Hard Rock Hotel & Casino / Ocean Resort Casino Atlantic City

Here's a rather lengthy trip report. I posted it a few days ago, then immediately deleted it since the photos weren't working. I think (hope?) I figured it out...


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Sigh, nope...

Ocean is not off to a good start.

I too got an e-mail offer for two comp nights "any day" -- call up and the entire next two months are "rates." So basically it is a marketing scam to get you to call and buy a room. Why would anyone do that when the people they are sending this offer to can stay for free anywhere else in AC at their leisure?

Maybe the property is cursed because they are making the exact mistakes Revel made. Ocean seems to think that its property will make gamblers pay out of pocket to gamble there and time and again that has proven to be false. Gamblers, especially high rollers, hate paying for anything out of pocket at a casino no matter how nice the view.

Ocean should remember that its beautiful building sat dark for the last four years because the previous operators had the same attitude that people will pay to play there.

Quote: darkoz

My people had all moved recently so they supplied their most recent address and asked for the ID listed address ignored

Ya they all moved recently, good one. I hope the experiment works out.

Quote: Coach13

3 tier credits per point at ocean

<snip>

Think I'm going to be sticking with Caesar's or Nugget, I like knowing how many points im getting and how I'm getting them. Way easier to get Elite or diamond then maintaining at ocean or hard rock.

so $3 coin-in = 1 point = 3 tier credits in slots.
so $1 coin-in = 1 tc.
so $75k coin-in for slots to maintain black.

What are the real world benefits for Elite at Nugget?

Not sure if it has been mentioned. When you do the tier match they are no longer giving 80 comp dollars. They are back to 2 free buffets.

Quote: GWAE

Not sure if it has been mentioned. When you do the tier match they are no longer giving 80 comp dollars. They are back to 2 free buffets.

which casino?
and what card level cause both ocean and HR gives $100+ for top tier match?

I did the trade up at Nugget and got trade up elite, and in 3 days was able to get the 12,500 points needed to maintain it until February 2020. Nugget has 4x points on Sundays and Tuesdays in August, seems to apply to tiers, comp dollars and cash back, so really only had to earn 2,500 tier points, and it's only $3 per point there. They are now giving me free rooms, 100 slot play every week, 35 food credit, and I have earned 120 comp dollars and 80 cash back, which is all way more than I have earned anywhere else. I got the trade up offers at hard Rock Cafe, but playing just about as much I only earned 10 comp dollars.

As far as elite benefits, you earn 20% comp dollars and 85% more cash back then regular card, dedicated lines for check-in and restaurants, and free entry to chairman's club which has decent food. You can also get $10 buffets, it's not great there but good enough for $10.

It also says 3 night getaway to any Golden Nugget, but I haven't found out what that really means yet, if it's just rooms or includes meals and any travel expenses. Does anyone else know about the getaway?

Quote: randomperson

Ya they all moved recently, good one. I hope the experiment works out.

??

Are you doubting the people all moved recently? I live in NYC and have moved 6 times in 7 years. If places only honored what was on my ID, I'd be screwed. Ocean had no problem with me with my old address, nor has any other AC casino.

Quote: Coach13

I did the trade up at Nugget and got trade up elite, and in 3 days was able to get the 12,500 points needed to maintain it until February 2020. Nugget has 4x points on Sundays and Tuesdays in August, seems to apply to tiers, comp dollars and cash back, so really only had to earn 2,500 tier points, and it's only $3 per point there. They are now giving me free rooms, 100 slot play every week, 35 food credit, and I have earned 120 comp dollars and 80 cash back, which is all way more than I have earned anywhere else. I got the trade up offers at hard Rock Cafe, but playing just about as much I only earned 10 comp dollars.

As far as elite benefits, you earn 20% comp dollars and 85% more cash back then regular card, dedicated lines for check-in and restaurants, and free entry to chairman's club which has decent food. You can also get $10 buffets, it's not great there but good enough for $10.

It also says 3 night getaway to any Golden Nugget, but I haven't found out what that really means yet, if it's just rooms or includes meals and any travel expenses. Does anyone else know about the getaway?

When I looked into the getaway, it was only for certain members. Reaching status doesn't guarantee your getaway. I might be wrong on this.

Quote: randomperson

Ya they all moved recently, good one. I hope the experiment works out.

What are u mumbling about?

Quote: 100xOdds

which casino?
and what card level cause both ocean and HR gives $100+ for top tier match?

Oh yeah I see this is for both hard rock and oceans. From my phone I thought this thread was for hard rock.

I have cet diamond. I did the match at hard rock and was expecting $80 comp dollars. We were going to est at hard rock cafe. My mother and I both did it and 160 would have been close to enough for the 8 in our party. Instead we each got 2 free buffets. So we had 4 free buffets, kids were free but the other 2 in our party ended up having to pay.

Quote: GWAE

Oh yeah I see this is for both hard rock and oceans. From my phone I thought this thread was for hard rock.

I have cet diamond. I did the match at hard rock and was expecting $80 comp dollars. We were going to est at hard rock cafe. My mother and I both did it and 160 would have been close to enough for the 8 in our party. Instead we each got 2 free buffets. So we had 4 free buffets, kids were free but the other 2 in our party ended up having to pay.

Was it at least a decent, fresh buffet, then? I haven't been to any of the really high-end Vegas ones for a decade, but the middle to ok ones there and other destinations have gone mostly way downhill.

Quote: 100xOdds

which casino?
and what card level cause both ocean and HR gives $100+ for top tier match?

Instead of the buffets, for a bit after launch HR was giving out comp dollars. They stopped not long after. The other money was freeplay.

Quote: HarryLyme

Instead of the buffets, for a bit after launch HR was giving out comp dollars. They stopped not long after. The other money was freeplay.

I received buffets instead of comp dollars one week after launch tier matching MGM gold. The HR buffet is pretty bad.

Quote: darkoz

What are u mumbling about?

It was obvious from your post that you were taking people down there to get cards, the implication being that they were getting them for you to use. Why? Well first of all a "few" means three or more people all coming down to get players cards at four different casinos, including one which has been around since 1978, and another Total Rewards property, which any regular gambler would already have.

