Saying Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Another fun follow-along from the Tring! Just curious, how can somebody eat at so much slower of a pace than their beer drinking pace?

 

That's the hot tub at the Boulevard pool at Cosmo. At least Monday through Thursday, any player's club member can visit it.

I'll drink hard liquor on occasion, but more as a "last resort". I actually had a couple of vodkas and sprite when meeting with Ty since I basically had all the restaurant's craft beer already. Lol

Probably. . We'll eventually catch up though.

Haha. Yeah, you've watched me eat like a snail too. Beer tastes better than food I guess?

 

Or maybe playing VP after eating a big meal isn't as much fun as after putting those craft beers down.

 

Sinner!

 

Day 4: Sat. 5/12/18 A Hilarious Visit to “The Sandman”

Another slowish start to the day because “Mr. Drunky” stayed out until sun up. This afternoon, we decide to head out to the 'Burbs again to eat Fatburger at Green Valley Ranch and also visit things M likes to visit, like Kohl's and the Outlet Mall...kill me now.

Fatburger was solid for the price as usual with better cooked steak fries than Nine Fine Irishmen. Fast food porn fail though...haha Then we decide to play at GVR for about 45 minutes. Of course, since it's a Stations, that means it's another loss for me. But not before having these two Ballast Point beers that weren't even clearly posted for sale.

California Amber (5.5%; 3.5 sips)



Longfin Lager (4.5%; 3.5 sips)



Fortunately, the outlet mall wasn't a total bust for M, and we headed back toward the Strip, so I could meet up with @montecarloplayer who graciously offered Adam Sandler tickets to us. Get the car back in it's normal Strip spot for the night and a quick shower. I hoof it down to Cosmo to meet up with @montecarloplayer.

Pic on the way



Also meet some of the other Cosmo slot tourney participants still hanging around, including @jenblase, @boots, @3vees, @pleasemum, and probably a couple of others I'm missing. Unfortunately, the dude watching the door to the tourney wasn't happy with my lack of a player's badge. Eventually Jen snuck me in, and I said hi to everyone. After that, Jen and I caught the end of the Golden Knights game in the Sportsbook, and she got a beer for both of us since the VP machines were packed. I chose my Cosmo beer default, Space Dust (8.2%; 4 sips). Thanks Jen!



Unfortunately, I was a net one dollar loser on these tickets as I won the “over”, but Winnipeg took Game 1.



Time was ticking away, and M and I tried to squeeze in some food. But the place I picked, Popeye's, wasn't going fast at all. So we decide to wait until after the show.



Adam Sandler was awesome!!! I was laughing my ass off nearly the whole time!!! From Rob Schneider opening until the very end, I had to actually try not to laugh at times to give my diaphragm a rest! I was worried that M wouldn't care for the show too much as I expected a decent amount of “dirty humor”, which there was. However, “The Sandman” was fairly balanced and had a good amount of jokes about family and relationships, which M enjoyed more. During the middle of the show, Adam had his daughters (~13 and ~10) come out to perform Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. They were both wonderful and got a standing ovation!

The show was also being recorded for a future Netflix production and our seats were so great, there is a chance you might see us on the show. The woman in front of us begins speaking to Adam in a softer voice with an accent that she is one day younger than him. He seems to not understand what she is saying, so to move things along, I belt out, “She's one day younger than you!” lol

View from our seats



Such a wonderful show all around with a lot of hilarious songs! And I could also tell how much Adam himself wanted to actually put on a good show! M wanted me to say how thankful she was for these tickets @montecarloplayer! We both loved the show! A huge highlight of the trip! Thank you!!!

One drawback though is that they started the show late, and ran the show a bit late as well, so dinner after the show? Getting to TAG at 10:30p? Hahaha. NO!!!

Walking out I see @lousyatcraps, and we have a nice chat with him on the way out of the Chelsea. He was hoping to meet up with other forum members at TAG that night, but like a lot of people there this weekend, he had a fairly early flight the next day, and he had work to do before the flight on top of it! Boo work!! But I was glad to see him again, and hope I get to hang out with him more in the future.

Finally worm our way down to the casino floor and bump into @Figment76 and Mrs. Figment. They say they will meet us at TAG and eventually we get there nearly at the same time.

Walk over to TAG.





