Guys College Football Budget Thanksgiving Trip!

[tonysoprano24]

So bit of background I usually go to Vegas with my gambling buddy and we stay in a nice hotel/suite and gamble it up at the tables or by myself and play hours of poker...but this time I convinced one of my non gambling friends/co-workers to come along for a thanksgiving trip to watch rivalry week in Vegas...I sold it as that knowing he would get the gambling bug hah...we're both basically 27-29 years old

We booked two queens at TI on their buy one get one free offer (buy one night free...also buy one get one free buffet)...it worked out perfectly as we were staying thursday through sunday...paid for two nights and got one of them free...$400 total with resort fees. I had found great sale fares on southwest for $69 one way so I made my buddy book it while at lunch a month or so ago so travelling expenses were very minimal.

Day 1:

The check in line was so slow....it wasn't huge...but really one or two new people or maybe guests situations made lines move slower...so I asked the lady for a second buy one get one free buffet coupon...First win of the trip!

Love the location of the TI and also the low mins at the casino but the beds could use some upgrading (my back still hurts!)...we set our bags down and as I mentioned this was a budget trip so we head to strip burger to watch the steelers/colts game for their $2 or $3 pbr specialis which runs 4-7....we got there but there weren't a lot of TVs...well lucky for us thanks to Vegas message board research I knew El Segundo sol had a great happy hour as well...we camped out in the bar area...had 4 beers each and split two appetizers (Great quesedillas and atomic nachos btw)...and the bill was only $35...thats what I call starting off on the right budget...weather was great too with a cool wind

Since we're so close to Wynn, and we wont gamble/eat there this trip we go there to finish watching that game or maybe it was a college football game? not sure at this point but the Wynn sports book was great...small and not crowded,...we were definitely glad the game was over because we were tired of paying $10 for one beer at the book!

After that we head across the street to the ultimate strip bargain: Casino Royale....craps table and roulette tables were super full with waiting lines basically so we just sat at the bar and had their $1 michelobs with a shot thrown in here and there...now we've had enough drinks in us to feel the need to gamble it up so we head to the Linq to play some craps...we find a table with some room and start shooting some dice...but unfortunately some guy playing the don't pass the whole time right beside us....after a drink and a few rolls we weren't really feeling it and left to go gamble at Flamingo (we had to pass harrah's as we both have had ZERO luck there in the past)

On the way there my buddy grabs a small bottle of jack from one of the stores...and we are taking turns taking sips out of it like total bums....safe to say by this time we had zero care in the world...we find a roulette table at the flamingo where my buddy is the only white guy there which I find funny and point out to him...and we played there for an hour or two...occasionally my buddy would whip out the bottle of jack and take a sip or pour some extra in his drink that the waitress brought him hah....

It's probably 1 am or so maybe 2.....we're not as good as we once were so we are heading to bed...but not before getting an order of 20 white castles to share to go though!

Wow...that went longer than I imagined...I will post day two and three shortly...let me know if anyone has any questions

 

[boxofbirds]

Sounds like a good start! Glad you found some of the deals still to be had in Vegas.

 

[tonysoprano24]

Ok so here we go

Day 2:

We wake up pretty hungover and full and disgusted from the white castles...but it's friday and there are some good college football games to be had...we weren't too hungry but wanted to grab some food...after trying to find places in and around TI we gave up and walked over to the Venetian where we wanted to watch the Iowa game anyways....we couldn't find anything we liked in the canal shoppes even though there were a lot of options...grand luxe line too long...so we settled on a crepe and coffee from the fast food area of the venetian....gotta say for $10 a crepe and a coffe werre great....we then head over to the central bar of the venetian and grab a couple of bloddy marys....great bartender and he really did make amazing bloody maries!...I had actually never had one before

We found a seat in the back of the sportsbook and settled in to watch...I have to say the Venetian sportsbook is probably my favorite...for the amount/size of the tv and the gambling tables nearby so you can shoot dice and watch sports...genius...

My buddy is from Iowa (but played football at Wisconsin) and he said trust me Iowa averages 150 yards a game...TAKE THE UNDER!!....so he puts $100 on the under and I put like $40...the over under is 43.5

well...Iowa scored 40 points by themselves....but it was great sweating it out with my buddy nonetheless...we went back for three or four more bloody marys at least and then started on the Vodka Sodas.....we also watched houston get beat that same day ...we basically just chilled in the sportsbook for 4-5 hours and didn't mind paying $10 a drink ...next time im thinking ill sneak in some beers/shooters in the casino...

