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From MGM hell to Aria Heaven grounds LOL

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by VDMTom, Dec 17, 2013.

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  1. VDMTom

    VDMTom Low-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    Hey guys,

    My lovely companion and I just did two nights, three days stay at MGM. December 13-15, 2013.

    I tried a different host this time per my friend's recommendation.

    Right off the bat after a short phone interview, I secured a 1 night up front (12/13) comp and 1 night discounted rate of $105. Secured a reservation dinner at Joel Robuchon with short notice, KA show tickets, and Jabbawockez tickets. Not too bad for a first timer with a new host? :)

    We got to MGM around 12:30 pm on Friday. Checked in, no issues.. besides the fact MGM stinks and the front desk service is sort of rude. I'm only going to be staying at Bellagio or Aria now as far as MGM Resorts go..

    Went to go eat BURGR at PH for lunch, always a fan of Gordon Ramsay so I wanted to try it. Loved my HOG Burger and Truffle fries.

    Went back to the room to relax and just drink and nap since she was tired. We got ready to go watch 7:00pm Jabbawockez show at Luxor, but somehow ended up being extremely late and got our tickets changed to 9:30pm showing. 7:30-9pm I just played at some $25 min DD BJ table and ended up winning $300 or so with $75 avg bet, which is really low for myself. My host got us 2nd show seating.. The show was awesome though, it was enjoyable and entertaining. Somehow, we got told to be quiet by one of the Jabbawockez cause she kept cheering really loudly. LOL.

    [​IMG]

    Show finished around 11 and then it was time to eat, but didn't know what to eat cause we were so drunk and tired. Ended up going back to MGM and ate at Hakkasan. Food was "ok" and was super overpriced as expected. Charges were billed to the room as my host requested.

    She went to bed in the morning then I wanted to play some more so I took a good chunk and went down to play at where we're staying.. from 2am to 5am, I was up about $2000, playing $150-200 avg. Don't know who turned on the HOT switch for the dealer, but by 7am I was wiped out completely of $5,500.. I got up from the table and said "Forget it, time to sleep.. I'll deal with it later.."

    We woke up at 8am, she wanted to go eat breakfast and lunch.. ended up eating only at Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar Palace, it was OK to be honest, 7/10 scale. It can be worth it for $45 a person if I ate more seafood lol.

    After a good nap, we got ready for our Joel Robuchon dinner at 6pm. Dinner ended being AMAZING. We both loved it the food. It is ultra fancy and quiet, we were whispering for part of the dinner as we didn't want to disturb the one other couple 10 ft away from us, haha. Also I believe I was definitely the youngest adult in the whole restaurant at 22 years old that night. The bill ended up being over $600 for two and got charged to the room.

    KA show was pretty boring to me, too much talking and not enough people flying through the air, the 3D show at the end as I assumed that was what changed.. was pretty :snore: .. I fell asleep three times :( I would've been upset if I paid $300 for the pair of tickets we got.

    [​IMG]

    After dinner I decided to try play at Aria again as I love that place.. Got my marker and tried my luck. FREE BET BLACKJACK is THE Blackjack game to play! $700 win came nice and quick. Took a break to go see how PH is going as I typically do well there also, she didn't like the atmosphere nor the drinks so we ended up back at Aria where I did really well with large (to me) bets.

    Ended up winning this at the end of a 4 hour stint on the Free Bet table. :) Had to cash in $2,500 twice by myself and twice by her. Haha.

    [​IMG]

    Overall, it was an amazing trip for both her and I. I was rated at $251 avg for 11.5 hours at Blackjack tables. I got the room, dinners (Robuchon, Hakkasan), both show tickets all taken care of. ($1300+ in comps). But I'll never stay at MGM again.. She got to watch whatever show she wanted and I got to gamble! Can't wait to be back to my second home Aria on April 25-27 for my birthday on up-front comp Corner Suite!

    Have a good night guys and thanks for reading.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2013
  2. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Good report. I have had the same experiences with the MGM front desk. Not the best :nono:
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
  3. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Congrats on the wins and thanks for posting!
     
  4. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Free bet blackjack is really picking up in Vegas. When I did a quick test run at Mirage, the dealer didn't get a single 22, so that was a big plus.

