4/24-4/28 Treasure Island TR (My 1st time)

[highfives]

This is my first trip report and first trip to vegas so bear with me. My plane left from Hartford CT at 7:30 am Wednesday with a short layover in Dallas before heading into Vegas around noontime. We get to the airport and end up taking a limo to our hotel (Treasure Island). The line for the taxis was real long and my buddy and I thought why not, it’s Vegas. We asked the limo driver to stop at a liquor store before bringing us to the hotel so we could get a bottle or two of some hard stuff to help us jump-start our evenings. Well we brought us to a place that only sold beer. We bought some coronas and coors light, got back in the car and asked him if he could take us to a place where they also sold hard stuff to which he seemed very aggravated with and said “I don’t drink I don’t know where to goâ€. My buddy and me were like…you drive around Vegas for a living how can that be? He again said he didn’t drink and didn’t know…but didn’t radio or anything to help us. He wanted us out of his limo so he could get his next 60 bucks. We ended up passing 3 on the way to TI. Needless to say his tip was very small and the trip started out with a bad experience of the service of Vegas.

Our first night was spent getting settled and then we walked the strip for the first time ever. It was crazy to see how big these hotels and casinos were! They each had their little staple to them (TI-pirate ship, mirage- volcano, Bellagio- water show). We ended up wondering into the Bellagio and played some poker. I played 2-5 no limit with 200 bucks and so did my friend. Sammy Farha and Gus Hansen, two poker pros, were playing in the high stakes area but it was cool to know they were in the same room. I didn’t really see them though. After a few hours I left the table up 400 bucks! Not a bad start to the trip! I continued to play some video poker at the bar to get some crown on the rocks comped. I then went over to play some craps and hit some points before getting a bad streak and leaving even. We then met up with another friend of ours and head out to get a taxi nice and buzzed. At this point I am kinda drunk and tired from the east coast difference so we decide no more drinking, and head to the Orleans buffet (one of my friends said it was tasty). We see Seamless, a huge strip club and promise to go there once on the trip but we never did, and head into the Orleans. The buffet was pretty good and not a bad deal at 12 bucks. We eat and head back to TI. I felt like a Vegas failure at 1030 going to bed but I was so tired and I didn’t want the rest of my trip hindered by doing too much the first night. Plans were made to head to the Price is Right at Bally’s the next day….

MORE TO COME TOMORROW! Sorry I can't write more I am getting tired.

 

[highfives]

first full day

I wake up at 9 am and can’t sleep any longer. We have plans to get to Bally’s for a 2 o’clock Price is Right game show. While my friend was in the shower I decide to go gamble downstairs at TI with some of my winnings from the night before….bad idea. I played some single deck blackjack and some casino war. Both games I lost 100 bucks very quickly. I was the only one at the tables so I was seeing cards very quickly and losing very quickly. We head out and while on the boardwalk out in front of the pirate ships at our hotel, we get talked into looking at some timeshare for 300 bucks in free slot play and food. So we had to get back there the next day for 11 am…we hope we just didn’t make a mistake.

Registering for the Price is Right is quick and easy. Becoming a Bally’s card member gives us 10 dollars off our tickets so we do that (regularly 43 now 33). We have 2 hours to kill so it was time for Margaritaville! Damn those Margaritas were tasty! Had a nice lunch and 2 margaritas and now it was price is right time..There were about 1000 people in the audience for this show. I didn’t know what to expect before the curtain went up. Was I about to see cars being won? Could I get down to contestants row!? Well to end the suspense I was not chosen to go down to contestants row.

The way they chose who got to go down for their chance to bid on an opening item to play was by playing a handheld game in the audience. Everyone had to guess from a list of items which one was least expensive then most expensive. The quickest correct answers got called to “come on down!â€. They played all the favorites- the hole in one game, plinko, mountain climber and 3 others I can’t remember right now. The disappointment with the show was the prizes. Everything was very watered down from what you see on television. For example lets take Plinko..normally there is 10,000 in the middle slot. Here the middle slot was only worth 500. The showcases at the end had cars and trips but there was a catch, you needed to bid within 1000 of the showcase price. If not, you win a few showcase items but not the cars. The new Mustang was one of the cars. Bottom line was the Price is Right is more about the show than winning. I didn’t see anyone win anything big at all. .

