The Quad – Crappy Craps and Hooker 101 (December 13th – 16th)

This is a bit delayed, but knew I had to get this out here before my next trip. (in a little over two weeks)

This was our second Vegas trip this year, and we certainly had high expectations. We left after our week in April up money and thinking we owned the craps table. Needless to say, that damn observation wheel didn't build itself.

This was a quick weekend trip, flying in on December 13th and leaving the Mecca on December 16th. We once again flew Allegiant out of Des Moines at 1:50 CST. Flight was on time and smooth. Flying from the midwest is always a crap shoot in the winter, but we lucked out in between ice and snow storms.

We arrived in Vegas right about 3pm. First thing for me was complete and utter confusion at where the heck we were. It appears Allegiant has changed terminals, because I've never arrived in Vegas and NOT had to ride the tram. Well, we had to walk about a bazillion miles and no tram. Ehh...who cares, I'm in Vegas, right? Just threw me for a loop.

We walked right up to the taxi stand on a Friday afternoon and caught a taxi immediately. Off to the Quad we go! Traffic wasn't too bad and we were there in no time. There was a minimal line to check in, so we popped over to the Gold line and were checked in immediately. This was the NICEST check in person I've ever dealt with at the Quad. We were checked in and in our room and it wasn't even quite 4pm yet. That might be a record. From the airport to room in under an hour. AWESOME!

First order of business is food. If we don't eat now, we won't eat all night. I do much better in Vegas when I don't drink my supper. So we quickly think of where we are and what options we have. I see a coupon for KGB burger in our packet we got from check in, so that sounded like a plan. We wander over to KGB and are immediately seated. I have a more detailed review of KGB in the restaurant section on this site, but needless to say, we LOVED this place. This might become our go to place when we arrive.

Following dinner, its time to do a little wandering and see whats new/changed in the Linq area. We start by noticing that the Total Rewards booth is now where the cashier was. The cashier is now over by Fat Tuesday on the other side of the casino. My significant other needed a new card, so while he waited, I did a visual review of the casino. Everything looked a little different, lots of things moved around since April. WAIT. WHAT DO I SEE?? Yep. Bubble Craps. RIGHT HERE IN THE QUAD. This was the one item I missed last trip. I had to walk over to the Flamigo or Harrahs to play. That is no more. Score 1 for Wanger.

I drop 40 in the Bubble Craps and turn that sucker into a hundy. Yep, its that easy. (that's what I'm saying in my head) We then proceed to hit up the live table, thinking we own this.

What the next hour turns into is complete and utter obliteration. I dropped $300 in less than 30 minutes and I don't think we hit a point. Not one. Now I don't always expect to win. I've lost plenty at the Craps table. But to lose that much that quickly? It wasn't even fun. We both lost some more and then decided that we couldn't do it anymore. We tried some bubble craps and lost at that too. Ugghh. We decided the best idea was to go somewhere we couldn't lose any more money.

I had never stepped foot into Wynn or Encore, so we decided to take a walk down that way. Huh, not sure I get that place. Its a bit too "fancy schmancy" for me. And empty. Not lively at all. The bathrooms were pretty though. In honor of BJ, we used the facilities and left Steve a present, then went on our way.

We decided to call it a night around 2am. That's pretty early for us, but the losing had taken the wind out of our sails. Worst. First. Day. Ever.

We woke early Saturday am as we had some set plans and a schedule to keep. We decided on Harrahs buffet for a 10am brunch. As per usual, this was a perfectly lovely meal. We didn't have to wait and were in and out of there in less than an hour.

We went back to the Quad, put on warmer clothes, and went to catch a cab downtown. (the plans were to play in the Binions 2pm Saturday tournament) As is par for the course on every Vegas trip, you have some good cabbies, you have some bad cabbies, and you have a few that you will NEVER FORGET! Here in lies the best cab trip since our Russian Vladamir in April. I don't know what her name was, but its also the first female cabbie we've had. It started out like any cab ride. She was pleasant and asked if we were here for the rodeo. (uhhhh....we are long haired harley riding tough cookies, no rodeo for us) Conversation was quiet until she LAID on the horn at someone that cut her off. I yelled out "you go girl" and the rest is history. There was a huge pile up on the Freeway, and this young woman manuevered through traffic like no one I have ever seen. She was brash, obnoxious, swore like a sailor, offended every ethnic group known to man (including her own), and wasn't afraid to risk life and death to get us to our destination. We immediately loved her. She broke multiple laws in getting us there, and I would have happily paid her ticket with an FU smile on my face. She safely got us to Binions and we said our sad goodbyes.

We both signed up for the Binions tournament, and play was slow to start. one hour, two hours, time went by quickly. I was at a table with quite a few older locals, so tight was the action of the day. Next thing I knew, we were down to under 30 players and I had been there 5 hours. I was exhausted and could tell my mental fortitude was gone. I ended up busting out 21st, but felt good about 7 hours of play, even without making the money. We hung around downtown and watched Arena play on the stage. Eventually, we decided it was time to try our luck at the Craps table and see what would happen. Once again, NADA. We dropped a ton of money, and without warning, we were once again done with Craps for the night. It was 11:00 pm, so we decided to sign up for the poker tournmanet at the Quad.

I hated the Quad poker room/tournaments last trip. The room itself was stuck back in a corner, it was FREEZING, and the clientele they attracted sucked. Well. The poker room is now up front, the entire casino is warmer, and because they are up front, this appears to have become a very popular poker tournament. The tournament is cheap and fun. $30 gets you a buy in and is usually good for an hour of your time. They have several tournaments throughout the day. Neither of us made it to the money, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing this tournament. Drink service was great and the crowd was fun to play with. After busting out, we both decided we were hungry. We stopped at Betty’s Café in The Quad and a hot dog served its purpose of filling us up. Because of our bad luck at craps, we decided to attempt a little black jack. Nope. That was NO better. Video Poker it was for the remainder of the evening. We won a little back, but not enough to write home about. Eventually, we gave into sleep and ended this very unsuccessful Vegas Day.

