Past Vegas trips

past Vegas trips

SHOWS AND MORE SHOWS

*******SHOWS AND MORE SHOWS*********
(note: last updated 10-24-2006)

SITES THAT LIST DISCOUNTS:

Most of the time I think that the best bet is to buy tickets at the Box Office on the phone. You don't pay a service fee and often you have the right to cancel without penalty. Always ask about that. But other times the discounts are just too good to pass up. Here are some sources to skim:

http://www.broadwaybox.com/lasvegas/

http://www.goldstarevents.com/

My vegas show information, especially for the higher priced shows, is not based much on personal experience. I have seen very few of the best shows because tickets sell for over $100. When I go solo, I don’t really enjoy paying for a show. For the little entertainment I crave between poker games I like the free lounges where I can listen for a while and then move on, usually to bed.

However, I can offer a way to consider and decide what you might like to see and some resources for evaluating the choices. And I have seen some fine groups in the lounges.

Here are sites that lists many of the shows currently offered in Vegas. It will be more helpful as December approaches; however it is a good place to skim to get an idea of the choices:

http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/lvshows.html
http://www.vegas.com/shows/index.html



I think that it is best to divide up the show choices in terms of price.

HIGHEST PRICED, MEDIUM PRICED, LOW PRICED (including those that offer a FREE TICKET as long as you buy an $8 drink), FREE LOUNGE ACTS (Some require a drink but most do not.)

As you have seen in monitoring hotel prices, nothing in Vegas has a firm price. All rack prices are inflated so that gamblers and package customers appear to be getting a free ticket worth a bundle. Of course, if you decide last minute to get tickets for a show, you will sometimes have to pay that rate. That is why good planning is essential. You can also decide to gamble on shows and take whatever is at the half priced ticket outlets that day. Even the good shows will be there on occasion. We saw tickets to “O” last time which were very good seats being sold at the last minute. Generally, however, tickets to the Cirque Du Soleil Productions must be reserved about three months in advance. And if you know you want to see one of these shows, reserving directly with the casino offering the show will give you very generous cancellation opportunities, often right up until 24 hours before the show happens.


HIGH PRICED:

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PRODUCTIONS -
( click above for main site)

http://www.circusnet.info/cirque/circarte/soleil.htm
(Click here for overview)

These shows are by far the must see presentations in Vegas. They are extravagant, usually include dance and acrobatics and wild special effects, and are interesting because they communicate using music, song, dance, color, rather than any particular language. If you spend some time surfing reviews and bulletin boards, you can get a sense of each show.

Here is a site with an overview of each of the five shows now playing:

http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/cirque-du-soleil.htm

Here is a site with lots of positive information and more link:

http://home.utah.edu/~gem16460/cirquedusoleil/frontpage.html

In December some of these, including will be “dark” so that will limit your choice.

"O" is dark Dec 5-17
ka is dark Dec 14
Zumanity is dark Dec 8-19

Love is dark LOVE will not be presented on the following dates in 2006:
October 19
November 28 to December 13Dec 27

Mystere is not dark in December and probably your best pick


Here is some good advice on thinking about these shows:

"Many top tier Shows go on sale 120 days in advance now...
60 and 90 days used to be the 'norm', but some are earlier.
When you know your dates, pick your Shows, and call the
Boxoffice direct.

Look at the seating charts for the Shows you're interested in...know
where you want to sit and price range...
HELP IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE HERE lol!

If you need suggestions or have questions...the trick is to ask early.
Allow as much time in advance as you can to get all your options on
the table before you call the Boxoffice.
I have Boxoffice 1-800 numbers, DARK DAYS, seating ideas, as do many
others folks here........just ask and try and have your Show possiblities
narrowed down.

These darn Shows are so expensive now, getting your tickets in advance
allows you (many of the times) to at least have your Show tickets all paid
for by the time you leave home...this gives you more money to loose once
you get there!...lol, Planning ahead really helps and allows you all the more time(and money)
for fun once you get to Las Vegas."
MYSTERE was going to be my suggestion also, it'll work
for the whole family just GREAT!

But if you want to take a last minute chance TIX4TONIGHT should have tickets for MYSTERE now...they should be 20%off rather
than 2for1. I'm not sure what choices you have using their system, but I think the
best seats in the house are found in SECTION 203, Row AA thru HH at $95.00
Their new hours are 11am to 8pm and they've added
a 'sneak preview' to their website www.tix4tonight.com
which should help a lot!"

I'd be happy to find out anything you want to know, but you might like posting your questions directly on this board:

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/

in the entertainment section.

I think that “O” and “Mystere” are by far the highest rated. I also hear good comments about “Ka” Of course, , there are some who don’t like one or another. I think if Elizabeth is willing, I will try to go with her to see Ka in late December.
REVIEW: http://www.igoshows.com/reviews/review125.html
Here from a poster is a good sense of where to sit:

The first time we saw KA, we sat in the sixth row of the lower center section (102). While we love being up close for most of the shows we see, we felt we were a bit too close to take it all in. So this time around, based on recommendations and comments on this forum, we opted for seats further back. We have section 201 row EE. The seats were "only" $99 each! There's so much going on above and around the entire stage that we think we'll enjoy this different perspective. Plus, we're in love with the soundtrack, and that will sound good from any seat. If you haven't been to a Cirque show before, it's hard to describe what you'll be seeing. We've spoken to a few people who were not impressed, but that's because they were stuck at a convention and decided, "What the heck, let's see a show tonight." We've seen all the Las Vegas Cirque shows and this one is our favorite.
Actually, there are no really "bad" seats at KA. In fact, sitting back from the stage will give you a good view of a lot of things going on that the folks up front miss. We sat up front in row L and there were things going on overhead and behind us that we had to crane our necks to see. As far as I can remember, there are no view obstructions in the theater.

This is a good show. It starts out a little slow, but the last half has feats that will amaze you. Get there a little early because there are things going on before the show actually starts.

My wife and I saw Ka a few weeks ago. The theater is larger than Mystere or O. We sat in the best of the $99 seats (got them very early). Being farther back from the stage we could see everything fine, but it was hard for me to recognize and keep track of various characters (being more of a "drama" than the other shows), especially with the costume changes. The trade-off is that sometimes some of the cast is out in the audience or on the "apparatus" on the sides of the theater, so being farther back allows you to see more of what's going on out there rather than having to turn around a lot. So it's probably a trade-off. If it were me, I'd try early to get the best $99 seats as much towards the center/front as possible (think they go on sale 4 months before). I would not want to be in the back corner. The theater's really large. If the better $99 are not available for the dates you want to go, I'd go up to $125 and try to get as close to the center of the theater as possible.

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Here is a good thread on Ka including some suggestions of seating:
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21292

Here is some seating suggestions:

Best seating at KA is Section 102 Rows L-R, seat #'s 13 -18 - $150 each
Also: Section 202 rows AA - DD - $150 each.

Section 201 Rows AA-DD high seat numbers, Section 203 AA-DD low seat numbers - $125 each

Best bargain seats at KA Section 201 Row EE high seat numbers and Section 203 low seat numbers - $99 each.

The rows close to the stage for $150 are not necessarily the best/

My wife and I saw Ka a few weeks ago. The theater is larger than Mystere or O. We sat in the best of the $99 seats (got them very early). Being farther back from the stage we could see everything fine, but it was hard for me to recognize and keep track of various characters (being more of a "drama" than the other shows), especially with the costume changes. The trade-off is that sometimes some of the cast is out in the audience or on the "apparatus" on the sides of the theater, so being farther back allows you to see more of what's going on out there rather than having to turn around a lot. So it's probably a trade-off. If it were me, I'd try early to get the best $99 seats as much towards the center/front as possible (think they go on sale 4 months before). I would not want to be in the back corner. The theater's really large. If the better $99 are not available for the dates you want to go, I'd go up to $125 and try to get as close to the center of the theater as possible.
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LOVE at the Mirage
SEATING NOTES:

UPPER LEVEL SEEMS POPULAR:

We had the $99 seats I believe in section 303 and also had plenty of leg room. I enjoyed being in the upper level so we could see all the action. I think the lowest level seats miss out on a lot of what's going on from props and performers blocking their view of the opposite side of the stage.
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SECTION 204 ROW K

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Michelle and I were in section 209 end seats and no problem with the leg room ( I am 6'4" so leg room is a concern) great show.. We saw the last preview was neat watching the preperation for the premier
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For what it's worth ... we saw it last Monday night from the $66 seats ... second to last row. It was fantastic. I don't feel we missed a thing. We loved the remixed and juxtaposed music, the backdrops, the sets, the stunts, the costumes ... everything. Best show we've ever seen in Vegas (others we've seen are Mystere, Danny Gans and Folies Bergere). Also the "Hard Day's Night" at the bar is a tasty drink!

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

Row 'E' is the last, back row of Section 102 on the opposite side
of Section 209 where I was the first time and...IT WASN'T TOO CLOSE!
In fact, you feel right in the middle of the Show and can see everything
just great.
It sets right next to one of the enterance runways so you see
the Artists entering and exiting the various scenes. The view is such,
you see everything from a bit of an 'off center' angle, which made it
all the more interesting/enjoyable for me!
Before sitting down, I tried the very front two rows...they were
definitely too close for me.

To book LOVE it is cheaper and better to book with the Mirage itself. Usually, that also means that you can cancel without penalty up to a few days before the show. Nothing like a little insurance.

ticket information


These are threads with hints at how to choose seating. If you can't bring them up on your computer, let me know and I'll copy relevant suggestions for you. If after reading over these discussions, you still have questions or feel conflicted, let me post your dilemma on the boards and see what they say. One fellow Gregrio is really very knowledgeble about shows. He will answer if I post a question.

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22631&highlight=seating+Love

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22207&highlight=seating+Love


Here are a few more such discussions:

click one
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23245&highlight=Love+Beatles

click two
http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=27843&highlight=love+beatles

click three
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22639&highlight=Love+Beatles

click four
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22777&highlight=Love+Beatles

click five
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21703&highlight=Love+Beatles

click six
http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=31354&highlight=love+beatles

click seven
http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=29790&highlight=love+beatles


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I have to agree that the $69 seats are good. We saw the show from these seats on Sunday, and they were pretty good. I say this having seen the show in preview in June from the $125 seats (discounted at that time). The closer-in seats do allow you to see expressions on the faces, etc. that you won't see from on high, but you also get a different and good perspective on the aerial acts. There is occasional, minor obstruction from the hanging screens of some of the solo dance performances, but not enough to ruin the show.

If you're looking to see a fantastic show, but are not willing to lay out the additional dollars, you'll still have a very enjoyable experience from the low cost seats. By the way, we were in the top row of section

http://forums.lasvegasadvisor.com/messageview.cfm?catid=6&threadid=206179

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Seats for BLUE MAN GROUP:

Blue Man Group : I saw this strange and wild show in NYC and I loved it. It is very odd, abstract, symbolic and fun. That being said some people hated it and thought it was stupid.
MEDIUM PRICED:
Scintas - this is a fine variety act including music, comedy and impressions. This family group came from the West Side of Buffalo and made a great hit in Vegas. They were at the Rio for awhile and had great reviews. I found a couple free tickets somewhere and thought they were a great act. The impression of George Burns was the best I have ever seen.
Now they have moved to the Sahara and they appear often in the 2-1 coupons and half price tickets. So I think this is a good bargain.

check this calendar for dates: http://www.blueman.com/ticketinfo/lasvegas/index.shtml

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CLASSIC SHOWGIRL SHOWS:

Jubilee or Folies Bergere - These are two classic shows with song and dance and flamboyant costumes. Usually parts of the show are tastefully topless. I think they both are great, and often there are half priced or discount tickets available. In my opinion these shows epitomise Vegas. Jubilee also offers a back stage visit on some days. The tour allows guests to meet a "real" showgirl and get a sneak peek into the makings of an extravagant Las Vegas production show. Everything from hair and makeup to contumes and set design are explored as guests experience the backstage secrets of the show and listen to interesting annecdotes from the showgirls themselves. I hope to do this in December is the dates work out.

Here is a fine review of Jubilee including some discussion of seating from a Vegas board:

In June, I took the JUBILEE Back Stage Tour.
Four stories under the stage live the costumes, dressing rooms,
the three 100,000lb. elevators that move the sets up into position
on stage. The inspuration of past dancers still live on the walls in
the form of newspaper clippings and press releases to feed the
hopes and dreams of the currant dancers, and you hear lots and lots
of backstage stories from your guide.
Having seen JUBILEE many times over the years, and it was with
'new eyes' I watched the "hundreds of thousands of rhinestones
covering practically nothing" do it's thing.

Bob Mackie's bright whites, mandarin, magenta, jewel-tone velvets,
ivory and canary colored costumes accented with exotic feathers
make the dancers of JUBILEE a real treat for your eyes.

The life expectancy of Las Vegas Shows these days, leaves little
guarantee they'll still be there your next trip...
JUBILEE is celebrating 25 YEARS and I hope it survives.
Entertainment in the eyes of the corporate brain surgeons is an
odd thing.............

