TRIP REPORT - "Eff You, 2005"

Just in case some of you aren't on the "other" board, I'll post this TR here.

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Trip Report: 12/25/05 to 12/29/05
“Eff You, 2005â€

Talk about a eff’d up year… By far and away, I’ve lost more money in this one year than in all of my 45 years put together. Divorce can do that with you. To add salt to this wound, I didn’t hit a single eff’ing royal this year. Boy, am I glad this year is over with. I’m tired of being an angry a-hole, and I’m just looking forward to putting this year behind me and getting back to normal.

As usual, the main objective of this trip was to escape the stresses of real life. Since this was the end of the year, numerous coupons and promos had to be taken advantage of. In a nutshell, I stayed at Main Street Station for 2 nights and Silverton for 2 nights, hung out with some friends (the Boston’s and James “Stungazedâ€), and gambled enough to take care of the minor jones for at least a couple of months.

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jones (jOnz) n, vt. A habit of an activity, a craving or urge to perform an act often to the point of excess. An addiction, esp. to drugs, sports, gambling, and other enjoyable actions. Borrowed from the cartoon “Fat-Albert†and the drug-ladened 60’s and early 70’s.
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SUNDAY December 25 (Day 1)

After spending Christmas with the family on Christmas eve, I was able get out of town early on Christmas morning. As expected, there was very little traffic and the 3 hour 50 minute trip was uneventful. No beef jerky, just a couple of Slim Jim’s. No coffee... it makes me want to pee in less than 4 hours.

The first stop was the new South Coast, which opened a few days earlier. Here's my scoop on South Coast.

It's nearly identical to Suncoast. Same type of parking, lighting, decor, paneling, table games, machines, etc.. The biggest difference is the amount of open space inside the casino. It’s much roomier than Suncoast.

I arrived there at 9:30am on Christmas morning and the slot club line was appx 30 to 40 minutes long (appx 25-30 people in front of me). There were only 3 people working the club desk. For a new place, they should have temps or something to compensate for the rush. The way I look at it, that's 30+ minutes of playing time for 30 people. That's called inefficiency (or indifference).

Regarding the location, there is no fast way to get there if you're coming up or down the I-15. For locals, I would say it's rather inconvenient. I'm predicting that the casino will struggle for a while until the area is further developed and an I-15 off-ramp is built around Silverado Ranch Blvd.. Regarding competition, GVR and Silverton have nothing to worry about... two totally different markets.

Regarding the games, craps was $5 with 2x odds and I saw quite a few $5 DD games. I checked out most of the quarter VP games and didn't see anything positive. The best I saw was NSUD and 8/5 bonus, but couldn't find the 9/6 jacks. Broke even playing triple-play 8/5 bonus for about an hour. Hopefully, they’ll send me some kind of an offer (0).

Headed over to Fiesta Henderson to use some coupons and free play. Played one MP on craps (-25) and one on BJ (+50). Took at shot at 10/6 DDB with the free play and stayed a bit too long (-100). Forgot to use my $50 free bet coupon. Not a good start.

Headed over to MSS to check in and meet up with James. We just hung out and played some 8/5 bonus 3 play and some 8/5 treasure chest bonus game (-35). After getting some well-needed rest, we headed over to the Broiler Steakhouse at Boulder Station to meet up with the Boston’s and to celebrate James’ birthday. We had NY steaks, while the birthday boy had the big filet. We paid with points (-5).

Back over to MSS to log in some play on the 8/5 bonus 3 play (-300). None of us did any well, so we decided to slow it down with some penny play on Texas Tea and I Dream of Jeannie (-20).

That was way enough activity for one day.

DAILY TOTALS

VP: -435
CRAPS: -25
BJ: +50
SLOTS: -20
MISC (Food, accommodations, transportation, non-gambling tips, etc): -7


MONDAY, December 26 (Day 2)

Today’s plan was to redeem some mailer coupons at Binion’s, drop off some coupons to some folks at GN, run some coin through at GN (trolling for mailers), hit the Cannery for 5x points, use some MP’s and get a gas voucher at Fiesta Rancho, and end the day at MSS.

