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14 Day March Trip: Orleans, GVR, The D, Sam’s Town & Mini Road Trips, w/pics

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by agirl, Apr 1, 2017.

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  1. agirl

    agirl Low-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    We are late 50’s married couple, been to Vegas MANY times! Our goals for the trip were:
    • Play mostly one game together, 5 play DDB quarter, start of the trip to finish, except for the “D Experiment” where we each play mostly 50 cent bonus to use coupons to earn 1000 points and get $100 free play.
    • Advance toward Emerald level with Boyd (we were at about 128,000 card score level).
    • Try to knock all or part of our hotel bills at GVR, Sam’s Town and Orleans to make it an all-time record free hotel stay for 14 nights
    • Play every match play this year on Red Roulette (my goal only).
    • Since it’s such a long trip, break it up with non-gambling activities.
    • Don’t get sick. Don’t argue. Don’t get too upset over losing if (when) that should occur.
    DAY ONE

    Flew out on United from Houston using One Pass Miles. Plane was there but our crew was not so we had to wait on the plane after boarding, but to their credit the attendants did say we could get off for a bit if we wanted, but to pay attention to when to return. We ended up taking off about an hour and a half late.

    We checked into Orleans, at a rate of $124 for two nights total. It was funny to be back after so long, as it used to be our home base about 20 years ago. The rooms still have the same bones, just different decor. I have always loved the couch and sitting room, the little window over the shower, the classic New Orleans ironwork over the windows. The AC was great but I wish the covers were better, next time I will ask for an extra blanket. I also need to bring some sort of aroma helper because the room smelled like too many years of smoking or something else I can’t quite define. We were on the 15th floor with a nice view of the strip without having to ask because we had a really nice guy at check in.

    [​IMG]

    We had dinner at what used to be the Courtyard Café and now looks completely different and is called the Copper Whisk. My chicken quesadillas were very good, way too much food, P’s cheeseburger was average. I noticed parts of Orleans are still intact but other parts are now like lipstick on a “pig,” but it was a “pig” that I liked to begin with. I hope they never take away the big gator heads guarding their respective corners at the bar, or the masks hanging from the ceiling, or the gators at the one entrance. I love that stuff. We didn’t go to the other new restaurants, but the menus looked pretty upscale.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    We began our 5- play DDB quarter quest after dinner. We were happy to see that the machines were the type that had color bars for the different jackpots you hit, and most of the machines made noise. Downside is they were uprights (less comfortable) and you couldn’t control the speed.

    It was quiet when we first arrived, but then the Ganzagas descended after their game let out, and they were crazed (in a good way though). Drink note: I usually drink chardonnay or jack on the rocks—the wine was served room temperature in a jelly glass and the jack was about a tablespoon (but in a proper glass) with ice. Also the music in there was pretty much modern pop auto-tune garbage. I wonder sometimes when I look around at who is playing, and the music seems to be more geared to the grandkids of the people than the actual people I see. Mystifies me.

    I played for about 3 hours and we each got four-to-it on the bottom line with no connection. It just seems like that should hit every time doesn’t it? Of course math tells you a different story. I didn’t get many 4OK but I did get Aces twice. P stayed down and played for another hour or so and he did get Aces and Aces with Kicker. I was down about $600 for the night, and those late hands saved P so he was only down about $100.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    DAY TWO

    Most mornings we like to get the local paper, have our coffee (me) & coke zero (P, it’s a Texas thing) while watching Monica and Jason on Fox 5 News, then go to the nearest 24 Hour Fitness gym and then out for a sandwich (usually Port of Subs). Gym is our regular routine at home and I have to say it helps me get back on track when I’m in Vegas. Clears my brain, gets some kinks out, allows me to eat too much for the rest of the day…

    After all that we went to Palace Station to play our required points to enter the Wednesday senior slot tourney. Funny thing here, there was about maybe 10 people in line for the next round of the tourney and when I got in line a guy stood behind me just before P came up to stand with me. The guy says to P “the line ends behind me.” We just basically laughed at him and then both got behind him – seriously dude? I thought I might have enough to get a $25 prize but we went back to check the next day and I was close but no reward.

