Full Circle - HGS - Cosmic Cosmo! - 12/1-12/4

[i.am.spartacus]

Feels strange coming back exactly two weeks after I left. Almost like I extended my trip, rather than the start of a new one?

This is trip 8 of 10 for the year; my last solo. Going back to Cosmo, where I started my first for 2025. Full circle!

When I started coming back to Vegas in 2024, I chose Mlife as the program I’d concentrate all my play. Mlife checked all the boxes for me, but the primary reasoning was that it felt like the best fit for my family. All my stays in 2024 we're within MGM, with the exception of an extended stay that started at the Venetian.

Fast forward to the end of 2025, and my preference for the North is growing stronger each trip. (I consider Wynncore North )

So, why the change of heart?

Historically, my offers from MGM have been on the low side, IMHO. I tried pretty much everything to get them up, to no avail. The final straw for me was seeing my offers go down after finishing up my biggest trip ever. It started to feel like I was the unwanted step child. Loyalty goes both ways right?

To give you some context, I've spent a total of 5 nights at Cosmo this year compared to 10 at RWLV. Yet, my coin-in with MGM still exceeds that of RW. Much much lower play at Wynncore, Venetian, and Fontainebleau. Yet every program gives me more or slightly less FP than MGM.

While I won't discount Mlife all together, I'll definitely be spending a lot less time with them in 2026. This will be my 3rd and final stay with MGM this year. It wouldn't be too farfetched to do no stays with them in 2026.

So why am I going back now? I still love MGM. No other chain on the strip has what they offer imo. From the vast selection of restaurants, to the different themed hotels, and the ease of casino hopping. They truly have it all.

Definitely not planning on giving them heavy play like my previous stays. We all know how that usually goes for me, but really, my heart has moved on.

So plans for this trip.

• I've been enjoying having a car while in town so much, I decided to buy one! My brother connected me to his Jeep guy, so I'll be picking up my new Jeep on arrival. He's got plenty of space at his house, so I'll be keeping it there when I'm not in town. Thanks brother!
• Check out a few new casinos. Not sure which yet, but Aliante is high up on the list since I've got some comps with Boyd now. Maybe South Point as well?
• Eat steak! I've been seriously missing Bavettes, been way to long.
• LMP cheesecake! Always forget about it. Silly since I love cheesecake. Will definitely be getting it this time.
• Enjoy the view. Not sure when I'll be back to Cosmo, so I fully intend to take advantage of that balcony view.

Currently sitting on my plane waiting to get de-iced. Been waiting around a hour, perfect for getting this TR started! Once I land, it's straight to the dealership to pick up my car. Then it's off to Palms to grab some food and use my FP.

See ya on the other side!

 

[OlyPhotog]

Land the triple major ball and win the Jeep money!

 

[LovablePenguin]

Where ya Labubu at?

Good luck, win bigly, and eat well!

 

[Jsmile898]

You are back again?!?

Take MGM money mmmm'ookay?
And this time actually open the Asian marketing gift basket.

Btw back in the day, it was quite common for casinos to give away cars. Missed opportunity

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Touchdown! What a beautiful day to fly. Smooth flight in til descent, some minor right of passage to Vegas turbulence. Dealership is sending an Uber so no fancy casino transport today.

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Land the triple major ball and win the Jeep money!

Didn't even think of that, I shall manifest!

Where ya Labubu at?

Good luck, win bigly, and eat well!

Labubu is nobubu. They're all back at the compound, well protected and comfy!

You are back again?!?

Take MGM money mmmm'ookay?
And this time actually open the Asian marketing gift basket.

Btw back in the day, it was quite common for casinos to give away cars. Missed opportunity

We'll see if I get one. If I do, it's going straight to my brother's house.

I think Wynn is doing a car give away for a Bugatti or McLaren or something? You should go play there!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Calm before the storm.

 

[maxev]

You're a shopping mall mogul and now a Jeep owner, you might as well get a seasonal Nevada ID to grab all the locals discounts!

I'd still give MGM another shot. I think in addition to theo/coin-in, they look at regular consistent visits.

 

[CheapSlot]

Good luck and enjoy your new ride!

 

[MohrPfun]

Jeep pics! Jeep pics!

And then we get to name him/her. That’s just how it works around here, ask @moongoa

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Sorry for being MIA, lots to catch up on. Will do an update tomorrow. Calling it an early night for now, need some sleep!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Haven't forgotten about this TR! Will catch up later today. In the meantime, good morning, what a beautiful day here in Vegas.

 

[MohrPfun]

Buenos dias! That is a delightfully high floor wrap, looks like high 60s, floor wise.

I'm feeling 68, but am gonna guess 67, final answer!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

You're a shopping mall mogul and now a Jeep owner, you might as well get a seasonal Nevada ID to grab all the locals discounts!

I'd still give MGM another shot. I think in addition to theo/coin-in, they look at regular consistent visits.

Yeah, I'm sure something in their algorithm doesn't value me. Unfortunately for them, the other casinos do!

Buenos dias! That is a delightfully high floor wrap, looks like high 60s, floor wise.

I'm feeling 68, but am gonna guess 67, final answer!

High 50's actually. They put me in the Chelsea Tower this go around.

 

[MohrPfun]

Yeah, I'm sure something in their algorithm doesn't value me. Unfortunately for them, the other casinos do!

High 50's actually. They put me in the Chelsea Tower this go around.

The Orbi view almost makes it worth it tho!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

So I contemplated writing about this; ultimately decided to go with it, since I'm treating these TR's as my 2025 Vegas diary. For those just interested in the TR, feel free to skip. I'll get back on track shortly!

