Buses in Vegas overview boilerplate

I am not an expert. I do like promoting the bus because I think once most folks give themselves permission to use a city bus, it pleases them and because I like to talk about all things frugal.

However, I think I can answer your question with, with the caveat that all things bus like change periodically, and this year things are going through great changes again as they did in November of last year.

There are just two categories of bus routes One of those categories include the strip buses, the Deuce and the Strip to Downtown express (SDX). These buses are the ones that you want to use to get you from downtown to the strip and back. The decision will be where on the strip you want to go. The Express has fewer stops but is much faster and less crowded than the Deuce. You want to ride it whenever you can as long as it will drop you where you want to go. It also runs just during certain hours of the day, 9 am to 12:30 am (see the schedule page for details. It was designed to end the congestion on the Deuce so it runs during heavy traffic times and not in the early morning.

Here are all the bus routes.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/route/


Check the routes of the SDX and Deuce and see where they go. The Deuce you can pick up downtown just around the corner of the Fremont Experience. The SDX picks up at a stop near Binions. Those places should be well marked and you can ask people to be certain you are in the right place. The places have changed at times. Note where the SDX stops are located on the strip and write it down or copy the map to have in your pocket.

Neither of these are luggage friendly. Small bags, stuff that fits on your lap is always okay. Larger bags are up to the driver. More seems being allowed on the SDX than on the Deuce.

The SDX is a very different kind of bus. You don't meet the driver. You buy a ticket in a vending machine and get on board and at random these ticket checkers board and come through checking tickets like on many trains. You can even board from the back, but you have to already have your ticket. This speeds up boarding.

My guess is that strip buses are most of what you will travel for your first time; however, from downtown, once you get to the Bonneville Transfer Center (BTC) you have plenty of options. And if you want to go off the strip once to get there, the bus running down Flamingo 202 and the one running down Tropicana 201 are great resources, especially when used in conjunction with the free shuttles that Harrah's runs and the shuttles that the Boyd Casinos run between Bill's, Gold Coast, and the Orleans. Because their free shuttles do not run 24 hours, the buses give you cheap flexibility. These routes are called "residential" routes because most of the riders are locals.
The WAX that runs from the airport is counterintuitively classified as a "residential" route. So that makes the fare less expensive.

So here is the dilemma. If you first board a "residential" bus, then you get "residential" rates, including on the 24 hour pass. Technically, the bus folks claim that only folks with a local ID get to ride every bus after they buy a "residential" pass.
If you board the Deuce or SDX, then you get a little higher rate and an all-access pass that lets you ride anything.
Now, actually I have not read of a single person who has been asked for a local ID when using a "residential" pass of any sort to board Deuce of SDX and the bus company once told me on the phone what the WAX bus driver told me and that is that "residential" passes will allow even tourists to use the more expensive buses but the bus company wants to keep that a secret, so they don’t advertise it.
"It is a glitch in the system" the RTC person said on the phone.
Up until recently it was impossible to buy a 5 day pass without going out to the Bonneville Transit Center. The 5 day is not in vending machines.
Well planned bus riders like Jimbo338 would stop at the BTC on the way from the airport as the SDX has a stop across the street from the BTC, buy a 5 day or maybe two, and be set for the entire trip at a frugal price.
Now those 5 day passes can be bought at Walgreen’s right there in Downtown, but only the 5 day (as well as 30 day passes that are just too long for most tourists.)
Now they have decided, I guess, that the 5 day is now an all-access pass, officially. Jimbo will tell you that it has been all access in practice and that the 24 hour pass from the WAX driver also works on all buses in practice.
But remember, that is a secret.
Or the bus folks are confused.
One board member here asked the question of using "residential passes" on strip buses three times to three different drivers and got three different answers.

So, here is what I would do if I were you.

I’d buy a one way ticket on the WAX from the driver that will get you and your luggage downtown because you just need to take one ride to do that. There is some issue on whether older routes (108/09)are at sometimes faster because at times the WAX runs just every hour, but I’d stick with the WAX because the math I do suggests that even if you wait the full hour you probably will beat the 108 or 109 because with luggage you will then want to take another bus from the BTC to get to Fremont.
Some folks here actually walk the five blocks to Fremont from the BTC. I don’t. The neighborhood seems sketchy at times, and I feel vulnerable with a large suitcase held by an old weak guy.

All the buses from the airport are residential and since it is debated whether that pass would be honored on the Deuce/SDX, it is technically correct and safest to just go one way from the airport, get downtown, the then buy all access passes, either a 5 day from the Walgreen’s or a 3 day from the vending machine or a 24 hour from the vending machine.
However, Jimbo's strategy is to get to the BTC on his way into Vegas as cheaply as possible because he knows he can buy any pass there as well, board a bus to downtown, and get any information or new schedules so his information is current. That makes good sense as well. Then you don't have to decide between Walgreen's and vending machines at the bus stop.

On the other hand, to then get to your hotel you are going to have to activate and use a pass you bought. I won't leave downtown until a couple of days after I arrive, so Walgreen's works great for me. I don't want a 5 day pass that I won't use for the first three days.

Here are the prices. They might change but generally we get plenty of warning. They will change on September 11, but perhaps not for youngsters.

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm

Note that the 5 day pass has confusing-little-star notes in the fine print part that contradict what the RCT told me on Facebook. But that is part of the game here, just like figuring promos in the casino. They come, They go, They change the rules. Folks slip in and out. Also the website is always behind the times. I think the Facebook information is current correct. I know Walgreen's sells them because I called them and asked directly.

What the RTC decided in the midst of all this wonderful bus renovation is that they wanted to create two classes of fares, one for the locals and one for the tourists, so they could milk that tourist dollar a bit more, while giving a perk to the local riders, but they cannot figure a way to effectively and efficiently do that other than to charge one set of prices if we first board a "residential" but another if we first board the Deuce or SDX and then to make two classes of riders by letting the local ID sort us out, maybe, if anyone checks.

The move on 9-11 is to make tourist seniors second class seniors by no longer offering reduced prices on Deuce and SDX except for folks who boarded residential buses and have a local ID. If they take out the reduced fare options from the vending machines on the strip, then tourist seniors must pay full fare.
It is a nasty business.
I know residential bus riders are the working poor of Vegas, but tourist dollars drive the economy of Vegas, and we all have contributed to the fund of stimulus dollars that has allowed Vegas to revamp their bus system during the worst recession of modern times. Also, simple is always better.

All fares used to be the same for everyone. They should keep it that way for the fare to be fair.

Sorry. None of that needs to affect your trip as long as you go while the 5 day passes are still at the downtown Walgreen's.

Okay, let me recap and then you ask about places where I have confused you.
My suggested strategy is you buy a one way WAX ticket to downtown from ground Zero at the airport.
Once downtown you go into that Fremont Street Walgreen’s and buy a 5 day pass and you are good to go anywhere, anytime on any bus. You won’t find that ticket is available along the strip. Other Walgreen's and Albertson's have them, but they are in local neighborhoods for the convenience of locals, not where tourists walk.
If Walgreen’s decides they don’t want to sell the passes on the Fremont Experience, then you want to stop at the BTC on your way in to town and buy one or make do with vending machine options.

And I suggest that when you are on the strip you take at least one ride on the 202 or 201. Maybe you go to Terribles, stop there and walk down to the HardRock which most visitors think is inaccessible except by car or cab.

Get a feel for the Flamingo bus. It has changed how I see Vegas.
Basically, Flamingo is my "strip."
202 makes Flamingo, from Gold Coast to Eastside Cannery accessible at all hours of the day and night. Just the leg from the Gold Coast up to Ellis Island is a treat as it ties together inexpensive casinos with good food and good gambling. It is uncrowded and runs about 20 minutes until early AM when it runs every hour.

If none of that is appealing you might like a ride out the 201 to get to the well loved Pinball Hall of Fame where you can play the old pinball machines of my youth.

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

These residential routes are free of the crowds of tourists and out of the strip traffic. Most Vegas visitors don't know anything about them. Some regular tourists find that being among the common folks grates against their upscale Vegas experience or they are in too much of a hurry for buses and they lean more to limo or cab or rental than city bus.

So these buses are underused resources.

However, there is a growing movement toward using the buses as they get better and better and other options get more expensive.
Take at look at this note in a recent trip report by The Bucket:

Quote:

It was time to return to Rio and collect my traveling companion and my car. I eschewed the free shuttle service, put off by the exorbiant wait I experienced to board it at Rio. Instead, I marched out to the strip, crossed the street, strolled past Caesars wishing that I had the time for a shoe of big baccarat within, took a right and leaned up against a post at the 202 stop that comes right before the Qua entrance. It took a few minutes, and I was joined by a few tourists and a number of hotel workers as I waited on the bus. Pretty soon, one pulled up, and I stepped on board and swiped my card. As usual, I didn't bother to sit down, but stood near the front in the area intended to hold wheelchair-using patrons, and held onto an overhead rail. As we pulled away from the stop, I struck up a short yet interesting conversation with the bus driver. He was impressed that I was a tourist using a standard city bus, and we traded stories of gambling for the few minutes that the bus ride lasted (he is a poker player, and spends his days driving a bus and his evenings taking advantage of drunk tourists on the strip who have seen far too much poker on television and have far too much cash available at the table). The bus soon arrived at Rio, where I hit the button, waited on the door, and stepped off, quickly asking my driver where he intended to play that night. Bally's, he informed me. Good to know. One placed I shouldn't play 1/2 NL that night (which was no loss, as I planned my poker play at the IP).

I also suggest that you print out a copy of the schedule for the 201 and 202, so you don’t show up at the bus stop with much waiting time.
In the daytime in the hot summer, waiting for a bus can be uncomfortable. At night it is just annoying. Planning can preclude that discomfort. If you are planned, you spend a bit more time at the table and then walk out for soon to come bus.

full trip report located here: http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/for...ad.php?t=65540

During the same week I read a post here insisting that folks who rented at the Gold Coast were stuck in the early hours of the morning because the shuttle did not run then.
I thought of it as ironic since I like the Gold Coast because with all the free shuttles and buses available it more easily supports late night gambling on the strip than many casinos on the strip like those on the North end.
Once we give ourselves permission to ride the bus, we increase our freedom to safely get around Vegas even when we are tired and drunk, at a reasonable price.

Finally, when you get back you owe us a bus report. Tell us how it went. You have a perspective that I don't have. You are new to buses. Help other newbies decide if they want to risk being awash amid the masses of an egalitarian democracy or enjoy an elite if rather pricey upscale transportation experience, if they want to be frugal or extravagant. It is not an easy decision.
This particular part of this board is the place to put that info, or if you write a trip report, give us a heads up here here with a link to your TR.

And win some money so next trip you can just hire a car, some foo foo chauffeur and say "James" a lot.

bus blierplate as of june 2011

I am not an expert. I do like promoting the bus because I think once most folks give themselves permission to use a city bus, it pleases them and because I like to talk about all things frugal.

However, I think I can answer your question with, with the caveat that all things bus like change periodically, and this year things are going through great changes again as they did in November of last year.

There are just two categories of bus routes One of those categories include the strip buses, the Deuce and the Strip to Downtown express (SDX). These buses are the ones that you want to use to get you from downtown to the strip and back. The decision will be where on the strip you want to go. The Express has fewer stops but is much faster and less crowded than the Deuce. You want to ride it whenever you can as long as it will drop you where you want to go. It also runs just during certain hours of the day, 9 am to 12:30 am (see the schedule page for details. It was designed to end the congestion on the Deuce so it runs during heavy traffic times and not in the early morning.