While on my way over to Binion’s, I passed by the rarely empty craps table at MSS (+175). After a very nice short session, I weathered the high winds and made it over to Binion’s. Man, that wind was blowing. Picked up a voucher for $10 free food, another voucher for $5 free breakfast, and received a free gift (a nice backpack). Lost the MP on BJ (-10). Might as well try the free breakfast (-2). Coffee is $1.75 at the Binion's coffee shop. That doesn’t leave much for the overpriced food. Since the idea free food is not to spend money, all I could afford was biscuits and gravy.

Headed over to GN. Dropped off the coupons at the front desk, and found the 8/5 bonus flush slant-tops (-50). Tried to get a Starbucks (with a coupon) before playing, but the line was about 20 people long. Forget that. Gave James a call while playing and he was already at The Cannery, so I cashed out and headed over.

Over to The Cannery. Hit the 8/5 bonus 3 play to start racking up some points (-200). Didn’t do so well, but racked up enough points for some decent cash back (+50). Tried to make some back on craps, but that wasn’t such a good idea (-80).

Over to Fiesta Rancho to use up some more MP’s and use up some free play (+25, +20). Dealer pushed my dealt blackjack on the first hand. In retrospect, I should have take even money for a guaranteed win. Picked up a gas voucher at Fiesta for the very last time and bailed.

Back over to MSS to meet up with everyone for dinner at 777 brewpub (-4). We all had food vouchers and James had a Silver card, so we all ate well. I had the full rack of ribs. What a stack. Ended up boxing up more than half my meal and putting it in the cooler.

After dinner, we hit the 8/5 bonus 3 play for a while (-300). I was getting killed, and there was this screaming chick playing BJ, who wasn’t helping my demeanor. I had to check out that idiot. Good think I did. I glanced over at the craps table and noticed an open spot at SR1 (+235). Bought in for $200 and cashed out with $435. I never dipped into any of my own chips, and my final roll was about 15 minutes.

To slow things down, we headed over to the penny games (-40). I lost some money, but got some good play out of them. They sure are entertaining.

Ended up the evening on 9/6 JoB bar tops (-100).

DAILY TOTALS

VP: -575
CRAPS: +330
BJ: +15
SLOTS: -40
MISC (Food, accommodations, transportation, non-gambling tips, gas voucher, etc): -6,+25


TUESDAY, December 27 (Day 3)

Today is moving day. Plans were to wrap up all activities for the northern part of town, check in at Silverton, and to hit the Boardwalk to see Purple Reign (late).

First order of business was to pick up the remaining free food. Since the Brewpub wasn’t open, I headed over to Binion’s to play some FPDW (-80), and to pick up a club sandwich and misc food. After stashing that in the cooler, I headed over to 777 for lunch (-5). Ordered sushi, pizza, and chicken tenders. Ate the sushi, and boxed up the other stuff to-go (they don’t allow to-go orders with vouchers).

Before heading off to Silverton, I found a TITO in my wallet from The Cannery, so I had to head back up there. No biggie. After all, it was free jacket day for 1000 points (-100). Well, that damn jacket cost me $100 and on top of that, those jackets were butt-ugly. So instead of getting another useless logo jacket, I decided to get a useless “trinket trayâ€. In the old days, they used to call it an ash tray. Just kidding. It’s actually a nice hand-cut 30% lead Irish crystal, but not worth $100.

Headed over to Silverton to settle in for the balance of the day. My cold was still lingering and those late nights were starting to catch up to me. The Prince show didn’t start until 11pm, so I forced myself to take a pretty long nap. Woke up and ate the Binion’s club in bed. Damn, that was tasty! You see, that’s something I would never do at home (eating in bed, that is).

