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Another 22 days of playing VP and drinking good beer in DT Vegas.

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by wasilla, Mar 10, 2020.

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  1. wasilla

    wasilla High-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    I'm writing my third trip report after the fact from home. I'm recovering from a planned surgery that took place a day after returning home. My return has been marked by a lot of snow, it getting really cold, going back to snow, and now getting cold again under clear blue skies. Where I live, clear blue skies in winter often means my car isn't going to start in the morning. Fortunately, none of that matters since the only thing I have planned is sitting on my warm coach, looking out the window and typing out this first installment.

    This is a DT trip heavy on small denomination VP play and quality beer consumption. I move to where I'm comped and find myself staying a couple of times each at 4Q's and the D, along with stays at GG, MSS, Fremont, and DTG. I visited most of the DT breweries and made an excursion to EI's Front Yard. I survived the 4 Q's meltdown and then made it back home. I'm laughably detail orientated, so to the couple dozen people who will actually follow this TR, I say "Welcome!"

    2/11/18
    This will mostly be a travel day. I live in Wasilla AK which is about 50 miles north of the airport. Since you can't just park your car at the curb without a snow plow covering or damaging it, getting to and from the airport is always a hassle. This time was easy. I was already housesitting in Anchorage and a friend had time to pick me up at my Wasilla home and drive me back to Anchorage. My friends came home the next day, and one of them took me to the airport the next day for my noon departure. So hassle free for me, but a little inconvenient for others. My ride from Wasilla drives a gas guzzling truck and I was contemplating how to best offer gas money. We stopped for lunch at an excellent Eagle River brewpub. As I got out, I saw a soggy twenty on the ground. She laughed as she took it. We both loved our beer samplers, and I realized that the pretrip was going unusually well.

    I flew a lot last year and reached a tier on Alaska where I get regular 1st class upgrades. My Anchorage departure broke that streak, but I was back in 1st for the LA and LV legs. Between priority pass restaurant access and the food in 1st class, I wasn't hungry or thirsty when I landed. It was early enough to still catch a $1 WAX ride DT. I didn't bother trying to get a room upgrade at the D. It was late enough and I was tired enough, to go to sleep. I considered playing a bit, but figured that playing just a little would not be beneficial to my comps.

    2/12/18 Weds.
    This is a gambling day.. When I got to the D's Vue bar, I was surprised to see that a construction wall extended all the to the bar eliminating access to several machines. The construction noise was both loud and close, and the ambiance in general sucked. I made friends with a new bar tender who seemed happy enough to have someone who was going to stick around for awhile. I tend to play long sessions.

    I started this one with a Baily's and coffee at 7:50AM. I play the 3 way progressive 8/5 .25c BP. A half hour later I lost my hundred dollars after playing only 48 points (1 pt per $10). I was losing at over 20%. I was hoping things would turn around, but remembered that the D beat me up pretty consistently on my last trip. I put in another $100. At 8:27 I drew a 4th J for $43. I hit K's for $31.75 at 8:30 and was up to 594 credits. At 9:11 I got 7's for $38 but was down to 266 credits. At 9:24 I hit 7's again for $33, at 9:57: 4's for $50, at 10:37: 2's for $50, at 10:56: J's for $35.50, at 11:26: 9's for $34.50 and at 11:38 I lost my $100 having played 414 points.

    Some might think that 9 quads in 3 hours would put me ahead, but I was treading water most of the time. I was never $50 ahead and was frequently playing with less than 100 credits. At least my loss rate was less than 5% now. I put in another $100. I lost that one at 12:17 with 478 points. I put in another $100, hit 9's for $36.50 at 12:58, and lost my $100 at 1:15 having played around 575 pts.
    I put another $100 in. I hit 4's with a useless kicker for $50 at 1:20, 8's for $35 at 1:25, K's for $33.50 at 1:44, J's for $31.50 at 2:08, 5's for $41 at 2:41, and was dealt 9's for $33.50 at 2:51. My credits were finally accumulating and I was up to 752. At 3:33 I drew a 4th queen for $33.50 and I drew two to fill a SF for $67.25. The SF progressive is usually much higher, so the hit was bitter sweet. At 4:11 I drew 3's for $50, at 4:33 I drew 2's for $50, and quit at 5:30 with 1001 points and down $275 for the day. I was at a 2.75% loss rate.

