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Where to Stay

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by Golfer, Jun 19, 2016.

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  1. Golfer

    Golfer Well-Known Member

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    Hello everyone.

    I play a lot at Binion's, but generally stay on the strip. I have stayed at The D, but wasn't overly impressed.

    I'm going for boxing 7/21/2016 - 7/24/2016 and my question is, where to stay?

    1) Golden Nugget Carson Tower?
    2) D upgraded room? Upgrade to what?
    3) Four Queens Suite? What are the suites like?
    4) Downtown Grand? What type of room?
    5) El Cortez Cabana Suite?

    I want a nicer room, and it seems to me unless you get The D Suite, or pay for the Rush or Gold Toower at the GN, the choices are Downtown Grand and Cabana Suites?

    Any input on the nicer rooms at each of these?
     
  2. cvkelz

    cvkelz Extremely Low Roller- like, I barely roll at all.

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    We booked a Cabana suite at the El Cortez a few years ago and ended up asking to move to the tower because the "suite" was so tiny. It had really great furniture, but it was all crammed into a shoebox of a room. The pictures on the website were deceiving. I know that they do have bigger suites available, this was the cheapest one they had.
    We love the tower rooms at the El Cortez. We find them quite roomy as standard rooms go.
     
  3. dukeofdarby

    dukeofdarby High-Roller

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    looking at your 5 options-----I would go with the 4 queens suite------has been a while but I had their suite one time and liked it-----not overly spacious but well furnished,was pleasantly surprised--------and you are close to binions -------no doubt that the golden nugget is tops downtown but you are talking about rooms---- I would take the 4 queens suite over the regular room at the nugget------
     
  4. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    Do you care about a pool? If so, the Downtown Grand would be a good choice. Their standard rooms are a bit austere but still nice. We had a two-room suite last year and it was just two standard rooms joined. We like the Golden Nugget, but they've gotten spendy now that their resort fee is $25 (that's about $28 after tax). The Carson Tower rooms that we've had (and we've probably had ten) have always been fine. The Gold Tower rooms can be noisy, but the redone ones are nice and on the inward facing side of the tower you get a good pool view. Never stayed in the Rush tower.
     
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  5. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Spot on about DTG. Rooms are austere but new and clean. The half shower door thing is a bit annoying. Pool is decent. Nugget is going to be the best pool downtown but I enjoyed my cabana at downtown grand. And no resort fee on a comped room last time I stayed.
     
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  6. wishman35

    wishman35 VIP Whale

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    Are these assuming prices are the same on all options? If the price is the same - I would think the 4 Queens suite also as long as it is just you and another person and you do a lot of play at Binions. It is only one bed plus a couch in front of it in the same room (pics here.. https://www.oyster.com/las-vegas/hotels/four-queens-hotel-and-casino/photos/south-tower-petite-suite/). Your play at Binions/4 Queens go towards 4 Queens room/food comps if I am not mistaken

    The D is meh like you said.

    Downtown Grand has a few suites - not sure if they are in the price rang of the 4 Queens suite but they also have resort fees at DTG, so keep that in mind. The Deluxe and Premium rooms arent really a huge difference in my opinion - not worth extra money and like someone above said...the shower just sucks and the casino slot selection sucks. Cabana Suites are a little small and in a separate building from the Cortez. Not sure if that bothers you but when I am in Vegas I would prefer to have my elevator doors open to a casino, not have to walk across the street. Go with a tower room, its practically a suite with a little couch area. I would vote for them as following assuming pricing the same and you want to be close to Binions.

    1.) Four Queens (simply based on your play at Binions and proximity)
    2.) Nugget Carson Tower (only based on proximity to Binions and because the property is the nicest of all - but the casino is meh)
    3.) El Cortez tower room (bigger, right off the casino, and the casino is just better than DTG)
    4.) DTG (maybe bump this up one if you need a pool)
    5.) The D
     
  7. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    I agree with the DTG recommendation but it is a little bit of a walk to the rest of Fremont. It's about the same distance as the El Cortez from everything else but it is a much nicer place. The best room downtown is the 2 story suite at the golden nugget (I think you have to call on these). If you are there on a fight weekend those might not be available for purchase and will be pricey if they are.
     
  8. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    I guess my perspective of distance is skewed by my majority of stays on the strip. The walk from DTG to the next closest casino isn't any longer than most casino to casino walks on the strip. Probably shorter than most.
     
  9. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    I completely agree. When discussing downtown most people seem to want to be right on Fremont which is why I made that point about distance. I decided to walk from the Bellagio to Monte Carlo one morning on the strip before City Center was built. I took a break in the old Boardwalk Casino.....
     
  10. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    I've stayed once downtown. I liked being a block or so off of Fremont so that noise wouldn't be as big of an issue. The sound does echo a little down 3rd but I'm sure nothing like if you were in a room right on Fremont. Plus we were going to be bed late or buzzed enough not to care and passed out.
     
  11. Backagain1

    Backagain1 High-Roller

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    Another vote for DownTown Grand. Had a blast, nice room, quiet. I won 985 ish dollars there on Big Bang Theory. Was able to walk to El Cortez and play cheap Roulette. The walk did not seem far at all. Went and ate at Magnolias which I loved. The pool was great - twelve dollars or so for Guacamole made at the table.
    I loved everything about it!
     
  12. topcard

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

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    My guess is that the entire length of the FSE canopy ('theD' to the Plaza) is about what your walk would be from the from Mirage casino floor to the Harrah's front desk.
    DTG to anywhere under the canopy? 5 to 10 minutes, tops...which is about how long it takes to get from your Mirage room to the Mirage blackjack tables.