Time to play. Found the 9/6 JoB bartops with the progressives. The RF was at 1100, which was no big deal, but the SF was at 167. Put in my players card and the darn card didn’t work. I knew their slot club was recently changed, so I figured I had to get a new card. And of course, when I got back, someone else jumped the machine. Oh well, over to the MG/MD 9/6 slant-tops (+200). Now these are nice machines. They’re fast, they’re clean, they’re new, and they were doing well for me. Started off on quarters and got up few hundred. Switched over to 50 cents and got it up a few more hundred. Switched over to $1 and held my own for quite a while. I was dealt a straight with 4 to a royal. I was thinking, “…this would make up for my droughtâ€. Nada. While playing dollars, I got 4 to a royal 3 times! Damn, that was close. Nevertheless, I racked up a lot of points and came away with a respectable win.

Headed over to The Boardwalk for the Purple Reign show. I’ve heard good reviews about this show, and I figured this would be my last chance to see this show before it closes down next week. Good show. I’m glad I went. That guy really looks like Prince. Morris Day looked nothing like Morris Day.

Back to Silverton. It was getting late, and while cruising past the slow craps game, the dealer suggested that I buy in. Why not? I wasn’t doing too bad for this trip. It turned out to be a bad idea (-200). I bought in for $500, but the table was straight downhill. Nobody, including myself, could catch a decent hand. In fact, I won only one bet (got paid only once). That’s how bad it was.

I finished up on the 9/6 JoB progressive. The SF was approaching 170 (0).

DAILY TOTALS
VP: +$20
CRAPS: -$200
MISC (Food, accommodations, transportation, non-gambling tips, etc): -$7


WEDNESDAY, December 28 (Day 4)

Ahh, the last day of the trip. Four days is about right. Plans for the day were pretty simple. Hit the JoB progressive in the morning, head over to Fiesta Henderson to use up the last of the MP’s and the $50 free bet coupon, lunch with James, and kick back at Silverton for the balance of the day.

First thing in morning, I headed downstairs to play the JoB bartop. I wasn’t sure, but at over $170 for the SF progressive, it had to be positive. After only about 10 minutes, bingo. I hit the straight flush with a double gapped 3-card hold (+200). That was a good way to start the day.

Over to Fiesta Henderson. While en route, I called James on his cell and he just got there. Good timing. After our Feel Good Soup ritual, we played some MP’s (+50).

On a sad note, last week, the craps game at Fiesta Henderson reduced their odds to 3x4x5x. That sucks but their min is still $3. This is the first time since the venue was opened that it hasn’t been 10x. Even though I hate change, it was a good reminder to never be married to any casino. I’d be really pissed if played/stayed here as much as I used to.

Back over to Silverton to close out the trip. I started off on 25c JoB, went up about $100, switched over to 50c, went up another hundred, switched over to $1, went up another hundred, and racked up a bunch points along the way (+100). I’m starting to like JoB again. The game is not nearly as exciting as the "pair-push" games, but I’m really appreciating the low volatility, which becomes so much more apparent when you’ve become experienced with a variety of games.

Time to kill some time and do my one and only buffet for the trip.

SILVERTON ALL-AMERICAN BUFFET (Standard weekday dinner): This is a below average buffet with limited selection. It’s about 60% smaller than a typical Coast or Stations buffet, and it’s about the same size as the LVH buffet. The atmosphere and service was average, and the food quality and selection was substandard. I used 4875 points, which translated to $9.99. On a positive note, they are building a new buffet (showroom area), which will open sometime in 2006. (The current showroom is a tent where the pool used to be)

(10/10 is perfecto, 7 = good, 5 = edible, 3 = not fit for human consumption)

Atmosphere = 6.5
Service = 7.0
Variety = 6.0
Quality = 6.0
Value = 6.0
Overall experience = 6.0

1. Cheddar and Cauliflower soup (9.0) (Damn good soup)
2. Pasta with Alfredo sauce (7.5)
3. Korean-style BBQ ribs (6.0)
4. Pot stickers (Gyoza) (7.0)
5. Fried chicken (7.5)
6. Mystery egg roll (7.0)
7. Sweet and sour chicken (6.0)
8. Stuffing (6.0)
9. Roast beef (6.5)
10. Salmon (4.0) (That was NOT salmon)
11. Italian sausage (6.0)
12. Tomato and mozzarella salad (7.5)
13. Mashed potatoes and gravy (8.0)
14. Country ribs (3.0) (Nasty)
15. Oxtail soup (2.5) (Flat-out nasty)
16. Roasted turkey (5.5)
17. Fish and chips (8.0)
18. Peel and eat shrimp (4.5) (not very fresh, fishy tasting)
19. Strawberry tall cake (8.0)

As you can see from the list, above, the selection was sparse, and the main course foods were rated very low. Even though I wanted to eat more of the cheddar and cauliflower soup, I stuck to my sampling regiment and went for the variety.