    Congrats on the comeback!
     
  5. VDMTom

    VDMTom Low-Roller

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    I love it. I wiped out their black chips so they called for more. :evillaugh
     
  6. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Nice!
    Ballin' like that at only 22...you gotta tell me what the secret of life is!
     
  7. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Trust Fund Baby....:poke::wink2:
     
  8. ams722

    ams722 Side Bet Shunner

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    Yeah, what is up with the MGM front desk people?

    When I was checking in a couple weeks ago around 11am, the dude tried to charge me a $20 early check in fee. I was in the "Invited Guest" line. I just stared at him blankly for a while, and after determining he wasn't joking I was like, "Seriously? To use this line, you have to be a Gold or above MLife member. One of the few Gold perks is complimentary early check in and late check out. Do I have to go get a flyer from the MLife desk to show you?" He stammered a bit and said he'd take care of it.
     
  9. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Plenty of young online entrepreneurs nowadays. I know a few people from college that were multimillionaires from websites/programs they made.

    You also have those who are more fortunate since their parents are well to do.
     
  10. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Nice trip report though VDMTom! Surprised you had Bachannal and Robuchon on the same day ;)
     
  11. VDMTom

    VDMTom Low-Roller

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    Hahaha, yeah right.. I just work really hard and know when to enjoy life.
    :)
    Yep, I know plenty of those people also.

    She was hungover and wanted something good to eat and we couldn't decide..
    :thumbsup:
     
  12. macfisto

    macfisto Low-Roller

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    Nice report....I fell asleep at Ka as well :snore:.
     
  13. Tree DA

    Tree DA High-Roller

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    :confused: What does this mean?
     
  14. BigGTMike

    BigGTMike Low-Roller

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    There any online freebet blackjack training apps?
     
  15. theghost

    theghost Stuck at work, but should find a poker table

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    Great trip report, really sound like fun!



    Out of curiosity were the check in issues at the main check in counter?


    Reason I ask is I stayed there 12/8-12/12 and used the VIP check in (all the way to the left of the check in area into the first bank of slots on the floor and went thru the 2 smoked glass doors) and they were awesome....had drinks and snack etc and checked us in no problem at 10am?
     
  16. firstkill

    firstkill High-Roller

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    I assume with trying to cash out multiple times they are avoiding "tax issues"
    table games are not taxed unless its a "bonus" win

    from my experience, with transactions of less than 10k a day, they will not file any paper work ( currency transaction report )

    The only annoying thing is with cashing "flags" (the 5k chip) is that they verify under you players card when you color up at the table.

    So the OP could have just did 9000 and gave 1000 to the GF to cash at one time without any issues.


    Fk
     
  17. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    You should be careful doing this. You're exposing yourself to actual trouble versus just letting them file the CTR which is basically innocuous. First of all this is illegal if you're doing it to avoid detection, its called structuring. And if they catch any whiff of you doing it they will file an SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) on you. They will not ask you for your ID or tell you that they are filing this report, they specifically are not supposed to. They will determine who you are based on your surveillance photo and file it that way. You can read a lot about casino protocol on filing SARs on FinCEN. A CTR isn't a signal of anything nefarious, but an SAR is by definition. Especially now in a post 9/11 world you don't want to have your name on SARs.

    Good report though. I love Aria and stay there and mostly gamble there but never noticed this "Free Bet Blackjack" game. Where is it? It has pretty good odds for a new game.
     
  18. firstkill

    firstkill High-Roller

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    Great info on the ctr

    The game is when u walk from the hotel lobby towards the casino floor
    Casino war is to your left. The game is to the right hand side
    Next to the 3card poker

    Fk
     
  19. VDMTom

    VDMTom Low-Roller

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    Not that I know. Pretty easy to play though. Free house double on 9, 10, 11. Free house split on any pairs expect 10s.. I think that's it..

    It was my first time at MGM, I had no idea where that area is. I was only a Pearl so I couldn't use the faster check in either. Now I'm close to Platinum lol.

    Wow, good info. I never knew. Thanks. :)

    Roger that.. looks like I won't do that anymore. :beer:
     
  20. firstkill

    firstkill High-Roller

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    congrats on the win
    hope theres more 5 figure wins for you!

    :beer:

    fk
     
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