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Just Booked The First Half Of My Sept Trip...Sept 18-24

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by RockyBalboa, Jul 15, 2014.

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  1. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Tonight I responded to an e-mail from what I believe is a host from V/P (title in her email is Casino Relationship Manager). I am not sure if that is a real host or just a marketing person? Either way I was able to get three nights at Palazzo, a small F&B credit, and some free play $200). Anything else would be back end comps...which I am completely ok with. During SB Weekend I really played a lot at V/P and she e-mailed me originally not too long after that trip ended.

    My actual trip is September 18th-24th and when I called the V/P lady I initially told her Sept 18th-21st is when I wanted to stay at The Palazzo and she said it was a busy weekend so she could only do one night comped and two at casino rate along with the F&B and free play. I then asked about the 21st-24th and she was able to do all comped.

    I looked on a site that showed that there is some sort of convention at V/P with 14k attendees for the 18th-21st so that makes sense.

    This is also the first trip that I am taking that longer than four nights so I am likely going to switch hotels. I have never been a fan of switching hotels mid-trip so I am still unsure about this.

    Anyhow I went to MLife to look at The Mirage and Aria rates and they have been pumped up quite a bit from when I started my initial Vegas Reconnaissance weeks ago. I have zero status with MLife but wanted to stay at Mirage or Aria to get myself back on their radar. Plus I love The Mirage so I wanted to stay there again.

    Is there something going on the 18th-21st that would cause the room rates to jump? I waited until after Labor Day, Mayweather's fight and settled on these dates.

    I am likely going solo so this is going to be a full blown gambling trip and I cannot wait.

    I may try to call ahead to see if I can snag a casino rate with a host at Mirage since I don't really expect to be comped upfront since I haven't played at ML properties in a couple years and when I did my bankroll then isn't what it is now so the data isn't accurate.

    Or I may contact the awesome lady (she seemed really nice) at V/P and ask that in addition to the three comped nights if I can get casino rate for the first three? Would they do that?

    This year has been extremely busy and stressful at work but the fruits of the long hours have paid off and I will be taking my biggest bankroll to town...

    My written-in-pencil itinerary...

    18th - arrive around noon with hopes of an early check-in so I can get settled in for the Thursday Night NFL and college games and get my bets in on time.

    19th - study the Saturday CFB lines and lay down my bets and then clean out a few dealer's chip racks at the tables

    20th - College Football all damn day + get in the NFL bets for the next day (CFB likely to be spent sitting at Mirage's book). Then it's off to the dice tables.

    21st - NFL SUNDAY! My Eagles will face off against our old WR DeSean Jackson. PS - I hate the Redskins. GO BIRDS! I will probably be renting a couch at Lagasse's for the Eagles game. Then its craps until my legs fall asleep.

    22nd - craps + blackjack +Monday Night Football

    23rd - TBD + Mob Museum + whatever else strikes my fancy

    24th - leaving
     
  2. scohitch

    scohitch Low-Roller

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    Not sure of your bankroll, but you'd have a better chance of getting the Mirage comped if you wire money to their cage. A host can give you an idea of the amount necessary. Remember, to remain in their good graces, what's wired there must be played there. Sounds a lot like a certain Las Vegas saying...
     
  3. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    You scared me with that Mayweather comment. Conjuring up a trip for 9/3 to 9/9.
     
  4. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Good idea - I hadn't considered that since I have never done it before. I will look into it!
     
  5. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Yeah I was originally going to do the 11th through the 17th but saw that Floyd was fighting and knew it'd be crazy that weekend.

    I mentioned this in another thread where someone asked if the board members had "Vegas ADD" and I certainly do. I get there and anything I had planned goes out the window. However since this is the longest trip I will have done I will be making a definite effort to mix in non-gaming activities and to actually relax. I will still degen it up with the best of them but in addition to my traditional Vegas straight razor shave I will be doing some spa/massage time.
     
  6. chess

    chess VIP Whale

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    Rocky.... I like the way you are thinking.... love the itinerary !!
     
