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Red Rock / Sunset Station / GVR - Trip Report (6/13/06 - 6/20/06)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by cruiser, Jun 25, 2006.

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  1. cruiser

    cruiser High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Messages:
    592

    My Trip Report

    Brenda and I returned from 7 days/nights in Las Vegas last week staying at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa the first two days/nights (6/13 - 6/14), Sunset Station Hotel & Casino the next three days/nights (6/15 - 6/17) before moving over to the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Casino & Spa for another two days/nights (6/18 - 6/19). This was our 12th trip to Vegas over the past four years, our first time staying at Red Rock, our third time staying at Sunset Station and our fifth time we've stayed at Green Valley Ranch (GVR). You can check out their websites at:

    http://www.redrocklasvegas.com
    http://www.sunsetstation.com
    http://www.greenvalleyranchresort.com

    We had received postcards from all three casinos. Sunset Station offered three free nights (three night maximum stay) which we combined with reservations at both Red Rock and GVR. The Red Rock postcard only offered a two night stay and the GVR postcard calendar offered a two night minimum, three night maximum stay per trip with a total of seven nights required between trips. We were able to make the reservations for a combined 7 free days/nights. We weren't crazy about moving between the casinos but we did want to check out Red Rock and we do like staying at GVR and of course, free nights are always wonderful.

    A week or so before our trip, I e-mailed our host at Sunset Station letting her know we were returning for three days/nights at Sunset Station and she responded back that they've got their $25,000 9th Annual Birthday Luau Slot Tournament while we're there and asked if she could enter me into the tournament. I called her back and had her sign me up. I did remember that after I booked this trip, I received the postcard in the mail for their Slot Tournament but I didn't bother with it at the time. More about the tournament later.

    As with our previous trips to Las Vegas, Brenda and I agreed that if we both got a Royal Flush (playing Deuces Wild video poker) on the same day, we would treat ourselves to massages when we got back to Austin.

    Day 1 (Tuesday, 6/13)

    We're up at 2:39am and leave the house at 3:43am for a 6am flight from Austin, Texas with a one stop layover in Houston. We'll be flying Continental Airlines. Our gate was close to where we like to grab a breakfast sandwich and they were open early enough to do just that. The flight left on time and we arrived in Houston less than an hour later. After a short layover, we take off once again for Las Vegas. We had coupons for their headsets which otherwise would have cost us $5 each. The movie started out as Glory Road but 10 minutes into the movie, there were technical difficulties so they switched to another movie - Good Morning, and Good Luck or something like that. Neither of us cared to watch this movie. We landed a little late about 8:40am and did not stop in at an Ethel M Chocolates shop as we usually do. We didn't see one on the way to the tram and we were in a hurry to get to Red Rock.

    While I waited for our luggage, Wifey waited on line at Dollar Rent a Car . We planned to rent a car for two days to drive ourselves to Red Rock and then return to the airport two days later and take the shuttle to Sunset Station. I grabbed the luggage and headed over to where wifey was waiting in line. A few minutes later, she's at the counter listening to this lady trying to get us to buy extra insurance. No thank you. After we both sign the paperwork, we head outside to the shuttle bus to take us to the rental cars. When we arrived at the car lot, we were told to just pick a car. Okay, we ended up with a mini van. We didn't bother walking around the vehicle to check for damage and just signed more paperwork noting whatever damage we found. What a pain. Just let us go, please. Finally, we're on our way to Red Rock. I had gotten directions off the Internet from the car lot but that was a big mistake. What was supposed to be the quickest route and take 21 minutes, ended up taking over an hour.

    Finally, we arrive at Red Rock and we're able to check in right away. We requested and received a nonsmoking, canyon view room with a king bed. This was a fantastic room with a great view. We thought this room was even nicer that the rooms we had at GVR. There was a nice big plasma TV in the room with another smaller unit over the deep tub. Marble tile in the bathroom. A really nice room. We unpacked a few things and headed down to the casino. I knew in advance where their 19 "Optimum" slant top video poker machines were located so we checked out those locations and looked around a bit before settling down in front of a couple VP machines.

