TR - Mirage - 1/13 - 1/16

After reading numerous entertaining trip reports, I thought I would write about my trip this past wknd. After having to cancel my last trip last minute in November, I was raring to go after not having been down to Vegas since last April.

Flight - Direct on Westjet from Calgary. I only ever fly Air Canada, but their only direct is in the morning, thus I have no choice but to fly WJ on the way down. After flying through customs, the g/f and I made our customary stop in the Rocky Mountain Lounge for some cocktails and snacks - a steal for $26 each for mix your own drinks and unlimited snacks. We always make sure to fill up the carryon with snacks and bottled water/juice to last us for the wknd. The only plus about taking WJ for us Canadian flyers with only 2 airlines is that they have live cable TV in all of the seatbacks where you can watch whatever you want from over 20+ stations. Well guess what - none of the TVs were working for the entire flight.. GRRRRRR Plus, they will only serve you one drink at a time which creates a nightmare for the FAs.

Arrival - Landed on time. Had a limo waiting for us from Mirage. Limo driver (Kevin) was a super nice guy.. brought our luggage into the VIP check-in area for us at Mirage. Tipped him $40 - usually only tip $20, but he went above and beyond what the usual guys do.

Check-in - Short and sweet. Got a Mirage Suite on the 18th floor. The check-in girl tried to explain the RFL deal to us as I usually stay at MGM and this was our first time at Mirage. On the walk to my room, my g/f swore she heard her say $100/day for the 2 of us which is absolutely ridiculous... I thought there was no way. I couldn't know for sure as by this point we had been drinking for more than a few hrs so I didn't make out what she said. I emailed my host but got his out of office for the wknd so I figured we would just see how it goes as there's no way we could live off $100/day back home let alone in Vegas!

Room - The suite was actually pretty sweet! It had to have been redone in the last year or two. Flatscreens in the bdrm and sitting area. 2 baths - one with jacuzzi. Wet bar. The view was a little to be desired facing out on to the freeway, but whatever, I'm hardly in the room ever anyways

Thursday night - With RFL, we only had access to the casual restaurants which wasn't that big a deal as there's a few to choose from in Mirage. Had California Pizza Kitchen for a late dinner which was decent as to be expected. Now - finally time to hit the tables! I will admit I'm a BJ fiend. I play a little poker, slots, and VP, but the BJ tables are my bread and butter. I wasn't playing with my usual $5K or so bankroll, so I had to be a little more careful on this trip with the crazy up and down betting. Since the g/f doesn't really play BJ, I gave her a few hun to sit at a $25 table with me to start things off at about 10pm. By 1am or so, her cash was gone but I was up about $1K. She shut it down and I gave her my excess cash so I could just play with my existing chipstack. There was lots of ups and downs all night, but things were starting to get a little foggy after drinking my Bacardi Diets since 4pm. I know at one point I had 4 yellows which was probably around 5 or 6am. Needless to say I came stumbling back to the room at almost 10am (per my g/f's account) with no chips left. Net result after Night One - down $1K, although lots of fun to be had in my 12hrs of gambling.

Friday - The G/F went shopping to fashion show mall and woke me up about 2pm. Actually, I had been awake since 1 as I can never seem to sleep more than 3hrs at a time in Vegas. She had scooped some tickets to Elvis at Aria from Tix4Tonight so we had to wander down there to get assigned seats. On the way out, we ate at the Carnegie deli - nothign special, but any food was good food at that point having not eaten since late evening the night before. As the first time walking through City Center, I couldn't get over how massive the complex was. The place is absolutely huge. There's no way that they can be even at close to capacity in all the given hotels there. We scooped our seats in the lower level (not bad for $65 each) and made the long walk back. I had a bit of a rest in the room drifting in and out of conciousness until it was time to go for dinner.

Dinner pre-show we had at BLT in Mirage which is a bit of an upscale burger joint. Dinner was pretty good - I had the Kobe Sliders and she had the chicken burger. After a few rums there, we picked up a couple each to go at the Rhumbar across the hall and started making our trek back down to Aria. On our way into the theater we grabbed a couple of drinks at the bar right outside the Cirque theatre. A double rum and a double vodka came to $56! No matter - as my host took those and all of the other countless rums off my bill when we checked out. I wasn't overly impressed with the Elvis show. It was more of a musical than anything and I'm a bigger fan of the more circus like/acrobatic type shows. When we arrived back at the Mirage, the g/f hit the slots and I hit the $50 doubledeck BJ table which would prove to be my home for the next 8hrs. Again the end of the night was a little foggy, but I shut it down around 7am or so. I was up a couple of yellows at some point, but again the story of my life - I gave it back to the casino. Net Result after Night 2 - down another $800.

