I posted this in response to a question on house edge on the Vegas Messageboard and ended up feeling it was worth saving in a more permanent location.
This is it.
Kind of a late comment here, but
When you use the term "house edge" in gambling, it really does not apply to live poker. In all other casino games your opponent is the house and mathematically they have the advantage and the casino will grind you down at different rates over the long run.
In live poker, the house does not have or need any edge. You pay them a fee for the service of offering the game, dealing, enforcing the rules, etc. The "edge" is developed by the player who is your opponent.
If your opponents are drunk and poor players, then you have the edge.
If they are skillful and patient and read the cards, odds and players well, then they have an edge.
Of course the person with the edge is not always perceived as winning. As in all gambling, in the short run anyone can win. The slot house edge does not mean the casino walks away all the time with the money because you hit a jackpot and go to lunch.
A good player's house edge does not mean s/he walks away rich either. At my last game the "fish" kept pulling trips on the river.
The house gets the rake regardless.
However, if you play very low limit poker (say 2-4) at a table which is raked aggressively and full of very tight players, it can be impossible for your winnings to overcome the grinding of the rake.
If the pots are all small and the players equally matched so the money just is passed around from person to person, then the only winner at the table will be the house.
This is particularly a problem because a limit poker game puts a limit on the size of the pots, so the house rake is a high percentage, while no limit can see pots of hundreds of dollars with the same rake and tip as a game that sees pots of under a hundred dollars.
And in no limit, you might win one hand an hour and triple your money. That one pot was raked once. In limit it might take you four hands to make that much money. So the same winnings would be raked and the dealer tipped four times. While the rake might be presented as the same 10% it is hugely different.
There are some people who feel that it is nearly impossible in the long run to make money at a 2-4 limit game because the rake just grinds out any possible profit.
This can be one reason to search out 4-8 or higher games because the size of the pots (given the same kind of players) double while the capped rake and tip stays the same.
On the other hand, I have been in casinos where the 2-4 pots are a good bit larger than the 4-8 simply because folks stay in and bet second best cards. In a tight 4-8, the house may more often take more dollars out of your winnings than in a very loose 2-4 game.
And here is where your question becomes very complicated. In all other gambling the information you get from those who have played the game will be useful when you sit down at the same game in the same place.
In live poker the effect that the rake has on your chance of winning money changes everytime the player's change and that is a continuous change. So if I tell you that XX casino was good for me because of XXX condition, you may not find that at all when you arrive because the opponents will have completely changed.
Here is another complication. You can find out ahead of time which place gives the best rake. I used to think that was the best bet for me. I avoide Harrah's because Harrah's rakes more than many other venues.
But if that means that the tighter and better players avoid those games and flock to games that charge the lowest rake, then you don't gain advantage by seeking out those games only to find that your opponents are all Vegas regulars who not only play poker every day, but play at the low raking casino with players they know like a book.
This is especially true if you are a beginner. For the expert player, the lower rake adds to money won. For the beginner, if the lower raked games fill the table with all expert opponents then what is saved in the slight lowering of the house rake is lost in the playing against opponents with a huge "player's edge."
And perhaps at higher raked games there is an automatic self selection of players who can't do math or won't. If they don't do the math of the rake, they probably can't count outs and compare that to pot odds either.
Table selection is seen as a key element in playing limit poker.
The best advice is to watch a game a while before you join. This is often impractical as we don't go to Vegas to watch and we often can't pick the table when it is our turn to take a seat. However, we can play tight, watch how the game develops, and then leave if it seems that it will be unlikely that the pots will be large enough to overcome the house rake.
Of course, then supper time comes and half the table changes to other players. Frustrating.
On the other hand, if everyone is in every hand every time and forever calling (no foldem holdem) then we will overcome the rake, but we can expect to lose hands that we play well against crap cards that suck out wins against us.
I like a game where there are up to three loose but not too aggressive players and the rest of the table are predictable folks who are only in hands when they have good cards. That gives me the best balance. It offers me enough action to offset the rake and yet not so much that luck determines the winning hands more than poker skill.
In these games I may have pocket Aces and get called by a couple people chasing crap cards as well as some good players with other high pairs. However, my Aces won't face seven opponents who all have crap cards but will draw to anything.
In the totally loose games the rake is offset by the size of the pots, but one of those seven maniac chasers will beat my Aces more often than I will beat all seven of them.
Another rake consideration is in how many players need to be at a table for you to continue playing. Playing five people if the rake stays the same is not worth the game, and you should not do it for long. Ask for a rake reduction, and if it does not come quickly, walk. Sometimes, with just five players, the house will take no rake for a while except maybe a dollar for a bad beat or high hand bonus.
This is a good five person game and often a time to start playing more hands more aggressively.
When the table fills, the house will start raking again, and if it shrinks again you may have to ask again for a rake reduction. Remember to do that.
Sometimes it is frustrating to play in a casino where you are on a list waiting for a seat, but that may be the better venue.
I played at Foxwoods last week and had a dramatic example of this in 2-4 play. I waited for a seat for ten or fifteen minutes and spent the time getting a flavor for all the 2-4 tables.
I got a seat at a new game I could not watch, and within the first 8 deals had pocket Aces, pocket kings, A-K, A-J, and two other sets of playable cards. I won most of those pots, but when I looked down at my chip stack I saw I had practically no profit because I was at a tight table.
I saw a seat at a loose table I had checked out earlier and was allowed to move, and on my very first hand played a 6-9 off suit (had to post to join the game) that caught the nut straight and won an $80 pot. This table called around, even (with third best hands) called raises that screamed out we raisers held straights.
I was lucky, but more than that, my table selection meant I got paid.
Sorry this is so long. Hope it was helpful.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
American Casino Guide note on Ellis Island
One of the posters on the ACG board wrote Ellis to clarify how their coupon policy has been evolving. Here is what she got back:
I did write to Ellis Island and got the following response:
Hello Mary,
We did experience some fraudulent coupon use and worked with ACG and did get everything resolved
We are accepting all ACG coupons as printed in the ACG book
Thank you and hope to see you soon.
Marcus G. Zavala
General Manager
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
I did write to Ellis Island and got the following response:
Hello Mary,
We did experience some fraudulent coupon use and worked with ACG and did get everything resolved
We are accepting all ACG coupons as printed in the ACG book
Thank you and hope to see you soon.
Marcus G. Zavala
General Manager
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Vegas Trip April 2010
The following posts all reflect my 16 day Vegas trip this April.
I first posted snippets on narrow topics like Red Rock or Hotel comparisons that will appear in Discussion boards as single focused posts.
Then follows the daily narratives of what I experienced written as journal entries while I was in Vegas
And yes they are long and detailed and rambling, but my primary audience are folks collecting details from discussion boards planning a trip.
And the audience is also me planning my next trip after I have forgotten the details of this one.
Skim reading is the skill to employ here.
Skim reading is the skill to employ here.
I welcome all your comments here, critical or otherwise, but if you come from a discussion board, you will have more interaction if you comment back on that board. These posts are meant as a resource for those boards and not as competition. So it is better to leave your comment on the discussion board thread that provided the link to this blog.
If you came here directly, then by all means leave a comment and I'll answer here.
You can choose the anonymous comment option, but please give me more than a letter to identify yourself. I have more than one reader with the initial C beginning the first name.
Comments will always have to be approved by me before they are posted, so there is some delay. The need for this is simply because after all these Vegas losses, I just am not up to advertising for odd Chinese drug salesmen or folks who seem obsessed with finding ways to enlarge the penis. I'm not into drugs other than free Myer's rum at the El Cortez and I've been perfectly content with my penis for 63 years, thanks. In fact, I find it much more reliable than my poker skills.
So anyway when I review comments, those spam comments just don't get posted.
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Vegas 2010
I guess I did not update this thread.
I went to Vegas irrationally worried that the Super 8 or Vegas Club would have bed bugs.
The only place I would evidence was the Flamingo. There were blood lines in the couch cushions.
They moved me twice without inspecting what I found. I suspect they rerented my room. Odd response I think. I the first room I trapped a live bug under a glass, but no one wanted to look at it.
While I came with powder and 3 mil plastic bags and dis-solvable bags for laundry, I found the best defense was my flashlight. I kept my luggage in the bathtub overnight the first couple nights until I could be sure. When I got up to to to the bathroom, I rechecked the bed with this little two inch LED flahslight I bought at Home Depot.
Super 8 was very accomodating as I explained my fears at the desk.
Vegas Club also was sympathetic and told me they had not had any problems in the North tower.
All in all I was much more relaxed than I thought I would be, and clearly got my rational mind into the set that this could happen in any hotel and the smaller, cheaper places might even be better at accommodating my fears as expressed at the check in desk than the big places.
The cleanest hotel, behind headboards and furniture, was the Gold Coast. Everything was vacuumed. Now did that mean that it was easier or harder to check for bedbugs? I don't know. It seemed easier. It certainly was easier to check for blood lines, but perhaps harder to check for discarded casings.
