Took advantage of Southwest Air seat sale (Buffalo - Vegas) $270 all in.
Friday 10
1 pm. Left work in Toronto, drove to Niagara Falls to meet my
bud Rick at Seneca Niagara.
Stopped at duty free, bought my girl some perfume for Xmas
(White Diamonds - $50 vs $110. BONUS- they threw in the free promo watch)
I had tried to buy this at Sears 2 weeks ago, and the saleslady
said they were only given 3 or 4 to sell, which were gone in the first hour).
3PM - Seneca Niagara Casino.
Took my weekly freeplay, and hit the first of EIGHT sets of quad Aces to
come my way this weekend (quarter 5-8 BP).
4pm - headed to Buffalo airport. Big traffic jam on I-190 - looks tight for timing.
4:50pm Parked in preferred lot A - paid an extra $20 for convenience to walkway.
Checked in at 5pm for 5:40 flight. Security took 15 minutes.
Fortunately they were de-icing all aircraft - flight was delayed 20 minutes.
Direct nonstop to Vegas - arrived on schedule at 8pm. We had carry-on
bags only, so were first out (seated in row 1). First on shuttle to car rental
depot, first off, first to Alamo counter. Picked up Kia Soul ($12/day plus
70% markup for various taxes).
8:40 pm - headed straight for Club Fortune in Henderson - thanks to Scott
Krouse for his invaluable column, I knew about the 25x points promo, plus 2 other
promos going on simultaneously . 69 JB is worth 102% for 30 minutes every 3 hrs.
Signed up for players club, found the optimum machines, seated comfortably with a
Corona in time for 9:30 25x blitz.
11PM - headed for Fremont St - checked into Fitz (2 rooms - 4 nights each,
$130 freeplay, $50 food vouchers, plus $100 match play between us).
Midnite - double dipping - checked into my second room (2 nights, $10 FP,
$20 food, etc). Played until 3am (6am Toronto time), hit 2 more sets of Aces,
drawing to a pair each time. Didn't fill trips all night.
Sat 11
Up at 8am. I write down my cash status every morning, so I know
what I'm prepared to invest in the machines every day. This morning
I have $186 more than I left home with. So far, so good.
9am - Rick picked me up - back to the Fitz for breakfast. Waiter gave
me a good tip - Ham Steak and eggs on the menu for $7.95. A better alternative
is to take the perpetual breakfast special for $2.99 (or $3.99?) and order the ham
on the side for $1.50 more. We got 2 breakfasts out of one $10 food voucher.
Played for 3 hours - still couldn't fill trips.
Checked out the ACG book for unused match play coupons - did a short
coupon run, betting craps (pass line) and roulette(always on black).
Craps $5 Win. Roulette $10 Win. Craps $10 Lose Craps $10 Win.
Craps $25 Lose (damn - that was the one I wanted).
Rick played 21, was doing ok until he threw out the $25 coupon, had to split 8s,
and lost both ends. Double damn, but that's why they call it gambling.
Hit the strip scouting for plays, then on to Ellis Island.
Played some 69 Jacks, put our name on the restaurant wait list.
ACG coupons - 4 free bar drinks (took 2 Merlot each).
- play $10 coinin, get $10 freeplay.
Surprise - the freeplay won't show up unitl tomorrow - have to return.
Dinner at Ellis (2 for 1 coupon).
Back to Fitz - still can't fill trips - keeping a rough track, I'm 0 for 95.
No dealt quads either - only quads I'm getting are coming from pairs.
Dealt my fourth 4RF of the trip - no luck filling.
To Four Queens - ACG coupon is good for double points (to max
500 pts in a day). I ask at the slot club if I have to pre-register and be back
before midnite to claim. The always friendly and cooperative staff reply that
no, I don't have to register. Even better, it's good for "my stay". Even though
I don't have a room there, it's good for my stay next door - ie - for another
two days. Come see them before I leave town. (This worked beautifully - I
picked up $50 cashback on Tuesday morning).
9pm - back to hotel # 2 - gave them some quality coinin until midnite.
Couldn;t fill trips (now 0 for 120), but hit Aces again (drew 2). Lots
more RF scares. Tried the 2-cent 10-play (5-7 BP). I know it sucks, but I wanted
the Royal. Didn't get it, but I did fill trips.
Sun 12.
1am - 6:30 - sack time.
