The Story You Are About To Read Is True.... The Names Have Been Changed To Forget The Innocent Well here we go...Up early Wendsday morning to catch Greyhound to Vegas.Like traveling slow,not in a hurry on vacation.From Orange County CA,it's $38.00 Round Trip,About 5 1/2 hours(with dinner stop in lovely Barstow CA),it run almost from my doorstep to the Lady Luck.If you travel mid-week it's actually a nice ride,not crowded but weekend or holidays,FORGET IT!! 4:30pm,I'm standing on the sidewalk at Lady Luck,Walk east one block into El Cortez,check in 5min. later I'm in my room and unpacked(travel lite)Put $300 in my wallet for the nights fun and off we go.First stop is to get slot card.next is my favorite $5 slot,1of4 but they are now gone, replaced by 4 $5 progressive slots,OK I'll bite $50 in,play about 20 min.,cash-out $40,that was fun.Time for beer..Flavor of the month is MGD, hell after 4 or 5 of them,they all taste the same,right?.I just wander around Downtown for a couple of hours getting my bearings,and a few more beers here and there. Catch the 302 to The STRAT for some Karaoke, got to be able to tell all my buddies I sang in Vegas!! Spend about 5 hours singing/drinking so forth,sort of fun to watch also,lot's of people wanting to be "discovered".At this point in the story is where the grey area as to where my wallet is or is-not,last "seen" was buying beer and Patron at Strat,first missed trying to buy in a Blackjack game at El Cortez??? Booger down $200 some odd bucks and ID.It's Always fun to look like you just got off your harley,in a different state,druck off yourass,hootin&hollerin drinking and talking to the cops....man,you JUST GOTTA LOVE IT!!!! So I reach in my pocket and I have $16 dollars. I came here this trip to start playing DW as a 2nd game,something easier than counting Blackjack so off I go,I find a 3-play game,you know the kind you can play all kinds of games for all diff amounts?Anyway,I put my "last" $16 dollars into 3-play Dueces,hit the button...nothing,hit the button...nope,hit the button 4 to a royal,ON 3 HANDS!!!!I think I'll hold 4 cards,HOLY SHIT!!! Now at this point in time it's around 4am thur morn.So I sort of casually look around,make sure there's no "funny" stuff going on here?....Look at the screen...think of the 10,000s of hands I have played at home...finish the rest of my beer look at the screen...BANG!!!As I brush back the cloud of smoke from my own unattended smoke,low and behold if there isn't not 1 but 2 ROYALS!!! Time to hit the cash-out button,HELLO!!! I'm feeling much better about life in general right about now,so after my payday of 4black,I put $100 back in and played quarters,same game. Push the button,4 to a ROYAL..I need a beer,NOW!! take a "few" drinks...BANG!!! 1 MORE ROYAL!!! 10 BLACK OUT!!! A HUGE payday for me....Are we having fun now or what?? time to cash-out again. Time to change things up here,go to the coffee shop and have $1.49 bacon & eggs.Tasted like bacon & eggs...off to play Blackjack(single deck).Played about 4 hours,down $75.Go to the Western and play $1-2 dollar blackjack for about 2 hours,almost 10am,sure having fun but it's nap time. Wake-up about 3pm,thurs.out the door buy 4. Off to Gold Spike to see if I can grind a couple of misely dollars out of those guys...geez.Nope they get me for $40 more...Now I'm starving,so I check out the menu at "The Spike",mmmm???Egge salad sand. with pickles...$1.75.Tastes just like the egge salad at my house,celery/onions and all. Off to Binion's tables busy,slots not.Lose $40 at blackjack,$10 min. at all times.Wander over to WOF machine,put in $20,play a little,BANG!!6000 something nickles.It gave me 15/16 consecutive bonus spins in a row.It took 40min to get paid. Oh well,hope I didn't break em. I get the bus to the strip and go fool around. Ride the coasters at NYNY/Sahara,look at some fish,saw the volcano a couple times,the fountains a couple times,went to the Casino Hall of Fame, then about 2am Fri morn. was back Downtown.Play Blackjack at Binions for an hour,down $50.Back to El cortez and more Blackjack,Down $100.Play $40 thru Nickle Dueces,nothing,played about an hour.Go to coffee shop have pancakes then up to room and off to sleep.Long walk tomorrow,work off bacon and pancakes!! Fri,3pm, get up putz around,out the door by 4. Go down to now favorite DW machine and put $500 in and play $1 5-play,up,down,up,downup,down,then as if it's supposed to happen,get dealt 