  7. Tahoejoe2

    Tahoejoe2 VIP Whale

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    Rocky
    I'll be staying at Ballys 19th - 22nd for a $150,000 Poker Tournament invite at the Flamingo.
    Solo trip. Born and raised in Philly. Went to high school(Cheltenham HS) with Reggie Jackson.
    Love solo trips. Don't need to wait for anyone. Football, Football & Football. Love it.
    Have you ever been to Pop's in LV? Does it still exist? They say it's the best Philly Cheesesteak in LV. I'm going to finally try it this trip.
     
  8. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    What's up, Joe! I haven't heard of Pop's but I will investigate as I always like to try Philly Cheesesteak places in other cities to see how close people can come to replicating the real deal from back home. If I can find a place with a good steak. porkroll sandwich and Frank's Black Cherry I will be in heaven!

    Agreed on solo trips. I enjoy hanging out with my buddies there on guy trips and my girlfriend and I both love Vegas BUT...the solo trips are awesome.

    I am not a poker player but if you'd like to meet up and have a beer at a VP bar let me know!
     
  9. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    I e-mailed my contact today to see about staying the whole six nights so I wouldn't have to move and she was very quick in calling me. Like five minutes after my e-mail was sent she called me. Unfortunately she said that even casino rates for the first leg of the trip were high due to the events they had there. So I will be really drilling down on rates at Aria and Mirage...probably checking a couple times a day to see if they drop to where I want them to be.

    I will book Mirage to lock in what I see there now and if I get better then I will re-book or flip to Aria.

    Another thing...I remembered today that I THINK I got a mailing from Wynncore awhile back that offered three nights. If my memory is right and they are indeed free and I can use them on a weekend then I will book that.
     
  10. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    I've been doing a little research for a fall trip and found those days at V/P to be pretty salty too. I think I called about Sept 20-23 and was told Sun and Mon would be comped but Sat was something astronomical like $329! There were some extras involved but not enough to make up for that price. I just figured it was because I hadn't given them much play lately, but evidently they're booked pretty good because I know you play there more than I do.

    The only offer I have from Wynncore runs out on Sept 18th I believe. I was chatting with my host the other day to see if there was anything good coming up and she said another round of offers would be coming out in early August. I don't know if that goes for everyone. But if you don't have any offers now, keep an eye out at the first of the month.
     
  11. Tahoejoe2

    Tahoejoe2 VIP Whale

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    Rocky

    Thanks for the invite. But as we both stated, solo trips are nice because there are no commitments. Maybe I'll stop by Lagasse's during the Eagles game. I'll be wearing my Eagles hat.
    I don't know if you will have a car, but my buddy always plays craps at the Silverton. 10X odds. He wins a lot.
     
  12. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Yeah I don't recall what events they have at V/P but it was like 14k people which is decent. And I saw today that Mr Olympia competition is in town that weekend. They show 30k people for that. Surely Mr Olympia doesn't bring 30k people and register enough of bump to move hotel room prices up that much right?!

    I have never really played at Wynncore. I had a Red Card and played there one trip with my girlfriend when they had a game called Rock & Roll Dice. We sat for several hours and it was fun (game has disappeared from there and never was picked up elsewhere). And this was back when I was a relatively new Vegasholic and my roll wasn't much.

    My most memorable part of the Wynn was the Red Card desk girl. She was from somewhere in Europe if I recall correctly and smokin' hot. She sees that I lived in Houston and is like "oh I am going there tomorrow for vacation". I asked her who in their right mind vacations here and she said she was coming here to look for a man. No shit, really?! All this going down with my girl standing right next to me. Damn!

    So I just got home and went to the Vegas Mailer File and found Wynncore's letter. Straight up fishing offer. It says...

    Three complimentary nights in a resort room + $50 free slot play

    Available dates: June 3-19, 22-30, July 1-31, August 1-18, 21-28, September 1-6 and 14-27...score.

    Now lets hope it isn't totally booked....calling now
     
  13. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Sounds good! I will be there on a couch in an Eagles polo and green fitted hat with a black bill.
     