    I will say that the Palace is doing renovations that look pretty nice – I was drawn in particular to a new Round Bar with 5/8 bonus bartop. But it’s just so smoky in that casino. I hope in their renovations they consider some improved filtration. I thought that I might actually spend some time playing there, something we haven’t really done before.

    Back at Orleans, I bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of Jack from the liquor store. I always feel like that’s a good deal at Orleans and at Sam’s Town because the prices are already fair, then they give you a sapphire discount, and then you can pay with points. And now I can have a cold glass of wine and a proper Jack on the Rocks!

    We happily discovered Boyd reinstated the senior day goodies for non-locals when I decided to just swipe our cards and see what happened. We each had just a 5x VP multiplier, but it was better than the slap in the face we thought we were going to get. We played 5-play for about an hour, I got four 4OK, one of them 2’s, and a small profit. We were going to go to Prime Rib Loft , but P swiped his card and the kiosk again and we had a free buffet so we went for that. I must say the buffet at Orleans on this trip was better than I remembered and definitely better than Sam’s Town was this time around. You just never know I guess.

    After dinner I did my first Red Roulette…..BLACK. P won his match play and escaped with $7 or so on his $5 free play. I played Goldfish and got zippo.

    We played 5-play DDB for a couple of hours, I got about five 4OK (one of which was Aces again), but ultimately lost about $400 and by 9:30 I called it a night.

    P stayed down and played a while. When we play this game, we normally put $200 in at a time and hit the cash out button when the meter goes to $300 or over. It can be fun when you are close and then you get a cash out, or demoralizing when you are close and it evaporates. Ah, gambling. Anyway, During the evening hours P put $200 in the 5-play DDB quarter machine 6 times and never got enough profit to even cash a ticket out. He even got four-to-it again. This is NO FUN for anyone. I don’t care how wonderful your outlook on life is or if you are as rich as Bill Gates. Losing is at the very least boring, losing is a test of attitude that you will most likely fail.

    [​IMG]

    My apologies to those who like trip reports in one lump. I promise not to leave too much time in between. Chapter Two Tomorrow (GVR and some mini road trips).
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2017
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  2. Texas Steph

    Texas Steph A Work in Progress...

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    So far so good, looking forward to the rest!
     
  3. garrman

    garrman Low-Roller

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    Yeah, I'm following along as well.
     
  4. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    Love Orleans TR's as that is my home also
     
    Annual me and Pete
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  5. agirl

    agirl Low-Roller

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    DAY THREE

    A (mostly) non- gambling day which was a good thing, because in 24 hours we lost about $2000. (This was about 6 hours of actual play together and a couple of extra for just P.) But hey, we’re playing a volatile game at 5-play no less, so we know what we are in for and we know we will have a comeback at some point. Question is when and how much?

    We went to the gym in the morning, and I called down at check out and got Orleans to knock the charges off the bill. They were very nice about it and I’m sure they will show us future love. Small victories.

    We headed out to Goodsprings, Seven Magic Mountains and South Point. Our main objective was to see the Seven Magic Mountains, aka the brightly colored blobs in the desert. They are located about 25 miles outside the city and will be there until next May. We also read about Goodsprings and since it was nearby we went for lunch at the Pioneer Saloon, which is the oldest saloon in Clark County that is still operational (1906). It also has the claim to fame of being the saloon where Clark Gable drank himself into oblivion while awaiting word on whether Carole Lombard was alive after her plane crashed into a nearby mountain. We had some pretty interesting (as in tasty if not a tad overcooked) burgers (ghost burger for me and brunch burger for P) and beers there. Also of note were the whiskey casks—people make and name their own and have their kegs at the ready. I would recommend Pioneer Saloon as a unique lunch stop or a place to go and sit at the bar and have a cold one on a hot day.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    The Seven Magic Mountains were fun to photograph. We thought they might be more striking in stormy weather or at sunrise/sunset.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    We finished our day trip at South Point where Paul hoped to see Bret Musburger (and did, briefly). He broadcasts a Sirius sports show from there.
    [​IMG]

    Our timing was such that we caught the beginning of the Hauler Parade as they headed to the Strip to celebrate the weekend’s Nascar race.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    We checked into GVR, which was going to cost a little over $400 for three nights, but I just love it there and hoped our play would defer the cost. Upon check in, our room AC wasn’t doing the job so we called maintenance and a super nice guy came up and tweaked it so that baby started cranking right away. I recommend always calling down if AC is important to you. Most of the time they can make it better. Once again, although we didn’t ask for it we got a room with a really nice view.
    [​IMG]

    We went down to the casino and we were hungry so we just decided on Turf Grill. I had a hankering for chili cheese fries! P had a burger.