    The Jumbo Jackpot was somewhere over $130,000 by the time we arrived at Red Rock and it has to hit by $150,000. Of course, it would be great if we won. The Jumbo Jackpot is tied into all the Station casinos and all you need to do is have your players card plugged into the machine you're playing and you've got a chance to win the jackpot. And when it does hit, anyone with their card in a machine at the time get $50 in credits.

    We both play max coin (5) quarter "full pay deuces wild" machines which pays out over the long term over 100% with the correct play. We didn't start playing until 11:45am but at least we're back in Las Vegas doing what we love to do. Drink lady, where are you??? Since it was so late, we decided against coffee drinks and each had a beer. We played until about 1:30pm and then headed over to the Salt Lick for some barbecue. We each had some sort of senior platter that included beef ribs, brisket, sausage, potato salad and bread. That was pretty good barbecue.

    We're back at our machines at 2:10pm and settled back in for some much needed play time. Today, we're drinking mostly beer (coronas for me and miller lite for wifey). Later in the afternoon, we switch to merlot. Wifey played until 5:30pm and decided to call it a night. It has been a long day. I thought about quitting around 8:30pm and even cashed out and took a walk over to the gift shop. I needed to stretch my legs a bit. I was down almost $500 so I decided to try for a comeback. Back to my same machine and over the next few hours did just that. I ended up slightly ahead for the day. I quit at 11:45pm and headed to our room.

    Day 1 Gambling Summary (Red Rock):

    Me - up $12.50 (14 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces')
    Wifey - up $50.00 (4 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces')

    Day 2 (Wednesday, 6/14):

    I wake up at 2:30am and find wifey getting ready to start her day. Wifey is out the door at 2:52am while I decide I could use just a bit more sleep. At 3:48am, I decide I'm ready to get my butt out of bed. I leave $5 on the pillow for housekeeping with a little note asking for extra towels, soap, and shampoo. I'm out the door at 4:30am and meet wifey in front of the Grand Cafe for breakfast. I think I ordered a roast beef sandwich but I don't remember what wifey ordered. Maybe it was a well done cheese burger or a patty melt. Whatever we had, I'm pretty sure it was good. By 5:20am, we're back at our machines (near the Salt Lick Restaurant).

    We both started with coffee drinks today, switched to beer, again later in the day drank merlot. We stayed on these machines all day. Wifey brought back popcorn around noon-ish and we tried our best to keep the area around us clean but you know what happens when you eat popcorn, especially a huge bucket. I also grabbed some Panda House grub and brought it back to my machine. Wifey played until 5:45pm and I made it until 6:20pm before calling it a day.

    Day 2 Gambling Summary (Red Rock):

    Me - down $612.50 today (15 'wild royals'), down $600 for the trip
    Wifey - down $400.00 today (13 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces'), down $350 for the trip

    Day 3 (Thursday, 6/15):

    Today, wifey is up at 2:50am while I sleep in a bit and I get up at 3:00am. Wifey starts playing at her machine by 3:50am while I'm still getting ready to start my day. I leave $5 on the pillow for housekeeping and proceed to meet wifey at 4:15am in front of the Grand Cafe for breakfast. I think we ordered some sort of egg dishes but I don't remember. We're back playing deuces wild at 4:45am and play until 6:35am. We did manage to flag down a drink lady for a couple coffee drinks apiece.

    Back to the room, we grab our luggage and head to the East Parking Garage to pick up the rental car. Since we did an express checkout on the TV in the room, we left the room keys in the room. That should have been okay if we got off the elevator on the casino level and looked for the sign for the East Garage. I made the mistake of going to the lobby level and couldn't get back on that elevator without a room key. Luckily, we found another elevator to take us to the casino level and from there we found the parking garage. It's back to the airport to drop off the car and take the shuttle to Sunset Station.

    We left Red Rock around 7am and got lost trying to find the Dollar Rent a Car lot. I ended up getting wifey car sick so I dropped her off at Terminal 2 and finally found the rental car lot. I made it back to the airport lower level where we will pick up the shuttle but there's no wifey. Uh oh... I head back inside and as I start calling wifey's cell phone, look who pops out of the elevator... it's wifey!!! Great! It turns out I dropped Brenda off at a different building but she found a luggage cart and walked to the correct building. Renting a car turned out to be a real pain! And it cost us about $78 including gas. A cab would cost more to get to Red Rock and back to the airport but there has to be a better way. I need to research what a limo would have cost us from the airport to Red Rock.