If you've seen JUBILEE before, you know it's 'old school' Las Vegas and
YES, they still use the 'Samson and Delilah' and 'Titanic' scenes, the
tributes to 'Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers', 'Gershwin', 'Ziegfeld Follies',
and the GRAND STAIRWAY WALK...and I hope they always do!

Section 'C' is the mid-room/center theatre seat area for $77 or $79 or $82.00
and are your 'best bangs for your bucks' and view.
This time, I sat a bit closer in a booth down front...just in back of the
'long tables' right in front of the stage.
Row 'A', Seat 9, in booth JJJ...$89.00, and with a coupon (I probably found in 'Las Vegas Magazine' or 'What's On') dropped it to $72.00.
Section 'D' in the back of the room offer theatre seats for $65.00.

Splash at the Riviera was my pick for this trip, but it is closing September 30.

Lance Burton - I went on free tickets and it was alright, but I would not pay to see it. The fellow who won the tickets thought it was great and it is one of the most popular shows in Vegas so maybe it was just me.

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OTHER MIDPRICED SHOWS:

SCINTAS

These family entertainers are a little smaltzy but very good. I especially liked the comedy and an interpretation of George Burns.

Review thread

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FREE SHOW (MUST BUY DRINK FOR $8-$10):

This is a tricky way of marketing Vegas shows. The rack price for these shows is almost never paid. People gather coupons that offer “free” tickets providing you buy a drink, and the drinks cost on average $8, which in Vegas is a pretty expensive drink. Of course, for folks who sign up for vacation packages or get the tickets free from a casino host as a gambling comp, it is important to have the rack price up there high so it looks like they got a $25 show ticket as part of the good deal even if most people are only paying $8 for the same show.

My favorite show in the “almost free” category is the Viva Las Vegas show at the Stratosphere. There are usually coupons around that let you get a ticket for about $8 and for that you see an old fashioned Vegas review which includes some singing, some comedy, a dog act, and pretty dancing show girls.

Also in this category is the MacKing comedy magic show. It is an afternoon show and rated very high by many Vegas sites. There are usually ways to find the “free with a drink” tickets for this one. The comedy is more family friendly. It is not the raunchy king of comedy that you might find at a comedy club at night. And the magic is not the big kind of magic that you might have at a Lance Burton Show. For me it was perfect.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TASTEFULLY EROTIC -

Most of the sexy shows in Vegas are not pornographic, but some are a little stupid. I have not seen too many. I liked Crazy Girls and La Femme, but I would not rave about them. Here is a well respected poster responding to a search for an adult show for a married couple:

When you say you want and adult show for the two of you, I picture
a sexy, provocative, smart, preferably something with lots of skin and
there just isn't a Show like that in Las Vegas.

Le Femme at MGM is creative in it's lighting effects, smart, with beautiful
women, but no guys...good comedy break in the middle, I really like it, lots of folks think it's boring.

Jubilee has the classic topless Showgirls, beautiful costumes, guys and lots
of dancing, but not exactly sexually stimulating and no real skin...

Zumanity has both men and women...women as guys and guys as women, skin,
a taste of S&M and quite suggestive for the conservative minded...I think it's great!

Any of the other topless tourist trap Shows are a crap shoot...maybe you'll be entertained,
maybe you'll just feel like a mindless tourist victom.
I can't understand why no one has come up with a real good sexy adult Show...they're all
kinda cheap/stupid. Fantasy used to be OK at LUXOR...haven't seen the new version, but it's
all women too.

Burlesque is getting real popular....maybe an evening in one of the clubs with some sexy
entertainment might fit the bill: FORTY DEUCE at Mandalay Bay, TANGERINE at t.i.,
PUSSYCAT DOLLS LOUNGE at Caesars Palace..........?

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COMEDY CLUBS-
http://www.a2zlv.com/events/comedy.html

These feature stand up comics, usually two and sometimes an announcer who is a third comic. They can be very good and then again they can be terrible. Too much modern comedy for my taste is just based on saying “Fuck”.

Well, there, I said it. Are you laughing?

Teaching inner city all these years has kind of deadened me to the humorous qualities of “Fuck.” It does not offend me. It bores me.

Then there is the insulting comic whose jokes are not witty or well constructed, just insulting. So you watch people being insulted for an hour. My kids do a better job of this right around the buffet table, and I don’t need to pay $25 to hear it. Well, sometimes they make me pay, but I get tasty food along with their harassment.
That being said, I have seen some of the funniest comedians on Vegas stages. I’m going to try to find out a little about them before I go this time and see which I might like.

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FREE LOUNGE ACTS
(maybe you have to buy a drink some places to sit and watch, but at regular drink prices. Sometimes I just carry my free beer from gambling in to the show and am not bothered. In December there is less pressure too because there are fewer people looking for seats in the lounges.)
another search site http://www.insidervlv.com/entertainment/lounges.html
http://www.vegas.com/nightlife/lounges/

The cool thing about traveling around to hear the lounge music is that you can listen for a while and if you don’t like it, you can move on to another place with no loss of ticket price. One of the things I like best about the Orleans is the performers in their main lounge. and since I have so many free drink coupons, I rarely have to pay to have a drink with the show. Many of the groups I have seen there I can’t name. The Smith Brothers comes to mind.

Here are a few of my favorite groups from other casinos:

Ghalib Ghallab who is at Caesar’s
http://www.ghalibghallab.com/home.htm
http://www.caesars.com/Caesars/LasVegas/Dining/BarsLounges/TerrazzaLounge.htma
********
I love swing music and here are two great places to hear it, although one is a long way from mainstream Vegas. This group plays at Fiesta Rancho. You probably want a car to see them.
http://doo-wopp.com/
This doo- wop group plays all the old favorites from the 50’s and 60’s and is really fine. The stage is full and the dancing is great to watch.

http://www.royaldixie.com/
The Royal Dixie Jazz Band plays right at the Gold Coast on most afternoons. When I go, I am often one of the youngest persons there. They play old swing from before the 50’s.
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Huck Daniels Review at the Stratosphere on Monday nights:
This is a very cool experience. On Mondays most shows are dark, and many performers gather in this lounge, especially Black performers. Huck Daniels has his own band and does a set and then starts to include performers from all around Vegas and other instrumentalists and over the course of the late night (usually from midnight until 2 AM he substitutes players and the sounds are very interesting.
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Big Elvis at the Barbary Coast - This fellow claims that Elvis is his biological father and he sings fine. He has quite a following.
http://www.lvol.com/bios/e151.html
BIG ELVIS WITH GOLDIE
GOLDIE DIED LAST WEEK
SHE LOVED TO DANCE AND WAS A REAL ROLE MODEL FOR OLD AGE
HERE IS WHAT BIG ELVIS WROTE















I’ll search out what is around and what might be of interest before we go. Not all groups play at all times.

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WASTE OF TIME
Here is a thread where people listed their biggest waste of time at a show.
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21939

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If seeing actual DEAD BODIES preserved in plastic appeals to your aesthetic sense, check this out:

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2006/07/dead-body-exhibit.html

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SHOWS GOOD ENOUGH TO SEE TWICE

*One way to judge the better shows is to ask regular visitors to Vegas what they have seen twice. Here are some answers:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=31269

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MORE SITES WITH SHOW TALK


Another site discussing Vegas shows:

http://www.vegasshowsandmore.com/

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TWO MOB NOSTALGIC ENTERTAINMENT IDEAS
This first one is a dinner and an interactive show based on the HBO series Sopranos. It has gotten good reviews.

http://www.comedywedding.com/shows/lasvegas/sopranos.cfm?CFID=1139781&CFTOKEN=28473391

The second is a mob tour of Las Vegas including a visit to where Tupac was gunned down.

http://www.vegasmobtour.com/html/about.htm



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WHAT IS DARK AND WHEN

SHOWS AVAILABLE

December is the quiet month so more shows are dark more often. Keep checking here as you plan and I will slowly update this chart, so you can see what is dark in December. I am not a show expert, but I have seen many of these and read enough about the rest to feel comfortable recommending them. I won’t post really bad shows here. If you have particular questions or an interest in a particular show, ask me and I’ll search more sites and ask more people for information.


CIRQUE DE SOL SHOWS


MYSTERE -

Always dark on Monday and Tuesday. Otherwise the most accessible Cirque show.


O

always dark on Monday and Tuesday
On hiatus Dec 5-17

KA

Always Dark on Sunday and Monday except for December 11 when two shows have been added.
Also dark on Dec 14

ZUMANITY

Always dark on Monday and Tuesday
On hiatus Dec 8-19


LOVE

Dark on December 27

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OTHER TOP SHOWS

Blue Man Group

La Reve

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CLASSIC SHOWGIRLS SHOWS

JUBILEE -

Always dark on Fridays
Dark on December 19th
Mondays, Wednesdays or Saturdays at 11 AM there is a tour of the backstage for $10.

FOLIES BERGERE

Always dark on Sundays
On hiatus December 17-25

SPLASH

The box office has no idea.

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INEXPENSIVE AFTERNOON SHOWS

MAC KING
They put in a sub on Sunday and Monday. I’d skip that.
No December hiatus.

Checking the VP at the Orleans

http://forums.lasvegasadvisor.com/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=208935&STARTPAGE=1

Orleans to Airport Alternatives

How to get from the airport to the Orleans is a hotly debated topic. I always take the Las Vegas Limo Shuttle which is not directly outside the baggage claim area but just around the corner. I think they are faster to fill and they are 50 cents cheaper. But then I am alone and never in a hurry.
The 5-6$ shuttles sometimes take a half hour to fill and if you are two or more, you probably don't save enough over a cab. My last cab ride was $15 with tip. Top estimate would be $20.

But sometimes there is a long wait for a cab.

And now comes the real question. Do you tell the Cabby to "go right over Tropicana" or to "go through the tunnel" and take the expressway. If you tell the cabby nothing, he will probably know the longest way.

Well, here that question is debated:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=31672

Still unsure?

Click on this old post for more information and discussion:

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2006/09/shuttle-from-airport.html#links

Comments on Orleans, Gold Coast, other Coast casinos

THREE COAST CASINOS COMPARED:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=31348


BARBARY COAST

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=28634

ORLEANS

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21363

And here are some great pictures of the rooms at the Orleans:

http://www.angelfire.com/nv2/stungazedoffstrip/Orleans.html

Booking at Orleans or Coast

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Staying at the Orleans makes it easy for family and friends to find us, stay with us, run into us for a nice oatmeal breakfast at the cafe. Most people chose it because it was the cheapest, but I'm glad to be in one spot.





Gold Coast Remodeled Rooms complete with new bed lines and 32 inch flat screen televisions. The Gold Coast is another nice option and sometimes cheaper. These casinos are connected to each other and to the strip by free shuttle. The rooms are nice. The Orleans rooms were traditionally nicer; however, the Gold Coast is bragging about its new linens and nice, new big flat screen television screens as seen in the photo. The Gold Coast has a nice swing jazz band every afternoon. The Orleans is just a bit bigger with a theater complex, bowling alley, nice spa and workout room, music in the evening in two locations, and free marti gra beads.

To see details on these hotels click below for a funny but very informative review from Casino Boy and on that review first page (in the center) you can click to get the official website too.

ORLEANS INFORMATION

GOLD COAST INFORMATION



*****IMPORTANT: DO NOT BOOK YET WITH A DISCOUNTER !!******

Just use them as a price guide. For example, if I find a better price anytime before I go to the Gold Coast or the Orleans, I can just call and the casino will honor that better price. If I had booked at i4Vegas, I would be stuck there and have to pay a fee to change to decide between Gold Coast and Orleans at the last minute. It is also much easier to book with the hotel. There you can check you dates easily and reconfirm. No middle man.

If you prefer to stay on the strip during this time, the Barbary Coast looked about as reasonable as the Orleans and the booking procedure is the same, using the i4Vegas numbers, but check with me as some other discounters might be cheaper by the time you book.

trip reports 2006

Date of Trip: January 11, 2006 to January 27, 2006 Hotel Stayed At: El Cortez-4 Queens-Vegas Club-Orleans-Fiesta Rancho Report by: dewey From: Averill Park NY

SCORE
17 days of gambling.
Under $7 daily average for food and food tips.
Free airplane flight
16 casino hotel nights for a total of $54
Lost $1097, most of it on days 11-16. Had I stayed only ten days, I’d have left up or down less than $50.
Worst losing streak was to put $200 in at Main Street Station, running $1600 thru the 10/7 DB machine and never hitting a quad, skip a day and then lose $300 more over two days at the Orleans with only one quad in the whole $500 wagered.
Best winning streak was on my last day at the Fiesta to take a $25 matchplay coupon and roll my 9 point on the craps table for $50 which then was put in the 10/7 DB and earned another $50 on two quads in less than a half hour, which was then put on the 3-6 table at the Plaza and earned another $138 in less than 45 minutes with two King high spade flushes that I check raised on the river, and a pair of pocket kings that i bet aggressively to the river and that held up.