    The slant-top bank of 5-play DDB that we had played on previous trips was gone, but we found one lone bank of uprights. We played for about 2 hours. Things started to look up (for me) as I had on my lucky socks and scored a Royal about ½ hour in, got about 12 4OK and had a really good session , winning back the grand I lost at Orleans. P had a stubborn machine and continued his streak of putting in $200 with no cash outs. He also got four-to-it again.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Room Notes: GVR has my favorite bed in Vegas. The shower was ugh as it didn’t drain and the water temp fluctuated. It can be a long walk back and forth depending on where your room is located. They have a high resort fee, yet no in-room coffee. Stick a keurig in there please. It’s mostly a local, convention oriented hotel so I don’t understand why not. I can understand why not in Strip hotels. The spa pool which we always love is being resurfaced so it was closed, but the main pool area was also nice with good music at a decent level. There’s a room safe, the rooms are big, they have two desks, one of which is perfect to use as a dressing table to get ready at while hubs is in the bathroom, nice big closet, full length mirror, great hair dryer…..

    DAY FOUR

    We went to the hotel fitness room (which is great) and pool. We had lunch at the café, where I’m a bit sad as they changed the menu and took my favorite thing away, but it happens. The café at GVR is…..adequate. Nothing is ever really good or really bad there. We used a $10 off ACG coupon and points.

    GVR had another one of their weak-sauce weekend swipe and win promos, and I got a bingo blue pack, I don’t play bingo. P got a $5 free table bet which he ended up winning later on.

    We had another 5-play session for about 2 hours where I was floating along but P was still losing big time. We took a break before dinner. It’s tough for the “winner” and the “loser” unless the one on top wins big, because of course the loser isn’t having a good time and the winner feels the perceived weight of carrying the load. And you don’t know what to say. But since we’ve both been the winner and the loser, we get it. We went to Capriotti’s for a sub and a chop salad. Good stuff. Paid with points.

    After we ate we were back at the machines, and 20 minutes in P got the 6th four –to- it, and he says “I can taste it” and he gets it!!! We played for a couple of hours.
    [​IMG]

    DAY FIVE

    We took another break from gambling and headed to NASCAR. We used to go to races across the country as part of our vacations, and have been to the Vegas track before for a Sunday race, so this time we decided on a whim that since we were in town we would check out the Neon Garage, which turned out to be very cool and something I would recommend for any NASCAR fan that hasn’t done so. The best part was that we got there at 8 when it opened and was less crowded…at one point I was 6 inches from the race cars speeding by me. It’s a beautiful track setting too.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Even though I usually bet Kyle Busch when I’m in Vegas, he was negative odds so I went with Joey Logano for a big $5 at 5/1 and he won! They ended up getting in a fist fight the next day and the photo of Kyle just cracked me up.

    We got back around 8 and went to the café again. Then played some 5 play until about 10. I got some quality 4OK (3, 4, 2/K, A) but was mostly just floating along in spite of that. P was losing again and so we called it a night.

    For our play at GVR, I ended up about $1000 up but P lost about $1900 on top of the original $1000. So at that point, we were down about $1900.
     
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  6. DrLect

    DrLect Winning!

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    Orleans' music selection has baffled me recently also. One would think they would play music that appeals to their clientele. Instead, it often seems to feature techno and rap selections that don't incent me to play more or stay longer.
     
  7. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Great start to your TR.

    Your quesadilla pic :feedme: reminded me of the ones Applebee's used to have before they messed with their menu!

    LOL at the Busch picture. A colleague of mine was at the Sunday race and was seated near the scene of the fisticuffs!

    I can't wait to read about your further adventures!
    Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

    RICHARD
     
  8. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Good stuff so far!
     
  9. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    I'm really enjoying your report agirl! And I always enjoy hearing about side trips. Thanks for the detail and pics.

    My husband and I really feel we're at home in Vegas when we start the day having coffee with Monica and Jason :thumbsup:

    Looking forward to the rest.
     
