California and the D semi-live solo trip report May 26-30

With a 4:00 PM departure, I was able to sleep in. I had just enough "hats" left to redeem one more award for $15 at the Binion's cafe.

 

I checked out at noon, picked up the car, and headed to Hooters. I didn't have enough time or willingness to risk money to do anything but a quick coupon run. They let me redeem both the ACG and LVA $10 free play coupons, which I turned into $28.75. Winning trip secured!

 

Had another small win by returning the rental car within 96 hours and avoiding the extra charge for a partial day.

No comps at the airport and Strip-like prices had me buying a bagel for dinner.



Currently on the plane and about to head home. Only zone 3, but there was plenty of space for my carry-on.

Thanks for following along!

 

https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/super-draw-poker/

The return was meh. FYI

 

Ohh, sounds very cool! Can you tell me where it is or how to get there? Staying at the Cal for the first time and want to explore all around!

 

Thanks for the link! The page includes 9-5 bonus, but not 8-5 bonus. Subtracting 1/9 of the return for a full house, it looks like mine had an expected return of 97.4%. Ugh. So now I simultaneously feel less bad for losing but worse for playing it to begin with.

 

As I remember it, after you take the skyway from the Cal to MSS, veer to the left and there are a pair of doors that lead outside. Fun fact: I think one of them is mislabeled and says "pull" instead of "push", or the other way around.

 

Great, I can't wait to check it out - with a scoop of ice cream LOL Thank you!

 

@WWGB
I enjoyed your TR and all the pics.
Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

Ugh. This story gets even worse. While at Sunset Station I dutifully looked up VPfree2 on my phone. I just now realized that I had been looking at SunCOAST, not SunSET.

 

Great report!
I am so happy to hear this.....
" With the new players card, you don't need to get a voucher from the club desk and can use the monthly food offer directly with the players card. And you no longer need to use the whole amount at once. Upon check-in, you still receive a $5 off coupon for the D Grill which stretches the comp even further. "

I have always been annoyed when the D gives me $50 in food then expects me to use it all at once by myself when I am alone.
This is much better!

 

Nice report! Capping out the ACG D coupon, I thought you were gonna win!

 

It was fine. I think I'm still partial to the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer. Nice to try somewhere new, though.

 

Might have just been to control traffic of the latecomers. I should have slipped an usher $5 and asked for a good seat.

 

I'd describe the music as traditional rather than contemporary. Nothing that made me grit my teeth like a certain organist at a previous church.

 

Final thoughts:

I finished $44.50 ahead. I had one straight flush and 49 quads on quarters, with another 5 quads on nickels. Had probably around $23,000 to $24,00 coin-in for the trip. I'm normally more precise in keeping track, but I (1) wasn't paying much attention while losing at Sunset Station, (2) lost track at the D once the point multiplier ended at midnight, and (3) played without a card at Fremont on the final night.

That was kind of weird experience, playing without a card. With close to $7,000 coin-in on Sunday, I didn't want to mess up potential offers with a random day of $500-$1,000. Plus, Treasure Chest is $3 per point, so I wasn't really giving up any comps. I also played $5 blackjack without the (new, combined) card at Golden Gate to minimize risk to my D offers.

Redeeming prizes from the Binion's casino app worked perfectly. No problem turning in my "hats" for a third prize while I was in town, so there might not be any restrictions like MyVegas has for locals. Of the three Binion's meals, I may have liked the deli the best! It's nice to know there's a good place to get a simple sandwich.

It was a relaxing trip and my favorite among my trips with split stays. If you have to change hotels, I think it makes a big difference to have two nights in each, rather than one and two or two and one.

I'm looking forward to seeing what new offers I might get and will be back on the Strip in less than 6 weeks!