It is hard to figure that this is my worst trip to date in losses and yet one of my favorite trips. Some of that is being with my son and his girl for the first part, and then with two old good humored, Silver Strike collectors for the rest of the time. And I really love the interaction with strangers at the poker tables. I also felt my game has improved enough to make live poker at worst an even money game with free beer and food. The volatility is so much less than that of the 10/7 Video Poker. But I can’t earn free rooms on a live poker table, except maybe at the imperial Palace if I don’t ever sleep.

I finally remembered that economic term “utility.” I guess that says it. I lost money but I got good “utility” out of the week.

HOTELS

Rooms ranked in order of quality:

Orleans - always comfortable and bright even if they have changed their nicely logoed shampoo bottle for boring skinny bottles.
El Cortez Tower - Very much like the Orleans only a bit darker
Four Queens - More than adequate. Average. Heard a faint bit of the music from Freemont Street. Needed the toliet plunged.
Fiesta Rancho - Nice enough but small, double beds, not much sink room.
Las Vegas Club- good enough but clearly this entire casino is in transition. Watch the room doors; they don’t close by themselves. Needed the toliet plunged.

This trip I decided to trade room views for a shorter ride in the elevator so most of the time I was looking at solid cement walls. That was fine with me. Most of the time I spend in the room, I have the drapes held tightly together with duck tape so my afternoon naps are not affected by rays of sunlight creeping thru the crack. i know where the VooDoo Lounge is if I hunger for a good view.


FOOD

I ate for the most part free, so I ate nothing very exciting. I ate a lot of graveyard steak and eggs which seem somehow to always be a treat for me. Ellis Island steak was as fine as always especially washed down with a microbrew. Next trip I am going to make a list of all the days that the buffets overcharge: champagne breakfast, steak night, seafood night and then I will avoid them on those nights. The food is not very much different. Only the price changes.

OFF STRIP FOOD

Local friend Larry treated me to a Grand Irish corned beef Sandwich at McMullen’s Irish pub across from the Orleans. Mustard with Guinness in it complimented that corned beef perfectly. They had a great selection of brews of which I drank Fat Tire to remember the time my kid Cory took me to that brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. This is a great pub break from the casinos, with nice little private nooks and fine wooden panneling all around, odd contests, great homemade potato chips and just everything you want in an Irish Pub.

for details check these sites:

http://www.mcmullansirishpub.com/

http://www.newbelgium.com/eventscolorado.php

Orleans offered their usual good buffet. I ate regularly priced lunch there on seafood day and found most of the $16 special buffet seafood offerings were already out on the cheap lunch menu. Great Mexican at Don Miguel's in the Orleans. Two free margaritas using ACGcoupons.

Fine hamburgers at Wild Wild West.
Terribles was adequate. I like their beef and the Cajun trout was great.

Fiesta Rancho was very disappointing. The buffet is under construction and closed. A little buffet is set up in the Mexican restaurant, but it is not up to the usual Fiesta standard. You can get fajitas for free with the reduced buffet price. That was a good deal, especially since I had afree coupon that covered the entire thing, but the staff was so stressed and crabby that my waiting for my single chair seat in non smoking seemed to drive the hostess up the wall. I got free food at the Fiesta cafe for poker play so I ate there, but in the morning you have to shout to order breakfast because they are working with loud grinders and such on the buffet room next door. The Caesar’s salad was very sparse there, one of the worst in my memory. The cafe was quiet in the late evening. The graveyard specials ran right up until 11 am. If I really wanted a buffet in that area of Vegas, I’d walk over to Texas Station for all that barbecued beef and great chili.

FOOD DOWNTOWN

I had the seafood buffet at Freemont and it was good, but I would not fuss about it nor pay $17 for it again. Main Street Station Buffet was great as usual. I love the southern greens and the Hawaiian pulled pork and the M&M’s for the ice cream. Everything is fresh and fine and the open room with fine light and an easy relaxed staff makes for delightful dining. I discovered that a free buffet comp is based on daily play and not on points. You can’t get one except on the days you are playing, but then it is completely free- no points deducted. If you put 1000 through the machine, free lunch- 2000 points, free supper. Golden Nugget Buffet was good as usual, but I got caught in that damned Sunday Brunch price so my live poker comp was short for breakfast, and I paid for champagne which I don’t like. There was nothing else special about that morning’s food. I ate on a free comp at the 4 Queens. Check their parking ticket for a coupon offer. If you earn 50 points, they give you a free comp to Magnolia’s which was good for a $14 great sirloin steak entree. It was yummy, especially with a generous sampler of their home brews, about seven glasses for $7 dollars. All the flavors, but unlabeled, so I did not learn much. We ate there with 6 at the table and they put the tip on the bill. We did not notice until we got to the cashier and then it was too late. Pay attention so as not to tip twice. I ate a couple free breakfasts at the Upper Deck in the Las Vegas Club and one late steak and eggs graveyard. I like their link sausages. The waitress taught me that ordering my eggs over MEDIUM would get the runny out of the white, but leave the runny in the yoke. They did seem to undercook everything by one step. At the Stratosphere I ate nice warmed blueberry pie and ice cream after a steak and egg graveyard special. Fine free buffet at the Southcoast. Part of a promotional mailing. Chinese buffet at the Plaza was fine for a graveyard treat on a free comp from the Plaza poker room.

GAMBLING -

I only play 10/7 double Bonus and Live poker. I was about even for 10 days and then hit a video poker slump putting $500 thru and hitting only one quad. On the morning of the last day of the trip I was down $1300 and something. The last day I hit a $50 craps matchplay at Fiesta, scored for $100 on video poker, and then sat in a Plaza 3-6 game and caught great cards, leaving after 45 minutes ahead $130. I ended down $1097.


NEW COMP STRATEGY

I have decided to focus my play. I play heavy at one place on one day and not at all at any other time in that particular casino. I don’t eat there, collect cashback there or do anything to let that casino know I am in town other days. If this works right, I should manage to get more free room mailings from some places where I have not played much in years.
This time I especially targeted Main Street Station. They have good 10/7 DB with a bonus scratch off for 4 of a kinds. They have a fine buffet that is free for play. No points deducted. They have the Berlin Wall just where it deserves to be. And I always liked the place. Only the trains used to bother me when I wanted to sleep in the morning. I sleep now in the afternoon, so perhaps that will make their rooms a comfortable place to stay next trip. I am home just two days and I have an email from them asking for me to evaluate my visit there, so maybe my strategy worked. Last trip to Vegas I used that same focused comp strategy at 4 Queens and subsequently got great offers for this trip, two nights free and any more I wanted for $22 a night. I hope they continue. My goal is to stay downtown for free or cheaply and skip any rental car.

POKER ROOMS - PLAYED ONLY LOW LEVEL LIMIT POKER

I don’t play no limit. Perhaps later. I tried one nice cheap tournament at Fiesta Rancho, $23 and no rebuys. I did well but after two tables were eliminated and the blinds getting pretty stiff, I got in that place where I felt I needed to make a play, so I called an all-in bet by a guy who was too often going all-in to be believed. There was an Ace and a Jack on the flop and I had Jack- King. He had Ace-ten but no Jack or King came on the Turn or River so his low kickered Ace held up.

I played a lot of 2-4 and some 3-6 when I felt comfortable. I really got the sense that it all depends on the people who happen to join the table. At El Cortez I played the 1-3 spread limit game with 6 on the flop. One time the pots were $5 with all tight players. Another the preflop betting was capped almost every hand. I played 3-6 in games when after playing tight for an hour I could steal a pot with the right bet or at least pay a $3 pot flop raise on the button to see 2 free cards. And I played 3-6 at Paris where the betting was nuts.
I used to think of Texas Hold Em as a game for grumpy old men. I’m almost 60. If I want to talk to grumpy old men or look at them, I can talk to myself in the mirror. On this trip I was amazed to find myself sitting next to some of the sexiest young women. I just seemed to get lucky. Of course, I kept my mind on the game. In fact, I improved my game because I tend to spend too much time looking at the cards and not enough studying the faces of the players. So I studied these women carefully. I think live poker is the only place in American society where you can spend long minutes gazing into the face of some sweet young thing and not be breaking social protocol.

My favorite 3-6 games were at the Plaza and I want to play there again when I go back. Comps were easy, rake reductions radical, and the players I met a good mix.

EL CORTEZ - If you can take the smoke, these games are fun because they are full of characters, not the least of whom is Jackie Gaughan himself who comes down to shout, “One for the money!”, then misread his cards, and finally call you when he should know better. all the way to the river. The rake is low here. I played next to a sweet faced Black girl with a good humored personality and Cute embroidered on her shirt. Very pretty and funny, but she needed to clean her nails. That is the El Cortez.

PLAZA - Rake is $3 and then $1 that goes back out in high hand awards. When we got down to 5 players on the 3-6, I asked for a rake reduction and the woman dropped it to just the dollar for the high hand. You could not ask for a better game than that. I liked every game. There was one Black guy cursed with an incredible get-in- your-face attitude; he berated another old scruffy beard white guy when that fellow dared to explain why one more bet to call was needed. Mr. Attitude also kept trying to remove a hundred in bills from the game, and the dealer had to repeatedly call the floor to get him to keep the money up and playable. On top of that he was a poor player. I only saw him take one pot in a showdown. He had an eight-five off suit. the Plaza was easy with food comps. The woman gave me one even though I just got tired and only played for a couple hours one late night. I used it at the Chinese buffet. Such a contrast to the El Cortez idea of food comps. There one must play a consecutive 4 hours and ask the old beauty there for a comp, you’d think that she had to take it out of her salary. You get just $5 which is not enough to buy anything at Careless Kitty’s where the food is not that great anyway AND if you get that $5 comp one day, you can’t get one the next day. The woman said they wanted me to come back and play, but I guess not two days directly in a row.

CAESAR’S - Very nice and comfortable with a mix of very good players and guys who just thought they were very good. When at about 2 AM the table got down to six players, I indicated that I would leave if I had to play at a short table as did another fellow. They broke up the table and we drew cards for open seats at the other table. One fellow got irate at this policy and there was an hour of bedlam even though a seat soon opened for him at the other table. They took my name and card number to be able to defend themselves against this irate jackidiot. You earn a dollar comp here per hour on your card, but don’t try to go to Caesar’s buffet on it. It is only good for food served in the poker room. The staff is super friendly and one young woman in particular was enough entertainment for me to fold hands for an hour and just watch her walk across the floor. I liked getting large cans of Guinness or Bass. Most places did not have any dark beers to bring. I saw a fellow drinking Johnny Walker Black. I played one 3-6 with a half kill, but I really don’t like the kill pots. I don’t know how to read them.

IMPERIAL PALACE- They offer $3 in comps per hour, but you should act quickly. The poker room is ready to be moved soon and that might mean a comp reduction. The entire casino is scheduled to be demolished by Harrah’s in 2007 as they have bought most of the entire LV Boul./Flamingo corner for some megaproject that you and I will pay for in poorer video poker schedules and fewer comps. But I managed enough comps on my card to pick up the $69 tab for a room I need in April when I am coming in on a Saturday. Imperial Palace will rent to me for just the one night and my comps will make it free. The 2-4 games were fine here, not too loose with enough space to actually play poker and very friendly folks so the banter was great. I sat next to a couple of guys from Wales and listened to the music of their accents and exotic vocabulary and next to a very good player, a beautiful Chinese woman. She beat my pocket jacks with pocket kings on one hand, but two hands later I later took her and her husband down when another pair of pocket jacks went to trips and neither her pocket kings nor his pocket queens could touch them. It was a profitable hand. The Imperial Place is one place where I believe you could go and pay for your rooms and just play live poker. In fact, if you play there, look for Dennis from California who knows all the dealers because he does that often. They also offer free flavors of coffees and nice cookies and finger sandwiches as well as a small bad beat bonus that is not raked. They also fixed any drink that was described to them, and I had a few weird ones suggested by a young fellow who had had a few too many. He did not always know what cards he had, but he did seem to always win. It was strange. I tried a 3-6 game there but it just seemed hard to figure and tight, so pots were not very big anyway and I went back to the 2-4.

PARIS- a few tables squeezed right in the middle of the casino. I played 3-6 on a Saturday night. It was wild. The players were the most terrible I have ever seen. But if you wanted distraction during the long waits between playable hands, this is the place to play. I liked it. I’ll try again when perhaps there are a few sane people at the table. While there I raised with A-J in middle position in order to push out some of the calling stations, and found that they had no clue that I had established myself as a tight player, and no respect for the raise. I was reraised by something that soon folded and that person was again reraised by pocket tens that bet into my Jack flopped pair right thru the river. All the raises put too much money in the pot for me to fold, but I was very shocked when I won with just a pair of Jacks. I would like to play there again in calmer waters. They comp a dollar an hour and I expect that it could be applied to that fine buffet they serve.


BALLY’S - I heard a lot of good things about this place, but they did not have a 3-6 game when I showed up early on Saturday night. They directed me to the Paris game.

