Trip log for Christmas in Casinos
December 25th, 2013 at 11:34:39 PM
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Just came back from a ~20 hour Casino adventure, took a shower to scrub the stale cigarette stench out of my hair and decided to write my first trip report. I'm a long time forum lurker who finally chose to come out of my closet about a week ago to converse with my fellow players.
I go to Vegas roughly every 4 months. So I make about 2-3 trips a year depending on my situation. But, I have played in every Southern California Indian casino and frequently play around 20 hours a week. For this trip report, I will write my recent trip to Pala Casino Resort.
"Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected." -Jimmy Cannon
With no one to spend Christmas with, I was contemplating on what I should do to enjoy myself. Flipping through my usual to-do list and finding nothing worth my time, I did what all degenerate gamblers do and decided to take a trip to a Casino. Surfing the web, picking which Casino near me seemed fun, I found interest in Pala's Holiday Buffet. I've tried the buffet at Pala twice, and both times were enjoyable. Noticing the nice choices added in for the holiday menu, I quickly threw on the cleanest clothes that caught my eyes on my room floor.
10:30PM Tuesday 12/24
I have two cars in my garage and decided to take my beat-up Camry. The 200+ mile round trip drive will just be a tiny bump on my aging sedan, and the old gal is nearing retirement soon. The roads were open, no LA traffic 10:30 at night. Easy cruising 75mph all the way from the 10 to I-15.
When I arrived, it was a little past midnight and I expected it to be dead. But, to my surprise, all the red eyed night critters were spread out through the large Casino floor and was more "lively" then I expected.
DD H17 DAS No RSA No mid-shoe entry ~60% Pen $25min-$1000max (main floor).
The high limit room has the same rules, but higher min/max.
This is the best Blackjack game you will find at Pala, which is considered pretty common in Southern California. Is it the best BJ in So Cal? Of course not, but it's playable and so far have never been backed off from Pala before. The way dealer schedule works is 2 dealers per table. They switch off every 30minutes and will deal that table for a couple hours. The pen varies from dealer to dealer since there is no "cut" line for DD. Seen it go short as 55% and high as ~65%.
Session 1
Threw down $500 with my Player's card at an empty table. Started out rough. Count was pretty even, fluctuating between plus/minus 1 TC all through out, but the dealer was making hands like his life depended on it. My typical spread is 25x250 with my bankroll, but when I play during off hours it's even lower since I feel as though all eyes are on me. Was barely staying afloat with a 2 spread when TC hit +1.5, but this dealer was hot... too hot for me. With 8 units left, spread to 3 with a TC of +2. Got a 8/2 with dealer showing 7 up card. Doubled down (didn't look at my 3rd card.) Dealer flips over a 4 and draws a queen. There's about a deck left in his hand with 5 aces still inside. Crossed my finger for an ace, but when the dealer flipped over my double down card, it was a 10 of diamonds. I remember it because I had 8/2 of diamonds and told him it was a 3 card flush for a 6-1 payout :(. Bad start, little bit of tilt, must have been the 80minute drive. Promptly lost the remaining 2 green chip the next hand. Didn't care. This all happened in less then an hour.
*Note - All BJ tables at Pala require you to bet 2x the min bet if you want to play more then 1 hand.
Table Switch
6D H17 DAS RSA LS Mid-shoe entry allowed 80% pen (WTF?) $25-$1000
*Note - The 6D games here are dealt face-up
There is 8 tables back to back where the DD on the main floor is at. One of those table happened to be a 6D game with a middle-aged man playing 1st base. I can tell this guy was on full tilt. He was changing pink chips for green chips profusely with random bet spreads that made absolutely no sense. He was sucking on his cigarette like it was a lollipop and had an extremely frustrated complexion. I just stood near the table and watched the shoe play out. Middle of shoe TC -4, 1st base man bets 6x minimum. Uh-oh. Finally, the slaughter was coming to an end as the shoe dwindled down to the cut card. The man finally looked up after the beating and noticed me standing a few feet away. He nodded his head as if he was inviting me to join him to end his "bad-luck" spree. Sure, why not? New shoe, new chances. I joined in because I liked the pace at which the man played. From the hands I saw him play, he kept with basic strategy and didn't sit there trying to add up 4 low cards in his head. But, more importantly, the dealer was cute. Petite Asian girl who looked about 22 with a smile on her face at 1:15AM. I say 22, but any gambler knows to never take a bet on trying to guess the age of an Asian women. I have devised an equation which is estimated age - 5. Which wouldn't make sense because that would make her 17. Anyways, I joined in and bought in for $300. This is where things got fun. In Pala's 6D game, there is a cut slot on which the dealers insert the red card. So the Pen is pretty much the same which should be around 70%. This girl was different. Instead of taking the decks and pushing it all the way back before the cut, she would let it hang and insert the cut card then push the decks of cards back. Basically, she was cutting 1 deck out from 6 decks. Definitely a keeper, so I memorized the dealer's face and name which wasn't too hard to do ;).
