Category Archives: Las Vegas

Another Las Vegas Trip Comes to An End.

Monday, May 4, 2009 – Day Eleven of Eleven

[This is the last part of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I’m up at six at Fitzgeralds.  So exhausted from not sleeping last night.  I’m out at 6:30. I lose $20 trying for that $432 Rawhide slot progressive that has to hit by $500.

I have $190 left to gamble with.

I go over to Fremont and play Treasure Chest video poker, lose.

Then I play nickel Supertimes Pay video poker and hit and cash out $30.

I walk over to the El Cortez and cannot win a damn thing.

I go back to Fremont and try a combo of Supertimes Pay and Treasure Chest, nothing and nothing.  Now I’m running out of time.   Nooooooooooo.   I put $30 through a Shockwave poker machine.   This is truly a carnival game but I have to try it.  My money lasts forever on here and I’m hoping for one big win before I have to leave and it never comes.

I get back to my room at eleven and it’s time to check out and leave.  Boooooooo.

I check out, collect my $100 incidentals deposit and walk to the bus.  I get to the airport and check in for my flight.  I only have about 15 minutes to kill; I love when it’s timed like this.

I get on the plane and aim for the last row in hopes I’ll have it to myself.  No luck.  Some woman sits on me, literally on me.  Pinches my skin.  I yell out “OW” and she apologizes.  Then she turns her back to me and smashes her butt under the arm rest to lean on her husband, and her butt is all up against me for the entire flight home.  I felt so filthy and gross. The second to last line in my notes for this trip is “if this woman is barefoot for any moment during this trip, I am going to shove this pen into her jugular.”  The last line in my notes is reminding me that the flight attendant was an Elvis impersonator and did an act for us.

Sigh.

Until next time…

Las Vegas Trip Report: The Day I Whine A Lot in Las Vegas

Sunday, May 3, 2009 – Day Ten of Eleven – Last Full Day in Las Vegas

[This is part ten of an eleven part Las Vegas trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I wake up at 10:00 at Fitzgeralds, which is the latest I’ve woken up the entire time I’ve been here.  I’m out at 10:30.

There’s a slot machine named Rawhide something, that has a progressive which needs to hit by $500 and it’s at $430.  I play that a while.  I got a $26.50 line pay.  Then a bonus for $19.78.  But no progressive. Dammit.

I walk over to Four Queens to check to see if I have any comps.  I have neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr in my life used a comp here and I recently discovered that they do have a separate comp system.  So I ask and I’m told that in order to get a comp I need to speak to a host and “you don’t have enough play for a host.”  So you are telling me that after nine years of playing in your casino on EVERY trip I have taken, I can’t even get a free breakfast?  And you don’t send room offers to me.  So I guess I won’t be playing here ever again.  What’s the point when I have a choice of other places who ,for the same amount of play, will give me food and free play and rooms?  Eh?
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Las Vegas Trip Report: A Day I am Slightly Less Degenerate. Slightly.

Saturday, May 2, 2009 – Day Nine of Eleven

[This is part nine of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

This morning the Race For the Cure is going on outside on Fremont Street.   This depresses me to no end.  Having a mother die of Cancer will do that to you.

I’m awake at Fitzgeralds at 8:00 and out at 9:00.  Fremont Street is such a mess of people right now.

I play a little bit in Fitzgeralds.  Lose $10 on nickel Double Double Bonus video poker and turn $10 into $15 on a penny 25-hand video poker machine by hitting threes with a kicker.

I walked over to the El Cortez, a big mistake on my part since I eventually plan to go to the Strip.  I should have just went straight there as Las Vegas Boulevard is now closed because of the race.  Not to mention that there are a bazillion people over here.

Anyway.

I lose $10 on Invaders From the Planet Moolah and stop for breakfast at Cafe Cortez.

I am down a lot at this point in my trip, which means my note taking gets way more detailed.

I play nickel Double Double Bonus video poker and end my session up $25.

As I’m sitting there playing, a woman nearby is playing Lobstermania, which was my mother’s favorite game.  Between this and the Race For the Cure going on outside, I just want to go back to bed.

But I don’t.
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Las Vegas loses Danny Gans

Friday, May 1, 2009 – Day Eight of Eleven

[This is part eight of an eleven day trip report.  If you want to start from the beginning, go here.]

I am up at 7:30 at the California.  I have the news on when they break through with a special report to announce Danny Gans died.  If you are unaware of who this is, you are not alone. I had once watched an interview with him where he joked about being famous for not being famous.  Outside of Las Vegas, he wasn’t well known.  But in Las Vegas?  He was a top tier celebrity, the modern day entertainment king of this city, “The Man of Many Voices.”   He was the very first Las Vegas entertainer to warrant a $100 ticket price and at this price, his shows were forever sold out.  I had taken my mother to see him and she absolutely loved his show.  Being in Las Vegas, and watching this unfold live on the news was very shocking.

Okay, brush it off.  Let’s go outside.

I go out to Fremont where I lose $200.  I didn’t write on what.   I hate when my notes are like this.

Moving along.
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Even When in Las Vegas, Television is Life

Tuesday, April 30, 2009 – Day Seven of Eleven

[This is part seven of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I get woken up at 7:30 am at the California, by a very useless text.  I can’t fall back asleep so I go out and get breakfast at the Golden Gate coffee shop.  And I lose $100.  I’m all crabby because I touched those stupid tails-pennies I touched last night and now I’m losing AND it’s only 9:12 am.