FIESTA RANCHO- A very smoky table but very interesting. I had avoided most locals games because I did not want to play with people who played every day with each other, but this was like a kitchen table game transported to the casino. It was a 2-4 game and pretty loose but not filled with maniacs. Most people wanted to see the flop. Many would pay to see draws. Some times against the people they knew, instead of trying to maneuver for a check raise on the river when they held the nuts, these folks would be “nice” and show their nut hands early. It was strange to me. Here a young Black social worker named Tania started a conversation with a reformed member of the Aryan Nation complete with a swastika tattooed on his hand. That was interesting!! Had pocket kings on the button when the first to act had placed a blind straddle and then raised in the dark. Oh, I love those blind straddles. He put money in the pot, pushed out the trash hand holders, and in the end had nothing as my kings held up. Later 4 fours got me an $8 food comp which had not been raked. Also my play earned a $10 food comp over a couple days and it was immediately posted. I used it my last morning there. It may even be that those folks sending out the free nights will consider my live poker play as well as the video poker. I am not certain if that improves my rating or if they would rather avoid having live poker players in free rooms, but I’ll see.

GOLDEN NUGGET- A good spot to play always with a fine mix of good and bad players. I lost one full house to a bigger one held by a Caesar’s dealer who later remembered me. I was dumb and bet into the higher house even though I should have sensed it was there. They do have some Sam Adams drafts. I don’t generally like that beer, but the drafts were great. The good trick here is to play 4 hours and quit after midnight. 4 hours of play will get you a $10 buffet comp which can be used the next day for a nice brunch at the Nugget’s fine buffet. And the comp is a line pass so you get to go right in. I met a cool young guy on a table here from Nova Scotia.

BINIONS- Fine tables but some of the most uptight crabby players I have ever seen. Why do no limit players come down to the limit table and then run a steady stream of complaints about how it is not “real poker” there. One woman was totally obnoxious, but got some better when she started to get cards and win. Another old, thin, Jewish fellow was so intense and so unfriendly and so mad when he did not get cards that I wanted to tip the dealer when the disdainful grump finally gave it up and left. He is a regular. He knew the dealer’s names. If I were that miserable playing poker, I’d find something more fun to do, like walking over hot coals barefoot or hanging myself from a light fixture. There were other friendly tourists there, but after that one game, I did not want to go back. One cool collectible there is the $4 binions chips which are just used by the dealers for the rake. The dealer will sell you one if you ask nice.

ORLEANS- I just watched. I love this casino. I hope I can get so these tight and skillful locals don’t intimidate me so much.

STRATOSPHERE- My plan was to take the Deuce from downtown and play poker there for a while, then take my comps from last April, see the Huck Daniels Review in the lounge and use the comps for a good graveyard 3 AM breakfast afterwards. But the Stratosphere has not yet posted the comps from LAST APRIL. So don’t expect to play there and get anything except what you earn that day. The staff was very friendly, and actually, after a lot of very polite talk, the fellow gave me an $8 food comp instead of my earned $4 so it worked out, but I don’t know if I’ll make the effort to go again. I will write a letter of protest and urge you to do the same. What is taking them so long to get a little swipe technology up and running? The more people who ask, the better. Also, I learned not to play there on Mondays because the high hand awards had been sucked dry on the weekend and not had time to build up again, so you don’t get much value for the high hand rake if you play on Mondays.

SOUTH COAST - I did not play here but did check it out and liked it fine. I wrote down the comp policy but I cannot find it. It was complicated, like $1.25 each hour for the first four hoyurs and 50 cents per hour after that.



MEMORABLE POKER HANDS

Check raised twice on the button with king high spade flush in a 3-6 at Plaza. I was called the second time because they thought I was trying to bluff.

4 fours at Fiesta Rancho with a nice full house betting into me.

4 Aces at Paris and no one even interested. Slow played and still nothing.

Check raised with a river caught nut straight at Fiesta and was reraised by a guy with 3 tens. I almost assumed that we had the same hand and almost did not reraise, but too often I lose money by quitting early. He called me and then acted very surprised even though the nut was not necessary for victory; a hand as weak as trip kings would have also beaten him.

ENTERTAINMENT

+Huck Daniels Monday night review at the Stratosphere was great as always.
+Free ticket to Etta James at Orleans. Her voice is great but the rest of the act is very sad. She cannot remember what she is doing and asks the band a dozen times. It reminds me of how Billie Holiday looked in her last days.
+ great lecture and demonstration of an authentic printing press like the one Ben Franklin used. This was in the morning at the Freemont experience. It was a freebie to advertise a printing museum in California but I lost the brochure. Great speaker and great demonstration.
+ doo-wop.com at the Fiesta Rancho. If you like old 50’s songs and/or like to swing dance this is the group. Best I have ever heard.
+I like that alien Freemont experience story. I don’t like the flag waving one, maybe because every time they wave the flag here we seem to kill off some of our best in a needless war.
+a friendly Black security guard from Las Vegas Club asked me to dance in the Plaza lounge but she really did not swing dance and wanted to lead.
+ I like watching petite Linda play DB 10/7 with her almost bare feet and ringed toes propped up on the machine. Watch for her at the Optimum full pay machines along the Fiesta Rancho ramp. She is there almost every day and knows the strategy sheets in detail.
+I love the Bellagio Chinese new year display every year. This year they took a doomed 110 foot tall Bayan tree from Palm Beach California and transformed it into a sculpture and nice little walk with water and the sounds of birds. Next it will serve as a butterfly habitat. Incredible!
details : http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jan-22-Sun-2006/living/5339150.html

TRANSPORTATION

Took a bump on US Air last time and got a free flight for this trip. But I forgot to go to the airport and redeem my voucher for a ticket so they canceled my reservation and I had a frantic week of trying to get a flight to go near my originally scheduled times. Ended up getting two extra days in Vegas and a better mix of free rooms. Scheduled coming home on a redeye and found it was better than coming home to Albany NY in the morning. Slept easy and was refreshed the next day. No crowds anywhere. Had 3 seats to myself.

DOLLAR called me and told me they no longer have cars at the Nugget downtown so I should pick up my car at the airport instead. Good thing I no longer needed one. it would have cost me a cab ride to get to the airport. If I do rent again and want to pick up downtown for my last week and then deliver to the airport, I guess I’ll stick with Budget at the 4 Queens.

The Deuce is the joint!! Upper level riding is a tour experience and the windows are clean. You stop on the strip and there are the neon lights right there. Especially at the Riviera/Circus Circus stop, I saw neon I had never noticed from the street level because it was right in my face. The conductor can hear everyone, even upstairs, and he clearly announces each stop with a good sample of all the destination possibilities including opportunities for bus transfers. There are handy little red buttons to press for a stop request. Best 2 dollars I ever spent anywhere for travel in the USA. Only drawback was once coming in to downtown at 4 AM there was construction and they dropped us too far from the Freemont, over on Ogden. No trouble, but I did not like it. Also late at night, mixed with the tourists, there tended to be on the bus a couple drunks and people who talked a bit too much to themselves, in loud lecturing tones, about the rule of the “grey people” and the future of the world order and other free associated random and abstract philosophies or people who just shouted F**** a lot. Crazy people. But harmless.

El Cortez in the morning time and into early afternoon has a free shuttle for guests to the airport. 24 hour advance signup requested.

My buddy Lucky Pete had a car. That is the best. Free chauffeur and no worries.

I figured out that the 201 West is the bus to take to get back to the Orleans from NYNY. And I figured the 108 would be a faster trip to the Sahara from downtown than the deuce, but you have to ask for where it collects passengers at the downtown bus terminal as 108 is not listed on the signs. I think it was gate 20 and 21, but I did not ride it yet.

Finally, although there are signs all over the free Coast shuttle buses, I did not get asked for a room key in order to ride the Orleans free shuttle to the strip or back. But then I was never there at a crowded time.

NOTE ON DOWNTOWN

I think Downtown is getting better all the time. I like the shorter walks and the ability to patch together free rooms without a car and easily roll suitcases from place to place. Soon there will be Mickey Finn’s and some other interesting food/drink spots just outside the Freemont Experience. When Jackie dies, the El Cortez will be sold and no doubt radically changed, but for now it is a flavor of old Vegas as is the Gold Spike. Walgreens 24 hour at the head of Freemont Street means anything forgotten can be easily purchased and at uninflated regular drug store prices. I needed a scarf for the chilly evenings and found a great one in fleece for $3. And I got some snacks for the room that made it easy to just buy two meals a day. I bought Walgreen’s knockoff version of Aleve for my back ache after ten hours at the poker table. Some of the best gambling is downtown and when you want the strip, it is just $2 away on the Deuce.

And there are the details. More I am sure than you wanted to know.



dewey - Averill Park NY

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

trip reports 2006

Date of Trip: January 11, 2006 to January 27, 2006 Hotel Stayed At: El Cortez-4 Queens-Vegas Club-Orleans-Fiesta Rancho Report by: dewey From: Averill Park NY

SCORE
17 days of gambling.
Under $7 daily average for food and food tips.
Free airplane flight
16 casino hotel nights for a total of $54
Lost $1097, most of it on days 11-16. Had I stayed only ten days, I’d have left up or down less than $50.
Worst losing streak was to put $200 in at Main Street Station, running $1600 thru the 10/7 DB machine and never hitting a quad, skip a day and then lose $300 more over two days at the Orleans with only one quad in the whole $500 wagered.
Best winning streak was on my last day at the Fiesta to take a $25 matchplay coupon and roll my 9 point on the craps table for $50 which then was put in the 10/7 DB and earned another $50 on two quads in less than a half hour, which was then put on the 3-6 table at the Plaza and earned another $138 in less than 45 minutes with two King high spade flushes that I check raised on the river, and a pair of pocket kings that i bet aggressively to the river and that held up.

It is hard to figure that this is my worst trip to date in losses and yet one of my favorite trips. Some of that is being with my son and his girl for the first part, and then with two old good humored, Silver Strike collectors for the rest of the time. And I really love the interaction with strangers at the poker tables. I also felt my game has improved enough to make live poker at worst an even money game with free beer and food. The volatility is so much less than that of the 10/7 Video Poker. But I can’t earn free rooms on a live poker table, except maybe at the imperial Palace if I don’t ever sleep.

I finally remembered that economic term “utility.” I guess that says it. I lost money but I got good “utility” out of the week.

HOTELS

Rooms ranked in order of quality:

Orleans - always comfortable and bright even if they have changed their nicely logoed shampoo bottle for boring skinny bottles.
El Cortez Tower - Very much like the Orleans only a bit darker
Four Queens - More than adequate. Average. Heard a faint bit of the music from Freemont Street. Needed the toliet plunged.
Fiesta Rancho - Nice enough but small, double beds, not much sink room.
Las Vegas Club- good enough but clearly this entire casino is in transition. Watch the room doors; they don’t close by themselves. Needed the toliet plunged.

This trip I decided to trade room views for a shorter ride in the elevator so most of the time I was looking at solid cement walls. That was fine with me. Most of the time I spend in the room, I have the drapes held tightly together with duck tape so my afternoon naps are not affected by rays of sunlight creeping thru the crack. i know where the VooDoo Lounge is if I hunger for a good view.


FOOD

I ate for the most part free, so I ate nothing very exciting. I ate a lot of graveyard steak and eggs which seem somehow to always be a treat for me. Ellis Island steak was as fine as always especially washed down with a microbrew. Next trip I am going to make a list of all the days that the buffets overcharge: champagne breakfast, steak night, seafood night and then I will avoid them on those nights. The food is not very much different. Only the price changes.

OFF STRIP FOOD

Local friend Larry treated me to a Grand Irish corned beef Sandwich at McMullen’s Irish pub across from the Orleans. Mustard with Guinness in it complimented that corned beef perfectly. They had a great selection of brews of which I drank Fat Tire to remember the time my kid Cory took me to that brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. This is a great pub break from the casinos, with nice little private nooks and fine wooden panneling all around, odd contests, great homemade potato chips and just everything you want in an Irish Pub.

for details check these sites:

http://www.mcmullansirishpub.com/

http://www.newbelgium.com/eventscolorado.php

Orleans offered their usual good buffet. I ate regularly priced lunch there on seafood day and found most of the $16 special buffet seafood offerings were already out on the cheap lunch menu. Great Mexican at Don Miguel's in the Orleans. Two free margaritas using ACGcoupons.

Fine hamburgers at Wild Wild West.
Terribles was adequate. I like their beef and the Cajun trout was great.

Fiesta Rancho was very disappointing. The buffet is under construction and closed. A little buffet is set up in the Mexican restaurant, but it is not up to the usual Fiesta standard. You can get fajitas for free with the reduced buffet price. That was a good deal, especially since I had afree coupon that covered the entire thing, but the staff was so stressed and crabby that my waiting for my single chair seat in non smoking seemed to drive the hostess up the wall. I got free food at the Fiesta cafe for poker play so I ate there, but in the morning you have to shout to order breakfast because they are working with loud grinders and such on the buffet room next door. The Caesar’s salad was very sparse there, one of the worst in my memory. The cafe was quiet in the late evening. The graveyard specials ran right up until 11 am. If I really wanted a buffet in that area of Vegas, I’d walk over to Texas Station for all that barbecued beef and great chili.

