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Mrs. & Mr. Jones & Wolfgang

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by gotavegasjones, Aug 27, 2017.

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  1. john1516inny

    john1516inny High-Roller

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    excellent report, enjoyed following along.
     
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  2. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    Joe says it is something like 16$ an hour loss on ddb poker if you play fairly according to perfect play. Do you agree or is that logistical bs? I know Joe and he hits big often. But the droughts are dust filled. Just wondered if the fact was factual. Good trip report.
     
  3. pleasemum

    pleasemum High-Roller

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    Enjoyed your report.

    We too thought Cucina was solid choice. Worth stopping by again for sure.
     
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  4. LuckyKev

    LuckyKev Tourist

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    Nice trip report. We were at the Encore Monday and Tuesday nites,Sat. and Sunday at the Flamingo.. It was interesting to see your pics of the rooms,almost identical to the ones I took.We ate at Jardin on Tuesday,very good,not cheap. Both places we had comps for which allow one to spend $$$ gambling instead.Thanks for the report.

    ps.After staying at the Encore,other rooms seem pretty blah...
     
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  5. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    bubba - DDB isn't the smartest action you can give a casino. People who play VP several times every week, millions of hands a year would be foolish to play DDB. Full Pay JOB, certain Dueces Wild and a couple of other VP games are much better in terms of winning percentage over the course of a lifetime. For folks like me and my wife who usually gamble once sometimes twice a year in Vegas we play for 4OAK, Quad Aces, 2's, 3's & 4's or those hands with Kickers which offer the chance of a "big hit" makes sense. Those other games are'nt as sexy; they do not offer those "big hit" opportunities. If we played with a desire to protect our bankroll over long periods of time it would make more sense to play less risky games.

    Later, GVJ
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2017
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  6. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    LuckyKev - yeah, we enjoyed our stay at Encore. The room, the casino, hotel staff all are superior to the joints where we usually stay. We like the rooms we've stayed in at Paris, PH, Flamingo, Linq when comped through Total Rewards. Also, Mandalay Bay, Mirage and Aria when comped through MLife. My wife received the offer for two nights comped rooms at Wynn, with a possible upgrade to Encore. It came came out of the blue. It also included $225 in FreePlay. The offer can be used again in November or December for 3 nights with the $225 + $75 in FreePlay. Have no idea how we deserve that kind of offer. We're grateful. Trying to figure how to make a late December trip possible. It would have to be an extremely "low roller" trip as it normally takes me a year to build my Vegas slush fund.

    Later, GVJ
     
  7. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    93 Octane - took the pic and didn't observe moch. It looked nice. From what I saw it did not look very big.

    Later, GVJ
     
  8. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    Some final comments and reflection on the Las Vegas Strip Wolfgang Puck Tour.

    Rooms. The room at Encore was as nice as any room we've enjoyed in Las Vegas. Rooms at Wynn and Bellagio were IMO equal to Encore's resort room. The rooms at Red Rock and Aria are fine rooms but not on the same level as Encore. The Paris Burgundy Room at the End of the Hall (P room) was a fine room. No frills just a good 3 1/2 star joint.

    Food. We enjoyed each of the meals in Wolfgang's joints. Lupo was very good. Staff there was decent. Cucina was excellent. Great staff. Spago was excellent. Staff was great. Bar & Grill MGM was very good. Staff was very good. I'd consider having a meal at any one of them on a future trip. The Aria Buffet for breakfast (or any meal) is always a good choice. Especially, if you have a MyVegas reward. Our breakfast at Jardin in Encore was excellent. Beautiful outside dining. Expensive. Our meal the 1st night at India Palace was terrific as usual. Very reasonably priced. Our 2nd night meal at Canaletto was very good. Great staff. Our TravelZoo award allowed us a very special meal at a very reasonable price. This deal is available thru Nov. 21. It is titled Dinner for 2 at Venetian. The Feast Buffet at Red Rock is always a solid choice for any meal. Just good food at a reasonable price. Nothing fancy. Breakfast at La Salsa Cantina on the Miracle Mile is a good deal. Decent food. Good price. Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast was an excellent choice for our last meal before heading to the airport. Just before getting the rental car from the Valet we stopped at J.J. Boulangerie for a couple of sandwiches which we eat at the halfway point of the flight home. They were awesome. I had the Italian sandwich and she had Ham & Gruyere.

    Gambling. We gambled a bit more than usual this trip. Almost exclusively DDB VP. We did have one mid-morning session of BlackJack at Bellagio. I had my $200 buy-in toasted and consumed by the house in less than 45 minutes. She colored up with a $225 win after buying in with $200. We both had mostly good luck at WynnCore. I went way out of my comfort zone and played a session of DDB VP at the $5 level at Wynn. Fortunately I hit a 4OAK. First hand-pay and W2G in a few years. We gambled at Paris a bit. Enough to keep Total Rewards giving us comped rooms. Most of our play mid-strip was at Bellagio and Aria. During our time in those joints I played one session in each at the $5 level. Won a few hundred $'s overall. I had a great run at the VP machines in Aria one morning. Also had several big losing sessions at Aria and Paris. After dinner at Lupo we gave Mandalay Bay some action. We both left there with a modest win. We usually give Red Rock some action each trip. Occasionally we are rewarded with comp nights. We took some money from Stations this time. Overall I came away with a very slight win. I did spend some of my winnings on a gift for my awesome wife. I'm including that amount in my 'win' calculation. She had a bad run at the VP machines this trip. Losing trip for her.