    By 8:10am, we're waiting for the shuttle which should be along shortly. After a ten minute wait the shuttle arrives and at 8:30, we're on the way to Sunset Station. We get to Sunset and there's no rooms available yet so we leave our bags along with a $5 bill with the bell desk folks. By 9am, we're looking for the 'Optimum' Video Poker machines near keno. Uh oh... We found the machines but they're being dismantled. Oh heck.... Okay, not to worry too much quite yet.

    There's supposed to be another bank of 8 machines near the poker room. We locate these machines and now it's time to worry. Sh*t! This is a crappy location and there's slot machines nearby that are extremely loud. Our machines are of the upright type which are painful on the wrists if you play more than 15 minutes or so like we like to do. Plus, where's the drink lady??? I flagged down one drink lady but she ignores me. Apparently, her job is to service the folks in the Poker Room nearby. Finally, another drink lady comes by and we ordered some beers.

    A couple beers later, I take a walk to see what they ended up doing near Keno when they dismantled the other bank of Optimum Video Poker machines. What the heck??? Those Optimum Video Poker machines are back up and running or most are. They're finishing up reinstalling these machines. I head back to the "cave" and tell wifey the good news. We cash out and head to the Keno area and start playing a couple of these machines. Around noontime, wifey checks us in and has the bell folks bring the luggage up to our room. We then play until 2pm when wifey decides to take a break and heads back to the room for a couple hours. I'm losing but decide to play on. What a mistake. Wifey is back playing next to me at 4pm. I decide to stretch my legs and go sign up for the Slot Tournament. I will play at 10am and again at 3:30pm on Friday and 10am on Saturday.

    There will be three rounds of tournament play - two tomorrow (Friday) and one on Saturday, followed by a awards ceremony in the Club Madrid on Saturday at 6 PM. The prize fund was as follows:

    1st $7,000.00
    2nd $5,000.00
    3rd $2,500.00
    4th $1,500.00
    5th $1,000.00
    6th - 12th $250.00
    13th - 50th $100.00
    51st - 99th $50.00
    100th Luggage Set

    We stop playing deuces wild at 5pm for dinner. We head over to Sonoma Cellar (Steakhouse) for their early dining offer. For $32 apiece, it includes choice of Appetizer, Salad, Entree, Dessert and a glass of Cabernet Shiraz. We both had the Shrimp Cocktail which were very good. That cocktail sauce sure does clear out your sinuses. Wifey had the House Salad while I ordered the Caesar Salad. We both ordered the Petit Filet Mignon and for dessert we both had the Key Lime Torte. A very good dinner. By 6:30pm, we're back at the machines playing our deuces wild. I continued putting in $100 bills all day long. Wifey calls it a night at 7:15pm and I play on until just after 9pm.

    Day 3 Gambling Summary (Red Rock - morning, before checkout)):

    Me - down $25.00 this morning (3 'wild royals'), down $575.00 for the trip
    Wifey - up $50.00 this morning (3 'wild royals'), down $300.00 for the trip

    Day 3 Gambling Summary (Sunset Station):

    Me - down $825.00 today (6 'wild royals'), down $1400.00 for the trip
    Wifey - up $600.00 today (11 'wild royals', 3 'four deuces'), up $300 for the trip

    Day 4 (Friday, 6/16):

    We're up at 3am and once out the door, we head to the Sunset Cafe for breakfast. Again, I left $5 for housekeeping asking for towels, soap, and shampoo. By 4:15am, we sitting at our machines near Keno ready to start cooking. Again, we waited almost two hours for our first drink of the day. I had my coffee and baileys while wifey ordered a decaf and kahlua.
    At 9:45am, I head over for my first session of the slot tournament. I had machine #40 and had a score of 6044. Later at 2:30pm, I added a score of 5400 for a subtotal of 11,440. The standings after the first two of three rounds will be posted later that evening.

