Las Vegas Trip Report: Turning Free Play Into a $200 Keno Win!

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Sunday, December 19, 2010 – Day Six of Nineteen

[This is part six of a nineteen day trip report.   To start at the beginning, go here.]

It’s official, my trip is 1/3 over.  How does this keep happening every time I go to Las Vegas?  Sigh.

I wake up at the El Cortez at 7:00 am, I am out at 8:00 am.

My first stop was at the front desk.  I am staying here on two different offers.  One ends today and the other starts today.  I have to check out of my first reservation and into my second.  In theory, I am now all set for another three days in the same room.  I didn’t go back to make sure my keys would still work, which was probably a huge mistake.  Today’s offer is three nights for $99, which comes with $60 dining credit and $33 free play.  I kind of wish those numbers were reversed.  $60 dining credit is a bit much for a solo person at the El Cortez.  Especially if you have just ended a three night stay where you ate at their steakhouse twice to use up the dining credit that came with that offer.

I am actually leaving downtown today!  I need to break my cycle of going back and forth between my favorite video poker machines.  I  take the Deuce bus to the 202 bus and make it all the way to the Gold Coast before I start gambling today.

Caesars fountains:

Caesars Palace Fountains Las Vegas

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Binions Shows Me Some (De)Gener(ate)osity

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Saturday, December 18, 2010: Day Five of Nineteen

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

Is it day five already??

Up at 6:30 am at the El Cortez.  I just can never sleep in Las Vegas.  I get dressed and am out at 8:00.

I lose $60 in the quarter Double Double Bonus video poker progressives at the El Cortez that I love so much.

I head out to try the Fremont buffet and it’s not open.  It never is whenever i actually try to go there.  Like seriously for years, whenever I go there, it is closed.  It makes me want to eat there just because I cannot eat there.  Screw you and your mind tricks Fremont Buffet!

Pass through Binions, lose $20 in an Amazing Race slot machine.  Maybe I should actually go on The Amazing Race.  It seems I would have a better chance of winning money that way.

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Las Vegas: Going Degenerate Downtown in the Rain

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Friday, December 17, 2010:  Day Four of Nineteen

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

I am in Las Vegas so obviously I cannot sleep.  I am out at 6:00 am at the El Cortez.  I want to play Multi Strike Supertimes Pay, otherwise known as Crack.  Every downtown degenerate video poker player knows this machine inside and out.  There is just one.  JUST ONE.  In all of downtown.  It is often hard to get on it and it is no surprise that at 6:00 am this morning, Crack is taken.

So fine.   I will just play the quarter Double Double Bonus progressives that I love so much.

$20-$70 Jacks

quarter jacks

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Las Vegas Trip Report: First Time Visiting Cosmopolitan and A Fun Game of “Is It Heroin or Is It Spam?”

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Thursday, December 16, 2010 

[This is day three of a nineteen part trip report.   To start at the beginning, go here.]

Up at 7:30 at the Gold Coast.  I slept well because of Benadryl.  Out at 8:15.

Monopoly Bigger Event slot machine: I hit a $167 bonus, then got a 13X multiplier for $97.50

I try to cash out but I have time left on my bonus meter and as I am waiting for that to run out, the bonus hits again!  This time I only got $8.30

Cash out with $150.

Gold Coast buffet for breakfast, I had the best server ever.  She never once let my coffee cup go empty.  LOVE her.

After eating, it is back up to the room to get dressed and sort out my money.  Then it is back down to play!

Wizard of Oz: Ruby Slippers slot machine, huge bust.

Press Your Luck slot machine: $20-$0

Keno: $60-$0

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker: $40-0, followed by $20-$0

It is time to check out of the Gold Coast.  My hotel bill is $2.96.

I leave my bags with the bellman and head to the strip for coffee and cigarettes.  I am also going to visit  the Cosmopolitan casino, which opened last night.

My first stop is  Ellis Island.

$20-$0 in triple line nickel Double Double Bonus video poker.

$10-$0 in a nickel progressive Double Double Bonus video poker game.

$20-$50 on an Ultimate X Double Bonus video poker in pennies, so so so so so so much fun.  I could show you lots of blurry cell phone pictures, but I would hate to force your eyes into a permanent cross.  Then you would never be able to read my trip reports again and that would just be terrible!

Lunch is at Ellis Island’s coffee shop with a 50% off coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor.  Bacon mushroom cheeseburger.  My waitress is an idiot.

It’s 12:35.

I walk back to the Strip and head for the Bellagio.

Bellagio Las Vegas

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Going Degenerate to Hit a Higher Tier Level at Boyd

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010 

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

Can’t sleep.  Up at 6:30 am at Gold Coast.  Out to gamble!  I play triple line nickel Double Double Bonus video poker:  $20-$0.

New wheel video poker, playing nickels:  $20-$30 via four of a kind nines.  Have you ever taken acid?   Well my blurry photo of those nines, that comes complete with flash orbs, looks like your acid trip.

