12/20 – 12/24 2 partial days, 3 full days. Luxor Budget: partial days: $400, full days: 1K per day 12/20 – leave work at 2:00P and head up the I15, stop off at home to get my bags. Nice drive – not much traffic, listen to some old Phil Hendrie clips – quick stop at Baker to stretch my legs and view the ‘World’s Tallest Thermometer’ – this always makes for good laughs when I’m driving with others. Arrive in Vegas at the Luxor at 7:45 – check-in is a breeze. Grab a Heineken, head to the room to unpack and I’m down in the casino at about 8:15. Hit the M-Life desk to get my free play added… there, I’ve now done all the stuff I have to do – the rest of the trip is now a ‘make it up as I go along’ journey! I head to Mandalay Bay to RiRa for Shepherd’s Pie and a Guinness – awesome as usual. Then it’s time to play some slots for a bit – the plan is an hour or two but I play until midnight – I win a total of…. $20! Heck I look at that as a huge win – that’s $20 + I still have all the budget for that night. Time to go to bed – I’ve been up since 4AM 12/21 – up at about 6AM, head to the Pyramid Café for Lox and Bagels. Craps at Excalibur, more slots. Play the 10:30AM Poker Tournament at Luxor… I last 90 minutes but hardly anyone is busting out of the game – they let you buy in again (which I hate). So I have an A-9 off – flop is A-9-4… I manage to get another guy all in right before the river – he pulls a flush out of his ass… this is why I hate Poker!!!! I head over to Circus/Circus to meet a local I met the night before – we were talking about old Vegas and somehow got on the subject of Slots-of-fun – she told me that I need to see this place. She was right, it was a dive, like going into some slot museum complete with old-time degenerate gamblers. These are the places I love to visit at least once! Anyway I hit many slots, play some BJ and Let it Ride – I’m done and tipsy by midnight. Up $475 for the day (one big Walking Dead hit and a nice VP session were the highlights). 12/22 – Luxor spa. Got the massage and facial package. Resort credit took care of most of it. I was there about 3 hours total – left at noon feeling like a new man! I discovered the spa a couple of years ago, never thought I’d be into anything like that but now I won’t do a trip without it. Lunch at the Oyster Bar – head to Fremont afterwards. It’s been raining all day. Fremont is dead… I’m losing at BJ at El Cortez then hit a Roulette table – I hit 13 twice in a row! (wish I had more than $1 on it!). I’m only downtown for a couple of hours – back to the strip and slots the rest of the night. Down $150 for the day. 12/23 – Rain finally stops so this will be my ‘Walk the Strip’ day. I start at Luxor and over the course of 5 hours I head up to Mirage and back. I hit Planet Hollywood, Bally’s, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Casino Royale, Mirage, Caesars, Bellagio, Cosmo, Monte Carlo, NYNY and Excalibur on the journey – I play at least one slot per casino and have about 6 drinks on the way. New Elvira slot was at Bally’s – this is a pretty cool machine, interesting animation too! Hit up a hot dog place and White Castle. Lots of fun to be had – walking the strip is the best. I get back to the room about 4 – shower and then I’m back down in the casino for my last push - tonight will be an early night – I want to get up early and make it home before 2PM Christmas Eve. Lots of VP, some last Walking Dead. In the room by 10PM. Down $450 for the day. 12/24 – up at 8AM, I wasn’t even drunk the night before and I slept 9 hours! – I can’t remember the last time I slept over 9 hours! It felt great. I put in a last $50 in a machine and cashed out $68! On the road at 9AM – stopped at Peggy Sues for lunch and home 1:30. Overall another fantastic trip! I pretty much came home with my entire budget (my up and down numbers at the end of the day includes not just gambling but everything else) – I think I spent less than $200 total! That includes all my gambling, food, drink, hotel, spa… can’t beat that! Next trip : August 2017…. Already in the planning stages!
Sounds like you had a great trip. I would be in so much trouble if I lived within a 6 hour drive from Vegas. Mark
GREAT trip report Andy! So glad you had a blast, and I am so excited for you that it was almost a "free" trip with being up multiple times!!!!
That sounds like a winning trip to me! Thanks for posting. That was one heck of a walk up and down the strip. I'm not surprised you slept as well as you did after.
sounds like a great trip. I have been meaning to get back to the strip, it has been a few years. I used to love SLOTS-OF-FUN for a "dive" kind of joint. back then it had a craps table right at the front door, nearly on the sidewalk. I loved that craps table.