I have decided that while they can appear anywhere, they are least likely in off strip hotels that cater ot middle America and not as much to world travelers. Other countries are the source of most infestation so avoiding the hotels that attract that tourist is probably a good bet.
I went to Vegas irrationally worried that the Super 8 or Vegas Club would have bed bugs.
The only place I would evidence was the Flamingo. There were blood lines in the couch cushions.
They moved me twice without inspecting what I found. I suspect they rerented my room. Odd response I think. I the first room I trapped a live bug under a glass, but no one wanted to look at it.
While I came with powder and 3 mil plastic bags and dis-solvable bags for laundry, I found the best defense was my flashlight. I kept my luggage in the bathtub overnight the first couple nights until I could be sure. When I got up to to to the bathroom, I rechecked the bed with this little two inch LED flahslight I bought at Home Depot.
Super 8 was very accomodating as I explained my fears at the desk.
Vegas Club also was sympathetic and told me they had not had any problems in the North tower.
All in all I was much more relaxed than I thought I would be, and clearly got my rational mind into the set that this could happen in any hotel and the smaller, cheaper places might even be better at accommodating my fears as expressed at the check in desk than the big places.
The cleanest hotel, behind headboards and furniture, was the Gold Coast. Everything was vacuumed. Now did that mean that it was easier or harder to check for bedbugs? I don't know. It seemed easier. It certainly was easier to check for blood lines, but perhaps harder to check for discarded casings.
I have decided that while they can appear anywhere, they are least likely in off strip hotels that cater ot middle America and not as much to world travelers. Other countries are the source of most infestation so avoiding the hotels that attract that tourist is probably a good bet.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
TR Snippet review of Ellis Island and Super 8
This may repeat some of the information in other snippets, but I liked the way it flowed on a reply on one thead so I'll use it again.
****************************************************************************
The price of the steak special has nothing to do with the quality. It is a come on to get people in the place. And it works. During normal eating hours the cafe draws a good crowd and you may be asked to take a number. So they get the gambling started during the the waiting time.
A microbrew or a root beer comes with the meal now. I was amazed at the size of the beer they brought. For my taste a red wine goes better and I have used the 4 free drink coupon in the ACG to get the drinks and then carry what was left into the restaurant. No one cares. But if you like beer, this is value.
All that being said something put me off my steak special this last trip so I understood the mixed reviews of this meal. However, it may just have been me. I generally get the special in the early hours of the morning to avoid the lines, and this was a graveyard meal after a losing session. I expected it to cheer me and it did not. The steak seemed just a tad dry. The green beans were tough.
I went back on an ACG coupon a couple days later and used it for the prime rib (no coupons can be used on the steak special) and had a fine meal. The garlic green beans were tough the day of the steak special, but fine the day of the prime rib. Over the years I must have eaten a couple dozen steak specials and never been disappointed before.
Both potatoes were good. I had a baked with the special and mashed with the prime rib. The portion was huge.
All that being said the place won't compare with actual gourmet big buck cuts of beef. It will fare just fine in comparison with Outback. I don't do the expensive steak house experience in Vegas. I ate on $8.39 cents a day (plus tips) this trip including room snacks. One fancy steak meal would double my frugal food budget.
I'll be eating there more often on my next trip because I tried out the Super 8 next door and was very pleased. Small rooms, but I am solo and the amenities were fantastic. I have sleeping issues so good TV really helps. I like Turner Classic Movies and they have it and twice as many other stations as well, including three HBO. There is free wifi in the room. I used it. I used it in the guest laundry room too where I did my laundry at 3AM when I could not sleep and was on line all the while the clothes washed and tumbled. That was the easiest laundry time I ever had in Vegas. I put the place in the middle of a 16 day trip. Coffee makers in the room brew hot water for the teabag I bring from home and put in the ceramic cup I also bring.
I did not try the pool. It was small and basic.
I did not use the free transportation to/from the airport either but I saw the vans and plenty of folks did use them. There was a group of musicians and all the instruments were in the van.
There were also pilots and stewardesses in between flights.
The Iceland ashes hit and one group of German tourists could not go home. In spite of being very full, the Super 8 extended their stay at the $40 rate they had negotiated.
Parking was easy.
The folks at the desk could not be nicer.
I have great fear of bed bugs ( which can be anywhere) and I explained this as I checked in. They listened sympathetically and assigned me a great room 3045. Inspection showed no activity, current or prior. (Flamingo moved me twice before I passed on the room there. Blood lines in the couch.)
In the lobby was a small machine that dispensed cups of fancy coffee and hot cocoa. This was a nice cup to take out in the morning as I walked to the strip.
They said next trip they would negotiate 7 nights with one free so that the average cost would be around $40.
I caught a good weekend rate on Priceline, but cancellation was without any refund. I called and for a few dollars more caught a AARP rate that allowed normal cancellation without penalty.
I expect I'll start my next trip there once I save up another bankroll and get over being beaten to death at the poker tables this trip.
****************************************************************************
The price of the steak special has nothing to do with the quality. It is a come on to get people in the place. And it works. During normal eating hours the cafe draws a good crowd and you may be asked to take a number. So they get the gambling started during the the waiting time.
A microbrew or a root beer comes with the meal now. I was amazed at the size of the beer they brought. For my taste a red wine goes better and I have used the 4 free drink coupon in the ACG to get the drinks and then carry what was left into the restaurant. No one cares. But if you like beer, this is value.
All that being said something put me off my steak special this last trip so I understood the mixed reviews of this meal. However, it may just have been me. I generally get the special in the early hours of the morning to avoid the lines, and this was a graveyard meal after a losing session. I expected it to cheer me and it did not. The steak seemed just a tad dry. The green beans were tough.
I went back on an ACG coupon a couple days later and used it for the prime rib (no coupons can be used on the steak special) and had a fine meal. The garlic green beans were tough the day of the steak special, but fine the day of the prime rib. Over the years I must have eaten a couple dozen steak specials and never been disappointed before.
Both potatoes were good. I had a baked with the special and mashed with the prime rib. The portion was huge.
All that being said the place won't compare with actual gourmet big buck cuts of beef. It will fare just fine in comparison with Outback. I don't do the expensive steak house experience in Vegas. I ate on $8.39 cents a day (plus tips) this trip including room snacks. One fancy steak meal would double my frugal food budget.
I'll be eating there more often on my next trip because I tried out the Super 8 next door and was very pleased. Small rooms, but I am solo and the amenities were fantastic. I have sleeping issues so good TV really helps. I like Turner Classic Movies and they have it and twice as many other stations as well, including three HBO. There is free wifi in the room. I used it. I used it in the guest laundry room too where I did my laundry at 3AM when I could not sleep and was on line all the while the clothes washed and tumbled. That was the easiest laundry time I ever had in Vegas. I put the place in the middle of a 16 day trip. Coffee makers in the room brew hot water for the teabag I bring from home and put in the ceramic cup I also bring.
I did not try the pool. It was small and basic.
I did not use the free transportation to/from the airport either but I saw the vans and plenty of folks did use them. There was a group of musicians and all the instruments were in the van.
There were also pilots and stewardesses in between flights.
The Iceland ashes hit and one group of German tourists could not go home. In spite of being very full, the Super 8 extended their stay at the $40 rate they had negotiated.
Parking was easy.
The folks at the desk could not be nicer.
I have great fear of bed bugs ( which can be anywhere) and I explained this as I checked in. They listened sympathetically and assigned me a great room 3045. Inspection showed no activity, current or prior. (Flamingo moved me twice before I passed on the room there. Blood lines in the couch.)
In the lobby was a small machine that dispensed cups of fancy coffee and hot cocoa. This was a nice cup to take out in the morning as I walked to the strip.
They said next trip they would negotiate 7 nights with one free so that the average cost would be around $40.
I caught a good weekend rate on Priceline, but cancellation was without any refund. I called and for a few dollars more caught a AARP rate that allowed normal cancellation without penalty.
I expect I'll start my next trip there once I save up another bankroll and get over being beaten to death at the poker tables this trip.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
TR snippet- Rooms and Locations
TR Snippet- Hotels and Locations Review
I planned my trip to be closer to the strip and hopefully play poker with tourists rather than local regulars. I also wanted to avoid the buses because with all the new routes I did not really know how the buses were going to run.
ORLEANS
Always a delightful room, especially for free. They dug back about four years to offer me this room as I have not been there since they eliminated the 10/7 double bonus.
I intended to try the pool, but I never made it.
I did got down to Seattle Coffee and use the free wifi. That was just great. I did not even buy coffee. It was listed as an amenity on my $5 resort fee.
Two free nights and $10 in free food offset the resort fee. I have to check my records too as I may not have been charged the fee.
GOLD COAST
April is such a pleasant month and I wanted exercise, so I decided to walk from the Orleans to the Gold Coast. It took me a half hour and was very easy in every way except the sound of racing engines so close.
