1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Short trip thanks to MyVegas 11/22-11/24

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Matty Ice, Nov 24, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40

    My Trip Report

    I'm writing this trip report from McCarran airport waiting for my flight home.

    In October I was asked to help with a training in Phoenix. I happily obliged and immediately thought this would be a great opportunity not only for my career, but a chance to get to Vegas. I have a trip planned in March, but I needed a get away. I originally thought I would rent a car and make the drive to Vegas Friday evening, drive back to Phoenix on Sunday, then fly home to Columbus Sunday evening. After some recommendations from some VMBers I looked into a round trip flight from Phoenix to Vegas. I found a flight for $150 round trip! First win of the weekend!

    I've been playing MyVegas since the beginning of the year and had accumulated enough points for 2 weekend nights at Monte Carlo (81k loyalty points each night)! Second win of the weekend! I had heard how hard it was to get the $50 Monte Carlo dining credit, but I got it on my first try. Third win of the weekend!

    I wanted to spend one evening downtown, so I actually booked Friday night at The D for $17 on hotels.com.

    I received an email from US Airways Friday morning that my 5:55pm flight to Las Vegas had been cancelled, but "they were able to get me on an 8:50am flight Saturday morning. Oh no! This wasn't gonna work. It's a short trip already, I can't miss an entire evening. I called them at was told there was a 2:55 flight out Friday afternoon and that I could "try" to get on that one. I had a co-worker drive me to the airport at 1:00 to try and get on the 2:55 flight. With a little bit of pleading and a sob story I was able to get an assigned seat on the 2:55 flight that would have me arriving in Vegas 3 hours earlier than my original flight. Could this be another win?

    Getting ready to board now. Will finish when I get to Phoenix.

    Thanks for reading.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2013
  2. Tree DA

    Tree DA High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2011
    Messages:
    935
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    Thanks posting. Looking forward to hearing how your Vegas excursion was.
     
  3. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    Messages:
    2,711
    Location:
    East
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    Hoping this is all a winning trip! Nice start.
     
  4. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    continuing on...

    I get to the gate and I'm told the flight will be leaving an hour later at 4:00. An hour comes and goes and we finally start boarding at 5:00. At 5:45 the captain announces we won't be leaving for another hour. At 6:30 we take off. Flight had lots of turbulence, but we finally arrive in cold and wet Las Vegas.

    I had planned on taking the WAX, but I was about 5 minutes late and didn't want to wait for the next bus, so I paid $8 for the super shuttle. Waited about 30 minutes to board the shuttle and after stops at Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur we were finally at Monte Carlo (I'll probably just take a cab next time).

    While waiting in line to check in at Monte Carlo a representative from VIP came out and said she could help me out in the VIP room. I felt like a High Roller for a minute. Check in was great and the rep was super friendly. She said all costs were included with the MyVegas room comp including the $22/night resort fee. Another win for the weekend. I had received an email to upgrade to a strip view room for $10 that I accepted, so I got a nice strip view room on the 29th floor.

    Dropped the bag off in the room and headed down to take a cab ride downtown to the D. Cab driver was super friendly and I tipped him $5 on a $20 ride. Checked into the D and got a room on the 33rd floor facing Freemont St. Played a little 10/7 DB Poker upstairs and cashed out after a $50 win. I was reminded I was not on the strip anymore when I was expecting a ticket voucher, but 600 quarters came out. A couple young girls game over and said "wow! You must be up big." I smiled and said "just a little" and went down to exchange my quarters. Walked down Freemont Street, through Binions, over to Cal and crossed over to Main Street Station. Plopped down in Joe's #2 seat for some quarter jacks or better and Pale Ale. Hit 4 9s for a $2 scratch off, but that was about it. Left awhile later with a few Pale Ales in me, but down $25.