6:45 - bankroll is up $210 over start, and all expenses paid
(biggest single expense item is tips - I average $15-20 per day
between food service, cocktail service, hotel maids, and valets).
8am - Nice Sunday brunch - used my food voucher.
9am - checked out of # 2, Rick picked me up.
Back to Fitz - settled into my room, sh**/shower/shave.
Another 2 hours play - no quads of any kind here. I've had winning
sessions at 3 of 4 other casinos this trip, but have given lots of the
winnings back to the Fitz.
Noon - to the Orleans. Their liquor store prices are about the best
I've found in town (HELP - ANY BETTER PLACES?). Player's
club gets me a 10% discount, and better yet, I can pay with my
B-Connected club points. Picked up a bottle of Frangelica for myself
and DiSaronna for the girlfriend. DiSaronna is the only amoretto we care
for - most of the others are cheap knockoffs.
Played the triple play 5-cent DB97 progressives. 196 deals - 588 hands
- no quads, no trips dealt. They inhaled my $40, giving back 73% of coinin..
I know, double bonus can make you bleed bad in the short term - you'd better hit lotsa
flushes and tights "or else". I've had my share of 5-cycle sessions without
hitting quads,
Editorial:
There are 2 banks of these triple play progressives. One is in the smoking
area, one in non smoking. We went to the nonsmoking first. There was only
one vacant seat, so I gave it to Rick and returned to the smoking section.
NOTE - The progressives were higher in the non-smoking bank.
As I take the only vacant chair, an obviously local lady is seated at the
machine beside me. She's slouched in her seat with both feet up on the
drink stands between the upright machines. She makes no effort to remove
her foot so I can put my coffee down, forcing me to use the other side.
The player on my other side proceeds to light up a smoke (remember this is the
smoking section).
Now Ms. Rudely starts into her act. Coughs loudly, waves her hands
to get rid of the smoke, and proceeds to pull out a handkerchief
which she puts over her mouth and nose.
I wanted to say something like "Lady if it bothers you that much, why
don't you go and play in the non-smoking section - after all, the meters
are higher down there?"
I'm not here to start a rant about smoking or not, and will not reply to
anyone trying to engage in a war of words.
My point is, the casinos offer choices to the players. If a player chooses
to voluntarily put himself / herself in a given situation, then what's the point of complaining
about it. It reminds me of people who buy a house beside an airport, saving many
thousands of dallars on their purchase, than bitch about the nosie of the aircraft.
But I bit my tongue, took my beating from the machine, and wandered off
to find the quarter 58ACE$ machines (where I fortunately hit quad 4s on the 20th hand).
Gave that profit back, but did put a few points on the card (have to maintain my saphire
status with Boyd gaming).
Hit a few other spots scouting plays, ended up at Ellis Island. Picked up my $10 freeplay
from yesterday, had 4 more free drinks (Rick has an ACG book as well), then returned
to the Fitz for a dinner comp.
SAGA OF THE LOST WALLET.
Rick was chasing the progressive at the 2nd floor bar. He keeps his cash in his wallet,
which he in turn keeps in his small backpack. This backpack he keeps either on the
bar in front of him, or hooked over the high chair he is sitting on.
I was playing the old fashioned coindroppers on the main floor (nostalgia - I love it when
the credits get up to 1,000 and the machine spits out coins on every winning hand).
9PM - Rick comes by and says he's missing his wallet - what did I remember? Well,
he had it in his hand at dinner, then went staight to the Vue bar. He remembered using
a pre-dinner voucher, then went into his wallet for another $20. Next time he looked it
was missing.
He immediately went to valet parking to ensure the Kia was still intact (valet ticket was
in his wallet). Car was OK, but valet put a hold on the car just to be sure.
Next stop was security. Two hours there, filling out reports. Two local hustlers had been
at the Vue bar since the progressives were high. I've seen these guys there before whenever the
meters ran high. Besides tham there were only 1 or 2 other players.
Rick called his Visa bank. Sure enough the card had been used twice in the first 90 minutes.
Apparently the first purchase was for some sort of local transit pass. The second was at a 7-11 store.
My take on this was that the thief was probably an amateur - after all, wouldn't a pro go
looking for some high end stuff? I found out the next day this was incorrect.
Security declined to review/show the surveillance video to Rick. Standard practice seems
to be that surveillance is for their convenience, not the clientele's.