    I ate something, but I don't remember what or where.

    I had $40 FP at Binion's. Their .25s 9/7 DB had a machine with a mid $1,100's Royal progressive. I could use their $80 FP and 2 night offer, so I decided to play it and hope for the best.
    I lost my FP at 8:37 and put in $100. I hit 5's at 8:39, but lost my $100 at 9:22 having played 77 points. (1 pt =$8) I lost another $100 at 9:57 with 135 points. I was dealt 10's at 10:35, drew 4's at 11:06, and 6's at 11:13. I quit at 11:53 with my hundred in tact after bleeding off 270 credits. I had 326 points. I was down $100 for the play and $375 for the day and trip. I'd also burned through $40 FP. I decided to check out MSS's 777 brew pub.

    They had a stone collaboration double red that I paired with a cheeses quesadilla. Between the HH and the point it only costs a few dollars of points. A stroll down Fremont led me back to bed.

    So that's the first installment. I'm still at the D tomorrow. I'll see a few of you for my next post, and thank the rest of you for checking out the TR.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2020
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  2. 93 Octane

    93 Octane Chief Bottle Washer

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    Got my popcorn ready :popcorn:

    Always enjoy your TR's
     
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  3. 3OfDiamonds

    3OfDiamonds Waiting For “Very Good” Video Poker @ Rio…

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    Following for sure :thumbsup: I hope your recovery is going well :)
     
  4. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Yes looking forward to diving into this. Subscribed for later viewing.

    Thanks for posting, hope you have a speedy recovery.
     
  5. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Curious both Binions and The D have coupons for matchplay/points in the ACG and or LVA. Did you use these or intend to use them. If no, any reason why not.
     
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  6. kkinwi

    kkinwi VIP Whale

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    Oh goodness I was looking forward to more before I have to go to work! Hope the recovery is going well!
     
  7. zignerlv

    zignerlv VIP Whale

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    As one of the "couple dozen", glad to see you posting a report, and hope your recovery goes well.

    The second part of the quote is my favorite part, so far, as it hits home. It's reality. Just think, if you posted pics of the TEN four of a kinds you had at that time (midway through your first day of 22), you'd be getting so many compliments about your great luck in your then 5% losing session! ;-) Four of a kinds are good hands, but fully necessary to even have a chance for breaking even. After reading others reports, and seeing the way ordinary four of a kind's are posted and commented on, I can only think that maybe others are much more casual players, and so don't realize this, so they view these hands as almost jackpots.

    The last part I quoted might be the best line you've ever posted, especially in contrast with the great detail of the VP reporting!
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2020
  8. BoVegas

    BoVegas Low-Roller

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    Enjoying your TR, love downtown The D, 4 Q, win.
     
  9. GamblingGolfer

    GamblingGolfer VIP Whale

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    Good luck! Always enjoy following along (even if it's post trip).

    GG
     
  10. bull1029

    bull1029 Mr. Vegas

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    Very nice reporing. Following closely.
     
  11. wasilla

    wasilla High-Roller

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    Thanks for bringing that up. I deal a lot with comps and coupons in my TR's and really like the TR to be informative. I hope that anyone contributing here will feel free to spell out the benefits of any edge they want to share. I joke about how not a ton of people will follow this, but not many people follow this. If I know about something that might go away if a slew of people use it, I bury it in my TR.

    Just going by memory, The ACG and LVA both include FP coupons for up to $100 for both the D and GG. For every $500 coin in you get $5FP. You turn in the coupon and have 24 hours to play. Playing that $10,000 through would have got me a $100 FP. Between the 2 books there are also $10 FP for Binion's, Binion's will also double the value of up to 500 points which gas a $12.50 value. I can't remember which member discovered that this didn't add the expected $25 in comp dollars, but maybe he is following and will clarify. There are also $25 table MP's for the D and GG.