  14. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    BOOM!

    Wynn booked for Sept 18th-21st in a Panoramic Room. All three nights comped per that mailer. Thank goodness I saved that bad boy.

    And let me tell you something - the reservation representative I spoke to was one of the nicest ladies I have ever spoken to. We had a genuinely good conversation for about 15min. I already can feel the Wynncore love.

    Now? Time to book the flights. United has first class showing for $550. This trip is starting off fantastic.
     
  15. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    Nice! :beer:

    I'm jealous of those first class fares! I'm looking at paying a few bucks more than that plus a boatload of miles for my fall trip.

    I'm sure you'll enjoy Wynn. I believe the panoramic rooms are on the top few floors so you ought to have nice views of the V/P - Mirage - TI area or the golf course (I actually prefer the golf course views).
     
  16. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Thanks!

    Yeah the fares are low. I paid $700 for the same in February and the same FC fare to Philly was over $800. So I'm one pumped up fella this evening.

    I just looked over the restaurants there and Botero and SW look appealing and of course Zooszacrackers.

    Since you're a Wynn vet any tidbits of info you can tell me about the blackjack rules and craps there?

    Also what kind of play do they look for at the same games for future comps?
     
  17. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    For craps, you’re going to find that it’s pretty similar to V/P, IMO. $10-15-25 tables mostly (but with a few more $100 and “reserved” tables), the distribution of which will depend on how busy things are. Dealers are friendly, professional and very appreciative of tokes. They aren’t exactly wild and crazy. But they certainly won’t try to rain on your parade either – if the table is a rowdy one, they’ll join in…just don’t expect them to lead the way (if that makes any sense).

    Wynn has far more tables and the casino definitely has a more party-like vibe. But for some reason, I usually have a lot more fun shooting craps at Encore. I think I just seem to have a better rapport with the crews on that side for whatever reason. If you’re playing in the late afternoon, do so on the Encore side – the Encore Beach Club will have let out and you usually get a handful of drunk 20-somethings wearing next to nothing stop by the tables for a few rolls. Also, I’ve been offered a free buffet pass (without using points) from the pit bosses several times while playing craps in the daytime at Encore.

    Wynncore’s long shot bets are the “all small”, “all tall” and “all or nothing” bets.

    Blackjack at Wynn/Encore isn’t the best on the strip. But it isn’t the worst either. The best tables at Wynn are along the “back” (easternmost) side of the casino. The best double deck games are right by the B Bar and HL room. They’re H17, but there are no doubling restrictions of any kind. During the day and some weeknights, you can find $50 tables here. But weekend nights, they’re all going to be $100 and up. The best shoe games are near the Asian games and across from the HL room. They have all the good rules (S17, DAS, RSA, late surrender) and minimums run from $50 to several hundred (I’ve seen $25 once but it was very slow Monday or Tuesday morning).

    If you don’t want to pay the steep price of admission for the best games, decent six deck games (H17 but all the rest of the rules are the good ones) can be found throughout the casino. Minimums can be as low as $10 when it is really slow. But more often than not, you’ll be looking at $15-50 minimums, with $25 being the most common.

    At the lower limits, Encore has pretty much the same BJ as Wynn, except with many more 6:5 tables thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, you won’t find any S17 tables on the main floor at Encore. So, if you want to play a shoe game for higher stakes either play at Wynn or go to the HL room. I’ve noticed on my past few trips that the HL room at Encore often has much lower BJ minimums than Wynn’s HL room ($100 vs. $300-500).

    In general, I would say that the minimums for both BJ and craps are usually a bit lower on the Encore side.

    Both places have great cocktail service for the table games but mediocre service for the machines. With Encore being much smaller and usually more sparsely populated, once the CW first serves you and knows you’re drinking and tipping, you’ll end up telling her “no thanks” more often than you’ll order a drink!