FOOD DOWNTOWN

I had the seafood buffet at Freemont and it was good, but I would not fuss about it nor pay $17 for it again. Main Street Station Buffet was great as usual. I love the southern greens and the Hawaiian pulled pork and the M&M’s for the ice cream. Everything is fresh and fine and the open room with fine light and an easy relaxed staff makes for delightful dining. I discovered that a free buffet comp is based on daily play and not on points. You can’t get one except on the days you are playing, but then it is completely free- no points deducted. If you put 1000 through the machine, free lunch- 2000 points, free supper. Golden Nugget Buffet was good as usual, but I got caught in that damned Sunday Brunch price so my live poker comp was short for breakfast, and I paid for champagne which I don’t like. There was nothing else special about that morning’s food. I ate on a free comp at the 4 Queens. Check their parking ticket for a coupon offer. If you earn 50 points, they give you a free comp to Magnolia’s which was good for a $14 great sirloin steak entree. It was yummy, especially with a generous sampler of their home brews, about seven glasses for $7 dollars. All the flavors, but unlabeled, so I did not learn much. We ate there with 6 at the table and they put the tip on the bill. We did not notice until we got to the cashier and then it was too late. Pay attention so as not to tip twice. I ate a couple free breakfasts at the Upper Deck in the Las Vegas Club and one late steak and eggs graveyard. I like their link sausages. The waitress taught me that ordering my eggs over MEDIUM would get the runny out of the white, but leave the runny in the yoke. They did seem to undercook everything by one step. At the Stratosphere I ate nice warmed blueberry pie and ice cream after a steak and egg graveyard special. Fine free buffet at the Southcoast. Part of a promotional mailing. Chinese buffet at the Plaza was fine for a graveyard treat on a free comp from the Plaza poker room.

GAMBLING -

I only play 10/7 double Bonus and Live poker. I was about even for 10 days and then hit a video poker slump putting $500 thru and hitting only one quad. On the morning of the last day of the trip I was down $1300 and something. The last day I hit a $50 craps matchplay at Fiesta, scored for $100 on video poker, and then sat in a Plaza 3-6 game and caught great cards, leaving after 45 minutes ahead $130. I ended down $1097.


NEW COMP STRATEGY

I have decided to focus my play. I play heavy at one place on one day and not at all at any other time in that particular casino. I don’t eat there, collect cashback there or do anything to let that casino know I am in town other days. If this works right, I should manage to get more free room mailings from some places where I have not played much in years.
This time I especially targeted Main Street Station. They have good 10/7 DB with a bonus scratch off for 4 of a kinds. They have a fine buffet that is free for play. No points deducted. They have the Berlin Wall just where it deserves to be. And I always liked the place. Only the trains used to bother me when I wanted to sleep in the morning. I sleep now in the afternoon, so perhaps that will make their rooms a comfortable place to stay next trip. I am home just two days and I have an email from them asking for me to evaluate my visit there, so maybe my strategy worked. Last trip to Vegas I used that same focused comp strategy at 4 Queens and subsequently got great offers for this trip, two nights free and any more I wanted for $22 a night. I hope they continue. My goal is to stay downtown for free or cheaply and skip any rental car.

POKER ROOMS - PLAYED ONLY LOW LEVEL LIMIT POKER

I don’t play no limit. Perhaps later. I tried one nice cheap tournament at Fiesta Rancho, $23 and no rebuys. I did well but after two tables were eliminated and the blinds getting pretty stiff, I got in that place where I felt I needed to make a play, so I called an all-in bet by a guy who was too often going all-in to be believed. There was an Ace and a Jack on the flop and I had Jack- King. He had Ace-ten but no Jack or King came on the Turn or River so his low kickered Ace held up.

I played a lot of 2-4 and some 3-6 when I felt comfortable. I really got the sense that it all depends on the people who happen to join the table. At El Cortez I played the 1-3 spread limit game with 6 on the flop. One time the pots were $5 with all tight players. Another the preflop betting was capped almost every hand. I played 3-6 in games when after playing tight for an hour I could steal a pot with the right bet or at least pay a $3 pot flop raise on the button to see 2 free cards. And I played 3-6 at Paris where the betting was nuts.
I used to think of Texas Hold Em as a game for grumpy old men. I’m almost 60. If I want to talk to grumpy old men or look at them, I can talk to myself in the mirror. On this trip I was amazed to find myself sitting next to some of the sexiest young women. I just seemed to get lucky. Of course, I kept my mind on the game. In fact, I improved my game because I tend to spend too much time looking at the cards and not enough studying the faces of the players. So I studied these women carefully. I think live poker is the only place in American society where you can spend long minutes gazing into the face of some sweet young thing and not be breaking social protocol.

My favorite 3-6 games were at the Plaza and I want to play there again when I go back. Comps were easy, rake reductions radical, and the players I met a good mix.

EL CORTEZ - If you can take the smoke, these games are fun because they are full of characters, not the least of whom is Jackie Gaughan himself who comes down to shout, “One for the money!”, then misread his cards, and finally call you when he should know better. all the way to the river. The rake is low here. I played next to a sweet faced Black girl with a good humored personality and Cute embroidered on her shirt. Very pretty and funny, but she needed to clean her nails. That is the El Cortez.

PLAZA - Rake is $3 and then $1 that goes back out in high hand awards. When we got down to 5 players on the 3-6, I asked for a rake reduction and the woman dropped it to just the dollar for the high hand. You could not ask for a better game than that. I liked every game. There was one Black guy cursed with an incredible get-in- your-face attitude; he berated another old scruffy beard white guy when that fellow dared to explain why one more bet to call was needed. Mr. Attitude also kept trying to remove a hundred in bills from the game, and the dealer had to repeatedly call the floor to get him to keep the money up and playable. On top of that he was a poor player. I only saw him take one pot in a showdown. He had an eight-five off suit. the Plaza was easy with food comps. The woman gave me one even though I just got tired and only played for a couple hours one late night. I used it at the Chinese buffet. Such a contrast to the El Cortez idea of food comps. There one must play a consecutive 4 hours and ask the old beauty there for a comp, you’d think that she had to take it out of her salary. You get just $5 which is not enough to buy anything at Careless Kitty’s where the food is not that great anyway AND if you get that $5 comp one day, you can’t get one the next day. The woman said they wanted me to come back and play, but I guess not two days directly in a row.

CAESAR’S - Very nice and comfortable with a mix of very good players and guys who just thought they were very good. When at about 2 AM the table got down to six players, I indicated that I would leave if I had to play at a short table as did another fellow. They broke up the table and we drew cards for open seats at the other table. One fellow got irate at this policy and there was an hour of bedlam even though a seat soon opened for him at the other table. They took my name and card number to be able to defend themselves against this irate jackidiot. You earn a dollar comp here per hour on your card, but don’t try to go to Caesar’s buffet on it. It is only good for food served in the poker room. The staff is super friendly and one young woman in particular was enough entertainment for me to fold hands for an hour and just watch her walk across the floor. I liked getting large cans of Guinness or Bass. Most places did not have any dark beers to bring. I saw a fellow drinking Johnny Walker Black. I played one 3-6 with a half kill, but I really don’t like the kill pots. I don’t know how to read them.

IMPERIAL PALACE- They offer $3 in comps per hour, but you should act quickly. The poker room is ready to be moved soon and that might mean a comp reduction. The entire casino is scheduled to be demolished by Harrah’s in 2007 as they have bought most of the entire LV Boul./Flamingo corner for some megaproject that you and I will pay for in poorer video poker schedules and fewer comps. But I managed enough comps on my card to pick up the $69 tab for a room I need in April when I am coming in on a Saturday. Imperial Palace will rent to me for just the one night and my comps will make it free. The 2-4 games were fine here, not too loose with enough space to actually play poker and very friendly folks so the banter was great. I sat next to a couple of guys from Wales and listened to the music of their accents and exotic vocabulary and next to a very good player, a beautiful Chinese woman. She beat my pocket jacks with pocket kings on one hand, but two hands later I later took her and her husband down when another pair of pocket jacks went to trips and neither her pocket kings nor his pocket queens could touch them. It was a profitable hand. The Imperial Place is one place where I believe you could go and pay for your rooms and just play live poker. In fact, if you play there, look for Dennis from California who knows all the dealers because he does that often. They also offer free flavors of coffees and nice cookies and finger sandwiches as well as a small bad beat bonus that is not raked. They also fixed any drink that was described to them, and I had a few weird ones suggested by a young fellow who had had a few too many. He did not always know what cards he had, but he did seem to always win. It was strange. I tried a 3-6 game there but it just seemed hard to figure and tight, so pots were not very big anyway and I went back to the 2-4.

PARIS- a few tables squeezed right in the middle of the casino. I played 3-6 on a Saturday night. It was wild. The players were the most terrible I have ever seen. But if you wanted distraction during the long waits between playable hands, this is the place to play. I liked it. I’ll try again when perhaps there are a few sane people at the table. While there I raised with A-J in middle position in order to push out some of the calling stations, and found that they had no clue that I had established myself as a tight player, and no respect for the raise. I was reraised by something that soon folded and that person was again reraised by pocket tens that bet into my Jack flopped pair right thru the river. All the raises put too much money in the pot for me to fold, but I was very shocked when I won with just a pair of Jacks. I would like to play there again in calmer waters. They comp a dollar an hour and I expect that it could be applied to that fine buffet they serve.


BALLY’S - I heard a lot of good things about this place, but they did not have a 3-6 game when I showed up early on Saturday night. They directed me to the Paris game.

FIESTA RANCHO- A very smoky table but very interesting. I had avoided most locals games because I did not want to play with people who played every day with each other, but this was like a kitchen table game transported to the casino. It was a 2-4 game and pretty loose but not filled with maniacs. Most people wanted to see the flop. Many would pay to see draws. Some times against the people they knew, instead of trying to maneuver for a check raise on the river when they held the nuts, these folks would be “nice” and show their nut hands early. It was strange to me. Here a young Black social worker named Tania started a conversation with a reformed member of the Aryan Nation complete with a swastika tattooed on his hand. That was interesting!! Had pocket kings on the button when the first to act had placed a blind straddle and then raised in the dark. Oh, I love those blind straddles. He put money in the pot, pushed out the trash hand holders, and in the end had nothing as my kings held up. Later 4 fours got me an $8 food comp which had not been raked. Also my play earned a $10 food comp over a couple days and it was immediately posted. I used it my last morning there. It may even be that those folks sending out the free nights will consider my live poker play as well as the video poker. I am not certain if that improves my rating or if they would rather avoid having live poker players in free rooms, but I’ll see.

GOLDEN NUGGET- A good spot to play always with a fine mix of good and bad players. I lost one full house to a bigger one held by a Caesar’s dealer who later remembered me. I was dumb and bet into the higher house even though I should have sensed it was there. They do have some Sam Adams drafts. I don’t generally like that beer, but the drafts were great. The good trick here is to play 4 hours and quit after midnight. 4 hours of play will get you a $10 buffet comp which can be used the next day for a nice brunch at the Nugget’s fine buffet. And the comp is a line pass so you get to go right in. I met a cool young guy on a table here from Nova Scotia.

BINIONS- Fine tables but some of the most uptight crabby players I have ever seen. Why do no limit players come down to the limit table and then run a steady stream of complaints about how it is not “real poker” there. One woman was totally obnoxious, but got some better when she started to get cards and win. Another old, thin, Jewish fellow was so intense and so unfriendly and so mad when he did not get cards that I wanted to tip the dealer when the disdainful grump finally gave it up and left. He is a regular. He knew the dealer’s names. If I were that miserable playing poker, I’d find something more fun to do, like walking over hot coals barefoot or hanging myself from a light fixture. There were other friendly tourists there, but after that one game, I did not want to go back. One cool collectible there is the $4 binions chips which are just used by the dealers for the rake. The dealer will sell you one if you ask nice.

ORLEANS- I just watched. I love this casino. I hope I can get so these tight and skillful locals don’t intimidate me so much.

STRATOSPHERE- My plan was to take the Deuce from downtown and play poker there for a while, then take my comps from last April, see the Huck Daniels Review in the lounge and use the comps for a good graveyard 3 AM breakfast afterwards. But the Stratosphere has not yet posted the comps from LAST APRIL. So don’t expect to play there and get anything except what you earn that day. The staff was very friendly, and actually, after a lot of very polite talk, the fellow gave me an $8 food comp instead of my earned $4 so it worked out, but I don’t know if I’ll make the effort to go again. I will write a letter of protest and urge you to do the same. What is taking them so long to get a little swipe technology up and running? The more people who ask, the better. Also, I learned not to play there on Mondays because the high hand awards had been sucked dry on the weekend and not had time to build up again, so you don’t get much value for the high hand rake if you play on Mondays.