Holy moly, forget the Pen, the count by the time 2 decks were dealt was horrible. -13 running count. I should have gotten up a long time ago, but actually it wasn't bad. I was winning most of my hands. The dealer was making hands, but usually 17 or 18. Never had a 20 or higher. Put 2 greens even though my brain told me not to, but my heart.. it can have what it wants. 2 aces, split, 9 for the first ace, another ace, split into 3. Another ace. split into 4. Got a 3, 4 then a 10. Dealer makes 18. Win 2, lose 2. Pretty much the story of any split. Half the shoe is gone and the count is even worse, with 15 aces dealt out. Okay, time to walk away. Went from 300 to 1 pink chip which I immediately took to the cage. Still down -300 :(.
"He that waits upon a fortune, is never sure of a dinner" -Benjamin Franklin
1:30AM
Your choices of foods is really limited this late into the night. It's either a sandwich or noodles. I chose noodles. I've only eaten the buffet here so I wasn't sure what to expect, but how can anyone do Chinese wrong? Well... it wasn't really... much. I ordered the Pad see ew noodles and was below average. Now, I might be spoiled because there are tons of great Asian restraunts in LA, but it was really bland, and the noodles were over cooked that made the juicy texture non-existent which I didn't know was possible. Would I recommend it? No way, just go straight to the buffet.
2:30AM
Even the critters are going to sleep. The Casino floor was a lot emptier then when I arrived. There were people scattered among the slots and VP machines, with bored dealers working the grave shifts. I guess it's time for me to hit the sack. No, I did not get a room at the hotel.. I trotted along to my car which was parked on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Don't judge me. Luckily, all 4 of my windows are tinted and I always carry a small blanket with me which I got from an airplane on a recent international flight. Good night everyone!
"A change is as good as a rest" -Stephen King
9:10AM Wednesday 12/25
Rise and shine! The sun was out, but luckily the garage lot roof was covering it from letting the sun rays from penetrating through. I was actually feeling good and well-rested. I peeked my head up and scanned around and saw an elderly couple walking towards the elevator. Time to make my exit as naturally as I can. I popped open my trunk and stepped out the car and did a big arms-wide stretch. I have a bag of clothes I carry with me along with a traveler's toothbrush, paste, lotion, razor, pretty much the whole sha-bang. Time to use the spas! I've used it once for a massage, and assumed it was $50 to use the facility + 20% discount for Platinum members. To my pleasant surprised the girl in the front desk charged me $20 (which I think is the happy hour price?). Yay! I highly recommend the spa. It's clean, nice, modern, and the staff is really friendly. The steam room is my favorite! Detoxified, washed-up, and ready to hit the Casino floor.
Wow.. took me 2 hours to write this :O
Must take a break, but will post more!
To be continued..
I go to Vegas roughly every 4 months. So I make about 2-3 trips a year depending on my situation. But, I have played in every Southern California Indian casino and frequently play around 20 hours a week. For this trip report, I will write my recent trip to Pala Casino Resort.
"Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected." -Jimmy Cannon
With no one to spend Christmas with, I was contemplating on what I should do to enjoy myself. Flipping through my usual to-do list and finding nothing worth my time, I did what all degenerate gamblers do and decided to take a trip to a Casino. Surfing the web, picking which Casino near me seemed fun, I found interest in Pala's Holiday Buffet. I've tried the buffet at Pala twice, and both times were enjoyable. Noticing the nice choices added in for the holiday menu, I quickly threw on the cleanest clothes that caught my eyes on my room floor.
10:30PM Tuesday 12/24
I have two cars in my garage and decided to take my beat-up Camry. The 200+ mile round trip drive will just be a tiny bump on my aging sedan, and the old gal is nearing retirement soon. The roads were open, no LA traffic 10:30 at night. Easy cruising 75mph all the way from the 10 to I-15.
When I arrived, it was a little past midnight and I expected it to be dead. But, to my surprise, all the red eyed night critters were spread out through the large Casino floor and was more "lively" then I expected.
DD H17 DAS No RSA No mid-shoe entry ~60% Pen $25min-$1000max (main floor).
The high limit room has the same rules, but higher min/max.