    If you play VP, do it on the Wynn side. Wynn probably has 10+ times the number of (what I consider) “playable” machines. And of course, neither casino will comp drinks at the bar top machines. (But if you aren’t drinking and want to play, the bar tops have some of the best pay tables.)

    $100 hand at BJ will get you occasional offers (probably similar to the one you’ll be using). $200/hand and you’ll always have comped rooms. My sister gets sporadic offers for 2-3 free nights (sometimes just Sun-Thur, sometimes no restrictions) and she's usually playing $25 BJ - probably averaging a bit under $50, I'd guess. I’m not really sure how they rate craps, though.

    Put a few bucks through the slots. They do seem to reward slot (and to a lesser extent, VP) play better than table action...but so does everyone.
     
  18. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Excellent stuff, thank you.

    I have only played DD once and I'd like to try it again this trip.I'd like to get on a six deck shoe game with S17 and I am ok with playing $50-200 per hand. I prefer to sit at 50-100 tables so I can back my base bet down when warranted and I am an aggressive bettor so stacking up when its hot I have no problem with.

    Great insight on the Encore craps tables and the fine ladies of Encore Beach Club hanging around...I will be there!

    I am not much of a VP player but will donk off a few bucks while having a couple beers and catching up on highlights on ESPN sitting at a bar.

    My bankroll is probably going to be $2k per day over the six days. It's been awhile since I won starting the trip off so I'm thinking that a nice $50 six deck game is going to pay out nicely for me...positive thoughts on the gambler's fallacy of I'M EFFING DUE!
     
  19. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Now that the full six nights of accommodation's are taken care of and the flight is booked I have been digging in on non-gambling things I want to do. I will have a guys trip for SB and MM weekends so I want this to be fully solo. I had the ladyfriend's blessing for a solo trip too. "You've worked hard...you deserve it. Go have fun!" Awesome.

    Mob Museum is on the list. I wanted to go on the last trip but never made it. I love mafia history, movies and TV shows so this is a must do.

    Royal Shave at The Art of Shaving is something I will do again. The only thing that sucks is I have to let some stubble grow in and I hate that. So I think I will book the appointment for the day I arrive. Check in at The Wynn and then head over to The Canal Shoppes to get it done.

    Two massages. One in the beginning of the trip to get me relaxed and one at the end to work out all the Vegas damage.

    Since this is going to be a heavy sports themed trip I just looked at the college football and full NFL schedules...

    Marquee games for me:

    COLLEGE
    Auburn vs K-State
    Clemson vs Florida State
    Oklahoma vs West Virginia
    Florida vs Alabama
    Miss St vs LSU
    Miami vs Nebraska

    NFL

    EAGLES vs Redskins
    Texans vs Giants
    Denver vs Seattle (oh really? I return to the scene of the crime from my SB weekend beatdown...shit)
    Packers vs Detroit
    49ers vs Cardinals
    Bears vs Jets

    I am salivating thinking about lounging around betting sports and enjoying drinks for a weekend. A perfect two day intermission from hardcore table gaming.

    One thing I have been thinking about is my Vegas evolution. I talked about previous trips with my girlfriend and marveled at how when we took our first trip I knew nothing about gambling and was nervous to even play anything. I waited until 4am to try craps on an empty table (we happened to be walking through Bill's) and only stayed for a couple minutes.

    My gambling bankroll was, I think, $1600 for four days. Now that won't even be one day's bankroll. Oh how things change over four years time! The fruits of hard work have paid off and I'm thankful to be able to go live it up in Vegas!
     
  20. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Looking over The Wynn's confirmation e-mail and saw this...

    Which I am well aware of but it is the first time I have ever seen it in writing on an offer confirmation. I looked at my Palazzo confirmation and it makes no mention.

    I also opened up the T&C's of The Wynn offer and saw this:

    So I am curious as I have always read that the rooms must be paid for first and then additional comps can be added on after that. This makes it sound like that isn't true.

    I looked at the rates for that weekend and it was something like $1800 for the nights I will be there. Now obviously that has the mark-up on there. Does anyone know what the casino rate is to which they'd base the comps off of?
     
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