Saturday - Woke up around 10:30 feeling relatively refreshed suprisingly enough which only ended up being temporary. Ordered room service for lunch - I had some sort of pizza with goat cheese and she had of course a chicken burger with potato wedges. Service was pretty quick - food was average. Bill for that and a large bottle of water was around $60. We then went for a tour on the strip until my body started to shut down so I did in turn shut er down back to the room and left my g/f to shop at the Forum Shops. I tried to sleep but the Steelers game was so it seemed to keep me conscious. For the night's festivities, we had tickets to Love at Mirage. We went for a preshow dinner at the Buffet. I had never been before so we had to try it, but I wasn't much in the mood for eating. As seems to be everytime in Vegas, my body resists sleep and food, instead preferring drinking, gambling and overall excessive behaviour. I managed to force down a few morsels of food and of course a Bacardi Diet. The buffet looked (i can only comment on appearance and not taste) quite decent. It is by no means comparable to Bellagio or Wynn, but for $27 or whatever it cost, it was decent. We had a bit of time to kill before the show so we once again saddled up to the bar at Rhumbar for a few cocktails, then out to the casino. Given I was trying to keep myself to a tight budget for the night, I tried to resist any pre-show gambling only to saddle myself down at a 25 cent slot machine. I threw $10 in to pass the time after a couple of pulls I won $120. Was this a sign of things to come? I then went over to play VP at the bar for a bit, but no such luck there... only a couple more free rums to speak of.

As for the Beatles show, I much more enjoyed it than Elvis, but that isn't a surprise as I enjoy the Beatles in general much more than I do Elvis. After the show ended, you can guess where I ended up - my preferred $50 doubledeck BJ table with of course the same dealers, pitboss, etc from the two nights prior. This night was the most entertaining as we had the same four or five people at the table for the better part of the night and the best part of all - everyone was winning! The g/f came by after a couple of hours of sitting down and noted that I had a substantial number of blacks in front o f me so I deposited 15 of those blacks with her. Again I was up and down for the better part of the night. I was above breakeven for the trip at one point, but I just never learn to walk away. I shut it down around 6:30am after a disastrous $75 quad split on 8s with one double down for a 20 with the dealer showing a 5. That $375 loss pretty much wiped me out from there and I was crawling back to the room soon thereafter. As for the table as a whole when I left, the guy from Ireland had erased a $4k deficit and was now up $3k. The guy on the other side of me had pocked a $7K win and had walked away...I can only presume he had come back after I had departed. Net result after Night 3 - up $800.

Sunday - I was awoken at an early hour for our customary trip to the Premium Outlets before our flight was to depart at 6:30. I had arranged a late checkout with my host as I can't stand wandering around Vegas on a Sunday with no place to go. I stopped by the hosts' office on my way to shopping and was pleased to see that everything had been wiped off my bill with the except of tips which is customary. I had been rated at $125/hr for a total of 30 hrs in the 3 nights I was there which is about average based on the last few trips. I had also accumulated $250 in express comps which I can use next time I'm in town for whatever. The surprising thing was that I had only accumulated around 30K in tier credits when 2 similar trips over the last yr had accumulated me 125K in credits. I don't really care about these but I figured I would make platinum on this trip, but am now 40K short. (I emailed my host about this when I got back home and he indicated that I should have had roughly another 80K so I guess they will updated that manually somehow - not that it matters).

Departure - The limo was waiting for us at the valet as scheduled and we made our way back to McCarran. Our Air Canada flight ended up being an hour delayed so I wasn't back home until 12:30 with another trip done and done

Overall - This being my first stay at Mirage, I was actually very happy with it. The service at the restaurants was spotty here and there, but the suite was great, the gambling was even better, and the waitresses, dealers etc were all top notch. The waitresses at the tables were spot on all trip. Rarely did I have an empty glass - more often than not the refill was coming before I was done the existing one. If I had to choose RFL at Mirage vs MGM, my choice would be Mirage. That being said, for a couple of trips I was full RFB at MGM and nothing beats that.

Now, I get to look forward to my next trip which is only 2.5 weeks away on Superbowl wknd! This trip is with 8 other guys, so definitely it will be much more debaucherous. I will make sure to fill a TR on that one as well.

 

As a limo driver it was refreshing to read that people appreciate the extra effort. Far too many people overlook us when it comes to the gratuity. You TR was a great read!

 

I don't understand the biology of it either - despite all the buffet or fine dining options, my appetite shrinks dramatically, and I can basically function for a few days on a liquid diet (vodka tonics are my poison). No matter how late in the morning I stumble back, I can't sleep for more than a few hours as well.

Now I know the thing about pumping oxygen into the casino floor is an urban myth, but seriously, what is it about Vegas?