Old wheel video poker: $20-$0

Press Your Luck slot machine: $40-$30

Quarter Double Double Bonus video poker: $30-$0

Breakfast was at the Gold Coast buffet.  Nothing special at all, but it is cheap and right here so it works for me.

After eating, I played quarter Double Double Bonus video poker and hit Aces!!  I love Aces.
quarter aces

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Las Vegas Trip Report: The Time There Were Only 28 People on My Flight

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010 – Las Vegas Trip Report – Day One of Nineteen

Yes, day one of NINETEEN.

I left work early, even though I didn’t really need to.  But I wanted to because you know, I am leaving for Las Vegas today and I can’t stand to be at work any longer.

I took a cab from my apartment to JFK Airport.  This is a very rare splurge for me.  With the amount I travel, taking cabs every time I went to an airport would add up to more every year than the cost of a flight.

The airport was so empty and there were only 28 people on my flight.  I just love flying to Las Vegas at this time of year!    However, the downside was that when I got to my gate, there were zero people there which made me think I was late.  So I hurried it the eff up and did not stop to buy a soda.

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Guilin, China: Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces Day!

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I am up early for my trip to the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces  in Longsheng County, China.  This is such a huge wish list item for me and I just cannot believe I am finally going to visit a rice terrace!

I booked the trip through my hostel in Guilin.  It cost me 220 RMB ($35 USD) for the tour.  This is considered a very expensive tourist attraction for China.  I still think it was a bargain.

I had to meet my bus outside.  While waiting, I met a guy who was staying in my hostel, who was also making the trip.  Typical me felt like an asshole for not wanting to make a new friend.

I know there are a lot of shy people out there who find making conversation with strangers very painful.  See, the thing about me is that I am not shy.  At all.  I just honestly prefer my own company.  I don’t think talking to strangers is scary, I think it is exhausting.  I have had so many people come in and out of my life that I am just honestly happier when I am all by myself.  It is easier.

Fortunately, my new almost-friend did not sit next to me on the bus.  I felt relief and again, felt like an asshole.

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Guilin, China: Sun and Moon Pagodas

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Following my morning at the Reed Flute Cave, I napped.  When I woke up later, I went outside and for the third time, tried to find the bus that goes to Fubo Hill.  I walked around in every direction from my hotel and all it got me was sweaty.  I kind of wanted to go back to my room and cry, but instead, I thought I might be near the Sun and Moon Pagodas.  I did have a map, but maps are useless to people who just cannot master reading them.

I walked for a bit and made the observation that there may very well be more scooters in China than in Naples.  The huge difference is that scooters in China are silent.  I mean REALLY silent.  So silent that at one point, I had the life scared out of me by a horn blaring at me.  I turned and the scooter was less than an inch from me and I never even heard it coming up.  I honestly thought at first that maybe for some reason, they were all turned off and just gliding.  Nope, dead silent motors.

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Guilin, China: Bamboo Raft Ride on Fanglian Pool and Reed Flute Cave

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Today’s plan was to go to Fubo Hill. To get there, you need to take bus #1. I could not find a bus stop for this line. So instead, I changed my plans and took the #3 bus to the Reed Flute Cave. Buses in Guilin are only 1 RMB, which is about fifteen American cents. Total bargain.

I was able to follow along the stops by simply looking out the window when we would stop and reading the name of the stop we were at on the bus stop sign. When we got to where the next stop was mine, I stood up. A Chinese man made gestures to show me “NO” and motioned for me to wait. Um, okay. In the end, it turns out that the stop for Reed Flute Cave is at the parking lot. The one right after leaves you directly at the entrance. Thank you kind sir!

I got off the bus and lit a cigarette. A man approaches me to try and sell me a ride on a bamboo raft on the little Fanglian Pool across the street. No matter what I said, he would not leave me alone. If I were not smoking, I would have walked away. Finally I decided it was easier to just take the damn ride (5 RMB = $.85 USD) than to sit there arguing any longer. For less than a dollar, it was worth it.

Fanglian pool bamboo raft ride outside Reed Flute Cave in Guilin China

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Guilin, China: Elephant Trunk Hill Park

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After my oh so exciting first sleep on mainland China, I was up bright and early for my first day in Guilin.  I could not have been more excited.  I went outside to stare at the Li River from behind my hostel.

Li River outside Green Forest Hostel, Guilin, ChinaLi River Guilin China

From here I went walking around the streets near my hostel.   Just about instantly, I met Jerry.  Jerry is a tour guide who offered me lots of options for tours to take in and around Guilin.  I was not interested in any of them, since I already had everything planned out before I left home.  I ran into him regularly for the rest of my trip.  At some point a couple of days later, I was pretty far away from my hotel just walking around and I hear “HELLO JENNIFER!” being yelled at me from across the street.  Oh hello Jerry.

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