4 to a royal AGAIN!! This time no waiting around,push the button,you betcha,1 MORE ROYAL,cash out,PAY THE MAN 40 Black.Now,I'm feeling as close to Vegas heaven as a person can probably get.Go to the Golden Gate and get corned beef sand,shrimp cocktail,beer,yum!!!Walk around the Gate and look at all of the old pictures,neet stuff.Today I'm going to walk the strip,something I do everytime I visit.I like to pick a slot machine, this time WOFortune,put $5 in a machine at every casino with slot card and see if I can get lucky and hit something.So I budget $200 for my little gambling adventure today.Start at the Strat and start walking.IT takes me about 12 hours to make these little outings,and I like to get in toEVERY casino and do something.No big hits today but did get to play a long time at a couple places,so might get an offer for something,who knows,it's happened before.Just a couple of highlights,go to circus-circus get free coupon book play 6-5 coup. at blackjack,win.There used to be a free Heiniken ticket for the Ho in there but they tore them out of the book!!Go to the ho get 2 $1 "heiny",checked out fish at Ceasers,rode to top of strat,took couple pictures,join slot club at Casino Royale and got coupon book with $5 match play,played that and lost,ate at P.F Changs for dinner,chicken and "stuff" in peanut sauce,tastes like chinese food,not worth $40 dollars to me,go to NYNY and just walk around for an hour or so, really like the inside of that place for some reason,Ride coaster again,check out the flowers at Bellegio,very relaxing and smells good!,go to top of Eiffel Tower and take more pictures,I'm sure I've let stuff out,oh well,on we go.Catch bus back downtown about 4am Sat morn. Go to Binions buy in Blackjack for $100,play 1hr,down $30.Walking back to El Cortez the sun is totally blinding me bouncing off the polished sidewalk in front of Julian's,I "feel" my way back to the tables at at the El,Buy in $100,play 3 hours,cash out $250.Getting tired now long walk today,feels good though,I deserve a rootbeer float,YUMMY!!. Off to bed about 9am. Up about 2pm,spend an hour or so putting brains into gear.Out I go,off to Golden Gate again,roast beef sand,shrimp cocktail,beer today.I've come to the conclusion that I like the sands. there!Just wander around downtown,play some WOF,go to LVClub and look at all of the sports "stuff",$5 here and there on WOF,check out 1 man bandlounge act at Plaza for an hour and tip a few,back to the El to play dueces andavedinner.IhavethePrime Ribdinner good as always,then off to play.Decide to put some points on my card so put100in,playin nickle 5-play,play about 3 hours,cash out$65.Time for Blackjack.Float between Western,theEL,the Spike and Binions for about 6 hours playing red. Play about 10 hours and finish up $375.Get root- beer float again,still yummy!! off to bed about 10am. Wake up about 3pm,last full day today.Go to Golden gate for,yep,same thing,Im in a rut.Go to Mss to check out windows.That building has the greatest stained glass windows in it!!!That alone is worth the walk there.Took the little bridge thing to the CAL? I forget,I think that's right the "hawaii themed place",play a little BJ,lost $50,make a little WOF run downtown,down $50 but played about 2 1/2 hours so, alot bang for your buck I thought.Back to the El,still to early to count BJ so I buy in for $500 to play for comps. In all the time I,ve stayed here,I've never played green chip here before.Well as soonasI say all green(brown there?)Instant heat from the pit. It's still early so the tables are packed,Here we go,I'm doing my normal thing,the pits watching me play.This goes on about 5 min.,the pits on the phone,looking right at me,playing 25-75 hand this goes on for about an hour,then the boss comes over to me,asks me where my players card is,I told him I didn't have one,he then goesback on the phone for about 10 min. then comes back to me and says"how does $50 dollars sound" and I say it sounds great...