Monday in Las Vegas: Gambling, Eating and more Gambling

Red Rock Resort Buffet Plate #1

Introduction

I didn't sleep particularly well, of course, after my marathon the night before.  I didn't have any caffeinated gels or anything.  I just think I was over exerted and it seemed like my body was still burning insane amounts of calories post race.  Plus I had the occasional cramp.

Granted, though, this marathon I finished a LOT better than most, and when the sun finally came up the next morning I was ready to take on Vegas.

However, first let me digress

Sunday

Sunday was all about the marathon.  But in short, I did put $20 into a Planet Moolah slot machine at Casino Royale and wound up getting a bit of entertainment out of it.  I didn't win jack though.  Normally, I don't bother going in there, but they do have a Subway Sandwich store where I bought a $9.50 veggie delite sandwich.  The same one cost me $4.25 today.  Sigh, and Las Vegas entities wonder why the numbers are down.

Worth the paper it was printed on.

I also put a $40 bet on the over for the Lions / Cardinals game.  I figured with two raging offenses the points would go over 41.5.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  

Luckily that was ALL the gambling I did that day.

So down $60 for the day and about $10 for food.

On the plus side, while I was eating my food up in the room, Shari made a good $100 or so on an Aruze Ultra Stack game in the Mirage.  She had had no luck the previous day but at one point, she was up over $200.  She wound up eating for about $20 for the day.

Monday Morning

I was starving when I woke up.  Luckily I had some snacks in the room.

After the Vegas traffic died down we headed out to the Red Rock Casino on the west side of Summerlin.  Their buffet and gambling was recommended to me by a friend of mine named Paul (also a fellow runner).  You can see his blog here.

I drove clear to the west side of Summerlin via the Summerlin Expressway before heading south.  After a wrong turn or two I found the casino.  

I expected another Vegas style casino, but this one resembled more of an Indian variety.  It was very opulent though and clean.  It was also new and they had a huge slot floor.  I didn't find my favorite slot machines there, but they did have some of the Aruse Multi Stack games as well as a ton of Planet Moolahs.

We signed up for their player's club card and wandered around a bit.  Starving, we got into line for the buffet -- wait a minute a line? In Summerlin? On a Monday morning?  

Yes, I guess the secret was out.  This is a pretty good buffet, at an affordable price but there was a good 30 minute wait in what seemed like the longest line ever.  For less than $10 each, Shari and I ate pretty well.  We did have the pleasure of meeting some folks who told us we need to start playing the My Vegas thing on Facebook (I don't do facebook but Shari does).  They apparently were eating free because of it and had gotten a free room.  Sounds like a deal to me...

Dessert

Those roasted carrots were fantastic

I stuffed myself silly.  I hadn't had a "real" meal in a while and I was starving from my marathon the night before.  

Lion Ultra Stack Game - one of the highlights of the day

After eating we gambled a bit.  I wound up making about $20 profit on a variety of machines.  Nothing big, but enough to keep me entertained.  Shari wasn't having any luck whatsoever.  

After about an hour we took off and headed to the Rampart Hotel and Casino.  We have gambled there before with mixed results.  They had mailed us $5 free play coupons that we wanted to use.  Sadly, when we went to redeem them there apparently was some fine print on it that said you had to be a guest of the hotel to use it.  Sigh...

I put $20 into an Ultra Stack machine and got very little for it.  Shari wasn't having any luck.  We checked out the casino (it was fairly small by most standards) and they really didn't have any of my favorite machines.  I did make a very small profit on a Planet Moolah game.  I then jumped on to a Mr Cashman.  I was betting the minimum, about 25 cents and I was getting a lot of play for my money.  Not much was coming up on the reels, but Mr Cashman was making a lot of appearances, giving me some decent money.  I even won the mini jackpot for $38.  After a while I found myself up about $40 from this place.

Monday Night

Next to the Rampart is the Suncoast Casino.  It is another Boyd casino so our cards were good there.  We've been to the Rampart plenty of times, but never made the 1/4 mile drive down Rampart Blvd to the Suncoast.  Being that traffic was starting to get crazy we figured we'd at least check it out and possibly have dinner there.