Here are all the bus routes.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/route/


Check the routes of the SDX and Deuce and see where they go. The Deuce you can pick up downtown just around the corner of the Fremont Experience. The SDX picks up at a stop near Binions. Those places should be well marked and you can ask people to be certain you are in the right place. The places have changed at times. Note where the SDX stops are located on the strip and write it down or copy the map to have in your pocket.

Neither of these are luggage friendly. Small bags, stuff that fits on your lap is always okay. Larger bags are up to the driver. More seems being allowed on the SDX than on the Deuce.

The SDX is a very different kind of bus. You don't meet the driver. You buy a ticket in a vending machine and get on board and at random these ticket checkers board and come through checking tickets like on many trains. You can even board from the back, but you have to already have your ticket. This speeds up boarding.

My guess is that strip buses are most of what you will travel for your first time; however, from downtown, once you get to the Bonneville Transfer Center (BTC) you have plenty of options. And if you want to go off strip, the bus running down Flamingo 202 and the one running downTropicana 201 are great resources, especially when used in conjunction with the free shuttles that Harrah's runs and the shuttles that the Boyd Casinos run between Bill's, Gold Coast, and the Orleans. Because their free shuttles do not run 24 hours, the buses give you cheap flexibility. These routes are called residential routes because most of the riders are locals.
The WAX that runs from the airport is counterintuitively classified as a residential route.

So here is the dilemma. If you first board a residential bus, than you get residential rates, including on the 24 hour pass. Technically, the bus folks claim that only folks with a local ID get to ride every bus after they buy a residential pass.
If you board the Deuce or SDX, then you get a little higher rate and an all access pass that lets everyone ride anything. Now, actually I have not read of a single person who has been asked for a local ID when using a residential pass of any sort to board Deuce of SDX and the bus company once told me on the phone what the WAX bus driver told me and that is that residential passes will allow even tourists to use the more expensive buses but they want to keep that a secret so they don’t advertise it.
Up until recently it was impossible to buy a 5 day pass without going out to the Bonneville Transit Center. Teh 5 day is not in machines.
Well planned bus riders like Jimbo338 would stop there on the way from the airport as the SDX has a stop across from the center, buy a 5 day or maybe two, and be set for the trip. Now those 5 day passes can be bought at Walgreen’s right there in Downtown, but only the 5 day (and 30 day passes that are just too much for most tourists.)
Now they have decided, I guess, that the 5 day is now an all access pass, officially. Jimbo will tell you that it has been all access in practice and that the 24 hour pass from the WAX driver also works on all buses in practice.
But remember, that is a secret. Or the bus folks are confused. One board member here asked the question three times to three different drivers and go three different answers.
So, here is what I would do if I were you.
I’d buy a one way ticket on the WAX from the driver that will get you and your luggage downtown because you just need to take one ride to do that. There is some issue on whether older routes (108/09)are at sometimes faster because at times the WAX runs just every hour, but I’d stick with the WAX because the math I do suggests that even if you wait the full hour you probably will beat the 108 or 109 if you then take another bus from the BTC to get to Fremont.
Some actually walk the five blocks to Fremont from the BTC. I don’t. The neighborhood seems sketchy at times and I’m vulnerable with a large suitcase held by an old weak guy.

All the buses from the airport are residential and since it is debated whether that pass would be good enough for the Deuce/SDX, it is technically correct and safest to just go one way from the airport, get downtown, the then buy all access passes, either a 5 day from the Walgreen’s or a 3 day from the vending machine or a 24 hour from the vending machine.
However, Jimbo's strategy is to get to the BTC on his way into Vegas as cheaply as possible because he knows he can buy any pass there as well, board a bus to downtown, and get any information or new schedules so his information is current. That makes good sense as well. Then you don't have to decide between Walgreen's and vending machines at the bus stop.

On the other hand, to then get to your hotel you are going to have to use a pass you bought. I won't leave downtown until a couple of days after I arrive, so Walgreen's works great for me. I don't want a 5 day pass that I won't use for the first three days.

Here are the prices. They might change but generally we get plenty of warning. They will change on September 11, but perhaps not for youngsters.

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/fare_passes.cfm

Note that the 5 day pass has confusing-star-little notes in the fine print part that contradict what the RCT told me on Facebook. But that is part of the game here, just like figuring promos in the casino. They come, They go, They change the rules. Folks slip in and out. I think the Facebook information is correct. I know Walgreen's sells them because I called them and asked directly.

What the RTC decided with all this wonderful bus renovation is that they wanted to create two classes of fares, one for the locals and one for the tourists, so they could milk that tourist dollar a bit more while giving a perk to the local riders, but they cannot figure a way to effectively do that other than to charge one set of prices when we board residential and another when we board Deuce and SDX.

The move on 9-11 is to make tourist seniors second class seniors by not offering reduced prices on Deuce and SDX except for folks who boarded residential buses and have a local ID. If they take out the reduced fare options from the vending machines on the strip, then tourist seniors must pay full fare. It is a nasty business. I know residential bus riders are the working poor of Vegas, but tourist dollar drive the economy of Vegas, and we all have contributed to the fund of simulus dollars that has allowed Vegas to revamp their bus system during the worst recession of modern times.

All fares used to be the same for everyone. They should keep it that way for the fare to be fair.

Sorry. None of that affects you.

Okay, let me recap and then you ask about places where I have confused you.
My suggested strategy is you buy a one way WAX ticket to downtown from ground Zero at the airport.
Once downtown you go into that Fremont Street Walgreen’s and buy a 5 day pass and you are good to go anywhere, anytime on any bus. You won’t find that ticket is available along the strip. Other Walgreen's and Albertson's have them, but they are in local neighborhoods for the convenience of locals, not where tourists walk.
If Walgreen’s decides they don’t want to sell the passes on the Fremont Experience, then you want to stop at the BTC on your way in to town and buy one or make do with vending machine options.

And I suggest that when you are on the strip you take at least one ride on the 202 or 201. Maybe you go to Terribles, stop there and walk down to the HardRock which most visitors think is inaccessible except by car or cab.

Get a feel for the Flamingo bus. It has changed how I see Vegas.
Basically, Flamingo is my "strip."
202 makes Flamingo, from Gold Coast to Eastside Cannery accessible at all hours of the day and night. Just the leg from the Gold Coast up to Ellis Island is a treat as it ties together inexpensive casinos with good food and good gambling. It is uncrowded and runs about 20 minutes until early AM when it runs every hour.

If none of that is appealing you might like a ride out the 201 to get to the well loved Pinball Hall of Fame where you can play the old pinball machines of my youth.

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

These residential routes are free of the crowds of tourists and out of the strip traffic. Most Vegas visitors don't know anything about them. Some regular tourists find that being among the common folks grates against their upscale Vegas experience or they are in too much of a hurry for buses and they lean more to limo or cab or rental than city bus.

So these buses are underused resources.

I also suggest that you print out a copy of the schedule for the 201 and 202, so you don’t show up at the bus stop with much waiting time.
In the daytime in the hot summer, waiting for a bus can be uncomfortable. At night it is just annoying. Planning can preclude that discomfort. If you are planned, you spend a bit more time at the table and then walk out for soon to come bus.

Finally, when you get back you owe us a bus report. How did it go. You have a perspective that I don't have. You are new to buses. Help other newbies decide if they want to risk being awash in the people of an egalitarian democracy or enjoy elite status, if they want to be frugal or extravagant. It is not an easy decision. This particular part of this board is the place to put that info, or if you write a trip report, give us a heads up here.

And win some money so next trip you can just hire a car, some foo foo chauffeur and say "James" a lot

Gold Coast boilerplate

Gold Coast is only bad location if you ignore the easy, uncrowded and cheap city Flamingo bus 202 that picks up about every 20 minutes across the street by the Palms and will deliver you to the strip, Ellis Island, Tuscany, Terribles, Sam's Town, Eastside Cannery.
Put that together with what a short walk to the Rio gets you in free shuttle to Harrah's, or what a free shuttle to the Orleans and then a 201 bus ride gets you to NYNY and you have pretty much the entire center of the strip covered at least for main hour (before midnight) access without crowds and at less expense than strip bus service.
The Palms has a shuttle to the Fashion Show Mall as well. I have not taken it, but it adds to the flexibility of location.
Early in the morning because the intervals are more like an hour, all you have to do is pay attention to the schedule you print and stick in your pocket, so you don't wait too long there at Caesar's to hop the 202 back.
Or if carrying a bus schedule is too complex a job in trip preparation, generally one cab ride back from the strip in you missed the last shuttle (12:30 last I was there) from Bill's will not add more to the cost of a stay at the Gold Coast compared to any strip hotel except maybe IP.

Generally, a B connected card will let you book a room for under $30. There is a resort fee of $3, but I have yet to actually have it charged to me when I book B Connected. Comped rooms are not charged.

By September this 202 will connect with the new express that goes along Boulder and gives us fast access to everything from Joker's Wild to Boulder Station and Arizona charlies and to downtown.

I pick the Gold Coast for cheap access to anywhere. So do others here. Catch the Bucket's last entry in his trip report. Page 11
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/for...=65540&page=11


As well as casinos, all along Flamingo are interesting restaurants, places to get your haircut on the cheap, a library offering free wifi, the entire Nevada University campus to explore as well as interesting college ast food places to grab a quick bite.

And the access, unlike any strip bus travel, can be access with luggage. So I can grab a few nights at the Gold Coast before heading out to Eastside Cannery with my 85 pound suitcase and there is no issue on the bus. Or I can go from the Gold Coast to Paradise and there to the airport all on the bus.

The free shuttle over to the Orleans will get me free wifi in the coffee spot there in the lobby.

At the Gold Coast is a small and comfortable pool and simple jacuzzi. It is a heated pool much of the year so in April or November I can usually swim. I did hear that this year they are not sure about it being heated in November, another pullback that frustrates my planning.
However, when the Flamingo pool is down to just one open and that 2 feet of water could be used to get the beer cold, the Gold Coast offers heated water deep enough to actually swim around and uncrowded.
And next to it is a workout room that is also uncrowded and overlooks the pool. And there is fine cold water.

Along side are shaded sitting areas where reading and chilling are very comfortable. No extra fee for shade at this pool.

The buffet is one of the best low priced meals in Vegas with RedEye gravy for biscuits and pretty good choices. Once a year with an American Casino Guide coupon the buffet can be had for free after earning 200 points at 9/6 JOB.

I like to hear the music in the lounge in the afternoon. They dropped my favorite classic jazz band, but they still offer interesting choices and a place to dance if my wife is along. That is my cheapest lunch place because they have no issues with carrying in a drink and a couple $1.25 hotdogs from the sportsbook area. I'd go play 9/6 JOB, get my free beer, grab a hotdog iwth sauerkraut, go for a set of music, go back for the second beer on the long break between sets, play fifteen minutes more JOB, and repeat the pattern as long as I wanted. It stretches out my bankroll and gives me plenty of entertaining breaks.

So, for me this drop in VP is a bad thing. That bar served Sam Adams on tap with a friendly waiter. The last report I read, the poster asked the bartender if he could get Sam Adams free while he played,
"Only one at a time" the bartender quipped with a chuckle.

Now, not even one I guess.

Player card advice boilerplate

Quote:

I'd sign up wherever you play and use your card.