Back to the gaming. Finished up the trip on a good note with some craps (+100). They have a very good game. The table sits up a bit high, but the $3 min with 10x odds on a short 10 foot table make this one of the best craps game in town. If they had more than one table, I’d consider moving the annual crapsfest to this venue.

And that’s pretty much it. I was done by 11pm.

DAILY TOTALS

VP: +300
CRAPS: +150
MISC (Food, accommodations, transportation, non-gambling tips, etc): -$6


THURSDAY, December 29 (Day 5)

Up at 5:30am and made it home in 4 hours with a stop at Jack-in-the-box for some tasty tacos and a chicken sandwich. I can’t wait to see the kids, and they can't wait to see me.


GRAND TOTALS

VP: -690
CRAPS: +255
BJ: +65
MISC (Food, accommodations, transportation, non-gambling tips, gas voucher, etc): 0 exactly

NET LOSS: $430


SUMMARY and FINAL THOUGHTS

- I give the MSS room upgrades a C+. Other than the new carpet and furniture, they’re still using the old 20†TV’s in that new giant armoire, and there are still only ~10 channels. I'd trade the new nightstands for 10 more channels. In addition, I'd trade the new armoire for a 32" TV.

- South Coast was a minor disappointment. From the casino standpoint, the hype didn’t meet my expectations. From the location-standpoint, alone, there is absolutely no way that it will be more successful than Suncoast or The Orleans, which were built in developed areas. The market just isn't there yet, and may not get there for another 10 years. I'd stay there for free (just to stay there), but not for the gaming. Next trip, I’ll be rating their buffet.

- Silverton is a good casino with nice rooms. They just need to fix the traffic problem in that area. I was planning on stiffing them, but since they’re heading in the right direction, I gave them some play. I’m looking forward to decent mailers from them and staying there again.

- Eff you to the cheap-ass slot club btich at the Silverton who wouldn't give me a set of champagne glasses.

ME: "... here's my slot club card. I've racked up over 10k today. I think that deserves a set, don't you?"
SB: "Are you a local?"
ME: "No, ma'am, but I see you have 2 extra truck loads of champagne glasses for a promo that's ending today"
SB: "Sorry, locals only"
ME: "Isn't that discrimination?"
SB: "NEXT!!!"

- Fiesta’s craps game was one of the biggest disappointments. I can’t believe they went to 3x4x5x odds. That’s unacceptable and totally unexpected. I’ll have to write a letter to someone (like that will change their minds).

- Nobody likes chicks screaming at $5 BJ tables. It’s irritating as hell. It's only five freaking bucks!

- It has been 2 – ½ years since my last royal. What the eff is going on around here. This 4-to-a-royal crap has got to stop. After a few hundred of these, I'm starting to get pissed off seeing anyone hitting royals.

- If the Cannery would ever figure it out and start sending out an occasional offer, that place would be wildly popular and would be one of my favorite casinos.

- Purple Reign is a good free show. I'm sure someone will pick them up.

- Even though this was a losing trip, it's not even a drop in the bucket when compared to what divorce costs. The way I look at it, I gambled my ass off, had lots of fun, and received plenty of therapy in return.

- This was my 7th and final trip of the most eff’d up year of my life. Net loss for all of these trips combined was $367. Very acceptable.

- So in conclusion, EFF YOU 2005!!! I hope to never experience another year like that! I’m done with it.
Hello 2006!

Thanks for reading.
Happy New Year and God Bless America.

Mike