Given that you have three different people getting cards for you to use for some purpose, I wondered what was more likely

1. They all moved recently
2. You wanted them to use a different address

I don't mean to expose anything but it was clear to me you were trying to complain about something without telling people what you were really doing.

And I said good luck and I mean it, I hope everything works down there for you. I have a close friend who has a similar pattern of stretching the truth to tell the truth without giving away too much.

Quote: randomperson

It was obvious from your post that you were taking people down there to get cards, the implication being that they were getting them for you to use. Why? Well first of all a "few" means three or more people all coming down to get players cards at four different casinos, including one which has been around since 1978, and another Total Rewards property, which any regular gambler would already have.

Given that you have three different people getting cards for you to use for some purpose, I wondered what was more likely

1. They all moved recently
2. You wanted them to use a different address

I don't mean to expose anything but it was clear to me you were trying to complain about something without telling people what you were really doing.

And I said good luck and I mean it, I hope everything works down there for you. I have a close friend who has a similar pattern of stretching the truth to tell the truth without giving away too much.

While you guessed mostly correct I never have people change their legit addresses

Why would I need to do that? They are all part of my operation. When they get their mailers they just send me pics. Plus they all enjoy the free rooms and toasters and buffets

So yes they had all recently moved. And all of them wanted their mailers

Third time's the charm? I finally found an image hosting service that works, and is free: imgbb.com




L-O-N-G Post Alert - Nearly 6,000 words!
Plus a couple photos, which are each worth a thousand words, right? (They're in spoiler tags)





Ocean's 14 C2C - Atlantic City

As I mentioned previously, I went to AC the weekend of 7/27-7/29 to be part of the Ocean's 14 C2C event. For those that don't know, #Oceans14XL is a group of Vegas / Casino podcasters and fans. Don't ask what the "XL" is for. I mean, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. The group has had meet ups before, but this was the first I have attended. "C2C" is coast to coast: AC and Laughlin. OK, not exactly coast to coast, but I didn't name it or come up with the plan. There was a meet up in Laughlin the same weekend.




Irish Pub Inn

I couldn't get a room in a casino for less than $240 per night. The best rate for a reasonable hotel I could get was $120 on Route 30 in Absecon near the Parkway, a 20 minute ride to the boardwalk. I wanted to be ON the baordwalk, so I booked a room at the Irish Pub Inn. Calling it "Quaint" is being generous. No air conditioning, no parking, warped/slanted floors, and rest rooms that are down the hall. But I've stayed there once before, so I knew what I was getting into. On the plus side, It's between Resorts and Bally's, about 100 yards in from the boardwalk. And only $45 on weekend nights.

Frankly, I'd never take my wife there. I WOULD take her to the pub. They do have great food. The inn's website claims that Monopoly hotels are designed to look like the Irish Pub building. It does look similar, but I wonder how true that comment is.

The inn is above the pub. You have to go up one flight to get to the lobby. In there is an old fashioned elevator, where an operator has to open and close the doors manually, and controls the lift with a handle. The front desk clerk is also the elevator operator. My room was on the 4th floor, so I always used the elevator going up. On the 4th floor, a sign next to the elevator button said "Push button 4 times." There's no control panel telling the operator which floor is calling. Instead, the operator listens for the number of rings to know where to go. I, like many guests, simply used the stairs to go down. Easier on everyone.



Garden State Parkway. On a Friday evening. In the Summer. Ugh!

Driving to AC, I was reminded why I never go there on weekends in the summer. I went to work Friday with my bags already packed, and managed to get out early, hitting the road at 4:05. It's 126 miles from my job in Paterson to Caesars. Just over 2 hours if there's no traffic. When I checked Google Maps at 3:00, it estimated 2:40 travel time.

It took me 86 minutes to travel 24 miles, where I took this photo:



Think about it. They're saying it'll take me another 23 minutes to travel 8 miles for the opportunity to pay a toll and keep travelling on this 'expressway'. And I've got another 100 miles to go. Sigh... I think I'll get there just in time to come home. Whatever.

As it turned out, things improved not far after the toll. Except there were times that it was raining. Hard. So hard I could barely see the road.

At 7:30 I finally got to exit 40, which is where I usually get off and take Route 30 to AC. If you make no turns, in 10 miles, it takes you to Showboat's front door. But since it's raining so hard that I can barely see the road, and knowing there's no parking at the hotel, I choose to continue on the parkway then take the AC Expressway which goes staight to Caesars, paying one extra toll. The conditions are so bad that it's worth the extra 75¢. As I get to the end of the expressway, the rain starts to let up. And it seems to stop completely as I pull into the Caesars parking garage. At 7:53. I guess I made the right decision. I arrive at the restaruant and meet the gang at 8:02. Even though I was only a mere 2 minutes late, I hate being the last to arrive. And it turns out that there are still a couple stragglers who arrive a few minutes after me. Perfect.



Buddakan

Buddakan is an Asian restaurant on the third floor of the Playground. The Playground is a pier adjacent to Caesars. Many years ago, it was called "Ocean One" and was designed to look like an ocean liner had come staight in to AC, getting stuck in the sand, inches from the boardwalk. Unfortunately, you had to have a real good imagination to fall for that description. It may have changed names before being called "The Pier", it's last name before being renamed The Playground.

I give you this history because all of the signs inside Caesars still referred to it as The Pier. If you didn't know that, you'd have to ask. I also didn't know there was an escalator inside Caesars leading to a bridge over the boardwalk taking you to the second floor of the playground. I can't remember there being such a bridge, but maybe that's me.

If you've been there, or have seen pictures, from the entrance you can see a large Budda. We sat at a long table in front of the Budda. I had the seat right next to him. I could have reached up and rubbed his belly, but decided that this place was a little too fancy for that sort of shenanigans.

The menu had some Chinese items, some Japanese, and some other Asian stuff.

I didn't order from the Appetizer secion, but got Szechuan Pork Dumplings from the Dim Sum section and Wok Cashew Chicken from the Poultry section.