When we get to TAG, I didn't really recognize anyone, and was tempted to get food with M instead. But I thought it was better to stay around just in case people did show up. M is dead serious about me not being able to drink without eating, however. Fortunately, she was nice enough to pick up some food for me.

Open the drinking up with a Joseph James Citra Rye (5.4%; 3.75 sips)



Soon after @Figment76 and Mrs. Figment show up. As well as @jenblase's friends Heather and Ty (not the Ty I met on Thursday). Ty was happy when I pointed out that TAG had Swami's. And I'm pretty sure Heather had a Rekorderlig, Nick Pappageorgio, for Mrs. P...haha My booze soaked brain forgot to have one. The luckiest of the group that showed up was @joshj. He made the comment that he wanted to rack up the points, so I relinquished my seat at the multiline machine to him while I finished eating. Soon after, a masseuse came by offering services. He decided to have a massage while playing, and went on a tear after that. At one point, he ran his initial $100 to $500 during nearly an hour's worth of massage!

All us VP addicts try a Purple Haze together I think (4.2%; 3.75 sips)



M got a little bored with the forum/gambling talk, so she snuck off to Flamingo.



Josh and I both had a Founders porter too, iirc. (6.5%; 3.75 sips)



Unfortunately I think @Figment76 and I made a decent donation to CET that night. I bled off quite a few $20 bills. I would hate to imagine my losses if I wasn't chatting away! But thanks everyone for coming! Actually my only pic worthy hit, and a shitty drunk pic at that was right after @joshj left, and I played on his “hot” machine. I forgot to change the game, so max bet on the very first spin...whoops! But I won about $25 on that one on the top line!



Thanks everyone for coming!

M was having a ball at Flamingo dancing with random strangers until about 3. I called it a night somewhat early, and we both went to bed close to 4. Yeah, that's “early” in my book, dammit! Haha

 

Day 5: Sun. 5/13/18 A Real Visit from “The Sandman” at Vdara and a Crucial Nighttime Decision.

Part of the reason I was also willing to go to bed last night with M “early” was we had to get up and check-out of Mirage. Why? Because @Figment76 and his wife were kind enough to offer up their double-booked room at Vdara for the night to us. We always were curious about Vdara, so we graciously accepted the offer. Thank you very much, Figment and Mrs. Figment!

But before arriving at Vdara, we get some lunch first and make a few other South Strip casino rounds. We decide on lunch at Original Chicken Tender at MGM but park at Tropicana because MGM are parking assholes. We park at Tropicana underneath a sign for Tropicana guests only. Well, we did gamble at Tropicana! Blew $20 into a 6/5 Bonus Deluxe “Ultimate 4 of a kind Bonus” single line game (98.50%) without anything better than a push. Then I stumbled across a “Five Star Poker” machine, and thanks to @Dutch34's win on it, I decided to give “Random Rewards” a shot.

I think I made the right call on this hold, what do you think?



I was hoping I would get a flush or better to get one of these “Random Rewards”, but it wasn't meant to be. But only lost $5 more. Then M took a few pics from the Tropicana perspective.

Pic of NYNY with our new Western Conference Champions!!!



Pic of MGM



Pic of Original Chicken Tender. The were bigger than they looked. And tasted great!



Pic from MGM Porte Cochere



Time for some...



The new Steak 'n Shake Bar for your ~Strip Steak 'n Shake needs! Obviously a big success!



I decided to blow some money into a “Bewitched” slot since it was one of M's favorite TV shows when her “Nana” babysat her growing up. It gave me a bit of play, but no bonus means “loser”.

More pics from Tropicana. This time of “Vintage, Froo-Froo, Throw Up” Casino





At this point, we move our stuff to Vdara and M drops the car off at Cosmo. A 7 minute walk is worth saving a parking fee...

The room is very nice, and would be really practical if you want to do things like cook. But no thanks!











But being in the Vdara room, it was wearing us out fast.

Head down to the Vdara pool for a bit.



The “Death Ray”



In terms of hot tub, we sorta thought the Vdara pool area was a bust. But M liked the wall in the elevator though.



At this point, we were both hitting a bit of a figurative wall. As @Figment76 asked me last night, “I dunno how you can do all this without sleep!” Well, the short answer is I can't. So we needed a bit of a nap before going on for the rest of the day.

After that we head back to the Cosmo pool. But a few pictures first.

Happy Mommy's Day!