I did notice that the laundromat on Arville is closer to the Gold Coast than the Orleans and I would roll a suitcase up there and do my laundry in pleasant weather when staying at the Gold Coast.
This was one of my favorite spots: Afternoon jazz band, great location for getting to other casinos, fine buffet with redeye gravy for breakfast, and a small, uncrowded pool with warm water. I also used the Fitness Center and liked that it looked out over the pool. Fine machines. Everything was uncrowded. Of all the hotels this one was the cleanest. My sleep apnea machine needs to be plugged in so I see behind the unmoved furniture and the bed bug inspection has me looking behind the headboard. Everything here was clean.
They have a $3 resort fee, but it was no on my bill. I did ask about it and the girl said that it probably had been booked wrong, but I booked on line using my B Connected card. Others report the fee dropped on comped rooms.
SUPER 8 KOVAL
I was very hesitant about booking this place. No matter what the logic that bed bugs can inhabit anywhere and cleanliness is not the issue, I had read that they had some incidents (ironically while hosting an exterminators convention) and I worried. So I brought up the issue with the desk clerk, explaining that I took medication that lowered my immune system and I feared that bed bug bites might be big trouble for me. He was absolutely the most accomodating fellow of my entire trip. He game me room 3045 which he said was used the family of the manager when they came to town and which had a brand new bed. He also told me that whenever this happens they throw away everything.
I knew these rooms were small with just one queen bed, but I found this place delightful. No maze of hallways and the amenities were really incredible and without a resort fee. I did not try the little pool, but they have one. I did use the wifi and the great television. Three HBO channels and Turner Classic Movies, which satisfies me, as well as many other stations. The best television in Vegas.
So I had my sleeping issues at 3 AM. I packed up my dirty clothes and went to the laundromat right there in the hotel and did my laundry. I brought my computer and was on line all the while my two loads washed and dried. It was such a treat and it set me up half way through the trip to have plenty of socks and underwear and choices of shirts.
It was quiet.
I had a coffee maker so I could make my morning tea and use my ceramic cup. What a treat that is!
In the lobby was a machine that dispenses coffee, hot chocolate, something vanilla, and other hot drinks. I took one with me every time I left the building. Also int he lobby was a large screen television and during one rainy morning I just hung out and waited for the rain to end while I watched someone cook food.
I did not need the free transportation to and from the airport or a place to keep my dog with me, but all that is available at the Koval 8 too. They said that they would negotiate a rate of about $40 a night if I stayed for a week next time and I may very well do that. I forgot to ask about cancellation policy, however. I would need to be able to cancel without penalty.
With Ellis Island right next door for food and the strip a short walk this is a great location.
I could build my Flamingo/ LV Boulevard part of my trip around the Super 8 and the Gold Coast and be very content.
FLAMINGO
My treat to myself was five nights at the Flamingo where Harrah's had comped me two nights on my poker play. I looked forward to being right on the strip, to having a wonderful pool, and to being able to easily find a poker game.
I then filled in my 16 nights with two free at the Orleans, three fairly cheap at the Gold Coast, a weekend at the Super 8 and another at Vegas Club, and my final two nights at El Cortez where I always end my trip on an ACG coupon so that thirty dollars gets me two nights and a free ride to the airport.
As it turned out my least favorite stay was the Flamingo.
It started badly when my inspection for any sign of bedbugs showed a clear blood trail under the couch cushions. There was a live bug there also. Perhaps this was not a bed bug and the activity was old, but most places throw out the beds and furniture after an infestation. I moved and they let me.
However, I was a bit shaken and then I saw another blood trail in the second room I called again. They moved me again, but they weren't nice this time. They had given me early check in and now the desk clerk told me that if the third room was not satisfactory I would have to wait until check in, which she quotes as 4 PM. She was testy.
I just said, "I understand," but what I thought was that if the third room showed the same blood trails, I was out of there, comps or not and off to perhaps Eastside Cannery or back to the Super 8.
The only pool open was like ice and the weather turned cold as well, so I swam two days, once in a crowd of folks filling the chairs and eating the grilled hamburgers and once almost by myself when I just could not tolerate the icy water nor tolerate the cold air even for reading by the pool. When the lifeguards are all dressed in sweatshirts and wrapped in blankets it is not a day to swim.
The hot tub was delightful, however, and I stayed in that a long while the second day.
The grill looked wonderful, but it did not help me as I struggle not to eat too much to smell all that fine cooking meat. So what would clearly be a perk for most visitors was a difficulty for me.
The room itself was basic. I understand that were I to pay for a GO room, I'd have done better, but I am always frugal, so actually it was no different than my other hotels except it lacked a coffee maker. I missed that as I brought my own tea and a fine ceramic cup for early morning.
Part of the issue around my careful bed bug inspection is that it is made more difficult if out of the way places are never cleaned. Behind one table in one of the rooms I left was an old sock and a couple months of dust and dirt gathered around it. I don't really get what is so hard about vacuuming behind the furniture once a week.
My sleep issues were compounded by the fact that I could not keep a Do Not Disturb sign. Apparently the kids staying on my floor were collecting them for their college dorms and mine disappeared every day and had to be replenished. The maid was great and took care of me, but it was just one more hassle I did not need.
VEGAS CLUB
Here was another worry on the bug issues. I know this place is in decline and has had some incidents. I was concerned.
I booked for $29 on a weekend using this search engine which sent me to Priceline.
http://www.bookingadvisor.com/
I love this site as it gives me the top three picks for my dates.
When I called to confirm, they asked me if I would like to upgrade to the North Tower for $5 a night and I jumped on that. I am still unsure when they charged me the $5 and they may not have included it anywhere. I expected to pay it to the hotel on checkout, but I did not.
Turtleman has said often that the North tower is a value secret in Downtown and he was right. My room was fine. The couch had one spot of wear, the rug had a coupld spots and they had taken something off that was wall mounted and left four small screw holes, but everything else was clean and comfortable. The television sucks. Plaza had TCM last time. Not here.
EL CORTEZ
Pavillion.
I generally love the El Cortez, but it did not come up to good standards this time and did not compare well to the others of the trip. The shower door made noise. The hot water was tough to regulate. I missed having a table. The doors require slamming to close and that can be heard in the rooms.
I did like the new elevator with key entry to the fifth floor. That feels more secure. They look great too with all the wood inside.
I probably could have been moved, but I spend most of my time there at the poker table anyway.
The price is right. Two nights for $30 with a free ride to the airport.
While there I walked down to Krispy Kreme for the free wifi and bought coffee (which was wonderful) and a doughnut (quite a treat) Sitting outside in the morning along quiet Freemont was just perfect. The wifi was fast and easy with no hassle connecting.
I planned my trip to be closer to the strip and hopefully play poker with tourists rather than local regulars. I also wanted to avoid the buses because with all the new routes I did not really know how the buses were going to run.
ORLEANS
Always a delightful room, especially for free. They dug back about four years to offer me this room as I have not been there since they eliminated the 10/7 double bonus.
I intended to try the pool, but I never made it.
I did got down to Seattle Coffee and use the free wifi. That was just great. I did not even buy coffee. It was listed as an amenity on my $5 resort fee.
Two free nights and $10 in free food offset the resort fee. I have to check my records too as I may not have been charged the fee.
GOLD COAST
April is such a pleasant month and I wanted exercise, so I decided to walk from the Orleans to the Gold Coast. It took me a half hour and was very easy in every way except the sound of racing engines so close.
I did notice that the laundromat on Arville is closer to the Gold Coast than the Orleans and I would roll a suitcase up there and do my laundry in pleasant weather when staying at the Gold Coast.
This was one of my favorite spots: Afternoon jazz band, great location for getting to other casinos, fine buffet with redeye gravy for breakfast, and a small, uncrowded pool with warm water. I also used the Fitness Center and liked that it looked out over the pool. Fine machines. Everything was uncrowded. Of all the hotels this one was the cleanest. My sleep apnea machine needs to be plugged in so I see behind the unmoved furniture and the bed bug inspection has me looking behind the headboard. Everything here was clean.
They have a $3 resort fee, but it was no on my bill. I did ask about it and the girl said that it probably had been booked wrong, but I booked on line using my B Connected card. Others report the fee dropped on comped rooms.
SUPER 8 KOVAL
I was very hesitant about booking this place. No matter what the logic that bed bugs can inhabit anywhere and cleanliness is not the issue, I had read that they had some incidents (ironically while hosting an exterminators convention) and I worried. So I brought up the issue with the desk clerk, explaining that I took medication that lowered my immune system and I feared that bed bug bites might be big trouble for me. He was absolutely the most accomodating fellow of my entire trip. He game me room 3045 which he said was used the family of the manager when they came to town and which had a brand new bed. He also told me that whenever this happens they throw away everything.
I knew these rooms were small with just one queen bed, but I found this place delightful. No maze of hallways and the amenities were really incredible and without a resort fee. I did not try the little pool, but they have one. I did use the wifi and the great television. Three HBO channels and Turner Classic Movies, which satisfies me, as well as many other stations. The best television in Vegas.