As a generalization this is good advice, but don't take it to an extreme. Here is why you should not just sign up at every place you pass or play a few dollars.
Sign up only where your play is concentrated. Some freeplay offers will come sometimes just because you are a newbie, so save some of the places to gamble on a later Vegas visit, and appear as a newbie to them at that later time.
How many free nights can you use for your next trip?
$100 a day pushed hard at only one place with get you offers. Pick a place or two and concentrate your play there. Don't then go there another day and just play a few dollars. That will decrease your daily average. You want to look to the casino like you would play and lose $100 each day. Even one day at some places will get you offers.
One technique is to take two days bankroll and gamble it in one day. Skip the first day, go to Red Rock or do shows or take a long sight seeing walk. Then the second day push your $200. Now you look like a higher roller. When you get your card ask what is a "day" in their records. Some casinos have days that start after midnight, others have days that start after 2 am. This is important. If a new day starts after midnight, cash out before that time so that your daily amount put at risk is the amount you gambled the first day, say $1000, not what you gambled for two days, say $1000 and $60 divided by 2 and so $530. For that extra half hour into the second day, in this example the gambler looks like half as hard a player.

If you really want to get offers, get off the strip and play at some of the smaller places: Try Orleans, Gold Coast. They are more likely to come back with some offers for free rooms. The gambling is generally better too.
Even if they don't, just holding a card and signing in to the Boyd website will get you some under $30 a night prices for weekday rooms most of the time, and it may well get you a couple free nights offered right on that website.

Or try downtown. Places like El Cortez, 4 Queens will come back at you with some 2 night offers for your next trip. Even Main Street Station might.
Again, pick one or two and save the rest for next time.
In your whole life you will only be a newbie once at each place or each system. Play at the Gold Coast for example and you are in a card system that includes the Orleans and Main street Stations and Sam's Town. That is not a bad thing, but know which casinos are attached to which card systems.
If you get a card everywhere and play a little everywhere, then you might get so many two night newbie freebies that you can't use them all, or more likely you will not look like much of a gambler and not get anything much. You will have lost your newbieness for no gain at all.

Seed a couple casinos where you might like to stay with concentrated play.

the other thing is that as they give you free nights over a few stays and you keep gambling just a little or your $100 one time goes down the drain too quickly for you to run much money through the machine, then the same casino that gave you as a newbie a freebie two night stay will stop sending them.
So, let's say you got a free night offer at the Orleans after your first visit. Then you went and used that but did not gamble much money there. But on the second visit you seeded yourself as a newbie with the El Cortez and there your daily bankroll held up a long, long time. Now the Orleans cuts you off, but the El Cortez has an interest in this newbie gambler, so they send you two nights or some promo deal.

Consider too how much you might go to Vegas. I made the huge mistake of signing up everywhere about ten years before retirement. I did not have the job flexibility to go when the free offers came. Then I retired and had the flexibility, but I could not present myself as a newbie. Having been too promiscuous on my first trip, my gambling virginities had been sold for nothing.

Finally, there are periodically sign up offers for newbies. Sometimes they are absolutely amazing. One of the best is that the casino offers to let you gamble $100 and lose it, and will then give it back to you in freeplay. However, most of these are just for newbies. So if you waste your newbie status for no sign-up bonus, then on some future trip, when you could sell it for $100, well......... you are used goods

Well Gordon, it was fine to get your Christmas card and finally I am beginning to answer some, starting with yours. We did not send Christmas cards. As my Gambling Birthday Bash Trip Report will explain, we were pretty busy.

You always fill your envelopes with stamps. Well if this works, I will be filling this letter with pictures of stamps. Not the same, to be sure, but in the spirit anyway.




While I was away I gave my computer new spirit. And so it works better and faster and for a while perhaps I can play with it. None of them really last very long, but then I won't either. Ah, I'm beginning to sound a bit like those characters in Dickens.





There, that should be a bit better. At least I have a great gambler in the mix. Dostoyevsky wrote most of what he wrote to pay his roulette debts. Sad, really.

Baudelaine was a favorite of this French girl I met in Madrid back in our days. I was quie taken by her. We went to the art gallery and she showed me those lighter pictures of Goya with laughing young people throwing friends up in a blanket. She liked Baudelaine (The spelling is off on that; I hope I have the right poet) and so, of course, for a while I liked him too. And we wrote some letters for a while and then it just dwindled away.




I did not need a girl to help me find pleasure in these two Americans who wrote popular fiction. Nor do girls get much positive development from either of them. I've always liked girls, however. Always. One big regret is not having enough of them in my youth. In old age it is not very easy to have them.

So how have you been? I hope the new year finds you happy and perhaps with some new activity to replace the work that dried up at the end of the old year or perhaps by now they have reopened again.
We are all well and having a good time. There are little things like arthritis and such but no life threatening illnesses and at this age that is a treat. The funerals of friends have started. For a while it was just the old parents of friends, but now they are in line and dropping too. So anything that does not hasten my dropping is good.

We have had no winter here yet. It was cold yesterday and the lake froze only to thaw again today. It is incredible and wonderful. I guess we will benefit some from global warming. It will insure that my old dock which I just supported as best I could and recovered will make it into another year. Thick ice is the devil on a doc especially if the thaw comes quickly. Years ago here we lost the dock almost every year. One March the boys and I were out in rough windy waves with ropes hauling it back to shore and securing it again.

And speaking of the devil:



I am not very busy just now but have no money to travel. We have another wedding coming this year so I have to save up. I will get to Vegas again, of course, perhaps around the end of June because I can combine it with a trip west to a nephew's bar mitzvah and stretch at least most of the air espense into two trips. I'll try to go again in December. I love it then. A good time to use up the coupons.

We will get down to N Carolina to see E's step father and to the wedding outside Chicago, but not much else this year. I am hungry to go to Costa Rica again but can't manage that just yet. Besides I need more time brushing up on Spanish. I've let it slide. I do try to read a bit on Blogs now and again, but it is not the same as actual study.




In the meantime my books should keep me happy enough. I am selling some on Halfbay too and may expand that. We have so many and the kids don't seem that interested. right now I am selling some of Elizabeth's stuff that she wanted to get out of the way when she moved her office into the house.

That has worked very well, saving her money and moving her toward a semi-retirement. And it has not been any trouble for me, so it has all worked well.

Well, I don't know what else to tell you. And besides I am out of stamps. I hope to see you one of these days. If Montreal would start dealing live poker, I'd be up there often. And that may happen. It is becoming very popular here.

Well, time to ride off with one of my favorite Latin American poets:

Trip reports 2003

Date of Trip: January 17, 2003 to January 25, 2003 Hotel Stayed At: Fiesta Henderson Report by: Dewey From: Averill Park NY

TRIP REPORT: Jan 17-25 I met up with old friend Jerry and his family for a couple days and guided a newer friend Jill to show her around Vegas.

HOTEL ROOMS: Stayed at Fiesta Henderson the entire week with $30 weekends and $11 weeknights on a mailer that was supposed to end in December, but when I called they extended. Some extra charges, the energy tax and $10 for the phone. Still a good deal. Nice rooms, better than the cheaper rooms downtown. Clean and with coffee pot and hair dryer but no safe. Very quiet. Still in the Reserve style with zebras and gazelle and tasteful leopard skin bedcovers and curtains. Just fine unless you needed Mexico up here too.

Two major highways systems make it very easy to get to downtown, to the strip from east or west, or to Boulder Strip. Boulder by back road is very close anyway, with Joker’s Wild just down the road and around the corner.
I liked being able to park so close to the elevator. If you park near the pool, behind the volleyball court, and use that entrance, the elevator is just ten steps inside. I got in at 3:30 AM on my last night and there was a spot first in the row, so my checkout suitcase pull was the shortest I ever remember and no awkward trip through the casino.

The food was great, but one of the music at the Fiesta was very good. Arizona Charlie’s Boulder is a similar type of casino, but I’ve liked the music better. Fiesta was dark more than it was alive. The guitar bar was a disappointment.


GAMBLING:
I keep a lifetime account of my gambling. Thanks to a $1000 Fiesta 10/7 DB Royal, the $685 I won gambling ended a long stretch of losses or small wins. I don’t add in comps or tips. But this time I used over $60 in food comps and got cheap rooms based on prior play, so perhaps I should begin account for them somewhere too. The $685 brought me up to + $2150 lifetime score. Not a bad hobby. Sure beats golf!

CRAPS:
I still try to set the dice. I must not have it right. I did think I had longer rolls, but did not repeat numbers enough to make a profit in any session. My last roll saw me throw eight 4’s 9’s and 10’s with my money on 5’s 6’s and 8’s. I then hit the 8 only to seven out. Still these Fiesta tables are great for low rollers, a dollar on the line and ten behind. In the morning I could play alone and really practice rolling. Great, helpful, friendly dealers. Easy tables. The spirit here is not the loud whoop-de-doo I’m on vacation hoo-haw or Casino Royale, but it is not the downtown meeting of grumpy old men either.

LIVE POKER:
Okay, so once again I tried the big league seven card stud players at Bellagio in the 4-8 structured game and once again got beat. This time I quit at a little under $200, after the barefoot Chinese guy took me again in a big pot which I started with my rolled up tens and ended with the same, losing to his damn straight. Last time he beat me with a river pulled nines full house while I limped out with never filled Kings up. And he always takes such pleasure beating me. Barefoot poker at the ritzy Bellagio! That’s Vegas!

Later I played at the Palms and found a game of $3- $6 stud with no ante and much loser players. I did not get great cards often. I broke exactly even over about four hours of play. I liked the game. The players bet into and called me even when I indicated high cards and had played tight a long while waiting. Lots of little bonus pots for four of a kind and straight flushes too. I did not hit any, but they were fun to think about. They gave me a $10 food comp, without asking, when I left. I like that a lot. In fact, I like the Palms casino in general.


VIDEO POKER:
I played quarter 10/7 DB at Fiesta Henderson and the Palms last week. I hit a Royal in clubs at Fiesta. Great fun. I liked the machines at the Palms better. They were newer, with tickets, and large card displays. The sounds worked. Fiesta had most of the 10/7 machines places placed near the doors and it was drafty. I finally found comfort at one bank near the Sportsbook tree. No crowds here, however. Great little casino for peace and quiet. No lines to check in or out, to eat, to check comp points. Mostly locals here. Four 10/7 nickle “double on” machines require max bets of ten play and others had similar ten play Bonus Poker 8/5. That is fifty cents a spin. Not a nice as the old Fiesta nickel games, but still pretty cheap fun.

I play a very tight strategy based on the Zamzow VP tutor and Tomski’s strategy sheet maker. I bring Dancer’s report and the color coded sheets with me and look up hard hands. I know that is not what the pro’s do, as they play fast for so many dollars per hour, but I take my time to watch a pretty girl, sip my free brandy, and enjoy the study of the hand as much as the rest of the play. I don’t want it to be a job with a time clock. I want to have fun. I just don’t want to lose in the long run. Played this way 10/7 is never boring It is not as exciting as live poker, but there are always things to consider and think through.