This is the best Blackjack game you will find at Pala, which is considered pretty common in Southern California. Is it the best BJ in So Cal? Of course not, but it's playable and so far have never been backed off from Pala before. The way dealer schedule works is 2 dealers per table. They switch off every 30minutes and will deal that table for a couple hours. The pen varies from dealer to dealer since there is no "cut" line for DD. Seen it go short as 55% and high as ~65%.
Session 1
Threw down $500 with my Player's card at an empty table. Started out rough. Count was pretty even, fluctuating between plus/minus 1 TC all through out, but the dealer was making hands like his life depended on it. My typical spread is 25x250 with my bankroll, but when I play during off hours it's even lower since I feel as though all eyes are on me. Was barely staying afloat with a 2 spread when TC hit +1.5, but this dealer was hot... too hot for me. With 8 units left, spread to 3 with a TC of +2. Got a 8/2 with dealer showing 7 up card. Doubled down (didn't look at my 3rd card.) Dealer flips over a 4 and draws a queen. There's about a deck left in his hand with 5 aces still inside. Crossed my finger for an ace, but when the dealer flipped over my double down card, it was a 10 of diamonds. I remember it because I had 8/2 of diamonds and told him it was a 3 card flush for a 6-1 payout :(. Bad start, little bit of tilt, must have been the 80minute drive. Promptly lost the remaining 2 green chip the next hand. Didn't care. This all happened in less then an hour.
*Note - All BJ tables at Pala require you to bet 2x the min bet if you want to play more then 1 hand.
Table Switch
6D H17 DAS RSA LS Mid-shoe entry allowed 80% pen (WTF?) $25-$1000
*Note - The 6D games here are dealt face-up
There is 8 tables back to back where the DD on the main floor is at. One of those table happened to be a 6D game with a middle-aged man playing 1st base. I can tell this guy was on full tilt. He was changing pink chips for green chips profusely with random bet spreads that made absolutely no sense. He was sucking on his cigarette like it was a lollipop and had an extremely frustrated complexion. I just stood near the table and watched the shoe play out. Middle of shoe TC -4, 1st base man bets 6x minimum. Uh-oh. Finally, the slaughter was coming to an end as the shoe dwindled down to the cut card. The man finally looked up after the beating and noticed me standing a few feet away. He nodded his head as if he was inviting me to join him to end his "bad-luck" spree. Sure, why not? New shoe, new chances. I joined in because I liked the pace at which the man played. From the hands I saw him play, he kept with basic strategy and didn't sit there trying to add up 4 low cards in his head. But, more importantly, the dealer was cute. Petite Asian girl who looked about 22 with a smile on her face at 1:15AM. I say 22, but any gambler knows to never take a bet on trying to guess the age of an Asian women. I have devised an equation which is estimated age - 5. Which wouldn't make sense because that would make her 17. Anyways, I joined in and bought in for $300. This is where things got fun. In Pala's 6D game, there is a cut slot on which the dealers insert the red card. So the Pen is pretty much the same which should be around 70%. This girl was different. Instead of taking the decks and pushing it all the way back before the cut, she would let it hang and insert the cut card then push the decks of cards back. Basically, she was cutting 1 deck out from 6 decks. Definitely a keeper, so I memorized the dealer's face and name which wasn't too hard to do ;).
Holy moly, forget the Pen, the count by the time 2 decks were dealt was horrible. -13 running count. I should have gotten up a long time ago, but actually it wasn't bad. I was winning most of my hands. The dealer was making hands, but usually 17 or 18. Never had a 20 or higher. Put 2 greens even though my brain told me not to, but my heart.. it can have what it wants. 2 aces, split, 9 for the first ace, another ace, split into 3. Another ace. split into 4. Got a 3, 4 then a 10. Dealer makes 18. Win 2, lose 2. Pretty much the story of any split. Half the shoe is gone and the count is even worse, with 15 aces dealt out. Okay, time to walk away. Went from 300 to 1 pink chip which I immediately took to the cage. Still down -300 :(.
"He that waits upon a fortune, is never sure of a dinner" -Benjamin Franklin
1:30AM
Your choices of foods is really limited this late into the night. It's either a sandwich or noodles. I chose noodles. I've only eaten the buffet here so I wasn't sure what to expect, but how can anyone do Chinese wrong? Well... it wasn't really... much. I ordered the Pad see ew noodles and was below average. Now, I might be spoiled because there are tons of great Asian restraunts in LA, but it was really bland, and the noodles were over cooked that made the juicy texture non-existent which I didn't know was possible. Would I recommend it? No way, just go straight to the buffet.
