Christmas Trip to Las Vegas: The Big Surprise Win!

Today is not only Christmas Eve, it is also unfortunately day nine of thirteen, my trip is almost over.

I head downstairs at Orleans for breakfast with $25.   Breakfast is actually at Starbucks because I have a $100 gift card.  Starbucks is supposedly only two blocks away from Orleans but this is Las Vegas so that two block walk took about fifteen minutes.

Orleans Las Vegas

As I am being rung up at Starbucks, I realize I grabbed the wrong sandwich.  I switch it out and I didn’t realize until I got back to my room and looked at the receipt that I was not charged for the one I did get.  If you think that is a win, read on.

I stopped for cigarettes and lost my remaining $15.  I only had $2 left on me and a true degenerate would totally put this in a machine, so I did.  And I won.  Nickle Keno, twenty cent bet.

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Can you believe it?  I could not.  My machine did not have sound so once I noticed it was hitting so many balls, I looked to the left of the screen, where it shows you the number of balls hit.  I could not believe seeing I had won 18,800 credits.  This is insane.

I did not have my phone on me because it was in the room charging.  I was in shock.  My flight to China is $1062.  This win means I am only $120 away from it being free.  Well not actually free, but creative accounting free!   Then I get to keep my Christmas bonus which was going to pay for my flight.  Woo!

I went up to my room to tell the internet I won big.  Then I went back down.  I played everything because I could.  I only lost $70 over four hours.  I had so much fun playing everything.  I was not even mad when I tried out some weirdo video poker machine and found out the hard way that max bet was 60 quarters.

I finally take a break because I need a nap.  I still have never showered because I had not planned to be out so long with only $15 to gamble with.

When I woke up, it was getting too dark to do today’s plans which were to walk the Strip and take pictures of everything.   So I thought I would go to Palms.  But then I thought about it and decided that was not the best idea.  Every time I go there, I either win big or lose big.  There is no middle.  So I had the super great idea that I would take the bus to Tropicana for SuperTimes Pay and then to Hooters for Family Guy.  From here I would make my way up the Strip to Flamingo and then hit Palms on my way back.  The logic behind this is that I would be out and about.  Then if I did have a horrible losing streak at Palms, there would be more to my night than just that.

I stopped to get a super huge Mello Yello fountain drink on my way to the bus and was off!

Orleans alligators for Christmas, I am bummed they did not have Santa hats on:

Orleans Las Vegas alligators

I did okay at Tropicana.  One of those times where you cannot lose, but you also do not win.  I got kind of bored after a bit and decided to go.

As I was walking through the Tropicana parking lot to Hooters, some guy was screaming into the phone “I am going to end your life.  I don’t want to live anymore because of you so now you don’t get to live anymore because of me.  I am going to kill you and then kill myself.”  Do doooo dooooooooo look at me walking faster woo hoo yay!  Happy holidays everyone!

I get to Hooters and someone is on Family Guy.  Ugh, I took the bus here for this!  So I play some new fishing themed slot machine and lose on that.  Then finally Family Guy is free.   It was not anywhere near as nice to me as it was the other night.  I guess it knows I am right now not as desperate as I was the other night.  Oh well.

I crossed over to MGM Grand to cash in the twenty cent TITO ticket I had been carrying since I checked out days ago.  They took enough of my money, they cannot have my twenty cents too.

I am tired and no longer feel like going to Palms.   I take the bus back to Orleans.  I go on a losing streak, but it does not bother me at all.   I break for dinner, using the $10 dining credit that came with my room offer.

I went degenerate after dinner, but I am still within budget and I still have my $940 sitting in an envelope, awaiting it’s destiny as my flight to China.  Pretty awesome if you ask me!

8 thoughts on “Christmas Trip to Las Vegas: The Big Surprise Win!

  1. Valerie

    What a great thing!!! Congratulations on your win! Is this another trip to China or is it the trip that you wrote about before? If it is a new trip, I hope you win again like last time only more! Have a great time 🙂

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      Thanks Valerie! This is a new trip to China. I leave at the end of May and I could not be more excited!

      Reply
  2. Joanne

    Hi Jennifer. When you play Keno, do you pick the same number of spots each time or do you change it up? When you won your jackpot, how many spots did you choose? (hit?) When you inadvertently played 60 quarters, did you accidentally hit max bet? Those are strategically placed next to the spin/deal button and often lit up. Hey, mucho congrats on your big win. It reminds me that I don’t have to play max bet to get a significant jackpot.

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      Hi Joanne!

      95% of the time, I play nine spots. Rarely I will try ten, sometimes seven. When I play four card Keno, I do one 3-spot, one 7-spot, one 9-spot and one 10-spot. The killer is that most always, the 3-spot usually comes out the winner over the other three.

      I actually purposely hit max bet on the poker game, but I did not know max bet was 60 coins. I was expecting it to be ten. Surprise!

      Reply
  3. NMchop

    18,800 credits ought to be a song. A happy song!

    I wish it was on quarters by accident!!!!!!!

    Congratulations on the big hit. 18,800+ nickels….that’s a lot of math.
    I’d be like, ok 4000 is a royal…so that’s like more then 4 royals.
    Amazing!

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      Oh I wish it were quarters too! Nickel math is easier than it appears. You just divide by two and chop off the last digit.

      Reply
  4. Pingback: Las Vegas Trip Report: Spending a Day at Orleans Hotel and Casino - i put my life on a shelf

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