Once again, carrying my sheets attracted the attention of other players. A nearby fellow and wife were almost laughing at me for correctly holding a bare ace rather than an offsuited king (when the penalty cards were right). It takes me a while to be sure what to do there (Is there a card under six? Is there a flush penalty? Is there an unsuited ace?) so his arrogance was annoying. I tried to engage them, show them my literature, etc, but they were so sure they had perfectly learned the strategy last summer, even though they had no real idea of the difference in the various games. Once I heard her say that she did not care what “the book” said, she was holding the “winner.“ Ironically, she was picking two jacks over a four card flush of small cards, so her guilt and protest were unnecessary; she was playing by “the book.“ While I hear that the dollar and fifty cent 10/7 machines are drying up or slowing down around Vegas, I guess these folks will keep 10/7 quarters in the casinos for a while, as few really play anything close to the recommended strategy. I was glad that they did not see me split the three ace’s out of two full houses that day. I’d have never heard the end of it. Luckily, I was able to see them later and brag about my $250 winnings. While the win had more to do with standard deviation than any strategy, it did set his dentures back a notch, as he was just below even. The VP did well for me this week. Even had I missed the royal, I would have been a couple hundred ahead in VP and that covered other, poorer gambles.

TOURNAMENTS:
Played my first 10/7 VP tournament at Fiesta with paid entry and another lucky 7’s slot tournament at Sunset Station that was free as part of a radio promotion for the new broadcast studio there. I got a free Sunset Station T -shirt as well just for visiting the studio. I heard themon the radio and went in at the last minute. No lines for T-shirts, even though the casino was full of people. No luck in either tournament.

RICHOCHET- This game at Fiesta was new for me, a cross between craps, roulette and Chuck a Luck. Three dice. You bet on a layout with your own colored chips, picking what pairs will show with what other number. The shooter rolls until a six one show paying off any pairs that show. Trip bets and some other bets possible too. I don’t know the house advantage or odds on individual bets, but it was fun to watch. Since it is new, I assume it is tough to beat, but you never can tell. Foxwood’s Catch a Wave proved to be as good a Blackjack as long as you used perfect strategy.

IMPERIAL PALACE- Before I came Jill spent two nights at the Imperial Palace using that $30 winter special. Because she was brand new they gave her a coupon for $100 in Blackjack $5 matchplay plus two mathcplay coupons . That means 22 hands that pay 2-1! We got terrible cards and still wound up $10 ahead. A great deal.

COMPS
From now on I’m just going to the points counter every day to ask about specials and confirm advertisements. That is the only way to keep up with these tricky casino promotions. One day Fiesta had a couple coupons for seniors that had not been mailed to me. Another day they had 5X points advertised on a slinger in my room, but nothing told me I must up to the counter and tell them to credit my play as 5X the points. Otherwise, I’d have played all day and missed the promotion. A similar thing happened when Gold Coast offered to add a couple thousand if I played during my birthday month. I was there and made the trip to play, but the points were not added automatically. Two months later, it took me two women and three returns in two hours to get them to add them in. In the fine print it is only the locals who get the deal automatically. The out of state crowd must tell them they played. Don’t assume anything. Ask them to do it, and then ask them if they did it. They are nice enough, just not about to give much away easily. Actually, the great Fiesta room deal was mailed to me for December. I called and asked if they could extend it to January, so they did. Then I called three more times just to be sure they did not change their minds.

ENTERTAINMENT:
LOUNGE ACTS:
Big Elvis at Barbary Coast- always a kick. Fine voice and a good place to park and use an old Orleans funbook coupon for a free drink before walking the strip.
Ghalib Ghalab at Caesar’s Palace: Absolutely one of the best I’ve seen in free lounge music. This fellow is very talented and a great showman. Sitting in the plush overstuffed sofa and sipping expensive cognac made a fine and fancy time.
Groove Kitty at the Palms- Oh! Oh! I just don’t get hip hop. Sorry. And the girls walking around the casino were sexier, so I took a walk and played live poker.
Tweed at Sam’s Town - “Classic” rock from the 80’s? I’m getting old. Next thing I know they will sell 80’s antiques. But there was Billy Joel and Elvis and a nice rendition of Johnny Be Good with other things I knew, so it was all good. The crowd was a fine multicultural mix of friendly strangers. One sweet, just-married girl named JoLisa asked me to dance and enjoyed some of my old swing steps. A tall, Black man, my age, in a multi-colored striped shirt and a fine gray hat danced a bit by himself, and then grabbed a beer, sat next to me, and commented on the strange fact that this a cute little Filipino girl, dancing with her six foot tall man, repeatedly smiled directly at us as they turned on the dance floor. Meanwhile, some cowboy in a big hat and buckle sauntered by, while the long blond haired rock lead jumped down on the bar and into the audience and back on stage again. At break he came down to sit in front of us and soul kiss his girl, a sweet little honey who, when she danced, made us all wish we were rock stars too. It was a prime night, my last in Vegas, and I milked it with sweet limed Coronas until 3 PM.
Neonopolis rock band- Great sax player made the old hits of the 50’s and 60’s come alive. Too bad the free parking is history there.

SHOWS
Trop overhead - Great one to see. Well, worth it. We caught it right after the lion feeding at MGM grand. That too was well worth going. They feed the lions by hand and only the glass separates them from you. Very good, close up view. I’ve been other times and was bored.
Shark Reef - At MGM I had lions over my head. Here there were sharks. I liked this aquarium. Plenty to see.
Penguins - I missed their feeding but Jill saw them and raved about it, especially the little ones just born.
MSS men’s bathroom - Put this on the list if you are male and old enough to remember how frustrating the Berlin Wall felt. You get to urinate on it. Women miss out, unfortunately. I tried to sneak Jill in at a quiet time, but the men kept coming in droves. I never knew there were so many dedicated anti-communists still around. But there they were, all ready to ritualistically express themselves, and whisper with old JFK, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

SRATOSPHERE TOWER

I’ve taken so many people up here at sunset and still it never ceases to amaze me. I think sometime I’ll just plan to spend an entire evening writing up there. What a view! This time I noticed that those huge undeveloped sections of brown desert, so prominent in the daylight between the casinos, fade away completely into all the other background blackness when the lights come on. Great fun to identify all the places once visited on ground level.

STAINED GLASS AND OTHER SIGHTS- - I like stained glass. I like the large pictures at Main Street Station and even the little ones scattered through Barbary Coast. But this display at the Sunset Station was incredible. They try to capture the colors of sunset in abstract canopy that completely covers an entire bar area. Wild!
On the Jerry-Guzik-double paced-sprint from Tropicana to Bellagio and back to buy a Bellagio money I saw the Bellagio gardens all dressed for Chinese New Year in statue, fruit and flower. What a place!
Downtown Jill took me to a small park near a children’s school to see a stream and waterfall and a tiny poetry bridge. Very unusual across from the huge courthouse and in the midst of so many high rise office buildings.

FOOD:
Fiesta - Overall the food was great. The seafood buffet was just too much of the same as the other days, adding cold crab and a couple fish at an inflated price, but the rest was nice. M-F lunch was on sale for $5.99 and a coupon for seniors on Tuesday took two dollars off that. The champagne tasted nice on Saturday morning so maybe that was worth $10. My favorites included the fish and chips, the fried chicken, a Chinese vegetable medley, roast duck, pecan sticky buns, almond bars, chocolate chip bars, and the cheesecake. Fruit was just not there. That was disappointing.
Fiesta on seafood night was a great place to take seven relatives for a nice long feed and talk session. It was uncrowded, no lines and we did not feel rushed. The stories were great.
In the fiesta Baja Cafe near the crashed plane is the Feel Good Soup which so many on bulletin boards have raved. It is a meal in a bowl, a great dish of serious slices of pork and chicken, of fine big mushrooms all simmering in a wonton greens rich broth with choice of steamed or fried wontons. Great! And you get to try to eat soup with chopsticks. $4.99.
Green Valley Ranch Station Sunday Brunch- made my LVA 2-1 coupon worth $17. Most places do not allow weekend use of coupons. This was a great bargain. We started with the best bloody Mary I have ever tasted, meticuously mixed and shaken. It went uphill from there. I think it compares with Bellagio and Paris for brunch. Hot precracked crab, a wonderful hot sticky pecan sauce, for waffles or ice cream (if carried it across the room), and lamb chops were my favorite. Fine variety of meats. Good desserts. Nice selection of fish. And some little green pepper thing I’ve never seen by the gefilte fish.
Paris Buffet- Wonderful. My friend Jerry took us for the Breton. He remembered the taste from his last trip. Everything was good. Even the bacon is different and better. No big silver tea set, however. I miss that elegance.
Main Street Station- I love the feel of this place, the uncrowded openness and the airy ease of it. I like the Hawaiian food and the great collard greens, as well as the chicken wings. No unique flavor of soft ice cream this time; perhaps they have stopped that. Plenty of good vegetable dishes.

HAIRCUT
If you are like me you intend to get your haircut before you go on vacation, but you don’t take the time. Twice now I’ve had my lion like flowing mane and Santa beard trimmed back to good looking and comfortable by Linda at Magic Hair and Nails 4926 Tropicana (almost to Boulder Highway) 454-0057. Each time I just walked in and she did a great job, putting it in a fine shape and fussing with it, much better than my local barber and cheaper too. Tell her the guy from Albany NY told you to try her.

SHOPPING:
Jill took me to a downtown Vintage clothing store and we got to see how that style develops. It is bizarre to me. I’m sorry that the name escapes me. Basically, you put together all the clothes from the 50’s that you thought looked dumb in the 60’s and mix them in ways your mother would never approve. Then add an outlandish scarf, hat or other accessory. This store made their own line of clothing also. Great to see!
Bonanza was another blast with Jill. She likes all the crazy look of purple hats and the fun dancing hamsters singing hip hop. I bought a Three Stooges refrigerator magnet set for a Stooges fan I know.


So it was a great trip. Isn’t it always. It was a nice break from the week of below zero weather here in snowy upstate New York. And it was nice to get home too. It is all nice.

Enjoy
Dewey
Dewey - Averill Park NY

*********************************************************************

Date of Trip: February 17, 2003 to February 28, 2003 Hotel Stayed At: Palace Station Straosphere NYNY Plaza Report by: dewey From: Averill Park

Dear gamblers,

Here is the piece I put on the bulletin boards for Vegas travelers. I’m not sure that there is much here of value except for people thinking about a Vegas trip. It is pretty dry so you may just want to delete it.

I wasn’t going to return to Vegas so soon again, but my buddy Peter from Florida called with free and reduced hotel room deals and a wife who did not want to go back, and I have all these 2-1 buffet coupons and a wife who doesn‘t go, so how could I say no. I spent eleven nights there and the total cost (air, room, week of rental car, shows, food) was $514. A true low roller deal.

It was a fine week even with the rain. I actually ran through a hail storm to get to the Venetian and then watched it from the balcony. That was unusual.

I met some interesting people: a fellow in the poker room who two weeks ago buried his wife and that morning had just gotten a new job driving the people to the girls in Parump and had some stories, another fellow with a printed strategy chart for VP who was spending a month at Amerisuites in Vegas after losing his wife. In NYNY I watched an Australian new bride in bridal gown, her groom and best man have a very good series of craps rolls to the shouts of “thunder from downunder” from table player answered by some Australian unison chant. And I met a fellow at the MacKing show who told me a great story about losing his guide in the Amazon jungles of Peru and stumbling into a spear toting, blowgun armed isolated indigenous tribe for some tense minutes before the guide found them again. Vegas people are really quite a mix.

HOTELS

Palace Station: We stayed four nights and enjoyed our room and the gambling. I was happy to see 10/7 Double Bonus there. We also enjoyed the Monday and Tuesday late night free tournaments in which men compete against women. It was easier to qualify as a man perhaps because fewer men participated in the tournament. You also had to wait less time between the qualifying round and the final playoff if you were male. I won $20 one night.
Staying at the Palace Station gave us free tickets to Laugh Trax and I enjoyed the show.

