April 20-23 RIO

I have read many trip reports on this board and so I thought I'd share mine for the first time. I travel to Vegas 4-5 times per year thanks to free rooms. Normally I go solo, but this trip my husband joined me and made it a very different trip for me.

DAY 1
We left San Antonio on Friday morning and arrived LV at 9am. By the time we rented the car and stopped at Huntington Press to pick up the POV we were off to Rio. Got there at 10am fully expecting our room not to be ready, and also expecting a rude staff from all the other posts I've read on the boards. Was greeted by some VERY friendly front desk people, and headed up to smiling front desk guy... slide $20 between my ID and credit card and asked for a great room. He smiled and said thanks so much and checked us in to a 17 floor room in the Ipanema tower. He said it was a diamond room. I don't know what that means, or if it really was an upgrade because I've never stayed there before.... so don't know if the $20 trick really worked or not. The room was nice, so I didn't really care.

We headed out for breakfast at the Hash House A Go Go and were shocked by the price for breakfast... and I thought mine was just so-so. Will never go there again.
Headed back to hotel because hubby wanted to go to the pool and spa and I wanted to play craps. The crap tables were $25 minimum...way over my head...played anyway and lost $100 in 5 minutes flat. Was pissed off, so went across the street to Gold Coast where $5 table were and played for hours... did OK, doubling my money and making up for my Rio loss. Decided to drive up to Strat and play and I was sitting in parking lot getting ready to go in and hubby calls and want to go shopping for souveners (sp)... So I went all the way back down to get him, then drove back up to the world's biggest gift shop. Hung around there until I was bored silly, and then went downtown. Hubby did not want to walk so we just stood around doing nothing. He didn't want to gamble, so there wasn't much to do since he didn't want to walk and he didn't want to gamble. Decided to go to Roberta's for dinner since we were down there so we sent back to Binions to get the car to drive to El Cortez (he REALLY did not want to walk). I thought the food was great. After dinner he sat at the bar and had a few while I used my match play on a BJ table. Then I hopped around the casino and played a bit of craps until he was waving at me to leave. So off we went. Back to the hotel. He stayed in the room while I played in the Rio on the penny machines (got very bored), played $1 Wheel and lost a hundy, then off to the Gold Coast again to play some craps. Had a great time and strolled in about 3am.

DAY 2
Hubby woke me at 8 with a cup of Starbucks. Got showered and dressed and took a stroll around the pool. We went to breakfast at Gold Coast using the 2-4-1. It was just OK. He was going to hang at the pool and I was going back downtown. Played at Main Street Station, Binions, 4 Queens until around 6pm then headed back to the hotel. Hubby had a great day at the pool at Rio and then the health spa. We got ready to go over to Bally’s and get comped Jubilee tickets and eat at Bally’s buffet before the show. I’d seen the show about 20 years ago and it was his first time and we both agreed it was time for the show to be revamped. At Bally’s I also noticed a changed attitude with the employee’s… they were very, very nice. I had no problems getting tickets to the show – they went over and beyond without me asking and we got great seats. Then I played craps before the show and the pit boss was smiling at me and told me that if there was anything he could do for me to just let him know! I was very impressed! After the show we went back to Rio, hubby went up to room and I went, of course, back to the craps table. It was about 3am and the minimum was $10 bucks so I was in! The table was so much fun and a winning table at that…. I tripled my money and laughed so hard. What a great night. Got in about 6am, and up at 8am (see a no sleep theme here).

DAY 3
What a bittersweet day this was. Took a drive out to Red Rock and did the car trail thing and it was great. Then went over to Red Rock resort for there killer brunch. We had to wait in line close to an hour to get in, but it was worth it. Today hubby actually gambled while I played some very fun craps. He came back to show me he won $760 on a quarter Wheel of Fortune machine. Since I was up a few hundred from craps, it is his nature to want to hit the big slots, so off to the $5 Wheel of Fortune machine we went and instantly lost $100. We played around there a bit, and then decided to drive back.
He went up to the room, and I decided to head to the Palace Station. What a weird place!! I walked in and went to a blackjack table and put down my $10 matchplay and a $5 chip. I won the hand and started to get up. The Asian dealer (all the dealers in here are Asian) said she wanted to color me up... I said what? I only have $50 in chips. She said in a mean voice "I want my red chips!!" I told here she couldn't have them! Finally I just got up and RAN. Went over to a craps table that WOBBLED. I asked the dealers if they thought this was strange and they just look at me like I was speaking English (they were all Asian). I played about 10 minutes there and I had to get out of that casino. Drove over to the Strat, where I've always had great luck, and got clobbered there. Went back to the craps in Rio hoping for a great night like I had the night before and lost more. What a strange night. There were hookers in there coming up to the tables, buying chips and putting on the pass line and that was it. This one was just flirting with all the older men with big piles of $100 chips. Eventually she left with one. Then I went across the street to the $5 tables at Gold Coast and I could not catch a break. All the money I had won, plus the money I took with me gone! Other people came up and said that they kept losing over and over – and I could really relate. Finally at 6am I left so totally bummed out because this is the first time I ever went broke in Vegas and I go about 5 times a year!

DAY 4
Up at 9am because this was the day to leave. Hubby bought this broke lady breakfast and we were off to return the car and then to the airport. We had “A†tickets and were very early so we were the first on the floor in line where I fell asleep. Got in the plane and slept. In San Antonio step son pick us up and I stept in car on the way home. Came home and passed out. When I woke up the next morning HAH… I had a pile of free room comps from 5 different casinos in Vegas. I can’t even think about it now!

 

Quite an enjoyable read, Pam. Thanks for posting!

 

Nice read, Pam.

Interesting take on Hash House A Go Go. I went there a few months back and while I thought the food was good, I didn't think it was worth what they charged, and I didn't like breakfast potatoes, either. Since it's on the other side of town from me, I won't be going back, either.

Sounds like hubby doesn't like to do Vegas as much as you do, huh?

Mikey

 

I loved the almost gender-role reversal of the wife wanting to do all the gambling and the hubby wanting to shop and hang out by the pool. Sorry for your overall loss but hope you both had fun.

 

Pam, it looked like everything was going fairly well gambling wise until that last night and then the gambling gods openend a can of whup ass on you. At least you have alot of comps to look forward to.

 

I can totally relate to the craps loses. I had a very similar experience a week before you. Looks like April was not a good month for craps players.

 

thanks for the TR, I too fund it amusing that you were the
gambler & your hubby was the shopper.. From your
report I think I will stay away from the Asian delears place. (have to
go back & read which casino) that would kind of freak me out..