So. Let's talk about ghosts.

Well, before all that, let's talk about yesterday.

Yesterday was just... off. It started off with a longer than normal delay to get the plane de-iced. First we had to wait in line, then when it was our turn, they ran out of de-icing fluid. In the end, it was a little over an hour delay. The flight was pleasant enough, but my seat mate was an old man who just wanted to talk the entire way. Sure, whatever. I enjoy conversations. Problem was, he was very hard of hearing. I had to raise my voice just to get him to hear me. I felt really bad for the people around me, but he kept on asking questions, disregarding any hint that I did not want to talk anymore. Something about it just felt off, even sinister.

So I land, make my way over to the Jeep dealership. Long story short, they added some additional junk fees that were not brought up during negotiations. What was suppose to be a quick signing and handoff, turned into a hour + long ordeal of re-negotiating. It wasn't the dollar amount that bothered me, but the integrity. Towards the end, I stepped outside to call my brother and asked him what type of relationship he had with this guy because I was about to walk. Without asking me why, he just said, "F' him, walk!" I suspect they got a higher offer from someone else, which is why they were playing games. Apparently 2022 stock Jeeps in Gobi are hard to come by?

So no new car, oh well, I'm not a Jeep guy anyway!

I made my way to my brother's house and grabbed a car to head out to Palms. Probably should've made my way over to Cosmo to decompress a bit, but the slots were calling! Off the bat, everything I touched was just gobbling up my money. Got a few lucky hits towards the end to cut some of the losses though. Left down around 1k. Was supposed to eat, but I just had no appetite at that point.

Get to Cosmo and everything just feels off again. I asked to confirm I was in the Boulevard Tower, some clicking, and nope, Chelsea Tower. She clicks away again and informs me the only Wrap they have in the B tower is on a very low floor, under the Bellagio sign. So I go with the C Tower. My first time staying in this tower, not a fan. The B tower has been fantastic for me. Everything still feels in good shape. Can't say the same for Chelsea. Everything just feels dirtier? The room is actually in pretty good shape, minus the carpet. It's the hallways for me. Not sure if they use the same carpet and lighting, but it just feels older here. It didn't help that the lightbulb at the end of the hallway where my room is located is out.

Anyway, I settle in and go down to get some dinner. Ate China Poblano, food was great, but again, I just couldn't shake this feeling that everything was off. So I finish up and go down to play. Palms was like jackpot city compared to this place. But again, everything just felt really off and dirty. It wasn't until I went to the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror, that I realized it was me. Something about me was off, like a really bad energy.

So about ghosts.

Spirits, demons, superstition, or whatever you want to refer to it as. I'm not an overly spiritual person, but I do believe in the paranormal. Don't want to get into here because this will turn into a 5 page short story, but I will say, anyone that spends a lot of time with me will admit they've experienced some paranormal stuff. I don't obsess over it or anything like that, but I do acknowledge it as reality. For those that don't believe in this stuff, just chalk it up as my mind was just not in the right place.

At this point, I realized I needed to head up and call it a night. It was around 7:30pm. I disconnected from everything, and took a really hot bath. No phone, no computer, no TV. Sat out on the balcony (Chelsea view is just as good!) and just relaxed. No thoughts.

Eventually called it a night around 8:30pm and knocked out really fast surprisingly. Woke up around 4am feeling great! Finally reconnected and caught up on some emails and made some calls. Did a bankroll count and I was down around 7k. Not good, not bad. Plenty of time to make some back!

Went down to the casino around 6am and a lot of the same as the night before. But this time it didn't feel so dirty. My mentality was definitely back on track. Win or lose, I always have fun in the casino. Played til 8am and went north to check out Aliante. Again, a lot of losing, but I was having fun. I was definitely back to my usual self.

Sorry for the long rant, but here feels like a good time to get back on track with the TR. It's been an interesting trip, to say the least.

Oh, and Chelsea ain't so bad, but I still prefer the Boulevard Tower mainly for its location to the casino floor.

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Aliante.

Never been this far north in Vegas. Felt like Rancho Cucamonga in California for those aware.

Stations Casino originally built the place, and you can feel it right when you walk in. Felt like a mix of Red Rock and Durango.

Tiny little arcade, wonder why they even keep this place where? Totally false advertisement to get families to stay here!

Somehow I ended up losing $3500. Oops. Casino was very empty, and only the Starbucks and Breakfast place were open. Nice property though, not sure I'd ever stay here though. Just way to far from everything.

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Went back to Palms to use my food comp. Ate Tim Ho Wan, it was alright, but DTF is much better (I know it's not dim sum but tomato tomatoe!)

Ordered way too much, partly because I had $75, but also wanted to compare to Hong Kong. Table next to me kept giving me glances, so I told them I was training to be a Mukbanger.

Nice guys, we ended up talking a lot, and they ended up finishing everything for me!

Slotted around a bit after, lost another 2k. Oops. Still up overall at Palms for the year!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Finally got back to Cosmo around noon. Slots were still in take mode, so I went back up to relax a bit. Started typing out my ghost post, and midway through felt compelled to play some more. So went back down. GOOD decision.

Finally got a handpay!

Did well on some other slots, was up around 2k I think at this point. Then I ran into the maxed out Major General Tso. I played this slot a few times already, whenever I walked by I'd put in $500. Well, the General decided to reward my tenacity.

If I didn't have Chinese for lunch, I'd be getting some General Tso chicken for dinner! Still down for the trip, but this definitely helps!

 

[i.am.spartacus]

Back in the room now to catch up on some emails and this TR, then it's probably off to Aria to play a bit before dinner. I'm thinking tonight is Bavettes