STRATOSPHERE: I like staying here, but this time they did not have very good music

NYNY: Peter had free weekend rooms in spite of a rather modest record of play. He probably will not again as we did not play much there. We did play some fine JOB 9/6 and put a little in Megabucks.

I enjoyed the crowd excitement, but this is not my favorite casino. I forgot to ask for a room away from the roller coaster, but it was not loud enough to bother us at all. The rooms were very nice.

PLAZA: After Peter left I took a couple nights by myself at the Plaza and the rooms there were comfortable and quiet. Mine looked down Main Street and the view of Las Vegas Club and other neon at night was delightful.

AREA PREFERENCE IN GENERAL:

We stayed in these hotels because they gave us the best deals, but none of them really satisfy me for location. I did enjoy the nostalgia of Palace Station because on my first long visit to Vegas, about eight years ago, I had stayed there with an old college buddy and my oldest son. We actually walked to the strip then all the way to the other end and back to see all we could see. This was in August. but now I know so many more satisfying places to go.

I liked the Friday and Saturday night crowds around NYNY area and I did enjoy some of the music, especially a band that featured two black male dancers who danced in a graceful harmony, some of their movements approaching acrobatics. But the NYNY lounge is not built so that you can see the acts from the lounge tables. People stand in the way. Getting a seat and waiting for the next set was of no use.

I usually like downtown, but lately I am getting less pleasure from it. The gambling is much better than the strip, but not better than other off strip areas. There are just too many seedy characters around. At the Plaza some fellow grabbed a cup of quarters and ran with it. I suppose that can happen anywhere, but I doubt it happens much at Silverton or Fiesta Henderson as there is no where to run to, nor do I feel the same tension in Rio/Gold Coast/Palms/Orleans area. When I stayed at the Plaza, I found myself taking a bus to Harrah’s then the free shuttle to Rio, walking to the Palms, then catching the free Gold Coast shuttle back to Barbary Coast and taking a bus back downtown.

We visited Silverton for the first time and we both liked it. We visited Jean also for the first time and we both hated it. Silverton had great gambling, a friendly crew. Jean had stressed dealers and very bad VP.

SILVER STRIKE COLLECTING:
The entire week was driven by Peter’s desire to expand his collection of silver strikes and he managed to do that, coming home with about $2000 in collector coins including four of the $200 coins. I guess he has some representative coins from every casino that currently offers them.

OTHER GAMBLING:


I play 10/7 Double Bonus video poker for the most part and just did not have much luck all week. No royals, one set of aces, and some nights when quads were as scarce as Megabucks jackpots.

I played a small amount of money in the Megabucks, hitting and keeping $100 of profit the first night, but losing it by the end of the week. Peter hit for $450 and then again for $1500, both at the Palms while waiting for me to leave a live poker game. But then Peter hit everything he tried coming back with a profit of about 4 grand, about half of that i collector coins

Peter looks for the haywire slots with two coins that do not pay huge top jackpots. His reasoning is that he will hit more of the smaller pays and it seemed to work that way on this trip. His Silver Strike gambling also seems to pay very well for slots. Perhaps the casinos can set the slots a little looser because they know that a certain portion of the coins won will never be redeemed for money.

I introduced Peter to craps at the Fiesta Henderson in the morning. This is the best craps game in Vegas. There you can play $1 on the line with 10X the odds, so taking three numbers is not a bankroll killer. I had fine rolls and walked away with a profit of $300. Peter rolled well too and also benefited from my good rolls. I highly recommend this place, especially if you want to teach someone the game. The dealers are easy and friendly and a modest $5 Yo bet for them is met with incredulity. The other players are easy, often locals who come often. It is a nice game all around.

But then I like the casino overall. Good 10/7 Double Bonus, inexpensive and good buffet, and great tournaments and point promotions. You swipe your card for meal comps, or accumulated points can be used at other Station Casinos simply by going to the promotions booth and moving points. I did it at Texas Station. It is quieter than some places, but sometimes I want a relaxed time.

At the Stratosphere I played over 100% 9/5 Bonus Poker but did not do well.

There are some great coin fed JOB machines at the Plaza just inside one of the doors. They are really antiques, and I expect we will not have a chance to play such old fellows in the future of coinless tickets. So try them out for a bit if you have the patience. Be careful about selecting what you hold, however, as you can’t change your mind and decide to hold other cards.

I played lots of match plays but just about broke even.

TOURNAMENTS:

Monte Carlo’s daily FREE slot tournament and raffle:
If you are willing to spend time in the casino or at least in that area, this is a great deal. For signing up we were given a great traveler beverage cup or really good quality key chain. The raffle ticket is held until later in the evening and five are drawn for $100 each. You play a qualifying slot session. Top two scores of the eight hourly sessions are invited back in the evening to play with a total of twenty people for $500. Each of these final round participants gets a tee shirt that reads “tournament winner.” Losers are given tickets for a drawing at the playoffs. Four seats of the twenty are drawn from loser tickets as well as hats and shirt prizes. We played on three days and I ended up with a tee shirt and a hat and four of the colorfully decorated Monte Carlo traveler cups. (We signed up for one session and did not make it to the slots in time)

Fiesta Henderson has daily VP, Pai Gow or Blackjack tournaments with free entry coupons in their mailings. Replays are $5 with the fifth one free. So I tried the VP tournament five times for $15. It is played on 10/7 DB formats. Hitting quad jacks or better gets you a nice extra large Fiesta sweatshirt. The high score for the day gets $1000. We did not do too well, but I won two sweatshirts and Peter won four.

LIVE POKER:

If you want a friendly, easy, fun game of either seven card stuff or Texas Hold ’Em go to the Palms in the afternoon. Their 3-6 structured stud game, when they have enough players is a fine game. Unlike those 1-5 spread games, the pots are large enough to offset the rakes. Their beginners $2-4 Texas Hold Em game was a great way for me to learn how the game goes. I have been intimidated other places because the Hold Em players all seem to have a much greater grasp of odds and poker and some of them are too serious and too arrogant. I tried a $1-$8 spread limit game at the Sahara and ran into that kind of crowd. Ugly manners and no slack for beginners. At the Palms a dealer named Joe took time to show me the basics and suggest a safe strategy while I was learning. A young kid from the higher stakes games also showed me a little information and both Joe and the kid then checked on me to see I was comfortable and things were going well. I never got such fine attention in any poker room anywhere.

While waiting for a seat, I could play 10/7 DB Poker on a fine, new, clean, ticket out machine and listen for a pager call. Food comps bought me the buffet or a fine late night steak at the diner.

There is no huge progressive, so the game does not attract those old locals who play tight every day and have a bad attitude as they are just waiting to get beat with four of a kind and hit the thousands. There are nice bonus pays for four of a kind or better. Of course, as luck would have it, while I was playing a guy with four kings beat four sixes. At another casino I might have shared a few thousand dollars for being in that hand. But that won’t happen very often.

My most frustrating hand was to have aces full in a seven card stud game and be head to head with a fellow who had kings full only to have him go “all in” and so stop what would have been a fine betting frenzy. I hate those “all in “ players.

FOOD and DRINK: Our buffet choices were usually determined by 2-1 coupons or comps and often we ate just once a day, midday.

Hilton
Fiesta Henderson
Main Street Station
Texas Station
Silverton
Stratosphere
Palace Station

The Hilton was clearly better quality than the others, offering beer or wine with the meal and nicer selections of food.
Although the buffet is very limited at the Silverton I rate it high because the food was very tasty and unlike food in other areas. I loved the pepper pot soup there.
We were also comped at Chin Chins NYNY The food was very good and it was the only good cup of tea I had on my entire visit.

Once I snacked at the Gold Coast. I used my two drink LVA coupon for a couple Coronas, bought a $75 hot dog with kraut, and took them to my table to hear the Dixie land Jazz Group.
We had a cheap breakfast once in Jean. Just Okay.
I caught the unadvertised late night steak at Binion’s and enjoyed it.
I tried the 99 cent artificial crab cocktail at Gold Coast and liked it as much as the shrimp..
Peter is a coffee person. At McDonald’s he bought coffee once, saved the cup, and got many free refills other mornings.

For breakfast I like a hot chocolate while playing video poker. I drink Corona or scotch or cognac always ordered with a bottle of water. Playing poker at the Palms I drank double Hennessey. Very pretty and friendly waitresses.

SHOWS

The Drifters tribute at the downtown Horseshoe was a good show.

I finally caught the comedy/ magic of MacKing at Harrah’s and enjoyed it very much. Get there early if you want a good seat. Everyone has free coupons.

The Dixie Land music at the Gold Coast was great as always, but their off the cuff rendition of “She’s Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” in Louie Prima style with four different endings was top notch. Nothing canned about that afternoon’s performance. I just wish the sets were longer.


I guess that about sums it up. A good week. A great price. When I go again, I guess I want to stay in the Gold Coast/Palms area and just skip renting a car. Unless I get a great deal at the Fiesta Henderson.
Happy gambling!

********************************************************************* 

Date of Trip: June 25, 2003 to July 04, 2003 Hotel Stayed At: Stratosphere/Plaza/Orleans/Las Vegas Club Report by: Dewey From: Albany NY

HOW THE TRIP HAPPENED

Lucky Pete called me up and told me he was going to the Silver Strike convention and do a
couple weeks of Vegas with mostly free rooms and would I like to leave the women at home and
share his rooms. I patched in two free nights at the Orleans, packed all my free and 2-1coupons,
and off I went to meet him. When you go to Vegas with Lucky Pete, the goal is to spend the most
number of days for the least number of dollars. So here is how the free trip went.

AIRTRAVEL:

Southwest out of Albany NY Cost: $228. Voucher after getting voluntary bump: $308. So I was
80 bucks up before I left the ground. Thank you, Jean Scott.(even if I did have to run between
terminals in Baltimore to make my connection in 7 minutes)

HOTELS:

Lucky Pete and I patched together free mailings and managed nine totally free nights for our
mutual time together. As for the quality of the rooms, hey, we quit worrying about hotel room
quality. They are all better than any $50 motel on your way to anywhere else. And they are free.
Besides, I hardly use the room.

I get up at six to work out and shower either in a fitness room or before I swim the pool and then
gamble or play until midnight or later and then crash.

We tip the maids and tell them not to bother cleaning up until we check out.
When you’re paying less than camping prices, who cares if you don’t have lots of little stuff in
bottle to take home or a brass bed? And we even had one of those at the Orleans. We had 2-3
day stays at Stratosphere, Plaza, Orleans, Las Vegas Club. All the rooms were fine. Las Vegas
Club North tower was much better than any others, except the Orleans which was not any more
roomier or comfortable, but was more plush. But what do I need with an ironing board? Oh, at
LVC you need to ask a maid for bar soap or make due with soap from a dispenser.