    At 1:45pm, I hit my Royal Flush ($1000.00) and boy did I need it. I held the A, J, T of spades and drew the K & Q. Yippee!!! Yesterday, our daughter had sent me a text message saying she was getting concerned. We told her we would be sending her picture(s) of any Royals we might get and since she hadn't received anything from us after three days or so, she was worried. Okay, I whip out my cell phone and take a picture and send it on to our daughter. A few minutes later, we receive a text message, saying simply, "Finally!".

    For lunch, wifey picked up a Reuben sandwich which we split and eat at our machines. At 5pm, we take a break and head over to Costa Del Sol for their Soup & Salad, bringing a couple glasses of merlot with us. Their soup & salad is more than enough for us. We're back at the machines playing deuces wild at 5:55pm and wifey calls it a day at 6:30pm. I played on to 7:30pm and took a short break to have some pizza and a diet coke and check on the standings for the slot tournament. I'm currently in 102th place (top 100 collect either cash or a luggage set) with a score of 11,440. There were 340 initial entries into the tournament but only 233 folks actually ended up playing. I head back to my machine by 7:55pm and play till 9:15pm.

    Day 4 Gambling Summary (Sunset Station):

    Me - up $612.50 today (10 'wild royals', 2 'four deuces', 1 'royal flush'), down $787.50 for the trip
    Wifey - up $30.00 today (16 'wild royals', 2 'four deuces'), up $330.00 for the trip

    Day 5 (Saturday, 6/17):

    We're up at 3am and out the door by 3:37am. Left $5 on the pillow for housekeeping. We stop at the Sunset Cafe. Wifey ordered a chicken breast sandwich while I ordered the corned beef. By 4:20am, we're sitting at our machines once again ready to cook. Today was pretty much a corona day for me. At 9:45am, I played in my third and last slot tournament session. I figured I needed a score of 6000 in order to make the top 100 total scores. I ended up with a score of 5958. It'll be close. Final standings will be posted by 5:15pm.

    The Luau was initially supposed to start at 6pm but during my last session, they said that the door would open at 5:30pm. We stayed at our machines and played until about 3pm when we decided to get a little pool time. Where's the hot tub? There isn't one. Oh well... We take a quick dip, read a bit, then head back inside. By 4:45pm, you can imagine where we are - that's right - we're sitting and playing deuces wild. We played until almost 6pm and missed the food and part of the Luau show. Bummer. I checked the Slot Tournament standings and see that I ended up in 82nd place. I collected a whopping $50. Yeah! After the Luau, we head over to New York Fresh Deli for a couple hot dogs. By 7pm, we're playing deuces wild again. Wifey plays until 7:30pm and I play on until 9:50pm. By now, you probably get the idea that we love playing deuces wild.

    Day 5 Gambling Summary (Sunset Station):

    Me - down $150.00 today (10 'wild royals', 2 'four deuces'), down $937.50 for the trip
    Wifey - down $670.00 today (10 'wild royals'), down $340.00 for the trip

    Day 6 (Sunday, 6/18):

    We're up at 4am (yeah, we both slept in a bit) and wifey is out the door at 4:35am to start cooking at the machines. I finish up packing and I'm out the door at 4:50am. Left $5 on the pillow for housekeeping. We don't play very long this morning, quitting at 5:45am. We head back to the room to do an express checkout on the TV. Darn - can't be done before 6am. Okay, let's go check out at the front desk. Check out was not a problem and we took a cab to GVR. We had to wait a little bit for a cab but we're soon on our way to GVR. By 6:45am, we'll all checked into our very nice room at GVR. Our room was in the West Tower (#4005) and it had a fantastic view of the mountains, the strip, the spa and pool area.

    We head over to The Pancake House for breakfast and by 7:15am, we're sitting at our Optimum Video Poker slant top machines playing deuces wild. Yeah!!! This morning I'm playing very slowing and can't seem to get my brain to focus/concentrate. By 11:30am, I head to our room for some eye drops. That seemed to help a little bit and two hands later, I hit '4 deuces'. That sure helps my $ bottom line. Finally, at 3:15pm (as in mid afternoon), I've got to call it a day. My body is shutting down on me and I can't concentrate. I am exhausted and I've been getting hot/cold flashes all day. I'm actually surprised I made it this long. Before I head to the room, wifey grabs some take out mexican food to eat at her machine. That will be her dinner. I head to the room and crawl into bed. Wifey plays until 5:30pm and calls it a day.