So I had my sleeping issues at 3 AM. I packed up my dirty clothes and went to the laundromat right there in the hotel and did my laundry. I brought my computer and was on line all the while my two loads washed and dried. It was such a treat and it set me up half way through the trip to have plenty of socks and underwear and choices of shirts.
It was quiet.
I had a coffee maker so I could make my morning tea and use my ceramic cup. What a treat that is!
In the lobby was a machine that dispenses coffee, hot chocolate, something vanilla, and other hot drinks. I took one with me every time I left the building. Also int he lobby was a large screen television and during one rainy morning I just hung out and waited for the rain to end while I watched someone cook food.
I did not need the free transportation to and from the airport or a place to keep my dog with me, but all that is available at the Koval 8 too. They said that they would negotiate a rate of about $40 a night if I stayed for a week next time and I may very well do that. I forgot to ask about cancellation policy, however. I would need to be able to cancel without penalty.
With Ellis Island right next door for food and the strip a short walk this is a great location.
I could build my Flamingo/ LV Boulevard part of my trip around the Super 8 and the Gold Coast and be very content.
FLAMINGO
My treat to myself was five nights at the Flamingo where Harrah's had comped me two nights on my poker play. I looked forward to being right on the strip, to having a wonderful pool, and to being able to easily find a poker game.
I then filled in my 16 nights with two free at the Orleans, three fairly cheap at the Gold Coast, a weekend at the Super 8 and another at Vegas Club, and my final two nights at El Cortez where I always end my trip on an ACG coupon so that thirty dollars gets me two nights and a free ride to the airport.
As it turned out my least favorite stay was the Flamingo.
It started badly when my inspection for any sign of bedbugs showed a clear blood trail under the couch cushions. There was a live bug there also. Perhaps this was not a bed bug and the activity was old, but most places throw out the beds and furniture after an infestation. I moved and they let me.
However, I was a bit shaken and then I saw another blood trail in the second room I called again. They moved me again, but they weren't nice this time. They had given me early check in and now the desk clerk told me that if the third room was not satisfactory I would have to wait until check in, which she quotes as 4 PM. She was testy.
I just said, "I understand," but what I thought was that if the third room showed the same blood trails, I was out of there, comps or not and off to perhaps Eastside Cannery or back to the Super 8.
The only pool open was like ice and the weather turned cold as well, so I swam two days, once in a crowd of folks filling the chairs and eating the grilled hamburgers and once almost by myself when I just could not tolerate the icy water nor tolerate the cold air even for reading by the pool. When the lifeguards are all dressed in sweatshirts and wrapped in blankets it is not a day to swim.
The hot tub was delightful, however, and I stayed in that a long while the second day.
The grill looked wonderful, but it did not help me as I struggle not to eat too much to smell all that fine cooking meat. So what would clearly be a perk for most visitors was a difficulty for me.
The room itself was basic. I understand that were I to pay for a GO room, I'd have done better, but I am always frugal, so actually it was no different than my other hotels except it lacked a coffee maker. I missed that as I brought my own tea and a fine ceramic cup for early morning.
Part of the issue around my careful bed bug inspection is that it is made more difficult if out of the way places are never cleaned. Behind one table in one of the rooms I left was an old sock and a couple months of dust and dirt gathered around it. I don't really get what is so hard about vacuuming behind the furniture once a week.
My sleep issues were compounded by the fact that I could not keep a Do Not Disturb sign. Apparently the kids staying on my floor were collecting them for their college dorms and mine disappeared every day and had to be replenished. The maid was great and took care of me, but it was just one more hassle I did not need.
VEGAS CLUB
Here was another worry on the bug issues. I know this place is in decline and has had some incidents. I was concerned.
I booked for $29 on a weekend using this search engine which sent me to Priceline.
http://www.bookingadvisor.com/
I love this site as it gives me the top three picks for my dates.
When I called to confirm, they asked me if I would like to upgrade to the North Tower for $5 a night and I jumped on that. I am still unsure when they charged me the $5 and they may not have included it anywhere. I expected to pay it to the hotel on checkout, but I did not.
Turtleman has said often that the North tower is a value secret in Downtown and he was right. My room was fine. The couch had one spot of wear, the rug had a coupld spots and they had taken something off that was wall mounted and left four small screw holes, but everything else was clean and comfortable. The television sucks. Plaza had TCM last time. Not here.
EL CORTEZ
Pavillion.
I generally love the El Cortez, but it did not come up to good standards this time and did not compare well to the others of the trip. The shower door made noise. The hot water was tough to regulate. I missed having a table. The doors require slamming to close and that can be heard in the rooms.
I did like the new elevator with key entry to the fifth floor. That feels more secure. They look great too with all the wood inside.
I probably could have been moved, but I spend most of my time there at the poker table anyway.
The price is right. Two nights for $30 with a free ride to the airport.
While there I walked down to Krispy Kreme for the free wifi and bought coffee (which was wonderful) and a doughnut (quite a treat) Sitting outside in the morning along quiet Freemont was just perfect. The wifi was fast and easy with no hassle connecting.
Monday, May 03, 2010
TR snippet - Hiking in Red Rock
Generally I ride the bus in Vegas, but I decided to rent a car for one day and spend the day at Red Rock. It was a good decision.
Only renting for one day meant that the Crash Waiver was worth the price. Rental, waiver, and taxes gave me a little Hundai for $50. The waiver relieved me of some of the anxiety I have about the loopholes in converage.
The route to Red Rock took care of the fears I have about being on Vegas roads with tourists who do erratic things and drunks and racing idiot kids or missing a sign on a fast moving expressway. Taking the Blue Diamond highway early in the morning from the new car rental facility (two rights and a left put me out on Las Vegas Blvd going South and the Blue Diamond was easy to find) took care of my total inability to go anywhere without getting lost..
I guess the Blue Diamond used to be an escape into undeveloped dessert, but that has changed now. Developments and malls are along much of this route. Still, it was easy driving and I loved the approach to Red Rock as one off the Blue Diamond road and on the Blue Diamond cut off, there were increased views of the colorful canyon rocks.
The ease of the driving also made it easy for me to stop along the way out. At Subway I got a tuna sub for my lunch in the Subway. At Target I got half a case of water for $2.50 and some juice and iced tea to keep in my room over these five days. At Bank of America I got some money to replace what I have lost without cashing my Traverler's checks.
On the way home I could have visited the old town at Bonnie Springs. I did take a drive through the town of Blue Diamond and was sorry that the tiny library was closed on Monday but delighted to see this little place that so far has resisted development. I could live there. Then an uncrowded McDonald's gave me an hour of free wifi for the price of a nice cold drink.
Finally, the highway goes right by the Silverton, so I went in to shop for fishing tackle and equipment at the Bass Pro where I think that I have actually seen the boat I want to buy. Called a Pond Prowler it offers me two high fishing seats to keep my wife's knees from cramping, a mount for the motor at both ends, the ability to rig the boat for rowing, a rear plug that can be pulled so rain can wash through, and a price of just $855 which includes electric motor and battery. I have been trying to figure out what to buy for three years now, so this was a great find. There too I shot the lazer rifles and watched the targets spin and spent some time admiring the large fish tank.
Well, this is a report Red Rock so I had better get to the Canyon itself.
April seems the perfect time to visit the canyon. Every other time I have gone to Red Rock it has been hot weather. The sun was warm, but there was a cold breeze that just cooled us down. There were plenty of folks who knew this already because the turn offs were full of hikers and rock climbers.
Calico Hills is my favorite stop. I always have to remind myself to linger there because it is one of the first stops and it just seems I should be moving on. Actually, the trip would be worth it just for the red colors and all the swirls of Calico Hills. I thought about doing the hike there, but I had my mind set on something a bit more challenging and had Ice Box Canyon in my mind. I was fairly sure that I could not do both.
The fine thing about the way Red Rock is constructed is that you can just drive around, drive around and stop at the marked turn offs. Walk in a bit at each turn off, or choose long hikes. To just drive through takes 30 minutes. I was to spend 5 hours poking around.
While the turn off parking areas were full of cars, I did not see or hear many people. It felt uncrowded. There were times when loud talking seemed to drown out the voices of the rocks, but for the most part I could find places and times when for sound there was just me and the breezes with a few bird calls.
Even eating lunch in a picnic area at Willow Springs was relatively quiet. I chose a picnic table set back from the others, and once I got rid of a group that just seemed to hand their waiting to get in their white van again, it was quiet.
It seemed this one fellow was chatting up a girl. He was European; she, American. I guess I understand the drives of love in the canyon, but I also feel a bit annoyed by people who come all this way, stand at the food of all this beauty, and ignore it to have conversation. Why come?
At another stop there was an arrogant biker girl who had to tell her entire party every bit of wherever she had biked before, and of course make all the other trips seems superior to this one. Her biking companions must have wanted to see her wobble and slip over a cliff.
