Trip Report 9/11/04 to 9/18/04

Stayed at the Golden Hugget, first stay downtown after numerous stays on the strip. The Golden Nugget is immaculate. Rooms and facilities are spotless. Had room 2298, on the top floor of the South Tower. Nice room, very quiet, housekeeping excellent. Here's a tidbit for future players staying at the Nugget, their comp system for reel slot and video poker starts to generate comps at 1,500 points. You get nothing for 1499. they will "add you to the sheet" in the race and sports book if you play horses. It seems it takes about 3 spins on a $2 machine to generate a session, but it does not to equal a whole amount such as six dollars for one point. I tried tracking on the dollar and video game kings but it gets merky, with the influence of VO and coke. By the way the Nugget will keep you very well oiled at any hour of the day or night.3,000 points will earn two breakfast buffet comps for two and $30.00 cash back. The Fremont comp system is 1 dollar cash back for each one thousand points earned. It seems that 0.50 cents in play. They will spring for food comps after you earn 2,000 points and continue to average a daily recycle of 500 dollars. I really had to kind of push the hostess to get the magic formula. Drink service is good at the Fremont, and your player's card is now linked with the Main Street Station and California. The Four Queens is in transition to all ticket in- ticket out machines. On Saturday their formula was 1 dollar cash back for each 30 points earned. Additionally they awraded a t-shirt for 30 points earned in one day. It seemed to take about 4 dollars to earn a point. Several banks of machines were closed for transition. On Thursday they started isssuing new cards called Royal Players Cards and as if by magic the formula changed to forty points for one dollar cash back and 50 for the t-shirt which is nice piece of goods. Somebody got to pay for those new machines. Drink service still ok at the Queeens. Took wifey to Hugo's for her birthday dinner and it's still excellent to a fault. The ladies love the rose. The Horseshoe is a shell of it's former self. The good chilli and cheeseburgers are history. The only time they had a good crowd was during biker fest the 17th and 18th. The Redwood Bar and Grille at the Cal still has great steaks at reasonable prices. The Plaza still has good drink service. Other observations, I can't pull a jackpot out of a Flamingo machine with a tractor. If you visit O'Shea's there is a five times gold machine right at the door. It's the only one of it's kind. If you visit think of me, second two quarter pull, five times gold, seven, five times gold for $937.50. Wifey popped a .25 Wheel of Fortune, Triple Stars for in Lady Luck for a few hundred. It's the last one in the row against the wall. Caesar's generates comps for horse racing play. Main Street Station's buffet is still very good. Fremont's Buffet is still good. By the Fremont's race book there is a bank of quarter machines in a circle. I caught the three sizzling sevens, ( first time ever), for a thousand quarters and saw a Big Times Pay machine hit for three Big Times Pays. This circular bank of four or five machins is located next to the Keno sub-station by the race and sports book, and they seemed to pay pretty often. The monorail was down for inspection and maintenance. There is detailed article in the Saturday 9/18/04 Las Vegas Review Journal and you can access through their link. Overall not a winning trip but we look forward to our annual foray into Vegas. Strip traffic is horrible. On Friday took 48 minutes from Downtown terminal to Caesar's. The Bellagio fountains are still wet and nice to see. Will stay Downtown on future visits just my kind of folks. I hope I was able to provide some useful information for future visitors. I really wanted to garner comp information since there are so many questions on the board. I guess the rule is it dosen't hurt to ask, but remember to be nice. But the issue for determination remains, if everyone in Las Vegas was where they wanted to be would there be any traffic? Looking forward to next year. Al

 

Lots of detail, PPtraderal, well done. I never thought about comps for race book patrons, beyond the drinks. But then, I'm unlikely to generate the kind of 'action' where it would matter.

I'm waiting for some wag to create a 'LV Monorail' video slot. Line up all the driveshafts and the monorail moves around the track for the bonus round.

 

Caesar's connection card properties will "validate your card for the area" and just run your card through for any size bet. It seems to generate pretty good comp points for food etc. The Nugget put you on "the sheet" . When you bet they manually annotate the amount on the race book sheet next to your name. Also the Nugget and Sam's Town provides players with courtesy copies of the form. On the Strip they are three bucks. Let me edit my comment about points at the Fremont. It seems to take 0.50 cents to generate a point on the card. It does seem that paly on higher demonination machines may generate a higher level. Sorry about the typo. Al

 

Favorite quote: "I can't pull a jackpot out of a Flamingo machine with a tractor." LOL!

Thanks for the report and details about the locations of your lucky machines!

 

I have been having trouble logging on. I was afraid that my reports and comments have lacked sufficient debauchery or wit as per the standards of the Hurricane and others and that my reports were filtered or blocked out. Oh well, I guess it was just a computer problem at the server end. Anyway, glad to read your comments about downtown and the Redwood Grill at California. We are planning on eating there next month and are looking forward to our first trip downtown in about 7 or 8 years. Thanks for posting!

 

You will enjoy the Redwood. The steaks are excellent and you get out with your shirt and wallet intact. We only did Hugo's for Wifey's birthday. A really good dinner with drinks should run you between 55 and 65. Of course they still have the "off the menu porterhouse special" for 14.95. Their french onion soup is excellent. The slots at the Cal were not kind to me. I think my batting average there is about.000. Reservations are recommneded but we got in on Saturday night without one.