  10. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I am enjoying your report and photos; here's hoping we hear about more Royals!
     
  11. Gmoney10

    Gmoney10 Low-Roller

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    Great trip report and glad to see a couple Royals came your way. Can't wait to hear more about your trip.
     
  12. kkinwi

    kkinwi VIP Whale

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    Enjoying! I second the "always get maintenance to check the AC" if you don't think it's working. I have needed them several times....once at Gold Coast they took out the whole unit!
    I love mornings with my coffee and paper in Vegas...tho I wake up with the Wagners! Lol...
     
  13. Geogran

    Geogran VIP Whale

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    @agirl - I really enjoy your writing style, makes me feel like I'm sitting right there beside you experiencing the same thing! Those side trips look fun. Good for you in seeking out a gym every day. More days than not, my workout clothes stay folded unused in the suitcase. Hope to see lots more wins!
     
  14. agirl

    agirl Low-Roller

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    Here's a good one I forgot to attach from yesterday:
    [​IMG]
    And now, on with the show....

    DAY SIX

    We checked out of GVR but stayed there during the day while P watched Nascar at the sportsbook. I called on check out and got connected to a casino host who agreed to knock $200 off the bill, and when we looked at the TV, I noticed they took off a little bit more than that, so we paid $166 instead of $419.

    During the day I managed to lose about $150 on various single line VP games. I had a Capriotti sub for lunch (their size small is huuuge!)
    [​IMG]

    In the afternoon we headed to the D for a three-night comp in my name from a mailer. I had the ACG coupon to get up to $100 in free play for reaching 1,000 points in a 24-hour period. We play 50 cent bonus on that because it takes too long to get the points playing 25 cent VP. Our result this time around was a loss of about $235 and then we got $110 on the free play we earned from that and my $30 free play from the mailer. Since we started doing this some years ago, the D always sends us mailers with up to three free nights, $25 match plays, $25 or $30 free play and $25 dining. We don’t play too much else over that on any given stay there but it seems to be enough to keep the deals coming.

    I used the $25 match play from my mailer for #2 attempt at Red Roulette….BLACK

    We had dinner at the D café and I was sorry to see they took all-day breakfast off their menu. The first time we ate in the D café a few years ago, it was fantastic, but it’s been on the decline over the years and I would have to say it was awful. I ordered chicken tenders and they looked and tasted like Tyson frozen chicken tenders.

    We discovered that Main Street Station had our game, the 5-play quarter 6/9 DDB (uprights), so we went over there to play for a couple of hours. I got 8 4OK, including aces with kicker and 4 with kicker, and the profit more than made up for what I’d lost earlier in the day. It was a comfortable place to play, P was winning some too, we got some scratch cards (including a rare $5) and some good MSS beer. Nice evening!
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    DAY SEVEN

    We went down to the 24 hour fitness near MSS to work out in the morning. Then over to El Cortez to do the $10 free play coupons (I lost it on Texas Tea but Paul got four Sam’s on Uncle Sam and a $28 cash out). We decided to try Siegel’s because we had a BOGO coupon. We both enjoyed our lunch very much. I had ham & cheese on rye and P had a club. They had the original “Oceans 11” on the TV’s there without sound and playing rat pack music. It was a very nice restaurant and I would recommend. The El Cortez also has some great Vegas memorabilia in display cases near the slot club that are definitely worth a look.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    On the way back we saw Evel Pie, which P said that Evel Knievel's son owns and it looked like a cool place. We will try it next time.

    Back at the D, I did another match play from the ACG coupon book, #3 Red Roulette…..BLACK

    The D room notes: A/C is pretty cold and loud. The bed seemed at first to be comfortable with good blankets and pillows, but it gave me a back and neck ache every day. The shower seemed better to me than the one at GVR since the drain actually worked. We usually get an odd number room away from the stage, you can still hear some noise when the canopy show goes off on the hour but it’s not bad at all. There is a safe in the room. There is coffee right next to the elevators that is decent. I think D used to have keurigs in the room but I can understand why they couldn’t continue that practice.

    We’ve been meaning to go to Tony Roma’s since we used to go all the time back in the day. I know they get a lot of love on this board, but it was one and done for us. Food was average, it’s just crazy busy and tight in there, no atmosphere whatsoever.