We head over to treasure island after the games to cash in our buy one get one free dinner buffet....I was actually very impressed...no line and they had soem thanksgiving stuff even on a Friday (stuffing etc..)....I like to have normal stuff at the buffet...steaks..fried rice...egg rolls for some reason...but buddy went nuts on the make your own pasta station...we also liked the self serve drinks that way no waiting...we ate like pigs with no self control...I had three servings and my buddy had four...then we went for two servings of desert...and then my buddy went and got a soup hahah wow

We planned to go to downtown since no other games were on and get our gamble on but first we decided to go to the room to rest up since it was only 6 pm....

Well we pigged out so much like fat asses that we were beyond food coma we couldn't make it out of our own beds and just basically laid there all night...by 8 pm were saying to each other yeah i dont think we can go out today between all the vodka sodas and the food ...we would puke if we had to walk...so you know just two guys sitting in their room at 8 pm on a friday night watching romantic comedies on cable tv....real rough night

Day 3 coming up soon...my third friend drives up from laughlin and we hit up downtown!

 

[Dr Nostron]

Enjoying keep it coming!

 

[M0rtyC]

rom-coms on a Friday night.... epic!

I imagine much will be made up for on day 3.

 

[tringlomane]

Nice start!

 

[Richard Alpert]

Soup to cleanse the palate after dessert... Nice to know I'm not the only person who does this!
Great start to your TR! Thank you!

RICHARD

 

[emmas]

Enjoying the trip report. All that eating and boozing wear you out. Looking forward to the recovery.

 

[tonysoprano24]

Day 3

Ok so onto the final day....we both wake up and it's Saturday...the major day for college football...my buddy's team, Wisconsin, plays and my lousy Georgia bulldogs as well so we are focused on finding the best spot to watch the game (But different than Venetian)...so we head down towards Mirage and down that side of the strip to find a spot...couldn't find any good spots to eat brunch type stuff at the Mirage so we head to Caesars where I know there is a spot I've always wanted to try...Payard? I heard they had amazing Egg Benedicts....well we went through the forum shops and passed the caesars food court and coudln't really find it so we settled for the Gordon Ramsey pub....it was before 11 am so they had their limited menu...we sat at the bar and I ordered some chicken bites...delicious. My buddy ordered a pizza and a couple of tequila shots ($5)....I just had a beer...Ive been to vegas too often to know that I need to pace myself...

We watched the beginning of Ohio State/Michigan and also Chelsea/Tutnum soccer match (sorry for the spelling of the soccer teams, my buddy is the fan)

We then left to go sit at the Caesars sportsbook and here is where I lost my mind...I know they cut the sportsbook in half to make room for poker (which even being a huge poker fan/player I disagreed with as there are plenty of poker rooms nearby)....

But now this is a new low where there is no more free seating...there is basically a bouncer at the entrance and you have to pay $25 to sit for three hours or $50 for a whole day....well "F that!"....just out of principle we will never be going back to caesar's sportsbook or even caesars

By the way we are late 20s single dudes with discretionary income that we want to spend in Vegas....but here's the issue...we know the odds are against us when we play at the tables, we gamble anyways. We know the resort fees are a joke, but we pay them anyways. We know the food is overpriced, but it's Vegas so we go with it. The only "Sanctuary" remaining for us after getting juiced from every direction was the sportsbook where you can make a $25-$100 wager, pay $10 for a beer, and sweat it out.

I dont know if by paying the entry fee you get drinks or other perks, which may change my view, but we left disgusted.

So we head over to the Bellagio to put some bets in and watch the second half of the Ohio State michigan game.

It was an amazing environment, and we weren't even sitting inside the sportsbook, but at the bar. See, the bellagio has some reserved seating like the other big Casinos, but you can still find spots to sit and enjoy the game. We were happy to sit at the bar an dpay $11 for a drink.

I will say the bartender service was lacking, but it was a busy Saturday. Some other people wanted to watch a certain game and the bartender was giving them a hard time about changing the channel...I mean you are a sportsbook bar, you have to accomodate the sports fans...

Anyways onto the good stuff: The actual game...one of the best games we've seen so it was well worth the trouble. Also watched some crazy Kentucky fans go nuts because they beat Louisville. Overall very good game/spot and right next to my favorite poker room.

Our friend is almost here from Laughlin and he is going crazy cause apparently a couple of lights are broken and traffic is backed up...took him an hour to park after he reached Vegas.