$50 for what? He says"$50 a hand" and hands me a card with my name and a # on it.I tell him I don't normally play for this much and he says "don't matter,10-1000,whenever I buy-in to any table game,give them the card and my money...OK...He gives me my id back and now nobody is watching my play at all!!Same as before only now i'm playing green instead of red?? OK? continue play green,25-75,for about 2 hours,take them for $1150 dollars,the pit boss comes over when I cash out,excorts me to the cage,smiling talking,being extra friendly,make sure everything is OK,I'm having a good time,I don't know what to think at this point.I'm I going to be shown the door? What?? Nothing,He's says if I need anything,come and see him,so I ask him for A dinner comp,"no problem".so I go to Roberta's there dinner place.Plenty nice enough for me,they have normal kinds of stuff,steak,lobster,shrimps chicken,normal stuff like at home but better.I decided on NY Steak&Lobster. The steak was great i'm not really a big lobster guy so to me it was fine.I'd probably prefer a halibit steak over lobster,in the long run....nice meal,bake potato, vege thing,little loaf of fresh bread with butter then had warm berry pie with a scoop of ice cream on top for dessert...hey it's Vegas!!!YUMMM!!! Done with dinner,I wattle out of there and walk to Fremont and just wander around.Play a little of this,try some new games.some of the new "penny games are quite fun to play,they can play upwards of a 100 coins and some 25 lines or so.I find it very fun to play all the lines for a penny or 2, and wacth all of the lines pay off.Lots of action on those slots for $20 bucks.so I ended up lookin for penny slots downtown for a while.Had a blast drinking/playing pennies.Alot of places have a penny slot of sometype now,mostly newer machines. So that takes care of about 4-5 hours and $100 or so.Go back to the El,buy in $500, BJ,pityaps for a few min.,finally leaves,play/drink for about about 4 hours,cash out,up $450.getting late almost 12am,sleep early tonight,MUST return to normal living patern.Have one last rootbeer float then off to bed. Wake up Monday morn 5am(normal time for me)go to breakfast,steak&eggs,have 10:45 bus home,MMM time to kill.Go check out tables,no one there. Buy in $500 BJ,use card,no problem,pit yaps for awhile, play about 3 hours,up$275.Go to room and pack,check out,can't resist 1 more rootbeer float wander to Lady Luck,catch Greyhound home,nice not crowded at all,5 1/2 hours of dosing in and out of sleep/dreamstate,I'm standing in front of my front door wondering "what just happened" All in All,this is going to set my personal standard for all time trips,in which all other trips,past and future,will be judged,a tough act to follow but gives me something to shoot for!! Want to thank everyone for posting,get to read tons of "stuff" and get plenty of ideas on what to do,like to try and do 1 thing "new" everytime. This time it was VP....WOW!!! maybe I should TRY craps one day....Next bus trip is in late Jan. These are just general observations on my part: Decided I like the food at the Golden gate... What's up at Binion's?? Weird!!... Karaoke at Strat on Wend.night alot of fun... Becoming "highroller" at El Cortez???... Windows at MSS are worth the walk there.... May have to find new place to replace the Spike on BJ rounds,decided I can't win there... Don't mind seeing fish in a tank,but lions under glass bothers me for some reason... Like the rollercoasters alot but the one at Buffalo Bill's puts them to shame... Casino "hall of fame" is alot of fun for me... MSS has the "best looking" casino Downtown... NYNY has the "best looking"casino on the strip. Alright already,that's enough.Well ,there it is,my 1st trip report.With a new found respect for people that have to type for a living,Until next time,have fun....I give....!!! Booger [ November 09, 2002, 07:46 PM: Message edited by: Booger ]
Hey Booger...GReAT job. Sounds like a very cool trip. How did you like staying at the El Cortez? I love to play there, but have never stayed there. Thinking about it for 1st week in April. Guys trip(don't think my wife could deal with staying there). Were the rooms ok?
This was my 3rd best trip ever.up $6500. The rooms are fine for the guys.My tower room was 2 queen beds,big rooms,small bath,small vanity area,writing desk&chair,couch&coffee table,matching furniture,neutral colors&TV with half dozen channels.
What a trip!!! I have never, ever, won that much money in Vegas... nice job! When you were talking about looking like a biker after drinking and having to talk to the cops, I immediately went into my rendition of "Bad Boy, Bad Boy, whatcha gonna do?...." What a great trip report...thanks for taking the time to write it all up! T.
What a trip! You had some great luck especially with those royals. After reading your report I'm really anxious to get back there...Feb 8 is much too far away.