We woke up Sunday morning refreshed and ready to conquer the world. Well, we woke up at least. It was already afternoon before we got ourselves going. Oh yea, that’s right, we took a brutal beat down at the craps table and proceeded to drink our sorrows. Now I know why I feel like I used my head as a hammer. I decide that the best way to turn this around is to make a trip to one of my FAVORITE places on earth. Peppermill. It’s a hike down there, so we decided to cab it down there. An easy $10 ride and we are sitting perusing the menu. I stuck with breakfast and my significant other decided on a burger. It was delish.

After heading out, I decided that I wanted to visit Riviera before they shutter the place. (since I never got a chance to see Sahara before it happened) The place was like a funeral parlor. No one in there and nothing much going on. I did note some options for future adventures. Does anyone spend any time in Riviera? Seems the answer to that is no. It’s a shame, as the place was probably once a gem.

We head out and walk back to the room and the sun is already starting to set. How late did we sleep? We get back to The Quad and decide to play a poker tournament to limit our losses. Because I was still hurting from my losses, I continued to shy away from the craps table. My significant decided he was done gambling for the night and wanted to wander. I decided to sit in the sports book and catch some basketball. Bored, I wandered once again to the craps table. Good thing. There was a hot roller, and I was going to get in on this action. I ended up winning back a few hundred of my losses. I texted my buddy and he said “I’m going to get some money and I’ll be over”. An hour passed and he’s nowhere to be seen. I texted again. No answer. Then I see him walking towards me. It seems he wasn’t able to get any money because his license is expired. UH OH. The lady even asked how he was able to fly here. She said, you probably won’t even make it home. Well, that’s a problem for tomorrow. Tonight is still tonight.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m naïve about things in Vegas. I don’t recognize drug deals going down or the difference between a girl in a dress and high heels and a girl in a dress and high heels for hire. So, class was in session as promised, Hooker 101. I had asked after the last trip to help “peg” certain ladies. The bait was set. Class is in session. After an hour or two of bait and switch, I now think I have a very good understanding of how the process works. And to my fellow ladies out there, I have a question. Why aren’t there any “men of the night” walking around? I feel cheated. Regardless, this was quite the fun excursion and an education was had.

At this point, it was 3am. We were both “well lubricated” and wondering what to do next. I decided a small amount of sleep might be a good thing. (since the debacle of our last trip and the flight home) We headed up to our room and caught a few zzz’s before needing to leave.

7am came early. (duh) We packed up and caught a cab to the airport. Because of the expired license, my friend was panicking. What if they won’t let him on the flight? How will he get home? A side plan was already made to rent a car and drive home. Vegas to Iowa is do-able, right? Sure, it could be done.

We get in the security line and I force him to go first, just in case. The lady scanned his license, and I could feel him getting more and more nervous by the minute. It seemed to take AN ETERNITY. Eventually, she looked up at him and said “sir, you know your license is expired”. He quietly said yes. I held my breath. “Sir, make sure you get this renewed when you get home, have a nice flight”. Exhale. All was well, and we would be heading home.

The flight was a blur as we both slept most of the way. The drive home was scary as I was TIRED. I hate that the plane landing is only half my trip. We still have a 2 plus hour drive to home. (wish we had a closer airport) It was a great trip, but provided some very interesting learning experiences.

1. 3 days in Vegas isn’t enough. Not even close. I’m glad our upcoming trip is a week.
2. Wynn/Encore aren’t for me. Maybe when I’m older and wanting more luxury. But for now, I got to Vegas for non-stop excitement. This place doesn’t have it.
3. Cab drivers in Vegas are a mixed bag. But if you get a good one, TIP. It will make the next person ride that much more enjoyable as well.

Thanks for reading and VIVA LA VEGAS!

 

Nice report.....thanks for posting. We do 5-6 nites and still want more. After our 1st trip of 3 nites....knew would never do that again...lol.

 

Thanks for sharing! Look forward to your next one!

 

Nice report. Sounds like you had a good time. We almost always fly Allegiant because 1. It is our only direct flight & 2. It is still cheaper than our other options, even adding in the nickel & diming they do.

Our first 4 or 5 trips were all four nights and now, that is just not enough time. Our ideal is 6-7 nights. However this next trip will be another short one (4 nights) since we were just there in March and spent 8 night.

Thanks for sharing!! Have fun on your next trip. I need the course in Hooker 101...I guess I am naive that way too. LOL

p,s, Would love to come down to your state again this summer for the Freedom Rally....GREAT times. (last year was 1st time)

 

Wow, your friend was lucky. My licence expired once, while I was there. I was searched, my bag was searched, forms were filled out, it took and hour to get through.

 

Yep, that is exactly what I was worried about, as I've heard horror stories. I think we probably just got an airport security rep who was in a good mood and probably not wanting to deal with it. Lesson learned!

 

Awesome time, I agree! We hope to be able to make it this year again as well!

 

The expired license issue caught me by surprise on my last trip. One the way out nothing was said.

Trying to get a players card reprinted was impossible. Everywhere I went to get a card reprinted the rep identified that the license was expired and no card for me even though I already had an account. I did have a Boyd card for the craps play downtown, but no poker tourney's for me.

On the way out the TSA agent noticed it and let me know it was expired and to get it renewed.

 

Great TR, enjoyable read!!