2:30AM
Even the critters are going to sleep. The Casino floor was a lot emptier then when I arrived. There were people scattered among the slots and VP machines, with bored dealers working the grave shifts. I guess it's time for me to hit the sack. No, I did not get a room at the hotel.. I trotted along to my car which was parked on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Don't judge me. Luckily, all 4 of my windows are tinted and I always carry a small blanket with me which I got from an airplane on a recent international flight. Good night everyone!
"A change is as good as a rest" -Stephen King
9:10AM Wednesday 12/25
Rise and shine! The sun was out, but luckily the garage lot roof was covering it from letting the sun rays from penetrating through. I was actually feeling good and well-rested. I peeked my head up and scanned around and saw an elderly couple walking towards the elevator. Time to make my exit as naturally as I can. I popped open my trunk and stepped out the car and did a big arms-wide stretch. I have a bag of clothes I carry with me along with a traveler's toothbrush, paste, lotion, razor, pretty much the whole sha-bang. Time to use the spas! I've used it once for a massage, and assumed it was $50 to use the facility + 20% discount for Platinum members. To my pleasant surprised the girl in the front desk charged me $20 (which I think is the happy hour price?). Yay! I highly recommend the spa. It's clean, nice, modern, and the staff is really friendly. The steam room is my favorite! Detoxified, washed-up, and ready to hit the Casino floor.
Wow.. took me 2 hours to write this :O
Must take a break, but will post more!
To be continued..
December 26th, 2013 at 4:33:09 AM
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Love the quotes.
There's emptiness behind their eyes
There's dust in all their hearts
They just want to steal us all and take us all apart
December 26th, 2013 at 5:06:00 AM
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Quote: JohnnyQLove the quotes.
+1
Nice trip report. I am glad you stopped though because I have to get ready for work. I will read more at work if you post.
Expect the worst and you will never be disappointed.
I AM NOT PART OF GWAE RADIO SHOW
December 26th, 2013 at 6:32:38 AM
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Great trip report, so far, looking forward to reading the rest!!!
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
December 26th, 2013 at 2:25:26 PM
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Great trip report. Really enjoying the dry wit.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
December 26th, 2013 at 5:40:32 PM
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Great report. I particularly like the youthful adventuresome spirit of doing without a room.
It seems you went to Noodles within half an hour of its scheduled closing, that may have affected product quality particularly on a Holiday when top of the line chefs would not be working anyway.
It seems you went to Noodles within half an hour of its scheduled closing, that may have affected product quality particularly on a Holiday when top of the line chefs would not be working anyway.
December 26th, 2013 at 7:54:17 PM
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Thanks for reading!
Just came home after work and logged into WoV to finish off my trip report.
10:30AM
Anyone who loves steam rooms will understand the joy of walking out into the cool rooms after a 30minute sweat fest inside. Anyways, feeling like a champ, I thought I would head over to the DD main floor to try and beat the house before the buffet opened. $500 + player's card down on a table with an elderly women playing 3rd base. It wasn't too bad, but nothing really good for the first 3 shoes. I was up 3 units ($75) with no spreads larger then 4. For those of you who might wonder about my BJ counting background, this is my 5th year into becoming an AP. I don't consider myself a pro, nor is this a full time job. I started out with the basic Hi Lo count for the first 2 years (which I still use on 6D games). I switched over to HO2 because I started to favor DD games, and just starting last year I mixed my HO2 count with ASC. Many of you will probably laugh at me to tell me about the tiny marginal advantage by keeping ASC, which is true, but to me it really doesn't take any more mental concentration to keep the aces count. The table filled up fast and before I knew it, all the spots were full. I dislike playing at a full table unless it's low wage just to kill time, but I didn't want to leave because the dealer was very entertaining. He sounded like an auctioneer and was calling out cards extremely fast. Adding in random sound effects like "boom" and "pow" every time he busted. There is a dealer's bust side bet which hit a 6 card bust for a 15-1 payout. I don't bet this side bet, but a lady hit it with a $25 bet. Biggest hand I won was a double down with an initial spread of 4 units, which put me up 18 units. I colored out for 1 pink, 4 black and threw a green chip over to the fun dealer. +425 on this session which put me at +125 for the trip.