    Day 6 Gambling Summary (Sunset Station - morning, before checkout)):

    Me - down $72.50 this morning, down $1010.00 for the trip
    Wifey - down $100.00 this morning, down $440.00 for the trip

    Day 6 Gambling Summary (GVR):

    Me - down $190.00 today (5 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces'), down $1,200.00 for the trip
    Wifey - down $60.00 today (9 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces'), down $500.00 for the trip

    Day 7 (Monday, 6/19):

    I've had such a rough time trying to sleep. The inside of my right knee had been hurting since the previous evening. About 2am, wifey gave me some aspirin or at least we think it was aspirin. Whatever it was, it worked and I was finally able to get some sleep. Wifey is out the door at 3:30am but I'm going to try and sleep some more. I woke up again at 6:47am and decided it's time I get my butt up and back to the casino. Wifey played until 7am and then came back to the room to check on me. I was almost ready to leave the room so wifey waited for me. We headed down to the Grand Cafe at 7:15am. Once again, I left $5 for housekeeping asking for extra soap and shampoo.

    It's been something like 18 hours since I've eaten anything and over 15 hours since I left the casino. Wow! That's never happened to me before. By 7:50am, we're back playing at our slant tops. The slant tops are much easier on the wrists. I understand it took a petition by the locals for GVR to bring back the slant tops. And here I thought the letter I wrote last December had something to do with it. I guess it didn't hurt and it may have helped.

    Today, the Jumbo Jackpot is at $139K and still hasn't hit since we arrived on 6/13. We decided we would probably order a late afternoon lunch from El Fornaio (Italian Restaurant) which is about as close to the machines that we were playing that you could get. We called them on our cell phone to see if they have take out and how late they serve lunch. Sure, we could have taken a 20-30 foot walk and asked them in person but calling them was more fun. I guess you had to be there. We planned to order take out by 3:30pm so by noon, we each got some fast food to eat at our machines. I had a couple slices of pizza and Brenda had a salad.

    Today, I had my first and only ice cream this trip, a cherry vanilla waffle cone. Excellent!!!.

    At 3:05pm, I hit my second Royal Flush this trip ($1000.00). I was dealt the J, K, T, A of hearts and drew the Q. Beautiful!!! Just in time to order our late lunch. First, I took another picture of the Royal and sent it to our daughter. After eating, wifey calls it a night at 5:30pm. I played until 7:15pm. We played the entire day at those same machines.

    Day 7 Gambling Summary (GVR):

    Me - up $1403.75 today (12 'wild royals', 1 'four deuces', 1 'royal flush'), up $203.75 for the trip
    Wifey - even today (10 'wild royals', 2 'four deuces'), down $500.00 for the trip

    Day 8 (Tuesday, 6/20):

    Wifey is up at 1:56am and I'm up two minutes after that. We're all packed and out the door at 2:40am, ready to cook at our machines by 2:43am. We'll have about two more hours to gamble before this trip has to come to an end. We're now down a combined $296.25 for the trip. What an amazing comeback since after 6 full days, we were down a combined $1700.00 but like I said we still have another 2 hours to play. Apparently, the jumbo jackpot hit sometime overnight ($140K+). Well, I guess someone needed it more than we did. Good for them! Drink lady shows up and I order a merlot and a water. Wifey ordered a coffee drink and a tomato juice. A couple more round of drinks and it's sad to say we had to call it quits at 4:45am. Time to cash out.

