This morning I wake up at Orleans.  I have a little bit of time to go gambling between Starbucks and checking out.

Orleans now has one HUGE Ultimate X video poker machine.  It is enormous.  I have wanted to play it the entire time I have been here, but it was always taken.  Not today!  I played a bit and doubled $40.  Then I went off to play the nickel Keno game that gave me $942 yesterday.  Some girl was sitting at it, on her cell phone, talking to whoever about “I am already in the casino, hurry up and come meet me!”  Yes please.  Hurry up so youse guys can take off and do whatever and I can have my machine.   I eventually grew tired of losing money while waiting so back to my room I went.

I packed up and got ready to move.  Today’s hotel is my last one of my stay.  Four Queens.  I booked this through Priceline Express Deals.  It is easy to pick out the downtown hotels on here based on resort fees.  Or lack of, like the Four Queens.  So you can pretty much figure out what you are getting.   Three nights, which include Christmas and a weekend came to $180 with tax included.

Straight out paying for this room, rather than having a comped offer, means I do not have to gamble to earn my keep.  In theory, you just about never have to gamble to earn your keep.  Your current stay is based on your past play.  But in every gambler’s mind, there is the whole thing with future offers.  People will happily lose hundreds of dollars to get a comp in a room that is $40/night.  This sounds insane to non-gamblers.  I know.  But what if on that second $100 bill  you win eleventy billion dollars?  That is why gamblers are gamblers.

I decided to take a cab even though I do not like taking cabs.  Mine almost killed me veering across several lanes of traffic when he almost missed the turn to get onto the highway.  Then he told me this was his first week of being a cab driver.  He was really nice and seemed genuinely sorry he almost ended my life.

The cab came to $38 with tip.  I could have taken the bus for free.

I went to check in and for some reason, in my mind it was very early in the morning so I was super grateful to be given a room so early.  I had Strip view, which of course doesn’t change the distance of the Strip:

I am raring and ready to go.  I was downtown for one night last weekend and I was not gambling so all my favorite machines are still waiting to be played for the first time on this trip.

First stop: Fremont for Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and SuperTimes Pay video poker!   I love this game and my specific machine so much.   She kept doubling $20 bills.   Then she gave me this:

I normally do not play quarters but since I was doing so well, why not?
I played forEVER here.  Hours and hours and hours.  I made way more than enough to cash in the American Casino Guide coupon that gets you a free buffet for 250 points.  I had no intention of using it for dinner, I don’t particularly want to eat at a buffet on Christmas by myself.   The boothling offered that it was good for dinner tonight though, which was a surprise to me.   That is also good to know since most coupons are not good on holidays.  It was also good she mentioned that it is “good for dinner right now if you hurry” because I had no idea it was dinner time.  I thought it was around 2:00 and it was actually 9:30.

Since I am exhausted, I decide to take advantage of this and go to my room when I am up.  I grab dinner to go from The D’s coffee shop, to use up the last of my comps here and retreat to my room and was asleep by 10:30.

Here was my itinerary that I basically did almost nothing on:

Thursday, December 25, 2014: Merry Christmas!
Breakfast: Orleans coffee shop
Check into Four Queens: 
Lunch:
Dinner: Binions Burger
El Cortez $10 ACG
250 points free buffet Fremont ACG
Plaza 2x points
Gold Coast 15X pennies / 11-7 100 points $5-100
Orleans 15X pennies
Suncoast (swipe) 15X pennies / 11X slots / 6X VP