    I did not use any coupons on that Tuesday, but the reason is part of today's installment which I will start working on soon.

    Thanks to those who are following along.
     
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  12. zignerlv

    zignerlv VIP Whale

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    I have no idea if I was the one that mentioned this, but I do know that this is true, the double points coupons for the 4Q's and Binion's only double the cash back (points) and not the comps on that play. It's not an oversight or a trick by the casinos, it's just that at these two places, points mean cashback, not comps. Comps are accumulated in a separate tally. This is pretty much unique here.
     
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  13. wasilla

    wasilla High-Roller

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    2/12 Thurs at the D.

    Normally I'm raring to go this early in a trip, This trip, though, I'm traveling with a hernia. I noticed it a couple months ago when I was carrying my bags on the way to San Antonio. I found that once I stopped carrying things, I could still enjoy my trip. The Wasilla hospital would take over a month for the soonest surgery opening and I decided to take a planned trip to Nashville for a week and then this 3 week trip to LV. Nashville also went well once I stopped carrying things, so I caught my flight to Vegas. My Vegas bag is heavier and I have to move a lot, so I'm a bit apprehensive about how this will go. I woke this morning without a lot of enthusiasm, but I was feeling OK and I had a plan.

    I ate a ham, sausage, and Monterey Jack omelet before starting my day. Between the D and GG, I have $55 for this month's food credits. This wasn't going to stretch for the 9 nights I had booked this month, so I was going to alternate eating here and at the 4Q's where they give more comp dollars than a gambler can spend.

    I started playing the Vue again 11:22. One of the cooler of the cool bartenders was working. He dresses up my bailey and coffee in a beer glass. I think it looks cool and 100% tastes better. The place doesn't feel right. The bartender clues me in as to why. There is no music and no TV. I realize that the D is the only place I know that gets quieter when it becomes a construction zone. I put in my first $100
    At 11:22 I'm dealt 8's. I hold the hand for bit before hitting draw for $36.50. I lost my $100 at 12:15. At 12:30 I hit 2's with a superfluous kicker for $50 and at 1:14 I drew 3 more Aces for $100. Woho! I lost the hundred at 2:26 with 375 points. I quit down $200 for the day to start an excursion. At some point the music and TV's came back on.

    On my first trip of the year, I take a pilgrimage to Huntington Press to get a LVA and ACG. The ACG charges to mail to Alaska and I'm never sure if the LVA will arrive in time. Coming from the cheap bastard school of finance, I decided to catch the WAX which will sell me a $2.50 senior day pass, which will then allow me to also use the strip buses. I thought of switching buses at the transit center, but decided to continue to Tropicana and LV Blvd. It was a mistake as I just missed the Deuce in front of the Trop and the SDX doesn't use that stop, The sun was out, it was hot (to me), and I had forgotten my hat. The bus arrived after 15 minutes, but I couldn't see much and got off too soon. I made the best of it strolling through some places and again was unsuccessful seeking free samples at the MM store. When I finally got to my next stop, the bus arrived within a few minutes. I got off at the Rio and started walking North. The plan was to take the coupons to Oyo and Ellis Island to change my luck. When I got to Huntington Press, they had a sign up saying that the were out of coupon books. Fuck! Who runs out of these in mid February. Then again, who goes to all this trouble without bothering to call a place to establish that they have what I want? I bought a AGC coupon only addition and walked to the bus stop and headed back DT.
    The D was giving me $50 FP and a $30 in MP's this month. I pocketed the MP's for later. There is no great way to wash FP anymore as the .25c 8/5 BP that accepted it is gone. I settled on the 80.40/25/7/5 ACES at the Long Bar and turned my $50 FP into $35.I also got some sort of Scottish Ale out of the deal. The D has so many taps the bartenders can't tell you what they've got.