 

Nice TR. You had some nice runs.
"Tis far better to win and lose than to have never won at all.

 

Thanks for the TR. Looking forward to the Super Bowl weekend report

 

fun read thanks for taking the time

 

Great trip report! I've stayed at the Mirage and really like it too, and I really enjoyed LOVE.

If you ever figure it out, let me know. I can drink all day, barely eat, stay up til 3 AM and wake up at 8 hangover free and ready to go. If I did that at home, I'd be bedridden for days.

 

Great trip report! Although I didn't stay at Mirage I spent a bit of time in the casino last week and I really enjoyed it, too. I found it to be upbeat and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maybe I saw you there

 

Great TR
As another Calgarian heading down to Vegas next Sunday , it was a lovely read I am flying AirCanada for the first time in years , plane leaves about 845am ..... altho WJ has early flights too but at the time of booking on Airmiles program nothing was listed We usually fly WJ so should be interesting ......
Looking forward to your SB weekend report!

 

Someone needs to do a study. I deal with the life science industry and I am sure they can come up with a drug for this...

I experience the same thing. When in Vegas on business when I need to behave with clients or watch my back, I can go out and dine with the best of them and be a perfect host. But I would rather be at the slots or tables....

On my own, I push until things become bleary and then sleep a couple hours to recharge and begin again, fueling on Heinekens throughout. But it is precisely what I want to be doing. The only reason I take a break to eat is because my luck has vanished and it makes the best sense to spend time taking care of myself until the luck returns.

Basically, my trips to Vegas are never a week or more - not with my calendar... I only get a couple or three days here or there and every minute matters. I want to squeeze the most out of every moment. I can sleep on the plane....

JZB

 

great story and a great comeback at the tables!! I think you got mad points considering the bankroll you went with. Even when you were down you had put in a TON of game time so that had to help and the pit boss was pretty accurate since sometimes they can shaft you if they like.

As for the food/sleep thing, I am in the club as well. I go till I am exhausted. I can eat twice a day but the sleep gets down to 3-4 hours and then I just pop back up. Last trip my buddy and I both compared notes a week after we got back and both of us slept like 10 hours a night for the first 2-3 nights back to catch up!

If your host does spot you some or all of the 80k points you should be looking at either better comps at mirage or similar at a better property. I hope they don't ever give you that lamer RFL offer again considering your hours at the tables combined with your minimum bet.

 

Enjoyed your TR!

I think we all suffer from the same disease...
I have actually been sitting at a slot machine with MY EYES CLOSED!
Definitely WAY past the time to go to bed....

 

I agree with you on th room. I stayed in one of those same suites (A14 on the 18th floor I think). That room blew away any of the others I've had in Vegas, including Bellagion and Thehotel.

 

Nice read! Can't wait for your SB Trip Report...

 

Nice TR....thanks

 

Great report, thanks for sharing.

I blame it on the adrenaline for the whole go full steam on a trip and the exhaustively crash when you get home. For me I think 6 is about my limit for a go hard trip.

 

+1 Its not a good trip if you don't log at LEAST 6 hrs a day at the tables and ensure a liter or so of Kettle One has vanished. Mirage seems to have the best drink service on the strip IMO outside maybe Wynn when they have a full crew working. Taking .5 full drinks off the table for refills makes for one hell of a night. My only beef with Mirage as a non-smoker are the low ceilings which seem to be less proficient in keeping the air smoke free than say Aria or Wynn.

 

I was there same place and time frame, but my TR is probably totally opposite yours. Although our suite was comped, we have no host and I felt no obligation to gamble more than I wanted to. Some people need to maintain a profile to get comped, and end up losing thousands for a couple free meals.
I NEVER drink when gambling. My goal is to win, not to just play, and I do well with a totally clear head. Also we love to enjoy all the great buffets, and do lots of sight seeing.
I'm not criticizing you at all. Vegas trips are different for each of us. Having your own brand of fun is the bottom line. Thanks for the TR!

 

I will admit to feeling the need to up the ante a bit when everything is comped, however, I use gambling purely for entertainment and don't ever lose more than I can't afford (although losses sometimes definitely exceed forecast). That being said, I ensure that I only have access to a certain amount via bank card before I arrive and that way there won't be any blowing of the bank. The g/f and I have a good system whereby she keeps my bankcard and comes by at least in the early parts of the night to collect my excess black chips. Ultimately if it comes down to that you are going into debt in order to score a few comps, you have some issues.

Next week when I go for superbowl wknd with the guys, I'm not even staying for free at an MGM/Mirage property... we are all staying at TI and paying for our rooms but we have a good deal. That way, I can gamble wherever I wish at whatever how much I want. The ironic thing is I will still be betting the same amounts and upping my bets as the night progresses no matter where I go!