was such a big win for us, we also had a lot of fun, loads of bonus games for entertainment, got lots of drinks and had some marvellous meals courtesy of Mlife, we bought shoes, jewellery, gifts, t-shirts, Mrs Whu sunglasses all from our winnings and more and we still came home with cash!

    Vegas is great every time we go but this one, 4 years in the making, just clicked! We met some great people, had our hand-pays and generally had a fantastic week. Thanks Vegas, see you soon I hope and thanks Mrs Whu, the greatest wife I could ever imagine for sharing this crazy trip with me!

    If anyone has any questions/comments or observations please share. I feel this is the last of my Karma, in paying something back and forward to this board which kept me going while I waited for my trip! I hope I am worthy of this company…….
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  19. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    Thanks, hope you enjoyed it!
     
  20. WHU66

    WHU66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    576
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    thanks so much, I'm glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for the kind comments.....

    - - - Updated - - -

    thanks for the kind words, glad you are enjoying it
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
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