    We walked to Downtown Grand for a quick coupon run and P got $16 on his free play with Panda Stack, also won his blackjack match play. I played a Buffalo game and got no profit and….wait for it….#4 Red Roulette attempt….BLACK. Geez.

    We went back to MSS for about an hour and a half of 5-play. I only got two 4OK’s and lost $400, but P started doing very well and was finally having a profitable day. He got three aces on the bottom and hit A/K twice on that and got another kicker too.
    [​IMG]

    We stopped in Binions on the way back to the D and both did our $10 free play on Cops & Donuts. Had fun but no profit. I played $20 on Texas Tea back at the D and went up to the room around 9 to watch the Voice. P stayed down and played bartop VP at the Vue Bar. This IPA at the Vue Bar is very tasty, by the way.
    [​IMG]

    DAY EIGHT

    Another break day for us as we headed out on a road trip to Laughlin, then Oatman and Kingman AZ. Laughlin was much nicer than I imagined. More landscaping, the river is pretty…..I would stay the night there for sure. We really liked the Pioneer because of Vegas Vic, all the old one-arm bandits, the décor and the general feel of the place. They gave us $5 free play for sign up. There is a restaurant there that looks good too. But we just wanted something “light” so we picked up Subway and ate on the roadside near Oatman.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Last year we did an extensive road trip through Arizona and Route 66, but when we went through Oatman there was a motorcycle rally and it was impossible to stop. If you’ve ever been through Oatman, you know that it’s pretty small to begin with and cars can barely get through with the people and burros, much less being surrounded by hundreds of bikers! It’s a memory I’ll never forget, but we had to go back so we could spend a little time there. It’s a stinky, crazy place, but worth a stop. Go to the Oatman hotel to eat in the restaurant that is absolutely COATED with dollar bills, go upstairs to the “museum”. There’s lots of little shops and phony cowboy shoot em ups, but the best part is the crazy burros that maybe are not such dumb-asses, because they know if a human has a bag from the store it might have something to eat in it, so they will go up to some unsuspecting tourist and rip the bottom right out of the bag they are holding! After Oatman we drove over the picturesque Sitgreaves Pass.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Kingman is a good stop if you like Route 66 history, they have a good museum and some photo –worthy places. This time we mostly just stopped for dinner at El Palacio, a small Mexican joint we ate in last year. Food was pretty good, I had some tasty street tacos.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    We got back to Vegas around 8 p.m. and just went over to 4 Queens for a bit of DDB single line bartop. I played an hour on $100 but never got a 4OK. P did well with Aces and 4/K.

    A couple of random notes: Downtown was crowded every day, not just on the weekends. Lines for Slotzilla were always long and the restaurants were crowded. The secret seems to be out. They had some fun things going on for March Madness—good bands, a game where you could try your luck at free throwing, a couple basketball songs thrown in the canopy show…
    [​IMG]

    In spite of the fact that we got some good hands, we lost a little more ground during this stay and on check out we were down about $2200. Funny we were down $2000 after the first day and now six days later we were pretty much at the same place. Could have been worse!
     
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  15. vegasnut

    vegasnut VIP Whale

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    wow what a nice and great detailed TR:thumbsup::headbang:
     
  16. kkinwi

    kkinwi VIP Whale

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    I have played alot at the Pioneer, and did great on some quarter triple play. Sadly, there rooms are pretty bad, and since I like to stay where I play, I had to give them up.
    Thanks for your report....just lovin' it!
     
  17. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Space Dust IPA with 8/5 Bonus 3-way progressive at Vue bar? Yes, please!! You should try to get to the D, @da1chifan, as should I! I always got Budweiser there before, or dragged something up from the Long Bar. :evillaugh: And it's unfortunate that a $5 scratcher is really noteworthy. Should have more of those! ;)

    Keep finding those Aces and Royals!
     
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  18. agirl

    agirl Low-Roller

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    DAY NINE

    We were at the halfway point of the vacation and I was feeling it. Vegas was catching up with me. I tried to mentally psyche myself back to the place I was at a week ago when I first arrived.