After the show we gambled at Bally’s. My luck continued to take a turn for the worse as I lost 200 playing craps. My friend however had some real good luck at the table. He kept doubling his field bets and he kept hitting. At one point he had 300 out there and doubled it! He took his money off right in time. So we left with him up 1000 and me down 200.

The rest of the night had lots of drinking and karaoke at the Imperial Palace (we did “If I had a million dollars†by Bare Naked Ladies). We tried to get into Curve at the Alladin but I guess the club was under construction. The night ends with some drunken gambling and plans for Coyote Ugly are made for Friday…

 

[MOGEYBOY03]

HighFives, if i have said it once i have said it a million times.....you never forget the first time !

 

[highfives]

Well I guess I'll just sum up the rest of the trip quickly. Friday we did this time share tour to get a bunch of free stuff, then ate at Kahunaville in TI. I highly recommend it for a cheaper meal and fun atmosphere. I got a huge fish bowl rum runner that had dry ice in it making it bubble. It looked as cool as it tasted.

Friday night we found our way to New York New York and Coyote Ugly. I had free admission passes so I had a choice to make. Either wait in a long line and get in for free, or pay the bouncer off and get in now. I paid the bouncer. Money does get you places in Vegas! I felt a little too cool after that...Anyways Coyote Ugly was just like the movie. The Coyote girls were gorgeous and they were very persuassive to getting girls on the bar. Any chicks who went on the bar got free shots. So that was fun place for two guys to go to. The music wasn't too clubby and the atmosphere was fun.

Saturday was the biggest blur day for me. I do remember the predrinking rides at the Statosphere though. I am a big chicken when it comes to rides but it was Vegas so I thought what the hell. Let me tell you, those rides are scary, especially if you hate heights. I was swearing at my friend for dragging me on them. But afterwards I was glad I went.

Saturday night we got dressed up kinda nice and did some gambling to start. I played some video poker and hit a straight flush which was a nice 200 payoff. I was drinking redbulls and vodka to charge me up. We tried to get into Curve at the Alladin but that club was closed for construction. So instead, we headed to Mandalay Bay and a place called Rum Jungle. It was just the place we were looking for. Not too clubby but alot of fun. 2 shots of Patron tequila and 2 double Bacardi and Red Bulls cost 67 bucks! We spent alot but had fun. The drunkeness afterwards led to the downtown just to see it, then the strip club (we told the taxi driver just to take us to what he thought was the best one). All in all my last night in Vegas was crazy.

Sunday we had a late late departure flight so I stopped at O'shea's casino to play in one of the sit and go poker tournaments. 60 bucks to play and winner took all. I beat out 7 players to win 350. Which was nice on the last day. I also had a nice craps roll at TI (I hit 7 straight points) and had the buffet there and headed to the airport. The flight was over an hour delayed so I put 100 in a wheel of fortune slot and lost. Finally the plane came and it was bye bye to Las Vegas.

Even though I have the casinos here in CT, I will go back to Vegas. There is no place like it!!

 

[DBear]

Sounds like you had a profitable 1st time in Vegas. Did you ultimately come up ahead with all those winnings?

 

[highfives]

No I left down 900 which is ok by me!

 

[doctor_al]

Sounds like you guys had a great first time in the city. I didn't even hear you b*tch about the timeshare presentation!

 

[highfives]

No but let me warn anyone who agrees to one...they pressure you, hard. But if you are nice and exlpain to them why you can't right now, they will be nice back. And you will get compensated with slot free play or food vouchers. It was worth it for me.

 

[sin]

Great report. Good to hear you all had a great time. I'm curious about how much of that $900 you spent in the strip club

 

[highfives]

Haha my buddy actually took it upon himself to buy me a lap dance. My first one ever. So that was...interesting..