When the servers brought out the appetizers, I asked about my dumplings, but I couldn't understand the reply. I didn't know if the server said they were coming, or not. I started to think that maybe they didn't consider them to be an appetizer and would bring them later.

When the entrees arrived, the waitress who took our order was there, so I said I never got my dumplings. She said they WERE brought out, but might have been placed at the other end of the table. She offered to bring more, but I declined since the entree was already out (and was bigger than I expected). I also stated that I asked the server about them. She said she'd take it off the bill.

Mind you, when the apps were on the table, someone shared their dumplings, which I had one of. They were chicken (ie. not my order), but were very tasty. My chicken cashews were also quite good.

From the comments, everyone enjoyed the food.

Before leaving, I used the restroom. The doors to the stalls were frosted glass, the kind used for shower doors. And there was lighting, not on the ceiling, but in a wallmounted shelf fixture, at the back of the stall, about 3' off the floor.

The urinals are not on the opposite wall, but on a side wall. What this meant was, while at the urinal, I couldn't help but look to the left to see the shadow of a guy getting up, pulling up his shorts and pants, tucking and zipping, etc. Very weird.

Sadly, some things can't be un-seen. After that little vision, I started to think that maybe rubbing Budda's belly would have been acceptable...



Hard Rock Casino

After dinner, the schedule called for group gaming at Ocean. We walked the boardwalk as a group. Along the way I was pointing out a few points of interest, including the Irish Pub. While doing this, I noticed that we had already lost a few people. By the time we got to the Hard Rock, only 8 people remained. Some remarked that they were going to the HR, some were going to Ocean, and some to the VIP lounge at Ocean.

Since it seemed that group gaming wasn't happening, I elected to stay at Hard Rock, get my players card, and play there. The line at the players club booth wasn't too long. About 15 minutes to get to a person. I showed my ID, Platinum Total Rewards card, Pearl MLife and Grey (bottom level) Seminole Hard Rock cards. Two minutes later I was given the Elite (second level) Hard Rock card and told I have a free Sun-Thur room, $50 in slot play, show tickets and buffet pass(es?), that need to be used in 90 days. Sweet. I plan on returning in September for a Sunday night. I'll use them then.

After exploring a little, I played some craps ($15 was the cheapest at that hour), then called it a night at about midnight.



Hard Rock Casino - Remodel thoughts

I didn't explore the HR much, but what I saw did impress me. It left me feeling that during the remodel, while they didn't go as far as CET did when tearing Bills down to the beams when building Cromwell, Hard Rock did tear up a lot.

Certain things are hard to change, like the location of load-bearing walls, elevators, etc., but everything within them was different. And not just spruced up either. Everything looks new, and cool.




I once remarked about the Taj, that casinos, by design, tend to be gaudy, but the Taj takes it to a whole other level. At least that's what it looked like in the beginning. Toward the end, the Taj was just a mess - dirty and run down.

The Hard Rock, on the other hand, looks good. And cool. And clean - and I don't mean in a cleanliness sort of way (although it is clean in that way too). I mean clean sight lines, and designs that aren't visually abbrasive. Many of the designs have guitars or other musical influences within them. For example, some of the inlaid tile work has curved triangles. After a moment you realze that they look like guitar pics. Some of the lines on walls are designed to look like guitar strings or the frets on a guitar's neck. Of course, there is also plenty of rock memorbilia.





And yet, there is at least one thing that deliberately holds on to the past. Specifically, while the former poker room is gone to become a gallery / entrance area in front of the arena, the arena retains the Mark Etess name. Note that Mark Etess was president/COO of Trump Plaza who got killed in a helicopter accident in 1989. The arena was named for him when it opened in 1990. While I think it would not have been the least bit disrespectful to rename it when everything else about the Taj got changed, retaining the name seems to me like a very nice gesture not just to his family, but also to all the former Taj employees who have now gotten their jobs back at Hard Rock.

My only head-scratcher about the remodel was the sign at the top of the hotel tower, seen here. OK, they can't use their familiar circular logo, since it would be too tall and/or cover some of the windows on the top floor rooms. But why is the name in a basic Helvetica font? Surely they could have used the type style that the name uses in the logo. Whatever...





Irish Pub Inn - Check In

I walk the mile from Hard Rock to Caesars to my car. My TR Platinum card, which I earned by getting the TR credit card, works for free parking here as it does in Vegas. :)

I get to the Irish Pub Inn and there are multiple problems checking in. First, it's $45 per night, plus tax, is $104 total. I paid $25 when reserving, so the balance is $89. The balance seems high, but he runs the card, I sign, and THEN the gears in my head start working, telling me that the balance should have been $79. He is all confused. The reservation notes show $89 due. It takes several minutes for him to do the math (No calculator available), and then credit the $89 and finally charge $79.

Then he looks at the notes again. Mind you this is all actual notes on a reservation card. They don't use a computer. In fact, the only piece of electronics I can see at the reservation desk is the phone and credit card machine. There's no assigned room number on the card. He looks and looks. Then takes out a falling apart ledger book that apparently has room assignments. It takes forever for him to figure out which room to give me. He then takes me up to the room. Uh oh. There's a Do Not Disturb on the door. What to do? Do we open the door to see if it's vacant or not? After a minute he decides that we should go back down so he can pick a new room. This also takes several minutes. When he finally figures it out, we go to the new room, which IS vacant. I put my bags in, and we go down so I can move my car. I had heard that Ocean is offering free parking thru September, so I decide to park there.



Hooker #1

Whenever I return from Vegas, the girls in my office ask how many hookers approached me. I seem to be a hooker magnet. Male, late 50s, overweight, alone. OK, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I'm a hooker magnet. Certainly not a chick magnet....

Anyway, as I was leaving Irish Pub, I'm on Pacific Avenue (The road closest to the boardwalk). The weather is right for open windows. At a red light, I see a gal on the next corner. She's got the hooker look. Heels, short skirt, exposed midrif, etc. I think she sees me looking at her. I wonder if my open windows is some type of signal. When the light turns and I pass, she calls out to me, "Hey honey, you want...." I didn't hear the rest, but that counts, right?