Suncoast Casino

The casino reminded me a lot of the South Pointe Casino in Henderson.  The floor wasn't anything spectacular but they certainly had a TON of slot machines.  When I walked in I saw a bunch of Fu Dao Le like machines but they were of the Rising Dragon variety, which I don't normally play (it seems to cater to people who want to bet the max).  I had hopes I'd find at least one of the Fu Dao Le-like machines on the floor, but alas, no such luck.

However, I did spot my old friend Leonidas.  He was in a bank of Incredible Technology games and I was so excited to finally get to play; I hadn't played since spring.  I plunked in a $50 bill and wound up playing for about 20 minutes.  I got a cheesy bonus round, and a few "big wins" of $10 or so, but soon me and my money were departed.  I was about ready to kick our "friendship" to the curb.

Shari tried some new machines as well and I went to a Planet Moolah and a Mr Cashman, but I was having zero luck here.  Soon my profit for the day had turned into a deficit.  

It was still too early to head back and we wound up killing some time in the awesome sports book watching Monday Night Football.  After about 30 minutes we got up and swiped our loyalty cards just to see what we had on them.  Lo and behold I had a two-for-one buffet and a bunch of other freebies.  Yeah for me.  

The buffet line was wide open and we ate for about $15 total.  This buffet was good and we had the friendliest server.  They also had a Mongolian Wok station and I had a fantastic shrimp skillet that was freshly made:

I wasn't exactly starving, but I seemed to have a bottomless pit.

We gambled some more afterwards but my bad luck continued. It just seemed like I couldn't win anything.  After about another 20 minutes and down about $80 we took off back to the Mirage.  We left so late that traffic was free and clear.

We gambled a bit more at the Mirage, but to be honest, I don't remember how well I did.  I think I got a very small profit on Fu Dao Le and was so excited just to make money that I called it a night on a positive note.

I actually slept like a log all night long.  I was so exhausted and it felt good to sleep in somewhat late the next morning.

Food for the day: about $30.  Gambling Loss for the day: about $100

Saturday Evening in Las Vegas: Gambling, Eating, and Downtown Vegas

Me and Dennis on Fremont Street

Introduction

You can read in my previous post about getting down to Vegas.  But I am now going to recount late Saturday afternoon and into the evening.

The Mirage

We opted again to stay at the Mirage.  It was convenient in the fact that it is close to the Las Vegas Marathon finish and I got a pretty nice deal: about $350 (excluding resort fees) for 3 nights, including a very expensive Saturday night.  

I remembered about last year's experience and got a room away from the 10AK club.  Their bass, late at night, can be heard through the flooring, despite being 5 floors up.  I hardly got an sleep the nights the club was active and upon checkin I requested a room as far away as I could from the place.  We had a gracious clerk who honored our request and I want to say that I slept very well each night we were there.

Mirage Room

After unpacking and settling in, I called my friend from Illinois, Dennis, to see if he wanted to hang out for the evening (he lives near Fremont Street now).  He was all on board and told us to go downtown and we'd explore Fremont Street together.

Venetian Hotel from the Mirage Parking Garage

I opted to take a bus down there.  Vegas traffic is nuts and I am not used to it.  For $16 round trip we wouldn't have to worry about getting lost or parking.  Money well spent in my opinion.

The bus was crowded and they were on a special system that day, due to the Marathon-5K being held at the SLS (formerly the Sahara Casino).  The bus route ran by the finish line and I could really tell that the Competitor Group really went all out on this (I wasn't willing to pony up $50+ for a 5K though).

About 30 minutes later we arrived downtown.

Fremont Street

I've only spent a bit of time downtown.  Usually it is in the afternoons and mostly I've gone with Shari to allow her a chance to trinket shop.  Supposedly they have better gambling there (in terms of player favorable odds) but I've never had much luck there.

Dennis met us and we wandered around the downtown area and debated on where to eat.  I was surprisingly hungry and didn't really want to go through the ordeal of ordering food so we headed over to the Main Street Casino.  With a little help from online reviews, we discovered that their Garden Court Buffet was reasonably priced and got decent reviews.