Now the fun started. Rick remembered that he had a second credit card in the wallet. This was
one of those promo Mastercard deals that the retailers foist on you - you get an immediate discount
on your purchase of the moment. He took the card for the initial purchase, then never used it again.
Many, many cell phone calls. Remember this is late Sunday night. The big box retailer did not look after
their own card - it was outsourced to a third party - the outsourced party had initially dealt in
Mastercards, but then switched to Visa. Their own staff played dumb about how to put a stop on
the Mastercard. In the end he had no success in stopping the card until Monday morning when he
was able to get a manager on the phone.
Meanwhile security at the Fitz (who Rick says treated him very well overall) made a slight booboo.
They instructed him to go to a local police precinct in the morning to file a police report. He did this,
but the precinct station (a) was not in operation, (b) had been closed for over two years.
Note to Fitz security - try to stay more current.
Meanwhile the Fitz VP continues to kill me. I'm now down $400 on the day (-$200 bankroll on the trip).
Playing quarter BP and JB, $400 is a pretty big hit in a day. Around midnite I skulked over to the
nickel 58BP coin-droppers (there are 2 at the Fitz - main floor just outside the gift shop).
Hand-fed 80 nickels into the machine. Sure enough, hit a fast quad, then a SF, then quad aces (dealt no less).
Before I knew it I had my 1,000 credits, and the machine was coming into the bucket on every win.
Ah, fond memories of the old days. Just my damned luck to do it on a nickel machine after getting killed all day
at quarters.
1AM - I've been listening to cowboy music nonstop for the last 48 hours (NFR wrapped up Sat. night).
I found a shift manager and asked, now that the cowboys have left town, if he could do anything about
the incessant country stuff. He said negative - beyond his control. A new set would start at 5AM.
I said "Then I'll see you at 5am". Headed next door - Four Queens had same country stuff. Headed to
Binions and Fremont - no luck at VP, but the music was bearable, and the cocktail service good.
Monday 12.
Brekkies at Golden Nugget buffet (ACG 2 for 1 coupon).
Rick is off for hours - turns out he has to drive way up the strip to near Mandalay Bay to file
his police report.
Ball and chain time - back to my room, make business calls back to Canada.
2pm - Rick is back. Police told him they would review the surveillance tapes in conjunction
with Fitz security. Rick gave a copy of the police report to security, who then said he would hear
from them and/or the police, but not to expect any news for a month.
I try the quarter coin-droppers, hoping to recreate last night's nickel success. Over 1,000 hands, 2 quads
(paying only 125 each), 1 4RF dealt, 3 more scares. Down $20. Time to go wash my hands.
Quarter game kings - dealt yet another 4RF (AQxTK hearts). Lady beside me has a hand up with the
J hearts sitting on the screen. I say "Hey neighbour, can I borrow a J hearts". She says sure. I ask her
to visualize the card on my screen, and press my deal button. She does, and produces the J diamonds.
Oh well, maybe my karma is to go royalless this trip.
6PM - Fitz - dinner in coffee shop (comped via 2nd last food voucher).
8pm - to room, watched some football, had power nap.
10 PM - ready for bear. I fly home tomorrow - lets go chase that progressive.
The SF progressive is up to $280. RF is over $1,300. The only 2 players on the bank are myself
and the hustler previously noted. We're both playing at high speed, playing aggressive SF strategies
(I doped mine out in my room earlier). The small progressive (quad 5-k) grows to $40.
After an hour or so I see the damned SF drop to $62.50. SHI*. I'm gonna cashout and leave, but out
of spite I decide to hit the $40 quad first (I'm already 0 for 13 on trips in this session - I must be due, right?)
As fate would have it, the hustler snaps off the 40 bucks and cashes out for $513. Woe is me.
To Four Queens - do ok on quarter 69JB, wander over to the bank of 7-10 DB progessives. Meter is
$1,202. I don't like this play. If I hit, they withhold 30%, giving me only $840 cash. Then I have to ask IRS
for a refund next year. But I enjoy playing DB. The bank beside them has 97DB for dimes. I stick in $20,
play for 2 hours, cash out $20. Earned some more points for by ACG double point coupon.
1 AM To Fremont for some quarter fullpay Pickem. Ice cold - 60% return - dropped $60 fast.
Fitz - nightcap coffee and drambuie to help me sleep.
Tuesday 13
Sacked out 3am to 8am.
8am Showered and packed.
Meeting Ricky for breakfast at 9am. I'm there, he's not.