Ocean Resort and Casino

As I get to the Ocean garage, the big pricing sign at the entrance says, in big letters, "Complementary." Sweet. Inside, I wander around a bit, walking thru the casino. It's nice enough, but can't really remember much of Revel's casino to make comparisons. Also, I'm tired, but a little wired from the check-in delay (not to mention that it's still too warm to sleep without air conditioning), so I decide to stay and play a little while I'm there.

I go to the player's club which is closed. So I go to a go to a craps table and play. ($15). I hand the floor person my ID and MLife pearl card, asking if he can do the tier matching. He says he'll just look for me in the Revel database. After a few minutes he hands me a gold card. I ask if he did tier matching, and he just repeats that he found me in the database. Fine. I'll figure it out tomorrow. It's also kinda loud so maybe he didn't hear me.

I'm the next shooter. They have the All/Tall/Small at this table. I give the dealer $10 and specify 3-1-3 plus 1-1-1. He set it up as I specified. I rolled a number and then set up my additional place bets, with a $1 piggyback on each. I rolled another number. Then the box man says I gotta give them an additional $8 because the minimum on the ATS is $5. Had I been thinking, I would have refused. If they would then try to return the bets, I would have said that the bet was already booked. But I was tired and wasn't thinking fully, so I just gave them the $8.

Then I hit one of my place bets. When he went to pay the toke bet, I had to remind him it was a piggy back. I also had to remind him that $1 toke place bets pay $2 in A.C. The box man disagreed. Tokes only pay even money. Maybe the rule changed, so I didn't argue. Kind of ironic since I learned about this rule from a dealer at Revel during their soft opening.

For more info: Best Dealer Toke Bets

After playing and exploring a bit, and leave at about 3:00am.



Hooker #2

When leaving Ocean, I notice that the wall surrounding between porte cochere and boardwalk is gone and there are several sets of steps down to the boardwalk. A much more friendly, open and inviting look. Nice. As I get to the steps, a woman approaches me. I'm thinking Hooker #2. But she just asks, "Do you know how far it is to Bally's?" I then notice that there's a guy with her so I told her it's a little over a mile and they thanked me and started to walk the boardwalk. I'm heading in the same direction, but these old bones don't move as fast and it suddenly occurs to me that walking the boardwalk alone at that hour might not be the smartest thing.

Call me an idiot, but I continued walking rather than taking a cab or uber.

As I walk past Showboat there are a couple girls standing around. It doesn't strike me as wierd even though it's after 3am. One of them approaches and asks where I'm heading. Since this is very similar to the question I got from the non-hooker at Ocean, no alarm bells rang and I told her I was walking to my hotel. She asks if I want company. Still no alarms (how tired am I?) I say I'd be happy to walk and talk. We walk together a couple steps when she puts her arm around my waist. OK. Now the alarms start ringing. I tell her plainly, "I'd love the company, but sorry to say, 'walk and talk' is all this will be." She says OK and returns to the group she left.

I finally get to my hotel without further incedent and up to my room, well past 3:30. It's still too damn hot (78) and humid to do anything other than lay naked on the bed. Thankfully, I was exhausted, so I fell asleep quickly.



Saturday

I wake up at about 6:30. Damn circadian rhythms! I lay in bed, trying to get back to asleep. Maybe I did a little, but I finally give up at about 9:00.

I'm gonna go get breakfast then change and go in the ocean, so I didn't bother to shower. I went to a little place on Pacific Avenue, one block over, that I had checked out online last week, Perry's Cafe. It was packed with a line out the door. But everyone on line was groups of 4 or more. They had a 2-top open so I was seated about a minute after I got there.

Then I found out why there was a line. Service was slow. It took about 10 minutes for a waitress to take my order, the hungry man special, and another 20 minutes for it to be served. But it was tasty and hit the spot, for about $10.

I then returned to my room and did the one thing that really made having a room on the boardwalk important. I changed and headed to the beach.

I had been in the Atlantic just three weeks ago - when on a cruise to the Bahamas. The water there was beautiful and warm, but calm. The Jersey Shore water was considerably murkier and colder, but at least we have our famous waves. But swimming in those waves, after getting little sleep, can be consideribly tiring.

After a relatively short time, I'm back to the inn to shower and change. The shower temp is inconsistent, but it gets the job done. Next on the agenda is Hard Rock for group gaming at 2:00. It's only 12:30, so I decide to go to Ocean first.



Hooker #3

I leave the inn and go to Pacific Ave to catch a Jitney to Ocean. In the past, there were different routes, and the jitney stop signs had the details. Now the signs just say 'Jitney Stop'. There's a woman waiting so I asked her if all Jitneys go to all stops. She mumbled something I didn't quite hear. I also take a look at her. Missing half her teeth, the remaining were crooked and brown, hair that looked like it hadn't been washed this month, and the rest of her was no picture either.

Then she asks me if I want company. I was awake enough to know what this meant, and somehow managed to not burst out laughing, and also didn't say "Hell No!" but managed a simple "No thanks." She walked away, eventually stopped at the next corner. Then I noticed another guy waiting for the jitney. I said, "Did you notice that woman?" His response was "Yeah, Atlantic City hookers are a different breed, ain't they?"

While waiting for the Jitney, I notice some unusual artwork on the fence at the church across the street. Is it just me, or does the 3 & 7 arrangement on these 10 Commandments seem wrong to you too?





Ocean Resort & Casino

Got there around 12:50. Found a player's club where there was nobody on line so I went and asked if I had the right card for my tier match. I did. He then told me I had $40 of slot play, but no other offers. I remarked that Hard Rock gave me a room. He said it depends on my play. So we'll see...

Played craps for a bit ($10). Although I didn't try the ATS again, I DID do piggy backs on my place bets. This time they paid $2 as they should have.



Hard Rock

At 2:00 I tweeted that I'm heading to HR. At the same time, I noticed tweets that some people were going to Ocean to make use of the VIP lounge. I get to HR and meet with 2 guys and wait for others at the lobby bar. When it becomes apparent that the group gaming wasn't happening, we went our own ways.

