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Ten Days Of Degeneracy — A Live TR

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by diplomatic, Nov 24, 2018.

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  1. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Here’s something you don’t see everyday: rain in Las Vegas.

    EA13116C-C2E2-4A3C-AF21-5F881A2B41C9.jpeg 234E351D-16E9-4A4C-9FA0-7C8BA4B88926.jpeg

    The castle was packed. 8CDB185F-C89C-4810-B06F-AE62B253C82B.jpeg

    Christmas in New York (New York).
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    A new entrance opened to Park across from NYNY. D5FD19E1-0F1B-47F6-A8C4-709317CE3131.jpeg

    The new ParkMGM Sportsbook. It’s just a big bar, with a tiny book in the entryway/lobby. I don’t really like it. If you want to place your bets then watch the game at a sports bar, there are a million other options, and you can do it at home for a lot cheaper. A Sportsbook is a unique experience, and this ain’t it. 51C33AF8-C751-4028-A3BD-E33206A1F33E.jpeg DBFE0F99-1C12-4B67-900A-98C4CB6BFF11.jpeg D2B874B3-194A-4598-A113-D2D5C61D5FDC.jpeg
     
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  2. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    AC is my home playground and, yes, Chef Vola's is sensational. I don't even eat out Italian when out of the region (NYC/Philly/AC) as the Italian just doesn't compare. Same with pizza. The best pizza elsewhere is just good pizza around here.
     
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  3. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Last night the sports betting carnage continued. I was rescued from a total bloodbath by the Cowboys (and the under). Still feeling out of it, I wandered around looking for something to eat and somehow settled on Burger Bar in the Mandalay Shops. The place was absolutely empty, but the bartender was rushing around like it was the busiest night of the year. My burger was way undercooked, too. But at least it tasted ok, and was pretty reasonably priced for the strip. I turned my $75 free play from MyVEGAS into $75 real dollars and called it an early night.

    Woke up feeling much more like my regular self. I walked to Aria to claim my third MyVEGAS reward at the buffet for my requisite prime rib and shrimp cocktail breakfast. I’ve read some hate on VMB about this buffet, but I think it’s one of the very best.

    Here’s the weirdly decorated walkway from Park to Aria:
    C7740F03-A816-45DB-81D9-3FB9B7F5FA7F.jpeg
    I think I get what they’re trying to do with Park, and I don’t hate it, but it’s not doing anything to make me go out of my way to get there.

    Aria keeping it classy:
    081A6BBD-EE06-4DD9-8AD7-6FA1C448EBA9.jpeg F8B5C023-CDDB-405C-ACBB-E7CDE6090B0E.jpeg 70E9A8EF-E38C-401B-BD4E-565317A8B0F8.jpeg 818DE4DE-BA9D-478C-9BE4-9B3499511364.jpeg

    I spent the morning and early afternoon in the Aria Sportsbook, and Aqueduct treated me very well. I’ve poked my head into this book before, but never really spent much time there. It’s actually pretty great. The seating is comfortable, the race section is adequately sized, and they are free enough with the drink tix, though you have to ask.
    1DB42119-8A4B-4356-AC11-157D4F186E26.jpeg
     
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  4. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Sorry to hear about the mediocre experience at Burger Bar. My food has always been great there
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
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  5. rgrif57

    rgrif57 VIP Whale

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    Trip is going too fast. Hope it’s all you wanted. Oh by the way my favorite veggie is broccolini.
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    That Christmas tree is the nicest thing they put in that weird hallway.
     
  7. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Guessing the Aqueduct is your home track.

    I think you might need to make a degen craps trip downtown.
     
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  8. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Some random photos from the day.

    BA40C9A9-550C-473C-A872-2F45AA3F27F5.jpeg 3F7F04A7-FACA-474F-90F2-B0EDA45E210E.jpeg

    I saw them setting up the Bellagio atrium for Christmas. I’ve been on some movie sets and I’ve been on some construction sites and this looked like a combination of the two. Takes an incredible amount of manpower to get that thing up, but it looks (and smells) great. 02A39772-96A9-4C35-AD37-98F4622C5722.jpeg 004E1931-1AD4-4F16-97DC-25F614FB1EE2.jpeg 00672B03-BCC8-4012-8017-77ECAE2CE77B.jpeg

    I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and accidentally ended up at Vdara. It’s just a hotel, and not a particularly interesting one at that. Hard pass.
    035D90B9-0BF4-4089-84A9-8FD05B7698B1.jpeg 97BDA005-92D8-4351-94EE-C540C1B69E8D.jpeg

    Back home. Funny how the “Egyptian” Sphinx has blue eyes... 4DDF9980-B092-4284-A0D1-6494FD29B880.jpeg A7C491DD-FA99-40B8-A0B3-DF7CC3B4945F.jpeg
     
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  9. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Now the highlight of the trip. I said that I would never go to Harrah’s again, but I already broke that vow. But now I went out of my way, even taking a Lyft on s busy Friday night from Luxor to get there. Why? Twitter told me that Dr. Mike from the “You Can Bet On That” podcast was playing craps there. That is my number one all time favorite podcast and Dr. Mike is like a hero to me. I found him by himself at a $15 table. I just bought in for $200, expecting to play for a short time, fan-boy our a little, then make my way home. Well, it was about as hot as a craps table can be. I was playing conservatively and nearly quadrupled my buyin. Listeners of the podcast can just imagine how it went for Dr Mike. The dealers made over $800 while I was there from his repeater bets alone. His dad joined us for awhile, too. I was too shy to bother them for a selfie, but here’s the final result:

    15B410E3-F093-489D-837B-185DA506887E.jpeg
    Maybe Harrah’s isn’t so bad after all.