I remember at an Indian reservation in New Mexico the guide pointed out some large rocks far in the distance and told us that they could speak to one another and that while the White man might not hear them, his ancestors and perhaps some contemporary shaman could hear them talking. Well, Nature does not speak to me quite so intensely, but even if it did, some of those who come and look and walk around me would never hear them. Some cannot hear much more than the sound of their own voice.
I liked thinking that here would be a canyon of beauty on which no cell towers would be erected.
In most cases I could escape the noise of the other tourists simply by walking in a bit. Unlike Vegas, Red Rock Canyon offers the visitor plenty of places to sit down comfortably. I used them.
The day before I had been totally exhausted but determined to see the fountains at Bellagio. I can't sit up on those stone fences. So that left the sidewalk, and I took a spot directly behind a fellow huckstering;
"Watta, watta, watta, one doughlar
ice cold watta."
My mind drifted a bit.....well, okay, I fell asleep"
And then when the time finally came I listened to the water dance to the opera.
At Red Rock, when I tired, I simply sat down and let the breezes cool me. And even short walks produced new perspectives.
At Turtlehead I found an easy section of rock to climb and quite a variety of multicolored views. Above and to my right was the huge grey Turtlehead itself, then an off white section, and to my left the jagged, sharp looking mountains with that red stripe. All this while I sat on swirls of the eroded and sculpted red rock near a bit of green moss that managed to find some life.
??Here too is the Excelsior Stone Quarry where the Big Devil engine promised profit from quarried stone. It reminded me of places I had seen in Italy where they cut out marble. The Big Devil worked, but there was still no profit in this stone and all of the efforts to retrieve it ended in failure. No attempts after 1912.
The Canyon was more full of life than I had remembered in the hotter times although there were not as many wildflowers as I had hoped. Death Valley was having a record 20 year bloom and I had thought about going, but I have been very tired this trip and did not want such a long drive.
My favorites were ??? small trumpet shaped red flowers which appeared in many locations. Also there was a small purple flower that was very common. Some of the greenery seemed fresh and alive, but the flat cactus in many spots seemed somewhat parched.
At the highest points, like on top of the rocks that formed Ice Box Canyon, were some pines. I wonder how they seeded up so high. What a struggle to maintain life.
I saw plenty of small warbler like birds?? one two foot orange and black snake, and dozens of little lizards scooting in and around the rocks int he trail. At Willow Springs there was were some chipmonk like fellow who probably do get a bite of food from the tourists who eat there.
At Willow springs I ate my tuna fish sandwich.
My major achievement was my hike into Icebox Canyon which is labeled as difficult. I skipped the last small and most difficult bit of it, but I did reach the mountain springs. The hike is like walking a dry and rocky stream bed and going in it is all uphill. I only had to negotiate on tough climb down, but then I skipped the tougher climbs.
For me this is more arduous hiking than I have done in years and I was quite pleased to feel in good enough shape to make the walk. It was thrilling. Also, going into the Ice Box Canyon was a slow change of perspective. In the beginning it is flat and open. Gradually the canyon walls tighten in on the view so that coming back at first just offered the view of one section of red rock (Calico Hills I think) and then gradually expanded until the view was wide and of much of the canyon. Before completely descending I sat a long while on one inviting rock and sipped my water, felt the breeze. Some dark cloud cover reduced the intensity of the sunshine. I enjoyed the feel of all of it and enjoyed the sense that I had managed a good long walk, two hours of stepping on and about rocks. It still feels very good.
In one sense a day in this Canyon is like being in an art gallery. I had forgotten my camera, and probably could not catch the exact bits of aesthetically pleasing shape and color and delightful contrasts.
At one point I looked up into rock, surrounded with deep blue sky peppered with wonderfully white clouds. In another spot were ancient hand prints, art in the rocks that might be as old as some of the oldest inhabitants.
In another spot the rock looked like a gigantic tongue.
Lost Pine Creek offered what is called a remnant biotic community where what is growing reflects what has been there for a million years, in part maintained by fire.
In another spot ancients roasted agave for food.
All in all, a delightful adventure and a fine contrast to the sound of machines and music and the cacaphony of voices along the strip.
TR Snippet - Wifi
I was hesitant to travel with my computer in past years because I thought it was an advertisement for theft like fancy jewelry. I also did not want to lose the information in the computer.
I solved the first problem by buying the cheapest laptop and the second by keeping almost everything of value "in the cloud" as they say.
My main word processor is Google Docs so none of my written documents are stored in my computer.
Most of my written reflections are on my blog.
My email is yahoo and hotmail.
So I lose none of this if someone takes my computer.
I do have some photos stored that I periodically back up. Having the computer in Vegas actually gives me a backup for any photos taken there so that everything is not stored on camera discs which can be so easily damaged.
More and more now, except in Vegas, hotels have fee wifi. Airports are getting it as well. Many coffee shops have it. Even McDonald's in many places (including Vegas) may offer it.
In between wifi, I write up drafts on my computer based free word processor Open Office where I also put copies of all my Vegas notes for the trip. That way I can access plenty of information even if I don't have wifi in my Vegas hotel room.
I used to print out pages of notes I had collected from discussion boards and sites. Now that is just copied in the Open Office section as well.
Television is so terrible in Vegas. When I am up unable to sleep or bored or broke for the day or just don't feel up for much, the computer offers me great entertainment.
Trip reports are so hard to write from scratch or notes after arriving home tired and with all the home routines to accomplish. Being able each day to record adventures and reflections was very helpful. I might write first on the computer based word processor Open Office and then just quickly cut and paste whenever I had an hour somewhere of wifi. Many of my friends were astounded to get long detailed letters while I was in Vegas. I just wrote them during sleepless times and cut and pasted into the yahoo during wifi times.
So here are places I tried free wifi in Vegas this past trip.
Of the six places I intended to find wifi, five worked.
TERRIBLES did not work for me and I tried it in many locations. The host at the cafe called and asked for the name that those in rooms use and I put in Terrible's, but I could not connect there or near the gift shop or anywhere. Perhaps I needed to be in the room.
TUSCANY at Marilyn's cafe was just as I remembered it, uncrowded in the early morning and easy with even opportunity to plug into power. Unfortunately I had both forgotten my wire and not used it to charge up my computer in my room overnight, so my walk up to Maryilyn's was mostly a waste as my battery faded.
However, great location for an organized person.
ORLEANS SEATTLE COFFEE
This was a great spot. I was there again in early morning and it was uncrowded. There are tables and there is a counter that looks out over the casino. Were it to be crowded there are some benches as well just outside the coffee shop. I did not buy anything.
This was listed as an amenity attached to the $5 resort fee, so I figured I had paid for it. And later, when it was clear that the Orleans did not actually intend to charge me any resort fee, well, it was too late for coffee.
No one bothered me.
When I stayed at the Gold Coast I came up on the shuttle as well. I never used it for long, just long enough to get caught up.
SUPER 8 KOVAL - next to Ellis Island
This was the best. Works right in the room. Also worked in the laundromat at 3 AM when I could not sleep and figured no one else would be washing clothes.
MCDONALD'S - on way back from Red Rock. I only rented a car for one day to hike Red Rock Canyon. I took the Blue Diamond Highway and highly recommend that route over all others. I can't remember exactly where but somewhere along that route, on my way home, I stopped at a McDonald's and bought a drink and had great free wifi. The drink was in a huge plastic cup which I found very useful for the rest of my trip. Held a good bit of home brewed iced tea in the room and was so much more convenient than those little cups they give for fee in hotels.
I loved having my computer even when I did not have wifi. I could write up my day. I could draft my email messages and have plenty of time to write all I wanted. Then when I connected to wifi it was just some quick cut and pastes and I could email friends and family quickly before my battery lost power.
KRISPY KREME
I was staying at El Cortez. I wake up before seven every morning as an old age habit. It is a fine time to play video poker, but somedays I don't want to start using my bankroll that early in the day.
I walked down to Krispy Kreme and they were open. Perhaps it was seven by then. I got delicious coffee and some special doughnut that was decadent and delicious. I set up a fine spot outside under the canopy and had an hour of free computer time. Krispy Kreme was not crowded at seven in the morning.
It was a fine setting.
However, bring a mouse pad because the tables are wire mesh and will not sustain a mouse.
I solved the first problem by buying the cheapest laptop and the second by keeping almost everything of value "in the cloud" as they say.
My main word processor is Google Docs so none of my written documents are stored in my computer.
Most of my written reflections are on my blog.
My email is yahoo and hotmail.
So I lose none of this if someone takes my computer.
I do have some photos stored that I periodically back up. Having the computer in Vegas actually gives me a backup for any photos taken there so that everything is not stored on camera discs which can be so easily damaged.
More and more now, except in Vegas, hotels have fee wifi. Airports are getting it as well. Many coffee shops have it. Even McDonald's in many places (including Vegas) may offer it.
In between wifi, I write up drafts on my computer based free word processor Open Office where I also put copies of all my Vegas notes for the trip. That way I can access plenty of information even if I don't have wifi in my Vegas hotel room.