    I stopped in to Golden Gate for some blackjack and on my way to the tables I ran into the owner of the Golden Gate and The D, Derek Stevens. I told him I saw him on the episode of Naked Vegas that Golden Gate was on and that we were from the same area of Michigan just outside of Detroit. It looked like he had some VIPs with him, so I let him go and bought in for $200 on a $10 table. Awesome dealer and a Very hot shoe lead to a $500 profit. At one point I got blackjack 4 out of 5 hands pressing my bet each time. The dealer was shocked, but happy for me. I probably tipped her $50-$100 during the session. I love the vibe and energy at Golden Gate and will definitely be back.

    Headed back to the D on an almost completely empty Freemont Street and sat down at a $25 minimum roulette table. I'm a low roller as you could probably tell, so $25 is not what I would normally play, but it looked like "my" numbers were coming up. 17, 20......Well, "my" numbers continued to come up and I left quickly with a $300 profit. Walked around a little while, played a little more 10/7 DB poker and was gonna call it a night. Just one more stop I had to make. American Coney Island is an historical location in downtown Detroit and I've been there hundreds of times, so I had to see if the one in the D compared. I'm happy to say that after 2 delicious coneys with everything, fries and a coke it does indeed compare to the original. One stop at the front desk to be reminded of my room number (long day and lots of drinks) and I'm headed to bed with a full belly and a pocket full of hundred dollar bills.

    This is where the winning weekend ends.

    Next The Strip.....
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2013
  5. vegasqc

    vegasqc VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2010
    Messages:
    3,639
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    Great start cant wait for part 2

    You mentionned no resort fee on your myvegas room and i read that in quite a few trip reports recently ill start a topic in the myvegas section cause when i booked my room on the phone they did specify i would have to pay the daily resort fee
     
  6. Dude beer

    Dude beer Tourist

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2012
    Messages:
    23
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5
    Great report so far. Good thing your flight got out, bad weather across the whole country it seems.

    Why did you use the myvegas points for two nights when staying at the D for one? I guess you coulda used those points towards food or booze or whatever.
     
  7. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Good question. I initially booked the 2 nights through MyVegas and planned on just going downtown for a few hours. When I found the rate for The D on hotels.com for $17, I booked it. Wish I would have found the rate earlier and saved 81k points. You can't get your points back if you cancel after the room has been booked.
     
  8. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    They also told me on the phone when I booked that I would be responsible for the $22 daily resort fee.
     
  9. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Finishing up on the plane now.

    I hit the pillow about 4am, but was wide awake at 7. I got up, got dressed and headed out onto a very wet and very empty Freemont Street. The day started out bad and never really got better. I went to catch the Deuce around the corner from the D, but while running through the rain and not paying attention, I got on the wrong bus. I'm not sure what bus it was, but I ended up out in Henderson and Boulder City. Two and a half hours later I'm back downtown waiting for the Deuce again. After a 30 minute ride to Monte Carlo I'm very happy to get off the bus.

    I go up to the room, take a hot shower, got dressed and head down. I stopped at the Mlife desk to redeem MyVegas $50 Monte Carlo credit. They asked where I wanted to use it, I told them the Pub and then they load the $50 on my Mlife card. I had the Blue Cheese burger, onion rings, two Dogfish Head 90 minute IPAs and the white chocolate raspberry cheese cake. It was Delicious and the service was great! Total came to $49 and I tipped $15.

    It's time to hit the casino at Monte Carlo! I walk by a roulette table and see my numbers had been hitting, so I buy in for $100. 10 spins later and no hits, so I'm done. I see the table on the other side with my numbers coming up, so I buy in for $100 there. 10 more spins without a hit and I'm done there. Time to take a break and play some lousy 7/5 DB quarter video poker. $100 in and gone before I could even get a drink. I decide to take a little break and head to Aria. I'll be staying there in March with the wife (2 nights thanks to MyVegas again) and wanted to check it out since I'd never been there before. Beautiful property and casino. I'm really looking forward to staying there now. I buy in for $200 on a $15 blackjack table. I'm up and down for awhile, but having fun with the table until 4 kids sit down. I say kids cause they all got carded and I assume were barely 21. I don't mind bad play, but just be consistent. I guess they were technically consistently bad splitting 10s, staying on 15 against dealer's 10 and so on. I made eye contact with the guy in first position and we both rolled our eyes. I stayed a little while longer then colored up down $100. I saw a roulette table that again had my numbers hitting, but again quickly lost that $100 (this became a routine on Saturday).