    I went back to the Vue and lost that $35 at 8:28 with 99 points. That wasn't too bad for being quad-less. I then lost $100 at 8:42 with 132 points. A 33% hold on a hundred through quarter BP is not how I like to roll. I slid another hundred in. I hit 2's at 9:13 and lost the $100 at 9:44 with 267 points. This gave me over 1,500 points for the stay. I think that 500 points a day is enough to keep my offers coming, and have some reason to think that they will like a no play check in, a 1,000 point day, and a 500+ day even better. I let you know how it works out.
    I was down $400 for the day and had burned through another $50 in FP. For the trip down $775 and burned through $90 in FP. I had considered extending my D stay by a night, but the state of the Vue Bar dissuaded me.

    I went to the QQQQ's Chicago Brew Pub for a pizza and some beer. I have enough comp dollars to pay for beer, but the .25c DDB progressives were good and I I put $25 into a bar top and played without my card. QQQQ's is great with offers if played correctly, and this means to never give them a low play day.
    My go to beer is their Hardaway IPA. They also had a Belgian Trippel on their rotating tap. It's probably about 9% and would normally be served in a snifter. They didn't know what they had and served it in a 14oz glass. You can get larger servings. The pizza and beer were great and I almost forgot about setting hundred dollar bills on fire.

    I started playing at 10pm. My bartop gave me a couple more 9's at 10:10 for $63.20. I ate, drank and played until my credits shrunk back down. I cashed out my $25, got a to go cup and called it a night.

    Tomorrow I move to Golden Gate.

    ps I had forgotten that I drank some beer on the way home. I hit Hop Nuts for $4 HH beer. They were preparing for a anniversary party and had a lot of empty taps they are going to fill Saturday. I then went to a nearby beer bar, three sheets?, for the tail end of their HH. They didn't have a lot of local beer, but plenty of national taps that apparently rotate frequently.
    If you're a DT beer drinker, there is a thread on DT craft beer called Grabbing a Great Beer DT under Comps and Favorite Comped beer under DT Hotels that I and others update.
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2020
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  14. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the response yes that’s them and wasn’t aware the point doubling only applied to cash back for 4Q and Binions comp.
     
  15. NittyOne

    NittyOne VIP Whale

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    Assume it’s the same at 4Q as well. Bummer was going to use the double points for comps to cover a good chunk of a nice steak dinner.
     
  16. 3OfDiamonds

    3OfDiamonds Waiting For “Very Good” Video Poker @ Rio…

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    I was the one who had the issue/misunderstanding with the Binion’s/QQQQ bonus points coupons :) They did offer $30 Binion’s comp balance, so that was nice; they did clarify that the bonus points were only intended to reflect in cash back.
     
  17. CoconutWilly

    CoconutWilly Tourist

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    Love the detailed report. Hope you stay on the plus side!
     
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  18. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    I am planning a post soon on my beer experience over the past few weeks, but wanted to point out you should definitely hit Beer District Brewing on Main Street between Able Baker and HopNuts at least once, my new second favorite downtown brewery (Tenaya still holds the crown). Very good draft pours, excellent guest list. Make sure to hit the Scratch Brewing (Ava IL) Blueberry Hyssop Sour, one of the best beers available in the valley leftover from the Beer Zombies February 29th Fesitval.
     
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  19. wasilla

    wasilla High-Roller

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    Yea, Viva is here. Look forward to your beer report. When I was at Beer District they hadn't been open a week and only had a couple of their beers and a few guests. I'm anxious to hear what they've done with the place.

    To clarify the locations: Beer District is between The Gambler's Book Store and Charleston. Just south of Charleston is Hop Nuts and further south (a bit north of The STRAT ) is Able Baker. All 3 are on the west side of Main. A visit to these 3 would be more than enough to leave me wondering what I did that night, but if anyone has an unusually high tolerance, Craft House has a tap room, and Three Sheets is a craft beer bar a little east of Hop Nuts. It's all walkable/staggerable. A beer mecca has been born in the Arts District and I'm looking forward to Viva's take on it.
     
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  20. wasilla

    wasilla High-Roller

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    I'm impressed. I remember when you were complaining about it. I figured you were wasting your time, but you got even more than you were asking for. These are the same folks who wouldn't let me use a discount and a comp at the same time. When they first started using comp dollars, Magnolia's wouldn't allow me to pay with comp dollars while using the Club 55 discount. They were pathologically anti double tipping. I tip my hat to you.
     
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