After the Cosmo Pool, take our time from the room, and got these cool pics near twilight.

The fire station between Cosmo and Vdara.



Pic of Vdara from Cosmo



Decide on Ellis Island BBQ for dinner tonight.

But since it was Mother's Day, there was still a line at nearly 8:30! So we played a little first.

Also had Ellis Island root beer, because their regular taps typically suck (N/A; 4.25 sips)

Chasing a positive progressive machine also with a ~$1150 Royal. No Aces w/kicker though.



M got this on Hexbreaker with only a 13 cent bet! A top 2% ladder bonus!



We eventually get called. Sauce was a little light (but there is extra on the table), but the smoke in the meat was great!



Since it was Mothers' Day, Boyd offered a 11X slot and 6X VP multiplier. So after Ellis Island, we thought it would be a good idea to hit Orleans real fast.

View of Strip from the car.





They're still there...



Unfortunately, this was a mistake. M and I got killed pretty badly. I got a bonus on “The Munsters”, which it was clearly on its last legs. Switching game modes literally took 10 seconds. I was waiting for it to “tilt” on me.



Also tried “The Big Lebowski” for the first time. That was a total bust for me.

Also had a Stone IPA in a can as it was the best hoppy choice there at the Crawfish Bar (6.9%; 4 sips).

By now it was approaching midnight, and I text @jenblase and @Figment76 as I thought they both would still be up gambling at Cosmo. Well, yeah, I was wrong. So that brought up a bit of a dilemma. Go back to TAG for one more night? Or finally give Cosmo some play since it was close to Vdara and we snubbed it for play to this point? M sounded flexible, but she did want to park the car at Cosmo.

Does this beer picture tell you our final decision? The napkin probably does... Space Dust (8.2%; 4 sips)



M gets a quick 10X multiplier win on STP.



About 20 minutes later, I just cross the 20 point ($120 coin-in) mark playing 6/5 Super DDB (97.69%). I was watching intently for my drink voucher. Play one more hand. Glad I chose Cosmo!!!!!



HELL FUCKING YEAH!!! $500!!! Guaranteed trip winner!!! And as a bonus, it did spit out the drink voucher on that hand! Bartender also congratulated me. And glad I hit this here vs. TAG since I would almost certainly be playing Bonus STP at TAG and that would only have been $100.

Another fucked up fact. It was five years TO THE DAY (May 14th) that I got my first Aces with kicker on DDB in Vegas, my only two in Vegas ever. My first happened at Mirage in days before lights and drink tickets, so I wasn't max betting. Also at that time, my phone was dead, doh!, and actually got another guy to take the pic!



And as a true VP ******bag, I left the hand on the game (I never really do this), and moved to the multi-game unit there. Didn't do half shabby there either.

Weird two flushes with same card.



It was getting about 1am now, where the sports book unfortunately now closes on weekdays (and probably every day). The bartender asked if I wanted anything more before he closed, and I said I don't have a ticket yet. He said don't worry about it. Oh really? That Space Dust was tipped five bucks...

But after closing I wanted to grab another ticket for later since he said I could use the sports book tickets anywhere. I also had to do the “potty dance”. Doh! But worked in my favor with a Wanker quad on Boner Deluxe!!! Only one more point to go for another ticket!



Catch up with M and let her keep my $500+ voucher for “safe keeping”.

M was getting beat...and of course I was wired as a winner. So she headed back to Vdara.





I move over to Bond for a “complimentary” raspberry lemon drop.



Then I notice a good VP choice for nickels at Bond. Double Bonus Deuces Wild (97.68%) spin poker. Problem is, I'm hitting natural quads tonight!





Bond closes at 2 on weekdays, fuckers. And of course Chandelier was packed. I even was that asshole that asked people to move to play the multi-game machine. I move over to 8/5 Boner Deluxe STP (97.67%) at Chandelier. Again two hits with the exact same card.



But that's all I got in a couple of hours at Chandelier...and bleed twenties otherwise. Maybe that's my punishment for asking a guy to move from this seat so I could play multiline STP. The bartender also gave me shit when I asked for a second strawberry lemon drop there since he said it would take two tickets. Well, twist my arm, I guess I will have another Space Dust instead with one ticket. And how many waters can I get without an extra ticket? “One.” Every other casino I ask doesn't blink an eye at two generic bottle waters. Fuck your bosses, buddy.