    Will try to finish up tomorrow. There are a few more highlights.

    Thanks again for reading.
     
  10. UncleBen

    UncleBen Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 6, 2011
    Messages:
    192
    Location:
    Ipswich, UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7
    Nice report.

    It's funny that you select your Roulette table by looking for a table where your numbers are landing- I look for one where my numbers haven't hit in the hope that they will soon and avoid a table if I can see my number on the screen.
     
  11. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    I think going forward this may be the practice I instill. My "system" obviously was not working.

    :thumbsup:
     
  12. Matty Ice

    Matty Ice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2011
    Messages:
    928
    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    so, I decide to head up to the room and take a break. I do a quick bank roll check and realize I have lost all of my winnings from the previous day and I'm down to my original bank roll. I watch a little college football and decide to take a walk and see the sites. I plan to take the tram over to Bellagio to see the fountain show and then to Caesars. On my way though the Monte Carlo casino I take a quick glance at a roulette table and quess what? Yep, my numbers were coming up. I quickly drop $150 and now I'm off to see the Fountain show. :mad:

    I've seen the fountain show a few times, but I always enjoy it. The music was to Michael Jackson's Billy Jean and very cool. I head over to Caesars and walk through the Forum Shops take a few pics and now I'm starting to get tired and know the next day will be a long travel day.

    I get back to Monte Carlo, but decide I'm not quite ready for bed. I sit down at a quarter 7/5 JOB machine and drop in $50. My second spin I hit 4 9s! Great! A couple spins later I hold 5, 7 & 8 of diamonds. 6 & 9 of diamonds comes up for a nice payout and my first straight flush! I play a few more hands and decide to end the trip on a high note and head up close to my original bankroll. I stop at Rubio's in the food court and order a combo shrimp burrito and fish taco to go that were very good. The club crowd was in full swing now and I had a hard time telling the difference between the "working" girls and the club goers. The 25 year old in me was saying go get changed and head out to the club, unfortunately the 40 year old body was saying eat your dinner and go to bed you have a long day tomorrow.

    I had a great night's sleep! I got packed, stopped at the gift shop for some tee shirts for the kids and headed South down Las Vegas Blvd then East on Flamingo to catch the WAX to the airport. This was the last win of the weekend. I got to the stop at 9:45am, the bus was there at 9:50, $2 and 9 minutes later I'm at the airport!

    I had a great trip! There were a few minutes, while taking a break in my room after the beating I had taken, that I thought I might have had my fill of Vegas, then I ended it with getting a straight flush on vp and can't wait to go back again in March. Oh the mental roller coaster that is Las Vegas. It keeps bringing us back.

    Thanks once again for reading.

    Matt


    :beer:
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2013
  13. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2010
    Messages:
    1,986
    Location:
    SW Florida
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    Great TR, thanks for sharing it! I laughed at your "Maybe I've had my fill of Vegas" comment. I get that way sometimes too when I'm losing, but inevitably I start jonesing to go back.
     
  14. ju5tagt

    ju5tagt Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2013
    Messages:
    214
    Location:
    Lansing, MI
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    Super report - thanks for sharing!!!
     
  15. Ty

    Ty ?

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Messages:
    8,796
    Location:
    Mid Ga
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    22
    Nice report, thanks for sharing.
    We were there with you Friday.
     
  16. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    Messages:
    2,711
    Location:
    East
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    Really enjoyed the report!
     
  17. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,301
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    I hope you meant 7/5 DDB? 7/5 DB would be the worst paytable I have ever seen on the strip and hearing that makes me hate Monte Carlo's slot floor more than I already do as their management is incompetent in my experience. But I did get great service at the sports bar playing 6/5 Bonus (better than 7/5 DDB and wayyyyyy better than 7/5 DB).

    Thanks for sharing!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.