SOUTH COAST - I did not play here but did check it out and liked it fine. I wrote down the comp policy but I cannot find it. It was complicated, like $1.25 each hour for the first four hoyurs and 50 cents per hour after that.



MEMORABLE POKER HANDS

Check raised twice on the button with king high spade flush in a 3-6 at Plaza. I was called the second time because they thought I was trying to bluff.

4 fours at Fiesta Rancho with a nice full house betting into me.

4 Aces at Paris and no one even interested. Slow played and still nothing.

Check raised with a river caught nut straight at Fiesta and was reraised by a guy with 3 tens. I almost assumed that we had the same hand and almost did not reraise, but too often I lose money by quitting early. He called me and then acted very surprised even though the nut was not necessary for victory; a hand as weak as trip kings would have also beaten him.

ENTERTAINMENT

+Huck Daniels Monday night review at the Stratosphere was great as always.
+Free ticket to Etta James at Orleans. Her voice is great but the rest of the act is very sad. She cannot remember what she is doing and asks the band a dozen times. It reminds me of how Billie Holiday looked in her last days.
+ great lecture and demonstration of an authentic printing press like the one Ben Franklin used. This was in the morning at the Freemont experience. It was a freebie to advertise a printing museum in California but I lost the brochure. Great speaker and great demonstration.
+ doo-wop.com at the Fiesta Rancho. If you like old 50’s songs and/or like to swing dance this is the group. Best I have ever heard.
+I like that alien Freemont experience story. I don’t like the flag waving one, maybe because every time they wave the flag here we seem to kill off some of our best in a needless war.
+a friendly Black security guard from Las Vegas Club asked me to dance in the Plaza lounge but she really did not swing dance and wanted to lead.
+ I like watching petite Linda play DB 10/7 with her almost bare feet and ringed toes propped up on the machine. Watch for her at the Optimum full pay machines along the Fiesta Rancho ramp. She is there almost every day and knows the strategy sheets in detail.
+I love the Bellagio Chinese new year display every year. This year they took a doomed 110 foot tall Bayan tree from Palm Beach California and transformed it into a sculpture and nice little walk with water and the sounds of birds. Next it will serve as a butterfly habitat. Incredible!
details : http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jan-22-Sun-2006/living/5339150.html

TRANSPORTATION

Took a bump on US Air last time and got a free flight for this trip. But I forgot to go to the airport and redeem my voucher for a ticket so they canceled my reservation and I had a frantic week of trying to get a flight to go near my originally scheduled times. Ended up getting two extra days in Vegas and a better mix of free rooms. Scheduled coming home on a redeye and found it was better than coming home to Albany NY in the morning. Slept easy and was refreshed the next day. No crowds anywhere. Had 3 seats to myself.

DOLLAR called me and told me they no longer have cars at the Nugget downtown so I should pick up my car at the airport instead. Good thing I no longer needed one. it would have cost me a cab ride to get to the airport. If I do rent again and want to pick up downtown for my last week and then deliver to the airport, I guess I’ll stick with Budget at the 4 Queens.

The Deuce is the joint!! Upper level riding is a tour experience and the windows are clean. You stop on the strip and there are the neon lights right there. Especially at the Riviera/Circus Circus stop, I saw neon I had never noticed from the street level because it was right in my face. The conductor can hear everyone, even upstairs, and he clearly announces each stop with a good sample of all the destination possibilities including opportunities for bus transfers. There are handy little red buttons to press for a stop request. Best 2 dollars I ever spent anywhere for travel in the USA. Only drawback was once coming in to downtown at 4 AM there was construction and they dropped us too far from the Freemont, over on Ogden. No trouble, but I did not like it. Also late at night, mixed with the tourists, there tended to be on the bus a couple drunks and people who talked a bit too much to themselves, in loud lecturing tones, about the rule of the “grey people” and the future of the world order and other free associated random and abstract philosophies or people who just shouted F**** a lot. Crazy people. But harmless.

El Cortez in the morning time and into early afternoon has a free shuttle for guests to the airport. 24 hour advance signup requested.

My buddy Lucky Pete had a car. That is the best. Free chauffeur and no worries.

I figured out that the 201 West is the bus to take to get back to the Orleans from NYNY. And I figured the 108 would be a faster trip to the Sahara from downtown than the deuce, but you have to ask for where it collects passengers at the downtown bus terminal as 108 is not listed on the signs. I think it was gate 20 and 21, but I did not ride it yet.

Finally, although there are signs all over the free Coast shuttle buses, I did not get asked for a room key in order to ride the Orleans free shuttle to the strip or back. But then I was never there at a crowded time.

NOTE ON DOWNTOWN

I think Downtown is getting better all the time. I like the shorter walks and the ability to patch together free rooms without a car and easily roll suitcases from place to place. Soon there will be Mickey Finn’s and some other interesting food/drink spots just outside the Freemont Experience. When Jackie dies, the El Cortez will be sold and no doubt radically changed, but for now it is a flavor of old Vegas as is the Gold Spike. Walgreens 24 hour at the head of Freemont Street means anything forgotten can be easily purchased and at uninflated regular drug store prices. I needed a scarf for the chilly evenings and found a great one in fleece for $3. And I got some snacks for the room that made it easy to just buy two meals a day. I bought Walgreen’s knockoff version of Aleve for my back ache after ten hours at the poker table. Some of the best gambling is downtown and when you want the strip, it is just $2 away on the Deuce.

And there are the details. More I am sure than you wanted to know.



dewey - Averill Park NY

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Date of Trip: April 22, 2006 to May 10, 2006 Hotel Stayed At: Imperial Palace/Orleans/Plaza/Vegas Club/El Cortez/Four Queens Report by: dewey089 From: Averill Park NY

My trip to Vegas was from April 22- May 10th. Part with family. Part solo. Rather than a full tripreport I thought I would just touch on the things I learned this trip that might be useful to other travelers:

HOTEL SUMMARY:

Imperial Palace - first night (Saturday) $79 which I paid for with accumulated poker comps. They add $2 an hour to your card.
Orleans - mailer - 3 free nights- one more for $67

to Utah - At Dollar caught a free rental upgrade to Chrysler 300. Sweeeeet!

Four Queens - one night $37 using Travelworm.( Charged me extra $3 parking)
Plaza - 2 nights for $30 total, using ACG- say no when asked if you used the safe and you can save a dollar.
Las Vegas Club - 2 nights for $30 total using ACG
El Cortez - Tower- 3 free nights and two added for $25 each

A total of 15 Vegas nights for $214- $14 average a night.

So after the family left, I turned in the rental car and saved two weeks on that.

OVERVIEW:

1. DEUCE DEBASEMENT The magic of the Deuce bus has dissolved due to our American love of obnoxious advertisements. Over what once were fine clear picture windows is mounted some sort of a black screenlike grid and on that advertisement is spread over the entire bus so from the outside it looks like one huge billboard. You cannot see in from the outside, but you can see out if you like looking at shadowy forms through a dark black maze. Great disappointment. What used to be a beauty of a bus is now a whore for big business. if you want a decent view, fight for the upstairs front or wait for the next bus as not all have been sent into prostitution yet. Going to the DTC downtown you can get a choice.

2. I rode the 108 bus from downtown to the Hard Rock. Not a bad trip. It avoids the strip and passes this World Shopping Center I’ve wanted to visit. Anyone been there? The bus then moves in close to the monorail at Sahara. It passes India Oven which I’ve seen advertised wanted to try and a new Korean Place next door to it. With the $5 daily pass you can hop on and off. The 108 bus goes to Terribles and then to the Hard Rock so you can use up those coupons. The VP there is terrible. I did find one 9/6 JOB but the DB was incredible. How can young hip people be dumb enough to play it! I remember when they had 10/7 at a fine bar there.

3. Since that daily bus pass is for a full 24 hours I actually managed three days of travel using two passes. But stay off the Deuce during the busy hours unless you like a slooooooooooow ride.

4.Did my laundry at the Plaza for the first time. Tiny room that I had all to myself. You need a room key to enter. Washer was four quarters and so was the dryer. One very large load drying and I still did not use up the dollar. Good deal! Used the tables to read and clip coupons from all the magazines while my laundry washed.

5. Played a hell of a lot of 10/7 video poker and had my VP head handed to me on a platter. Lost $1456 and only saw aces once and deuces once and a half dozen other quads for the entire time. Only two 10/7 machines left at the El Cortez. Only had one day when I won more than I lost. Brutal gambling this trip. But I played with Jackie Gaughan again and saw a shaking old alcoholic slip in to hit him up for a $100 bill. “One for the Money.”

Favorite 10/7 machines:

EL CORTEZ: Old quarter machines deliver the cards very slowly, so they keep the suspense. They are my favorites. Only two 10/7 left in the classic section.
FOUR QUEENS: Quarter progressives along the back wall.
GOLDEN NUGGET: Nickles near the Sportsbook and in one other spot not too far from the poker room.
RIVER PALMS: Scattered.
ORLEANS: all over the place
MAIN STREET STATION: Add a scratch card for each 4 of a kind and offer a buffet or two with certain levels of play.

6. My live poker was great. Best game was a 3-6 at Flamingo in Laughlin. Worst was getting caught by the early morning locals at El Cortez. Loved the Plaza. You can tip in quarters relative to the size of the pot, and they lower the rake for groups of five or less players. High hand awards are not the impossible to hit big bad beats, but just little awards for 4 of a Kind or straights. Easy food comps ( play a while and ask quietly away from the table of players) take you to the buffet which is quite good now. In live poker games I broke about even for the trip.

7.FOOD: The cheapest evening buffet is at the PLAZA Buffet. I loved it, especially the beef. I’d avoid the chicken, which was cooked in fat that was too old. Don’t go for lunch as that is $2 more than supper. I had a very thick and good prime rib with some killer hot horseraddish served afternnoons at Careless Kitty’s in El CORTEZ. ( I hate most of their food- was not impressed with Mr. Porterhouse- ) The Patty Melt is also not bad; just uses up the free $5 poker comp. It is a cheeseburger on rye toast. Loved sitting solo at the counter at the GOLDEN GATE. A really fine diner ambiance and you can watch the cooks. Also you get good service there. No waiting for water as the servers are walking back and forth in front of you. The pecan pie was just okay. Looking at the pies and cakes in this mirrored display case was great fun. Their graveyard specials were a bit more than the Upperdeck at Vegas Club, but there was no line if you ask for a counterseat . I had read about the beef stew. Not impressed; my stew is so much better. I always love the Main Street Station Buffet. If you play 1000 points you get it free for lunch. Last trip it cost me $200 and this trip, even with one scratch off, it cost me $170. Still, I do enjoy that pulled pork in the Hawaiian section and the greens are the best as well as ice cream sundae toppings of butterfinger crumbs. Loved the FLAMINGO Buffet in LAUGHLIN. Lots of Mexican food and free unlimited wine or beer. Used a coupon for a free hot dog at Slots of Fun and it was a foot long and came with a free drink from the bar. Ate 75 cent sauerkrat dogs at the Sportsbook of the Gold Coast. Used the ACG coupon for the seafood buffet at the GOLD COAST. $17, but great food, especially the fried oysters. Also had HOT CRAB. I’m rarely impressed by seafood night and think most of them are just an excuse to raise the prices, but this was really good. Especially since my buddy Slick picked up the tab. He felt bad for taking all my money in our last hand of poker at Flamingo.

Thanks to old Slick treating that expensive day, my food bill for the last five days, using comps and coupons, was under $30. Frugal.

If you love sushi, check out the new buffet at the Alladin near the Harmon Avenue entrance. All you can eat seafood for $25 and all seafood. Looked very good, but I am not a sushi kind of guy.

8. Took the free day bus to Laughlin. Nice, but a bit long. 3 hours to get there with all the hotel pickups and a change of bus at a vitamin factory. An easy 2 hours back, however, with a movie. The bus unloads at Flamingo. I fed the carp up to the River Palms, lost some money at VP there and then got it back in live poker at the Flamingo. They take your card and rate you. I have started getting some mailings. Maybe deals will follow one day. I am thinking of staying there a while on one of these trips when I do have a car. Rooms are cheap, so I would not have to play VP to keep up my mailings.

9. A computer handicapper playing poker at El Cortez gave me number 8 for the Kentucky Derby and I almost hit an exacta with it. Stupidly, I did not bet it to win. So I lost.

10. I made my first baseball bet, Marlins as underdog playing at home. Lost.

11. MOST FRUGAL COUPON DAY:
Did a nice match play coupon run and made $50 on that. Here is how it went:
Started on the 108 bus to the Hardrock, $10 freeplay and two matchplays, walked to Terrible’s for $2.49 breakfast using coupon and another match play, . Walked to Ellis Island for match play ( too full for a dollar microbrew or senior special). Walked to Westin and played Win Cards on blackjack. Walked to Barbary Coast and took free shuttle (no one asked for a key) to Gold Coast for 2 free drinks (ACG) and a dollar hot dog from the sports bar. Ate and listened to the great sounds of the Royal Dixie Jazz Band. ( I bought their CD but it is not that good) Played a little live poker and won. Walked to the Palms and discovered I have $38 in food comps, so I played a little to protect it for another year. Walked to Rio for Ron Lucas and Masquerade Show. Took Rio shuttle to Bally’s and walked over to the Alladin for the $20 free play and the newly designed free cup (tapered and black). Bussed back to downtown in time to see Ryan Ahern play piano on his fine big truck. Great music! No wonder he won the Liberace award two years.