    I was starving (and a little drunker than I’d planned to be) so I took my leave and got some food at the Noodle bar in the food court, burning some of my leftover RCs. It was a little heavy on the red onion, but not bad.
    7C6A11E4-15AE-4519-9220-8D2290AACD63.jpeg
     
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  10. FormallyTD

    FormallyTD Big Time

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    Great job with the craps & Magic Mike.

    You shuffling down there on a whim made me think of the Jimmy V Foundation..."Don't give up...don't ever give up."

    Maybe you planned on annihilating your liver while gambling all night...but your walk around the City Center area and return to the hieroglyphics paradise made me think of Jim Valvano...for some reason.

    You should walk down to Showgirls Video now with all of that extra change.
     
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  11. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    I’ve been derelict in my duties of trip reporting because friends came to meet me. But I have some good news to report. This happened:

    4EA23358-E793-47F6-8A5E-F58EB7BAEAD3.jpeg

    I can’t believe it. I play so little video poker, I genuinely didn’t think that it was s real possibility. Needless to say, I was already up a little on the trip after my session with Dr. Mike and a few other good rolls, but this put me well ahead for the trip. It happened at Luxor, on the bank of machines behind the buffet entrance.

    My friend and I spent all day Saturday (literally) in the Ceasars sports book. College football treated me very well, and horses weren’t too bad either. More money for me.

    EE26B706-04CF-451F-8231-2E444EACFA43.jpeg 3E711982-9FE1-4B17-A2E6-415F5787FA36.jpeg
     
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  12. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Another friend from college came in from New York late last night, and despite my utter exhaustion, I was able to rally to walk around a bit to Excal where we played some cheap BJ and watched people split tens and double down on blackjack. Nuts.

    We spent this morning in the Luxor Sportsbook watching NFL football. I didn’t do terribly, but finished a bit in the red. No problem. Friend #1 had to leave, so friend #2 and I headed up the strip to walk around. He was insistent that we go to Nacho Daddy, near Planet Hollywood, to watch the afternoon games. I have no ideas why. The food was bad and the service was worse.

    Some random pic:

    EFA946BC-1169-4885-81DD-A7FFA2DCD6C1.jpeg 6189A0F5-72F1-4F24-91A4-6811C0DBE3D6.jpeg 7CF9188B-CE4B-40E6-A644-DF00AB436035.jpeg 67DAA315-4953-4FF4-A8C2-EFAC2DFD3D2B.jpeg

    The Bellagio atrium was pretty much complete. Beautiful as always.
    0A8401E7-9899-4EB7-97A6-8339F7ABD7CD.jpeg C9BE3C70-13EB-4AB1-A30E-3829921E1899.jpeg A2FE1DBE-59C5-4F8D-9975-33DE5749F891.jpeg 60E361FF-2229-400E-9CDA-46D9E9838769.jpeg 2DFDDC67-992A-47E3-A6C3-F8739C85ECFC.jpeg

    Just about time to grab something to eat, lose some more money at the craps table, and crash out for the night. Flight is tomorrow afternoon, so may have time for one more adventure tomorrow.
     
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  13. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Great pull! Congrats!
     
  14. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Nice hit.
     
  15. diplomatic

    diplomatic Always seeking drink tickets

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    Forgot to mention that I discarded two-pair (Ace and King) to hit the above royal, which went against my every instinct. Moral of the story: always follow the book.
     
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  16. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Ummm...if you followed the book, you would have held a pair of Aces only at 9/6/4 Double Bonus. But nice hit regardless!
     
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  17. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    Checking in with what's probably the 28th "Great report" remark so far... but great report :) love the spots you're hitting and the great photos. I've got plans to hit several of those casinos along Boulder, and even the Paris buffet (as a non-buffet person for the most part), so I very much appreciate your providing insights into those.

    Keep it up! Will continue eagerly following along :)
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  18. TheRealFlamingo

    TheRealFlamingo Tourist

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    WOW.

    I have never even seen a royal flush in VP lol.

    So it can be true...
     
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  19. Tonez78

    Tonez78 Low-Roller

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    Great report, well done with the pics and brief descriptions! Thanks for sharing and nice job on the RF and other winnings.

    Tony
     
  20. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Waiting for degeneracy...
     
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