Played craps for a bit. They also dropped $2 for the toke place bets.

After about an hour, I was physically tired and wanted to sit, so I headed back to Ocean to play poker. With a desire to stay in the air conditioning, I past the night club, then up to the corridor that connects to Showboat. Yep. They reopened it. I looked around in Showboat. It's still a den of sadness. Then I continued to Ocean, played poker for a while, but nothing else to talk about.



American Cut

Our original plans were to meet here, the steakhouse at Ocean, at 7:00. There was a reservation screw-up, that we found out about when the event organizer called on Thursday to confirm. His host at Ocean droped the ball. After several email exchanges on Thursday, it was somewhat resolved that it was changed to 6:00, but there might be a prix fix menu only. At that time we decided to take the reservation and then see what happens.

Before the screw up, I checked the menu online and was planning on having the $32 steak, which was one of the cheaper items, plus a $12 side. The prix fix menu was $105. I had no desire to pay that much. Also, because of the screw up and remaining bad feelings, I had no desire to adhere to a dress code. If they want to kick me out, fine. I'll eat elsewhere for cheaper. So I wore a golf type shirt, shorts and sandals. Apparently there was no dress code, since they let me in. In addition, they also changed their mind on the prix fix, giving us menus and never even mentioning the prix fix menu.

Bottom line, other than the change in time, and the scare regarding the reservation, we had a great time at dinner with no major issues. I got the $32 hanger steak with the $12 shrimp scampy as planned. It was yummy although the few people that got the twice baked potatoes complained that it was overdone. I joked, sure, it's twice baked!



Since we were done with dinner before 9:00, and the schedule said group gaming at 10:00, we went our seperate ways, with expectations to meet at 10:00 at Ocean as planned. I went back to poker.



Group Gaming

Several members of the group are high level players at other properties, so when they got their Ocean & Hard Rock cards, they got tier matched which included the VIP lounges. As a result, when it came time for the group gaming, they tended to remain in the lounges.

I can't really blame them. I'm not a drinker, but if I was, and was offered free drinks and snacks, I'd be inclined to ignore the schedule too.

As a result, once again, the group gaming never happened. I went back to craps at Ocean for a bit.



Ocean Resort and Casino - Remodel thoughts

When I was done playing, I used the mens room for #2. When I sat down, I noticed that the TP dispenser had a broken lock and tended to fall open. Looking at it I realized why it was busted. The retaining nut around the lock mechanism was busted. Also, the little hook on the inside that the lock arm swings behind was bent. The whole thing could have been fixed by manully unbending the hook and putting duck tape on the lock. Unless the problem was actually that the key was missing. Seems unlikely since these things tend to use a single common key.

Then, looking down to the floor where the stall walls were, there were missing and broken floor moulding. It occurred to me that the new owners had bought Revel 'as is'. And apparently, in many areas, 'as is' was good enough.



When I visited Revel the day after it opened, I was blown away. I began telling my friends that, where other properties could be described as casinos in a resort town, Revel was a resort in a casino town. I don't feel the same way about Ocean.

I was then inspired to to find the old poker room to see what's become of it. I remember the few times I played there that finding it was a challenge. While exploring, I ran into dead ends. Revel had some odd design choices which included curved walls, and glass walls, that tended to get narrower as you went, and occasionally got narrow to an end point. Some of these dead ends still existed at Ocean and I ended up in one. Grrr...

It was tricky finding the old poker room, but once I found it, it was obvious I was at the right location. There were several big screen TVs attached to walls and collumns, but with wires hanging as if someone had ripped out the cable boxes. (Not sure if they ever HAD cable boxes, but that's how they looked.) Plus, there were floor-mounted electric and network connection boxes. And lots of them. If you didn't know this was the former poker room, you'd wonder why they were there. Duh, one under each poker table. There was also a bar with about 10 stools. I don't remember a bar in the old poker room. But there was nothing behind the bar. I.E. No glasses, bottle, equipment, etc. And there were a couple couches strewn about.

It was as if someone decided that they had to make it look like they intended to use this dead space for something, so throw a couple couches in there.



Free Play

I played my free slot play at Ocean, as well as Hard Rock. I'm not a slot player, but do occasionally play video poker. At Ocean I played Five-Play video poker at $1 per hand. That's $5 per shot. 8 sets of hands and I was done, and had $13.25 to cash in.

At Hard Rock, while looking for the video poker, some random penny machine with real reels and lots of blinky lights caught my attention. I put in $10 of my $50 and hit for about $30 on the second spin. I got sucked in and eventually played the entire $50 on that machine, walking away with $49.73. :)



Resorts International

I've heard on some podcasts that it's very easy to get room offers and other comps at Resorts, so I stopped there on the way back to the Irish Pub.

I went to get my player card. Other than 40 years ago, when Resorts was the only casino in town, I could not remember ever being there. Despite that, I was told that I had $35 in match plays on my account, which he gave me as two $5 coupons and one for $25. I took them to the craps table, playing for about an hour. Unfortunately, only one of the $5 coupons paid off.

I got back to the Irish Pub around 12:30. It's only about 72, and not as humid, so it was easy to get to sleep.



Sunday

Circadian rhythms once again got me awake at about 6:50. But that's OK since I had set my alarm for 7:00.

The shower at the Irish Pub was ice cold. Apparently I was the first to use it for the day. It finally started to warm up around the time I finished. It's not as humid, so it's easy to dry off and get dressed. I then packed and was out the door at 8:00 to go to Ocean to get my car.



Hooker #4 ?

I head out to the Jitney Stop and that same skanky hooker is there. And she's wearing the same ugly green dress!

I ignore her, but she approached me saying, "How ya doin? Want some company?"

I lost it, saying, "I didn't want your company yesterday, I certainly don't want it today. I mean, did you even shower since then? You're wearing the same ratty shit you wore yesterday. So fuck off." She just shrugged and walked away.

So here's the question. With regard to the girls in my office that want to know how many times I get approached by hookers, does she counts once or twice? I say twice, but the office girls are saying once.

I had a little time to kill so I played at Ocean before getting my car, but nothing else to report.