    Day 8 Gambling Summary (GVR - morning, before checkout):

    Me - down $113.25 this morning (1 'wild royal'), up $90.00 for the trip
    Wifey - up $200.00 this morning (3 'wild royals', 2 'four deuces'), down $300.00 for the trip

    We do an express checkout on the TV in our room. When we got to the airport, we picked up sandwiches to take on the plane. We asked at the gate counter if the flight was overbooked, hoping to get bumped. Nope - it's not a full flight. Not far from our gate were some quarter wheel of fortune slot machines. We usually toss in $20 apiece to play wheel of fortune at the airport at the end of our Las Vegas trips. Today was no different. Early on, we each get a couple "wheel" spins and were ahead about $50. We decide to play on but would stop if our combined credits equaled our initial investment of $40. About 10 minutes goes by without a wheel spin. After my next turn, I get some credits but it keeps giving me credits. What the heck??? I hit some sort of multiplier thing and ended up with 400 credits ($100). We decide to cash out for a nifty $111.50 profit on the "Wheel of Fortune". That brings our "gambling" loses down to a combined total of $98.50 after 7 days/nights in Vegas. We can't complain about that.

    In summary, we were very happy with the charges we ended up having to pay for this seven day/night trip to Red Rock (2 nights), Sunset Station (3 nights), & GVR (2 nights) and we will definitely plan to return in December, 2006.

    Total Gambling this Trip:
    Wifey: -$300 in casino gambling
    Hubby: +$90 in casino gambling (includes $50 won in Slot Tournament)
    Wifey/Hubby on Wheel of Fortune at the Airport: +$111.50 profit

    Wifey/Hubby combined for 57,610 points = $115,220 ($16,460 per day average) cycled through the machines over 7 days/nights
    Total combined number of hands played = 92,176 @ $1.25 per hand
    Total hours played - ~168 hours (~24 hours per day @ ~ 550 hands per hour)
    Royal Flush (2) - average of 1 every 46,088 hands
    Four Deuces (19) - average of 1 every 4,851 hands
    Wild Royal (155) - average of 1 every 595 hands

    Total Winnings/Losses this Trip: -$98.55 after 7 days/nights

    Comps this Trip:
    Red Rock - 2 nights comped
    Sunset Station - 3 nights comped plus entry into Slot Tournament, plus ~$113 in food charges taken off our bill by using 67,800 of our boarding pass points.
    GVR - 2 nights comped

    Final Thoughts:
    - Must remember to stay hydrated
    - Red Rock and GVR serve pretty good Merlot
    - Not one Bailey's on the Rocks this trip
    - Maybe if I cut back on the coronas and Merlot, my body would not have gave out on day 6
    - Seats on Continental Airlines are cramped, much prefer flying Southwest
    - Need to find a better way to get to Red Rock, Sunset, and GVR. Maybe rent a car for 7 days?
    - Since I beat wifey (gambling wise), I get to pick the time and place for our next dining out
    - Would love to get offer for minimum 3 free nights at Red Rock in December
    - Would love to get offer for minimum 3 free nights at GVR in December
    - Would love to get offer for minimum 3 free nights at Sunset Station in December
    - Can't wait to return to Vegas (hopefully, in December, 2006)
     
  2. TC535i

    TC535i Tourist

    Joined:
    May 24, 2005
    Messages:
    39
    Wow... now THAT was a trip report!

    I don't think I'm going to remember nearly that many details for mine (I'm just gonna have a goal of accounting for at least 50% of my waking hours!)... and I'll probably be getting in around the times you're getting out of bed...

    But other than that, I think our reports are gonna be pretty similar! Or completely different... one of the two. ;)

    Glad to hear you guys had fun!
     
  3. KathyinNY

    KathyinNY Tourist

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2002
    Messages:
    847
    Location:
    Upstate New York
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    You always seem to amaze me with your tallies of the day. I am glad that you had a good trip.
     
  4. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2002
    Messages:
    26,509
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    Cruiser--I'm continually amazed you're able to keep such good records of your visits (not to mention amazed at your stamina for those vp machines!!!) Hope you enjoyed your massage:wink2: Great trip report!
     
  5. aggie182

    aggie182 Off Key and Out of Tune

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2005
    Messages:
    1,996
    Location:
    Missouri City, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    69
    Great TR. It helped me procrastinate away part of my morning here at work.
     
  6. tara

    tara Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2002
    Messages:
    281
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    12
    Wow..... Excellent report!!! I'm amazed at how long you could sit at the same machine!
     