    Longest possible downtown casino stroll? That would be from the El Co to MSS, taking Fremont to Main, then north on Main. And that's only about 15 minutes (unless the light-show is going or there's a band playing one of the stages).
     
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  13. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    The half shower door may look weird at first, but it works and didn't annoy me in the least.
    Yeah, DTG to HHAGG at Plaza took me less than 10 minutes.
     
  14. Golfer

    Golfer Well-Known Member

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    Thanks everyone. A couple more questions. I'm trying to settle on one downtown property, and I'll report back about where and why I stayed this at trip (7/21-7/24) as it isn't on my original list above. This trip I'll play exclusively where I stay, as they took care of me. The only reason I'll play somewhere else is if there is no table game action earlier in the day. I like to play one early morning session and smoke a cigar before my cigar smoke offends too many people.

    For a craps player, if I'm playing a minimum of $31 a roll (not counting odds), and usually higher, although it really depends as I won't go high just to go high and chase comps, I'm assuming this is enough to get a casino's attention?

    So here's the deal, I start small. Probably $31 per roll. Maybe $10-$20 odds. That's likely what the casino writes down as that's where I start. Here is what has always bothered me. If I start to win, that amount goes up 3X4 times that per roll, and I think I'm usually rated at my first bet, and consequently underrated. How do I avoid this. I tip the dealers. Almost every come out roll, and usually a player control hardways. Sometimes I'll play 2 hours a time, twice a day. Sometimes I'll only play two hours. Other times I might play 4 hours each and every day. And I'm pretty based around the casino I'm staying at.

    I take breaks. I go get a shave or foot massage. I eat breakfast. I might drive to the cigar store over by Golden Steer and relax. I might come back and play $25 baccarat for 30 minutes. I'll lay one larger (large to me) bet on boxing, and this is probably useless with respect to rating. I'll eat dinner at the casino where I'm staying so long as they have a decent place. This place this trip most certainly does.

    So I'm wondering if I need to ask every day how I'm getting rated? Just becuase my bets vary so greatly, and just becuase I break things up. For example, if I start to play, and drop $250 immediately, I'll quit. I'll come back later.

    Binion's has almost always been mostly fair in my rating, although I never really asked them, and never really pushed it as I probably should be rated higher. I say this becuase everytime I'm there, I'm usually the largest better. The Hard Rock has also almost always rated me fairly. The D didn't last time I was there. Neither did Treasure Island. I've really thought a lot about my initial instinct to list The D above, and basically crossed it off the list due to this.

    Several reasons I'm starting to investigate staying downtown all the time. The Hard Rock started with rooms and food, and after the economy got bad, it was down to rooms, and on busy weekends, discounted rooms. O.K., so I get that. It actually allowed me to investigate other restaurants, and that was a net positive. So I went to staying at the Hard Rock, renting a car, and playing downtown every morning. Last summer I stayed downtown at The D. I went to boxing at the MGM, and the stay at The D was underwhelming as they messed up my marker line, and also misrated me. I give Binios a lot of play, but I've not found the 4Q too accommodating on rooms, which leads me to believe I'm being underrated due to some of what I posted above.

    So as near as I can tell, I'm guessing I'm a bit too small of a player for the GN. My choices seem to be possibly ELCO, DTG and maybe try to newly renovated Plaza.

    I just typed a lot, but basically I'm asking about a casino, with some nicer amenities, that would value my level of play. I'm also asking if I should come right out and ask the casino to rate me correctly due to how I play, which is hugely unpredictable. I'm not asking them to make stuff up, but just to get it right as my first bet is nowhere near my average bet. And maybe I'm also asking if anyone sees any huge flaws in how I'm narrowing down my preferred downtown property, or possibly overlooking something.
     
  15. topcard

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

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    I will typically say something to the floorman if I up my "per-event" betting minimum...not on the first increase, but after about 4 or 5 of them.
    Typically, that's at blackjack tables, but I've done it at craps tables as well.
    Just wait until the table has a lull, between points...say, when somebidy else is buying in. Then, just ask your assigned croupier if he has you in at your higher base wager.
    (FYI - I also start small and then go up after a few winning passes. For me, it's typically a $5 line with $10 odds, and $6 on the 6 & 8; $5 on the 5 & 9...so, $31-to-$37 starting wagers, depending on the point. When I go up, it's typically a double of that. When I point it out, they usually acknowledge it...so yeah - do that.)

    As for properties that would value your play? I've found that Boyd properties and the Golden Gate seem to value my play more than the others downtown...
     
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  16. nhcris

    nhcris VIP Whale

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    IMG_2656.JPG IMG_2655.JPG IMG_2656.JPG IMG_2656.JPG



    A couple pictures of my stay in a 4 Queens suite (mini suite? not sure) last month. A friend on another forum offered to take up a collection to rescue me from it - haha! It was worn and dated, but clean and certainly not bad. My home resort is palazzo but I always like to stay a night or 2 downtown, and have decided I prefer 4Q over MSS, and have never ventured out tot he rest of them. I don't like playing at GN, so never seriously considered staying there.

    Sorry for the dup photos. I am having a hell of a time mastering the new photo uploads on here.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2016
  17. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    When you press your bets, are you pressing bets that have a house edge or just the odds bet behind your pass line?
     
  18. Golfer

    Golfer Well-Known Member

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    Best pictures I've seen of a nicer room at 4Q. Thanks for this.

    To answer the question, I press odds, hardways and place bets.

    I guess I'll need to point out my bets. I suspect this has been the issue in the past.
     
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