    It was Wednesday again, and we specifically went to GVR to do the senior tourney because last weekend when we were there they had some kiosk game where you collected geodes for three days, and then on Wednesday (senior day) you came back to see how many points you earned on it. P had gotten 11 geodes and when I asked the slot club they told me that seemed like more than anyone else was getting and therefore he should do well. I had 8 geodes. But when we swiped, we each got two chances out of 6 to pick from and ended up with 2,000 points each. We could see that the other point values we could have chosen were about the same. That equals $4. Seriously? P went to the slot club to ask about how the game worked and the lady told him it was a terrible game, they had received many complaints. It was GVR’s bright idea to substitute this game for what used to be a point multiplier on Senior Day. It was nothing but a greedy move on their part and very poorly received. One poor elderly lady who typically never came in on weekends, braved traffic on both Saturday and Sunday to only collect 1 geode on each day. Since you had to have a minimum of 3 geodes to even play the game, she got no picks when she returned on Wednesday! If you had 3-6 geodes you picked one hidden prize out of 6. If you had 7-11, you got 2 picks (which is why we both got two). Above 11, you got three. Wheee! Stations games are notoriously stupid but this was the worst we’d seen. At least Boyd has a great Senior Day program and listened to people when they were unhappy with changes. Station could care less. Anyway….we lost about $50 between us playing to earn the points for the tournament and didn’t get in the money.

    We checked into Sam’s Town in the afternoon for a four-night stay, three nights of which were comped. After settling in we went downstairs to start the next chapter of 5-play.

    5-play DDB at Sam’s is basically confined to bartop. That’s fine most of the time, except Sam’s does have a bit of a reputation for attracting some characters at their bars, especially at night. But when we first sat down it was still the afternoon, and it was a place of MAGIC as 45 minutes in I hit a ROYAL holding four- to- it. We played a while longer and then took a break to go to the buffet. As I mentioned previously, Sam’s buffet was not very good on this trip. We had enjoyed it in the past but this time the food was average or even in some cases pretty bad. The gelato is amazing though!
    [​IMG]

    We went back to the bartops after dinner. Sam’s plays pretty good music by the way….they were playing “Satisfaction” by the Stones… some guy a few seats down kept saying “I can’t get no” repeatedly for the next HALF HOUR. After that he never stopped talking and was moving around the bar inflicting himself on strangers. We were just happy he didn’t come over to us.

    And then I got a Royal again!!!! And P got Aces with Kicker! And then HE got a Royal! No I am not kidding. Odder still is all three Royals were spades. What an epic night for us! We were hitting it hard because it was Senior Day and I had 7x points on VP, P had 5x points on VP, so we each put 10,000 points on our card (the limit for the multiplier).

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
    At one point there was an old guy sitting next to me just blowing smoke pretty much right in my face, but mostly the crowd was OK. My tolerance level is in direct correlation to the kind of VP hands I am getting anyway. We played until about 11 at night. I played a couple slots before going up to the room. We pretty much ended up getting all our losses back in one night! That’s Vegas baby! The Vegas of my dreams.

    DAY TEN

    P went to Gold Coast to meet up with a buddy from home who was there with a group of friends to watch March Madness. I had the day to myself and decided to take it easy and stay at Sam’s Town. I started out with a goal of playing $20 each on five different slot games to see what would happen. No sure how anybody makes money on these things as that $100 went up like smoke. I played Goldfish, $1 Wheel of Fortune, Invaders from Moolah, and Crazy Money twice. Then I proceeded to lose $100 in single line DDB. I was hungry so I just got a filet of fish from McD’s. Then I played blackjack for almost 2 hours and lost $50. At one point I was up $150 at the table but I wanted to keep playing. I lost $50 on loose deuces quarter, then went up to the room to take a break for a bit.

    In the afternoon I went back to the bartops to try 5-play and upon sitting was immediately hit upon for cash “for something to eat” by some girl. I will say for purposes of explanation only and not to judge or offend that she was a heavyset black girl with a grill. I basically tried to ignore her and moved down a seat, and she finally went away. It made me feel bad for her but we all make our choices in life and I honestly don’t think my giving her money was the right answer.