I used to print out pages of notes I had collected from discussion boards and sites. Now that is just copied in the Open Office section as well.
Television is so terrible in Vegas. When I am up unable to sleep or bored or broke for the day or just don't feel up for much, the computer offers me great entertainment.
Trip reports are so hard to write from scratch or notes after arriving home tired and with all the home routines to accomplish. Being able each day to record adventures and reflections was very helpful. I might write first on the computer based word processor Open Office and then just quickly cut and paste whenever I had an hour somewhere of wifi. Many of my friends were astounded to get long detailed letters while I was in Vegas. I just wrote them during sleepless times and cut and pasted into the yahoo during wifi times.
So here are places I tried free wifi in Vegas this past trip.
Of the six places I intended to find wifi, five worked.
TERRIBLES did not work for me and I tried it in many locations. The host at the cafe called and asked for the name that those in rooms use and I put in Terrible's, but I could not connect there or near the gift shop or anywhere. Perhaps I needed to be in the room.
TUSCANY at Marilyn's cafe was just as I remembered it, uncrowded in the early morning and easy with even opportunity to plug into power. Unfortunately I had both forgotten my wire and not used it to charge up my computer in my room overnight, so my walk up to Maryilyn's was mostly a waste as my battery faded.
However, great location for an organized person.
ORLEANS SEATTLE COFFEE
This was a great spot. I was there again in early morning and it was uncrowded. There are tables and there is a counter that looks out over the casino. Were it to be crowded there are some benches as well just outside the coffee shop. I did not buy anything.
This was listed as an amenity attached to the $5 resort fee, so I figured I had paid for it. And later, when it was clear that the Orleans did not actually intend to charge me any resort fee, well, it was too late for coffee.
No one bothered me.
When I stayed at the Gold Coast I came up on the shuttle as well. I never used it for long, just long enough to get caught up.
SUPER 8 KOVAL - next to Ellis Island
This was the best. Works right in the room. Also worked in the laundromat at 3 AM when I could not sleep and figured no one else would be washing clothes.
MCDONALD'S - on way back from Red Rock. I only rented a car for one day to hike Red Rock Canyon. I took the Blue Diamond Highway and highly recommend that route over all others. I can't remember exactly where but somewhere along that route, on my way home, I stopped at a McDonald's and bought a drink and had great free wifi. The drink was in a huge plastic cup which I found very useful for the rest of my trip. Held a good bit of home brewed iced tea in the room and was so much more convenient than those little cups they give for fee in hotels.
I loved having my computer even when I did not have wifi. I could write up my day. I could draft my email messages and have plenty of time to write all I wanted. Then when I connected to wifi it was just some quick cut and pastes and I could email friends and family quickly before my battery lost power.
KRISPY KREME
I was staying at El Cortez. I wake up before seven every morning as an old age habit. It is a fine time to play video poker, but somedays I don't want to start using my bankroll that early in the day.
I walked down to Krispy Kreme and they were open. Perhaps it was seven by then. I got delicious coffee and some special doughnut that was decadent and delicious. I set up a fine spot outside under the canopy and had an hour of free computer time. Krispy Kreme was not crowded at seven in the morning.
It was a fine setting.
However, bring a mouse pad because the tables are wire mesh and will not sustain a mouse.
TR- Snippet- The Gambling
This was the worst trip of my life for gambling.
It is making me totally reevaluate my poker play.
I lost almost everywhere I played, even at the old El Cortez.
And yet I thought for the most part I played as well as I knew.
I did win at a game of tourist calling stations at Excalibur. If I could find these games, I could win; it was 2-4; I also seemed comfortable at the 4-8 at Venetian. I think the 8-16 with only a $2 rake draws the regulars and locals and better players so the 4-8 was similar to what I am used to at Foxwoods in the afternoon.
I just don't have the bankroll for no limit. I was comfortable playing my first day at MGM but my $100 dwindled and I replenished a bit at a time until my buy in was over $400. Then I got most of that back. Finally, in two hands I lost it again. That kind of loss each day of a 16 day trip is just too much for me to bear, so I did not play NL again. No use playing with scared money.
Both the small spread games I love, O'Shea's and El Cortez, took me down as well. I was ahead, but over time it was eroded. O'Shea's now has two blinds, so waiting for premium hands is not as easy.
I was really stupid one day and got caught trying to break even at Megabucks and dropped $240. That is really out of character for me.
The VP never really connected. Some days I broke even, but all week on 10/7 I never hit aces, twos, threes, or fours let alone a royal. I had a great afternoon chasing a progressive in nickels at the Orleans. One royal had risen to over $500. But I lost $200 on that 9/7 DB triple play.
My matchplays did not win me much. $25 at the Westin on blackjack gave me a nine to the dealer 3 so I doubled down and lost. I hit at craps at the Sahara with another $25 Matchplay, so that broke me even. Most of the small matchplays I lost. No net gain of more than $5.
All in all in 16 days I dropped $2766. More than any other trip. This meant that even with all the room and food deals and free air the trip cost me $216 a day plus tips of a few dollars a day, which is what any other vacation would cost, but it has depleted my entire gambling budget and precludes me going to Vegas any time soon.
The real question is whether I want to go. Perhaps these poker games are just too hard to bother going all that way. I won at the Imperial Palace on a string of good cards, but listening to the talk of the players, all regulars and the talk of one dealer who was playing, made me pick up my winnings and claim exhaustion. Other than me there was one tourist fish. And this is a 2-4 at Imperial Palace. Where have all the tourists gone? One theory is that so many folks are unemployed in Vegas that those who can play good poker do that for a living, or as much of a living as they can manage.
So I am confused by all of it. I was way overtired as well and could not seem to often get rested enough to quit gambling and indulge shows. When I consistently wake up in Vegas at 4 AM there is not much to do. And most of my afternoon naps were more stare time.
Well, my first day home I took $216 off our little small stakes poker game. Vegas does tighten up my play. However, this seems to argue that I should just stay home and play more home games.
The Bucket, a discussion board pal I met in Vegas, argues that gambling is cyclical and it will come around again. He is a baccarat player, and for that random game, he is right as he would be for craps as well. But losses over 16 days in live poker mean that I am doing something very wrong.
It is making me totally reevaluate my poker play.
I lost almost everywhere I played, even at the old El Cortez.
And yet I thought for the most part I played as well as I knew.
I did win at a game of tourist calling stations at Excalibur. If I could find these games, I could win; it was 2-4; I also seemed comfortable at the 4-8 at Venetian. I think the 8-16 with only a $2 rake draws the regulars and locals and better players so the 4-8 was similar to what I am used to at Foxwoods in the afternoon.
I just don't have the bankroll for no limit. I was comfortable playing my first day at MGM but my $100 dwindled and I replenished a bit at a time until my buy in was over $400. Then I got most of that back. Finally, in two hands I lost it again. That kind of loss each day of a 16 day trip is just too much for me to bear, so I did not play NL again. No use playing with scared money.
Both the small spread games I love, O'Shea's and El Cortez, took me down as well. I was ahead, but over time it was eroded. O'Shea's now has two blinds, so waiting for premium hands is not as easy.
I was really stupid one day and got caught trying to break even at Megabucks and dropped $240. That is really out of character for me.
The VP never really connected. Some days I broke even, but all week on 10/7 I never hit aces, twos, threes, or fours let alone a royal. I had a great afternoon chasing a progressive in nickels at the Orleans. One royal had risen to over $500. But I lost $200 on that 9/7 DB triple play.
My matchplays did not win me much. $25 at the Westin on blackjack gave me a nine to the dealer 3 so I doubled down and lost. I hit at craps at the Sahara with another $25 Matchplay, so that broke me even. Most of the small matchplays I lost. No net gain of more than $5.
All in all in 16 days I dropped $2766. More than any other trip. This meant that even with all the room and food deals and free air the trip cost me $216 a day plus tips of a few dollars a day, which is what any other vacation would cost, but it has depleted my entire gambling budget and precludes me going to Vegas any time soon.
The real question is whether I want to go. Perhaps these poker games are just too hard to bother going all that way. I won at the Imperial Palace on a string of good cards, but listening to the talk of the players, all regulars and the talk of one dealer who was playing, made me pick up my winnings and claim exhaustion. Other than me there was one tourist fish. And this is a 2-4 at Imperial Palace. Where have all the tourists gone? One theory is that so many folks are unemployed in Vegas that those who can play good poker do that for a living, or as much of a living as they can manage.
So I am confused by all of it. I was way overtired as well and could not seem to often get rested enough to quit gambling and indulge shows. When I consistently wake up in Vegas at 4 AM there is not much to do. And most of my afternoon naps were more stare time.
Well, my first day home I took $216 off our little small stakes poker game. Vegas does tighten up my play. However, this seems to argue that I should just stay home and play more home games.