  7. cruiser

    cruiser High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Messages:
    592
    Keeping our long hours at our video poker machines helps when we sing to our machines the Royal Flush song and the Four Deuces song and wave to the cameras above. Several times we thought we should have made signs and wave them at the cameras in the sky. "Will gamble for drinks". At times, it seemed like forever for a drink lady to come by. One time, she came by and took our coffee drink order (no whip) in the wee hours of the morning. This particular drink lady came by an hour later (yes, I timed her) and we ordered the same drinks. Suddenlly she remembered... she forgot to bring our last order. When she came back (with whip), she tried to not take any tip realizing she forgot us but we gave her the tip anyway. Hey, just don't ignore us your entire shift. Us mature folk need liquid refreshments every now and then.

    Cruiser
     
  8. cruiser

    cruiser High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Messages:
    592
    HoyaHeel,

    No massages after this trip. Wifey and I agreed we only get massages upon returning home if we both hit a Royal the same day. Our next massages probably won't be until December just before our next trip back to Luckyland.

    Cruiser
     
  9. Jer

    Jer “The Walrus has spoken”

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2002
    Messages:
    8,853
    Location:
    Southern California
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    999
    Props to Cruiser for another excellent TR..... Love reading those from you and further rubbing it in that I have not gotten a true royal(On a 100play once, but for a penny!!!)

    :nworthy:
     
  10. DebB

    DebB Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 7, 2001
    Messages:
    418
    Loved the latest TR from Cruiser, as usual am amazed that he and his equally-dedicated-to-vp "wifey" made it home to Austin without the "jaws of life" being required to pry them out of their seats at Red Rock, Sunset Station, GVR or all three!

    Questions:

    1. Now that Cruiser looks back on his week in LV, what do he and his Mrs. think about moving between hotels: 2 nights <-move-> 3 nights <-> move 2 nights -> leave? Sounds kind of disruptive and non-relaxing. I'm tempted by similar offers early Sept. but so far have resisted and reserved 3 nights one place and 4 nights elsewhere. [I do understand that the mix of vehicle rental and shuttle were not pleasant; just wondering about actual repacking/checking out & in, repeated.]

    2. What method of recordkeeping do these marathoners use to keep track of massive numbers of winning video poker hands and overall gaming tallies??? I'd stick this under gambling, but feel that regular fans of Cruiser TRs will be the most interested in the technique that dazzles us all :)

    3. Is Bailey's on the rocks healthier for Texans than merlot? Enquiring minds want to know!
     
  11. cruiser

    cruiser High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2002
    Messages:
    592
    DebB,

    Let's see if I can answer your questions.

    1. We were not crazy about moving between three casinos. We rented a car for two days to drive out to Red Rock and then return the car two days later. It was a real pain. I missed the rental car lot when returning the car at the airport so it took a little longer than it should have. Then we had to wait on the shuttle to Sunset Station. We took a taxi from Sunset to GVR and again from GVR back to the airport at the end of the trip. Packing and unpacking wasn't too bad because we never completely unpacked at any one casino.

    When we go back in December, since we're not going to be able to get 7 - 8 free nights at either Red Rock or GVR, I'll see if I can get 7 nights free between these two casinos. This way, we can skip Sunset Station and just move once in the middle of the trip. The problem is transportation. I need to check out how much a limo would cost us from the airport to Red Rock and then a few days later, a limo from Red Rock to GVR. Not sure if it's better to just rent a car for 7 days. I'll have to research that later this year.

    2. Keeping records is easier than you might think. Here's how we do it. Wifey and I each track our own WRFs, 4Ds, and RFs on a daily basis as well as what we're each up or down at the end of each day. I keep a small notebook with me to write down our start/end times when we play VP everyday. I also try to note where we eat everyday, whether it's at a sit down restaurant or if we simply bring something back and eat at our machines. At the end of the trip, I copy over to my notebook the number of WRFs, 4Ds, and RFs that Wifey got each day of the trip as well as how much she was up or down a the end of each day. Now, since we knew how many points were on each of our boarding passes before our trip started, we simply check our points at the end of the trip and now we know how many points we each accummulated over the length of he trip.