    I played for about an hour and got some nice hands.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I had a $15 food credit from yesterday’s senior day (you have 24 hours to use it), and I went to the Angry Butcher during their social hour. I got seated at a nice table on their patio in the atrium and had the best food of the trip—a Mo Burger, and a cold Stella. It was lovely there and I had a nice & funny waiter. The burger itself was delicious—it had a fried egg, pesto goat cheese, arugula, a great bun, and the house made chips were just addictive. My bill was $4 plus I left a good tip. Wonderful!!!
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I played a few more slots (will never learn), Catch a Wave and Wheel of Fortune quarter. Nothing. I tried single line DDB again and got a straight flush for a small cash out. I wanted something sweet and decided to get a dunkin donut and coffee. It was a chocolate donut coated in coconut and very good!
    [​IMG]

    By this time P had returned so I played a little bit of bartop 5-play with him, but lost about $300 and called it a night around 9 p.m. He stayed down to play. I ended up plus $100 for the day and had a lot of fun calling my own shots. P had a losing session but then got aces with kicker and won it back before calling it a night.
    [​IMG]

    DAY ELEVEN

    St. Patrick’s Day! I was wearin’ the green, bought from Target before I left home. I covered all my bases for luck.
    [​IMG][​IMG]

    I dropped P off at Gold Coast to watch Madness with his buddies again today and I went to Orleans. They were having a free VP tournament and I was also going to see Beauty and the Beast at Orleans’ XD movie theater. I took note of some funny t-shirts people were wearing today.
    • “Say Hello to My Little Friend” with a leprechaun
    • Drunk Lives Matter
    • I’d Tap That (and a golf ball near a hole)
    • Irish You Were Beer
    I had an egg white spinach mushroom omelet at the Copper Whisk Café. It was very good but too much food again! I played DDB 5-play and had a nice session, getting 6 4OK in an hour, two of them with kickers, for a profit of about $200. I tried the Ultimate X VP tournament, it was strange playing 3-play Ultimate X for a tournament, but I gave it a shot. Even though I play pretty fast I could barely use all the points in 12 minutes. I had two chances but didn’t really get enough points.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I enjoyed the movie and the XD 3D was amazing.

    I headed to the airport to pick up my friend, who is the wife of the guy from home that P was watching Madness with. She was coming in for a quick weekend trip to join us for some fun. We took them downtown to Fremont Street for dinner at Chicago Brewing and just to take in the sights with St. Pat’s and March Madness going on. I love the chicken tenders at CBC that are doused in BBQ sauce and then you dip them in Ranch for even more goodness. I can’t even type this out right now without wishing they were right in front of me (sad). It was super crowded, but the downtown crowd never seems out of control to me, or disgusting, or anything like that. I’ve never been puked on or yelled at or punched. Maybe I’m just out there too early at night! Here's a funny one from Downtown...
    [​IMG]

    DAY TWELVE

    The boys stayed at Sam’s Town watching basketball while I took my friend out to Springs Preserve. I’d never been there and she wanted to do something outside of a casino. Springs Preserve is only a few miles away from the Strip, but it’s quite the escape! Parts of it are geared toward children, but there’s a great Nevada State Museum with lots of Vegas history, beautiful gardens filled with flowers and cacti, and a garden where there are hundreds of different butterflies. There are also trails going off in different directions. I would recommend as a nice diversion for anyone that thinks it sounds interesting.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    When we got back to Sam’s I played some 5-play bartop and promptly lost $500 in about an hour and a half. St. Pat’s luck ran out I guess!

    We had a quick dinner at Sam’s buffet and headed out to see Ka. P scored us fantastic seats, about ten rows in, and mine was on the aisle so at times the performers were crouched right next to me. We have seen Ka before, but wanted to take our friends. We feel it’s one of the best shows in Vegas and every time I see it I’m amazed. Off topic, look at this progressive at MGM!
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    We sat at the bar back at Sam’s Town and listened to the band for a set, they were pretty good. We played craps but it turned into a cold table too fast. It was late so we called it a night, and said goodbye to our friends, who were leaving too early in the morning to let us even offer taking them to the airport.
    [​IMG]

    After this leg of the journey we stood at a loss of about $700. We would have been almost even if I had not lost that $500 so quickly in the afternoon. But we were very happy to be gaining ground!
     
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  19. Kevke

    Kevke Vegas Addict

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2016
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    The Netherlands
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    Nice TR !
     
  20. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2012
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    Seattle
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    Great report! Thanks for putting in the time to write it!
     
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