The Bucket, a discussion board pal I met in Vegas, argues that gambling is cyclical and it will come around again. He is a baccarat player, and for that random game, he is right as he would be for craps as well. But losses over 16 days in live poker mean that I am doing something very wrong.
TR Snippet- How not to buy a ticket and other bus stuff
I had planned this trip so as not to depend much on the buses because everything was so new. I wanted the routes and procedures to be sorted out before I tried too much and to see how the new ACE would work.
I liked the ACE route. I rode it Saturday night and found it fast, easy to board, uncrowded. I like seeing the times lit up right at the stop.
I learned the Deuce is still going downtown as well. Folks were just too confused by the new route. I don't know if it goes up to Palace Station or not yet. I'll have to find that out.
I also learned that the upcharge when used on the ACE is only good for 2 hours. So seniors cannot bypass the full 24 fare unless they only have one ride on ACE after buying a general market pass for $2. The Deuce takes a $1 upcharge for each ride.
Well, here are my bus trips:
I liked the ACE route. I rode it Saturday night and found it fast, easy to board, uncrowded. I like seeing the times lit up right at the stop.
I learned the Deuce is still going downtown as well. Folks were just too confused by the new route. I don't know if it goes up to Palace Station or not yet. I'll have to find that out.
I also learned that the upcharge when used on the ACE is only good for 2 hours. So seniors cannot bypass the full 24 fare unless they only have one ride on ACE after buying a general market pass for $2. The Deuce takes a $1 upcharge for each ride.
Well, here are my bus trips:
Finally, one day I was headed for M casino, using the Deuce and then the free shuttle from the Fashion Show Mall.
I should have started in front of Paris and used the ACE, but I walked North and ended at a Deuce stop North of Flamingo.
There was a machine there, but it was a Deuce machine. I put my senior ID in the slot. It did not read it, but printed up these instructions:
"Push your card all the way in."
So I did.
That was a mistake. The Deuce machines are only for credit cards. They don't bring up senior reduced rates. My card was stuck.
After a while a bus came and I told the driver. It took a while for her to call, but finally she said it would be three hours before they came to open the machine and even then I could not get my ID back until I went downtown.
Amazing. My photo is on the card.
Since I was going downtown the next day to stay, I just cancelled all plans for the M and went to the Venetian to play poker and lose $475.
It just was not my day.
The next day I went to the Downtown DTC. I expected a hassle, but they had my card right there in a box full of other cards which had been lost as well, perhaps many of them in the Deuce machines.
Well, a good lesson.
The following day I walked down Freemont and turned the corner at Neonopolis to catch the ACE at the stop where I used to catch the Deuce.
This time my bus ticket machine skills were fine. I had the right machine. It took my senior card and rejected it on the first try, but I turned it around and then it was fine. Once validated I was able to pick my fare. I choose the 3 day senior citizen fare ALL ACCESS fare because it is just fifty cents more than the 24 hour full price ALL ACCESS fare. They is no senior deal on that rate.
In the past I had used machines at the DTC and found them almost impossible to read, but these new machines are large print and clear. Very easy.
Once my fare was selected, I could then put in my charge card and pay for it. The process was easy. It is nice not to have to always be checking to see that I have the correct change.
The first bus was the C LINE. I was surprised to see it at this stop and I'll pass on that information. Certainly, by the time I go back to Vegas, the new DTC will have changed routes again, but for now it is easy enough to board this bus here and hit the strip at Fashion Show Mall. After that it head out??
I liked the ACE bus, but for me it still felt like a bus and not as much like a train. I rode to Paris, walked down Flamingo to the Westin to play a matchplay coupon, and then took the Flamingo bus to go to the meet at the Palms. It was all quick and easy.
Coming back on the Flamingo bus we were held up by an accident around where the expressway and Flamingo meet. Annoying, but I was happy again not to be driving.
At Paris I just missed one ACE, so I went in to use the restroom. Such wonderful little French sinks!
Coming out I saw an ACE pull in and here is the cool thing about this bus. I just hustled and jumped on the back door. Unlike the other buses, there are three doors to board and no ticket to show.
It was uncrowded on this Saturday. Some young tourists jumped on with not tickets to head to Casino Royale and we passengers explained the system to them, so they got off around Wynn to buy a ticket and head back on the Deuce.
I liked the comfortable back seats. These are very different than bus seats.
One local was talking about the buses. He was beginning to chart when it was likely to encounter a ticket inspector. To the tourists he said that they could just watch to see if the uniformed inspectors got on the bus and exit the rear door. From this fellow and another I got the idea that some locals would look for loopholes in the inspection process. He said that he did not expect inspectors at that time of night on a Saturday.
I had encountered three security people on my ride out and I got to witness how the process worked. During the ride from downtown one checked us all. One woman had a pass that was probably incorrectly stamped at her workplace and he questioned it, let her go, then asked to see it again when a more knowledgeable inspector came on the bus. I can see that since a machine no longer reads the tickets there will be such problems and perhaps eventually they will issue some hand held electronics to read bar codes on tickets.
While I rode I talked to a local next to me. He was annoyed that the location where he once bought his monthly pass no longer sold them. The only way to get them was to do to one location. I told him that he could buy them through the mail, but that would mean he would have to pay ahead of time and he was another fellow living paycheck to paycheck. Well, I said, you will only have to do that one time and he agreed.
He told me that he and others had gone down to the bus company and protested this change. He hoped that it would solve the problem.
While they were there, they also argued that only tourists should pay fares. Fares should be free for those who were going to work. Ironically, the tourists who has hopped without a ticket on the ACE on Saturday night said that the buses should be free for tourists.
I did not ask whether in their cities the city bus was free. I suspect it cost more than Vegas buses cost.
But once again I was reminded that everyone feels that in some way their class should be accommodated.
Perhaps, I should not talk since my class of seniors does get great accommodation, but I also think that there is a time for celebration around these new buses and there needs to be some of that as well.
One of the three inspectors had done a short rant on seniors who get too many privileges. It annoyed me because I had asked him what the upcharge price was, $2 or $3. I had heard $2 but thought I saw $3 on the machine.
"I know about life," I told him. "What I was asking was about the upcharge." He said nothing, but one of the other security guys said that it was $2 and that is what the website says as well.
Later when I told about getting my senior ID stuck in the machine, he was interested and did not treat me like a joke.
Along with these two security fellows was a security girl. She was telling a story of a woman who was on the ACE with the wrong ticket and who had her purse snatched. She accused the guard of taking her purse and it annoyed the guard. So she was told to leave the bus and pay the upcharge. She had a $2 senior ticket like mine. The girl seemed to indicate that she would have gotten the woman to her destination for no extra charge except that the woman verbally abused her. There is a lesson in this. For the most part the officers will accommodate during this learning period.
TR Snippet - the food
I knew food was going to be a struggle for me this trip. I had decided to lose some weight before I went and ended up loosing 35 pounds. Then I wanted to continue to keep it off, so I hoped not to indulge as I usually do the rich food at the buffets.
I would treat myself with much more than I was having at home on this very strict diet, but I did not want to eat too much.
And that worked, but it made me nervous and the tension seemed to take the joy of uninhibited eating away from the trip.
It also limited my free drinks. I had a couple nights of Myer's Rum, but I also had long stretches when I did not drink.
So I came home weighing the same as I did when I left.
My expenses were great. My average daily expense for food over the 16 days was $8.39. That helps with the gambling losses.
Planet Hollywood Spice Market - I used points for the Sunday brunch. That was a mistake. The food is the same as every other day but the price is double. Still I did enjoy the food there and ate two other times. I know the value trick now. Get in line so as to clear the register before 11 AM at the breakfast price and then just wait for the lunch offers. I used destination coupons for $5 off when I paid for the buffet.
I especially liked the Middle East section. The tandori chicken was wonderful as was the lamb. I am going to make the stuffed tomatoes at home.
The smoke salmon was good but no capers and no horseraddish.
Tempura shrimp was very crispy, but I better liked it when taking a bit of the large whole shrimp so as to get more taste than the crunch.
Orleans
The Orleans gave me $10 in free food. I just charged to my room and it came off when I left. I had a fine steak and eggs graveyard special and ate at the buffet. I like the food there, especially for free. I also treated myself to oyster stew at big Al's. That is just so good. I had a coupon for 10% off.
I ate at the buffet for breakfast, but wanted a salad and found that at 10:30 they served some salad. There is two salad areas that are very small but they also offer different foods.
Venetian
I overpaid at the Chinese Noodle place for a chicken/mushroom soup. Small portion and a price equal to most buffets. But it got me back to my poker game quickly.
Main Street Station
I ate two buffets on points and one discretionary buffet awarded at the Player's Club the day after I gambled a good bit away at VP. The kalua pork was a disappointment. I always mix it with the collard greens and top it with Chinese noodles, but it was too bland. Too bad. The stroganoff was good as were many of the other choices. I love eating there. My server Carol advised me again not to order the cranberry as it is just 10% juice, but to order the orange juice instead. I laughed because she told me the same thing last visit. She was a great server. The iced cream topping have new dispensers so that the butterfinger crumbles come out with just a twist. Very nice.