11:30AM
Buffet time! I asked the boss in the pit if he can kindly comp me a single buffet and without hesitation he agreed. With the comp receipt in hand, I happily walked over to the buffet which was open since 11:00AM. A line was already formed, but seemed to be moving at a decent pace. It was about a 15-20minute wait and very much worth it. I would definitely recommend this buffet to any visitor. It's $38 per person, but you get a $8 discount if you have a player's card. Is it worth the full price? In my opinion, no. Then again, I don't ever think high-end buffets are really worth a full price. This is probably due to the fact that at most I can only eat 2 plates full. There was a wide assortment of meats there. I went with a slice of prime-rib and duck. The duck was delicious, and the prime-rib was on par with pretty much any buffet you go to. The lobster tails they had were cooked well, and neatly cut in half making it easier to eat. There is a pasta section where they hand make pastas according to your wishes. I wasn't expecting much, but the alfredo I got was delicious. On par with pastas that cost upwards of $20 at upper-end Italian eateries. For desert, I had crepe covered in chocolate with a scoop of coffee ice cream + dash of whipped cream. The ice cream isn't just any ice cream you get at some cheapo buffets. It was definitely high-end. I regret not asking which brand of ice cream they use, but trust me, it's to die for.
"I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand" -Benjamin Franklin
1:00PM
I was really hoping I walked out of the buffet like a normal human being, but I'm pretty sure I rolled myself out. I could feel my body shutting down and my brain telling me to lie down and sleep, but I moved forward like a true man. I was definitely not in the condition to count cards, so I was debating between VP or Baccarat. I don't play those two games much, so I was sure my VP perfect play was out of the question. I headed over to the Asian table games section. If you entered the Casino from the west entrance (garage self parking), then the tables you are looking for will be at the opposite side (east side of the casino floor). Over on this section, there is EZ Baccarat and Pai Gow Poker with a progressive jackpot. Minimum for Baccarat is $15 and has the Dragon 7/Panda 8 bet. I am not much of a Bac player so I just follow Wizard's guide and bet banker all day everyday. Check changed black for red chips and threw down $15 on Banker. I even asked them for the paper+pen, not because I'm figuring out patterns or anything, but I just wanted to keep track of how many hands I played with win/loss ratio. I ended up playing 35 hands with 21 banker wins, flat betting $15 all the time. Not bad. Tipped the dealer $5 and walked away with an extra black chip. +225 for the trip.
2:00PM
The casino was PACKED. I guess there are many like me who come to play games on Christmas day. Not surprising though, since I also saw a lot of kids who came with families. I have been to Pala a couple times, but never seen it this packed before. I swear, almost 90% of the 2,000 slots they have here were occupied. Table games were swarmed, and I heard the buffet line was a 3 hour wait. THREE HOURS! They should have just drove to Vegas.
Feeling digested, I walked over to where there are a mix of games. Roulette, craps, 6D CSM BJ, Single deck 6:5 BJ, etc. California requires craps to be played with cards, which turns me off. Not that I'm a heavy duty dice player anyways. They also play Roulette with cards. I skipped through it and went straight to the DD games. Very good run for me this time. TC was always positive and I was able to play some black action on many of my hands. The dealer even made a comment "man I was killing people earlier, but good thing I'm paying my dues." I was able to go from 5 black chips that I had, to 3 pinks in about 2 hours. Most notable hand was when I had 6 units ($150) and got a 5/5. Dealer was showing a face card with less then a deck left ready to reshuffle after this round was over. I had a TC of +4 with only 3 aces dealt out. I doubled my 5/5 and the dealer flipped over a king for a total of 20. I was expecting my double down card to be a ten, but when the dealer flipped it over it was an Ace. Oh the the shivers you get down your spine when ASC calls for a switch in basic strategy that pays off. With me coloring up to 3 pinks + 2 greens, I felt gracious and tossed him both the greens and walked away with my hair flapping in the wind and headed to the cage. The cashier had to get approval from the supervisor to pay me by $1500, which I found odd, because I've cashed out 4 pinks here one time and didn't need to get an approval. Oh well, she quickly gave a nod to the cashier which prompted him to count out the 15 bills followed by a "good luck sir". As I walked away smiling I knew in my head that luck doesn't favor the good, it comes to those who try.
5:00PM
*Note - The California Highway Patrol station is near Pala off the 15 freeway. BE CAREFUL DRIVING! I always see cars pulled over for speeding.
Oh, the dreaded drive back home. Red-eyed from all the smoke drying my pupils, I exited the Casino to my car with a profit of +1600 after gas, food, spa, and other small travel expenses. There was traffic on the way back due to a collision on the 15 freeway, but how can anyone have road rage when you have a pocket full of cash? I parked my car into the garage, and threw everything I had into the washer. On the kitchen table, I saw the Freeplay scratcher promo card from Pala staring back into my face. Valid starting January 1st 2014. I'll definitely go back to beat the house, once again..
"A man's house is his castle" -James Otis
Just came home after work and logged into WoV to finish off my trip report.