Went back to the Inn, checked out, and headed to the 10:00 planned breakfast.



Gilchrist

I had never heard of this place. Then again, in all my A/C trips, I've rarely ventured beyond the boardwalk or marina casino districts. It's on Gardner's Basin, next to the AC Aquarium, across the bay from Golden Nugget. Very nice with outdoor seating looking out at the marina casinos.



One of the specials was Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast. I've never had it. Never even seen it. But despite the fact that I knew it's nickname was Shit on a Shingle, I ordered it. It was OK and I guess I can cross that off my bucket list. It was listed as "SOS" on the handwritten diner style receipt.

It was nice enough to put on my list of places to return to. Except not on a weekend. There was a long line of people waiting.

The agenda said to return to the boardwalk for a concert by The Chain Smokers. This weekend had been a bit like hearding cats, and I didn't have much desire to go to the concert, so I bailed, saying my goodbyes and headed to Borgata for a poker tournament which had already started.



Borgata

I got there during the second level of the $100 tourney. Entry ends after 5 levels. Twice I got pocket aces and made a raise pre-flop to get no callers. Sigh. I ended up busting out after a couple hours, 22nd out of 37 players.

I then played cash poker. After a couple hours I got pocket aces. This time I went up against a guy with pocked kings, and a guy who had ace queen and hit the queen on the flop. We ended up all in, and I took down a pot of close to $600.



Two hands later, I had pocked eights. Eight on the flop, and an eight on the river. Quads. Sweet. Although the pot was barely $100, there was a high hand promotion, and my quad eights were good enough and I got a $500 bonus for that.

I also played a little craps at Borgata, then went to Bally's and played some poker and craps there, and walked the boardwalk a little, getting salt water taffy for the office girls.



Roctaine

The Hard Rock has a gas station, so I stopped there on the way home. I was told that starting sometime in August, you'll be able to use points to pay for gas. As it was, the price was cheaper than most of the name brands on Route 30, and even cheaper than some of the no-name places on 30.

As I headed out, I took note that on the corner of Virginia Avenue (the road that becomes the HR porte cochure) and Absecon Avenue (the road that becomes route 30), there used to be a statue of an elephant and a Taj Majal sign. It was replaced by a Hard Rock guitar sign.



Conclusion

If not for those two hands at Borgata, this weekend would have put a big hurt on my wallet. Instead, I went home around 8:00, almost even.

The 140 mile ride home took almost 4 hours! I'm never coming to this town again on a weekend in the summer!

Also note, I never mentioned it, but the city was a lot busier than I had ever seen it. Not so busy that I couldn't get a spot on a table, but busy. Then again, I can't remember the last time I was there on a weekend in summer....




Note: I posted links to this trip report on Twitter. For those people who followed those links, you may be interested in reading the entire thread: First Post

Quote:

Ocean Resort & Casino

Got there around 12:50. Found a player's club where there was nobody on line so I went and asked if I had the right card for my tier match. I did. He then told me I had $40 of slot play, but no other offers. I remarked that Hard Rock gave me a room. He said it depends on my play. So we'll see...

I called yesterday to ask about a room on Sunday 9/16. I didn’t even ask if I had a room offer, but was prepared to mention the various other properties that would give me a room that day. It was unnecessary. Without asking, she gave me a free room. 😁

It will only cost $25 resort fee 🤬 plus tax.

It was so nice meeting you at Oceans XL 14

Had surprise 5X points promo when I started Tuesday. No end date listed, but it definitely lasted both days I played.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I called yesterday to ask about a room on Sunday 9/16. I didn’t even ask if I had a room offer, but was prepared to mention the various other properties that would give me a room that day. It was unnecessary. Without asking, she gave me a free room. 😁

It will only cost $25 resort fee 🤬 plus tax.

Considering the current rates, one night for $30 is a steal. The fees don't get annoying to me until the 2nd night.

On another note, no tax on Ocean rooms for Black card. It's perhaps the only room/situation in AC where a comped room is completely "free".

Quote: HarryLyme

Had surprise 5X points promo when I started Tuesday. No end date listed, but it definitely lasted both days I played.

which casino?

Quote: HarryLyme

Considering the current rates, one night for $30 is a steal. The fees don't get annoying to me until the 2nd night.

On another note, no tax on Ocean rooms for Black card. It's perhaps the only room/situation in AC where a comped room is completely "free".

nope.
no resort fees for Diamond and above at the 3 Caesars properties.

edit:
wait.. no tax also for Black at Ocean?
then yeah Ocean is best out of all casino hotels if you have Black.

DJTeddy,

there's a walkway in Hard Rock through Showboat to Ocean???
directions as I don't want to walk outside on the boardwalk at 3am?

https://www.njonlinegambling.com/hard-rock-casino-crushes-ocean/

Ocean comes in dead last in revenue in July. (Wonder why?)
Hard Rock comes in at 2nd place behind Borgata, which retains the #1 spot for the 10000th straight month (or something like that).

overall casino revenue is up 10% year over year.
but revenue was down for all seven Atlantic City casinos that were in business this time last year.

so some Cannibalization by the 2 new casinos but they also brought in ALOT new revenue.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I called Ocean yesterday to ask about a room ... Without asking, she gave me a free room.

I forgot to mention that, in my opinion, I didn’t really give Ocean a lot of play while I was there. I lost more than I wanted to, but it happened faster than I wanted as well. At least at craps. I put in a bunch of time at poker but does that count?

Maybe I called after the numbers came out and they’re scrambling to get business already.

Quote: 100xOdds

DJTeddy,
there's a walkway in Hard Rock through Showboat to Ocean???

No. It’s just from the HR to Showboat. It’s next to the boardwalk. It goes past the HR nightclub to the Showboat. It does NOT continue to Ocean.

I remember back in the day there was a similar but somewhat hidden corridor from Resorts to Taj. But I never bothered to look for it.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Ocean Resort & Casino

Got there around 12:50. Found a player's club where there was nobody on line so I went and asked if I had the right card for my tier match. I did. He then told me I had $40 of slot play, but no other offers. I remarked that Hard Rock gave me a room. He said it depends on my play. So we'll see...