Wander back to the empty sports book. Oh look what I can get for free???



Has anyone played the progressives since the bar closed since I did? Of course not. Still at $1176.



Could you imagine I hit AWAK on dollars? I WISH!!! But I did cashout at $516.25...lol



Could I have another gigantic night!?!?!



Nope. But a pity flush of course.



Now it's about 430am and I am “feeling good” about the night. But before I head back to Vdara, I certainly give my valid spare drink ticket to some drunk girl standing with her friends near the bar. Screw that bartender!

Unfortunately, on the way back to Vdara, I notice the 100 plays with penny “Airport Deuces” (98.91%). So of course, I feel obligated, cuz math. Why do I feel obligated again?!?!?! Why do you fucking like this game @jenblase???



2nd Aces with a kicker tonight, but only 75 cents!!! THANK GOD I hit AWAK earlier that night, otherwise I would have been terribly pissed over this!

6 minutes later, why couldn't I pull the two perfect cards here like I did with the AAAA2? I would take a penny royal...



Dammit, this quad is worth $200 at the sportsbook game I was playing.



That hit, just after the stroke of 5am made me done for the night and my luck has been exhausted. M probably wasn't thrilled with my late appearance either.

Some twilight pics back to Vdara.

 

Day 6: Mon. 5/14/18 A Day of Rocks and An Offer We Couldn't Refuse

Of course, we get another slow start thanks to me of course. Check-out roughly at 11am. Then drag our luggage to Cosmo. Plans for lunch were to go to Red Rock for a buy one get one buffet.

Pics on the way



UFC Headquarters





We get to Red Rock Buffet. Yeah, I was totally disappointed with this one. I struggled to find things to eat!! I had an extraordinary amount of tacos that afternoon, not by choice! Dessert was the highlight. M bailed on me a bit early though so she could play bingo. She was worried I would care about her about bailing on the buffet early, but I knew she liked bingo, so I could care less. Holy shit, even though she lost her small stake, that sure made her happy. And that also gave me a bit of time to “day drink” after the buffet.

Red Rock doesn't have the best “comp” beer selection. Choose a Lagunitas IPA (6.2%; 4 sips). But with the bar offering 8/5 Bonus with over a $1600 Royal, I gotta play. My initial spot didn't do me very well, so I decide to move to the other side of the mostly empty bar. On the way, there was a guy with a service dog though. Well, my dumbass wasn't looking down when I walked, so I accidentally walked into his dog. I felt like a complete asshole and apologized. Fortunately, he understood and was cool about it. The second machine treated me well though, and for the first time ever I escaped a Stations Casino a winner! ($50 in)



Per my request, we move on to Rampart, which we haven't visited in over two years.

Mountains in the 'Burbs.



Rampart is a micro roller VP paradise.



M found penny “Dream Card” and had a decent run.





I decide to get another beer. But since bartender was training someone, felt like forever. Settled on this. Not sure why you like it @jpw711, too malty. (6.5%; 3.5 sips)



Eventually I find what I really was looking for here. Cash King Checkers! It's like a VP machine with checkers! And this time I got to jump the gold checker for the bonus round!



Bad news, my bonus round sucked and I won 45 nickels on it...bah.

M got a much better bonus...81X!



We head back to Cosmo a bit to hang at the pool. The GPS detoured us again because of the construction on I-15. Took some time, but wasn't terribly out of the way.

Around this time, I messaged @thecarve and @ACMike as a last ditch effort, as they both might be at Cosmo that afternoon. Unfortunately, neither of them got back to me while we were at the pool. Hopefully next time! So after we got done at the pool, we hit up another new place for us. Hard Rock Casino!

Tons of Rock Memorabilia



























I think the bars look pretty cool too!



M has always loved Linkin Park



We weasel our way back to the Goose Island Pub, and apparently all beer under $12 was compable. So I have a Sofie (6.5%; 3.75 sips)



Machine doesn't go my way and blow a $20 while the Knights game is on.

Around this time, we decide we should use our Groupon for Michael T's Steaks, Ribs, and Burgers that we got for half off. $25 total.

Pic on the way.



It also included a bottle of wine. I chose merlot as M wasn't feeling well and didn't care what we drank. All of a sudden, she seemed to come down with a cold. Salad and dessert was decent, but the worst part was the main course, unfortunately. I would rather pay $10 to Texas Roadhouse for one their sirloins to be honest. As a result, we screwed up the food porn.