My notes now have me confused, as I was writing them I swore I broke THREE one hundred dollar bills to fund my degenerate gambling but it seems I was only missing two.  This is really not a bad thing to confuse I suppose.

I lost some of that money on Supertimes Pay.  I don’t know what else I lost it on.

I played Treasure Chest video poker at Fremont and got dealt a straight flush.

I did not cash out.

Oh and since I’m in degenerate, I play FIFTY CENT Treasure Chest video poker after losing my straight flush win. Thankfully, after moving down, I got some full houses that brought me back up and I snapped to my senses and cashed out even.

I head back to my room at 11:00 to shower and nap.
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Las Vegas Trip Report: One of Many Days I am a Degenerate Gambler in Las Vegas

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 – Day Six of Eleven

[This is part six of an eleven part Las Vegas trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

My trip is officially half over and very unlike me; I haven’t been obsessing about this every day.

I am up and out at 8:19.  The slot club here at Golden Gate does not open until 9:00 so I can’t give them my Las Vegas Advisor multiplier yet.  I figure I’ll have breakfast first.  I have about $50 in comps here, so here it is I shall eat!

The Golden Gate diner has a menu item named Snickers Hot Cakes, which are pancakes with Snickers baked in them.  Sounds delicious.  It turns out to taste just like regular pancakes, only every now and then you get a mashed up peanut in a bite.  Disappointing.

I go to pay and give my card to swipe as I’ve done in the past.  This is when I’m told they don’t do that anymore.  You have to get a comp slip.  Excuse me, what?  I ate here BECAUSE I have comps and I can’t use my comps?  I am told “Well you can go to the slot club and get one.”  No I can’t because they don’t open until nine and it’s not nine yet.  Then I start whining and I cut myself off because it’s not her fault so why am I whining at her.  Then she goes on to say that this comp system is actually really great.  I ask her “If it’s so great, then why am I paying for a meal when I have over five times enough comps to cover it?”  She didn’t have an answer for me.

Again, I make myself stop talking because it’s not her fault at all that this is the new system or that I was unaware of it.
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Las Vegas Trip Report: The Day of the Three Progressive Slot Machine Wins

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 – Day Five of Eleven

[This is part five of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go  here.]

I am up at the Golden Gate and out before 7:00 am today.  My bathroom sink is still full from yesterday afternoon.  I stop at the front desk to let them know.

I revisit Wizard of Oz after last night and yep, nothing.

There is $5 free play on my card so I use that on a Viva Las Vegas slot machine. The first spin gives me $6.90, second gives me a $69 bonus.   The bonus lasted so long my player’s card kept timing out.

I cash out at $80 and put another $10 in. This time I get a line pay of $33.  I cash out, put in another ten and get $36.60.  Put in another ten get zero.  I have to try one more five and I get zero.

I leave up $100.

I walk over to the Deuce bus stop to head to the strip. As I’m waiting for the bus, my cell phone alarm goes off.  I didn’t plan to be up this early, obviously.

I get off the bus at The Fashion Show Mall, walk through Treasure Island and plan for Starbucks, some Slingo and the tram to the Mirage.

Well the line for Starbucks is way too long so I play Slingo, did okay and left up ten bucks.

I walked to the tram and realized it doesn’t start running until 9:00 am, which isn’t for another half an hour.  So I walk the Strip.  I am telling you, the way they position these hotels is brilliant.  Despite being a Las Vegas veteran and knowing better, I still found myself walking all the way up to the Venetian and having to walk over the “balcony” while trying to get to Harrahs, rather than remaining on the Strip.  Everyone knows I would NEVER deliberately walk that close to the Venetian.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: That Time I Got a Room With a Mirror on the Ceiling

Monday, April 27, 2009 – Day Four of Eleven

[This is part four of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I wake up at the El Cortez, I am out at 8:10 am.  Breakfast is at Cafe Cortez.  I am exhausted.

I play that penny diamond progressive I found the day before (or two days before, I cannot keep track of days in Las Vegas) and I lose $20.  I play video Keno in one of those really old school coin dropper Keno machines.  I turn $40-$50.  See?  I’m writing stuff down better!

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Las Vegas Trip Report: The Day I Hit a $626 Progressive Jackpot

Sunday, April 26, 2009 – Day Three of Eleven

[This is part three of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I wake up at seven at the El Cortez, I am out at eight.  I have a $75 budget for this morning.

I use my Las Vegas Advisor 3x points coupon at the El Cortez. I should have used it yesterday since I ended up playing a bunch, but I didn’t plan to play a bunch.  This is how it goes though; you never can tell when it’s a good time to use these things.

My notes are absolutely AWFUL.   They say “Invaders From the Planet Moolah $60″.  Sixty what.  Did I put sixty in or did I take sixty out?  Hello?  THE PURPOSE OF TAKING NOTES IS SO THAT YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU WON OR LOST YOU IDIOT.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Video Poker With a Wheel Showdown

Saturday, April 25, 2009 – Day Two of Eleven

[This is part two of an eleven part trip report.  If you want to start at the beginning, go here.]

I wake up at 9:00 at the El Cortez. I am out at 10:00.

Viva Monopoly = $0

My progressive quarter Double Double Bonus video poker machine – This is MY machine because I won $300-something on it back in December and I love her – gave me $0

I first stop at Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee and then head over to the Las Vegas Club to scout out video poker with a wheel.  On the way, I stop at the slot booth to activate my 2x points coupon.

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