    Since these "optimum" machines require $2 in for every point that shows up on our cards, we can easily figure out how much $$$ we put through the machines. And since we play quarter machines max coin (5), that's $1.25 per hand. So, we take the total $ put through the machines and divide by $1.25 (per hand) to get the number of hands played. If I also check our points on each of our boarding passes at the end of each day, I could also track the actual coin in and number hands played on a daily basis. And knowing the number of hands played at the end of the trip, we can calculate the average occurrence of each WRF, 4D, and RF. And since I also keep track of our start/end times every day, I can add up the total number of hours played and with the number of hands played (calculated earlier), we can come up with an average number of hands played per hour over x number of hours played.

    That's really all there is to it. I also note the time we get a Royal Flush and any other tidbits that we might be interested in later like on a RF, what was I dealt initially and what was the suit.

    3. I used to play a lot of blackjack before I got hammered on a couple of back to back trips (at Tropicana) so now I pretty much stick to playing full pay deuces wild with Wifey. While playing blackjack, my drink of choice was baileys on the rocks. I'm just guessing that red wine is healthier for us so I try to limit my baileys consumption.

    I hope I've answered your questions.

    Go Longhorns!

    Cruiser
     
  12. Nevada Kid

    Nevada Kid VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2002
    Messages:
    1,832
    Location:
    here
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    55
    Cruiser-
    I always enjoy reading your reports. Check with your host and see if GVR would mind sending the limo over to Red Rock. It never hurts to ask, right?
     
  13. DebB

    DebB Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 7, 2001
    Messages:
    418
    Appreciate all your tips, the record-keeping looks so slick in your TRs I
    am envious (oh yeah, of the wins too LOL).
     
  14. Blind_Molly

    Blind_Molly Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 15, 2003
    Messages:
    180
    Great trip report, Cruiser.

    Regarding the rental car problem, I will relate my experience. I recently went out to Vegas and stayed in 3 hotels in 4 nights. First two nights were at the GN, so when I flew in I rented a car. This paid for itself by avoiding cab rides, I figure, because I went from the airport to the GN and from the GN to the strip and back, twice. I also made a side trip to the Pinball Hall of Fame, which, for all you pinball freaks out there, I highly recommend. It was way down Paradise, I think. Check this web site. http://www.pinballmuseum.org

    Anyway, my next hotel stop was the Wynn. I checked with Wynn to see what rental car company ran out of their property and learned it was Hertz. Most of the hotels have somebody operating on their property. I typically don't rent with Hertz because they cost a little more, but for this rental, it was only about $7 more for the 2 days, plus I got some bonus frequent flyer miles, plus I did not have to deal with the hassle of going back to the airport and riding the shuttle.

    Rental car return at the Wynn was VERY easy and there were absolutely no problems. My next night was at the Mirage, so I just cabbed it over there with my bag for about $5.00. I only wanted to avoid the cab fare to downtown and I wanted to be able to go to and from the Pinball Hall of Fame without having to cab it both ways.

    I guess what I am suggesting is that you should check with the hotel that you will be staying at when you want to ditch the rental car and see who is on site or close by. Then, just return the car at the hotel so you do not have to fool with going back to the airport. I found when checking rates that there was no extra charge for renting at the airport and dropping off at a hotel. Total rental for my two days was about $55.00 for a compact. I will definitely do it again, but I probably would not bother if I had to return to the airport.

    Hope this is helpful.
     
  15. DonD

    DonD VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2004
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    Location:
    So Cal 91748
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    300
    Blind_Molly, do you actually drive?:poke:
     
  16. Blind_Molly

    Blind_Molly Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 15, 2003
    Messages:
    180
    It's a little difficult, what with the lack of vision and all, but it is only a small hindrance. I figure I get yelled at as much as the Vegas cab drivers....
     
  17. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2006
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    Location:
    Tacoma, WA
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    24
    Cruiser that was a very indepth TR. Not having stayed at any of the off strip casinos I would have thought that they would have had a shuttle that ran back and forth to the airport like some of them do to the strip.
     
  18. Dean Martin

    Dean Martin VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    5,785
    Location:
    VA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    I enjoyed your TR.... wow, and we thought we played a fair amount of VP... we couldn't hold a candle to you guys.... 3AM to start:confused2: that is some dedication. I love early morning playing too w/ my large coffee drink but early to me is like 6am..... coming from the east coast, I never seem to adjust to west coast time.
     
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