We made the walk over there, signed up for the loyalty card to save a buck or so off the buffet and a few minutes later we were eating.  We paid less than $20 for the meal for the two of us and I'd certainly eat at this buffet again.  The premium stuff seemed to be in short supply and I wished they had ready-to-eat-shrimp, but alas, that is what you get for a bargain priced buffet.

Garden Court Buffet

Nice plate of food to get rolling

Dessert!

I didn't gorge like I usually do, but I certainly did justice and I felt like I ate my $10 worth.  After eating we took stock of the casino.  I saw mostly typical machines with some new ones I hadn't seen before.  I tried my luck on some sort of Bally Technology Game that sucked twenty dollars out of me pretty quick.  I think also put some money into another Planet Moolah, got a weak bonus round and pulled it out soon afterwards.  

Not having any luck, we wandered around Fremont Street soaking in the sights.  At this point, the party was just beginning and the crowds were starting to fill up the place.  Fremont Street certainly has a different vibe from the Strip -- definitely a younger, partying, more drinking crowd.

Me posing in front of Binions

I'd be running down this street tomorrow!

Shari after souvenir shopping

California Hotel

Electric Light Show

People riding the zip line above Fremont Street

Plaza Hotel

We checked out a few of the street performers, including one kooky guy dressed as a dancing angel in underwear.  Gross:

Yes, I am enjoying the view

Yes, I am enjoying the view

Don't look too closely

We gambled a bit in The D Casino.  They have a retro section with slot machines that actually take and give out coins.  I put in my spare change and got zilch for it but at least I didn't have a pocket full of nickels anymore.  The lower section of the casino is modern and I wound up putting $20 into something and got very little play.  I was beginning to really doubt that the downtown area was any luckier than any place else.  I did play some Mr Cashman and wound up making a very small profit.

Not having any luck, Dennis suggested we check out his place.  He lives above Fremont Street in a near-by (and somewhat famous) condominium complex.

View From Dennis's Apartment 

Dennis's apartment has an incredible view.  He lives on the 28th floor and he can literally sit on his porch and check out the goings on along Fremont Street (although the bar noise at night can get bad):

View from Dennis's apartment

Vegas Skyline

We wound up spending a fair amount of time there catching up before heading back to the Mirage for the night

Saturday Night at the Mirage

I am sort of on a boycott of the Strip.  I find their prices have gotten too high and their gambling has been too high.  I don't mind staying at their hotels, especially if it is going to save me the headache of having to hoof it far after running 26.2 miles, but the Strip used to be a bargain; now I sort of feel like I am getting fleeced.  

Upon arriving at the Mirage, I figured I'd just roll into bed so I'd be fresh as a daisy in the morning.  However, I spotted a slot machine that is a sibling (of sorts) of Fu Dao Le, my favorite slot machine.  I figured that since they had this one, they likely had Fu Dao Le.  

Shari and I opted to check out the casino to see what they had.  I did spot this one.  I was wondering when they were going to come up with a Dungeons and Dragons one.  I only saw one person play it, but I definitely was interested.

So many memories...

Then I spotted it, or I should say "them".  I bank of 3 Fu Dao Le slot machines.  I figured, why not throw $20 into one.  I was up for the day and while I realized I probably would have my twenty taken from me, at least I could prove that the Strip gambling was a rip-off.

Well, a few spins into my twenty I hit a bonus round.  It started out innocently enough when all of the sudden the screen looked like this:

While I didn't get a good shot, the screen filled up with crowns with a 3x multiplier down the middle. Crowns are the second best symbol.  In short, this spin netted me a whopping $277 (on a 38 cent spin no less).  I just about fell out of my chair with excitement.

I wound up playing it down a bit, but cashed out with $275.  Shari cajoled me into putting another round of twenties in the other two machines and I quickly made some nice profits, but nothing picture worthy.

I was practically floating on air when I made it back to my room.  Shari wasn't having any luck, however.  For posterity sake, I decided to take a picture of my haul (the picture below includes money I brought with me on the trip).  I think there's over $700 there.

In short, I was up over $400 for the day.  We both had had two nice buffets at a total cost of $35.  Not bad for doing Vegas on a budget.