FOOD

Lucky Pete and I both need to lose weight, but we both wanted to over indulge buffets. So, we
ate once a day, midday, all we wanted, snacking on free fruit in fitness clubs, airplane peanuts,
free scratch card ice cream or some other small something in between. Unless of course we had
a free breakfast. We took anything free. We did have to pay some cash for our main meal twice
in the ten days, for a total of $33.00. We’ll try harder next trip. Here is how I rate what I ate (on
a scale of 1-10):

#4 Sahara café Prime Rib special. Had to pay for this one because I arrived too late after the
bump and too hungry from ten hours without food.
#4 Stratosphere Buffet
#1 Las Vegas Club Upper Deck 20 oz sirloin and prime rib. See the LVC story of how I got this
comp.
#4 Silverton Buffet. I know it is small, but I like the taste of what they serve, especially
strawberry shortcake over cornbread with thick whipped cream.
#2 Fiesta Henderson buffet. Includes duck.
#2 Boulder Station Buffet. Always a treat.
#1 Texas Station Buffet – Great for beef. Don’t miss the selections of chili on the end. My
favorite is Buffalo Breath and I like it served in a crispy, deep fried shell I find in the Mexican
section located near the middle of the buffet.
#1 Einstein Bagels on Maryland near Tropicana. My hardworking grandnephew is Assistant
manager and he treated us for breakfast. Tell Chris Rehac I said, “hi” if you eat there.
#2 Las Vegas Club Upperdeck breakfast free with free room.
#2 Las Vegas Club pistachio ice cream won on a scratch card. Made a good breakfast.
#1 Hilton Buffet. Free wine or beer at night only. Great desserts like cream
#3 99 cent fake crab cocktail at Golden Gate.

puff balls with real, old fashioned cream. A definite cut above the others in this list.

You can see I liked everything. For true low rollers there really is no such thing as bad food just
as there are no bad hotels or no free things to pass up.

GAMBLING NOTES

This live Texas Hold Em is killing me. Do these guys play together every day? I guess I’m just a
poor liar. Good $2-4 games at the Palms and at the Plaza. Spread limit 2-4-8 games seemed ok
at the Monte Carlo. I won’t play the tight locals at the Orleans anymore. Don’t confuse the game
with what you see on TV. Low limit is not like that. Absolutely best dealer overall for the second
trip is Joe at the Palms in spite of the free comedy tickets a woman who says she is related to
MC Hammer got for me at the Plaza. I think Hammer was at the Palms in the high roller area.
Some hi hop fellow was, with body guards. But what would I know. Too old to be hip hop.

Fiesta Henderson craps is the best in Vegas. Very friendly dealers, no heat if you set, $1
minimum with $10 free odds and never full. I got next the short throw space to the dealer every
time I played in the two days we went there. Only I lost. Still, my points at Fiesta bought me and
the grand nephew and a grand niece a free buffet.

I used Win cards at Fiesta Henderson and the Four Queens, but you now only get them once a
lifetime.

Video poker was very good to me. I hit the Royal at the Plaza and with the $1000 went a bonus
of $50 in Mobil gas cards, but I still only tipped $5 for the hand pay. At the Las Vegas Club I only
remembered to stop playing after two 4-kind in order to wait to get their scratch card
promotions, but I got a really nice hat for one of those and an ice cream for the other. Well,
actually, it was supposed to be for a frozen drink, but I talked the waitress into a cone to go.

I played 10/7 in quarters at the Palms (ticket in ticket out- great for waiting for a seat at live
poker) at Fiesta Henderson, at the Orleans, the Plaza, and The Four Queens where there is a full
pay progressive that was up to $1400 when I played. I found full pay 10/7 DB at two Orleans bars
too if you like to play there in spite of the recent notes that VP is poorer there. I also played a
nice 9/7 bonus poker at the Stratosphere using a strategy sheet I created with Tomski’s VP
Strategy maker. No real wins expept the one royal. Did not even hit the aces all ten days.

Blackjack at the Golden Gate with an hour LVA coupon for 2-1 pays and the first deal a blackjack
on a $10 bet still cost me $135 and I played head to head in a double deck game and could count
aces and slip back to $5 when too many showed. Go figure?

Slots…..well…..I don’t play them. Dropped just $5 in nickels twice because I was waiting to play
the free tournament at the Monte Carlo and wanted some of that micro brewed jackpot ale. The
bottle made great souvenirs.

Using matchplays I played blackjack, craps, roulette and even a game of keno at the Rivera the
Stratosphere. Broke about even. Don’t forget the single zero roulette at the Stratosphere if you
play much of that game. It makes a bit difference.


TOURNAMENT PLAY

Used coupon and $15 to play the video poker tournament at Fiesta Henderson five times, but did
not even hit a jacks or higher four of a kind for the free carry bag. Played the Monte Carlo
tournament three times so I have three free coffee cups and I won a nice blouse for Lucky Pete’s
wife in the drawing.

SILVER STRIKING

To go to Vegas with Lucky Pete means that you follow the Silver Strike trail. To go at convention
time means the trail is everywhere and eternal. But it is a lot of fun to watch someone enjoy his
passion and learn more about collecting and about other collectors. For those of you who are not
aware of Silver Strike slot machines, they are in many of the Vegas casinos and in others around
the country. They payout in limited edition, $10 collector coins cast in silver with Brass borders.
In some places 20 of the $10 coins can be turned in to the casino for a $200 coin. Some of the
coins double or triple in value, so the collections are investments too. Lucky Pete writes on
Silver Strike bulletin boards every day and pays attention to e-bay sales. He came prepared to
win more coins, to trade coins, to upgrade his collection and to network with other collectors
and he had a fine time doing that and left ahead of the slot game because the value of his coins
offset his slot losses. Playing the slots is also how he gets so many fine free room offers. Much
more than I do for playing over 100% video poker. And yet by knowing what he is playing for, he
also realizes over 100% of his invested slot play.

Tracy is another Silver Strike collector. Tracy and Lucky Pete know one another from talking
about Silver Strikes on the Internet. Both are passionate and can trade and talk for days just
about Silver Strikes and the different configurations and which are most popular. The hobby is
half collection and half investment.
So Tracy drove from Seattle to Vegas for 14 hours and started to play Silver Strike machines.
Four days later he figured maybe it was time to get a room, only he had not made any
reservations, and it was a Friday night.
Generous Lucky Pete invited Seattle Tracy to stay with him in his room (for three nights Pete
actually had two free rooms, one for him and one for me.) Tracy stayed with Lucky Pete for two
nights and the plan was that we were all going to hit a buffet with our free coupons, but Tracy
never showed up to go eat.

The next day Pete found him at the Four Queens playing the Silver Strike machine and there
Seattle Tracy stayed for another four days, until he had to drive back to Seattle to host his 4th of
July party.

True madness!

MUSIC and SHOWS

Lucky Pete is not the lounge lizard that I am, so I never see as much live music or shows on our
trips. I did catch the Tuesday night jazz show at Brendan’s Irish Pub and a very talented and
sexy young woman sang blues, R and B and moved in ways that made my caught my attention.
In between sets she stopped to thank me for coming. Her name was Debby and the group was
something like Winelight. It was a fine night of free music with a pint of free Irish stout. Lucky
Pete and I caught the topless version of the Folies on a 2-1 I caught in the Tropicana free pull
coming in. The show was wonderfully sensual and tasteful with women who did not need
silicone implants and a pole to entertain and titilate, but just small breasted grace and beauty. I
love that show anyway.
We paid to sit in front, but I should have sat just a bit back in the half circle booths. My favorite
parts were the 30’s feather dance reflected in a circular mirror and the 50’s beat scene where
only day glow gloves, stockings, and hats are visible in black cubicles until the women disrobe
and then are “Real gone!” as the beats say.
At the Plaza I saw the Sunspots but their stereotypical faked Chinese humor was inappropriate.
They get away with it because they are Filipino and white guys figure all Asians are alike, but
they should not. Otherwise, they were corney but fun. They are followed by Dusty who I always
enjoy seeing with all his props and assorted music and comedic interactions with the audience.
The Fremont Street performing Chaskis were the best bamboo flute players I have seen.
Once again I caught a couple short sets of the Dixieland guys at the Gold Coast and they were
great as always. Very talented and every time is different. It feels just like being on Bourbon
Street fifty years ago.

Great old piano player at the Golden Gate one late morning about one. He talked to us about
each song. It was like Marilyn Mcpartland’s jazz piano show.

FREE AND INEXPENSIVE STUFF

The fellow in the downtown store who sells us our favorite 4 for $9.99 T shirts was out of them
this time. We did find some fine fleece jackets at the Silverton on sale for $10 each. With a $5 e-
mailed coupon and my points, mine cost me 60 cents.

The Four Queens has a great luggage tag. Use the free coupon you get at the free pull. Better
than another key chain.

Free cards and keychains at the Riviera.

50 cent cards and 25 cent used dice in the Orleans gift shop.

Free colorful insulated coffee cup in the Monte Carlo slot tournament.

FITNESS ROOMS

I worked out for about two hours every day, except my first and my last. Most of the fitness
rooms were very basic, but the Orleans with free coupon is plush and a wonderful treat. I even
got a breakfast there of tomato juice and a sweet apple as well as a bottle of cold water to go.
The pool at the Orleans opens at 10 AM. One morning they let me swim at 7:30AM. Another they
did not. It doesn’t hurt to try. The outside Jacuzzi is open even when the pool is closed, so don’t
go back when you see the closed signs. If you are staying at the LVC, you can use take a LVC
room key to the Plaza desk and they will print you a fitness room key. The stratosphere charged
me $5 to workout.

THE LVC LIBERAL BLACKJACK DEBATE

On the Las Vegas Club website last month I put a note. I wondered why the web site did not
mention the new promotions and why the food advertisements had December dates on them. I
knew the LVC had improved much of their casino and rooms and the web did not seem to reflect
that. I thought I was being helpful.
But I also added my biggest beef, that the “Most liberal Blackjack in the world” was no longer the
liberal game it once was because of the change in BJ payouts.

A week later Calvin Mack, director of Casino Operations, called me up and wanted to clarify what
my comments meant. We talked a long while, and I told him that I had actually felt tricked when
I sat down to the table under the same signs I had remembered where I had played hours in other
years. He said that since he had taken over, he had not changed that game, but that he had
added some very good single deck BJ and he felt that compared to the 6-5 BJ in some places the
LVC was giving good gaming. I am not a mathematician, but I told him I would check with
someone who was and get back to him. He invited me to come and see him, and he would buy
me dinner. Actually, he said something about there being a new chef and my fantasy was that
maybe it would be the Great Moments Room, so I got excited. I checked out the math on this
great blackjack site: http://www.skister.com/bj/

It did not list that game, but I wrote the site owner who told me how to figure the changes. It
turns out the liberal game is not liberal at all. So I brought some of that information and talked
again to Calvin Mack in front of the game. He was very cordial, but not giving an inch. He
claimed that numbers can be skewed to indicate anything. Hard to argue with that. But he
comped us for the Upperdeck, which was just fine with my buddy Lucky Pete because he would
rather have the cheaper meal than the fancy one that requires the bigger tip. In fact, the
waitress had to talk a long time to convince Lucky Pete to order the prime rib and try it. He is a
pot roast kind of low roller guy. She just kept telling him that they were “famous for their steak
and prime rib.” Which was a way I think of telling him the pot roast was not that great. Later he
admitted it was a fine prime rib and that it had not disappointed him as the cheaper prime ribs
often do.

If you play at the Las Vegas Club tell Calvin Mack that Dewey sent you. In spite of the math
argument, or perhaps because of it, I really wound up liking this guy and the casino. I’m going
back next month and play some single deck blackjack.

So there it is kids, all the details and adventures. Few regrets. I could not use all the free meal
coupons I had and have two free served dinners at the Orleans to get in August. I did not have
the Feel Good Soup at the Fiesta Henderson. Otherwise a fine trip.