I'm sure it's no help now, but what you should've done is taken the Elite card you got from Hard Rock and taken that card to Ocean. It would've matched to their Platinum card which would've gotten you a free night and $50 in free play (although some people are getting an extra $15 - so $65 total).

Quote: 100xOdds

which casino?


nope.
no resort fees for Diamond and above at the 3 Caesars properties.

edit:
wait.. no tax also for Black at Ocean?
then yeah Ocean is best out of all casino hotels if you have Black.

Ocean had the 5X. It flashed off the screen before I could read details, but found email with details. It is basically for point play. They do it on Tuesdays apparently. Promos for next month look good, too. There's one where it if you earn $5 comps you get $25 free.

Quote: sodawater

Ocean seems to think that its property will make gamblers pay out of pocket to gamble there and time and again that has proven to be false. Gamblers, especially high rollers, hate paying for anything out of pocket at a casino no matter how nice the view.

Ocean should remember that its beautiful building sat dark for the last four years because the previous operators had the same attitude that people will pay to play there.

oh, they will. they will. Didn't you see that movie? If you build your field of dreams they will come.

Comped anywhere else in town but expected to pay at Ocean simply because that is what the management hopes will happen. Boothlings reign supreme.

>hooker 2:
Never let a hooker get that close to you and a hooker's hand is either plainly visible or its reaching for a wallet or a switch blade.
Bad teeth usually means meth which often means brain dead.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I remember back in the day there was a similar but somewhat hidden corridor from Resorts to Taj. But I never bothered to look for it.

Someone, somewhere, recently mentioned it's still there to go from Hard Rock to Resorts. I never frequented Taj or Resorts, at any point, so I'm not speaking from personal knowledge.

Quote: FleaStiff

>hooker 2:
Never let a hooker get that close to you and a hooker's hand is either plainly visible or its reaching for a wallet or a switch blade.

Yeah. I know. But as I said, I wasn’t thinking at the time.

Also, I’m a wallet in the front pocket guy. I truly don’t understand how most guys can sit on a fat wallet comfortably.

But switch blade? Hadn’t even considered that...

You would think it was still Revel ownership because they still don't get it at Ocean. Free buffets go along way as simple as it sounds but there is a reason hard rock blew them out with their tier match deal. I remember the old days of driving 90 minutes to Show Boat and waiting in line for over an hour at the buffet when they used to send free buffet passes, but it brought people there.

They are loosening up on comp rooms now at Ocean at least, maybe after seeing this data. When my wife and I tried to get out free rooms (we both have black cards) there were literally no open dates, but we could pay $79 which wasn't happening. I read in the forum yesterday someone got a Sunday no problem so I tried again and was able to get a Monday and Tuesday that I am off in September. I told my friend and she tried and they told her there were no rooms, then she complained when was she supposed to use this free room offer if they are always booked, then they magically gave her a comp room. My wife tried for the Sunday that I was told was booked and she was told no rooms but complained she could only use offer for a Sunday and then they caved and gave her the Sunday, so if at first they say no just complain a d remind them they are the lowest revenue casino for a reason.

Quote: Coach13

You would think it was still Revel ownership because they still don't get it at Ocean. Free buffets go along way as simple as it sounds but there is a reason hard rock blew them out with their tier match deal. I remember the old days of driving 90 minutes to Show Boat and waiting in line for over an hour at the buffet when they used to send free buffet passes, but it brought people there.

They are loosening up on comp rooms now at Ocean at least, maybe after seeing this data. When my wife and I tried to get out free rooms (we both have black cards) there were literally no open dates, but we could pay $79 which wasn't happening. I read in the forum yesterday someone got a Sunday no problem so I tried again and was able to get a Monday and Tuesday that I am off in September. I told my friend and she tried and they told her there were no rooms, then she complained when was she supposed to use this free room offer if they are always booked, then they magically gave her a comp room. My wife tried for the Sunday that I was told was booked and she was told no rooms but complained she could only use offer for a Sunday and then they caved and gave her the Sunday, so if at first they say no just complain a d remind them they are the lowest revenue casino for a reason.

It's amazing how these rooms suddenly appear.

Also, even if you look at the hotel from outside on a Friday or Saturday night, there are plenty of dark rooms. Maybe all of them aren't ready yet but I have yet to see the Ocean packed. Hard Rock is way busier even though the property is nowhere near as nice.

There are still unfinished floors. Slightly more rooms than Revel, I believe, but still about 12 floors they plan to finish in the first year. Every property has X amount of rooms set aside for comps, but Ocean seems to be trying to grab some of those for paying customers. Not mad at them for it, but I think you gotta put the cart before the horse here. No excuse to be dead last (behind Resorts?!), but I have a funny feeling this is an extended soft opening. C'mon, half of the marquee places aren't even open (Cereal Town, Wahlburgers), and lots of other things and places. People complained about Hard Rock opening with construction still going on but they are LIGHT years ahead of Ocean.

However, Ocean wins the battle with post Grand Opening promotions/communication. Ocean sends me emails for free play offers, upcoming promos, comp rooms, gifts, etc. I've gotten 5 or 6 emails from them the last few weeks, and one from Hard Rock yesterday about free play for the next two weeks (well they did send me snail mail). Hard Rock has the online Wild Card system set up, but at least Ocean is letting me actually know what I have. I love Hard Rock, but they aside from the email a day for the online casino, they don't really send me anything.

Overall I think Ocean has the ghost of Revel haunting it. They've made a few bad choices since opening with how they've handled things. Even though there are things they do better (e.g. much more transparent earning system though I'll never maintain Black, WAY better freeplay system, easier to get comp rooms), those choices make it feel like Revel all over again. Their real opening next summer will determine it all, and they better back up the Brinks comp truck and take the hit during the winter to make it THE place to go for gamblers and everyone else.