10:30AM
Anyone who loves steam rooms will understand the joy of walking out into the cool rooms after a 30minute sweat fest inside. Anyways, feeling like a champ, I thought I would head over to the DD main floor to try and beat the house before the buffet opened. $500 + player's card down on a table with an elderly women playing 3rd base. It wasn't too bad, but nothing really good for the first 3 shoes. I was up 3 units ($75) with no spreads larger then 4. For those of you who might wonder about my BJ counting background, this is my 5th year into becoming an AP. I don't consider myself a pro, nor is this a full time job. I started out with the basic Hi Lo count for the first 2 years (which I still use on 6D games). I switched over to HO2 because I started to favor DD games, and just starting last year I mixed my HO2 count with ASC. Many of you will probably laugh at me to tell me about the tiny marginal advantage by keeping ASC, which is true, but to me it really doesn't take any more mental concentration to keep the aces count. The table filled up fast and before I knew it, all the spots were full. I dislike playing at a full table unless it's low wage just to kill time, but I didn't want to leave because the dealer was very entertaining. He sounded like an auctioneer and was calling out cards extremely fast. Adding in random sound effects like "boom" and "pow" every time he busted. There is a dealer's bust side bet which hit a 6 card bust for a 15-1 payout. I don't bet this side bet, but a lady hit it with a $25 bet. Biggest hand I won was a double down with an initial spread of 4 units, which put me up 18 units. I colored out for 1 pink, 4 black and threw a green chip over to the fun dealer. +425 on this session which put me at +125 for the trip.
11:30AM
Buffet time! I asked the boss in the pit if he can kindly comp me a single buffet and without hesitation he agreed. With the comp receipt in hand, I happily walked over to the buffet which was open since 11:00AM. A line was already formed, but seemed to be moving at a decent pace. It was about a 15-20minute wait and very much worth it. I would definitely recommend this buffet to any visitor. It's $38 per person, but you get a $8 discount if you have a player's card. Is it worth the full price? In my opinion, no. Then again, I don't ever think high-end buffets are really worth a full price. This is probably due to the fact that at most I can only eat 2 plates full. There was a wide assortment of meats there. I went with a slice of prime-rib and duck. The duck was delicious, and the prime-rib was on par with pretty much any buffet you go to. The lobster tails they had were cooked well, and neatly cut in half making it easier to eat. There is a pasta section where they hand make pastas according to your wishes. I wasn't expecting much, but the alfredo I got was delicious. On par with pastas that cost upwards of $20 at upper-end Italian eateries. For desert, I had crepe covered in chocolate with a scoop of coffee ice cream + dash of whipped cream. The ice cream isn't just any ice cream you get at some cheapo buffets. It was definitely high-end. I regret not asking which brand of ice cream they use, but trust me, it's to die for.
"I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand" -Benjamin Franklin
1:00PM
I was really hoping I walked out of the buffet like a normal human being, but I'm pretty sure I rolled myself out. I could feel my body shutting down and my brain telling me to lie down and sleep, but I moved forward like a true man. I was definitely not in the condition to count cards, so I was debating between VP or Baccarat. I don't play those two games much, so I was sure my VP perfect play was out of the question. I headed over to the Asian table games section. If you entered the Casino from the west entrance (garage self parking), then the tables you are looking for will be at the opposite side (east side of the casino floor). Over on this section, there is EZ Baccarat and Pai Gow Poker with a progressive jackpot. Minimum for Baccarat is $15 and has the Dragon 7/Panda 8 bet. I am not much of a Bac player so I just follow Wizard's guide and bet banker all day everyday. Check changed black for red chips and threw down $15 on Banker. I even asked them for the paper+pen, not because I'm figuring out patterns or anything, but I just wanted to keep track of how many hands I played with win/loss ratio. I ended up playing 35 hands with 21 banker wins, flat betting $15 all the time. Not bad. Tipped the dealer $5 and walked away with an extra black chip. +225 for the trip.
2:00PM
The casino was PACKED. I guess there are many like me who come to play games on Christmas day. Not surprising though, since I also saw a lot of kids who came with families. I have been to Pala a couple times, but never seen it this packed before. I swear, almost 90% of the 2,000 slots they have here were occupied. Table games were swarmed, and I heard the buffet line was a 3 hour wait. THREE HOURS! They should have just drove to Vegas.
