Vegas trip report

My wife and I used to go to Vegas 3-4 times a year, then we became parents. We went last year with the toddler, but it wasn't all that fun, considering we had to take turns when we played. Last week the in-laws came out to our house to watch the kid. So this was the first trip we had alone in almost 3 years!

We stayed at Mandalay Bay which is a nicer property than what we are used to. We figured we would splurge this trip since we no longer go all the time. SouthwestVacations.com is the ONLY place to book a trip (if you live near one of their hubs). We got 3 weekend nights at a spa suite with buffet comps & round trip from Portland for less than $1000. MB is as luxurious as we expected and I was surprised the clientele was less annoying than Mirage. A common complaint I've heard is about the location. But we have made so many Vegas trips we didn't need explore the strip too much. Luxor is connected and the games were within our price range. The beach is awesome and we had fun but I'm not that much of a pool person.

We were winning for pretty much the entire trip. We rarely left a casino with less than we started. We stuck to blackjack, video poker, and a little bit of craps. We occasionally played some surround-sound vibrating 3D video slots, because those things are like legal crack. We even did pretty well on those.

I don't know if anyone here has played MGM's "MyVegas" app on Facebook. As my wife said, if she's going to kill time playing a Facebook game, she might as well get some comps for it. If you are interested, I recommend not spending money on the virtual chips. You can get enough free chips to keep playing on a daily basis. My wife got a free margarita with an entree purchase at the Mexican restaurant in Luxor. We also each got a coupon for BOGO specialty cocktails at the Hit Bar. This is the bar in Monte Carlo's high limit lounge. These were EXCELLENT. We had some well-prepared classic cocktails: sazerac, Manhattan, monkey gland, and aviatior. I highly recommend the Hit Bar for some artistically constructed libations. I'm assuming if we were playing black chips we could get those drinks at the table.

One day we went downtown where we could find some cheap craps and genuine face-down blackjack. We bought in for $220 at El Cortez. After a little bit of blackjack and the best craps run of my life (and not a bad run for my wife) we were up to $525! This happened in less than 30 minutes. I was planning on staying at the table for awhile, but damn! We decided it was time to take a walk down Fremont. It was funny when we took the 5 black chips to the El Cortez cage, they had to phone the pit to make sure we were legit. I love that place. I kind of felt bad taking money from such an underdog, but they have taken plenty of my money in the last 5 years.

We wandered into the new "D." It sucks as much as Fitz, but with nicer carpet. Then we had dinner at the Main Street Station pub. It was great! I think I got recommendations here a while back. The red lager was excellent and fish & chips were as good as I have ever had. Our meal was less than $30 with drinks. This is cheaper than an identical meal at a Portland brewpub. I even got a t-shirt.

The Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood remains our happy place. We were pleased that Mandalay Bay's buffet seemed mediocre in comparison. It underlined just how special Spice Market is.

Like usual, we made a trip to Tix4Tonight for a spur-of-the moment show choice. We decided to see Jubilee. Whoa, that was totally not targeted to my generation. I feel like it was good to see it; it's the last of it's kind and will probably not be around forever. But someone under 65 would probably prefer a Cirque show if they wanted to see a big production.

That night we wandered back to MB through the Bellagio tram. It's a jarring transition from mingling with the downtown clientele to a Saturday night Bellagio crowd. I left Bellagio up 40 cents. I was aggravated that the Excalibur tram closes at 11:30, so we took a cab the rest of the way.

It goes without saying, but winning makes a fun trip perfect. At the airport gate I sat down at a Wheel of Fortune machine and my wife sat down at Dolly Parton. It started playing "Jolene," our 2-year-old's favorite song. A good sign. I lost $25, but she was up $65 after an hour on the cheesy penny video slot. And we flew back home as winners.

Quote: dudestupid

I don't know if anyone here has played MGM's "MyVegas" app on Facebook. As my wife said, if she's going to kill time playing a Facebook game, she might as well get some comps for it. If you are interested, I recommend not spending money on the virtual chips. You can get enough free chips to keep playing on a daily basis. My wife got a free margarita with an entree purchase at the Mexican restaurant in Luxor. We also each got a coupon for BOGO specialty cocktails at the Hit Bar. This is the bar in Monte Carlo's high limit lounge.

Yes, I think a few of us here are familiar with the myVegas Facebook app. I apologize for any apparent snarkiness.

Cool report, congrats on the net win!

For all who think that Casinos are all bad, and nothing good ever happens.... congrats dude.... I'd bet even if you were down a few hundred you would have called your trip a success, too. Nice report.....

Love hearing about winning trips. It should give us all a little more hope for our own trip.

My second best craps roll was at Mandalay Bay about 5 years ago -- won about $1,200 on my roll playing pass, come, and pressing... I rolled for close to an hour and everyone was winners. We were net winners for that trip. On the 9 trips to Vegas that I've taken (stayed at Bellagio, Caesars, Paris x 2, Ballys x 2, MGM, Wynn, and Monte Carlo, I think I've won 3 times, broke even once, and was behind 5 times. Not bad.

It takes discipline to come out of Vegas ahead, and if you're a gambling degenerate, the only way you will come out ahead is to hit a slot jackpot or some kind of large bonus bet on your last day.

I think 1 for 3 is pretty good for a long gambling trip.

Quote: boymimbo

I think 1 for 3 is pretty good for a long gambling trip.

I could be 0 for 7. I think I've come close to even a few times though, possibly up a few bucks on a trip. But I keep bad records...and just look at my cash during the trip, which is also used for tips.

If you play tables, or good video poker, just a little higher than 1 in 3 is about right I think.

And as for the OP, I think Spice Market is one of CET's best buffets and will be eating it again very soon! I am too cheap to try Bacchanal though. Glad you had a good time. :)

Wondering if you would elaborate on your comment that D resort sucks. What particularly lead you to that conclusion? Did you lose money there?

D resort is actually one of my favorite spots. My main focus is blackjack and while their games aren't anything special, they are very playable. The big plus for me is that the tables are rarely crowded during weekdays. I can usually get a heads up game and almost always no more than 2 players. This has big value to me.

In addition D resort has great mailers. Probably one of the top two or three in Vegas. As an out of towner, this doesn't do much for you, but is huge (EV) for us locals.

The final thing I like about D resort is that old quarter, horse race game on the second floor. I don't play it, but almost always stop to watch for a few minutes.

I think the owners have done a nice job cleaning it up. Not a complete tear-down renovation, mind you, but still an upgrade.

Quote: boymimbo

It takes discipline to come out of Vegas ahead, and if you're a gambling degenerate, the only way you will come out ahead is to hit a slot jackpot or some kind of large bonus bet on your last day.

Truer words. I've told this story before, but on a day trip to Jackpot, NV I won a grand in my first 6 hours and somehow lost it all flat betting low limit blackjack overnight. The "house money" myth is way too easy to buy into.