I decide to print ourboarding passes at the Fitz kiosk. The machine has a bill feeder. Rates are 20 cents
a minute, and 50 cents per printed page. I decide to give it a try.
I have 4 singles in my pocket, so I feed 3 of them into the machine. A clock starts, telling me I'm good for 15 minutes.
It logged me in quickly, and gave me a nice web page with a choice of airlines. I click on southwest, and am taken
to their website. Damned thing offers me every option EXCEPT print a boarding pass. I went to "Checkin for flight"
where it talked about entering TSA and passport info. I decided (incorrectly) I was in the wrong place.
Meanwhile\the clock is ticking down rapidly. After another false start I go back to the checkin screen and give
it my confirmation number. Voila - you don't hafta enter the TSA stuff - let's print the passes. Whoops - SWA
wants to print FIVE pages at 50 cents each. Now the machine tells me I don't have enough money in it, and
my session time will run out in 20 seconds. I agree to put more money in, go to that screen, and fumble in my pocket for
my last single. That buys me enough time to race around the casino to find a slot person who will change a twenty.
Now I RUN back to the kiosk to slip in 3 more singles and finish the job.
MORAL - next time I'll use the credit card option (minimum charge is $5.95).
10am - leave Fitz, head for Boulevard Mall - Macy's has a one day sale (it was actually 2 days), which
includes there jewelry dept. Since I promised my girl a ring, let's give it a shot.
10:30 I leave Rick in menswear and promise to return in 15 minutes. Jewelry has a big lineup, so I rubberneck the
cases. After 8 minutes Judy comes to my help. I tell her my time constraint, my needs, and my budget. She's fast
efficient, and knowledgeable. In 5 minutes flat she's fixed me up white a nice sapphire and diamond mounted in
the requisite 14k white gold. The size is wrong, but I'll be back with Margaret next month (CES trip). For $30
Macy's will have it sized in 48 hours.
11:00 Gas up the Kia. Now we have time to kill before our 2:15 flight.
I remember the Crown and Anchor pub on Tropicana from a previous trip. Buy in for $20
at the bar, play it through at least once, and get a free lunch.
Sure enough the lunch deal is still on. Slip my twenty into the machine and read the beer menu.
Being a good Canuck hockey player I appreciate my beer. I settle on a New Zealand lager which
was excellent - tastes very much like my favorite American beer (Rolling Rock). Smooth going
down, no aftertaste. Order the chicken fingers at the suggestion of my neighbour (a regular there).
I run my 16 hands thru - up 5 credits. Continue desultory play until lunch arrives at which time I'm
up $6.25. Luch was terrific - best chicken fingers I've tasted in 10 years. Waitress said they are
made from chicken breast meat, not the usual leftovers. Rick's pub steak pie was equally impressive.
I had to ask the waitress how to cash out - there was a cashout button, but no ticket printer. Turns out
that she brings a hand pay. I showed her my credit of $26.25, told her my original $20 was coming
back to me, but the remaining $6.25 was her tip. Did she want it in cash, or did she want me to try
to make it up to $30? She was a risk-taker, and told me to go for it. 10 hands later I cashed out
for $32.50. She enjoyed the $12.50 tip (and another $5 surplus from Rick). She said my girl will
love the ring (she was right), and hoped to see us in January. We'll be back.
1pm - on to McCarran rental returns, then terminal 1 for uneventful flight back to Buffalo.
11PM (Eastern time) Arrived Buffalo. Rick had previously booked a (comped) room for us
at Seneca Niagara, but cancelled it yesterday (needs to get home to follow up on replacement dirivers
licence etc etc. SO, a quick 15 minute stop at the casino to pick up the freeplay. Hit 2 quads in 200
hands to walk out with a quick $110.
Midnight - cleared the border and Canada Customs in 3 minutes flat.
2am - crept into Margaret's bed. She LOVED the ring.
A happy ending is always nice.
Trip score - net out of pocket in 5 days - $245.
Room nights comped - 11.
Freeplay, cashback taken $300 between us.
Meals comped - All of them.
My apologies to the group - I enjoy reading other's trip reports,
but haven;t submitted one for my last dozen trips.
I've just spent 3 hours of a workday doing this one - I'll
have to work late tonight.
Cheers, many royals, and Merry Christmas to all.
Brian
PS - my next post will be an attempt to score some tickets
for my CES trip - I play to take my lady to one or more of the high-end
strip spectacles.
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