Feeling digested, I walked over to where there are a mix of games. Roulette, craps, 6D CSM BJ, Single deck 6:5 BJ, etc. California requires craps to be played with cards, which turns me off. Not that I'm a heavy duty dice player anyways. They also play Roulette with cards. I skipped through it and went straight to the DD games. Very good run for me this time. TC was always positive and I was able to play some black action on many of my hands. The dealer even made a comment "man I was killing people earlier, but good thing I'm paying my dues." I was able to go from 5 black chips that I had, to 3 pinks in about 2 hours. Most notable hand was when I had 6 units ($150) and got a 5/5. Dealer was showing a face card with less then a deck left ready to reshuffle after this round was over. I had a TC of +4 with only 3 aces dealt out. I doubled my 5/5 and the dealer flipped over a king for a total of 20. I was expecting my double down card to be a ten, but when the dealer flipped it over it was an Ace. Oh the the shivers you get down your spine when ASC calls for a switch in basic strategy that pays off. With me coloring up to 3 pinks + 2 greens, I felt gracious and tossed him both the greens and walked away with my hair flapping in the wind and headed to the cage. The cashier had to get approval from the supervisor to pay me by $1500, which I found odd, because I've cashed out 4 pinks here one time and didn't need to get an approval. Oh well, she quickly gave a nod to the cashier which prompted him to count out the 15 bills followed by a "good luck sir". As I walked away smiling I knew in my head that luck doesn't favor the good, it comes to those who try.
5:00PM
*Note - The California Highway Patrol station is near Pala off the 15 freeway. BE CAREFUL DRIVING! I always see cars pulled over for speeding.
Oh, the dreaded drive back home. Red-eyed from all the smoke drying my pupils, I exited the Casino to my car with a profit of +1600 after gas, food, spa, and other small travel expenses. There was traffic on the way back due to a collision on the 15 freeway, but how can anyone have road rage when you have a pocket full of cash? I parked my car into the garage, and threw everything I had into the washer. On the kitchen table, I saw the Freeplay scratcher promo card from Pala staring back into my face. Valid starting January 1st 2014. I'll definitely go back to beat the house, once again..
"A man's house is his castle" -James Otis
December 26th, 2013 at 7:55:09 PM
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Quote: FleaStiffGreat report. I particularly like the youthful adventuresome spirit of doing without a room.
It seems you went to Noodles within half an hour of its scheduled closing, that may have affected product quality particularly on a Holiday when top of the line chefs would not be working anyway.
You are probably correct, since the yelp reviews recommend the Noodle house there. I will try it again next time I head out to Pala!
December 26th, 2013 at 8:08:55 PM
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All in all a great and comprehensive trip report. Great quotes too. Not real sure what to think of the clothes on the floor or crashing in the car. Bad habits?
December 26th, 2013 at 8:29:13 PM
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Crashing in the car is bad only if you have a spouse with you. Otherwise you are simply saving room charges. I like to make use of long hot showers and I like to lie down after a buffet, so I need a room but for young men its optional.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:15:36 PM
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What's the heat like at this casino? It sounds like you are hitting the DD games reasonably hard, enough so that most pits would be giving you some attention.
Also, I think you're tipping too much if you want to be a serious AP. I'm not saying there isn't a place for tipping and if you enjoy the dealers and feel they have earned it, follow your own heart. But at the green chip level, it's easy to tip away your entire EV for the session.
Also, I think you're tipping too much if you want to be a serious AP. I'm not saying there isn't a place for tipping and if you enjoy the dealers and feel they have earned it, follow your own heart. But at the green chip level, it's easy to tip away your entire EV for the session.
"So drink gamble eat f***, because one day you will be dust." -ontariodealer
December 26th, 2013 at 9:31:28 PM
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Quote: AcesAndEightsWhat's the heat like at this casino? It sounds like you are hitting the DD games reasonably hard, enough so that most pits would be giving you some attention.
Also, I think you're tipping too much if you want to be a serious AP. I'm not saying there isn't a place for tipping and if you enjoy the dealers and feel they have earned it, follow your own heart. But at the green chip level, it's easy to tip away your entire EV for the session.
Yeah, I know I'm tipping way over, but to me, counting is a part-time hobby. Pretty sure if I add up all the tips I gave out at a casino, it would be a very significant % towards my expected earnings.
The heat at Pala is pretty low depending on what type of spread you use, and the amount you are betting. For red chip and green chip players, if you follow all the "rules" you should be fine with a 1-10 spread for about an hour. A 1-5 spread should last you a long time. I definitely don't recommend the high limit room since it's more closely watched. I saw a guy who was playing black chips and had 8 on the table 2 hands, and the supervisor was just standing near him watching his play closely.
I clocked in roughly 4-5 hours of BJ this trip with mostly a 1-10 spread (most I bet was a 6 spread though), and had no feeling of heat what so ever. My first time at Pala quiet a while ago, I actually had 2 hands of 10 spread out ($250x2) and the supervisor just looked at me and looked away like I wasn't even there and was able to play just super blatantly for about 40 minutes.