    Rental Car. I booked a car through NU. I had not seen them in prior searches for a rental car in Vegas. At the time they had the best rate for a Full Size vehicle. The total for a week long rental was $198.00. The Vegas and McCarran taxes and fees account for 1/2 that total. We were given a Nissan Altima. It had very low mileage, basically a brand new car. AC worked great. Car ran well and had plenty of getty-up on the highways around Vegas. Good gas mileage.

    The NU facility is not at the Car Rental Center. I did not realize this when I booked. It is across the street on Gillespie. We were instructed to call NU upon arrival. I called them when the shuttle bus arrived at the CRC. The shuttle for NU was there within 3 minutes. 2 minutes later I was standing in their facility. 10 minutes after that I was driving away. I have spent much more time getting out of the CRC on many occasions. The return process was just as easy. If their rates are the lowest in the future, I'll book 'em again.

    Brief Rant. I am not one to offer negative info in my TR's of our Vegas Adventures. Generally the things or places we find problematic are avoided on future trips. Things which may not meet our standards or don't appeal to us, may be understood very differently by other folks. So, typically I do not have much negative to say. Though, Greek Isle Casino did receive a fairly harsh comment many years ago.

    My rant is about the decline of the Paris Las Vegas. My wife loves this hotel. She enjoys the casino. We both like the restaurants in the joint. The location is awesome. I am a big fan of the spa. When we are guests in the hotel I am in the spa at least once a day. Usually I'm at the door when it opens at 6:00am. This trip was no different.

    The rooms we enjoyed in June and again last week were the revamped Burgundy rooms. No complaints on the room.

    My first negative remarks have to do with service in the hotel. The staff has been reduced across the board. The Front Desk is always understaffed these days. I checked this out with one of the FD staff. She told me my observation was on the money; staff has been reduced significantly in the past year.

    The next complaint has do to with overall cleanliness. Our room was clean. The hallway was a different story. Our hallway was decorated with debris, room service carts, empty bottles and glasses every day we were there. Some of that stuff was there from the time we arrived through the morning we checked out. In the casino I encountered dirty, sticky buttons on VP machines. Drink glasses and full ashtrays were in abundance.

    A final complaint is about the overall grunge factor of the pool. The water in the pool did not appear to be sanitary. The pool deck was dirty and looked grimy. Every deck chair I handled had broken straps or the back recliner function was broken. We stayed out there about 10 minutes the first afternoon and decided if we weren't going to get in the pool or whirlpool there was no reason to stay.

    I imagine we will stay at Paris again. My wife likes the hotel. I like comped rooms and the spa.

    End of rant.

    We had a great trip. Can't wait for the next one, a brief 3 day excursion with a buddy in early November. Hope those of you who followed along enjoyed the journey. Hope the TR offered some new info for my fellow Vegas junkies.

    Later, GVJ
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2017
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  9. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    I also feel like the Paris casino floor is showing age as well. The TITO machines are ancient. Gustav's bar used to be my go to spot. My first post on this forum was touting it. Haha.

    Great report!
     
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  10. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    The game he plays at MSS. More like $40/hr at 400 hands per hour...9/5 with crap progressive vs. 9/6 nearly doubles the house edge. And that includes all the royals he never seems to hit. A quadless hour, he should tank $500.
     
  11. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Great reflection, GVJ!
    I love it when TRs include some final thoughts about the experiences!
    Thank you! :D

    RICHARD
     
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  12. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    Joe will be home Tuesday and appreciate your figures. Not his perhaps but at least somethimg to compare
     
  13. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    tringlomane - looks like you are on your way. Have a tremendous birthday trip.

    Later, GVJ
     
  14. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    After we arrived home last Friday from our Wolfgang Puck Tour and after we unpacked we needed some sustenance. We headed to nearby Taqueria La Mexicana. It wasn't Wolfgang. But, there ain't much better than a plate of really good Mexican food when a body is hungry.

    IMG_1328.JPG
     
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  15. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

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    Nice report and thanks for your observations.I must say though, that I stayed in Paris for the 4th of July week, used the pool and loved it. Found no problems at all. But maybe I don't pay attention to certain things. But the chairs were in good shape and the water in the pool was great. I was there from 9am though, so maybe it didn't have a chance to get bad.
     
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  16. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Whoa! Just stumbled upon this post. I never claimed I only lose $16 an hour playing DDB. On a bad machine it can be closer to $200-$400 in an hour. But the thrill is the premium hand. Just can't get that on JOB.

    I fully realize if I played JOB an entire trip, I would lose less on a bad trip, but I'd also win less w/o any premium hands. JOB has become boring for me.
     
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  17. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    Well I remember a post where someone quoted the expected loss at 16$ an hour and you said you wished so I just thought that was it. I will search for it.
     
  18. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    It was August 23 going back and forth with Rumor while live @the boars head bar. He was talking about losses at the 1$ JOB and not ddb. I misquoted or had an alcohol dream. Somehow alcohol was involved. I retract the post and apologies to Joe.
     
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  19. TenTimesPay$

    TenTimesPay$ Low-Roller

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    That food at the restaurant looked great Indian palace. Got to go there next time in Vegas also got to love the patio breakfast at Wynn / Encore always looks so great in the pictures like in a fashion magazine.
     
    Anniversary Trip # 35 Years
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  20. Hannikins

    Hannikins Newbie

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    so am I right to assume that the my vegas discount works against set menus as well?
     
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