DESERT HEAT

By the way, I did not mind the heat. I was only oppressed by heat when I came off the plane and
ran into Albany, New York in the humid high 90’s. I could not get over what a shock that was to
my body and how quickly I was uncomfortable. The dry heat is much easier to bear, even if you
do feel you need gloves to drive the car out of the parking lot. But then I did not spend much
time wandering in the desert, either.


And the final score looked like this:

Total expenses, including airfare and $66 in souvenir clothes- $494

Total winnings - $449 left from the royal and a $308 travel voucher for next time.

Lifetime gambling score (counting every win from a wager over the last nine years of this hobby)
Ahead exactly $2000.

And another trip scheduled for the end of next month. Not a radical low roller trip , but not too
expensive either.

Thanks for reading. Have some luck.
dewey

******************************************************************

Date of Trip: August 18, 2003 to August 30, 2003 Hotel Stayed At: Las Vegas club / Fairfield Grand Time Share Report by: dewey From: averill park NY

HOTELS:

Las Vegas Club – 4 days for $15 each using LVA on line coupons and then three free. Had fine
rooms in the North tower. I’m really loving this place.

Fairfield Grand Resorts – invited to stay a week by a buddy who bought a share there.


FOOD: Really a mix this time.

Ate at Paris and Bellagio and enjoyed both as always. Especially remembering the Paris
brouchette sausage and peppers grilled on a stick and those cheeses at Paris.

Finally got to Wild Wild West for that great $1.99 hamburger and fries and $1 rolling Rock draft.
Had a two for one coupon to use up so it was a cheap meal. Great burger and fries cooked
exactly to order. What a contrast to Albany where the last thing I had before leaving was a
burger and fries at Maxie’s on Wolf Road. I requested crispy fries and got strips of limp rubber.

Ellis Island steak: wonderful piece of meat and a $5 matchplay made the meal free.

Hilton buffet: nice but seemed to have less of selection than last time.

Harrah’s buffet: Two free coupons and not bad at all. A good feast.

Texas Buffet: Went twice and it was different. Only one time found Buffalo Breath Chili. Also
had a crisp duck that was the best I remember anywhere. I use my Fiesta points and 2-1
coupons as the gambling is not very good at Texas.

Palms: Unique in all ways. Really exceptional for a price of $6.99. A whole section of humus
and related eastern-veggie specialties. Unique dishes and especially good small bites of
pastry.

Monte Carlo Steakhouse: Great porterhouse and tasty snails in French sauce, but when a
“free” meal ($100 comp) ends up costing $25 (tax, tip) because the prices are inflated, I’m off
to Ellis Island for steak. There the sides are not an extra $8.

Binion’s coffee shop: had the roast chicken special on a poker comp and it was tasty.

Las Vegas Club Deli: Two slices of pizza, Two hot dogs, two scoops of ice cream, a frozen
drink all on scratch cards received by hitting quads at VP. Good ice cream.

Free breakfasts in LVC Upper Deck – Fine free meals. Good service.

Gold Coast 75 cent hot dog with sauerkraut, onions and everything else. One of these and a
couple free Coronas using Orleans funbook coupons and I’m set for an afternoon of Dixie land
music. Unfortunately the band quit early the day I went there.

RENTAL CAR: Tried US Rent a Car. Don’t do it! The computed price on line was not what
they charged me. What I thought was free shuttle from the airport cost $4. And no one seemed
to know what they were doing. I had to ask especially to have the car noted for damage
(which was all over) before I took it. I could not figure out who was checking it in. And the
car I got was a Hondai Accent with no power and back seats that banged forward on every
speedbump. This was their midsized (not economy and not compact). I’m running back to
Dollar next time.

COMPANIONSHIP

My 28 year old son and two gambling buddies at various times in the two week period. Great
to gamble with them and have company for meals. But I tried to do too much and got too
exhausted and confused on directions, coupons, planning, etc. I wake up at 7 AM daily
regardless. If I’m going to gamble until 4 AM, then I have to plan a nap time.

The kid brought me a neat hat for vegas with a band that identified the Chicago Bears. Keith
and his wife are big sports fans. I looked quite the character. But I am not a football fan. The
hat kept generating football conversations, the kind where they ask you about past game
results, or team chances. I’m possibly the only male in America who knows so little about
football. Asking me about a team’s chances is like asking the Amish how to tune up your
caddy. So the conversations were a little odd. The final irony was at the Orleans Lounge. My
buddy struck up a conversation with a pretty woman from Israel after recognizing her accent.
He had family in Israel not far from where she had been raised, so we joined her at the table
and I expected some interesting conversation. What did she ask me? Only questions about
American football!!! A Packers fan from Israel.

GAMBLING

I’m giving up the live poker in casinos. I don’t know if it is me, or so many locals, or being
tired, or the high rake, but in the first three days I was down $600 and it took me the rest of
the two weeks playing VP to catch up and leave down $237. I find the 10/7 VP with perfect
strategy a paying game in spite of the volatility. It is volatile, but I can get back. I get to think
on every hand. And as solitary as it might seem, I meet other players, especially at the
Palms. This time a cute little of duty waitress and I played together for a while and then I met
a local woman who teaches special ed. In live poker everyone is an adversary. No royals in
VP. A girl in live poker at Monte Carlo had a royal for a $1340 bonus payment.

My second favorite game is craps when it is $1 on the line and $10 behind at the Fiesta
Henderson, and I am trying to set the dice. This time I dominated the table. I played my slow
hedge system until the dice came to me and soon only two were left, the other fellow passing
the dice to me. I just was in that groove.

FREE AND ADVANTAGEOUS RISKS

The Monte Carlo free slot tournament is still the best deal. My buddy hit it for Lance Burton
tickets one day, $100 toward a meal in the steakhouse on another, and $100 in the drawing on
a third day. In between he hit the Fiesta Henderson Blackjack tournament (free with LVA
printout coupons-rebuys $5) for $250. I tried the video poker tournament there and caught 4-
jacks for a little decorative plate.

Played plenty of matchplays from coupon books or wherever I could find them. Caught one in
a cookie going in the Golden Gate and another by asking the waitress after a meal at Ellis
Island.

The STRATOSPHERE changed their funbook and matchplays so only one can be used per hotel
stay. They must be run by the slot club booth and noted on your player’s card. They also
advertise a Viva Las Vegas deal with $10 in gaming chips. Don’t’ believe it. You get a ten
dollar, one time, paper to play which is removed either way. Stick with the $5.95 with drink
deals for that show. Mailings from Fiesta Henderson include some matchplays.

Played LAS VEGAS CLUB for the scratch card promos but no free rooms. I did go to the big
end of the year drawing and enjoyed it although I did not win the $10,000 or any smaller prizes.
I never seem to be in town for those final Grandslam type draws. It was exciting. One
morning my video poker machine was roped in for carpet cleaning. But attendent Juliet got
me permission to play anyway. Just as the fellow was moving in the regular chairs, I hit the
Aces. That Juliet is a real treasure. She took time to get me a duplicate card so I did not
wake my room mate and a place to play and was so personable. I must write the LVC and tell
them.

At the Tuccany, playing all night video poker, I got every quad except the 7-8-9 for the free tee
shirt and finally they took pity on me and gave me one.

SHOWS:
Saw the Folies again with free tickets caught on the free pull. I won the magic show but
asked for the Follies and they gave it to me, but not the 10 PM topless show until I asked a
long time and a lot of people. Great seats and a fine show.

Saw Viva Las Vegas again and enjoyed it, but I see it too often. Hard not to take people, and
it is so cheap.

Enjoyed Divalicious, free at the Fitzgerald’s and drink just $3.

Enjoyed the comedy at the Palace Station on a 2-1.

In the lounges saw Jazmyn again but the lead Singer, sweet and sexy Debbie was less able to
experiment with her voice at Mandalay Bay Island Lounge than at Brendan’s Irish pub for Blues
night. That strip lounge crowd ignores the music anyway so there is a constant din of talk
competing. Caught Smith Brothers and Bruce Conti and a few other acts. That Conti is great!
At Tuscany caught a latin group but missed the name. The place was full of people, perhaps a
Latin Dance class who could really dance. Great to watch! I saw an Irish band for Jazz night
at Brendon’s Irish pub. Go figure!

TIME SHARE EVALUATION:

I should say that I started out not very interested in time share deals, so I am not objective.
Overall, I see how it might be a draw for some people, but it does not meet my needs. It was
nice of my buddy Mike to invite me, so I could experience the timeshare without all the hard
sell and get a sense of it from the inside, without some obnoxious salesperson there telling
me how to think about it. But here is what I think:

1. Too isolated: We were too far from any casino action. There was a shuttle to Harrah’s
until late evening. But if I wanted to play VP for an hour before breakfast or after midnight,
while by buddy slept, I needed a car. Walking home from the Tuscany at 2AM was perhaps not
as bad a risk as walking the Atlantic City Boardwalk, but a bad idea just the same. I stuck to
the median in the middle of the road and hoped that the pimp, loudly chastising his Ho for her
“attitude” did not take much notice of me as I sauntered by. The timeshare price is often
compared to strip priced property. Strip properties offer immediate access to gambling,
shows, all activities. These are not the same experiences. Off strip casino/hotels offer a
more similar experience at much less cost.
2. Rooms were more spacious and comfortable than the hotel rooms I rent. Two bathrooms
was great. This would be great if you wanted to bring lots of people to Vegas to share a room
with you. A Jacuzzi in the master suite is a nice addition.
3. Workout rooms and pool were just adequate; they compare to those in low priced casinos
like the Stratosphere and the Plaza. Two treadmills, three bikes (only one recumbent) One
stepper and one television for all of those. Three weight machines. No outside view. There
was nothing like the experience in the Orleans spa.
And it seemed that the time share folks really used these facilities, so they would crowd up
fast. The casino places have been deserted when I’ve used them. I never had to wait my turn.
4. Too much business going on. Maybe because they were still selling a newly opened tower.
On my way to the pool, I’d walk by business offices and salepersons hovered around tables
with perspective buyers. While swimming, I’d se perspective buyers would walk by in groups
and look around or be given a terrace view of the pool. I did not like being on display.
5. Actually the most animated pool crowd was the group of salespersons on break talking
strategy. Everyone else seemed just a bit too reserved for a Vegas pool.
6. Having a kitchen is an advantage in some cities, or if you have large crowds, but in Vegas I
want to eat out.
7. Certainly nice to have a laundry.
8. No lifeguards. No fitness attendant unless I went looking for one. Contrast the Orleans
where a fellow greets me the second day by name, asks if everything is fine and if there is
anything else I need beside a hundred ice cold bottles of water, fresh fruit, two kinds of juice,
razors, cologne, foot powder, spa magazines..well you get the picture.
9. Competition in Vegas for gamblers keeps everything in top condition. Once all the time
shares are sold, what is the motivation to keep things in perfect shape? My buddy had some
issues he will pursue with management. Things like a flood in the parking garage untouched
for a week. If you own something, then there is always some responsibility for monitoring it
and seeing things are taken care of. If I rent in Vegas and my place displeases, I just go
somewhere else. And I can’t imagine that the timeshare will decide to implode and rebuild
from bottom to top when the structure ages.
10. I also like it that I can change my plans 48 hours in advance with any casino reservation.
This trip started as one week and then expanded to two as people decided to join me. I
changed my reservation four times just at the Las Vegas Club to match my guests, even
getting two rooms for one night to accommodate the three of us comfortably. In other towns
this might be expensive. In Vegas, most weeks, I can do it cheaply. This week, even with the
two rooms cost me $60, which is the monthy maintenance fee my buddy pays at the time
share all year around. My last thirteen days were free. In fact, I’ll bet that my five thirteen
day stays in Vegas this year were had for less than the timeshare yearly maintenance fees.
11. I think that timeshare resale is a gamble. Prices might go up, and then it is an investment
that pays off, or twenty years down the line you might be hoping to get what you payed for it.
Then it is a loss.
12. My buddy says there are 29 places in the country he can go and use his time share. To
another buddy who rarely travels that seemed like a lot. What I’ve discovered in retirement is
that I can’t predict where I want to go. A ukelele concert determined my last destination
where I ended up eating homemade blueberry pancakes at a B and B with a German Chef and
an Englishman in the music business. I guess I want to be free to plan my trips and I trust I
can find a way to do it inexpensively in many places.
If tomorrow, I become disabled and have to stay home, or I fall in love with Europe or Central
America, my travel money is not all tied up in a finite number of places.