12. Saw three comedy shows. I don’t like improv; but the family loved Second City. The new KRAVE at Alladin was hard to find and featured “Pudgy! Queen of Tease” who just wandered the room and harassed couples to sing parts of songs. She had the wit of an obnoxious party guest. Worst act I have ever seen even on a $10 coupon from a magazine. No wit. Riviera was fine. I did not have my coupons but Tickets 2 Nite had half price to the Riviera. I’ll go there again. Next trip I will do my homework on which comic is playing before I go.

13. Saw a great band and Elvis impersonator at Brendan’s at the Orleans and the waitress let me use a Gold Coast free coupon from the Orleans funbook for the second drink. Great to get a martini and a pint of Beamish along with free entertainment and all for free.

14. Fed lots of carp all along the Riverwalk in Laughlin. Great fun to try to feed the carp around the aggressive ducks.

15. Played all low level limit live poker and enjoyed it. Excalibur, Plaza, Flamingo Laughlin, Flamingo Vegas, El Cortez. Watched 3-6 games at MGM and at Paris, but was not attracted. Played the funbook 25 for 20 buy in a 3-6 at Stratosphere, lost, and could not get my comps for a cheap late night breakfast. They just don’t post that dollar per hour that they advertise. If you play a long session, you can get a food comp, but don’t expect to collect comps on your card and go back six months or so later to redeem them. It ain’t happening. also the funbook is down now to only one matchplay. $10 craps. BJ went to a bonus. Mini Bacarat went away.

Also comps at Paris go away in six months.

16. Visited two bird places. The Flamingo is clearly getting rid of that exhibit. We saw the penquins just two days before they moved to Texas. We walked around the nine ponds at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Really a fine place for water birds. We saw a long billed dowager, American Coots, American Avocet, Grebes, mallards, and other interesting fellows. Had the place to ourselves. I loved watching the Avocets swoop in patterns of fast grace. Bring sunscreen and a hat. No shelter.

17. Valley of Fire was great. I had forgotten about the petroglyph trail. Good fun.

18.I saw Ron Lucas’ ventriloquist act at the Rio and loved it. I used the ACG coupon so the price was $9, ostensibly for the drink. The margarita wasn’t bad. I also realized that right after seeing that show I could get a good spot for the 5 PM Masquerade in the Sky show, so travel time dedicated to a trip to the Rio hits two shows for one.

19. Swam at the Plaza pool. They are improving that pool. No one checked me for a key. I walked over from the Vegas Club too. I could have walked from anywhere downtown and not been bothered. When they are working on the cement, however, the pool gets dirty with cement dust. Nice clock nearby on top of Binion’s so you don’t need to check you watch.

20. TWO FREE SHUTTLES :
Dumped the car early at Dollar and asked for a shuttle to the Plaza. A fellow came in a car and gave me a free lift back to my hotel. It was May 1st and the Hispanic demonstrations blocked traffic and tied up the roads, but he knew all the short cuts.
El Cortez shuttled me free back to the airport, so I will plan to stay there last on every trip. Sign up 24 hours in advance at the main desk and leave before 2 PM. By the way, I also learned that it does not matter where you drop your car with Dollar regardless of what your reservation states. But the downtown Nugget drop is gone. The closest is Circus Circus. All this helped me dump the rental early and save money.




21. We drove up to Bryce and Zion Canyons in Utah and I highly recommend those beauties as side trips for a few days. I liked them better than the Grand Canyon and they are closer. We drove up through Zion and stayed near Bryce, hiking canyons and admiring the hoo-doos spread out like a thousand sand castles made by giants.

22. Saw the greatest street performing “statue” downtown who was a robotic man complete with sound effects.

23. Coupon notes: Some casinos: Riviera for example, have $5 matchplay coupons but no $5 tables. Ask. They let me play my one hand on a ten dollar table using the $5 coupon.

Okay, enough. Hope your next trip is as enjoyable, but hope you win so it is also cheap. My next trip is in December, from the 4th to the 27th to celebrate turning 60. I’ve invited everyone I know to meet me sometime that month. It should be great fun. I better go now and save some money.
dewey089 - Averill Park NY

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Date of Trip: December 04, 2006 to December 28, 2006 Hotel Stayed At: El Cortez and Orleans Report by: dewey089 From: Averill Park NY

Well, my 24 day moveable feast of a party to celebrate my 60th year alive was a huge success. From Dec 4 until Dec 28 I met and partied with assorted friends and relatives. The youngest was my great-great-nephew George (3 years old). The oldest was the 89 year old mother of an old high school/college friend who kept up the Vegas pace just fine.

25 friends and relatives joined me over the month and I met 8 people from bulletin boards. I could have met more, but my schedule was hectic so I only tried two meets and one must have been moved or canceled. As well as having many people to entertain, I was very tired all month. I could not get my sleeping to arrange itself around other people. I was awake at 4 or 5 every morning and it was hard to grab a nap many days. I suppose some of it was being too excited. Then again I found the pattern exhausting. A few people would come in town all pumped up and ready to go and I would try to keep up. When they left after a few days, another group would come in pumped up. I did not want to miss anything. But it did take a toll on this old body and brain.

I walked the strip with some, gambled with others. I joined a group of nieces and nephews who live in Vegas and watched them put up their Christmas tree. I celebrated my birthday and Christmas Day with my wife, five sons, and four of their girlfriends/wives.


At a meet at the Orleans I met about a half dozen people from the LVA board, including my good LVA board friend Bigfus at an Orleans meet. What a lively, happy, good humored, witty, delightful woman! We met up again for VP lunch and a matchplay adventure at Terrible’s.

I tried to meet with the Las Vegas Talk crowd one day at the Orleans Mardi Gras but no one was about at the scheduled time. Perhaps the site got switched when I was in Vegas. I missed a couple people, Sorry. It was a hectic time and I was overtired almost the entire time.

Thanks to all who shared information, advice, coupons, suggestions, stories. I planned this continuous party on a Blog site which I set up just for that purpose. It is more for newbies than you Vegas regulars, but if anyone would enjoy skimming it for information, here is the address:

http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/

You can also contact me there.

Here are highlights of the trip:

HOTELS: I shared a week of rooms with poker buddy Slink during the overpriced cowboy week. Patching together comps and coupons, one week at the El Cortez- $30 each. Pavilion rooms. Fine, as far as I am concerned. From Dec 10-28 I was at the Orleans in room 1930 with a fine view of the strip. With 8 free nights (4 were on my son’s mailings) and many reduced rates my entire average nightly hotel expense for the 24 days in Vegas was $17 a night for my room. No family or guests who met up with me paid more than $40 a night per room, most paid $25 and that included weekends.
I doubled up once and took one free night at the Fiesta Rancho and enjoyed playing VP there and eating at Texas Station. By doubling that night with a night at El Cortez I could take the bus out and back with only one night’s luggage. It was an easy ride. I’ll do that again. On the way back the bus stops right at the foot of the Freemont Experience so I won’t be wary of going there by bus next trip.


I visited rooms in Bellagio and Tuscany. Bellagio was nice, but not nice enough. I don’t like the big places. I get lost too easily. I liked the large Tuscany suites with microwave and refrigerator, but the location is still pretty isolated without a car and the casino itself seemed a dull place to be stuck late at night. No good music. Very poor poker room action.

GAMBLING: I don’t play slots except to use money that I have not played in my State Lottery all year. I put that in Megabucks, so I can have the fantasy of being filthy rich all year, but have it based on a better bet. Often I give myself 7 spins a night and then take the profits, win or lose. Total spins this time were less than 70 for the trip. along with small hits, I hit at the Orleans for $900 one time with 7-double-double.

Video poker was sadder. No royals. Orleans kept taking my 10/7 DB down to 9/6. I’d play a machine one day, and arrive the next morning to see it closed and on the chopping block. Sad, sad times for VP players at the Orleans. What are they thinking? VP players would have to be brain dead to play 9/6 DB. I chased the nickel progressive 9/7DB royals there for days and lost money. I hit nicely at 9/6 JOB at Terrible’s.

Live poker was the real winner. Somehow my play has turned a corner. I won session after session, usually playing limit $3-$6 or $2-$4 but at the Stratosphere I took $300 off a no limit table over a few hours of play, and I took another $100 at Caesars no limit. The no limit just makes me a bit nervous because I am usually tired and drinking. One mistake and there goes the whole bankroll. At the Gold Coast $22 daily tournament I came in third one day for $144. That was great fun. I was short chipped in the beginning. Then I hit a bit. With five left I let them fight it out so I would be in some of the money. Lots of poker there for $22, the first hour is limit.

However, my favorite game is that $1-$3 (1-6 on river) spread limit game at the El Cortez. No jackpot rakes. They cap a single rake at $2.50 and tipping a quarter or fifty cents on small pots is not considered insulting. There is a single, one dollar blind. So you can drink and listen to the banter and wait as long as you want for cards. Compared to the Orleans, where a half kill rule creates three blinds in a good portion of the hands, this game is a tight player’s dream.

The only other game with such a low blind was the old Excalibur 1-3 game that is now gone.

The savings over hours of play really adds up. And what a colorful experience that place is! Jackie Gaughn comes down to play in the afternoon. He is dressed to the nines and calling his famous, “One for the money!” Every once in a while he will wink humorously. It is old Vegas sitting right next to us.
One evening I had a loose, drunken kid to my right and “loose Mike” to his right. They were betting into me and I was catching cards that just would not stop. Low pairs of 5’s 6’s 7’s 8’s and 9’s all developed into winning sets or full houses. I took $250 off that table, and the kid got so mad and so verbally abusive to me for winning, that they called security and had him thrown out. I had quietly taken all his verbal abuse (along with most of his money) so that after he left, I had both a huge stack of chips and the sympathy of the entire table.

I got a little drunk one night there myself and talked a long while to “Jelly” a sweet Jamaican girl who watched but rarely played. When I get drunk, I tighten up and play just the best cards or flops. I kept winning even while drunk. Nine contestants in a Thai beauty contest were at the bar and the winner came over to say hello to her ex-husband playing across from me. This destroyed his ability to play well for the rest of the night.
That night there was a fist fight. I helped calm one fellow and the floor person helped calm the other until security came. They through one fellow out and I thought it was the wrong guy. But the other player’s thought more about poker than justice. The guy left was a classic fish. “We like having guys like him,” one local explained to me. I heard the next day that this fish had dropped $500. Too bad I needed sleep.

That poker table captures some of the most interesting characters and a mix of some of the worst and some of the best players I have ever seen. My most memorable hand was at a table of very good players in the morning. The flop gave me trip nines as well as three to a straight for my opponents. The First to act, bet. I was fourth. I figured I needed to fold or raise. I did not believe the first actor would bet out if he had flopped the straight, so I raised to push out other straight draws. An old local fellow after me, who had seen me play super tight for two hours, threw in his flopped set of tens. There was no straight, and I won the pot. The old fellow was flabbergasted. He still could not figure that raise.

Fine news for me was to find that the weekend before I arrived the El Cortez poker room went no smoking. That made the experience much more fun and less risky. Smokers need to go about ten feet away from the table into the casino. That makes the atmosphere so much more pleasant.

I flopped a straight flush A-5 of spades at the Orleans and got a poker room shirt.

I had pocket aces and caught four aces at Excalibur and spun the wheel for $20. That night my grown kids were all wearing this birthday shirt they had made for me with my picture on the front of it, so at each table the dealer’s were looking at my face. It was great to hear tables cheer for my spin.

I finally played at the Venetian, but all the good comps I had heard so much about were gone. Just the standard $1 an hour and no free bad beat award. I did not care much for the place. I liked Caesars best. Their 3-6 with no high hand rakes or kill pot was my favorite, but I heard that they are switching to the high hand rake too.