I had trouble again ordering two eggs over easy and wanting toppings. They always want to do an omelet or mix the egg up. I want a runny yoke. Finally, the joking chef sauteed mushroom and onion and gave that to me on the side of the eggs.
Ellis Island
I was disappointed with my steak special, but it may have been me more than the steak. The beans were very tough. A couple nights later I used my 50% off coupon for prime rib and enjoyed that. They severed plenty of aujus which makes the meal for me. The mashed potatoes came in a huge portion. I rarely eat white potato so that was a treat as well.
Terrible's
I had a free breakfast on points. I was treated very well in the cafe and the cheap breakfast was very good, pancakes, eggs and crispy bacon for a bit over $2 in points. I did not get a chance at the Tequilla chicken I always like.
Eastside Cannery
I used the 50% off ACG coupon and enjoyed the buffet.
Subway
I love the $5 tuna sandwich on a picnic and bought one to eat at Red Rock as I was traveling the Blue Diamond Highway. It was perfect on a picnic table with all those wonderful rocks looking on.
That same day in Target I got a half case of water for a bit over $2 and plenty of good inexpensive snacks for the room. I got a good bit of value with a one day car rental.
Salvadoran Restaurant
The food was not as good as I remember and the prices were higher, but there was plenty of drama. My waitress burst into tears over something one of the regulars did or said ( I lost the Spanish) and another of the regulars went in search of the culprits who then aplogized and everyone was happy in the end.
It was a mistake to eliminate the fine diner counter they once had at Careless Kitty's. There are still just as many solo diners, but now there are lines and a few solos get a seat in a section with a bench on one side and a chair on the other.
The food was good. I ate the king cut prime rib one night on a poker comp so it cost $6. Board buddy Matt bought me a dinner of steak and shrimp another afternoon and that was very good.
Krispy Kreme
Well, I did eat a doughnut and have some coffee in order to use the free wifi. Amazing doughnut. Good rich coffee. No complaints. Nice to sit out on Freemont in the early hours of the morning and be on line.
I would treat myself with much more than I was having at home on this very strict diet, but I did not want to eat too much.
And that worked, but it made me nervous and the tension seemed to take the joy of uninhibited eating away from the trip.
It also limited my free drinks. I had a couple nights of Myer's Rum, but I also had long stretches when I did not drink.
So I came home weighing the same as I did when I left.
My expenses were great. My average daily expense for food over the 16 days was $8.39. That helps with the gambling losses.
Planet Hollywood Spice Market - I used points for the Sunday brunch. That was a mistake. The food is the same as every other day but the price is double. Still I did enjoy the food there and ate two other times. I know the value trick now. Get in line so as to clear the register before 11 AM at the breakfast price and then just wait for the lunch offers. I used destination coupons for $5 off when I paid for the buffet.
I especially liked the Middle East section. The tandori chicken was wonderful as was the lamb. I am going to make the stuffed tomatoes at home.
The smoke salmon was good but no capers and no horseraddish.
Tempura shrimp was very crispy, but I better liked it when taking a bit of the large whole shrimp so as to get more taste than the crunch.
Orleans
The Orleans gave me $10 in free food. I just charged to my room and it came off when I left. I had a fine steak and eggs graveyard special and ate at the buffet. I like the food there, especially for free. I also treated myself to oyster stew at big Al's. That is just so good. I had a coupon for 10% off.
I ate at the buffet for breakfast, but wanted a salad and found that at 10:30 they served some salad. There is two salad areas that are very small but they also offer different foods.
Venetian
I overpaid at the Chinese Noodle place for a chicken/mushroom soup. Small portion and a price equal to most buffets. But it got me back to my poker game quickly.
Gold Coast
I like the Gold Coast buffet, especially the red eye gravy in the morning. This time I also found the chorizo and eggs just a wonderful taste. I was only disappointed that crispy bacon was hard to find. Main Street Station
I ate two buffets on points and one discretionary buffet awarded at the Player's Club the day after I gambled a good bit away at VP. The kalua pork was a disappointment. I always mix it with the collard greens and top it with Chinese noodles, but it was too bland. Too bad. The stroganoff was good as were many of the other choices. I love eating there. My server Carol advised me again not to order the cranberry as it is just 10% juice, but to order the orange juice instead. I laughed because she told me the same thing last visit. She was a great server. The iced cream topping have new dispensers so that the butterfinger crumbles come out with just a twist. Very nice.
I had trouble again ordering two eggs over easy and wanting toppings. They always want to do an omelet or mix the egg up. I want a runny yoke. Finally, the joking chef sauteed mushroom and onion and gave that to me on the side of the eggs.
Ellis Island
I was disappointed with my steak special, but it may have been me more than the steak. The beans were very tough. A couple nights later I used my 50% off coupon for prime rib and enjoyed that. They severed plenty of aujus which makes the meal for me. The mashed potatoes came in a huge portion. I rarely eat white potato so that was a treat as well.
Terrible's
I had a free breakfast on points. I was treated very well in the cafe and the cheap breakfast was very good, pancakes, eggs and crispy bacon for a bit over $2 in points. I did not get a chance at the Tequilla chicken I always like.
Eastside Cannery
I used the 50% off ACG coupon and enjoyed the buffet.
Subway
I love the $5 tuna sandwich on a picnic and bought one to eat at Red Rock as I was traveling the Blue Diamond Highway. It was perfect on a picnic table with all those wonderful rocks looking on.
That same day in Target I got a half case of water for a bit over $2 and plenty of good inexpensive snacks for the room. I got a good bit of value with a one day car rental.
Salvadoran Restaurant
The food was not as good as I remember and the prices were higher, but there was plenty of drama. My waitress burst into tears over something one of the regulars did or said ( I lost the Spanish) and another of the regulars went in search of the culprits who then aplogized and everyone was happy in the end.
El Cortez Cafe
The food was good. I ate the king cut prime rib one night on a poker comp so it cost $6. Board buddy Matt bought me a dinner of steak and shrimp another afternoon and that was very good.
Krispy Kreme
Well, I did eat a doughnut and have some coffee in order to use the free wifi. Amazing doughnut. Good rich coffee. No complaints. Nice to sit out on Freemont in the early hours of the morning and be on line.
TR Snippet- Human Nature
I had not read a negative review of Human Nature, so I expected a good show; however, this group of four simply excited and delighted me in every way.
Even when I love a show, I tend to find some weakness or error or shortcoming. Not here. Their perfectly blended voices complemented by energetic Motown moves, which were simple yet made complex by variety and error-less synchronization. A bit of talk celebrated their rise without seeming arrogant and reported genuine delight without wallowing in the sappy. When they took the show off the stage an on to tables, they engaged the audience without feeling intrusive.
And while my expectations were high before the show, my seats ( a bit too close up and a bit off to the left I thought) worried me. I had bought the VIP seating because faces are very important to me. But as I waited for the show, talking with another poster from a Vegas discussion board, I had second thoughts about not trying a tip for a better seat.
My worries increased when the loud Motown started the show and speaker seemed to be inside my left ear and vibrating my eardrum. I happily remembered an earplug left in my wallet from my plane ride noise reduction efforts, and that worked perfectly, and I could stop wondering how to do Motown moves and clap with one finger in my ear.
The audience did participate. We were taught one Motown move for "Stop in the Name of Love" and encouraged to get on our feet and dance, and we did. That stretching and moving added to our comfort level and made us feel a part of the action.
Some of their moves had been taught by the Temptations and by Mary Wilson of the Supremes. Smokey Robinson sponsored their success and the acapella version of his OOH Baby Baby has to be one of the best single vocals I have ever heard.
Also the contrast between loud Motown (the band was phenomenal) and soft acapella harmony avoided that feeling two thirds through a show of being jaded by the same sytle music.
Being 63 did not hurt either. This music was from my teens and while I was more folk than Motown during those years, we all listened to whatever topped the charts and I found I knew the words to all the songs. I felt like a kid again.
The boys help with that because the Soul Traine reminds us that they started in high school together. I also had two sons in show choir who started their own acapella group with friends, and this sound brought back those memories as well.
I never can remember all the things I hear at concerts, but here are a few:
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Just my imagination
Soul Train
Mr Postman with just voices and piano
I was not at all ready for the show to end. Generally, no matter how good the music is, just at the end I feel a bit of weariness. When I left this concert, I thought I could easily come back the next day and not be the least bit jaded.
American Casino Guide hint
I like to travel with the whole casino book and just remove the coupons as I use them. This is not an easy task. In the past I have used a ballpoint pen to make an impression in the paper so that it will rip straight. This past trip I took one of my plastic throw away shavers and broke off a piece with one blade exposed. Using the plastic as a handle I could easily cut a line between coupons and then the coupon rips out of the book easily.
And the little razor piece fits easily right in the binding of the book itself.
And the little razor piece fits easily right in the binding of the book itself.
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