We head to the Monte Carlo to watch the Wisconsin game (I bet $50 on the over and my buddy bet $100)....drink prices are the same at Monte Carlo, but at least we can easily find seats and a spot to watch....the construction didn't bother us as it was walled off and our friend finally came down. We then head to Diablos because their happy hour was about to start, but we ordered food and drinks before it did because it wasn't that bad honestly. Diablos is a great spot, that feels downtownish and down to earth even though it's right on the strip. Everyone enjoyed the food. We finished watching the games and sweating the bets there, along with more beer and shots of course. The over on the Wisconsin game hit and we head back to the Bellagio to cash in our winnings so basically Diablos was paid for ha. ..

After the Bellagio we head to Downtown as my buddy from Laughlin is raving about a steakhouse in the Golden Nugget...not a bad cab ride about $20 or so...we just kind of roam around Fremont st and head to Binnions first....saturday table mins $5...that's what I'm talking about....My buddy from laughlin likes Electronic craps (the one with the big dice) and we laugh at him but play to humor him anyways...after a bit we get tired and head to the roulette table...dealer is friendly and funny and everyone is laid back having a great time...dealer did make mistakes though...and overpaid my buddy $50...my buddy tried to say the reason he didn't point out that mistake was because he overpaid him while trying to correct another mistake and his boss was standing behind him...YEAH RIGHT! don't piss on my leg and tell me its raining bro! ha

I'm up about $40 and my buddies are breaking even...and well here's something that never happens three older women (35-40) from california come to the table and start chit chatting so we thought we'd have some fun...they were all married so nothing was going anywhere so we all improvised.....Apparently we convinced them that I was 14 deaths removed from being the prince of Dubai and my 6'5 football player buddy was my bodyguard/friend from college and wanted to show me "Sin City"....my 5'5 short fat friend (think danny devito) that drove from laughlin says he is my money manager here....they asked why we weren't playing in high stakes strip and I said cause gambling is a sin my country and I dont want to be seen by anyone hahaha


Anyways we cashed out...my buddy tripled up by betting $100 on the 2:1 payouts on the third section bets (I think he was trying to impress the women lol)....and we head to the D to gamble and take a leak upstairs and drain all the Vodka sodas...well right outside the bathroom at the D is a steakhouse and my buddy wanted a steak real bad...well little did we know it is the BEST meal we ever had....and we go to Mastros/nice steak houses in AZ once every few months to celebrate something...what a hidden gem...maybe we were just oblivious...It's called Andiamo Italian Steakhouse I believe....we got a seat at the bar as the tables were all full....Both my friends ordered huge steaks but I opted for some zitti dish...amazing...if you are downtown...hell even if you're not I think its the best meal you can get for your money

Between the three of us pigging out, drinking, and sharing appetizers, it came to $260 and we just couldn't believe how great it was...all we could do is talk about how amazing it was the rest of the night...

we venture back out to Fremont to take in the light show/zip lines/concerts just a good vibe....we got some of those football shaped fruity drinks with shots...then got a 750 ml vodka and poured our own extra in as we walked along freemonth

We finally settled back to my buddys favorite electronic craps where we gambled with $20-$50 for a while until my laughlin buddy had to drive back...

We had an early flight so we were about to head out until we ran into a real life craps table at the exit...my friend said we can't have electronic craps me the last thing we play lets shoot some real dice!

There wasn't a ton of people there and by the way I couldn't roll...it kept going over the table...then I overcompensated and then it wouldn't hit the back wall and it was embarassing!...the women dealer said why don't you try underhand lol...at this point I was gonna try anything so I went for it...and it actually worked great...and I had a lot of great rolls....probably own $50 there and my buddy won $150 or so...more and more people joined and it was a two hour late night 1 am craps session

One thing I will say though the drink service at the front and center craps table on a saturday night sucked...I was under the impression that they were better stronger drinks downtown that came more often but maybe I just had an off experience

We head back to TI on a very budge friendly trip...niether of us withdrew more than $300 from the ATM after the first day....we are thinking of making rivalry week a tradition....thanksgiving is a very underrated Vegas holiday!

Let me know if you guys have any questions and thanks for reading!

 

[boxofbirds]

Nice end to the trip, sounds like you made up for the early Friday night!

 

[jamesxnj]

Great report.LOL at the Dubai story..and a C'mon Man !! on the real dice throwing..Jeez dude..guess you'd have to be there huh?

 

[vegasqc]

25$ to sit at the ceasars palace sportsbook ??? Wow i never heard anything like that before no way im paying than kind of money to go bet the ponies there