I have a complaint to Hard rock that I will be sending them in the morning. My parents had our kids last night and were taking them to the buffet. They went up the escalator and my 6 year old turned to the right and ran face first into the corner of glass. They have the glass on the right hand side extend past the escalator about 2 feet. It is clear with no border or anything so it is easy to hit. We met them at the buffet and I did the same thing except it hit me in the side. No damage to me butnmybson on the other hand has a black eye

saw this vp at Ocean:



Wiz's vp calculator doesn't have this game. (it did have deuces wild Double bonus, but not dw-ddb.)

the payout for natural quads (and kicker) are the same as ddb.
Whats the return?


edit:
meh.. cant embed pic. (mods, pls fix?)
here's the link:
https://i.imgur.com/14J6UQR.jpg

Quote: HarryLyme

Someone, somewhere, recently mentioned it's still there to go from Hard Rock to Resorts. I never frequented Taj or Resorts, at any point, so I'm not speaking from personal knowledge.

Yes, it is there. You can walk between Resorts, the Hard Rock and Showboat hotels without walking outdoors.

I said in my long trip report that the Ocean floor person found me in the Revel database when he issued me my card. When I went to the player's club desk the next day to confirm my status and freebies, I was told I'm getting no room comps.

I got two mailers from Ocean yesterday. One addressed to my Ocean account, one to my Revel account. Both offer two free weeknight rooms. Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize the cards had different account numbers.

I don't know what's sadder: That the floorperson had to issue me a new account, that the club clerk told me that I don't get free rooms but based on my play I might earn them, or that, apparently, any schmuck who stepped foot into Revel gets that offer from Ocean. Sigh...

I got a card first time I went to Ocean, got my 115 slot play, did t notice until I left the butchered my name. Next time I went Igave my liscense to get a new card and they said I didn't have one but had my revel info and gave me a new card so I got another 100 in slot dollars. Same thing happened at hard Rock, and I had used my hard rock card several times, I was using it all night but left it in a machine and when I went to card desk they claimed I didn't have it and gave me new tier matched card. I wasn't going to argue and refuse free money.

Quote: 100xOdds

saw this vp at Ocean:



Wiz's vp calculator doesn't have this game. (it did have deuces wild Double bonus, but not dw-ddb.)

the payout for natural quads (and kicker) are the same as ddb.
Whats the return?


edit:
meh.. cant embed pic. (mods, pls fix?)
here's the link:
https://i.imgur.com/14J6UQR.jpg

That's a game that I would play. I wouldn't mind paying 6 for the better 4 of a kind payouts. Pisses me off when playing deuces and I get 4 3s with a kicker.

Quote: GWAE

I have a complaint to Hard rock that I will be sending them in the morning. My parents had our kids last night and were taking them to the buffet. They went up the escalator and my 6 year old turned to the right and ran face first into the corner of glass. They have the glass on the right hand side extend past the escalator about 2 feet. It is clear with no border or anything so it is easy to hit. We met them at the buffet and I did the same thing except it hit me in the side. No damage to me butnmybson on the other hand has a black eye

Been nearly a week since my email and I got no response. Not that I was looking for anything but an email would be nice.

Quote: GWAE

Quote: 100xOdds

saw this vp at Ocean:



Wiz's vp calculator doesn't have this game. (it did have deuces wild Double bonus, but not dw-ddb.)

the payout for natural quads (and kicker) are the same as ddb.
Whats the return?


edit:
meh.. cant embed pic. (mods, pls fix?)
here's the link:
https://i.imgur.com/14J6UQR.jpg

That's a game that I would play. I wouldn't mind paying 6 for the better 4 of a kind payouts. Pisses me off when playing deuces and I get 4 3s with a kicker.

That's the game I would like to book your action on, you would probably play 5 coins.

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: GWAE

Quote: 100xOdds

saw this vp at Ocean:



Wiz's vp calculator doesn't have this game. (it did have deuces wild Double bonus, but not dw-ddb.)

the payout for natural quads (and kicker) are the same as ddb.
Whats the return?


edit:
meh.. cant embed pic. (mods, pls fix?)
here's the link:
https://i.imgur.com/14J6UQR.jpg

That's a game that I would play. I wouldn't mind paying 6 for the better 4 of a kind payouts. Pisses me off when playing deuces and I get 4 3s with a kicker.

That's the game I would like to book your action on, you would probably play 5 coins.

No silly. I always hit max bet. For screwed last week when I hit max bet and it was 20 coins. Wtf is that.

Btw, gotta royal last week. I am royaled out for at least 2 years now.

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: GWAE

Quote: 100xOdds

saw this vp at Ocean:



Wiz's vp calculator doesn't have this game. (it did have deuces wild Double bonus, but not dw-ddb.)

the payout for natural quads (and kicker) are the same as ddb.
Whats the return?


edit:
meh.. cant embed pic. (mods, pls fix?)
here's the link:
https://i.imgur.com/14J6UQR.jpg

That's a game that I would play. I wouldn't mind paying 6 for the better 4 of a kind payouts. Pisses me off when playing deuces and I get 4 3s with a kicker.

That's the game I would like to book your action on, you would probably play 5 coins.

why 5 coins? isnt that just regular 10/8 deuces wild? (96% return)

and what's the return at 6 coins?

Quote: GWAE

Been nearly a week since my email and I got no response. Not that I was looking for anything but an email would be nice.

Did you send it through FB? They are very responsive there. Twitter, too.

Quote: HarryLyme

Did you send it through FB? They are very responsive there. Twitter, too.

I will do that now, I sent it through their site on a contact us form

Meanwhile, someone hit for $2.4 million on a WOF progressive over at Borgata.

https://www.nj.com/atlantic/index.ssf/2018/09/nj_woman_wins_24m_on_slots_at_atlantic_city_casino.html

Quote: ECoaster

Meanwhile, someone hit for $2.4 million on a WOF progressive over at Borgata.

https://www.nj.com/atlantic/index.ssf/2018/09/nj_woman_wins_24m_on_slots_at_atlantic_city_casino.html

Was her first spin too. Good for her!

All Fridays and Saturdays are completely booked up for the Ocean Resort tier match offer during the promotional period (thru September).

Actually, I just called back and got a new representative and she was able to book me for a weekend stay. Weird. If you hit a road block, I suggest calling back.