After dinner though, we weren't done with this place, as they offered $50 match play for “new members”. What that means is they offered $50 free play as soon as you got $50 coin-in. So you bet we are doing that! Got a “free” beer in the process. Bad Beat Brewing “Bluffing Isn't Weisse” (5.1%; 3.75 sips).



And they also offered 6/5 Super DDB (97.69%) like Cosmo Sports Book, so why not?

Unfortunately, we were both quad free. This was one of my better hits, another “pity flush”.



But after the match play, M was ahead $30 and I was ahead $20. Works for us!

Unfortunately, time was really ticking and we really only have time for one more stop. And I suggest South Point with the last beer of the trip. A Four Peaks Kilt Lifter (6%; 3.75 sips). The beer treated me better than the 9/6 Boner Deluxe machines!





Returned the car with about 80 minutes before departure. But various delays, including TSA almost screwed us on our flight as M's carry-on had to be hand searched for the second trip in a row. We were one of the last six people on the plane I think...Oops!

Redeye was rough of course. But at ~$50 a person per leg, we can't complain. We had another wonderful time! M is already thinking of coming back for her birthday, even though she did terrible for the tiny amount of play she had! Thanks for reading along!

 

Who's the degen now??? Awesome, awesome pics and report!!

 

Tring I just added you on untapped so I'm not a crazy stalker. Where is the next best video poker bar on the strip for craft beer drinkers now that TAG is gone?

 

TOTALLY enjoyed this report. So much fun to read. And now I know who to ask about beer lol.

 

Great report!! Glad you had such a nice time.
Really enjoyed following along with you and M.
Thanks for sharing!!

 

Loved your report, @tringlomane. Thank you.
A pleasure to read and a lot of fun to see you and M's adventures.
My hubster has done his fair share of home-brewing, so I'll encourage him to read about all your tasty beer choices.

 

Absolutely amazing photos and such a fun report to read. Thanks for sharing!

 

Awesome report, sir! Thanks for taking us along! I really enjoy seeing all the peripheral casinos; I only stick to downtown, so it's nice to see what else is out there! Congrats on the aces as well!

 

Tring --- thanks again for another great report. Loved following along with you and M on your adventures!

 

Are there any bars that are similar to Tag on the strip when it comes to craft beer when playing VP? Even if it does not have quite that variety.

 

Haha, you were right, it was fun! And strategy changes didn't seem too frequent. Mainly the 3 to a flush thing.

On the strip? Ugh. Harrah's main bar and Cosmo Sports Book are decent I think. And a lot of bars have Sculpin now at least for IPA addict in me. The Park's new sportsbook bar has a very nice selection, but their current rule is to not comp craft beer at the bartops... But really niche stuff? Nothing compared to TAG. If you plan to have a major drinking session, you might be better off Ubering to 32 Degree Beer Bar at M Resort. Paytables are 1 to 2% better than what TAG's were too.

 

Super report @tringlomane! Love all of the details and pictures. I'm exhausted seeing how much you and M get around and how late you stay out! I'm a wimp with lack of sleep, but hoping to rally a bit more on my next trip.

Awesome quad Aces at Cosmo! Haven't played there since the whole drink ticket thing. It takes 2 tickets for cocktails? Really enjoy all of your beer ratings, and I'm not even a beer drinker.

Sounds like you and M had a great time. Thanks for the detailed report!

Vegasworm

 

Thanks!

For "specialty cocktails" it takes two. The ticket is only good for drinks up to $15 retail. Most specialty cocktails on the menu are $16...grrr. But if you show up to the bar without a drink in your hand and start playing, the first one is on them. The raspberry lemon drop isn't explicitly on their menu and I have had mixed results on bartenders giving it to me for one ticket. The bartender in January gave one to me for just one. If I have to use 2 tickets for raspberry lemon drops in the future, I'm getting a "Mr. Miyagi" next time.

Cosmo is one of the few places where I don't always drink beer. The cocktails are wonderful!

 

I love the cocktails there too! Probably my favorite place for them, so thanks for the information. I'll know to hoard tickets for the specialty drinks if I'm sitting at the bar. Do you know if things have changed when getting drinks on the slot floor?

Cheers!

Vegasworm