FOOD: I eat at the low end. Coupons for Orleans and Gold Coast were a great help. I really like that Gold Coast breakfast. Very cheap. We would go over early and sign up for the $22 tournament and then have breakfast before we played. Cravings at the Mirage was fine, but not as different as I had hoped. Paris breakfast was wonderful as always.
For Christmas dinner we took our restaurant.com $25 certificate (which cost just $4) to McMullan’s just behind the Orleans. We had the place to ourselves. The celebration there included my five sons and four of their wives/girlfriends, my wife and me. So it was great to be able to be as loud as we wanted. Murphy’s stout and Fat Tire made a big hit as did the homemade potato chips and the tasty dips that come with them. We also had nacho’s made with those chips. I have been on a low carb diet and have had virtually no potato for the last six months so it was great to binge on crispy chips. I love that Guinness mustard. We got away at about $25 a piece, everything included.
Another night with one nephew, a poker buddy, and his wife we went to Marrakech out Tropicana for the dinner and live belly dancing and had a blast. They serve six courses for $35 a piece. Alcohol was expensive, but few of us drank there, so the bill was cheap for dinner and live entertainment in a very unusual setting. The dancers were full of humor and many got up and danced with them. It was very funny.
I had the Ellis Island steak 3 times and I’d go again tomorrow if I could. those garlic green beans are great. One crowded night we only found room to sit at the Chicago Pub in the 4 Queens and I had that New Orleans special sandwich called Mustafa(New Orleans style) and a micro brew sampler. Good food. Better Mustafa than I had in N’Orleans.
Elizabeth and I also ate at the Ba-re-ba Spanish tapas place and had some tasty tidbits. This was while we were shopping at the Fashion Show Mall.

DRINKS: I carried a whole list of new drinks to try and did not try any except Amaretto. I did like that sweet drink. Drink coupons worked wonders, especially that 4 free cocktails coupon at Ellis Island. We used the coupon at the bar and carried the drinks into the restaurant. I had plenty coupons for everyone at the Orleans, and at the Gold Coast where I listened twice to a few sets of the Royal Dixie Jazz band. I sure like that old time jazz music. This trip I even managed to dance with my wife a bit.

SHOWS: LOVE was the big one for the whole family. It was great! We had good seats in the 200 section and a good view of all the action. I saw only one other. I saw the Follies again when we won some tickets on the free pull. Good show as always. Odd. I usually see more than that when I go solo, but most of the people I was with did not plan shows into the mix. I saw some good lounge acts, including Susy Dobbs at the Gold Coast just at the end of the Rodeo days. I love to see those cowboys and to listen to their talk or horses and bull riding, all so different than anything in my world. I enjoyed the Royal Dixie Jazz Band at the Gold Coast and the Smith brothers at the Orleans. Some woman from Virginia picked me up one night in the Orleans lounge and danced with me for a set. No, she was not a hooker.
But at my age and weight I am not used to being picked up by a cute 40 something woman even it she is a bit tipsy. So that was a treat.

SANTAS

Slink and I sauntered through however many thousands of people in Santa outfits for the great Santa Run which was trying for a Guinness Book of Records. It was surreal. Here is a Blogger who ran:

http://www.robinlynn.org/

JEAN SCOTT

Jean did not plan to be part of my birthday bash, but I went to hear her speak at the Las Vegas library along with Viktor Nacht who co-authored her new book. So I’ll count her. It was really a great time. There were only a dozen people in the audience so she had plenty of personal time for everyone. I had my picture taken with her (Jean wearing Reindeer antlers on her head) and got a signed copy of her new book. She was just as she seems in print: practical, down to earth, equipped with facts.

She has been such an inspiration to me, that I was really thrilled to meet her. It was one of the highlights of my trip.
Certainly she has taught many low level gamblers to find ways to have fun without losing too much money. I admire her for that. Frugality is the key to her success. That is my way of life.
I honestly thought that the book would be interesting, but not too useful for me, as I have limited my VP play to just playing for room mailings, and pretty much know what I need to know. But I was wrong. In the book was a simple formula for evaluating a progressive. I used that the next day because that was all there was at the Orleans. And other parts were very helpful also.
Her software does something I have been wanting for a long while. It takes errors and generalizes them and then feeds them back randomly. This is a fine teaching strategy. The old Dancer program I use feeds my errors back in a group and they are exactly like the hands I missed, so sometimes my memory comes into play rather than my correct application of a principle.
Good Teachers know that good practice must make the student rethink a similar problem in the right way, not just remember an answer. Jean is a master teacher.
Also her software prints strategy sheets. However, they will not print an advanced sheet with penalty cards like Tomski’s VP Strategy Maker does. Jean leaned more into ignoring the finer distinctions. Still having the ability to print good strategy sheets is a great advantage because you can take them right in the casino with you, lose them, and print more next trip. Also, you can actually print them big enough to read without squinting. And I find that I confuse myself often on big issues and need to check the sheet. Or when coaching someone, it is nice to show them the answer on a printed page so they are not just relying on your memory.

Quotes from Jean:

“Brad says I’m ‘crazy frugal’ and that’s true.”

When we started, “we just wanted to break even and get all the free comps.”

“For a casual gambler, losing less is very good.”


“Multistrike poker can turn a preacher into a swearing sailor.”

“I think multiline poker is one of the best things to happen to Video Poker, but it is also one of the most dangerous.”


She talked about tough sessions which she reported as sessions in which:

“I’m not getting any dealt good hands.”
“We don’t get discouraged enough to quit, but we do get pissed off.”

PROMOTIONS:
Encouraging five sons (25-35), many of whom do not make much money, to meet me in Vegas was risky. I worried that they would gamble above their level. None did. Part of that is because I push coupons and promotions. We spent a lot of time playing free promotion money off on a VP machine one quarter at a time with me coaching from my strategy sheets, so as to realize some profit every time. It worked. Matchplays at Ellis Island worked also as did Win Cards at the Westin. Such promotions set good stopping points. Poker buddy Slink and I made some wild coupon runs also, especially one at New Frontier where we played 4 matchplays each in the same visit. However, for me the matchplays did not win with slink or much later either. On my way out of town at the Hardrock, both my wife and I played 4 matchplays and only won once. Two losers were $25 bets.

The best advantage on a promotion was when son Frank signed up for a Sahara Card. He got $10 free play and then took one free spin on a promotional slot and won $25 more free play and $25 in food comps. We were planning on catching the Sahara Buffet, so as to be on the cheap that night. Frank’s comps were doubled at the buffet cash register, so he bought 4 free buffets, and the rest of us went for 2 for 1 coupons. Now the Sahara buffet is usually one I avoid, and this happened to be Xmas eve. But this night they had a special spread. Everything was very good, including my favorite smoked salmon with onion, tomato, capers, and creamed horse radish. The value of Frank’s sign up was $35 in VP play and $54 in food comps. Not bad for free.

WINS AND LOSSES: I was down $300 in the first week, and then I was up again and never went below 0 again. At my peak I was ahead $1700. Then I hovered around $1300 profit for a week and the last day took a big chunk, ending up PLUS $984.
Much of my loss was VP at the El Cortez (which by the way has a new bunch of 10/7 machines) and at the Orleans. So all the money dropped will generate future free room offers. I played VP only where I stayed. One buddy who had never played video poker before asked me to coach him on a JOB machine at the Gold Coast. We argued about whether to play 3 to the Royal or keep four hearts. I won the argument and he caught the Royal. First day and less than an hour of play. A nice $1000.

TRANSPORTATION: I did not rent a car or drive at all. I am perfectly content on buses or free shuttles and much happier. In December they are comfortable and uncrowded. Others who came did rent cars, so I was driven around many places. A car makes some sense if you are staying for only a few days. But it scares me. I was in at least a half dozen situations where accidents might have easily occurred.
I did not buy the month long bus pass, but I did often buy day passes. They worked great. The Tropicana bus fro the Orleans was easy and fast, and when I started my 24 hours on that bus, the $2.50 day pass with 50 cents more per ride on the strip worked better for me than when I started on the $5 Deuce and had to pay $5 for a pass. Once when toe blisters slowed me down, I missed my last Deuce connection bus in a 24 hour period, but the next driver let me slide by. I also saw a couple old fellows just put in a dollar and say “senior citizen”. No one asked for an ID. They told me they had been doing that their entire week on the Deuce with no difficulty.


By the way if you have been saving old Orleans room keys to use on the free Coast shuttles, forget them. The white keys are gone and now there is a colorful 10th Anniversary key. No one ever asked for a key anytime we rode the shuttle including when people without seats were asked to wait for the next one. But technically you are supposed to have a key.

RED ROCK: Went out to Red rock twice with folks who had never seen it and enjoyed the view, the wild burros and road runners.

MOST USEFUL TIPS:

Planning, planning, planning.
coupons organized in labeled envelopes in a separate bag.
Cell phones, the key to all coordination.
Traveler’s checks.
A clip for the drapes for afternoon naps.
A small roll of duct tape for a million uses.
Blister protection, especially some first aid tape for taping up fragile toes.
Order a bottle of water with each alcoholic drink and drink it before the next drink. Keep a few bottle tops with pocket change for the places(Orleans) that won’t give you the bottle with a top on it.
Dried fruit and nuts for the room.
Cash out slot tickets immediately after play.

PLANS FOR NEXT TIME

Well, next trip won’t be a Birthday Bash. I may go solo, or I may try to entice small groups of people to come for some portion of my trip. I’d like to go one time with all poker players. I’d like to find a group of swing dancers to go, stay at the Gold Coast during the week, and then dance every afternoon while drinking free on coupons.
I am definitely hooked on downtown and especially on the El Cortez which will send me a mailing for 2 free rooms over 3 weekend nights and the ability to extend for about $25 a night. Coupons and other free night offers downtown are easy to use. Every casino is just a short roll away.

If i do decide for some time closer to the strip, I am looking more and more at the Gold Coast as a substitute for Orleans now that the good VP is gone. At least they have 9/6 JOB still at the Gold Coast. Also the rooms are cheaper, the buffet better, the swing dancing a favorite of mine, and they have that fine $22 daily poker tournament which I can’t play by shuttle from the Orleans because the tournament is on before the first morning shuttle. I can also get back to the Gold Coast more easily after midnight if I want to play poker at Caesars or Flamingo, and I can easily grab the CAT bus to Terrible’s or to Ellis Island.
I would like to get my packing down to bare bones, so I can take my suit cases on the city bus easily. I already have found that Penny’s stain free supershirts wash easily, dry quickly and look great. If I can be more mobile, I can take more advantage of free or 2/1 coupon rooms.
In general, I want to plan so that I take full advantage of free offers and reduce my transportation expenses while not renting a car.

I will organize all my reservations by confirmation number and do all my confirming one number at a time and reconfirm often. I lost $80 at the Orleans with a reservation mixup, too many changed reservations to plug in free rooms or better prices made the entire thing confusing and left two errors in the booking.
The El cortez had me coming in the day before, but since I had confirmed that reservation a few days before arriving, and they had that on record, they accommodated me and took it as their error.

I also need to think about whether I want to share my room again. It cuts expenses, but my sleep habits are irregular, and I may need to pay the extra price for the comfort of being by myself and sleeping at any time of the day I want without disturbing or being disturbed.

Okay, that is about it, I guess. I tried to keep it down to the facts. I did not take as many notes as I do on a solo trip. Too busy. Too tired. Now the question is what do I do on a frozen lake in January. Well, I’ll start with a poker game on Sunday. Perhaps that will help some.

Good luck everyone.



TO CUT IN LATER


As far as I know, you can only use a coupon once for 2-1 in any given stretch of days. Perhaps they will let you go back to back with LVA and ACG. If you can put the reservations in different names, then you can better string them along together. I did that in December. Or id your stay is long enough you might be able to use one the first days and then again on the last days.

Once you get established, you may find you get the best mailings from the El Cortez. They usually offer 2 rooms for 3 nights and include weekend bookings. Also they let you extend at $25 night and throw in $50 of free food. Be sure to reconfirm your reservation soon after making it, and check the dates. They had me for the wrong dates. They accomodated me when I arrived because I had reconfirmed 3 days before leaving and they OR I) had not caught the date difference.
I have stayed in the Tower rooms. They are basically identical to Orleans rooms. Pavillion are as mentioned above motel like, but I liked them fine. I don't know the vintage rooms. They seem just too much in the action for me. I liked the night view on the balcony on the way to Pavillion rooms. Toliets flush poorly so flush more than once and hold down the handle for a bit.
The poker room has gone no smoking, so you can play live poker more comfortably, and they have an original game like no other in Vegas. I included some report on that in my TR.
If you play VP, there are some good games there including some new 10/7 DB around a pole in front of the rest rooms in the Classic slots section.
$3 craps with 10 X odds is pretty good too. And they have some of the only single deck 3:2 BJ left in Vegas.

The food is not that great. I'd stay away from that Empress Buffet. Roberta's is liked by many, but too expensive for me except when they give me a free comp. I usually eat other places unless I get a poker comp for Careless Kitty's where the hamburger melt and the prime rib taste just fine.

Run 1000 points thru the machine daily and you will get mailings. The cool thing about downtown is that you can patch together coupons and free rooms and get from one to another with no car. Also, the bus from the DCT will get you anywhere. One cool ride is the 108 to Hardrock and Terrible's. It avoids the traffic and holdups on LV Blvd. and gets you close enough to walk to Ellis Island for cheap steak and matchplays and then head to the strip. 24 hour passes for regular routes are $2.50. Then you add 50 cents for each Deuce ride. Deuce 24 hour passes are $5 and will give you unlimited rides on any bus.

I also found the bus to Fiesta Rancho/Texas Station very convenient. I'd even come back at night because you can hop off right next to Freemont street and avoid that walk from the DTC after dark.
dewey089 - Averill Park NY

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