If you have somehow landed on this page of this Las Vegas trip report and wish to start at the beginning, go HERE.

MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS FROM PLANET HOLLYWOOD WOO HOO!
I am up at 9:00 this morning. I need Starbucks.  I am on the line for 45 minutes before I notice there is a Diamond line.  Whoops?

There are so many people on line.  Loud, unruly kids.  Screaming, noise, people, screaming kids, more noise, enter even louder kids.  It was so terrible.  A barista came out from behind the counter to tell a kid to stop throwing sandwiches on the floor as the parents did nothing.   Chaos.

Even since Covid, I am very conscious of how terrible it must be to work any public facing job in Las Vegas.  There are not enough employees and everyone looks stressed.   I have been tipping higher on these trips, usually 40-50% for every meal.  I had been holding onto a $100 bill to tip someone.  My barista this day is someone.

I finally get to the counter and a kid runs up beside me and just starts screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaming for no reason at all other than it has shitty parents.  I can see the anguish on the barista’s face.  I place my order and another barista says something to cause her to turn around and I sneak the $100 bill into the tip jar without her seeing.  But it turns out she was being told that they don’t have brownies, which I had ordered so as she whips her head back around towards me to tell me this, she catches me.  I didn’t want her to see, I wanted it to be a surprise.  She starts crying.  I walk away to the end of the counter to break all contact with this woman.  She comes to the end of the counter crying.  Her fellow baristas are suddenly concerned why she is crying.  She tells them as I am being handed my drinks.  You can see their faces in shock.  I start crying as I am walking away.

The thing about all of this that really makes it a terrible story is that baristas share tips.  I saw four behind the counter.  Even if they do not share with the back of the house workers, that is only $25 each.  We all mindlessly shove $20 bills into machines during trips to Vegas.  And this woman is crying over a $25 tip. Please tip your servers!

I went back to the room to eat breakfast and to drop off the extra Trenta iced coffee I bought so I don’t have to wait on this line again tonight.

I sat down to play and lost and said fuck this.  I walked across the street to Cosmopolitan and played Buffalo.
I switched machines after losing $100 and YAY.
I walked to my Ultimate X video poker machine and she was so excited to see me since she thought yesterday would be her last day seeing me.
I walked back to Planet Hollywood, stopping at Walgreens for some snacks and drinks.

I could not decide where I wanted to go tonight.  I was supposed to be at Palace Station tonight and all my intended plans revolved around me being there.  I could go to Excalibur to cash the TITO I forgot to cash out but I really don’t want to.  I decided to go Downtown.

I took an Uber to Binions.  When I stepped out of the Uber I had this overwhelming burst of love for Las Vegas.  Not sure exactly what triggered it.  I have been so many times that I no longer get that excited FEELING.  It is more of a mental acknowledgement for me nowadays.  But tonight, I got excited.

My first sighting of the new paint job at Fremont

I played Cleopatra Keno at Binions.  I got three bonuses in a row!  No major wins, but I held my own for a very long time.  I also found this:
The triple play was playing the same game three times in one game.  Same numbers, not three different cards.  Why not just up your bet on one game?!

There was an absolute nutjob button smasher in my row.  She was punching the buttons like a heavyweight champion. Some guy walks by and says “Damn, she is going to break that machine.”  Then someone sits between her and I and asks me how to play.   Oh hell no.

I had a Binions burger for dinner.  I really need to do something about my comps here.  I have over $300 and will never ever get that down.  I know I can go to the Steakhouse and burn them but it just seems like wasting money.  I won’t stay at this hotel unless they reopen the tower.  Guess I’ll just carry these points with me until I die.

I played my favorite Buffalo machines here and lost $200.  Great.  I played some Wonder Four, lost on there too.

I take an Uber back to Planet Hollywood.  Hit 10s.
And I am in bed by midnight.  Good night.

If you would like to keep reading, click here!