December 26th, 2013 at 10:00:05 PM
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Quote: rainyYeah, I know I'm tipping way over, but to me, counting is a part-time hobby. Pretty sure if I add up all the tips I gave out at a casino, it would be a very significant % towards my expected earnings.
Fair enough, as long as it's a hobby and you understand the numbers I will no longer admonish you.
Quote:
The heat at Pala is pretty low depending on what type of spread you use, and the amount you are betting. For red chip and green chip players, if you follow all the "rules" you should be fine with a 1-10 spread for about an hour. A 1-5 spread should last you a long time. I definitely don't recommend the high limit room since it's more closely watched. I saw a guy who was playing black chips and had 8 on the table 2 hands, and the supervisor was just standing near him watching his play closely.
I clocked in roughly 4-5 hours of BJ this trip with mostly a 1-10 spread (most I bet was a 6 spread though), and had no feeling of heat what so ever. My first time at Pala quiet a while ago, I actually had 2 hands of 10 spread out ($250x2) and the supervisor just looked at me and looked away like I wasn't even there and was able to play just super blatantly for about 40 minutes.
Interesting, sounds pretty tame.
"So drink gamble eat f***, because one day you will be dust." -ontariodealer
December 27th, 2013 at 11:22:31 AM
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Quote: rainy$500 + player's card down ...I colored out for 1 pink, 4 black and threw a green chip over to the fun dealer. +425 on this session
Interesting that you count the 25 tip in your winnings. I think most people don't but this year I started to count tips in my winnings and not losses since technically I didn't gamble that money away.
I was originally going to post more but cut it back so as not to detract from the excellent trip report with a flame war about tipping.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:45:34 AM
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Quote: wudgedInteresting that you count the 25 tip in your winnings. I think most people don't but this year I started to count tips in my winnings and not losses since technically I didn't gamble that money away.
I was originally going to post more but cut it back so as not to detract from the excellent trip report with a flame war about tipping.
Perhaps add a 3rd column to your spreadsheet called "tips"? :)
In my mind it is neither wins nor losses.
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” - Winston Churchill
December 27th, 2013 at 11:47:18 AM
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Quote: wudgedInteresting that you count the 25 tip in your winnings. I think most people don't but this year I started to count tips in my winnings and not losses since technically I didn't gamble that money away.
I was originally going to post more but cut it back so as not to detract from the excellent trip report with a flame war about tipping.
Haha, it's actually fine. My entire tipping on this trip was $87 which was
$75 for dealer
$7 for waitress
$5 for food
The tip for waitress and food is expected, but I 100% understand that the $75 for dealers is way over the limit. I know there are many pro AP who tip $0 because it's just not worth it to tip $5 an hour when playing green chips since the dealers will still look at you like a cheapskate. I recently started to keep a log on my tips starting last year and it actually surprised me at how much money I was losing from my expected profits. I still don't want to cut back though, unless I become a full time BJ player. Maybe when I retire from my career, I'll become that guy :P
Thanks for reading!
December 27th, 2013 at 11:55:01 AM
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Quote: TomspurPerhaps add a 3rd column to your spreadsheet called "tips"? :)
In my mind it is neither wins nor losses.
Yea, that's what I actually do. One column is for net cash and another for tips. Then I add the two together to see my actual "gambling" win/loss vs my net "cash in my pocket" win/loss
Quote: rainyI recently started to keep a log on my tips starting last year and it actually surprised me at how much money I was losing from my expected profits.
Ditto!
December 29th, 2013 at 6:29:29 AM
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> For this trip report, I will write my recent trip to Pala Casino Resort.
Wow. I looked at the website. Looks as if this San Diego area casino could be in Vegas.
>"Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected." -Jimmy Cannon
So go now and be amongst the rejected.
>With no one to spend Christmas with,
There is always my probation officer. Or his teenage daughter.
>I quickly threw on the cleanest clothes that caught my eyes on my room floor.
Er, uh... may I renew my suggestion of a young lady. I think California permits them to gamble at 18, otherwise get one who is 21. They pick up clothes off the floor somewhere around age 9 and the habit sticks with them.
Wow. I looked at the website. Looks as if this San Diego area casino could be in Vegas.
>"Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected." -Jimmy Cannon
So go now and be amongst the rejected.
>With no one to spend Christmas with,
There is always my probation officer. Or his teenage daughter.
>I quickly threw on the cleanest clothes that caught my eyes on my room floor.
Er, uh... may I renew my suggestion of a young lady. I think California permits them to gamble at 18, otherwise get one who is 21. They pick up clothes off the floor somewhere around age 9 and the habit sticks with them.