Finally, I like the variety of being different places and meeting all sorts of people out on
holiday. I am planning now for Vegas in December and I can’t decide where I want to stay, if I
want to bother with a car, where I want to position myself for maximum enjoyment. Those
decisions are fun for me to make. If I owned a timeshare, most of them would be determined
before I planned the vacation.

But thanks Mike. You can’t know if you don’t try.


so that's all folks. Until December

*******************************************************************

Date of Trip: December 07, 2003 to December 30, 2003 Hotel Stayed At: Terrible's Tropicana Gold Coast Orleans Stratosphere Report by: Dewey From: Albany NY

December is the time to get good room rates and use up those matchplay and 2-1
coupons. So I decided to take my 23 year old son Peter along with me for a lesson in
free and low roller gambling. He did fine and came home after four days with an extra
$230 and a fine assortment of free T shirts and hats and bungy cords and a couple of
pictures outside the Imperial Palace. We did not hit the tournaments at Monte Carlo,
but we did root for Walter and watch him win the $500 with a triple Monte Carlo in the
last 42 seconds of the slot tournament. Peter said it was better than winning to see
this 92 year old man in his fine black cowboy hat hit the big money. If you play in the
last qualifying tournament of the day, you will see Walter and his lady. They play
everyday. We did not hit the Fiesta Henderson video poker tournament either nor did
Pete like craps much as the table was cold.

Pete’s best win was when he took the free $10 play at the Hard Rock, plugged it into
a 10/7 DB and was dealt four sevens. He played down the free money and strolled out
with $72. He enjoyed just as much his Palms $10 free dollars used in penny slots.
They kept him busy and he finally left with $6, a profit since the buy in was free. And
we both enjoyed playing one 10/7 DB machine together at the Palms; with pooled
money we hit the four aces.

It might seem odd to teach a kid 10/7 on his first trip, but I coached him and we used
Tomski’s strategy printout and looked up the hard hands. At Terrible’s we played a
little JOB 9/6 as that was the best I saw. And we saw one really corny free show at
Fitsgerald’s at 5PM where a fellow sang tom Jones like songs. It was so corny it was
fun. We enjoyed Jubilee with a 2-1 coupon Peter could use as a first time player at
Bally’s. We took a drive to Red Rock and ate at Bellagio and saw downtown. It was a
good introduction for the kid.
The rest of the trip was rather dull. I was sick with a fever for a few nights and then a
stomach virus followed for a few more. One morning I woke up drenched in a soaked
bed and just slid over into the other bed for the day. So I missed board meets and
playing with friends. I finally felt better and managed to lose $875 after being up
$400 at one point. Cannery let me use two LVA coupons for an extra $12.50 on a
quad and I did well, then lost it at Ramparts chasing the same deal. But most of it I
lost at the Orleans, so I am hoping for some good room offers.

I drove out to San Diego, met my wife and drove up the coast of California,
experiencing the 6.5 earthquake while eating breakfast at the end of the 1950 foot
Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara. For a few long minutes we thought we would end up
in the ocean. We had Christmas with family in San Carlos. I lost $25 playing Hold Em
on my brother-in-laws internet game, and then my wife and I went back for one night
at the Stratosphere before flying back to Albany NY. We went to the buffet at the
Orleans and lost some more money but ate good crab. And we caught Huck Daniel’s
Monday jam session where many of the local entertainers gather on their dark night
and are invited to join Huck on stage. It was an incredible lounge show with some of
the best raunchy blues Iíve heard and an assortment of other kinds of music.

So all told I had 13 nights in Vegas for a hotel bill of $102. Terrible’s at that $9.95
special, free nights at Orleans and Gold Coast, one free night at the Tropicana (which
I did not like much- too far to go with luggage and not that great a room) and one
Stratosphere night from a discounter. The Stratosphere never received that
reservation, but calling ahead in the morning I easily straightened out the paperwork
error and we had our room on time although, after experiencing that earthquake, I
should have asked for one that was not on the 10th floor of the World II Tower where
we could hear the roller coaster. I slept fine anyway.
I suppose it was risky too to show my wife the largest tower west of the Mississippi
River on Dec 30th with all the terrorism hype, but I estimated that I’d taken a dozen
people up in that tower at one time or another and never got kissed so some risks are
worth it.

Regarding the Stratosphere room, it is always a good idea to call the hotel to confirm
that they get the information from the discounter and to have a printout of the
confirmation. The Stratosphere did allthe calling to fix the problem.

I wish they would do as well with the video poker. The only 10/7 DB left are these old
machines way off in the corner marked 100% and some of them are 9/7 DB
masquerading as 100% payback. As much as has been written about the cutback in
Orleans DB, I found 10/7 at every corner in the Orleans and fine fast ticket machines
too. At the Gold Coast I played 9/6 JOB in between sets of that Dixieland jazz they
play in the afternoon. With the stomach virus still negating any buffet pleasures, I
sipped free ginger ale and Crown Royal high balls using old Orleans funbook coupons.
One day I had five of them. All in all I heard 11 sets of that band and only heard them
repeat a number once in all that time. I would try to go after Monday because the
regular trombone player is off on Monday.

The craps was bad to me all around. I played lots of advantage craps with free chips
or matchplays covering my pass line and full odds behind just for one roll. Still I lost.
At the Cannery I played win ticket chips with full $30 odds and lost four rolls in a row.
No real dice setting or slow hedge this trip. Never felt well enough to stand that long
or wanted to be right in someone’s face when I had been sick.

Well, that’s it for 2003. Have a good one.
dew
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December is the time to get good room rates and use up those matchplay and 2-1
coupons. So I decided to take my 23 year old son Peter along with me for a lesson in
free and low roller gambling. He did fine and came home after four days with an extra
$230 and a fine assortment of free T shirts and hats and bungy cords and a couple of
pictures outside the Imperial Palace. We did not hit the tournaments at Monte Carlo,
but we did root for Walter and watch him win the $500 with a triple Monte Carlo in the
last 42 seconds of the slot tournament. Peter said it was better than winning to see
this 92 year old man in his fine black cowboy hat hit the big money. If you play in the
last qualifying tournament of the day, you will see Walter and his lady. They play
everyday. We did not hit the Fiesta Henderson video poker tournament either nor did
Pete like craps much as the table was cold.

Pete’s best win was when he took the free $10 play at the Hard Rock, plugged it into
a 10/7 DB and was dealt four sevens. He played down the free money and strolled out
with $72. He enjoyed just as much his Palms $10 free dollars used in penny slots.
They kept him busy and he finally left with $6, a profit since the buy in was free. And
we both enjoyed playing one 10/7 DB machine together at the Palms; with pooled
money we hit the four aces.

It might seem odd to teach a kid 10/7 on his first trip, but I coached him and we used
Tomski’s strategy printout and looked up the hard hands. At Terrible’s we played a
little JOB 9/6 as that was the best I saw. And we saw one really corny free show at
Fitsgerald’s at 5PM where a fellow sang tom Jones like songs. It was so corny it was
fun. We enjoyed Jubilee with a 2-1 coupon Peter could use as a first time player at
Bally’s. We took a drive to Red Rock and ate at Bellagio and saw downtown. It was a
good introduction for the kid.
The rest of the trip was rather dull. I was sick with a fever for a few nights and then a
stomach virus followed for a few more. One morning I woke up drenched in a soaked
bed and just slid over into the other bed for the day. So I missed board meets and
playing with friends. I finally felt better and managed to lose $875 after being up
$400 at one point. Cannery let me use two LVA coupons for an extra $12.50 on a
quad and I did well, then lost it at Ramparts chasing the same deal. But most of it I
lost at the Orleans, so I am hoping for some good room offers.

I drove out to San Diego, met my wife and drove up the coast of California,
experiencing the 6.5 earthquake while eating breakfast at the end of the 1950 foot
Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara. For a few long minutes we thought we would end up
in the ocean. We had Christmas with family in San Carlos. I lost $25 playing Hold Em
on my brother-in-laws internet game, and then my wife and I went back for one night
at the Stratosphere before flying back to Albany NY. We went to the buffet at the
Orleans and lost some more money but ate good crab. And we caught Huck Daniel’s
Monday jam session where many of the local entertainers gather on their dark night
and are invited to join Huck on stage. It was an incredible lounge show with some of
the best raunchy blues Iíve heard and an assortment of other kinds of music.

So all told I had 13 nights in Vegas for a hotel bill of $102. Terrible’s at that $9.95
special, free nights at Orleans and Gold Coast, one free night at the Tropicana (which
I did not like much- too far to go with luggage and not that great a room) and one
Stratosphere night from a discounter. The Stratosphere never received that
reservation, but calling ahead in the morning I easily straightened out the paperwork
error and we had our room on time although, after experiencing that earthquake, I
should have asked for one that was not on the 10th floor of the World II Tower where
we could hear the roller coaster. I slept fine anyway.
I suppose it was risky too to show my wife the largest tower west of the Mississippi
River on Dec 30th with all the terrorism hype, but I estimated that I’d taken a dozen
people up in that tower at one time or another and never got kissed so some risks are
worth it.

Regarding the Stratosphere room, it is always a good idea to call the hotel to confirm
that they get the information from the discounter and to have a printout of the
confirmation. The Stratosphere did allthe calling to fix the problem.

I wish they would do as well with the video poker. The only 10/7 DB left are these old
machines way off in the corner marked 100% and some of them are 9/7 DB
masquerading as 100% payback. As much as has been written about the cutback in
Orleans DB, I found 10/7 at every corner in the Orleans and fine fast ticket machines
too. At the Gold Coast I played 9/6 JOB in between sets of that Dixieland jazz they
play in the afternoon. With the stomach virus still negating any buffet pleasures, I
sipped free ginger ale and Crown Royal high balls using old Orleans funbook coupons.
One day I had five of them. All in all I heard 11 sets of that band and only heard them
repeat a number once in all that time. I would try to go after Monday because the
regular trombone player is off on Monday.

The craps was bad to me all around. I played lots of advantage craps with free chips
or matchplays covering my pass line and full odds behind just for one roll. Still I lost.
At the Cannery I played win ticket chips with full $30 odds and lost four rolls in a row.
No real dice setting or slow hedge this trip. Never felt well enough to stand that long
or wanted to be right in someone’s face when I had been sick.

Well, that’s it for 2003. Have a good one.
dew
Dewey - Albany NY