Saturday: The Trip To Vegas and Las Vegas Marathon Expo

Me standing in front of the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite, Nevada

Introduction

On Saturday, we left for Vegas.  The plan was to leave as early as possible.  This was for several reasons: 1) to get to the breakfast buffet at Virgin River Casino 2) to get to Vegas as early as possible in attempt to get to the Expo earlier, rather than later 3) to avoid bad weather.

Normally, I like to leave around 6AM.  Shari was absolutely distraught about losing Callie our cat to cancer and she was even having second thoughts about going.  Luckily she was ready to roll by 6:30 and we headed out the door for the roughly 4 hour 30 minute trip to Mesquite.

The Trip to Mesquite

The trip to Mesquite is pretty much a straight shot down interstate 15.  The first couple of times I've done the trip I was pretty excited about what I was seeing.  Now, I've sort of been there and done that.  To make matters worse, though, it was snowing and below freezing.  

Clearer skies a bit further south.

Bathroom break just outside of Cedar City

Luckily the snow stopped after about an hour and it never really slowed me down much as I cruised at 83mph southward.  Largely the trip down there was uneventful and we made it to Mesquite just shy of 10AM pacific time.  Also, it was in the upper 50's and nice and sunny by the time we arrived.  Perfect weather!

Virgin River Casino

The first order of business was lunch upon arrival at the casino.  The casino is one of the few that still offers a cheap breakfast that is still good.  I think we each ate for $6.99.  Its been since the early nineties since I ate for that cheap.

Unfortunately when we started to pay they said that the hot food would only be available for another 5 minutes.  If we wanted to wait an hour we could come back and have unlimited time.  There was hardly anyone in the buffet and in all honesty we wanted to get on our way as soon as possible.

So we paid and dove into the hot food line.  I loaded up a plate, ate a couple of mouthfuls and saw that the omelette maker was free and got a shrimp, spinach, and cheese omelette. Yum  The cold food (desserts and fruits) was still open and I made a nice, healthy meal, out of that.

We ate in record time and went out and swiped our loyalty cards.  Usually they give you a cup of coffee or a hot dog or something not terribly useful.  Shari nailed a $1 in free and I got $2.  Hey it is something, I guess.  We don't gamble that much there so I guess something is better than nothing.

I went around the casino and didn't find my Leonidas.  Sad. A year ago they had 3 of them, now they have zero.  I had to spend my money on something so I put a $20 into WMS's Planet Moolah and activated my $2 in free play.  A few spins later at fifty cents a pop I got this:

I got 50 free spins and wound up collecting nearly $100.  I am only 5 minutes into my excursion and I get that.  Whoopie!  I was jumping for joy.

I went back to the spot where Leonidas once rested and found a new bank of Incredible Technology games.  Ahead in the game, I put in a twenty into Medieval Gold.  I nailed a nice bonus round and again made a small profit.

Shari wasn't having any luck, so we cashed out and headed south to wrap up the final hour to get to Vegas.

Las Vegas Marathon Expo

By the time we reached Vegas (about 1pm) the Las Vegas Marathon was in full swing.  I missed a turn getting there (I thought it was further east) but after driving around and a few hasty U-turns, I found where I needed to go.  The Expo was absolutely NUTS.  It took awhile to park and it seems like runners are a weird bunch.  It isn't a big deal to go running, but god forbid you want to park in the back.  Sigh...

Las Vegas Convention Center

There really wasn't any problem getting my shirt / bib and I had that collected in a few minutes.  I looked at the merchandise and decided to pass on it.  Most of it was super expensive and to be honest, I don't need another Vegas Marathon jacket (my 2010 edition still fits).  

I checked out a few exhibitors, but again, I really didn't need anything.  I had plenty of Gus and while I would've bought some running shorts, I didn't see any I had to have. 

I was disappointed that they didn't have any of the Vegas Flamingo girls to take pictures with.  Maybe that is a Friday only thing.  Oh well.

Me, posing in front of the picture wall

Lots of people at the Expo

All in all, we probably spent about 30 minutes there before making our way to the Mirage -- and my next post.